SpotlightVol. 40 Issue 4

Francis Howell High School www.fhhstoday.com

March 2, 2011

Upcoming March 3Blood Drive in large gym

March 3Senior cap and gown pictures in lobby

March 76:30 p.m Team up for St. Jude

March 8Distributions of graduation announcements

March 11-18Spring break

March 22-243-6:30 p.m. Parent teacher confrences

March 25Snow make up day, School in

March 25End of third quarter

Worth Mention

Congratulations to sophomore Alison Dunaway for being appointed as a Journalism Education Association Scholastic Press Rights Commission Student Press Partner.

Congratulations to DECA and seniors Matt Shipley, Andy Lamoreaux, Nick Lynch, Katy Guthrie, Shelby Vines, Tyler Long, and Adam Thompson who placed first in the district conference.

7001 S. Highway 94, St. Charles, MO 63304

Final exemption

Pg. 5Gas stations raising prices

and raising your heart rate

Strike a PosePg. 8

Sara Shabany and Ann Molina: staff writer

District budget falls $10.3 million short

Emotions ran high at the district board meeting Thursday, Feb. 17. Parents talked and board members cried. Still with a 7-0 vote, the board instituted the final terms of the proposed budget adjustment which will eliminate 95 positions across the district. The board took this action in order to offset a revenue decrease of $10.3 million.

The board room was a packed house, filled to capacity with concerned faculty, parents, and outspoken students fighting against this drastic action.

The budget’s drastic decline had the community fired up and speaking against the cuts. In the end though, the board voted 7-0 to institute the financial cuts.

“Our district’s projected expenditures for next year is $174.9 million, while our revenue is projected to be $164.5 million,” Principal Chris Greiner said, “The School Board is willing to deficient spend $3 million, decreasing our lost money to $7.3 million.”

The decreased budget directly correlates to the decrease in business and home values.

“The district gets its money from property taxes and sales taxes,” Greiner said. “With the economy down and home values decreasing, the schools are receiving less money.”

At the meeting, Superintendent Dr. Pam Sloan placed the blame for these extremities on herself. She told those in attendance it was her decision and she had to do what was best for the district. Members of the board sided with Sloan, expressing she was hired as superintendent because her profound ability to reason.

“Eighty-five percent of our budget is people,” Sloan said. “And we’re going to have to make

some reductions in that area to be able to bring the budget down to where we need it to be and it’s very very hard. I know a lot of these faces, a lot of these people, so it’s a very difficult decision to make.”

Nineteen positions from the high school level, 19 from middle school, and another 30 from the elementary level are being cut. At Howell the staffing plan will be cut by 5.0 FTEs.

““FHHS will have reductions in staff, including one of our dean positions,” Greiner said.

This means the dean with less seniority (Dean Chris Birch) will need to find a different position.

“I am concerned about it because I love the position I have now at this school,” Birch said. “But I also understand where the district is coming from with the financial shortfall next year.”

Along with the elimination of the dean’s position, the district will cut summer pay.

“FHSD is cutting some of the days in the summer where the faculty would usually work,” Greiner said. “The librarians are getting reduced from 10 days to two, while the counselors will come in only 10 of the normal 15 days during the summer.”

This means these people will be see a pay cut. However, the district does plan to give all teachers lane and step changes, giving teachers a small pay increase of approximately two percent. Opposed to what some may believe, the new construction is not to blame for the lack of funds.

“The district budget has nothing to do with the new school we are adding to our campus,” Greiner said. “The money we used to build our

school came from a different pot of money called the Debt Service Fund, and our district cannot use except for new construction.”

As well as changes to staffing, changes to study hall and in-school suspension programs will go into effect. One plan under consideration is that ISAP and study hall will be combined.

“The only information I received from Dr. Greiner is that for next year I will be expanding my responsibilities to study hall as well as ISAP,” ISAP teacher Jim Huffman said.

Another program taking a hit is Spectra. Both Spectra teachers and students were present at board meeting.

“Next year, there will be only three hours during the day for Spectra,” Greiner said. “The classes will be held during lunch periods so it will be easier for drop-in students. Students can also meet for Spectra before and after school.”

Only 66 high school level students across the district have signed up for Spectra classes next fall, with 17 of those at Howell. This will make class sizes a mere six to 10 students. Because staffing needs change and might be affected by the district’s early retirement incentive, the administration has not yet decided where Howell’s Spectra teacher, Kate Seznak, will be reassigned for the three periods cut from the Spectra schedule.

The district plans on accommodating Spectra students.

“The students who have signed up for Spectra will still receive credit from the course,” Chief Human Resources Officer Dr. Steve Griggs said. “The district will only be shortening the hours allotted for Spectra.”

Snow days change school calendarSnow days are temporary. While

some enjoy having the day off during winter to sleep in, others realize the days will be made up, cutting into summer.

“I like snow days because it gives students a chance to have a small break,” sophomore Anna Kinder said.

Snow days change teachers’ academic plans.

“It seems like it adds a few extra days because you have to review after you’ve had like five snow days, so you have to have an extra day to review and it makes it hard to schedule tests because you have to work around Howell time and you don’t want to give a test right after the weekend,”

math teacher Laura Herbers said.

As of Feb. 10, the school district had declared a total of eight snow days. The school board revised the school calender on Wednesday, Feb. 2.

“The Board voted to approve the calendar as presented,” Chief Human Resources Officer Steve Griggs said.

Friday, March 11; Friday, March 25; and Monday, April 25; are snow day make up days for numbers six, seven, and eight.

The changes included being in school Easter Monday; the day of

p are nt - te a che r conference; the first day of spring break; and the first day of June. However school was in session President’s Day.

“That day is a holiday for most

of our employees. Many of those employees worked on the snow days when we were not in school. An example of such employees is our custodians and maintenance who came in and cleared snow and ice. We could not have those employees work on a holiday, and it would have been difficult to have school without our support staff,” Griggs said.

If by chance Howell has any

more snow days, Monday, March 14, and Thursday, June 2, will also become make up days. Without any snow, the last student attendance day is currently June 1.

“We are required by law to have six snow make up days in our calendar, which we did. After six days we are required to make up half of any additional days up to 10. We have chosen to make up all days, up to 10, because we do not we do not think that it is in the best interest of student learning to not make up that time,” Griggs said.

Recent deficits played no role in the reasoning behind the entire 10 snow day make up.

“Making up days beyond what we are required to by law has no impact on funding,” Griggs said.

Gabby Soto: Staff Writer

Not enough Abes

We have chosen to make up all days, up to 10, because we do not we do not think that it is in the best interest of student learning to not make up that time

–Chief Human Resources Officer Steve Griggs

Vol. 40 Issue 4March 2, 2011

OPI

NIO

N

Spotlight

Francis Howell Highwww.fhhstoday.com

Purpose“Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press...”

––The First Amendment The Francis Howell Spotlight

is the official student newspaper at Francis Howell High School. The Spotlight began as a Francis Howell publication in 1971. The Spotlight believes it is essential to preserve the freedom of the press in order to preserve a free society and its purpose is to inform, interpret, and entertain through accurate and factual reports.

Therefore, this school newspaper will serve the best interest of the students of Francis Howell and keep itself free from any other obligation; the staff of the school newspaper will accept guidance from its adviser, but will make its own editorial decision; only the editorial board may veto any material intended for publication, judged to be in violation of the Spotlight editorial policy; and this school newspaper will vigorously resist all attempts at censorship, particularly prepublication censorship; the school newspaper will serve as an educational laboratory experience for those on staff.; the school newspaper will run as a limited open forum; the goal of the school newspaper is to cover the total school population as effectively and the staff will strive to be impartial and responsible in its coverage of issues.

AdvertisingAll ads must be approved. Ad rate schedules and policies are available by calling 636-851-4820 or email evan102110@yahoo.com

PoliciesAll letters to the editor should be sent to Mrs. Dunaway in room A115 or emailed to spotlight letters@gmail.com. Letters will be printed in the op-ed section. All letters must be signed, be under 400 words, and contain appropriate material. Material will not be printed if content is obscene, invasive of others’ privacy, encouraging physcial disruption of school activites and/or implies libel. The editorial board has the right to have letters edited for length, grammer, punctuation, clarity, etc. The school newspaper will only publish one letter per author per issue and all letters become the property of the school newspaper upon receipt and will not be returned.

StaffSamantha Gibson, EIC; Kassie King, web editor; Olivia Cassidy, photo ed.; Michele Dunaway, MJE, adviser. Staff Writers: Christian Adams, Madelyn Brandt, Alyssa Crawford, Lauren Crider, Alison Dunaway, Emily Fernandez, Leah Garrett, Austin Hayes, Carrie Haupt, Kaci Jolly, Ann Molina, Andrew Odle, Katie Roberts, Nina Rosenberg, Sara Shabany, Haley Shave, Savannah Shine, Gabrielle Soto, Samantha Strange, Alex Timpone

Hallway behavior is the source of frustrationStaff Editorial

Children are usually taught appropriate social etiquette at a young age. Starting with the usual “please”’ “thank you” and “excuse me,” most children learn and use their manners. Although it is is often assumed these manners will stick with children, that is not always the case. In many cases, these manners parents work so hard to instill begin to fade by the time children reach high

school. One just needs to walk down the hallway. Unnecessary yelling, abrupt stopping in the middle of a crowded

hallway and walking on the wrong side of the hallway are just a few examples of poor behavior. These ill manners spark the question: where are your manners? It seems as though students completely forget about correct social skills when walking. Maybe “manners” isn’t the correct term; maybe it’s just down right social skills students are lacking.

If someone were to be walking down a crowded street in New York,

it would not be okay to abruptly stop midstride to hold a conversation and hold up tons of people who have places to go and people to see. Many students do not realize that sudden stops do not only affect the ones stopping to socialize, but that they affect the students behind them who are now trampling on top of each other. This builds frustration and aggression in the hallway. At this point, it’s every student for himself. This is where the age old term “the real world” comes in.

In “the real world” it is not acceptable to scream in enclosed area if there is no urgency. It is also not socially polite to shove past someone and not say excuse me.

What some students don’t understand is that it doesn’t have to be like this. There is a simple solution. Correcting this problem is as easy as kindergarten, literally. The basic manners that were taught at age five need to be remembered when walking down the halls.

Shout at us!

Send comments

and letters tospotlightletters@gmail.com

or drop them in room A115

The fine print: all letters must be signed, be under 400 words, and contain appropriate material. Material will not be printed if content is obscene, invasive of others’ privacy, encouraging physcial disruption of school activites and/or implies libel.

hits

Hit or Miss for March

[a quick Howell about the good and bad]

misses Spirit Bracket ChallengeHowell is one of 16 schools competing. The radio station, 92.3 WIL is hosting the challenge at Buffalo Wild Wings to help raise money for each school.

Poms goes to NationalsThe Varsity Golden Girls place second in Hip Hop and seventh in Jazz. JV placed eighth in both Hip Hop and Jazz. Great job girls!

Spread the LoveStudents were asked to bring in peanut butter to help orphans in Haiti. The library collected about 60 jars and students who did not have fines gave to the cause. Thanks to all that helped.

Zombie PromLimelight Theater holds its first musical after four years. Opening night sold out. Good job to all the cast and crew. New clubsTSA (Technology Students Association) and Skills USA are two of the new clubs start.These are for students who are interested in drafting, technology, graphic design, engineering and arcitecture.

DECA and FBLA competitionsDECA had 27 students place at district competion, with eight placing first. FBLA had all 60 students place top eight, with 23 placing in the top two of their division. Great job to everyone who went out to compete.

Snow days cause reschedulingHaving almost a week off of school seems awesome, right? Not when you have to make them up, including losing part of spring break.

ACT class costsThe test itself is only $30, but the classes cost about four times more.

Strawberry salesThe chocolate-covered strawberry sales were delayed until the end of February. So much for Valentine’s Day.

School district budget cuts The district announced recently that there wll be many budget cuts, including laying off many teachers. What could this mean for us next year?

St.Jude Rally at nightIn the past the rally was during Howell Time, but this year it is being held on the evening of March 7 at 6:30 p.m. It is not as convenient as just coming to school.

Classroom layouts of new schoolWith the new school being close to finished many teachers have had a chance to see their new rooms. With the different layout of the school, teachers are wondering how they will fit everything in their rooms.

The hallways are crowded with overly

social freshman! We’re gonna be

late for sure!

Don’t worry Jerry, I got

this.

Free learners permits in lower

C!

Wow, they cleared out

fast!

Yeah, but I wish they did it in a less

barbaric way. Who’s gonna clean up that

blood?Br

enna

n Ri

ley

Qualifications for exemptions too strict

Final exam exemptions are greatly appreciated by students. The thought of one less class to cause stress from

studying for finals might be enough to persuade some students to meet exemption criteria. Although the incentive is somewhat simple, being accepted is not. The requirements for being exempt from a final are too strict. Throughout four years of high school, students take an average of 56 finals, and with only four exemptions allowed, trying for an exemption seems to not really be worth the time.

Attendance requirements play a big role in cutting down the number of students accepted for final exam exemptions. An average of 95 percent attendance seems unrealistic with students being sick or having deaths in the family. In the case of being exempt, because of high scores on the EOC or ACT or even having a gold status in Viking Way, one must still have very few absences to any class.

Grades in the course also affect the number of final exemptions given. In order to use an exemption, another requirement is that the student must have a 90 percent or higher in the course selected at the time of the final. The exemption is voided if grades fall below a 90 percent even the day before the final.

Requirements for grades and attendance should be changed. The requirements for attendance should be changed from only being able to

miss five days to being able to miss up to eight days. This would allow students to be able to miss over a week’s worth of school. Attendance is not affecting the person’s grade if they have a 90 percent or better grade. The other requirement that should be changed is the grade requirement in the class. Students who have a 90 percent days before the final and suddenly drop down to a 89.9 will have to take the final. Working all semester with strict guidelines only to be forced to take the final because of a minor grade drop just days before the final does not seem fair. Instead the grade in the class should be a 85 percent or higher. However, if the student has below an 89 percent, they must have no more than five absences. Students with an 89 percent or higher should only be required to have missed fewer than eight days. This would allow many more students to be exempt from finals.

The requirements for getting final exemptions are too harsh, less than seven percent of the school qualified. Students see little incentive to follow the guidelines to get exemptions due to the fact that the guidelines are challenging. Final exemption requirements for grades and attendance should be lowered. Grades should be an 85 percent or better and students should be allowed to miss up to eight days of school. By changing the rules more students would receive exemptions and have less stress around the time of finals.

Vol. 40 Issue 4 Mar.2, 2011Op-ed Spotlight

Francis Howell Highwww.fhhstoday.com 3

Face inCrowd

What are you most looking forward to this spring?

Joe Brown

junior

Engli

sh te

ache

r

>> Spending time outdoors and taking my daughter to the park.

Ben Donahue

fresh

man

>> The weather and just being outside.

Megan Schwenck

soph

omor

e

>> Not having school and being able to sleep in.

Jorie Clarkson

senio

r

>> Soccer season starting and being able to go outside and enjoy the nice weather .

In my opinion

There is an age old cliche “the pen is mightier than the sword.” While I do not wish to dispute this claim, I would like to extend that the greatest weapon of our day

has morphed from the formal written word into the unregulated uploaded word. The Internet allows individuals from across the globe to release their own personal stories to a mass audience within seconds.

Because of the Internet, political revolt in Middle Eastern countries like Iran and Egypt became documented by

first person accounts from people who faced the assault and were personally involved.

During the Iranian political upheaval of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s protested election in the summer of 2009 Twitter feeds were ablaze with Iranian citizens who were being arrested because of their unofficial reports of violence that they released to the public through social networking. In the recent turmoil of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, the first act of the government in responding to citizen protests was to limit the Internet access of those citizens.

While it may seem like physical restraint, violence suppression, or vandalism quelling would take priority,

it was the Internet that was deemed the most dangerous by the threatened Egyptian government. This is because with an uploaded picture, a 140 character tweet, or Facebook status update an Egyptian citizen could capture the violence and share it with the world.

First person accounts of violence made it very hard to remain disconnected from the conflict. It was one thing to hear news updates on CNN and an entirely different thing to view the upheaval via Twitter and picture sharing sites. Because of these, I can no longer turn a blind eye to the conflict in the East.

Personally, I find the knowledge of the world to be both a burden and a gift.

It is a burden because I no longer feel responsible for just myself, or my city, or my state, or even my country. Now, there is no excuse to be uneducated about the world; there is no excuse for being impartial on matters of injustice.

If the Internet makes the world seem smaller, then it is only true that my obligations as an educated citizen become larger. There is no escaping the inevitability of instantaneous political communication. Especially when shaky camera phone videos describe devastation all the more realistically than the most in-depth report from CNN.

Internet Educates About World Conflict Kassie King: web editor

>> The nice weather coming up and getting out of the cold.

the

Linneman

Gabby Soto: staff writter

Every morning students roll out of bed and into their morning routine. That routine often includes a quick shower, a speedy breakfast, and off to school. Something else quick and speedy appearing in morning routines are energy drinks.

“I drink them pretty much for the taste and usually two or three times a week,” junior Cody Stoll said.

Many use energy drinks as a way to get them through the day.

“Lately I’ve had at least one every day. They do taste good, but I mainly drink them for the energy and to wake up. When I drink them it will be in the morning before I go to school or before I go to work,” senior Parker Smith said.

Yet while many consider these drinks to simply be a tasty way to start the morning, most don’t know the facts.

One primary ingredient, caffeine, is a drug that has lasting affects on a person’s body. While it can be consumed in moderation, that is not the case in energy drinks. Most energy drinks including Red Bull, Rockstar, and Monster all have about 80 mg of caffeine per 8 oz. of drink, which is twice the amount of caffeine in most sodas.

Of those who do know the facts, some believe the risks worth it.

“I think with what I’ve been doing lately I’ve combated the calories, but I know the sugar and caffeine are bad. But it’s okay for now, it’s just a way to get through the day,” Smith said.

Effects can be temporary and risks can be small, but there have been many cases of students suffering from heart problems.

The St. Louis Post Dispatch reported Feb. 3 2011 one such case in which, “a healthy 18-year-old man died playing basketball after drinking two cans of Red Bull.”

Furthermore, doctors feel that continued use of energy drinks can be a serious threat to your organs and can cause lasting damage.

In fact, according to the article “Energy Drinks Cause Harmful Side Effects” from Health Education at Brown University, “the

combination of fluid loss from sweating and the quality of caffeine can leave the person using it dangerously dehydrated. The high sugar levels can also cause increases in heart rate and blood pressure.”

Another popular trend which involves unnecessary risk is the combination of energy drinks and alcohol.

According to the article “A Survey of Energy Drink Consumption Patterns Among College Students” in the Nutrition Journal, “since energy drinks are stimulants and alcohol is a depressant, the combination of effects may be dangerous because they are sending mixed messages to your nervous system. The stimulant effects can mask how intoxicated you are and prevent you from realizing how much alcohol you have consumed. Fatigue is one of the ways the body normally tells someone that they’ve had enough to drink.”

Some students feel similarly on those risks.“I don’t personally do it but I know people

who do, and it’s dangerous. One wakes you up and the other puts you to sleep so it can’t be a good combination,” senior Hayden Daub said.

Another factor on student’s minds is the price. An average energy drink costs $3.

“I used to have one a day but I’ve got it down to one a week. I did the math on how much I was spending on them and it was crazy,” Daub said.

Energy drinks are the fastest growing beverage market and analysts predict they will reach $9 billion in sales this year. With their growing revenue they are expected to become more and more popular with students.

Vol. 40 Issue 4March 2, 2011

FeaturesSpotlightFrancis Howell Highwww.fhhstoday.com4

Energy from drinks deserves second look

Gas prices continue to skyrocket as Middle East conflict expandsEvery time the gas prices drop you hold

your breath for prices to just stay down until you buy your gas, but then the next thing you know it’s back up to an even higher price.

Gas prices climbed to $3.09 Feb. 22 because of the conflicts in Egypt, Libya and other Middle East countries. On Feb. 6 gas prices for unleaded regular were $2.95. The increases have a direct impact on students’ pocketbooks.

Traditionally teenagers spend their money when they hang out with friends, but now most of their paycheck goes to filling up their gas tank.

“With the gas prices being so high it limits how much I spend because I have to fill up every week,” junior Drew Nelson said. “On the weekends I don’t drive as much and try to carpool more.”

Some teenagers don’t have to worry about spending their money on gas.

“The gas prices don’t really affect me because my parents pay for it, but I still have

to watch how much I drive,” junior Rachelle Halbrook said.

While some try to come up with the money to pay for just a third of a tank, others split the cost.

“Since the price of gas is so high it sucks because I share a car with three other people and one tank lasts about a week,” senior Jacci Guthrie said. “Between the three of us the cost is $12 so it’s nice, but then again every week I lose $12.”

Other teenagers use their parent’s car.“It’s alright driving my mom’s car because

I don’t have to pay for gas, but it would be nice to have my own car,” sophomore Tommy Gilbert said.

The teenagers who use trucks pay even more.

“My truck is a diesel so it takes like $80 to $90 every time I fill up, so it really sucks,” senior Shannon Miller said. “It doesn’t limit my free time though I get to ride around with my boyfriend during the weekend, so I get to use my truck less.”

Alyssa Crawford: staff writer

Senior Jacci Guthrie waits as she helps fill the family truck up with gas. “I hate filling up the gas tank. I feel like I watch my paycheck disappear. Luckily my dad helps pay for the gas in the truck,” Guthrie said. Photo by Sam Gibson.

137.93 Billion gallons of oil used

in 2009

Average price of gas in St. Louis for 2010 was

$2.58 per gallon

Slick Facts: Source: eia.doe/gov

Fifty one percent of the petroleum

consumed by the U.S. was

imported

Federal tax on gas is 18.4 cents

per gallon

Andrew Odle: staff writer

The amount of caffeine in an energy drink is

equal to a cup of coffeeSource: globalhealingcenter.com

“I used to have one a day but I’ve got it down to one a week. I did the math on how much I was spending on them and it was crazy,”

–senior Kelsey Daub Side effect of energy drinks:

Anxiety attacksHeart Palpitations

InsomniaIrritability

Severe dehydrationJitters

Tooth decayWeight gain

Source: globalhealingcenter.com

For the third consecutive year, STUCO will be hosting the “Team Up for St. Jude” event to raise money for the St. Jude Children’s Researh Hospital.

“Three years ago we were contacted by a St. Jude marketing representative about bringing this event to our high school,” STUCO sponsor Katherine Bange said. “After finding more information out about how Howell could help raise money for St. Jude, we knew it was something we wanted to get involved in.”

Last year, STUCO raised over $6,100 for St. Jude and the year before that over $3,000. This year the goal is to raise over $6,500.

To participate students gather a list of 15-20 names and addresses of family or friends, who will then receive letters asking for donations to the hospital. As incentive, students participating will receive a free shirt.

On March 7, these students will also attend to a party in the large gym at 6:30 p.m. to address their donation letters. STUCO will provide free food and an honor wall where students will be selling bracelets.

Along with this event, STUCO will also host its annual penny war. Teachers who want to participate have been asked to collect pennies from their first hour classes for a week. The goal for the penny war has increased after last year’s success of raising $2,200. If the new $2,500 goal is met, Principal Chris Greiner and SPED teacher Christa Schneider have both agreed to shave their heads.

“Mrs. Schneider has graciously volunteered all three years to participate in the head shaving at the St. Jude event. She herself is a child cancer survivor. She works with St. Jude doing their long term research to see the impacts of her treatments as she gets older,” Bange said.

All of the money raised at the various events goes directly to St. Jude. “We feel strongly in helping to raise money to fight childhood cancer. We are so

thankful for all of the healthy children and students in our lives that we wanted to give to those who are not,” Bange said.

For first semester, 180 out of 1,771 Howell students were exempt from their finals. This is about 10 percent. It’s the highest since Dean Chris Birch arrived in 2008.

“I think the communication process went more smoothly. Students were immediately identified that they qualified for exemptions and that all they had to do was to fill out the one application instead of the previous two applications,” Birch said.

Students can exempt finals by meeting gold level requirements, take an AP exam, score a proficient or higher on an EOC exam, or get a 27 or higher on the ACT. The complete guidelines can be found in the student handbook. Through most of these methods, students still have to have an A in the class before receiving an exemption. Taking an AP exam exempts a student despite the grade in the class, and is only valid for second semester.

“I’m really glad I’m not taking the calculus final because of the AP exam and I’m okay with paying the price for the test,” senior Jessica Fisher said.

A student can use a total of four final exemptions for all four years of high school. Students can save all of them for their senior year, or use them as they please. However, if a student chooses to use a final exemption for a class and then his or her grade drops below an A before the final, the student has to take the final and that final

exemption goes back into the pool to use later.“The rules are too strict because last year I did as

well as I could and I still didn’t get any final exemptions,” junior Amanda Brendell said.Plenty of students that do not get exemptions--90 percent this last semester. Senior Ginger Gairani is one of those who has never received a final exemption.

”If you’re going to to exempt some students then you should just exempt everyone because that proves that you don’t need to take the final to show what you have learned in the class,” Gairani said.

At Pacific High, students can get a total of three final exemptions per semester. Of these exemptions, two can come from attendance, and one can come from academics. Pacific has a card system. In this system, there are three level of cards: purple (2.0 gpa), silver (3.0 gpa) and gold (4.0 gpa). In order to get an exemption based

on academics, a student must have a card and an A in the class. However, to get an exemption based on attendance, a student cannot miss more than one day a quarter and must have a C or higher in the class.

“I like my school’s policy on final exemptions a lot because I think three is a good amount and I feel people who get good grades and attendance should get exemptions” Pacific High senior Catie Strauss said.

The policy for final exemptions is district wide. This policy has been in effect since the final exemption program began in 2007.

“Our policy is based on the school board’s decision to tie final exam exemptions to students’ scores on state achievement tests, and this policy is effective because it encourages students to perform at their maximum level when completing these exams,” Birch said.

A man of faith, a great guy who was always very helpful to students and teachers, that is how one could define the man that SPED Para Dan Martin was. He got along great with others and was a great guy to talk to who would brighten up an individual’s day if he or she was down. Martin taught students with humor, and they would learn from it. He was also a minister at his church, so his heart impacted lives all around the community.

“He had an unexpected wit that usually caught you really off guard. It wasn’t mean, it was gentle,” SPED teacher Christa Schneider said.

Martin developed close friendships with students and teachers. He got along with everyone around him and was always there for someone when they needed help. He was also a great teacher to others on academics and on life in general. Martin influenced students and teachers, as both groups would learn something from him.

“He was a really funny guy, and he never failed to make sure everyone in the room had a smile. I did

not spend a lot of time with him but he always made sure everyone in the classroom was comfortable,” sophomore Michael Bingaman said.

Martin left a big void when he passed away Thursday, Jan.27.

“Coming here to work with ‘his’ students gave him reason to get up every morning and to fight the cancer, the heart issue, and diabetes,” Schneider said.

Friday, Jan. 28, was a sad day, as many students and teachers had close friendships with him.

“He was always a fun loving guy that would always have a smile for you. He would have a pen or pencil ready for you,” sophomore Victor Schroeder said.

Vol. 40 Issue 4 March 2, 2010

Features SpotlightFrancis Howell Highwww.fhhstoday.com 5

Christian Adams: staff writer

SPED para Dan Martin passes away Jan. 27

Only small number of students use final exam exemptionsEmily Fernandez: staff writer

STUCO teams up to help St. Jude fight against cancerSara Shabany: staff writer

“I’m really glad I’m not taking the calculus final because of the AP exam and I’m okay with paying the price for the test.”

–senior Jessica Fisher

“Coming here to work with ‘his’ students gave him reason to get up every

morning and to fight,.”–SPED teacher Christa

Schneider

At the pep assembly during Howell Time, Feb. 17, members of STUCO presenedt the check from last year’s fundraiser. Photo by Katie Roberts.

Vol. 40 Issue 4March 2, 2011

FeaturesSpotlightFrancis Howell Highwww.fhhstoday.com6

Voice of unreason...

The average hamburger doesn’t come from America. One hundred percent USDA prime choice Angus burgers are not 100 percent of any one cow. In fact you could be sinking your teeth into four cows at a time in just one bite. I’m not blasting meat here, but I have a problem when the hamburger you could be eating later today

comes from many different cows from multiple countries. What’s wrong with the cow next door?

I live in an area where I can see the cows and pigs in their fields on my way to school. It’s not a strange concept to brake for a deer (or a horse) on the way to a friend’s house.

The disconnect between us and our food is scary. We don’t care if our food comes from Argentina, Brazil, China, or some shady factory farm. We just care if it tastes good. Americans don’t seem to care if the animal they are eating actually was able to stand up before it died. We also don’t care if our chocolate is picked by children working 18 hour days in the Ivory Coast. I wonder how many of us actually check our fruit and see where it came from. Is it a product of someplace like Florida...or Chile?

I believe we should at least know where our food is coming from. Shopping at farmers’ markets boosts the economy, allowing farmers to keep 80 to 90 cents for every dollar they make, according to the AgriFood Network. The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture states that the average carrot travels 1,838 miles to reach your refrigerator. Does one really know what is happening to that carrot? Shopping and eating locally gives you a chance to take charge of your food and your body.

I firmly believe we should all pay attention to what we do to our bodies. We all need to understand the things that benefit our bodies. We should pay attention to who and what makes our food because what goes in our food, affects our bodies and ultimately affects us in the long run.

Myopinion

My thoughts about, basically, everything Alison Dunaway: Staff Writer

Students want more sports options, such as intramuralsEmily Fernandez: Staff Writer

Varsity baseball team prepares for season, ranked fourthAustin Hayes: Staff writer

There are plenty of benefits to playing a sport in high school. Examples of these benefits would be people having positive body image and higher self-esteem. In addition, these people are less likely to do drugs, people feel relief of stress and depression, and these people learn discipline and the ability to deal with disappointment.

“The benefits of playing a sport are learning lessons in sports and for life, and it builds friendships,” sophomore Brandon Suwanpratest said.

Despite all the benefits of playing a sport, not all students get involved.

“The school should introduce more sports so that kids that are not as athletic can join. Like kickball,” sophomore Angela Wilson said.

Other students want different sports so they can release their aggression.

“I think boxing should be at Howell. It’s the only sport where you can really take your aggression out,”

sophmore Harneet Gill said. Another reason students want new sports at Howell

is to have a good time. “Dodge ball would be a good sport because it is fun

and it could be year- round, indoor or out,” sophomore Marrissa Konersmann said.

A solution for students who cannot make the

team, but would still like to play a sport would be an intramural program where students could play sports like kickball. There are reasons this has not occurred.

“We would have a difficult time developing an intramural program primarily due to available facilities,” Dave Witter said.

Students interested in the benefits of playing sports have the option to take physical education classes.

“Physical Education classes, which although required to some extent, offer the benefits of instruction and participation in team and individual sports,” Witter said.

PE classes offer the benefits of playing a sport without having to worry about making a team.

“The benefits to playing a sport in high school are that it teaches discipline, develops internal motivation and setting and achieving goals, in the individual and team setting,” basketball coach Mike Storm said.

Only three days in to practice and the varsity baseball team already feels the pressure. Their pre-season rank is fourth in the state and the team has six college bound players.

“Although we already have the high pre-season ranking, one of our big prob-lems is it’s hard sometimes to live up to the high expectations,” Coach Darin Cissell said.

Practice opened Jan 2 and lasted ap-proximately two hours two days a week. All grades and all students planning on trying out for the team could attend. Par-ticipants worked on pitching, hitting, and throwing.

“I think open gym is a great chance for students that want to come out for the team and get some reps in before the season starts. It also gives the coaches a chance to take notes since we can’t actually coach yet. It helps us see who has been practicing to get ready for the season,”

Cissell said.Cissell indicates the talent is the best

in years. Six seniors have already signed to play college baseball. Brett Graves and Jake Ivory plan to play at University of Missouri; Case Munson and Steven Diehl at Jefferson Community College; Brett Peel at William Wood University; Matt Norton at Quincy University. Aaron Dunkly is still undecided between his three offers. The team also has strong support from

upcoming juniors looking to fill in some new openings.

“I think the juniors can definitely step up this year because they all have the talent. I mean this is going to be the best team in years because when I talked to Cissell about it he says we can make the final four if we play well,” Munson said.

The team works to not get ahead of themselves before there season even starts.

“I have played with most of these guys

since I was nine years old. So I trust this team and with that trust I feel like there is nothing we can’t do. The only goal on our mind this year is to win the state champi-onship,” Graves said.

Cissel has siimilar feelings but is aware of the challenges.

“We have an extremely tough sched-ule this year with a lot of good teams. Most of the tough teams we play will be in the Troy Baseball Classic. One team we will definitely need to watch out for will be the number one pre-season ranked Chris-tian Brothers College. It will be toughest test we face and we want to see a lot of fan support at the tournament,” Cissel said.

The team opens its season with the Troy Baseball Classic which is an away event and their first home event will be the Midwest Classic at C&H.

“I think the juniors can definitely step up this year because they all have the talent. I mean this

is going to be the best team in years because when I talked to Cissell about it he says we can

make the final four if we play well.”– senior Case Munson

“The school should introduce more sports so that kids that are not as athletic can join. Like kickball.”

– sophomore Angela Wilson

Don’t forget to check out www.fhhstoday.com for the latest news and sports updates.

Vol. 40 Issue 4 March 2, 2011

SpotlightFrancis Howell Highwww.fhhstoday.com 7Sports

Myopinion

Austin Hayes: Staff Writer

~ Caitlyn BiddleSCC student Francis Howell alum

Ask your counselor how to get started at St. Charles Community College.Call 636-922-8000 or visit stchas.edu.

“SCC has a great partnership with UMSL, which will make it

easier for me to transfer when I graduate from SCC.”

Beyond the game: Try something new and continue committing to our sport events

Highest Place Ever–Golden Girls dance at Disney World

The snow has melted and the temperature is slowly rising. It’s

the time of the year where the birds come back and we start counting the days to summer vacation. It’s also when the sports change to the spring ones.

This time of year is personally my favorite and not just because I play on the tennis team. I love baseball. For me there is nothing better than the smell of fresh cut grass, the taste of a ballpark hot dog, and watching the great American game. The varsity team is suppose to be one of the best teams in years. They already have a pre-season ranking of fourth in the state, which was very exciting news.

Coach Darin Cissell has also mentioned his excitement about the team saying that its the best team he has seen in years and would love to see more strong fan support this year. I have noticed the great fan turn out to when I have gone to the games in year’s past. It’s a beautiful thing to watch the student body take the extra time to come and support our baseball teams. Especially since the home games are played off campus, and it is

a good twenty minute drive to the park from school, it shows we care.

In a few of my columns earlier this year I have mentioned that we are fans of convenience and only can make it to the games when it’s easy for us. Well this past winter you were able to prove me wrong and you made more of an effort to go out and support our winter sports. Well in this issue i’m asking you to make the same commitment, yet, not just the baseball team, but all the spring sports. This is another chance to see one of those great moments in sports again that could capture a place in your memory for years to come.

The spring sport season officially kicked off Feb 28 with the first day of official practices. There are many events see which might even interest you in a way you never thought before. The spring sports are boys volleyball, baseball,boys tennis,boys golf, girls soccer, and track and field. Personally I have never seen a girls soccer game in my three years of attending this school so my goal will be to go out a watch a few of their games. I ask that you continue to commit and go out to try something new even you’re watching from the sidelines.

During the Feb. 17 pep assembly, junior Emily Sullivan holds the second place hip hop trophy the varsity Golden Girls received during national competition. “I held the trophy while Jordan McKay addressed the crowd,” she said. Photo by Olivia Cassidy

To the Golden Girls, it was almost a dream come true. In February, the varsity squad flew to Disney World in Florida for the 2011 Nationals and placed second in hip hop and seventh in jazz. It’s been about 10 years since any Missouri varsity team placed that high.

“I was holding Natalie Lane’s hand with cameras in my face waiting for our name to get called,” senior Melody Fisher said.

The girls practiced around four days a week, for the past five months, as they prepared for nationals. To students the trip to Florida seemed like a vacation, but practicing and supporting J.V. took up most of the

time. For the first time the J.V. Golden Girls also competed.

“I was very impressed for actually placing since it was our first time competing at nationals,” freshman Tiffany Shereck said.

When they learned they placed, the first thing the girls did was stand up and scream out of excitement.

The trip provided more than winning. Bringing the girls closer together and making them feel like a stronger team.

“My favorite part of nationals was how we all bonded and became a stronger team,” junior Emma Kelly said.

Lauren Carmellini: journalism student

Home Openers & Upcoming Home GamesBaseball (C&H)•3/26 Sophomore Tournament•3/28 Varsity Midwest Classic•3/28 Freshmen play Ft. Zumwalt South, 4:15 p.m.

Boy’s Golf (Whitmoor Country Club)•3/31 Wentzville Timberland High, 3:30 p.m.

Girls Soccer (Stadium)•3.28 Freshmen play Howell North, 3:30 p.m. •3/28 JV play St. Dominic, 5 p.m.•3/28 Varsity face St. Dominic, 7 p.m.•3/29 JV play Ft. Zumwalt North, 5 p.m.•3/29 Varsity faces Ft. Zumwalt North, 7 p.m.

Track & Field (Stadium)•4/9 The teams are not at home until the Henle Holmes meet, 4:15 p.m.

Boys Tennis (Courts)•3/21 Ft. Zumwalt North, 3:30 p.m.•3/28 Ft. Zumwalt South, 3:30 p.m.

Boys Volleyball (94 Gym)•3/28 Freshmen play Ft. Zumwalt East, 5 p.m. •3/28 JV face Ft. Zumwalt East, 5 p.m.•3/28 Varsity face Ft. Zumwalt East, 6 p.m.•3/30 Freshmen play Howell Central, 5 p.m. •3/30 JV face Howell Central, 5 p.m.•3/30 Varsity face Howell Central , 6 p.m.

March 2, 2011

SpotlightFrancis Howell Highwww.fhhstoday.com8

Vol. 40 Issue 4

Back page

Tips for Aspiring Models:

-Most models may be tall, but don’t be ashamed of your height, embrace it.

-Always dress to impress. You never know who you may run into.

-Agencies love unique looks and often seek them out. Don’t be discouraged if you’re not the “prettiest” at school.

-Eat what you want in moderation, and stay active.

-Practice walking in heels.

-Look in magazines and practice different poses in the mirror.

-Look online for casting calls. It’s a good place for beginners.

-Learn to not complain. It’s not always comfortable being a model, but you’ve got to be compliant with photographers.

Dreams of walking down the runway became reality for students who dreamed big and pursued their ambition. Sophomore Valeska Halamicek and senior Austin Henson are among the selected elite who live out their childhood fantasy.

“I was walking in Target with my mom and sister,” Halamicek said. “An agent came up to us and said that my sister should model.”

Although the agency was more interested in Halamicek’s sister, the scout expected she could fit right into the agency, even at her young age.

“It was funny because I was only nine at the time,” Halamicek said. Looking back on the encounter, she is grateful she gave him a

chance.“At the time I thought they were creepy people scamming us,”

Halamicek said. “But then we looked into it and now I’m really happy we called.”

Using his connections, Henson took a different approach to the modeling industry.

“It started when I was doing my senior pictures,” Henson said. “My mom is a hair stylist and she knows a lot of agencies. She brought some of the pictures to them and they ended up calling me.”

Getting into the business wasn’t a challenge for Halamicek or Henson. Although it is difficult to balance their new jobs with school and regular teenage activities.

“I usually have to miss my Thursday and Saturday nights,” Henson said.

Halamicek’s tedious modeling schedule also prevents her from enjoying her normal pastimes.

“When they need you to do something, its from around seven in the morning to midnight,” Halamicek said. “Track and cross country usually interfere and I have to miss a couple of practices.”

Halamicek has also missed out on time just being with her friends.“I have had to ditch my friends many times on the weekends,”

Halamicek said. “I feel like they get annoyed with me, but they think it’s cool that I model.”

Absences can be challenging, but living out their dream is worth the sacrifice.

“The best part of modeling are the clothes you get to wear because they are really cute and trendy,” Halamicek said. “You feel really cool walking in front of the cameras.”

“The people who I model with are really awesome,” Henson said. “They have become some of my closest friends.”

Being a model is not all new fashions and runways, strict diet and exercise are part of a model’s daily routine.

“You have to have the right width,” Henson said. “So I work out and eat healthy the best that I can. The agency keeps an eye on you and they give you certain diets and workout exercises.”

Being watched constantly can be demanding, although both wish to continue modeling in the future.

“I don’t know if I will still be able to, but I hope I can continue this more,” Halamicek said.

“I would love to continue modeling in the future,” Henson said. “It’s nice being noticed and have the attention on you.”

Life as a part time model can be a balancing act, although the benefits are believed to outweigh the cost.

“I have to really push myself if I want to get somewhere,” Halamicek said.

Howell graduate moves forward infashion industryAlison Dunaway: staff writer

A Francis Howell alumnus with experience in front of, and behind, the camera, Robert Brown is taking the world by storm. Brown is being featured in a ad campaign for Diet Snapple and has taken the photos for Ola Hawatmeh’s look-book for her show in New York City’s fall fashion. In an interview, Brown weighs in on being both a model and fashion photographer.

What’s your background in modeling? When and why did you get started?

I have always been told by people that I have a very striking face, with distinctive features and a good jaw line. Everyone always asked me why I didn’t model so I began to. I got started in modeling when I was a junior in high school in 2004. Prestige Portraits came to Francis Howell looking for models to use as examples for their photography company and I was selected.

I would do small modeling jobs here and there after that, but it wasn’t until 2009 when I got my big break. I was working as an assistant at a photo shoot for ALIVE Magazine and the editor and chief came up to me thinking I was the model for the photo shoot. When I told him I was only there to take pictures and help out he insisted that I try to start modeling. He got me into St. Louis Fashion Week by going to a model casting call where I met some big photographers including a man named Tuan Lee. Tuan took my photos at the casting call and told me he saw a lot of potential in me.

I was out in LA shortly after that trying to model and meeting with agencies. My best friend got off the airplane and met me in LA and I can remember her running in the airport screaming “My best friend is in a magazine!” She ran up to me holding the magazine of ALIVE and there I was, a full page of me. I was so overwhelmed with happiness. I got discovered with my modeling agency Centro when I walked down the runway for several designers and did a video ad for Diesel Underwear that sponsored Fashion Week. Since then I have done many runways, advertisements such as JECCA clothing that was in West County Mall for a while but now relocated and in 2010 I did an advertisement for Diet Snapple that will be put Nationwide.

What is the difference between actually being a model and photographing one?

To actually be a model means you are captivating something, usually beauty, art, or to sell something such as merchandise. Being a model means you also are able to give a good face and work easy with a camera, meaning you need to be photogenic. Being a good photographer is much more technical. You need to have the knowledge of the right angles and time to capture that perfect moment of a photograph. You have to be quick on your feet and work well with others to engage and make them feel as comfortable as possible while you are working with them.

What do you feel are the basic necessities for a photographer?

Lighting is extremely essential for photographers. When you click the shutter release button to take a picture of anything, the shutter opens up and let’s light into the lens to make an image. A good photographer always needs to know the functions of his camera to make that perfect image. If you are in a studio, you need to know how to correctly position your reflectors and lights whether you are using any strobe or constant light and you need to know how to connect/sync your lights to flash correctly when you are pressing the shutter release. The correct exposure is the final important process to ensure that you have the best image possible.

For a model?A model needs to take good lead in what the

photographer is asking them to do. They also need to have a vision of what the photographer is trying to go for so they can help make the image better by maneuvering their bodies easier.

“I can remember her running in the airport screaming, ‘My best friend is in a magazine!’”

StrikeaPose

Sophomore Valeska Halamicek walks

the runway during St. Louis fashion

week, Sept. 7-11.

Halamicek and friends pose for a group photo at the end of their fashion show during St. Louis Fashion Week.

Ann Molina: staff writer

Students work hectic modeling schedules

For more photography and modeling tips from Robert Brown visit fhhstoday.com