Feature Photo by Sophie Whyte

There are many skills associated with being good at sports: quick reflexes, agility and strength. One equally important skill that doesn’t come as easily to mind, though, is confidence.

‘’During the Rock Bridge tennis season, I was privileged enough to play Cyrus Wang. I was the big underdog, and therefore I lacked confidence,” junior Adam Zaghouani said. “As a result, I couldn’t hit any strokes fluently, and Cyrus out-played me in every part of the game and won by hitting an unbelievable [between the legs shot] down the line.”

An absence of confidence can deteriorate anyone’s game. In his match against Wang, Zaghouani believed his lack of confidence was the biggest reason for his loss.
Because of his experience, Zaghouani said confidence is a necessary component to any game.

Like Zaghouani believes, RBHS football player, sophomore Blake Richardson, believes the same.

“Without confidence in your ability, you will lose every game,” Richardson said. Confidence is necessary to overcome the adversity that is present in every sport or situation, and this confidence allows athletes to reach their goals.”

There are different ways people build up their confidence. Recently, Zaghouani had to give a presentation in front his U.S. History class.

Beforehand, he was nervous, but after practicing his speech many times, he said he felt a lot more confident. He also believes using hand gestures eased the presentation.

The confidence paid off as he said he comfortably presented in front of 20 people without any problems. After the presentation, Zaghouani realized the value of confidence.

“To build confidence, you must be familiar with the task at hand,” Zaghouani said. “It helps to have had previous exposure dealing with it  in order to gauge an appropriate level of confidence.”

According to sports psychologist Dr. Gerry Heisler, an adequate amount of confidence toward a task can make situations less worrisome.

He said confidence allows an individual or team to make decisions with less pressure, which results in better decision-making.

“Personally, I help many people out who are struggling with something. So, I have to have confidence in the advice I am giving to my patients, because then that’s how they will believe in themselves more,” Heisler said. “With confidence on my side, I give people better advice because I feel more relaxed.”

Though Richardson believes a lack of confidence will hurt a team, he also believes overconfidence will do the same. Richardson said overconfidence is damaging because it puts an individual or team out of concentration, which has a negative effect.

When they lose focus, people start to make uncharacteristic errors. RBHS quiz bowl member, sophomore Victor Topouria, dealt with overconfidence during one of the events. It cost the quiz bowl team a loss.

“We played Oakville a few times in a tournament, thinking we were going to have a significant win,” Topouria said. “But they had one strong player that clearly dominated that caused us to lose.”

Just like confidence, overconfidence has a cause. Richardson said overconfidence occurs after a big win for a team or individual that causes them to slack off. Even though overconfidence has a cause, there isn’t a prevention, according to Heisler.

“Overconfidence doesn’t have a real prevention because it isn’t like a disease that you know you have,” Heisler said. “It just happens to you and you won’t even realize it.”

Even though there isn’t a way to prevent overconfidence, Heisler thinks there is a sharp distinction between overconfidence and confidence.

According to Richardson, overconfidence is harmful whereas confidence is helpful. Richardson also believes there is a big difference between overconfidence and confidence.

“Confidence is believing in yourself,” Richardson said. “Overconfidence is ignoring the improbability of said action taking place and still asserting that you can do it or you can do it better than someone else.”

Richardson believes confidence and overconfidence have become very important parts to a game. He said there are many losses because of overconfidence, and that there have been many wins due to confidence. Richardson believes confidence is very necessary to a performance.

“You just have to have the same attitude toward every opponent,” Richardson said. “People just have to maintain their confidence level and not get cocky about something or lose belief in themselves.”

By Harsh Singh

Feature photo by Sophie Whyte

Photo by Daphne Yu

This spring, after many years of appearing on the ballot to be appointed under the Missouri State High School Athletic Association sponsorship, starting the 2013-2014 school year, bass fishing will be regarded as a MSHSAA activity along with target shooting, chess and bowling. …what activities have previously been regarded as possible clubs in the RBHS community, these “emerging sports” now can form a team, gain recognition under MSHSAA, compete with Missouri schools and participate in MSHSAA state and regional championships.

Target shooting, bowling, chess and bass fishing are “basically special interest groups that who want to go under the MSHSAA umbrella,” Athletic Director, Dr. Jen Mast said. “We have a RBHS chess team that’s loosely affiliated with RBHS, but now they can be an official RBHS team that can attend competitions.”  

While MSHSAA already sponsors various events in addition to sports such as debate, band and scholar bowl, these three, newly appointed emerging sports almost double the list of verified activities under MSHSAA and are “basically a step up from a club” with their new status, Mast said. However, now obligated to obey the requests of a sponsored activity or sport, this may rear a few downsides.

Due to the MSHSAA handbook for 2013, an eligible student must attend seven of eight credit hours a semester, establish residency at designated school, pass 80% of credit class in previous semester and abide by transfer policies. Every student participating in a MSHSAA activity or sport must meet this criteria, Mast said.

“It just depends on how you want to look at it,” she said. “If we did have a bass fishing club and all they did was bass fish and they met twice a month, if they wanted to start competing in bass fishing, then it’s an advantage to join MSHSAA. But, you’ll also have some people in bass fishing club that don’t meet the MSHSAA requirements. … If [a club or activity] wants to choose to come under that MSHSAA umbrella, then every kid in that has to fit under the MSHSAA guidelines.”

However, aside from the drawbacks, MSHSAA Communications Director Jason West raves about the amenities and opportunities MSHSAA can offer the activities under their sponsorship. Besides recognition and competition status, West also believes these activities can only bring the student body closer.

“I think this is a good thing for a number of schools because this is one more [way], if you will, to have for students to be involved with their schools and promoting spirit of community. This may involve students that aren’t on the football team, the basketball team, they aren’t a wrestler…but they do play chess or they do go fishing a lot and could be a member of the bass fishing team, they could be a member of the 4H club of FFA…[adding these sports as sanctioned MSHSAA activities] just gets students more involved in school activities and promotes participation.”

In light of the immense amount of recognition sports teams receive for their accomplishments, the fact that academic teams and lesser known sporting teams may now gain appreciation is comforting and gratifying, senior former football player Stephen Lancey said.

“I think that’s actually kind of cool [to sanction those activities],” Lancey said. “It’d be nice for people that maybe don’t like contact sports to have something to contribute to their school. Besides, I think it’d be interesting to see a bass fishing match.”

By Kaitlyn Marsh

They offer smiles and waves toward those who pass, in hopes that someone might be kind enough to offer up some spare bills.

One particular afternoon in February, as I sat at a red light at the intersection of Providence and Nifong, I noticed a frail looking man leaning against the metal pole of the traffic light.  His skin appeared pale and rough, and his trembling, cracked hands grasped one of the aforementioned signs that I had seen so many times before. As I peered at him through my frosted window, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the guy. I couldn’t avoid the thought that it was my responsibility as a human to help him out.

Now, I’m not completely ignorant.  I am fully aware of the long pitch of reasons why one should never give their money to a beggar on the side of the road.  Perhaps the money will only go to support their drug addiction or alcohol dependence. Perhaps they aren’t even homeless and have their car parked three blocks away, so that they may drive home at the end of the day with their dishonestly obtained earnings.

All of these thoughts raced through my head as I watched him out the window of my suddenly comfortable Ford SUV.  I pictured him waking up in the mornings and putting on the ripped and fraying clothes which adorned his thin frame, skipping his morning shave to achieve the “homeless” look and setting out to spend the day deceiving the generous few willing to spare a few dollars.  I imagined him trading the money for liquor or hard drugs and retreating to his home to enjoy the sinful fruits of his labor.

I knew there was a good chance that this man was not being honest in regards to his circumstances or to the way in which he would spend his money.  I knew that it was very likely he was standing there in front of me, shamelessly lying his way towards the next dollar bill he could scam out of some generous driver with a soft heart.  He wasn’t being honest.  He was a liar.  A scammer.

But carefully and without hesitation, I rolled down my window and handed him a $5 bill.

Maybe he is lying, I thought to myself, watching his eyes light up in surprise and gratitude.  It was a likely possibility.  But regardless of the honesty in their actions, if someone is desperate enough for money to abandon their pride and stand, begging, at an intersection, I think that person is entitled to the helping hand of another.

And if he is simply scamming the city’s generous inhabitants, perhaps a simple, honest gesture of humanity will be enough to open his eyes to the corruption in what he is doing.  Maybe if I show him my own trust, he will realize the merit in honesty and choose to abandon his tricks of the trade.

I know that this entire thought process might be silly and naive. Trusting the untrustworthy might not be the best idea and rolling down a window at a stoplight to give away money to someone who is most likely a desperate and manipulative liar might not change the world. But then again, maybe it will.

By Anna Wright

Photo by Emily Franke

We commemorated her 75th birthday two weeks ago, a so-called monument and celebration of another year. We sang and opened presents, yet there is nothing I want to remember about this year. Addressing her card with a personal message, I scribbled out “blessed to have another healthy year…”

But it wasn’t accurate. Just “another year” stood above my signature. I hoped the smudge didn’t stand out too much.

Compared to the vibrant, exuberant woman I once knew, she has withered. The legs below her baggy sweatshirt resemble that of a newborn, weak and fragile, and she tries to hide her gasps as she mounts the single step into the foyer and shuffles to the patterned rocking chair in the living room. She drops into its arms as if she is struggling to carry her own weight, because she is.

Always interested in my life and my well-being, she questions and smiles, displaying the empty space past her right canine. Another thing she can never get back, I think. Yet, her eyes show the incandescent beauty of her smile in its sincerity. Of course I gush in the welcoming aura and share recent stories, and she laughs and comments here and there. But her laugh is restrained, almost lost.

I remember her real laugh, when she would squint her eyes so hard, bend over and howl. Remember that laughter; do not forget, I have to remind myself. I feel it is my responsibility to make sure that healthy person I used to know lives on, even if she’s only a memory. I must not forget this happiness.

She asks for a blanket. Retrieving it quickly, I tuck my favorite quilted throw under her legs, careful not to bump her for a fear of something snapping. She grasps at the top of it with her hands. I force myself to focus on something else, watching her claw with those hands.

They are mangled, slowly morphing into unrecognizable formations. The left knuckles protrude an inch above the back of her hand, swollen and bruised in color, and her fingers stick permanently straight and useless. Her right hand hangs lifeless, her fingers waving as if they contain no feeling, the bottom of these digits purple in color. At dinner that night, she joked about them.

“I wish I had hooks,” she said. “I wonder if I could just get these things removed and have hooks installed. I’d be having a good old time with them, waving them around and hooking things. They’d work better than what I’ve got now.”

My grandmother, the mother of my mother, contracted rheumatoid arthritis approximately six years ago. She has aged far beyond that of a woman in her mid-70s. She loves to talk, to laugh, to be outdoors, but her mobility has been basically halted and her energy depleted. Her body is literally deteriorating on the inside. First joints and bone, now muscle. Every day she loses a little more ability to move, a little more of herself. Since the diagnosis, she has lost nearly 80 pounds.

Visiting her is almost too much to bear anymore. Her tiny house reeks odors of urine and stagnant water, the results from soiled clothing and dishes that have been soaking in the sink since Mom visited last month. She sits in the same spot on the couch. Every day, she sits on that couch. Alone.

How selfish am I to duck into the other room as she cries out in pain when she lifts herself from her chair. I know nothing near the pain she lives through every morning when she wakes up on her couch, only not to be able to lift a glass of water to her lips with her own two hands to drink.

How indolent I am as I sit on my own couch and play with my superficial gadgets with an unwillingness to help with dinner or do my own laundry, while my grandmother has done nothing but serve others her entire life, as she struggles with every move, even to place her last few dollars in the offering plate at church.

I wish I could give her some of my abilities I never take advantage of. How is it God has blessed me immensely, but I feel as if I am wasting it, like she is wasting away? I detest running. She prays for a chance to run again. I gorge myself at Thanksgiving with turkey and stuffing while she sits alone in her house, lacking energy to even chew and swallow.

Yet, she thanks God every day for what she has, more than I do by a great margin. In the position of having absolutely nothing, she is more humble and grateful than I would ever be. She doesn’t complain. She doesn’t resent God or anyone for what has happened to her. She only looks for ways to overcome, embrace change one cannot control and view the glass half-full, values I hope to learn and pass down to my own children even after she retires to a home of no suffering, no pain.

“I am so blessed,” she said. “Whenever I look around at everyone else in the world, I feel so blessed to be me.”

By Kaitlyn Marsh

Wilson’s Beach and Tennis Club, where many RBHS students work over the summer. Photo by Sean Doherty

As the school year comes to a close, students find themselves searching to find a job in a competitive college town. The two months once spent relaxing and tanning in grade school have shifted drastically in priorities and purpose. Summer jobs for high school students are the first experience many students have to earn money for themselves. For first-time employees, the introduction of a new job was both stressful and exhilarating.

“I worked at Hy-Vee last year as a courtesy clerk,” senior Jordan Reiske said. “It’s not that I didn’t like my job there; I just wanted to venture out and try new jobs. I’m both nervous and excited about my new job as [a] lifeguard. There are just so many things that could go wrong while I’m on stand. I just hope that if something bad does happen, I will know what to do.”

The need to be able to perform well under stress allowed certain students to excel in the life-saving environment.  Management positions were open to anyone who showcased an ability to excel under these conditions.

“It’s stressful to work at Wilsons’ because I feel like I have an obligation to set a good example for all the new people that will be working with me,” sophomore Colby Eaton said. “I also feel responsible for the lives of all the people who are in the pool when I’m guarding.”

Sophomore Riley Widhalm is a second-year employee at Wilson’s. Riley returns as the assistant manager of the snack shack.

“I’m a little nervous about all the new technology we’ll have, but I’m pretty excited,” Widhalm said. “I’m one of the older returning staff members, and I really feel at home here.”

With so many young people employed, there has to be an influential adult to lead the pack. This job falls on head guards such as RBHS alum Tristan Welsh, who worked at the pool last year.

“The biggest difference is probably that now every lifeguard’s actions reflect back to myself because I’m the one who trained them,” Welsh said. “If they mess up or act inappropriately at work, it all comes back to me. Besides that though, I’m pretty excited for this year.”

By Sean Doherty and Sara Forward

Infographic by Trisha Chaudhary

It was late one night and junior Savannah Johnson was with her friend at a gas station, filling up the tank, when they noticed two men in another car staring at them. Johnson, feeling nervous, told her friend — the driver — to get in the car and they locked the doors.

After a few minutes, the two “burly” men opened their window and began shouting things like, “Get in the car! Get in the car!” Then Johnson and her friend watched helplessly as the large black SUV with the two men in it inched towards their car, making a T shape and effectively blocking them from leaving.

Johnson looked away and clutched her phone, hoping the two men would leave them alone. Her friend, without moving her mouth for fear they would read her lips said, “Call your mom.” The men kept telling the girls to get in the car. After a tense few minutes, the men got into their car, rolled up the windows and drove away.

“I was shaking so bad. I was like, ‘I don’t know what they’re going to do.’ If they would have come up to the car though there was nothing we could have done except just sit there,” Johnson said. “It was really scary.”

After the incident, Johnson told her mother, who “freaked out” and bought Johnson her first weapon — a small bottle of pepper spray, or Oleoresin Capsicum. It causes immediate closing of the eyes, difficulty breathing, runny nose and coughing. The effects can last from 30 to 45 minutes. It made her mother more comfortable, and made her a little less nervous when she rented Redbox movies outside of Gerbes at night.

And she’s right to be nervous. Other than parking garages and public restrooms the third most common place for rape and/or abduction of women is a grocery store parking lot, according to the Charles County Sheriff’s Department. The FBI reports that only 37 percent of all rapes are reported to the authorities, and even less for attempted rapes.

High schoolers “don’t think that they really think about [assault] happening,” Johnson said. “They just think, ‘Oh, that happened in a movie or on the news or something.’ They don’t think it would actually happen to them.”

Unfortunately, the truth is just the opposite. According to the Pepper Spray Center 44 percent of all rape, attempted rape or sexual assault happens to kids under the age of 18. Although Johnson has a heightened awareness outside of school, she thinks little of her protection while she’s at RBHS. She carries mace, but never takes it out of her purse.

“I always feel safer knowing I have my mace with me, but when I’m at school I don’t really think about it,” Johnson said. “I guess that’s because when I come to school I feel like I am safe and that it is a controlled environment and the staff is looking out for my safety. But when I’m outside of school I feel like I’m the only one looking out for my safety.”

Similarly, senior Jacob Wilburt* doesn’t have much to fear at RBHS, saying he doesn’t feel “threatened,” but Wilburt believes having the right to protect oneself is vital. Wilburt carries a knife and has since he was six years old when he first passed his Boy Scouts’ certification test. But he doesn’t carry it in preparation for self-defense, just as a useful tool and worst case scenario – a back up plan.

“[My knife] stays in my pocket. If I’ve got [to] open something, it’s there. Last year when I was in welding I kept getting pieces of metal in my hand, and I’d have to cut them out. If I’ve got dirty hands, I can clean out my fingernails with it. S— like that,” Wilburt said. “It’s not like I’m going to stab somebody with it. It’s just here if I need it.”

Wilburt said carrying a weapon is partially cultural. His grandfather has carried a knife every day for the last 67 years, and “he’s never had any trouble.” And it’s not just knives. Last year Wilburt kept a shotgun for trap shooting locked up in his truck for when he went hunting after school. Wilburt isn’t new to guns, either. He said he first received a gun when he was four years old – a .22 cal.

“When my dad went to school they had their gun racks and their guns in their trucks. Everybody knew they weren’t going to shoot nobody,” Wilburt said. “Now [my friend] got kicked out of school for just having a BB gun in his car.”

Principal Mark Maus grew up in a rural town and said when another student was deer hunting all weekend and accidentally left his shotgun in his rack on his truck, and when he came to school the administration suspended him. Similar rules apply at Rock Bridge.

All weapons are banned on RBHS campus, including in the parking lots. Rock Bridge, and all the Columbia Public Schools, have a “zero tolerance policy.” Since the 1980s, when zero-tolerance was popularized, it started a philosophy toward illegal conduct with little wiggle room, especially drugs and weapons. But Columbia Public Schools are understanding about it, Maus said. If students accidentally wear jeans they wore during the weekend with a knife clipped on it from work they can come to the office and let them know so there won’t be an issue. But the rules they adhere to are strict.

“We follow the same guidelines as the rest of Columbia Public Schools. Basically, if you’re found with a weapon or anything concealed or anything that could hurt someone, there are consequences,” Maus said. “We look at being stringent. No weapons are allowed to be carried, but we also understand that a student may accidentally do something.”

Maus said the administration preaches a policy of caution, and he encourages any students with worries about a possible weapon to talk to him just to be safe.

Wilburt disagrees with the measures as he believes people who have been trained how to properly handle a weapon and are responsible shouldn’t be punished. If someone doesn’t present any aggressive behavior with the weapon and keeps it inside his pocket as he does, Wilburt said he just doesn’t understand all the fuss.

“I’ve had a couple people come up to me and start freaking out, saying like, ‘Oh, my God, you have a knife in your pocket,’” Wilburt said. “If I was going to stab you, I would’ve done it already because you’re annoying me. … But I wouldn’t. So, you know, they freak out, but there’s no reason to.”

Wilburt doesn’t see the idea of fear as one that should always go with weapons. As for example, junior Mikayla Bessey, who carries a different kind of weapon on her keychain. It swings around with her Wilson’s Fitness card and a token from Disney World. She has a small pink bottle of pepper spray that her father gave her when she started driving. And although Bessey hasn’t used it yet, except to practice on the grass, she said she feels safer with it.

“I feel like if someone were to rape me or something, I could pull it out and run away,” Bessey said. “I’m pretty small for my age, and so most people are bigger than me, and it helps me to spray it in their eyes and run away.”

Wilburt believes mace isn’t strong enough to take someone down, and only allows students a feeling of protection. According to Gallup’s annual crime poll 23 percent say they purchased a gun to protect themselves and their homes. But relatively few say they personally carry mace or pepper spray (14 percent), a knife (12 percent) or a gun (12 percent) on their person for defense.

“[Girls] feel like they have a sense of protection [when they carry mace] but they don’t actually. I’ve been sprayed with mace, because I wanted to try it out. It’s not that bad,” Wilburt said. “And they have this sense of protection because they think, ‘I’m carrying mace; nobody can hurt me.’ Bulls— because I can take mace straight to the face and keep going. … Not that I would. But there’s a lot of guys that would, that are a lot tougher than I am. … Same with a taser. It takes two of them to take me down.”

Outside of school, Bessey thinks of her mace as protection, but at school she rarely notices it. But because she drives to school, her bottle is with her the whole day. Maus said although he doesn’t consider mace on the level of a knife or a gun, it can still be dangerous and should be dealt with with precaution. Some students, like Wilburt, disagree.

“I don’t even keep it hidden. It’s clipped [in my front pocket]. They can see the clip. … I don’t pull it out to be aggressive,” Wilburt said. “But it’s not like I’m going to stop carrying it just because some people gotta whine. I don’t go a day without it.”

By Maria Kalaitzandonakes 

Photo by Manal Salim

Two weeks after the glitz and glamour of the RBHS prom, and long after the prom pressure and preparation in finding the impeccable gown or getting asked in a picture-perfect way has all died down, the madness is to start all over again. But this time the excitement is to take place  without all the burden on prom attendees.

Rather than attending the typical prom, RBHS and HHS Muslim girls organized a “Muslim prom,” or alternative prom, last Sunday for Muslim girls and their friends. This way, the girls are able to enjoy all the partying, excitement, and dressing up, but in a religiously acceptable manner, said senior Duha Shebib, one of the organizers of Muslim prom.

“We organized Muslim prom as a way for us to feel comfortable in a secluded environment where we can truly enjoy the full prom experience, while keeping our faith in mind,” Shebib said. “Muslim prom is a place for Muslim girls not attending prom to do our hair and wear fancy dresses and dance, which is something we would not be able to do if we went to real prom.”

However, Shebib and the other senior girls organizing Muslim prom are not the first to do so. Shebib explains how the event has been prepared year after year due to the popularity of the idea, which she believes is due to the enjoyable experience that is provided without all of the excess pressure many girls face with traditional prom.

“It’s appealing because there is no pressure attached to getting a date, or not getting a date. You don’t have that pressure at Muslim prom because it is exclusive only to girls,” Shebib said. “Muslim prom doesn’t have all the formalities of prom, but it is purely based on having fun, dancing and just having a good time with our friends from school.”

These friends that will be in attendance is not exclusive to senior girls, since sophomores like Saja Necibi will also be at Muslim prom. Necibi explains how she is looking forward to the event since she wears a hijab, and if she were to go to prom her senior year, she wouldn’t have the opportunity to dress up like she will for Muslim prom.

However, getting dressed up is not the only aspect attendees like Necibi are looking forward too, as Necibi explains how the event will allow her to catch up with friends she hasn’t had the opportunity to interact with, since school has taken up the majority of her time.

“I’m attending Muslim prom because it’s a great way to end the school year with my Muslim friends. We can hang out and have a blast in an appropriate setting where we can all be comfortable and relaxed,” Necibi said. “[Muslim prom] brings the Muslim girls together, since some of us go to Hickman while others go to Rock Bridge. And even then, I still don’t get to see my friends that go to Rock Bridge, so it’s the perfect opportunity for all of us to be together.”

Despite the fact that Muslim prom is presenting an alternative to actual prom, sophomore Humera Lodhi believes that missing the “real thing” isn’t a problem at all for her, or many others she has talked to. In agreement with Lodhi’s beliefs, according to www.lifeway.com, 25 percent of the teen population doesn’t see what the ‘big deal’ is with prom, and choose to attend an alternative prom instead.

“It’s really not a big deal to me if I miss prom. Senior year, and high school, is made up of just more than one event, and missing that one event isn’t going to ruin my senior year. Plus, I know a lot of other people, a lot of non-Muslims who don’t attend prom, and they don’t feel as if they are missing out on anything,” Lodhi said. “It seems to add a lot of unnecessary stress and worries for a lot of girls. They keep worrying about if they were going to be asked to prom, or how embarrassing it would have to be to go without a date, or how to get a date, but I won’t have to worry about that with Muslim prom.”

And the anxiety relief, along with complementing religion,  is one of the most popular aspects of Muslim prom, according to Shebib, as she has witnessed first-hand the stress of prom in preparing for the event for her Floral and Plant Design class last year.

“I had a teacher who told me prom is just like a practice wedding, so I really don’t think I’ll be missing out. I remember last year helping with making corsages and listening to the time and effort it took just to find a dress  and a date, and all that wore me out,” Shebib said. “I think I’ll leave that stuff for my actual wedding day.”

Although Muslim prom is a secluded girls-only event, Lodhi believes a separate event can and should be held for Muslim boys and their friends looking to celebrate graduation in a religiously appropriate manner, but perhaps a different theme than the Muslim prom the girls typically organize.

“I think if  the boys want to, they should definitely have a prom,” Lodhi said. “But I do know that the senior Muslim boys went and watched Iron Man 3 the night of prom this year, so maybe that’s their Muslim prom.”

Regardless of the theme or take on Muslim prom, the key point of the event is to present a religiously acceptable prom, where the attendees can have a good time, without the pressure or feeling that they are missing out on anything, according to Necibi.

“I really don’t think we are missing out anything at all,” Necibi said. “Prom seems mostly about having tons of fun and being happy alongside your closest friends, and Muslim prom most definitely offers all that.”

By Manal Salim 

CPS rolled out school sets of iPad 2s for students. Next year, the district hopes to distribute iPad Minis to AP students. Photo by Alex Gompper

With the usage of more and more mobile Apple technology, applications and software capabilities have risen, too. When Apple released the sixth major update to its mobile software platform, iOS 6, Sept. 19, iPads, iPods and iPhones were pushed further into the reigns of accessibility with the introduction of features such as Guided Access.

Guided Access provides limited usage of buttons or specified areas of the screen when activated. A few years prior, Apple released iTunes U, a specific section to their multimedia store in which users could download lectures, lessons and demonstrations–for free.

From an outside perspective, Apple may have found a market in which it could profit greatly: education.

Columbia Public Schools has not been left out of the loop. At the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year, CPS introduced a new value to their education system. With this value came the 21st century skills that many students have unknowingly become affiliated with. These skills mainly revolve around the multifaceted capabilities of the technological revolution that has come with the 21st century. Essentially, the world has advanced rapidly in terms of technological developments, and thus educational systems must fit that mold in an order to properly prepare students for those changes.

Most students here have become familiar with the technological resources available to them. Teachers may sign up for different ‘mobile labs’ which pertain to different forms of technology. One mobile lab holds a set of Dell Vostro laptops and another carries a set of iPads. These individual devices can then be distributed among that teacher’s students for that hour.

The 2013-2014 school year will bring about a technological change for one demographic at RBHS: AP students. These changes will include the allocation of a personal electronic device to each student at the beginning of the year; similar to how a textbook is checked out at the beginning of the school year, and later returned. Next year, iPad Minis will be given to all students who are a part of an Advanced Placement course.

“We are piloting this approach to providing students with an electronic tool if they are enrolled in certain courses,” Sally Beth Lyon, Chief Academic Officer for Columbia Public Schools said. “In this case, AP courses.”

The iPad Minis will bring to the table a wide variety of technological capabilities. Apple’s A5 processor is the second-fastest (just short of the iPhone 5′s A6 processor) that Apple offers. The new iPads will also squash their larger, dated counterparts with a plethora of high-definition graphics, 1080p video recording, and a front-facing camera that dwarfs previous versions. A 10-hour battery life will also provide more than enough juice for classes, even with the coming schedule changes.

Although not all students will receive this personal electronic device, CPS hopes to offer a new path that will prove to be beneficial to all that partake. On the district side, physical textbooks can be replaced with electronic ones, whose obsolescence will be much easier to avoid. Electronic subscriptions to textbook providers will allow the district to rapidly update their curricular material, without the hassle of removing older course materials that have been outdated. Students in multiple AP classes will no longer suffer the burden of hauling their bodyweight in textbooks.

Although Apple’s technology has been known for overpricing, Lyon said the cost of iPad Minis is significantly lower than regular iPads (starting prices for the iPad mini begin at $329 vs. the iPad 2′s price-tag of $399) and that the district has already set aside approximately $400,000 in tax revenue to accommodate the financial side of next year’s technology.

“We are hoping to provide students with a personal learning device that enhances their learning and productivity,” Lyon said, “Not only will students be able to access digital versions of textbooks, they will have a device that allows them to explore the world of information available online. We hope that teachers and students alike will innovate with this new technology and exploit the opportunities available to 21st century learners.”

By Alex Gompper

Video by Urmila Kutikkad

Dandy Cats: https://vimeo.com/33968489

Welcome to Ask Jake, Bearing News’ first online advice column. I have NOT read any of these questions beforehand – despite temptation to do so.

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in these are solely of the individual Jake Alden and are not the views of BEARING NEWS, its parent, affiliate or subsidiary companies. Follow said advice at your own risk.

By Jake Alden

Senior West Wilson speaks on behalf of the Bruin Cup Student Board. Photo by Lisa Holt

“21 Teams. 1 School. All Champions.” This appeared to be the theme of this year’s Bruin Cup, an annual dinner and awards ceremony celebrating Rock Bridge athletes’ achievements in their respective 21 teams, at Columbia College. The night began with dinner and followed with the distribution of awards to celebrate another year of victories in Rock Bridge athletics. Everyone from athletes and coaches to fans and parents were recognized for their help and support.

Sophomore Lily Farnen attended Bruin Cup for her participation as a cheerleader this year.

“At Bruin Cup, coaches nominated  their players for awards for leadership and ability,” Farnen said. “I thought it was really fun to go and support my team members and learn about other sports teams.”

The night also included videos and slideshows by the Bruin Cup Video Committee which highlighted  fan support, coach recognition and academic excellence of Rock Bridge athletes.

“There were a lot of videos that students made, and they showed which were really fun,” Farnen said. “I thought the fan support slideshow was cool as a thank you to all the people who come and cheer us on.”

After the videos and introductions, seniors Eli Sherman, Sam Mulholland, Billy Swift, Mike Nemec, Kate Harlan and Katelyn Race accepted Senior Scholar Awards for their cumulative 4.0 GPAs.These six seniors make up almost half of the thirteen valedictorians this year.

A member of girls basketball, Kayla Cheadle,  and Matt Priest of boys baseball,  snagged Outstanding Sportsmanship awards. Seniors Alex Henderson and Leia Tarbox received Exceptional Leaderships awards from presenters Sophi Farid and Kate Harline. Next was Tarnue Tyler of boys soccer, and Kelley Tacket of swimming and diving, who took home Rookie of the Year awards, presented by Alex Henderson and Graham Ratermann.

Subsequently, recipients for the Performance of the Year were revealed by Jordan Forrest and Ali Kreklow to be wrestling and girls golf.

Rock Bridge principal Mark Maus poses with Athletic director and next year’s principal, Jen Mast. Photo by Lisa Holt

Performance of the Year awards preceded the endowment of the Most Inspirational awards.

Senior Hannah Dressler, a member of girls basketball who completed the year with a 3.5 or higher GPA, received the Most Inspirational award. Zach Cook also accepted the Most Inspirational award from presenters Annie Rumpf and Eli Sherman.

The Bruin Cup Awards finished off with the bestowment of MVP male to A.J. Logan, Nathan Keown and Jason Smith. MVP female went to Sophi Farid, Sophie Cunningham and Kelley Tacket.

Overall, Mast believes Bruin Cup gives everyone the opportunity to reflect on the year and the contributions of senior athletes and the Bruin Cup Student Board.

“They do a lot of work for this event so we just really appreciate them,” Mast said. “And definitely celebrate what they’ve given to the athletics department.”

Not only was it a chance to hail athletes, but also for them to hail each other. Sophomore Cierra Porter, a member of Girls basketball, enjoyed Bruin Cup because she was able to observe all of Rock Bridge athletics not just her sport. “It was cool to have every kid from every sport come together.” Porter said. “It was an opportunity to recognize each other, instead of just ourselves.”

Mast agrees that Bruin Cup provided a chance for athletes to step back and appreciate other athletes, coaches, fans, and parents.

“Athletes get focused on their own sports and it’s life to them.” Mast said. “Part of the event is to understand the experiences of other kids and other sports too.”

All in all,  the ceremony was filled with “happiness and pride.” Awards were given for not just athleticism but also for maintaining high grades and community service while partaking in sports. Mast highlighted the specialness of Bruin Cup because of its incorporation of all Rock Bridge athletics and their 21 teams, into one night.

“It’s kind of a family feel,” Mast said. “Even though theres 650 people there, it unites us all as one big Rock Bridge athletic family.”

By Fariha Rashid

Many students use ACT prep books to prepare for the test, but now, with the emergence of an online option, studying may need to receive an update.

Beginning in the spring of 2015, ACT will offer an online option to the traditional written test. In addition to using  a paper and pencil, students will soon have the opportunity to complete the test on a computer for the first time in the ACT’s history.

Along with the new option, another factor will be changing as well: timing. Instead of waiting a long three to six weeks for results, composite scores will be apparent within seconds of submitting the test.

For many, including RBHS junior Bella Gerhart, the results may be worth any challenges that may accompany the new medium.

Online tests could “lead to more problems with the system overall, because if you click the wrong thing then it really screws you up, but at the same time, you could do that with a pen and paper too,” Gerhart said. “But I [do] think that [it] would be nice to get your results right then rather than three weeks later.”

According to usatoday.com, 1.7 million students took the ACT in 2012 alone, the highest amount of all time. With such popular numbers, the test exceeded its closest competitor the Scholastic Assessment Test for the first time in history (huffingtonpost.com). But despite the popularity, some have already ruled out the possibility of taking the ACT online.

Sarah Kinney is a freshman at Jefferson Junior High School. A junior in the spring of 2015, Kinney will be a part of the prime demographic that will take the test. In spite of this, Kinney is not planning on utilizing the new alternative.

“Having already taken the ACT myself, I very much liked having my own desk and space to work rather than being squashed into a computer cubicle,” Kinney said. “Also, I have found that taking long tests on a computer can be very uncomfortable. Staring at a computer screen for roughly four straight hours is hard on the eyes and brain.”

Personal preference aside, other logistical factors will invariantly come into effect as well. Without having to print or pay for postage, ACT is planning on cutting costs dramatically, but while the organization will save money, schools may be receiving the short end of the stick. Along with the costs of technological updates, the new medium is forcing schools across the nation to rethink traditional test organization. In addition to these changes, bigger schools such as RBHS will have even more to consider: student to computer ratio.

“On the June [ACT] test, we test 300 kids here at Rock Bridge, and we would not be able to test that many people on computers,” RBHS media specialist Gwen Struchtemeyer said. “We could do it on laptops but … there’s the monitoring aspects too because you have to have an internet connection, but you can’t be on the internet to look up answers or look up formulas. There’s a variety of things that they’ll have to figure out … It’s a lot to think about, and the thing about it is … it’ll be cheaper for ACT, but it’ll be more expensive for the rest of us to administer and to make it work.”

Ultimately, only time will show how RBHS will handle these new challenges. In the meantime; however, the school can only plan. Joining the other online tests such as End of Course exams and national tests such as the National Spanish Exam, Kinney believes the online ACT is just another pitstop on the road to the future.

“I’m sure that the online one would be very interactive and modern,” Kinney said. “Making nearly every aspect of our lives digital can be scary at first, but it is a leap that is going to be made eventually; we might as well embrace it.”

By Ashleigh Atasoy

How do you feel about this new alternative? How will the online test option affect you?

Though many have called for restraining action against Westboro Baptist Church, the fact remains that the first amendment – specifically the freedom of speech – technically protects almost everything the church does. Westboro has been pushing the boundaries of the first amendment since it started protesting in 1991; in part, the boundaries are so easy to push because they’re blurred.

One of the biggest recent challenges pushing the blurred lines of the First Amendment is the rap Methuen Massachusetts High School student Cameron D’Ambrosio posted to YouTube. In his rap, D’Ambrosio apparently referenced the White House, the Boston Marathon bombing and said, ‘Everybody, you will see what I am going to do: kill people,’ according to Methuen Police Chief Joe Solomon.

D’Ambrosio regularly posts raps to YouTube under the name “Killa Cam,” but this one has gotten him charges of terrorism, leading to a 20-year sentence and/or a fine of up to $10,000. The line between safety and free speech is blurred, but senior Andrew Hutchinson believes D’Ambrosio’s arrest violates free speech.

“Free speech, especially how the Supreme Court has ruled about it,” Hutchinson said, “is supposed to only be overruled when there’s threatening speech and clear, present danger and even in that Massachusetts statute [used to arrest D’Ambrosio], it specifically mentions you need specific weapons and specific people or location. I just feel like this is really a violation of free speech because hip hop has always referred to violent things and referenced violent events.”

Hutchinson also believes this because freedom of speech is close to his heart. He started a political organization in ninth grade that almost got him suspended/expelled (depending on who you ask) and performs a lot of poetry regarding controversial topics. The freedom of speech is similarly important to sophomore Jack Rentschler because earlier this year, he got called into the office for things he posted on Twitter and was told he had to censor himself.

“I value free speech quite a bit,” Rentschler said. “I didn’t really place as much weight on it until I’d actually been told ‘Hey, you can’t say that.’ So yeah, now that I’m aware of what it feels like to be told that you can’t say something and you have to censor yourself, I think [censorship] is just stupid; we have free speech for a reason.”

But, though Rentschler values the freedom of speech immensely, he sees that it’s not a black and white issue. In this situation, he can see both sides of the issue.

“On one hand, I can see how many people, especially the families and the people from Boston, would feel disrespected and angry, as well as concerned,” Rentschler said, “but then again, if we arrested everyone who said something we found disrespectful or that we didn’t agree with, this wouldn’t really be America. I think it was understandable to look into the threats; I don’t know if it was reasonable to take down the video or arrest him. As much as I disagree with the video, the more you censor stuff, even if it’s stuff like this, that’ll just allow for [censorship] to be more acceptable, and anything can be censored.”

With the information given, Pop Culture teacher Austin Reed agrees with Rentschler that the government needs to be careful with what they censor. He believes that the situation is like if someone had put a video up where they depicted Allah. He wouldn’t agree with the video because the Islamic faith doesn’t allow the depiction of Allah, but he also wouldn’t agree with taking the video down.

“It’s the age-old, you can’t yell fire in a crowded building; I agree with that, you know,” Reed said. “What do I tell my students? Use freedom of speech but don’t be an idiot. Maybe that’s a good rule. Use freedom of speech but don’t be an idiot.”

Story by Urmila Kutikkad

One of Methuen, Massachusetts high school student Cameron D’Ambrosio’s previous raps which he posted to YouTube under the name “Killa Cam.”

The raw address and the QR code that leads to the Bitcoin Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to spreading knowledge of Bitcoin’s function as the currency of the future. illustration by Alex Gompper

Currency issues have plagued mankind since the first hunter gatherers began trading between each other. These methods of exchange made sense, and they worked. If both traders decided their items were worth the trouble and the actual items themselves. Imagine person x and person y both have two goods that they have a fair surfeit of. Thus if person x and person y both need each other’s goods, they exchange to thereby mutually satisfy their needs.

So with all of that, how did those methods of x-for-y advance up to today, where currency doesn’t have to be physically tangible, like with payment-god and eBay partner, PayPal? Since 1982, the value of the United States dollar has inflated nearly 150 percent, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics’ CPI or consumer price index. Alternatively, Bitcoin’s simple algorithm that controls the amount of Bitcoins in circulation prevents inflation and provides a relatively predictable and interference-free economy.

In 2009, Japanese software design student who worked under the alias “Satoshi Nakamoto” decided the centralized control of a currency was no longer beneficial as an economic model. Combined with experience in cryptography and program development, the first concept for Bitcoin became. Of course, this was not the first Internet currency with no physical objects to hand over between person x and person y. e-gold was developed in 1996 by Gold & Silver Reserve Inc. until a series of fraud and deception eventually pushed the concept out of business and out of practice–but the spark was there, and with some fine-tuning, digital currency made its debut into the mainstream world of foreign currency.

According to Bitcoin’s website, Bitcoin.org, “Bitcoin is designed around the idea of a new form of money that uses cryptography to control its creation and transactions, rather than relying on central authorities.”

Bitcoin is not an organization; there are no central servers. Bitcoin is an open source algorithm. Anyone with a connection to the Internet can look at how Bitcoin works, in its most raw form: the source code..

Transactions in the Bitcoin network work by peer to peer connection. When a user of the Bitcoin network initiates a transaction, the network registers the currency as being transferred.
The network proceeds to deduct from the senders account, the desired amount of currency, and send that amount to the address of the receiver.

Illustration by Josh Ripley

This lack of verification from a higher authority in the Bitcoin network, of which there is none, cuts out the possibilities for fraud and dishonest transactions. Working almost like a jury, or a panel of judges, the outside verification is what allows Bitcoin to be crime-free, even without a designated human-override. Addresses work much like email, according to Bitcoin’s online glossary. Addresses can take two forms: as a string of characters, or as a simplified QR code — those things that you’ve always wanted to use, but haven’t cared enough to actually do so.

Aside from Bitcoin’s transparency policy and versatile interface—its ability to be used as a currency virtually anywhere–Bitcoin’s anonymity proposes an entirely new aspect to the face of BTC (BTC is to Bitcoin as USD is to the dollar). Although all transactions are recorded in the blockchain, a public record of every single Bitcoin transaction, Bitcoin transactions are entirely anonymous. The transactions are irreversible as well, and generally cost next-to-nothing for transactions to process. This proposes an entirely new financial concept.

Unless published, it is impossible to trace a Bitcoin address back to the owner. Unless published, no one but the owner of the wallet will know how many Bitcoins they have. Finally, the anonymity allows Bitcoin to have no sense of borders. It is impossible to tax Bitcoin transactions, and those transactions can go anywhere in the world with a half-decent Internet connection.

Unfortunately, this portable nature and anonymous currency can also bring illegal transactions as well. Using TOR, an Internet browser designed to surf the web completely anonymously, users can navigate through regions of the web that they wouldn’t dream of in a normal browser (which can track a client’s Internet usage).

Already, the complete cut of third-party oversight between transactions has piqued the interest of governments and anti-financial crime organizations, such as FinCEN. Blurring the line between user and administrator, Bitcoin has been a scary concept that has gained traction, after the market value of all Bitcoins in circulation peaked $1.3 billion USD. In a new world where regulation and taxation of transactions are impossible, Bitcoin has the potential to become a viable method of payment for years to come.

By Alex Gompper

Sophomore Jilly Dos Santos was one of these victims, who after writing a controversial article, received a lot of backlash on real-time information network, Twitter. But she generally tries to ignore the hurtful comments, she said.

“Usually I just kind of roll my eyes,” Dos Santos said. It’s “one part superiority complex, two parts hard outer shell, I guess. I just let it roll off of my back because I know that it doesn’t matter and half the time the person who said [the comment] is just an idiot.”

Though Dos Santos may be able to deal with cyber bullying in a healthy way, many others aren’t able to do the same. One out of every 10 students that drops out of high school does so because of repeated bullying. Bullying victims are also two to nine times more likely to consider suicide according to studies by Yale University. And now, with the growing popularity of the internet, there has also been a rise in bullying according to recent bullying statistics. However, the freedom that students exercise on the internet stems from the Supreme Court case Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union that declared the internet as a free speech zone in 1997. Though junior Nate Horvit believes that people should be cautious when posting things online because of possible future repercussions, he values a person’s right to freedom of speech.

“It’s a freedom of speech issue and you can pretty much say anything you want [on social media sites], “Horvit said. “And although it’s hard for people, you still have the right to say it. In general you can pretty much say whatever you want and you just have to deal with the repercussions of people not liking you or not getting a job or not getting into college, stuff like that.”

However, the ability for students to say whatever they want on social media sites can clash with new collaborative efforts to end cyber bullying. For example, Senator Joseph Addabbo and Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York signed into law a new doctrine that protects students from cyber bullying in public schools. The new law is “ designed to strengthen a school’s response to harassment and bullying through improved reporting, investigation, intervention, training and prevention,” according to the nysenate.gov. And others are following suit. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 34 states have enacted legislation against cyber bullying, and 21 already have existing laws. Missouri is one of the 21 states in the nation that currently has laws set in place to prevent cyber bullying in public schools.
With all of the emerging legislation and the measures that legislatures are beginning to take against cyber bullying, it is often hard to decipher the line between it and freedom of speech. However, Horvit believes that there’s no one guideline that a person can use to determine what constitutes cyber bullying.

“It’s really about the person, “Horvit said. “There’s not a whole guideline you can use like, ‘this is over the line,’ but it’s just personally you have to make judgements about yourself and what you want to say and who you want to be and how you want to market yourself to the world through what you post online.”

Though Horvit may think that the decision falls upon the individual, guidance counselor, Leslie Kersha disagrees. She sees the effects that cyberbullying has on students at RBHS and often has cases that deal with it, she said. But she thinks that the responsibility falls on adults to teach the children around them how to appropriately use social media sites, but in a world where the younger generations often are more technologically savvy their parents or guardians, this can be difficult, she said. Regardless, Kersha believes that technology should be used to “support and lift people up,” she said.

“In my mind, it is never [O.K.] to post mean-spirited comments on-line in any form, ever,” Kersha said in an email interview. “To me, this doesn’t have to do with free speech, it has to do with being a human being with integrity. If someone has an issue with someone else, they should address the situation in a mature manner directly with the person. It doesn’t need to be out there for everyone else to see, and if the issue can’t be resolved, the people involved need to let it go. Period.”

From the time when principal Mark Maus was an assistant principal, he recalls most bullying cases as kids being “ignorant” of the toll their actions can take. The bullies he dealt with acted simply because outside instigators “were telling me to do it.” Now with social media, Maus says most cases of cyber bullying occurs through Twitter, Facebook or just simple text messaging. But regardless, cyber bullying is still bullying, Maus said, and RBHS doesn’t “want any of it to happen.”

“I know there have been people who haven’t felt safe at school because of bullying, or emotionally upset about what was said about them.To me, anytime you’re negatively affecting another student, you’re going too far.”
To combat bullying here, especially cyberbullying that is not as physical, Maus encourages teachers and students to develop trusting relationships so these matters can be brought to light.

“The biggest thing we can do is having a really good relationship with the kids so that way if something does happen, they feel comfortable telling an adult and we can intervene,” Maus said. “A lot of things that happen, we don’t know about because we don’t have time to go through 1700 student tweets. If we hear about it we intervene, but there are so much stuff that happens that we don’t know about and kids don’t know are there forever. So I wish that students understood that… it doesn’t go away. I think we’re doing really well with digital literacy, but I wish we could do more.”

With cyber bullying or bullying in general, punishment can then range from conferencing with the student and parents to suspension, Maus said. All of it just depends on the severity and frequency of the act. Maus encourages students to promote the culture at RBHS – where students are accepting of all beliefs and open to new ideas – even if there’s no Big Brother looking over their shoulder.

“We don’t police twitter -we don’t have time. But if it comes to our attention, we would certainly respond. Name calling and stuff like that – I just learned what subtweeting is – it’s just not appropriate. I think we’re better than that and we can treat each other better.”

By Trisha Chaudhary and Daphne Yu

Have you ever been bullied? What do you think about the connection between the freedom of speech and cyberbullying? 

At the end of each May, returning and incoming show choir members alike congregate in the choir room for a chance to be placed in either City Lights or Satin N’ Lace. The audition consists of each individual performing a vocal solo that is around a minute long and performing a pre-learned dance routine in groups of three people.

Show choir director Mike Pierson looks for specific qualities when judging auditioning students.

“The ideal student for show choir auditions is well-prepared, they have picked a song that suits their voice well [and] that works well for an audition for show choir,” Pierson said, “and that student is able to stand up and not only sing the song but portray the song’s character with their face and perhaps with their body.”

For most show choir participants, this is the most stressful time as their audition determines which choir they will be in during the coming year.

“The most stressful part of the audition for me is the vocal solo as it is 80% of your overall audition score,” junior Karina Kitchen said. “Since the dance section of your audition score is a lot less than that, I don’t get as stressed out about that as I do with the vocal solo.”

Students learned the dance routine Monday evening at 6:30 following a parent meeting discussing what to expect as a show choir parent. The dance routine to the Neon Trees song “Everybody Talks” was choreographed and taught by recently graduated seniors Morgan Widhalm and Emily Thomas.

Sophomore Sam Gurnsey performs his vocal solo, “The Impossible Dream” by Frank Sinatra.

While some were concerned about remembering the dance choreography, other students like junior Hahn Ngo weren’t as worried about remembering the dance as they were about perfecting their vocal solo.

“I’m least worried about the dance because my song is the highest percentage of my [audition] score and the dance isn’t super hard or anything,” Ngo said. “It’s just simple and fun.”

Despite the stress and worry that comes with the audition, Kitchen tries to remember to remain calm and to have fun because performing is what she enjoys doing the most.

“At the end of the day, you did all that you could and it’s important to remember that, no matter what happens, it isn’t the end of the world if you don’t make the choir that you want,” Kitchen said. “As long as you had fun while performing, that’s all that matters.”

Winning can’t just happen, though; it requires performance and training. For athletes to perform well, they have to be healthy and energized so they can reflect their full potential. What am I getting at, you may ask? Well, athletes need the right food in their stomachs in order to do their best. Coaches or trainers usually suggest fruits, vegetables, or maybe carbs or lean meats before a meet, game, or some sort of competition. Although, if you look around a sporting event at the concession stands set up, these normally aren’t the types of foods offered. The wafting smells of hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, or burgers surround people at game fields or in stadiums. There is usually candy and other sweets for sale along with sugary drinks and soda. How in the world does this correspond with what athletes are supposed to eat? Right, it doesn’t.

As a runner, for example, looks to snag a snack between events, he or she probably isn’t looking to stuff themself with fattening, heavy food. That just doesn’t make sense. Unfortunately, most sporting event environments offer only that. Every so often you may see a bag of pretzels or crackers for sale, but the bags hanging inside concession stands are a lot of the time greasy potato chips. Instead of energizing an athlete, these fatty foods will only fill them up in the wrong way.

I was the kind of kid who wanted to be going 100 miles a minute at all times. In the summer, I packed up my bag each morning prepared for golf, swim, and tennis lessons. My mom would give me a nutritional breakfast and an apple as I walked out the door. Wednesday nights were swim meet nights. I’d run to the concession stand between events in my swim cap and goggles and end up getting a Gatorade and maybe a hot pretzel thinking it would be a good thing to eat before I jumped in the water for another race. Wrong. Eating junk only made me feel sick, definitely not energized. Unfortunately, athletes deal with this all of the time.

I started dancing competitively in fifth grade, which I found to require much more stamina than any other sport I’d ever participated in. Believe it or not, I discovered that dance competitions served the same kinds of food as other sporting events. Just great. Before and after performing dances, dancers should eat nourishing foods that will keep them replenished and ready to go. Why is it so difficult to sell fruits and vegetables at concession stands? Instead of ice cream and cookies, offer some peanut butter crackers or yogurt. If sporting event concession stands would alter their menus to be at least somewhat healthy, athletes would surely perform better and get more out of their exercise. Basketball players about to play a big game against their rival shouldn’t gorge themselves with hot dogs and burgers; they should eat a filling yet healthy meal that will make them feel good and give them the ability to be the best they can be.

My point here is that fattening foods being served at sporting events only tempt athletes to eat them because they’re hungry and need some energy. Ironically enough, eating badly is making them worse off. It’s an easy fix; it just needs to be acted on.

Stop with the junk at games. Instead of concession stands stocking up with greasy foods and fattening snacks, those in charge should actually consider what athletes should be eating at their sporting events. Swap some hotdogs and nachos for some bananas or carrots and a salad with some chicken. The day I see fruit and vegetables in a concession stand will surely be a good one.

Photo by Mike Nemec

“I absolutely think it’s different than teaching at any other school,” Huck said. “With the ‘freedom with responsibility’ culture, I believe it takes someone who can allow the students to have the freedom to express themselves, and I absolutely love that about the school. From my knowledge and limited experience at other schools, that simply isn’t the case.”

A student teacher for World Studies teacher David Graham, Alex Huck helps sophomore Taylor Dolezal during her advisory. Photo by Jilly Dos Santos

Both men spent three semesters in social studies classes at RBHS and have learned the tricks of the trade through observation and hands-on instruction since the spring semester of 2012. In this time they have built relationships with their mentor-teachers, as well as with their students, which Orton believes to have greatly improved his effectiveness as an teacher, and also the learning of his students. Although at first it wasn’t so easy, “crashing and burning” was an inevitable and necessary process for learning and improvement.

“The first time I ever did a lesson I didn’t have a really good relationship with the kids because I was only there, like, two hours a day for twice a week,” Orton said. “There were a lot of blank stares.”

After entering the classroom as a more permanent figure, Orton found success when interactions with his students became more frequent and personal.

“I got to build a relationship with the kids,” he said. “It was fun for us because they all got to watch me struggle, and I was able to laugh about it, and they were able to laugh about it with me. It was a great experience.”

These are memories and relationships both will remember fondly as their first experiences teaching at RBHS, and with recent news of their employment at the school, they will surely not be the last. Orton has secured his place in the studies department for the following year, where he will independently teach blocks of AP European History, AP U.S. Studies, and regular US Studies. Huck will return to RBHS through the MU Fellowship Program, working closely with RBHS teacher David Graham as he teaches Government and Pop Culture while earning his master’s degree.

“Alex has proven to be one of, if not the best, student teachers I’ve ever worked with, and that group of former student teachers includes present full time teachers, Mr. Reed and Mr. Nichols,” Graham said. “I feel he could become a great teacher for Rock Bridge High School, and I’m excited that I get to continue working with him next year in the Fellows program.”

The interns’ students at RBHS are equally excited, happy to have seen the progression and aspirations of their student teachers be fully realized.

“[Huck] will be an amazing teacher because he can relate to the students and understands them,” Sophomore Zach Ibitoye said. “I’m pretty sure that the kids next year will enjoy him as both a teacher and a person.”

Dubbed the “hipster student teacher” by students, their encouragement has also inspired Orton, who described the enthusiasm as a reminder for why he chose the teaching profession.

“At least once a day I will have a moment of realization, a realization that I’m doing my dream job at my dream school, and the most beautiful thing about that is how genuinely happy my students are for me,” Orton said.

Future RBHS studies teacher Bryn Orton advises sophomore Lily Farnen. Photo by Jilly Dos Santos

With the initial excitement of these developments still present, the future RBHS educators have started preparations for their first year of teaching early. Their summer reading lists are already planned out, stacks of history books towering above the piles of paperwork to be filled out and filed before August. Whether juggling graduate courses or mastering their best authoritative tone, the two have a lot to consider these next few months, with their individual teaching styles important factors.

“I’m a very energetic, all-over-the-place type of guy, and I think my classroom environment will reflect that,” Huck said. “Obviously there needs to be some parameters, but I feel that too much discipline inhibits the students’ ability to access a collaborative aspect that I feel is essential to the learning environment.”

Orton’s vision of his classroom is that of a sanctuary for RBHS students, a place to shed the many faces of superior and subordinate high schoolers often don upon entering a classroom. He hopes to instill in his students that apathy and loathing for school and work can only exist if we allow them to. It’s not about quitting, he argues, but rather making things your own and meeting personal expectations before those of society.

It’s a lofty goal, but to Orton, it’s the driving force behind an educational philosophy that will stick with him throughout his teaching career.

“The line between academic work and enjoying the company of your peers should be blurred and often crossed. Work, whether academic or ‘real-world’, whether it is something you love or hate, should never be something that gets in the way of your happiness,” Orton said. “If you don’t enjoy your work, you should learn how to make it work for you, and learn how you can give it a personal significance. I only applied to one school. I filled out half an application to another, but I’ve known since October that this is the only school I wanted to teach at. It’s become a cliché, but Rock Bridge just ‘gets it.’”

And for the upcoming year at least, RBHS will ‘get’ the opportunity to claim these two young educators as our own.

By Jilly Dos Santos

Bruins face-off against Colts prior to today’s state semi-final match. Photo by Madeline Jones

Claiming runner-up, the Bruin boys tennis team fell to Rockhurst in the state championship duel today. The Bruins lost to the Hawklets, last year’s runner-up, 5-0.

Rockhurst won the first five single’s matches of the duel, clinching the state title.

The Bruins were only able to win sets against the solid Rockhurst team.  RBHS’s No. 4 Jacob Winton won his first set and the first finished set of the duel. From there Rockhurst cruised only being challenged in the final set of the match-up of number ones, Alex Jones and Alex Koca,  which Koca won 9-7 in tiebreak.

Rockhurst’s Koca, John Nogalski, Jack Evans, Joe O’connor and Sinjin Nair all recorded straight sets victories. The match between Winton and his opponent, Jacob Moore, was suspended after the Hawklets clinched the victory.

A Bruin victory in the match would have meant a fourth straight state title and fifth in six years, both unprecedented feats in Missouri Class 2 boys tennis history.

The Hawklets were undoubtedly hungry to avenge their loss to the Bruins in last year’s state championship duel which they lost by a score or 5-2.

After the meet Winton, who had little to say about the meet, pointed out that “Rockhurst played very well.”

Rock Bridge and Rockhurst have combined to win the past seven Class 2 boys tennis state championships and the rivalry looks promising for the future. Both schools will return several players to their varsity squads next year.

RBHS students who graduate go on to become doctors, business leaders, movie directors, government officers. But for several seniors involved in the performing arts programs here, it is music, acting and entertaining that is their dream. It is the people who surround them, the education they’ve received the past three years, and their love for their art, developed as a Bruin, that have shaped this vision.

Troy Guthrie performs in a scene from Urinetown.

Senior Troy Guthrie, who will major in acting at the University of Southern California next year, is part of this group of passionate performers. Guthrie began his acting career in fourth grade, participating in plays with the local TRYPS program, Theatre Reaching Young People and Schools. A member of the RBHS show choir and a lead role in many school productions, Guthrie is excited to pursue an art he loves so much.

“I’d say my biggest accomplishment is that I’ve found something that I can be a part of that’s a lot bigger than myself; I think I’ve found something that I love so much that there’s not anything in the world that could ever top it for me. It’s a really, really true passion of mine that I love,” Guthrie said. “I don’t have any credentials or solid award things, but I don’t think that really matters. I’ve found something that makes me very, very happy. I get to wake up and hone a craft that takes years and years of dedication to work at. So I think that’s probably my favorite thing, it’s that I discovered that there’s this whole world to learn about.”

However, the road to a successful career in performing arts is not for the weak-hearted. Like most career paths, the world of the arts comes with its hardships. For senior Ian Meyer, majoring in vocal music education at the University of Missouri – Columbia next year, adopting a humble attitude and recognizing the abilities of others is the most difficult part that comes with being a musician.

“I think there comes a time as a musician that you have to realize that you’re really not that hot. You’re really just not the best that there is,” Meyer said. “I’ve been so fortunate to be around people that I’ve either gone to their recitals or I have known them for a long time and known their natural abilities or I’ve sung with them or I’ve performed with them, and the amount of talent I see in some of these people blows me away. … There comes a time as a musician that you just have to realize, ‘I am not the best, I will never be the best.’ And that’s kind of a hard thing, but I think that teaches you to be humble and to continually work on bettering yourself.”

Guthrie also view humility as a vital part of his career as a performer. Though it is easy to “get caught up in your own ego,” he believes without the ability to recognize your own weaknesses, the art is no longer driven by passion, but by selfishness.

“I think the biggest challenge has been just staying humble and genuine and staying true to who you are, because it’s really easy to forget yourself, especially in the arts,” Guthrie said. “But the second you start thinking, ‘Oh, I’m good,’ you’ve lost it because you’ve lost your drive, your appetite to work. And it’s not really about the work anymore, it’s about you creating this cool, fancy thing for yourself. So it’s challenging to keep, to stay focused and continue to do the work and not let the distractions come in and get you.”

Because the journey is not always easy, and self-centeredness and ignorance often tempt the traveler, the support of family, friends and faculty is vital to students pursuing an art. For both Guthrie and Meyer, it is the support of their parents that has influenced them the most and solidified their career choices. In a world where the entertainment industry holds little money for majority of dreamers who don’t make it big, the love from friends, family, and teachers that surrounds Meyer is a foundation for him to build his hopes off of.

Ian Meyer played the poor revolutionary Bobby Strong in Urinetown.

“Let’s be completely honest, I’m going to be poor the rest of my life and I’m okay with that,” Meyer said. “But to be in a household that just supports what you want to do as opposed to what might be the best economic decision is a really nice thing. And being involved with such great instructors like [choir director] Mr. [Mike] Pierson and like my education at [Christian Chapel Academy] and like the things through [Performing Arts in Children’s Education] that I did has been great to have that encouragement. And to have my friends there beside me just to encourage me is always good to have.”

When majoring in music performance at the University of Nevada – Las Vegas, assistant band director Robert Thalhuber experienced a lack of encouragement from the important people in his life. For this reason, as an educator, he now watches musically talented students every year deny their love for their instrument as they go off to college. He believes a lack of support can make or break a student’s decision to follow their passion.

“I had people tell me I couldn’t do it. I had parents say no. I had people say, ‘You’re not going to be able to feed yourself,’ and obviously that’s not true. I’m doing fine,” Thalhuber said. “There’s a lot of room for the arts. If a student wants to do something, they should go for it, as long as they have a way to get there, and they have to be realistic about it. But that’s one of the biggest things. I hear a lot of students say they’re not going to do it because, they love it, but people tell them they can’t do it. So then they don’t to it, which, totally, I just shake my head [at].”

Guthrie identifies with the lack of faith from people when they hear about his life plan. But to him, the money or lack thereof won’t matter, and the opinions of outsiders won’t hold him back. With devotion in his heart and a drive to learn and excel, Guthrie doesn’t feel the need to worry, and he feels this relates to everyone, no matter what they decide to chase in life.

“A lot of people, they say, ‘You need a backup plan, you need a fallback plan,’ and I smile and nod and it’s whatever, but the truth is, a lot of people want to be a part of the entertainment industry; a lot of people want to make art, but if you want to be really, really great at something — and I think this is anything, if you want to be a scientist or a cook — you have to give yourself to that and you have to give absolutely every bit of yourself to that,” Guthrie said. “And yeah there’s peaks and valleys and you’re going to get stuck in the rut a lot, and you’ve got to keep walking because it’s not an easy path, and for people that get down in the muck and can’t stand up when they’re down or when they get knocked down, it’s not the path for them. If you love it enough it won’t be an issue, because even if you don’t have a dollar to eat, if you’re still doing what you love, you’re going to be ok, and if that passion’s still there, you’ll be OK.”

By Alyssa Sykuta

photo by Yasmeen El-Jayyousi

As seniors start to enter into their freshmen year of college the excitement is almost unbearable.  Teens can’t wait to leave the house they’ve spent years growing up in for a chance to be independent.  They can be free from parental constraint, yes the annoying eyes looming over you at every turn that can leave many gasping for a fresh start.  Although with all this excitement comes an often busy and stressful lifestyle, a lifestyle that not all teens are used to and often leave them to the regretful binge eating and unhealthy snacking.  Not only does this affect your overall health it also can lead that the seemingly mythological “freshmen 15.”

Yes we’ve all heard it, the freshmen fifteen.  It looms over student’s heads almost as much a studying for the biology test an hour from now.  Mostly from a combination of stress, changes in lifestyle and eating habits play the biggest role according to About.com.

“I think it’s very important for incoming freshmen to realize it can happen to them,” University of Missouri freshman Kacey Bradshaw said.  “‘The Freshmen Fifteen’ sounds like some sort of mythical thing, and nobody think they’re actually going to struggle with it.  You need to be honest with yourself so that you can go into college with a plan.”

University cafeterias don’t help the matter.  Stocked head to toe with fatty, oily foods, students fall prey to the often tempting treats. The buffet style cafeterias promote unhealthy portion sizes as well as encouraging second and third portions.

“It astonishes me how much food they have there. And you can just go back and keep getting more!” Bradshaw said. “If you have good self-control, you won’t struggle in this area because you can eat normal portions, but the food still isn’t that healthy. Another thing wrong with that food is that you don’t really know what you’re putting into your body, calories, carbs, sugars, a lot of the food is way unhealthier than most people think.”

Universities although are trying to curb their large portion habits by providing nutritional information on the food they serve as well as trying to make the healthy choice the easy choice says University of Missouri Nutrition and Exercise Physiology Professor Ellen Schuster.

“You’re more likely to overeat or make unhealthy choices when hungry, keep healthy snacks available so unhealthy, high calorie snacks don’t tempt you, limit liquid calories – a lot of calories come from sugary drinks or smoothies, be physically active to reduce stress, you also spend time burning calories, not eating!” Schuster said. “Also get enough sleep,there’s research that links sleep quality/quantity to healthy weight.”

It’s even harder to keep off the pounds when you’re a culinary student, constantly surrounded by rich, decatent foods.  Senior, Mallory Barnes will be attending the Culinary Institute of America next fall and says that although she will be babarded with food options she feels her busy schedule will keep her away from eating what she cooks.

“Well at the ‘Culinary Institute of America’ we have a lot of choices from foie gras to t bone steaks to croissants,” Barnes said.  “But they also have healthier choices like local salads.  So just choosing things to eat will be a way to avoid gaining weight.  Also they have a really good althletic center and sports teams so I’m planning on utilizing both.”

Using the opportunities that the school provides will be another addition to help you stay at a healthy weight.  Freqent excercises and increased heart rate burn calories and create endorfensed which in turn help you stay postive.  It is easy to become overwhelmed in a new enviroment, although doing things that benifit you in the long run will ultimately give a more healthy outlook.

“Students may find themselves ‘saving’ calories during the day in order to drink at night – this too can lead to drinking too much (too many calories) and when you drink too much you may not be aware of what or how much you are eating,”Schuster said. “Eating fruits and vegetables can fill you up with few calories. Keeping a food diary or food journal can help you identify when you are eating and perhaps most importantly, why – are you stressed, sad, lonely, etc.”

By Carleigh Thrower

• Punta Cara, Dominican Republic
• Australia
• Grand Cayman Islands

photo by Yasmeen El-Jayyousi

With my eyelids sagging, I was exhausted when I neared the end of finishing my Advanced Placement: Literature and Composition final, two nights before the due date. While typing out a sentence, my laptop screen flashed to black, then morphed into a white screen where a large Federal Bureau of Investigation symbol jumps onto my screen with a monotone voice.

“You have violated federal law by distributing illegal material through the Internet. Your computer is now locked down until you pay the fine within 72 hours…”

I sat staring at the screen in shock from the sudden conundrum, frantically pressing every key to try and remove the terrifying image from my screen. While I mindlessly agonized over this travesty, my fried brain failed to notice some very obvious details about this warning. The screen said I was under charges for allegedly distributing child porn and would have to pay a fine of $400 to have the block lifted or I would face a larger fine and incarceration.

In my paranoid state of being sent to prison and inability to finish my final, I began to foolishly search for a payment method to remove the block without calming down and looking at the situation logically.

First off, I had never distributed porn, so there was no proof to even back up the claim. And second, even if I did, the FBI probably wouldn’t be worrying about a small fry like me compared to other offenses they deal with – the police would come to my house if it was legit. Furthermore, being caught for child porn would result in more than paying s $400 fee to be let off the hook, in actuality, I would be thrown in prison for 5-40 years and be charged up to $250,000.

Thankfully, my father calmed me down when I rushed downstairs like a maniac to tell him of my peril. Without him I could have fallen prey to the blatantly fake warning, losing $400, control of my computer, passwords and personal information. With a level head, I immediately powered off my computer manually and took it to a computer repair shop. Luckily I found one still open that provided me with priority repair options and was able to fix my computer in a couple of days. Unfortunately, the virus on my computer dealt heavy damage to my security system and many main features, and in the repair process all of my local data was removed, including the nearly finished final due in two days.

If I had continued to pursue the problem irrationally, I may have lost the money and suffered further harm to my computer, or gotten in a wreck from driving in a frenzy to the repair store. Paying the service cost of $150 was much prefered, and even though it was little, I still had time to retype my final. Even though the situation turned out rather poorly, I’m glad I fixed what I could.

Freaking out about a problem, no matter what the situation, always makes it tougher to handle mentally and often worsens the problem; it’s all about keeping yourself composed, as intensifying the situation only hurts your constitution and the ability to make rational decisions. Staying calm and assessing problems with logic leads to a faster, better solution with less stress on making the best decision.

By Blake Becker

iTunes Top 100

Upon my introduction to Spotify, the infamous commercial streaming music service, I was delighted to find free access to the Billboard Top 100 playlist. With songs from Justin Timberlake, Macklemore and many others, I could already envision a summer full of musical satisfaction. With no access to a car, and therefore a radio, I had not been particularly enlightened on the current status of the most modern music of today.

As I put my earphones in, tuned into the world of Spotify, and tuned out everything else, I sat down prepared to become well versed on everyone’s new favorite hits. The first few songs were enjoyable- known artists and feel-good songs were exactly what I needed to keep listening. But after the tenth song or so, I began to notice an annoying pattern- most of these songs were almost exactly the same.

 An artist would start the song with a casual verse about women, parties, or the feeling of an infinite youth, and about one minute into the song some known DJ would mix a loud electronic dance beat for the chorus. The more creative artists might even bring in a rapper for the second verse to mix things up a bit. Yet the songs were all the same, and the songs became almost formulaic in their structure. Popular artist singing about a common topic, beat build up, techno dance chorus which repeats at least four times throughout the song, and another heartfelt verse, if that.

 Even artists whom I was familiar with prior to my exposure to Spotify were plugging their talent into the Billboard Top 100 formula. From pop-rock bands like Fall Out Boy to Disney artists like Demi Lovato, the pattern in visible. Rather than focusing on endorsing their individual genre of music, artists have succumbed to selling out, leaning towards singing songs that have been forecasted to chart.

 “Visualizing a Hit,” a recent study conducted by two Rutgers master’s degree candidates revealed that songs are getting increasingly longer, louder, dance-heavy and more energetic, significantly raising their beats per minute in order to chart. According to their study, music has been compressed in its dynamic range at the loudest end of the loud spectrum over the past decade. What makes a song sell, therefore, is the fame of the artists, and the upbeat and party-like tempo that artist sells.

After what seemed like a large music pick in this play list, I was heavily disappointed to find that, in fact, these songs were far too similar for me to consider this a variety of songs to choose from. When I listen to music, especially in the summer, I choose songs according to my mood. If I am in a popsicle, beach party kind of mood, dance music is perfect. But for those moods when the sun sets and I want to mellow out for the night, I prefer quiet, calming music, and this was not something I found often enough in the playlist which supposedly encapsulated the most popular of music in modern day society.

A random selection of 25 songs through shuffle from the Billboard playlist produced a majority of the songs with a dance-genre influence, and they contained a hooking-up and youth-partying theme in the lyrics. Aside from the sparse number of country songs that came up, the main instrument in most if not all of these randomly selected songs featured a synthesizer as the lead, and repeated the title of the song numerous times throughout the chorus.

When I reached song number 30 on the charts, I wondered what happened to the days of variety, individuality and expression through music. Many people, myself included, find themselves through music. Lyrics fill the mind with possibilities, instruments provide life for these lyrics, and artists showcase their talent, all in a four-minute clip of creativity. When two of these 3 characteristics have been stripped away for a techno back-beat and an auto-tuned repetition of thoughts about parties, there leaves no room for genres or individuality.

While I am not particularly fond of the country genre, I find comfort in the sincerity and genuine artistry in the songs on its top 100 chart. The authenticity of the emotion in the lyrics, the pure guitar or piano and the actual voices of the artists were refreshing and different. Despite the fact that I would never consider myself a country fan, I was relieved from the sound of transformers in a brawl for a solid 3 minutes, and for that I was grateful.

Though I appreciate this new genre of up-beat metallic auto-tune at times, I would like to see some variety within each song. Not a rap verse here, or a piano solo there, but frank substance and individuality.

Beloved artists shouldn’t have to sell out their music for a genre that supposedly pleases the public. Teenagers should be exposed to music which consists of actual thinking in the lyrics, actual talent in the instrumental, and actual realistic topics unrelated to an infinite youth, a drug/alcohol problem, or an artist’s tendency to exploit women. And music listeners around the world should encourage their favorite artists to dip their feet in a different genre for once.

By Hagar Gov-Ari 

Bruins face-off against Colts prior to today’s state semi-final match. Photo by Madeline Jones

Less than an hour ago the Bruin boys tennis team defeated Parkway Central 5-1 to advance to the state championship match this afternoon at 1 p.m.

The Bruin will face Rockhurst High School in the championship, a rematch of last year’s finals in which the Bruins were victorious.

Rock Bridge will be vying for their fourth straight boys state tennis title a feat never before accomplished in Missouri.

“We’re grabbing some lunch now,” junior Jacob Winton, who plays No. 4 on the tennis team, said. “Then heading back to the hotel for hopefully 45 minutes or so. Then we’ll go out and warm up outdoors to get used to the wind and sun.”

This morning’s match against the Colts’ featured wins by No. 5 Raymond Majors, a junior, Winton, No. 6 Harry Bozoian, a junior, No. 3 Rohit Rao, a sophomore, and No. 1 Alex Jones, a senior.

By Pen Terry

But high school only lasts four years. Once those four years are up, people scatter like a group of fish that sense a shark attack. As I watch seniors start to navigate the world of adulthood, I noticed people taking one of two roads.

Either they break ties with those they hung out with in high school, simply moving on and leaving those four years behind them, or they make those certain friends that they’ll go off to college with and simply never lose the bond they have.

I think back to the night before my first day at RBHS. I was a nervous wreck. It wasn’t that I was afraid I’d get lost or get bullied or something, just the thought of such a change freaked me out.

I felt similar to a little five-yearold girl on her first day of kindergarten, minus the backpack filled with crayons and markers and a big bow in my hair.

I was simply scared of change. This explains why so many immediately search to find a welcoming group to nest in, with hopes that doing so will make the four year experience a good one. We want a sense of belonging to make our journey less bumpy and with that, the stereotypical high school cliques are formed.

Having an entire new grade of kids in the same situation as me was definitely helpful. Entering RBHS as a sophomore was a whole new experience. I remember taking my first hesitant steps into the building and noticing how big and crowded the school environment was.

I had friends attending already and wasn’t worried about not knowing people, but what I failed to address in my mind was how open I was to meeting new people, which I can’t say I really was at first.

It was evident who hung out with who and who belonged to what groups of people. On the first day, especially, friends stuck by each others’ sides as if to get across the point “this is where I fit in here” to other people that they assumed cared.

What’s that word I’m looking for to sum this all up? Oh yes, cliques – such a small word with such a big purpose in high school.

Plenty of high school students are guilty of being part of a clique, not saying that’s a bad thing.

I mean, why wouldn’t someone want to conform to a group of friends that they share common likes with and are similar to?

What a shame it is when kids become so wrapped up in belonging to their group that they block off the idea of meeting new people and having a varied friend group.

Too many take who we hang out with and the image that we portray way too seriously. They band together and sometimes won’t ever break off and meet new people once they find the group that makes them feel comfortableand less alone in high school. A high school where students had diversified friend groups would be a more friendly environment.

I wish I was more open to this approach at first because I could have been more willing to meet more people and make a variety of friends if I put myself up to it. If high school students, including myself, had less of a concern about what group they belonged to, it would make high school an overall well-rounded place to be.

If a kid sees someone sitting alone at lunch, why not go talk to them? Who really cares if they’re not part of your immediate “friend group”? Some high school students worry too much about image and if being friends with a certain person is “cool” or not.

The people who hang out with others in high school will have close to no meaning after graduating and moving on to what actually matters.

Ultimately, once that last bell of high school rings, a good amount of kids will run out those doors and leave their four years of cliques behind to move on to bigger and better things.

Yes, friends are a big part of the high school experience, but cliques simply should not be.

Josh Ripley sports the Nike Air Pegasus 29s. Photo by Sophie Whyte

It hasn’t taken me long, during my yearlong running career, to become thoroughly obsessed with everything to do with the sport.  From spending much of my hard earned money on shorts, Dri-Fit shirts and tights, to my daily visits to Missouri MileSplit, the go-to website for all things Missouri cross country and track, running has become a prominent part of my life.

While it is important to be equipped with a quality stopwatch and proper athletic apparel, the most valuable item to a runner is his trainers.  Having a good pair of shoes is not simply a fashion statement; a good pair of trainers is imperative to your success as a runner as well as to injury prevention.

It is important that you find a pair of shoes that not only look good, but that you feel comfortable in and have solid support and cushioning. This way, your feet and legs don’t wear down as you rack up the miles.

In the year since I entered the world of competitive distance running, I’ve gone through four sets of trainers.  Each one of them was solid, and I haven’t found a shoe yet that I haven’t been satisfied with.

My first two pairs were Asics and Sauconys.   Each had great support but lacked a bit in the cushioning department.  As a result, my feet really took a pounding, and I was sore most nights after my run. However, both those shoes had great longevity, lasting me a track season and a summer respectively. Although I hadn’t minded my previous pairs, I was ready to make a change.  That’s when I gave Nike a try, and my love affair with trainers really left the ground.

My first pair of Nikes, the Zoom Vomero 7s, were great cushioned shoes with outstanding support, leaving little to be desired elsewhere. One notable downside with the extra support was extra weight that heavily contributed to stomping at the end of high-mileage workouts. This was a minor issue though and the pair served me great mileage over the winter.  When track season rolled around, I decided it was time for a change and purchased the current shoe of choice among the Rock Bridge distance crew: The Nike Air Pegasus 29s.

My first thought when I put on my Pegs was that I must have been walking on a pillow. Pillow-like is the perfect way to describe the type of cushion the 29s provide.  Your foot just sinks into the shoe and the sole forms around your foot to create an ideal position of comfort.  At the same time, Pegs don’t sacrifice support, which is also given in abundance on this model.

Thanks to the winter storm that recently made its way through mid-Missouri, I found myself having to run through snow at times. This experience soaked my shoes, and as a result, I did receive some minor blisters that healed in less than a day.  I learned the lesson that the Pegs aren’t waterproof, and will give you some nice blisters if wet.  Other than that, the shoes have been good on my feet and legs, and I haven’t really had any problems with soreness since I put them on.

The ride is good and the signature Nike waffle-iron design on the bottom gives a nice spring to push off from when taking each step.  Every landing is smooth, and the comfort of every stride definitely played no small part in me running a personal record in our two mile time trial, in horrible conditions no less.

Performance is always the first thing I value in a shoe, but I also prefer it to look stylish as well.  Like most Nike products, the 29s deliver in a big way.  Neon green

is a popular color right now in boys running. While not all out blinding like my Nike Free Run 5s, a very stylish shoe with awful support that I would never train in, the Pegs keep it toned down. A nice touch of the green on the sides and a solid combination of a grey body and the black swoosh make up the model I own, definitely my kind of shoe.

Overall, my Nike Air Pegasus 29s are quickly becoming my favorite pair of trainers. The cushioning is simply unmatched and the support is right up there with the best. Add in the great look and you have an outstanding shoe.

 By Josh Ripley

Now, the effectiveness of these governments remains solely dependent upon their underlying purpose, as well as where the perspective laws of the government derive from.

However, it seems that human habit has corrupted our intentions as a democracy, and that our votes no longer just say yes or no because we as individuals don’t agree. Rather, our system of voting is, or is coming to a dramatic point where we plainly vote yes or no, because we, as members of a specific party, don’t agree with the opposing party’s beliefs.

Ironically, the fact that we can’t agree seems to be nearly all we can agree upon, but why? What part of us desires this? How is it contradictory to even its own meaning, and how do we fix it?

Now, before anyone begins to think fingers are pointing in any particular direction, allow me to first cover some bases. Humans love to generalize. We find it not only easy, but comforting to be able to set a few standards in place. Then, when confronted with a problem that resembles the last, we apply the same solution and anticipating the best. We tend to repeat the same routines day in and day out and continue our days in peace. So what’s the problem? What are the consequences of blindly following patterns and general rules of life in either habit or politics?

Allow yourself to be drawn into a scenario, in which you are going to work (you work at a government office). The only route, Jefferson Rd., has everyone on it, since most everyone works where you do. You accept it because there is no alternative, but one day, a new road is constructed, called Elm, and you choose to go on Elm and so do a few other people. Even though you know they both lead to the same place, work.

Over time, you begin to develop a preference for your street of choice and you find you never even consider the other. Eventually, the rumors about the other road start, and before long, you’re shooting dirty glances at Bob Jones, who takes Jefferson Rd. every morning. And coincidentally, works in your department, and you know he just got a raise before you.

Truthfully, you don’t know why he got it before you, but rather than ask questions you deduce it must be because he takes Jefferson Rd., like your boss; however, you are not the only one playing the blame game. Stereotypes and labels circle in both directions for years, and the streets become more and more trodden with the same drivers, and the rumors only deepen like ruts in the roads. People at work now sit in sections denoted by which street they travel upon, and while there have arose a few other streets now and again throughout the years, it doesn’t matter, the only two that matter here are those who take Elm or Jefferson Rd.

Work has become deeply segregated and conflicts often occur. Sides are taken by the only way that seems fit, by route of choice. Everyone has grown complacent and as workers come and go, you finally have reached the end of your service.

While you may have grown tired of work, you have no doubt that you have done it right, you stuck to your guns. So as you retire, you know you have raised your kids to believe that Elm is the way to go, and that those Jefferson Rd. takers are just a bunch of liars and cheats.

It is your last day, and you drive home. As you drive home, you pay no attention to your car as it bounces and shakes in the ruts and potholes of the road. Nor do you mind the smog that fills the air around you, keeping you from seeing more than a few feet ahead. The cars move slowly, with stops every now and again as stranded motorists seek rides. You are happy to oblige a fellow Elm-streeter. You open the door and let him in. You know how he thinks, his beliefs and how he feels towards the situation.

After all, it is at ease with your mind that you are not to blame for the problems of the world, and all conflicts rest on the shoulders of Jefferson street goers. Yet you believe that you are the idealist that fixes all of the problems. However, the irony of this doesn’t reach you, and you and your fellow Elm street-ers ride, reaching home no more quickly than the day before.

You may be wondering why health care, gay rights, abortion or any number of hot topic issues were not previously mentioned. The answer is because unless we can come off our beaten trails, they aren’t as significant as potential political corruption. To say yes or no strictly from how we generalize ourselves and others, is the real issue.

Honestly, I think we all need to review how our system of government works, because in a government by the people and for the people, who do we have to blame when the people’s government no longer works? It takes effort to change.

We know fundamentally that only new ideas bring about change, just as in chemistry only a new element to an equation can create a new product. So what do we expect to happen if we continue to argue in the same building and on the same opposing sides of the aisle. Such dissention in a building that was built to represent unity, holds great irony. In all, it is not one certain issue, but our issue as a democratic people, that we as individuals need to stand, not as party members.

Materials:
- an old T-shirt that you don’t mind ruining
- scissors
- a sharpie marker

1.) Lay your T-shirt on a flat surface, face down. (with the side of the shirt that you want to be the back facing you)

2.) With your sharpie, draw a line in the shape of the back of a tank top starting about an inch and a half down from the armpit. As you draw your curved line, end the line about 2-3 inches (depending on how wide you want your sleeves to be) from the collar. Do this on both sides.

3.) Next, draw the line of where you want the collar of the tank-top to be. I used the edge of the collar line that already existed.

4.) Take your scissors and very slowly cut along the lines that you drew with the sharpie. Make sure to cut so that the sharpie is no longer visable.
5.) Next, flip the shirt over to the front and cut off the remaining collar that was not already cut off. Most shirts have a noticeable collar line (like shown in the picture)

6.) Now cut along the top seam of the bottom of the tee-shirt. There should also be a very visible hemline on the bottom of the shirt. You should just be able to follow the seam line instead of drawing it with a sharpie.

7.) The final thing that you can do (this is optional) is to make the back of the T-shirt more of a racer-back tank top. Do this by drawing a deeper, curvier line with a sharpie, but be careful not to cut off any of the straps of the sleeve- as this will ruin the shirt. Then, like before, you will carefully use the scissors to cut along the drawn lines, being cautious not to let any of the sharpie show.
8.) To get off any excess sharpie that you did not cut off, throw the new tank-top into the washer and dryer for a quick wash- this should get the majority of it off. But, for me, I didn’t even have to complete this step because I didn’t have a whole lot of excess sharpie.
9.) If you have any jagged sides of the shirt, make sure to clean it up by using the scissors to get the small snipets of the jagged sides of the shirt.
10.) Try on your new tank-top and get out in the sunshine!

by Richard Sapp

Still, while the body may form a schedule, are people really benefiting from it?

“I get up at six,” junior Carly Rohrer said. “Sometimes I lay there for longer, but my alarm is set for six.”

Humans tend to follow several patterns that are considered by some to be advantageous in that they allow for a consistent work ethic. However, while people’s agendas may keep them aware of the task at hand, the body may have another thing in mind. Just as for any positive trait humans possess, there comes the negative end of it: a truth that can be likened to humanities well recorded ability to communicate, which is only matched by its ready nature to ignore things when chosen to do so.
It’s the same when one forms a working schedule. There comes the day when that schedule just doesn’t work well. Therefore, while it may not be surprising that some days of the week have people scrambling about to get checks on a list, there are other days that people seem to do next to nothing.

“I think most everybody is tired on Mondays,” junior Garrett Zyk said. “It’s a big test day.”

But why are Mondays so hard, and why does Monday get such a bad reputation? The answer may be quite simple. It is well known that when people deviate from their routine sleep cycles, the body finds it hard to read just back to the cycle once again. This leads to making Mondays all the more difficult as they slap people with a great load of responsibility.
As an example for how hard it may be, one could use those who find it hard to ever get a good, consistent sleep cycle going.

“I never get enough sleep,” Rohrer said. “I usually get about six hours.”

Those who do suffer from chronic to mild sleep insomnia, a disorder that prevents those who have it from sleeping for any good length of time, provides some eye-opening side-effects as stated by www.MD.com. From being cranky, irritable or completely unable to concentrate.

Though Rohrer isn’t a technical sufferer of insomnia, she does report feeling tired, irritable and desires more sleep.

“I fall asleep in class all the time,” Rohrer said.

The symptoms of those who never sleep well, are much like Rohrer’s, when she few shaves too many hours off her sleep cycle on the weekend.

“I usually stay up later and then wake up later in the morning, too,” said Zyk, an action nearly everyone seems to fall into on the weekend.

While some may lose sleep, a handful of people also may have too much sleep, which believe it or not is also a reason one might feel sluggish on Monday.
Again, the human body works in cycles, and therefore, just as there are cycles for the day in a plan, there are for the body as well. However, as some days may feel sluggish and tired, there are those that seem to be easier, when work really gets done.
“It’s probably Wednesday,” Zyk said. “That’s when I usually when I get my work done.”
The Rock surveyed eight percent of the student body. Most gave similar responses on days they quickly got things done. It seemed that for most their busiest days was in the middle of the week, gravitating towards Wednesday as the most productive.

“Probably Tuesdays and Wednesdays,” junior Gabby Galarza said. “Those are the days I’d say I feel most productive.”

In fact, Galarza was only one of many who felt this way, and coincidentally many studies have reported Tuesday as the most productive day of the workweek, as noted by their supervisors.

“By Tuesday, employees may be better focused on day-to-day responsibilities,” Max Messmer ,CEO of Robert Half International, said in an interview in Silicon Valley Business Journal.

As one might have guessed, that left most people reporting a less productive and tiresome day for the edges of the workweek, Monday and Friday. However, the reason behind these two days being lackluster in productivity couldn’t be farther apart. For any list of reasons, one’s predictable schedule, seems to take on a consistently inconsistent pattern on the weekends. However, for the most part, weekends seem to hold a certain seductive air either free of all responsibility or fresher than the stale world of the weekday, reasons that, ironically, only contribute to a more boring and sluggish weekday by comparison.

Either way, whether one may live for the weekend or dub themselves a ‘weekday warrior,’ it may seem ridiculous, but it appears that most American productivity issues are simply because one doesn’t sleep, right? Well, not exactly, just like people can’t ignore their internal calendar and the urge to shake it up on the weekend, people can’t brush off their to do lists on weekdays either.

“Everything is usually due on Friday, or there are tests on Friday or the deadlines’ Friday,” Rohrer said. “I usually procrastinate, so Thursday is my last day to do things.”
However, many seem to be realizing this irony, embedded in American culture especially. In a recent New York Times article titled, “Relax. You’ll be more productive,” it was suggested that relaxing may be the best method to getting more accomplished. Perhaps this is why people are so extremely fond of weekends.
“I like [weekends] because you’re free to do what you want,” Galarza said.

Overall, for whatever reason people find one day, better or worse, they seem to all agree that some time off makes things better, and perhaps is why people love the weekend, where, “…you don’t have the burdens of school and work on you,” Galarza said.

By Ross Parks

Video by Alyssa Piecko

Students in studies classes will “contract” for honors credit next year by showing more analysis, synthesis and depth of thought, Director of Guidance Betsy Jones said.

Assistant Principal Dr. Tim Wright added that the honors contract students sign, includes how they plan to exceed the on-level curriculum.

“The proposed change is that all of our at-level classes will be heterogeneous,” Wright said. “There will not be a strictly honors class that students can sign up for. The

During first hour today, Thursday, May 23, students wait for the end of their school year in Dingler’s world studies class Photo by Renata Williams

y’ll sign up for, [for] example, U.S. Studies. Within that classroom, students will have the option to contract with the teachers for honors credit. Basically, [the honors contract] includes to what degree they’re going to go above and beyond the regular curriculum that all students will be learning.”

Jones said there are many benefits to the merger, including her view that it will help students who are less motivated to be positively influenced by their hard working peers.

“By [combining honors and regular] there’s a couple of things, in my mind, that’s a benefit,” Jones said. “Number one: if you want to move from honors to regular – for Studies [classes] that’s always a challenge – so this way you don’t; you just seamlessly move [because] you’re in the same class. And two: when you talk about having some kids who could be challenged, that [now] are seeing what other kids are capable of doing and rising to [those] high expectations.”

Regardless of the potential benefits, students, such as sophomore Anthony Reichert, who is currently taking honors World Studies, are opposed to the change.

“[I’m] not excited about it because I like working with more intelligent people and people who actually care about their grades and things like that,” Reichert said, “[as] opposed to regular [studies] kids who might not care about their grades as much.”

Reichert said he plans on taking U.S. Studies at the honors level next year but is considering Advanced Placement because, he said, “you work with smarter people, and it’s more vigorous and time consuming, and it looks better on scholarships. I’d get into college better.”

AP World student and sophomore Bailey Washer is also opposed to the change, as she says less-motivated students would affect the environment of Advanced Placement courses. According to Jones, all AP, math and science classes will remain separate.

“I think a lot of kids don’t want to contract for honors, so now they’re just going to take AP. We’re going to have kids in our [AP] class who don’t want to put in the work,” Washer said. “We should have kept the two levels because there are kids who aren’t ready or don’t want to have to contract [for honors credit]. Honors should just be an option because there are kids who are between AP and regular. [Honors] shouldn’t just be contract; it should be offered [as a class].”

Although there are objections, teachers are in agreement that combining on-level and honors classes will help them to better serve students.

It is a system that is  already in place in teacher Austin Reed’s U.S. Studies and Popular Culture classes, although he says  the seniors in Pop Culture class don’t take well to the idea of contracting for honors.

“It doesn’t work well in pop culture. These students want some extrinsic motivation. We want them to learn because learning is good, not to learn because it gives you an ‘A,’” Reed said. “In our regular [U.S. Studies] class, we’ve been offering honors credit to our regular students, and the five-ish students that have been doing it- they’re more engaged, they’re taking their thoughts to a deeper level.”

He said merging the levels will reveal the true motivation for current honors and on-level students and that many students currently enrolled in honors classes are simply taking them to avoid students they see as troublesome in a classroom setting.

“For a long time in my classes I’ve had students that call themselves honors students because they were in an honors class, but they weren’t necessarily an honors student to me,” Reed said.  “They more just wanted to avoid what I call the ‘riff-raff’ of an at-level class: the obnoxious kids, the disruptions. I don’t think an honors student is simply differentiated because of behavior. I think honors is about achievement and motivation.”

Reed adds that while the change may not be completely smooth next year, success is in the foreseeable future.

“It’s going to be messy and hard, no doubt,” Reed said. “I don’t know if next year will be this perfect picture of honors. We’ll have our critics next year, but I think our philosophy’s sound, and therefore I think it’ll be good down the road.”

Friends sitting next to Missouri River. Photo by: Bailey Linebaugh

It seems that every summer teenagers make the items on their bucket list more extravagant than the last. But some things will never change; the “hot spots” they constantly go to, until they are so sick of these places by the end of the summer.

     1.   Cooper’s Landing

Located at the Port of Nashville 11505 Smith Hatchery Road in Columbia, Cooper’s Landing is a place I love to spend my summer nights. Because it is located on the Missouri River, you can fish or just hang out by the water. It is a very relaxing place to be while surrounded by nature and watching the sun set over the river. Over the years more and more people have realized that Cooper’s Landing is the perfect place to take a break from your usual nights. Many people know Cooper’s Landing as The River, because people just love to spend hours here sitting by the water with their friends all throughout the night.

     2.   Lake of the Ozarks

Lake of the Ozarks has many things to do even if you aren’t able to go out on the gorgeous lake. First hot spot at the Lake of the Ozarks, is the strip. The strip consists of ice cream shops, bars, arcades, shopping and much more. At night you see the strip pile up with masses of people, different color lights brighten the sky, and people having an amazing time all throughout the night.

At the strip, one of my favorite places to spend my time is at the arcade. Here is where you start to see more and more people pile up to play skee ball and win huge stuffed animals worth thousands of tickets all throughout the night. The Arcade is a great place to meet new friends and have a fun time being a kid.

The second place that is very popular at the lake is a restaurant called Horny Toad’s Bar & Grill, or as presented on their signs, H. Toad’s. This restaurant not only attracts hungry people fresh off the water, but also attracts the people who love to party. H. Toad’s holds concerts such as Tech N9ne. A balcony surrounds the stage so the people who still want to eat, can watch joyfully.

    3.   Snowie

Snowie is a new snow cone stand that began in the summer of 2012. It is located in the parking lot of Gerbes, so people may be quick to pass by it on the road without stopping. Snowie is a great alternative to classic ice cream that a lot of people love to eat on hot summer days. The lines at Snowie can become long, but that should be a good sign that you’re spending your money wisely. You are bound to see someone you know at this amazing snow cone stand sometime during the day, enjoying the many different flavors they have to offer. My favorite flavor is Tiger’s Blood which is classic cherry syrup with a twist. Add a little or add a lot, Snowie’s snow cones are ones you have to try.

These hot spots are sure to make your summer great. Whether you go by yourself or with a group, your time at these attractions will be enjoyable either way.

Photo by Renata Williams

The first day of summer vacation is Saturday, May 25, which happens to only be 2 days away. Many people will be laying out in the sun, hanging out with friends, and enjoying a break. I have come up with a list of three activities that are sure to catch the eyes of those looking for something new to do. I picked these places by choosing where I usually didn’t go, or had never been. During summer 2013, grab a friend, or a few, and try out one of these activities.

Lazer Lanes: 3412 Grindstone Parkway, Columbia, MO 65201

Bowling is a fun experience, at a cheap price. It allows friends to step out of the house and enjoy each other’s company whilst friendly competition brews. Lazer Lanes is my preferred place to bowl because it has many other games to do other than bowl, such as arcade games. The atmosphere integrates a lot of glow-in-the-dark, which can be kind of nice. Prices include endless bowling games, so you’re paying $6.24+tax, including shoes. Bowling is fun for all ages, so you can go with family or friends and still have fun.To check out their varying hours, click here.

Virtual Arena: 1301 Vandiver Dr., Columbia, MO 65202

The Virtual Arena is the ultimate gaming center. It takes arcade game experiences to a whole nother level. The place has a lot of gaming systems and gaming devices to make for a blast while playing. I found this interesting because it’s not like being home and messing around with video games, it’s people coming together in one place, who obviously like the same thing, and enjoying the surroundings along with playing. I see this as a fun, new, experience for everyones’ inner nerd. Regular price is $3.00 an hour, but check out the site for discounts and special pricing. The Virtual Arena opens everyday at 12:00pm and closes at 12:00am.

Battle Creek Paintball: 4274 County Rd 220, Kingdom City MO 65262

Paintball is my most exciting find for this summer because most people (including me) have not been paintballing. The main down side happens to be the price, coming in at $40.00 for “a full day of paintball,” or that’s what Battle Creek’s site said. To see what the price includes, click here. The proper dress includes layers, which may be hot for the summer, and tennis shoes. Paintball will definitely be a commitment in terms of price and getting your money’s worth while still enjoying yourself in the hot sun. I recommend reading up on the rules and just reading more about what your experience will be like on their site because Battle Creek happens to not be located in Columbia, MO.

By Renata Williams

What are your favorite places to go in the summer?

Running bases, catching fly balls and striking out hitters, the RBHS baseball team beat the Lebanon Jackets May 21 with a ten run margin.

The score was 11-1 after the fifth inning, which means that the mercy rule applied, and the game was finished fairly quickly. Senior Alex Henderson felt concerned for the seniors during the game because of the time crunch of baccalaureate following briefly after they played.

“[The baseball team is] looking good, and they just need to finish out and stay strong the rest of the game,” Henderson said. “They really have been looking good [this season]. They have a really strong offense and a solid defense to back it up. They should have a really good season. Baccalaureate is tonight though, but if all the baseball guys take care of business, they should be able to finish up in time.”

During the game, family members , classmates and fans of the team react with confidence and some surprise.

Mike Teeter, father of pitcher and third baseman Kyle Teeter, thinks the team has performed well and continually develop into a better group. The teammates are working together more fluently and have an understanding of one another during the game.

“I think these guys have really gelled as a team. I think they probably exceeded expectations,” Teeter said. “A lot of the guys really stepped up and contributed this year when the team needed them to. They really do work as a team, theres not one guy that really stands out.”

Similarly, outfielder Connor Brumfield’s father, Craig Brumfield said the season has been one to remember and feels that the year is in a good standing for being close to finished. He also believes the team has done an exceptional job and is hopeful for the next game that the bruins will play, the quarter final.

“They’ve played great. Any time you can  score 11 points in a sectional game its outstanding and they have been doing it all year,” Brumfield said. “It’s been an excellent season and it far exceeded our expectations since so many thought it might be a rebuilding year after losing such [Division 1] talent last year. Clearly that’s not the case since the seniors carried the team the whole entire year.”

Craig Brumfield believes the seniors of the baseball team have been outstanding leaders offensively, defensively and  on and off the field. He thinks this year’s team has the potential to go far and hopes for the best with the games to come in the near future.

“I don’t know how far we may go as a team,” Brumfield said, “But i know that we have the chance to play one more game. You can never tell how it is going to go with baseball but i like our chances.”

By Justin Sutherland

Words, the worst enemy: Hope Smith reads as books are piled in front of her.
Feature Photo by Madi Mertz

I’ve always detested reading. Even in elementary school, I remember hating trips to the school library because the teachers always made us check out a book, which just sat on my kitchen counter until it was due.

As I got older, I would blankly stare at articles and textbooks, either forcing myself to read them or just pretending ­­­­­­–­ to avoid conflict with the teacher.
This clearly isn’t the way to go about school: not reading key material and only finishing it at home. My knowledge suffered from this habit, and I know it would hit me harder down the road with college and jobs because I simply couldn’t read.
I used to think it was just my special quirk, and it’d become less of a hassle or, even better, go away as I got older. But I was wrong; it got worse. Eventually, my reading issue became so difficult to work with that I just gave up.
When I did read that rare article in class, I never finished it, nor did I ever finish reading the assigned book in World Studies. Instead, I would end up taking it home to read aloud, alone in my bedroom.
However, I did have homework other than just finishing in-class readings. I needed a change of habit from being so furious that I ended up crying.
Changing the habit took two steps: First was catching my attention and the other was making me take action. The first step was to see my PLAN test score. I scored 89 percent better than all Americans at my level in mathematics on the PLAN test, but only scored 27 percent better than all Americans in reading. This was a problem.
I coped with the dilemma for so long, and it wasn’t easy to shrug off. At first, like I do with any bad situation, I refused to confront the issue and forgot about it instead.
The second step toward improvement was when Columbia had snow, and lots of it. Teachers played catch up to maintain a timely schedule for covering all the curriculum before the end of the school year. Every teacher shoved multiple articles at me to read during class.
When I got to my house, I had so many articles and textbooks and notes to read. I was overwhelmed. On the car ride home I told my mom that I hated school. I excel in school and never complain about it, so this was uncharacteristic.
My mom was determined to get the help I needed to boost my score and increase my reading rate. However, the school wouldn’t give me assistance because I got straight A’s last semester.
My grades prove I can be successful without extra assistance. The guidance counselor said that to qualify for the additional help, I would have to be two or more grade levels behind, and according to the STAR test taken at the beginning of the year, I comprehend everything fine, thus not being behind in reading skills.
These past months, I’ve learned that if I need help, I can only help myself. If I can stay afloat in my struggle to read, if I choose to continue the fight not to be illiterate, then I will learn more than how to decode letters. Forcing myself, I now read aloud to myself using tools like a ruler to guide the line of text I’m on, and it feels good. More than anything, though, I’m hoping that one day, I will love to read.

• Redefining video games
• Blame the parents, not the games
• Grand Cayman Islands

In order to sell, video games must contain amazing graphics, ear-ripping sounds and, in most situations, blood. Activision, the creators of the “Call of Duty” franchise, said that it alone profited more than the “Harry Potter” franchise and the “Star Wars” franchise together, totaling more than $11 billion dollars.

This violence suggests that killing is a normal activity. Many have argued there is a connection between violent video games and teenage killing. There should be more studies executed to determine if there is a correlation.

The first video games were not made with any graphics or any sound, and today, many would probably not consider them to be video games at all.  Thomas Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann made the first game in 1947. They got the idea from the World War II military missile launcher screens and created a game that simulated shooting rockets at targets. However, 65 years ago, there were no such things as graphics, so they had to put a sticker with an X on the monitor to symbolize the target.

The next known video game was not designed to be fun, but to show people how intelligent machines were and what they could do. Between 1947 and 1958, Alan Turing created a “mate-in-two” chess game, which could only move two spaces and then stop. Today, even an amateur programmer could create those types of games.  Games created in the past, however, are pertinent for games in this century.

In 1951, a man named Ferranti invented a computer named the NIMROD. Though it weighed more than a ton, it had only one task: to play Nim, a mathematical game. This was the first time anyone had created a computer game to play games on, and the NIMROD was presented at the Festival of Britain on May 5, 1951. Alexander S. Douglas created OXO, or Noughts and Crosses, in 1951 as well. It was the first video game created that used a digital graphic display. The remote for the game was a rotary telephone.

William Higinbotham created an interactive computer game in 1958 called Tennis for Two. It was made to promote atomic power and was on display for the Brookhaven National Laboratory’s annual visitor’s day.

Between 1957 and 1961, MIT created many interactive graphical programs using the TX-O experimental computer.  One of the many games they made was called “Mouse in the Maze” and it allowed players to place maze walls along with dots in the maze, which represented either bits of cheese or glasses of martini. After they designed the maze, a computer-generated mouse would run through the maze and test it.

The variety of video games at this time did not exist 20 years ago.  Some of the most popular types include shooter, survival, adventure, strategy, RPG and MMORPG games. Every year, the new games released have better graphics and sounds than they previously did. In shooter games, the graphics of the blood and death are becoming too violent for the children that play them, who vary in age from seven and up.

Avid gamers I spoke to admit they have gotten used to the idea that killing is OK after many months of play.

If violent games change the way 16-year-olds think, wouldn’t they also brainwash younger children to believe that killing people is normal; it will be fine, and the person will spring back to life after five seconds anyway?

Many recent massacres were linked to a person playing violent video games, causing many to believe there is a connection.

One example would be the Newtown, Conn. shootings in December 2012, which killed 20 children. The man behind the gun, Adam Lanza, spent hours playing violent video games in his dark basement. His games included countless guns, and he even owned some of the guns featured in those games.

His mother, Nancy Lanza, was a gun enthusiast whose family owned at least 12 guns. Every week, she took her two children, Adam and Ryan, to a shooting range to practice with those same guns.

“There are too many video games that celebrate the mass killing of innocent people – games that, despite attempts at industry self-regulation, find their way into the hand of children,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said.

It is possible that if Lanza had not played those violent video games, he would not have thought about killing those innocent children.

I am saddened that most of the video games created today are focused on killing. I truly love video games that don’t have that type of gore in them. It is becoming harder to play games without violence because the video game industries only create games that make the most amount of money, which are war games. I call this the “new era of video games,” which is truly redefining what a video game is.

Until 25 years ago, people made video games to prove that people could program computers and other hardware to do things that were never imaginable. Just like Alan Turing did with his “mate-in-two” chess game, designers created video games, showing the capability of machines.

Once industries like Atari and Nintendo noticed the potential, they tried to create profitable games. This led to the creation of video games for the sake of business, without thinking about the negative side effects the games would have on children’s minds. Even if children can’t see the consequences of the violent games, will they eventually realize what they did to their minds when they were younger?

I wish games could return to the time when the person holding the controller had power over the game. I wish we had never entered an era where games control people.

In order to lessen the number of violent video games, we should stop demanding them.

Video game creators will only design the games that produce the most profit, and we cannot change that. However, we can change what games make them money and discourage savage behavior. We must stop purchasing games that contain endless violence and gore. Hopefully, this will cause the video game industries to produce enjoyable non-violent games.

Written by Abdul-Rahman Abdul-Kafi

Screenshot by Abdul-Rahman Abdul-Kafi

 

Since the Columbine massacre in 1999, pundits have blamed ‘violent’ video games for affecting children’s minds because an investigation discovered that shooters like Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold enjoyed “shoot ‘em up” video games.

Just this winter, video games were the target of inquiry during the investigation of the Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, Conn., which found that the perpetrator, Adam Lanza, owned and played video games. This led National Rifle Association (NRA) president Wayne LaPierre to blame video games for the shooting.

Interviews after the shooting show that Lanza was a socially fragile boy captivated by warfare video games and intent on military service. However, a few months after the shooting, former Federal Bureau Investigation profiler Mary Ellen O’Toole said she believes video games don’t cause violence.

During a panel discussion on February 24, O’Toole said evidence did not support that theory.

“It’s my experience that video games do not cause violence,” O’Toole told CBS News. “It’s important that I point out that as a threat assessment and as a former FBI profiler, we don’t see these as the cause [of] violence. We see them as sources of fueling ideation that’s already there.”

Despite O’Toole’s statements, the NRA jumped at the chance to blame video games for inspiring young people’s aggressive behavior to avoid the public’s cry for stricter gun control laws.

Parents should be at the forefront of change. For example, the late Nancy Lanza, Adam’s gun-loving mother, should have had second thoughts about buying ‘violent video games’ for her mentally unstable child.

Christopher Ferguson, a psychology professor at Texas A&M International University, stated that youth violence had recently declined to the lowest level in 40 years at a time when video games had become more violent. In his opinion piece on the CNN website, he described the reaction as a moral panic.

“It’s worth asking ourselves why we keep returning to video games despite the lack of evidence to support its link to violence,” Ferguson said. “Of course, this kind of association is not new. Some scholars blamed television for the crime wave of the 1970s and ‘80s, which has since vanished. And comic books in the 1950s were blamed by psychiatrists for not only delinquency but homosexuality. In hindsight, these strands of associations look ridiculous, but in the moment they served a purpose.”

Henry Jenkins, an MIT media scholar, debunked myths surrounding video games. Much like Ferguson, he believes moral panic about violent games is harmful and could lead adult authorities to be more hostile to many kids who already feel cut off from the system.

He believes the hostility can also misdirect energy away from eliminating the actual causes of youth violence and instead allows problems to continue. He pointed out that no research has found that games are a primary factor that could turn a person into a killer.

Ferguson also mentioned that weeks after the shooting, there were high-profile crimes committed by older men. These criminals never fit the video game player stereotype.

Video game ratings exist to inform parents of the game’s content. Unfortunately, parents often ignore these warnings provided by the Entertainment Software Rating Board. Furthermore, they aren’t aware of their child’s mental stability.

Professor Jenkins is right; there should be more strict marketing that targets young consumers accustomed to mature content and educates parents about the media choices they face. It is the parents’ responsibility to make decisions about what’s appropriate for their children. Bad parenting is to blame for child delinquency, which leads to this kind of school shooting.

“Most children who commit violent crime show an early combination of personality and family factors that include having trouble getting along with playmates in preschool,” Robert Butterworth, a Los Angeles-based psychotherapist, said. “By second or third grade they’re doing poorly in school, and have few friends. By the age of 10 they’re picking fights and getting labeled by their peers as social outcasts. They typically come from families where parents are poor at disciplining because they are indifferent, neglectful, too coercive or they use harsh physical punishment with little love.”

Sure, guns don’t kill people. Sure, video games don’t create violent acts. But, bad parenting makes children into monsters. Bad parents are the ones to blame for school shootings in America, not video games.

Written by Jay Whang

Cruisin’ to the Caribbean

Click to view slideshow.

Most of my journeys to foreign places, or Central America, have been through cruises. These cruises have the ability to whisk you away from cell phone service and social interaction and make you feel as if you have left civilization behind. And as you land in port, the land becomes a magical, unknown paradise.

My favorite port so far has been to the Grand Cayman Islands. This is seriously one of the most beautiful places. The water is the perfect blue, and the environment is welcoming. The boat ride onto the island is short and then you step onto the tourist attraction part: all the stores. What I expected was something like the shops in Cozumel, Mexico, where the employees sit outside the store and try to bribe you to come in. The shops were nothing like this. They were secluded and didn’t have people asking me to buy a new bracelet every five minutes. It was just peaceful.

My family had planned an excursion previously for the island, and we quickly exited the dock and got on another boat to explore the island and water. And this excursion was the best thing ever. We first went to go feed and hold stingrays, which is one of the coolest things ever. If you ever get the chance, do it.

We then moved on to go snorkeling at a coral reef and to see a starfish farm. The starfish were neat, as I had never seen one alive before, and they were so weird to hold: they sucked onto my hand while I held them. When we went snorkeling at the coral reef, it was so amazing, and it was easy to get pulled out far away from the boat because I was constantly entranced by the view. The excursion was amazing. The water was so clear I could see the sand inert on the floor of the ocean, about 50 feet down. And it was beautiful, absolutely beautiful.

And now, I list 5 recommendations and 5 things I regret not doing while in the Grand Cayman Islands.

Recommendations:

5. Go shopping.

While it doesn’t seem that fun, some of the best things can be found at these little tourist attractions or down the street, in the downtown area. You can find a new pair of sunglasses or a wooden miniature giraffe (trust me, I’ve seen it and almost bought it). The souvenirs I’ve gotten from my trips are always proudly displayed in my room, where they remind me of the amazing places I’ve been.

4. Explore the island.

Definitely don’t stay in one place. Take an adventure and you may be able to discover something amazing. You can rent scooters or jeeps to take on the beach or around the island. This would be a great way to see the island and experience the culture without paying too much money.

3. Eat the food.

The food is the best part of any vacation because you can eat so much of it. The cuisine brings out the culture of the island, so definitely take a bite out of the culture while you’re there. Get my pun? Bite? Haha.

2. Take a bunch of pictures.

Memories don’t stay forever and having photos saved on my computer to browse through brings back every emotion. The beauty of the island definitely needs to be captured for future use. You’ll definitely want these photos to reminisce with one day, so taking pictures is a necessity.

1. Do something in the water.

Go parasailing, or snorkeling, or swimming with the dolphins or petting stingrays. Those experiences made my trip, and I still remember every second of the excursion. The beautiful water was the best part, and if I would have missed the opportunity to play in it, I would have regretted it.

Regrets:

5. I regret not having enough time to explore the island. We only had a few hours in port, so there was only so much we could do. We did plenty of things, but the extensive beauty of the island can’t be embraced in a few hours.

4. I regret not eating much of the food. We were running around everywhere on the excursion, so I can’t even remember what we ate for lunch. But I feel like, if we would’ve had time, we could have really enjoyed the food.

3. I regret not exploring the beach or the rest of the island. We boarded the excursion boat and were gone quickly and stayed in the water the rest of the day. So any chance to explore was taken away. I just wish I could’ve seen more.

2. I wish I would’ve gotten more souvenirs to remember the trip by. The trip, being my favorite, should have included a lot more souvenirs, but I did get a stingray made of marble and 2 giant conch shells, so I’m happy with that.

1. I wish I could’ve taken more pictures. The amount I took definitely filled up my memory card, but I wish I could’ve taken more. I guess I just want to relive the trip.  

I loved this trip and anyone else would too. It was such a gorgeous place, and I would love the opportunity to go back someday. The Grand Caymen Islands are so beautiful and are an amazing destination for any vacation.

By Alyssa Piecko

Art by Hope Smith and Emily Franke

From store to store, a battle of who’s got the most stylish swimsuits seems to have arisen. Trending fashions this summer involve a lot of patterns – anything from stripes to lemons. High-waisted bottoms are also popular this year, as well as tops with removable straps. Mixing patterns and solids is fashion forward for the upcoming summer of 2013.

Forever21.com
Given that spring is just around the corner and this is when people start thinking about buying swimsuits, Forever 21’s online site was quite disappointing in terms of choice. They’ve got only a few swimsuits to choose from, so finding a suit that you’ll absolutely fall in love with, before swimsuit season is difficult, though their prices may be well worth the compromise.
Their highest priced two piece tops are $13.80, while their one pieces are $22.80. Many of their swimsuits don’t have the mix and don’t mind having a cherry top with a lemon bottom. I simulated a checkout to view the likelihood of free shipping or low shipping. Forever 21 offers free shipping on all orders more than $50, meaning, unfortunately, one swimsuit will not cut you a deal, and given their low choice, finding two may be hard.

Target.com
I’ve had the pleasure of shopping at the Target stores as well as their online shop and have discovered that despite Target’s great choice, a few of their items are slightly different in person than they are online. Colors, as well as patterns, seem different, leaving you with a swimsuit you weren’t expecting.
Target may not be trying to trick their shoppers, but be wary regardless. Now, despite the changing suits, Target has so much to offer. They’ve got more options than Forever 21, and the ability to mix-and-match so many suits that shopping online can get overwhelming. I prefer the store because the sizes tend to vary and I personally like knowing what I’m getting. Target’s prices are reasonable, but can get expensive at times. The nice thing is, matching tops in colors jade or black with a cheap neutral bottom can stretch your money. Shipping is free on all orders $50 and over, which is easier to make with Target’s prices.

Lulus.com
Lulu’s is definitely a pricier option than both Forever 21 and Target, though it keeps up with the latest fashions. My problem was finding their swimsuits. I had to take a roundabout way because the site’s drop down menus don’t include swimwear. So, from my experience, hover over SALE>CLOTHING on sale, then on the left side, below SHOP BY, click on swim. You don’t have the ability to just buy one piece; the price includes the whole swimsuit. At first this looks like a good deal, but the swimsuits are considerably more expensive than other stores.
If you’re looking for a splurge, with great quality, this is the right shop. However, Lulu’s has a very small choice in terms of swimsuits, so it may be a problem finding a swimsuit that you love. This was annoying because with their high prices, one would think Lulu’s would offer more of a selection.
Free shipping is given on all orders more than $50, meaning you will automatically get free shipping because all of their actual swimsuits are over $50. This store is overpriced for the selection it is giving you.
As spring ends and summer begins, swimsuits are an essential buy and shops expand their choice as warm weather nears. For those somewhat ‘lazy’ shoppers, any of these three stores should please your taste, though there is nothing like going to a store and trying one on yourself. These stores keep up with the latest trends and have so much variety that the biggest contributing factor to a purchase may just be price. Settling for one or two cheaper, less stylish swimsuits may be the way to go. This will allow you to have extra money for summer activities that may be more enjoyable.

Trey Bistro Très Bien: The Trey Bistro sign extends from its perch over the 9th street sidewalk. Opened by Trey Quinlan in 2012, this new addition incorporates fresh local produce to create seasonal menus, according to the restaurant’s website, treybistro.com. Photo by Asa Lory

When spending time on Columbia’s Ninth St., people typically confine themselves to south of Broadway. The establishments most familiar to Columbians are visited continually as people look for a good place to enjoy.

However, if one ventures north just a block or two deeper into Columbia, there is another eatery that should soon enough become one of the District’s most popular places.

Tucked in at 21 N Ninth St. is the contemporary restaurant, Trey Bistro, owned by Executive Chef Trey Quinlan.

Quinlan took first place at the Skills USA Culinary Arts State Competition while enrolled at the Columbia Area Career Center in 2003. After he opened his own restaurant in 2012, he kept his passion of cooking close to home. While the Blue Note housed next door occasionally overshadows Trey Bistro, Columbia’s feel resonating from within the restaurant is unforgettable.

Walking through the front door, Trey Bistro appears to be a hole-in-the-wall. Though the façade is well taken care of, inside is a tight fit. Regardless, the spirit captured inside the tiny building explodes out as the door is opened. The soft rock playing in the background, along with the modern art paintings hanging from the wall, set the tone for the remainder of the dining experience.

Unfortunately, because of space constraints, tables are packed in tightly, diminishing any sense of privacy from one table to the next. Although it’s cozy, the chatter never becomes overly distracting, and patrons are able to enjoy the meal without much discomfort.

The menu is the main factor in any customer’s decision on a restaurant, and this one definitely complimented the atmosphere. Offering only locally grown ingredients, the menu constantly evolves to embrace the seasons of Columbia. Although the use of such ingredients limits the range of options, it allows the menu to accommodate vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free eaters, as well as the everyday passer-by.

Trey Bistro offers unique interpretations of classic dishes. While it appears to be a typical bistro-style restaurant offering sandwiches, soups and artisan pizzas, Quinlan does an exceptional job of keeping the menu exciting.

From Chicken and Hoecakes to the innovative Lamb Sloppy Joe, there are plenty of options to fulfill any daring appetite. And although at first glance the portion size of the meals appears to be slightly larger than a snack, they are exemplary in satisfying hunger while entertaining the taste buds. Flavor is not lacking and the mixture of taste in every plate is well balanced and never overpowering.

Because Quinlan operates the bistro on his own with the assistance of only a handful of other chefs and a couple waiters, the service can be stagnant at times. But, there is an abundance of things to help entertain and aid in making the wait pass by quickly.

The architecture is beautiful, reminiscent of a French café. The walls are exposed as bricks peek through, giving a slight industrial feel to the room. But the bright yet subtle modern art draped across the remaining wall space helps to lighten up the environment. Furthermore, the building is designed so that customers to peek into the open air kitchen and enjoy watching their food being made. Of course, this also keeps people preoccupied with the status of their meal.

While the overall experience was fantastic, the bill solidifies the final judgment. The prices are slightly steep, yet the consumer is paying for not only the experience but also the locally grown products used in the meal. The same price could be paid at a similar restaurant, but for the uniqueness of the food the prices are well worth it.

Initially, Trey Bistro will be competing for customers with the well-established eateries in the District that serve a similar menu, like Sycamore and Bleu restaurant. Quinlan formerly worked at both of these restaurants, yet he has taken some of both and integrated them into what is now his own. Currently, his establishment doesn’t have the benefit of superior geography, being in the heart of downtown, but, hopefully Columbians will soon venture a little further north for a fantastic time – straight from Quinlan’s heart: Trey Bistro.

By Brayden Parker

High school is generally a subject of varied opinions: some may love it, others may hate it. Either way, it only last four years and then it’s gone, just like that. People always say that high school flies by, but they never really realize the truth behind that statement until their four-year journey is over. Years speed past students’ eyes and before they know it, it’s time to put on that graduation cap and gown.

Redirecting… Click here if stuck.

Illustration by Hyelee Won

After the freezing, busy days of winter and work, the thought of long Missouri summers initiates a childish fever in the hearts of Columbians. Summers bring festivals, concerts and the freedom to be young and let loose.

“I can’t wait for summer,” junior Haley Benson said. “It’s the last free summer before I have to start thinking about college. I plan on hanging out with my friends and having a lot of free time to myself.”

Students gear up for the summer ahead, and whether it is filled with beach trips, late nights of junk food and movies or just sleeping in for hours, excitement lingers in the final weeks of school. With all this free time to fill, Columbia’s festivals provide welcoming entertainment for all those interested.

Inspiration meanders around every corner as musicians play their masterpieces, first heard by the ears of hometown folk lucky enough to claim the artists as their own. Cameras tick on the asphalt jungle of ninth and Broadway, searching for the individuality so easily found in our diverse population. Graffiti pops off of stones and patches of sidewalks, telephone poles and alley walls, existing as outbursts of passion and talent from their creators.

The artists of Columbia get their shining moments in the spotlight during spring and summer when The District devotes itself to these talents that fill our streets and stand among the population everyday. They buy coffee from the same vendors and sit in the same theaters as everyone else, just waiting for recognition of their talents.

“This is how they pay their rent,” Art in the Park coordinator Diana Mixon said. “This is how they send their kids to school, by selling their art. It’s much more than what people imagine.”

The District works to bring the general public closer to the artistic population of Columbia by promoting, planning and holding festivals, providing both the artist and the audience the opportunity to communicate. Vending artists get the chance to share their work with a wide range of buyers and admiring folk, who in turn have the chance to appreciate the work and the ability to buy it for themselves.

The festivals help the community “to appreciate art much more, to become engaged,” Mixon said. “And, it’s a business deal for the artists.”

From grass to asphalt, there are endless opportunities for Columbians to get the full effect of art spread across thousands of smiling faces. These smiles anticipate Columbia festivities during cold months, hibernating and patiently waiting for the light of day.

One of the festivals inciting childish smiles is Art in the Park, occurring on the first weekend of June every year. The festivities, which were started 51 years ago by the Columbia Art League, welcome traditional art styles to the community, but with a modern twist.

“[Art in the Park] gives people a chance to experience the arts in a slightly non-traditional setting,” Mixon said.

The event  brings magical creatures to life with the help of kid’s craft tables that stretch the already wide imagination of toddlers. These same kids quickly transform from humans to animals with face painting and mask decorating, guided by volunteers.

Junior Megan Kelly participated as a volunteer at Art in the Park several summers ago. She loved the atmosphere and the joy beaming from each child as they waited patiently for Kelly to paint a masterpiece upon their faces.

“Whenever you paint a child’s face, they’re always happy,” Kelly said. “You could think your art doesn’t look good, and they’re like, ‘Oh, my gosh! This is amazing!’”

For the more complex, thoughtful minds, clay figures are interspersed between booths and cool blades of grass, provoking the creative minds milling about. Hand blown glass sits at eye-level, reflecting the striking sun and catching the eyes of those taking ganders at countless artistic offerings. Photographs capture images never seen before, and most likely never given the chance to be seen again. And, of course, paintings fill isles with color and substance.

Senior Courtney Nowlin attends Art in the Park every year. She loves the laid back environment and the connection between creation and nature during the festival.

“I always like [Art in the Park] because it’s cool to look at all the local art,” Nowlin said. “I like the cultural feel.”

Because Art in the Park is centered around artists and their talents, those with booths and pieces up for sale have the chance to interact with their customers and develop important professional and personal relationships. Art in the Park provides a chance for artists to communicate with buyers and receive appreciation for the hard work that engulfs the entirety of Stephens Park.

“I think [Art in the Park] gives artists a feeling of gratification,” Nowlin said. “It makes them want to keep making art. It brings a sense of connection and appreciation of art and local vendors.”

From canvas to stage, different artists create masterpieces with different, musically-led inspirations.

Another striking Columbia tradition is the aptly named 9th Street Summer Fest. A massive soundstage stands at the intersection of 9th Street and Broadway, awaiting the heart-pounding talents of artists. Hundreds of bodies warm the asphalt beneath the stampede of sneakers, heels and bare toes, all reflecting the diversity making up the crowd itself. Friendly smiles, laughter and fate bring individuals together, all the while celebrating music.

Hundreds of minds, spirits and hearts join together, filling 9th Street. Music flies through the air  as smoke and the smell of locally catered food fill the noses of those experiencing the bands from near and far.

Beginning in 2004, Columbia’s Blue Note came up with the idea of Summer Fest in the hopes of making downtown Columbia less boring during the summer months. Summer Fest hosts both local musicians and musicians from an assortment of other cities and states, ready to play hard and long. Every announced Wednesday night brings artists like Jamey Johnson, Dierks Bentley (both will perform at Summer Fest in May 2013) and the HipNecks.

“It’s a really good opportunity because you get more bands to come to Columbia who aren’t local,” junior Ryan Tray said. “It’s an easy going, pleasing atmosphere to go and listen to music.”

Not only was Summer Fest a fun experience for Tray, but an inspiring one as well.

“I’ve always been really into music,” Tray said. “Going to a concert not just in the Blue Note but at a different venue furthered my love of music and made me want to strive to work harder because it looks like fun, like something I want to do.”

But, music and art don’t end there for Columbians. Along with Art in the Park and 9th Street Summer Fest, the District holds many other imagination-feeding art expression festivals during the summer months, like the J.W. Boone Ragtime Celebration, the Memorial Day Parade and Artrageous Fridays.

Artrageous Fridays claim to their name; they take place on Fridays, they include art and they are outrageous. Every last Friday of each quarter, Orr Street studios, The Village Art Walk, The Missouri Contemporary Ballet, PS:Gallery, Columbia Art League, Bluestem, The Bingham Gallery, Poppy and The Missouri Theatre open their doors, allowing those attending the festivities a chance for artistic inspiration.

Beginning at 6 p.m. and carrying on for a short three hours on June 18 and Oct. 11-13, the amount of art available to take in is mind-blowing. Local artists get the chance to interact with their customers and those enjoying their masterpieces. Downtown traffic skyrockets on beautiful Artrageous Friday nights.

From relaxing, art-filled Friday nights to sunny Saturdays celebrating music and history, the history of J.W. Boone has incited a festival all its own.

The J.W. Boone Ragtime Celebration invites everyone in Columbia to celebrate the ragtime artist  J.W. “Blind” Boone. Ragtime is a music genre centered around syncopated rhythms within the musical text; it’s lighthearted and easy to dance to.

The festival, taking place on the first weekend of June, offers a wide, unplanned variety of activities such as traveling to important historical sites of Boone’s existence, seminars by historians, lessons and even concerts of the ragtime artists of today.

Art and music are not the only mediums. Columbians have the opportunity to enjoy during the summer, but many other events taking place in the community attract a wide  variety of individuals.

On the site: On Thursday, Feb. 7, a car drove off the side of South Providence Parkway. While there were no fatalities, the driver was hospitalized. Photo by Asa Lory

Ambiguous outcomes make the small hazards less frightening. Drinking a beer, forgetting a seatbelt and piling a few friends in the back doesn’t always end in a fatal crash. However, with the music blaring and the distractions of a cellphone and noisy friends, a driver could easily overlook the glassy section of the road; the car will slide, smash into a street sign and those who forgot their seatbelts fly through the windshield. What seemed benign before adds up and creates the worst case scenario.

After the fact it is easy to think back, determine what went wrong and play the what if game – but ‘what if’ is never good enough. The way to prevent precarious positions is to think ahead and lower the possibility of a collision.

A study that took place at the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America found that adolescents are more likely than adults to take a risk if the possible outcomes are unknown. Teens are more tolerable to ambiguity, reported the study, yet they are “more averse to clearly stated risks than their older peers.” This means that the average drive to the mall, which is inherently danger-free, poses no clear threats to the safety of the drive. Therefore we jump in the car and go.

Some drivers, in their haste, choose to take risks that put their lives and the lives of those around them in jeopardy. In March, a teen driver drifted down Providence parkway in after-school traffic. To drift, the driver must build up speed and then decelerate rapidly to lock-up the back tires to lose their grip on the ground, according to Driftlock.co.uk. The success of this stunt, the website said, is to control the drift and requires a perfect combination of speed, tire adhesion and steering. The teen failed to perform these skills and drifted off of the asphalt and rolled onto the side of the road, propelling him out of an open window. The boy hit no other cars and received minor injuries; however, not all accidents end in such fortunate conditions.

Of the leading causes of teen fatality, 24 percent are results of motor vehicle crashes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accidents beat out unintentional injury, homicide and suicide on the CDC’s fact sheet. The roads, in this case, are the most dangerous place for a person of the age 13 through 19 to spend their time. Why then, do we jump into our cars and zip off to our destinations as if the roads are the safest place on earth? Why do we accept dangerous conditions rather than avoid them?

Even just one distraction or hazardous circumstance raises the possibility of an accident. A driver who text messages while driving is 23.2 times more likely to be involved in a safety-critical event than the average driver with no distractions, according to distraction.gov. Even knowing this rate, 32.8 percent of students nationwide gambled and sent one text while driving during a 30-day period, according to the CDC.

Despite the numerous statistics, each drive is unpredictable. Nobody gets into their car and knows if they will have an accident let alone when, where or why it will occur. They say, ‘I could have taken a different road, and I could have waited an extra minute. Instead, I drove where I drove, turned when I did and there happened to be a car ready and present to be smashed.’ After one car impacts another, it’s impossible to supersede the damage.

Instead of waiting until it’s too late, think before you drive, obey the speed limit, make sure you have a sober chauffeur, snap your seatbelt closed and put your cellphone in your pocket. No one is invincible, and no one can predict the unpredictable.

By: Emily Franke

Feature Photo by Renata Williams.

Summer is filled with car rides, festivals and sun bathing. An essential part of all of those activities is music. I took it upon myself to develop a playlist filled with music I feel screams ‘summer 2013’.

Any song that made me feel great, and I felt I could blast on repeat, are the picks for this summer. Everything down to the lyrics and beats will make you just want to sing along. The songs I chose vary in variety and one is for sure to be your summer theme song. I recommend checking all of these songs out this summer as well as checking out more from these artists. I’d also love to hear what your song picks for this upcoming summer are.

1. Can’t Hold Us – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Ray Dalton

When Macklemore & Ryan Lewis came out with Thrift Shop just a year ago (but didn’t become popular until February of this year), very few, including me, believed they’d make another hit. “Can’t Hold Us” is their way of slapping everyone in the face that didn’t believe them, because this song is enjoyable. The mix of rapping with the catchy hook/chorus all over the piano music gives a new and fun sound that will keep people listening and singing along.

2. 22 -Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift always gives her listeners pop-country chart toppers. “Twenty-two” comes from her album Red, which will be blasted all summer and is just so upbeat. Her lyrics are perfect for summer because they’re just Taylor and her friends having fun, which is what summer is all about. “It feels like one of those nights; We won’t be sleeping,” are some lyrics from her song that express how summer nights are.The verses are fun and the drop to her chorus is even more fun to listen to; you will be singing along.

3. Radioactive – Imagine Dragons

I have no clue what Imagine Dragons is talking about, nor do I care to learn, because the song doesn’t need an explanation. The song begins with a cool little melody then drops into this verse that explains an interesting, yet weird scenario, that cannot be turned off. The beat is exciting; the only down fall of this song is it’s short. “Radioactive” is three minutes of catchy lyrics and a lively beat that will be replayed over and over.

4. Cruise (Remix)  - Florida Georgia Line ft. Nelly

I’ve never been a true fan of country music, but this song I can vibe with. “Cruise” is a mixture of country and rap done in a nice way. This song is definitely going to be hot this summer; it just sounds summer-y with the use of lyrics, like, “I got my windows down and the radio up.” I can imagine ‘rolling down my windows and cruising’ as the song says. I think “Cruise” will attract a lot of people who don’t necessarily like country, because it’s just a fun song that I would not have expected to ever be made. Another collab from Florida Georgia Line and Nelly is rumored, so if you like this song, keep your eyes open.

5. The Way – Ariana Grande ft. Mac Miller

When I first heard about this song and who made it, I couldn’t help but ask, “Where did this come from?” And I’m sure I’m not the only one because Ariana Grande seems so innocent, and Mac Miller isn’t. Knowing Ariana from Nickelodeon paired with Mac Miller sounded crazy, but this song is so cute that the lyrics are playful and sweet, such as, “I hope you hit me on my celly when I sneak in your mind.” For us that didn’t know Ariana could sing, this proves it. Her voice sounds great with Mac Miller’s rap. “The Way” is one of my favorite picks for Summer 2013.

6. Come & Get It – Selena Gomez

7. Power Trip – J.cole ft. Miguel

8. Get Lucky – Daft Punk ft. Pharrell Williams

9. Next to me – Emeli Sande

10. Alive – Krewela

By Renata Williams

What’s your favorite song for Summer 2013?

Junior Kylie Smith shows off her creativity with makeup on Instagram. Photo by: Kylie Smith

Every day I refresh my instagram each hour, watching the number of pictures with astonishing effects rise. People show off their “DIY” creations or the infamous “selfies” we all know and love. As I secretly stalk my friend’s pictures, I notice a common trend: the pounds of makeup they love put on to not only attract more likes on the pictures, but also make them look more photogenic.

Then I look at younger girls, and these 10 year old girls already think black raccoon eyes is what makes them pretty. Did our generation forget the motto “It’s on the inside that counts”? We obviously did because even I’m guilty of never going out without my foundation and bronzer.

I can’t even remember the last time I went out in public without even a spec of foundation, or the slightest flick of a mascara brush. Is my self-confidence really that low that I can’t have anyone see me without a bunch of crap on my face? But then I realized I’m not the only one. It seems like every RBHS girl I see loves to share makeup tips and tricks to make us look our best.

Someone needed to step up to the plate, and tell everyone that it’s OK not to wear makeup, something so simple, but so frightening to think about at the same time. But before this, I needed to experience it for myself; so I let down my shield and came to school bare faced.

It’s no surprise that every girl has some sort of insecurity without makeup on. “My skin is so blotchy, my eyes are so small, I look like a boy, etc.” And I admit, some of these excuses come from me.

As I was getting ready for school that morning, I thought about wearing a hat so I could hide my face, but that would defeat the whole purpose of this challenge. So I put on my big girl pants, ditched the hat and braced myself for the weird looks I was expecting when walking into school.

My first hour, US Studies, which has approximately 60 people in the class, was what I was dreading most out of the whole day. I walked through the door and immediately my good friend came up and, half sarcastic and half smiling, said, “Oh, went with no makeup today, did ya?” She added a little side nudge and smile.

I started laughing because she’s seen me before with no makeup, so I wasn’t afraid to stand up to her. I told her why I rejected my eyeliner and she applauded me. She told me I was brave because she would never have the guts to do what I was doing, even for a day.

Throughout the day I realized coming to school without makeup has its positives. I could rub my eyes whenever I wanted, and I didn’t have to go to the bathroom three times a day to fix my eyeliner. Also, it was a lot easier than I expected. The few people who commented were those in my classes that I’ve talked to but don’t hang out with on a regular basis. Sweetly, they just told me I look good without makeup on. The more people who told me this, the more I felt good in my own skin.

Though it was unfamiliar to go a day being completely myself with no makeup, I know it’s not for everyone. I’m not even sure it’s for me. Now that I know what it feels like, I know it’s not my lack of self-confidence that makes me want to wear makeup every day. It’s the feeling I get when I pick out new products and the different colors and looks that you can create. It’s the “girlyness” aspect that I love when I get ready to go out at night with the sparkly eye shadow, rosy cheeks, and red lips that I adore.

The experience adjusted my view of my appearance and self-confidence, and I hope everyone gets to try it. Try not to care what anyone thinks for a day, and be yourself completely. You might find yourself along the way hiding under all of the makeup you had been wearing for so long.

The change of swimsuits over the years.

This past summer, I was tanning at my neighborhood pool, basking in the sun, when I glanced over at the chair next to me and noticed that the woman in the chair was wearing a bikini that barely covered her breasts, exposing way more than I had ever wanted to see.
I was absolutely shocked and embarrassed for her; I didn’t think a woman would dare expose so much skin.
It really upsets me because swimsuits that are this revealing are becoming more and more common. The definition of modesty is ever-changing, and unfortunately not in a good way.
As our generation redefines modesty, it is also affecting the lack of respect men display towards women. The more revealing a swimsuit is, the less likely it is that a guy will want to talk to a girl based on her personality. With swimwear especially, there needs to be a stopping point with how revealing they are; otherwise, the lack of modesty in swimsuits will continue to worsen, causing the lack of respect women receive from men to decline.
Just 60 years ago, it was completely unacceptable for women to even wear bikinis. In fact, beauty pageants banned bikinis in 1951 after the Miss World Contest. As late as 1959, women could be fined $5 for wearing a bikini on New York’s Rockaway Beach. Previously, in 1931, a law was placed: The Local Government Act, Ordinance No. 52, that set exact dimensions for swimsuits.
For example, men’s and women’s swimwear had to have legs at least three inches long, had to completely cover the front body from the armpits to the waist and had to have shoulder straps or other means of keeping the swimsuit in position. The law lasted until 1961, but should have lasted longer, in my opinion.
Obviously, that’s not even close to where the standards for swimwear stand today. So what happened?
In the 1960s, a series of cultural reforms changed the United States, including the modesty of swimwear. After Brian Hyland came out with his classic song, “Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” in 1961, the song triggered a bikini-buying spree among American teens, thus revising the definition of swimsuit modesty forever more.
After the United States accepted the bikini, the modesty of swimsuits rapidly decreased. Fashion designers introduced the monokini, the thong bikini and increasingly immodest bikinis that are still being produced today.
I think the United States should have definitely stopped with the bikinis worn in the 1960s. They were fashionable, still fairly modest and flattering on almost everyone. Bikinis now are immodest and not necessarily flattering. The most unflattering bikinis I have seen, no matter how fit and skinny you are, are definitely thong bikinis.
The fact that thong bikinis exist truly disgusts me. Would you wear an actual thong in public? Probably not, since according to Women’s Health Magazine, only two percent of women in the United States do.
Bikinis reveal way more than most peoples’ underwear shows, which should be a hint to most people that it’s time to rethink what they are wearing in public.
If this bikini fabric decline continues any further, we will soon be living in a world where nude beaches are a daily occurrence and where women don’t have any respect for themselves.
Women need to show appreciation for themselves by taking a stand against this bikini evolution by dressing in more modest swimwear styles.Women complain about the lack of chivalry, but how can men demonstrate chivalry toward us when we aren’t dressing in a way that shows that we have respect for ourselves?
Dressing in a less revealing swimsuit can cause men to have more respect for us because they won’t just be admiring us for our bodies, but for our personalities. Therefore, this will help to prevent the decrease of chivalry we see in men today, thus allowing for chivalry to make its way back into the world.
So women, out of respect for yourself and your future family, stand up against the decay of chivalry and respect. You can do this simply by changing your swimsuit.

An application to Truman State University, with a place to write gender and race. (Photo by Afsah Khan)

Rich white males still dominate America. In its 237 years as a nation, upper-class white men still control the United States,; our politicians, our economic leaders, even our academic pioneers remain, overwhelmingly, wealthy, white and male. Though discrimination is illegal in America, not enough has been done to fix the inequality suffered by so many for so long.

In order to rectify this wrong,  affirmative action is needed.

 For almost 100 years after America’s independence, slavery remained a central part of American culture and industry. For another 100 years after that, governmental segregation was present in the United States. Racial minorities, especially African- Americans, were not offered the same educational opportunities and as a result, lacked the skills necessary to acquire high paying jobs and fell into poverty.  Their children lacked the means and money to pursue higher, more expensive education and, as a result, were stuck with the same economic misfortune as their parents. This cycle of hardship continued and is still present today.

The 2011 Census reports that 26 percent of African Americans, 27 percent of Native Americans and 23 percent of Latinos are in poverty, while only 12 percent of Caucasian Americans fall below the poverty line.

 Racial minorities are not less hard-working nor less intelligent. The cycle of poverty is simply hard to break. In addition to this, minorities have to deal with the additional prejudices present in society today; stereotypes still exist in America, and many still face racism from the peers and coworkers.

 Some, like Sen. Lamar Alexander, say the need for affirmative action is finished; the discrimination and lack of opportunity felt by minorities is a thing of the past. This however, is untrue. Often times, for job positions, Caucasian Americans will be picked over equally qualified African Americans.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2011 there was a 7.1 percent jobless rate among African Americans holding a bachelor’s degree while there was only a 4.1 percent jobless rate amongst white Americans with the same education level. Though African Americans are equally qualified; they have a harder time than their white counterparts in finding a job.

Affirmative action can help to fix this problem of poverty as well as the issue of discrimination. While institutionalized racism is illegal in America; simply outlawing it does not insure equal opportunity. When minorities have been forced to stay behind for centuries, and have fallen behind, something must be done to allow them up to come back up to speed.

Right now, the Supreme Court is reviewing a case of affirmative action, Fisher v. University of Texas. Abigail Fisher is suing the University of Texas at Austin concerning the college’s affirmative action policies . This is the second time in a decade an affirmative action case has reached the Supreme Court. People need to realize that, while affirmative action may not be the perfect solution, it’s the best one. Diversity is an important part of any culture, and is needed in both the educational and workfield.

Several fields suffer for lack of diversity. Having only one type of ethnic, socioeconomic, or gender in anything promotes convergent, instead of divergent thinking. Different types of people bring different perspectives to the table, which is necessary for progress as well as thoroughness.

According the Association for Psychological Science, in 2007 the ratio of men to women in math, science, and engineering fields was 3:1. Programs like affirmative action can fix this huge gap. MIT, which recruits women, has a 1:1 ratio of men and women; and if working to close this gender cap. Widely acknowledged as the number one college for technology, MIT promotes the recruitment of women because, they say, “women think in a way different than men; in a perspective that’s needed and is lacking in math and technology.”

Progress and inventions are stalled because of lack of diversity,and affirmative action can fix that.  We, as a nation, are suffering and falling behind because our lack of perspective. Affirmative action was put in place to serve a purpose and help the nation, one that it continues to do. The time for affirmative action has not past; it’s as needed as ever. We need to work to ensure equality and dispel stereotypes now, so that affirmative action for any minority, whether it be on the basis of gender or race, will not be needed for the next generation.

by Humera Lodhi

Taking out the trash: Janitor Greg Reinkemeyer places trash bags in the easy to move bin at the main entrance after lunch. Reinkemeyer is part of the tenacious RBHS custodial staff.
Photo by Urmilla Kutikkad

It’s lunchtime; snow cones are for sale, and students are sitting in every crevice of the commons, eating, chatting and hastily doing last-minute homework assignments.

As the countdown to the bell for fourth block begins, students start throwing their trash out or otherwise leaving. But they don’t always get everything in the garbage.

“I usually pick it up, I’ll stare at it for a few seconds,” sophomore Alia Stepney said. “I have to help the environment cause it’s a good thing, and I don’t wanna die early.”

Stepney might seem overly dramatic, but clutter is the reality of the current generation’s attitude. According to Keep America Beautiful Inc., in 2009, plastic litter on America’s roadways had increased by 165 percent over the last 50 years. It’s not always their fault, of course. If a rule isn’t enforced, then the rules won’t be followed.

“We don’t get on the kids for cleaning up much,” Alex Huck, student teacher for David Graham and Katherine Sasser’s World Studies class, said. “If people think it’s a big deal, I’m sure they’re going to clean-up.”

Although the rules of cleanliness aren’t enforced now, that doesn’t mean in the past they weren’t. Dr. Jim King, RBHS principal from 1992-1998 preferred to put cleanliness on the top of his priorities. King picked up trash in the main commons himself after every lunch period.
Every time he witnessed students miss the trash can or simply leave trash on the ground, Dr. King went to the offender, and nicely asked the student to pick it up himself.

“[The student’s reaction] depends on the student’s situation. Some would pick it up and say they were sorry,” King said. “Some would, once in awhile, very rarely mouth back that it was not their job or something.”

Regardless of any smart-aleck remarks he received, Dr. King was principal of the school and was determined to keep it clean. He put it simply: his abundance of pride for the building he worked in kept him bending over, retrieving the leftover food and putting it in the trash can, where it belongs.

“I felt that if we’d all have to work together, and if they saw me doing it,” King said, “Maybe it would encourage them to do it themselves.”

American rules of picking up after oneself, as Huck said, are no longer enforced. However, internationally the regulations are more implemented.

Sophomore Molly Vornholt spent three weeks in Japan in March as part of the program Kizuna involved with raising awareness on clean up of Japan after the tsunami, and says there’s a big difference between the cleanliness of America and Japan.

“They’re trying to have a clean society because a clean society is generally better. You get rid of the sickness in the air,” Vornholt said. “There’s a lot of pride to be taken in the fact that [Japan’s] streets are clean, and they don’t have a whole bunch of trash on them. [Japan is] not one of those societies who just throws things out the window and calls it good enough.”

After the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami two years ago, the people of Japan spent numerous hours cleaning up the devastation that they made.

Private companies are hiring those who have lost their jobs in the disaster to sort through the rubble.

“Just being there, the air seems a whole lot cleaner,” Vornholt said of Japan. “It’s not just the spring freshness that you usually have here in America, but it was like this all the time. It was really nice.”

The difference between Japan and America surprised Vornholt. On her watch, there were only two stray cups on the streets. Junior Piper Stretz, on the other hand, wasn’t expecting the shell-shock she received when starting work at Forum 8 Theater.

For a year, Stretz has been cleaning other peoples’ vomit, dirty diapers and spit cups, and from it has gained a new appreciation for the work employees do at any given place.

“I think it kind of shows that the public doesn’t really… take in consideration what the people there … do,” Stretz said. “They’ll totally take advantage [of] the fact that they will just go somewhere and they think they can just do whatever they want.”

While it seems to Stretz that people believe they can do anything they want, it is difficult to keep such big areas clean. Sometimes janitors can’t keep up with the trash, which Stepney always notices. Perhaps it’s the reason she prefers to pick up after herself instead of letting it sit out.

“My second hour – oh my Lord Jesus – the [poor] janitors, they don’t throw things away. [The janitors] just put everything on the back table that they find on the floor,” Stepney said. “Those kids are dirty as hell. My God … Come in with a trash can. Throw everything away.”

By Madi Mertz and Hope Smith

Getting up and moving: Columbia Public Schools anticipates possible changes in student transport beginning in the 2013-2014 school year Photo By Patrick Smith

With the addition of freshmen to Columbia Public Schools’ high schools next year, the district made plans to provide a city bus route that catered to students.

Columbia Transit, Columbia’s city bussing company, worked out a pilot program that ran April 15 – May 15 for Hickman High school students to use the city bus services. The bus route went the length of West Broadway and Worley Street and then travels to the west Hy-Vee location and doubles back.

RBHS will start a pilot program of their own in August of 2013, Dr. Chris Belcher, superintendent of CPS said.

Junior Thelton Cobb occasionally rides the city bus to and from school when he stays at his brother’s house.

“I get on three buses from my brother’s house, only because there is just one bus that rides around Rock Bridge’s side of [Columbia],” Cobb said. “Then there’s the one from his house and the one from there to the bus on this side of town, but I go on Providence around the Social Security Office and down Green Meadows and then to Bethel and the Diego transfer and then to Rock Bridge.”

Cobb said the bus ride usually takes an hour, though, he said he would be willing to ride it more if it did not take that long. Belcher said these new routes will be shorter than the average city bus route.

“We have the busses running every 40 minutes after and before school,” Belcher said.”The routes take about 30 minutes. We’re just trying to get the students to give us feedback.”

During Hickman’s pilot, the Parent-Teacher Association provided Hickman students with 100 bus passes to give to students so they could try out the the program. To pick up a bus pass, one had to agree to ride the city bus at least three times a week and give the school feedback. The bus passes worked on all the city busses throughout the day, Belcher said.

Belcher hopes in the future the school district will be able to provide the bus passes for students . At this time, legislation does not allow the school to purchase the bus passes to give to students because of safety regulations.

“We’re working with them to write new legislation. We should have the ability to, on a voluntary basis, allow secondary students to use public transportation as well as the yellow and black busses,” Belcher said. “Their [legislators] issue is yellow and black busses have certain standards of safety, but I’m saying public transportation is liable, too, for the people that ride.”

Even though city busses can be a less expensive option for certain areas, Belcher explains, they are not going to replace school busses any time soon.

“[City busses are] not really a cheaper option on a lot of issues, just certain areas are. For the big routes we run into the subdivisions and rural areas, city busses just aren’t going to be able to do that. We need efficiency,” Belcher said. “City busses don’t seat as many people. Our busses are meant for rigid narrow roads with busses you can fit a lot of students on. City busses are side seating and standing up; they’re not meant to pack them in quite the same way. Regulations on safety require that kids sit with something in front of them. So I think we will just try this high school experiment and see where it goes from there.”

Belcher prefers a more hands-off approach when it comes to advertising the new bus route.

“I want this to be driven by student councils or student governments because if they don’t make it work, I can’t make it work,” Belcher said.

RBHS student council representative Kelsey Harper is excited about the opportunities for students and plans on advertising the new system soon.

“At our last meeting we were mainly focused on preparing for the assembly and mud volleyball,” Harper said, “so we haven’t been able to discuss it, but I’m sure we will soon. It sounds like a great opportunity to use a system that is already in place to make it easier for students to get to school.”

By Antonina Johnston

Early Birds: Junior Robert Bridgford and junior Ian Lloyd purchase lunch in the cafeteria early enough to avoid the rush. At least a quarter of RBHS’ student body floods the lunch line daily.  Photo by: Atreyo Ghosh

With RBHS hosting four grades next year, lunch will be more crowded. Off-campus lunch will not be offered to incoming freshmen and sophomores.

To benefit the underclassmen who can’t leave campus for lunch, Columbia Public Schools will purchase a food trailer, superintendent of CPS Dr. Chris Belcher said.

“Next year at Rock Bridge, on a certain day, it’ll be announced that the food trailer will be at Rock Bridge for lunch. They’ll pull it up out in front of Rock Bridge, and they’ll serve pulled pork sandwiches or something else,” Belcher said. “Students can go outside and buy a sandwich. We’ll try to serve something the students want to eat that way they don’t have to leave campus if they don’t want to. If it works then we’ll go buy a few more and try to make that part of way we serve students.”

Laina Fullum, director of nutrition services for CPS, believes this change will benefit the students restricted to a closed lunch.

“What our goal is, is to spread out the students, so they don’t feel like when they have to stay on campus or want to stay on campus,” Fullum said, “so that they’re not trying to compete with each other when trying to get through the line.”

Freshman Emily Unterschutz isn’t pleased with the closed campus idea next year. She fears it will take away from the high school experience.

“Open campus lunch is probably one of the things I was looking forward to most about high school, and taking that away makes me upset.” Unterschutz said. “In my opinion, it isn’t fair and we should be allowed to go where we please for lunch.”

CPS will purchase just one trailer at first to test out the idea, hoping in the future to purchase more if the students utilize it.

“We’re going to start out with one and see how well the students receive it,” Fullum said. “Of course it will be seasonal, too, so I want to start off slow, I don’t want to waste money.”

The trailer will travel among RBHS, Hickman, Battle and Douglas.

“We are going to trade off probably two times at [RBHS], two times at Hickman, then go back and forth between Battle and Douglas,” Fullum said.

The food won’t be prepared in the trailer because of Columbia Department of Health regulations. Instead, RBHS or Hickman will become a base kitchen to prepare the food. Then the food will be moved out to the trailer and finished.

“Our food trucks have to have a basic kitchen in Columbia. That’s how our department of health requires us to operate,” Fullum said. “Basically we will make either Hickman or Rock Bridge, or both base kitchens for the trailers and that way we’ll do a lot of the cooking to make it safe then move it out and finish off products to serve to students.”

In addition to the trailer, food stations will be set up around the school.

“Not only are we going to do trailers, but we’re going to do food stations away from the lunch line,” Fullum said, “[that way we] can spread the crowd out and give students some options.”

The lunch workers employed by CPS will prepare the food for the trailers, Fullum said. The food will also be different than the food served on the lunch line.

“It’ll be more of a barbeque type theme,” she said, “but we’re not quite there yet.”

Unterschutz is willing to try out the food trailer depending on what they’ll be serving.

“I will be willing to eat at the trailer if the food is cheap and probably good junk food.” Unterschutz said, “As long as it isn’t ‘government-food’ like the lunch, I’d definitely be willing to try if I could afford it as a broke teenager,”

RBHS is looking at putting the food stations in the North Commons or outside of the planetarium but nothing has been finalized, Shannon Brown, RBHS kitchen manager said.

Barely into the first month of school, sophomore Sarah Freyermuth wove her way through the crowded RBHS hallways, dodging, sidestepping and avoiding students as she hurried to her next class. With a bookbag full to the brim with binders and folders, not hitting anyone with the school supplies-filled parcel proved to be quite difficult for Freyermuth.

Unfortunately, the semi-smooth trek to class would not go as planned for Freyermuth because her overstuffed bag seemed to have other plans.

“It was the stereotypical movie scene where a girl’s bag strap breaks and her stuff flies all over the hallway except unlike in the movies, no cute boy came to help me pick it up,” Freyermuth said. “I just had to throw it all in my broken bag and run away really fast because I was so embarrassed and all these people were staring at me.”

The idea of an embarrassing moment is one most people are familiar with. Many have experienced the creeping heat of blood rushing to their face, the feeling of a million eyes on them at once, regrets flooding the brain and the overly intense urge to flee from the spot.

“During the situation I felt really embarrassed, and I could feel my entire face turning tomato red and I just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible,” Freyermuth said. “Looking back on it, I’m still pretty embarrassed, although it’s not nearly as embarrassing now as it was then.”

Though few make it out of high school unscathed, humiliation is just an unavoidable part of growing up. At the time the experience might seem unfair but many ‘victims,’ like Freyermuth, look back on the memories with affection.

“Researchers have found that people who display embarrassment at their social transgressions are more prone to be liked, forgiven, and trusted than those who do not,” Mary C. Lamia, Ph.D. from Psycologytoday.com.

Dee Crosby, Technical Theatre teacher at RBHS looks fondly on the lessons learned through embarrassment. During his sophomore year in high school Crosby, who thought himself to be a decent soccer player at the time, joined some friends at McDonalds after a varsity soccer game. While in line, he began to comment on one of the player’s lack of skill level. Unfortunately the person Crosby was talking about was in front of them spun around turned out to be none other than the said player.

“I was so embarrassed and humbled … he went on to be a professional soccer player,” Crosby said.

High school, being as physiologically booby-trapped as it is, with it’s ever changing idea of socially acceptable behavior, claims the prize as a prime place for embarrassing situations. In an environment where social order is everything, high school uses embarrassment to set the precedent.

”Embarrassment likely evolved to maintain social order,” Lamia said, “since being embarrassed, people communicate to others that they recognize and regret their misbehavior and will try to do better.”

The fact is the worst part of about embarrassing moments is the split second after it occurs and the realization of what you just did sets in, senior Cameron Grahl said.
“I remember thinking ‘Holy crap, what have I just done,’”Grahl said about a waterlogged incident in her junior year chemistry class.

“There was this huge tub of water where we would hold something underwater for a period of time. I’m holding this thing underwater,” Grahl said, “and I’m leaning on this tub and I start to zone out and end up putting all my weight on this tub, and just dump the whole thing on myself.”

Grahl said, looking back it was hilarious, but ending up having to wear wet clothes for the rest of the day and explain her drenched state multiple times for the continuum of the school day was “really unfun.”

Embarrassment is a part of high school, and getting through those seemingly devastating situations is an opportunity to learn from the experience, which in turn, will lead to avoiding future identical circumstances.

Feature Photo by Mikaela Acton

Seven out of 10 RBHS students use Twitter, according to a survey of 360 students taken by the yearbook, Flashback. While the number is dissimilar to a national statistic from Education Week that shows only eight percent of teens use Twitter, the number still shows how much impact this outlet has on RBHS.
Many use this social media merely to disseminate and gather often meaningless bits of information, but others look to Twitter to take in breaking news. Even though this method of aggregating knowledge is extremely efficient, the accuracy has recently been called into question.
Just one month ago, two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. This dreadful tragedy sparked a week of madness in the city. The faulty news coverage and widely-believed internet rumors did not help alleviate the stresses of the week-long manhunt that culminated in the death of one suspect and the capture of his brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Looking back on these events, one lesson the public should have learned from the week after the bombings was that in a time of crisis, most news sources sacrifice accuracy for expediency. Many news websites use other news sources to provide their breaking news, which means that if only one site used a faulty source then the bad information would be quickly sent around the internet.
Another important message from the bombing coverage was the massive use of the Boston Police Department’s radio scanners. In the midst of the manhunt, some officers were using Twitter and various other social media for tips, leading to incorrect names of suspects being spoken over the scanner. This reinforced people using sites such as Reddit, an outlet which initially called out the wrong perpetrator.
As Politico copy editor Kelsey Hayes tweeted, the whole situation was a “giant writhing mass of journalistic derp.”
Imagine for a moment that social media sites like Twitter were in existence after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The speculation and conspiracy theories that could potentially emerge would likely have been thousands of times greater than those after Boston. On social media, people tend to interact primarily with those who share their own opinions, and dissent rarely occurs, leading to an ‘echo chamber’ of their beliefs.
Other than the various ‘false flag’ conspiracy nuts, there were many unintentional mistakes: The New York Post initially reported that 12 had been killed by the blasts. The New York Post, as well as many on Reddit, incorrectly identified the bombing suspect. CNN and The Associated Press both reported Wednesday that a suspect was in custody. Reddit readers pointed to a missing Brown student as the suspect, which began to gain traction on the Thursday as the student’s name came on the police scanners.

Perhaps the most important journalistic point from the Boston Marathon attack and ensuing manhunt is that 21st century media are broken. These days, everyone with a Twitter account thinks they’re a journalist. While they are to ‘report’ news, true journalists should always take the extra time to verify their information.
The urge to be the first is always difficult to overcome, but it is better than issuing apologies later when the real news is published.
When it comes to breaking news, stay off Twitter, other social media and live news updates. Take a break, a drink and a nap. Then check again, maybe even the next day, and hopefully by then the real story is revealed.

Curly hair, lots of pictures and a room full of dancing, prom took place last Friday night, May 10, at Stephen’s College. Some think that finding a date and discovering the perfect dress to wear is the most stressful thing about the prom experience.
But this year, prom was on a Friday night instead of the usual Saturday night, which caused people to re-arrange their schedules, skip school and have less time to get dazzled up for their big night.
“I tried to get a hair appointment that was after school,” junior Samantha Turek said. “But most salons were already booked at those times, so I scheduled it during my second hour class.”

Infographic by Hope Smith.

In previous years, students going to prom had the relaxing experience of having the whole day Saturday to get their hair and makeup done, tie their bowtie just right and have enough time to take pictures with friends and family before they take off for the selected venue.
This year more people skipped the whole day or part of the day at school over any other day that week. Because of this, many seniors think prom should never be on a Friday night again in the upcoming years.
Senior Morgan Bumby believes it would be more convenient to have prom on a Saturday.
“Sports practices are usually right after school gets out,” Bumby said. “So that became a conflict when I was trying to schedule appointments and figure out if I’d be able to practice or not.”
She also said many sports have Saturday morning practices, so it was hard to get the full experience of prom when you want to make sure you get enough sleep to perform well.
“I didn’t want to let my team down since we have districts coming up,” Bumby said, “so I went to bed earlier than I would have expected to on my prom night.”
If prom was on a Saturday night, there would be a smaller chance to run into problems like they did this year. Also, seniors would get to schedule their day around prom festivities, instead of planning prom around school. Prom is more than a school dance to some people because it’s their last chance to have the whole class together, and end the year on a great note while surrounded by friends.
Bumby was one of many who scheduled her day around school, which led to her missing classes to get both her hair and makeup done for prom.
“You have school every day, but your senior prom only comes once,” Bumby said. “I went to and from school from my hair appointment, trying to fit in everything I could.”
Senior Brian Gunter was aware of how stressed all of his friends were becoming in anticipation for the big night. With most missing school for appointments such as Bumby did, Gunter thought it felt more like the usual homecoming dance than prom.
“Because everyone had to get ready so quickly,” Gunter said, “prom almost felt like it had less importance because of the little preparation we had.”
The limited time to prepare for the dance didn’t stop senior Josie Camden from having an amazing time. Though she was rushed more than she would have liked, she said it made getting ready all the more fun.
“All of my friends were all multitasking,” Camden said, “zipping each other’s dresses, throwing clothes at one another, and all sorts of that to make us move faster. It was pretty funny.”
Camden also says prom will be one of her fondest memories of high school.
“Knowing that this is the last time for all the seniors to be together before we graduate is bittersweet,” Camden said. “Prom was the best ending to the best three years at Rock Bridge.”

Senior Jervon Hedrick steps onto the dance floor, flashing his bright red tuxedo and an enthused smile, simultaneously greeting a fellow attendant.
Photo by Renata Williams.

Senior counselor Rachel Reed bond through dancing with seniors Bobby Backus (left) and Victor Vu (right).
Photo by Renata Williams.

Senior Krissy Geerling dances to the music as comfortably as possible by going barefoot on the floor.
Photo by Renata Williams.

Not only was the spectrum of prom-goers filled with both juniors and sophomores, but Principal Mark Maus’ two young daughters were also in attendance.
Photo by Renata Williams.

Prom participants line up for the Cupid Shuffle, trying to stay off of each others’ toes in the process. Donning their dresses and clutching their purses and phones, they all focus on performing the right moves.
Photo by Renata Williams.

By Lauren Jamison

Seniors, what was your favorite prom memory?

Photo by: Ross Parks

As RBHS undergoes more changes than ever before in the approaching 2013- 2014 school year, one element of these changes may make things a little easier for the incoming grades to RBHS.
“Bruin Block is going to be a 31-minute period for ninth and tenth graders every day, Monday through Friday, in which we will have curriculum to orientate them to Rock Bridge,” said Deborah McDonough, RBHS English teacher and member of the committee responsible for the passing of Bruin block.
Bruin Block adds in a period for lower classmen to spend a set time together with a senior mentor and advisor. The advisor assigned to the class, when they first arrive here, will be the same as when they arrived. The idea is that by keeping the kids together, community is built and at the end of their experience a project is to be completed to reflect their time and activities here at RBHS. McDonough said
Still, for the coming year, the goal of Bruin Block is to, “provide a place and support for them [sophomores and freshmen] … and consistent guidance,” said Melisa Coil, RBHS head of guidance and head of the committee responsible for Bruin Block which will in later years, incorporate all four grades.
The vision is that the block will encourage community and self-assurance as a member of RBHS. Coil hopes Bruin Block will be much more than the former sophomore advisory, which she feels was not sufficient in involving the students beyond that one hour.
Coupled with time allotted for lunch, there is talk that, for a portion of the upperclassmen, Bruin Block will be consumed with senior meetings and even removed completely for making up lost time during assemblies McDonough said. Nevertheless, for most days Bruin Block remains unassigned will be butted up against lunchtime, for the two higher grades. Therefore, with this entire free-time people appear to have varying views as to what they plan on doing during their extra time.
“I’ll either do homework or go get food,” says sophomore Riley Widhalm, who seemed to be dogmatic in her view on the extra time for lunch. Still, while some may worry that this hour will be more time for things to go wrong, many may sympathize with the rationalization of Widhalm in that they, “don’t really know what problems will happen [during Bruin Block] that wouldn’t happen in AUT or advisory.” But not everyone feels the same.
“There will … be those people who take advantage of it,” sophomore Mariana Loza-Stealey said who felt that some might be unruly during their free time. However, she felt fine with the idea as long as people, “…don’t do crazy stuff.”
Either way, for most, the changes are viewed as yet another extension of the school motto of “freedom with responsibility.”
“The reality is… that the kids who are making the right choices now in their 31-minute lunch period are going to do the same thing in the 68-minute lunch period,” Coil said.

By Ross Parks

Long Jump: Junior Danny Lantz lauches into a sandpit in an attempt to hit a personal best in the long jump. Fellow teammates and Coach Sasser eagerly awaited Lantz’s results.Photo by Paige Kiehl

After just completing the RBHS Invitational the weekend prior, the Bruin track and field team competed again this weekend at the Class 4 District 5 meet. The boys team took second to Jefferson City with a score of 103 points – 74 points behind the Jays. Third place went to Camdenton High School, 30 points behind the Bruins.

Junior Luke Darrough placed fourth in pole vault behind senior Matt Bush in third place. Darrough scored five points from pole vault, four points for his fifth place in the 400-meter dash and another four points for contributing to the second leg of the 4×400 meter relay.
Darrough’s scores in his three events resulted in roughly 12 percent of RBHS’s cumulative score this weekend.
“You get out of it what you put into it,” Darrough said. “I just wanted to go to sectionals in all of my events and not disappoint the team in my relays.”
Darrough’s fourth place in the pole vault, with a height of 12 feet 9 inches, was enough to carry him on to sectionals but not in the 4×400 meter relay or 400-meter dash races.
In total, nine individuals and three relay teams from RBHS will proceed to sectionals, including Darrough.
To further contribute to RBHS’s overall score, senior Nathan Keown and junior Evan Schulte swept the 1600-meter run with respective times of 4:28.33 and 4:34.94. They scored 18 points together.
The boys team was not limited to upperclassmen this weekend, however. Grant Sykuta, a Jefferson Junior High School freshman, competed in the 4×800 meter relay as the third runner of four. His individual time clocked in at 2:06.
“I was on the third leg, and on the last stretch of my leg I out-kicked a Hickman runner and gave Josh [Ripley, sophomore], our anchor, a few steps on Hickman in the second place spot, so all I was thinking was that I gave our anchor a pretty good position to stay in,” Sykuta said. “After the race, looking back, I was kind of disappointed with myself. I felt like I could have pushed it harder, and I’m really just hoping I have another chance next weekend at sectionals, I think that the boys team performed very well. We ran awful about a month before at the Capital City meet, and coming back to get second at districts was rather impressive.”
The overall time for the boys 4×800 meter relay was 8:23.58, a time that took second to Smith-Cotton High School’s time of 8:20.60. The boys 4×800 squad scored eight points to contribute to RBHS’s total score.
“We just really need the competitive spirit back that we had,” Sykuta said. “We really gotta want it, to perform. As a team, the focus level needs a boost for sectionals.”

Chuks Olisah smiles for the camera before his work at Forum Christian Church begins.
By Justin Sutherland

Born in Nigeria, 56-year-old Chuks Olisah pushed the bounds of greatness by going to the Olympics by the age of 23. Running became his joy, his pride and his pastime; however, he did not always run and took up track for the first time during his junior year. The reason for Olisah first putting feet to ground in a competition was because a bully in his school that thought he was better than Olisah.

“What most definitely motivated me to start running was when I was in high school, a kid started making fun of me because he was in a group of girls,” Olisah said. “He said that I was not as fast as him.”

Olisah decided to take up the challenge and race him, despite not having experience in track. He believed that if he thought he could beat his opponent, he would be able to win.

“I told the coach that he could not beat me in the 100 meters,” Olisah said, “so we took the challenge. I ran, and I beat him.”

The students never made fun of him again because he was the fastest runner in the school. Instead of focusing on revenge on the kids that said he wasn’t good enough, Olisah put his efforts into racing. This is when Olisah’s running career began to take off.

He started by running the 100 meter dash and the coach decided he should also train him for the 200 meter dash as well. He won his events and later went on to state where his success continued.
The competition was fierce because of the track emphasis in Nigeria, according to Olisah. He had to train continuously after school in the tropical climate of his home country, doing workouts that not only focused on his speed, but also endurance training.

“There are lots of runners in Nigeria,” Olisah said, “so you have to be really good to win.”

Olisah continued to race. He went on to a competition called the “National Sports Festival” which is comprised of all the top runners from each of the Nigerian States.

“I won because back then I had a really good time in the 100 meters,” Olisah said. “I also took second in the 200 meters so I got to go to the Olympics.”

Olisah’s best time for the 100 meters was 10.02 seconds, which has a world record of 9.56 seconds. His best time for the 200 meters was 20.01 seconds, which the world record is 19.19 seconds. However, he was not able to compete in the 1980 Olympics held in Moscow because of an injury of a pulled hamstring.

Similarly, junior Jenna Duckworth played for the RBHS softball team during her freshman and sophomore years, but because of an injury from last season, she was unable to play this season.

“I broke a bone in my knee and played on it all summer,” Duckworth said. “After the season was over the pain was unbearable, so i went to the doctor.”

The long season took its toll on her knee. The doctor told her that she would need surgery to get part of the bone taken out. The consequences were increased because of her continuing to play on it, but Duckworth wanted to finish her season strong.

“I was determined to finish out the season,” Duckworth said, “even if that meant playing with the pain.”

She empathizes with Olisah’s hardship of not being able to run in the most watched time of his career since she had to give up her own sport because of her injury.

After the disappointment from the inability to race in the Olympics, Olisah had an opportunity to come to America because of his speed that helped him overcome the devastation from his pulled hamstring. He had the choice between five different universities, which included the University of Missouri -Columbia where he decided to get a degree in Economics, graduating in 1984. Since then, Olisah has stayed in America and still runs in competitions.

“I am not too old to compete, but I did have a stroke,” Olisah said. “I cannot run as fast as I used to but I think I can win the races.”

At the young age of 46, Olisah had a stroke while driving that caused his right side to be paralyzed. He had to call his wife, who insisted on him calling an ambulance; however, stubbornly drove to the hospital instead. With his left foot controlling the pedals and his left hand operating the wheel of the car, Olisah made it to the hospital. The paramedics carried him into the building where the doctor discussed with him the probabilities of what could have happened to him if he waited instead of driving himself.

“The doctor said if [I] would have called the ambulance,” Olisah said, “I would not have made it.”

Even though Olisah has to take a medicine called Plavix for the rest of his life, his decision to drive himself instead of waiting for the ambulance saved his life with no permanent injuries. This allowed him to continue working in America, which Olisah still accredits to his scholarship given from the University of Missouri.

“Just because I run,” Olisah said, “I was allowed to come to America through my scholarship.”

In America Olisah made work a high priority for his life, and even enjoys it. He has three full time jobs and one part-time job to help take care of his 11 kids.

“I am a workaholic,” Olisah said. “I work a lot because if you don’t work, you can’t make it in this country.”

One thing that Olisah’s work ethic pushed him to do was further his education. He believes that you are better off when you further your education. Although he already had a degree, Olisah decided to go back to get his Master’s degree for Economics.

“I am now going to school, attending the University of Missouri and hopefully I will finish my masters,” Olisah said. “It’s tough, but I am doing it.”

Olisah believes determination is the key to success, whether it comes to school, running, or anything. The competition that you face is not only others, but how much you want to achieve your goal. Olisah often encourages people by saying “if you believe you can do it, then you can do it no matter what you are faced with.” No matter what comes, Olisah perseveres during the adversity he faces.

Through going to the Olympics but not being able to compete, through moving to a different country and making a new life for himself, through even a stroke, Olisah had the ability to withstand and thrive in the face of adversity. He trains himself to succeed, setting his mind to be able to accomplish what he believes he has the ability to complete.

“Keep your mind into it, and you can,” Olisah said. “If you say, ‘I can still run,’ then you have to train. It’s in the body, but if you keep at it then you can still do it.”

By Justin Sutherland

Photo by Christiana Prestigiacomo

“Both of these events are an opportunity to celebrate and thank the seniors and the amazing stuff that they have done,” RBHS Director of Student Activities David Bones said. “Obviously it’s a huge milestone for our seniors to graduate. It’s a big deal.”

Though there is not enough time to highlight every senior’s accomplishments, a handful of seniors, chosen by a special committee formed by senior Student Council leaders, represent RBHS during graduation. Bones said, after auditioning in front of the special committee comprised of a diverse range of student body members, the group selected featured speakers and performers to embody the triumphs and success of the senior class.

“It is such a blessing and an honor,” senior Mahogany Thomas said. “My audition wasn’t at my standards. That’s how I know that it’s favor and that it’s a blessing from my peers and from God.”

Joined by Andrew Hutchinson as the featured speaker for commencement, Thomas understands not only the honor bestowed upon her to address her fellow students, but also recognizes the opportunity she has to impact her peers.

Deriving her passion for public speaking from theater and creative writing, Thomas is excited to convey the lasting effect her high school career had on her life. Using what she calls the ‘Rock Bridge Legacy,’ she hopes to verbalize the people and events that define the senior class.

“From graduating from Rock Bridge, we are very distinct and we are a group of distinct individuals. And I think that that distinctness should be carried on our shoulders wherever we go,” Thomas said. “That way when people come into contact with us they’ll ask ‘Where in the world did that come from?’ And our answer will be Rock Bridge because that’s part of the legacy we hold.”

Thomas is not the only person RBHS affected and is also not the only person who hopes to articulate that conviction. Rasheeq Nizam, who will speak alongside Lauren Puckett at baccalaureate, a reflective mid-week ceremony allowing seniors the opportunity to collectively remember their high school career, also appreciates the advantages attending RBHS has presented him and strives to remind the graduating class of that feeling as well.

”I feel like this school has been an integral part of my life, and I wanted to try to portray that sentiment to the school, and especially to all my fellow students who’ve been along for this journey with me,” Nizam said. “I want to remind us of those memories so that we all remember what this school has meant to us.”

Regardless of what activities are featured at commencement, it is still graduation, a subtle reminder of the end of high school. These final exercises represent the last times the class of 2013 congregates together, but they also create the last opportunity for students to witness their peers excelling in their individual talents. For musicians, this is one such circumstance.

Performing their rendition of “Amazing Grace,” saxophonist Kaleb Jacks and pianist Dalton Maggard will once again take to the stage together. After spending the past three years playing in similar groups and ensembles, the pair is thrilled to express their talents at commencement.

And while this is the final time that Jacks and Maggard will perform together as students at RBHS, the two musicians are unique in that they will be continuing their musical careers alongside each other in the fall at Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. Getting to exhibit their shared passion for music during this experience is a moment both are excited for.

“It’s cool that we are going to the same place for college and we’re both pursuing similar careers and we will be finishing the first part of our lives at the same time,” Jacks explained. “We get to play together but also get the same recognition for what we’ve done at high school.”

Besides Jacks and Maggard, a piano solo by Daphne Yu will round out the performances for commencement. Earlier in the week at baccalaureate, an a cappella quartet comprised of Ian Meyer, Adam Schoelz, Asa Lory and Jesse LaFond will perform, and the RBHS Chamber Choir will sing “I Hope You Dance,” made famous by singer Lee Ann Womack.

While only eight performers are acknowledged during commencement and baccalaureate this year, it is not the individual successes that should be noted. Rather, what should be remembered is what they represent; a depiction of the thirteen years of hard work and dedication that ultimately paid off as the graduates make their accomplishments known as they receive their diplomas.

For those few who are able to exemplify these achievements, the knowledge that typical students can obtain great things empowers them all the more. If they can be chosen from a pool of hundreds of their peers now, who’s to say they can’t do it again someday, out in the real world. Whether in life or school, the students have done something special.

“Being able to speak at commencement, I am able to discover that even an everyday student can accomplish anything. While it is super important to be involved and to be active you don’t have to necessarily be the number one leader to obtain your goals,” Thomas said. “As a society we are so focused on who is president of this and who is vice president of that. We forget about those everyday people. This year being one of those ordinary people that doesn’t have an obligation just lets me know that I can do anything.”

By Brayden Parker

by Kristen Buster

The clock strikes 12 a.m., and I still have an English paper to write. My computer mocks me with its overly white screen. The furthest I have gotten was a witty intro that had no relation to the topic of women’s rights.
We’ve all been at the point where the amount of overdue work is so great that it’s easier just to keep putting it off, but as that clock ticked on, my stress level continued to rise. My bag of Cheetos was shockingly empty. I achieved no comfort from the comfort food and it was finished. I’ve been in this situation more than I’d like to admit, but eventually the work gets done.
Of students, 80 to 90 percent procrastinate, according to “Psychological Bulletin, Vol. 133, No. 1.” It seems with that high of numbers, someone would have thought of a product by now to help with procrastination.
Until then, I’m left with just the essentials: tea with honey, a study playlist full of upbeat music, a comfy blanket and chocolate to motivate me. Lots and lots of chocolate.
I’m also the type of person who works better with a lot of white noise. So usually I’ll turn on the television in the background. I make sure never to turn on something I’m interested in or it’ll end up distracting me instead of encouraging me. I have the bad habit of completing a show’s whole season in one night once I’m hooked. We TV is always my channel of choice.
Multitasking has become a big problem. With high speed internet, it’s not hard to switch from social media site to homework to music in a matter of seconds. It may seem like a helpful ability, but in reality, it’s doing more harm than good.
Scientists found that switching focus on different tasks at rapid speeds slows down the ability to process the information. In the long run, it will end up taking more time for a person to do a task because their brain can no longer process that information as quickly. It is so used to switching. According to National Public Radio, multitasking also creates shorter attention spans.
One time, on a dreary Sunday afternoon, I was finally going to start on a book assignment that was two class periods overdue. It was 5 p.m., and I figured I had an hour to waste before I had to get started, which was a mistake of its own. I watched one episode of “Rupauls Drag Race” and was hooked. I must have made it through two full seasons before I looked at the clock again. It was 2 a.m. and the furthest I’d gotten on my paper was a title. Netflix is my kryptonite.
I learned to work for what I enjoy most. This happened because I was spending way too much time on the internet instead of my homework. It got to the point where I would create multiple DIY projects, leaving my room in a jumbled mess and my homework untouched.
So instead of staying up way too late, browsing sites that had no significance in my life, I allowed myself an hour on the computer if I got all my homework done first. This way I went to bed on time, while getting my homework done and not flooding my brain with useless information.
I also motivate myself with things I’ve been wanting for a while. Whether it is a new shirt or a new movie, making myself work for something I originally wanted allows me to relieve the stress of school work and still gain what I really wanted. I came upon this plan because I found myself spending my entire paycheck within 24 hours of getting my money.
I’d reward myself with one clothing purchase after I finished my homework. This helps keep my grades up in addition to my bank statement. I’ve also noticed I don’t want as much stuff if I wait; it no longer becomes impulse buying, but simply becomes items I genuinely want.
Sometimes it’s just easier to push it off and let my future self deal with the stress of overdue projects. But those grades that didn’t seem so important at first will suddenly become real when I’m sending them off to colleges.
So, as the pressure of finals pushes into us this coming week, instead of being stressed over silly things, like that take home quiz that was due two months ago and seems to be bringing my grade down 5 percentage points, I’ve learned to motivate myself in ways that work for me. I’ve become less stressed because of it.

By Nina Johnston

Jacob Winton. Photo provided by John Swift

The boys tennis team will be in the Final Four for the 12th consecutive year after doing exceptional in this weekend’s sectional match in Springfield.

To get there, the most recent blow the Bruins had to deal was to Springfield Glendale (5-0) and Joplin (5-1). Sectionals consisted of six single matches and three double matches. In postseason matches, the first team to win five matches is the winner, and for the past 12 years that team has been Rock Bridge.

RBHS’ match against Glendale “was probably most exciting,” junior Jacob Winton said. “We beat them really quickly without dropping a match.”

Another pivotal win from Rock Bridge came from sophomore Rohit Rao. He played in the finals at  number three singles. He was down (0-4) in the first set but came back to win the match (7-6) (6-3).

Rao watched alongside his teammates as RBHS’s No. 3e doubles team, junior Raymond Majors and sophomore Alex Wasden, helped advance their team to the final four by winning their match against Joplin.

 After a dozen years of making it to the final four of state, Bruin tennis players know to keep their sites aimed high.

Final Four will  be Thursday, April 23, at the Cooper Tennis Center in Springfield. Despite last year’s state win, Winton doesn’t feel any more pressure than he usually does.

“It’s mostly just the expectations we have for ourselves,” Winton said. “I don’t think we let the expectations other people have for us really get in the way. We know not to take anything for granted and that it won’t be easy.”

Whatever challenges come their way, Winton and the rest of the team are ready for anything.  He says whenever he steps onto the court he is ready for battle, and this year’s Final Four will be no different.

“I feel my blood turn to fiery lava and my jaw tightens,” Winton said. “I grip my racket and my jaw tightens,” Winton said. “I grip my racket and prepare for a battle of intellect, will and brute strength.”

By Lauren Jamison

Yesterday we celebrated a successful year at the Intersection with a tie-dye extravaganza. It was gorgeous outside so we were able to go wild with all of the vibrant colors. The kids got to create masterpeices on socks and shirts. However, we accidently bought some really small shirts that wouldn’t fit anyone there. We still had the kids decorate them and we plan to donate them to a preschool in Columbia. It was a ton of fun to see how excited the kids got about creating different designs on their clothes. A few of us also joined in on the fun and made some swanky shirts. It was a great activity to celebrate all of the wonderful things we have been able to do with the kids at the Intersection this year.

By Kelsey Harper

Senior Sienna Trice takes the lead during the 300 meter hurdles followed closely by senior Mallory Short. Trice received first place while Short placed third in the event May 4. Photo by Morgan Nuetzmann

One week after the first team district title in school history, the girls track and field team is back in action. Turning their focus to the state championship, the team travels to Ozark High School in Ozark, Mo. this weekend to compete in the Class 4 Section 3 meet.

After advancing athletes in 13 individual events, the Lady Bruins will not only try to push people through to state but also vie for the Sectional Championship, using experience from the district meet to spearhead their efforts.

“Winning the district meet has really made us put the new goal up there of winning sectionals,” sophomore distance runner Sam Farmer said. “[We can] at least see how many points we can put up on the board.”

Although 14 girls finished in the top four at districts and have an opportunity to score points for the Bruins, all eyes will focus on four distance runners come Saturday. Farmer and fellow sophomore Kayla Funkenbusch, along with freshman Marilise Stamps and senior Megan Schulte all advanced in the 3200-meter run last weekend.

Typically, MSHSAA allows two entries per event in districts. However, after meeting the automatic qualifying standard of 11:23.41, all four runners were entered into the two-mile. This was the first time in Class 4 track history that such an event occurred. Farmer said she is excited for the opportunity to set even more of a precedent by qualifying four athletes for sectionals in a single event.

“The 3200 last weekend was really cool because we all got to run with our teammates,” Farmer said. “Doing that again this weekend would be beyond awesome because it’s never been done before, and we are the perfect team to do it.”

While sweeping the 3200-meter in sectionals would award the Lady Bruins with 29 points and help distance themselves from other schools in the quest for the Sectional title, the other events on the program are crucial in sending athletes to the state championship.

Three of the four relay teams have legitimate opportunities to finish in the top four and shave vital seconds off of their previous times. Stressing the importance of fine-tuning is the goal as the 4×800, 4×400 and 4×200 groups practice this week.

“My goal this weekend is to potentially drop a second in both of my races,” junior Elexis Ferguson-Cooper, a member of the 4×200 and 4×400, said. “I will be focused on my drills, making sure they are perfect to help my performance. The better the drill, the better the race.”

Along with the 3200-meter and the three relays, RBHS also has athletes entered in six other running events. Sophomore sprinter Makayla Jones is running the 200-meter dash, sophomore Margie Crosby is contesting the 800-meter run and senior Mallory Short leads the hurdlers in both the 100 and 300-meter hurdle events. Funkenbusch and Farmer are both contenders in the mile run, and junior Taylor McDannold rounds out the team in the 400-meter dash.

Aside from the track, the Lady Bruins have potential for points in the field as well. Jones and junior Maddie Wipfler will compete in the long jump, and Wipfler will double up by doing the triple jump as well.

The final member of the RBHS girls sectional team is junior thrower Mubinah Khaleel, a two time district champion in the shot put competition. Khaleel said she is excited about the recent individual and team success at districts, is anxious for this weekend and is thrilled with the possibility of winning another postseason team title.

“The possibility [of winning sectionals] makes me really want to work harder,” Khaleel said. “I have to do my best so I can help the team win.”

Ultimately, every athlete will be doing their best to help the team. With state championships in Jefferson City on May 24, the window of opportunity for extending an individual season is closing rapidly.

More than that, however, the athletes understand the true function of a team, and derive their desire to personally compete from past successes as a team and future opportunities to claim other titles, possibly the first track and field state championship in RBHS history.

“Winning districts makes me want to win sectionals and state as a team,” Khaleel said. “I want to work even harder now because I know we have a good team and we can do anything if everyone tries.”

Jansen Smith high fives his coach after being walked by Hickman pitcher Jonathan Jones in the bottom of the third. Photo by Laurel Critchfield

The bruins faced Lebanon earlier this year in Lebanon and were able to pull out a one run win on a suicide squeeze bunt in the bottom of the last inning by Junior Kyle Teter.

“They are a good scrappy team that always find a way to pull out wins,” junior second baseman C.J. Ardini said.

The Bruins will have to face the Yellow Jacket’s ace Brad Archer. Archer is 7-9 on the year.

With a win the Bruins will advance to the state quarterfinals and face the winner of Branson and Willard who play at noon on Tuesday, as well.

“If everyone stays focused and takes care of their job,” Ardini said. “We should be able to advance.”

The game will start at five on Tuesday and be broadcast on Bearingnews.org. Tickets will be available for $6 at the gate.

By Hallie Galvan

With graduation right around the corner many seniors are getting anxious and worried to start their high-school-free lives. Others are looking back on the year and realizing that in the process of trying to prepare for the stressful start of college they have sacrificed their own social lives.

“I feel like I haven’t seen my friends all year” and “All I’ve been doing lately is homework, me and my friends never spend time together” are just some of the things that were said when interviewing RBHS students about their senior year.

Senior Parker Adams has lived in Columbia his whole life, and is finding it hard to accept that he is leaving to go to KU next year.

“I’ve had the same friend group since Kindergarten so it will be sad to go away,” Adams said, “but I hope that I won’t lose touch with all of my oldest friends.”

Senior Robert Peebler is a little more used to moving; he has been moving all his life, from France to Missouri and countless other places. Peebler is also hoping that he won’t lose touch with the friends he’s made in Columbia, but realizes at the same time how unrealistic that can be.

“It’s always hard leaving everyone, I’ve made some good relationships here, but I think it’s important to make relationships in college too,” Peebler said. “Yeah. of course I’m going to try to keep in contact with my friends but trying to make new friends could interfere with that.”

While many seniors are just now understanding the importance of balancing a schedule senior Tyree Turner, who is finishing his second senior year, had to learn it early.

“Last year all I did was hang out with friends, having to do my senior year over again has taught me how to keep my social life alive while still doing my school work,” he said.

Similar to other RBHS students Turner feels the pressure of having two weeks left of school filled with finals, good-byes, and the excitement of the end of the year.

“Graduation is a bittersweet ending to the school year that I have worked hard to accomplish,” Turner said.

By Hallie Galvan

After a nearly three-month long experiment, the Columbia Area Career Center’s Lab Explorations 101 class presented their findings Wednesday, May 15. The students partnered with the University of Missouri to test the effect of different substances on natural and mutated Arabidopsis Thaliana plants.

“We were given these mutant plants by Dr. Gassmann [University of Missouri plant scientist] and also these regular type seeds,” sophomore Jack Rentschler said. “Pretty much what we did was treat them with a solution that we hypothesized could have an interesting effect on the plants.”

Rentschler’s group used a 0.25 percent solution of lithium chloride, a chemical used in the past as a salt substitute until it was discovered to have a negative effect in reproduction. All of his plant specimens died, but to him the experiment was a success because of the knowledge gained.

“All our plants died,” Rentschler said. “[But] the mutant type plants survived longer. That showed the mutation had some resilience.”

Three other groups in the Lab Explorations 101 class presented their research in the poster session to other Career Center students, and their teacher Christine Roberson noted the longevity of the project and time put in by students to get to this point.

“They have been working on these solidly since February,” Roberson said. “We’ve done other things in between, but [taking data and caring for the plants, treating the plants, doing research] has always been in the background.”

Students chose a substance they believed would have an interesting effect on the plants’ development and spent time in during the school day and even during free time to conduct complex experiments. Rentschler clocked in hours during his Advisory to tend to the plants.

“It’s something that takes a lot of time and attention to detail,” Rentschler said. “I got a lot of my work done in my [Advisory classes]. [sophomore Prarthana Patel]’s group came in for four hours on a Saturday.”

The program hopes to inspire students to pursue careers in plant sciences and give them real world experience. Patel said that aside from being an extensive class assignment, the experiment has given her insight on how research studies operate.

“I want to become a heart surgeon, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter to me,” Patel said. “It helps us explore and get more involved in the project [because] you don’t know what the result results will be.”

The expo marks the sixth year of partnering with the university and the culmination of nearly an entire semester of work. Roberson said that each year students expand their knowledge of the scientific process through this long-term lab, and that it improves their understanding of other classroom activities.

“I’ve been lucky enough to have a research partner at Mizzou for six years, [and] I think one of the things [students] really tend to grow in…[is] understanding things like graphing aren’t just a chore that you have to do in science class,” Roberson said. “It can actually inform you about the experimental results that you’re seeing. [Students learn] the value of communicating with others within the scientific community, the writing skills, and most importantly, I think, their observation skills. Learning to stop and look very, very carefully.”

Various classes at the Career Center came to see the presentations, even if their own class wasn’t science related. The idea was to give students from all backgrounds insight into science and its application in the real world. Plant research is particularly neglected in science, so not many people are familiar with the uses of this research.

“I have learned that the particular plant they are using [Arabidopsis Thaliana] is the plant that they use to test for all other plants, and they use lab rats to test for humans,” sophomore Juan Chacon, from Career Center class Firefighting and EMT Basics, said. “We don’t usually look at plants… [but] knowledge is power.”

By Sophie Whyte and Jilly Dos Santos

Betsy Jones, director of guidance, opens the boxes that contain diploma cases. Photo by Renata Williams

Unlike last year, CPS high schools will not all graduate on the same day. Douglas will graduate its seniors next Wednesday, HHS on Thursday and RBHS on Friday.

RBHS principal Mark Maus said it is a tradition for CPS to graduate on Memorial Day weekend. Because of an air show that takes place that Saturday, RBHS will not be able to graduate that weekend as there will be limited parking available in Hearnes Center and the Mizzou Arena.

The Parent Teacher Student Association plans to hold the 57th Senior All-Night Party on the same night as RBHS graduation, which is open to all CPS graduating seniors. However, since the high schools do not graduate on the same day, PTSA organizer Kay Hake believes fewer seniors will attend the party.

“I don’t think it makes a difference if the graduation is held Friday or Saturday,” Hake said, but “ideally, we like to have it the night all seniors graduate so they have a safe place to celebrate.”

With 1,250 seniors graduating from all three high schools this year, normally 650 seniors would come to the party. Hake expects that number to decrease this year, however, because of the scheduled changes.

“I am going because I have continuously heard how fun it was from past seniors,”  senior Sydney Strong said. “I think it will be a good way for all the seniors to celebrate graduating together.”

Graduation might be Friday again next year; however Maus said CPS board members have yet to finalize the date. Despite this possibility, RBHS senior Tyler Hill doesn’t think the change should affect students’ decisions to attend.

“I don’t mind having the graduation on Friday,” Hill said. “I think it will be more fun because we get to stay up all night with our friends.”

Senior Alex Jones prepares to serve during his doubles match on Monday May 13 against Glendale. Jones and his doubles partner Billy Swift (not pictured) won the match 6-2 and 6-1. Photo by Graham Ratermann.

The boys tennis team will look to capitalize on their recent district title and secure a spot in the state championship tournament with a victory at sectionals in Springfield on this Saturday, May 18. The Bruins won all six matches against Jefferson City at the district championship to capture the team title.

“It’s good to go into sectionals on a high note,” varsity junior Jacob Winton said, “but we still need to stay focused in order to win; we’re going to be playing some good teams.”

A district win is nothing new for boys tennis, as they have won the past 14 district titles, as well as the last three state titles. In order to have a chance to play for the state title on May 23 in Springfield, the Bruins will need to defeat Glendale High School in the first round of sectionals, and then the winner of the other first round match-up between Joplin and Springfield Central.

The team is playing strong coming into the tournament, as exemplified in their win over Camdenton and Jefferson City, as well as strong performances by the doubles teams. These teams included Winton with sophomore Rohit Rao and senior Alexander Jones paired with senior Billy Swift in individual sectionals, in which both duos advanced to the individual’s state tournament.

Winton believes his performance has been “pretty good compared to the rest of the season,” Winton said. “It was definitely up there. We played really well.”

With the confidence that the team holds, it hopes to continue this streak of good performance in the upcoming competition.

“We did really well in districts. We looked strong,” Coach Mallory Webber said. ”I think if we do everything we’re supposed to do we should come away in the way we want to and head on to the state tournament.”

Eyes on the prize: Senior Tanner Cooper watches the path of a foul ball during the Bruins’ game against Christian Brother’s College High School on May 4th. The Bruins lost to CBC 11-0. Photo by Asa Lory

They say first impressions really do matter. That was certainly true on Monday when the Bruin baseball team beat the Hickman Kewpies 7-3. All 10 runs in the game were scored in the first inning.

Hickman was the first to bat and scored three runs off of the starting pitcher, sophomore Logan Twehous. In the bottom of the first inning, RBHS answered with seven runs off of crucial hits by Twehous, senior Jansen Smith, junior Michael Buxton, senior Matt Priest and senior Mike Nemec.

The Bruins dominated the game despite two major injuries. When senior catcher Tanner Cooper collided with a runner coming toward home plate in the first inning, he was injured, and Smith had to leave the game due to heat exhaustion in the second inning. Both players are expected to play in the upcoming district championship game against Camdenton.

Sophomore Eric Kuse replaced Cooper as catcher and drove in a run on a sacrifice fly in the first inning. Kuse says while injuries are terrible to the team and the player who is injured, head coach Justin Towe always tells them to be ready to step in.

Kuse is adamant that having substitute players produce a huge win was a great experience.

“We played great, we always have people stepping up,” Kuse said, “and the bench always cheers them on.”

Smith, who hit an RBI double in the first inning to score the first run for the Bruins, left the game during the second inning.

“I had a little heat exhaustion, I was really dizzy and I didn’t really know where I was,” Smith said, “but I will absolutely be back for the championship game.”

Smith also agreed that many players came through and added to the success of the team despite all of the substitutions to the starting lineup of players.

“It was a good morale-boost-win. We got a lot of people in there that don’t usually play,” Smith said. “Just about everybody in the lineup contributed today, and [junior Ryan] Bernskoetter got on the mound at the end and closed it out.”

Bernskoetter started pitching in the middle of the sixth, with the bases loaded and two outs. He ended the inning without giving up any runs and closed out the seventh inning, placing the Bruins into the district championship game this Wednesday.

Towe is proud of how his starting team and bench players competed for the win and how they composed themselves on the field.

The coach said the team would not do much different to prepare for the championship game against Camdenton, which was played Wednesday, May 15.

“It happened so fast that they don’t really have time to get nervous, “Towe said. “but we felt that we really prepared these guys to deal with anything that comes to them. We also expect Tanner and Jansen to be back for the championship game, which is good. We just go out there as a team, and do the best that we can against the team in front of us, whoever they may be.”

By Luke Chval

Sophomores Matt Echelmier (left) and Jack Knoesel (right) walk up to their shots on a par five at Lake of the Woods Golf Course. Photo by Maddy Jefferies.

The boys golf team headed to Springfield on Monday, knowing they had a shot to make a lot of noise at the Class 4 state championship.  Although winning appeared to be a long shot, the sophomore-laden Bruins were confident they could make a splash.

“Realistically, we wanted to place top three,” sophomore Sam Harrison said, “but winning never left our minds. We thought we had as good a chance as anybody.”

The Bruins’ lofty goal did not seem to be out of reach after the first day.  Halfway through the two day event, RBHS sat in fourth place, a mere eight strokes behind leader Marquette.  Sophomore Matt Echelmeier paced the Bruins with a first round score of 72, while fellow sophomore Jack Knoesel sat right behind with a 73. Junior Jackson Dubinski shot an 80, while sophomores Ben Humphreys and Sam Harrison shot 80 and 85 respectively to round out the Bruins’ scoring.  Knoesel was satisfied with his start but admitted he thought the team could have placed better.

“Me and Matt played pretty well; we put two really solid rounds out there,” Knoesel said. “As a team I thought we could’ve been a bit higher. I guess overall we fell a little short of expectations.”

The second day the Bruins remained within striking distance but couldn’t advance any further and settled for fourth in the end, trailing champion Timberland, second place Rockhurst, and Marquette, which fell to third after leading following the first round.  The Bruins scored 632 total points, which put them 13 strokes behind Timberland.

Knoesel was the top finisher for Rock Bridge with a 75, followed by Humphreys and Dubinski, each with ‘80s.  Echelmeier, the top scorer for the Bruins on Day One, turned in just the fourth highest team score with an 82.  He was still able to tie for fifteenth overall, joining Knoesel in garnering all-state honors. Harrison rounded out the scoring, matching his 85 from the first round.

“I didn’t play well the first day; the second day felt a lot stronger, though,” Harrison said.  “I came out with a 48 on the front but closed with a 37 on the back, so I finished well.”

Knoesel, who finished tied for fourth overall in the 52-man tournament, said he was happy with the way he played but made it known he was hungry for more.

“Winning was my goal,” he said. “I’m not disappointed in the way I played but I’m not satisfied either.”

Although the season has ended, Knoesel says he isn’t entering any kind of off-season.

“Well, really my golf season has just started,” Knoesel said. “I’m going to play a lot of tournaments over the summer and keep doing what I’ve been doing.”

RBHS came up short this year. However, they return their entire varsity roster next season, and with sophomores occupying four of the five varsity spots, the boys appear set for a couple years to come.

“A team title is within reach for sure,” Knoesel said.  “We are all coming back and we are all going to get a lot better.  Personally an individual title is definitely realistic. I’m ready to get started again.”

Senior Olivia Mends strikes the ball during a scrimmage in preparation for the district tournament. Mends played mid-fielder and forward for the varsity girls soccer team this season. Photo by Aniqa Rahman

Spirits were high as the varsity girls soccer team sauntered westward to Skyline Elementary School in Sedalia on Monday, May 13. The Bruins lost to the Kewpies in double overtime that night, with a final score of 2-1.

Sophomore Sydney Griggs said she had high expectations for the match with the work that the Bruins have put into this season so far.

“I think we’re ready,” Griggs said before the game. “My goal and the team’s, I feel like, is to just take each game [one] at a time and focus on each one.”

Griggs’ focus was on Hickman that night, and waves of adrenaline and excitement swept over her right from the start. Sophomore Madeline Harl opened up her game with a confident attitude as well.

“I think we felt like we had already won before the game had even started,” Harl said.

Harl believes this confidence translated into a possible lack of energy in the first half, but quickly changed as the Bruins picked up their tempo against the Kewpies.

At half-time, the ladies were approaching full swing, as they made their first goal of the game midway through the second half. With an assist made by junior Haley Fancher, senior Morgan Bumby sank the ball into the net to tally up the first point for RBHS.

Afterwards, Hickman made their goal in return to tie up the game three quarters of the way through the second half.

“I think everyone saw it coming before it happened,” Harl said, “and I just closed my eyes and heard the reaction of the crowd.”

The second half rode to a close, and into a first overtime period. That overtime period ended, and soon after, both teams moved into their second overtime in an attempt to settle the game.

Junior Madison Boyken, goalkeeper, witnessed the second and final goal scored against RBHS.

“It was a golden rule, which means whoever scores first wins. I had gone out of the goal for a breakaway, and the ball found its way into the net, “ Boyken said. “I just laid on the ground in shock and saw my teammates crying … Hickman’s fans cheered. Ours were quiet.”

With the striking and heart-wrenching loss, the Bruins were left with a nauseated feeling, knowing that that game was the last for all of the seniors.

Fortunately, that nausea provided the sparks for the off-season, and the next year’s work.

“We will for sure remember how this felt, and with all the incoming freshmen,” Griggs said. “I think it’ll make us all want to work as hard as we can, so we can make our first game in districts a win [next year].”

Griggs’ teammates echoed her motivation. Although the game sent out pangs of sadness as the shock of the second and concluding goal rolled in, it also brought the RBHS girls soccer season to a premature close.

“Our coach thanked us for making this a great season and [for] overcoming the many challenges and obstacles we encountered along the way which made for a stronger team,” Harl said. “It was their first time being head coaches and we all grew as a unit during the season.”

Harl thinks the finale of this year’s soccer season has only brought on the focus for next year, even through the pain of this latest loss. If anything, this loss gave the Bruins soccer team an ample amount of time to hone their skills, tighten their bonds and strengthen their team as a whole over the summer and through their offseason.

“We will all approach the season differently,” Harl said. “Some seniors may never play competitive again. I, for instance will train for cross-country in the fall to help me build up and feed the fire for next year’s soccer season.”

By Alex Gompper

• Part 1: A Series of Coincidences
• Part 2: Philippians 4:13
• Part 3: Stronger
• Part 4: Ever After

Part 1: A Series of Coincidences

“We went out to Rock Bridge State Park, and we were both in a kind of adventurous mood, and we wanted to climb everything in sight,” Joanna said.  Photo by Atreyo Ghosh

On the afternoon of Nov. 30, 2012, junior Breta Phillips and her friend junior Joanna Zhang stared out over a rocky ledge. It was a nice day: mild temperatures, lots of sunshine. Surrounding them were the trees and crevices of Rock Bridge State Park, the leaves transformed into the reds and purples of late autumn. Beneath them was the crevice of Devil’s Ice Box.

They stood for a while, just enjoying one of the last warm days before winter would creep in. They leaned over the railing and looked at the churning water below, chatting about survival and the people who had previously fallen around the Ice Box. They talked about adventure, about being daredevils, about being brave. They talked about risks and the act of taking them.

“I always want to think I’m brave enough to do whatever,” Breta said to Joanna, and hooked her leg over the wooden railing.

A few feet down was a small rock ledge above the entrance to the cave. It was about a foot and a half feet wide, covered in leaves, and to Breta, it looked like a challenge. Climbing over the railing, she did successive pull-ups down to the ledge.

“I remember thinking, ‘Wow, I am really impressed with her upper-body strength right now. I could not be doing this,’” Joanna said.

Joanna watched Breta maneuver her way down to the ledge, keeping an eye on her sneakers as they dropped down onto the rock. A split second passed in a blur, as Breta landed and tried to steady herself.

Then she slipped.

Immediately, her shoes slid on the leaves. Joanna lurched for her, trying to grab onto her hand. Instead, she toppled over, scraping her knee and hitting the ground. Breta fell from the ledge, dropping approximately 30 feet into the cave crevice.

Joanna immediately began to scream. She shouted Breta’s name, begging for an answer but heard no response. There was nothing but silence.

“I was just on my knees screaming,” Joanna said. “I could not believe what had just happened.”

Nearby, two hikers, Mark Bowles and Marquis Brookins, happened to be standing on an overlook and chatting. They’d been there for a while, and had frequently tried to walk somewhere else.  Butt every time they did, an important tug in the conversation would bring them back to the landing.

By complete and utter chance, they were close enough to hear Joanna screaming.

When she first yelled, they didn’t think much of it. Perhaps she was just a kid having too much fun with her best friend. Perhaps she was even laughing. But after she yelled again, and her voice sounded desperate, Bowles and Brookins realized something was terribly wrong.

By the time Joanna had shouted three times, both of them were sprinting.

“On the way there, there was plenty of time as we were running. We had plenty of time to imagine what we were gonna find,” Bowles said. “… I was so afraid of the scene that we would come across. In my mind, I kinda knew it was gonna be bad.”

As soon as they arrived at Devil’s Ice Box, they went around the steps to where Joanna was. Breta was lying on the ground, unconscious, breathing heavily. Her eyes were ever-so-slightly open, and she was completely unresponsive. She was moving about a bit, clutching at the places where she felt the most pain, but when Bowles and Brookins asked her questions she wouldn’t reply.

But she was alive. They couldn’t see any broken bones. They could measure her pulse. They could hear her labored breathing. By some miracle, she’d landed in a pile of leaves around four to five feet deep, which had significantly cushioned her fall.

Breta slipped on a muddy ledge and fell 30 feet into the crevice of Devil’s Ice Box. Photo by Atreyo Ghosh

“She landed in the best place possible,” Brookins said. “She landed hard, of course, but I think she struck more her head. She landed in a pile of leaves … which is significant. If she’d been just to the right or just to the left, [she would have hit] all rocks.”

Brookins, who knew a few things about safety measures, wrapped Breta in a couple jackets, knowing that it was getting cold and Breta could easily get hypothermia with a head injury. Bowles ran back up to the top of the cleft, where he could get cell phone reception and call 911.

Joanna took one look at Breta’s badly scraped thigh and burst into tears.

Brookins immediately came over to comfort her. He sat next to her and let her cry, saying, “Tell me a story. Tell me anything. Try to calm yourself.” Joanna, overwhelmed, couldn’t come up with anything. So he told her his own stories. He told her about his family. He told her about his young children who were learning to make pancakes from mix. He told her about his job.

“Marquis was amazing,” Joanna said. “ … I was just thinking at the time, ‘I can’t believe I’m having this conversation about [his] toddler children making pancakes when my best friend is lying unconscious on the ground.”

Yet Brookins managed to help her. He gently teased her when she looked too distraught, laughing and saying, “Next time you come here, you might want to go somewhere else.”

Meanwhile, Bowles ran to the parking lot to meet the firefighters and EMTs. He brought them back to the crevice, where Breta was lying, and the EMTs got Breta onto a board. A few minutes later, Breta was carried into a helicopter and airlifted to the University Hospital ICU.

Joanna wanted to drive to the hospital, but no one would let her in the state she was in. So she climbed into her car to call senior Clara Phillips, Breta’s sister, and found several text messages from her boyfriend – she’d completely forgotten that the two of them were supposed to have dinner with her parents for the first time that night. Hitching a ride to the hospital with one of the firefighters at the scene, Joanna called her boyfriend to let him know the situation. She tried her best to keep from sobbing.

While Joanna was riding to the hospital, the rest of Breta’s family heard the news. Breta’s mother, Charlotte Phillips, was walking into her office at the University of Missouri when she received a call from her church’s youth pastor, telling her the situation. Clara discovered Joanna’s texts while taking a break from her swim practice. Both of them rushed to the emergency room as soon as they could, while Mrs. Phillips notified her husband.

“I thought ‘She’s got to be alive,’” Mrs. Phillips said. “And that’s when you realize what you believe in, because you are totally not in control. I’m a person of faith, and I realized, ‘she’s in God’s hands. There’s nothing I can do. I’m going to go to the hospital, and I totally trust that whatever happens, God’s going to be a part of it, and he’s going to look after my baby.’ And I continued to pray, called my husband, and started driving.”

Mrs. Phillips, Mr. Phillips and Joanna met at the hospital waiting room and waited to see Breta. That night, Breta’s family members were admitted, but Joanna was sent away. To see her best friend, she had to wait until the next morning.

“I couldn’t sleep [that night],” Joanna said. “I [kept thinking] about everything I should’ve done and I felt like a terrible friend.”

Joanna was plagued by guilt. She felt it was unfair, that Breta was in the ICU and Joanna’d escaped without much more than a scrape on her knee. She felt she should have done something more for her friend, that she shouldn’t have been so upset, that she should have taken action like Bowles and Brookins.

However, Bowles and Brookins didn’t see themselves as saviors. In fact, Bowles said, it was only after a significant amount of time passed that the two of them really reflected on their involvement in the emergency. It took them a while to realize how crazy it was, that they’d been in the perfect place at the perfect moment. They might have saved Breta’s life.

“The thing I’ve marveled at is the coincidences that actually put us close there,” Bowles said. “I have deep spiritual beliefs so it has been an experience of Providence in action, having help nearby when it was needed. And that’s a very humbling feeling, but a good one. I’m not sure how it would have played out if we had not been there. It’s an awesome feeling to know we might have contributed to that situation.”

Part 2: Philippians 4:13

That night, Breta wavered in and out of consciousness. Her eyelids fluttered open and closed, giving her brief snapshots of the spinning world around her. At one point, she discovered four separate IVs stuck into the veins of her arms. She remembers thinking, distractedly, Well, I’m certainly glad I wasn’t awake when they put those in.

At first, when she regained full consciousness, Breta believed she had been in a bus accident. In her delirium, she started asking where everyone else was, if they were okay, if there had been many injuries. She described herself as “freaking out,”  under the impression that many of her close friends were hurt. Eventually, her parents told her the truth.

“I don’t remember getting upset when they told me what had actually happened,” Breta said. “I don’t remember getting mad or anything like that, just thinking ‘Well, that was stupid.’”

Throughout that first night, Breta didn’t say anything. Even when doctors relieved sedation and they tried to awaken her, Breta was unresponsive.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” -Phillipians 4:13

But over the next few days, she would periodically awaken and her mother would catch her mumbling the famous Bible verse, Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” She would say little else, and could remember very little of the accident. But she knew something was wrong. She was scared and anxious. She felt alone and afraid. The verses tumbled out of her mouth without her even being totally aware of them.

“When you find out that was something you were doing, that I kept repeating, that it was one of the few things I would say … it was really nice to know,” Breta said. “Because you often wonder what you would do in that situation, a hard situation … It was really comfortable to know that even when I’m not fully there, even when I’m partially out of it, I will still look to Christ.”

The verses comforted and astounded her family members. They tried fruitlessly to talk to her, to converse, but some of the only things they could get out of her were Bible verses.

“I didn’t even know she had those verses down in there,” Ms. Phillips said, “where she couldn’t remember what had happened; she couldn’t remember very much at all, but [when] she  was down in the pits, she would start reciting these verses, and we would all start crying, because we knew she was in a really good place at that time, and that she was going to be fine, because when you have that kind of hope, it really helps everyone else.”

As Breta struggled to regain consciousness, the doctors tied her hands and feet to the bed, ensuring she wouldn’t try and pull out her intubation tube. From that point forward, the doctors checked on her every hour, worried about paralysis and brain trauma. They pinched her toes, poked her legs, and had Ms. Phillips yell at Breta to open her eyes, hoping a familiar voice might illicit a response. This continued throughout the first night.

But in the morning, Breta proved she could breathe on her own. She started responding to doctor’s voices and even participating in some small conversation. Eventually, she was allowed to have visitors.

Joanna drove to the hospital as soon as she could. She was terrified to see what state Breta might be in, connected to tubes and IV poles. But as soon as she entered the room, the first thing Breta said was, “I was so worried about you!”

Perplexed, Joanna asked her why.

“I couldn’t remember if you had gotten hurt too,” Breta replied.

Her words broke Joanna’s heart, and she struggled not to cry again. The two of them sat together, Breta in a hospital bed, Joanna in a chair beside her, and told each other they’d always be best friends. Breta said she knew Joanna would always come back for her, that they would always watch out for one another, and Joanna lost it. She started tearing up, sitting with her injured best friend, less than 24 hours after they’d been aimlessly wandering about Rock Bridge State Park, talking about the trivial.

They talked for a while, though Breta was exhausted. During a lull in the conversation, Breta glanced down at the bandages covering her leg, and told Joanna her thigh was really “messed up.”

“Joanna, I don’t think I’m gonna be able to use this leg,” she said. “But that’s okay, because I can do one-legged squats.”

Joanna replied that Breta should probably get out of intensive care first.

***

The following morning, Clara dragged herself out of bed and into a green skirt, slipping a strand of twinkling Christmas lights around her neck. The rest of her friends were excited for the annual RBHS fundraiser Breakfast with Santa, but she was worried about her little sister, who was still resting in the ICU.

She put on a poker face throughout the entire morning. She smiled when she sang carols with the children, she laughed when they laughed, she helped them paste pinecones and glitter together for Christmas decorations. But, as her classmates comforted her and asked how Breta was doing, she found it difficult to not be distracted.

“I wasn’t worried about [Breta] not living,” Clara said. “I was worried about her not being the same person.”

“The first time I saw [Breta] awake, after the accident, she was really happy to see me,” Clara said. “It was hard to keep it together.” Photo used by permission from Breta Phillips

Clara’s times at the hospital were bittersweet. Seeing Breta alive and recovering was a comfort, but seeing her struggle was a test in faith. Breta “wasn’t ever like herself,” Clara said. Although the doctors told the family that their youngest daughter would make a full recovery, Clara said it didn’t seem like the truth.

“I didn’t really believe it,” Clara said. “I didn’t seem like she would [make a full recovery], just because she was acting so different, and I didn’t see how that could happen.”

But she remained by Breta’s side, staying as strong as she could. At least two or three times an hour, Breta would ask, “I’m going to get better, right?” and, time and time again, Clara would have to answer “yes”. But, truthfully, she wasn’t sure. No one in the family was completely sure.

Listen to a podcast of Clara talking about the difficulties of the situation here.

Friends and family flooded Breta with attention and affection. Her teammates and coaches brought cards, her classmates brought stuffed animals, her family friends brought meals. Breta thanked all of them, but the next day she wouldn’t be able to remember who brought which stuffed tiger or which bouquet of daisies. She couldn’t even remember who’d been there the previous evening. It was an infuriating struggle against amnesia, and Breta spent much of her free time in the hospital just “trying to remember things.”

Students at RBHS sent out text messages en masse, asking for prayers for Breta’s speedy recovery. KOMU reported on her fall, alerting the rest of Columbia to the accident. Breta’s Facebook wall was covered in posts, wishing her well at Rusk Rehabilitation Center.

“It was good to know that people are there for you and care about you, and that they were praying for you,” Breta said. “To know you have that kind of foundation behind you, regardless of how unintelligent your actions are, how big your mistakes are … you’re always going to have people to back you up.”

But the concern was “also distressing.” Breta couldn’t help but feel guilty for her actions, for the fear and pain she’d caused the people around her. At first, the guilt weighed her down. She felt personally responsible, and the world and its problems felt “really trivial,” Breta said.

Her family wasn’t having any of that. Whenever Breta began to feel pessimistic, whenever a sardonic comment entered her speech, her mother or sister or father would quickly ask her, “Who’s in charge?”

And Breta would immediately answer, “God. God’s in charge.”

She always felt better after saying that.

Part 3: Stronger

As soon as Breta transitioned to Rusk Rehabilitation Center, it became clear she wasn’t giving up easily. Her competitive spirit and inquisitive nature fueled her accelerated recovery, and before long, the therapists hardly knew what to do with her.

They ran her through the typical therapy types: occupational, speech and physical. They had her perform procedural tasks to ensure her implicit memory hadn’t been impaired; she cooked food and vacuumed the floor like a housemaid. They tested her language skills in everyday conversation. They gave her rapid IQ tests, which she found “really fun.”

“It got to be this race between the speech therapist and Breta to finish all these tests,” Ms. Phillips said. “I think that probably helped boost Breta a little, when she could see her own progress. The physical therapy probably was the slowest, and that’s probably because of the nerve damage, and the muscle and the swelling.”

Breta breezed through all of her therapeutic tests, unless they dealt with her “subordinate leg.”

Breta breezed through each challenge, unless it dealt with physical therapy. She was consistently frustrated with her physical state, referring to her right leg as her “subordinate leg.” In the accident, she’d nearly crushed her right side. She had abrasions across her right quadricep, where the rock had scraped six square inches of her skin off. There were scrapes and a laceration across her left leg, while her right arm was also marked with scratches. But her right leg had taken the most damage. The muscles were destroyed to the point that they broke and “bounced back.” A large bump rose on Breta’s thigh, where the accumulated muscle fibers had curled around themselves.

“If I would jog or run, it would feel like every step you took, your whole leg would jar and someone was repeatedly hitting a bruise,” Breta said. “I could not run, which was probably one of the worst things. I got to finally sprint for the first time during Christmas break, which was about a month later. And it felt really good, but it was one of those things where it’s like, ‘I can’t believe I’ve lost this,’ because it’s such a basic [thing]. You never would’ve thought you would lose the ability to do something that’s such a part of your life. But you get through it.”

While Breta quickly conquered cognitive tests and wrestled through physical tests while she was conscious, her subconscious battled against her. Throughout her recovery at Rusk, she suffered from vivid nightmares. While some dreams focused around the accident, others threw Breta’s worst fears at her. Breta told Joanna about her awful nights, and Joanna felt horrible being unable to do anything for her. She could only be at Breta’s side and listen to her. So instead, Joanna improvised for words of advice.

“Sometimes I felt like I didn’t have good enough words to say to her,” Joanna said, “and I remember when she had all the nightmares and stuff, I wrote down a bunch of quotes and Bible verses and brought them to her, because I was like, ‘You know, sometimes, I don’t know what to say, and there’s nothing I can physically do except be encouragement for you.’ I wish I could’ve fought the battle with her recovery, but I guess that was something she had to do on her own.”

Even with all the positive encouragement, it was difficult for Breta to keep a positive outlook. She felt small. She felt trapped. But, above all, she felt weak.

On their drives together, Clara would attempt to lighten Breta’s mood with Kelly Clarkson’s hit single, “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”. She would crank up the music and watch as Breta’s eyes narrowed, unhappy with the choice of song.

“I didn’t think it was true. I’m not stronger. [I’m] weaker than I was before. I have muscle damage; I’m physically weaker,” Breta said. “It took a while to realize that, no, I’m going to prove that that song can be true. … I guess I got really determined that I wasn’t going to let this consume me.”

After four days at Rusk, Breta left the inpatient services and headed home with doctors’ blessings. She was in the hospital and rehabilitation for eight days total.

But her recovery was far from over.

For the next two to three weeks, Breta returned to Rusk for outpatient therapy. There she ran through the same exercises, worked with the same “subordinate leg,” and watched herself make slow, slow progress. She hated visiting the rehabilitation center; she wanted to be stronger again, to have control over her life once more.  But every time she went, she left with a returned sense of spirit and thankfulness.

“Whenever I’d go, I’d see in the waiting room people who were in so much worse condition,” Breta said. “Lots of them are in permanent conditions that they won’t be able to heal from … Even what happened to me, in comparison to what has happened to other people … it was trivial. If it were a book, it’d only be a couple pages.”

Watching the drastically changed lives of the patients around her, Breta was able to come to terms with her own accident. She realized her split-second, daredevil decision could have “affected my life in a very negative way.”

“They say once you fall 15 feet, you have a fifty-fifty chance of living. I fell 30, and the fact that I didn’t die … I should have at least been paralyzed,” Breta said. “If I wasn’t paralyzed, I should at least have broken a few bones. … I didn’t have any of those things.”

What Breta did have was mood swings. Due to her concussion and the resulting spiked hormone levels, her attitude inexplicably shifted from ecstatic to depressed in a matter of minutes. It was almost as if she’d acquired manic depressive disorder. One moment, she’d be optimistic about her recovery, and then the next she’d be cursing her injured right leg.

But unusually, Breta could actually recognize when she was having a mood swing, Mrs. Phillips said. She would know that nothing had significantly changed in a few minutes, but she still felt negative and down. Together, Breta and her family would find ways to cope with them and work through it. Above all, the family would ask Breta, “Who’s in charge?”

And, again, she’d always have an answer.

That answer – Breta’s faith – helped her through the tough times at home. Her teachers gave her a reprieve from finals, accepting the grade she’d had before the accident. Her classmates brought her schoolwork to keep her busy. She continued to exercise her injuries, getting “better every day,” Clara said.

In time, just as cabin fever was taking hold, Breta’s doctors cleared her to go to Florida for a family vacation, which provided some much needed rest and relaxation with extended family.

***

When Breta returned to school, she and Joanna received a pleasant surprise. Unbeknownst to Breta, the substitute in her Civil Engineering class at the Career Center was none other than Mark Bowles. She, flitting between states of consciousness at their first meeting, did not recognize him, which was fine with Bowles. He could see everything he needed to know; Breta appeared to be fully recovered and was doing fine, so he saw no need to talk with her.

Then Joanna walked in.

“Joanna was basically screaming, she was so excited,” Breta said. “We were just really, really happy for getting to finally see him, and for me, it was like finally being able to know who it was that had made such a big impact on what happened to me.”

Bowles and Brookins had mainly stayed out of Breta’s business since the accident, not wishing to intrude on the family. But seeing Breta alive and well, walking on her own two legs, quelled all of Bowles’ fears that she might not have made a full recovery. He immediately sent a text to Brookins, who had since moved out of town.

Brookins was totally elated that she was recovered. It was like reading an ongoing story with a victorious feeling, Brookins said. He realized after-the-fact that the rescue truly was miraculous.

Since Breta’s fall, Brookins has decided to pursue a medical career as an emergency medical technician and is currently in training. Bowles said he fits the job description perfectly.

“I hate it when people feel helpless. It bothers me. I heard her friend Joanna calling her, and I didn’t hear Breta responding to her, and I knew that both of them needed help,” Brookins said. “It was important for us to be of assistance. … By no means were Mark and I professionals, we were just friendly individuals, and we just responded.”

Part 4: Ever After

It is now May, and Breta’s made a long climb back to health. On the surface, Breta seems completely recovered from the fall, and for the most part, she is. She can walk, talk and act like nothing ever happened. She’s back in school, back with her friends, and even back to taking the occasional stroll through Rock Bridge State Park. But even with months separating her accident and the present day, a few things are still slightly off.

Before the fall, Breta could juggle a soccer ball around 400 times in a row. She worked every single day after school in her garage or driveway from her eighth grade year through her tenth grade year. It was a huge triumph for her, a matter of pride and of hard work. Now, all that work has disappeared. She consistently hits 40-50 juggles in a row and is consistently frustrated.

Her vision post-accident changed too. While optometrists told her she had 20/20 vision, Breta knew that something was off with her eyesight. She sometimes has trouble reading the board in her classes, a problem considering the gauntlet of difficult classes she takes. She plans on picking up some non-prescription glasses to augment her vision.

Despite being a daredevil at heart, Breta’s acquired an element of caution since her accident. She’s more hesitant to try daring stunts and activities, she said, and heights now give her minute glimpses of her fall; flashbacks that flood her, momentarily, with emotion.

“I went back to [Rock Bridge State Park] to see if I would get flashbacks like they do in movies, because I didn’t think those were true, but it turns out that you really do get flashbacks,” Breta said. “So I went back to see if that would happen, and it did, but for the actual falling part, I only got flashbacks of the emotion, not what I’d actually seen. I could only feel fear and stuff. But it’s okay, I kind of wish I could remember the whole thing.”

The hesitancy is slightly jarring to Breta, who is used to taking leaps and bounds on a regular basis. It bothers her that she was bested by the cliff, and she wants to “beat it” again, albeit in a safe way. Breta has learned more about risk-management through the ordeal, and the whole experience has built her up as a person, Mrs. Phillips said.

“I’m convinced Breta is a lot stronger person than she thought she was. And I think she’s going to be a lot more insightful,” Mrs. Phillips said. “And I hope that, maybe because it happened to her, someone else might think twice about climbing over that railing.”

***

It was a few weeks after the accident, when Ms. Phillips was going through some of Breta’s old things, that she stumbled across a rather perplexing piece of paper. After reading the first few lines, she realized she’d found Breta’s bucket list. Scrawled across the page were all the things Breta wished to try, all the places she wished to go, all the sights she wished to see.

One of those wishes? Ride in a helicopter. Another? Visit the ER.

“I was thinking, ‘You have the ER on your bucket list?’” Mrs. Phillips said. Breta replied “‘Well, not to be a patient there. I was just going to go see it.’”

Thanks to her accident, Breta’s now seen an ER and flown in a helicopter, even though she can’t remember the ride. In fact, it took her days to remember the accident itself. For one of the first times in her life, Breta was completely out of control of her life. In the end, it taught her to relish every moment with her loved ones, to be careful with her fragile life, and to trust in her faith.

“You realize how powerless you are. No matter how much you want something to change, no matter how much you’re willing to try. For me, I didn’t deal well with not [being in] control,” Breta said. “Whenever I’ve had something that I couldn’t do, I’ve worked for it. When I couldn’t juggle, I juggled every day because I wanted to be able to do it, and it paid off. So not being able to do something and not being able to do anything about it was something that was definitely a really hard point for me. And my faith was definitely helping with that, because I realized I just had to ‘give it over.’”

By Lauren Puckett and Atreyo Ghosh

As the year draws to a close, seniors in the performing arts programs at RBHS look forward to pursuing their passion in college.  Photo by Patrick Smith

It’s easy when you’re 16 years old to view high school as the place where students sit down, stare at a Smartboard for eight hours, take tests, go home and come back the next day to do it all over again. But for many graduating seniors, high school is a precursor to post-secondary education. It’s a place to figure out where they want to go with their lives, a place to discover interests and passions and opportunities.

RBHS students who graduate go on to become doctors, business leaders, movie directors, government officers. But for several seniors involved in the performing arts programs here, it is music, acting and entertaining that is their dream. It is the people who surround them, the education they have received the past three years, and their love for their art, developed as a Bruin, that have shaped this vision.

Senior Troy Guthrie, who will major in acting at the University of Southern California next year, is part of this group of passionate performers. Guthrie began his acting career in fourth grade, participating in plays with the local TRYPS program, Theatre Reaching Young People and Schools. A member of the RBHS show choir and a lead role in many school productions, Guthrie is excited to pursue an art he loves so much.

Senior Troy Guthrie, member of the show choir and aspiring actor, plans to attend the University of Southern California next year as an acting major. Photo by Maddy Jones

“I’d say my biggest accomplishment is that I’ve found something that I can be a part of that’s a lot bigger than myself; I think I’ve found something that I love so much that there’s not anything in the world that could ever top it for me. It’s a really, really true passion of mine that I love,” Guthrie said. “I don’t have any credentials or solid award things, but I don’t think that really matters. I’ve found something that makes me very, very happy. I get to wake up and hone a craft that takes years and years of dedication to work at. So I think that’s probably my favorite thing, it’s that I discovered that there’s this whole world to learn about.”

However, the road to a successful career in performing arts is not for the weak-hearted. Like most career paths, the world of the arts comes with its hardships. For senior Ian Meyer, majoring in vocal music education at the University of Missouri – Columbia next year, adopting a humble attitude and recognizing the abilities of others is the most difficult part that comes with being a musician.

“I think there comes a time as a musician that you have to realize that you’re really not that hot. You’re really just not the best that there is,” Meyer said. “I’ve been so fortunate to be around people that I’ve either gone to their recitals or I have known them for a long time and known their natural abilities or I’ve sung with them or I’ve performed with them, and the amount of talent I see in some of these people blows me away. … There comes a time as a musician that you just have to realize, ‘I am not the best, I will never be the best.’ And that’s kind of a hard thing, but I think that teaches you to be humble and to continually work on bettering yourself.”

Guthrie also views humility as a vital part of his career as a performer. Though it is easy to “get caught up in your own ego,” he believes without the ability to recognize your own weaknesses, the art is no longer driven by passion, but by selfishness.

“I think the biggest challenge has been just staying humble and genuine and staying true to who you are, because it’s really easy to forget yourself, especially in the arts,” Guthrie said. “But the second you start thinking, ‘Oh, I’m good,’ you’ve lost it because you’ve lost your drive, your appetite to work. And it’s not really about the work anymore, it’s about you creating this cool, fancy thing for yourself. So it’s challenging to keep, to stay focused and continue to do the work and not let the distractions come in and get you.”

Because the journey is not always easy, and self-centeredness and ignorance often tempt the traveler, the support of family, friends and faculty is vital to students pursuing an art. For both Guthrie and Meyer, it is the support of their parents that has influenced them the most and solidified their career choices. In a world where the entertainment industry holds little money for most, the love from friends, family and teachers that surrounds Meyer is a foundation for him to build his hopes off of.

Senior Ian Meyer performs with his CAPERS combo, Squirrels in the Attick. Meyer will attend the University of Missouri – Columbia next year to major in vocal music education.  Photo by Patrick Smith

“Let’s be completely honest, I’m going to be poor the rest of my life and I’m okay with that,” Meyer said. “But to be in a household that just supports what you want to do as opposed to what might be the best economic decision is a really nice thing. And being involved with such great instructors like [choir director] Mr. [Mike] Pierson and like my education at [Christian Chapel Academy] and like the things through [Performing Arts in Children’s Education] that I did has been great to have that encouragement. And to have my friends there beside me just to encourage me is always good to have.”

When originally majoring in music performance at the University of Nevada – Las Vegas, assistant band director Robert Thalhuber experienced a lack of encouragement from the important people in his life. As an educator, he now watches musically talented students every year deny their love for their instrument as they go off to college for the same reason. He believes a lack of support can make or break a student’s decision to follow their passion.

“I had people tell me I couldn’t do it. I had parents say no. I had people say, ‘You’re not going to be able to feed yourself,’ and obviously that’s not true, I’m doing fine,” Thalhuber said. “There’s a lot of room for the arts. If a student wants to do something, they should go for it, as long as they have a way to get there, and they have to be realistic about it. But that’s one of the biggest things. I hear a lot of students say they’re not going to do it because, they love it, but people tell them they can’t do it. So then they don’t to it, which, totally, I just shake my head [at].”

Guthrie identifies with the lack of faith from people when they hear about his life plan. But to him, the money or lack thereof won’t matter, and the opinions of outsiders won’t hold him back. With devotion in his heart and a drive to learn and excel, Guthrie doesn’t feel the need to worry, and he believes this relates to everyone, no matter what they decide to chase in life.

“A lot of people, they say, ‘You need a backup plan, you need a fallback plan,’ and I smile and nod and it’s whatever, but the truth is, a lot of people want to be a part of the entertainment industry; a lot of people want to make art, but if you want to be really, really great at something — and I think this is anything, if you want to be a scientist or a cook — you have to give yourself to that and you have to give absolutely every bit of yourself to that,” Guthrie said. “And yeah there’s peaks and valleys and you’re going to get stuck in the rut a lot, and you’ve got to keep walking because it’s not an easy path, and for people that get down in the muck and can’t stand up when they’re down or when they get knocked down, it’s not the path for them. If you love it enough it won’t be an issue, because even if you don’t have a dollar to eat, if you’re still doing what you love, you’re going to be OK, and if that passion’s still there, you’ll be OK.”

By Alyssa Sykuta

Art by Emily Franke

After a year of AP learning, students gaze at the final element of their course during these first few weeks of March.

Columbia Public Schools offers more than 20 different Advanced Placement classes with corresponding tests. These courses cover a diverse expanse of topics, from the core, reading, writing and math,  to music, art and career based studies.

“They’re all a little bit different,” senior Jacob Freyermuth said. “There’s just different things for all of them because they are trying to test different skills.”

Freyermuth, who took AP World History, US History, English Language and Calc BC and who currently takes AP Statistics, Chemistry, US Government and Comparative Government and English Literature, experienced the unique qualities of each test.

AP courses are not all cut from the same cloth; for art students, the AP program includes a first year that utilises a variety of media and concepts and a second year that takes a more concentrated approach to a certain concept.

“The AP program for art is different because it’s split into two years and in order to get AP credit the students have to take both years,” Abbey Trescott, art teacher, said. “They have to submit a portfolio instead of taking an actual test. The portfolio is digital for the most part.”

Students in AP Studio 2 must submit 24 pieces; 12 go to the first-year portfolio and 12 go to the concentration portfolio. Besides this, students must send five works to the college board and submit an artist statement explaining their concentration, Trescott said. These portfolios were due on Friday May 10.

“It was definitely hard to get my art done plus my other school work. I do not regret it at all. I learned a lot about managing my time. I ended up getting it all done and turned in Tuesday,” said senior Paige Selman, whose portfolio was due by Tuesday, May 7.

The art wing is not the first opportunity students have to take an advanced placement test, however. During AP registration, over 80 sophomores signed up to take the AP World History exam on Thursday, May 16. These sophomores took the class as part of their blocked history and English course.

The teachers of the class, Katherine Sasser and David Graham, say the two disciplines work well together and as a way for sophomores to try their hand at advanced placement.

“Both departments believe in common skills so these common skills help us drive the integration,” Sasser, an English teacher, said. “It looks different on different days and we integrate novels and we integrate historical content, we integrate projects and all different kinds of things but in all of that we try to make the connection between language arts pieces and social studies piece.”

Also integrated into the class is a sense of creativity in learning. Graham, who is responsible for the social studies component, said the class takes the latest educational philosophies to bring into the classroom.

“We learn through different experiences and like different processes that they created on their own,” sophomore Alex Carranza said.

But in the back of students’ minds is the culmination of the class with their first AP test. One of the activities students participate in, Hallowed Education Learning Legacies (HELL) week, provided opportunities to practice the AP Exam. According to sophomore Maddy Mueller, the HELL Weeks are modeled exactly after the test.

“I feel like I know the essay rubrics really well, and I know kind of what to expect on the multiple choice from the textbook and also the tests that we’ve taken,” sophomore Maddy Mueller said.

For AP World History, and a number of other advanced placement tests, the test takes place in two parts- a timed multiple choice section and a timed written response section. Students are allotted 50 minutes to complete the multiple choice and 40 minutes to write each of the three essays, which respond to a continuity and change over time, a comparative and a document based question prompt.

“I feel like I’ve learned better how to be a leader and like how to deal with different types of people in groups,” Mueller said, “and also how to take initiative on my own and I feel like I’m a lot better at not procrastinating after taking this class.”

 Freyermuth, who took AP World History as a sophomore, agrees this class helped him with his future classes.

“I think that the teachers do a pretty good job of giving you a little bit more than you think you can handle just to show you that you can,” Freyermuth said. “I think that was helpful in taking a bunch more ap classes in the next years to have that experience.”

AP European History, which holds its test Wednesday, offers an alternate perspective to historical events by considering the essence of time periods in Europe.

“There are ideas that have shaped and caused the change in Europe over time. Those ideas are still around today, they look a little different, but they still have like implications for our lives,” said Matt Dingler, social studies teacher, who said the course is a class on ideas.

Even after high school, the college level courses benefit students in multiple academic ways, Dingler said. He said high school is a safe place for students to experience a difficult course before college and that teens who take AP Euro as their first advanced placement class may find the workload overwhelming. Dingler takes this opportunity to help students so that, in college, they are set up better because they freaked out and learned from their experience the year before.

For sophomores, especially, the skills and exam entailed by the AP World Studies course grant experience to those who prepare for their test come Thursday.

“I actually feel pretty relaxed. I think the class has prepared me and I’ve done all I can do myself, and I’m pretty much just going to let whatever happens happen,” Mueller said.

By Emily Franke

Have you taken Advanced Placement courses? What are your tales of testing?

1. LIM College in New York, NY

Kayla Doolady

2. University of Missouri in Columbia, MO

Jacqueline LeBlanc, Stazi Prost, Olivia Granneman, Victor Vu, Carleigh Thrower, Mackoy Staloch, Daphne Yu, Kirsten Buchana

3. College Station in Texas

Megan Goree

4. University of Montana State in Bozeman, MT

West Wilson

5. Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI

Clare Saragnese

6. Kansas City, MO

Eryn Wanyonyi

7. Carleton College in Northfield, MN

Emily Thomas

8. Urbana University in Champaign, IL

Atreyo Ghosh

9. Ames, IA

Ouma Amadou

10. Des Moines, IA

Alyssa Sykuta

11. South Bend, IN

Morgan Widhalm

By Renata Williams

Seniors, what are you going to miss the most about RBHS?

Jones and Swift teamed up to play doubles, Winton and Rao did likewise, while Bozoian and Majors played singles. The team faced off against many teams across Mid-Missouri, including opponents from Camdenton and Jefferson City.

In doubles, both teams never lost a match until the finals where they faced off. Jones and Swift struggled to defeat the Winton-Rao juggernaut, ultimately giving up the game, losing 4-6 in both sets for the upset.

“Jones and I were definitely disappointed because we feel like anytime we go out there we can always win,” Swift said. “But it was also good to see from a team perspective Jacob and Rohit playing so well.”

Both teams will advance to sectionals, where Jones and Swift say they hope to defeat Winton and Rao.

In singles, Bozoian and Majors fared a little worse. Bozoian did not make it to the finals, barely losing in three sets 3-6, 7-5 and 1-6 in the quarterfinals to Luc Ginoux. This player was a French foreign exchange student from Camdenton, who won the entire tournament, narrowly beating Majors 7-5 in two sets.

Overall, the tournament was a success as all members except one of the Bruin team made it to sectionals, with Bozoian only just cut. Jones, Swift, Winton, Rao and Majors will play again on tomorrow, Tuesday, at Bethel Park.

By Derek Wang

By Maria Kalaitzandonakes 

So that is why I am here, writing about my mom. for her and others to see how much she means to me.

Photo by Renata Williams

My mom will say her favorite memories for Mother’s Day were when my sister and I were little and made her breakfast in bed. Our only time doing so, though we say we will every year. I tend to take my mom for granted and Mother’s Day opens my eyes, which, if I am honest, is sad. I should appreciate my mom every day, for all she’s done, but of course, I feel like I do the opposite most days.

Now, I can write and write about my mom to try to convince you that she really is a great woman; her kind heart, her generous spirit and her overall love for her kids well being, but that is not the true point of all of this. As we teenagers grow up, we allow Mother’s Day to be our back-up for the other 364 days that we don’t show our appreciation to our moms, & showing our moms on Mother’s Day isn’t enough. I’d love to convince people to not only show their mom they are loved on Mother’s Day, but show them every week with little things such as a note telling your mom how much she is loved.

So, I am going to challenge myself this coming year, and I want to challenge you. On random days try sending your mom a text, or picking up her favorite chocolate. Without her asking, show that you care; it’s so easy to do.

To me, I view Mother’s Day as an excuse. I understand it’s meant to give mothers their day of thanks, but moms deserve more. One day isn’t enough. Love should be shown all of the time because, regardless of how selfish I act sometimes, I love my mom.

So, on this Mother’s Day, and the days to come after, I will show Mom how much I love her.

And today, on Mother’s Day, it’s all about my mom, and thanks to the wonders of the world wide web, the most important woman in my life will know forever how much she means to me.

By Renata Williams

What is the best thing about your mother? I would love for you to celebrate her in our comments section.

Image used with permission under Fair Use doctrine. Source: http://origin.thegreatgatsby.warnerbros.com/

I must admit I haven’t read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, but I have to believe he would be pleased with what director Baz Luhrmann has done with his story.

From the beginning Luhrmann captivates the audience with his attention to detail from the hair clips that pin the actresses’ hair back to the picture frames that protect memories. Luhrmann, known for Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge, makes sure every item is accounted for. Working together into a mixture of beauty, Luhrmann stays true to Fitzgerald’s vision of the main character, masking this love story with deeper plot lines, with time spent going into great detail about characters past, that creates fans who wouldn’t have been interested in the first place.

Tobey Maguire (known for his leading role as Spiderman in the “Spiderman” movies) plays Nick Carraway, a young man who hopes to gain fortune by selling bonds. He narrates the story of the time he knew and befriended Jay Gatsby, played by Leonardo DiCaprio (known for countless roles, not the least of which is Jack Dawson in Titanic and more recently Calvin Candie in the Oscar winning Django Unchained. For those who don’t know the tale, Gatsby is a wealthy man who is hopelessly in love with Carraway’s cousin Daisy Buchanan, (Carey Mulligan, Irene in Drive) who is married to  Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton, Tim Green in The Odd Life of Timothy Green).

DiCaprio’s version of Gatsby is spot on. Physically, his piercing blue eyes keep you on the edge of your seat at every word he speaks. Gatsby’s ambition and hope are evident through his tone of voice and his facial expression. He deserves an Oscar for this performance.

Practically a character themselves, the costuming  is superb. Catherine Martin’ designs make every background character stand out like a leading actress thanks to authentic jewelry and dresses. In the end they all fit together like an antique vase. The leading actors had suits and hats that looked straight from the 1920s. The colors complimented the actors skin tones and highlighted their hair. Martin did an astounding job of enhancing each character while allowing them to work together.

Even though it is obvious during the driving scenes and cityscapes that Luhrmann uses CGI, such moments don’t take away from the quality of the film. The sets are beautiful. My favorite is Gatsby’s mansion. The opulence and regalness help the viewer understand the character who owns it. The amount of detail in every room might seem overdone to some, but to me each part of the scenery is perfect and necessary.

Finally the music is astonishing. It helps set the mood of the entire movie. At points where emotion couldn’t be expressed by the characters it is shown through the music. For instance, when Daisy and Carraway dance in Gatsby’s house and the music is uplifting, the camera cuts to Gatsby’s face and the audience sees pure bliss. The upbeat music during that scene allows the audience to feel his happiness.

Both music and movie are worth purchasing to play over and over again.

By Nina Johnston

Read our review of the score here.

Did you see the movie? Have you read the book? Which did you like best?

Used with permission under Fair Use doctrine. Source: http://www.apoteosemusical.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/The-Great-Gatsby-Original-Soundtrack.png

It’s when the new meets the old that something truly impressive is crafted. Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby movie soundtrack exemplifies this truth and then takes it a little farther.

The film itself is set in the early 1920s, when flapper girls and “talkies” filled all the gossip columns, when overindulgence was praised, and when Midas’ Touch was the ticket to power. The soundtrack to the movie, including artists such as Lana Del Ray, Jay-Z, Florence and the Machine and Gotye, captures this zealous splendor with an eclectic and lovely arrangement of music genres and styles.

The album opens with “100$ Bill,” a new track by famous rapper Jay-Z, which incorporates audio clips from the film. The song starts the soundtrack off quickly, with a smooth but intense rap that emphasizes the chaotic grace of the Roaring Twenties. The track slides seamlessly into another ultra-modern hip hop number, “Back to Black” by Andre 3000 and Beyonce. A simple beat with synthesizer and guitar makes for an uncomplicated but sensual experience, which adds to the overall groove of the record.

Then we get to the gem – Lana Del Ray’s chillingly gorgeous “Young and Beautiful”. The single became a fan favorite almost overnight, and since has become something of a theme song for The Great Gatsby. Del Ray’s vocals are entrancing; almost paradoxical. Her notes flow like silk, but the gruff edge to her voice is what makes for an emotional experience.

Next, the soundtrack adds a natural 20’s jive. Emeli Sande’s remix of Beyonce’s classic “Crazy In Love” is a catchy piece with a modern voice and old-timey trumpets. It sounds like a perfect mix of today’s Top 40 and the Top 40 of Gatsby’s era.

The album just gets better and better as it goes on. Each piece is perfectly unique, and there’s a song for almost every taste in music. The ballads are slow and powerful, while the upbeat numbers are groovy and enjoyable. The soundtrack is an amazing addition to one of the most eagerly anticipated films of the year, and, frankly, I can’t wait to see the movie.

By Lauren Puckett

What was your favorite song?

Singing to the crowd, senior Ian Meyer has a moment of fame when the spotlight shines over him. Photo by Erin Kleekamp

Tears, resounding voices and a performance that entranced the audience were the stars at Last night’s final choir concert.

After the performance, the seniors had a special moment where they were commemorated  and received plaques for being members of the choir this year. Many hugs, some crying and plentiful cupcakes made the night unforgettable for the choir students, especially for seniors Bobby Backus and Trenton Thompson.

“The last two years I was in choir, I was in concert choir,” Thompson said. “This year though, I got into chamber choir, which was really exciting and a great experience for me. Although the pieces that we sing may be harder, I think they have really helped me grow as a singer and a musician.”

Not only did the experience make Thompson better for his musicianship, but he also thinks it has helped others grow. Backus believes this year has shaped him into being a more outgoing and stronger vocalist and desires to continue in a career toward music.

“I probably want to write music and want to get better at vocals,” Backus said, “which this year has really helped me do.”

Backus and Thompson are both sad to know that this is their last choir performance at RBHS, wishing to have more, yet they are happy to know that the last performance, along with the year, went so well.

“I felt that [this year]  was exhilarating and it just went by too fast in my opinion,” Backus said. ”I am kind of sad to know that this is it for the year, but I think I’ve been prepared for this for a long time.”

Backus not only prepared for the end of the year, but also the performance itself by choir teacher Mike Pierson. Pierson said the performance went well, even though they did a different type of concert than what they normally do at a concert.

“Most of the aspects that we put into worked,” Pierson said. “Overall, I thought it was a really great concert.”

Thompson enjoyed the theme of last nights performance of a day’s work and thinks it was a good way to end a fantastic and memorable year for him. One of the most influential parts of how well the year went was the laid back feeling for the choir itself.

“I think my senior year has been the best of my three years,” Thompson said. “The easy going feel of the class made things more relaxed and less stress for me.”

Although he doesn’t entirely feel that much different yet, Pierson is sad to see his seniors go after a great year.

“[The seniors] bring a lot of their own musicianship and a lot of great individual traits to this department that are hard to replace,” Pierson said. “I think it was just a great way to end a great year.”

By Justin Sutherland

Photo Illustration by Maria Kalaitzandonakes

For most high schoolers, prom only comes around once, making the pursuit of a perfect evening one that must be carefully planned. However, for the ladies in particular, finding an elegant dress for the memorable night is a feat that can take months. On top of the fitting, dresses are oftentimes expensive, making it hard to find the “perfect” dress on a budget.

For the past couple of years, RBHS and HHS students teamed up to eliminate some of the stress. An event labeled, “Prom Closet,” came into existence when the two major high schools came together to find a way to help girls without a lot of financial resources be able to attend prom.

2012 RBHS alumnus Sami Kanago organized this event last year, helping to give out more than 50 party dresses to students who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford them.

“The dresses have been donated by people who have previously used them. It is a great way to recycle a dress that’s hardly been worn,” Kanago said. “The dresses have no set price and any donation is given to the Rainbow House here in Columbia. … Prom Closet has been very fortunate to contribute to such a wonderful cause for the past few years.”

Local businesses, dress shops and individuals donate the dresses and shoes that are on display for the girls who attend. The event raised more than $150 in donations alone last year when it was hosted in RBHS’ commons. Despite previous success, the event wasn’t held this year. Assistant Principal David Bones said this may be a result of the amount of responsibility running an event of this size requires.

“My understanding is that no one really stepped up to take on the project … it had grown so huge that the girls who had been doing this had grown to where they had 200 gowns … that were being stored in someone’s basement,” Bones said. “I think partly it was just logistically they couldn’t find anyone who could take it on.”

Kanago agrees with Bones; the event required quite a bit of time and energy on her part in order to make it worthwhile. However, the RBHS graduate said she doesn’t regret taking part in the event.

“The event itself actually takes a ton of organization. You have to find a place to host it, advertise, find a place to store the dresses, get people to donate to the cause and send all of the collected money into the Rainbow House,” Kanago said. “It takes quite a bit of responsibility. But it was definitely worth it. To see some of the girls find a dress that they liked and wanted to wear to prom was very rewarding. It made me feel like our event really changed some people’s lives.”

For Kanago, the joy she received from helping the girls find their dresses outweighed the amount of work she had to put into it. For this reason, Bones hopes the event will be pursued more fervently next prom season.

“It’s work, but a minimal cost. I would hope it continues because it’s a really, really cool thing,” Bones said. “You’re helping people that otherwise may not be able to attend prom, and you’re also making use of stuff that otherwise get used which is cool.”

The memory of this organization hasn’t gone away; Bones said he has received many questions this year about whether or not the event is going to be held. Junior Kristen Buster said she likes the idea behind Prom Closet and feels like this would help girls feel more accepted when going to such a renowned school function.

“[Prom Closet] … is so inclusive to girls who may otherwise feel excluded,” Buster said. “It says that at [RBHS] prom it’s not about the money spent, it’s about having a good time with friends and being able to enjoy the evening instead of feeling unable to participate because of cost.”

Though the Prom Closet won’t be open this year, juniors have the chance to bring it back if they so choose. Though success won’t be immediate, hosting an event like this is very rewarding, Kanago said.

“I think it is a wonderful event. It isn’t going to happen easily for quite a few years. It will take some hard, patient workers that will be willing to promote it for a few years until it does become a big, well known event that gets donated to regularly,” Kanago said. “But if the workers are willing and motivated, it would continue to be an outrageously awesome cause, for hopefully many more girls.”

By Brittany Cornelison

“The policy on prom day is no different than any other day,” Bones said. If a student was to miss school, “attendance should obviously be excused by a parent [but] it’s completely separate from prom. There is no attendance requirement for prom day.”

In addition, Bones reminds those attending the school event that school rules will still apply and misbehavior may be punished.

“The idea of prom is for everyone to have an enjoyable evening, and anything we wouldn’t tolerate at school we wouldn’t tolerate at prom,” Bones said. “The same rules apply at school events apply as they do at school so any behavior that wouldn’t be appropriate at school wouldn’t be appropriate at prom.”

By Daphne Yu

Photo by Renata Williams

Things you need:

• One clear cup or jar (make sure it’s okay to use)
• Glass gems (these can be found at the dollar store cheap)
• Hot glue gun +hot glue
• Dry Erase marker *optional*
• Candle

Preparing your work space:

I recommend laying out newspaper or a tray to protect your table from the hot glue mess. Make sure you have a lot of room and plenty of counter space to work.

How to create your cup chandelier:

Photo by Renata Williams

1. First, turn on your favorite music so you can jam out while working. I picked Taylor Swift’s newest CD, Red. Then, take your cup or jar and draw out the design you think you’ll be doing with your dry erase marker. This design is just a sketch, so expect it to change once the gems are glued on.

 2. To help decide which colors you want to use and how you want them to lay out, I recommend creating a design on your table before actually glueing them on your cup. As I said before, this design may change, but this step helps plan out colors and potential designs.

Photo by Renata Williams

3. Now, it’s time to get rolling. Warm up your hot glue gun and start glueing. Not much glue is needed to keep the gems on, but remember, once you’ve placed a gem on your cup, it is very hard to move or remove it. Also, with hot glue, strings will be everywhere, so clean up your cup when the jar is all done.

Photo by Renata Williams

4. Keep this going until your desired design has been met. This project will fly by once you’ve got the hang of it.

5. To test out your cup chandelier, take a candle and step into your bathroom. Light your candle and place it in the cup very carefully then shut off the lights. The finished product comes out beautifully.

This gift is one that any mom will love, especially knowing their child made it for them. It doesn’t just have to be for Mother’s Day, nor just for a mother. But, if you’re rushing to pick a gift, this quick present will be fabulous. The best thing about this project is the ability to be creative, so dive in to the most creative place inside of you. Oh, and when wrapping this up, don’t forget to put a candle in the box.

By Renata Williams

What other DIY ideas have you seen for Mother’s Day?

Some members of the RBHS track and field team will compete at districts on the morning after prom.

As the year comes to a close, many spring sports get ready to gear into post season. For most spring sports including tennis and track, their districts however fall on the Saturday after prom. Although the date of prom was set out to be non-conflicting event, athletes feel that their prom plans will be compromised due to this schedule.

“I do think having districts after prom will affect our athletes’ performances.  Essential to most track and field athletes is sleep,” Track and Field coach Neal Blackburn said. “Extending the day and night before a major competition is not usually the recipe for success.”

Hindered performance is the main issue when it comes down to it said Blackburn.  It gives the other teams an unnecessary advantage if our athletes choose to stay out later than normal.

“I’m just really annoyed that they scheduled prom the day before everybody’s districts,” senior pole vaulter Erica Beck said.  “I think still some people are going to stay out late and ignore the fact that they have districts and then that might affect their performance”

In the end it is the decision of each, individual athlete to decide what they want to do. The more important one will come above the other and the results may or may not show.

“The work that you put in leading up to districts should be enough to get you to where you want to be but people also want to have fun on prom night and be with their friends and stay up late also,” Senior girls soccer player, Kate Hulen.  “So it’s understandable if they’re tired in the morning or not quite on their a-game but I think through their preparation they should be able to perform no matter the circumstances.”

Although the ideal conditions are in place, coaches do their best to stress the importance of getting a full nights rest.  This is in order for their athletes to be at their top performance, one they have worked on for many months now.

“We are telling our athletes to enjoy the prom experience, but behave responsibly with regards to the after Prom events typically accompanying that event,” Blackburn said. “Typically, our most dedicated and serious athletes take part in the before Prom experience as well as Prom itself, going home afterwards and attempting to be in bed by midnight.  Our less serious and dedicated athletes typically live in the moment and deal with the consequences on the day after, and results usually speak for themselves on both accounts.”

By Carleigh Thrower

The students, who are part of the investigations and seminars class taught by EEE teacher Kathryn Fishman-Weaver, presented two chemistry lessons with fun experiments to go along with them.

“We are demonstrating endothermic and exothermic reactions in a fun and slightly explosive way,” McAfee said, “so that we can keep [Mrs. Victor’s class] engaged while they are also learning.”

The first of the two experiments presented was the “elephant toothpaste” lab, in which high concentration hydrogen peroxide, potassium iodide and dish soap react and very quickly produce large quantities of warm foam, resembling toothpaste.

“It demonstrated that chemical reactions can be really fun,” McAfee said.

The second experiment involved a reaction between pure sodium metal and crushed ice which releases a vast amount of energy incredibly fast and excites hydrogen and oxygen gas.

“It was a little bit bigger [of] an explosion than any of us were expecting,” McAfee said. “It was safe though; it was behind a blast shield.”

The guest chemistry lessons came about when Weaver overheard Victor reaching out to the chemistry teachers about having lessons, and she volunteered her class.

“I think it is helping [her class] because they are getting some neat science content … and they have also seen some really, really cool demonstrations,” Weaver said. “But more than that, I think it’s helping both communities because we are forming a partnership, a friendship between two student groups that don’t always get to interact.”

By Pen Terry

Seniors Atreyo Ghosh and Tony Sun along with junior Scott McAfee watch as ‘elephant toothpaste” is created. Photo by Kathryn Weaver

By Maria Kalaitzandonakes

Bitter rivalry raged this year with every competition between Hickman High School and RBHS — from the Providence Bowl to Twitter wars. But today, on this overcast evening, a group of students came together, not to compete, but to play. They wore no purple or green, donned no baby or bear costumes; Instead the girls wore long black gowns and the boys wore tuxes and bow ties and they all carried their sleek wooden instruments.

This was the only joint orchestra concert between the two high schools this year.

“We need more cooperation and less competition. Because the difference between a concert, even a joint concert between schools, and an athletic event, is that everyone goes home a winner,” Hickman Orchestra Director Margaret Lawless said. “There are no losers, and we all benefit from working together. … We’re all musicians together.”

And the joining couldn’t have happened on a more fitting night, for seniors this was their last high school orchestra concert. Together there were 15 senior musicians saying goodbye. Hickman senior Sean Brennan, violin player, said this emotion allowed his to connect to the pieces of music.

“I really try to get into what the composer wanted us to feel when we were playing and performing the music, so it depends on the piece, like with 1812 you really have to feel like you’re triumphing over something difficult, so I guess you can compare that to the way you feel about senior year,” Brennan said. “You can put your emotions of  getting through and finally finishing high school into those last few notes.”

Brennan said he will miss the community orchestra provides for him, but is excited for college in New York next year. RBHS senior Jashawn Linwood, bass player, said he too is sad to leave high school and the friends he’s made in orchestra. But he said the lack of rivalry between the two groups, and the support they give each other throughout the year, made this a proper last concert.

“It’s sad because you miss all the people you hang around … but at the same time it’s exciting,” Linwood said. “It’s sad, but it was pretty fun at the same time to get to play with Hickman.”

Christiane Quinn, mother of Hickman junior and cello player Yvan Quinn, said she loved the fullness that the larger orchestra brought to the pieces, and to see the evolution of the player’s skills from freshman to senior year.

“Suddenly [with the two schools together] you have a whole volume there, it’s so loud. I like it. I think it’s very nice,” Quinn said. “I like [seeing them on stage] a lot since [they’ve] played for a long time and you can really hear the difference on the ears.”

RBHS Orchestra Director, Jeanne Lambson, said it was wonderful going from 21 RBHS players and adding 32 more from Hickman because it made the sound so much louder. She said it was emotional for her though, too, as she said goodbye to her first group of RBHS graduates.

“I’ve grown to love them in just one year, and they are going to leave a big hole in the group,” Lambson said. “We’re just going to miss them and hope they come back and let us know how it’s going.”

Both Hickman and RBHS Orchestras honored their seniors with tokens of appreciation and  in turn the students presented their directors with flowers and hugs. And as the finale “1812 Overture” was played, and Kewpies and Bruins played side-by-side, and the Performing Arts Center was filled with the beautiful instruments, Lawless said she felt “humbled.”

“It’s an ecstatic experience to have this many wonderful student musicians in one place … it’s wonderful and it’s humbling, because I just feel so privileged to be working with these kids. Not just because many of them are so talented but because they are the future of what I love to do,” Lawless said. “They are so committed and they just love what they do, and that gives me a lot of hope and a lot of optimism. It is just a beautiful thing.”

By Maria Kalaitzandonakes

Students hold bake sale in the main commons today (May8th) and are giving out free snacks to any teacher who visits the booth. Photo by Kaitlyn Marsh

Future Educator’s Association will be holding a bake sale today to commemorate National Teachers Appreciation week. The bake sale will take place in the main commons and baked goods will cost between 50 cents and one dollar.

“The money goes to the future club of FEA, Future Educators Association and so there are a lot of seniors in that class but it will go towards the next class of people in the club and that club develops money to go to the convention,” senior FEA member Hayde Veach said, “so they can compete in other teaching competitions like essays or certain contributions to education, so it prepares a lot of kids for education.”

For RBHS faculty the bake sale is free. Students are also encouraged to send a baked good to a teacher for free or write a shout out to a teacher that will be read over the intercom.

“There isn’t a whole lot of recognition for teachers to begin with and often times its only unspoken gratitude sometimes you can be grateful for them,” Veach said, “but there isn’t a whole lot of thank you’s involved and one of the few things teachers have as a reward is student achievement but even then its nice to be recognized once and awhile so this is a week dedicated to recognizing everyone in the education system who contributes to students.”

This week teachers have had other forms of appreciation. Student Council members provided desserts yesterday, and the Parent/Teacher/Student Association provided snacks to teachers Monday, salad today, cupcakes tomorrow and Papa John’s Pizza Friday.

Students like sophomore Mikaela Rettke say many teachers deserve the

By Graham Rateramann

Which teacher would you like to give a shout out to? Do it in our comments sections.

Billy Swift returns a hit against Camdenton’s Connor Burton during the first set of his match. Swift went on to win 6-1 and won the second 6-2. Photo by Pen Terry

The varsity boys tennis team easily defeated Camdenton High School yesterday, May 9, to advance to the district finals, today at Bethel Park. Five matches need to be won by a team to advance in the district tournament, the Bruins clinched victory quickly by winning their their first five matches Tuesday.

“I feel like we played really well,” sophomore Rohit Rao said of the team’s performance.

Rao, like the other Bruins who played on Tuesday, won his best of three sets match in the first two sets.  Like Rao, juniors Jacob Winton and Raymond Majors won their matches without dropping a game, winning both sets 6-0.

Senior Billy Swift dominated his sets 6-1, 6-2. Not to be outdone, junior Harry Bozoian won his sets 6-0, 6-1.

The only match of the day that was not over quickly was the Bruin’s number one player, senior Alex Jones, against Camdenton’s number one player Luc Ginoux. Ginoux is a foreign exchange student from France who is playing this year for Camdenton. Jones was eventually able to take both sets 6-2 each.

“I think we all played pretty much as well as we needed to, to win,” Winton said.

The team will be in action again to compete for the district title on Wednesday May 8 at Bethel Park at 4 p.m. when they take on Jefferson City.

By Pen Terry

• Action is a character in Iron Man 3
• Stark’s ego remains oversized
• Part 3: Stronger
• Part 4: Ever After

Action-packed Iron Man 3 puts series back on track

Used with permission through Fair Use doctrine

I walked into theater 2 at Forum 8 Tuesday night expecting action, action and more action. The third installment of the iron clad Marvel hero completely met all expectations.

While I wasn’t as blown away as I was following the original Iron Man, the third film was a very nice bounce back from the disappointing Iron Man 2, which failed to meet the lofty standards set by its predecessor.

Fortunately Iron Man 3 seems to have steered the series back on track.

The film opens with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) having a flashback to 1999, on New Years Eve in Bern, Switzerland. While attending a party near midnight, Stark comes into contact with scientist Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall). Hansen has invented a product called Extremis, a regenerative drug that is designed to regrow limbs and push the body past it’s current physical boundaries.

Conversing with Hansen in an elevator, Stark is approached by disabled scientist Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) who takes a great interest in Extremis and offers Stark and Hansen a place in his upstart company, Advanced Idea Mechanics, which is often referred to as AIM. Although Stark appears willing to pursue the matter, he blows Killian off, and doesn’t think any more of the matter.

In the present day, the United States is under threat from a terrorist known as The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley). The Mandarin has claimed responsibility for many explosions across the US and threatens to assassinate the president. While the government attempts to locate the Mandarin, Stark does some digging and finds the explosions are not what they seem to be. At the same time, Killian suddenly resurfaces after 14 years, offering Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Stark Industries the chance to join AIM.

From there the action takes off as the plot plays out like a roller coaster, with sudden turns, drops and big surprises along the way.

The films strength proves to be its all star cast, headlined by Downey Jr, who once again shows how perfectly cast he is for the role of Tony Stark. His charismatic and confident approach looks just right as the billionaire, genius Stark. Paltrow reprises her role as Stark’s girlfriend Pepper Potts for the third time and turns in another solid, believable performance.

Her great onscreen chemistry with Downey Jr. is evident and makes the film that much better. Some other good performances of note were Guy Pearce as Killian and Ben Kingsley as the mysterious Mandarin. Don Cheadle does a nice job as Colonel James Rhodes, but it really felt like he was underused and he really took a backseat for most of the story.

Overall Iron Man 3 is another terrific addition to the now considerable Marvel franchise. It is a truly enjoyable experience from start to finish and the plot kept me engaged for the whole, whopping 130 minutes, which feels a lot shorter than it really is. With great acting, fast paced, in your face action, and a clever and unexpected plot, Iron Man 3 has it all.

By Josh Ripley

Tony Stark was made for Robert Downey Jr.

Used with permission under fair use doctrine: http://marvel.com/ironman3

Ever since I was introduced to superhero movies I’ve had a strange fascination with them. It must be my secret desire to become a “hero” myself and save the day, that draws me to these films. Or maybe it’s just my love of a good story line, with a predictable ending. I’ve grown fond of these movies because I take comfort in knowing that the good guy is always going to come out on top and save the day.

Of them all, Marvel’s character, Iron Man, has captured my attention more than any of the others. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) emerged in 2008 in the first Iron Man installation. His witty charm and extremely sarcastic sense of humor glues viewers’ eyes to the screen. Stark fans would agree, you don’t want to miss a single comment or pick-up line uttered from the famous “genius billionaire playboy philanthropist.”

I think, personally I was most drawn to these films because of Stark’s character. He is indeed a genius. No matter what situation he got himself into, he was able to think faster that his opponent and outsmart them. Stark used his intelligence to create the well-known Iron Man, who became an incredible hero. Though his crude humor may been a little mature at times, I was intrigued by the fact that these movies were promoting the positives of being intelligent.

Back in November, I heard a rumor that Marvel would be releasing a third Iron Man movie and to say the least, I was ecstatic. I wouldn’t say I’m a crazed fan, but I’m pretty close. And after experiencing The Avengers, I couldn’t wait to see where Stark would go for his next adventure. However, I was a little skeptical, I mean The Avengers was amazing; where could the series go from there? But despite my doubt, the film pulled me into an adventure once again and my eyes couldn’t be peeled from the screen.

This film starts in an unknown territory for Iron Man fans, where Stark is struggling. The effects of a near-death mission, including traveling through a wormhole and falling back to Earth (The Avengers) have left Stark psychologically damaged. Anxiety attacks are frequent for this hero, which make him susceptible to sleepless nights and unguarded moments, which is not normal for the “invincible” Iron Man.

The villain in this movie is actually an injection, something called extremist. Several people have been injected with this medication that makes them glow, as well as regenerate. It’s somewhat disturbing, but also mind-blowing at the same time. Throughout the movie, I was trying to guess how Stark/Iron Man was going to defeat these invincible soldiers (invincible means can’t die, right?). But I wasn’t disappointed. Iron Man came through again, as he always does.

The action scenes in this film were up to Marvel’s typical standard, keeping the audience engaged. However, there was some misplaced humor, making the supposed emotional moments, less heartwarming. But, overall I was impressed with the movie’s ability to keep the attention of viewers after two previous installments.

Iron Man 3 was released on May 3, 2013 and earned $173.5 million dollars in it’s first three days in North America, opening higher than both Iron Man ($98.6 million) and Iron Man 2 ($128.1 million), according to insidemovies.ew.com. Rotten Tomatoes gave this movie a 78% rating, which was well deserved. Though I can’t decide which of the Iron Man movies is my favorite, if you’re a sucker for superheroes, don’t miss this movie.

By Brittany Corneilson

Part 3: Stronger

As soon as Breta transitioned to Rusk Rehabilitation Center, it became clear she wasn’t giving up easily. Her competitive spirit and inquisitive nature fueled her accelerated recovery, and before long, the therapists hardly knew what to do with her.

They ran her through the typical therapy types: occupational, speech and physical. They had her perform procedural tasks to ensure her implicit memory hadn’t been impaired; she cooked food and vacuumed the floor like a housemaid. They tested her language skills in everyday conversation. They gave her rapid IQ tests, which she found “really fun.”

“It got to be this race between the speech therapist and Breta to finish all these tests,” Ms. Phillips said. “I think that probably helped boost Breta a little, when she could see her own progress. The physical therapy probably was the slowest, and that’s probably because of the nerve damage, and the muscle and the swelling.”

Breta breezed through all of her therapeutic tests, unless they dealt with her “subordinate leg.”

Breta breezed through each challenge, unless it dealt with physical therapy. She was consistently frustrated with her physical state, referring to her right leg as her “subordinate leg.” In the accident, she’d nearly crushed her right side. She had abrasions across her right quadricep, where the rock had scraped six square inches of her skin off. There were scrapes and a laceration across her left leg, while her right arm was also marked with scratches. But her right leg had taken the most damage. The muscles were destroyed to the point that they broke and “bounced back.” A large bump rose on Breta’s thigh, where the accumulated muscle fibers had curled around themselves.

“If I would jog or run, it would feel like every step you took, your whole leg would jar and someone was repeatedly hitting a bruise,” Breta said. “I could not run, which was probably one of the worst things. I got to finally sprint for the first time during Christmas break, which was about a month later. And it felt really good, but it was one of those things where it’s like, ‘I can’t believe I’ve lost this,’ because it’s such a basic [thing]. You never would’ve thought you would lose the ability to do something that’s such a part of your life. But you get through it.”

While Breta quickly conquered cognitive tests and wrestled through physical tests while she was conscious, her subconscious battled against her. Throughout her recovery at Rusk, she suffered from vivid nightmares. While some dreams focused around the accident, others threw Breta’s worst fears at her. Breta told Joanna about her awful nights, and Joanna felt horrible being unable to do anything for her. She could only be at Breta’s side and listen to her. So instead, Joanna improvised for words of advice.

“Sometimes I felt like I didn’t have good enough words to say to her,” Joanna said, “and I remember when she had all the nightmares and stuff, I wrote down a bunch of quotes and Bible verses and brought them to her, because I was like, ‘You know, sometimes, I don’t know what to say, and there’s nothing I can physically do except be encouragement for you.’ I wish I could’ve fought the battle with her recovery, but I guess that was something she had to do on her own.”

Even with all the positive encouragement, it was difficult for Breta to keep a positive outlook. She felt small. She felt trapped. But, above all, she felt weak.

On their drives together, Clara would attempt to lighten Breta’s mood with Kelly Clarkson’s hit single, “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”. She would crank up the music and watch as Breta’s eyes narrowed, unhappy with the choice of song.

“I didn’t think it was true. I’m not stronger. [I’m] weaker than I was before. I have muscle damage; I’m physically weaker,” Breta said. “It took a while to realize that, no, I’m going to prove that that song can be true. … I guess I got really determined that I wasn’t going to let this consume me.”

After four days at Rusk, Breta left the inpatient services and headed home with doctors’ blessings. She was in the hospital and rehabilitation for eight days total.

But her recovery was far from over.

For the next two to three weeks, Breta returned to Rusk for outpatient therapy. There she ran through the same exercises, worked with the same “subordinate leg,” and watched herself make slow, slow progress. She hated visiting the rehabilitation center; she wanted to be stronger again, to have control over her life once more.  But every time she went, she left with a returned sense of spirit and thankfulness.

“Whenever I’d go, I’d see in the waiting room people who were in so much worse condition,” Breta said. “Lots of them are in permanent conditions that they won’t be able to heal from … Even what happened to me, in comparison to what has happened to other people … it was trivial. If it were a book, it’d only be a couple pages.”

Watching the drastically changed lives of the patients around her, Breta was able to come to terms with her own accident. She realized her split-second, daredevil decision could have “affected my life in a very negative way.”

“They say once you fall 15 feet, you have a fifty-fifty chance of living. I fell 30, and the fact that I didn’t die … I should have at least been paralyzed,” Breta said. “If I wasn’t paralyzed, I should at least have broken a few bones. … I didn’t have any of those things.”

What Breta did have was mood swings. Due to her concussion and the resulting spiked hormone levels, her attitude inexplicably shifted from ecstatic to depressed in a matter of minutes. It was almost as if she’d acquired manic depressive disorder. One moment, she’d be optimistic about her recovery, and then the next she’d be cursing her injured right leg.

But unusually, Breta could actually recognize when she was having a mood swing, Mrs. Phillips said. She would know that nothing had significantly changed in a few minutes, but she still felt negative and down. Together, Breta and her family would find ways to cope with them and work through it. Above all, the family would ask Breta, “Who’s in charge?”

And, again, she’d always have an answer.

That answer – Breta’s faith – helped her through the tough times at home. Her teachers gave her a reprieve from finals, accepting the grade she’d had before the accident. Her classmates brought her schoolwork to keep her busy. She continued to exercise her injuries, getting “better every day,” Clara said.

In time, just as cabin fever was taking hold, Breta’s doctors cleared her to go to Florida for a family vacation, which provided some much needed rest and relaxation with extended family.

***

When Breta returned to school, she and Joanna received a pleasant surprise. Unbeknownst to Breta, the substitute in her Civil Engineering class at the Career Center was none other than Mark Bowles. She, flitting between states of consciousness at their first meeting, did not recognize him, which was fine with Bowles. He could see everything he needed to know; Breta appeared to be fully recovered and was doing fine, so he saw no need to talk with her.

Then Joanna walked in.

“Joanna was basically screaming, she was so excited,” Breta said. “We were just really, really happy for getting to finally see him, and for me, it was like finally being able to know who it was that had made such a big impact on what happened to me.”

Bowles and Brookins had mainly stayed out of Breta’s business since the accident, not wishing to intrude on the family. But seeing Breta alive and well, walking on her own two legs, quelled all of Bowles’ fears that she might not have made a full recovery. He immediately sent a text to Brookins, who had since moved out of town.

Brookins was totally elated that she was recovered. It was like reading an ongoing story with a victorious feeling, Brookins said. He realized after-the-fact that the rescue truly was miraculous.

Since Breta’s fall, Brookins has decided to pursue a medical career as an emergency medical technician and is currently in training. Bowles said he fits the job description perfectly.

“I hate it when people feel helpless. It bothers me. I heard her friend Joanna calling her, and I didn’t hear Breta responding to her, and I knew that both of them needed help,” Brookins said. “It was important for us to be of assistance. … By no means were Mark and I professionals, we were just friendly individuals, and we just responded.”

Part 4: Ever After

It is now May, and Breta’s made a long climb back to health. On the surface, Breta seems completely recovered from the fall, and for the most part, she is. She can walk, talk and act like nothing ever happened. She’s back in school, back with her friends, and even back to taking the occasional stroll through Rock Bridge State Park. But even with months separating her accident and the present day, a few things are still slightly off.

Before the fall, Breta could juggle a soccer ball around 400 times in a row. She worked every single day after school in her garage or driveway from her eighth grade year through her tenth grade year. It was a huge triumph for her, a matter of pride and of hard work. Now, all that work has disappeared. She consistently hits 40-50 juggles in a row and is consistently frustrated.

Her vision post-accident changed too. While optometrists told her she had 20/20 vision, Breta knew that something was off with her eyesight. She sometimes has trouble reading the board in her classes, a problem considering the gauntlet of difficult classes she takes. She plans on picking up some non-prescription glasses to augment her vision.

Despite being a daredevil at heart, Breta’s acquired an element of caution since her accident. She’s more hesitant to try daring stunts and activities, she said, and heights now give her minute glimpses of her fall; flashbacks that flood her, momentarily, with emotion.

“I went back to [Rock Bridge State Park] to see if I would get flashbacks like they do in movies, because I didn’t think those were true, but it turns out that you really do get flashbacks,” Breta said. “So I went back to see if that would happen, and it did, but for the actual falling part, I only got flashbacks of the emotion, not what I’d actually seen. I could only feel fear and stuff. But it’s okay, I kind of wish I could remember the whole thing.”

The hesitancy is slightly jarring to Breta, who is used to taking leaps and bounds on a regular basis. It bothers her that she was bested by the cliff, and she wants to “beat it” again, albeit in a safe way. Breta has learned more about risk-management through the ordeal, and the whole experience has built her up as a person, Mrs. Phillips said.

“I’m convinced Breta is a lot stronger person than she thought she was. And I think she’s going to be a lot more insightful,” Mrs. Phillips said. “And I hope that, maybe because it happened to her, someone else might think twice about climbing over that railing.”

***

It was a few weeks after the accident, when Ms. Phillips was going through some of Breta’s old things, that she stumbled across a rather perplexing piece of paper. After reading the first few lines, she realized she’d found Breta’s bucket list. Scrawled across the page were all the things Breta wished to try, all the places she wished to go, all the sights she wished to see.

One of those wishes? Ride in a helicopter. Another? Visit the ER.

“I was thinking, ‘You have the ER on your bucket list?’” Mrs. Phillips said. Breta replied “‘Well, not to be a patient there. I was just going to go see it.’”

Thanks to her accident, Breta’s now seen an ER and flown in a helicopter, even though she can’t remember the ride. In fact, it took her days to remember the accident itself. For one of the first times in her life, Breta was completely out of control of her life. In the end, it taught her to relish every moment with her loved ones, to be careful with her fragile life, and to trust in her faith.

“You realize how powerless you are. No matter how much you want something to change, no matter how much you’re willing to try. For me, I didn’t deal well with not [being in] control,” Breta said. “Whenever I’ve had something that I couldn’t do, I’ve worked for it. When I couldn’t juggle, I juggled every day because I wanted to be able to do it, and it paid off. So not being able to do something and not being able to do anything about it was something that was definitely a really hard point for me. And my faith was definitely helping with that, because I realized I just had to ‘give it over.’”

What is your favorite Marvel movie?

Welcome to Ask Jake, Bearing News’ first online advice column.

ANYONE can send in questions by either dropping questions into the Ask Jake box in the journalism (room 329), or by emailing the questions to askjake@bearingnews.org. There are, however, a few ground rules:

1. I will not answer anything that isn’t school appropriate.

2. I will answer all the questions I can within the 10 minute time slot.

3. I will NOT read any of these questions beforehand — despite temptation to do so.

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in these are solely of the individual Jake Alden and are not the views of BEARING NEWS, its parent, affiliate or subsidiary companies. Follow said advice at your own risk.

By Jake Alden

Feature photo by Maddy Jones

As the temperature rises and spring comes upon us, that only means one thing; spring break is near. With the impending spring break season coming up many young men and women look to tanning beds and artificial tanning to spruce up for the beach time rays. Weeks before spring break people rush to tanning salons hoping to hide their sun deprived skin. Though this may sound typical and harmless, research suggests that even minimal amounts of tanning can be harmful and lead to Melanoma, a form of skin cancer.

“I usually just tan before spring break so I don’t get burnt the first couple days on spring break,” senior Hannah Dougherty said, “but I think there are side effects because its such a high amount of radiation in a short period of time.”

Although there are benefits to being out in the sun such as getting vitamin D, most dermatologists say that it depends on the person and the dosage they are getting each time they step out into the sun. As for exposure, the “dose” and its timing are crucial. Several studies have suggested that suddenly getting a lot of sun is more dangerous than steady exposure over time according to Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide.

“It’s usually just the combination of many different things such as using tanning beds and getting a lot of sun exposure plus not wearing adequate amounts of sun protectant,” Dana Ward, University of Missouri dermatologist said, “It really is just all these things, tanning beds just promote more exposure to harmful ultraviolet rays which can in turn, produce Melanoma.”

Tanning beds can also cause more than just cancer, they can also lead to premature wrinkling and rashes as well as dry, rough skin. In addition to that it can also easily cause burns to the corneas, retinal damage and cataracts if proper eye protection isn’t worn.

However, some say that tanning, within proper moderation, is healthy and promotes a healthy lifestyle saying it relaxes you and produces vitamin D which your body needs.

“We obviously promote indoor tanning,” Whitney Meyer, manager at Tan Company said. “We do not suggest a recommended dosage, but we do want to encourage people to wear proper tanning lotion and skin protectants in order to make indoor tanning safe.

 Tanning salons usually suggest proper amounts of time for each individual to be in a specific bed.  Someone who usually never tans is recommended to tan for shorter amount of time as opposed to people who have tanned throughout the year.  They also advise to buy quality tanning lotion compared to generic store brands and encourage the use of sunscreen if you feel necessary.

Although it might have sounded like nagging when mothers were constantly nag about lathering on the sunscreen on family vacations, the skin will definitely need that SPF 50. Whether one uses indoor tanning or not it is important to know if Melanoma runs in the family.  A person can be more prone to having skin cancer if people in the family have or have had a form of skin cancer. Regardless of the type of skin, every time skin is exposed to UV rays, there is dangerous  exposure to carcinogens.

By Carleigh Thrower

Photo by Manal Salim

As the year is drawing to a close for RBHS seniors, their high school careers are ending, and many have already decided what course to take in their post-high school careers.  However, while many seniors are finished searching for their future, juniors have only just begun a long road ahead in obtaining a potential post-secondary education.

Despite the usual route many RBHS students take, junior counselor Leslie Kersha explains how this search process for a college, university, or technical school, should have started years before junior year.

“I think [the college search] is something that should be started even sooner than junior year, and I think it’s a good idea for, as early as freshman and sophomores to be doing research,” Kersha said. “There’s a lot of colleges, and a lot of options out there, and honestly I don’t think you could start too soon, but I definitely think you can wait until too late.”

At RBHS, Kersha explains that the counselors really hit hard on the college search junior year because students are expected to go into their senior year actually having a list of three to five colleges that they know they want to apply to. If students wait until their senior year to try to figure colleges out, they have senior year classes and  application processes, which involve writing essays and getting letters of recommendation, according to Kersha.

Aside from the excessive workload that students will face if they put off the college search until senior year, junior counselor Jordan Alexander describes various other factors that could affect the college selection process if put off until the last minute.

“College preparation is a process, not an event,” Alexander said. “So definitely, students should be engaging in certain aspects of the college planning process during their junior year. Developing an awareness of your skills and interests actually begins several years earlier. The rationale for engaging in college planning as a junior is that there are deadlines for college admission.”

In order to avoid starting too late, and the negative implications including limited exploration, excessive pressure, and a feeling of rushing through the various tasks as deadlines approach, both Kersha and Alexander provide essential advice necessary to making the college search as smooth of a process as possible.

Step 1: Have a good idea of all the colleges out there

“We have college representatives here on our campus, all the time, and so we keep a list of that on our guidance website. And honestly, it’s a resource that’s way underutilized. I’ll see a college rep here, and they’re maybe talking to one or two students, which makes me kind of sad, because that’s a perfect opportunity for students to get initial information. I mean I always think a student should visit the college they are considering seriously, they need to get on a campus and go, but sometimes with that initial conversation, they can kind of decide this isn’t the place for me, so they don’t waste their time or money actually going.” -Leslie Kersha

“Throughout the year, many Missouri colleges, and others, send college recruiters to RBHS to meet and inform students about their academics, housing, and social and athletic opportunities at their schools.  These informal visits can help students decide which schools they may want to further research or visit.  Other strategies include matching your career interests with majors at different schools.  Students can also begin by deciding if they wish to attend public vs. private, small vs. medium vs. large schools, or look at geographical location to begin their search.  There are a number of ways to search through college websites as well, such as through www.collegeboard.com.” -Dr. Jordan Alexander

Step 2: Find out more about the college you wish to attend

“Obviously, you want to know what the admissions requirements are, so you can see if it’s a place that you would be admitted. And once again, it’s better to do this earlier rather than later because if as a freshman or sophomore, you know what the college requires, you can make sure over the next few years, that you try to meet those admissions requirements. Obviously, financial aid information is always a big deal. Size of the school is another thing, whether or not the student wants to go to a large university where they’re around thousands of people versus a very small private school, where maybe there’s only one or two thousand people on campus, and trying to figure all that out. What demographic, as far as do they want to stay in Missouri, and if so, do they want to be in a smaller town, or a larger town, or does it matter? Or do they want to get out of the state?” -Leslie Kersha

“There are a number of factors to consider when looking for a good college match. Some important factors to consider are majors that are consistent with your desired career area,having GPA and ACT scores that are consistent with the college requirements or averages, talking with faculty and current students to get an impression of the learning atmosphere and general satisfaction of students presently enrolled, meeting with financial aid representative to determine estimates of parent share and scholarship and loan amounts.” -Dr. Jordan Alexander

Step 3: Keep an open mind throughout the process

“Starting early, in my opinion, does not lead to being stuck with one certain college.  If you think you know where you want to attend, do some research into that school and visit.  Then look at a few other options and visit those if you can.  What you think you know about a school might change once you do some research.  On a personal note, I thought I wanted to attend a large state school.  But when I visited that school and then a smaller, private school, I found the smaller school was a much better fit for me.  The visit made all the difference.  Keeping an open-mind also means that your search might look different that your friends.  You will certainly make new friends wherever you end up, so remember that your best fit should be an individual process of gathering information, talking with parents and other trusted adults, and organizing your information so that you can make the best decision for your future.” -Dr. Jordan Alexander

By Manal Salim 

The teams shake hands at the end of the game. Photo by Laurel Critchfield

The boys baseball team wrapped up its home schedule with a 4-2 win against cross-town rivals, Hickman High School on Senior Night.

The Bruins scored one run in both the second and third inning and added two runs in the fourth inning. Sophomore Connor Brumfield, junior Michael Buxton and seniors David Plain and Jansen Smith all contributed with RBI singles.

The game was smooth sailing for the Bruins until the top of the fifth inning when Kewpie lead-off hitter, junior Colby Fitch, laced a double into the outfield off of sophomore pitcher Logan Twehous.

With one out, a runner on second and the heart of the Kewpie lineup coming up things looked precarious for the Bruins as the Kewpies looked ready to explode offensively.

The next batter, senior Jonathan Jones ripped another double but, as Fitch headed for home Jones tried to advance to third on the throw to the plate and ended up being tagged out in a run down situation. Now with two outs on the base running error and the bases empty, Twehous forced Hickman senior Jake Cowan to fly out and end the inning.

The Kewpies would threaten again in the sixth inning with back to back leadoff singles by seniors Jared Hyler and Aaron Tajnai. After a shallow fly out to left, junior Carter Buresh drove home Hyler with a RBI single. With runners at first and second Hickman again looked poised to score big, but junior Ryan Bernskoetter pitching in relief of Twehous forced the Kewpies’ eighth hitter to ground into a double play ending the threat.

From there the Kewpies went quietly as Bernskoetter retired the side in order to end the seventh.

Sophomore Chandler Wyatt picked up the win for the Bruins as he threw four scoreless frames and struck out two batters. Bernskoetter threw 1 and 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out two batters in the top of the seventh and got the save.

By Graham Ratermann

Click to view slideshow.

Photos by Laurel Critchfield

The Bruins play tomorrow at Fatima before beginning district action Saturday at Vivion Field in Jefferson City. With the win against district foe Hickman, the Bruins hope to have locked up the one or two seed at districts and the first round bye that comes with the top two seeds.

Talking to senior Morgan Widhalm, Mary Margaret Coffield advises her on make up choices. Coffield learned earlier Friday at the Flashback assembly that she was Teacher of the Year. Photo by Mikaela Acton

Belatedly, I am finding my voice, to thank my school community upon being named RBHS Teacher of the Year. Having that recognition is a confidence boost — suggesting that the ways in which I approach teaching are understood, perhaps effective, and certainly appreciated. That means so much. It’s a huge boost!

Each May assembly when the “drum roll” starts to announce this distinction, I look about at so many colleagues in that gym who could easily be the person with plaque and bouquet in their arms. I know that I am not unique. This school is rich in gifted teachers, and the students know it. Almost every student has a favorite teacher.

In a wave, the patrons passed the flames to the back and flooded the chapel in the white, twinkling light. After 40 days of preparation, the Greek Orthodox Christians welcomed the resurrection of their savior, Jesus Christ, with joy and celebration.

“They’re all carrying candles and everyone is singing songs, and it’s really a beautiful way to cherish the moment,” senior Maria Kalaitzandonakes said. “You’re surrounded not only by your entire church but also the angels, also the saints that have gone on, and also all of the deceased that you miss from your church.”

The Easter service, or Pascha in the Eastern Orthodoxy, took place today at Saint Luke, 1510 Audubon Dr., the only Greek Orthodox Church in Columbia. For many Western Church Christians who celebrated Easter in March this year, this is two months late. The date is different for the two denominations because the two churches follow different calendars and moon cycles. The date is not the only distinctive aspect of Eastern Orthodox Easter either.

While the devotional core of Easter is the same for both religions, to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, cultural and ritual variations between religious sects make the Easter traditions diverse.

For the Greek Orthodox, a 40 day period prior to Pascha consists of a period called Lent. Preceding these 40 days, Orthodox Christians celebrate four preparatory Sundays to transition to the season of fasting and waiting, Kalaitzandonakes said. Orthodox Christians are encouraged to give up certain things such as tobacco, alcohol and oil along with meat products, dairy products and fish. This period of preparation and self examination, according to goarch.org, allow the faithful to evaluate their faith and strengthen it through more prayer and a devotional life.

“Eastern Orthodox Easter is something that you prepare for for a long period of time before hand,” Kalaitzandonakes said, “You have to fast, and you have to say your daily prayers, as you should already be doing, but you know, up that to a higher level. You spend a lot of your day thinking about what’s to come and cleansing yourself and trying to push yourself to be a better person so when it (Easter) comes you are deserving of it or closer to be deserving of it, of the gift of Jesus coming back.”

Through the lenten period, five Sundays are celebrated before the final Sunday marks the start of Holy Week. Palm Sunday through Holy Saturday are celebrated by daily masses and lead up to the Resurrection Mass on Saturday night. After the resurrection mass, the fast is broken on Sunday. Easter Sunday is a day full of exhilaration and joy.

“On Easter Sunday when Holy Week’s finally over we roast a goat on a spit at a house, whoever volunteers to host it, and we eat the goat,” freshman Kat Sarafianos said.

Along with goat meat, there is also mayiritsa soup and tsoureki bread, all traditional components of the Easter meal. There was mayiritsa soup prepared in the church’s kitchen for the congregation and Tsoureki bread was being sold at the front of the church. The tsoureki bread often has a red egg in the center, and red eggs are also used in an a traditional Easter game.

The game, called tsougrisma, involves red dyed eggs being cracked against one another, the red symbolizing the blood of Christ, the egg representing the sealed tomb, and the cracking of the egg representing the resurrection. Each person has a red dyed egg and they tap it against other people’s eggs with one person saying “Christ is risen” and the other responds “truly risen”. At the end, the person with the least cracked egg is the winner, and they are considered lucky.

In 2014, the Easters of all Christian denominations will coincide on April 20th. Saint Luke Greek Orthodox Church will once again hold their Holy Week services and celebrations.
“Any day of the year, any time we’re having a service, anybody is welcome,” Kalaitzandonakes said. “We welcome visitors.”

By Sophi Whyte and Emily Franke

Sophomore Joe Barbee races to third base during Rock Bridge’s April 25 against Kirksville. Photo by Asa Lory

Saturday was a mixed bag for Bruin baseball.

In the morning game against Blue Springs South, the Bruins won 7-6. The Bruins had a second reason to celebrate as sophomore Joe Barbee stole two bases to break the school’s record. Barbee has 19 on the season.

But as the temperature continued to fall on the baseball diamond, the Rock Bridge baseball team proceeded to lose their endurance in the second game of the day against Christian Brothers College High School. The Bruins fell 11-0, finishing in a shortened six inning matchup.

“We just weren’t there,” senior Matt Priest said. “Mentally our heads weren’t screwed in, and I think we were intent with winning our first game earlier this morning. We kind of shut it off after that.”

CBC, however, unlike the Bruins, continued their success from earlier in the day. Shortly after defeating Blue Springs South, the CBC Cadets got off to a fast start, scoring a quick three runs in the top of the first inning with a pair of RBI doubles from junior infielder Desmond Parrish and junior outfielder Wade Jansen. The CBC bats would cool down slightly, but by the fourth, nothing could stand in the way of the Cadets offense. Obtaining eight hits during the half inning, the scoring was capitalized by a grand slam from senior Justin Paulsen off of RB sophomore pitcher Adam Lafferty.

While the CBC offense was on fire, the pitching was not far behind. Facing senior Colin Burnham on the mound, the Bruins were only able to crank out five hits while at the plate. RB senior shortstop Mike Nemec reached first on a single in the bottom of the first, and his teammates junior Michael Buxton and  sophomore Joe Barbee added a pair of singles an inning later. In the waning moments of the game, senior Jansen Smith and junior Brady Pfeiffer got on base as well.

Regardless, the work by Burnham was more than enough as he picked up the complete game shut-out. Burnham, who completed all six innings and was rewarded with the win, is a left handed pitcher, a rare opponent for Rock Bridge.

For the Bruins, the difficulty of facing a southpaw on the mound as well as playing two games in the cold May weather, were not excuses for the loss. Rather, the drawbacks were weaknesses to perfect before the final three games of the regular season.

“We just need to come out ready to play. Better approaches at the plate, solid defense, make routine plays, don’t mess up, and throw strikes,” Priest concluded. “If we do that we’ll win. Just not what we did today.”

By Brayden Parker
The Bruins (19-6) play at home next Monday against crosstown rival Hickman.

Sophomore Joe Barbee races to third base during Rock Bridge’s April 25 against Kirksville. Photo by Asa Lory

As the temperature continued to fall on the baseball diamond, the Rock Bridge Baseball Team proceeded to lose their endurance in the second game of the day against Christian Brothers College High School. After taking the first game earlier this morning, 7-6 over Blue Springs South, the Bruins fell 11-0, finishing in a shortened six inning matchup.

“We just weren’t there,” Rock Bridge senior Matt Priest said. “Mentally our heads weren’t screwed in and I think we were intent with winning our first game earlier this morning. We kind of shut it off after that.”

CBC, however, unlike the Bruins, continued their success from earlier in the day. Shortly after defeating Blue Springs South, the CBC Cadets got off to a fast start, scoring a quick three runs in the top of the first inning with a pair of RBI doubles from junior infielder Desmond Parrish and junior outfielder Wade Jansen. The CBC bats would cool down slightly, but by the fourth, nothing could stand in the way of the Cadets offense. Obtaining eight hits during the half inning, the scoring was capitalized by a grand slam from senior Justin Paulsen off of RB sophomore pitcher Adam Lafferty.

While the CBC offense was on fire, the pitching was not far behind. Facing senior Colin Burnham on the mound, the Bruins were only able to crank out five hits while at the plate. RB senior shortstop Mike Nemec reached first on a single in the bottom of the first, and his teammates junior Michael Buxton and  sophomore Joe Barbee added a pair of singles an inning later. In the waning moments of the game, senior Jansen Smith and junior Brady Pfeiffer got on base as well.

Regardless, the work by Burnham was more than enough as he picked up the complete game shut-out. Burnham, who completed all six innings and was rewarded with the win, is a left handed pitcher, a rare opponent for Rock Bridge.

For the Bruins, the difficulty of facing a left handed pitcher as well as playing two games in the cold May weather, were not excuses for the loss. Rather, the drawbacks were weaknesses to perfect before the final three games of the regular season.

“We just need to come out ready to play. Better approaches at the plate, solid defense, make routine plays, don’t mess up, and throw strikes,” Priest concluded. “If we do that we’ll win. Just not what we did today.”

The Bruins (19-6) play at home next Monday against crosstown rival Hickman.

By Brayden Parker

Photo By Mikaela Acton

For some, the Theatrical Showcase is the culmination of their first year of performing arts education at Rock Bridge. For others it is their last hurrah, the final performance before they graduate.

Featuring selections from Hair, The Importance of Being Earnest and Off the Map, this year’s showcase contains a variety of scenes from musicals and straight plays. The performance is a joint production of the Advanced Acting and Musical Theatre classes and is co-directed by Mike Pierson and Mary-Margaret Coffield. The two groups have rehearsed for many weeks before putting the performance together this week.

“In class I think we ran a month or two,” sophomore Raychel Mooney said, “but we didn’t put it all together until this week.”

Mooney, who is Kid Fiona in Shrek, a jester in Magic to Do and a hippy in Hair, says the showcase is exciting because she is “able to have the experience of being in a bunch of different shows at once; just seeing everything come together.”

Junior Andrew Pierce plays the Penguin in “Off the Map,” a scene in which a young couple struggling through their marriage gets lost in Antarctica. Because of his discussion with the penguin, Scott (senior Troy Guthrie) rediscovers his love for his wife.

“I’m looking forward to most about performing the interesting characters,” Pierce said. “I play a very interesting character, and I’m interested in seeing how the audience reacts to that.”

Most scenes generally caused a reaction of uproarious laughter, even Blithe Spirit. In this selection, Madame Arcati (senior Lauren Puckett) attempts to free Charles Condomine (senior Asa Lory) from his two dead wives. The ghosts, played by seniors Carmel Shaka and Morgan Widhalm, have come back to haunt him.

“I’m definitely excited for the reactions people are going to get once they see me and Morgan [Widhalm] on stage because I usually don’t look this white,” Shaka said. “Also, I just am hoping that all the work I’ve put in to it and stuff because it’s been a lot more intense than … so far I just hope it all goes over well. I don’t want anyone to fall asleep. I want them to be like ‘wow’ and just like stay in the scene with us. That’s what I’m really excited about. If I can do that I know I’ll have had a really successful year and my hard work has paid off. Right now I’m just excited about this. It’s going to be a really good show.”

The final performance of the Theatrical Showcase is at 7:00 tonight (Saturday) in the PAC. Admission is $6 or an activity pass.

By Brett Stover

Click to view slideshow.

Photos by Mikaela Acton

Did you get to see the Theatrical Showcase Friday? What did you think?

Image used under fair use doctrine

Twenty years in the music industry has yet to take a toll on country star Kenny Chesney’s ability to please his fans. The 45-year-old singer/song-writer released his 16th studio album, “Life on a Rock,” less than 11 months after the release of his previous album, “Welcome to the Fishbowl.” “Life on a Rock” is one of Chesney’s most personal albums, painting pictures of what he refers to as his “other life” in the Virgin Islands. Having written or co-written eight of the 10 tracks, each song draws inspiration from daily life, experiences, and people met during his time in the Caribbean.

The album begins with “Pirate Flag,” also the first single released from the album in February, reaching number 9 on the U.S. Country charts. The tune takes after many  other recently popular country songs, modeling a feel closer to that of rock and eerily similar to Tom Petty’s “Mary Jane’s Last Dance.” One of Chesney’s favorite records, “Pirate Flag” stands unique among the other 9 tracks. While the rest of the album also reflects on life in the tropics, the style of “Pirate Flag” fails to set the listener up for the rest of “Life on a Rock,” contrasting greatly from the breezy island summer day feel of songs such as “Coconut Tree” or “It’s That Time of Day.”

However, after “Pirate Flag,” you will feel each track lower your heart rate just a little bit more as the soothing sound waves and ideas of ocean waves simultaneously take over you. Pulsed by the soft sounds of shakers, bongos, and the rhythmic strumming of an acoustic guitar, Chesney delves into some of his and his friends’ life experiences, exploring memories of people in “Lindy,” “Marley,” and “Happy on the Hey Now (A Song for Kristi).” However, he doesn’t forget to leave the listener daydreaming of “parrots and pigeons and mangoes and salt on a stick” with his title track and “sunny skies as far as I can see” in “Coconut Tree,” featuring old-time country artist Willie Nelson.

The third track on the album, “Spread the Love,” features The Wailers and explores a reggae sound much different from any of Chesney’s previous music. While clearly conveying a stereotypical island feel, recent events led Chesney to put a philanthropic spin on the mellow groove. In light of the bombing at the Boston Marathon on April 15, Chesney started the “Spread the Love Fund.” All proceeds from downloads of “Spread the Love” go to those injured in the Boston Marathon in need of prosthetics. On his official website, Chesney says “For me,  I want to help give these people as much of their lives back as possible, but I’d also like to counteract some of the negativity in the world … Remind people that there are more good people out there, and it’s up to us to ‘Spread the Love.’”

Lilting and relaxing, Kenny Chesney’s newest album will straight up leave you longing to grab your sunglasses and fall asleep seaside under the sun.  I look forward to sitting in my car, putting my feet up on the dash, sipping lemonade, and drifting away to my own island world with “Life On A Rock”in the lazy summer days ahead.

By Alyssa Sykuta

This year’s assembly also reunited many former administrators and alumni to celebrate RBHS’s 40th anniversary.

Dr. Wayne Walker, the first principal of RBHS and creator of the motto ”freedom with responsibility,” spoke at the assembly Friday morning. He especially took pride in Rock Bridge’s environment.

“Traditionally, we felt like schools were very rigid and very structured,” Walker said. “People were expected to graduate high school and walk across the stage and get their diploma, then go to college and know how to manage their time and make decisions when they never had to do that before.”

After Walker retired from RBHS in 1992, he focused on his family, saying his greatest accomplishment since he left was his grandchildren. But he said he still holds a fondness for the students here.

“The fact that [RBHS] started so small, and grew to be so big is amazing,” he said.

Kathy Ritter, who served the role of math teacher, activities principal and school principal for 20 years, said although RBHS has doubled in size since it first opened its doors, the spirit of putting the students first has remained a constant.

“The teachers would always say, ‘How do we keep it personal? How do we pay attention to one student at a time,’” said Ritter, who retired in 2010, “‘and keep the freedom with responsibility?’”

Her favorite thing about RBHS, she said, were the students.

“They always have been and always will be my favorite part of Rock Bridge,” said Ritter who, since retirement, has traveled the world, visiting France, Italy, Rwanda and other exotic locations.

Administrators weren’t the only ones to attend the assembly. Donna Snyder, one of the secretaries here when it first started in 1973, reminisced on old, yet fond memories.

“We were all like a family,” Snyder said. “My favorite part about [RBHS] was the sense of camaraderie that came with the job. It’s great that we can come back after so many years and still be good friends.”

Updated May 5 by Yasmeen Taranissi

Today was the final assembly of the school year, also known as the Flashback Assembly, giving seniors a last look and reflection of the past year. The day that so many hoped and dreaded – graduation – is just around the corner on May 24. With only two weeks left of school for the seniors, those present joined together in the gym to meet name the teacher of the year, ‘Bruin of My Life’ recipients and the ‘Everyday Bruin’  recipients.

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By Drew Rodgers

Click to view slideshow.

Photos by Mikaela Acton

Today marked the last assembly for Rock Bridge’s 2013 class, and wrapped up the year with performances and awards that showcased the very best of RBHS. It was a special event, with dozens of former teachers and administrators present, recognizing the 40th anniversary of the school.

It’s a shame that today we must also recognize the atrocious way we students treat our classmates in performing arts.

Rock Bridge’s Jazz Ensemble performs during the May 2 Assembly. Photo by Mikaela Acton

Each assembly starts and ends with the jazz ensemble playing songs as we arrive, songs the musicians have spent countless hours of practice perfecting, only to receive no  acknowledgement other than from rehearsed MCs. But this is to be expected, for at these moments, the band is just playing background music to usher classmates and teachers in and out. Later they’ll get their moment to shine, showcasing their talent and hard work in a performance just for them.

But as we all know, their moment of glory rarely comes. Sure, there are individual moments where friends cheer for their drummer friend or teachers lead a standing ovation, but for the most part, we ignore the band. We ridicule them by mocking how they close their eyes during intense moments of the song or the rests that  we perceive as awkward silences, not understanding complex musical arrangements. What was with that solo? It was all over the place. How embarrassing for them. And for all their hard work, these students don’t even get to play on the stage, forcing the camera to shakily pan across the sea of students who are more interested with their hand being on screen than recognizing the musicians.

Things didn’t improve this morning when our award-winning show choirs went on stage. These performers are phenomenal – there’s no debating it. Straight out of performing at the Grand Ole Opry and winning best in show, champions in the glee club world, Rock Bridge can boast a truly amazing musical team. But by the way we treated them, you’d never know it.

A show choir performance is not meant to be a typical sight, and for that reason, today they wore outrageous, sparkling dresses, and even the boys had caked-on layers of makeup. It’s necessary for performers to overdo it a little so everyone in the audience, regardless of proximity, can get the full effect. Instead of understanding this, students took to making fun of these musicians and actors, and taking pictures for Twitter. In a move so stereotypical it deserved to be in a 1980s John Hughes film, an RBHS student tweeted,  “Why would you take part in this,” captioning a blurry picture of City Lights’ performance. It garnered eight favorites and one retweet.

City Lights performs “Welcome to the Mad House” during the May 2 RBHS Assembly. Photo by Mikaela Acton

But a better question is, why would you tweet that? Why would you make others feel bad about a performance and a group that is exceptional in what they do? The students who favorited the tweet should be equally ashamed. The internet is a place where it’s incredibly easy to be mean, but a trial to do the right thing. Because of this, at least eight students decided to encourage the bullying, and dozens more ignored it altogether, thinking it’s best to just stay out of it. By going along with it, we proved how gutless high school students can be when it comes to standing up for one another, and that for all the progressive, accepting traditions at RBHS, we haven’t learned anything at all.

At RBHS, we pride ourselves in our athletic and academic achievements, yet we ignore and ridicule those who step outside the box and shine in a more creative way. It’s unacceptable, and a disgraceful way to close 40 years of our school’s open and free traditions. Hopefully, we as a student body can learn from this, and show performers the respect they deserve. We need to take the plunge and cheer on our school’s artists. A standing ovation at every note isn’t expected, but showing some interest during and after shouldn’t be too hard.

Most importantly, we need to stand up for the kids who sing and drum and strum the guitar. They put their music on the line when they get on stage, or below it for that matter, so maybe we can risk a little popularity so that at our 45th or 50th anniversary, we’ll commend not only the kids with their 4.0s, and the all-state basketball champions, but also the piano soloist.

By Jilly Dos Santos

This is an editorial. For more information on editorials or commentary, click here.

Senior Emily Shaw organized the March for Babies, along with a fundraiser at Shakespeare’s, set for May 5. She hopes to raise money for CHERUBS, the association of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Research., Awareness and Support. Photo by Rachel Kiehne

It was Friday, April 19. Senior Emily Shaw had just received disconcerting news. Her sister’s baby, who was at his 20-week ultrasound, had been diagnosed with CDH, or Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, a birth defect she had never heard of before. “Even though CDH is not uncommon,” Shaw said, “I knew that not many others knew of it either.”

Coming to terms with her nephew’s situation prompted Shaw to spread awareness of CDH.

“Suddenly, it was not just a number or a statistic,” Shaw said. “It was very apparent and personal to my family.”

Instead of giving up hope and dwelling on the unfortunate nature of her family’s situation, Shaw realized she could take action and help other families who have members combating CDH.

CDH is a birth defect that occurs in one out of every 2500 births.  It happens when the diaphragm doesn’t fully form, causing the abdominal organs to move into the chest cavity, leaving little to no room for lung development.

“Fifty percent of babies diagnosed with CDH do not survive,” Shaw said, “and those who do, often experience other disabilities such as neurocognitive delays and behavioral disorders.”

In order for more to be done to prevent the birth defect, Shaw began fundraisers as a way to raise awareness of CDH.  On Sunday, May 5 at 1:30 pm, a 2.5 mile walk called March for Babies will take place at Stephens Lake Park in Columbia. Registration will start at 12:30 pm.

“What I am doing is not just for the benefit of my family,” Shaw said, “but for the thousands of family who have been impacted by CDH or other birth defects.”

Similarly, March for Babies is not an event only held in Columbia but is also held in hundreds of other communities throughout the United States, March of Dimes organizes the March for Babies event. The March of Dimes is an organization originally created in the 1930s to combat polio. Since then, March of Dimes has made their focus more broad to include promoting health for pregnant women and babies. March for Babies began in the 1970s and is a fundraising event designed to raise money for research and programs to help prevent premature birth, birth defects and infant mortality.  

This year, Shaw decided to bring March for Babies to Columbia.This Sunday, May 5th,  at Stephens Lake Park in Columbia, a 2.5 mile walk will take place with registration beginning at 12:30 pm and the walk starting at 1:30 pm.

Shaw decided to bring attention to the event by starting a Facebook page and inviting more than 500 of her friends to it. The effect was instantaneous. “People began commenting immediately,” she said, “voicing their support.”

In addition, Shaw is selling blue wristbands for $2 each. The front reads “CDH Awareness” and her nephew’s name, Hudson Smith, on the back. The proceeds will go to Cherubs,” Shaw said, “an organization focused on giving support to those that have been affected by CDH and on conducting research.”

Furthermore, Shakespeare’s Pizza has agreed to hold a fundraiser on Sunday, the day of March for Babies.

“If you bring in a flier, which I have and can give to anyone who is interested,” Shaw said, “Shakespeare’s will donate 15 percent of your purchase to Cherubs.”

Along with buying Shakespeare’s Pizza and bracelets, Shaw believes people should remember the impact of CDH goes beyond Columbia.

“In general, just remember that what has happened to my family,” Shaw said, “happens to many others as well.”

Contact Emily Shaw on Facebook or at (573)-673-8929 if you would like a bracelet, a flier to bring to Shakespeare’s Pizza this Sunday, or have any questions.

By Fariha Rashid

By John Gillis

Photos by Mikaela Acton

Sophomores Matt Echelmier (left) and Jack Knoesel (right) walk up to their shots on a par five at Lake of the Woods Golf Course. Photo by Maddy Jefferies

It was a hot, sunny day on Monday, April 29; it was also a day in which the RBHS boys golfers were out in a Greene Hills Country Club in Willard, Mo., looking to gain a team position in the sectional tournament.

After hours of tension, sophomore Matt Echelmier was able to put in an easy putt to finish out with medalist honors, or first place among 49 individuals.

On an 18-hole, par 70 course, Echelmier led the team with a final score of a two-over-par 72. Sophomore Jack Knoesel was not far behind and took second with a 74, followed by junior Jackson Dubinski in tenth with an 81. Sophomore Sam Harrison was next with 84 and sophomore Ben Humphreys followed closely with 86.

Echelmier, Knoesel and Dubinski also gained All-District honors.

Finishing with a team score of 311, 19 strokes ahead of Rolla High School in second place, the Bruins advanced over many competitors such as Jefferson City High School with a team score of 337 and Hickman with a 348. Now holding the top spot going into sectionals,  the Bruins are preparing for the upcoming tournament at Eagle Knoll golf course in Ashland, looking to make another run to the state tournament. Winning the district tournament is a huge confidence booster, said Echelmier, which gives the players and coaches time to relax and prepare for sectionals, Monday, May 6.

“With sectionals coming up next week, we will play a practice round the weekend before, which is at Eagle Knoll in Ashland,” Echelmier said.

The golfers are going to practice on their own, too.  Echelmier said they need to use the momentum gained from districts to their advantage, not letting their enthusiasm die out. The end of the year and season being within reach, every golfer must push more now than ever to come out on top, he said.

With the state championship tournament approaching just less than two weeks away on May 13 and 14, focus and determination are essential to their success and a trip to the final tournament.

“The rest of the practice is on our own,” Echelmier said. “Which makes sure we stay dedicated, even while we are only by ourselves.”

By Harsh Singh

Image used with permission: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Isclr.jpg

On the front of it, the Indian Supreme Court’s denial of a patent for Novartis’ new anti-cancer medicine seems like a bad choice. The decision, made just two weeks ago on April 1, would logically stem any type of drug innovation in India. After all, if companies are not allowed to patent their hard work and therefore profit off of it, where’s the motivation to pour time and money into developing newer drugs? After taking a closer look, however, the Court’s decision proves itself to be a pro-people ruling whose positive outcomes outweigh the negative consequences.

Novartis recently developed a new drug, Gleevec, which is purported to combat cancer through interference with “protein Philadelphia,” a molecule that promotes oncogenesis, or the growth of cancerous tissues. Gleevec progressed through all preliminary trials with good results, with many patients showing regular blood tests after treatment, a sign that their cancer went into remission. Because of this, Novartis sought to patent the drug in one of the biggest growing human markets the globe has to offer: India. However, after applying for the patent, the Indian Supreme Court promptly denied Novartis their patent application, meaning that Gleevec can be synthesized and distributed by anyone under generic brand names instead of solely by the parent company.

How, you might ask, does this help anyone? The research scientists who poured hundreds, if not thousands, of hours into such discoveries lose work. The companies who directly fund said scientists lose money. The people themselves lose the improved medicine that result from the aforementioned companies attempting to outperform its competitors in terms of medicinal efficacy. That isn’t just bad, it’s terrible! It’s a lose-lose-lose situation where nobody comes out on top! But to truly understand why the Court decided the issue in the way that it did, we have to take a look at the context.

India is not known for being a particularly rich country. In fact, the per capita earnings for the average Indian is about $3,900 according to www.cia.gov. Assuming a dual-income, the typical Indian family is raking in just under $8,000 per annum. That’s a paltry sum compared to much of the world, but it’s the rate that Indian citizens have to deal with. While there is obviously a difference in the purchasing power of rupees as compared to dollars, it’s pretty easy to see that there isn’t much spare cash on hand for most Indian people, even when it comes to something as important as their own health; therein lies much of the basis for the Supreme Court’s decision.

Patenting any drug drastically increases the cost at which it is sold. Not because there is an extra assurance of quality, as any scientist can synthesize a compound once the formula is released. Not because of any special attributions, attentions, or dividends that are given to the researches responsible for the breakthrough, as all extra fees will go to the company which holds the patent. Patents raise the price for no other reason than the fact that companies like Novartis want to artificially inflate the cost of medicine to increase their quarterly profits.

If you’re anything like me, that’s an abominable reason. These companies want to monopolize their market to profit off of the suffering and pain of human beings. There is no justification for such actions other than cold-hearted greed. The ever-present pursuit of gold corrupts entirely the pursuit of the betterment of humanity. That’s that stuff I don’t like. Novartis and its ilk need to understand that you simply cannot restrict the basic human right to good health and a happy life for the sake of money. There are some things that simply should not be monetized and medicine is one of them.

The Indian Supreme Court absolutely made the correct ruling. This is a decision that should echo around the world and be replicated in all corners of all nations. Though it was most likely motivated by the economic impracticality that the patenting would pose for patients, there is a wholesome ideal behind it that should not be forgotten.

And now, we come to the land of the free and the home of the brave. The United States is a corporate haven; the cynic would assert that its laws are based off of the whims of lobbyists and the rich businessmen who control them. Yet at its core, it is a government “by the people, for the people, of the people.” We, the people, are the basis of change and improvement. So this is where it comes down to you, the reader. It’s more than likely that the few of you who read this will skim the contents, shrug, and go back to living your life without giving this more than a few seconds of thought. Yet for those of you who truly wish to make a difference, there is something you can do. Contact your senator, your representative, the congressmen whose sole purpose is to represent your will on both the national and state level. Tell them that you do not support the abhorrent practice of patenting medicine and its subsequent monopolization

Everyone needs to make a buck and everybody needs to eat, but what companies like Novartis should realize is that such things can never be accomplished at the expense of others. Americans exult the values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but can any of these things truly be chased in the throes of illness? Sickness is the enemy of happiness, keeps you jailed within the confines of your body and mind, and hobbles any such journey. Perpetually perfect health is impossible, but aiding the easy dissemination of medicine is not. So do it, and let all live the life they wish to live.

By Rajesh Satpathy

Art by Jennifer Stanley

The first time Col. Michael Bloomfield flew a space shuttle, it felt like driving an old pickup truck down a gravelly road.

“The biggest thing about taking off with a space shuttle or any aircraft or spacecraft is that you have to get to a final speed of 17, 500 miles per hour. If you do the math, that means you’re doing 5 miles a second,” Bloomfield said. “You could go from the west coast of the U.S. to the east coast of the U.S. in just 10 minutes if you were flying that fast. You could go all the way around the world once every 90 minutes.”

That first flight was aboard NASA’s space shuttle Atlantis, on a trip to the Russian space station Mir. Over the next five years, Bloomfield would return to space twice as a mission commander during the construction and maintenance of the International Space Station. Keeping the ISS up and running with the assistance of other nation’s space programs has been one of NASA’s primary focuses for the past decade and a half.

The maintenance of a spacecraft is far from a simple task, and after the Columbia disaster in 2003 NASA began consulting with outside engineers and technical experts around the country in order to improve the safety and repairs of space flights. One of these consultants was Glenn Washer, MU professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, who served as a technical discipline expert involved with some of NASA’s nondestructive testing programs.

“The group I participated in looked at issues surrounding maintenance and inspection of the vehicle to try prevent various types of accidents from happening,” Washer said. “For example, if one part was developing cracks, how do you inspect that vehicle while it’s on the ground to make sure it doesn’t have a crack developing and prevent a crisis during the next flight, and what kind of method do you use to find that crack?”

Part of Washer’s work revolved around the examination of problems that could occur with the tank of SOFI (spray-on foam insulation) located on a shuttle’s external shell and ways that a piece of hull might come off and damage a wing. Both were concerns that resulted from their proposed contribution to the Columbia disaster, and Washer worked remotely with engineers around the country to come up with solutions. Later, he also corroborated on work with NASA shuttles’ rocket control thrusters.

“So these were rockets that essentially were located around the shuttle. They controlled its movements and they had a history of developing cracks,” Washer said. “When a space shuttle came back to Earth they received maintenance and were tested on the ground and we were looking to develop new techniques to detect cracks and there were different testing programs to try to see how difficult it was to detect.”

This sort of aerospace and mechanical engineering has been an interest of former Columbia resident and Hickman alum Amanda Paige since high school. An attendee of the University of Alabama, Paige is majoring in Aerospace Engineering with aspirations of working for NASA initially instilled by her time with the Columbia Aeronautics and Space Association.

“CASA was a huge influence on my decision to go into aerospace engineering. It helped to increase my love of outer space as well as getting hands on and building,” Paige said. “I decided in the 6th grade that I wanted to get involved with space, but it wasn’t until my junior year that I knew I wanted to go into engineering.”

So far, Paige’s road to aeronautics has been lined with several technical and hands-on courses, even now, during her first year of college.

“Last semester I took a Computer Aided Design (CAD) class that helps to design a project on the computer in 3-D,” Paige said. “This semester I am in an intro to mechanical and aerospace engineering class and we have just completed our first project where we had to tip a [container] over. All of the components had to be inside of the container and had to tip after a 30 second time delay.”

One of Paige’s dreams is helping NASA in their delayed goal of sending humans back to the moon and out to Mars, which she hopes could serves as a first step in furthering mankind’s exploration of the stars. Paige, like many others, is fascinated with the vastness of space.

“When you look out into space, it’s amazing how dark it is. It’s very, very, very dark. The blackest black you’ve ever seen,” Bloomfield said. “It’s kind of interesting to be able to look out and see the blackness of space and then look down and see the blueness of the planet Earth.”

By Jake Alden

Video by Sophie Whyte

In honor of Midwest Pride Day, the organization committee is passing out bumper stickers and free cotton candy to raise awareness for MWP. Photo by Adam Schoelz

In attempts to grow familiarity and value of Missouri as a state along with the Midwest area, senior Stephen Turban and several RBHS students have declared today, April 30, as “Midwest Pride Day.” After attending an event in Washington D.C. over the summer and meeting kids from all over the country, Turban noticed a lack of confidence in the student population from Midwestern states and decided to act in his personal pride for Missouri and the Midwest.

“At that point I was like ‘how disappointing is that, that there is no day at all specifically made to celebrate the Midwest in any context?’” Turban said. “After that I went up and I … put posters around school and tried to talk to as many people as I could…and from there it kind of ballooned, I would say.”

Looking forward to the celebration day for several weeks now, Turban and the Midwest Pride day organizational committee have been hard at work attending regular meetings and holding fundraisers to raise money for various activities to take place on this sacred day. One of the more well-known is a photo contest in which the winner will receive $500, group member junior Najeebah Hussain said. As far as her personal enjoyment in celebrating Midwest pride, Hussain is looking for an excuse to observe the many things that make Missouri special and unique, she said.

“I used to go to places outside the Midwest and people would ask me where I’m from and when I when I said Missouri, people would say ‘Missouri? What do you do in Missouri? Missouri is so not cool,’” Hussain said, “and I just want people from the Midwest to be able to say that they are proud of being from there and that they like the Midwest.”

Although the state sprouts blooming spring tulips, daffodils and green, budding trees to brag its beauty this time of year, many students are critical of the organization’s intentions, labeling it as pointless and unnecessary. Being used to groups like this to promote change, raise awareness or fundraise money for charity, Midwest Pride Day doesn’t seem to have much of a distinctive purpose, senior Khaymen Hoelscher said.

“Well, Midwest Pride Day doesn’t seem to have anything to go with it- there is no real substance to it other than the fact that we should be prideful of where we live. … It just seems like a silly idea,” Hoelscher said. “It’s just a day of the year that people are going to forget about. The idea is good but the execution has been flawed.”

However, Turban assures the day is all in good fun to raise awareness and recognize the positives and reasons to celebrate the area Missouri students live in. Even though the appointed day may not feed the hungry or mean much to some, Turban hopes when many students travel across the country in a few months after senior graduation, the Midwest can be something looked back on with tribute and commemoration, he said.

“The whole point of the day is just awareness, there’s no monumental thing that’s trying to get done except awareness and that there are people who are intently proud of living in the Midwest, and that in itself is important,” Turban said. “If I could have one measurement of the end goal of Midwest Pride Day, it’s if when we leave – because a lot of us are leaving college away from Missouri – but when we leave and people ask where we are from you [can say] ‘I’m from the great state of Missouri, I’m from the Midwest, and it rocks,’- the end goal is to spread pride and not just your pride, to recognize pride.”

By Kaitlyn Marsh

Additional reporting by Jake Alden

Julia Schaller stands in the Los Angelos Airport, caught in the rush of airport traffic.

As I sit here, in the Los Angeles Airport, I am reminded of how weird people are. I don’t mean that in a bad way, I actually mean it in the best way possible. As the sounds of flight announcements, cell phone rings, quiet chatter, and TV news collectively fills my ears, I drown in this unique cosmos of colliding worlds, and I couldn’t be happier. I find myself falling in love with airports.

There’s a quote from one of my favorite movies of all time, “Love Actually”, that describes the beauty of airports and I think about it every time I’m in one: “Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion is starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don’t see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it’s not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it’s always there – fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge – they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll find that love actually is all around.”

I couldn’t agree more with these lines. There’s a certain beauty to watching people hustle from one terminal to the next, either to await an adventure, to return home, or to simply be there when a loved one arrives. I could spend hours just sitting in any airport, people watching. It’s so interesting to see how people get from one day to the next, and airports are a key place to notice how humans really interact with each other. During spring break, I had connecting flights from Kansas City, MO to Dallas, TX, and then from Dallas to Phoenix, AZ.

The plane had mechanical difficulties, so my flight ended up being delayed about four hours, which messed up the schedules of those of us on already booked connecting flights that were on time. After frantic calls for re-bookings and much confusion, it was worked out that the few of us who were supposed to be on the Phoenix flight should try to run from our arrival gate to a departure gate across the airport for a different, earlier flight so that we could make up any time that we could since we already had such a long delay.

There was a woman on my flight who took me under her wing. I was traveling alone and so was she, and when we arrived at the airport, she said a brief “Come on, girly!” I followed, and for that 20 minute journey to our new terminal, we were family. I found myself walking side by side in a monstrous airport with a young woman, who I knew absolutely nothing about, and yet, trusted completely. She was my travel companion, and she didn’t fail me. We made it to the gate, and we ended up getting on the flight together. We had a moment when we both got on the flight. We would never see each other again, but we knew. We looked at each other when she boarded in front of me, and we knew. We were just two people, whose lives fatefully intertwined for just over an hour, and that time would hold no real significance in the course of our time on Earth. We understood that. But that’s why it’s so awesome.

I truly believe airports bring out the true exquisiteness of humanity. Not only that, but airports are so symbolic to life. There are people constantly entering and leaving, some that you know, some that you’ll never know. Since I only have a couple weeks left of high school, I suppose I’ve been taking more time to stop and reminisce, while also intoxicated with the possibilities of the future. At the end of this coming summer, or even earlier, so many people that I’ve grown up with will make their way out of these terminals and get on with their lives. Each gate is a new opportunity. There are so many places to go and things to do, and so many paths beckon me.

I’ve always wanted to just pack my bags, go to an airport and just go. Have no direction, but just randomly choose a terminal and follow it wherever it leads and make an exhilarating voyage of it. That’s kind of like life, though, isn’t it? We have so many opportunities and options every day, and so many times it’s hard to choose what the right thing may be. It’s hard to know which path to take in order to lead you on the most adventurous journey, with the best destination. But that’s life, and that’s the essence of airports.

So next time you’re in an airport, take a second to look around. Think about your life, or just observe the people around you. I think you’ll be surprised at how infatuated you’ll become with life.

By Julia Schaller

RBHS’s Eric Glennon moves with the ball in the second quarter of the bruins six to five loss at the hands of Fort Zumwalt on
Sunday. Photo by Pen Terry

The boys lacrosse team (4-3)  took the field Sunday against the Fort Zumwalt Jaguars (4-2) on RBHS field, yesterday, April 27 in the mid-morning.

Starting early with energy, the Jaguars took the lead on a Devin Strauss goal three minutes into the first quarter. By the end of the first, Fort Zumwalt added another goal despite intense defensive play by RBHS  junior defensive pole Seth Johnson and junior midfielder Keegan McGonagle.

Although the Bruin defense put up quite a fight, the home team offense was unable to net any goals in the second quarter despite ample opportunities, junior attackman and co-captain Caymen Menard said.

“Our offense was moving the ball around well and we were getting shots but a lot of them were missing and then ones that were on [target] the goalie saved,”  Menard said of their scoring trouble.

Returning from halftime, the Bruins began hitting their stride. With two quick goals by the two other co-captains in McGonagle and  private school student Cole Russum, RBHS  tied the game at two with 5:45 left in the third quarter. But, with 24 seconds left in the third quarter, Fort Zumwalt’s Dylan Clamors answered with a goal to pull the Jaguars ahead.

The teams traded goals two more times in the fourth quarter bringing the score to five to five. With 2:48 left Fort Zumwalt’s Coleman Beckerle put the Jaguars up six to five which would be the final. Unfortunately losing their following game to the Marquette Mustangs immediately following the close game to Fort Zumwalt, the team will now need to win two of their next five games to make the state playoffs. The Bruins have the weekend off, but resume  play next Monday against Wentzville and Wednesday in the anticipated Hickman match up.

“The team put forth a good effort,” said Menard after the game. “We did a lot of things really well. We were out here trying hard, but in the end we didn’t come out on top.”

By Pen Terry and Kaitlyn Marsh

“The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie” by The Red Hot Chili Peppers

Vocal solo by Nina Parker, piano accompaniment by Rebecca Burke-Aguero

“Hometown Glory” by Adele

Dance solo by Stephanie Bonham

“Awake My Soul” by Mumford & Sons

Vocal solo by Ashley Rippeto

“My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion

Vocals by Rebecca Burke-Aguero, drum accompaniment by Joel Pruitt

“All the Boats and Bedrooms” arranged by Rebecca Burke-Aguero

Barbershop Quartet: Jesse LaFond, Asa Lory, Ian Meyer and Adam Schoelz

“John Williams is the Man” by Moosebutter

Vocal Trio: Lauren Puckett, Emily Thomas and Morgan Widhalm

“The Chain” by Ingrid Michaelson

Spoken Word Poetry by Andrew Hutchinson

“Religion” by Andrew Hutchinson

Band – Jaynell and the Trees: Grant Flakne, Jaynell Lardizabal, Jashawn Linwood, Dalton Maggard and Joel Pruitt

“Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley

Band: Brian Cook, Ryan Davis, Tyler Dunlap, Todd Hague and Daniel James

“Mary Jane’s Last Dance” by Tom Petty

Vocal solo by Claire Herndon, piano accompaniment by David Wang

“Titanium” by David Guetta feat. Sia

Band: Nick Hainsworth and Nina Parker

“Barton Hollow” by the Civil Wars

Saxophone by Kaleb Jacks, piano by Dalton Maggard

“Amazing Grace” arranged by Kaleb Jacks

Vocal solo by Jon Crader

“Hiding my Heart” by Brandi Carlile

Belly dance solo by Jaynell Lardizabal, djembe accompaniment by Joel Pruitt

“Yearning” by Raul Ferrando

Vocal Solo by Carly Allen, electronics accompaniment by Jake Roberts

“Out My Mind – Just in Time” by Erykah Badu

Dance solo by David Wang, drum solo by Brian Matthews

Mix by Jake Roberts

Vocal solo by Carly Rohrer, guitar accompaniment by Elena Franck

“Sunday Morning” by Maroon 5

Band – Squirrels in the Attic: Sam Brand, Grant Flakne, Clark Gribble, Kaleb Jacks, Dalton Maggard, Ian Meyer, Joel Pruitt, Daniel Shapiro and Blaise Vogt

“What is Hip?” by Tower of Power

Videos filmed by Aniqa Rahman, made by Urmila Kutikkad

Image used under fair use doctrine

On April 30 at 6 p.m. a free screening of the Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature, 5 Broken Cameras, will take place at Ellis Auditorium at the University of Missouri – Columbia. There will be a question and answer session following the film.

The Q&A panel will include Mohammad Saleh, a Graduate student at MU and Dr. Georg Smith, Professor of Biology at MU.

5 Broken Cameras is a personal firsthand account of the non-violent resistance of Bil’in, a village located in the West Bank that is surrounded by Israeli settlements. Co-director Emad Burnat bought his first camera in 2005 to film his youngest son, Gibreel, growing up, and eventually began filming the weekly local protest and the events happening in his village. The documentary is constructed in five chapters surrounding the destruction of each of his cameras. It offers an eye-opening view to the daily life of many Palestinians living in Bil’in and the rest of the West Bank.

Emad Burnat, a Palestinian farmer, and Guy Dividi, an Israeli filmmaker, co-directed 5 Broken Cameras despite the criticism they knew they would face. They learned to constructively use their cultural backgrounds and different privileges in the making of a film surrounding such a controversial issue.

The filmmakers hope people will come experience the emotional journey 5 Broken Cameras offers  “with open minds and without foregone conclusions.”

“When watching a film that deals with such a painful controversy, we know that people tend to shut down,” Burnat and Dividi said. “Most of us divide the world into right and wrong, good and bad, Palestinian and Israeli. We immediately take a side that corresponds to our identity, life experience, or ideology, even though these loyalties prevent us from fully experiencing the world. Reality is wonderfully complex, and we become frustrated when people fight to look at it with only one or two filters.”

By Yasmeen El-Jayyousi 

Image used under fair use doctrine

Reincarnated is one smooth reggae album, all things considered, but it’s not nearly as smooth as Bob Marley‘s Exodus. The hooks of most of Snoop Lion’s latest songs have funk and rhythm to spare, but their chill beats pale in comparison to the funky cadence of Marley classics such as “Concrete Jungle” and “Could You Be Loved”.  At first, it may seem unfair to compare Snoop, an artist who’s just getting in on the reggae game, with one of the genre’s core founders and its most famous member. However, with Snoop Lion’s recent claims that he is, in fact, Bob Marley reincarnated, it seems only logical to stack the two artists up against each other.

It’s important to note that Reincarnated is, for the most part, a really nice album to sit back and relax to, especially with the weather finally starting to get warm. Like virtually all reggae, Snoop’s songs share a lot of their sound with their roots in the tropical cultures of the world, and this musical heritage gives the entire album a vibe that resonates with imagery of white sand beaches and clear blue seas. Combine those vibes with an average tempo that never exceeds moderately upbeat and a nice mix of soft vocals and gentle bass, and at first glance, you have the recipe for a balanced, even-headed hour and a half of cool tunes.

But the more you listen, the more you start to realize that some of Snoop’s newest songs just sound a bit fake. “Here Comes the King” and “Smoke the Weed” both sit pretty uncomfortably next to the rest of the tracks. They’re both hokey and neither of them are really reggae except in the most technical sense of the term; they seem like they’d fit in better with Caribbean cruise line jingles instead of serious reggae songs. Some of the other tracks feel a little off too, mostly because they seem to be failed attempts to reconcile Snoop’s slightly synthesized hip hop background with his reggae endeavors. “Tired of Running” is far too synthesizer-heavy to avoid clashing with the other songs that surround it, and its West Coast gangsta-inspired lyricism is almost devoid of the Jamaican and Caribbean cultural heritage that permeates through the rest of the album. Similarly, the electronic riffs of “No Guns Allowed” are more than a little off-putting, and its ill-advisedly experimental harmonies disconnect the vocals with its instrumentals and pseudo-techno beats. Meanwhile, “Torn Apart” is a confused mess of modern brass section intro, vintage steel drum beat, electronica effects and poppy Rita Ora vocals, all of which sound like they should be kept in separate songs, far, far away from each other.

Among these missteps, however, sit songs where Snoop strikes musical gold by subtly blending slight G-Funk elements with strong reggae foundation. ‘The Good Good” mixes these genres in such a way that the finished product resembles Nappy Roots or Michael Franti in the absolute best way possible, and the track “Fruit Juice” slips in some hip hop beats and hooks without having them distracting from its vocals, vibes or the rest of the album. Later on in the tracklist, Snoop Lion manages to pull off a more eclectic mix with the aid of Chris Brown and Busta Rhymes in “Remedy”, which inherits the heaviest West Coast gangsta-rap feel while still retaining reggae roots. Other songs’ lyrics, rhythms and instrumentals draw far more from classic reggae and successfully pull off a traditionalist feel that still jams comfortably with songs such as “Fruit Juice” and “The Good Good”. The opening track “Rebel Way” and Snoop Lion’s collaboration with Angela Hunte, “So Long” are the two songs with the strongest classic feel to them and owe the most overall to vintage Marley influences. They jive well with “La La La”, which is a direct product of mainstay, New Age reggae inspiration that still fits in alongside other tracks’ old-school sound.

The big surprise of the setlist is “Ashtrays and Heartbreak”, a late album track that features none other than Disney Channel pop music star Miley Cyrus. The reggae song is so completely unlike anything Snoop or Cyrus have ever done in the music world before, but their harmonies mix well together and with the heavy instrumentals of the steel drum. It’s slightly repetitive but truly relaxing, good old-fashioned easy-listening, and Cyrus’ lead-in vocal for each chorus is actually one of the most memorable standalone verses in the entire album. “Ashtrays” is a far cry from being the best track on Reincarnated, but it’s a great song that can work well alongside its neighbors or standalone if it has to.

The actual best track title on the album is a close tie between the unquestionably quality cross-genre masterpieces “Harder Times” and “Get Away”. “Get Away” mixes vocals and a percussion section directly inherited from Marley-era reggae with the most modern aspects of G-Funk and even slight traditional African elements and serves as the bridge that enables tracks of equal quality but wholly different backgrounds to interact harmoniously among the best parts of the album. “Harder Times”, meanwhile, is a much less fast-paced and upbeat song that is bittersweet and finishes the tracklist off as a final number that blends equatorial musical elements into a Franti-Marley-esque cocktail of sweet-listening vibes.

Bob Marley’s 35th Anniversary album is on its way to the streets, and now is the time for reggae fans to polish off their old tracks and start setting up new playlists. A lot of Snoop’s newest songs would make an excellent addition to any custom-made reggae setlist, but buying his latest album lock, stock and barrel would be a misstep. There’s too many jarring, misguided experiments contained in Reincarnated for me to recommend a full purchase in good conscience, but I’d be remiss to advise you to ignore Snoop Lion’s reggae endeavors. He’s starting to show some true talent in producing both vintage style and renovated reggae tracks, and any Marley devotee would be well-served to take a look at buying some of the songs off the album to mix into their daily diet of jams.

If you’re looking for more classically-styled songs for your reggae collection, grab a hold of “So Long” and “Rebel Way”. Want something a little fresher and more modern for your Jamaican mixtape? Throw some “La La La” into that bad boy or give “Ashtrays and Heartbreaks” a try. “The Good Good” is a great addition for any upbeat spring/summer playlist, and “Fruit Juice” and “Remedy” really carry their own weight when you’re working on a cross-genre playlist and want some tracks to unite a diverse musical mash-up. No matter what, if you want some sweet, summery, reggae-style jams, do yourself a favor and make a speedy purchase of “Get Away” and “Harder Times”.

By Jake Alden

Photo by Emily Franke

Maryland rung in the New Year with the legalization of gay marriage, the ninth state to do so in the United States. It’s following the trend started by Massachusetts nine years ago, in 2004.

Seeing the news segments and photo galleries on some of the first gay marriages in the United States, it was hard to understand why anybody wouldn’t want the legalization of gay marriage; whether the couples were tearily sharing vows, or finally, finally, getting to kiss the bride/groom or raising their proud fists in the air as the crowd of strangers that had gathered to support them cheered, gay marriage has been nothing but filled to bursting with happiness and love.

With every new state legalization of gay marriage, it’s been clear that change is coming to our nation.

The largest recent step toward change we’ve seen is the Boy Scouts of America’s proposed policy that would allow the charter organization (a civic, faith-based or educational organization that owns and operates an individual Scouting unit) of individual troops to determine whether to allow open gays to join that troop or not.

This means that the many religiously-sponsored troops around the nation will be able to stay consistent with their religious beliefs and continue the exclusion of gay members, and that discrimination will continue in the BSA.

While the proposed policy of relaxing the ban on gay members is a step in the right direction, it’s not enough.
The BSA needs a blanket statement at the national level that repeals the ban on gay members once and for all. As our nation has begun to prove with the gradual allowance of gay marriage, gay rights are no longer an issue of, “oh, it’s cool if you believe in it.” It’s an issue of morality, of equality, of love and compassion toward everyone, with the word everyone finally holding its all-inclusive definition.

In a recent speech to hundreds of Scouts, Texas Governor Rick Perry said that “to have popular culture impact 100 years of [BSA’s] standards is inappropriate.” This is the problem with the American mentality against allowing gay members into the BSA. Being gay is not “pop culture.” It is a fundamental way of being and to call it “pop culture” is the most degrading of insults.

If the BSA were to exclude black members on a religious basis, there would be an uproar. Forbidding gays on a religious basis is no different, no less appalling.

Sure, forcing the repeal on the ban on gay members might cause several sponsors to pull out, putting the BSA in a shaky financial situation, but the history of abuses toward the nation’s LGBTQ community is a long and dirty one, and it’s time we put morality over money for once.

Furthermore, banning gay members on a “religious basis” is questionable. Part of being a Boy Scout is being “reverent toward [the Christian] God,” marking BSA as a religiously-affiliated organization.

In spite of this, however, BSA still allows, even strives to include, multicultural members who inevitably have beliefs other than Christianity, such as Islam, Judaism and Hinduism.

If beliefs as different as other religions are accepted in the BSA, why not the belief in homosexuality? Many Christians even embrace homosexuals, with a recent gallup.com poll showing that 41 percent of Christians believe same-sex relations are morally acceptable. The issue of homosexuality is only mentioned in a few Bible passages, many of them in the Old Testament (which also approves polygamy and condemns eating pork), while acceptance is preached throughout the Bible. The fundamental belief of Christianity is the message to love and accept everyone, not the incredibly divisive belief of condemning homosexuality. The principle of love and compassion is the one the BSA should be adopting, not the one of hate and intolerance.

When BSA was founded in 1910, it held a policy similar to the one being proposed now, one that let troops decide individually whether or not to allow black members into the troop. It wasn’t until 1974 that the last segregated troop, Old Hickory Council, desegregated.

It took 64 years — 64 years of discrimination — to fix racial inequality in the BSA; 64 years is a long time, and now we’re set on the same path when it comes to sexuality equality: the path of repeating familiar mistakes. They say history repeats itself, but we don’t have to be a part of that devastating cycle.

There’s honor in being a Boy Scout, but the honor is being tarnished as the organization denies members their pride, as it continues to build its infrastructure on hate and intolerance rather than love and acceptance. We, as a nation, need to use the hindsight we have to avoid past mistakes and repeal — at a national level — the ban on gay members in the BSA.

The best way we can do this is from within. Boy Scouts of RBHS, of Columbia, I urge you to do the honorable thing and lobby from within. Make a change wherever you can and treat the gay members of your proud organization — current or prospective — with the respect and compassion they deserve.

Photo by Emily Franke

Boy Scouts of America is an organization that prides itself in its strong morals, instilling in their troops individuality, courage, leadership and honor — all qualities that are supposed to embody the core values of being an American. These are qualities which are supposed to lead members to a righteous path and a morally successful future.

As of January 2013, the Boy Scouts of America National Executive Board announced its deliberation on a potential policy (decision to be announced in May 2013). The policy would change its national membership standards, leaving all membership restrictions based on a potential Scout’s sexual orientation to be reviewed by regional partners that sponsor the program.

Not only is this policy plausible, but it is also applaudable in the fact that it addresses a volatile issue that the organization faces. Even if some charter organizations decline the policy, the matter deserves an adequate amount of attention. However, constitutionally, the BSA National Executive Board doesn’t have to make an absolute decision at all. In fact, the total denial of members based on sexual orientation into BSA is completely permissible by law.

A major concern that accompanies the proposed policy is the high chance that most, if not all, of the charter partners will uphold the existing ban on gay individuals because 70 percent of the charter establishments are backed by religious foundations. Because the ban was created to protect religious ideals to begin with, passing this policy would prove confounding in that most of the individual BSA associations are religious and would presumably vote against allowing any gays into the organization with or without the proposal.

Our nation is currently in a social transitionary period. Things like the legislation around the country promoting pro-gay ideals, or the fact that gay individuals can now enjoy the small triumphs that will eventually lead to a nation sans bigotry has not happened overnight. Anti-segregation legislation, for example, took nearly 20 years to become effective in the United States. With every change that has swept the nation, there have been milestones. And these transition periods have ultimately proved worth it in the end.

Though a blanket statement would rush the inevitable, it would be unnatural for this point in time. Those pushing for the proposal to be overturned in order to force an overall acceptance of Boy Scouts of the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered or questioning) community should be encouraged to maintain their patience. This bill should serve as an encouraging step in the path to acceptance.

On the spectrum of possible reactions, this policy provides a happy medium between two extremes. While it doesn’t completely eradicate the idea of allowing gay troops and leaders into the Boy Scouts organization, it also acknowledges the fact that BSA is a religiously affiliated organization. By giving the charter associations the opportunity to decide on the matter on an individual basis, the problem at hand can be addressed in the least biased of fashions. Parties who deal with the monetary side of the BSA make the most rational advocates to make this morally controversial decision. Even if a minority of the organizations vote to allow gay members into the BSA, this is still a milestone, and it should be embraced by opposing viewpoints.

Even proposing this policy to begin with is slowly but surely paving the road to redemption. Those opposed to the policy are only objecting to the type of concrete. Instead of looking at every single minute detail, the nation should be urged to look at the broad scheme of the issue at hand. This policy, though it isn’t pro-gay, isn’t anti-gay either.

Allowing gays into Boy Scouts shouldn’t bring up any questions of safety, of morals or even of religion. It brings into question the integrity of the very core ideals of a national organization that was established with the explicit purpose of preserving young men’s honor, leadership and individuality.

Upon entering the Boy Scouts of America, every upcoming scout must take an oath which binds him by the laws and values of the Boy Scouts organization, promising “to keep [himself] physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.”

The policy proposed by the Boy Scout organization is maintaining all Scouts’ mental strength by not backing down from a challenge and keeping its core values mentally awake by challenging the morality of their continuous discrimination.

As for allowing gays into Boy Scouts as an overall controversy, nowhere does it say that being morally straight entails being sexually straight too.

Art by Michelle Zhuang

As we climbed the stairs from the transit and anticipated the warm California air, he greeted us — a warm smile and dark, chocolate skin stretched thin over his cheek bones.

“Why hello there!” he said, holding his bright smile and my attention. “They call me the best-dressed homeless man in San Francisco.”

My muscles instantly tensed, and I fought the urge to fetch my $200 phone from my side pocket and secure it between my palms.

He didn’t look homeless. He wore cargo pants, a few layers on top and a hat, but when this man titled himself as “homeless,” my first impression of him swiftly changed from a friendly welcomer to a scandalous beggar and low-life con-man scheming to take my money and belongings. I couldn’t help it; I have been trained to think this way.

The abundance of this new foreign breed was a shock when entering the heart of this bustling town. Even before being able to admire the three stories of a glorious Forever 21, my eyes couldn’t help but first dart to the woman lying in front of the doors on the ground, her feet bare and blackened from long trips up and down the cracked and rough pavement, no doubt shaking a can with a few pennies to any passerby. If it wasn’t for the slight up and down movement of her body when she would occasionally take a breath, you could barely tell that she was alive.

Although they usually ask for spare change during the day and hold cardboard signs on sidewalks and street corners, what’s worse is seeing them drift into slumber against light poles. Before seven, Union Square, one of the richest parts of San Francisco, fills with plastic, made-up faces and stilettos, while the night scene crawls with the hungry and helpless curling up on the marble, polished steps of Burberry and Prada.

After just being here for two days already, I have had to censor my mind to these people. Mom always said to never give them money — they will always abuse it or buy things that hurt them even more, but is this responsibility to give to the less fortunate now discarded? I have two extra bedrooms in the house I live in, I eat when I’m not hungry, I sleep in a bed made for two people, and I can’t decide what to wear in the morning because there is too much to choose from.

I have to pretend I don’t hear their cries or even that I don’t care. I convince myself they are acting the part or that someone else will give them money when, in reality, I am kidding myself. They are the less fortunate and the disabled, the worn and weary. They are people, living a life I hope to never turn to but just might have to if tragedy strikes.

I lied to a woman I didn’t know this morning. She saw me across the street and ran to meet me, and without even knowing her name, I lied to her. I assume I already know her story — she’s a good actress, she has money, and she just wants to play me.

“Will you please give to an old homeless woman?” she pried, clasping her hands together as if she was praying to ask God. “Please — Anything. Will you please help me?”

But I don’t know her story, nor did I want to know, because the truth could possibly make me show sympathy in light of my selfish nature. I told her I didn’t have any money as I clutched a Subway breakfast sandwich and coffee. I lied to her. And without a second thought, I walked on with a full wallet and a cold heart.

If I get the chance to meet this woman again, I would take her to dinner and sit with an open mind and ears. I want to know these people and view them as more than beggars and a nuisance. I want to think of them as human beings with histories, families and lives — which might just put them on the same level as any one of us.

By Kaitlyn Marsh

Junior Jacob Winton returns a shot during a match Wednesday afternoon. Winton went on to win the set. Photo by Asa Lory

The varsity tennis team serves it up today, April 26, during the Tournament of Champions held at the Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School (MICDS). The setup was a best of three sets in double elimination, which all the Bruin teams made through, in this first day of the two-day tournament.

Both single players, junior Harry Bozoian and junior Raymond Majors, lost their first match and won their second. The doubles team composed of senior Billy Swift and senior Alex Jones play in the semifinals tomorrow, while the other team of junior Jacob Winton and sophomore Rohit Rao lost their first match and won the second.

During the tournament, there was a rain delay, forcing players to move inside; however, Harry Bozoian said this did not affect the team.

“We were all prepared to play all day,” Bozoian said. “A little delay was no big deal for us.”

Sophomore Rohit Rao said the team did well overall, but they still have some areas to work on as they gear up for the later rounds as a whole and individually.

“[Jacob Winton and I] need to work a little bit more on volleys,” Rao said. “I need to work on not hitting balls that are going out.”

The tournament will continue at 8 a.m. tomorrow, April 27.

By Justin Sutherland

• Terror Weather
• Horror Movies
• Terror of the Night
• Students’ View
• Terrorism

Natural disasters

Golf ball-size hail fell Wednesday, April 17, in Columbia in place of a possible tornado. Photo by Trisha Chaudhary

Last Wednesday, April 17, Columbia residents and those of the surrounding areas of mid-Missouri faced an unexpected tornado warning scare. As the sky darkened to a greenish hue, the following signs of a possible tornado occurred as expected.

Though a tornado did not pass through Columbia last week, the hail that descended from the sky surprised various individuals, including senior Drew Floyd. The lack of warning before the storm caught Floyd off-guard on his way home from track practice.

“I kept looking up at the sky, hoping the hail would wait until I got home. When the first hailstone hit my windshield, I was surprised and kind of scared that it was going to dent my hood or break a window because they were about the size of golf balls,” Floyd said. “I usually try to stay off the roads when the weather gets bad, but this time I got caught coming home when it hit, so this [was] definitely the worst conditions I’ve ever driven in.”

This unusual weather condition instilled a unique sense of fear in Floyd, since he typically did not find terror in a natural disaster or storm. But in the moment, the uncertainty of what was exactly going on, and if he would even make it to his destination, caused Floyd to become scared during his trek home.

“The rain and hail were really coming down, and I couldn’t see very far in front of me,” Floyd said. “Some of the roads were flooded, and I kept hydroplaning. The entire way home, I kept wondering what I’d do if the hail broke my windshield or I slid off the road.”

Despite the “tornado-like” conditions that occurred last week, according to www.sema.dps.mo.gov, one of the single deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history touched down in Joplin, Missouri on May 22, 2011. The tornado ranked as an F5 storm, the category for the most powerful tornadoes, with wind speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour.

The tornado struck at 5:41 p.m. in Joplin that day and destroyed or heavily damaged thousands of buildings in a six mile long and three-fourth mile wide section of Joplin, killing more than 150 people.

Photo by Trisha Chaudhary

To Joplin sophomore Stefan Paic, who had a first-hand experience with the devastating natural disaster, the aftermath of the tornado turned out to be much more devastating than the actual tornado itself.

“The most terrifying thing was probably the sight of what we never thought was possible. Driving through the town, which was totally normal an hour ago, and suddenly trying to wrap my mind around the now one-by-six mile stretch of matchwood,” Paic said. “It was also terrible to see a bloodied, injured truck driver lying by his burning truck or twisted steel beams, piled cars and a chair embedded in the side of the hospital.”

Although Joplin faced serious physical damage to both the buildings and its citizens, in Paic’s opinion, the emotional damage far outweighed anything else.

“It was the most devastating time emotionally because it was when so many people realized how they had literally lost everything,” Paic said. “It was when they realized that, although they may have survived, they may have lost a friend, neighbor or loved-one.”

After the people of Joplin lost so much in this terrifying tornado, Paic has learned that terror and fear can be felt in any situation, even in the case of severe weather. The experience in such a severe condition, and living through such a fearful situation, has taught Paic and many other Joplin residents to take precaution in any possible disaster.

Photo by Trisha Chaudhary

“Well, every time there’s a thunderstorm or a tornado watch or warning, and there a lot of them this time of year, we actually pay attention now when the sirens go off. In our house, we have a tornado escape plan with essentials like water and canned food stocked up,” Paic said. “I feel like I’m most prepared [after such a disaster] emotionally because in the aftermath, neighbor was helping neighbor, and the people of Joplin unified into the cause of helping one another recover.”

And Joplin isn’t the only area taking precautionary steps in case of a weather calamity. According to the Columbia Public Schools website at www.columbia.k12.mo.us, “if a tornado warning is issued before or during dismissal time, all buses will be held, and students will remain in their respective buildings until an all-clear is issued by the school district. However, if buses are already in route during a tornado warning, the driver is instructed to find the closest school or appropriate shelter and evacuate students to a safe location.”

Because of the detrimental conditions he faced during and after the Joplin tornado, Paic believes that any precautions that one could take will help out immensely in the long run to avoid any unexpected terror that occurs in any natural disaster.

“It’s most important to take the warnings of a possible disaster seriously,” Paic said. “One warning may be the only one before all communication is lost.”

By Manal Salim

Additional reporting by Daphne Yu and Brittany Cornelison

Horror movies provide enjoyable sense of terror

Photo by Sam Mitchell

The concept of horror movies is an odd one. The idea of people paying their hard-earned money to be scared seems counter-intuitive, yet according to yourbusiness.azcentral.com, horror films made over $413 million in the United States in 2012.  Senior Blake Ward, who is a big horror movie fan, explains why, despite the fact that humans often spend much of their lives trying to avoid frightening and dangerous situations, he and many others enjoy them so much when they are on film.

“It’s like you know it’s going to be scary, so you’re ready,” Ward said. “It’s a controlled environment. It gives you a rush that only comes from being scared.”

Horror movies are so enjoyable because they offer the biological arousal, or rush, of fear without actually being in danger, according to accessscience.com. One study on the website identified three factors that were important in the appeal of horror films to males aged 15-45: the excitement generated by the film, the wish to see the destruction found in horror films and the satisfying resolution usually found at the end of the film.

Good horror movies have different effects on different people. Some people shake and shiver in fear; some people’s hearts start thumping, and some have the hair on the back of their neck stand on end. These responses are all results of the physical excitement that comes from fear. In order to get these exciting, anxious feelings, people need to be scared, and movies offer a controlled, safe situation in which to feel terror.

There are many components that go into getting this reaction from the audience though, and not all horror movies fulfill these, senior Muhamed Khenissi said. He explained how people are scared by different things, but there are a few certain things that every horror movie must have to be truly scary and not just another gore-fest.

Horror movies need “a believable plot to be scary,” senior Muhamedali Khenissi said. “The fact that what I am watching could happen or may have happened is frightening.”

And indeed, in agreement with Khenissi’s opinion, nativeremedicies.com states that horror movies need to be believable to be scary. According to the website, the feeling of fear is an instinctual response to potential danger. So if a person feels like the situation in the film could never happen, he/she senses nothing threatening about it and therefore does not feel fear.

Characters also play a big role in the creation of fear in film, nativeremedies.com says, because a big part of a horror movie being believable, and therefore scary, is the characters that are on screen.  If the viewers care for the characters on screen and their well-being, they will be more likely to be scared for them, not wanting to see them suffer, creating the aroused, excited feeling that horror movie fans crave.

The same is true of the antagonist or villain of the film, Khenissi said. If the viewer believes the bad guy could actually exist, the situation is that much scarier. This is why people tend to find movies based around human antagonists scarier than those based around mystical creatures or otherworldly entities.

“An intelligent antagonist who is able to think and plan, but doesn’t have any of the values a normal member of society, would [be frightening],” Khenissi said. “People are so crazy nowadays that almost anything short of vampires is believable.”

Another aspect of successful horror movies is the creation of moments of true shock and suspense, senior Grace Gabel said. If the scares are too obvious and easy to predict, viewers can brace themselves, and if no scares come, there is no payoff, and viewers will get bored and disconnected.  Some of the most acclaimed horror movies, such as Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Strangers, combine a believable plot and characters with thrilling scares but also contain a suffocating, tense atmosphere. The sense of there being no escape from danger sets some horror movies apart from the pack. When there is no escape from danger, and no clear solution to the problem, the situation becomes much more frightening because there is no let up for the audience.

“Pop-outs and thrills are what make a horror movie actually scary,” Gabel said. “I need to not expect what’s going to happen. In order to scare me, it needs to be spontaneous.  I just like the random amount of excitement it brings when something will randomly just [jump out] on screen and scare you to death.”

By Sam Mitchell

Night time adventure incites fear

Commentary

Photo by Manal Salim

Of all the things that rack our brains, we tend not to dwell on the things that scare us. We keep our thoughts focused on the happy things so that we aren’t terrorized by the fears that can easily consume our lives. However, these fears can’t be avoided completely, and they tend to reappear and rekindle at times when we least expect it.

Ever since I was young, I’ve had a fear of the night. Not the darkness itself but the trouble that follows it. You hear stories all the time about murders, kidnappings and fights that happen in these late, shady hours. So, I’ve always watched my back when my surroundings were shaded, in continual preparation for a possible attacker.

This past November, I took a trip to San Antonio with the Journalism staff, where I had planned on having the time of my life, exploring the tourist shops, walking along the River Walk, and most of all, enjoying the time off of school. However, my happiness was disturbed when my fear of the night rudely emerged.

During my time in this foreign city, my friends and I made a very stupid decision. At around 10 p.m. one evening, we stepped out of the hotel doors onto the eerie Texan streets. Though it was an innocent idea, taking a trip to a local burger joint for a delayed dinner, it was definitely not the smartest one, knowing my omnipresent fear of these late hours.

Throughout the day, we walked the streets peacefully, because in the back of our minds, we knew that we were out in the broad daylight, where anyone could see us if something bad were to happen. However, night brought about a whole new atmosphere, one where we could be scooped up by the shadows and no one would know.

Everywhere I looked, I felt as though someone was watching me, scoping me out, trying to see what would be the best way to kill me. The situation wasn’t any more comforting when considering that the two people I chose to go with were also girls, naive teenage girls at that. We were about as vulnerable as it got.

Photo by Manal Salim

You could easily point us out as tourists, and our aura reeked of terror. We were pretty calm as we left the hotel, but the further away we walked from our home base, the more we realized that we were no longer safe. We became aware of the suspicious groups of people lining the streets at the late hour and determined that our decision to leave the safety of our hotel was not a very well-thought-out plan. We scarfed down the food so quickly that I’m sure if we weren’t so focused on being scared to death, we would have thrown it right back up.

Our two-block mission back to the hotel was at about twice the speed in which we approached the restaurant. The blackness of the night became extremely evident, making me anxious, thinking that someone could jump out from around any corner. Though we were never approached on our journey, we got quite a few intentful stares thrown in our direction. Although I don’t know if these looks could have resulted in a kidnapping or some other sort of dangerous situation, I had never been more terrified in my life.

I can remember a time when I loved to spend my evenings outside, running around the field, staring at the constellations and taking in the sights and sounds of the peaceful darkness. I’d make wishes on shooting stars and run my bare feet through the wind-chilled grass. Some of my fondest memories are from this nighttime scenery.

However, as I’ve grown older, I’ve become more aware of the troubles that lurk in the darkness. As much as I’d like to return to my days of having pure thoughts, free from worries, I know that my understanding of the possible danger is what keeps me safe.

My naive mindset as a child helped me to experience the night as I never will again. But I won’t give up my innocent memories, because I know that they remind me of what the night feels like when the terrors of this world are absent.

By Brittany Cornelison

Students recount tales of nighttime terror

Suryanshi Rawat, sophomore

“We were all asleep in our cabins at [the] bio-camp, and there was a thunderstorm going on, and our teacher told us to get all of our clothes and shoes and flashlights ready in case we had to go to a little shelter if there was a tornado. It was pouring outside and thundering and lightning, and then at 4 a.m. … there’s this huge clap of thunder, and every single person in every single cabin wakes up … it was terrifying. We thought something fell over outside or it hit the cabin or something.”

Satey Yates, sophomore

“I was sleeping in my sister’s room. … We had just moved in there literally two days ago, and I stayed in my sister’s room laying on a mattress and … I woke up in the middle of the night and heard whispering. It was so creepy, and it was my sister — she was in bed whispering, but she didn’t take a breath for like five minutes; she just kept whispering … and then she started flopping on the bed. It was so freaky. … I didn’t want to wake her up because I didn’t want her to stab me or something, so I just went and put my head under my pillow and tried to go back to sleep … and I’ve never been in her room since because it [was] so scary.”

Rachel Doisy, junior

“I was in New York City, and it was about 1 o’clock in the morning, and my friend Josh and I were walking around trying to find this coffee shop, and we passed all these gangster-like people, and they were really scaring-looking, and they said, ‘Hey baby, come here,’ and I was like ‘No!’ I grabbed Josh, and I was like, “Josh is my boyfriend!’ Oh my gosh, it scared me so bad because we were in a really sketchy part of New York, and we were just walking around at 1 o’clock in the morning. I thought I was going to get raped or something.”

 

Allison Ryberg, senior

“I was with one of my friends and we had planned to go to Panera for dinner. We knew there was going to be a storm but we didn’t think it would be anything bad. … The sky was turning like a really dark grey … but we still decided to get food from the drive through, which probably wasn’t a good idea, but we had already driven out there, and [we thought that] a few more minutes couldn’t make too huge of a difference. So we got our food and [my friend] is like freaking [out] because the sky was going kind of crazy, and it had started raining, so she decided to speed home. … We came close to wrecking multiple times, so I was scared she was going to end up killing me. … And the tornado sirens were going off so … after a very scary ride … We finally made it back to [the Christian Campus House] and went into the basement.”

By Brittany Cornelison

Recent Boston bombings evoke fear of a similar situation

It always happens in a matter of seconds. Planes crash, bombs explode, guns go off, buildings go up in flames and smoke fills the air. The lives of innocent people are changed, and the lives of many are taken. Acts inciting terror, whether accidental or purposeful, have changed the very face of the United States.

Last week, on April 15, 2013, two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, ultimately killing 3 people and injuring more than 260 others, according to cnn.com. On April 18, two suspects were identified, and on April 19, the city of Boston was put on lockdown as police officers chased Dzhokhar Tsarnaev about the 20-block area of Watertown. At 7 p.m. on April 19, Tsarnaev was hospitalized and taken into custody. He was charged with using a weapon of mass destruction resulting in death, and additional charges are suspected.

Senior Brad Meister was scrolling through his Twitter feed when he first heard of the bombing. Suddenly, Twitter started “going crazy” as news websites and onlookers posted pictures, videos and updates describing the horrific scene.

Meister was immediately reminded of events which occurred two years ago, when Meister’s father was hospitalized for a brain hemorrhage. He realized that the terror the Boston bombing victims were experiencing was very similar to his own.

“I was talking to my dad five minutes before he had his brain bleed,” Meister said. “It was terrifying. My dad, who I was talking to five minutes ago, was perfectly fine and then suddenly he was in the ICU with a good chance of dying. You feel helpless. I learned that you can’t take anything for granted.”

Boston was left in horror as lives were taken and changed so quickly, in a matter of minutes. The fear experienced by the citizens of Boston stretched throughout the United States as suspicion of further attacks spiked. The U.S Postal Service was put on alert as screening equipment reported the possible presence of the toxin ricin in letters sent to three different senators and to President Barack Obama himself. “Suspicious packages” were reported all throughout the country. Even Columbia readied itself for any possible emergencies.

“You’ve seen the emergency assistance that is with Boone County,” Columbia Police Department Public Information Officer Latisha Stroer said. “They travel all over when major accidents happen. So they have seen different catastrophes as far as weather — tornados, hurricanes, flooding. … So they’ve seen different mass casualties. They’ve learned from their experiences from going place to place. So I think we will be prepared as much as you can be for anything [like the Boston Marathon bombing].”

However, the Boston incident was only one in a long stream of terrorist attacks to happen across the world and in the United States. Only 12 years before to the Boston bombing, on September 11, 2001, two planes crashed into the World Trade Center, one plane crashed into the Pentagon and yet another plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after its passengers overcame the aircraft’s terrorist hijackers. As a result of the events, almost 3,000 people were killed.

World Studies teacher David Graham was teaching a class when a fellow teacher burst into his room to announce a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. The lesson pulled to an abrupt halt as teachers and students rushed to get TVs set up in classrooms so that students could watch the events. There was no Twitter to “go crazy” and alert people of the news. There was no live coverage on the Internet and even the TV on the screens was fuzzy and input was poor. Students were left in anxious anticipation, waiting to hear more.

“Some people were super pissed off. Some people kind of felt like America had put itself in that position by some of their previous actions around the world, and some people were just pretty much incredulous,” Graham said. “It was overwhelming for some people, and there were some who just said, ‘Wait and see what happens, let’s just wait and see what comes about.’ … I think everybody was kind of on edge. You didn’t know what was going to come next.”

Following the acts of 9/11, security measures across the United States changed dramatically. Passports had to be reissued, significant limits were put on passports, metal detectors and increased security systems were implemented in airports, the number of bags that could be taken onto an aircraft were reduced, security cameras were installed, and limits were even put on toiletries such as hand cream and shampoo. Columbia itself was forced to take a hard look at its own security measures.

“After 9/11, even in the police department — it tightened up security,” Stroer said. “You had to be in uniform to come in, or you had to have a badge around your neck at all times. So certain things did change in the Columbia Police Department.”

September 11 left its stain everywhere. People were afraid of further attacks or anything that could be used for further attacks. Anything that could be potentially dangerous in the United States was looked at with a scrutinizing eye. Even nuclear power plants significantly changed their policies and procedures after the planes crashed into the World Trade Center. According to University of Missouri professor Bill Miller, the Missouri University Research Reactor (MURR), along with other power plants across the nation, created new vehicle barriers, implemented a new mail reception facility for inspecting packages, installed security cameras, edited evaluation plans, and some plants even added “pill boxes” where armed guards could stand watch 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

However, even with the increased safety methods, there are accidents. Last week, on April 19, a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, exploded, killing 14 people and injuring more than 200 others, according to cnn.com. While the incident wasn’t an act of terrorism, it still left a significant mark on the people of the United States, who began to fear the danger of power plants.

Miller, who works at MURR, stressed that these bad accidents are caused by poor design and are not at all a frequent occurrence. Incidents such as the Texas accident and Chernobyl disaster in 1986 were caused by little concern for proper safety measures, Miller said, and even so, only 31 personnel at the Chernobyl plant were killed by radiation. The estimate of the increase in cancer likelihood to the exposed population of the Chernobyl disaster is around 0.0005% — very, very low.

“Despite many concerns about nuclear reactors and a few bad accidents, the nuclear industry is still far, far safer than any other industry,” Miller said. “The MURR is much smaller than a power reactor and has many of the same safety features of larger plants, including a 2-foot-thick concrete containment building.”

But even with all the additional safety and security, some Americans still feel it’s just not enough. Issues and debates over gun control after the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting have skyrocketed. Stadium operations officials from all 30 major league baseball teams are meeting to discuss tweaking security at games after the Boston bombing, according to www.courier-journal.com. A school shooting earlier this year, and now an act of terrorism and an accidental plant explosion, both occurring in the same week, are quite enough to set America’s teeth on edge. Whether it be fear of terrorism or fear of terror itself, fear is rampant in the hearts of U.S. civilians.

After the accumulation of these recent events, some students are saying that schools across the country should increase their safety measures and rules. Many high schools have installed metal detectors at the doors, while others maintain a locked door policy throughout the day. Still, some worry that the lax, open-campus policy at RBHS is not safe enough for its students.

“I think that schools need to be more proactive about making schools safer with a higher security,” Meister said. “Because you honestly could just walk in the front door of Rock Bridge without anyone asking who you are.”

However, Maus believes that the people and the security system running RBHS have everything under control. While there was little change in school policy after the Sandy Hook shooting and the Boston Marathon bombing, Maus says that the teams devoted to student safety are as prepared and vigilant as ever.

“I don’t think the school system does anything too reactionary to one event,” Maus said. “I think the goal is always to make the school as safe and secure as possible, and safety for students, whether it’s physical violence, mental violence, emotional — any of those things — is the number one priority for students to [be able to] learn. If they don’t feel [safe], they can’t learn. … So I think schools do a very good job of not overreacting to any one event but do always have the safety of students and staff at the forefront of what they’re doing.”

While Maus understands the desire for security and the increase in fear, he believes there is very little to fret over. Terrorist acts and disastrous accidents are unusual, infrequent occurrences that should be taken seriously but should not control daily life.

“If something were to happen, if we had a big marathon and something like [the Boston Marathon bombing] were to happen,” Maus said, “I think we would be very efficient in responding.”

By Lauren Puckett

Additional reporting by Alyssa Sykuta

Silver counts as positive points for a studies class, while pennies and bills are negative points. Photo illustration by Asa Lory

Although deceit and and cutthroat competition may seem to be unlikely bedfellows for fundraising and teamwork, these disparate traits are at the center of Sophomore Sabotage. Sophomore Sabotage, RBHS’ annual competition between sophomore World Studies classes to raise money for senior activities, ended today with a surprise 1st place finish from Graham/Sasser’s classes. Second was Nichols/Halphin and in third was Engebritson/Dingler. Sophomore Ashwini Mantrala, a student in one of Graham and Sasser’s AP World classes, said the win was an unlikely comeback.

“We were in last today, like this morning, so I have no idea how we ended up in first,” Mantrala said. “We were getting spiked left and right, and no one was bringing in anything, so I guess a couple people remembered today and brought in a bunch of money, and I guess it worked out.”

Organizer and student council representative sophomore Betsy Poehlman said the competition raised over $1,000 dollars for senior activities. Such an amount in the preliminary stages, she said, indicates the event was a smashing success.

“I think so far we did really good. Right now we don’t have the exact totals, but we know we raised more than 1,000 dollars, so that’s good,” Poehlman said. “That’s going to our senior activities, like prom and senior picnic.”

World history teacher David Graham said his classes’ success in Sophomore Sabotage is unimportant compared to the overall goal of raising cash for the future. However, he said the event allowed students to display their skills in leadership and planning.

“We’ve won more than we’ve lost. It’s just fun; it’s a great cause; it’s a great way to raise money so that you guys don’t have to spend much on your senior activities,” Graham said. “They did a great job. They were enthusiastic and excited, and they got other people enthusiastic and excited, so it was a great opportunity to collaborate [and] show some leadership, so it was great.”

By Adam Schoelz

Many seniors, after getting admission to a college, find it difficult to focus on schoolwork. Photo by Morgan Nuetzmann

With one click of the mouse, it’s done. Seniors have just committed the next four years of their lives to one college. The planning, the campus tours, the interviews and the applications all culminated at this one moment, and the hard work paid off; seniors are exactly one month away from walking across the stage to finalize their high school journey.

A giant weight lifted from their shoulders as they realized the next two months of high school were insignificant compared to the last few years spent keeping immaculate grades and building an extensive resumé. Knowing that a life after high school was waiting for the graduating class made them wonder if keeping up the same dedication and hard work was really more important than slacking off and just enjoying the beautiful spring of senior year.

“After winter break, I lost interest in school,” senior Kate Harline said. “I only wanted to go to [school to] see my friends. I zoned out of the learning part in all of my classes. After getting into [Washington University], I couldn’t justify trying as hard as I had been when I didn’t have anything to work towards anymore.”

An adverse effect of “senioritis,” the name given to this phenomenon, is losing dedication for making exemplary grades. Some let their grades fall as they succumb to this “sickness”. However, a lucky few manage to fight off the symptoms and hold fast to their diligent habits.

“I think everyone feels like they have senioritis, but the people I hang out with still care about their grades, and so I think we’ve all kept each other on track,” senior Maggie Washer said. “I’m not the type of person who can just let everything go, so I’ve kept my grades up, but I’ve gotten really good at doing the bare minimum and just scraping by.”

For those not so lucky, the drive to do schoolwork and concentrate during class no longer seemed like a priority when the realization hit that the constant faces around them since grade school would no longer surround them as seniors took separate paths towards different futures. The need to break the high school cliché of conformity became sorely obvious as they learned to appreciate individuality.

“Realizing I won’t see 90 percent of the people I’m around ever again has made me less self-conscious and more outgoing overall,” senior Drew Floyd said. “I’m also treating high school less like a place to learn and more like a solely social setting.”

Senior year, although stressful because of all of the choices ahead, is a time for seniors to reminisce about how far they have come. While the spring  brings Harline, Washer and Floyd relaxation and enjoyment from knowing where they are going after graduation, regardless of whether or not they let senioritis affect them, all are looking forward to the one month of school that remains.

“I don’t stress as much over grades, and I can just spend my time enjoying what’s left of my high school career,” Floyd said. “I’ve met so many amazing people this year at Rock Bridge that I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to know if [I had] been more reserved.”

By Marissa Soumokil, Morgan Nuetzmann and Rachel Kiehne

Students have come up with creative ways to ask dates to prom. Photo by Laurel Critchfield

Prom: the one night that many seniors look forward to. Girls search for hours and even drive hundreds of miles to find their perfect dress. On the other hand, the boys go and spend an hour maximum getting fitted for a tuxedo.

In many cases, guys and girls stumble over each other, trying to find the date they always dreamed about, and we’ve seen girls left disappointed if they are asked short of flowers, balloons, a cake, huge signs, fish, car paint and a box of truffles surrounded by flower petals in the shape of a heart.

The stereotype that the boy has to ask the girl in a romantic way puts tons of unnecessary stress on each guy to outdo the others. In the end, the already-expensive prom night gets even pricier as the cost of asking adds to the average expenditure of $1,078, according to USA Today. The burden of paying normally falls to the more masculine of the duo, so the girls requiring the guys to ask them in a more-than-special way are just adding cobwebs to already-empty wallets.

Some people feel like their whole prom experience would be ruined by the fact that they have no date. The thought of going alone is some seniors’ worst nightmare. But to some, going alone just means that they can spend a fun night with friends.

The perks of going “stag” can outweigh the perks of going with a date.

You will have more time to spend with your friends than if you were worrying about whether your date was having fun or not. There is no expectation for fancy gifts or corsages, and the guys can spend more money on themselves (since it is their prom night, too.) Girls can have a more stress-free evening because they won’t have to worry about the pressures of having a perfect night.

However, going to prom with a date has its benefits too. For girls, you don’t have to worry about paying for anything the entire night. In the guys’ favor, they get to show off their gorgeous date to all of their friends.

You will still be able to do all the prom stuff even without a date. You can still dress up, get your make-up done, have a corsage or boutonnière and dance the night away. You can slip into pictures with your friends and go to dinner and the after-parties without the extra baggage of a date weighing you down.

Prom is something every high school senior should experience. It beats staying at home. We don’t want to be those people looking back and asking, “What if?” We want to be able to open a photo album and remember the night for what it was worth. So whether we go with a date or stag, prom is only as fun as we make it. Go out, take it all in and let yourself have a night worth remembering.

By Drew Rodgers, Lauren Livesay and Megan Goree

Ice melts on a student’s car from the snow storm on Feb. 23. Photo by Laurel Critchfield

My eyes were half-open as I groggily moved the bristles of my teal toothbrush across my pearly whites. The door of my bathroom creaked open and my mom popped her head through the crack. I looked up with my sleepy eyes and mumbled “Huh?” expecting to be chastised for waking up late. Instead I received what I thought was a joke. “Laurel, make sure you set aside extra driving time. It’s snowing.” Wait, what? My bleary, just-awoken mind couldn’t quite comprehend the information it had just received.

Snowing? But it’s April! The thought, by itself, scared the pants off me.

But it was indeed snowing. Little white flakes, like cloud dandruff, mixed with a slushy rain that would soak one to the core, were floating down from the sky.

This weather phenomenon didn’t make any sense. Just two days ago, I woke up to sunny skies and high temperatures. I smiled at my ability to slip into lace shorts and a silk shirt with three-quarter length sleeves. Being able to walk outside without a coat on was the most exciting part of my week.

But now, waking up and seeing the dreaded white fluff falling from the sky, I had to struggle into a pair of crisp jeans and dig a sweater out of my box of winter clothing that I had just put away.

During the recent rainstorm, the temperatures dropped as soon as the clouds turned the day to gloom, and I was left sad and soaking in the parking lot in my shorts and sandals. I had joked about “making a commitment to spring.” Even though it clearly wasn’t warm enough to flaunt bare legs and toenail polish, I prepared for each day by ignoring the denim jeans hanging in the back of my closet.

Today, that wasn’t the case. I couldn’t make excuses for dressing in summer clothing when the hints of winter still hadn’t passed. Even when I walked outside in my bundles, my bones shivered, and goose bumps popped up on all visible skin.

The fact that it was snowing was depressing. Because of this, I have personally decided that it should not snow in April or March or any other spring month for that matter. But I have no control over the weather. I have no say over what the clouds decide to spit out. This reminder of a fact that I’ve known my entire life makes me realize something much bigger. In reality, I have control over very few things.

I may have control over what activities I will take part in next Friday night, but in the long run, decisions such as this don’t really matter. Things that actually matter also happen to be things that I can’t control. Realizing that early makes life so much easier.

When tragedies occur, such as the unexpected death of a family member or a natural disaster, some people have tendencies to blame themselves, even though it’s irrational. But realizing that, as humans, we can’t control things such as life and death or the weather, we can focus on working around them to control the things that we can.

So when it snows in April, and you don’t think it should, take a step back and realize how few things you can control. Take a deep breath and relax.

By Laurel Critchfield

Image used under fair use doctrine

When I saw Olly Murs as an opening act for One Direction in Chicago last year, he immediately attracted my attention. His voice and his style is so unique. His setlist definitely blew me away because I had never heard of him before, and I was amazed at this singer from across the pond. And ever since, I’ve had a love for all things Olly.

When I heard that Murs was releasing a new album last year, Right Place Right Time, I was pumped to hear his new songs. And when I heard that it was going to be released Dec. 4, I was even more excited because the date was coming up soon. But as Dec. 4 inched closer and was then passed up, I found out that the release date was pushed back to April 9. Let’s not talk about how upset I was. So, I patiently waited for the album to come out. As it had already come out in the U.K. in November, I could have compensated for it by listening to the tracks on YouTube, but I didn’t. When April 9 rolled around, I was completely ready to hear the complete album. And then the release date was pushed back again. So finally, it came out in late April.

To say I was excited is a bit of an understatement. And the album did not disappoint. It’s very similar to his last album, In Case You Didn’t Know, drawing on a funk twist that brings color and variety to the pop scene.

The main theme of this album is love and relationships, which is a very common theme, so the songs needed to be different and unique in order to impress. Murs does a fantastic job with this. My favorite part of the album is how all the songs flow with the same style. In Right Place Right Time, the songs are able to transition into one another very smoothly. The catchy tunes of the tracks are really what make it great; all of the songs just make you want to dance.

I definitely have my favorites on the album — around five in all. “Troublemaker,” one of his singles on the album, is a fun song with a catchy tune. It’s the kind of song that’s perfect for a long car drive with your friends, when you can jam out and let loose together. “Dance With Me Tonight” is another instant classic, with a ’60s pop feel that never feels boring or out-of-place. Following suit, Murs’ second single, “Heart Skips a Beat,” has been my favorite since the concert. It’s seriously one of the catchiest songs released in the past year, but it’s not typical top 40 material. It’s something new, with a spark that only Murs can bring. “Hey You, Beautiful” is another amazing tune that’s perfect for dancing and just enjoying life. And finally, “Army of Two” is an impressive track that manages to be both slow and upbeat, while portraying a meaningful message.

Murs’ new album, although long awaited, was definitely worth it. With the several energy-filled songs and the many slow songs, it doesn’t disappoint me one bit.

By Alyssa Piecko

RBHS and Hickman both played at Old Hawthorne today, where RBHS emerged victorious. Photo by Patrick Smith

Leaving the course triumphant with another win under their belt, the RBHS boys golf team dominated yesterday, April 26, at the Old Hawthorne golf course. This was the last regular match the team competed in before the district tournament.

RBHS finished with a cumulative team score of 306, beating Helias High School, Jefferson City High School and cross-town rival Hickman High School, which trailed behind with a score of 333.

Individual placement was also impressive throughout the team. The boys individually scored in a range of 71 to 84. Sophomore Matt Echelmeier, who finished with the team’s best individual score of 71, said the conditions were perfect for a RBHS win.

“It was a good day to play today,” Echelmeier said. “The greens were pretty good, which makes that course much easier.”

Echelmeier said the win was a big confidence booster for the team before facing off with even bigger competition. He hopes the team can continue their streak of success into the district championship.

“It’s awesome to know that you’re the winner at the end,” Echelmeier said. “The fact that our team won helps us keep good spirits for districts Monday.”

By Anna Wright

Image used under fair use doctrine

Though some may see the ugly release of “SimCity 2013” as an isolated incident, it’s another example in a long line of recent and weird anti-consumer trends in the games industry. And it comes from the company voted the worst in the United States two years in a row in The Consumerist poll.

“SimCity” has had a whole heap of trouble since its release March 5. Overloaded servers prevented folks from playing the first week; early mods showing that Electronic Arts’ claim the game depended on server-side calculations was demonstrably false, and the fanbase realization of the many broken underlying systems in the game made us forget about “Aliens: Colonial Marines.” It also laid bare a near-systemic problem with the gaming industry: seeming contempt for gamers themselves.

Why else would Maxis lie to their fanbase about the viability of online play? The efficacy and intelligence of the Sim agents within each city? The pathfinding system that’s worse than “Starcraft 1” (that may be slightly hyperbolic)? And from EA so soon after the disappointment of “Star Wars: The Old Republic,” and “Mass Effect 3” before that and “Dragon Age 2” before that. Beyond EA, “Aliens: Colonial Marines” disappointed anyone with a pulse, but at least its Metacritic score reflects that.

This shows an underlying and disturbing problem with the current gaming industry: the shallowing of established Intellectual Properties. Though it would be easy to blame EA as its reputation is, mildly, Voldemort, the answer is much more depressingly sensible.

To examine current trends in the game industry that have delivered disappointing sales for numerous shooters and strategy games and even more theme park MMOs, we must remember that publishers such as EA are out to make money, not necessarily quality games. In good economic times, this brought us the original “Dead Space,” “Mirror’s Edge” and “Braid.” They might not have sold as well as, say, “Call of Duty 4,” which came out around the same time, but it didn’t matter. They were experiments, and great ones at that.

Our economic climate now is decidedly more dour than mid-2000’s. The economy drove off a bridge into a pit of despair in 2009, and even now we’re just barely reaching the lip. Suddenly, experiments with new IPs such as “Mirror’s Edge” and “Dead Space” were unthinkable — every game needed to sell enough to keep the company afloat. So those projects were put on hold, and sequels to popular IPs were rushed out the door as quickly as possible to make money. The games themselves became safer in content, often emulating the most popular shooters in a certain category — “Call of Duty” in the FPS market, “Gears of War” in third-person action, “Zelda” otherwise, and they rapidly became lobotomized, repetitive rehashings of such classics.
This leaves us where we are today: the market is flooded with games of some quality that are all the same to the point that it has become meta — the game “Spec Ops: The Line” comes to mind. It’s ugly. Real ugly, and the bright spots from AAAs, such as “Far Cry 3,” are few and far between. Indies thrive, of course.

Luckily, the solution to this problem is quite simple: vote with your dollar. Support indie developers — Bastion, Cave Story, FTL, Natural Selection 2, ARMA 3, DayZ — and high quality AAA titles to show EA and other huge game companies that a safe game does not necessarily mean a shallow and lame one, and help save the industry from itself. You could even say as you pay the cashier, “It’s dangerous out there; take this!”

By Adam Schoelz

Art by Michelle Zhuang

When our Spring Break turned into Winter Break Part Two, I realized that spending the entire week watching television wasn’t the best idea. So I turned towards my bookshelf, which was overflowing with new and old copies of different books. I had forgotten how much fun reading was. In high school, every day is just another struggle to get all of my homework done and still get enough sleep to function the next day. Finding time to read books is an extremely difficult task.

Occasionally, though, I still take out a few of my favorite books and sit down on the old couch in the basement. And once I start a book, I don’t stop until I have spent several hours reading it. I realize that I forget how amazing books are and how they are more effective at providing an escape from reality than the Internet or television. I really do take books for granted and let them sit for months on my bookshelf without even giving it a second thought.

Every book pulls me into a new world, filled with new people and a new situation. I travel my way through the story along with all the main characters and become emotionally attached to all the people I “meet” along the way. Their stories make me laugh, cry and feel their pain, every ounce of it. I have all kinds of books stacked up in my basement, in every genre you can think of. And they all offer a different experience for me, a different journey to go on.

When I was younger, I used to be addicted to reading. I still remember the day I finished a chapter book for the first time and the ecstasy I felt. I have all my picture books from my childhood; I remember taking them all out and reading dozens of them in a day. I would cherish each page, each illustration, each word. I saw every book as a magical world, far away from our own. I often yearned to step into a book and leave everything behind.

Now that I’m older, I have drifted away from the enchanted world of books. I struggle to find time to become completely absorbed in a novel and lose track of all time. But when I do find time to read, I realize it is the best form of entertainment I will ever have.

As summer approaches, my bookshelf continues to call out to me. And this time, I won’t ignore its call.

By Afsah Khan

Sophomore Rohit Rao begins a serve at yesterday’s boys tennis game against Park Hill. Photo by Asa Lory

During the Bruin Invite against Park Hill in Bethel Park yesterday, April 24, the boys tennis team defeated Park Hill 9-0 just two days before the varsity team will go on to the Tournament of Champions this Friday, April 26.

While the boys team did not lose any matches to Park Hill, Coach Ben Loeb said inclement weather had shortened the amount of available after-school team practices, affecting the team’s doubles play in particular.

“I thought we did well; I thought we especially did well with the singles, and doubles we’re going to need to keep working on and getting better [at],” Loeb said, “because they played us closer yesterday in doubles than they did in singles, and we did some good things in doubles, but we still need to keep improving if we want to be as successful as we want to be in the end.”

Regardless of the small bumps, senior Billy Swift, a varsity team member, said the boys tennis team is prepared to come out on top in any event.

“Alex Jones and I struggled some in doubles,” Swift said, “but ultimately we found a way to win, which is what you have to do in those situations.”

By Blake Becker

Fitz and the Tantrums performed several of their hits, including “MoneyGrabber” and “Don’t Gotta Work It Out.”  Photo by Blake Becker

This generation’s era of music encompasses many varieties of genres and styles, but among the multitude of bands, none are as unique as Fitz and the Tantrums.

Fitz and the Tantrums is a soul/indie band that performed at The Blue Note in downtown Columbia on Wednesday, April 24. The concert opened with a lesser-known band called Hunter Hunted, which set the tone for the evening by providing an indie style similar to Fitz and the Tantrums. Hunter Hunted was vocal with the audience and kept the mood spiced up with their great drummer and violinist. They jump-started the concert on a great note, but when it was time for Hunter Hutned to exit the stage, the crowd was left to stand in an agonizing intermission, anticipating the main event.

When the Tantrums finally entered the stage, lead singer Michael Fitzpatrick and singer Noelle Scaggs casually sailed into the first song. The band wasted no time in getting down to business and started their performance off with a bang, gracing the audience with one of their major hits, “Don’t Gotta Work It Out.” The band proceeded to launch into many other upbeat tunes such as “MoneyGrabber” and did a take of “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” which was originally performed by Eurythmics. The band also gave the audience a rare treat, playing a song from their new, unreleased album.

It was a happy time for all, with no one leaving The Blue Note unsatisfied. Attendees’ spirits were engulfed by the fiery, passionate melodies; their hearts pounded from the intense upbeat rhythms; their very essence morphed into that of musical warriors, making the concert-goers ready to devour the world with the hype amassed from the glorious event.

Fitz’s voice, coupled alongside Scaggs’, is an amazing sound to behold. Their vocals were the greatest I’ve heard yet at a live concert. Fitz’s jovial demeanor kept the mood relaxed, while Scaggs’ continual engagement with the audience pumped the concert full of vigor, making it impossible to not be absorbed into the show. The rest of the band shone in the spotlights as well. John Wicks, on the drums, kept a cool rhythm, with a varied and fluid style. Jeremy Ruzumna’s melody on the synthesizer was at the least impressive, and James King made phenomenal grandstands during his saxophone solos.

This was a concert not to be missed, as Fitz and the Tantrums is a band that cannot be forgotten. Their refreshing style and individuality sets them miles apart from many other bands. An opportunity to see them live should never be disregarded, and, if given the chance, I would see them again at a moment’s notice.

By Blake Becker

Bruin Girls pre-audition video from Bearing News on Vimeo.

Video by Fariha Rashid

Additional Footage taken by Urmila Kutikkad

Missouri House Bill 136 could change graduation requirements on math and science credits. Students would have to take a math or science course for the two semesters prior to their graduation. Photo by Maddy Jones

Missouri graduation guidelines as to how to obtain the mandatory 24 credits became stricter with the introduction of requiring a half credit of personal finance in 2007. Now, high school students at RBHS and across the state might see another change.

Missouri House Bill 136, which had its first public hearing in February, states that all students must take “two full semesters of science and two full semesters of math … immediately preceding a student’s graduation from high school.”

Though students still to take a math and/or science class their senior year, state requirements only ask for three math and three science credits. This allows students who have met the requirements to omit these classes from their schedule senior year. Senior Carmel Shaka started out the year with Calculus AB as well as Anatomy and Physiology on her schedule, even though she had already met the math and science requirements. However, Shaka, who wants to study theater, dropped her Calculus class to focus on her personal priorities.

“This semester would have been a whole lot harder. … I concentrated a lot on getting prepared for different theatrical things, like I had the winter play to take care of, I had district competitions in my acting class [and] I also have work, so … taking that math that was really hard along with other classes … would have been a whole lot of stress on me that I had last semester,” Shaka said. “I couldn’t really handle that as much.”

While Shaka does think having a continuous math and science exposure could help students when it comes to those classes in college, she doesn’t think it’s necessary for the state to require those classes.

“It seems like a good amount of zpeople actually want to go into a career that requires either [math or science] so it’s not a problem of getting people to take those classes,” Shaka said. “I don’t think it would be fair to force other people to take them whenever they would want to take other classes in a profession that they’re going to go into.”

Honors Chemistry teacher Barry Still said his senior year of math and science exposure made his math and science classes his freshman year of college easier. However, Still, said taking on a schedule like his should be up to the students.

“I am not going to sway someone to take a math or science class because a lot of people who aren’t taking the math or science class are like, ‘Well, I’m not planning on going into math or science career,’ and on some level, [as a science teacher] I don’t think that’s necessarily inappropriate,” Still said. “But would it be beneficial to take a math or science? Probably, but I can’t force them to take it and I’d rather them take something that’s really interested to them.”

Junior class guidance counselor Leslie Kersha is OK with students not taking a science class senior year, but no matter which career path they are going down, Kersha said the guidance department tries to promote math classes. She said when students come in to finalize their course requests, they usually have already thought about their future path and know which classes fit on that path.

“We always recommend they take a math class for sure because almost every post-secondary endeavor does require math,” Kersha said, “and if you take a year off of math, it gets really hard to kind of get back into it because they lose a lot of skills they’ve developed.”

Although Advanced Placement Calculus BC teacher Burke McCray said math and science are important and beneficial skills to have in life, he understands it is not for everyone, and he supports the idea of fulfilling a certain number of credits to graduate.

“Well, I think it’s important, obviously, as a math teacher [to take] math and science … but I understand that not everyone has the same interest as I do,” McCray said. “I think the state should decide on how many credits a student needs to graduate and then make them get those credits and not necessarily take math and science their senior year if they already have taken care of those credits. They should be able to go on and take other classes that they are interested in.”

McCray said that taking a year off from a math or science course can not always be the best idea, yet it is still the student’s own decision.

“Taking the year off would affect a student because you would forget a lot of things, so that would be for the student to decide,” McCray said. “Some people take all the math they need by their junior year and won’t have to take it in college at all if they take a high enough level of math. But if you know you’re going to take a math class in college, you may want to take a senior year math class just so you don’t lose all of those skills, but in that case, I think it’s up to that student to decide individually.”

Junior Karina Kitchen knows she wants to pursue an art career versus a science and mathematical one. She was able to mesh together a schedule of classes she took interest in, she said, which will make for a more exciting school year.

“I haven’t decided exactly what I am going to major in, but I know for a fact that I don’t want to do anything in math and science,” Kitchen said. “And since I’m on the math track that is one year ahead, I’m finishing pre-calc now, and that’s enough for me to do well enough on the ACT to be able to get out of it in college.”

Kitchen understands lawmakers’ fear that a year with no math or science classes can make it harder for some students to get back in the game, but she says that type of experience happens every summer when kids get out of school.

In addition, while the bill does state that those who “are taking a course of study that does not require math and science courses are exempt,” Kitchen says she, along with many others, want to use their last year of high school to experiment with classes they otherwise couldn’t take and really find what interests them.

“I don’t think they should be passing the bill just because I don’t think it is necessary for everyone to be in math and science through their senior year,” Kitchen said. “I think it should be an option, because by senior year, most people are deciding what direction they want to go with their education and what areas they want to go into, and if math and science [don’t] fit into that, then they shouldn’t be required to take unnecessary classes.”

By Daphne Yu and Jacqueline LeBlanc

U.S. News and World Report ranked RBHS as the eighth best school in the state of Missouri. Photo by Patrick Smith

U.S. News and World Report recently ranked RBHS eighth best high school in the Missouri. Earning a silver medal from the site, analysts based the ranking on Advanced Placement testing scores, Algebra competency and English proficiency. Though there are many possible reasons behind the school’s success, for RBHS principal Mark Maus, the school’s ranking is easily attributed to the students and teachers.

“I really think all the credit goes to the students and the teachers,” Maus said. “We set really high standards for our students and really high expectations, and what we find is that the higher we set them, the more our students not only meet but exceed our expectations. And then our teachers are always thinking outside the box and do things [differently], trying to push the students more and give them the skills they need to be successful in the future.”

But despite breaking into the state’s top ten best high schools, junior Lily Salzer had higher expectations. Enthusiastic about the culture of freedom that RBHS preaches, Salzer believes the school is much more unique than other surrounding high schools.

“I’m a little surprised that [the ranking is] not higher … because I know it sort of played out as something we put a lot of emphasis on here.” Salzer said. “The freedom with responsibility really is something that makes our high school stand out and makes it a great environment to be in; as well, it teaches you values of what it’s actually going to be like to be in college because that’s what college is. It’s freedom with responsibility.”

But RBHS isn’t the only school in Columbia that achieved academic recognition. Hickman High School came in close behind RBHS, at 14th in the state, again according to U.S. News and World Report. Established in 1927, HHS is 46 years older than RBHS, which opened in September of 1973. A former student of RBHS, social studies teacher David Graham can see firsthand how much RBHS has grown as a presence in Columbia.

“I look at Rock Bridge from the time I was at Rock Bridge to now. When I first started out here, we were proud of our unique way of doing school. We were proud of the relationships we built with students, [and] the teachers even then I became very close to.” Graham said. “I think that we were proud of what we believed about teaching and learning. … No one wanted to go to Rock Bridge for academics. Everyone wanted to go to Hickman for academics. And as time has progressed and things have gone on, what we’re seeing is that the trend is towards the Rock Bridge way of doing school, and when I read all these educational articles from around the world, I realize really that they’re all trying to do what Rock Bridge does.”

The unique style of learning RBHS offers, Graham believes, is deserving of national acknowledgment. However, when it comes down to the  systems the U.S. News and World Report and other publications use, ratings cannot be accurately set in stone; although test scores are easy to access, school atmosphere is not so easily graded based on numbers.

“I think that it’s great that Rock Bridge gets the recognition that I think that it deserves, but I also think Rock Bridge is great, whether it’s ranked eighth in the state or eightieth in the state,” Graham said. “I don’t think it’s necessarily because of the academic measurements. It’s because of the way that we treat people, and I don’t know that they have a measurement for that yet. But once they do, I think we’d be first in the state, for how we treat students and how students treat us and how we view school as not this massive place of learning but this massive place of growth. … And when people tell us that we can’t do it, as long as we have the students’ best interests at heart, that’s what we want to hear. We want to hear, ‘You can’t do that,’ because we’ve heard [that] for 40 years. ‘You can’t do AUT. You can’t let students have this much freedom, and students can’t handle this and can’t handle that,’ and all those things have grown us into the institution that we are now.”

By Ashleigh Atasoy

Art by Yasmeen El-Jayyousi

It is generally agreed upon that vomiting from physical exhaustion is a sign of a hard workout. For that matter, beaded sweat, a heart rate elevated to 200 beats per minute and the loss of enough salt to make a lick are also signs of improving physical fitness.

Yet the school system declares that after school workouts of student athletes in Missouri simply don’t count. Students are required to take Physical Education classes despite years of athletic training.

To be sure, this editorial is not a dig against P.E. classes. For students not engaged in sports or other physical activities, they can educate students about the importance of consistent exercise, the value of team play and the procedures to avoid injury.

The problem arises when students who already consistently participate on sports teams must take P.E. instead of another class. Athletes already know how to stretch, exercise and push themselves. Instead of putting them in a class where they’ll simply be bored, why not allow them to expand academically?

Take for example, the contrast between cross country, in which complete exhaustion is routine, and fitness walking, which is exactly what it sounds like. Both last a semester; in XC, students work out roughly 90 minutes a day, comparable to fitness walking. But in XC, students run, which burns roughly double the calories according to www.runnersworld.com. Inexplicably, the one that burns less calories is worth a credit.

The easiest reason to deny this credit is logistics; one could argue that keeping track of classes for athletes is difficult, as practices occur outside school. But we already have a template for more open-ended classes: independent studies. A student could sign up for a physical education independent study with a P.E. teacher. At the end of the season, the teacher could contact students’ coaches about performance, attendance, grade and effort.

Teachers aren’t compensated for independent study, so P.E. teachers might be reluctant to embrace change. However, class sizes would stay pretty large, as many students don’t engage in sports and many who do still take weight lifting; the school wouldn’t have to drop any P.E. teachers from payroll.

There isn’t a clear reason why Missouri doesn’t allow this. When contacted, a Communications Office spokesperson for DESE, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, said the department doesn’t have a stance on whether these classes could be used for P.E. credit. Our administration has a chance to spearhead a new type of physical education, the type that sports provides; fitness for a lifetime.

Our society needs to emphasize physical education ­­— with almost a third of our youth obese, according to the National Council of State Legislatures, that is clear. But athletes know the importance of staying in shape, and they’re also students who would leap at the extra hour to take another class or study.

Students can roughly simulate this extra hour with online P.E. However, the problem is that it’s unclear where RBHS comes in; working with another school can lead to uncertainty about the validity of grades, not to mention the potential for cheating.

The trick comes at where to draw the line. Do club sports count? What about show choir? Dancers are pretty sweaty at the end of a set. For now, I’d say a full season of one MSHAA-recognized sport should count as a half-credit P.E. class since a season is roughly analogous to a semester.

It’s inefficient for students to take another semester of a class they have, in effect, already taken. Student athletes should have the option of using their sport as not only a tool to improve physically, but also academically. Administrators should work with district and state officials to make this a reality, and students should demand their hard work be rewarded.

By Adam Schoelz

Art by Yasmeen El-Jayyousi

Gravitational forces in history have had a mixed reception. Though they have kept us all from flinging into space, they have also led to numerous deaths by drowning, falling, dropping off rocks and, indirectly, obesity.

Idiomatic expressions, however, have had a wonderful and varied time playing with weight and gravity in the fashion we as humans cannot, at least until we learn to manipulate the gravitron. To “carry one’s own weight,” is to track one’s own progress and do one’s own work and is generally considered a positive in the field of labor, whether mental or physical. Some carry more than their own weight. They seek extra challenge, credit and collegiate experience and invariably end up doing great things.

They are called astronauts.

In school, they are called Advanced Placement students, and for some silly reason, we punish them for it. I am enrolled in several AP classes. I like them. The teachers are great, the coursework is engaging and topical and the classmates! Oh, the classmates! What discussion, what attitude, what research! But I digress.

AP classes are harder than regular and honors classes. That’s the entire point. Take a harder class; get some college credit if you can pay for it and pass the test. But the other point of AP classes was to be the hardest curve, the biggest workload — the best challenge. It’s a great environment for some of the top students in RBHS to work together, no doubt, and a mind without challenge grows fat and lazy.

But the system rewards those who challenge themselves as little as possible. As an AP class is harder than an honors class — a hard call to make objectively but still I think a relatively accepted one, when Honors World has roughly five essays over the year compared to AP World’s 30. It follows that getting an A in an AP class is harder than in an honors class, as well it should be.

However, the way that collegiate acceptance works nowadays is if you want either an academic scholarship or admittance to an Ivy League (TM) institution, you need at least a 3.8, bar none. There are so many smart kids, so many 34 ACTs and 2260 SATs, so many kids with heavy course loads and writing awards and high school internships that colleges have to draw the line somewhere, and somewhere happens to be between a 3.6 and a 3.8 GPA in most cases.

Applying to colleges and universities is a stressful experience, and knowing that skewed statistics wind up on their resumes only compounds the experience.

So a savvy student must ask himself: how much do I want to learn? Is it worth it to take an AP class if it means I may take a hit to my GPA?
This is an awful question. Isn’t schooling supposed to be about learning at its core? Social learning, time management learning and traditional learning — math and history and science and art and English and literature. Letter grades, however, have surpassed true education in importance totally. Letter grades are, at heart, arbitrary, depending on teacher, class and point-in-time assessments of knowledge, an imperfect measurement of understanding — any testing system can be fudged, and many students make an art of it.

As a school and as a college town community, we should try and take some of the pressure off of students while maintaining the importance of true learning. We should move to a weighted grading scale, where an A in an AP class would be worth a five and in a non-AP class it would be worth a four. It could even be calculated on a case by case basis — nationwide, some school districts allow pupils to choose whether or not to weight their GPA.
Students who challenge themselves academically should be worried about learning first, grades second. We must open up conversations with the school board, stop grubbing for letter grades and start demanding the necessary shift to a weighted grading system.

By Adam Schoelz