The World“...words and ideas can change the world.”-Robin WilliamsVolume LXXXVII, Issue 2 September 16, 2014

BURROUGHS

Tue. 9/16 8th grade Community Ser-

vice begins

Wed.. 9/17 Student Activities Fair

Sun. 9/21Challenger Baseball

Thurs. 9/25No School-Rosh Hoshana

Fri. 9/26 Blue & Gold Picnic, Pep

Rally, and Bonfire

Sun. 9/287th Grade Dreyland begins

WORLD

Tues. 9/2American journalist Stan Sotloff beheaded by ISIS

Thurs. 9/4Comedian Joan Rivers

passes away

Sun. 9/7Serena Williams wins US

Open

Mon. 9/8Ukrainian POWs released

under Minsk Treaty

AT A GLANCELetter to the student body I encourage you all to do two things this year: perform a few trust falls and have some simple fun. The trust falls I talked about at length in my opening speech are a fairly self explanatory goal. Step out of your comfort zone, take some risks, and rely on the supportiveness of the Burroughs community. This can be done in a variety of different ways. You can make a sound off on a subject about which you are very pas-sionate, perform something in assembly showcasing a talent you have, or start a club that you are really interested in creating. Doing these things not only motivates you to par-ticipate more in the commu-nity, it also draws the school closer together. Performing a metaphorical trust fall is the more challenging of the two goals, but one I really encour-age you all to do. The second goal is a little more lighthearted -- have some simple fun. Looking back on my past five years at Burroughs, I don’t remember all of the information that I was taught or all the grades I received. What I do remem-ber are all the fun school events: the MICDS dress up days, the pep-rallies, and the dance marathons. Even the small impromptu events are some of my fondest memories, such as when John Stillman, the student body presi-

dent when I was in 7th grade, got the whole school to show up to a random C-football game. These things were the highlights of my past five years here. I coined the term “simple fun” to de-scribe all of these activities. So one of my goals as Student Body President is

to organize as many simple fun events as possible this year. With this in mind, I have cre-

ated a Simple Fun Committee, (SFC), comprised of a group of seniors: Jack Molho, Liam Meier, Michael Peters, MJ Strawbridge, Sachit Baht, Sarah Talyor, Julia Mehl, Sandy Chesterton, Addison Ogonoski and myself. The first event we planned was the USA dress up

day. This day was a success thanks to all of you who dressed up in red, white, and blue. I want to especially thank all the middle school-ers who dressed up because usually the 7th and 8th grad-ers lack the courage to dress up and your classes proved that wrong. The SFC also has a lot of fun ideas for the future. The next one we are considering, in partnership with Congress, is a movie night in the quad. We would have the whole school bring blankets, sleeping bags and chairs, set up a projector and a screen, and just have the whole school chill in the quad. Other ideas we have in mind are a Western/Country dress up day, an all school game of capture the flag, and a day where we decorate the commons for the holidays. We are always open for good ideas so if you have any sug-gestions for events, please contact one of the people on

the committee. So if you perform some trust falls, and participate in as

many simple fun activities as possible, and we can collectively make this year awesome.

JIMMY LEMKEMEIERStudent Body President

SINCE 1928

Inside this issue:

First person ac-counts of racial prejudice in St. Louis, p. 7

Inform yourself on Depression, p. 10

Meet the new Bombers! p. 2 & 3

Does media ac-tivism actually work? p. 11

Backpage...p?

NEWMAN

Kevin Chen docu-ments “American identity” in photo project

When I found out that I was going to be leaving New Jersey, the only place I had ever lived, to be tossed into the middle of the country, I was terri-fied. I definitely shared in the misconceptions of the Midwest, thinking that I would be among a bunch of hicks who had never seen the ocean. However, when I came for the first time to look at schools, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Missourians are a lot like Jersey kids. So, I went through the school-searching process with a little less dread, and decided that Burroughs was the only school that felt right. And that is how I ended up on the JBS field hockey field just a few weeks ago, feeling a little nauseated and very nervous. I’m not going to lie, the first week was a little rough. It wasn’t because the girls weren’t nice or welcoming; they were great! I was just totally caught up in missing home. Eventually though, I learned everyone’s name and began to make friends. Now, I am so excited to get to play alongside awesome ladies. The first day of school was even more nerve- wracking than the first day of preseason, but the friends I had made both at field hockey and beyond the team gave me more confidence. On the other side of that first week, I can now say that I’m feel-

ing all right with this whole Missouri thing. These past couple of weeks have proved that I am actually capable of occasionally being slightly socially competent enough to make friends, and the friends that I have made are nice, funny, and absolutely amazing. Clubs have now begun meeting, and that is another way that I plan on becoming involved and meeting people. From The World, to GEO, to Animal Allies, and the nu-merous other clubs I have yet to even hear of, Burroughs offers a wide array of clubs that support various missions that I am excited to get behind. This, too, will be a great way to acquaint myself to the warm and friendly students of Burroughs. I know that becoming fully comfortable here in St Louis and at Burroughs is going to be a process, but I’ve had a great start. And once I finally do warm up completely to my new peers, I think this is a place that I can truly be happy (I’ll just have to figure out how to overlook the fact that I’m way too far from the ocean). So thank you for being so kind and welcoming, JBS community, and I can’t wait to get to know you all better!

2 community The WorldTuesday, September 16, 2014

the world:Editors-in-Chief Faraz Ahmad Sarah Taylor Emily Zhao

Layout Editor Jasnaam Grewal Jessie Li (asst.)

Features Editors Sydney Tischler Jessica Ryan (asst.)

News Editors Joshua Kazdan Samuel Oh (asst.)

Opinions Editor Olivia Long

Sports Editors Safi Ahmad Alison Gill (asst.)

Backpage Editors Liam Meier Jeremy Smith (asst.) Darcy Shulman (asst.)

Webmaster Whitney Gartenberg

Photographers Kevin Chen Gracie Nieberle Lauren Seibel

Artists Emily Koykka Tara Suresh Harrison Macon

Not in Jersey

MADISON SWANSONWorld Contributor

Too ni-cool for you Nicole Zeit traveled from her hometown of Bethle-hem, located 5 minutes from Jerusalem, to St. Louis late this summer. She loves vol-leyball, swimming, Nicholas Sparks books, and movies.

A big fan of FC Barcelona and especially Lionel Messi, she is also looking forward to playing soccer on the Burroughs team this spring. Her favorite food is an Arabic dish called Musakhan, pita with onions and chicken, but she has yet to discover an American favorite. Although a good student at her previous school, Nicole was not prepared for the Burroughs workload. English is her second of three languages, after Arabic and before French. Although reading in English has proven more stressful than expected because Arabic is read from right to left, she loves Math and Physics. Her decision to travel to St. Louis was influenced greatly by the connection she felt to her family, the Rubens, including Kyra (’19). Nicole initially felt nervous about spending a year in America due to the fact that next year, she has to take a huge test that determines where she goes to college, much like the ACT or SAT in the US. However, she is looking forward to gaining independence that she would have never gotten if she had stayed at home. She says, “I am really attached to my family, but I thought maybe (being an exchange student) will help me find myself more than I would in my own country and help me decide what I want in life.”

Just as Nicole looks forward to embracing, understanding, and learning from the lives of a Burroughs student, we can also learn embrace and learn from Nicole. Living so close to the conflict in the West Bank and only a short drive and a checkpoint away from Jerusalem, Nicole has a perspective on the conflict between Palestine and Israel that cannot be understood through American news coverage. She describes a military settlement established near her house, saying, “(it) has made things more dangerous. We can’t walk places anymore and must always drive. Land is being divided, too. These times make me and my family very nervous.” I encourage you all to take a little time after class, during a free, or at a school event to reach out to her. You will im-mediately understand the warmth and affability she brings to our community.

SYDNEY TISCHLER and JESSICA RYANFeatures Editor and As-sistant Features Editor

GARTENBERG

Foreign exchange student Nicole Zeit

An older student’s transition to Burroughs

AHMAD

“‘I am really attached to my family, but I thought maybe [being an exchange stu-dent] will help me find myself more than I would in my own country, and help me decide what I want in life.’”

community The WorldTuesday, September 16, 2014 3

SYDNEY TISCHLERFeatures Editor

New Teachers

Returning to the English department after the ar-rival of her baby twins, Anita Hagerman brings an impressive list of credentials in music, theatre, and English. She holds bachelor’s degrees in History, with a minor in Classics, and Music Performance from Ball State University as well as a master’s de-gree from UChicago and a doctorate from WashU. Dr. Hagerman has taught courses in writing, litera-ture, and linguistics at Missouri State University, WashU, Webster University, and the Webster Con-servatory of Dramatic Arts. Additionally, she has played the double bass in several regional orchestras and chamber groups, published articles in many academic journals, and worked in various roles for theatre productions at WashU.

You may know him as the superhero who’s re-cently joined the theater

department or the new teacher who was in Pitch Perfect, but Mr. Battles is way more than that. After living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana for four years, Mr. Battles moved to St. Louis with his four-year-old son Quincy and his wife Joanna last year. Immediately before coming to Burroughs, he was the Education Coordinator for the Shakespeare Festival St. Louis, and this year he is most looking forward to directing the musical, Little Shop of Horrors, in the winter. Mr. Battles loves playing sports and being outside. He firmly believes that, if he were to put some effort into it, he could be a country music star.

As soon as you meet Ms. Layton, her care and com-passion for teaching and her students is apparent. A Burroughs graduate, Ms. Layton went on to major in Literature at Brown University. After living in Chi-cago, she earned her Masters in Education at Web-ster University and taught at Priory. She’s thrilled to be back at Burroughs and to see the changes in this “diverse and robust environment.” This summer, Ms. Layton hiked around Colorado with her fiancé, Joe, and she enjoys watching movies in her free time. If you see her in the halls, ask her to do her dove call for you; it will not disappoint.

As a new algebra teacher, Nichole Whiteford brings

a versatile skill set to the math department. After obtaining her master’s degree in mathematics from Truman State University, Ms. Whiteford went into software programming and development at The Boeing Company, where she worked for eight years. This year will mark the first in a formal teaching position for Ms. Whiteford, and she is very excited about being able to share math with her students. Aside from teaching, Ms. Whiteford has been training to run the New York City Mara-thon in November, and she also loves to scuba dive and play volleyball.

Ishiaka Mansaray joins Burroughs this year as a member of the math department, a soccer coach, and a robotics club sponsor is. Born and raised in Sierra Leone, Mr. Mansaray went on to attend an interna-tional boarding school in Norway, which led to him attending Macalester College in the US. Mr. Man-saray holds a master’s degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania, and has taught physics at St. Paul’s, a boarding school in New Hampshire. At JBS, Mr. Mansaray is eager to get to know and work with his students. When not teaching, he enjoys play-ing pick-up soccer and practicing martial arts.

Though Mrs. Bledsoe is a new teacher, she is familiar to the school because she is a current and former Burroughs parent. Before this year, she taught Quantitative Reasoning at City Academy and privately tutored math students. Outside of school, Mrs. Bledsoe enjoys playing tennis with her family, and if you asked her husband or her kids, they would tell you that she does math as a hobby. This year, she looks forward to joining the ranks of Burroughs teachers who have been so good to her sons and she hopes to enrich the lives of all of her students.

Nicole Whiteford Ishiaka Mansaray Anita Hagerman

Drew Battles Samantha Bledsoe Megan Layton

JESSIE LIAssistant Layout Editor

This past summer, Burroughs’ very own John Pierson di-

rected the debut of “Coffee House, Greenwich Village” at the LaBute New Theater Festival at the Gaslight Theater. When he saw that the show needed an adolescent girl for one of the roles, one person came to mind: Caroline Adams. She was cast as Mara, a self-conscious woman being treated for a gunshot wound at the same hospital the protagonist has been forced to stay in. This character demanded an actress who was able to express many different emotions, and Adams exceeded this expecta-tion. Her oustanding ability comes from years of practice. Acting was never on Adams’ radar until the summer after her first grade, when she was persuaded by family friends to try the art form. She did a small community theater play, and loved the experience. After that, she built up an impressive resume with an array of differ-ent roles, including Jesse in “‘Night Mother”, Carol in “Black Comedy” and Kayla in “Re-

lease Point”. She says “My favorite thing about acting is that it’s like dress up but you get to try on different personalities instead of clothes.” When asked about the rehearsals for “Cof-fee House”, she said it was pretty typical to any other play she’s done. She was fascinated seeing what it was like to work with people who perform as a job. She was especially im-pressed by the amount of talent each actor had and how nice and inclusive they were towards her. When Pierson was asked about what it was like to work with Adams, he said that she always came to rehearsals prepared. “She was a pro. I was the director and she was the actor, and it just so happened that we knew each other.” In addition to this production, the two also worked together at the Hot City Theater Company in 2012. Adams says that as long as she still loves acting, she’ll continue to pursue it. She hopes to perform in college and somehow make it a permanent part of her life.

4 community The WorldTuesday, September 16, 2014

Burroughs actress takes on the professional stage

FARAZ AHMADEditor-in-Chief

Arch City Theater Troupe, the nicest kids in town!

Over the weekend of August 8-10, more than 1,200 people poured into Haerrter Hall to watch the Arch City Theater Troupe (ACTT) perform its 10th annual musical revue, “Raise You Up.” ACTT is a non-profit organization that encour-ages students with a passion for musical theater to utilize their talents to become involved in community service. All proceeds from ACTT shows are donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Re-search Foundation. ACTT was founded in 2005 by JBS alumna, Helen Rapp, after her brother, Turner, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Helen grew ACTT’s cast from its original 13

students to over 40 dedicated student perform-ers. After graduating from Burroughs, Helen passed the ACTT leadership to fellow bomber, Sally Lemkemeier, who directed the show from 2011-2013.Since its inception, ACTT has produced a musi-cal revue each year that features children ages 8-18 from over 20 schools in St. Louis. Without any assistance from adults, these children and teens direct, choreograph, organize, perform, and produce a spectacular musical theater show by intensely rehearsing for two weeks. Al-though admission is free, ACTT receives dona-tions through a bake sale, raffle, and silent auc-tion. To date, ACTT has raised over $225,000 for JDRF.

Burroughs students have been an active part of ACTT’s success over the last ten years. This year’s show, “Raise You Up,” featured songs from Frozen, Singin’ in the Rain, Wicked, Hairspray, and Mama Mia. This year’s JBS performers included Elijah Brown, Caroline Adams, Maddie Ruwitch, Jessica Goldberg, Isabella Koster, and Lily Orchard. The techni-cal crew and musicians also featured many Burroughs students and alums including Sam Mulcahy, Madeleine Johnson, Andrew Gelf-man, Schroedter Kinman, Grant Riew, Julia Riew, and Selena Lee. To audition for the 2015 show, whuch will take place at Burroughs again next August, visit archcitytheatertroupe.org.

JESSICA GOLDBERGWorld Contributor

CHEN

Burroughs students vital to annual junior diabetes fundraiser

AHMAD

Caroline Adams’ debut in LaBute Theater Festival

A mere three years after U.S troops

pulled out of Iraq, a wave of violence perpetrated by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) threat-ens to destabilize the region once again. The rogue Islamic sect of Al-Qaeda, officially dubbed by the United States and the U.N as a terrorist nation, has captured enormous amounts of territory across both war-torn Syria and Iraq, effectively erasing the border between the two countries. The instabil-ity in both countries due to the bloody civil war in Syria and the ineffectiveness of the Iraqi government made the invasion much easier. This is not comforting to the thousands of civilians living within ISIS controlled territories and are being killed and tortured because of their dif-fering religious beliefs. Many people and students back in the U.S are worried that the increase of these “Brushfire” wars and confrontations such as the one in Ukraine will drag the United States into another protracted and costly conflict. In response to the brutal beheading of several foreign journalists and plight of the Iraqi

Peshmerga minority, the U.S Air Force has been deployed to aid Iraq. With these more recent and deadlier attacks killing foreigners and locals alike, an overwhelming 63 percent of Americans back military

strikes against ISIS, with only 16 openly against it. Great Britain has now labeled ISIS as the num-ber 1 threat to its national security and even

al-Qaeda has denounced the former affiliate for be-ing too “brutal and hard-line in its applications of ji-had”. Firefights and massacres still rend apart cities in Iraq and Syria today, displacing the livelihoods of thousands of people. The U.S and U.N adminis-

trations have reached a fork in the road, and the train for assisting the Middle East against this

new terror militia is quickly leaving the station.

As President Obama noted, he “would aid the overall effort and demonstrate to the world that the United States is united in defeat-

ing the threat from ISIL.” Obama’s spokesperson also

added that the White House is willing “to go wherever is necessary to strike those who are threatening Americans.” The White House is definitely aware of the ISIS problem and they are planning on doing all

they can to address the issue.

“This is our Ukrainian land. We will never

give it to anyone!” declared Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in the Eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, amidst a ceasefire with pro-Russian rebels. Initially experiencing a drawn-out defeat, the rebels have experienced recent victories against Kiev’s forces. Western powers and Ukraine accused Russia of supporting the rebels especially when Russian military personnel and artillery were caught crossing the border. Russia has fervently denied all these claims, despite a significant number, ranging from 15 to 80 percent, of the rebels being Rus-sian citizens. Satellite imagery as well as videos of

captured Russian soldiers has confirmed Russian involvement, yet President Putin maintains that all the soldiers there either crossed the border unbe-knownst to the Russian government or are off duty and on vacation. NATO powers have called for a new round of sanctions against Russia, who is already undergoing a medium-sized economic recession as a result of strict sanctions imposed on them because of the un-lawful Crimean annexation earlier in March. Prime Minister Medvedev recently stated that he would restrict access of Russia’s airspace and would target any flights as a threat to Western nations following NATO’s new sanctions. According to the United Nations, over 3,000

people have died so far from the conflict since violent unrest in March. Despite the recent escala-tions in the area, Poroshenko is hopeful of a peace-ful solution to the crisis, especially after the rebels exchanged 1,200 Ukrainian soldiers with the gov-ernment. However, rebel leaders still demand to be given a new legal status and have maintained a firm control over the city of Donetsk. Recent protocol signed by the Ukrainian legislature and separatist leaders seem to head towards an agreement that will grant the eastern districts greater autonomy and will hopefully lead to peace.

news The WorldTuesday, September 16, 2014

Russian ukrainin’ neck over western border

JASNAAM GREWALLayout Editor

5 ISIS crisis

SAMUEL OHAssistant News Editor

Tentative peace: ceasefire reached between Israel and Hamas

JASNAAM GREWALLayout Editor

The most recent con-flict between Israel and

Palestine, Operation Protective Edge, ended on Au-gust 26 in a war torn and smoke-filled Gaza Strip. The leadership of the Hamas party, the Palestinian people in the independent state of the Gaza Strip, negotiated an open-ended ceasefire with Israel, which began on July 8, 2014. The aim of the Israeli Operation was to destroy large arsenals of rockets owned by Hamas, stored precariously throughout the densely populated Gaza Strip, and put an end to the Party’s illegal border movements between Israel and Gaza. For seven weeks in the Gaza Strip, after numer-ous Israeli airstrikes, buildings collapsed and a mass power outage occurred as the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) bombed the only electricity plant. Injured ref-ugees packed into hospitals and schools across the area as the attacks continued, with Hamas showing no signs of stopping as they fired 4,564 rockets and mortars into Israel. Sirens wailed across Southern Israel as the Iron-Dome defense system shot numer-ous missiles into the air to combat Hamas’s missiles. By the end of the Operation and airstrikes, which attacked 5,263 targets in Gaza, the IDF had successfully destroyed two-thirds of Hamas’s arsenal of 10,000 rockets. The IDF also launched an intensive ground operation around the border

areas and Northern Gaza in an effort to eradicate the tunnels used by Hamas militants to illegally enter Israel, eventually destroying 32 tunnels. The civilian and infrastructural casualties, the large majority of which occurred in the Gaza Strip, were horrendous: 17,200 Gaza homes destroyed and 30 percent of the Palestinian population displaced. 485,000 were in need of emergency food assis-tance, according to the United Nations, and 2,143 Palestinians (including 450 to 578 children) were killed. 11,100 were wounded, with Israeli sources claiming that 50 percent were civilian casualties and Gaza and UN sources claiming that 70 percent were civilian casualties. Israel lost 66 IDF soldiers, with 450 wounded, along with 5 civilian deaths, and 88 civilians wounded. Overall the conflict immensely created an increase in tension regarding social media response and government propaganda. Both sides have been accused of manipulating their citizens as well as outsiders through the release of biased media reports and improper coverage, especially regarding viola-tions of temporary ceasefires. Both sides have also come under global fire for violations of human rights with Hamas being accused of disregarding civilian lives as thousands of weapons are stored and fired from civilian areas. Israel has been ac-cused of firing at will across civilian locations in its attempt to root out Hamas’s weapons. Despite IDF’s frequent notifications to Palestinian civilians to

evacuate potential targets, the IDF has come under fire for not giving civilians enough time to evacuate such targets. Hamas has also been accused of several militant attacks around Israel that compound the problem of achieving a lasting peace between the Palestinian and Israeli nations. Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the Fatah Party, the Palestinian government in the West Bank, has issued a declaration to Hamas deploring their militant operations and accusing them of op-erating a “shadow government” in the Gaza region. Despite earlier reconciliations between the two rival parties in the Palestinian Authority, the recent con-flict has increased tensions amongst the two politi-cal parties especially considering that elections are overdue in the region. Israel, meanwhile, continues to keep a blockade of the Gaza region and has been accused of opening even more Jewish settlements across the West Bank, much to the uproar of the Palestinian Authority who’s claiming that Israel is attempting to extend its de-facto control of the region. Most nations urge for a reconciliation between the two sides and are call-ing for a two-state solution, which would partition the land between the Palestinians, who will receive the West Bank and Gaza, and the Israelis, who would retain their current land. The problem exists in the rocky leadership of the Palestinians and the Israeli mistrust of the militant Hamas party.

SURESH

Terrorist group rejected by al-Qaeda poses new, bigger threat

As bombs stop flying, tensions remain high

Russian troop presence rises in Ukraine; Putin denies involvement

6 news & opinions The WorldTuesday, September 16, 2014

Burroughs POLL-itic’s: how opinionated and/or uninformed are you?JASNAAM GREWALLayout Editor

The falling dominos of Ferguson

On August 9, at 12:01 pm, an 18-year-old African-American teenager known as Michael Brown lay dead in the middle of a residential street in Fergu-son, Missouri, suffering from multiple gunshots shot by a white police officer. The events that culminated in the death of Brown are still shrouded with ambiguity. In an eyewitness interview, Dorian Johnson stated that he and his friend Brown were walking in the street when the officer in a police car, now known to be Darren Wilson, pulled up and ordered them to move to the sidewalk. When they failed to do so, Wilson opened his car door and grabbed Brown by the neck, attempting to pull him in. After a shot was fired in the car, Brown began to run away, only to be stopped by multiple bul-lets. However, according to the New York Times, Chief Jon Belmar of the St. Louis County Police said that Brown had “physically assaulted the police officer” and that “within the police car there was a struggle over the officer’s weapon.” Another wit-ness stated that after Brown had stopped running, he turned around with hands up and began “kind of walking back toward the cop,” according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Yet, no one can ascertain how aggressive Brown’s advance toward the officer

was. Some sources report that Brown had robbed a store previous to his encounter with Wilson, though Wilson did not know of the crime when he stopped Brown. Regardless of the exact sequence of events, one undisputable fact stands: Michael Brown was shot to death when unarmed. At a height of 6-foot-4, Brown struck an impos-ing figure. Yet those who knew him described him as reserved and gentle. “When he talked, you heard the kid in his voice,” said Johnson, 22. Brown had recently graduated from Normandy High School and would have started school at Vatterott College the following Monday, hoping to pursue a music career. He had no previous record of felony charges. Multiple autopsy reports have affirmed that Brown was shot at least six times. However, the forensic evidence does not allow for accurate reconstruction of the shooting. The killing provoked widespread unrest among the African-American community and reactions ran the gamut from peaceful demonstrations to violent outbreaks. The day after the shooting, at least 12 businesses were looted and 30 people were arrested, according to USA Today. For ten days, protesters took to the streets of Ferguson to voice their frus-tration with the death of Brown. At night, violence erupted as more looting ravaged local businesses and death threats, accompanied by rocks and Molo-

tov cocktails, were hurled at police officers. Tear gas was employed by the police multiple times to sup-press offenders of the peace. The Ferguson-Floris-sant School District, along with schools in Jennings, a neighboring township, were forced to postpone school, fearing for the safety of students. All evidence relating to the event will be pre-sented to the St. Louis County grand jury to deter-mine whether Wilson’s fired shots were justified. President Obama is currently refraining from taking sides in this matter, since sufficient information is lacking. In a letter written to the parents of Brown and published by TIME, Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, writes: “Your circle will neces-sarily close tighter, because the trust you once, if ever, had in ‘the system’ and its agents is forever changed. Your lives are forever changed.” The story of Michael Brown brings to light the long-standing and widening chasm between African-Americans and the nation’s law enforce-ment. On a broader scale, this tragedy reflects the racial divide that has stained our nation’s history for centuries and which continues to plague our society today. It is undeniable that our country must become a stronger advocate against social injustice; this is simply the beginning.

OLIVIA LONGOpinions Editor

National issues rock community close to home

Based on what you know, were the reasons behind the Israeli Operation Protective Edge justified?

YES  

NO  

IDK  

Was the execution of the Israeli Operation justified?

YES  

NO  

IDK  

Do you support the two-state solution?

YES  

NO  

IDK  

Should the US conduct a ground invasion to root out ISIS militants?

YES  

NO  

IDK  

Do you think Hamas is a correct government power for the Palestinian people in Gaza?

YES  

NO  

IDK  

Do you think the militarization of the Ferguson police was justified?

YES  

NO  

IDK  

POLL TAKEN IN RANDOMLY SELECTED GROUP OF 70 MEMBERS OF THE BURROUGHS COMMUNITY

opinions The WorldTuesday, September 16, 2014

The skins we live in 7

JHARNAE LOVE AND LINDSAY GARCIAWorld Contributors

As probably all of you know, 18-year-old Michael Brown was killed August 9, 2014. He had recently graduated from Normandy High School and pre-pared to start the next chapter of his life at Vatterott College. His death not only changed the lives of those close to Brown, but started an entire move-ment in the St. Louis community. His family was ready to watch their boy move on to the next stage of his life, a move made impossible by the shots fired by Darren Wilson on that fateful day. Officer Wilson was a six year veteran of the police force and six months previous to the incident had received

commendation for “extraordinary effort in the line of duty” by the City of Ferguson, an award that now clashes with the opinions of many in the surround-ing area. The St. Louis community and the nation are torn between two sides of an issue that no one will ever completely understand. The issues and anger surrounding this event have long been boiling in the St. Louis area--and Michael Brown’s death knocked the lid off the pot. This incident did not stir up ri-ots and protests simply because Brown was shot as an unarmed 18-year-old; the community’s furious reactions stemmed from the fact that St. Louis still remains racially, socio-economically, and ideologically segregated. Among this angry commu-nity is Brown’s family. His mother, Lesley McSpadden, worked tirelessly for years to keep her son in school in a time when still, somehow, sadly, only 52% of African American men graduate from high school. Though this stagger-ingly low statistic can obviously not be explained in any simple or brief way, culmination of years of sys-tematic oppression and the mindset of the oppressed probably contribute hugely. McSpadden was plan-ning to take her son to Vatterott so he could get his class schedule later that day, but instead she was informed of the tragic death of her child; instead of celebrating, she arranged a funeral. Questions of race arose in the media aftermath of the event. Brown was portrayed one-sidedly by many media outlets as a thug who smoked mari-juana, was large and intimidating, and was possibly the perpetrator of a robbery, though this was nei-

ther proven nor definitively the reason that Wilson stopped Brown that day. The question people keep asking is: why? Why was Brown stopped for walk-ing on the street where he lived? Why did he get shot six times when he was unarmed? The answer isn’t simple, and impossible for many of us to comprehend because, at the end of the day, it is not our reality and it did not happen to us. Although geographically we are not far from the epicenter of this controversy, most of us still speak of the situation as if it were a problem that were far removed from us. There are members of our com-munity, however, who must live their lives unsure of whether the answers to those questions will put their lives in danger. Attending John Burroughs is a privilege, no doubt, but there are certainly hardships

that students of color face and have to worry about. Sitting in a classroom where everyone else, includ-ing the teacher, does not look like you, is something that many will never experience or even think

about. Being the only student able to speak from the perspective of your background is harder than most

may believe. This phenomenon is not only preva-lent inside the walls of Burroughs, but outside as well. Driving to and from school can make a person of color highly cautious. There is a definite fear of getting pulled over by the Ladue Police, simply because the type of car driven seems “too expen-sive” to be the driver’s. “Driving while black” is an offense not punishable by a ticket, but is apparently deserving of a lengthy interrogation. Ultimately, being a person of color at John Bur-roughs is different. It means people thinking it’s all right to refer to you as the N-Word. It means people telling you to “go back to Africa”, it means people thinking you have an extraordinary amount of “swag”, and it means people are afraid to talk to you

about the Michael Brown case and afraid to speak about anything negative associated with the history

of your skin color. We have been thrust into a community of people who don’t really under-

stand what it’s like to live life with dark skin. So when we hear people say “Michael

Brown robbed that store” or “Michael Brown shouldn’t have run away” it hurts. It hurts because no one knows the full

story and regardless of what crime Michael Brown allegedly commit-

ted he didn’t deserve to die. Most white robbery suspects aren’t gunned down in the street to lie

uncovered with their brains splattered on the ground. Most white fathers won’t have to

see their son’s dead body in the street, regardless

of what events put him there. And most white

families won’t have to watch their son’s

character butchered in the media by people who never knew him. The African American community is tired of hearing people justify the six gunshots that Michael Brown received that day--but most of all tired of trying to justify their own feelings to a community of people who can’t or don’t want to understand. So the reasoning that “I support Michael Brown’s case and his family because they are black” needs to be reconsidered. Michael Brown and his family should be supported because he was a young man who didn’t deserve to have his life snatched away in the name of hate.

Michael Brown’s death reflects the harsh reality that has gone addressed for too long

“The issues and anger surrounding this event have long been boiling in St. Louis--and Michael Brown’s death knocked off the lid.”

“...being a person of color at John Burroughs is different. It means people thinking it’s all right to re-fer to you as the N-word. It means poeple telling you to ‘go back to Africa,’...”

“The answer isn’t simple, and im-possible for many of us to compre-hend because, at the end of the day, it is not our reality.”

Should  the  racial  breakup  of  the  police  force  accurately  represent  that  of  the  people  they  serve?  

YES  

NO  

IDK  

As  an  individual,  do  you  feel  significantly  affected  by  the  events  in  Ferguson?  

YES  

YES  (to  a  lesser  extent)  

NO  

IDK  

ZHAO

Poll taken among ran-domly selected group of 70 members of Burroughs community

8 JBS candids The WorldTuesday, September 16, 2014

ALL PHOTOS BY LAUREN SEIBEL AND KEVIN CHEN

JBS candids The WorldTuesday, September 16, 2014

Seibel

9

ALL PHOTOS BY LAUREN SEIBEL AND KEVIN CHEN

In light of recent events, The World inter-

viewed counselor Prue Gershman on her experi-ences with depression and its impact on students. According to Gershman, depression can affect people in many different ways, varying from person to person based on a combination of genetic and situational conditions. Many students’ depression can be attributed to a variety of things, such as the high pressures of school and being spread too thin due to extracurriculars. Gershman believes that through the support of friends and family, students can recover from this type of depression. The road to recovery isn’t always quick and simple, though. The first step to helping someone with serious depression is to encourage him or her to seek help for a professional. Encouragement from close friends or family can really motivate someone suffering from depression to take the necessary steps towards recovery. Some believe that a therapist won’t be much of a help to him or her and choose to avoid their problems, but letting out all of your problems can be a huge turning point in someone’s depression. Those suffering from depression sometimes try

to convince themselves that they are just having a “bad day” when the problem is really much more severe than they believed. Gershman recommends asking yourself questions to see if you are just hav-ing a bad day or actually suffering from depression. Try to think if your “good days” are actually any better than the bad ones, or how much these “bad days” are really affecting your grades, relationships, and overall wellbeing. Gershman reports that in recent years, more and more students have been coming to term with their depression and coming to her for help more often. Depression at Burroughs is often worsened by the intensive workload. This is especially prominent among juniors who are constantly told that it is the most important year of their academic career, vital to good colleges and successful futures. Oftentimes, students work under depression’s influence until telling signs such as a drop in grades comes to the attention of a counselor. Gershman and the rest of the guidance counsel-ors would like to stress that they and the KUTO club are always going to be there for students who feel as though they are under too much pressure and can’t cope. The Counseling Department tries really hard to help those who are going through a difficult time,

and anyone suffering from depression should know that they can talk to any of the guidance counselors or KUTO officers.

10 community The WorldTuesday, September 16, 2014

Depression is not a new concept

As most of us know, the well-known actor and comedian Robin Williams committed suicide on August 11th. His struggle with cocaine, alcohol, and depression culminated in Williams hanging himself at the age of

63. This tragic event came as a shock to his family and America, both of whom loved him dearly. As we consider the plights of those plagued by metnal ill-ness, we want to share with you a few informational facts. First off, two-thirds of people with depression do not seek treatment. Often times we stigmatize mental illness, unintentionally discouraging those afflicted from obtaining help. Instead, many attempt to self medicate with alcohol and drugs. Clinical treatment for depression significantly improves the lives of 80% of depressed people and is much more effective than other methods of coping. In our state, suicide ranks in the top three causes of death among people 10-24. You may know some or many friends, or family members who have battled

with this disease. A large number of celebrities have also opened up about their personal struggle, even the most unexpected of people who embody success, power, creativity, humor and even strength. Some of whom include Ellen DeGe-neres, J.K. Rowling, Jon Hamm, Demi Lovato, Jim Carrey, and Brooke Shields. While it is important to know how many people coped with this tragic ill-ness, it is equally as important to be informed on the subject and understand the common misconceptions that accompany it. Some believe that depression is often a sign of mental weakness, or not a real illness. However, depression is not a choice; it is quite the opposite. We should strive to promote a societal approach to depression. In order for patients to feel comfortable seeking help, we must promote the perception that seelomg mental counceling and mediaction does not display weekness, but strength and perseverence. It is important that for those struggling with depres-sion to know they are not alone.

Robin Williams’ death re-sparks awareness of illness that is not actually uncommonJESSICA RYAN, CHARLOTTE WILANDNews Editor and World Con-tributor

KOYKKA

SAFI AHMADSports Editor

You shouldn’t have to feel alone at JBSBurroughs counselor emphasizes necessity of being aware of mental state

GOOGLE IMAGES

In 2011, an unprecedented “hashtag activ-ism” campaign hit the Internet: “Kony 2012.” After its flagship video received an

estimated 105 million views, Invisible Children (IC), the organization sponsor-ing Kony 2012, nearly doubled its yield to a whopping sixteen million dollars. IC sold exorbitantly priced bracelets ($10) and publicity kits ($30) containing tools to spread awareness about the atrocities committed by Joseph Kony, the leader of a marauding band known as the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). IC vaguely explained that 15% of its profits covers salaries, while an additional 8% funds business travel. What about the other 77%? They did not specify, but many speculate that it funds the production of more publicity videos. IC largely ignored reality in the production of its infamous video. It overlooked the fact that Kony’s army contains only two or three hun-dred members; about one twenty-fifth the number of Ugandan troops currently hunting them. In 2012, Jo-seph Kony seemed to pose the great-est single threat to Africa, surpassing HIV, malnutrition, and widespread governmental corruption. In real-ity, Kony killed 51 people in 2012. AIDS killed 1.5 million in 2013. Although Kony is still kicking, many view the campaign against him as a soaring success. After President Obama addressed the video in a speech, five thousand Ugandan troops were assigned to capture Kony, with support from US intelligence. Between 2011 and 2012, the number of deaths inflicted by the LRA dropped from 175 in 2008-2009 to the aforementioned 51 in 2012. Supporters of the campaign claim that causality exists between the increased military presence and the decline in civilian deaths. But if we dig a little bit deeper, we find that Kony simply moved his army into the Congo, out of reach of the Ugandan troops. In the Congo, Kony has realized that he can make a fortune by shooting elephants rather than people. In its exodus from Uganda, the LRA displaced 400,000 people. Several weeks ago, officer Darren Wilson fatally shot an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, in Ferguson, MO, spawning campaigns such as #Fer-guson. Within twenty-four hours, rioters descended upon Ferguson to protest

race relations in Americans, an important social issue. Unfortunately, they did so by smashing windows and looting shops, many owned and operated by Afri-can American residents. Interestingly, the rioters were not family, friends, and acquaintances of Michael Brown. They were from states as far away as California and Florida. How are the cases of Michael Brown and Kony 2012 similar? In both, “hashtag activism” made complex issues simple and sensational overnight. Kony 2012 had numerous factual errors and exaggerations. In Ferguson, inflammatory “hashtag activism” destroyed the opportunity for peaceful demonstrations and dialogue, resulting instead in curfews, teargas, and an escalation of tensions. Social media illuminates many inequities in our culture and society, but it does

so in a superficial manner. We view situations from a warped perspective that is fashioned to command the public spotlight. The #IceBucketChallenge has also found favor among Americans recently. The #IceBucketChallenge has raised $100 million. 1.2 million people have dumped ice on their heads. Many criticize the #IceBuck-etChallenge, claiming that clicking “like” on Facebook or dumping water on your head does not actu-ally raise any money for ALS. But the stats seem to disagree. At the height of the #IceBucketChallenge, the average donation per ice bucket challenge was more than the $100 cop-out fee. Why? Everything we do is a cost to benefit analysis. Ce-lebrities donate based on what will make them popular. If more people stand behind a cause, the wealthy will shower it with more money because the multitudes will shower them with adulation. In this case, your click is worth slightly more

than your cash. The #IceBucketChallenge works while Kony 2012 and #Ferguson fail because ALS cannot be oversimplified in the same way. ALS is not a complex humanitarian issue, but a scientific problem that must be solved. “Hashtag activism” is an effective tool for addressing black and white issues, but when it comes to race, religion and politics, perhaps we should leave the hash tags out.

news The WorldTuesday, September 16, 2014 11

This past summer, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, created to

generate awareness and donations for ALS, made its way into the national spotlight with over 1.5 million videos being posted on Facebook and other social media sites. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease is a fa-tal, neurodegenerative disorder that currently affects 30,000 Americans. As of now, there is no cure for ALS and public knowledge pertaining to the disease is very limited. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge was created to change this. The Ice Bucket Challenge has done a lot to raise awareness and funds, gener-ating $79.7 million for the ALS Association as of August 25th, compared to $2.5 million during the same period last year. The challenge was inspired by Pete Frates, a former Boston College baseball player who has ALS, and within weeks everyone was taking part in the challenge, including celebri-ties such as LeBron James, Bill Gates, and Oprah Winfrey. The Ice Bucket challenge has done a lot to raise money and awareness for ALS research, but many people are against the challenge citing reasons such as slacktivism. The idea of the challenge is to dump a bucket of ice water on your head within 24 hours of your nomination or having to donate $100 dollars to the ALS Association. Completing the challenge,

in essence, gets you out of helping the cause. Though most participants choose to dump water on their head instead of donating the 100 dollars, the challenge has still accomplished its primary goal of raising aware-ness. Through the millions of Facebook videos of the challenge, the public has been encouraged to learn about this new sensation that has taken the internet by storm. The ALS association says they have received donations from 1.9 million new donors since the Ice Bucket Challenge was created. Though most people nominated for the challenge take the easy route of dumping water on their heads and then posting a video to Facebook instead of donat-ing, they are still doing a part to help the cause. The ALS Ice Bucket challenge has done more than just give a reason for someone to dump water on their head, it has given a voice to ALS victims and the ALS community as a whole. It is impossible to deny that the challenge has created awareness and gener-ated funds for various ALS charities, which is why it is a positive thing for spreading awareness about the disease. Even Mr. Abbott along with the President of the Board of Trustees, Mr. Maritz, took part in the chal-lenge. Burroughs also made a donation to the ALS Association to honor those who have lost their lives to the disease.

No cold feet in ALS fundraiserThe real impact of the ice bucket challengeSAFI AHMAD Sports Editor

#politicsDoes anyone remember #kony2012?JOSH KAZDAN News Editor

MACON

NEWMAN

12 community The WorldTuesday, Septmeber 16, 2014

My entire life I have wanted to spend a sum-mer in Europe exploring different countries and this summer I had to opportunity to do so. I have

been doing various biking trips every summer since seventh grade, including trips in Cape Cod, Nova Scotia, and the Pacific Coast. But this year was by far the most fun and the most challenging. While biking the 1500 miles from Amsterdam to Barcelona, I was immersed in the real cultures of different European towns, even having the opportunity to watch World Cup games with locals. I watched Belgium beat the USA in Bel-gium, the Netherlands beat Mexico in Amsterdam, and Germany qualify for the World Cup finals while in Germany. I spent Bastille Day (France’s national day) in a small French town and was able to celebrate the holiday with the locals. I also explored areas without as many towns such as the Alps and Pyrenees. The Alps were especially difficult because on top of biking 30+ miles uphill each day, I had to bike and camp in the rain for a week straight. Though the Alps weren’t ideal biking conditions, the tops of the mountains had beautiful views that made it worth it. My experiences this past summer were some of the best I have ever had. Getting to see Europe from a viewpoint that very few people have ever experienced was a great opportunity and I can’t think of any way I’d rather have spent my summer.

During my four weeks in Spain this summer, I spent my time talking, listening, reading, writing, thinking, breathing, and sometimes even dream-ing en español. For three of those weeks, I enrolled in an immersion program through Middlebury College in the small town of Comillas, on the northern shore. Forsaking our native language, my peers and I had to navigate a complete-ly immersive environment in which speaking English was a punishable offense. Up to the challenge, I adapted to my new lifestyle and found that by the end, my Spanish had improved significantly. In fact, if it were up to me I might not habla another word of inglés. Some highlights of my stay in Comillas included playing soccer with Span-ish kids on the beach, partaking in local fiestas, and experiencing the Spaniard’s perspective on the World Cup. Indeed, there is nothing quite like being alone in a restaurant with 20 elderly, irate Spanish men during a World Cup soccer game. After the initial program, I spent a week with a Venezuelan family in Madrid. From trespassing onto the property of Francisco Franco’s abandoned

mansion to racing go-karts with aspiring Formula One driv-ers, I had a great time in Madrid and learned a lot

from seeing Spain from a different perspec-tive. Overall, my summer in Spain was

a fantastic experience, and I would strongly encourage anyone inter-

ested in languages to live in total immersion. It is by far

the best way to learn.

This past summer, I went on a cultural trip to China through the Confucius Institute of Webster University for two weeks. In Beijing, I stayed at Beijing Culture and Language University, an international school where we lived in a dorm with a pleth-ora of international students. We were the only high schoolers there, but we made friends with a bunch of Italians and French folks (the French guys were super cute!). During the day, we did things such as such as visiting the Great Wall of China (which is like stair stepping for an hour and a half), shopping at the silk market, and going to places like the Nest and Water Cube from the 2008 Olympics. Whenever we had free time to explore, we would scour the city for free Wi-Fi and try all the local eateries. One of the more different things that we did in Beijing was go to a cat café, where we ordered drinks (like watermelon juice) and sat around petting a bunch of cats. A weird smell floated around the café, which turned out to be chicken liver, which apparently calms the cats down and prevents them from attacking people. After four days, we moved on to Shaoxing by bullet train. We took a cal-ligraphy class, and saw historical parts including the home of famous writer Lu Xun. I got the nickname Shi-gua (watermelon) girl because I became obsessed with the fruit. Later in Shanghai, we visited the 2010 Shanghai Expo, where we saw miniature models of the stalls each country had alongside a giant electronic baby. It was super weird and beyond creepy. If I had to pick a favorite part of the trip, it would have to be the food. I learned that vegetables are so much better in China than America, but more importantly, I tasted authentic Chinese noodles for the first time. For every meals for two weeks, I had spicy vegetable noodles. The day I came back, they were all I wanted. Authentic Chinese noodles are life.

The basic plywood sign carried a message

powerful in its simplic-ity: “Persevere, Ishino-

maki.” The sign stands on the site of a convenience

store decimated in March 2011 by the Tohoku earthquake and the

ensuing tsunami. This summer, RB Smith (’16) and I traveled to Japan as part

of a one-week exchange program through the Japan-America Society. During our stay, we visited the

areas in which recovery efforts are a work in progress. The region has made impressive strides towards complete recuperation, but signs of devasta-tion remain apparent everywhere. The tsunami cleared a mile of land along the coast, which remains a field of weeds interspersed with shrines to the dead. The Japan-America society hopes to synthesize cross-cultural connections that will strengthen the bond between our nations. While in Japan, we received uncensored exposure to Japanese customs and people. “We worked with them, dined with them, lived with them, and became great friends despite the short time and the language barrier,” replied RB when asked about the highlights of the trip. As a food critic, Japan presented a world of new possiblilities. We sampled ev-erything from delicious onigiri (rice balls with a filling) to not so delicious nato (fermented beans). Regardless of the taste, RB and I always exclaimed “Oishi desu (it’s delicious)” after every meal. Incidentally, we also engaged in more unusual cultural experiences, such as visiting a hot spring (“cultural emersion,” chuckled Mr. Jones), riding a night bus, and receiving traditional massages while watching a hip-hop dance show (“turn down for what?”). We deliberately eschewed all tourist destinations, giv-ing us a more authentic feel for Japan that will stay with us for years to come.

Summer travels outside of the LouFour Burroughs students share travel experiences

Chillin’ in ChinaZAYNA QUAD-ERWorld Contribu-tor

Strollin’ in SpainJEREMY SMITHBackpage Editor

Jammin’ in Japan

Bikin’ to BarcelonaSAFI AHMADSports Editor

JOSHUA KAZDANNews Editor

PHOTOS BY AHMAD AND QUADER

When not busy strolling

through the halls, you can find senior Lindsay Garcia serving aces on the courts. The tennis courts that is. A varsity veteran (this being her fourth year on the squad), Lindsay is the perfect captain to lead the predomi-nately young varsity team to a win-ning season. If you’ve ever been lucky enough to run into Lindsay around Burroughs, you probably regarded her as one of the least intimidating seniors, about as tall as the average seventh grader. However, as her teammate Lizzie Luhnow describes her, “Don’t be fooled by her size when she’s playing you. She’s anything but small on the courts.” Another teammate likens her presence to “a wild jungle cat waiting for just the right moment to pounce on her prey.” Each match Lindsay pushes herself to her limits. Although hard on herself when not as suc-cessful, Lindsay is a resilient fighter always ready and out for revenge dur-

ing her next match. Although tennis is sometimes re-garded as more of an individual sport, Lindsay says one of the reasons she loves to play Burroughs tennis is for the sense of community and together-ness that comes along with it. As a captain, Lindsay is responsible for bringing the team together which the girls feel she does a great job of. “She always brings lots of energy, intensi-ty, and fun to the team,” says another teammate. A versatile athlete, Lind-say is also a threat on the soccer field; a four year varsity veteran, she scored six goals last season and hopes to add a few more in the upcoming. Good luck Lindsay! Last season Garcia helped lead the Bombers to a second-place finish at Districts, qualifying for Sectionals as an individual player. This season, she’s setting the bar even higher: Garcia says she aims to win Districts and State both individually and as a team.

sports The WorldTuesday, September 16, 2014 13

Lailah Elliott (’17) is one of the track team’s most promising up-and-coming athletes. In her first year competing

at the high school level, she participated in four events at state (the maximum number permitted): High Jump, 10th place; Triple Jump, 10th place; 4x400 Relay, 6th place (along with Annalise Wagner, Gabby Ivy, and Oona Gaffney); and 100 Meter Hurdles, 4th place. As a team, the girls finished 6th in state with all-state honors, which is awarded for being within the top 8. In addition to her outstanding performance at state, she has already broken the school’s Triple Jump record and tied the High Jump record. Lailah and her parents have a history of athletic excellence. In a sense, she is following in her mother’s footsteps; Lailah’s mother was a track athlete at Mizzou, competing in some of the same events as Lailah is now. Lailah herself has been running summer track since she was eight years old. In addition to the family’s track legacy, her father played football for Mizzou. As well as being on Varsity basketball, Lailah was also on Varsity field hockey as a freshman. Lailah aspires to continue track throughout high school, winning state, and continuing her career into college. Daniel Harris, head coach of track, seems optimistic about Lailah’s future: “Lailah maintains high expectations and a combination of skills/abilities that translate into championship opportunities. I have no doubt that her increasing commitment to process over outcome will produce some exciting performances in years to come.”

Student Athlete ProfilesLailah Elliot - Track Gabby Ivy - Track

CHARLOTTE WILANDArts and Entertainment Editor

If you don’t know already, Gabby Ivy is the star hur-dler of the Senior class. I mean, she’s 9th in the state of Missouri with a time of 46.19 seconds in the 300 hurdles, so you could say she leaves almost all her opponents in the dust. She also competed in the 400m in the Junior Olympics two summers ago. However, hurdles are not her only specialty. She was also one of the members of the 4x400 meter relay, along with Lailah Elliot, Annalise Wagner, and Oona Gaffey, who placed sixth in state last year. Her love for track is expressed in how she trains and performs. As one of the captains, she encourages people to do the best that they can, not only for them-selves, but for the team as well. The track motto ‘together everybody achieves more through personal responsibility and daily excellence’ is embodied Gabby constantly, and the effect of this motto shows in her personal performance at practices and during her races. When asked how track has affected her, she said “It’s taught me hard work, dedication, and cooperation. I have made so many friends through my experiences, and have come to love my team as a family.” The coaches can attest to her dedication and desire to succeed: “Anyone that has seen Gabby play volleyball, basketball or run track know that her accomplish-ments are rooted in hard work and a great deal of athleticism, coordination, speed and strength,” says Coach Harris. If you want see Gabby in action, stop by one of the track meets. Just kidding, she’s too fast to be seen.

Lindsay Garcia - Tennis

HUMZA AGHAWorld Contributer

MARINA WILLIAMSWorld Contributor

NIEBERLE

SEIBEL

A lot of Bur-roughs students go on vacation all around the

world (and Florida) during the summer. The rest of us, however, stay home the whole time--a ‘stay-cation,’ if you will. So what can you do to make your time in the Lou more entertaining? Well, you could go to vibrant areas such as the Central West End, you could spend an entire day at Forest Park, or you could even make a social interaction. But that only lasts so long. You know what does last long? Netflix. Stop forcing yourself to actually do things and just willingly submit to the fact that this

should, and will, occupy your entire summer. Some of you might say, “What if I don’t have a Netflix?” Quit whining, wimp. No one actually has a Netflix account; everyone has their friend’s Netflix ac-count. So if you have a friend who has a Netflix account and they haven’t given you their password, then they’re a bad friend and totally holding out on you. As a matter of fact, whether or not your friend shares their Netflix account should completely de-termine the value of said friendship. Anyway, here are some shows that can consume your entire, sad, little life for your depressingly boring summer. Breaking Bad: You live in Missouri. Missouri is known for copious amounts of crystal meth. This

show is about crystal meth. By transitive logic, you should love this show. Orange is the New Black: Whether or not you like the show, just watch it to get your friends to shut up about how you should watch it. You’ll also get all of the references to the show they constantly make. House of Cards: If you find Hinshaw’s babbling about how America isn’t the best country ever (which it obviously is) hard to grasp, then watch this show. Plus, Kevin Spacey with a South-ern drawl.

My point being, you should completely give up on trying to actually exhaust yourself with physical activity this summer. Nice try, now go watch some Netflix.

14 community The WorldTuesday, September 16, 2014

More like Ms. LoRUNczBurroughs’ favorite history teacher follows Pheidippides’ steps EMILY ZHAO Editor-in-Chief

Holly Lorencz, duchess of the po-dium and tyrant of

room 206, derives the authority in her step not only from…well, authority, but also from countless hours

spent train-ing her legs to carry her farther and faster. Stu-dents may have seen Ms. Lorencz running around cam-pus, gamely assuming the mantle left behind by Kirk Smith (’13). This April, Lorencz ran in her first half-mar-athon and 30th official race, “Go St. Louis.” Lo-rencz began preparations in mid-Janu-ary, admit-ting that she did “too much, too soon, too fast.” The strenuous preparations injured her

IT band and actually forced her to stop running, but nonetheless, she found a way to cross the finish line. Though no race of marathon ilk is ever com-pleted with ease, Lorencz’s first half marathon is especially impressive considering that, according to her, it was only a few years ago that “[she] couldn’t make it five minutes on the treadmill.” Lorencz began running to improve her health with some encouragement from her colleague and friend, Dr. Suzy Hamon. “Running has probably added a few

years to my life,” says Lorencz, “though teaching sophomores probably counteracts that.” (I inter-viewed Lorencz via email, but I imagine here one of her sarcastic chuckles.) “Seriously, I'm more conscious about getting enough sleep and water and eating in a healthy way. If you don't take care of yourself, you're going to find that out the hard way during your run.” Running has also given Lorencz the opportunity to explore places she might have easily bypassed in her ordinary day-to-day. Downtown St. Louis is one venue that racing has exposed her to; others include such far-flung places as Nova Scotia, where she ap-parently caused “a mini-stampede of cows.”For those who are perhaps reluctant to run more than absolutely necessary or don’t know where to begin, Lorencz suggests small, incremental in-creases in distance. “You'll be amazed by what your body can do,” she offered in response to inquiries for advice. “Your body can handle almost whatever you throw at it; it's your mind you have to train the most. Your inner voice will do anything to get you to stop during that first mile. You just have to tell it to shut up, and power through.” Lorencz’s process of mental wrangling, in addition to being a huge effort of willpower, has also been aided by the generosity and encouragement of others: in addition

to Dr. Hamon, who helped her start, Lorencz cites Martha McMahon, Burroughs computer science teacher and running partner, the Thorpe family, all three of whom coach track, and Big River Running

company’s Sunday Training Team as vital supporters of her racing career. Reminiscing on the five years of running since she first shuffled along on that treadmill, Lorencz says she “hasn’t looked back since.” Looking forward, aspirations include—“since I’m a history nerd,” admits Lorencz—the Athens and Rome marathons, and ultimately the Spartathlon, which traces the route of the original “mara-thon” runner Phei-dippides took from

Athens to Sparta in a frantic plea for military assis-tance against the Persians. (Fun fact: the Spartans said no.) When asked what it would be like to run the infamous 26.2 at the pace of Boston Marathon veteran and sometimes mentor Meredith Thorpe, however, Lorencz admits that at this point in her training she would still, perhaps, “rather take a field trip of toddlers to the zoo.”

Staycation in St. LouisA romantic getaway in the 314HARRISON MACON World Contributor

“Running has probably added a few years to my life,” says Lorencz

“You just have to tell [your brain] to shut up, and power through.”

SEIBEL

AHMAD

Long the embarrassments of the Burroughs dessert menu, Almost Candy Bars are out to prove that they’ve ridden themselves of every trace of brownie, and with it, the stigma of a life-long identity crisis. “Peanut Butter Bar, Gooey Butter Cake, Chocolate Pudding; these are all names that people can identify with,” one of the bars told me in an interview, “and the time has come for us to reject mediocrity and gain that level of respect.” And so, while all the students relaxed over

their summer vacations, Almost Candy Bars put in countless hours in the gym with Coach Kinney (who called the dessert “a heck of a lifter”) to add as much lean candy mass as possible while cutting down on unnecessary ingredients. Additionally, they recruited as many M&Ms as possible and consulted with leading pastry chefs. The bars admitted that the temptation to turn to Candy Enhancing Drugs (CEDs) was at times immense, but they are proud to have

retained their integrity. Even after all that work, many hurdles still remain if Almost Candy Bars are to attain full candy bar status. Most notably, they must pass a rigorous Sage Dining examination. A jump from Almost Candy Bars to pure Candy Bars would be unprecedented and leading analysts worry that they may not have improved enough to leap past the status of Very Nearly Candy Bars or Close But No Cigar Candy Bars.

@TheWorldBackpage The WorldTuesday, September 16, 2014

Almost Candy Bars Near Full Candy

15

Oh, Mr. Bang, how pleasurable thy name come to the ear,Named both the Baptizer of JesusAnd the most finest of delicacies after you.Residing in monosyllabic bliss,Twice they chant the words ‘Bang Bang’As they pry the most succulent cuts from the cow,Fashion them into medallions whose toughnessRival only yours and Vin Diesel's,Before feeding all the children of the world.

And thy name, lending itself to more onomatopoeic uses, Assume the form of the thunderingEminence that come from a gun. When Sir Chief Keef utters ‘Bang Bang’He thinks he intends to emulate the sound of a gun,When really his true intent beTo evoke your animalistic ferocity,For no man can not cower when faced by you.

You even be the namesake of the letter ‘Dear Jon’,For whenever a lady end a relationshipWith a man for anotherShe feels like is settling for a man inferior to thee

Jon, thine knowledge of your homeland,Das Rhineland,Hast given peace to the world. After the second great war,Thou restored German-American relations simply by muttering:“Ich bin wirklich gut im Billard”And preparing your famous schnitzel.Need not the Ladue police a canine unit,For you be our German Shepherd.

Sweet Jon, thy appearance never disappoint the eye.You assume the silhouette that Churchill forever strived for,And the posture of that devout nuns can only dream.Your skin glow like the crescent moon,On a dark October night,Illuminating the well worn pathInto your warm heart.When the masses have the pleasureOf witnessing thy beard, they rejoice,For thy beard be the eighth wonder of the world.Thy beard revel in so much beauty that even the lady,For whom all of society dictates shall not flaunt hair of the face, Would proudly display thy beard upon her innocent cheeks.You would turn the most ardent Marxists to capitalists,If you were on the free market.

Jon Bang,Child of our children,Father of our fathers,Priest of our priests,God of our gods,Let the world give its rarest gifts to you, And give to the world your rare gifts in return.

Ninth grade girl tries out new look, but quickly reverts back to old ways after misinterpreting a Mr. Front scowl aimed at no one in particular

School year declared “year of the trust fall”; Winter, Spring, and Summer de-mand official recognition of their trustworthiness

Eighth graders move into downstairs commons, realize the disappointing reali-ties of high school

Schnuck wing to get fully stocked produce aisle and self-checkout lines

Repainted wall adjacent to the stall in bathroom of library basement offers ama-teur artists a fresh canvas.

Kitchen staff begins cooking meals on pavement of the quad, but forced back to the stoves and ovens after food is incinerated

After totalling the proceeds of last years junior fundraiser, sandal saledeclared a total ‘flop’

Gardening department’s dreams of a schoolwide greenhouse come tofruition with power outage

Headlines Ode to Jon BangThe Backpage Channels Its Inner Keats

I encourage you all to do too things this year: do some trust falls and do some simple (sp?) fun. The trust falls I talked about at length in opening speech, after pausing for a real long time. Just two-step out of your comfort zone, take some risks, simple fun, and rely on the simpleness of the Burroughs community. This is the more serious of the two goals but one I encourage you all to do. The second goal is, uh, um, a little more lighthearted -- have some simple fun. Looking back on my eighteen years of the John Burroughs School experi-ence, I have really, really, really enjoyed the fun, random, simple activities such as simple dress up days, simple assemblies and simple events. I minted the term “simple fun” to describe all of these revolutionary activities. To maximize our opportunities for simple fun; I created a simple fun com-mittee compromised of a group of señors: Jack Moleman, Liam My-rear, Mi-chael McKayla Peters, Michael Jordan Strawbridge, Sausage Bhat, Sarah Tailor, Jewelria Mail, Addition Ogonoski, Sandy Chester-simple-fun, and myself, Jimmy Lemkemeier. Hour goal is too organize events that promote simple fun and trust falls. The first event we planned was the USA dress up day, because the USA has waterfalls, and this is the year of trust falls, and simple fun. Since I, Jimmy Liamkemeier, am writing this the day before it is planned, I have no idea weather is was a huge success or a total tornado. I am feverishingly hoping it is the former, wait no latter, oh, hot dog, I always forget which one it is. If it is the former/latter, we will have many more fun events like a dress-like-your-going-to-church-day, an all-school game of capture the squirrel, decoration of my bedroom for the holidays, a buffet day of lichen and game-- the list goes on. While I, Charlie Lemkemeier, cannot guarantee that we will do any that is listed, we will have some fun as a Community School. Haha. (was that funny?) If you have any suggestions for events, please contact one of the people in the commit-tee. So take some trust falls, participate in the simple fun events, and we are go-ing to have an awesome year.

First Draft of Jimmy Lemkmeier’s Front Page World Letter

Made by Curdoroy Pillows

Hope to replace Butterfingers in Vending Machine

16 Backpage The WorldTuesday, September 16, 2014

Off-Limits: The Backpage Goes Where It’s Not Allowed

The Wrong Assembly Seats

Taking Jeremy to Da Hood

On Vacation with the Abbotts