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Volume 43, No. 7 2.24.2012

Lafayette High School th

e 17050 Clayton Rd. Wildwood, MO 63011image

meet thearmersF

With the recent push towards locally farmed and organic foods, the Image investigates the roots and nutritional value of school lunches...pages 10-11.

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Information:The Image is published nine times a year by the Newspaper Production Class. Subscriptions are $30. Free issues are distributed on campus. The 2010-2011 Image received a rating of First Class with three marks of distinction from the National Scholastic Press Association. lhsimage.com received a rating of All-American with four marks of distinction.

Philosophy Statement:The newspaper’s primary obligation is to inform its readers about events in the school and community and of issues of national or international importance which directly or indirectly affect the school population. The newspaper, while serving as a training ground for future journalists as part of the school curriculum, recognizes all rights and responsibilities under the First Amendment. Operating as a public forum, student editors will apply professional standards and ethics for decision making as they take on the responsibility for content and production of the newspaper.

Contact Us: Located in Room 137A at Lafayette High School, 17050 Clayton Rd., Wildwood, MO 63011. Our phone number is (636) 733-4118 and our e-mail address is smithnancy@rockwood.k12.mo.us or visit on the web at: www.lhsimage.com

Policies:A complete explanation of the Rockwood School District Policies and Regulations concerning official student publications and the policies and procedures used by the Image staff can be found on the website www.lhsimage.com under the About Us tab.

theimage people&policiesMax Thoman ................ ..................Editor in ChiefLeanne Beasley ..................................Managing EditorGrace Bueckendorf .....................................WebmasterJessica Zadoks ........................ ............Campus EditorHannah Boxerman..............................Lifestyle EditorSarah Greenlee .....................................Opinion EditorChristine Jackson ...................................Sports EditorMia Schenone ............................Entertainment EditorDanielle Slauter ..............Asst. Entertainment EditorGian Wessel ...............................Online Sports EditorMcKayla Treat ...................................Asst. WebmasterMaddie Henning ..............................Asst. WebmasterKelly Carpenter ..............................Business ManagerMrs. Nancy Y. Smith, MJE ..............................Adviser

Staff:Paige Antolik, Katherine Blackstone, Anisha Chellaswami, Dylan Corbet, Dominic Corvington, Brendan Donahue, Abby Gwin, Robert Hiller, Alyssa Knowling, Alex LaMar, Gabrielle McDaris, Claire Norfleet, Sydnee Stottlemyre, Karrie Wagner and Molly White

Students enter the lunchroom every day and are surrounded by a plethora of choices. From soups to burgers to sandwiches, the cafeteria has it all. But where exactly does the food come from? And how does it end up on your tray?

coversoundscover illustration by Max Thoman

3 on lockdownThe sound of the intruder alarm has become a topic of discussion at several Rockwood schools due to recent false alarms.

4 take a hikeAfter years of leader-ship training in the outdoors, the OSEP program has fallen victim to the budget axe.

15 bleeding blueAs the Blues are well on their way to a playoff run, hard-core fans show their loyalty and new fans catch Blues fever.

20 year of the nerdWith the rising popularity of nerdy pop culture icons, the Image investigates what exactly makes a nerd a nerd. photo courtesy of Nichole Ballard-Long

4 3

20

15

photo by Christine Jackson

photo by Jessica Zadoks

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False intruder alarms disrupt Rockwood schools;officials still support current system in place

onHIGHALERTleanne beasley managing editor hannah boxerman lifestyle editor

n Dec. 6 at around 10 a.m., an alarm and instructions ordering lockdown procedures to be initiated immediately sounded throughout Lafayette. Students and teachers huddled against secluded walls and waited for instructions. The entire school was on lockdown.

This instance was added to Rockwood’s list of false intruder alerts that have been recorded over the past year.

Marquette High School experienced the lockdown process after the alarm went off in September of 2011. Classes were stalled for 10 minutes.

In April of 2011, parents of LaSalle Springs middle schoolers received a letter from the principal of the building alerting them of an alarm that had occurred that morning.

The letter claimed the alarm to be accidental and assured the parents that nothing dangerous had happened.

Due to a malfunction in the alert system in March of 2011 at Crestview Middle School, the alarm was also falsely sounded.

Police responded to another call from Marquette High School in February of 2011 after the intruder alert system had been activated. The threat had been false and was attributed to a student’s doings.

Then later in the afternoon, the alarm sounded again. However, the second occurrence was an accidental button-pressing on the telephones during the investigation of the first alarm from that morning.

But, Rockwood’s Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services Den-nis Griffith said the alarm system will stay in place as it is for the time being.

He stressed the importance of student safety during a crisis situation, even in the event of a false threat.

“The disruption of school environment is a consequence. We will continue to monitor the process and adjust. But erring on the side of safety is a good thing,” Griffith said.

The majority of the false alarms have been result of student handling of the telephones. Each phone in the district has a large white sticker with the instructions for activating the intruder alert and many believe that is what has led to both the accidental and malicious alarms.

Griffith agreed it is one aspect of the system that will have to be monitored.“We will continue to educate on proper use of the phones and try to insure

that when students are given to use the phone it is with supervision.”Assistant Principal Matt Dieckhaus, who oversees safety issues for Lafayette,

agrees with Griffith that the use of the stickers on the phones with clear instruc-tions benefits the school more than it hinders.

“When we look at the whole package of what we want to take place, because Lafayette is open seven days a week, we would want everybody, guest, substitute, teacher, parent who is here at an event that night, anybody who has to lock themselves in a room to be able to start the system. While we know that may be problematic at times, we would rather be safe than sorry,” Dieckhaus said.

During the Dec. 6 alert issued at Lafayette, classes were disrupted for close to 45 minutes as staff and students waited for further instructions.

Dieckhaus explained the communication flaw of the system that left staff and the community in the dark and without knowledge.

“Our staff had no idea what we were looking at. Our students did not. Our community did not. After we debriefed and collected all that data from our staff of what all the concerns that were had, Rockwood went out and established an absolute Alert-Now email that when the system goes off here, they’re notified immediately,” Dieckhaus said.

Since then, the intruder alert system has continued to be adjusted and revised. Changes like staff training and assisting students with certain health needs have been taken into account and added to the system.

“If we are locked down for a long time we may have someone who needs to go to the bathroom. What are you going to do?” he said.

Kim Cranston acts as the Chief Communications Officer for the Rockwood School District and deals with publicity concerning all schools.

In consideration to communication, Cranston confirms the alterations being implemented in regards to the system.

“We’ve come up with a message that we will send out anytime a school is on lockdown and is being investigated so that parents will know immediately because the principals are busy following the safety protocol. That’s what we have added to our crisis communication plan,” Cranston said.

She added, “We’ve been very fortunate that none of these activations have been result of an actual intruder, so its always an opportunity to practice, refine and improve how we respond to those situations.”

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OSEP SEnt PackingLeadership program cut due to lack of funding

gabrielle mcdaris reporter

Junior OSEP students spend time in the woods on a leadership retreat. (Photo courtesy of Nichole Ballard-Long)

After 13 years, one of LHS’s most endear-ing clubs has met its match. The Outdoor Skills Education Program (OSEP) was recently cut due to budget problems and various other factors.

OSEP, whose main goal is to develop teamwork, respect and communication skills, has taken students on field trips that include camping and a 30-mile hike.

There were many different factors that led to the demise of OSEP, according to Assistant Principal Matt Dieckhaus, the main factor was funding.

“The program is very costly to run. We were faced with a situation where we were going to have to do a massive amount of fundraising to sustain the program,” sponsor Nichole Ballard-Long said.

OSEP costs more to run than all other Lafayette clubs combined. “Annually OSEP costs about $36,000 and none of that is tax dollars,” Dieckhaus said.

Dieckhaus said the funds paying for OSEP were due to run out soon.

OSEP sponsor Tom Beckmeyer said,

“We had kids that said we need to fundraise; well, that is a lot of money to raise. It’s not like we can do a bake sale.”

Another factor that led to the club’s cancellation was the struggle for OSEP members to attend mandatory meetings.

Dieckhaus said, “OSEP requires that you attend certain events for safety alone. We find that our OSEP students are involved in many other things as well, and they are having to pick and choose.” He added, “We don’t want to put kids in that situation, that’s not our goal.”

Dieckhaus also said OSEP long out-lived its original purpose. “At that time [that OSEP was founded] there were some racial tensions at Lafayette high school. We wanted to create a student leadership program. So we created the OSEP program,” Dieckhaus said.

OSEP sponsor Jodie Shead said, “When [OSEP] was created there were not a lot of leadership opportunities at Lafayette now with Renaissance and dif-ferent things that students can do, I think there are more opportunities for kids.”

Shead said the students who will be impacted the most are the sophomores

who will not get to experience the trips. Senior Tyler Romero said, “I was

really disappointed. Even though I’m in the senior group and wouldn’t get the benefits of the program next year anyway, it is a shame that future classes will not get the benefits of the program. I especially feel for the sophomores and juniors who were cut out of it in the middle.”

Senior Curtis Gill said, “I understood why the program was being cut, but I was definitely disappointed and sad to see it go.”

Although students do not know what the future will hold for them, they know that OSEP will help them in whatever they try.

Sophomore Lucas Meyrer said, “OSEP will definitely help me after high school. I learned a ton about working successfully as a team, and I pushed myself to places I didn’t think I could go.”

Senior Molly Collins added, “OSEP has definitely helped me with my life after high school because it gave me the courage to step outside of my comfort zone. It taught me to never be afraid of

a challenge and to always search for new experiences.”

OSEP will have one last trip, which both sponsors and students are looking forward to.

Collins said, “I know it’s going to be amazing. I’m so excited to be on a trip with all the OSEP students because we are going to make this trip epic.”

Meyrer said, “I’m really looking forward to the last trip and what Mrs. Ballard-Long will have planned for us. I think it will be awesome, but also really sad. It should be a great last hoorah for such an incredible program.”

OSEP Alumni have something special planned for the last trip to show their appreciation for Ballard-Long. OSEP alum Kelsey Haberberger said, “It is my hope that this special gift will help her to realize that because of her, our lives have been forever changed.”

She added, “I am grateful that the program positively impacted so many people. Although it has come to an end, it is our job now as OSEP alum to con-tinue to use the skills we have learned to improve the community.”

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Amid the financial woes and negative publicity that have persisted in Rock-wood, the Board of Education has elected to put forth a $43.2 million bond issue on April 3.

Referred to as Proposition R, this bond issue is a no-tax increase proposi-tion that, according to the Rockwood website, “will support…three areas: technology, safety measures [and] infrastructure and maintenance of current facilities.”

Prop R, if passed, will fund various projects around the district in each of these focus areas, from the replacement of aging computers and software across the district to the promised updating of nurses stations at select schools.

At Lafayette specifically, funding from the bond issue has been allocated to replace both student and staff comput-ers, fix SMART Boards, replace aged network switching equipment, install fire sprinkler systems, replace the wood field light poles, replace the early childhood bathroom floor and to replace the main gym floor.

Though these projects are promising for schools in the district, the Board of

Education has recently faced opposition from various stakeholders in the district.

Rockwood Stakeholders for Real Solutions (RSRS) co-founder Eileen Tyrrell described the opposition that her organization has heard.

“I can tell you that the number one thing that they are opposed to is that we put a bond issue on the ballots and there has been no decision made as to who the program manager will be,” Tyrrell explained.

She continued, “The number two big reason of the opposing opinions is that in the past we have spent money on projects that are not about safety.”

Tyrrell explained that opposition has stemmed from funding concerns.

“We are not putting the funding where it needs to be. We should not be putting funding for safety and mainte-nance into the bond issues, those should be part of the budget,” she said.

However, school funding is made up of two separate categories: the annual operating budget and bond issue funds.

The prior, according to the Rockwood website, is funded through state support such as property taxes and sales taxes and can be used for operating costs.

Bond issues, on the other hand,

are only supported by the issuance of bonds and are restricted to solely capital improvement usage, such as building and technology updates.

Also, unlike an operating budget, a bond issue is a form of funding which requires a constituency vote and a four-seventh’s majority to pass.

RSRS has allowed anonymous stakeholders to voice their opinions of the district in recent months and for some, past opinions seem to be deciding factors in this vote.

One district stakeholder wrote in a Jan. 19 letter to the Board of Educa-tion, “RAs long as Glenn Construction is involved with any construction with RSD and RSD can’t tighten in their belts until it hurts, my husband and I will vote against any bond.”

Concern over the basis of the bond issue funding has also fueled opposition.

Another RSRS anonymous member wrote on the RSRS blog, “When an organization states that a bond issue will not increase taxes, they are not telling the whole story.”

“A bond is a commitment to repay principal (borrowed money) plus inter-est. It is just like a home loan, although duration of repayment is shorter,” the

blogger wrote.They continued, “While all costs

associated with a bond issue may be paid with funds generated through existing taxes, they are still costs.”

However, Superintendent Bruce Borchers said these financial concerns are unwarranted.

“Bond issue funding comes from the issuance of bonds,” Borchers explained. “When voters pass/approve a bond issue, the school district then obtains bids and sells bonds to the purchaser that offers the lowest interest cost.”

He continued, “The district pays back the debt over a period of years, typically around 12 years and we use current tax dollars to pay off bond debts.”

“Rockwood is able to do this without increasing taxes because each year the district retires or pays off old debt from previous bond issues and our assessed value grows,” he said.

He added, “You continue to make those monthly payments, but you have ‘added’ new debt, which extends the period of time it will take to pay off the entire loan.”

In the end, Prop R’s fate lies with the voters who will take to the polls on April 3.

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Aside from the school store, there are many places around the community that supply spiritwear to students and parents. The list includes Schnucks, Walgreens, Kmart and St. Louis Shirt Co.

Although each of these stores sells spiritwear with the Lafayette logo and name, only one of them compensates the school for profits made on the gear.

A few weeks ago, Lafayette received a check from Level 10 Apparel for $229 as compensation for the company’s sale of spiritwear in the Wildwood Schnucks store from July to December 2011.

Level 10 Apparel, based in Indiana, provides spiritwear to about 1,500 grocery stores nationwide.

Although Lafayette does not have a formal agreement with the company, Level 10 Apparel has a program in place to distribute royalties to any school that they produce spiritwear for.

Josh Witlow, manager of marketing, development and graphic design at Level 10 Apparel, explained the process the company undergoes to get high school spiritwear on the shelves.

“We work with local grocery stores that want to support their community. They come to us and want to support the schools near them,” he said.

He added, “We have a loyalty program where we distribute royalties to the schools on what we make. We send them 8 to 10 percent of net sales.”

Principal John Shaughnessy said he has been approached by various busi-nesses asking for permission to produce Lafayette spiritwear, but he has never consented.

However, Witlow said if there are not

copyrights on the school logo, businesses have the right to use it. “We’ve been doing this for quite some time. It used to just be up to the grocery store to contact the school for permission. In recent years, we’ve started to contact a lot more schools ourselves because more schools have trademarked logos.”

According to the Rockwood website, the Rockwood logo is copyrighted and specific guidelines must be followed for its use. However, individual schools have no such regulations and therefore their logos can be reproduced.

Witlow said that Level 10 Apparel contacted both the administrative secre-tary and Shaughnessy to verify Lafay-ette’s logo and colors before production of spiritwear started.

“As far as permission goes, it’s kind of a gray area if you don’t have a trademark. It’s up to the principal to get back to us and verify the school’s graphic and colors and bring up any concerns,” Witlow said.

Level 10 Apparel then designs and ships the spiritwear to Schnucks, where community members can buy a variety of products.

Witlow said, “We have about 30 to 40 items, including T-shirts, hoodies, sweatpants, mesh shorts, headbands and socks.”

Although Lafayette was not expect-ing the check and was at first unsure of where the money was coming from, Witlow says this is not an uncommon response.

He said that many schools contact them pleasantly surprised. “About 98 percent of the time we get thank you letters from schools, saying that they

put the money towards a scholarship or something like that.”

Shaughnessy said he has a plan for the money. “Any donations that come to me that are not specified for a certain ac-count, I always put into the Renaissance account. That way it benefits all of us at the school somehow,” he said.

He added, “I like to think I know where most of our outside revenue comes from, but now and then I’m surprised when a business will donate a check to us for some fundraiser or sales that I don’t know anything about.”

Witlow said, “The program works because it’s a win-win-win: the school essentially does nothing and gets some money, Schnucks gets some money and supports the community and Level 10 stays in business.”

The company’s philosophy is, “Whether you have trademarks or not, you should get money from a company if they’re making money off of your school and your logos,” Witlow said. “We’re trying to protect schools that can’t afford to trademark logos and start a licensing program.”

However, not all businesses provide rebates to the school. The St. Louis Shirt Co. carries a variety of Lancer gear and provides groups with special spiritwear.

Joe Gaffney, St. Louis Shirt Co. manager, said the business has never contacted the school for permission to use logos.

He said, “We don’t compensate the schools because we design all the logos ourselves.”

Their products at the Ellisville location range from hoodies to T-shirts to sweatpants, and represent Eureka,

Marquette and Lafayette as well as several Parkway schools.

Gaffney said, “Spiritwear is only about .5 percent of what we make money on. Our prime business is teams buying for special events for specific organizations. It [spiritwear sales] picks up a bit around Christmas, but it’s not really a money-maker for us. The high school spiritwear is really just there to fill the walls.”

St. Louis Shirt Co. does the majority of its business with Lafayette through specific teams and clubs and by being a Renaissance sponsor.

“Organizations order stuff from us all the time. We’ve done shirts for choir, the David Freese jerseys for the basketball team and gear for volleyball, tennis, soccer; pretty much anything,” Gaffney said.

As far as official school spiritwear goes, the Lafayette school store provides gear designed by two PTO volunteers.

Mari May, who runs the school store, said, “We get our spiritwear from local businesses like Casual Tees. We shop around and price everything and then pick within our budget. The school store sells about $2,000 worth every year.”

She said, “I don’t think we lose business to other stores that sell school spiritwear. The biggest part of our sales comes from school events like Open House.”

Regardless of where the spiritwear comes from, students have a variety of choices when deciding how to support their school.

And, legally many groups can profit from those sales.

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jessica zadoks campus editor

lifestylelifestyle 7image

the

When teacher Jean Peters looks at her 2nd Hour AP Art History class, she sees many seniors, a handful of juniors and one fellow educator.

Science teacher Ryan Bixby had asked about the class at the start of the year and joined at the beginning of second semester.

“Mrs. Peters is remarkably gracious for letting me come in. I talked to her about it and she actually seemed excited to have another person in the room. She was more than welcoming,” Bixby said.

Peters invited Bixby to the class due to her “open door policy” as well as his interest in her subject.

“I am lucky to teach the subject matter I do. The creative process throughout human history is a fascinat-ing subject. My class isn’t about me or the textbook, it is about traveling through time to study earlier cultures through their artistic endeavors,” Peters said.

The subject is what drew Bixby to the class. “It was all about art. I watch Jeopardy every day and

go to the art museum, but I realized I knew scandal-ously little about art. The class seemed like a nice vehicle to learn about it,” Bixby said.

After a few weeks, Bixby began to learn not only about art, but about teaching.

“When you go into other teachers’ rooms, you do see little subtleties that make you think, ‘Do I say ‘umm’ that often while I’m lecturing?’ It makes you cringe and it makes you reexamine yourself to try to improve your teaching. Then you see other little nuances they do and that you might want to steal and incorporate in your class,” Bixby said.

He continued, “The way Mrs. Peters sometimes wants people to chatter and exchange ideas, and other times wants them to raise hands, makes the class very dynamic and flexible. Little things she says and does have snuck into my teaching. Mrs. Peters embodies the art of teaching.”

As students in 2nd Hour Art History watch Bixby

participate, they appreciate his ability to grow as both a student and educator.

“Taking the class with us makes him more relatable and interesting as a teacher,” senior Alicia Mestre said.

“Mr. Bixby is pretty awesome to have in class because he actually answers questions and actively participates,” junior Alex Moll agreed.

Both teachers see the students’ admiration of Bixby’s involvement in the class.

“My 2nd Hour is the most welcoming class. They would extend hospitality to anybody, but it is clear Bixby is a Lafayette favorite. They know him and they enjoy having him,” Peters said.

“Kids that I have or have had in my class are in Art History. While teaching, there needs to be that separa-tion [between students and teachers], but outside of

that I’m just a person who doesn’t know much about art history. Learning together is fulfilling. We see that we are equal human beings sharing an experience,” Bixby said.

The experience does come with some drawbacks. Bixby attends class during his planning period, a vital part of a teacher’s day when they can plan and grade.

“I have started getting at school by 6:30 a.m. I used to have planning period to get work done, but now I do it before school. It’s a sacrifice of a little bit of my time, but it is well worth it. Some teachers work out during their off hour and I’ve done that before. But now, rather than nourishing my body, I feel like I’m nourishing the right hemisphere of my brain,” Bixby said.

With all the time spent in class, students wonder if Bixby will take one of the Art History tests.

“I do want to take a test. I could have gotten a lot of the questions from that last test right. It made me rethink the whole experience, but at the core of things I just want to be a well-rounded, knowledgeable person. The experience of sitting in there and soaking it up goes towards accomplishing that,” Bixby said.

Regardless of whether or not he takes a test, Peters feels as though he is doing his best not only as one of her students, but as someone who is eager to grow through education.

“He sits there with an absolutely captivated face. He raises his hand, asks questions and takes notes during class. He is a good role model of life-long learning, which is my ultimate goal in teaching. He has interest and really savors the learning,” Peters said.

What once started as Bixby’s wish to learn about art history has now morphed into something entirely different. By merely participating in class, Bixby has set an example of the positive effects of what Peters calls “life-long learning”.

“Mr. Bixby is showing students that it is possible, vital even, to associate the will to learn with happiness. Once we can do that, it takes the work out of school,” senior Nick Binnette said.

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Bixby joins Peters’ 2nd Hour Art History class

Science teacher Ryan Bixby poses as Michelangelo’s David with Peters’ 2nd Hour Art History class.(photo by Hannah Boxerman)

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In 2009-2010, there were 15,564 home-less children enrolled in Missouri public schools.

But for many needy Rockwood students, going home for the weekend now means not having to worry about attaining healthy meals thanks to the Got Your Backpack program.

The program distributes meals to needy students that are, “Nutritious, easy to open, simple to prepare and can accommodate a variety of home circum-stances,” according to the Rockwood website.

The Got Your Backpack program was first introduced to Rockwood in January 2012 by Maureen Smith, a 1st grade teacher at Fairway Elementary.

Smith noticed there were over 100 kids in the District who were labeled homeless, meaning not living at a permanent address, and they were not

getting all the meals they needed over the weekend.

According to the Rockwood website, 135 students in the District are homeless. Thirty-two percent of these students live in St. Louis County, while 68 percent live in the city.

Terry Harris, Coordinator of the Department of Educational Equity and Diversity, said the program is designed to assist homeless Rockwood students.

Harris continued, “Fundamentally, we believe that if a student is hungry they will struggle with learning, so we wanted to lift all barriers impeding the students’ ability to learn.”

“It is about feeding kids on the weekends who otherwise might not have consistent meals between Friday lunch and Monday breakfast,” Smith said.

Harris said the program is designed to provide about $20 worth of food

to students. They receive a backpack on Friday filled with food and return the backpack on Monday.

Got Your Backpack is designed so that students receiving the backpacks don’t need to worry about being made fun of for being labeled homeless.

“The program is highly organized so that students are not isolated by their current status. This is done to keep the program confidential,” Harris said.

Both Harris and Smith described the experience as “extremely rewarding.”

Harris said, “It is always a heartfelt moment to see people grateful for small acts of kindness and ultimately it just feels great to serve.”

National Honor Society (NHS) is also donating food to the cause. Sponsor Nichole Ballard-Long said, “At our next

meeting in February, we’re asking that the membership bring at least one item to be donated.”

Individual donations can be dropped off to any Rockwood school or to Harris at 111 East North St. in Eureka. Items requested include bread, oatmeal, peanut butter, fruit, applesauce, jelly and giftcards.

“Knowing that one less child does not have to worry about if he or she will eat on the weekend makes me so happy,” Smith said. “Especially when we know we are taking care of our own Rockwood kids.”

New program offers weekend meals for homeless students

paige antolik reporter

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Most sophomores are looking forward to having their Sweet 16 this year. However, some students are just happy with finally turning 4-years-old.

People born on Feb. 29 (called “leap babies”) can only celebrate their birthday on the actual date once every four years. This is due to regular years including only 28 days in February. So, 16-year-olds have only had their birthday four times.

“Most people like to say ‘Oh, you’re the smartest 4-year-old I’ve ever met!” sophomore leap

baby Shane Ferrell said.Sophomore Jennarose

Ortmeyer, whose birthday is also Feb. 29, is looking forward to a big celebration this year.

“It’s my Sweet 16. Of course it’s going to be big,” she said.

Twins Ryan and Shyan Banankhah have mixed opinions on their unique birthday. Shyan Banankhah said he was both proud and annoyed with the date.

Ryan Banankhah disagreed and said “It’s something special, and it makes me stand out from the crowd.”

These students said they get similar reactions when people learn about their birthday.

“I hear things like ‘You were born on a leap year? That’s so cool!” Shyan Banankhah said.

“People don’t usually believe me, they’re always so surprised,” Ortmeyer said.

Ferrell said his friends and family loves to tease him about his age, and he likes to join in on the fun.

“I joke about my age all time, especially during leap years,” he said.

On non-leap years, the stu-

dents celebrate their birthday on different dates. Ryan and Shyan Banankhah celebrate theirs on Feb. 28, while Ferrell said March 1 is the date he chose.

Ortmeyer said she cel-ebrated her birthday “When-ever I want to, around the end of February or beginning of March.”

Despite any teasing from friends and family, none of the sophomores said they wished to be born a different day.

“I’m proud to be a leap year baby,” Ortmeyer said.

katherine blackstonereporter

For students born Feb. 29, leap year means a real birthday celebrationLancersLeapYear

From top; sophomores Shane Ferrell, Jennarose Ortmeyer and Ryan Banankhah (photos by Katie Blackstone)

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When thinking about where the food that makes up school lunches comes from, most students such as senior Amanda Rightler don’t picture a fresh, local and family run farm.

“I picture a bunch of boxes in a warehouse somewhere across the country,” Rightler said.

However, the origins of the food served in cafeterias across the district is a little brighter than that. Although most of the food is processed and provided by wholesale retailers, Rockwood cafeterias offers fresh choices from local farms.

Child Nutrition Services Administrator Carmen Fischer stresses the importance of locally grown and organic produce. “I am absolutely happy to use locally grown produce,” she said.

Fischer offered several examples of fresh produce being used in school cafeterias, saying that at the beginning of school in August, a tomato basil pizza was offered on lunch menus.

According to Fischer, the basil on that pizza actually comes from a garden located near Pond Elementary.

The tiny garden also grows tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers throughout the year, all of which are used by the district, Fischer said.

Aside from this, local family run farms are major con-tributors to Rockwood’s produce. Apples, lettuce, tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables generally come from the Missouri and Illinois areas, Fischer explained.

“3 Girls and a Tractor” is just one of the local farms that supplies Rockwood with seasonal produce.

The farm, owned by John and Shari Kopmann, is family run with their three daughters and dog. They handle all of the farm work as well as full time jobs outside the farm.

The Kopmanns have both been raising produce since their respective childhoods, and their gardens contain a variety of pumpkins, gourds, squash, sweet corn, melons, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and cucumbers.

“We are huge proponents of ‘grow local and buy local,’” Shari said.

“3 Girls and a Tractor” is located in Marthasville, MO, just in the Missouri River Bottom, where, according to Shari, the fertile soil is ideal for growing just about

anything. “We hand plant and hand pick all of our produce to

assure the best quality and ripest produce we can sell,” Shari said.

The farm is not just a business for the Kopmanns, but it’s a hobby and an activity for the whole family.

The Kopmanns say their daughters learn social and math skills by helping out at the markets and that even their dog helps by keeping the coyotes away from the melons.

In addition to providing to Rockwood, the Kopmanns send their “award winning produce” to local farm fairs.

Anything they sell in farmers markets or to Rockwood is assured to be their best quality produce.

“We feel we take sufficient precautions to ensure the safety of our family and our customers and provide them with the best product we can,” Shari said.

Shari explained most of the seeds are hand planted since they ironically do not own a tractor, but sometimes they borrow a tractor at the start of their season. Their plants are also pollinated by bees to ensure more quality fruit on each plant.

During the summer, the Kopmanns hire high school students to help them handpick their melons. Oftentimes, they work up until dark and all throughout Saturdays. Sundays are saved for relaxation and family time.

The rest of Rockwood’s food comes from a variety of sources that utilize organic and fresh practices.

Fischer said the district’s dairy mostly comes from Prairie Farms and retailers such as Big Daddy’s provide whole grain pizza, while Gold Kist provides items like popcorn chicken.

Much of the other food comes from wholesale retailers such as Kohl Wholesale in Quincy, IL, which is one of Rockwood’s biggest suppliers, and Gordon Food Services in Minnesota.

Though producing locally grown and fresh produce may not be easy, Shari said the family’s dedication stems from love.

“It is hard work and requires daily attention. We would not raise produce if we did not love it,” Shari said.

Lunch OriginsThe National School Lunch Program (NSLP), a nutrition plan headed and promoted by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), sets the standards concerning what is served in school cafeterias.

According to the NSLP’s official website, each student who eats a school provided lunch should be given the USDA recommended servings of meat, fruits, vegetables, grains and milk and may select one bonus item.

Along with the NSLP, Rockwood also follows an “Offer vs. Serve” policy, through which students are always offered every item in order to fulfill the national requirements. However, students have the choice to refuse certain items.

“[Through these policies] we try to create healthy habits for younger kids in elementary school that they can carry with them as they progress,” Child Nutrition Services Administrator Carmen Fischer said.

Fischer said nutritional choice is the fundamental goal of both programs, along with the goal of the district’s lunch program

Julie Evans-Vitale, a Certified Personal Fitness Trainer and Sports Nutritionist at Nutrition-Clinic, said that the nutritional demands of a growing adolescent are necessary to meet in the healthiest way.

“You need healthy options and meals in order to grow properly,” Evans-Vitale said.

“Protein and good complex carbohydrates are key to a student’s growth, while sugar can be extremely detrimental,” she explained. “Good fats are also necessary, but you can also get too much of a good thing.”

Fischer said these choices were exactly what the district was going for.

Fischer said a few years ago, all the fryers in the school kitchens were replaced by Combi ovens and items like French fries are now actually baked to increase their nutritional value.

Items such as fries and mini chicken tacos resemble fast food options such as Jack in the Box. However they are healthier options containing less fat.

When it comes to individually packaged items such as chips and cookies, the nutrition staff is always looking for smaller portions to help control consumption of packaged foods, Fischer said.

But Evans-Vitale said for the most part, school lunches still do not come close to meeting these nutritional guides and demands—even if some items are baked rather than fried.

“Overall nutrition is definitely a shortcoming,” she said. “But protein is definitely lacking.”

“If I could do anything, if I was told to start some kind of office or something, one of the first things that I would address would be school lunches,” Evans-Vitale said.

Evans-Vitale continued, “I have a lot of younger clients and high school aged clients who come in and tell me the items they are forced to eat, which are things that I would not recommend at all.”

As part of the move to healthy living, brands such as Host-ess have been discontinued in schools.

“Through time we make a lot of small changes, and when students come back from summer, sometimes it takes them a while to realize that an item is no longer available,” Fischer said.

In November, schools across the country began to recognize pizza as a serving of vegetables according to a newly passed national law, but Rockwood has a different outlook on the situation.

“Technically pizza contains about an eighth of a cup of vegetables, but we want more than that,” Fischer said.

Evans-Vitale said if she had the chance to reform school lunches, she would make many changes. “I would take all of the fried, processed and packaged items out of our schools—all of the pizzas and the pastas—and I would replace them with proteins and healthy options,” she said.

“I would also take a lot of the sugars out, and reduce the amounts of choices with sugar in them,” Evans-Vitale contin-ued.

Overall, students seem content with the variety of food the cafeteria offers. However, they have their own inputs on what they wish to see.

“You can get healthy stuff, it just comes down to your personal choices,” junior Laura Paskoff said.

The cafeteria also tries to offer a variety of menu items for those students with dietary restrictions, such as vegetarians.

“Garden burgers and veggie burgers are always available upon request,” Fischer explained.

“There are more healthy sides like veggie boats and fruits, but the entrees seem less healthy. I would like to see some healthier entrees, like pastas,” senior Amanda Rightler said.

Evans-Vitale also recommended these options over most. Currently, Rockwood’s Child Nutrition Department is

working on adding new items to menus, such as hummus and a Southwestern pasta salad.

“We’re always looking for new recipes, and try to menu a variety of items that are low fat and whole grain,” Fischer said.

Students are provided with many choices in main entrée menu items and side items. Along with that students can go through the salad bar and deli line to create their own salads and sandwiches to their personal taste.

For those who are health conscious, all information regarding nutrition facts and calorie content are located on the Rockwood website.

National and natural nutrition

Every day students go through the lunch line, but do they know where their food is actually coming from? Most of the food is processed and distributed by wholesale providers, however, the school does serve some healthier and more appealing options. Most of the produce offered in the cafeteria comes from local farms and is hand planted and picked.

meet thearmersFanisha chellaswami reporter max thoman editor in chief

National guidelines, nutrition standards offer goals for healthy lunch

Family run farms provide fresh produce options

One of the Kopmann daughters takes pride in the work she does on her family’s farm.(Photo: courtesy of the Kopmann family)

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Lafayette Class of ‘69

sports 13sportsimage

the

The baseball program has received a lot of recognition in the past few months thanks to World Series MVP and LHS grad, David Freese. However, they may have another pro prospect up their sleeve.

Entering his last season of Lancer baseball is senior third-baseman Will DuPont.

Major League teams such as the Arizona Diamond-backs have expressed interest in DuPont, going so far as to meet with him personally.

DuPont said his chance of going straight to the pros after his senior season is 50/50.

“[Going pro] depends on how I play this season. If I hit really well then I will be drafted higher,” DuPont said.

DuPont, who signed with Mississippi State Univer-sity for baseball this fall, has a life-changing decision to make at the end of this upcoming season. However, he isn’t letting the future distract him.

“This upcoming season will be fun; we’re going to be a good team,” DuPont said.

Head Coach Scott DeNoyer said, “I expect Will to work harder than he ever has in his baseball career. He has a responsibility to all those who have ever worn a Lancer uniform to uphold the tradition of pursuing excellence and to leave his mark for the others to follow.”

DuPont, who has been on the varsity team since his freshman year, looks to end his career as a Lancer with his best season yet.

As far as his incredible success goes, DuPont gave credit to his parents, Bill and Shawna DuPont, who he said have supported him throughout his career in baseball, beginning at the age of 2.

“I am grateful to be able to coach all the student-athletes in baseball and softball, but players with the type of ability that Will possesses is special and fun to watch,” DeNoyer said.

DuPont said, “My favorite player to play with would be Robinson Cano, and the pitcher I would like to face against is Justin Verlander.”

DuPont said he wants to play for the Los Angeles Angels because he wants to live in Los Angeles at some point in his life. However, when asked about playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, DuPont said it would be “a dream come true.”

The pressure of being a pro-athlete is something only a select group of athletes can overcome, however DuPont is ready to take on the task.

“I just have to have fun with the job, and have a good time playing major league baseball,” DuPont said.

Though his future is uncertain, DeNoyer has his prediction for what can be expected from DuPont.

“I can see [DuPont] getting his uniform torn up by ‘The Shredder’ after hitting the game-winning home run in game seven of the World Series,” DeNoyer said.

Stepping up to the plateDuPont pursues chances in both college and the big leaguesdylan corbet reporter

During his junior season, DuPont fields the hot corner, while garnering national recognition along the way. (Photo courtesy to Will DuPont)

sportssp

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14 February 24, 2012

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When people tend to think of wrestlers, clichéd images of broad-shouldered, burly athletes typically come to mind. But as is the case for virtually all sports, sometimes looks can be deceiving.

Tall with a rangy frame, junior Nick Olejnik sports a physique that’s unconventional for someone who rules the mats.

“I’m definitely a unique wrestler. I’m not as strong as many of the kids I go up against, but I’m taller so I have a lot of leverage,” he said.

“That’s an area he’s going to have to work on,” Head Coach Scott Sissom added.

But what he lacks in strength, he makes up for with sharp versatility and crafty technique.

“His awareness is comparable to that of a college kid,” Sissom said, “ He knows where he’s at and he’s very aware of scrambling, which is taking yourself out of a bad position and putting yourself in a position to score.”

Olejnik’s talents began to take shape early on in his high school career. He qualified for State as just a freshman,

though he did not place. However, he returned a year later to solidify a third place finish and a 45-3 record on the year.

En route to winning his third consecutive District title this past year, Olejnik, a three year varsity veteran, has continued his winning habits as one of the area’s top contenders in the 138 pound weight class.

He was crowned tournament champion in events at Howell Central, Parkway South, Lindbergh, LHS, and has recently pushed his season record to a team-best 44-1.

Over President’s Day weekend Olejnik competed for the State championship at Mizzou Arena. Ranked second in the bracket, he lost to the tournament’s top seed in semifinals, eventually earning a third place medal.

As for his post-high school career, Olejnik says that he plans to continue as a collegiate wrestler.

“I want to go D1 for sure. I’ll wait until after this year and see what type of offers I get. Most importantly though it’s to get an education at a good college since there’s no career for it after col-lege,” he said.

Olejnik triumphs using unique skillset

In the Class 4 District 1 meet held at Lindbergh, Olejnik takes down his opponent. He would go on to win the District crown for the third straight year, qualifying him for the State meet in Columbia, MO. (Photo courtesy of Debbie Boghar)

dominic corvington reporter

sports 15sportsimage

the

When fans talk about the Blues’ recent turnaround, it all comes back to a man who doesn’t step on the ice. The team started with an unimpres-sive 6-7-0 record and decided it needed a change behind the bench.

Enter Ken Hitchcock. Since replacing former coach

Davis Payne on Nov. 6, the Blues have gone 24-7-7 and Hitchcock is seen as the driving force.

Under his leadership, they have shot up the standings to third place in the Western Conference with an overall record of 34-14-7.

What separates Hitchcock from previous coaches is a solid postseason resume, which includes a Stanley Cup victory with the Dallas Stars in 1999 and another appear-ance in 2000. In 16 years of coaching, his teams have reached the NHL playoffs nine times.

Along with the coaching change, the Blues have steadily built their team with strong drafting and solid goaltending.

They are one of the few teams to use two goalies equally, and their duo is widely considered the league’s best, with All Star Brian Elliot leading the NHL in goals against average (GAA) and Jaroslov Halak ranking fourth.

Senior Drew Roither, an avid fan, said the reason for the team’s turnaround is, “Definitely the draft picks and the coaching change. Brian Elliot’s going nuts in net and then we got Halak, who’s a great starting goalie and (David) Perron’s back, which is a huge help. As long as our players stay healthy, we’ll be alright.”

Fans can debate what’s behind this surprise season, but they cannot argue about one thing: Before Hitchcock, the Blues appeared to be headed into another early offseason.

After his hiring, their record suggests they are headed for much bigger things.

Hitchcock brings winning waysto Blues hockey

Blues On The RiseFor many, hockey and the NHL are very much overlooked. Hockey season starts at the peak of baseball season and also competes with college and pro football.

Yet for those true hockey fans, it is more than just a sport, it is a lifestyle.

No team knows this better than the St. Louis Blues. From the start of the franchise in 1967, the Blues have had skyrocketing highs and excruciating lows. Despite mak-ing the playoffs 35 times since 1967, the Blue Notes are still looking for their first Stanley Cup championship.

The Blues originated from the NHL’s six expansion teams in 1967. Purchased for only $2 million from the owners of the Chicago Blackhawks, they started playing a tight defensive game and became a breakout team in their early years.

They would go to the playoffs in the 1967-68 season, but lost to the Montreal Canadians in the Stanley Cup semifinals. This seemed to become a routine for the Blues: working hard to make it to the

playoffs and putting up a hard fight once

there, but always coming home

empty-handed.This would

become problematic as coaches and gen-

eral managers (GMs) constantly began to

change. Investors would lose inter-est and owners were fed up as

revenue started to plummet. In 1982,

the team reported losses of $1.8 million a

year and was quickly put up for sale.

After interest from Saskatoon,

Canada died, the Blues closed

the arena

doors and didn’t take part in the 1983 NHL Draft.

All hope was thought to be lost, until entrepreneur Harry Ornest decided to take a chance and pick the Blues up. New GM Ron Caron spent his time trading, dropping and signing old hockey stars and rookies to make the team profitable and competitive again.

During the 1986-87 season, Caron signed Brett Hull and according to the team’s official website, the media deemed Hull “uncoachable, lazy and uninterested in improving his game” at the time.

How wrong they would be. Hull proved to have the skill to become

the NHL’s top scorer. After winning the Hart Memorial Trophy for MVP in 1991, interest in the Blues exploded from all corners of the NHL.

Finally, St. Louis citizens and corpora-tions supported their blue-collar team once again and multiplied the team’s revenue. Nearly a decade went on with the Blues staying at the top of their game, and the league.

Even after Hull left for the Dallas Stars, the Notes still managed to dominate. Big names like Pavol Demitra, Chris Pronger and Keith Tkachuk were signed to keep the team near the top of the league.

But after the season 2003-2004 ended badly, the league would go into a lockout and not play the 2004-2005 season. Time after that proved to be depressing as the Blues would continue their losing ways and miss the playoffs for three straight seasons.

True fans were rewarded in the 2008-2009 season when the Blues made the playoffs, only to suffer a first round sweep to the Vancouver Canucks. This would be

their last stab until this year. With new coach Ken Hitchcock, a

playoff spot is in reach once again. The Western Conference has

been tight all season, so the Blue Notes are fighting and

scoring to keep a top spot.

Madison Beirne, 12Favorite Player: “Andy McDonald or Patrik Berglund. They have amazing ice presence and skills. Plus, they’re hot!”

What it means to be a true Blues fan: “To be a true Blues fan is when you’re willing to drop everything to watch them and do the power play dance in public.”

Team with roller coaster history in midst of great season gains fans

Drew Roither, 12Favorite Player:“Keith Tkachuk, but for now David Backes.”

What it means to be a true Blues fan:“Just show your love for the game. You can go to the game and be all dressed up, but you’ll see a business man in a suit. Go wear a jersey, or a hat, or do some body paint or some-thing crazy like that. I hate people who sit in boxes. They’re not getting the full experience.”

The Image asked two diehard Blues fans what it means to bleed Blue and Gold

mia schenone entertainment editor

Blues forward Andy McDonald. (Photo used with permission from MCT Campus)

gian wessel online sports editor

opinionsop

inio

ns16 February 24, 2012

UnfilteredSarah Greenlee

staff

edi

tori

alMemories resurface with Facebook timeline

Mixing religion, politics puts limits on freedom

The new Facebook Timeline allows easy access to view past interactions. While some people cringe at the thought of others being able to see their past with the click of a button, others can appreciate the reminder of their younger years.

Easy access to awkward photos and cheesy statuses may make us want to delete our Facebook history. However, that history still reminds us of what we were like at a certain point in time.

It’s so easy to see what kind of music was cool or what clothes we bought to try to fit in (or stand out.)

We spoke differently and acted differently, and it’s all there on our Facebook pages.

We’re especially reminded of who our friends were, even if they’re not our friends anymore.

Facebook is providing a very interesting opportunity. While revisit-ing our old posts, we also have the opportunity to revisit our past.

As high schoolers we are grouped together at school with many people from our childhood years. We walk past our ex-best friends in the halls frequently enough.

Some of us will ignore those old best friends, and pretend as if we hadn’t once shared our biggest secrets with each other. Some of us can rightly appreciate that we once had a really great connection with certain other

people, and smile at our old compan-ions with recognition, regardless of the state of the friendship now.

And every once in a while, some of us smile when we think about that time we went to the mall and tried on really ugly dresses, and the time we went to the lake together, or the time we spilled spaghetti sauce all over the kitchen.

We find ourselves wondering if the person we shared those memories with ever thinks of those days too.

While we may not still be compat-ible with old friendships, it’s important to be able to look back and appreciate all the good times spent with those people.

We may not miss those relation-ships, but we can’t deny that they happened. Even though we may not be the same person we were when we made those memories, they’re still a part of us and they’ve shaped us to be what we are today.

At the time, they were great memories, and we shouldn’t let our age and experience make us remem-ber those experiences any differently.

So instead, the next time you’re looking at your Facebook Timeline, don’t be embarrassed or ashamed of your past, but instead appreciate that it may be the only avenue to a part of you that you might not have access to otherwise.

Whether or not church and state should be united has be-come a controversy, especially in current social issues.

Prop 8, a California proposi-tion placing a ban on same-sex marriage, was recently deemed unconstitutional on Feb. 7 because it violated the Equal Protection clause. The Roman Catholic Church, Mormons, the Eastern Orthodox Church and countless other religions publicly supported the Proposi-tion, making this issue heavily based on religion.

While the right to same-sex marriage may go against some religions, it is completely unconstitutional for the govern-ment to ban same-sex marriage solely because it goes against a few groups’ beliefs. Freedom of religion goes hand in hand with

freedom of belief, so religious groups should not be able to inhibit the beliefs of others through political means.

The upcoming presidential elections have also stirred the arguments between religion and politics.

While Republicans often intertwine religion and politics, Democrats usually prefer separation. Therefore many religious organizations almost unanimously vote Republican, with little regard to other candidates and their stances.

However, Republican hopeful Mitt Romney has encountered much scrutiny from religious groups because Romney is a Mormon. And while Mormons claim they are a branch of Christianity, Christians will not support that claim.

Other Republican candidates have been slashing him for his religion. There is no validation in this, because the religion of a candidate has little relevance in how he will lead the country. Romney’s social stances should be viewed separately from his religion.

Another emergence of this problem is the President’s Obamacare policy regarding birth control. Obama required that all insurance policies cover the cost of contraceptives, but religiously affiliated groups insisted that they shouldn’t have to pay for this.

They don’t support the use of these contraceptives because it goes against their morals. The decision was finally made that religious-affiliated employers aren’t required to pay for

the contraceptive coverage, but they still must carry the insurance coverage and offer it. This includes religiously affiliated charities, hospitals and universities. This is a very fair ruling. Just because someone is employed by St. John’s hospital, does not mean they share the religious views of their employer. People should be able to receive coverage from their insurance agencies regardless of the views of their provider.

Religion has become increasingly involved in the political decision making process and it is imperative that we focus on keeping the two separate. Allowing the two to interfere with one another leads to choices that bind the free-doms of others, and in America that is unconstitutional.

Dear Editor,Despite the drizzle and fog of the

Saturday morning, throngs of people fill Chesterfield Elementary, hoping to scope out deals at the Wildwood Boutique.

Amid the vendors and shoppers are volunteers from Lafayette’s National Honor Society, including myself. For many, it is just another day we find ourselves working some raffle ticket booth, collecting as many community service hours as possible.

Any active upperclassman feels my pain; as we complete college applica-tions, it becomes blatantly obvious universities want more than good grades.

We are expected to fill our applica-tions with juicy examples of leadership, athletics and community service. Especially community service.

Universities these days hesitate to

consider applicants without some form of community involvement. Because of this new expectation, volunteer rates among teenagers have skyrocketed to double the rates of thirty years ago.

This trend however, in no way implies that compassion has increased.

On the contrary, the empathetic side of volunteering has been cored out, as community service is now hollowly viewed not as a way to help others, but as a way to pad our resumés for college.

Perhaps we partake in volunteering opportunities for the simple sake of helping others. But more often than not, this desire is punctuated by the guilty satisfaction of adding each event completed to our college applications, knowing that each instance brings us one step closer to admission.

With that realization, we must ask

ourselves if taking part in a selfless activ-ity because of our own personal motives detracts from the experience.

If we consider that the purpose of community service is to teach the lesson of humility and self-sacrifice to the vol-unteer, we have failed spectacularly. In my mind though, that’s hardly the point; the real purpose is not to improve the individual, as per the recent focus, but to help and improve the lives of others.

Even if, in our frenzy to prepare for college, we have focused on ourselves when helping others, we still do work for the forces of good.

Ironically, our self-absorption has led to an improvement in the communities around us.

Look at it this way: charities receive huge donations from corporations looking for their own ends. Genuine

compassion still exists, but altruistic con-tributions are dwarfed by corporations making donations to get a tax break.

Even though it’s not technically in the spirit of giving, these businesses go a long way to support organizations.

More soup is served in kitchens, more malaria vaccines reach impover-ished sub-Saharan African nations and more animals are rescued from abusive homes because of the self interest of these companies.

It’s the same way with us. Everything that we do for others, even if it is for ourselves, makes a difference.

The world could use a bit of help and we must, regardless of the reason, continue to lend a hand on those drizzly Saturday mornings.

Connor McAndrew, 12

Student questions motives behind volunteering

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Winter slump = lack of motivation

Take a MinuteHannah Boxerman

On the Contrary

Max Thoman

Looking forward overshadows present

stars gripes&

Stars to:•Finally changing the school clocks to real time. Now the office will have to find some other way to meet their monthly tardy quota.•Leap Day! Everyone jump for joy!•The Image's Editor in Chief Max Thoman for being named Mr. LHS 2012. Woohoo! We just broke our 15+ year losing streak.•College acceptance letters. Just another thing to help motivate seniors.•March. It is supposed to come in like a lion. We hope that lion makes snow.•The start of March Mad-ness. But, please remember gambling is illegal and those brackets will have to stay home. Yeah, right.•Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Edition. We love sports.•Cardinals Spring Training!

Gripes to:• The half day snow day with no follow-up snow day. • People who don't honor winter dress codes. You're not Lady Gaga, wear some pants.•Colleges that don't send their acceptance letters until April. Thanks, it's not like we're trying to make plans or anything.•To a worthless primary. What a waste of tax dollars.•To the Riverfront Times' chart titled: Where You Should've Gone to High School. Um, our parents have houses, too. And woods.

My sister turned around at the security checkpoint, retrieving her passport from the TSA agent. “Don’t wish it away,” she said, just loud enough so I could hear. The rest of the world lost her advice in translation.

I nodded and she turned to pass through the metal detector—an almost symbolic gateway of our separation.

She never looked back.My twin sisters graduated from

Lafayette in 2009, and since then, they have been taken on a whirlwind of exotic conquests as far east as China and as far south as Brazil.

They each have returned home with incredible stories of triumph and failure, amazing tales of faraway places and almost supernatural worldliness—but they return home all the same.

However, that statement is two-sided. They do return home—regardless of the difficulty, distance

or time—but they don’t return home exactly the same.And why should they? As we move forward in our lives,

we cross paths with people, places and experiences meant to shape our psyches, meant to make us who we are.

Whether it’s a subtle weariness on one sister’s matured face when she returned from China, or the beaming pride of self-confidence that radiated from the other’s after “conquer-ing” Ecuador, both of my sisters have changed dramatically.

Only they can say if it’s for the better. But they are ready to change. However, I

doubt that many current Lafayette students are, no matter how hard they might try.

For instance, many of my senior friends who will be attending the University of Missouri-Columbia (MIZZOU) this fall have joined the Facebook group “MIZZOU Class of 2016,” and even I have found myself as a member of the group, “University of Alabama Class of 2016”—admittedly even worse, considering I haven’t chosen a college to attend yet.

We are moving on already…but we still have time.

We are not going to be the same people in a mere matter of years—maybe even months—that we are right now.

Right now we have so much to look forward to: an entire life of mystery, an entire future existence up to us. But that’s the problem.

Right now we are looking forward. Right now we aren’t living. We are planning.

We need to celebrate who we are right now. We owe it to ourselves.

I speak especially to you seniors. These next few months mark the last times you will have an advocate for you other than yourself. They mark an end to coddling, an end to comfort. They mark an end to you.

You’re going to change. Adulthood is fickle—it will make sure you do.

But right now, you can just be you. Don’t wish it away. These are times you will never get back.

There are a lot of hoops you have to jump through in high school.

To us, a lot of them probably seem point-less. I know at least by the time you become a senior you’ve had enough of forms, permission slips, busy work and parking pass drama to last you a lifetime.

At no point is this more apparent than during the 3rd Quarter slump—these dreary winter months where Spring Break is on the horizon but somehow just out of reach.

Adding to the funk is the fact that many seniors are already committed to their college of choice, making this dreaded last semester seem like an unnecessary waste of time.

Outlooks and attitudes around school this time of year can seem pretty grim. All you have to do is check out the popular twitter feed, @lhsproblems, to see that’s true.

So with all of these factors, what’s to stop a normally good student from becoming a zombie and falling into a sort of February coma?

The answer is, sadly, not much.Every year, I make the same mistake. I sit

back and let the slump happen by accepting it as the inevitable. But, does it have to be?

This year, I received a piece of advice that may make the difference:

It’s as simple as choosing one thing to motivate you through the school day; the one thing that makes jumping through those hoops worth it.

Have a lot of resolve? Choose Spring Break as your motivating factor. But if every week is a struggle, choose the weekend. Pick your light at the end of the tunnel, and ride it until the end of the year.

Or at least the end of the week.

Robert Hiller

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Video Game:Arkham City The only thing greater than watching Batman in theaters is playing as him in video games.

We left Batman trapped in Arkham Asylum, but now Gotham has been invaded by iconic villains and Batman must once again save the day. Stealth missions and hand-to-hand combat make Batman: Arkham Asylum a game that everyone must experience.

Legend Co-Editor Kyle Siebert gives his picks for March.

PicksMonth

of the

Book:Extremely Loud and Incredibly CloseJonathan Safran takes the hard-ships of 9/11 and delicately weaves a heart-wrenching plot revolving around Oskar Schell.   After the death of his father, Oskar embarks on a journey in search of a mysterious lock which fits a key belonging to his father. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is an endearing tale that allows you to explore human qualities as well as laugh when life needs it most.

Event:American Idiot at Peabody Opera HouseA Broadway musical inspired by the rock hits of Green Day, American Idiot tells the story of three suburban friends who find themselves choosing between a life under the sanctity of their hometown and living out their dreams.  A fun-filled, enthralling adventure, American Idiot debuts in St. Louis on March 2

Movie:Attack the BlockAn inner city street gang from South London comes across a small creature that flew out of the sky, and proceed to kill it after one member gets bitten. The gang finds themselves in more trouble when the male aliens invade Earth in search for the smaller female. Now they must band together with other community members to defend their city and send the aliens back where they came from.

TV Show:Games of Thrones: Season 2After an award-winning first season, the exciting tale in-spired by George R. R. Martin’s fantasy saga returns April 1 to HBO.  The must-experience show of the year begins with the cliff- hanging finale of Season 1 and delves deeper into the tribula-tions of the many characters fighting for the throne to rule the Seven Kingdoms.

SERIOUSLY.

A GREAT EDUCATION DOESN’T HAVE TO MEAN BIG DEBT.

Get started at STLCC-Wildwood.Call 636-422-2000 or visit www.stlcc.edu/ww

entertainment

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e

The grounds of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, other-

wise known as the Gateway Arch, will look vastly different through a renovation

project sponsored by CityArchRiver 2015.The project is aimed at improving the

grounds around the Arch to coincide with the 50th anniversary of its completion.

“The effort has its roots in a lot of different initiatives that have been composed over the

last 10-20 years and has culminated in 2009 when CityArchRiver Foundation launched a design

competition much like the 1947 design competition that selected Eero Saarnien as the designer of what became the Gateway Arch,” said Ryan McClure, Communications Director for CityArchRiver 2015.

McClure said the design competition lasted from 2009 to September 2010 when the foundation selected Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA) as the lead designer for the project.

MVVA has also designed spaces such as the Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Pittsburgh Waterfront.

Because MVVA has a record of utilizing areas near waterfronts, CityArchRiver decided that MVVA was the best candidate for the job.

“We’ve been going through the process of refining and adding more details to their design and moving forward so we can get a lot of the project done by Oct. 28, 2015 which is the 50th anniversary of the Gateway Arch,” he said.

Though MVVA’s plans include a new entrance to the underground museum, most

of the focus has been centered on building a pedestrian lid over I-70, which runs

parallel to the Arch grounds. The plans of putting a park over the highway

also bring attention to traffic on Memorial Drive, which runs

parallel to the Arch grounds. When the project is

completed, Northbound

Memorial Drive will be closed from Walnut Street to Washington Avenue, approximately six blocks. Southbound Memorial Drive will also be affected, closing from Pine Street to Walnut Street.

“What that does is create a much safer flow for pedestrians to get over from the arch to Downtown St. Louis,” McClure said.

The plans to renovate the Arch grounds have many students excited for what is in store.

Junior Grant Hinton has hopes that the renovations will increase tourism in St. Louis.

“I hope that they make it better and I hope it brings money to St. Louis,” he said.

Junior Brian McKanna also likes the idea of renovation the Arch grounds.

“I think it’s great because the Arch is one of the coolest aspects of St. Louis. When people come here, it’s the first thing they see from the Illinois side. The fact that they’re trying to make it easier for people to explore and check out is really cool.”

Although several students approve of what will come of the renovations, others expressed concerns.

Senior AJ Nobs thinks the estimated $553 million price for the project is too steep and can be used for other issues at hand.

“I just think it’s something wasteful in this time in our government’s setting right now when we’re trying to make constant cuts and worrying about frivolous spending when we’re cutting benefits on education and social benefits. We’re going to put a park over a highway for tourism that seems a bit superficial and unnecessary when we can focus on infrastructure and roads that really need the work.”

Construction on the highway is expected to begin between late 2013 and early 2014.

alex lamarreporter robert hiller reporter

Reaching New Grounds

For more information and

student opinions on the Gateway Arch: lhsimage.com

Photo courtesy of Ryan McClure

Plans to renovate GatewayArch grounds arise

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EMBRACE YOUR INNER NE RD

danielle slauter asst. entertainment editor

Students, staff nerd out over their favorite topics of geek culture

Mostly C’s: The DoctorNathan Willard, language arts teacher

Senior Ashley JungerMostly A’s: Rory Williams

In your own words, what is a nerd?Being a nerd is about doing what I like and what interests me despite perceptions that might label the subjects or actions ‘uncool,’ about being interested and intrigued by subjects outside the accepted sphere and being able to obsess and geek out about stuff other people don’t know.

What is your favorite aspect of nerd-dom?Just being able to do what I like and connect with people who share those interests. When you free yourself to read books about math, philosophy or art, watch sci-fi shows and put those things out there, you find people who like the same things and make deeper connections.

If you could meet anyone associated with nerd culture, who would it be and why?I would choose to meet Matt Smith, the 11th Doctor [from Doctor Who] because he is my favorite Doctor and I love his eccentric nerdiness. If I could talk to the deceased, I would want to meet David Foster Wallace. He is an amazing and intelligent writer and I love his work.

What is your favorite way to embrace your inner nerd?I’ll listen to National Public Radio or read through the science and politics sections on my app. I am in the process of watching Scott Pilgrim v. the World enough times to have it memorized.

Do you have advice for anyone who has trouble embracing their inner nerd?Stop caring about other people’s perceptions and the stigmas attached to the things. If it interests you, have the confidence and the individuality to embrace it.

Mostly B’s: Amy Pond

In your own words, what is a nerd?Someone who doesn’t care about their physical appear-ance and is overly-invested in reclusive activities.

What is your favorite aspect of nerd-dom?You have very low social awareness.

If you could meet anyone associated with nerd culture, who would it be and why?I would meet Master Chief because he was the last Spartan, and I want to know how he survived.

What is your favorite way to embrace your inner nerd?Playing lots of Skyrim and saying lots of ‘arrow to the knee’ jokes.

Do you have advice for anyone who has trouble embracing their inner nerd?Don’t be so uptight and don’t care about what people think of you.

4. My idea of a relaxing night in is... a) Relaxing at home b) Watching Big Bang Theory c) Watching Doctor Who

5. If you could meet any one of the following people, who would it be? a) Sheldon Cooper b) Gandalf c) Spock

2. While out shopping, which store would you go to? a) Game Stop b) Slackers c) Star Clipper

3. How many comic books do you own? a) none b)1-5 c) 5 or more

1. If you could see any of these movies, which would it be? a) The Lorax b) The Avengers c) Star Wars: The Phantom Menace in 3D

lhsimage.com

For more about how to embrace your inner nerd

and Nathan Willard’s full

interview on nerd culture, go to:

Sophomore Garrett Bruns

In your own words, what is a nerd?A nerd is someone who knows a vast amount on a particular subject that is of marginal value to society that may not be potentially lucrative or useful, but just reveals their character through obsession.

If you could meet anyone associated with nerd culture, who would it be and why?Of all of my obsessions, I would love to hang out with George R.R. Martin, Elmore Leonard, David Simon, Felicia Day, Robert Kirkman, Stan Sakai, Ian Astbury or Billy Duffy from the Cult, Mor-rissey, Tim Olyphant, Scarlett Johanssen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Wong Kar-Wai, Siouxsie Sioux, Werner Herzog, Natalie Portman, Brad Pitt (only to talk about The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford), Pete Townsend and anyone from Rush. I could go on and on. All of these people, I have tons of questions for, tons of praise and lots and lots of love.

What is your favorite way to embrace your inner nerd?Collecting. This can sometimes border on the ludicrous, but I think hard-core nerds are people who accumulate items, artifacts or other things that reflect their passion.

Do you have advice for anyone who has trouble embracing their inner nerd?Meet other nerds in your subject. There is nothing more satisfying than making a quip or referencing something personally meaningful but totally obscure and having someone else pick up on it. Proudly raise your freak-flag higher!