the g i r l s behind the hijabsnow.dirxion.com/kirkwood_call/library/kirkwood_call_10... · 2014....

C

CT K

The Kirkwood Call • Volume 97, Issue 4 • 10.29.2014Kirkwood High School • 801 W. Essex • thekirkwoodcall.com

T H E G I R L S

B E H I N D T H E H I J A B S

The stories of three Muslim students at KHS on p. 15

NEWSteachers receive “you matter” awards

OPINIONSif boys dressed like girls on halloween

FEATURESthe girls behind the hijabs

IN-DEPTHexploring the effects of divorce

art fashion stereotypes

SPORTSKarley branch: back in the game

ENTERTAINMENTInterviews with KHS artists

table of contents

editor-in-chiefprint editor

design editorprint managing editor

web editorweb managing editor

web conceptual editorvisual editorcopy editors

social media editortechnical editor

news editornews writers

opinions editoropinions writers

features editorfeatures writers

in-depth editorentertainment editor

Lucy DwyerTara HawkinsJake BalmerBridget RandazzoTyler AltenthalKatie PuryearKatlyn KreieTrevor CurrieHarrison FoxDavid ReynoldsAdam RoseBrian GoydaAbby ChristensenAbby CarpenterEmily MitchellMax ShulklapperKatie WoodruffJonah WrightAlexa KannenbergSierra AckerKennady WadeJulia Wunning-ZimmerAllison HubbardEmily ChilesKatherine HubbardJamie JonesErin KellyEmma McNailAnna MullendoreAnnie MurphyGabi AkrapCece HensleyOlivia RekittkeMimi WrightBradley Fargo

Friends of CallJoin our patron program by contacting us [email protected]

Fore additional patrons, see page 39.

Editor ($50)

Beth HendersonJim Radt

Leah & Skip GlessingAmy BradshawStrevey Family

Holly Scott-HumphreyThe Kilby FamilyJennifer Purvines

Michelle & Greg KnudsenThe Goyda Family

Brett and Julia CostKari and David Baker

Editor-in-Chief ($75)

Susan MasiPaul & Amy Kreidler

The Bailey FamilyNed & Judy Cleveland

The Bradley FamilyDavid & Andrea Kipp

Publisher ($100+)

Susan FlorentThe West FamilyThe Kreie Family

Dawn & Tim AltenthalJeff & Donna Anderson

The Wade FamilyLisa Hawkins

Horace A. Bray IVPatrick & Nancy Jones

Michael Gavin Davidson Family

Reese AndersonSam BalmerMara HockermanJohn DruryJake SiegelRyan DavidsonEthan CostChristian HeutelHolden Foreman Emma TesonJasper Kipp Mikki Phillippe Perry Tatlow Lizzy Tatlow Tierney Grisolano Julianna Ribble Bianca RoperJulia BaileyGabrielle BakerKevin Campbell Ellie CassidyLucy Waldemer Claire Wever Adaline Bray Daniel PaeseTrevor ClevelandKaitlin Kilby Ben Cohen Lindsay Huck Chloe King Daniel Stobbe Ali RandazzoMary PollmannAbby DowneyKatie HackettLauren Pollmann

sports editorweb sports editor

sports writers

art editorartists

photographers

blog/podcast editorvideo editor

web staff

business editorbusiness staff

T K C

Staff

C

CT K

The Kirkwood Call • Volume 97, Issue 4 • 10.29.2014Kirkwood High School • 801 W. Essex • thekirkwoodcall.com

T H E G I R L S

B E H I N D T H E H I J A B S

The stories of three Muslim students at KHS on p. 15

ABOUT THE COVER

Cover photo shot by Trevor Currie Oct. 22 in the journalism build-ing photo studio. Cover design by Jake Balmer.

FROM THE editor’s DESKWelcome back to our fourth

issue of The Kirkwood Call. As always, we owe our readers a huge thank you for picking up a copy of our hard work.

As a staff, we strive to repay our audience by bringing them honest news and reporting as unbiased journalists. This issue, our staffers worked tirelessly to bring the pub-lic the top stories at KHS. We cov-ered a wide range of topics from divorce to OCD to an in-depth look at the lives of three Muslim girls at KHS.

Not only were our staffers pro-ducing our print issue but also our website and social media.

This cycle on web, our staffers composed a diverse collection of stories. Emma McNail uncovered the odd traditions of the KHS band, and Annie Murphy and Ka-

tie Woodruff made a “What’s In My Hand?” video.

Our social media staff strives to keep the community informed througout games and give infor-mation about upcoming events. If you don’t already follow us on social media, search TKC to stay updated with KHS.

Finally, we love to hear from our readers. If you find any prob-lems with our stories or want to suggest a topic we should cover, please write a Letter to the Editor.

It isn’t easy for our staff to write, photograph or sketch, but we are driven to stay organized and meet deadlines because we have such a devoted audience to keep us mo-tivated. Therefore, we depend on our readers for frequently turning to TKC for their news. Thank you again for your support.

Yours truly,

Bridget Randazzo, print managing editor

10.29.2014 www.thekirkwoodcall.com 5T K C

6 PAGE DESIGN BY MAX SHULKLAPPERT K C

NEWS

“We want to provide time for teacher collaboration, and along those lines, to allow teachers to have the appropriate timeframe to get things done in a classroom setting.”- dr. MIchael HAVENER, principal

Schedule shuffle proposed Max Shulklapper news writer

“This could be very confusing for incoming freshmen, especially if they choose blocking. It will just make it harder for them to adjust.”- Chloe Campbell, sophomore

Monday tuesday wednesday

*Collab. will be used for teacher cooperation; it will not apply to studentsCollab.Collab. 2:40 - 3:10 2:40 - 3:10

10.29.2014 www.thekirkwoodcall.com 7 T K C

“We don’t want to change just to change. We want to make sure we’re meeting the needs of students in and outside the class-room.”- dr. Michael Havener, principal

“I think they need to change it. I’d like to have less classes in a day. you get less homework.”- Carlos Escudero, freshman

KHS students will have a new schedule for the 2015-16 school year. The current draft is shown below, courtesy of Dr. Michael Havener, principal.

thursday fridayT •CK

For more coverage, visit

thekirkwoodcall.com

C O M

We want to hear your opinion, weigh in on The Kirkwood Call website: thekirkwoodcall.com

POLL

Do you like the draft of the new schedule?

Yes

No

NEWS

KT C PAGE DESIGN BY EMILY MITCHELL8 www.thekirkwoodcall.com 10.29.2014

If students are randomly approached by a principal during the year, there is a chance they may be asked to give an

award to their favorite teacher. The You Matter Awards, a program

created by Dr. Michael Havener, prin-cipal, to give appreciation to teachers around the school, has been going on for the past three years. The system works by having teachers give awards to other teachers whose work they ap-preciate.

Beginning last year, Havener started approaching students in the hall to give out these awards.

“The awards were an idea to allow teachers to recognize the work they’re doing and let others know, too,” Ha-vener said.

Havener had students start giving out “You Matter” awards last year as a way to show teachers their students truly appreciate what they put into their curriculum and their attitude to-ward their students. Gabi Akrap, senior, was the first student this year to give an

award, giving it to Jennifer Willenborg, science teacher.

“I gave her the award because she was a really great teach-er who I could go to for help whenever I needed help in class as well as in my personal life af-ter school,” Akrap said. “She’s just a really great person who I still go to for help now.”

The awards are also given from teacher to teacher. Anna Kal-fus, French teacher, was given an award by Edrin Chen, Chinese teacher, who then gave the award to Larry An-derson, German teacher.

“I feel we all like to feel we have something to be proud of, and I like how Dr. Havener is having students give the awards to teachers now,” Kalfus said. “It feels especially great to know you im-

Emily MitchellNews writer

teacher feature: You matter awardspacted a student’s learning experience.”

Many teachers have received these awards over the past three years, includ-

ing counselors, world language teachers and more. They are given out throughout the year, including at the beginning of the school year, the half-day teacher luncheon and the end of the year luncheon. As for the future of the awards, Kalfus has some ideas.

“I think it would be great if next year we could turn it around and have the

teachers give students who have impact-ed their teaching careers the awards,” Kalfus said. “That would be a really pos-itive experience for them to have recog-nition from their teachers for once.”

p photo by Claire Wever

“we all like to feel we have something to be proud of”- Anna Kalfus, French teacher

Mama June and Sug-ar Bear from the TLC show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo separated Friday, Sept. 19. (CNN Enter-tainment)

A bear cub was found in a Rite Aid in Oregon. (NBC News)

Jorge Vargas, a 59 year old Miami resident is in jail with a $1.4M bond for multiple of-fenses of capturing lob-sters with undersized tails. (NBC Miami)

A Romanian prin-cess who helped run a cockfighting enterprise in Oregon has been sen-tenced to three years on probation. (Fox News)

A high school foot-ball coach in South Carolina was fired after permitting a post-game ritual involving a water-melon. (CNN)

In case you didn’t hear...


OPINIONS

PAGE DESIGN BY KATIE WOODRUFF

CALL ED: Don’t Drop the DROPN

ext year, the KHS administration has proposed to change the schedule to a combination of having every single

class in a day and blocking classes. The ma-jority (32-20) of the TKC staff found the schedule change unneeded and the current schedule acceptable.

The KHS administration plans to implement a new schedule for the 2015-16 school year consisting of three elements: blocking classes, not dropping any classes and teacher collaboration time. Though KHS prides itself on con-stantly improving the school as a whole, the planning and implementing of a new schedule is a waste of time.

There is no doubt this new sched-ule will have benefits for some students and faculty members. A main focus of the revised agenda is to include time for teachers to collaborate and share ideas with one another for 30 minutes after school on certain days of the week. Carrie Leana, professor at the Univer-sity of Pittsburgh, says, after research in New York City public schools, student achievement scores improve when rela-

tionships and frequent interaction are thriving. If teachers would have a set time every week to collaborate, then this will ultimately improve student scores. Obviously, this would help students and faculty alike and benefit KHS.

In addition, the draft of the schedule has many attributes of the current schedule; there will still be a homeroom, every class would still drop once a week, lunch periods would be the same length as they are now and the beginning and ending times of the school day would be the same. So, there would be normal aspects of the sched-ule students are already familiar with. Although this is true, KHS administra-tion has no specific evidence revealing problems with our current schedule, they only want to improve the already adequate schedule.

Since the draft of the new sched-

ule for KHS has no classes dropped on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays, students will have their homework piled up from all of their classes to do on Monday night. According to the Denise Pope, a Stanford researcher, high-performing high schools in an

upper-middle class community, like KHS, assign 3.1 hours of homework per night on aver-age and the National Sleep Foundation states adolescents need 9.25 hours of sleep each night.

With all of the extracurricular ac-

tivities students participate in and the 2:40 p.m. end-time, there is usually a choice between getting homework done or getting a healthy amount of sleep. When a class is dropped, an amount of homework can be prevent-ed, which can increase the chance stu-dents will do their homework and sleep

an appropriate number of hours.Most importantly, the new schedule

has two days where students will spend 90 minutes in one class. When a class is blocked, it means a miserable, unfo-cused and boring 90 minutes for both students and teachers. This will lead to more side conversations, thus distract-ing students from their work. With 40 more minutes added to a class, students and teachers alike will lose the ability to absorb topics as well as they could have in a shorter class period. Ultimately, this lengthened period of time will only hurt the learning environment at KHS, since it will breed unfocused and unen-gaged classrooms.

Overall, the proposed schedule by KSD is unpromising with the increased student workload and will not be effec-tive for students and teachers alike. The administration should, rather than dras-tically changing KHS’ schedule to make a mixture of block, still make a schedule consisting of dropping classes every day, but just add time every week for teach-ers to collaborate.

photo by Trevor Currie

“THE NEW SCHED-ULE HAS TWO DAYS WHERE STUDENTS WILL SPEND 90 MINUTES IN ONE CLASS.”

To see the new proposal, visit pages 6 and 7.

10 www.thekirkwoodcall.com 10.29.2014 PAGE DESIGN BY SIERRA ACKERT K C

So for the next few minutes let’s try to pretend I am just one of the guys.

It’s the Monday before Halloween and I’m watching the football game with two other guys, eating food. You know, bro stuff. The topic of conver-sation shifts from the cheerleaders to Halloween when a Subway commercial comes on about how we need to “Stay in shape for all the costumes,” present-ing a variety of flaunty costumes includ-ing Attractive Nurse, Spicy Red Riding Hood, Hot Devil, and Sassy Teacher. It really makes sense that I have to change my appearance to accommodate this holiday because, like, how else would I look hot in my costume?

“Dudes, we should like totally go

shopping together to get costumes,” one guy says.

We are all in agreement because I mean it’s Halloween, every guy needs this one night to look hot. We head to the store and immediately find the aisle labeled ‘adults costumes’. It was every-thing I expected. Shelves filled with everything from “Sultry SWAT Com-mander” to “Officer Nasty” which con-sisted of nothing more than shorts that wouldn’t fit a small child, a police hat and handcuffs. Perfect.

One guy had the nerve to ask, “Why can’t I just be a normal football player instead of ‘Foxy Fullback’?”

The arrogance was offensive. If he didn’t dress up provocatively, he wouldn’t get attention and everyone would be under the impression that he misunderstood the sole purpose of this holiday. I mean, obviously you have to go all out on Halloween and spend over $60 for a costume that barely cov-ers your no-no square. It’s just common knowledge that after the age of 14, it’s time to turn your super hero cape in for

a speedo. Fast forward to Halloween night.

Me and the other bros spending hours doing our hair and making sure we look great from every angle. I need to look perfect to impress everyone at the party tonight. Just as we are about to leave, one guy walks out dressed in a head to toe vampire costume.

“Seriously dude? You’re wearing that? I mean come on, you look scary!”

He tries to argue that looking scary is the whole point of Halloween. Psh, okay sure. Just as long as looking ‘scary’ includes being shirtless. We replace his outfit with a pair of booty shorts, let-ting him keep the cape as a compro-mise, and boom-he’s turned into ‘Sexy Blood Sucker.’ He walks out feeling awkward and exposed, but I mean at least he looks hot. Thank God he has us as friends.

We underestimated the fact it’s al-most November and wearing less than our undergarments isn’t ideal for such weather. Yet, we make the painfully chilling walk all for the love of looking

good. After a walk full of cat-calls, we arrive at the party. It is a little weird that all the girls are covered head to toe in costumes while we are half naked, but I guess that’s just normal since our bodies are different: it’s just expected of us.

All night I was groped and hit on; it was awesome. How great that I can use my body to get attention. I mean no one was actually listening to what I was saying, but, hey, at least a lot of people noticed me. I got so many compliments on the creativity of my costume. Hal-loween is definitely the night that every-one has to dress sexy. Everyone should feel this great about themselves.

Sierra Ackeropinions writer

If Guys Acted Like Girls on Halloween...

OPINIONS

photo by Trevor Currie

PAGE DESIGN BY ALEXA KANNENBERG 10.29.2014 www.thekirkwoodcall.com 11T K C

OPINIONS

think before you swagI first came across the expression

“swag” when my friends were talk-ing about how much Justin Bieber

said it roughly two years ago. When people first started saying “swag,” they were mostly mocking the few who said “swag” seriously to describe how cool someone or something was. The ca-sual usage of “swag” has escalated to the point where mockery is no longer relevant, and people use the word to mean anything they want. Is it a verb? Is it a noun? An adjective? The answer: we don’t care enough to decide.

Scrolling through my Twitter feed I’ve noticed our generation struggles to compose a thought without adding “slay,” “bae,” “thot” or any of the other hundreds of slang words that infiltrate our daily conversations. Being the lazy teenager I am, urban slang slips into my casual conversations all the time. The words just flow off my tongue even when I’m not 100 percent sure of what they mean. I find myself looking up a new expression on Urban Dictionary every other day because I don’t know what “salty” or “based” means. Twitter addicts are running out of new slang so they have started making up synonyms for pre-existing slang. For example, according to Urban Dic-tionary, “on fleek” means the exact

same thing as “on point.” Apparently, we can’t describe our eyebrows with just one expression.

It’s extremely awkward when someone drops a new slang word they saw on Twitter and no one knows what they’re talking about. Your Chick-fil-a might be “clutch,” but for all I know you just like gripping your fast food tightly. You may have “slayed” that English essay, but I’m sure you didn’t literally murder the essay violently.

While most teens can control the words that come out of their mouth, the more slang is used in everyday lan-guage the harder it will be to put on a filter. The last thing college admissions or managers want to see in your Twit-ter bio is how “three hunna” you keep it. Even though there’s a low probabil-ity urban slang will come out in a face-to-face interview, getting too relaxed with our English reflects poorly on our generation. I don’t like the idea that our generation might be remembered for words like “yeet” and “trill.”

There’s nothing wrong with using these expressions in moderation; I get it, they’re funny. But if every other word in your vocabulary represents a made-up trend, try using a little more Dictionary.com and a little less Urban Dictionary.

Alexa Kannenbergopinions editor

Urban Dictionary vs. Dictionary.com Definitions

LEANDictionary.com: to incline or bend from a vertical positionUrban Dictionary: a popular drink SWAGDictionary.com: a suspended wreath, garland, drapery, or the like, fastened up at or near each end and hanging down in the middle; festoon.Urban Dictionary: *could not find an actual definition of the word besides “overused”SCANDictionary.com: to glance at or over or read hastilyUrban Dictionary: backstabbing or doing something scandal-ous TRILLDictionary.com: to sing or play with a vibratory or quavering effectUrban Dictionary: an adjective used in hip-hop culture to de-scribe someone who is considered to be well respected, com-ing from a combination of the words “true” and “real”RATCHETDictionary.com: a toothed bar with which a pawl engagesUrban Dictionary: dirty/nasty: ghetto form of wretchedTRAPDictionary.com: a contrivance used for catching game or other animals, as a mechanical device that springs shut suddenly.Urban Dictionary: the area where drug deals are carried out.

art by Bianca Roper

OPINIONS

PAGE DESIGN BY KENNADY WADE12 T K C

OPINIONS

THUMBS

American Horror Story

Pumpkin Patches

Themed Football Games

Haunted Houses

Amanda Bynes on Twitter

Ebola

Justin Bieber

Germans Leaving

Facebook Messenger

End of Quarter Grades

The Kirkwood Call gives its thumbs up

and thumbs down to KHS’s most talked-

about topics

www.thekirkwoodcall.com 10.29.2014

Fangirls are a baf-fling species. From the way

they faint, literally faint, at the mere sight of Zac Efron to crying over lis-tening to the first

single off One Direction’s new album is a bemusing sight to most people. Some girls devote themselves to com-plete strangers and don’t have second thoughts. Their “fandom” is almost like a religion, with Comic-Cons and con-certs as their mecca.

These are the girls who occasion-ally cry because 5 Seconds of Summer’s voices are so melodic and fume when they find out Zayn Malik is engaged. They pick through Twitter hoping for some new updates and overanalyze each tweet of the unknowing object of their affection. It almost sounds like stalking.

But in a sense they are misunder-stood. People look down on fangirls because their consuming love can be overbearing and excessive. They’re seen as less mature just because they found something worth screaming about. At concerts they act like children, yelling and falling over themselves for a glimpse of their favorite band member.

Personally, I think fangirls are pretty brave. They’re usually the most vocal of fans, and they have no shame. When people denounce them for loving some-thing so strongly, they keep their heads high and continue walking. They are the epitome of someone who goes their own way. Unless they happen to cross paths with other fangirls.

There’s truly no desire to conform when it comes to what they love. Of course, I agree with the people who point out the oddity of their fierce pro-tectiveness. But if that’s what gets peo-ple through tough times, how can you blame them for wanting to protect what makes them happy? Without devo-

tion a lot of musical acts, or really any-thing that encapsulates the word “art,” couldn’t thrive. Due to this, fangirls, or just fans for that matter, are the key to the success of many acts.

Think about it, if they ceased to ex-ist, then so would a lot of the landmark musicians, shows and movies of his-tory. Where would the Beatles, Freaks and Geeks or Grease be without fangirls? They would be forgotten about because no one would have cared enough to share them with the world.

In light of that, fangirls should be hailed as pioneers to an industry. Yes, they are loud and often obnoxious, but so are most people when it comes to something they love. I mean, aren’t a lot of musicians, writers and directors loud and obnoxious when it comes to their art forms?

They may be puzzling to many people, but their point of existing is not for people to understand them. It’s for the fandom they love, and I think that should be respected.

Becoming a fan of fangirlsKennady Wadeopinions writer

art by Jasper Kipp

OPINIONS

PAGE DESIGN BY JAMIE JONES 10.29.2014 www.thekirkwoodcall.com 13T K C

I once had a series of unwanted thoughts circling my mind. I did not like the thoughts; they compelled me to fight what I knew was a losing battle. My irrational mind led me to wash my hands at least 20 times per day until they were raw. If I touched something I considered to be contaminated, I would not allow myself to touch anything else until I had thoroughly washed my hands. I constantly double checked ev-erything; I would check to make sure our front door was locked multiple times each night. The intensity and frequency of my thoughts only increased. I was trying to eliminate germs, and slowly my Obsessive Compul-sive Disorder took over my life. I found myself a slave to my ir-rational thoughts.Often, a student will straighten a slanted pencil so that it is in line with the oth-ers or have the impulse to fix a crooked picture frame, and sometimes one will hear the words “that’s so OCD” used as a response. However, the per-son who just straightened that frame most likely does not have OCD. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is not merely a desire to organize.

According to webmd.com, OCD “is a type of mental ill-

ness that causes repeated un-wanted thoughts. To get rid of the thoughts, a person with OCD does the same tasks over and over.” In addition, Help-guide.org defines OCD as “an anxiety disorder characterized by uncontrollable, unwanted thoughts and repetitive, ritual-ized behaviors [a person] feel[s] compelled to perform.”However, my OCD was not as bad as others have it. For some, OCD extends to count-ing. Some people with OCD do everything in threes or an-other number. They knock three times, open a cabinet and close it three times or they butter a piece of toast exactly three times before eating it. Their number is everywhere, and the situation gets out of hand. Those with OCD do not want their illness, but they have no idea how to rid their minds of the unwanted, ir-rational thoughts.The trials and tribulations a person with OCD endures often go unnoticed, with the exception of a rare straightening of a picture frame that garners a comment such as “that’s so OCD.” However, to approxi-mately 3.3 million people in the United States with OCD that phrase can be truly offen-sive because of the hardships of an unwanted mental illness.

Personally, I feel the phrase disregards my year in therapy as I attempted to overcome the monster inside. Society needs to realize that OCD is not an adjective used to describe some-one, but a noun itself. OCD is a disorder that does not define a person, and it is treatable.Students who work to over-come OCD choose whether or not to share their struggles, even though they might be constant-ly fighting it. OCD is personal, and not a laughing matter. Ob-sessive Compulsive Disorder is a constant battle and is not just organization. The phrase “that’s so OCD” probably isn’t meant to offend those of us who battle OCD on a daily basis. Sometimes, people tell me that I am letting my OCD control me because on occasion I do irrational things related to my OCD. How-ever, these people are trying to help me because they care, not crack a joke. It’s when “that’s so OCD” is meant as a joke that I feel my battle was also a joke. It really can go either way. All that matters is how and why that seemingly meaningless phrase is used.

OCD is misunderstood

art by Emma Teson

59.1% (178/301) of KHS stu-dents said they have used OCD as slang to describe someone.

38.6% (114/298) of KHS students have used the phrase “that’s so OCD.”

Approximately 3.3 million Americans have OCD, according to mhmrcv.org.

OCD is treatable, often with medication and ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention), ac-cording to mhmrcv.org.

Jamie Jonesfeatures writer

14 www.thekirkwoodcall.com 10.29.2014 T K C

OPINIONS

Stuck in the middle

Suddenly the once calm, breezy room turns stuffy. The helpless kid sits there, tense, while their step-parent

tells them every little thing that his other mom or dad is doing wrong. They bash on how uncommunicative his mother is. They ridicule the child’s father for not being harsh enough when giving pun-ishments. Meanwhile, he still sits there, with no power at all, except to decide between three actions: chime in to gain some sort of respect from this hateful, yet powerful, person, shut his mouth and take this verbal assault against his parent or blatantly challenge his step-parent’s opinion.

When a parent speaks out against another parent in front of their child, it ultimately puts the kid in a tough situation; the child cannot do anything “right” in either parent’s eyes. The par-ent boxes the child in a corner, where they have nowhere to run or hide, which is completely unnecessary, since parents can easily avoid speaking nega-tively about their ex-spouse in front of their child.

According to Peter Hill in his “Jour-nal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry,” 35 percent of kids who have divorced parents need psychological help within a given year. Hill proves why parents should not talk badly about their child’s other parent because it could lead to their child’s depression.

Obviously, children are taught, cared for and disciplined by their par-ents usually until they are 18, so kids need to listen to their parents and hear them out in order to stay out of trouble. This means contradicting and making a point against a parent’s ar-gument is considered defying their au-thority for a child. Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) is a disorder in which a child gradually is brainwashed by one parent who tries to vilify the other parent, according to Joseph Price and Kerry Pioske, authors of “Journal of Psychosocial Nursing.”

Although it is true children should abide by their parent’s rules so they can dodge punishment, kids with divorced

parents are already at a risk of needing psychological treatment, so this just adds onto their troubles and psychiat-ric problems.

Admittedly, I have divorced par-ents, so I chose a side as my childhood went on, and I gradually learned more and more about my parents’ characters. When one of my parents corners me and starts to drone on about everything my other parent is doing wrong, I have no idea what to do.

I immediately want to slam my hands over my ears and yell so I do not

have to hear one more negative word. I realize I listen to one of my parent’s views and admire that parent more, but that does not mean I hate my oth-er guardian.

In fact, I want to please and be ac-cepted by them both, so a situation in which they speak negatively of the other parent really hurts me. Usually, so as not to lash out and hurt both of my parents, I just sit there in the chair and position my features to look as if I am listening, but set my mind free, hardly paying any attention so as not to lash out. Occa-

sionally, I let my guard slip and actually listen, leading me to take a side.

I can never choose the right thing to do, since I know I will not please every-one when put into a situation like this. This just shows how unfair it is when parents put their child into a situation where the child can make no good de-cision, which defies the average parental slogan to “make good choices.”

This unnecessary issue for chil-dren with divorced parents can easily be avoided. All parents have to do is stop pointing out annoying aspects of their ex-spouse and just talk about it to anyone but their child. Simple fix. No need for verbally assaulting a kid with hateful things about their own parent while they powerlessly sit there and lis-ten, or at least seem to be listening. If divorced parents stopped speaking this way to their children, if there were no verbal assaults flying around the room and if there was no helpless, powerless kid, the pain of divorce could be eased for children.

*this piece was written anonymously to protect not only the author’s identity, but their parents’ identities as well.

60.2 PERCENT (53/88) OF stu-dents WITH divorced parents SAID THEIR PARENTS HAVE talk-ed badly about each other in front OF THEM.

Anonymous* TKC writer

Yes: 60.2% No: 39.8%

PAGE DESIGN BY CECE HENSLEY AND ALLISON HUBBARD 10.29.2014 www.thekirkwoodcall.com 15T K C

FEATURES

It felt like I was a sheep lost inside a pack of wolves. Everyone was so intimidating and I had no idea if they were talking about me or what they were talking about in general. I felt like such an outsider.

“

”

under The Hijabs photos by Trevor Currie

Cece Hensleyfeatures writer

The Girls

10.29.2014 www.thekirkwoodcall.com 17T K C16 PAGE DESIGN BY CECE HENSLEY AND ALLISON HUBBARDT K C

FEATURES

After saying “Eid Mubarak” to those older than her at Gateway Masjid mosque, Sumaya Mohamed’s pockets weighed a little bit more than before she arrived. This is not any ordinary day at her mosque; it’s a celebration for those of Islamic faith.

“Eid is a lot of fun because you get money whenever you say ‘Eid Mubarak’ to someone,” Mohamed said. “For four days I basically pray, get money and then go hang out with my friends.”

Mohamed, sophomore, celebrated Eid, a Muslim holiday, for four days starting on Saturday, Oct. 4. Mohamed said Eid takes place after the 10-day pil-grimage to Mecca to celebrate.

Eid is not all fun and games. Mo-

hamed said the downside of Eid is missing two days of school and then playing catch up. Mohamed said it is very stressful trying to catch up. She said although Christmas is counted as a national holiday, Eid is not.

Although she celebrates Eid every year, Mohamed has only been to Mec-ca once when she was 12. She said the importance of Muslims going to Mec-ca is so that their sins can be erased or so they further their relationship with Allah.

“At first I did not even want to go,” Mohamed said. “Since I’m younger my parents told me I would not really get to participate but going there was such an experience because there were so many people from everywhere there for one cause. It was a pretty cool sight to see.”

Walking to class with her friends while chatting excitedly about what she will wear to homecoming, Najma Omar, freshman, sounds like a typical girl from KHS. The only slight differ-ence is for homecoming she will be accessorized with a delicately wrapped scarf around her head, her hijab.

On top of that, she has devoted her life to five higher principles: her God, Allah and his prophet, Muhammed, praying five times a day, fasting for an entire month during Ramadan, Vakha (donating 2 percent of her family’s in-come to the poor) and going on a pil-grimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia in her life to cleanse her sins.

Omar said wearing her hijab (the scarf some Muslims wear over their neck and face symbolizing modesty) and dressing to cover all of her skin besides her face and hands can be dif-ficult at times. She said it was hard at first choosing what she is going to wear to homecoming.

“For homecoming I want to show my skin and dance and whip my hair, but I respect my God and my parents and the way they raised me,” Omar said. “I just remember that some peo-ple wear a burka that covers their entire face and body so I know I’m lucky that I have more options. Especially because I’m a fashion diva.”

Instead of wearing a dress, she will

be sporting a red jumpsuit. Omar said her religion is strict about the way she dresses which affects her decision in homecoming attire.

She also said men have to court them and they have to be chaperoned on dates. She compared it to Pride and Prejudice due to their rules about court-ship, not drinking al-cohol, doing drugs or get-ting tattoos.

O m a r said fasting during Ra-madan is an i m p o r t a n t learning ex-p e r i e n c e . Muslims are not allowed to eat or drink any-thing. Also, she said she gives up activities that are frowned upon by the religion such as listening to music or gossiping.

“Fasting just puts me into an awe-some perspective,” Omar said. “I know food and water aren’t sinful, but when I fast and I feel hungry it reminds me of all of the people who are struggling and feel hungry every day.”

Omar attends a mosque called West Pine but has difficulty going because she has school on their holy day, Fri-

day. She said most Muslims try to go to school seven days a week, five days for regular school and the weekend for religious school.

“Most Muslims strive to memo-rize our 1,000-page Qur’an [Muslim Bible.] It’s entirely in Arabic,” Ali said. “I’m only on chapter four but one of

my friends fin-ished memo-rizing recently and we held a celebration for her.”

There are about 300 Muslims at her mosque but Omar said there are only five or six fami-lies of Somali b a c k g r o u n d in Kirkwood. Compared to when she lived

in Minneapolis, Minnesota where it was highly populated by Somalis.

Omar was born in the capital of Ke-nya, Nairobi, and was raised for seven years in a rural city in Kenya, Wajir. Omar said compared to America, Ke-nya is slow paced and all people are more outgoing and friendly.

“In my plot [neighborhood] every-one was everyone’s kid,” Omar said. “It’s a lot more family oriented, even though not everyone is family. Every-

one looks out for you.”When Omar moved to St. Louis

in 2010, she attended North Glendale and said she was immediately accepted by everyone. At KHS she is involved in Student Council, K-Word (poetry), Med-Vet and French Club and plans on doing track in the spring.

At school, Omar focuses on her-self, her future, and her friends and said she probably would not notice if someone gave her strange looks. Omar plans on using this same mentality to-wards homecoming.

“I know other people’s opinions don’t outweigh mine,” Omar said. “As long as I respect my religion, it doesn’t matter how people look at me.”

On her first day of sixth grade, Salma Ali sat in a wooden desk 8,488 miles away from her parents at a school in Kenya where everyone around her spoke what sounded like gibberish. This gibberish translated to Swahili, a lan-guage that Ali had no idea how to speak. She could not u n d e r s t a n d any of the stu-dents or teach-ers around her trying to help. She was on her own.

“It felt like I was a sheep lost in-side a pack of wolves,” Ali, junior, said. “Everyone was so intimi-dating and I had no idea if they were talking about me or what they were talking about in general. I felt like such an outsider.”

Ali’s parents decided to send her and her brother from St. Louis to Mombasa, Kenya when she was 12 to live with her grandparents. They hoped this would allow her to expe-rience the hardships there and to see

bad you did. They did it because they thought we would want to work hard-er to improve.”

But the chang-es did not stop with school. There were copious differences between Mombasa and St. Louis.

“Every corner you turn, every street you go on there are stray animals and chil-dren,” Ali said. “I’d say about half the people there were impov-erished. People don’t really help them like they do in America because there are so many that it is overwhelming.”

After two years of acclimating to the poverty and culture of Kenya, Ali moved back to America for eighth grade. She said compared to her friends in Kirkwood, her friends from Africa were very observant and always noticed when she was having a bad day and they always said what was on their mind.

“At first I felt like I didn’t belong [at Kirkwood], but now I overall feel pretty accepted,” Ali said. “I don’t really care about what race you are or anything like that. If you come up and start talking to

daily life compared to America. In Kenya, Ali was required to take an en-trance test which placed her into sev-enth grade courses, although she was actually in sixth.

“They could tell that I was different even though I dressed like them,” Ali said. “They thought I was American-

ized because I spoke fluent English.”

Ali said she felt very out of place at first, but she was quickly able to make new friends and pick up Swahili after two months of school.

The Ke-nyan school required Ali to arrive at 6 a.m. and leave

around 7 or 8 p.m. Instead of going to extracurricular activities after school, she said she went home to work on the excessive amount of homework they were given each day. She then slept four to five hours each night, returning to school the next day to do it again, six days a week.

“In Kenya, our teachers would read our grades out loud to the entire class,” Ali said. “It didn’t matter how

me, I’ll have a conversation with you.”From the US to Kenya, Ali said

her experiences have changed her life for the better. Ali said her experiences in Kenya have helped her especially in shaping a new perspective.

“Before I went to Africa I was spoiled and my parents would buy me any doll, clothes or books I wanted,” Ali said. “But seeing the kids who didn’t have any toys, food or even par-ents, something snapped inside of me. I learned not to waste food or buy too many clothes. Now I only buy things I need because I learned that not every-one can have everything they want.”

Najma Omar, freshman and Salma Ali, junior.

Mohamed said going to Mecca was important because it became a huge re-minder of her beliefs. She said her ba-sic morals are to not drink, do drugs, gossip, and to be honest.

“My religion helps me whenever I’m struggling,” Mohamed said. “It reminds me of my morals and back-grounds and guides me on the right path. It is a second opinion.”

Mohamed said her Somali heritage has benefited her as well. Mohamed’s life has not always been a celebration. She was born in America to a Somali refugee family that moved to the US to escape war torn Somalia and create a fresh start.

Mohamed is also able to talk about her background in her ESL class (Eng-lish as a second language). In addition to English, Mohamed speaks Arabic

and Somali. This class meets in Anna Kalfus’ room once a day during seventh hour for students from a wide variety of cultures including Somali, Mexican and Vietnamese. These students learn more about their background and write essays that help them with writ-ing in English.

From celebrating Islamic traditions to traveling to Mecca to her ESL class, Sumaya has learned the importance of staying true to her faith.

“In middle school I showed my hair. Now from my experiences I have learned there is an importance to why I wear a hijab, modesty,” Mohamed said of the hijab (the scarf some Mus-lims wear over their neck and face). “I didn’t want to be an outsider. I have morals and expectations that I have to live up to.”

Sumaya Mohamed

Salma Ali

Najma Omar

Sumaya Mohamed, sophomore

The Kirkwood Call takes a look into the lives of three Muslim girls. From the school made of mud in Mombasa, Kenya, to the busy streets of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, these girls have had different experiences than an average student, but these girls are not so different themselves.

Christian: 88% (178/202)

Muslim: 0.5% (1/202)

Student Religions

Jewish: 5% (10/202)

Other: 6.5% (10/202)

“But seeing the kids who didn’t have any toys, food or even parents, something snapped in-side of me. I learned not to waste food or buy too many clothes.”

“For homecoming I want to show my skin and dance and whip my hair, but I respect my God and my parents and the way they raised me.”

Najma Omar, freshman

18 PAGE DESIGN BY ANNIE MURPHYT K C

FEATURES

Art by Perry Tatlow


While most s t u d e n t s in grade

school were dragging themselves out of bed in the morning and heading slowly off to school, Regina Doty was getting right to work. Being homeschooled for most of her life, Doty, junior, made the switch to public school sophomore year.

Rachel Cosic, guidance counselor, said the switch from homeschooling to public school can be a big change. Since both situations are different, Cosic said it is challenging for students to come to a distinctive environment.

“[Homeschooled students] might not be used to how a school runs,” Cosic said. “If they’ve been home-schooled for many years, they might not be used to sticking to such a tight schedule, run by bells, and the crowd-edness of it. The social skill piece is sometimes challenging for them as well. They have not been used to sit-ting in a classroom with 24 people.”

Previously homeschooled stu-dents said there were advantages and disadvantages to homeschool-ing, mostly including the educational part of it. Doty said homeschooling has benefits academically because it helped develop her way of learning.

“In homeschooling you can do things at your own pace,” Doty said. “For some classes that are easier you can go super fast or test out of different stuff. If stuff is harder you can take more time on it.”

Brenna Robertson, sophomore, was homeschooled for three and a half years. Along with being able to work at a pace that is convenient for her, she was able to get her work done more quick-ly during the day while being homeschooled. This gave her the chance to focus on extra school work if they needed help, or extracur-ricular activities they enjoyed.

“Homeschooling was a re-ally good tool in learning about my-self and my learning styles,” Rob-ertson said. “My learning wasn’t as quick as other people, so it was learning skills of how to succeed.”

A typical school day for home-schooled students varies depending on

the lesson according to Jacob Wacker, sophomore, who was homeschooled from second to fifth grade. Wacker said during an ordinary school day at home, there is usually room for free time.

With public school having an eight-hour day along with additional hours of extracurriculars, Wacker said the

extra time to re-lax is the part he misses the most.

“The biggest difference for me is just the amount of free time you have,” Wacker said. “I think homeschooling is a good thing overall, but it’s definitely not for everybody.”

A l t h o u g h many students

enjoy homeschool compared to pub-lic school, Amelia Dorsey, junior, said the lack of social interaction was a negative part of the process. Even though she was only home-schooled for two years, Dorsey said it was hard being away from her peers.

“I was homeschooled for a

couple years and had already been in public school before,” Dors-ey said. “So not having that so-cial interaction was really hard.”

According to www.trinity.edu, home-schooling is increasing 11 percent per year. Having worked with many homeschooled kids, Cosic said each student had different feelings on the change, depending on what they were used to and what they preferred.

“I have had people who have had a positive experience moving into a public school or deciding to be homeschooled from here, and they do well and go onto college,” Cosic said. “I’ve also seen the struggles of being academically be-hind. I’ve seen both sides of it. I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way.”

While making the switch was so-cially and academically difficult for some students, many also said home-schooling was important in prepara-tion for public school education-wise. Students said they were able to speak their opinions and beliefs louder once attending a public high school.

“[Homeschooling] provides a base for your opinions and [beliefs],” Doty said. “Coming to public school allows you the opportunity to apply what you know and believe.”

coming home to public school

“Homeschooling was a re-ally good tool in learn-ing about myself and my learning styles,” Rob-ertson said. “My learning wasn’t as quick as other people, so it was learning skills of how to succeed.”

Brenna Robertson, sophomore Jacob Wacker, sophomoreAmelia Dorsey, juniorRegina Doty, junior

Annie Murphyfeatures writer

photos by Ellie Cassidy

20 www.thekirkwoodcall.com 10.29.2014 PAGE DESIGN BY GABI AKRAPT K C

FEATURES

Her laugh echoed through the halls of ATLAS as she walked in everyday with

a huge smile and an upbeat attitude that brightened the moods of her close friends. Al-lyson Porter, sophomore, died Sept. 26, but Caley Wilson, junior, said Allyson’s distinctive laugh and bubbly personality still remain in the memories of teachers and students who knew her.

“Allyson was the type of person who did not let the bad side of life get to her,” Lindsey Tucker, junior, said. “She was always happy and tried to make the best of everything.”

Allyson spent the beginning of her sophomore year in three or four ATLAS classes every-day. Having transferred from VISTA last year, she became close with Kate Randle, the ATLAS guidance counselor.

“She would just barge into my office all the time and say ‘Hey Mrs. Randle’ and I loved it,” Randle said. “Every time she came in she was just a ray of sunshine.”

Allyson’s mother died when she was 6 years old. After going through that ex-perience, Allyson was able to help other people cope with similar situations.

“She had a really tough

life,” Randle said. “Watching her be able to so freely share things and be open and honest with other people, I thought it was so strong. It makes me think that maybe her purpose on Earth was to share her story with someone.”

Lindsey lost her father in 2012 and said when Allyson found out about her father’s passing she shared her story about her mother.

“One time Ally and I were just hanging out in my room, and I was talking about not having a dad anymore and she told me about her mom,” Lindsey said. “Then, just all of a sudden she jumped up and was like ‘let’s make cookies.’ It was just so random and she had the biggest smile on her face.”

Caley and Lindsey shared funny memories they had with Allyson, from late nights at McDonald’s and walking around the mall for hours, to watching Allyson fail at cutting pineapple. They described her as upbeat and open.

“Ally was there for any-thing,” Caley said. “She was not judgemental at all. That was one of the good things about her, she would sit there and listen to anything you needed to say.”

Allyson was also a part of

Gabi Akrap features writer

the Preferred Family Healthcare program. PFH is a non-profit organization that provides sub-stance abuse treatment, preven-tion and mental health services, according to their website.

“If we are concerned that a student’s drug use really has become a problem, we will suggest PFH to them,” Randle said. “We want to help the kids, but we are not specifically trained in substance abuse. I’ve talked to kids about it, but most of them also receive treat-ment somewhere else.”

There have been no con-firmations on the way Ally-son died because her toxi-cology reports have not yet been released.

All of Allyson’s friends re-member her as a beautiful, intelligent girl. Her friends and teachers said they will re-member her laugh and bright blonde hair through the halls of KHS.

“No matter how her life was lost, we have to just think about that it was a life lost,” Randle said. “No matter how it happened.”

photos courtesy of Caley Wilson

REMEMBERINGALLYSON PORTER

Pictured from left to right is Nia Proctor, Caley Wilson, Lindsey Tucker and Allyson Porter posing in ATLAS.

PAGE DESIGN BY KATHERINE HUBBARD 10.29.2014 www.thekirkwoodcall.com 21T K C

FEATURES

It is 7:40 a.m. and Bob Thomas is all smiles. Students say his contagious grin has made Kirkwood a brighter

place for the past 20 years.Thomas, custodian, leaves his house

no later than 3:30 a.m. to arrive at school by 5 a.m. He then works for eight hours and leaves around 1 p.m. Even though he has followed this rou-tine for years, Thomas said the early morning rise is worth it because he loves being around the students.

“I like interacting with the stu-dents,” Thomas said. “Growing up, I always had an interest in helping kids and guiding them in the correct way. This job gave me a way to help them in any way that I can.”

As a teenager, Thomas did not get to see many students graduate from his high school, Central High School in St. Louis. He said this was disturb-ing because he believes every child de-serves a chance to be successful. Work-ing at KHS allows Thomas the chance to see 90 percent of students graduate and go on to college.

“My goal is to see if I can influence a kid to the point that they will not make the wrong decisions,” Thomas said. “I try to smile and be a happy person as much as I can to be a positive force in some students lives.”

Deborah Stovall, custodian, has been working alongside Thomas the past 10 years. She said Thomas speaks to every student, and he really cares about them.

“Bob makes it his business to see how your day is going,” Stovall said. “A kid could be having a bad day, and he will try his best to make them feel better. He is like a father figure to some students.”

Teachers and students have noticed his personality as well. Kathleen Frese, math teacher, said in the winter when it is snowing and the students would rather be at home instead of school, Thomas is smiling and greeting every-body at the front door.

“He is just always happy, cheerful and in a good mood,” Frese said. “His positivity rubs off on other people.”

Katie Brodersen, sophomore, said it is nice to see a funny and charismatic person walking around school. She said it is important to have optimistic people

around because she thinks it improves everybody’s day.

“It is very obvious that he enjoys his job and cares about the students,” Brod-ersen said. “I always see him saying hello to everybody and holding the door open for people. One day he complimented me on my shirt and it made feel better that entire day.”

Thomas hopes if he is kind to peo-ple, he will receive the same kindness in return. He said his mother instilled

The most embarrassing thing to ever happen to

me was… when I was 8; I was at Grant’s Farm with

my family. I turned around and my family was gone. I remember just sitting there crying. I was panicking and

I peed my pants.

My favorite thing to do in my free time is… hang out with friends. I’m really boring. I don’t do anything

special. We usually just drive around.

My favorite movie is… Cloud Atlas just because it’s so trippy. At the end,

you second guess life. Any movie that can do that is a good movie in my opinion.

My favorite show to binge watch on Netflix is… 30

Rock. I love Tina Fey.

Something weird about me is… my right leg is longer than my left one.

Going to KHS has taught me… to be open. I’ve made

a lot more friends than I [think] ever would have if I

hadn’t gone to KHS.

Finish the senten...

The Kirkwood Call gets to know a randomly selected student

through “Finish the Sentence.”

these values in him.“In life, God gives you the oppor-

tunity to be joyful and it is up to you to make the decisions as to what hap-pens in your life,” Thomas said. “There is nothing that should pressure you so much that you have to take it out on others. So I feel that if I can give positive energy, then maybe that will pass along to the next person.”

Katherine Hubbardfeatures writer

Bob is the builder of optimism

photo by Ellie Cassidy

Grant Trokey,junior

IN-DEPTH

26 PAGE DESIGN BY ANNA MULLENDORET K C

Shattered

“In the past, I do not think it was discussed as much as it is now like what hap-pens in the home. Homes have become more open now in conversations and people’s lives are more open.” - Dr. Michael Havener, prin-cipal

“It’s harder to talk about

one parent to the other. It’s harder to have a feeling of a full family.” -Jessie Sanford, junior

“There

are definitely a

lot more nega-

tives than positives

but the worst part

is probably having

your parents fight over

you. You feel like you

are an object rather

than an actual person

because [the situation

of divorce] is who gets

you each weekend.

You feel like you’re

just being passed

around.”

-Emily Manion,

sophomore

TKC staff explored the issue of divorce and how it impacts stu-

dents’ lives.

Anna Mullendorefeatures writer

photo by Gabi Baker

family, but I think that certainly we make it easy in society, unfortunately.”

Gaither-Ganim and Lutz agree divorce has ramifications on not only the parents, but the kids going through divorce.

“I think it largely depends on how it plays out,” Gaither-Ganim said. “Certainly no matter what, I think it’s strenuous emotionally for kids, and I think we grow up wanting and expect-ing and are conditioned to believe in the family unit. When that is altered somehow, someway, even if it’s pleasant and amiable for the most part, it’s still somewhat difficult.”

Of course, divorce occurs at dif-ferent ages and times in life, whether it is before the child is cognitively aware, during elementary school, dur-ing high school, or later in life. Mike Wade, associate principal, believes high school is the toughest time to go through a divorce.

“High school is hard enough, mak-ing decisions and needing support and feeling loved,” Wade said. “And it’s not that divorced parents don’t love their kids, but you throw that into the loop [of high school] too.”

Gaither-Ganim also said high school

T K C

Mimi Wright in-depth editor

10.29.2014 www.thekirkwoodcall.com 27

is a rough time to go through divorce, because it is a time when students are trying to find their identity and sense of self.

“It comes at a hard time because high school students are trying, want-ing, needing to be more independent to develop their own personal identity and so much of their personal identity is wo-ven into the concept of family,” Gaith-er-Ganim said. “When that concept is slightly tinkered with, it can tinker with the high schooler’s personal identity.”

KHS counselors are equipped to handle divorce and are always willing to help. The counselors often refer stu-dents to an organization called Kids in the Middle. This counseling center has therapists on hand to talk with the child and give them support. They provide individual, group and family counseling.

“All of us, all of the counselors here really try to start where the student is and try to offer them as much love, care and support as possible and allow them the opportunity to express their thoughts thoroughly,” Gaither-Ganim said. “That’s the bread and butter of counsel-ing so that’s what we do first and fore-most. But there are some agencies that

In the United States, nearly 50 per-cent of all marriages end in divorce, according to dailyinfographic.com.

TKC wanted to find out how these di-vorces are affecting students.

“I think [divorce is] more preva-lent. It’s more of a modern thing, and I think it has a lot to do with our cultural conditioning,” Tom Gaither-Ganim, counselor, said. “I’m looking at it pretty much from an American lens, but we’re cultured and conditioned to be inde-pendent, to strive for the gratification of the individual self. If it looks like a mar-riage isn’t working out well, then we are quicker to opt for removing ourselves such that we can seek that independent gratification as opposed to sticking it out and working through it.”

Amber Lutz, counselor, also be-lieves our society has affected the rate of divorce, making it a more normal occurrence.

“I think a lot of [it] can be related to [the economy] and how our world is right now,” Lutz said. “Unfortunately, I would say that has become the norm. That’s still an individual decision per

“There is less of a feeling of restraint

on the family and less tension in

the house.”

-Carson Anich, sophomore

“In the past, I do not think it was discussed as much as it is now like what hap-pens in the home. Homes have become more open now in conversations and people’s lives are more open.” - Dr. Michael Havener, prin-cipal

“It disrupts the

family structure. Kids need that even balance between both par-

ents especially right before they are leaving the home. High school is the four most important

years of your life because you’re learning how to be self-sufficient. If you’re just getting that from

one parent it’s skewed a little bit and unbalanced. God made it to where the family should be together.”

-Lorenzo Brinkley, walking counselor

“There

are definitely a

lot more nega-

tives than positives

but the worst part

is probably having

your parents fight over

you. You feel like you

are an object rather

than an actual person

because [the situation

of divorce] is who gets

you each weekend.

You feel like you’re

just being passed

around.”

-Emily Manion,

sophomore

“[The student] might see love dif-ferently from what they previously thought it was.” -Deven Delaney, sophomore

specialize in managing divorce and Kids in the Middle is one of our best resources here in town. They are very helpful and very skilled and specialized in this area.”

Lutz said as a counselor, it is her job to communicate with both parents to ensure the best learning environment for their child is provided.

“Our role or responsibility as a school is to make sure we are contact-ing both parties and both people are be-ing equally involved in that educational process,” Lutz said. “It can be hurtful or harmful when you are only communi-cating with one and not the other.”

Gaither-Ganim said there are many resources available for help and with the right help, kids are able to get through divorce.

“It just takes time to adjust to the new normal and then kids can get through it okay,” Gaither-Ganim said. “I think it’s important that they have the opportunity to talk with friends, with their support system, with counselors, so that they can be as clear headed as possible about it and not bury any of the difficult emotions that might be there.”

24 PAGE DESIGN BY ANNA MULLENDORE AND MIMI WRIGHTT K C

When I was little, we lived in a red brick house with a backyard filled with sunflowers. It sat snugly in the middle of the city on Michigan

Avenue. It had two floors and a basement, three bed-rooms upstairs and a nursery for my little sister, Mia. My mom made Christmas cookies and my dad went to work. I loved it there; in my memory it was perfect. In reality, I lived two lives, one with silly songs, stuffed animals and coloring, the other a little girl’s intuition that this could not last.

When I was 7 years old my parents separated. My mom moved us to her best friend, Corrina’s house. Her husband Clay and their daughter Elise became part of my growing family. This house, where we lived for six years, was a place of stability and comfort. I didn’t just live at my mom’s house, though. The house on Michigan Avenue was foreclosed and my dad moved us to a beige apartment on a second floor.

When I was 10 years old my parents got divorced. I had to talk to a guardian ad litem, a lawyer who was supposed to represent my sister and I, although it didn’t quite work out that way. She asked me a lot of questions I didn’t know how to answer and corrected me when I knew I was right. I ended up in a confusing custody system, spending Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at my mom’s, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at my dad’s, with alternating Saturdays. I always left things at either house and, as an already hopelessly disorganized person, this did not help.

When I was 11 years old my dad got remarried. My sister, my dad and I moved from a small apartment to

a small house, where my sister and I shared a room and we had a new dog named Whiskey to go with the old one, named Belle.

When I was 12 years old my mom got remarried. The groom, my step-dad, was Corrina’s brother, and the best friend we had lived with became my aunt. I wore flowers in my hair; the aisle was lined with paper poppies. I gave a toast at the wedding and cried because I was so happy. Then, we moved maybe 10 houses away to a house where my sister and I had our own rooms, and we baked Christmas cookies.

We changed the schedule, because life changed. My step-dad works in New Mexico and my mom trav-els to be with him when I’m at my dad’s house. Every two weeks I pack up my things and bring them to school, leaving my laptop and makeup at home so my mom can drop them off at my grandma’s house. Two more weeks go by and I’m doing the same, only this time the laptop and the makeup go in my over-stuffed backpack that pulls ominously all day.

To simplify, things were bad and now they aren’t. Although my house on Michigan was foreclosed my house on Cheviot is now home. In reality, divorce isn’t something that goes away, it’s part of who I am. When adults get divorced, they usually don’t have to share their lives anymore; that’s sort of the point. But when you have kids, it’s a family that’s being broken up, not just incompatible people. As things have begun to settle down, I’ve realized the incompatibility isn’t just between my mom and dad; that’s a reality I’ve spent a long time trying not to face.

Chloë Kingweb staff

Through her eyes

IN-DEPTH

Through her eyes

In sickness and in health, until death do us part. I do.

These are the vows two people agree to, binding them to-gether for life. Love is confessed, rings are exchanged and the cake is cut. However, in a nation where a divorce occurs every 13 seconds (dailyinforgraphics.com), it seems as though these vows are not what they used to be.

Peyton and Tristin O’Brien, sophomore twins, have first-hand experience with broken vows and the aftermath of divorce.

“They disagreed on their par-enting skills and so they fought a lot. They had a big blow out and so they separated,” Peyton said. “They

26 PAGE DESIGN BY MIMI WRIGHTT K C

IN-DEPTH

Lies I’ve told my parents

didn’t get divorced until a while after that.”

The O’Brien parents separated when the twins were 8. Then, after five years of separation, they got a divorce. The O’Brien twins agree divorce made the atmosphere a lot better for their family. Tristin believes it relieved a lot of stress and Peyton said it resolved a lot of arguments that occurred in the house. Tristin does not think it af-fected him as much as other people who have been through divorce because he saw it coming.

“I could tell it was going to happen because they were dis-agreeing on a lot of things,” Tristin said. “[I’m] not really [sad about it]. I guess most people would be, but I knew that [my dad] wasn’t going to move to a different state,

so I wasn’t that worried.”Unlike Tristin, Peyton has a

different view on the situation. Al-though Tristin would like to have his family back together again, he is okay with the current situation. However, Peyton misses how her family used to be.

“[It’s different] not having him. It’s hard. It’s weird. I don’t remem-ber a lot [from] when he was there,” Peyton said. “I do remember wak-ing up on Sundays and him always being there, and that’s something different, and just coming home to him. It’s just all different.”

Tristin said the divorce is no different from when his parents were separated. He said he was not that worried when his parents di-vorced because he knew he would still see both of his parents.

Mimi Wrightin-depth editor


Guilty Pleasures

“It’s not really a personal thing for me,” Tristin said. “A lot of peo-ple have [divorced parents], so it doesn’t really matter to me.”

During the divorce, Peyton tended to side more with her mom, and Tristin tended to side more with his dad. Peyton said this caused a few arguments be-tween her and her brother. They would argue about which parent they thought was right.

“[The worst part] is definitely not having both of your parents around and seeing your parents sad about it. That’s always hard,” Peyton said. “It also interferes with your life.”

Peyton said it is hard for her to be with friends, especially on the weekend, because she spends time with her father. Peyton said

because she sided with her mom, the divorce had an impact on her relationship with her father.

“When it first happened, I didn’t want to see my dad,” Peyton said. “I blamed it on him.”

Now, Peyton said her rela-tionship is getting better with her father. She said she wants to see him and spend more time with him now that their relationship has improved.

Tristin said he is happy with the current situation, but he be-lieves it would be better if his parents were back together and not fighting.

“If they weren’t fighting I’d be happy with [them together],” Tris-tin said. “But I like where my dad is right now, and I like where my mom is right now.”

Peyton and Tristin both think it affected everyone in their family. Tristin said his parents were both very sad about the divorce when it happened.

“I know my mom still thinks about it every once in a while,” Tristin said. “My dad does that too sometimes.”

Although both twins would rather have their parents back together, the divorce has made things a lot easier for their family.

“Our house was a lot more peaceful. It helped them,” Peyton said. “They’re okay now, and they are friends. It just resolved how our family works. It isn’t as chaotic and messy.”

Through Their eyes

28 PAGE DESIGN BY EMMA TESONT K C

The Kirkwood Collection:

A LT E R N AT I V EPREPPY

H I P S T E R KHS PRIDE

PREPPYA LT E R N AT I V E

The Hottest trends at khs

ART SPREAD


D R E S S Y

COMMON GIRL

COMFORTABLE

A T H L E T I C

art by Tierney Grisolano Jasper Kipp Mikki Phillippe Bianca Roper Lizzy Tatlow Perry Tatlow Emma Teson

T K C

ENTERTAINMENT

TKC: Why did you start tak-ing pictures? “My mom is really into art and photography so I just started messing around with her camera.”

What’s your favorite picture you have ever taken? “There’s a lot, but my favorite is the one of Emily Smotkin where I had nail polish all over her face, and it’s re-ally cool because it’s from her forehead. I don’t think you see very many pictures from that angle.”

ARTISTS IN THE WOOD

TKC: Why did you start drawing? “I’ve been drawing pretty much since I could use a pen-cil. I don’t really know why.”

What is your favorite draw-ing that you’ve done? “I drew this picture of Clint Eastwood, it’s my favorite be-cause it surprised me on how well it turned out and he’s one of my heroes.”

What do you think makes a good artist ?“Just being able to see things

Luke Perry,Senior

PAGE DESIGN BY GABI AKRAP30 www.thekirkwoodcall.com 10.29.2014

Miranda Ahearn,Junior What do you think makes a good photographer?“I don’t think anyone could be a bad photographer because there’s so many styles. It’s just doing what makes you happy.”

Favorite place to take pic-tures? “Anywhere outside.”

Any advice for new photogra-phers? “If it makes you happy just do it. Don’t be afraid of the outcome, because I think too many people worry about others’ opinions.”

that other people don’t catch. Seeing different shapes and shades that other people donot see.”

Favorite places to draw? “Nature.”

Advice for new artists? “Just stick with it. I’ve seen a lot of people get frustrated with their stuff right away and it takes a lot of practice. You’re not go-ing to be really good the first time you try so don’t get angry at yourself.”

Gabi Akrap features writer

photos by Ellie Cassidy


ENTERTAINMENT

Good Eats

McArthur’s Bakery

Great Harvest

An entry on the ongoing quest to find good food In Kirkwood

PAGE DESIGN BY BRADLEY FARGO AND HOLDEN FOREMAN

Caramel Apple Stollen $8.99

X-treme Cinnamon Swirl Bread $6.95

:

Cinnamon Donut $1.07

Pumpkin Scone $2.30

PAGE DESIGN BY TARA HAWKINST K C

ENTERTAINMENT

32 www.thekirkwoodcall.com 10.29.2014

Pionear: Music reviews

I was a die-hard Taylor Swift fan. I attended three of her concerts and have an autograph from the first time

I saw her circa 2009 (will sell for the right price). She wrote popular, catchy songs and had nice hair. As a 12-year- old, that about sums up the depth of my music appreciation.

Don’t get me wrong. The girl can write one hell of a break up song. Her lyrics are typically honest and clever and her music relates well to the tween and teen populations. I admire her class as well as her ability to top the music charts within minutes of each song's release.

On Tuesday, Oct. 14 Swift released the second single “Out Of The Woods” off of her upcoming album 1989. The first song off of the album, “Shake It Off,” spent two weeks at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 list. 1989 is Swift’s fifth studio-released album and will be available on iTunes in its en-tirety Oct. 27.

“Shake It Off” is Swift’s bubbly, up-beat response to her “haters.” The song has a bouncy drum beat and a driving trumpet sound. It’s a memorable radio tune that replays in my head hours after hearing it. I am not a fan of the so-called “rap” near the end of the song, but over-all the musical aspect of the song leaves little to complain about.

The lyrics of the song lack a deeper meaning. She addresses the haters, fak-ers and players who criticize her in the single saying she’s “just gonna shake it off.” But, “Haters gonna hate hate hate hate hate” isn’t enough to make me ap-preciate the cunning and original lyrics she is capable of. Exemplified in “Dear John” and “All Too Well,” she certainly has a way with words, but the lyrics of “Shake It Off” do not represent her best work.

When I first heard the second single “Out Of The Woods” I thought some-thing was wrong with my computer’s speaker. The song starts with a repeti-tive synthesizer beat resembling an ‘80s, Madonna-sound different from

Swift’s usual style. The more I listened to the song the more it grew on me, but at first the synthesizer introduction made me cringe. As the song goes on, a slow but steady beat pushes the song making it another catchy Taylor Swift tune. But the music behind the song is nothing spectacular and could have used more diversity.

The lyrics are decent, nothing re-markable but an improvement com-pared to “Shake It Off.” The song supposedly follows the story of Swift’s relationship with One Direction’s Harry Styles.

“Every day was a struggle. Forget making plans for life we were just trying to make it to next week,” Swift said in a cover story in the September issue of Rolling Stone.

The verses are the song’s strength, my favorite line being “the rest of the world was in black and white, but we were in screaming color,” an artful ex-ample of the expressive writing her mu-sic usually entails.

What ruined it for me was the lyr-

Tara Hawkinsprint editor~opinion~

ics that follow. She asks “Are we out of the woods yet?” four times followed by “Are we in the clear yet?” four more times and that is the chorus. Her music is a lot of repetition and honesty, I’ve lost interest.

With the first two songs released, my expectations for 1989 are second-rate. Swift has outstanding potential and has previously delivered to her fans, but if the creative spark has fad-ed, it may be time for her to retire her music career.

Taylor Swift: 1989

Jonah Wrightnews writer~opinion~

Danish singer-songwriter Maggie Bjorklund first displayed her in-strumental prowess as a pedal steel

guitarist in alternative rock legend Jack White’s entirely female backing band, the Peacocks.

Although Bjorklund has yet to tap into the mainstream, her unique journey from an obsolete musician in Scandina-via to two successful solo album releases makes her stand out from the majority of artists. As of her first solo album re-lease, Coming Home, in 2011, Bjorklund has proven she can hold her own in the heavily cliched but newly revived genre of alternative south western folk rock. Bjorklund’s newest album, Shaken, released Oct. 14 via Bloodshot Records somberly reflects on the life and death

of her ill mother, who passed away re-cently. Featuring unique lyrics about her mother’s death and a wide variety of tracks ranging from the uptempo mel-ancholy of “Bottom of the Well” to the simple yet mysterious vocal harmoniz-ing in “Fro Fro Heart,” Shaken presents a refreshing difference from artists such as Mark Lanegan (Bjorklund’s former collaborator), whose repetitive, art-house-soundtrack-like songs wear out the rock and country vibes that define south western folk.

However, after listening to five of the 12 featured tracks, I found it increas-ingly more difficult to endure frequent nasally outbreaks in Bjorklund’s vocals. This originally added to the spookily-faded quality of her music but quickly turned into a series of annoying non-uniform outbreaks in her songs. A lack of instrumental diversity also became

apparent, proving even an artist with the instrumental knowhow of Bjorklund can fall into the pit of reused, cliché sound, a characteristic of the majority of categories which fall under the wide genre of “alternative.”

Bjorklund’s incorporation of in-fluential contemporary and classical musicians separates her album, Shak-en, from other south western folk rock albums.

She features cello, upright bass, guitar and Kurt Wagner as a guest vo-calist. Wagner serves as a perfect male counterpart to Bjorklund, both having unique and intriguing vocal contribu-tions and complementing the faded pedal steel guitar with a shaky and mysterious sound.

Bjorklund’s Scandinavian heritage enables her to create unique sound com-pared to her American competition, all of

whom seem to be trapped in a downward spiral of unoriginal music. The elite group of musicians present in Shaken work with her seamlessly and effectively to create one of the most diverse collections of music in southwestern folk rock today.

Maggie Bjorklund: Shaken

art by Mikki Philippe

PAGE DESIGN BY ETHAN COST 10.29.2014 www.thekirkwoodcall.com 33T K C

SPORTS

No matter what the results of vari-ous studies and surveys show, the debate of what the favorite sport is

in the U.S. has been ongoing for quite some time.

Is it football -- a sport with fast-paced, hard-hitting play that attracts hundreds of millions of viewers? Is it baseball -- “America’s Pastime” and in places like St. Louis may feel to some like the only sport in their city? Or could it be a sport like soccer that has recently begun gaining hoards of young fans due to its growing popularity across the nation?

Football leads the pack at KHS by a small margin, but it is the runaway favorite in America, with top marks in revenue ($9.5 billion annually), popu-larity (35% of votes) and viewers (47 of the top 50 most-watched sporting events). But things start to get interest-ing when you look at the favorite sports across the globe.

According to gamedayr.com, the English Premier soccer league carries the team with the highest revenue in the world, Manchester United, garner-ing nearly $600 million per year. But

in terms of annual revenue for an entire league, the NFL is in front at $9.5 bil-lion, followed by the MLB ($7 billion) and the NBA ($4 billion).

Popularity-wise, soccer is also the undisputed #1 overall most popular sport in the world, according to most-popularsports.net, with basketball at number two and baseball also inside the top five. The NFL is once again at the top in America though (35 percent of votes according to the Harris Poll), and it has been for 30 straight years. The next most popular is the MLB, and after college football comes auto racing, the NBA and the NHL.

With popularity comes viewers, and the amount of viewers per sport in the U.S. does follow suit with popularity. According to an analysis done by Busi-ness Insider on an article over the 50 most-watched sporting events of 2013, 46 of 50 (92%) were NFL Football games (Super Bowl XLVII topped the list with 108.7 million viewers), and 35 of those were in the regular season.

The most-viewed non-NFL game was still a football game; the college football BCS Championship. The games

from non-football sports in the top 50 included games six and seven of the NBA Finals and the Final Four game between Louisville and Michigan, all three being basketball games.

The sport of baseball did not pro-duce a game in the top 50, with its highest-rated game coming in at 19.2 million viewers (game six of the World Series), and the highest amount of view-ers a soccer game got in the U.S. was around 7 million. A contributing factor to the low amount of viewers for soc-cer may be due to how long it has taken the sport to make a large impact on the entire nation.

But there are a plethora of sports that have made an impact in America and also at KHS. 18.5% (52/281) of students had a favorite sport that did not get mentioned in this article at all.

So even though someone may visit another country and be smothered by the resident love for the game of fút-bol, or be in the midst of the hoards of screaming football fans at Lyons Field on Friday nights, they shouldn’t forget there are other sports out there, and their favorite is just one of many.

Stats Support Students’ Favorite SportEthan Costsports writer

photo illustation by Daniel Paese

Baseball - 21.4% (60/281)

Other - 25.6% (72/281)

Basketball - 11.0% (31/281)

Soccer - 19.6% (55/281)

Football - 22.4% (63/281)

Favorite Sport: BaseballReason: “You don’t have to

run a lot.”-Nick Williams, freshman

Favorite Sport: FootballReason: “You get to hit people.”-Gavin DeBoor, sophomore

Favorite Sport: Ultimate Frisbee

Reason: “Just more fun than any sport I’ve ever played.”

-Mike Boyle, senior

Favorite Sport: BasketballReason: “I’m from Tennes-

see... And my girls play.”-Romona Miller, senior

principal

T K C

SPORTS

PAGE DESIGN BY REESE ANDERSON34 www.thekirkwoodcall.com 10.29.2014

Reese Andersonsports editor~Reese’s Pieces~

photo by Adaline Brayphoto by Andrew Conroy


The sun peeks out from behind the clouds on a crisp autumn afternoon in Kirkwood, Mis-souri. Leaves have just begun to change, lining

the streets with a beautiful array of oranges and yellows. The city of about 28,000 breathes energy and life; cars whizz past KHS now and then, and the occasional pedestrian strolls along. Among the many things taking place, not many people think to stop by a girls’ softball game, but the hundred or so that do may never forget it.

During the 5th inning in a 16-run Pioneer pounding of Gateway STEM, magic happens. The box score shows five hits in the Pioneers’ fa-vor, but one of those hits means much more to Karley Branch and her family than a figure in the “H” column.

In April 2013, Karley was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma. A tumor had been found in her back, pushing against her spinal cord. Luckily, the sarcoma was treatable. With surgery and che-motherapy, the tumor, along with one of Karley’s back ribs, was removed. But when she got out of surgery, doctors concluded she would never walk again.

Without any feeling from the waist down, she was given no choice but life in a wheelchair, life without activity, without softball. The news was a shock for the Branch family, to whom softball had been an integral part of life since Karley and her older sister Hanna were young. Despite any medical evidence, Karley refused to believe this fate could be true.

See, Karley Branch has a heart slightly larger than the Gateway Arch. Imagine a girl who can make you smile by just talking, a girl who is a friend to everyone. Someone with a calm demean-or who never gets too upset. Someone who always looks for an upside. Imagine this, and you have Karley Branch.

“I never really thought that I wouldn’t play again,” Branch said. “It was always a goal for me, something for me to look forward to when I was down. It was something I just knew [would happen].”

And it did. Since April 2013, Karley has been going to

rehabilitation and physical therapy at numerous locations, including St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital. This grueling recovery led to standing, walking, run-ning, and eventually she made her way onto the field again.

According to Amy Leatherberry, head softball coach, when Karley made an appearance at sum-mer softball workouts for the first time in over a year, the coach’s jaw fell to the dirt.

“We weren’t aware that she would be ready to come back, so that was a really great surprise,” Leatherberry said. “Originally, we all thought ‘She can practice, she can be with the girls; that’s good and healthy for her, but as the season pro-gressed and she’s gotten to practice, I thought she was ready.”

She had not donned a KHS uniform in over a year, but Karley finally made her return to the game Oct. 8, 2014. Not many people, including Karley, expected her to make the long walk from the dug-out to the batter’s box that afternoon. But as she did, her parents, Troy and Stacey Branch, could not help but think about how far she’d come to be able to make that trek.

“I never thought I’d see her step into the batter’s box again,” Stacey said. “She’s so positive, you just want everything to fall on her side for once.”

And after countless treatments, surgeries, ther-apy sessions, tears, smiles, practices, one ball and one strike, Karley got a hit. Standing on first base, there was not a dry eye in the house. Those in at-tendance could not help but break their wrists clap-ping for a girl who had not only defied science, but human nature.

“It gives you a lot of perspective on life,” Leath-erberry said. “Sports aren’t always about winning and losing. Getting to watch her do that might be the most important thing we all did this fall.”

Feel like you could use a little dose of perspec-tive? Get yourself to a KHS softball game. You’ll be amazed at what a positive attitude can do.

“I never thought

I’d see her step into the batter’s

box again.”

-Stacey branch

Karley ReturnS to the game

36 T K C

SPORTS

PAGE DESIGN BY SAM BALMER

photo by Ellen Hutti

WHOHaley Thogmartin, senior pitcher and first baseman

WHereUnion High School in Union, MO

WHenOct. 15

WHatClass 4 District 3 final vs. Parkway South

After a 16-0 victory over Gateway STEM and a 2-0 win over Web-ster behind 11 K’s from Thogmartin, the 17-8-1 Pioneers advanced to the final vs. Parkway South. Despite scoring three runs in the sixth inning, KHS fell short, losing 6-3. Thogmartin’s 0.97 ERA in the regular season ranked fourth best in Missouri, with her strikeout totals among the top 20 for qualified hurlers (minimum 46.3 innings pitched).

T K CPAGE DESIGN BY SAM BALMER

10.29.2014 www.thekirkwoodcall.com 37

Open: 6 a.m. - 2 p.m. every day

Phone: (314) 821-2061223 South Kirkwood Road

Kirkwood, MO63122

• SAVE THE DATE •

• PROCEEDS GO TO CLASS OF 2016 GRAD PARTY •

KHS TRIVIA NIGHT

& SILENT AUCTION

SAT. FEB 21

HOLLEY ASSEMBLY HALL

Sign up now at khstrivia.org

• PROCEEDS GO TO CLASS OF 2016 GRAD PARTY •

(314) 222-3938

11861 WestlineWestlineW Industrial Dr.,Dr.,Dr Suite 300AMaryland Heights, MO 63146

“GO - DRIVE WIN!”-coachharder.com

Whether your teen has never beenbehine the wheel or is looking to brushup on basics ahead of their DMV drivingtest, Coach Harder can help. We offera range of classes and instructionoptions designed to meet any need.

Includes 5 Hours of one-on-one Driving lessons and 5 Hours of classroom instruction

Driving lessons & Classroom sessions availabe all year round.

GIVE US ONE WEEK!

Many insurance compaines offer DISCOUNTED RATES for young drivers that have completed a drivers education course! In most cases, our $399 week long training package will pay for itself.

Search E-Bay Using 3 Letters IHH + Item

For Ice Hot Hockey Deals

Friends of CallEditor ($50)

Jane EagonCaroline BradfieldJa’net DanielsMike & Lisa LinChris & Lori RosemanCathy MeeksMark & Teresa McNailLiz KilbyJanna Pearman JacobsThe Kierstedd FamilyMary GlennRebecca ShulklapperMike & Beth HuckThe Epling FamilyThe Orelup FamilyJoanne ApplebyJohn KleissKay KleissKaren & Charles MitchellBarry & Norma DinsomeThe Randazzo FamilyLynn JohnsonHope JohnsonJill GuilfoyJudy Owens

Michael & Donna CampbellJanet StailoffHeidi and Ken FordDon and Pat CusumanoKathy WaldemerJan LanierThe Acker FamilyThe Chiles FamilyThe McNail FamilyJean and Jean WaldemerDan and Stacey WoodruffCarolyn WoodruffPeggy StrebThe Akrap FamilyThe Drury FamilyThe Carpenter FamilyRobin GraceThe Teson FamilyThe Murphy FamilyPatrick and Nancy JonesSandy and Tom CoxLisa WilhelmsLibby HerwigBill & Mary DoyleRobin & Craig Caringer

THIS MONTH ON thekirkwoodcall.com

Samantha Hemer, junior“I like to draw and play guitar. [Drawing] comes easily to me and I can express myself through it. I do mostly realism, so whatever I see. [Guitar] is also a form of expression and I have always been into music since I was little. I like every-thing, from Motown, disco, to rock and alternative.”

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

VIDEO :What’s in my hand?

Annie Murphy, features writer, and Katie Wood-ruff, news writer, con-ducted a social experiment where they asked their participants to close their eyes, hold unknown food and identify the food. Ev-eryone correctly guessed the food with the help of hints.

Blog: Appy appy appy

Web Exclusive: weird traditions of khs march-ing band

Every few weeks, Daniel Stobbe reviews and compares apps students can get on their iPads or phones. Recently featured were Wunderlist, Wolfram Alpha, Ever-note and Notability.

Emma McNail, features writer, explored the band’s pre-halftime rituals and how they affect the band’s performances. The mellophone and saxophone sections’ chants were described.

fall fashions of KHsKatherine Hubbard, features writer, and Sierra Acker, opinions writer, detailed the different clothing items, brands and styles popular at KHS this fall, including flannels, Uggs, riding boots, yoga pants and Patagonia.

Hairway to heaven Pt. twoSam Balmer continued to find the cool-est hair to walk the halls of KHS.

“I think I bring a lot of consistency and hard work and commitment that a lot of people look up to.” - Vivian Kutheis, sophomore

“My favorite part of cross country is the feeling you get after a meet or a really hard practice. It makes you feel successful.” - Owen Kath-riner, freshman

Voices of Kirkwoodphoto by Emily Chiles photo by Lucy Waldemer

photo by Lucy Waldemer

the g i r l s behind the hijabsnow.dirxion.com/kirkwood_call/library/kirkwood_call_10... · 2014....

Documents