CHAPEL BAND RECAPTURES THE CROWD PG. 6
CLUB FAIR: A TIGHTER COMMUNITY PG. 10
TOP 5 HIKING TRAILS IN STL PG. 13
REUSABLE BAGS OVER PLASTIC BAGS PG. 7
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR. YOU JUST MAY GET IT PG. 8
PROVING MISCONCEPTION WRONG, ONE SOCIAL MEDIA POST AT A TIME PG. 11
DON’T WORRY DARLING, OR DO PG. 12
MEET THE FCA LEADERS PG. 15
LEGEND SAYS GOODBYE PG. 16
COACHES COME AND GO PG. 17
CLUB VS. HIGH SCHOOL PRACTICES PG. 18
MENTAL STRAIN IN ATHLETICS PG. 19
THE WILDCATS TAKE DOWN PRIORY PG. 20
As fall is just around the corner, students all across the country are excited for the highly-anticipated homecoming season. School spirit runs high, guys ask girls to the dance, and the football team prepares for the most exciting game of the year. But, at least in one of these areas, Westminster homecoming is different. The homecoming dance has, in the past few years, sparked some controversy in the community.
Up until 2019, the school did not sponsor any aspect of a homecoming dance. Because of the school’s Christian beliefs, they decided it was best to stay far away from the highly-secular aspects of hosting a high school dance. Starting in 2019, though, they decided to combine the beloved fall Carnival with a homecoming banquet and parent-sponsored dance afterparty.
After COVID-19 inhibited this event for the past two years, Westminster reinstated their involvement in homecoming, but there is new controversy surrounding it. This controversy lies in the dress code student life published for all formal events, including homecoming.
Students, many of them female, were outraged at the seemingly sexist guidelines for dress at homecoming. Most of the rules regarded the tightness, length, and neckline of dresses for girls attending a Westminster-sponsored event.
While it is understandable that girls are upset by this, it’s possible to say that, while it may not be wanted, it should almost be expected from a school event. Everything here, including dress-down days, have a dress code, so it can only be expected that a school-sponsored formal event would have such guidelines.
At a school that consisders themself Christian, they feel that it is always necessary to portray themselves in a manner that reflects their faith and beliefs. Even when, in a modern and ever-changing world, girls feel that their dress and levels of modesty do not necessarily reflect how “Christian” they are.
For years, students desperately wanted the school to sponsor a homecoming dance, but now it seems they want the opposite. But, there is no way to, at a school like Westminster, have the exact same homecoming experience as that of a public school. Everything is different here, from chapel to class prayers to uniforms, so why would their involvement in a dance be any different? Students need to make up their mind about what they really desire in a dance here before they complain.
It’s normal to have questions. It’s normal to be mad. It’s normal to feel a little uncomfortable as a female. But a dress code also should not be surprising coming from school administration.
800 News and Anna Grace Likes, Editor-In-Chief
Contact us at 800news@wcastl.org if you have any ideas, questions, or concerns.
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Students, many of them female, were outraged at the seeminglu sexist guidelines for dress at homecoming.”
Those who lead chapel at Westminster have an impossible task: engaging an audience of over 900 judgy middle and high school students. Each year, the chapel band has to find new and exciting ways to get their audience involved in worship. Students are obligated to attend chapel every Wednesday, and finding ways to entertain each week is often near impossible. They’ve tried a physical band accompaniment, acoustic versions, high-energy contemporary, and more, and each time students seem to become less interested in the performance as the morning goes on.
Over the years, worship leaders changed and the group evolved. Individually, last year’s band possessed talented musicians. But with the absence of graduated senior leader Kaitlyn Butler, chapel leadership was ready to undergo some renovations.
This year, the group was reinvented to recapture their audience. The band consists of three seniors and one sophomore so far, all who met the requirements of leading worship at their own church and keeping up with their grades at school. Even though the band only consists of singing with no physical band accompaniment, the energy they bring to the Arena seems to have refreshed the chapel environment.
Even the band this year noticed a difference in the response of the crowd compared to last year. “I have to say, the audience calmed my nerves because of the support that they bring to every gathering,” said Charlotte Roberts, sophomore and chapel band member.
Cheers, clapping, and an overwhelming amount of singing along has made chapel come alive this year. Other audience members noticed a change in the atmosphere as well. “I really enjoy hearing the talent of these new performers and I think that they work really well together,” said Natalie Klein, junior.
Members of the band also agree with the audience’s assessment. “The people I perform with work very well together and are some of my best friends. I love them with all my heart, and am
thrilled to get to perform with them a few times before they leave after Senior year[…]If I had to come up with a word to describe us, it would be family,” said Roberts.
This chemistry within the group seems to be what allowed this band to captivate the school so well. Future performances will be more telling of how the audience will react throughout the year, but the first few weeks were enough to tell that according to much of the student body, this chapel band renewal was worthwhile.
The band is still open to finding new members within the Westminster community, so the group still has the opportunity to grow and change as the year progresses. With the potential to see new talented singers and musicians, the student body can get excited to know that they will surely not have a boring chapel band experience this year with the talent on stage.
Chapel is meant to bring the community together through worship, and this new wave of talented worship leaders does just that. They are strong in their faith, energetic on stage, and captivate the crowd with their voices. Students and staff may not know what this school year will bring, but what everyone can count on is a solid chapel worship team to uplift dreary, mid-week spirits.
The fully-revamped chapel band impressed the student body with captivating song leading the past few Wednesdays.(L-R) Charlotte Roberts (10th), Patrick Howard (12th), Zach Leeker (12th) and Lily Evans (12th). Courtesy of the Westminster Christian Academy chapel livestream.
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“I have to say, the audience calmed my nerves because of the support that they bring to every gathering,”
- Charlotte Roberts, sophomore and chapel band member.
While other cities in America are meeting the problem of the plastic bags that are a part of almost every single shopping experience, St. Louis seems to be be lagging in this fight. This needs to change.
Christina English Staff Writer “Single-use plastic bags. They are used in grocery stores, in some takeout places, and many other places. After people take their groceries or takeout food home, they tend to get rid of the plastic bags that they came in by throwing them away. How does this affect the environment and society as a whole? Is there any way that St. Louis specifically can solve the issue regarding plastic bags?
According to Sharon Jacobsen from lacounty.gov, from January to December, “around 500 billion bags are used worldwide.” Jacobsen also adds that “100 billion [bags] are consumed in the United States alone.” That’s a lot of bags! The article continues by talking about how plastic bags affect the level of pollution in our world.
“Plastic bags are difficult and costly to recycle and most end up on landfill sites where they take around 300 years to photodegrade,” explains Jacobsen. “They break down into tiny toxic particles that contaminate the soil and waterways and enter the food chain when animals accidentally ingest them.”
Jacobsen also explains how since so many plastic bags (along with many other plastic items) enter the ocean, it is really
affecting the sea life. “Plastic bags are now amongst the top 12 items of debris most often found along coastlines,” said Jacobsen. “Animals and sea creatures are hurt and killed every day by discarded plastic bags [since] mistaking plastic bags for food is commonplace amongst [them].
Plastic clogs their intestines and leads to slow starvation. Others become entangled in plastic bags and drown.”
So, how can St. Louis, Missouri specifically help out with this plastic bag problem at hand? At the moment, there are many cities and states in the U.S. that are working on solving this issue that St. Louis can learn from and follow. As a city we just need to admit there’s a problem, acknowledge others are fighting it, and then just follow their lead.
“As of July 1, 2022, retailers in the State of Delaware no longer provide a plastic carryout bag made from film at checkout. Instead, they now provide customers access to a reusable bag for purchases,” said the people at delaware.gov. They went on to explain how they had been passing laws since 2019 on banning plastic bags to improve the environment.
There is also progress being made in Pennsylvania at a local grocery store called Wegmans according to wgal.com: “Wegmans says in stores where they have already eliminated plastic bags, on average, paper bags are used for 20% to 25% of transactions, while the remaining 75% to 80% use reusable bags, or no bag at all.” Wegmans will be able to get rid of all its plastic bags by September 22, 2022.
By St. Louis following their example, it can also be a city trying to help with the problem of single-use plastic bags.
Other cities are taking the lead in reducing the amount of bags filling up landfills, particularly those made of plasticImage by Christina English
As a city we just need to admit there’s a problem, acknowledge others are fighting it, and then just follow their lead.
Here we go again. The water cooler talk once more has as its favorite topic; “what Westminster has messed up”. And since Homecoming is right around the corner, that topic is at the front of the pack.
Westminster’s foray into the Homecoming Dance arena could be viewed as a failed experiment. Maybe it is. The amount of complaining in the hallways would indicate that this is a possibility.
Or maybe it is a work in progress. The sheer number of hours put in behind the scenes to pull this off and the changes made each year, especially the fact that 4 years ago a WCA Homecoming was unthinkable could suggest that this is also a possibility.
Maybe, pulling off the ideal homecoming for everyone is an impossible task.
The point is that this topic has served to show that Westminster students are easily dissatisfied because overall they know what they don’t want, but not what they do want. This has been shown plenty of times throughout the years. Westminster students have consistently complained about changes and in this case, even when they’ve gotten what they asked for.
A “typical” Homecoming was never a reality for prior Westminster students. But 3 years ago, students got a taste of what a Westminster Homecoming looks like. Many first impressions
of Homecoming were actually very pleasant. Oddly enough, the format was the same: booths on Friday, a football game on Saturday and a meal and dance Saturday night. Then, as it is now, Saturday night was a combined effort of WCA and WCA parents.
So why does the general population have a negative opinion now? Many students mentioned the dress code for the dance and the rules that invariably come with a school sponsored event.
Q: What would you do differently if you were in charge of Homecoming?
A: “Not make a dress code.” Problem: an event sponsored by the school will always have a dress code. Without one, the school won’t sponsor it.
A: “Not make it through the school.” Problem: The student body for years petitioned the school for a homecoming similar to other schools.
A: “I honestly think that we could’ve done a better theme because it’s kinda hard to match a homecoming dance with ‘Out of The World’.”
Problem: The student body decided the theme through a vote.
A: “I would say not have a dress code. It is kinda disrespectful.” Problem: See above.
A: “Personally, get rid of all dress code restrictions.” Problem: See above. Again.
Overall, students have a problem with the dress code, but what is new? When have Westminster students not had a problem with the dress code? From the leggings to the undershirts, students will never truly be satisfied. We will always want more and more freedom the more freedom we get.
Football players at the 2019 Homecoming pep rally. Image courtesy of Yearbook 2019-2020 archives.“
Westminster students are easily dissatisfied because overall they know what they don’t want, but not what they do want.Students play a school Kahoot game at the 2019 school-sponsored banquet. Image courtesy of Yearbook 2019-2020 archives.
There was an opportunity to see the many Clubs available to join, and see what they celebrated last Thursday during Club Fair, September 8th.
The options for clubs that were at Club Fair are as follows: Art Club, Photography Club, Spanish club, Drama Club, Scholar Bowl Club, Robotics Club, Scrabble and Tea, Fashion Club, Rock Climbing Club, AV Club, Bowling Club, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
A few students were asked about the clubs they are in.
Robotics Club creates a robot after being given a series of tasks and games by FIRST robotics. It is also the best opportunity this school has for experience with engineering.
“The robotics team is a great experience that has taught me more about engineering than any classes I’ve taken, or games I’ve played. The design process is identical to how things work in the real world,” says Ben Atkins, Junior.
However, it is not just for those interested in STEM.
“If you are interested in engineering, business, or simply want a place to stop after school, I would encourage everyone to stop by,” said Atkins.
It gathers from January to mid-April every day after school from 3:30 to 6:30, and off days from 9 to 3.
There is also the Spanish Club available, for anyone interested in the Spanish language or culture or if you want to accrue service hours by volunteering at Vecinos.
“We travel each week (Tuesday from 3:45-5:00) to a trailer park to help with Vecinos (an after school program for Hispanic children in the area). This is the biggest aspect of Spanish Club,” says Caralena Mayfield, junior.
“I LOVE Spanish Club because I love the kids at Vecinos. They are the sweetest children and they are so bright. When we have the Bible lesson, this is such a foreign concept because they don’t hear this sort of thing in school. We can make such a difference in these kids’ lives,” Caralena elaborated. “I think people who would most enjoy the club are people who are servant hearted, enjoy kids, are responsible, and love to
Options for community can be almost too overwhelming Image by Jack Nelson
learn. Not everyone at Vecinos speaks Spanish so even if you are not currently taking a Spanish class, you can still join!.”
Rock Climbing Club is also available for high schoolers, gathering to support and encourage each other in the sport of rock climbing.
“Our club is about getting to know each other in a better way and making progress in climbing itself. Our club is basically a small family of climbers. Each time you climb a wall it is a triumph in itself. And we love seeing new people join our club,” says Jordan Jarboe, a member of the club.
“This club is for the People in the upper school of Westminster who have a sense of adventure and are looking to go out of their comfort zone or just want to try something new,” said Jarboe.
It meets Thursdays in Mrs. Sperber’s class to figure out who needs a ride to Climb So iLL, an indoor rock climbing gym in St. Charles.
Art Club is an opportunity to be productive yet experimental in artistic skills and expression.
“Anyone who wants to get some creative practice, polish certain artistic skills or explore new medias would enjoy Art Club. I think it tends to appeal to kids already intrigued by the fine arts, and the club’s goal is to continue to pique that interest,” recommends Florence Sara, a leader of Art Club.
It meets every Wednesday at 3:15.
These are only some of the clubs available to join, and all of them are looking for new members to join. More information can be found about the clubs in the Morning Announcements.
Club Fair was an opportunity to get to see how involved Westminster’s community can be.
The lack of youth involvement in current conflicts, debates, and government issues could cause the corruption of government decisions in the future years to come. Although youth under the federal age of 18 can not vote, they are capable and eagerly encouraged to participate in conversations concerning current news. It can be a common misconception that the youth do not care for political matters in general.
“Young voters care about all the same issues that any other voter would care about. The difference is that young voters are not at the center of traditional politicians’ strategies.”
Younger people, especially those incapable of voting, still have a passion to engage in national problems that they personally relate to. A strategy to overcome the obstacle of being too young is and has been to use social media. On commonly used social platforms, those waiting to directly participate in the future years engage and do have a say in political matters.
Young voters care about all the same issues that any other voter would care about. The difference is that young voters are not at the center of traditional politicians’ strategies
Bushra Amiwala, the youngest Muslim elected official in the U.S., once stated for PBS,“While some young people might not be able to vote yet, they are leveraging social media to educate themselves and their peers on topics ranging from gun violence to racial justice to climate change.”
Teenagers seeking to make a positive difference resort to using social media platforms or protesting to emphasize issues, place importance on resources, and highlight crises that deserve attention. It becomes their resource to become involved in a world that shuns youth involvement. There have been various specific movements in the past years in which there was a lot of youth engagement.
“This rise in social media activism is especially apparent in times of crisis such as the Black Lives Matter protests.”
Gun violence and school shootings have become an important topic for youth who feel they directly relate to the current crisis. Teenagers had turned to social media once again to provide insight on the unfair casualties that have been presented as a result of gun violence.
“Whereas several policy initiatives to curb gun violence have failed […] social media data are readily available and could be a gateway to understanding and disputing gun violence.”
Younger people, especially those incapable of voting, still have a passion to engage in national problems that they personally relate to.
Politics, elections, movements and all topics relating to this were seen as an area strictly for those with more familiarity, mainly those whose only advantage was being older. The younger generations were previously left behind discouraged of pondering such subjects despite being the said future of the world.
People below the age of 18 can be involved in politics using by using social media. Image by Raquel Herrera“
Beloved American popstar Harry Styles branched out of his regular music work and entered the acting world to star in Olivia Wilde’s new movie: Don’t Worry Darling. This physiological thriller covers the story of a 1950s housewife discovering her desired life within a manufactured company town that is far from perfect. Expectations for the movie were set high by the media, and excitement grew as more press was released. With the release date only two days away, the anticipation has vanished, and people have strictly negative comments regarding the film; what happened?
The two main stars of the movie are Florence Pugh and Harry styles. Florence’s co-star was initially planned to be Shia LaBeouf, but Pugh had her concerns. Shia has had multiple scandals regarding harassment and abuse, and she did not feel comfortable working closely with someone with such a reputation. Her problems are more than valid, but Olivia Wilde did not share the same level of anguish as her. After constant fighting to get him cut from production, Shia finally became frustrated early on and decided to quit on his terms. Although, this is where the situation becomes more controversial than it was, to begin with. Director Olivia Wilde claims that she listened to the concerns of Florence and took it upon herself to fire Shia LaBeouf. She claims she decided to release him from the set to have Florence feel “safe.” It’s clear to the media that this is a lie, and there was also a video leaked of Wilde begging him to stay on set.
An article by Jon Blisten from Rolling Stone, released on August 26, 2022, states, “Wilde reportedly sent LaBeouf the video several days after he left Don’t Worry Darling in August 2020. In the clip, Wilde says, “I feel like I’m not ready to give up on this yet, and I too am heartbroken, and I want to figure this out.”
Shia sent this video to Variety News after hearing the claims that Wilde fired him off the safe to protect Florence Pugh. He is angry to listen to these claims when in reality, Olivia begs him to give the film another chance. People grow to spectacle the character of Olivia Wilde due to how she defends Shia. She wanted Pugh to work close and personal with a well-known
abuser and decided to lie about how she handled the situation too. The conclusion that Olivia Wilde does not exactly care about the well-being of Florence Pugh but more about what she gains from this project can be drawn. This spirals into Florence Pugh refusing to do press for the film, hurting the production even further.
Now with the actor’s absence from the role of Jack, Wilde is desperate to find a replacement; Harry Styles, her boyfriend, is easy enough. The position of Shia LaBeouf has been filled, and things on set should be running smoothly behind the scenes now, wrong. The close romantic relationship of Styles and Wilde also causes interference behind the scenes. Their relationship was not kept offset like it should have been, which seems to annoy Florence in particular.
Cynthia Robinson from Mercury News shares: “Her relationship with Styles during the shoot was pretty obvious and annoying to the three people I spoke to, and the duo was sometimes tough to find during set-up shots,” Belloni wrote. Co-star Florence Pugh “In particular was angered by the absences, according to these sources, and one source personally witnessed a tense conversation about this issue between the two.”
With the previous scandal involving Olivia Wilde defending the character of Shia LaBeouf and begging him to stay on set, the cast of this movie has been through enough. With more behind-the-scenes drama, the media’s focus is being pulled away from the movie itself. On September 5th, 2022, the movie premiered at the Florence Film Festival, and reviews are said to be a “mixed bag,” according to Molly Edwards from Total Film. The film’s production and execution were seemingly perfect, but critics have their opinions about the movie due to Olivia Wilde’s misconduct and the casting of Harry Styles. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film 42%This is unfortunate to see because Harry Styles fans were looking forward to this film, but it is already looking to be a big letdown.
Director Olivia Wildes new movie “Don’t Worrying Darling” raises more controvesryfor media than it does excitement.Harry Styles was not so thrilled to be attending his premerie Image by: Alyssa Greco
With the release date only two days away, the anticipation has vanished, and people have strictly negative comments regarding the film; what happened?
While some may think of St. Louis as a metropolitan area congested with city streets and sidewalks, it actually contains some beautiful hiking trails that are only a short drive away.
Castlewood park is a popular park among STL area hikers because it provides multiple beautiful trails in a relatively close proximity to everyone. If you are there, try out Riverscene trail. This trail runs 3.1 miles along the Meramec river providing many scenic views
Hike Di culty (5 being hardest)
Hike Scenery (5 being prettiest)
Only a short drive down I-44, Greensfelder Park is a Ahren Muehleisen Staff Writer
Crowds (5 being least busy)
of the river along the way. It takes approximately two hours with some elevation gain, so make sure to bring some good tennis shoes or boots. This trail has a 4.6/5 rating on Alltrails, and is rated as moderate diffuculty. Find out more about about this trail and Castlewood at mostateparks.com.
Hike Di culty (5 being hardest)
Hike Scenery (5 being prettiest)
Crowds (5 being least busy)
Trail #2:huge, often overlooked county park. The 1,700 acre park contains many hiking trails and picnic shelters, allowing for pretty hikes or family lunches in a shelter. If you go there, try out Dogwood trail. This 2.6 mile loop winds through dense hardwoods that are especially beautiful during fall. All of the leaves turn bronze, which also makes a good photo-op. This dirt path is a great afternoon hike that also contains a fair amount of elevation gain, so make sure you have good hiking boots on. This trail received a 4.2/5 rating on Alltrails, and received a moderate difficulty rating. Find more information on Dogwood and Greensfleder on stlouiscountymo.gov.
is a steep hike up, once you are on top of the ridge you can see the hardwood hills that you have ascended. Also, staying true to it’s name, watch out for deer and turkeys on your hike. Turkey ridge received a 4.2/5 on Alltrails, and a moderate difficulty rating. To find more information about Turkey Ridge, go to thehikingproject. com.
Tucked away on Missouri’s highway 109, Rockwoods Reservation is a gem as far as public hiking trails go. The rolling hardwood hills make for a breathtaking fall view. If you are there, make sure to check out Turkey Ridge trail. Staying true to it’s name, Turkey Ridge is a loop that has a large ridge in the middle. While there
Hike Di culty (5 being hardest)
Hike Scenery (5 being prettiest)
Crowds (5 being least busy)
Just West of our neighboring state, Illinois, Bee Tree county park borders the Mississippi River. While it is a smaller county park, it still holds some nice trails. One to check out is The Bee Tree Lake loop. Since the trail is just under ½ of a mile, it makes a great after-school hike or evening adventure. The loop takes you to a beautiful vista of the mighty Mississippi, then around Bee Tree Lake. It’s a great family hike to get some exercise and see the river. This loop has a 4.3/5 rating on Alltrails, and has an easy difficulty rating. To get more information about Bee Tree, go to stlouiscountymo.gov
Just across the Missouri River lies one of the biggest tracts of public land in Missouri, Busch Wildlife. While there are many trails there, you should check out Busch Greenway if you get a chance. It is very popular among hikers and bikers, but that doesn’t mean that it’s bad. The trail winds through Missouri prairie fields and hardwoods as well. It connects the infamous Katy Trail
Hike Di culty (5 being hardest)
Hike Scenery (5 being prettiest)
Crowds (5 being least busy)
Hike Di culty (5 being hardest)
Hike Scenery (5 being prettiest)
Crowds (5 being least busy)
This year, there are five FCA leaders including one returning leader Tyler Smith, as well as four new leaders. The leaders break the athletes in attendance into small groups and discuss a new topic each week that has something to do with how to live out a Christian worldview through sports and honoring God through athletics.
Ellie Berkland is a Junior that plays softball, swims, and plays lacrosse. She is also a first year FCA leader that has been attending FCA since freshman year. Ellie frequently hosts FCA at her house.
“FCA has really helped remind me why I play sports and who I play for,” Said Berkland. ‘This is one of the greatest benefits of FCA and it makes athletes realize that there is a greater meaning to sports than the outcome of games and your individual stats.’’
Sami Mabry is a first year FCA leader that used to play softball and lacrosse but has been injured for the past few years. She takes after her sister, Niki Mabry,
who was an FCA leader during her time at Westminster, and also hosts meetings at her house often. She has not only been a part of Westminster’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes, but she has participated in St. Louis wide FCA events.
Sami loves that “FCA has brought [her] further out of [her] comfort zone. Through the FCA organization there are weekend camps for people all around the St.Louis area and it has caused me to be extraverted in my faith even with people [she] doesn’t know.”
Huntleigh Hager is a junior that plays golf and manages lacrosse. She is a first year leader and long time FCA attender. Huntleigh’s house is also a common spot for FCA meetings. Huntleigh said that, “FCA has taught me how to truly do all things for the glory of God, even when no one is watching.”
Tyler Smith is a senior baseball player who is in his second year leading FCA. Tyler would encourage all athletes to go to FCA because “[He’s] seen many relationships grow from the weekly FCA meetings and it is a way that many students find new friends. The best part about FCA is getting a sense of a Christian community together outside of school and of course the free food. [He] would encourage everyone to go to FCA in order to strengthen their faith and relationships with friends and the Lord.”
Asher Amanuel is a junior that plays basketball for Westminster. He is a first year FCA leader but also has attended FCA since he was a freshman. Asher agrees that people should join FCA because it is a great way to connect your relationship with God with something you love doing and learning how to show your faith through your actions in sports.
Tyler Smith, Caden Collison, and Calvin Van Heest play spikeball at the FCA kicko Photo Courtesy of Sami Mabry“
FCA has really helped remind me why I play sports and who I play for. This is one of the greatest benefits of FCA and it makes athletes realize that there is a greater meaning to sports than the outcome of games and your individual stats.
-Ellie Berkland
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“FCA has taught me how to truly do all things for the glory of God, even when no one is watching.”
-Huntleigh Hager
The best part about FCA is getting a sense of a Christian community together outside of school and of course the free food.
-Tyler Smith
Serena Williams is an African American professional tennis player. Serena was ranked No. 1 in the singles for 319 weeks (6 years, 11 months), with 186 consecutive weeks at the end of the year as No. 1 five times. Winning 23 Grand Slam singles titles.
Unlike most tennis players in the 1900’s Serena was not born into wealth. She grew up in Compton, California, beginning her tennis career at the age of four. Her father, Richard Williams, has coached her from the first day she picked up a racket to current day. After a successful few years at age 9, The Williams family moved to West Palm Beach, Florida to attend Rick Macci’s tennis academy, in which he paid for everything the Williams needed. Richard pulled both Serena and Venus out of junior tennis tournaments when they were 10, wanting them to ‘grow slowly’. The racism they received also fueled this as the words they were hearing from white parents made Richard revert to a practice only schedule. During the change to this schedule Serena was 43- 3.
Williams lost in the third round of the 1999 Australian Open. One month later, Williams won her first professional single title defeating Mauresmo in the final Open Gaz de France. She went on to become the highest paid female athlete at $29 million. She was named sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine. She is now the highest paid woman athlete of all time.
“Serena Williams is one of the greatest athletes of all time. She’s also a huge inspiration to African American girls across the world. She shows athletes that no matter where you come from and what circumstances you once lived in anything is possible. You just need to put the effort in.
Serena Williams is one of the greatest athletes of all time. She’s also a huge inspiration to African American girls across the world. She shows athletes that no matter where you come from and what circumstances you once lived in anything is possible. You just need to put the effort in.
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Author: Edwin Martinez Coutesy of Wikimedia Commons Author: Si. RobiAs the Westminster football team continued to struggle in recent years, some of the coaches wanted no more and decided to leave. With new coaches and a large number of freshman there is hope for the team
In 2020, Coach Butler Bynote was hired as the new head coach of the football team. After a shortened 2020 season and a rough 2021 season, the football staff was in need of some new assistant coaches because of the old staff leaving.
This year, the 2022 season, Westminster welcomed 3 new coaches to the staff. Paul Coffman, Zach Mitchel, and Kyle Bynum. These new assistant coaches coach more specific positional based areas while coach Bynote coaches everything.
Westminster welcomes these coaches in hope that they can help the team positively. With the football program not being the best in the past 3-4 years, the team needs a new spark. The hope is that these new coaches will be the spark that they are looking for.
Wildcats get knew coaches in hope for a better season.Coach talking to his team about stratagey for the game. Football team huddles pregame to look at gameplans
Club and High School sports are a vital part of many teenagers’ lives. Sports allow for relationships, and skills to develop in a critical way. Club sports create a more intense environment for athletes to grow in, creating a college like game play. But this preparation for college sports misses the mark in one way – practice schedule.
I get more out of my club practices, they are generally a lot more challenging. But personally I enjoy highschool practices a little better.
Many club sports teams meet for practice 2-3 times a week, typically around 2 hours, including some conditioning. This allows for practices to occur with a higher intensity compared to most highschool practices. Yet, as a college athlete, one is expected to practice at a high level everyday, sometimes even 1-2 times a day, including conditioning.
-Sydney Bradley
High school practices meet every single day during the week. In some ways, because there are games scattered throughout the week, while club teams do not. This allows little break for athletes’ bodies to recover and simulates the college sport schedule. With that, the team members a part of their highschool teams spend their time prior to practice together, having the same schedule. Club teams struggle to plan practice schedules around athletes who could be driving hours each practice following their school day.
When asked if she preferred club or high school sports, Mia Schuelen says, “Club 100%, the practices are way more serious and tournaments allow for a family feeling compared to highschool.”
When asked, “Would you rather practice everyday with your highschool team or 2-3 times a week with your club?” Sydney Bradley, who participates in both says: “I get more out of my club practices, they are generally a lot more challenging. But personally I enjoy highschool practices a little better. Part of it was my team and our lack of chemistry during the AAU season, but I’m doing something everyday anyway so the amount of practice doesn’t really bother me”.
Athletes participating in club sports also spend plenty of time traveling to compete in tournaments and games against teams for competition of greater skill. This part of club sports really emulates the competition seen in college sports.
Many athletes hold mixed opinions when talking about club versus highschool sports. The key difference is simply intensity and competition. Athletes just compete at a higher level throughout their club seasons allowing for an environment of constant competition, which all
The intesnsity and game play proves to be vastly different when comparing high school and club sports.Calvin Van Heest kicks and clears the ball down the field. Photo by Joey Fentress. Caleb Thompson goes in for a lay up against Chaminade. Photo by Hope Linam.
If you take your athletics seriously you know that playing a sport can take a significant strain on your mental health. Sports are 100% mental and 100% physical. If you are not exercising both your physical body and your mind you can quickly become reticent, which leads to depression and other mental health crises.
Understanding that your sport is what you do, and not who you are is extremely important at the highschool level, and tremendously prominent at the college level. High athletic ability is directly associated with both positive and negative heath, based on performance.
This is unfortunate because most athletes tend to make their sport their entire identity. When they play a bad game, feel like their hard work isn’t being acknowledged, or have a season ending injury, most can fall back into a mild depression. If not understood or treated correctly this could affect the rest of their lives.
In 2020, Micheal Phelps shared in an interview with ESPN, his mental health journey:
“I was a train wreck, [man] I was just like a time bomb waiting to go off. I had no self esteem, no self worth…”
Phelps goes on to say that for a moment he thought it was going to be the end of his life, he thought people, (his fans) would be better off without him because of, “the crap I put them through.”
35% of professional athletes suffer stress, eating disorders, burnout or depression and anxiety. This number does not include student athletes at both the college and high school level.
The toxicity of sports culture can be so prominent that athletes believe the world would be better off without them. Some
would rather lose their life than think they are disappointing their supporters.
Again in a 2021 NBC Article written by Daniella Silva, gold gymnast Simone Biles, goes into detail on her 2020 withdraw from the Olympics:
“We also have to focus on ourselves, because at the end of the day, we’re human, too,” Biles said, according to The Associated Press. “We have to protect our mind and our body, rather than just go out there and do what the world wants us to do.”
Biles felt as if she was carrying the weight of the world, it was so heavy that she couldn’t participate in the 2020 Olympics. Thankfully she brought awareness to the issue and became the newest activist concerning athletes emotional health. Both athletes created or put money into a foundation
It is important to understand that a healthy mind creates healthy growth, your sport is what you do not who you are, and there is no need to compare yourself to other athletes, everyone’s on their one path. Understanding mental health is always important, growing a healthy mind produces positive outcomes in sports, as well as all aspects of life, the ball will stop bouncing eventually. It’s important to not put your in identity in something that won’t last forever.
Simone Biles waves with her gold metels during the 2016 Olympics
Photo courtesy of Wikimeida commons phot buy Agência Brasil Fotografias
Micheal Phelps smiles with his Olympic metel Photo courtesy of Wikimeida Commons photo by Fernando Frazão/
On Tuesday, our Westminster Wildcats beat the number two ranked soccer team.
Drew Cahill Staff Writer
On Tuesday, WCA traveled across the highway to Priory for a big soccer game. Priory is ranked the number two small school for soccer according to stlhighschoolsports.com. Westminster knew it would be a tough match, but the team was up to the challenge.
Early in the first half Priory scored after having many scoring attempts. This first half was tough for the Cats even though they played good defense. Near the end of the half Westminster had a few good scoring chances but couldn’t net them. Although they were scoreless, the Wildcats had momentum going into halftime.
WCA rode this momentum and senior Will Warren scored early to tie the game. This energized the Cats and about ten minutes later Tyler Hott scored to put the Wildcats up 2-1.
This was a hard fought game until the clock hit 00:00, as Priory had many scoring chances late in the game. In the end, the Westminster defense held and the good guys came out on top.
With Calvin VanHeest and Landon Cassidy on defense, Priory struggled to keep possession on offense. The defense communicated well and got the outcome they wanted.
Tyler Hott was everywhere on the field, using speed and strength to push the ball downfield and create many opportunities for a goal.
Both Caden Collison and Will Warren benefited from Hott’s hustle as they both had outstanding performances on offense. The Wildcats showed that they can win against one of the best teams in St. Louis and they will look to keep their winning
streak alive. They have looked very good and are hoping to make a deep run in the playoffs later this season.
Westminster recently mercied Lutheran St. Charles and beat Bishop DuBourg. WCA lost many seniors prior to this year but are still holding up. The squad has played amazing and looks forward to the rest of the season. They hope that more student fans will come and see this exciting tea m.
Tyler Hott kicks the ball deep down the field. Photo courtesy of 800 Sporting Caden Collison looks for a pass from his team. Photo courtesy of 800 Sporting
