January Issue

Mehlville High School 3200 Lemay Ferry Road St. Louis, MO 63125

January 29, 2010 Volume 53, Issue 4

What’s Inside

SportsStand out athlete makes an impact on basketball team.

CenterspreadFocusing on student anxiety and delving into the origins of pressure in high school life.

FeaturesThe safe approach to dieting and being healthy.

OpinionsLuck never seems to smile upon the class of 2010.

News Students score top marks on national test.

Rolling Rams make effort to raise moneyBy John Schmidt

News Editor

Viviano set to retire at end of year

Head principal Vince Viviano exhibits his dedication to Mehlville by helping a student after school. Photo By Katlyn Sansone

After nine years running Mehlville High School, Vince Viviano, head prin-cipal, will retire at the end of the current school year. Viviano has worked in education since 1976, including spending 21 years in the Normandy School District before coming to Mehlville. “I talked about it with my wife. Economi-cally it made sense to do it now,” said Viviano. Viviano spent his first four years at Mount Provi-dence Boys School, teach-ing social studies and physical education. He then moved on to Nor-mandy as a middle school teacher and counselor. Finally he moved up into the high school, doing ev-erything from teaching to being a counselor. At Normandy, he anchored the summer school program as the sum-mer school coordinator, and associate principal. Viviano has been at the helm of Mehlville High School since 2001. He guided the students and staff through the

best times, and the worst throughout his tenure. “Graduations are they high point for us each year,” said Viviano. “The day that Ashley [Marsters] died, that was the worst.” Throughout his career as an educator, Viviano has always promised to help kids. From the day he was named principal, he vowed to stay student-centered. “I felt the best way I could help kids was by helping the teachers to deal with them ev-ery day,” said Viviano. After spending so long in education, Viviano will take a back seat, letting the new principal place his stamp on the school. “A principal stays at a school between four and six years, puts their stamp on a school and then moves on,” said Viviano. “This is a very good job, because of the kids and because of the staff. This is a job that any-body would be unbeliev-ably fortunate to land.” Viviano’s influence will be missed next year. “He [Viviano] is good to all the students. He cares for Mehlville and deals with

things comfortably,” said Terrell Ursey, sophomore. Another student echoed similar sentiments. “The [new principal] will have a lot to live up to,” said Jennifer Suntinger, senior. With a new spot open atop the chain of com-mand, the job falls on Dr. Lisa Counts, head of hu-man resources, to find the next principal of Mehlville. The job was posted in

mid-December and re-mained open through Jan 15. The district received between 40 and 50 applica-tions from both in and out of district candidates. Af-ter reviewing each one, the list will be narrowed down to three to six people. These select few faced an interview panel of stu-dents, parents and district members to pick a final candidate. This person

will be placed in front of Superintendent Terry No-ble, for a final interview before being selected. Viviano is expected to make an official announce-ment to the students dur-ing the winter pep rally. A decision regarding the new principal is expected to be made in mid-February.

By Ryan DellManaging Editor

On Jan 21, the St. Louis Jr. Rolling Rams returned to Mehlville for another round of basketball enter-tainment. First, they faced off against the boys varsity basketball team, followed by a game against the teachers of Mehlville High School. Prior to the teacher game, “Sons of a Pitch” sang the national anthem. Halftime involved several various events, including a performance from the drill team and an iPod touch giveaway. The event helped to raise money for the Rolling Rams’ travel needs. “All the money goes to the St Louis Jr. Rolling Rams and their efforts to travel for their wheelchair basketball playing because they play nationally, so they need to raise money,” said Greg Adam, math teacher, and NHS adviser. The Rolling Rams have only been to Mehlville three times. “2008 was our first year, this’ll be our third year,” said Adam. Andrew Bush, younger

brother of Amy Bush, ju-nior, plays on the team. “[He joined] about two years ago. He was recruit-ed by one of his friends,” said Amy. Andrew is handicapped because of a birth defect. “Andrew was born with spine bifida which is kind of like a broken zipper and when the zipper is broken, you know how it creates a hole but it zips back together, that’s what his spine is like. He is para-lyzed from the waist down but he is fully functioning

and he uses his arms,” said Amy. Andrew is a crucial com-ponent on the team. “He normally plays de-fense, but, recently he has been really proud of him-self. He has been making more baskets. He has been doing much better,” said Amy. Despite his condition, Andrew makes the most of what he has, and very much enjoys playing with the Jr. Rolling Rams. “He loves it. It has re-ally become part of his life

and he has a lot of friends through basketball,” said Amy. In support of her brother, Amy does her best to at-tend games and cheer on the team. “I go to a lot of the ex-hibition games, which are the games against the high schools that are around. Most of them I go to, but the ones out of town [I don’t]. I‘m also busy with another organization so I try [to attend] as many as I can,” said Amy. Due to the rarity of

wheelchair basketball teams, the Jr. Rolling Rams travel the United States and compete at a national level. “There are no teams of his level for the Jr. Varsity in St. Louis. There’s one in Kansas City, but they have to travel around the United States to play other teams. Sometimes once or twice a month they’re in Okla-homa or Texas or Chicago, Peoria, Minnesota, all over the US,” said Amy. The St. Louis Jr. Rolling Rams will continue to keep the wheels turning. On Jan 28, the Rolling Rams played at Belleville West in Illinois. On Feb 5, they will travel to a conference game at Tulsa Oklahoma. Feb 11 takes the Rams back to St. Louis with a game against the Saint Louis University Frat Boys. The team will have anoth-er conference in Edmund, Oklahoma from Feb 26-to-28, and they will end it all in Colorado at the nation-als, competing against 32 other teams from across the nation.

Eleven year old Nathan Rainge of The St Louis Rollin’ Rams flys by math teacher John Perry to score a basket. Photo By Katlyn Sansone

2 NEWS Student Prints

Seniors achieve perfect ACT section scoresBy Krista Rademeyer

Writer

Most upperclassmen have endured the nerve-wracking experience of taking the ACT. One may study and practice for it and could possibly worry about the potential score they may receive. Directly following the moment of truth, some have shed a few tears, some have accepted it without really thinking twice on it, and others have jumped in their living rooms out of exuberant joy. Curtis Israel, Evan Moore, and Mallory Krueger, se-niors, have every reason to express their satisfaction in the most extreme way possible. They all achieved a perfect score of 36 on a singular section of the ACT. After taking the ACT twice, Israel achieved his 36 in the science section.

Overall, he scored a 34. This compares to the na-tional average of a 20.9 for the graduating class of 2009 in the science sec-tion and a 21.1 composite score. Israel plans to at-tend Missouri State Uni-versity this coming fall, possibly to study engineer-ing. Moore achieved a 36 in the reading portion of the test on his second try with an overall score of a 33. Last year’s graduating stu-dents had a national aver-age of 21.4 in the reading section. Moore has yet to decide what he will major in and whether he will at-tend Missouri State Uni-versity or the University of Missouri Columbia next school year. On Krueger’s third time taking the ACT, she at-tained her 36 in the Eng-lish section. Her overall best score is a 29. On the national level, last year’s scores averaged out to be

a 20.6 in the English sec-tion. Krueger is still decid-ing whether to accept the University of Missouri Co-lumbia or the University of Illinois as her school for the fall. Although uncertain, Krueger may major in po-litical science. How did they acquire such high scores? For Moore, he simply walked in and took the test with-out preparation. But as for Israel and Krueger, prac-tice tests and books pro-duced an increase in their scores. “The ACT book helped in some sections,” said Krueger. “It was a refresh-er for math, and it told me what to expect for read-ing.” However, Krueger feels a different source aided her perfect English score. “Mr. Gulath [made his students do] English ACT practice packets sopho-more year, and I think those really helped me,”

said Krueger. The science practice book helped Israel boost his science section score from 30 to 36. As far as choosing class-es to help students pre-pare for the ACT, Israel of-fers advice.

“The class that would help you the most would be math,” said Israel. “It is important to have a good math teacher because of the formulas you need to know. The other sections are all comprehension.” Whether preparation was

News briefsBy Brett Heinkel

Webmaster

Think before you drink According to a recent study by a team of micro-biologists from Hollins University, the fountain soda many carelessly in-gest on a regular basis may contain new reason for worry. Almost half of the 90 soda samples collected from 30 fountains tested positive for some type of coliform bacteria. Unset-tlingly enough, coliform is most commonly found in the intestines and feces of various animals. Also unsettling was the fact that most of the bacteria showed resistance to one or more of eleven antibiot-ics subject to testing by the microbiologists. Among the coliform bacteria found was Escherichia coli (also known as E. coli) in 11% of the beverages. An-other bacteria discovered in 17% of the soda samples tested was Chryseobac-terium meningosepticum. Among the other microbes scientists found were Kleb-siella (linked to pneumo-nia, meningitis and sepsis), Staphylococcus (linked to various illnesses and is the genus which Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) belongs to) and many other bac-teria, molds and microor-ganisms. These findings may not be indicative of a national trend, since the samples were not taken from around the country and only a small number of samples were tested, but this study is an important

necessary or not, these three students along with a few others have dem-onstrated their academic excellence through their outstanding ACT scores.

opportunity to open up discussions and reevalua-tions of the way we distrib-ute this popular beverage product.

Scientists discover potentially suitable moon colony location Scientists have reported-ly discovered a protected lunar “lava tube” (a deep, giant hole) that may be well suited for a lunar base within the tangible future of extraterrestrial coloni-zation. The vertical hole, in the volcanic Marius Hills region on the moon’s near side, is 213-feet-wide and is estimated to be more than 260-feet-deep, accord-ing to findings published in Geophysical Research Letters. More importantly, scientists say, the hole is protected from the moon’s harsh temperatures and meteorite strikes by a thin sheet of lava. Although lava tubes have previously been discovered on the moon, scientists say this new hole is notable due to its lava shield and because it does not appear to be prone to collapse.

Apps no longer discriminate towards smartphones exclusivity To most people these days, an “app” is some-thing one downloads on your smartphone to help perform a specific task such as finding a good res-taurant or enjoying leisure time with a trivial arcade game. Many high name technologically incorpo-

rated companies, having speculated how applica-tions have boosted the ap-peal of gadgets such as Ap-ple’s iPhone, have decided to jump into the competi-tion and are beginning to view apps as low-cost en-hancements for a broader range of products, from netbooks to TVs and be-yond. At the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), microchip maker Intel launched an app store directed towards netbook computers. Sam-sung announced that it will open its own app store for HDTVs, Blu-ray players and mobile phones. Even unlikely players such as Ford Motor Co. are getting in on the app act, having announced that several applications, including one that will read aloud Twitter tweets while driving, will be available on many of its vehicles later this year. Though software applica-tions like this have existed for decades, it required the recent success of the iPhone and Apple’s App Store to endorse apps as alluring on the consumer level.

District attains state award For the sixth time since the inception of the award in 2000, Mehlville School District has once again se-cured the “Distinction in Performance” award from the state. The award com-prises of 14 academic per-formance standards that are the basis upon which the state’s accreditation program for all school dis-

tricts is centered. The stan-dards are based on scores from the state-mandated Missouri Assessment Pro-gram (MAP) tests, gradua-tion rate, attendance, ACT scores, and other indica-tors. The district met all 14 criteria.

Earthquake leaves speculated 200,000 deadOn Jan. 12, 2010, at 21:53 UTC, (4:53 pm local time) the Caribbean country of Haiti was struck by a mag-nitude-7.0 earthquake, the most severe earthquake experienced by the coun-try in over 200 years. The epicenter of the quake was just off the Haitian capital

Port-au-Prince. It has been estimated that the death toll could reach 200,000. Widespread damage re-sulted from the quake, with a majority of build-ings collapsing due to poor structural design and con-struction. Though large-scale rescue missions have ceased, relief efforts con-tinue.

Advice for future ACT test takers:

“Do not second-guess your an-swers,” said Israel.

“Practice and study. Do not be anxious... because it will just make you do worse,” said Krueger.

“Be confident; do not be nervous,” said Moore.

“What motivated me toapply was... to boost

student achievement”[

3NEWSJanuary 2010

New technology engages student learningBy Krista Rademeyer

Writer Corey Arbini, math teacher, applied for, and received, a joint grant for $14,659 from Innovative Technology Education Fund (ITEF) and Savvis, Inc. The amount of money was based on the budget Arbini laid out in numer-ous essays during the ap-plication process. The bud-get planned for enough money to purchase a classroom set of TI graph-ing calculators, a SMART Board, a SMART interac-tive response system and a laptop. “What motivated me to apply was that, over-all, there is a lack of fund-ing for technology in this school. But my number one reason was to boost student achievement,” said Arbini. The technology will help students learn how to use their graphing calcula-

tors to their full potential which can eventually lead to higher ACT scores. “Most students with graphing calculators don’t know how to use them,” said Arbini. Now Arbini will be able to teach all of his students

at the same pace

with the same technol-ogy. A navigating system, released last month, will connect the new calcula-tors wirelessly. This will enable Arbini to project the image of any calcula-tor screen onto the new SMART Board. “[The technology] will help the kids further their learning as a class be-cause they will all have the same stuff,” said Brittany Ziegler, senior and cadet

teacher for Arbini. A few freshmen indicate that the new technology will benefit the students’ capabilities to learn the presented material. “Everybody will be able to understand things bet-ter… because all the equip-ment in [his classroom]

now is old and out-dated,” said Alex Eder, freshman. Not only will all students be offered the same op-portunity to use this tech-nology, but according to a classroom observer, it will also catalyze their interest and motivation to learn. “All of the new technolo-gy will also make students more attentive because it will make everything new and exciting,” said Ziegler.

According to the students, the new equipment will also escalate productivity in the classroom. “[My classmates] will pay attention more because it is an interesting way to teach class,” said Danny

Gustafson, sophomore. Arbini feels his new equipment will help in communicating to his stu-dents. This grant will also enable student learning to rise to a new level through the new teaching tactics that will take place in Arbi-

ni’s classes. With continu-ous technological innova-tions, Arbini emphasizes the importance of his stu-dents learning with the lat-est technology to ensure their abilities to adapt to the future technology.

2010-2011 School year offers new course optionsBy Emily Fitzgibbons

Writer

With the new year roll-ing-in, new classes have been added to the 2010-2011 Career and Course Planning Guide. The new

courses will provide stu-dents with new opportu-nities and unique learning experiences different from what has historically been offered. Some of the newly added courses have been

offered previously, but did not routinely make the minimum 15 students and the class was cut. Other new courses are simply be-ing rotated. Jessica Foote, junior and

member of Student Coun-cil (STUCO), is interested in taking the new Leader-ship class for next year. “I’m excited for it because we have been trying to get it for a couple of years and some other schools have it,” said Foote. The Leadership class is not just for Student Coun-cil or Student Team Lead-ership members. How-ever, it will have some of the same aspects of these clubs. The class is open to all students by application.

At a glance: new coursesCourse Title Grades

available toPrerequisites

English IV: Honors Com-petitive Forensics

11, 12 Public Speaking and Debate, or with In-structor’s approval

Broadcast Journalism 11, 12 English ILeadership 11, 12AP Statistics 12 Algebra II or Honors Al-

gebra II/TrigonometryPre- Calculus 11, 12 Honors Algebra II/Trig-

onometry and Honors Geometry or depart-mental approval

Financial Planning 11, 12 Personal FinanceBusiness Technology 12 Approval of instructorMarketing Topics 12 Approval of instructorComputer Art Studio 9-12 2-D or 3-D Art Founda-

tionsELL and SSDStudy Skills ELL 10-12Math II Foundations 9-12American History Foun-dations

9-12

English I Foundations 9-12

“It will help STUCO with getting stuff done we don’t usually have enough time for at meetings,” said Foote. The new Financial Plan-ning course offered next year is said to be a step up above Personal Finance. It will help students to plan their financial futures from their first jobs all the way through adulthood. “You can earn 3 credit hours for University of Mis-souri, it is a college level course,” said James Kwen-

Corey Arbini and Vince Viviano along with students proudly display the check awarded for the new technology. Photo courtesy of the Mehlville website.

tus, business teacher. “If you’re looking for a cake walk this class won’t be it,” said Kwentus. The new Computer Art Studio class offers a more artistic approach to graph-ic design than the current Graphic Design class. New laptops have been ordered for the class so that more students will be able to take the class. As usual, all new cours-es must have 15 students minimum signed up in or-der for the course to run.

]

4 OPINIONS Student Prints

For the graduating class of 2010, it is painfully obvious that our school experience has been one of major contrast compared to other grades. From torched traditions to rogue new rules, our generation has carved a path for future students. But why us? It all started when the school board decided to pick our fifth grade class to be the first for the jump to three year middle school. They say every dog has its day, but ours would have to wait. Then, when we got to high school, the requirements hardened for our grade. An extra english, math, and science credit would be needed, as well as health and personal finance. So, the board was willing to change things up. But, given the possibility, they would not grant us weighted grades. Instead, they gave it to the classes below us as well as the option to take first year foreign languages in middle school. But hey, it is what it is and our time on top was rapidly approaching. A great senior year could make up for any past misfortunes. That’s why it was hard to swallow when we found out the time honored tradition of seniors releasing two

2010: The guinea pig grade

By Brett ShawWeb Editor

weeks earlier would be cut down to two days. Not to mention that we were subjected to massive policy changes in ANP and a steady decrease in selection at lunch. Kids enrolled in South Tech High never even got to experience the benefits

of early dismissals or late starts. So, what is so different about our class? Spread out leadership; Unique personality; No huge sports wins; A chip on the shoulder? As far as weighted grades go, we already started high school without them and it would have been very disruptive to allow them only part way through. Would you have complained about taking a harder class the year prior and not getting the extra credits? Also, there would have been far fewer valedictorians and your

class rank would be much lower even if you had a decent GPA. On a day-to-day basis, situation-to-situational conflict, the unspoken tradition of seniority has made an all together disappearing act. But when it comes to the senior rule swaps, middle school switches, high school policy hikes, and overall lunch changes, how do you explain that? Here is the kicker seniors, you don’t. We are just properly unlucky. As our time comes to an end here at Mehlville, instead of dwelling on the negatives, we should prop up the positives, like Denise Driscoll’s and Student Exec’s plans for more senior events. Also, we can rest easy knowing that seniors do not have to make up any number of snow days no matter how many we rack up. So, that’s that and there is not much else they can do to kick us while were down. At least we know the college experience will always remain, essentially, the same at the core. So every dog, or guine pig, has its day, but it certianly does not get to choose if it is going to be a cloudy one.

Foreign language: a textbook of gibberish, fast-talking teachers and the almighty language-converting dictionary spring to mind. Foreign language; seems like a whole lot of work to socialize with people across an ocean. How about learning a way to communicate with people without leaving the country. Enter American Sign Language. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly 37 million Americans are currently partially or fully deaf, and nearly 15 percent of all children have hearing disabilities. In 2005, Missouri legislators passed a bill that counted sign language as a foreign language credit for all high schools and universities. When the bill was passed, only 6 schools statewide participated. As of 2009, 15 districts are now involved. Why not Mehlville? Bethany Kelly, senior, has been communicating in sign language since freshman year whenever she and her mother decided to learn the language. Original grammar and strict rules combined with signs that have multiple meanings make sign language just as challenging to learn as other foreign languages.

Language without words

By Katelyn Bange

“[It was hard to understand at first] just because the sentence structure is different, just

like any foreign language. It would still be pretty easy to communicate with anybody in any country,” said Kelly. The Mehlville school district does not have any teachers qualified to teach a sign language course and Ruth Newsom, SSD teacher, fears there would not be a demand for such a class. “We do currently have some students here in the building who are diagnosed with a hearing impairment, but currently do not have anyone who requires a sign language interpreter,” said Newsom. “[People would think] it was interesting to take a class where you’re using your hands to speak rather than your voice,” said Kelly. “I think that it would be more useful than other classes offered at Mehlville.”

Newsom continues, sign language should be offered as an elective rather that serve as a foreign language credit. However, enrollment in college sign language classes has risen 30 percent in the last four years alone, and it is the fourth most popular communication in the nation. For 11 years, the Brentwood School District has required its sixth graders to complete at least one semester of sign language. Betty Hale, counselor, wonders whether sign language is disappearing as communication technology improves. “It would become obsolete with so many things like texting and e-mail and things like that. People don’t communicate face to face very often anymore. I guess it’s kind of dying, I would say,” said Kelly. In the meantime, people like the Kelly’s are fine speaking in the dwindling language. “She likes people that have, I don’t know if you want to call it disabilities; but different ways of communicating,” said Kelly, speaking of her mother. Talking is overrated anyway; everyone should learn to use his or her hands.

Writer

Cheaters never prosper, or so the saying goes. But it would seem that this an-cient saying does not hold true for our generation. Ask a class full of high school students who among them has cheated before on homework or tests. Many would raise their hands. Students are no longer ashamed of cheating, but instead see it as a viable, and some-times the only, option to get ahead. Beyond high school, how much Calculus or sentence diagrams do we really remember or use? None. However, we often have to know how to think fast and stand out in front of the next Joe Schmo. Classes of-ten turn into an opportu-nity to exercise these so important skills. On top of that, if everyone else is cheating to get ahead, how can one avoid it? Most of the time, what may be considered cheat-ing is more like a help-ful reminder of some-thing one has previously learned. For example, a student may choose to write a few math equa-

tions in the cover of his or her calculator or inside the label of his or her water bottle. This does not give the student the answer, but rather helps to jog

one’s memory to access what he or she has already learned. Alternatively, a student may take notes on a sheet of paper they plan to craft-ily position so that he or she can sneak a peek on a test. The student knew the information in the first place, or otherwise knew where to find it. Outside

of high school, wouldn’t a student usually have ac-cess to such resources any-way? Copying homework from another student is

also a common occur-rence. Many times, this can help an occasional period of extreme stress and allow the student to concentrate on some-thing more important like a test or family is-sues. The invention of smartphones also helps one to get ahead. Don’t know what the capital of Djibouti is? Text Cha-Cha! Need to know the name of the first person shot in the Boston Mas-sacre? Google it. (By the way, the answers are Dji-

bouti and Crispus Attucks.) This is not to say cheat-ing should not be worthy of punishment. Punish-ment happens out in the “real world,” too. But those able to creatively give themselves the upper hand should do so – they’re creating their own real-life curriculum – what person wishing to help students to learn would not encourage that?

Thank you

How to say...

I love you Bored

Hungry

School Bed Kiss

Girl Afternoon

Photos courtesy of Google Images

All hopped up: cheating

By Rachel HopkinsEditor-In-Chief

5OPINIONSJanuary 2010

Stinkiest people of 2009

January - Having eight kids is a lot (ask the Gos-selins) but at the same time?! That is an incredible feat! Sure, she already had six kids, and she did have all eight embryos implanted in her body, and she does not have a job, but eight at once?! Plus, then leaving them at home with nannies all day while shopping and getting mani-cures, that is stinky. After that, “Ocoto-mom,” Nadya Suleman, still got her own television show. Who is the real win-ner now?Stink Score: 4

February - They always say that celebrity relation-ships do not last. Chris Brown, a dou-ble-platinum recording artist, attacked then girlfriend Rihanna after a post-Grammies party. Brown pulled over and beat the singing star. She ended up in the hospital with a busted lip, notable bruises and bite marks. After all of this, Brown had the chutzpah to plead not guilty at the trial for the crime. But at least it all happened in a fresh Lamborghini, classy Chris.Stink Score: 3.5

March - $65 billion dollars surely can help one to live large. However, living large at the ex-pense of many, including Jewish charities earns one a firm spot on the stinky list. Bernie Madoff, a former chairman of the NASDAQ stock exchange plead guilty to 11 fraud charges including money laun-dering, leading to a sentence of 150 years in jail, without the chance for parole. At least some of the money will be there when he gets out of prison at the age of 221.Stink Score: 5

April - Just months after being sworn in as the 44th President, Barack Obama faced an issue usually not associated with the job, t-shirts. A group of conserva-tives started printing the shirts with the words, “Hitler gave great speeches too.” Not only are they going against their country, they are bashing their President, while comparing him to one of the worst figures in history. I guess it goes along with Obama is the antichrist or the devil.Stink Score: 2

May - Carrie Prejean was born beautiful. She is tall, blonde, thin and Miss Califor-nia 2009 runner-up. Lucky her. However, she didn’t get so lucky when it came time to the question and answer portion of the pageant. During the pageant for Miss California, she openly spoke against gay rights after being asked a question by blogging-mogul Perez Hilton. She said, “In my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman.” Sure, it not only cost you the pageant, but also your career. I guess those nude photos you put on the inter-net a few days later did not help either, but I bet your family is really proud of those!Stink Score: 3

June - Everyone wants to be a TV star and make millions of dollars, right? But, ethically, who really wants to do so using their kids? Jon Gosselin did just that, along with former wife Kate. The couples sextuplets and twins became stars on their hit TLC show, “Jon and Kate Plus Eight.” Then Jon left Kate for a younger woman, and a “bad boy” image. Copious amounts of drama and media frenzy ensued. Now his TV days are over, along with his relation-ship with bombshell Hailey Glassman, who he left Kate for. I guess it sucks to hit rock bottom, but at least he has the mon-ey to cushion the fall!Stink Score: 3.5

July - When a governor becomes elected, their term stands at four years with no cap on possible re-election. Sarah Palin, how-ever, appears to think that a little over two and a half years is enough time to get what she needs done up there in good ‘ole Alaska. Not to mention, several of those months were spent on the campaign trail as John McCain’s vice presidential candi-date instead of in her city of Wasilla. Palin offered no clear reason as to why she re-signed, leaving one to only place her as a quitter. We can only assume that she will now spend her days touring for Going Rogue, shooting wolves from helicopters, and winking, dont’cha know.Stink Score: 3.5

August - Caster Semenya won the gold medal in the women’s 800-meter race at the 2009 World Championships of Athletics with a final time of 1:55.45, the fastest time of the year. However, the happiness Se-menya felt after this win was short lived. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) caved to rumors that Semenya was not a fe-male, and therefore ineligible to compete in women’s races. The IAAF leaked infor-mation to the media about the gender tests to undergo after the win three hours before the women’s 800-meter race took place. The IAAF’s insensitivity toward Se-menya earns them this spot on the list of 12 stinkiest people for 2009. Stink Score: 4

September - In the midst of the healthcare debates, tensions run high on both sides of the political party aisle. However, most are able to keep these emotions and opin-ions in check and continue to respect the president whom the majority Ameri-can people voted for. Most, except for Representative Joe Wilson from South Carolina. During President Barack Obama’s speech to Congress regarding healthcare overhaul, Obama stated that healthcare would not be provided to il-legal aliens. Rep. Wilson then tactlessly shouted, “You lie!” ignoring completely any semblance of respect. Stink Score: 5

October - On October 15, 2009, millions of people remained glued to their televisions, hop-ing that the so called, “Balloon Boy” would make it safely to the ground. As media, emergency services and the American public sat enthralled and ac-tively trying to help, Richard Heene and Mayumi Iizuka, Balloon Boy’s parents, sat in merriment at the fiasco they had created. The parents involved huge numbers of emergency services and media personnel in what was noth-ing more than a horribly thought out plan to get on a reality show. Stink Score: 4.5

November - Elvis is to rock ‘n roll as Tiger Woods is to golf. Woods sparked new popular-ity and interest in the seemingly boring sport of golf and brought the idea of celebrity to the sport. On November 27, Woods crashed his car into a fire hydrant. Less than 24-hours later, the controversy (and women) began spilling out. As of now, the married Tiger Woods has been linked to allegedly having affairs with 10 women other than his wife. Maybe Tiger should seriously consider changing his name to Cheetah. Stink Score: 5

December - Now known as the dirtiest player in foot-ball, Richie Incognito was fired from the St. Louis Rams football team. He was not fired because he didn’t play well, in fact, his skills for knocking down any oppo-nents in the way of star Steven Jackson more than earned his spot on the team. However, his rude and dirty ways of play-ing were enough to ignore his decent playing. Incognito head-butted two dif-ferent players in the game against the Tennessee Titans and has been fined re-peatedly for fouls including, “repeated verbal abuse of a game official.” Stink Score: 3.5

Left to right/top to bottom (1): Jon Gosslin, Richard Heene, Mayumi Iizuka, Rep. Joe Wilson, Carrie Prejean.

Left to right (2): Chris Brown, Tiger Woods, Bernie Madoff, Sarah Palin, Richie Incognito, Nadya Suleman, International Association of Athletics Foundation.

Photo Illustration by Rachel Hopkins

6 CENTERSPREAD Student Prints

PRESSURE

Students with ACT scores ranging from 17-to-22 have a higher acceptance rate to most standard colleges than students below that mark. Most Ivy League schools look for scores that are no lower than 29, though, scoring over 30 is recommended. Pressures to get a high score on the ACT may come from hopes to get into a four-year university, or Ivy League school, deciding to go into the mili-tary, pressure from parents, friends and other fam-ily, and of course, just the hopes for having a future.

ACT (American College Test)- Typically used more in the South and Midwest, it covers four basic sec-tions: science, reading, English and mathematics, all being multiple choice. An optional writing test can be taken, making the students write a short essay.

SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test)- Designed to test prob-lem solving skills, and to measure critical thinking. The most used standardized test for colleges. Covers three basic sections, writing, critical reading, and mathematics.

PLAN (pre-ACT) - Helps sophomore students plan for their future for college. Focuses on improv-ing academics, career and ACT preparation. It does not only help those planning for college, but those planning for work directly after high school.

For more information, visit www.collegeboard.com.

Standardized StressBy Stephanie David

Writer

Illustration by John Schmidt

Athletic endeavors spawn mental strainBy Liz Simone

Writer

Many students juggle sports and school while handling stress. These athletes try to maintain a healthy balance. Athletics require a lot of practice, perseverance, and dedi-cation. They need to re-main relatively stress-free. Some athletes have a lot on their plate. They have very full schedules and very little free time. These students try to involve them-selves in every-thing possible. “[I put] fam-ily first, then comes school, then sports,” said Arron Torneto sopho-more football player. Athletes face a very important challenge, time management. With school, sports, jobs and home life, it becomes very tricky to balance them all. “My schedule is typi-cally school, practice, then homework and once that's all done, it's late so I go

to bed and do it all over again,” said junior and var-sity cheerleader, Nicole

Willmering. Typically, athletes love to play the game even if it creates tension. “I'm excited and ready to play,” said Terrel Urs-ery, sophomore football player. Athletes con-stantly strive for perfec-

tion. Com-

p e t i t i o n puts high demands on athletes to be the best. “I am always nervous and constantly feeling pressure to do better than others,” said Alyssa Noce, junior swimmer. Gustafson tries to maintain a state of ten-sion before playing. “I'm usually ‘on edge’ before a game. It keeps you from doing anything stupid,” said Danny Gus-tafson, sophomore soc-cer player. Many athletes rely on the comfort of their

teammates and friends, trying to surround them-selves with an encouraging atmosphere during stress-ful times. “The girls always calm me down and let me know I can do it,” said Willmering. Noce and Gustafson use music to energize them or

calm them down before a game, match or meet.

“To calm down, I usu-ally listen to some good songs on my iPod. It also helps me focus,” said Gus-tafson. “Music is great to listen to get you motivated or to calm you down,” said Noce. Athletes must always re-member that while sports should be fun and compet-itive, athletics at the ex-pense of high stress levels can harm your mental and physical health.

Panther Growl

7CENTERSPREADJanuary 2010

PRESSURE

Teenagers feel pressure from every direction, but when schools apply pres-sure to students to achieve high grades, it can lead to high levels of stress. Amy Hughey, sopho-more guidance counselor, has worked in counsel-ing for 18-years. Hughey believes in the extreme importance of teaching students coping skills and healthy ways of dealing with stress. “Students find them-selves under so much stress that it starts to im-pact them physiologically, and typically, it starts with sleep issues. If that goes on for so many months, it’s time to do something about it. [Students] can learn how to manage their stress. That’s a skill, not an instinct,” said Hughey. But Hughey does not subscribe to the view that there has been a shift of student goals from learn-ing to just scoring ‘A’s’. To some extent, she says, stu-dents have always forced

on homework.” Maureen McCarthy, se-nior, does not get too stressed by school. “I feel that I’m generally organized, and I know my priorities, and I feel that I can get them done on time,” said McCarthy. “My senior year is going very well so far and I’m pretty much on the whole down-hill slope at the moment so it’s not as stressful as say, junior year was.” McCarthy enrolled in several college-credit courses, and admits that sometimes homework can wax difficult. “A.P. Euro, and I’m also taking Shakespeare[‘s Plays] … and Web Design, which was a difficult class. Occasionally, on the week-ends it tends to get kind of busy with homework and I might schedule some study groups to help out with that,” said McCarthy. Hannah Sebold, junior, chose to take high-level classes this year, but can sometimes suffer anxiety

Academics build tension for students

By Becca HoneyballWriter

from the “big projects and short times to do them.” “A.P. Biology, College Algebra, Honors English III. ... Sometimes we get multiple chapters to read for different classes, and I can’t read that fast, so it’s kind of distressing for me. Normally if I get stressed out, I would try to finish the homework, but some-times I might just relax and get hot cocoa or some-thing. I don’t think about it too [often] and that reduc-es stress for me. I’m used to working hard,“ said Se-bold. When academics place students under pressure to succeed, it can hinder some and help others. Students should allow themselves the chance to relax and have life outside of school. To learn more about dealing with anxi-ety, talk to your counselor.

Every students’ lives present struggles and pressure, but some must deal with the unique pres-sure of parenting while still being parented. Imagine coming home from a seven-hour school day and not only having geometry homework to complete, but having a mouth to feed as well. For students across the nation, this is reality. The responsibilities of Sabina Kadimova, senior, do not end with school. She jug-gles a child and a husband, on top of school, Not the easiest of jobs. "The hardest struggle I have to face is going to school. I wake up and take care of my child and then have to leave him," said Kadimova. Kadimova has a five-month-old son, and al-

having to raise children af-fects her attendance. She missed a lot of school due to doctor appointments. Grigsby feels that, with age, the struggle of being both a parent and a stu-dent varies. "I feel it's easier to bal-ance school when your child's younger. Then they’re not as active,” said Grigsby. Her future plans con-sist of college and becom-ing a teacher. As for more children, graduation takes higher priority. "I don’t want any more kids, but if I get mar-ried then I wouldn’t mind more," said, Grigsby. “[But graduating] is at the top of my list right now," said Grigsby. Jokingly, Grigsby advises students not to conceive: "Don’t have kids!"

“Grades and tests, ‘cause my mom always messes with me about my grades and stuff.” -- Bessie Luder, freshman

“Girl, you don’t know what the teachers are going to give you. [I choose] standardized testing because they’re long, hard and boring.” --Matt Brown, sophomore

though she felt no initial concern when she discov-ered her pregnancy, she now sees the importance of graduating high school. "Graduating is really im-portant for me. I want to go to college and further myself," said Kadimova. She has plans of becom-ing a pharmacist with help from her husband. For single parents and students such as Robyn Grigsby, senior, life is dif-ferent yet the same. Grigs-by is a parent of two: an 18-month-old daughter and a two-year-old son. Time management has proved the hardest part of being a parent and a stu-dent. "I can't work because of time. I get home from school at 3 p.m. the kids get home at 4:30 p.m.," said Grigsby. At times,

Students as parentsBy Aurora Miller

Writer

“Standardized Testing. I feel like this one test is going to determine what I do in the future.” --Chris Reisenbichler, junior

“Grades! Peoples’ expectations of me are set high.” --Taylor Armstrong, sophomore

“Parents, because of all the rules and they expect so much.” --Amber Price, Senior

themselves to work rigor-ously. “There has always been a pocket of students who are more hyper-focused on grades than they are on the learning process. It’s just difficult finding a bal-ance,” said Hughey. “A lot of times, students who are under stress don’t really know what they want out of it, as much as [obsess-ing over] what they’re not getting out of it. It’s impor-tant for the stressed out students to start learning to focus on the things they have succeeded in. Those are perfectionist students, and they frequently have issues with that.” Taylor Armstrong, soph-omore, expected the dif-ficult workload in her A.P. World History class, but “the amount of home-work” still causes tension. “I wish we would do more work in school,” said Armstrong. “Test anxiety, deadlines, the amount of homework. [I spend] an hour or two to three hours

8 FEATURES Student Prints

Bring your daughter to work (every) day By Jill Stephenson

Separating school and home can bring relief but for Jessie Ghormley, Morgan Siebert and Sarah R u s h i n g , home is just down the hall. Michael G h o r m -ley, who works as a math teacher and varsity wres-tling coach, has another job at school: Dad. “When ever people meet me, they go, ‘Oh, I love Coach Ghormley,” said Jessie Ghormley, junior. Jessie has been visit-ing her father’s work ever since preschool so anyone that has been around for

a while knows her. Most people are aware of an-other teacher’s daughter Morgan. But for Morgan,

she has a whole b r a n c h

of her f a m -

i l y

tree a t

school. “I am re-

ally close to my family anyway, so I love it,” said Morgan Siebert, soph-omore. Famous for being the quirky psychology teacher, Bill Ebert and math teach-er Jane Ebert’s daughter, Morgan, has now been at her mother’s work for al-

most two years. “I get to see her suc-cess and achievements first hand. Makes a parent proud,” said Bill. Morgan’s family ties also con-t i n u e w i t h E n g -l i s h

teach-e r , M a r k G u l a t h , her uncle. With Mor-gan’s mother, Jane Ebert, serving as the spon-sor of Student Council, they attend most school events together. Morgan does draw the line at some things. “[Morgan doesn’t want me to attend] dances. Go

figure! Like I would embar-rass her,” said Bill. Not knowing anyone at school is a problem a lot of

students face when en-

tering a n e w

school, but hav-

ing a par-ent at school can

smooth the transition. “I’ve never really known Mehlville without him here. When I started here it was nice to know someone since I didn’t know any of the kids here,” said Sarah Rushing, junior.

5 Secrets of the staff Compiled by Jill Stephenson

“I go by 'Skippy.'”By David Hupperts

Nine-year member of the Mehlville staff, Mark Loren-ze, mans the booth at the parking lot entrance, in his fa-miliar cowboy hat, as the security guard, during the day, anyway. When school lets out, Lorenze dons a different kind of uniform. His real passion resides in the business of laughter: clowning and magic shows. “I started clowning when I was 14,” said Lorenze. “I liked to make people people laugh.” At 20, he applied with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Clown College in Venice, Florida. Though not a typical career choice, the application process remains highly competitive. Lorenze was just one of 6000 appli-cants in Venice and he is one of the schools 1300 gradu-

With having a seven hour school day and activi-ties after school, spending time with family some-times proves diffi-cult. “Well, we have a 30-4 0

[min-u t e ] d r i v e each way to and from school so that gives us plenty of time to catch up on things,” said Karl Rushing, history teacher. Karl now on his twenty-second year of teaching is proud to have his daughter attending the same school he teaches at.

Writer

“I think Sarah is get-ting a fantastic academic experience and also great opportunities to get in-volved and pursue her in-terests. When she started as a freshman, I could help

her get adjusted to a new experi-

ence bet-t e r ,

since I knew how o u r

school w o r k s , ”

said Karl. Having a par-

ent at school is more than just a way to get get pa-pers signed easily, or a ride to school, it is the comfort of knowing your parents are there for you when ever you need them, at any time.

1.“[I] helped rescue kids who were lost in a cave for 14 hours.”

2. “[I could] no longer afford to have a horse, motorcycle was cheaper.”

3. “I like working in France a lot better be-cause it’s less stressful. They really know

how to enjoy life.”

4. “We [sold] a wizard’s castle [bouncy house] that had a jumping area, a bas-

ketball hoop and a 14 foot slide.”

5. “I’m not a pure vegan, but im just about. I’ve been a vegetarian for 30 years

and a vegan for two years.”

Caron Settle

Scott Jackson

John Siebel

Heather Morris

Dan Lamping

1. Dan Lamping 2. Heather Morris 3. Caron Set-tle 4. Scott Jackson 5. John Siebel

Mark Lorenze poses in his clown attire. Photo courtesy of Mark Lorenze

Photos taken by Jill StephensonPhotos courtesy of Google Images

Left to Right: Emily Ghormley, Mike Ghormley, Jessica Ghormley, Bill Eb-ert, Morgan Siebert, Jane Ebert Photos taken by Jill Stephenson

Match the teachers to their quote.

Copy Editor

ates, according to ringling.com, since its opening in 1968. “It was a 12 week course, and after that I spent three years work-ing with a couple different circuses,” said Lorenze. What was required to pursue such an atypical career? Ringling.com says, “An overactive funny bone and a heart the size of Alaska! Improvisational ability, a sense of timing, and a sincere desire to be a clown...” He continues to clown, but, lately, magic shows have been more his forte. “Making people laugh is an honorable thing to do, it's also enjoy-able. It doesn't matter how you do it.”

9FEATURESJanuary 2010

Weigh in: health beyond the numbersBy Megan Washausen

Avoiding tasty favor-ites while sweating it out at the gym, sounds like the essence of a typical challenge with the scale, right? As New Year’s pound-loss resolutions are made, attention to the details of these activities will prove vital to improv-ing one’s overall health. While some go into a diet with a long term goal in mind, many find them-selves wanting improve-ment and want-ing it fast. T h o u g h q u i c k w e i g h t loss can come through healthy means, know-ing initial diet safe-ty must come first. When look-ing to cut unneces-sary items from your daily intake, maintaining selections from each food group remains important in keeping nutrient levels up. If excluded, the even-tual return to avoided groups will make weight loss hard to maintain. Life after a diet is what makes Kath-leen Waser, school nurse, rethink the term. “It shouldn’t be a diet, it should be a lifestyle change, to eat health-ier. Also about exer-cising and about getting enough sleep and drink-ing enough wa-ter,” said Waser. After a trip to her doctor’s office, Janet Weber, Eng-lish teacher, went on a diet that b e c a m e just that. “I found out that I was diabet-ic. I let my-self eat way too much,”

said Weber. Weber, who wants to be around for her children as well as a nine-month-old granddaughter, has lost 40lbs since begin-ning a low-carb, low sugar diet. “I received boxes of choco-late that I ended up just giving away because I could sit there and eat the entire thing if I could, “ said Weber. Calories, though the aim to cut does exist, serve an important role in the body,

women requiring at least 1,400 a day, men about 400

more than that. Along with

dieting, exercise works as well

in the f i g h t against calories, the pair a necessary part of suc-cess. Seeing your doctor before beginning a work-out program, while always recommended, becomes especially important in the case of

someone with preexist-ing health conditions. In the end, make sure to find ways to make

the work enjoyable. “We are meant

to walk, to do labor. Exer-

cise releases the dopa-

m i n e [or]

‘ t h e h a p p y hormones’ which makes us feel better about ourselves,” said Waser. The key to results is simple, burning more calories than the num-ber going into the body. Three-to-five pounds can potentially drop in a week on a plan of 1,050-to-1,200 calories a day, along with an hour of exercise. Though convenient, never take the seemingly easy way out and purchase diet pills, a product that due to its caffeine, increas-es metabolism, while in-creasing heart rate as well. Weber accredits her success to tolerance. “If you can just make it three to four weeks, even two weeks, then it gets

easier. A lot of t h i n g s

w i l l

taste better. You’re so used to the salts and sug-ars, but the other things you didn’t think tasted good before, start to taste good,” said Weber. Because dwindling calo-rie intake to a low 1,200 can seem an intimidat-ing number, start slow by simply cutting back. If at the movies with friends, for example, and craving popcorn, actually

not that unhealthy, just put half the butter and salt. Keep in mind that

the candy with all its sugars should go avoided. Water will never fail and should never be supple-mented with diet soda, the aspartame in which is ex-tremely bad for the body. Because in some cases not even a salad at Mc-Donalds – unhealthy dressing – offers a healthy alternative, Waser of-fers her own suggestion. “Instead of going out, go to someone’s house and make food and hang out there,” said Waser. Family and Consumer Sci-ence teacher, Shirley Rauh, stresses health conscious-ness to her classes every chance she gets, revealing a common misconception. “[People think] that low-fat foods are healthy and tend to overeat them because of it. Many times they are loaded with sodium and sugar and all excess calories are stored as fat,” said Rauh.

Advice like this serves as an important remind-

er to always look past the ‘healthy’ sticker plastered to the front of your snack or meal and exam-ine more closely before eating. With all the diet approaches

circulating today, research will prove important. What-ever the method chosen, ask your-self ‘Is a slim fig-ure worth jeopar-dizing my health?’ Diet safely.

The up and comingCompiled by Jill Stephenson

January: 26: Wii: “No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggles”29: Movie: “When in Rome” starring Josh Duhamel

February:5: Movie: “Dear John” starring Channing TatumMusic: “Angels Advocates” by Mariah Carey23: Wii: “Sonic and SEGA: All-Stars Racing”

March:2: Wii: “Major League Basketball 2k10”5: Movie: “Alice and Wonderland” starring Johnny Depp16: Music: “Raymond vs. Raymond” by Usher18: TV Show: “FlashForward Returns” starring Joseph Fiennes31: Music: “Jason Castro” by American Idol’s Jason Castro

April:13: TV Show: “Glee” returning starring Cory Monteith20: Music: “Love?” By Jennifer Lopez27: PS3: “Red Dead Redemption”30: Movie: “A Nightmare on Elm Street” starring Jackie Earle Haley

May:7: Movie: “Iron Man 2” starring Robert Downey Jr.21: Movie: “Shrek Forever After” starring Cameron Diaz25: PS3: “UFC Undisputed 2010”28: Movie: “Sex and the City 2” starring Sarah Jessica Parker

June:18: Movie: “Toy Story 3” featuring Tom Hanks30: Movie: “Twilight Series: Eclipse” starring Robert Pat-tinson30: Nintendo DS: “Deadliest Catch”

July:30: Movie: “Meet the Fockers Sequel” starring Ben Stiller31: XBOX 360: “The First Avenger: Captain America”

August:13: Movie: “Ramona and Beezus” starring Selena Gomez

September:17: Movie: “Flipped” starring Madeline Carroll30: Nintendo DS: “Corto Maltese: The Fable of Venice”

October:22: Movie: “Saw VII” starring Tobin Bell

November:19: Movie: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1” starring Daniel Radcliffe24: Movie: “Rapunzel” starring Mandy Moore

December:10: Movie: “The Chronicals of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader”starring Skandar Keynes17: Movie: “Tron: The Legacy” starring Jeff Bridges31: Nintendo DS: “James Bond 007 Project”

WriterFeatures Editor

10 SPORTS Student Prints

Sports Shorts

By Jacob VantreaseWriter

2010 Winter Olympics PreviewWritten by Brent Pearson and Jacob Vantrease

Sports Editor and WriterArtwork by John SchimdtNewcomer arrives with

slam Dawan Logan, senior, has made his short time playing for the boys’ basketball team a good one. Logan, who was ineligible until second semester, averages 13 points, 3 assists, and 2.2 steals in five games, and sinks 87.5 per-cent of his free throws.Mehlville selected to host Districts The boys’ basket-ball team will have a huge home court ad-vantage for this year’s District playoffs. The Jones Gym has been chosen to play host for the tournament, the first step in the play-off hopes of all teams.Blues begin Payne era with success On January 2, the St. Louis Blues fired head coach Andy Murray, and replaced him with Davis Payne. That move has paid off. The team’s record stands at 5-2-1 since the switch, includ-ing impressive wins over New York and Montreal.I Tide ‘rolls’ to BCS title The University of Ala-bama sits on the throne after winning the 2010 BCS national Champi-onship on January 7. The Alabama Crimson Tide blew out the Texas Longhorns 37-21. Dur-ing the first quarter, Colt McCoy injuried his shoulder after a sack. They went on to score 24 points in the sec-ond quarter and slide to a national cham-pionship victory.Local teams make strong push towards March Four local college basketball teams- Mis-souri, Illinois, Saint Lou-is, and Missouri State- are pushing for bids in the NCAA Tournament. The teams have current records of 14-4, 12-7, 12-6, and 14-5, respec-tively. Mizzou and the Illini have easier paths, however, because SLU and Missouri State will have to win their con-ference tournaments in order to qualify.

Once every four years, the world’s best and most extreme athletes com-pete in the spectacle that is the Olympic Games. These sporting events, and the athletes that participate in them, ap-peal strongly to younger viewers. As the extreme becomes even more ex-treme, fans will contin-ue tuning in to witness some of sports history. This winter, the twenty-first Winter Olympic Games will take place in Vancou-ver, Canada, beginning Feb. 12 and concluding Feb. 28. Here are some of the biggest headlines heading into these Winter Games:Will Shaun White con-

Shaun “The Flying Tomato” White

Alexander “Ovie” Ovechkin

Apolo “Chunky”OhnoLindsey “The Donn” Vonn

Sidney “The Kid” Crosby

SnowboardingSpeed Skating

Hockey

Alpine Skiing

Hockey

White’s credentials make him one of the most decorated and popular American athletes. The defending champion in Men’s half pipe, White has won 15 total gold medals, including nine in the Winter X Games. The popular video game Shaun White Snowboarding was designed after him. “The Flying Tomato” expects nothing more than a gold medal in the Winter Olympic games.

Lindsey Vonn, born in Minnesota, competes in the downhill and super-G events in the Olympic sport of alpine skiing for the United States. Vonn leads other contenders as one of the gold medal favorites for the Vancou-ver games. Vonn currently leads the hun-gry pack of world cup skiers with a 56 point lead, looking to once again capture back to back World Cup skiing championships.

Apolo Ohno lives for speed on the short track in speed skating. Ohno has be-come accustomed to the Olympic po-dium winning five gold medals to date. Apolo has won every national title since 2001, placing him as one of the best short track skaters to ever break the ice on the United States National team. The United States can be confident that Ohno will continue his streak of medals.

Ovechkin, a two time NHL MVP, led the league last season with 56 goals, and added 54 assists. He leads a stacked Russian National hockey team along with the Pittsburg Penguins Evgeni Malkin. Ovie officialy holds eight NHL records and nine Washington Capitals re-cords. With a promising and strong team, Ovie will stop at nothing to get the job done and bring home the gold.

Russia

United States United States United States

Canada

Sidney Crosby will lead the Canadian National hockey team as the favorite to win the gold medal in hockey. Crosby, cap-tain for the NHL Pittsburg Penguins, left the team in the 2006 games for “personal reasons” and will look to redeem him-self by going for gold. Sid “The Kid” plans to add a gold med-al to his trophy case which already holds the Stanley Cup.

tinue his dominance in men’s snowboarding? American snowboarder and skateboarder Shaun White added to his already incredible snowboard-ing career by winning the men’s half pipe gold at the 2006 Games. He will enter this year as the odds-on favorite, but will face stiff competition from the field, mainly American Danny Kass and Finland’s Markku Koski, the 2006 silver and bronze medal winners.Can anyone defeat the host country and heavy favorites Team Canada in men’s and women’s hockey? Both the Canadian men’s and women’s hock-

ey teams boast the richest traditions in their sports’ histories. The Canadian men have won a record seven gold medals, and the women have won the past two golds. The Ameri-can women are expected to be their biggest threat, having won the only other gold medal in the sport’s Olympic history, in 1998. On the men’s side, defend-ing champions Sweden, as well as Teams U.S.A. and Russia, will fight for the coveted gold medals.Who will come out with the most to-tal medals? Can Team U.S.A. top the list? In the ’06 Games, the Americans trailed only

Germany in total medals, by a count of 29 to 25. They finished tied for second with Australia with nine gold medals. Philip Hersh of the Chicago Tribune predicts Team U.S.A. to

repeat those numbers, and to compete with the rest of the world’s best athletes. The only way to find out, however, will be to tune in, and possibly wit-ness history in the making.

Did you know?The first Winter Olympic Games were held in Chamonix, France in 1924.

11SPORTSJanuary 2010

Now Playing: Kendrick Sharp

By Brent PearsonSports Editor

Dedicated athletes are few and far be-tween in this era of high school athletics throughout the off-season. During the warm spring days or cool fall nights, one can find 5’11, 165 pound K e n d r i c k Sharp, se-nior, dedi-cated to the sport he lives for, basketball. Kend-rick Sharp has become one of the most dynamic players for the var-sity boys basketball team. After the loss of center and leading point scorer, Aaron Alexander, Sharp took on the role to lead the team as captain. “Kendrick stepped up as a leader with the most experi-ence coming into this season,” said Andy Guethle, head coach. When brows-ing through the stats, Sharp leads in points scored, but he leads in assists also on the team. “I don’t look to score the most points in game, I look to com-pete hard at every mo-ment of the game to get a win,” said Sharp. Sharp, nicknamed ‘ S h a r p - S h o o t e r ’ , leads the team with 163 points s c o r e d , ranked in the top-10 of the S u b u r b a n West Con-f e r e n c e . Sharp is also in the top-3 s h o o t i n g b e y o n d the arc with 20 3-point field goals. “Kendrick shows up and plays hard, you can always find a solid effort within him,” said assistant coach Dale Gegg. On the defensive side,

Sharp leads with 20 steals and 45 assists. “Sharp is a big de-fensive team player, and has pride in be-ing unselfish, and not caught up on scoring the most points,” said

G u e t h l e . Kendrick spent time during the o f f s e a s o n working on every part of his game. He played select bas-ketball for

the Amateur Athletic Union league (AAU). Sharp also spent time in offseason work-outs with his team. “Dedication wasn’t hard for me. I just wanted to improve my game. AAU helped me with my shot, but it also taught bad habits,” said Sharp. Sharp lives for high scoring, fast paced, competitive games. His favorite game this season to date would be the away Rock-wood Summit game. Down by 11 points at half, the team stormed back to win. “Triple overtime games get the adrena-line pumping and I am more competitive, I pick my game up even more,” said Sharp. Sharp will lead the team the rest of the season, with indefinite

plans at the col-l e g i a t e l e v e l . “Ken-d r i c k plays for his team and is n e v e r shy to g i v e the ball up. He likes to

have fun and thinks about the entire team, not just him-self,” said teammate Grant Steiger, junior. “When it all comes down to it, there is ‘No I in team’,” said Sharp.

Kendrick Sharp collects the ball during a December 18, 2009 game vs. Lindbergh High School. Photo by Brent Pearson

Small team makes big splashBy Fernanda Pereira

Writer

Swimming involves dedication and concen-tration. The girls from the Varsity Swim Team understand how decisive these two factors are. “When you swim, you can’t stop. You have to keep going so you can get endurance to swim the shorter races,” said Julia St. Louis, sophomore. Aware of what has to be done, hard training and overcoming person-al limits are the ultimate goals for the girls. Time is their biggest rival, as it plays an important role on the final results of a meet. “The score is based on individual times and you get points depend-ing on your place. The points are all added to-gether at the end,” said Kerrie Kern, coach. Kern has been coach-

ing for three years and she points hard-work as one of the strengths of the team. But there are also challenges. “We have a small team of 14. People aren’t as inter-ested in swimming so we don’t have as many swim-mers. We are always trying to get more kids and it is actually working, the team

is growing,” said Kern. Having a small team plays a disadvantage in competitions with bigger schools. The team does not always have the ap-propriate number of ath-letes to compete, so the chances to score points is lower. The girls recognize the greater responsibility. “[It is important to re-

member that] the in-dividual impacts the team’s results since our points are according to our place marks,” said Hannah Sebold, junior. Unity brings more chances to succeed. Carrie Sebold, se-nior, has been on the team since her fresh-man year and explains how togetherness has a positive impact. “If you just swim for the sake of swimming, it can get boring. But if you have people to cheer you on and encourage

you, everything gets bet-ter and fun,” said Carrie. The girls swim many meets this season with persistence and “strenu-ous physical work” as their guidance. The small team can have a big im-pact. It just depends on the size of their efforts.

Alyssa Noce, junior, races to catch up while doing the Butterfly at University City. See Photo Finish for outcome of match. Photo By Katlyn Sasone

Hockey team keeps in checkBy Gaby Duvergel

Writer

Founded in 1973, the Mehlville Hockey Club has gained popularity in recent years. The team strug-gles to field athletes and fundraise as a club sport. With a record of 4-11-1, the team struggles to find consistency with difficult opponents. The prepares for the winter season with off season training. They start conditioning camp in the beginning of June up until mid-September. “After the season is over, we will be participat-ing in a spring league at the JV and C level,” said Rich Link, head coach. The hockey team prac-tices every Tuesday and Thursday at Kennedy Rec-reation Center, starting in September. They have a few practice games up until their first game in

early November, running until the end of the sea-son in January, practic-ing into the post-season. Their practices end in the beginning of March. “[The hardest thing] is not having many play-ers and getting tired from playing a lot,” said Zack Dexter, freshman. Due to the low num-bers of tryouts, a draft

pool was created so that teams with not enough players can enter it. “Each team that needs players is allowed to draft the players from the pool. The order that you draft in is based on your record from the pre-ceding year,” said Link. This year, Nathan Kamin-ski, goalie, was drafted from the pool. He attends

Crystal City High School. As with all teams, there is a try-out process that takes place. For varsity, the coaching staff gets together to watch the try-outs at Kennedy Rec-reation Center before making the final decision. “After tryouts are complete, the coaching staff meets and decides who is on the team and who swings from Var-sity to JV’,” said Link. To help raise money for the team, there are a few fundraisers. The first fundraiser they have is a trivia night that took place on January 23, at Santa Maria Hall in Co-lumbia. There will also be a Texas Hold’em tourna-ment later in the year. After 37 years, the club will continue to compete hard and move up in their quest to become the best.

Eric Jegel, junior, carries the puck across the ice during January 7, 2010 game against St. Mary’s High School. Photo by Brent Pearson

Athlete goes “down-under”By Brent Pearson

Sports Editor

Overcoming adversity for a high school athlete can be hard, balanc-ing athletics, academics, and a social life. For Da-mond Hammond, senior, pushing past adversity became a habit for him. Starting out the season, Hammond had big hopes to fulfill during the sea-son. Halfway through, he hurdled an obstacle most high school athletes do not usually come across. Ham-mond faced a breathing condition which forced him to go ahead with a surgery to improve his condition. “There was no way that I was going to miss a game in my senior sea-

son,” said Hammond. The astonishing part about his difficulty was that he was able to play in the fifth game of the season. “As a strong athlete, Hammond wasn’t going to let breathing problems stop him from getting back on the field for the games. Many players could not overcome what Damond persevered through,” said Eric Meyer, head coach. After overcoming this, he looked towards getting back on the turf to help his team. When he ran the ball, you knew it. His athleticism and team spirit propelled him through the game. “Damond can physically whip defenses,” said Meyer. Although the varsity foot-

ball record didn’t reflect talent on the young team, Damond stood out as one of the best defensive ends and tight ends in the Sub-urban West conference. He was awarded third team all-conference after the season came to an end. “Damond never received a captain title, but he was a leader by example for sure. He never showed example,” said Meyer. An invitation sent from Down Under Sports to Damond invited him to the Down Under Bowl in Australia. The Down Under Bowl hosts the biggest American foot-ball high school tourna-ment outside the United States. The bowl invites

outstanding high school football athletes from Missouri and Texas to play against Australia and New Zealand teams. The Down Under Bowl starts on July 10 with a one-week competition piecing together two teams from the United States and two from New Zealand and Australia. Two rounds of games are played to decide a champi-on. After the week of com-pletion, the athletes travel from Australia to Hawaii for a vacation getaway. By pushing through difficulties, Hammond has proved to be one that will not let the word ‘You can’t’, stop him.

12 HOT OR NOT Student Prints

PHOTO FINISH: SPORTS EDITIONStudent Prints Staff

2009-2010

Editor-in-Chief Rachel Hopkins

Managing Editor Ryan Dell

Photo Editor Katlyn Sansone News Editor John Schmidt

Opinions Editor Bri Bueckendorf

Features Editor Megan Washausen

Sports Editor Brent Pearson

Business Manager Angelo Jones

Advertising Manager Becca Honeyball

Webmaster Brett Heinkel

Copy Editor David Hupperts

Staff Katelyn Bange Stephanie David Gabriela Duvergel Emily Fitzgibbons Aurora Miller Elizabeth Simone Jill Stephenson Jacob Vantrease Ryan Watson Krista Rademeyer Brett Shaw Fernanda Pereira

Adviser Erin Moeckel

MissionStudent Prints is a mostly self-funded forum whose goal is to inform, entertain, and represent the diverse population of Mehlville. The contents of this paper are direct-ed toward Mehlville students, staff, and community. Student Prints is published six times during the school year. Please contact the staff regarding publication, sub-

scriptions, or advertsing information.

Editorial PolicyStudent Prints editorials represent the opinions of the staff and not necessarily those of the Mehlville School District Board of Education and administration. Letters to the editor may be submitted, but the staff reserves the right to edit any and all letters, including personal attacks. Please limit the letters to 300 words or less. Anonymous letters will not be accepted.

Contact us:Student Prints Mehlville High School Journalism Department 3200 Lemay Ferry Road St. Louis,

MO 63125 [email protected] (314) 467-6240

Photo by Brent Pearson 1

Photo by Brent Pearson 2

Photo by Katlyn Sansone 3

1) Eldin Dilberovic, junior, jumps for the tip against a Lindbergh player during a recent home game vs. the Flyers. The panthers tri-umphed in overtime 56-52. 2) Kyle Ortiz, junior, battles with a Lindbergh Flyers wrestler on De-cember 19, 2009. 3) Liz VanCleave, junior, dives into the University City pool for the Freestyle stroke. Mehlville defeats University City 82-76.

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