March 15, 2023

Newspaper Editors-in-Chiefs: Chloe Ellison

Amber Winkler

Features Editor: Olivia Van Horn

Entertainment/Opinions Editor: Violet Newton

In-Depth Editor: Haylie Bryson

Managing Copy Editor: McKenna Hudson News Editor: Ray Hathcock

Sports Editor: Tony Biondo

Promotions and Contests Editor: Hope Moseley

Illustrations Editor: Morgan Chairs

Design Editor: Michaela Manfull

General Staff:

Sophia Black

Brazia Brown

Jackson Calhoun

Miranda Fabian

Jackson Fifer

Elise Grimshaw

Lindsay Haislip

Ben Henry

Drew Johnson

Izzy Lash

Alayna Lohaus

Stephanie Lichtenegger

Carter McDevitt

Kaylee Priest

Jonica Schmidt

Ella Struble

Gavin Swart

Noah Tucker

Alex Wheadon

Editor-in-Chief of Photography/Sports: Addison Polsgrove

Editor-in-Chief of Photography/Social: Payton Johnston

Digital Media Manager: Ankita Pandurangi

Yearbook Photography Editor: Kylie Taliaferro

Newspaper Photography Editor: Etaf Abdallah

General Staff:

Jazmin Acevedo

Ava Bax

Mady Brewer

Parker Bruns

Hannah Button

Alayna Clement

Molly Cowick

Brianna Dunham

Guadalupe Garcia

Andrew Goffinet

Austin Griffin

Heidi Huff

Demi Johnson

Thomas Jones

Kaylee Monroe

Reina Murrell

Eashaan Patel

Grace Pinson

Katelin Robbers

Holly Samuels

Hannah Simmons

Faith Smith

Jalyn Stephens

Caroline Woodland

Faith Smith

Video Editors-in-Chief: Marina Williams

Rachel Trapf

Video Graphics Editor: Maddie Clark

Sports Videography Editor: Parker Smith

Video Game Review Editor: Max Ramirez

Livestream Editor:

Aidan Neu

Chief Editor: Rhea Patel

Hype Video Editor: Jackson Cutlan

General Staff:

Etaf Abdallah

Haley Aldenderfer

Riley Aldenderfer

Ben Bartels

Allison Bass

Jacob Bass

Camden Blair

Chad Blanke

Sean Brand

Emily Clausner

Jack Darling

LeeAnna Daniels

Sassy Garcia

Owen Gonzalez

Sarah Korte

Wilson Lam

Mason Mitchell

Raegan Moellering

Eric Morrow

Om Nair

Vanessa Ng

Noah Newson

Will Perry

Ian Pierce

Laney Quandt

Sam Reimer

Freya Rieken

Taylor Saale

Dana Sanchez Salvador

Harper Schneider

Nathan Smith

Austin Vollmer

Advisers: Aaron Manfull

Jordyn Kiel

ENTERTAINMENT

POKEMON BATTLING

A comprehensive guide to competitive Pokemon

To some, Pokemon may be a game where one casually plays through the game without care for which Pokemon is the best or which type of matchup beats which. Others may want to shiny hunt to find a rare one in 4,096 shiny or off-colored Pokemon. For others, they play for the competitive scene where type matchups, held items, EV’s and IV’s all matter and just one wrong move may cost the game. With all that being said, there is a lot that goes into competitive Pokemon so let me guide you through the world of competitive Pokemon.

For this, I will mostly be referencing Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, the newest games in the series. Let’s start with the newest addition to that game; Terastallization. This is really important in a battle because it can completely change a Pokemon’s type, so a dragon type, one of the strongest types, can terastallize into a fairy type negating the fairy, dragon and ice weaknesses. Another reason it’s good is the Same Type Attack Bonus (S.T.A.B.) that a Pokemon has stays the same, plus they get extra for the type they become or they get a boost to attacks if they terastallize to the same type they already were.

Speaking of, let’s talk about S.T.A.B. or Same Type Attack Bonus as it is something each Pokemon has and it depends on their type. S.T.A.B. gives certain moves a 1.5x attack boost. So for example,

MORE TO HELP ON YOUR JOURNEY

Some things to help with your journey to be a competitive master

EV Training a Pokemon works by defeating Pokemon that give certain EVs like how Chancey gives two HP EVs.

STORES THAT SELL POKEMON RELATED ITEMS:

a fire fighting Pokemon will get a 1.5x attack boost to attacks that are fire or fighting. Going back to terastallization, if they terastallize into a grass type then they gain the S.T.A.B. from the grass typing and they keep the original S.T.A.B. they had.

EV’s (Effort Values) and IV’s (Individual Values) are the stats of the Pokemon. Before talking about EV’s and IV’s, someone getting into Pokemon needs to know about B.S.T. (Base Stat Totals). They are the total from one to 255 with each stat being HP, attack, special attack, defense, special defense and speed and gauges the potential a Pokemon has in battle. IV’s are stats from one to 31, the higher the IV’s for each stat the better. Pokemon get IVs when they hatch and to get perfect IVs for the stats you want, you would get a parent with those stats and use a destiny knot to breed it down till you get what you want. EV’s are 510 points that are divided into the Pokemon’s stats with a max of 252 per stat that will help them be stronger. For example, you could put 252 EVs into the attack stat and you would be left with 258 that you could divide into something else.

Natures and abilities are another thing to consider. There are 25 natures that a pokemon can have when caught or hatched. Pokemon will have one of these natures and most raise one stat and subtract from another. For example, adamant nature increases attack but decreases special attack. Abilities are something each Pokemon gets that do specific things and some even have hidden abilities which might be better than their usual abilities.

So if you wanted to get 252 EVs in your Pokemons HP would need you to defeat a lot Chancey’s. But there are ways to make it easier, Vitamins are a good but expensive way to do it because they cost 10,000 Pokédollars each. Each vitamin gives 10 EV’s in a stat depending what is used so one would need 26 to max it out. To max out one stat you need to pay 260,000 Pokédollars.

Another way to quicken the process is the

Power Items

These are something you buy from Delibird Presents, a store in the game which costs 10,000 Pokédollars each. There are six, the power bracer, power weight etc. These power items grant 8 EVs so if one were to defeat a Chancey with the power weight one would get the two HP EVs on top, of the eight making it so you only have to defeat 26.

Getting the perfect IVs for a Pokemon isn’t an easy task and can only be done through breeding. In Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, you will need a level two egg power sandwich which will help increase egg production from the parent Pokemon and a destiny knot. When an egg is hatched you will get random IVs but if you use a destiny knot with a parent Pokemon with some of the IVs wanted it will keep five of the 12 IV

Bottle Caps are used to hyper train Pokemon. Hyper training is the only way to perfectly max out a Pokemon’s IVs which makes the Pokemon stronger. There are also held items which a Pokemon can only hold one and they can help a Pokemon. One example is leftovers which each turn will heal the Pokemon 1/16 of its maximum HP. Another is the focus sash which will allow a Pokemon to live on one HP if the move would normally one shot the Pokemon.

FUN FACTS ABOUT ST. PATRICK’S DAY

THE OFFICIAL COLOR OF ST. PATRICK’S DAY WASN’T ALWAYS GREEN

For centuries, the color blue was most closely connected with St. Patrick. St. Patrick’s blue was viewed as a symbol of Ireland, and the Irish Presidential Standard is still blue. At that time, green was thought to be unlucky. The color green was not officially associated with St. Patrick’s Day until 1798, the year of the Irish Rebellion.

ST. PATRICK’S REAL NAME ISN’T ACTUALLY PATRICK

According to Irish legend, St. Patrick was originally called Maewyn Succat, but after becoming a priest, he changed his name to Patricius or Patrick, which stems from the Latin term for “father figure.”

ST. PATRICK WAS ACTUALLY BORN IN BRITAIN

Historians generally think that St. Patrick, the saint of Ireland, was born in Britain close to the end of the fourth century. He was abducted by Irish raiders when he was 16 and sold as a slave to a Celtic priest in Ireland. After working as a shepherd for six years, he escaped to Britain. He later returned to Ireland after becoming a Christian missionary.

CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE WAS AN AMERICAN INVENTION

While ham and cabbage were popular in Ireland, corned beef was a cheaper alternative for impoverished immigrants. In the late 19th and early t20th centuries, Irish-Americans living in lower Manhattan slums bought corned beef from ships having returned from the tea trade in China. Now corned beef and cabbage is a staple across the country.

THE SHAMROCK WAS CONSIDERED A SACRED PLANT

There has been an association between Ireland and the shamrock for centuries. The Celtics referred to it as “seamroy,” and it was seen as a sacred plant that signaled spring’s arrival. Legend says that St. Patrick used the plant as a visual aid whenever he described the Holy Trinity. The shamrock had become an emblem of evolving Irish nationalism ever since the 17th century.

THE FIRST ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE WAS HELD IN AMERICA

While people in Ireland have been celebrating St. Patrick’s Day since the 1600s, the tradition of a St. Patrick’s Day parade began in America and predates the United States’ founding. A St. Patrick’s Day parade took place on March 17, 1601, in a Spanish colony in what is currently St. Augustine, Florida, according to records. About a century later, homesick Irish soldiers who served in the English military marched in New York on March 15, 1762.

LEPRECHAUNS ARE LIKELY BASED ON CELTIC FAIRIES

The Leprechauns we know today likely stem from Celtic belief in fairies. These were tiny creatures who could use magical powers for good or evil. In folktales, leprechauns were cranky and responsible for fixing the other fairies’ shoes.

CHICAGO TURNS THEIR RIVER GREEN FOR ST. PATRICK’S DAY

As the Irish immigrated to the United States, they developed their own traditions. A big one is Chicago’s annual dyeing of the Chicago River. The city began dyeing the river green when they used dye to track illegal sewer discharges in 1962 and realized it could be a unique way to celebrate. 100 pounds of green vegetable dye was released into the river that year, which was enough to keep it green for a week. A total of 40 pounds of dye are used today. This is done to minimize environmental damage. The river turns green for a day or two rather than a week.

In the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, here are eight facts about the day that you might not have known.

(Content by Morgan Chairs and Illustration by Izzy Lash)

THE GLITCHY ADVENTURES OF JOME

WELCOME TO HIGH SCHOOL

GETTING AHEAD

MAC Scholars prepares students for further schooling

MAC Scholars is a program at FHN that helps students prepare for college. The program is directed towards students of color in 9th-12th grade with a 90% or higher GPA, 90% or higher attendance rate, and no ISAP or OSS during that school year. Meetings are usually on Tuesdays or Thursdays during Knight Time or after school, held in either the Cafeteria or Learning Commons depending on the event taking place.

“We are trying to bridge the equity gap between students of color and their white counterparts while they are in high school, but also whatever it is they want to do after they graduate,” freshman English teacher

KOE HOSTS BLOOD DRIVE

On April 3, HOSA will be partnering with Impact Life for FHN’S annual blood drive. The blood drive will take place in the small gym. Students and staff alike are encouraged to donate; however, those under 16 are unable to donate. If a student is 16 they must have a parent signed consent form. Christopher Dalton is the FHN coordinator for the blood drive and sponsor of the HOSA program.

“Blood is something that is always in need, there’s always going to be surgeries or other processes that require large amounts of blood,” Dalton said. “You need to have a continuous cycle of blood coming in, because it’s not something that can be stored for very long.”

and faculty sponsor for MAC Scholars, Ashley Seiss says.

The MAC Scholars program provides students with resources to help them get into the college and career they want, such as ACT prep books, guest speakers, and college admissions panels. It focuses on empowering students through its four pillarsLeadership, Service, Scholarship, and Excellence.

“I would say you’re going to have to put in a lot of work and make sure you attend the meetings to really get something out of it,” freshman Jasmyne Moody said. “It’ll help you a lot in the long run.”

MARKET SET TO RETURN

The Sun Club is starting to prepare for their second year of doing the farmers market. The farmers market creates an effort to fund things for future events.

“We had our farmers market in May of last year, we had a pretty good success fundraiser wise,” Claire Laurentius said.

Sun Club has not yet finalized details for the market but the date will roughly be around mid to late May. They also plan to have it on the band field, same spot as last year. According to Sun Club sponsor Jenny Liberson, they plan to reach out to local businesses who want to sell at the market, local farmers, as well as students who make and sell things on their own.

PICNIC TO TAKE PLACE IN APRIL

The KOE picnic will take place on April 28 of this year and students will be able to do various things during their time at the picnic. The picnic is being organized by KOE and their leaders Lindsay Scheller and Kristen Johnson.

“It’s always a good time to reflect, we appreciate when students show up to school and put in their best effort,” Johnson said.

The picnic will be located in the big gym, the auditorium and the wrestling room. Freshman and sophomores will be attending during second and third hour and juniors and seniors will be attending during fourth and fifth hour. The earlier hours will have doughnuts and the later hours will have pizza. There will also be chips and other snacks in the auditorium.

Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) will be going to state this year April 26-29. They will be traveling to Springfield, Missouri to compete against other schools throughout Missouri.

“This year we’re going to be competing against other schools,” FBLA President and senior Azeem Ehtisham said. “We also plan on taking a bus throughout the city in our free time.”

22 students from FBLA will be taking the bus ride to Springfield for state.

(Brief by Lance Tow)

EOC TESTS IN APRIL

The EOC is an end of course exam, mandated by the state of Missouri. Algebra I & II, English II, Biology and Government are classes that are required to take the EOC. The EOC has a two week span of taking, which will be from the last week of April and the first week of May. “We were above average in the state, we do real well compared to the state,” Assistant Principal Erin Steep said. “We were right there with our sister schools, we kind of just go back and forth.” (Brief by Carter Stover)

REGISTRATION OPEN FOR SUMMER

With summer classes now open for registration, students have the opportunity to register to take the online MOSI course or the In-Person classes taking place at FHHS. Many students find it beneficial to take required classes over the summer for more freedom of choosing classes.

“I got to skip two of my classes that I took over the summer,” Cameron Burris said. “It allowed me to really decide for myself what I wanted to take.”

(Brief by Evan Yale)

The Missouri 2023 Speech and Debate districts are taking place on March 1617 at Ladue High School. This year, students taking part in districts are extra determined. Not only do they want to do well to move on to nationals, but they also want to learn something new. Harper Schneider, a freshman participating in districts, shares her views on the competition.

“I can really see at districts how much I learned,” Schneider said. “I just hope to learn how to be a good public speaker and learn about new topics.” (Brief by Riley Jensen)

On April 18, the junior class will have the option to take the ACT which will be taken in the big gym. Many students take the ACT to qualify for scholarships, Taking the Students can take the ACT as many times as they would like, trying to get the score they want. Kyle Harris, junior class counselor is trying to help prepare the students and get them the help they need if they require it. He is also helping by supervising the test.

“Working with students who need help with test prep, and I operate tutoring sessions, and making sure nobody cheats,” Harris said. (Brief by Addy Jones)

This year on Feb. 7, the Armory made its return to North. The Armory opens each school year for students to purchase FHN spirit wear. This shop, run by Student Council, sells items such as t-shirts, hoodies, hats, bracelets and stickers. The Armory is located under the loft in the lunchroom and it’s open during lunches on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

“It’s just a nice way to buy something to represent your school and get more involved in the [school] spirit,” Treasurer of Student Council and senior Manisha Muthukaruppan said. (Brief by Alayna Lohaus)

FHN Publications was announced a Pacemaker finalist for the Innovation category and the Online category. The website, FHNtoday, has been named one of the 24 finalists for the Online category.

“I think it’s a great honor,” Editor-InChief of the website Amber Winkler said. “[This] comes from hard work from all the staffs.”

The sports social medias and website, FHNGameDay, has also been named one of five finalists for the Innovation category.

The winners will be announced at the Spring National High School Journalism Convention. (Brief by Hope Moseley)

ELECTION FOR EDUCATION

Get to know the new candidates for the Board of Education election on April 4 (Photos submitted by candidates)

On April 4, three of the Board members’ terms are ending: Patrick Lane, Mary Lange and Doug Ziegemeier. Now there are seven new candidates who are vying for the three positions. Any students over 18, teachers, parents and faculty who live in the district will be able to have their opinion heard in the upcoming election.

WHO ARE YOU VOTING FOR?

Write in who you would vote for

Doug Ziegemeier is already on the Board of Education and is now running for re-election.

Ziegemeier says he addresses problems from the point of view of the students and not from the ideas of partisan politics.

“I believe it’s important to be honest in the approach that we handle our school board. Unfortunately, over the past couple of years, we’ve seen a lot of partisan politics seeping into the school board and I don’t think that does anybody any good.”

Amy Easterling to help fight for teachers rights and to do what the teachers need done. Easterling is focused on improving inclusivity in the curriculum by instituting more courses that represent all people.

“The role of public school is to help our kids become strategic thinkers and great citizens of this country. As a board member, number one my objective is to lead with kindness and really try to understand the diverse needs within our district.”

Andrew Flett is focused on tackling the issue of mental health and improving communication between the Board and students in the district. He wants to bring new ideas of oneon-one help with disciplinary issues into the school district.

“There’s a lot of things happening in this election that polarizes the politics and I’ve chosen to take on focusing on the kids and focusing on the teachers and developing strategies that help out you guys.”

Jane Puszkar wants to improve transparency in the district with how money is spent and what is being taught. Puszkar is seeking to improve parents rights over education and manage the curriculum to fit what parents think is best.

“Another thing that caught my attention was the discussion about parents’ rights, about possibly mandating [more] vaccines, and wearing masks and the quarantine issue. I wasn’t quite sure that was good for the children’s learning.”

Mark Ponder wants to help get teachers the funding they need and seeks to improve collaboration with the student body. He wants to improve the transparency of the district’s finances and cut out frivolous spending.

“One of the things that I’ve always learned is to really listen and then think about what they said before you actually answer the question. Because if you just start blurting things out you may use the wrong tone, you may give the wrong impression.”

Ron Harmon wants to help students achieve the most they can in the school system through advanced programs. Harmon wants to help improve the district’s finances by applying his background as an engineer to improve the budget.

“I want the schools to function simply and without the stress of having to worry year to year about budget. I want the community to trust more in that the school board is making good financial decisions with their money.”

Harry Harris aims to keep a balanced board and to fit the schools to the individuals. Harris wants to improve diversity and equitability within the district through teaching the history of the country.

“I want to make sure that our district is moving in the right direction, moving forward, and that we’re looking at the needs of all of our students and their families. Everybody’s different, and I want to make sure that we have the room to adjust for each of those needs.”

DRAMA CLUB HOSTS MUSICAL IN MARCH

The FHN Drama club will be putting on a production of High School Musical

On March 30, 31 and April 1, the drama club will be showing a production of High School Musical in the FHN auditorium. Tickets will be $10 in advance and $13 at the door. Kim Sulzner, who has been working at FHN for eight years as the drama teacher, will be directing the production.

“It’s a kickback to the movie that everyone grew up with,” Sulzner said. “Troy and Gabriella meet at an event over the Christmas holiday and then discovered that they both go to the same school. Troy’s the big basketball star and Gabriella is a super genius on the Scholastic Decathlon team. They both wanted to try something different, and they end up auditioning for the high school musical.”

In addition to the three shows, a matinee for Henderson elementary school students in the district will be shown.

“We’re doing five shows,” Sulzner said. “We’re going to do a show for the elementary school students, we will then have a Thursday night performance, Friday night performance, a Saturday matinee for the public and then a Saturday evening performance.”

Due to Disney’s legal policies, it is

TEACHER’S ALUMNI PROGRAM BEGINS

FHSD has decided to open up a teacher’s alumni program for undergraduates in the district. This program was created to help expand future alumni education in their career of teaching, and to help them as they aspire to be future educators.

MORE MUSICAL INFO

often hard and expensive to receive rights to productions, such as High School Musical.

“I don’t like working with Disney,” Sulzner said. “They’re a difficult company to work with. This show is actually owned by a different company so that made it easier [to use for the musical]. The student leaders of the group were looking for something different and they kept pushing this one.”

Freshman James Kowalczyk, who is a crew member and costume designer, is looking forward to how the production will live up to the movie.

“[High School Musical is] something I grew up watching and I’m excited to be a part of it,” Kowalczyk said.

Devin Best will be playing the lead role of Troy Bolton, while Jennifer Schelfaut will be playing Gabriella Montez, another lead role in the production. Although the cast list was already released, Sulzner had to work to fill traditional roles such as recruiting a basketball team.

With opening night approaching later this month, the cast and crew are becoming increasingly excited.

“The enthusiasm and excitement for the play is really great,” Sulzner said. “We have great energy and we’re super excited. Everyone should come to see it.”

“There is a nationwide teacher shortage,” Chief Human Resource Officer Lisa Simpkins said. “The purpose of the Howell Grown Educator program is to introduce Francis Howell students to the field of education. We want to encourage our students, at all levels, to consider education as a profession. If they do decide they are interested in becoming a teacher, we want to provide them with the support and help they need to become successful.”

This program was started to create more teachers who love their job and enjoy helping undergraduates want to want to become a teacher, and grow their love of learning. It is there to help future teachers learn in the earlier stages of their education. The program is also made to create a future in teaching for future undergraduates.

“I am trying to create a way to connect students with alumni at a different level that would help them do their career in education,” Howell Growth Educator Coordinator Robin Engel said. “So I’ve been looking at the college level, the high school level, and then next up is the middle school and elementary levels. And you know, just trying to grow the passion of going into education.”

This year’s prom will be filled with many different things to look forward to including gift bags, a DJ, photo booths and an elegant theme. (File photo)

JUNIOR DELEGATES PLAN PROM

Since September, junior class officers and delegates have been planning this year’s prom. This will be hosted on Friday, April 21 from 7-10 p.m. at Old Hickory Golf Club.

“It’s kind of a combination of black tie and dripping in luxury,” junior Class Delegate President Grant Kilen said. “That was what we put out as a poll and that was the overwhelming [choice of the] majority of juniors and seniors who voted in the poll.”

Marissa Heyer is the adviser of the junior class delegates. She has had this date planned since the end of last year, after they finished with the previous prom.

“It’s a very gorgeous setting,” Heyer said. “And we’ve been very happy with the service that they provide.”

This event was a cooperative effort between everyone in the junior class delegates, as there is no section that anyone is assigned to. They plan items like the ticket design to how the music will be played. Tickets will go on sale March 27-30 in the candy hallway for $60.

“We hope it’s a safe and fun environment that people, juniors and seniors, want to come out to have some fun,” Heyer said. “We’ll have photo booths, a DJ, some great food and we look forward to our ticket sales that are coming up.”

MOCK TRIAL WELCOMES NEWCOMERS

New members to Mock Trial have succeeded with their first season on the team

Mock Trial is a club where the season starts in October and the club first meets to practice a “mock” version of a courtroom case from the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis. They can take on two roles including the role of an attorney in defending or prosecuting or the role of a witness testifying in court. The students then meet up against different schools having to prove their case. Winning three out of four trials decides if they qualify in regionals. This has been a season where all newcomers have thrived.

One of the advisers, Matt Struble, has worked with the team for seven years. Of which, he’s had to coach mainly through their practices and trials, since he teaches at another district. He still has been a reliable coach to the students. This year has been more difficult, having to work with many new students who are unaware of what the courtroom has in store for them.

“It’s a fairly steep learning curve but it’s something that students tend to do very well,” Struble said.

The team has come to have a variety of students this year with different levels of experiences

MORE INFO ON MOCK TRIAL

coming in. The team has been practicing Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7-8:30 p.m. Meeting up at times on the weekends and having scrimmages against other schools has given them the time to learn and succeed.

Junior Hailey Zhang, for example, has had to adapt to these changes with being new on the team and having to learn many memorization and scheduling skills to play a witness. She originally had no interest in it all, but having had many people recommend Mock Trial, decided it could be worth a shot. For many on the team, having to be together so often, they have come to be a strong community they are proud to be a part of.

“[I] definitely thought it was all about being serious and it is, but it also is a lot of fun,” Zhang said.

Being taught to memorize and completely understand their cases, practicing it all often, they often come out of the season having improved many skills of speech, memorization and debate which has helped them qualify for state every year in the past.

“Mock Trial at first it seems really boring and it seems like a lot of work, but at competition it definitely all pays off,” sophomore Vanessa Ng said.

RED LIGHT WARNING

Have you purchased your yearbook chronicling the 2022-23 school year?

We just don’t want you to miss out and the price goes up in the coming weeks. Check the “Yearbook” menu item on FHNtoday.com to make sure your name is on the list so you don’t miss out.

RED LIGHT WARNING

If you need to buy your book, you still can in room 131 with Mrs. Kiel or online at FHNtoday.com under the “Yearbook” menu.

Join the Booster Club and support your student!

Funds raised by the Booser Club provide monetary support to all sports.

To Join Email: HowellNorthAthleticBoosters@gmail.com

Black Membership: $25

Black and Gold Membership: $50 (comes with $25 booster bucks)

Knights Membership: $100 (comes with $50 booster bucks)

Have you purchased your yearbook chronicling the 2019-20 school year?

ARE YOU SURE?

just don’t want you miss out and the price goes up coming weeks. Check the “Yearbook” menu item on FHNtoday.com to your name is on the so you don’t miss out.

you need to buy your book, you still can in room 131 with Mrs. Kiel or online at FHNtoday.com under the “Yearbook” menu.

year’s book will be pages of chronicle everything each of the seasons to everything in between.

INDEPTH

WHAT IS SENIORITIS TO YOU?

Seniors answer question about how senioritis affects them in their last high school semester.

(Content by Hope Moseley)

“As soon as I get here I’m ready to go home. It’s nice to only have four classes though.”

NOT JUST A LACK OF MOTIVATION

Senioritis is real and it affects seniors in many different ways

It is more than a lack of motivation. It’s knowing that there is something in the future to look forward to. It’s feeling like there is nothing left to be done right now, that a waiting game is being played. Senioritis is real and it’s different for every senior.

“[Senioritis] is more of the excitement to be out into the real world and have a little bit more freedom, opposed to a lack of motivation,” Peterson said.

-

“Repetitive and very tiring.”

“I take classes that I don’t need to, I don’t need to be here half the time.”

- Nico

Senioritis is commonly believed to be something made up by seniors as an excuse to not do their work and to slack off. But many seniors and the senior class counselor believe that it is something that truly does affect seniors.

“I definitely think [senioritis is] a real thing because I think you see it with students even when they’re in college too,” Class of 2023 counselor Lorraine Smith said. “I think anytime you’re looking at moving on to that next thing and feeling like you’ve already accomplished what it is that you need to accomplish here.”

There’s only one semester left. It’s when senioritis hits the hardest. Grades don’t seem to matter as much, many are already accepted into college. Other than prom, there’s not much left to look forward to. Some experience it much sooner, sometimes even as early as junior year. That’s how it was for both senior Emma Landwehr and Peterson.

“I think it leaps into junior year when you’re planning for all of it because that’s when it hit me,” Landwehr said. “Because everything seemed impossible. But there’s so much stuff to do. And then you get it done, it’s not that bad.”

“Being exhausted and not wanting to be here, but at the same time missing football games and freshman innocence.”

“A sense of picking as easy classes as I can. I haven’t had any homework since the beginning of second semester.”

-

It affects each senior differently. Most seniors feel the general lack of motivation, but many also see the excitement for what comes next and for the freedom they will soon have. Doing the same thing everyday for 12 years has had a major effect on senior Jake Peterson and his senioritis.

Finding something to do that you love in the final semester is what Smith, Peterson and Landwehr all recommend to help with senioritis. It helps to relieve some of the dread and feelings of pointlessness.

“I think anytime that you’re able to get involved in an activity and be a part of something that doesn’t feel like school can be helpful in keeping you engaged and motivated to still come to school and to still be a part of what’s going on here,” Smith said.

“Loss of motivation, really tired all the time.”

-

“Stressful. I feel like I don’t have enough time on my hands and I feel like skipping one or two classes will give me more time.”

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EXTRA WORN OUT

National Honor Society, Student Council, marching band, choir. These are only a few examples of extracurricular activities that require time spent outside of school. Now for a senior plagued with senioritis, these once fun activities have turned into burdensome responsibilities.

“For other seniors who don’t spend as much time in extracurricular activities as I do, their focus is on something else,” senior Kaitlyn Le said. “Rather than me, who is more focused on extracurriculars rather than my studies.”

Le is involved in marching band, pep band, wind ensemble, MAC Scholars, KOE, NHS, Mu Alpha Theta, Mentors and is also Vice President of Triple A. For seniors like Le, most of their time may be spent participating in their extracurricular activities.

“I feel like it worsens [senioritis] because the amount of time I spend on each extracurricular burns me out,” Le said.

For senior McKenna O’Connor, her extracurricular activities also worsen the feelings of senioritis. Between homework, extracurricular activities and a part time job, it may make one question if seniors get any free time to themselves. Senioritis may affect one’s motivation to get any type of work done.

“[During] the free time that I do have, I don’t want to do my school work,” O’Connor said. “When I’m at my extracurricular activities I’m already stressing about all the school work that I still need to do, that I just don’t want to do.”

As a freshman who is new to high school, their drive to participate in extracurriculars may tend to be higher. By senior year, that drive could be worn out. So, in the situation of participating in extracurricular activities, seniors don’t always have the same spirit as they did freshman year.

“If you asked me freshman year I would probably go to every single meeting that I was supposed to be involved in,” Le said. “Now I tend to skip more.”

DEALING WITH SENIORITIS

Senioritis is a condition many people my age find themselves with. It always seems to seep its way into our lives once we cross into the second semester of our last year of high school. It starts out simple, you miss a class to get out of a test, skip a Monday every now and then so you can sleep in, turn in an assignment late because it’s not like it really matters. Next thing you know, your attendance is worse than it’s ever been because you’re skipping first hour everyday and your grades are starting to slip from the assignments that “didn’t really matter”, then it starts to manifest itself into burnout,

once you’ve been doing it for four years. It’s always the same classrooms, same halls, same teachers and the same curriculum at the end of the day. I feel like now that I’ve hit the second semester of my senior year, holding up my grades and GPA for so long now, I just feel exhausted.

Along with the repetitiveness of everyday life as a senior in high school, there’s also the taunting excitement of the future of graduating. I was accepted into the University of Missouri-Kansas City back in September of 2022, only a month after my senior year started. Ever since then, I’ve been eager to start my first college semester, but it was still a whole year away. I signed up for orientation, visited campus a few times with some UMKC graduates and signed up for event notices so I could track all of UMKC events for incoming freshmen. Going to high school for my first semester as a senior knowing that I was so close to graduating and going to my dream school was a torture, and definitely made me question why I was even still in high school. A huge part of college that makes it a much better improvement to highschool is having the freedom to pick my own classes. Besides for your gen-eds, I can choose to only learn about things

A personal perspective of a senior dealing with senioritis and how it affects their everyday life

that pertain to my degree and personal interests. Which I believe is what learning should be all about. Students don’t want to take classes that don’t interest them, which is a huge downside to high school.

Another contributing factor to my senioritis was having friends that had already graduated from high school. Seeing them sleep in on the weekdays, working days so they have nights off, it makes me envious of their lives. Hanging out with them was always difficult too because I had school all day, and I could never stay out late with them because I would have to be in class early the next day. It made me feel left out, like I couldn’t truly fit in with the crowd until I graduated, which only made me want to skip class more.

All these factors seem to

BEGINNING OF THE END

While junior year is probably filled with keeping grades up and getting a good ACT score, senior year can tend to be more relaxed with just making sure deadlines for both high school and college are being met. During the last semester of the school year, some seniors are itching to get out and some seniors are not ready to leave.

“I think you should try to get through it in an optimistic way,” senior Shaylea Flieger said. “You can’t do some of these things ever again but it is also something you just have to deal with.”

contribute to my senioritis, yet they also make me more excited for my last year of high school. With such little time left before we graduate and start college, I find myself wanting to savor what I have left of the school year. For the first time in my life I’ve been wanting to go to school events more often, get involved in clubs and take as many classes as possible. Even with all the reminders of why graduation can’t come sooner, I’m still reminded of what I’m gonna miss when I leave.

Which is why even with the desire to skip everyday, the lack of motivation and the burnout, I still want to do my best for my last semester and go out with a bang for my last year.

Most seniors that have been admitted to college are working the same, if not harder to keep their grades up. If grades go down, colleges can remove their acceptance or remove any scholarship opportunities.

“My work ethic has definitely increased since I’ve been admitted to Lindenwood,” senior Kael Schaefering said. “It makes me want to try harder and not want to quit yet because you can lose scholarships even after being admitted with one.”

Not all seniors are happy about graduating and leaving for college. Most high schoolers have had a routine in place for the past four years and that change of pace could be scary and some seniors may shy away because of the change. As the last semester for seniors starts coming to a close, the gears may shift and seniors that are admitted to college and had a case of senioritis may now miss the past four years of memories.

FEATURES

COFFEE HOT SPOTS

These are six local coffee shops and the things that make them stand out compared to others (Content by Kaylee Priest, Photos by Heidi Huff)

CROOKED TREE

The Crooked Tree Cafe was started on a legend that a compassionate Indian cook was laid to rest under a tree. The tree was so upset at this that it covered over the Indian man’s grave and never stood up straight again, getting the name ‘the crooked tree’. The cafe was started by a couple who have turned something as simple as a cafe into a cozy place to do homework with an interesting menu serving drinks such as the dreamsicle, a frappuccino made with orange and white chocolate and a spring fling, a latte made with white chocolate lavender and rose.

7 BREW

7 Brew is a local drive-through coffee kiosk with no inside access. It is a chain business that is much newer to the state of Missouri but has already made its mark with three new locations. It started out of a desire to change drivethrough coffee. With a very quick and efficient drive-through, staff that works outside one-on-one with the customer, and drinks that change seasonally, they definitely shocked the coffee community.

“People there are so nice and they talk to you. There menu is large so there are a lot of options,” junior Ryleigh Albers said.

SUGAR BEANS

Sugar Beans is a coffee place that says to only employ “differently abled” staff members. Along with being a coffee shop, there is a bakery and roastery, serving Europeanstyle breakfast, lunch and even dessert. With their extensive menu and strip mall location, it makes Sugar Beans a great hidden gem in St. Charles.

“The store owner is very nice, and it has a very jazzy vibe to it. I feel like their coffee is affordable and they have amazing desserts,” Spanish teacher Brian Santos said.

LATTE LOUNGE

Latte Lounge is a small, black-owned business that sells a wide variety of breakfast food and an even wider variety of coffee. The restaurant changes seasonally so there are always new things on the menu. Along with selling coffee, Latte Lounge has a build-your-own bouquet, smoothie bar and snack bar attached to it. Latte Lounge is much bigger than a normal coffee shop having things like a pool table and even swinging bar chairs. The Latte Lounge is a place where people can sit down and enjoy a meal or get a coffee to go.

PICASSO’S

Picasso’s is a chain business that has been very popular in Missouri with one location being on Fifth street and one being on Main street. Along with Picasso’s being a coffee shop, it offers things such as the piano, recitals and small jazz concerts.

“It’s a much smaller place and a great environment. The people are just truly so nice there,” junior Natasha Haverly said.

UPSHOT

Upshot was opened in July of 2020 with their first location being in Cottleville. Their second and more popular location was an old Shell gas station that the owner’s family would drive by every day. It went up for sale one day and they decided to turn something old into a new shop that could be a community place. Selling all sorts of coffee, tea, sweet treats, smoothies and even fruit juice, they have become a very wellknown coffee shop for most people in St. Charles.

IT TAKES TWO TO TEACH

Spouses Larry and Lindsey Scheller share their experiences being teachers together at FHN

Some may question working with their spouse, but teachers Larry Scheller and Lindsey Scheller make it seem effortless.

Larry has been teaching biology at FHN for 19 years, as well as Anatomy and Physiology. After working at sports camps, he realized that he really enjoyed spending time with kids and teaching them. This ultimately led him to pursue a career in teaching at North.

Lindsey teaches English I, English II, and The Novel at FHN. Her dream of teaching however, began at a much younger age.

“I wanted to be a teacher from when I was like teeny-tiny,” Lindsey said. “I don’t know, I just always knew that that’s what I wanted to do.”

Larry and Lindsey’s story began back in their senior year of high school. After a mutual friend introduced them, they hit it off. They later attended the University of Missouri Kansas City together, and after graduation, Larry began his teaching job at FHN, while Lindsey began hers at Rockwood Summit. Around two years after Larry started teaching at North, Lindsey decided to take the leap and begin working with him.

“When I first decided to come to this building, I was a little bit worried, like ‘is that going to be too close?’ I feel like the school is big enough that we don’t really see each other unless we try to see each other,” Lindsey said.

Though there may have been some initial hesitation, nearly 17 years later, Larry and Lindsey continue to enjoy the benefits of working at FHN together. Easy communication, matching schedules and summers off are just some of the perks of working with each other. Even their children, Ben, Oliver and Josie, are allowed more experiences due to Larry and Lindsey’s practically identical work schedules.

“I think that’s one thing that’s cool about both being teachers and being in the same district is we have the exact same breaks,” Larry said. “[When] we don’t have school, we get the same break. So we try to travel as much as we can over the summer.”

Having summers off adds a lot of fun for the family. From the pool in their backyard to float trips and travels to national parks, the Scheller family makes the most of their summer break.

Working together also makes communication easier for Larry and Lindsey. They are currently just a

stairwell away from each other, so any questions or assistance can easily be responded to.

“It’s super nice to know all the same people,” Lindsey said. “I think it’s kind of fun, that way we can talk about things that have happened. We don’t obviously know all of the same kids, but we know a lot of the same kids.”

As teachers, Larry and Lindsey have a lot of students that admire them. Not only does this admiration come from their teaching, but it comes from their relationship with one another as well.

“Mrs. Scheller always comes in to talk to Mr. Scheller and it’s really cute because they’re always just talking about whatever,” junior Sara Ausbury said. “They’re just sharing and bringing food to each other and always asking about each other’s days.”

Whether or not students have Larry or Lindsey as a teacher, they will probably get to know the pair because of their involvement at North. Larry coaches boy’s soccer at FHN, while Lindsey is involved with Knights of Excellence and other activities.

“We get to share stories with the kids that we teach,” Larry said. “They know more about me because of her, and they know more about her because of me.”

Larry and Lindsey Scheller teach a variety of classes

MORE ABOUT THEIR CLASSES English I

As an introductory course, this class involves the practice of basic literacy skills.

“Mrs. Scheller’s English I class was a really good starting class as a freshman. She made the class very interactive.”

Jayden Le, junior

This course is the next level following English I and advances on other literary skills.

The Novel

This is a semester long course in which students will read multiple novels as well as analyze and discuss them.

“I like Novel because it’s a chill hour and it’s one of the few classes where you can work at your own pace.”

Austin Bitter, senior

English II Biology

Biology is a fundamental course that leads into more advanced science classes.

“Biology was an interactive and relaxed class.”

Hayden Puhr, junior

Honors Anatomy

& Physiology

This class is more involved, with hands-on labs and dissections. It can be taken after completing Biology with a C or better.

POPULAR PIECES

1966

The Lego Train system is released which includes motors and rails.

1969

Lego Duplo is introduced to get younger children into Legos. 1977 Lego Town or Lego City sets are introduced.

1978

The new Lego mini figure is released which features adjustable parts. 1984

The Lego Castle collection is launched.

1998

The Lego Creator sets are released which allow for multiple builds in one box.

2006

Lego Batman and Lego SpongeBob SquarePants are released.

The rise of Lego’s sets has gained a following among teens and adults (Photo by Brianna Dunham)

The nostalgia of the Hogwarts castle. The height of the NASA Apollo Saturn V. The detail in the Millennium Falcon. These defining characteristics of these famous Lego sets have made them appealing to the masses spanning multiple generations.

Lego has had a resurgence in popularity amongst teens and adults alike in recent years and the inclusion of more difficult and mature sets has created a way for people of all ages to relax, relieve stress and tap into nostalgia from their childhood.

“As a child, it was just fun to build stuff and that would have been as a kid in the early 80s,” science teacher Christopher Dalton said. “Space was a big thing so they had some really small series of space type Legos that my friend had.”

As Dalton grew older, his love of Legos diminished but came back in full strength when Lego released several detailed adult sets that brought back a sense of nostalgia. Particularly the Space Shuttle and Back to the Future Delorean were sets that reeled Dalton back in.

“So when they started to come out with some of those highly detailed [sets], it just brought back nostalgia from when I was young,” Dalton said. “Plus it’s relaxing and a stress reliever.”

Dalton enjoys building sets one bag at a time, often after a long day of work. Legos were also a way for him to connect with his son who enjoyed building smaller sets as a child. But nostalgia isn’t the only thing that brought Legos back into the mainstream. The rewarding feeling of finishing a set can be enough to perk someone’s interest.

“I would say the end result [is most

rewarding],” junior Alexis Morlen said. “Like this one took me seven and a half hours to do it and I had to finish it. So it’s just the finished result and I’m like ‘it’s finally complete’.”

Her most prized build is the NASA Apollo Saturn V which stands at a whopping 39 inches. Along with the Saturn V, Morlen has completed around 17 sets with her favorite collection being the Skyline Architecture sets which began in 2016.

“I think because they’re making more appealing sets to all ages of people, it’s more inclusive now,” Morlen said, “versus everyone just thought of them as a kid’s toys or only collectibles.”

Many popular collections that have gained traction with the masses have been the Architecture collection started in 2008, a fan favorite of Morlen’s, the Ideas collection debuted in 2014 and the Botanical Collection released in 2021. Since the release of these

popularity of Legos among the masses.

“I would say [social media] definitely spreads the sets that people don’t know about, like the floral sets and all that,” Morlen said.

However, the introduction of Legos can date back to early childhood. Dalton, as well as many teenagers and adults, grew up with Legos and the ability to reconnect with a childhood toy is something some can’t resist.

“I would say that our generation of kids were really into it and now we’re able to go out and buy them ourselves,” senior Jonah Sevier said.

Sevier enjoys the logic of Legos and the step by step process it takes to finish a set. The Star Wars Lego sets are his favorite with his most cherished set being the Millennium Falcon.

“Lego is expanding into different areas and expanding on how many sets they are putting out,” Sevier said. “So I would say it’s a combination of our generation growing up and being able to compete in that consumeristic idea and Lego putting out more things to purchase.”

The novelty of Legos makes them a nostalgic piece that can often serve many purposes. For some, it’s a reminder of simpler times. For others, it’s a way to relax and decompress. But the factor that most enjoy about Legos is the journey it takes to see the completed set. The process of building the Van Gogh Starry Night or the Bowser set brick by brick, is an enjoyable process that spans generations dating back to the founding of Lego in 1932.

“Well, I think there’s a goal to achieve the build and you can also design your own things,” Dalton said. “It’s something that has been around for a long time that’s appealed to a lot of people. You know you’re building something, you’re doing something, there’s something tangible there.”

AIRPORT ADVICE

There are airports all around the world, but most people don’t actually know what is at their local airport. There are many businesses at Creve Coeur airport to explore and airport terms to learn. (Content by Chloe Ellison, Illustration by Morgan Chairs)

RUNWAY NUMBERS

The numbers on both ends of the runway are there for more than identifying which runway the plane is on. These numbers, such as 16 and 34 at Creve Coeur, are the direction that the runway is facing. So for runway 16, it means that the runway is facing 160 degrees.

PISTON AVIATION

TAXIWAY

Going from the hanger to the runway, planes will take the various taxiways to get to their destination. Not used for cars or actual taxis, these taxiways are what the paths and roads other than the runway are called. Planes on the ground are taxiing around the airport.

While some may think that an airport is only useful if you know how to fly, there are actually many flight schools where you can learn. Piston Aviation is one of the flight schools at Creve Coeur Airport. They have a variety of planes and offer discovery flights to people wondering if flying is a career they want to pursue.

THE RAMP

The ramp is where many airplanes are found parked. The planes found on the ramp at an airport such as Creve Coeur will vary from private jets to small two-seat planes.

HISTORIC AIRCRAFT RESTORATION MUSEUM

There are plenty of exciting planes to fly and watch at the airport, there are also some older historic planes found at the Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum. They are open Friday through Sunday with a $10 admission fee. There are around 49 planes found in four hangers. This museum focuses mainly on vintage planes and those that were made from 1920 to 1939.

There are many planes at Creve Coeur Airport, here are just a few. Scan the QR code to visit Piston Aviation’s website to learn more about learning to fly.

GOAT GLUTTON

Freshman Issac Lopez has an interesting relationship with food. He is known among his friends for eating foods that would make most people turn green.

“I saw a TikTok of a guy eating a lamb head,” Lopez said. “I thought I would try it, so I went to a butcher market and got a head. I cooked it and I ate it. I ate the eyeballs and the tongue and the cheek.”

Lopez estimates that he eats around 2,500 calories a day. To balance this out, he plays football and is active in Iron Knights. His family, while they support his hobby, don’t join in the feast.`

“My brothers tried a bit, but they all thought it was disgusting,” Lopez said.

Gavin Lopez, Issac’s younger brother, tried part of the lamb head.

“[The lamb head] wasn’t that good, it tasted kind of bland,” Gavin said.

Lopez has tried food from multiple regions of the United States and wants to travel to Canada to eat at Burgers n’ Fries Forever, a famous burger joint. His favorite unusual foods include a grouper sandwich and mango habanero wings.

Lopez plans to continue his unusual hobby later in life as well and wants to expand his palette to feature more foreign foods. His dream is to travel the world and try new foods.

“It’s all about the adventure,” Issac said.

CONTROVERSY IN THE CLASSROOM

Classes like Black American History and Black Literature faces scrutiny by some

With Florida’s recent ban on the AP African American Studies course in the state’s high schools and rising opposition to teaching classes like it, these classes are in danger of being taken out of other schools around the country. At North, Black American History and Black Literature are offered, but if bans continue to happen across the country, they might leave.

“I feel like we need it. We just need it. That’s all there is to it,” Diane Fingers said. “I don’t think it should be isolated to a single course that you have to choose to take. I think we should be studying all kinds of literature in every single class.”

Black Literature is a semester-long class and is primarily focused on giving students the opportunity to read and learn about books written by black authors. Fingers helped to write the curriculum for the course and has been teaching the class since its first implementation at North in 2021. Sean Fowler teaches Black American History, which he also helped to write, and has been teaching the class since 2021. It is a semester-long class and is more focused on the history of African Americans in the United States and the African American experience.

“What I think is the benefit of this class is by the nature of it, we’re asking different questions,” Fowler said. “It’s not that history is not based

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE CLASSES?

“It’s a good way for people to learn about cultures and really get into the history of the times.”

Amari Cunningham, junior

in fact, history is always based in fact. But the questions you ask are going to change the narrative. And I think that’s why it’s important for this class. It gives people an opportunity to ask different questions and hear a different narrative.”

Both classes allow black students to see themselves represented in a class, but it also allows other students to see a different perspective from their own. In each class, students are able to ask questions and have open discussions to learn more about everyone’s experience. But these classes are targeted more than others based on concerns of Critical Race Theory being taught and of indoctrination.

“It’s not my job as a teacher to say ‘you must believe this’,” Fowler said. “My job is to introduce you and for us to ask questions and engage. Some people might walk away with one belief and others walk away with different beliefs and that’s what education is.”

“We know more about the history that isnt shared in other classes.”

Paige Whitfield, junior

Both Fingers and Fowler would eventually like to see the topics they explore in their own classrooms expanded into the broader curriculum of both English and history classes. They both would like to see these classes stay at North and they encourage students to take them.

“Keep talking about it, keep asking for it, take the classes,” Fingers said.

“Go to the board and talk to them, speak at the board meetings, write those letters. You’ve got to take them because if you don’t take them, they don’t get to stay.”

GAME PAGE

Test your Saint Patrick’s Day knowledge (Content by Izzy Lash)

WIN A PRIZE!

Be one of the first to complete the crossword and check it in room 105 to win.

Across

2. There are no native _____ in Ireland.

5. A little green guy known for his money.

10. Where was Saint Patrick actually born?

11. Where is the biggest St Patrick’s Day celebration in South America?

13. Origin of the saying, “kiss me I’m Irish.”

15. Every year this city dyes their river green on Saint Patrick’s Day.

16. Where was the first Saint Patrick’s Day parade held?

17. A famous type of Irish bread.

Down

1. Patron saint of Ireland.

3. Symbol of Ireland, if you’re lucky it might have four leaves.

4. St. Patrick’s Day always falls on the ___ of March.

6. Popular Roman leader, killed on the Ides of March.

7. The initial color of Saint Patrick’s Day was _____.

8. March and _____ are over on the same day of the week every year.

9. If you don’t wear green, you might get _____.

12. Found at the end of the rainbow.

14. The four leaves of a shamrock stand for faith, hope, love and _____.

HAVING THE DRIVE FOR STATE

LACROSSE FILLS COACHING POSITIONS

Two additions are added to the girls lacrosse coaching staff this season

Before the beginning of this year’s girl’s lacrosse season, not one but two coaching positions were opened. Although players worried about a lack of coaches, the positions were quickly filled. Both coach Shelby Pritt and coach Barbara Hill are new to the FHN community and are taking over for coaches Ashley Van Camp and Mandy Xa due to an overlap in the high school lacrosse season and the college lacrosse season. Along with the two new coaches, Rowan Pugh will be returning as the conditioning coach for the team.

“Barb coaches and works in our district already so we knew of her, but she really is trying to get her foot in the door to North programs,” Pugh said. “She really likes the diversity in our school and our programs and has been looking for at least the last year to try to come over to the north side. And Shelby is a very talented player and is passionate about lacrosse.”

Hill is a veteran coach and has most recently coached the FHHS girl’s volleyball team, but she did not have prior experience with girl’s lacrosse. Hill decided she wanted to

begin coaching lacrosse to help out Pugh and Pritt in order for the girls to have the best season possible. Pritt has played lacrosse with a team but has not coached a team before. Hill was chosen for the position for her expertise in training and her experience coaching while Pritt was selected as a coach due to her previous training as a high school lacrosse player.

“I hope to make the program larger and more well known at the school and district so it will become a bigger sport and get other people interested,” Hill said.

The coaches all hope to broaden the girl’s lacrosse program and improve it overall, all three coaches will be focusing on a different type of training in order to give the girls a wide range of skills. Pugh and Hill will mainly focus on conditioning and strength training with the girls, while Pritt will help the girls with game play, technique and stick handling.

“This is just a brand new year, we really love the kids and want to make this the best season for them we possibly can,” Pugh said. “And at the end of the day, we want to walk out of games with good people on our roster and have a super fun time.”

As Ian McDermott enters his final year playing varsity golf at FHN, he wants to make his mark. This is his fourth year playing on the team and he is dedicated to going to state again this year. Last year he placed 72nd out of 81, shooting 87 his first and second rounds. He has been working hard during the off-season to perfect his swing and his entire game. He is dedicated to being good at what he does and wants to do the best he can for himself and his team.

“I feel that state is very achievable for me this year and I’ve been working very hard to improve my game,” McDermott said.

Many things have changed for McDermott since last year, such as new coaching and a realization that this is his last year playing. Having a coaching change during senior year can be hard because of the bonds and relationships that he had made during his past three years. Now having history teacher Matt Havermale as the new coach, McDermott will learn to make a new bond. This bond will hopefully help McDermott be able to make it to state again this year. Havermale plans to help McDermott achieve his goals of state and placing higher than he did last year.

“I hope that I can help him just as much as I was able to help the girls team improve this past year,” Havermale said. “I know it is his senior year, but I want to be able to help in any way that I can.”

VARSITY GIRLS SOCCER SCHEDULE

ELDRED SIGNS TO MOBAP

Senior player AnnaRose Eldred commits to local university for soccer and to further her education

On Feb. 1, FHN held their annual signing day for student athletes across the school who are furthering their education and athletic careers at various colleges. Senior AnnaRose Eldred committed to Missouri Baptist University for soccer. Eldred has been playing soccer for 14 years and has played at various clubs across the area including Lou Fusz, Missouri Rush, Sporting St. Louis and JB Marine. Typically, playing club soccer is one of the best ways to create a path to college soccer.

“Club soccer taught me a lot about playing as a team,” Eldred said. “[Club soccer] allowed me to get recognized by college coaches in tournaments and other events.”

tenure at the university.

“Both universities are close to home,” Eldred said. “Staying close to my family is really important to me, so an in-state school was really important to me.”

has to play just about anywhere on the field,” coach Mark Olwig said. “She is a great player and deserves the opportunity that she has right now.”

All home games have a ‘vs’ next to the opponent. Away games will have the ‘@’ to show where the game is held.

Originally, Eldred was going to commit to Fontbonne University in St. Louis. Fontbonne plays in NCAA Division three, which doesn’t allow money to be granted for athletic scholarships. Eldred chose Missouri Baptist because she could get more money in scholarships during her

Eldred, in her 14 years playing soccer, has played a variety of different positions like center back, winger and central midfield. The versatility of Eldred makes it easy to get game time and play frequently as she can adapt to any role that she plays very quickly. As of recently, including club and high school soccer, Eldred played mostly center back (defense) unless there was an opportunity to play forward.

Missouri Baptist University Girls Soccer Program

• MoBap was formed in 1964

• Athletics are NAIA, which is below D1 ,D2, and D3

• Competes in the American Midwest (AMC) Conference

• MBU girls soccer finished 2022 season 7-1 in AMC

• Last year, they averaged 2.16 goals per game

“AnnaRose is a great player to coach because of the ability she

Eldred is attending Missouri Baptist University with senior Lucy Fajatin, who is currently verbally committed to MoBap for softball. The two are staying in a dorm on campus together for at least their first year on campus. Eldred is looking to become a business major as of right now and Fajatin is looking to go into the medical field.

“I’m really excited that I get to dorm with someone that I already have a good connection with,” Fajatin said. “It makes the process of starting college a little less stressful, socially.”

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW

Varsity teams performance will depend heavily on some new faces

A new look is on the horizon for the FHN varsity baseball team as a mix of old and new faces look to make their debut in the first game of the season against Parkway North on March 17. North, led by long time coach Bobby Dunahue, is looking to improve upon their 2022 season where they out-performed expectations, holding a record of 15-18 and even winning a district game.

“I think [our performance last year] was solid, better than a lot of people expected,” center fielder and senior Steven Thompson said. “I think we won some pretty good games.”

This year’s varsity squad finds a good cast of returning faces, seniors like first basemen Ryan Wilson and catcher Patrick Martinez, who have been on varsity since their sophomore year. Together with newly committed UMSL pitcher Trey Schnieder, they hope to outperform their solid season last year. They will also be in the leadership position for the first time this season, and how well they fill that position will

MARCH MADNESS

The NCAA March Madness tournament, also known as the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament, is one of the biggest events in college sports. Each year, 68 college basketball teams from across the country compete in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion.

SERIES TO LOOK OUT FOR

Some of the biggest series for FHN. All games start at 4:15p.m.

VS. FHC

April 4 @FHC

April 5 @FHN VS. FZW

April 11 @FHN

April 12 @FZW VS. FHH

April 25 @FHH

April 26 @FHN

directly impact the teams overall performance this year.

“We lost a lot of seniors from last year and we have a lot of first year varsity players this year,” Wilson said. “We’re gonna have to take on more of a leadership role.”

North’s going to most likely find trouble filling the gaps in production left by players who graduated last season. North had a very good senior cast last year with players like alumni Sean Hampton and DeVon Jennings hitting around .300 in almost 100 at-bats, and Derek Archer and Kyle Button pitching well on the mound. Losing seniors is a problem every school team faces, but for a team that was right under .500, losing some top talent is especially hard. The X-factor to FHN’s success this year is the new players on varsity and how they perform, so the proven players will need to step up and help them get to a winning level.

“I think we’ll be a little over .500 overall, better than I think a lot of people are expecting this season,” Thompson said. “I think overall, the younger kids can play ball so I think we’ll be alright.”

The tournament is a three-week extravaganza that starts in mid-March and ends in early April. It comprises four regions: East, West, South and Midwest, with each region consisting of 16 teams. The teams are seeded from one to 16, with the highest seeds being the best teams in the country. The tournament’s early rounds, known as the “First Four,” consist of eight teams playing in four games to determine which four teams will advance to the main tournament.

The NCAA March Madness tournament is not just a sporting event, but also a cultural phenomenon. Millions of people across the country fill out brackets, predicting which teams will win each game.

The NCAA March Madness tournament is a celebration of college basketball and a testament to the talent and dedication of student athletes. Each year, it provides some of the most exciting moments in sports and is a must-watch for any sports fan.

RUNNERS GET READY

It can be challenging to stay in shape as an athlete during a long season. However, the difficulties of staying in good shape during an off-season can be just as difficult or even harder. To combat this struggle, junior Andrew Head has been gathering the boys cross country runners together to run as a team during their off-season.

“I’ve always noticed that it’s easier to run with a group of people, so I always try to encourage some of the newer runners to join me and some of the other runners when we run” Head said.

While the team is staying in shape and working on their speed and endurance, they are also getting great bonding time through these workouts. This is allowing for many of the freshmen to become familiar with the routes they run, and the overall culture of the team.

“It’s been really great to get to know some of the other runners I am going to run with even before the season starts, and these workouts have been a great way to do that.” freshman Colin McGuire said.

With this early work before inseason training, a good mentality and work ethic is being set for the whole team prior to the season beginning.

“I am really looking forward to how much I will improve during the season,” freshman Carter Steutermann said. “It’s always really satisfying to see your improvement at the end of any season.”

SCHOOL, WORK AND STUDENT ATHLETES

Students who play sports may struggle to balance everything going on in their life

Most coaches always use the motto ‘school before sports’. Yet some athletes find it hard to decide which one is more important in a situation where they feel committed and want to improve in both. From parents to teammates that are more sport driven, it can get difficult to know when to draw the line and start focusing on whats more important.

The boy’s volleyball team at FHN has about three-hour long practices every day after school during their spring season. Even though player and senior Jack Stover has figured out how to balance his school, athletic and social life, his coach Robin Yuede has had situations where players of hers could not handle the pressure of balancing these things.

“I think it’s become a lot harder to balance,” Yuede said. “When I was in school, there wasn’t so much pressure to do as much as I just played volleyball and that’s it.”

Teachers and parents usually recommend participating in extracurricular activities and sports but some students find themselves

According to Walden University about 30% of students have a job while attending high school.

Collegeboard.com states that over 80% of students partake in an extracurricular activity.

participating in a lot of these activities which can cause more stress in their lives. When students have multiple activities on their to-do lists, it can interfere with their school work which is a priority to most. Having long practices, club meetings, and maybe even working a job to earn some money is sometimes too much. Balancing these things and keeping stress down is important for students to be successful.

“I would give them the advice to look at it from a different perspective,” Stover said. “Give it a thought of why I love this sport. Why did I love this sport? Why do I continue to play and why should I continue to play?”

Since Stover knows how to balance his workload, his advice should not be taken lightly. Students have to take multiple factors into consideration when their school work or stress levels become worse.

Scan this QR code to see statistics on mental health and athletes.

“If they love the sport and enjoy the sport and make it fun, then they’re going to want to be around and involved in the sport and want to continue playing,” Yuede said.

MCBAIN STARTS SENIOR TRACK SEASON

Senior Brittany McBain has been an inspiration and motivation to many as she is continuing her career in track and field at Kansas State University.

McBain has been on a club track team since eighth grade and cross country since freshman year. Something that prepared McBain for high school track was her club season with the Cyclones.

“We only had three practices a week but they did help us start to get in the feeling of being competitive, like racing other people,” McBain said. “We did a lot of teamwork stuff to build how to compete and run with others.”

One person who has looked up to McBain through the years is sophomore Delaney St. John. St. John is on the cross country and track team. McBain and St. John are good friends and teammates and St. John is following in the footsteps of McBain.

“I’d say Brittany is definitely very energetic and brings a lot of life to wherever she is,” St. John said. “She definitely made practice a lot more enjoyable. Everyone on our team is so close and such good friends that Brittany is also one of those people that can help pull everybody together, and it just makes it a lot more enjoyable.”

Kim Martin is the head coach of

VETERANS

AND THE NEWCOMERS

GIRLS TRACK SCORES

Check out some of the meet scores from the 21-22 season.

21st Fort Zumwalt West Invitational

26 points (8th)

Northwest Invitational

19 points (13th)

Fort Zumwalt North Invitational

0 points (6th)

GAC Central Meet

43 points (5th)

Class 5 District 3

30 points (10th)

the track and field team at FHN. McBain and St. John have both been impacted by her coaching and she has helped them be successful.

“I would say coach Martin really pushed me to go to my limits with a workout,” McBain said. “She would make me push more than I could.”

Even though McBain is moving on and going to college for her running career, she will always have the high school memories with her. St. John’s favorite memories with McBain were the early morning bus rides and long practices. McBain also had many of her own highlights through the four years.

“I would say the most important moment was whenever it was GACs for track my sophomore year, and after that I did really well and I thought, this is something I want to continue in,” McBain said. “I really love running. I love running competitively.”

McBain’s teammates, friends and coaches will always remember McBain for her dedication, hard work, energy, determination, motivation and so much more.

“I think [she’ll] be remembered as somebody that brought a lot of character to the team,” St. John said. “If we didn’t have those kinds of people that were just such a people person, then it wouldn’t be nearly as fun or like a family as it is now. So Brittany is definitely that kind of person.”

With only 9 returning tennis players this year, the players and coaches are in need of a new class of kids to come out and play in this season. Acquiring 14 new players at the beginning of this season, the players are excited to work with the new acquisitions, some of whom are friends off the court as well.

“I knew I wanted to play a sport this year and I went over the options available and it seemed tennis would be the best for me,” sophomore Maximus Fitzsimmons said.

Fitzsimmons has been practicing to prepare for the upcoming season in hopes of being a successful junior varsity player this season.

“The more I saw improvement when I started practicing, it made it really fun for me and I started getting a lot better really quickly which is fun,” Fitzsimmons said.

Although Fitzsimmons has been working in the off season, there has been much support coming his way, especially from sophomore teammate Kai Gustafson, who’s been playing for six years.

“It’s good to see more people getting into the sport like Max and you know it’s been great to see him grow so far and I’m excited to see his work this season,” Gustafson said.

Fitzsimmons and Gustafson have been supportive of each other this off-season and with the season right around the corner, everyone will be able to see the improvement and skill of the pair.

OPINIONS

VICTORIA NOT VICTORIOUS

By now, most have seen the infamous viral video of Victoria Justice, who played Tori Vega in Nickelodeon’s “Victorious”, saying “I think we all sing” in a passiveaggressive response to Elizabeth Gillies, who plays Jade West, complimenting a fellow “Victorious” cast member. But why did she react this way? Anyone would. They would if they knew that they were the least talented cast member of a show in which they were supposed to be the lead.

Although they have considerably fewer songs in the show, Gillies, Ariana Grande as Cat Valentine and Leon Thomas as Andre Harris were able to establish their talent as singers with very unique voices. Meanwhile, the show is plagued with song after song of Victoria Justice, whose voice is, despite the copious amount of auto tune that seems to have been used on her tracks, nasally and flat. Oftentimes, she isn’t even really singing, rather relying upon sprechgesang (speaksinging) and vocal fry to get through the lyrics. That’s not to say Justice was an awful singer, she was simply average. And when you’re the lead of a show, average just isn’t good enough.

If Justice had the least talent, why was she cast as the female lead? It may have had less to do with her talent and much more to do with her appearance. She was extremely conventionally attractive in that time, possibly pushing the role away from “too short” Grande and “too curvy” Gillies. But whatever the reason, it is clear that Justice was cast for something other than her talent, which was severely lacking in comparison to her cast mates.

INKED UP

Tattoos are not unprofessional and people should not be discriminated at work

Some people have small tattoos, some have big tattoos, some have sleeves, some have leaves, some have meaning and some are just greetings. But what do all the tattoos have in common? They are not unprofessional (to an extent).

A 2019 poll by Ipsos said that 30% of Americans have at least one tattoo. As more of Generation Z turns 18, many are getting tattoos and along with millennials trying to de-stigmatize tattoos, which were largely viewed as dirty and disrespectful. This de-stigmatization also includes the workplace since not that long ago, many people were discriminated against for having visible tattoos when they worked.

Many people have tattoos that have significant meanings, like a semi-colon tattoo can indicate a suicide survivor and many Medusa tattoos show that someone is a SA survivor. These are just a few of the many meaningful tattoos that people have on their bodies. Also, tattoos are viewed as a form of self-expression by most younger generations and are not things that should have a negative connotation but rather a piece of art. Individuality is very important, especially in a society where many feel pressured that

MORE STATISTICS ABOUT

they have to look or act a certain way. Tattoos have been used in ancient times and some have a cultural significance which shows that if people in ancient times did not have many problems with their people having tattoos, as a more developed society, we should not have a problem with them either.

Like most things, there are always exceptions and problems that need to be considered and some tattoos should be covered or not allowed entirely in a workplace. This includes racist symbols and slurs as well as antisemitic and homophobic tattoos. These, for mostly obvious reasons, should not be allowed in the workplace since they can offend people and lead to the harming of certain groups.

Even if a girlfriend’s name is appropriate, it is not recommended that you get it tattooed on your body. Remember always to spell check the tattoos before the tattoo artist starts and check that the tattoo artist is reputable. No one is harmed by appropriate tattoos, so there is absolutely no reason tattoos should not be allowed in the workplace. Employees should be protected from discrimination for their appropriate tattoos under federal law since many Americans have tattoos and some have experienced this discrimination in the workplace firsthand.

Design has always been a crucial part of history and how we express ourselves as humans. Even if some people don’t pay attention to it, intricate designs are everywhere in society. This is especially true in today’s world, where there’s an enormous variety of designs created by an enormous variety of different people. That being said, there is generally a dominant design choice within countries, cities or even small communities.

However, this dominant form of design is always bound to change with time. This change with time is clear to see when looking throughout history. Even as early as 30 years ago, an entirely different aesthetic can be seen within societies. With that in mind, it’s easy to see that there has been a large shift in the dominant design in the modern day. This change in prominent design is best summed up as a shift into minimalism.

This shift in minimalism is bad and it strips these entities of their personality and makes it all feel empty. The journey that Google Chrome’s logo has gone through in its lifetime is a prime example of this minimalism shift. The Google Chrome logo has had two significant changes throughout the years, and both changes drastically destroyed any personality the logo once had.

INTOSOCIETY’SSHIFTMINIMALISM Minimalismisbecomingmoreandmorepopularinthepastfewyears

The first main iteration of the Google logo featured the normal red, yellow and green color on the sides with the blue middle dot. What was different about this logo was its 3D style with clear reflection and even what looks to be a panel to clearly show what is a metallic body.

This logo is the best iteration of the Google logo because of the detail and how it represents being a part of a machine, which is important considering Google is run on a machine. The first big change, is unfortunately, where they canned the metallic 3D take on the logo and opted for something more subtle. Featuring duller colors and gradients to add depth, this logo is similar to the one currently in use. Looking back at this change in hindsight, it’s not much of a surprise to see how it would change into what it is today.

When looking at what the logo is today, I can’t help but feel bleak about the future of design. The current Google Chrome logo consists of the core design with the same four colors it has always used. That’s it. No gradients, no depth, not even a new color.

It’s a shame because there are so many interesting things Google could do with it and still keep the iconic look. Even a different texture of color would be interesting to see.

At this point you might be thinking to yourself, “It’s just a

logo, who cares?” If this only applied to logos, I wouldn’t care either. Unfortunately, the Google logo is just an example of a pattern happening throughout the world, especially in the U.S. This can be seen everywhere from technology, clothing and worst of all, architecture. Actual people live in monotonous white and gray houses that were copy and pasted throughout an entire neighborhood. Recently built subdivisions are more reminiscent of the ‘One of Us’ scene from “I Robot” than living spaces for families. The idea of minimalism isn’t inherently a problem, but it’s becoming commonplace in areas where it really shouldn’t be. Obviously, a student can’t try to change the Google logo or change the way houses and subdivisions are built and expect much success. However, they can use their creativity to transform their personal spaces and belongings into something that truly represents them, rather than the single monotone color or simple geometrical pattern that is splashed on everything around them. If the youth of today’s societies do this, we might be able to escape the minimalist world we live in for a world full of creativity and personality.

SURVEY SAYS...

LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD

On Behalf of the Editorial Staff mmanfull438@g.fhsdschools.org

According to the GAC’s website, “The Gateway Athletic Conference (GAC) is comprised of 18 schools who have joined together for their mutual benefit.”

If this is true, the GAC should be concerned about the fairness and competitiveness of every sport and school within its jurisdiction, and in order to do so, they need to switch from putting their schools into divisions based on student enrollment to basing the divisions on a power-ranking system.

There are more factors to consider when creating divisions within an athletics conference than just school size, and the GAC should take this into consideration if they want to create the most fair and competitive environment.

Take college football, for example. If teams were divided by their school enrollment, the University of Tennessee would likely end up in the same division as the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Both schools have just over 25,000 students enrolled, but Tennessee is ranked as one of the top teams in the nation while UMass is at the bottom. That wouldn’t make for fun, competitive football games. It would not be fun for the athletes or the spectators and there’s no real mutual benefit for anyone.

As of right now, the 18 schools in the GAC are divided into three divisions, North, Central and South. The six largest schools, including FHN, are in the South division, the six smallest are in the North division and the other six are in the Central division. While this seems fair so a

school with around 600 students like Orchard Farm doesn’t have to play in games against Francis Howell High, which has nearly 2,000 students, there are other variables to consider when choosing which schools play competitively against each other.

A solution to this is to switch from dividing the schools by enrollment to enacting a power-ranking system in each sport, like the Suburban Conference in St. Louis. Not only are the schools put into divisions based on enrollment, but also taking other factors into consideration like athletics offered, competitive balance, competitive trends and diversity. This system is reevaluated every two years to keep play fair and competitive.

On the other hand, doing something like the European soccer leagues (Ted Lasso, anyone?) “promotion and relegation” system, where the divisions are reevaluated every season would also work. This moves the three highest-ranking teams from each division up, and the lowest three down. The highest and lowest two are automatically moved while the teams in 3rd6th place play in a playoffs-style tournament to decide the third promotion. This allows the divisions to adapt to changes that have happened throughout the season by allowing teams that did well to prove themselves in a higher division and giving the teams that didn’t do as well a chance in a lower division.

The GAC should do a combination of both, where schools are divided the first year based on many factors, including enrollment, past team performance, diversity

and each school’s emphasis on athletics. From then on, every two years, the schools’ divisions should be reevaluated to send the two highest-ranking teams up a division and the two lowest-ranking teams down a division.

Keeping the divisions the way they are is definitely easier for the GAC, considering the schools have been divided by enrollment since the conference’s founding back in 1971. With a power-ranked conference brings challenges and additional work. Each sport has

“We play the same schools every year so it would be refreshing and motivating to play different schools every couple years. However, if we hypothetically had a bad year then the next year or two we could be stuck playing teams we’ve already beaten multiple times.”

The GAC should change the way sports teams are divided to make it more fair and competitive.

How would this proposed system affect the performance and motivation of your school and team?

“I think it’s good because all the really competitive teams could go against each other and the lower teams could get a chance to win against other teams lower teams and could motivate us to be better so we go against the best of the best and improve.”

Bryan Sanchez, Junior Saint Charles High Soccer Player

“I think that would motivate the members of our team a lot more. I think it would give us a sense of hope to succeed in GACs and we would all be very motivated to do so.”

Claire Maddy,

(Illustration by Michaela Manfull)

conference, so it is only for inseason games. This could also benefit “worse” programs in the long run. If athletic directors and others in charge notice that a program is consistently performing poorly and losing games while in the worst division, it shows that change is needed.

Sports are all about being competitive. One of the biggest changes that would take place when implementing a more fair division system would be the amount of competition shown at games. For example, if a team was not doing well and was in the relegation zone, it would give the team a push to perform with more passion and therefore make the games more entertaining. Along with that, a team that was historically bad before switching to a power-ranked system would have the chance to prove itself in a division better tailored to them. All of that can be assured through power-ranking, making in-season games more fair, competitive and fun for both the players and spectators.

PROMOTION AND RELEGATION IN EFFECT

Based on the average rankings of the teams from the 21-22 and 22-23 school years, this is an example of how the current conferences would be affected by a promotion and relegation system.

While there are many ways to implement this system, this is just one of them, in which every two years, the top two teams are promoted or moved up a league, and the lowest two are demoted.

Boys Soccer Rankings Average 2021-22 & 2022-23

SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH

FHHS 15-5 FZS 15-5 OFH 18-0

THS 12-8 LHS 15-5 SCH 10-8

FHC 12-8 FZE 13-7 SCW 10-8

FHN 9-11 WHH 7-13 NPHS 8-3

FZW 8-12 FZN 7-13 Winfield 2-14

TBH 4-16 Washington 3-17 Warrenton 1-17

In situations where two teams had the same record, the promotee or demotee is decided by the record of the latest season. In this case, it is their record during the 2022-23 season.

Some teams played more league games than others, so in those cases, their rank is decided on win percentage, or if they were a recently added school to the conference.

different amounts of divisions based on how many schools have teams for that sport. Trying to schedule all of the different games while still having to keep track of which division a school is in from sport to sport is a large beast, but if a conference as large as the Suburban Conference can tackle it with over 30 teams, the GAC can too.

Switching to a power-ranked or promotion and relegation conference would not affect any state-wide tournaments either. The GAC is just that, an athletics

This isn’t an easy change to make. It took the Suburban Conference years to figure out the strategy that worked best for them, and even now they’re still adapting and reevaluating as they go. Having said that, the GAC should take what the Suburban Conference has learned so far which would take much less time to perfect. This might not be the end all be all for how to help with the unfair way the divisions are set up in the GAC, but something needs to change if the GAC wants its conference teams and games to stay competitive and “mutually benefit” everyone.

While this system isn’t perfect and there are some details that still need to be worked out, it is better than the one we have now.

Proposed Boys Soccer Divisions for 2023-24

& 2024-25 Seasons

SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH

FHHS FZW FZN

THS TBH Washington

FHC FZE SCW

FHN WHH NPHS

FZS OFH Winfield

LHS SCH Warrenton

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

“With more classes coming and going (seniors leaving and juniors coming up) and new varsity positions being differently filled each year, it would change a lot based on the talent level we have in the program.”

- Mikey Kromer, Sophomore Francis Howell Central Baseball Player

“I think it would definitely bring up the motivation to try our hardest and to practice more, but I think it would also bring a lot of stress among the team. We would all probably perform better in general, but under stress, not as much mentally.”

- Sophia Martin, Sophomore Wentzville Timberland Tennis Player

“I think it would give us more motivation to work harder, but at the same time it wouldn’t be fair to the people who are just doing it for fun. It would definitely show how much effort you’re putting in to beat the other swimmers.”

See what other students said and share your thoughts on this topic by scanning the QR code below.