issue 1, volume 87

clayton high school, clayton, mo. august 2015

GLOBE

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Paper Towns2323

12Clayton at Work

august 2015

Clayton students find summer employment throughout the St. Louis area.

Sports

Things Sophie Hates21Gay Marriage22

News and Notes8Catch up on what you may have missed this summer.

Flores Visits Google10Wydown student corresponds with the major tech company.

Calender of Events9Find out what’s coming up in STL this month.

Athlete Profile19Read about CHS football star Tyler Melvin.

New Basketball Coach 20Get to know the new coach, Blake Ahearn.

News

Opinion

Review

GLOBEThank you to our sponsors!

The Globe is an entirely self-funded publication. We receive no funding from the school district for printing. Each issue of the Globe costs ap-

proximately $2000 to print. We are deeply grateful to our sponsors for

their support of our publication. They make our work possible.

Issue Sponsors ($2000):Red Key Realty Leaders

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ScreamCONTENTS 3

editor - in - chief alex bernard

senior managing editors grace harrison

kevin rosenthal

ellie tomasson

section editors sophie allen

noah brown

brian gatter

nicholas lee

camille respess

max steinbaum

elise yang

phoebe yao

copy editors charlie brennan harry rubin

webmaster lemuel lan

business manager lucy cohen

photo editors bebe engel

katherine sleckman

distribution editor robert hollocher

editors dimitri baldauf

daniel cho

nisha klein

olivia reuter

mitali sharma

zachary sorenson

albert wang

ashleigh williams

tara williams

reporters madeleine ackerburg

madeline bale

Professional Affiliations: Sponsors of School Publications . Missouri Interscholastic Press Association . Missouri Journalism Education Association . National Scholastic Press Association . Columbia Scholastic Press Association

sophia barnes

barrett bentzinger

michael bernard

sophie bernstein

jacob blair

gabrielle boeger

jack chereskin

eunice chung

william clay

nicholas d’agrosa

alexandria darmody

lise derksen

emma ebeling

ella engel

theodore fehr

brandon ford

sarah franzel

devin froehlich

mariclare gatter

anne goode

hugo hoffman

lucas hoffman

robert hogan

mitchell hu

peter indivino

olivia joseph

sehoon kim

rahul kirkhope

cody krutzsch

san kwon

sol kwon

jacob lagesse

elise levy

marissa lewis

benjamin litteken

madison lockett

rowan mccoy

ona mcguire

grace morris

lauren praiss

lisa raymond-schmidt

mia redington

nikki seraji

marty sharpe

eunice shin

petra sikic

katie spear

heather stone

amy tishler

cosima thomas

saori tomatsu

karena tse

neel vallurupalli

angelica vannucci

angelo vidal

catherine walsh

monte wang

zhizhang wei

welch donald

elizabeth wysession

samuel youkilis

samantha zeid

photographers sophie argyres

emma barnes

jennifer braverman

lily brown

felix evans

alexandra gerchen

akansha goel

ava hoffman

ricky kuehn

elizabeth mills

carolyn niswonger

hava polinsky

elizabeth poor

hannah ryan

claire schwarz

graphics editor victoria yi

graphic artist cherry tomatsu

design editor lawrence hu

adviser erin castellano

GLOBE staff

the CHS Black Box theatre. The size of our group will result in several changes in the way the Globe functions, one of them being the role of every member of the Globe. Each student will develop his or her sense of independence and leadership as he or she works towards the produc-tion of the newsmagazine.

As always, we will be creating a nationally award winning newsmaga-zine. However, this year in particular, we will also be growing a commu-nity of young, independent leaders. Keep an eye out for this year’s seven issues of the Globe, and do not be afraid to delve into your adventuru-ous, explorative and independent side this school year.

Summer is the time for adventure and exploration.This summer, I got to do a lot of that.The first six weeks of my vacation, I worked as a counselor at El Lago

del Bosque, a Spanish immersion sleep away camp in Bemidji, MN. Sur-rounded by my 50 co-workers from countries around the globe, I learned more about myself and the “real world” than I ever thought possible.

The final month of my break consisted of a family road trip, a Globe leadership camp and, most recently (excluding “Girl’s Night” at my grandmother’s house), a camping and canoeing trip in Steelville, MO with my friend, Molly, a University City graduate.

When my mom came home to find that Molly and I had reserved a campsite for two nights the weekend before the first week of school, she was not thrilled -- however, by this point, my own $35 was down as a deposit and Molly and I were beyond committed to the idea. Besides, we had gotten an incredible deal: by reserving in the “loud area” as op-posed to the “family area,” we saved nine dollars and only had to put up with our neighbors’ noise until 2:30 am. Mom’s threatened veto fell flat.

Arriving at the campsite, however, I began to see the source of my mother’s apprehension. Evidently, it was rare for two teenagers to go camping alone, as the countless times we were asked “How old are you girls?” and “Just the two of you?” brought me to realize. Directly to the left of our site was a group celebrating a family reunion from Granite City, and across the gravel road was a party of about 20 seniors from Mizzou. Needless to say, the loud area lived up to its name.

Despite our age and our lack of a group, Molly and I thrived that weekend. I came to realize that, although a journey may present some dangers, there is no substitute for the pride of having survived without the support of my parents. The knowledge that independence is proven, not earned, is something I will carry with me as I enter these upcoming years of increased independence.

This year on the Globe we will be going through a season of adven-ture and exploration as well. With enrollment in the journalism classes jumping from around 70 to more than 100, we have more than out-grown our space; our weekly full-staff meetings will be taking place in

The Globe Newsmagazine exists to inform, entertain, persuade and represent the student voice at CHS. All content decisions are made by the student editorial staff and the Globe is an entirely self-funded publication. Not every story that our reporters write is published in the print newsmagazine. Visit www.chsglobe.com for additional stories and photos and for more information about the Globe itself. We reserve

the right to refuse any advertisement - for more information about advertising and subscriptions, please contact our office:Clayton High School Globe

1 Mark Twain Circle Clayton, MO 63105(314) 854-6668

globe@claytonschools.net

Alex Bernard, Editor-in-Chief

F R O MT H E

E D I T O R

EDITOR’S NOTE 5

20 review

Junior Kate Force skydives while in Nadi, Fiji over summer break.

PANORAMA 6

PHOTO BY ANDRIES BURGER

21commentary

NEWS AND notes

WHAT YOU MIGHTH A V E M I S S E D

Supreme Court RulingAt the end of June, the Supreme Court re-

leased decisions on two major cases, including the legalization of same-sex marriage.

SCOTUS voted 5-4 in favor of gay marriage in Obergefell vs. Hodges, stating that marriage is a constitutional right for all Americans.

The White House was supportive of the rul-ing announced on June 26.

President Obama stated in a press conference the same day that the legalization is a “victory for America.”

New Teachers at CHSClayton welcomed 10 new staff members

for the 2015-2016 school year. CHS introduced Blake Ahearn as ISS Supervisor, Roshaunda Cade and Sean Rochester in the English de-partment, Elizabeth Carson-Bird and Kayra Merrills in the world langagues department, Daniel Henderson and Erick Price in the fine arts department, Alexandra Libby in the PE/health department, Matthew Boswell in the Learning Center, and Mia DeGreef with SSD.

Cardinals Streak Continues GOP Primary Debate

On Aug. 6, 10 hopeful GOP candidates took the stage in what was the highest-viewed presidential primary debate in American history. With a viewership of approximately 24 million, the 10 Republican candidates who polled highest in the months leading up to the debate discussed key issues at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. According to an article published by CNN, the first Republican primary debate attracted more viewers than all of last season’s MLB World Series games, as well as the finale of the hit TV series “The Walking Dead.”

Most polls currently place business tycoon Donald Trump as the clear frontrunner for the GOP nomination. According to a poll published by FOX News a few days before the debate, Trump led former Florida governor Jeb Bush by as many as 11 points, with other polls providing a similar margin.

Ohio governor John Kasich and Florida senator Marco Rubio, both of whom trail Trump and Bush by significant amounts in the polls, made strong appearances at the de-bate. The two GOP frontrunners, Trump and Bush, however, are considered to have had worse performances.

by CAMILLE RESPESS and MAX STEINBAUM

news section editors

The St. Louis Cardinals are currently experi-encing one of the greatest seasons in franchise history thus far. With the fifth month of the MLB season now underway, the Cardinals have compiled a leading 75-42 record entering Aug. 16 despite injuries to key players such as Matt Holliday, Matt Adams and Adam Wainwright.

Additionally, St. Louis is on pace to earn over 103 victories this season. No team has won this many games since the 2009 New York Yankees finished with a 103-59 mark, a team which would ultimately go on to win the World Series.

The Cardinals have reached the playoffs in each of the past four seasons, missing the post-season a total of only four times since 2000.

Ohio Governor John Kasich speaks with the media in the spin room after the Republican presidential debate at Quicken Loans Arena on Aug. 6, 2015 in Cleve-land, Ohio. (Brian Cahn/Zuma Press/TNS)

COMING UPIN STL

With these fantastic local and free admis-sion* events, what more could you ask

for? Step right up for a taste of STL!

Second Annual St. Louis World’s Fair Heritage Festi-

Celebrated in Forest Park, the venue for the 1904 World’s Fair, the Second An-nual St. Louis World’s Fair Heritage Festi-val features events incorporating the his-tory of the 1904 World’s Fair. The fair aims to highlight the culture of St. Louis today by featuring family activities, favorite St. Louis eateries, live musical performances, historical exhibitions, live art displays and a World Business Expo supporting local businesses.

Aug 22 & 234:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. (22)10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. (23)

Hosted in the scenic Oak Knoll Park, fun-filled, family friendly con-certs provide the perfect atmosphere for a quick and relaxing night out in town. Gather your picnic blan-kets and lawn chairs to hear the lo-cal bands rock out through out the evening. Better make this your next Sunday plan!

Musical Nights atOak Knoll Park

Aug 235:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Festival of NationsFor two days each year, Tower Grove

Park hosts the Saint Louis area’s premier multicultural celebration. Complete with ethnic food booths, original arts and crafts as well as vibrant music and dance, this event is a great get away from the stress of student life for those seeking an authentic cultural exploration. Whether you’ve lived in STL all your life or you’ve just come in, get yourself down to the Festival of Na-tions for a taste of the world!

Aug 29 & 3010:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. (29)10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (30)

St. Louis Art FairEvery year the streets of Clayton’s

central business district are closed off for one September weekend to celebrate the visual and performing arts. Artists from across the nation showcase and sell their arts and crafts in booths lining the streets. In addition to exhibiting handcrafted wares, Art Fair also presents live perfor-mances, educational hands-on activities for children and showcases some of St. Louis’ top restaurants and more.

Sept 11-13 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. (11)

11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. (12)11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (13)

*Cardinals

(average Cardinals ticket price in 2015)admission: $34.20*

Aug 31 7:15 Washington NationalsSept 1 7:15 Washington NationalsSept 2 7:15 Washington NationalsSept 4 7:15 Pittsburgh PiratesSept 5 3:05 Pittsburgh PiratesSept 6 1:15 Pittsburgh PiratesSept 7 1:15 Chicago CubsSept 8 7:15 Chicago CubsSept 9 12:45 Chicago Cubs

NEWS 9

by ELISE YANG and PHOEBE YAO

section editors

by NOAH BROWNfeature section editor

F L O R E S V I S I T SG O O G L E

She clicked send. The email was off to Northern California. Within hours, Ray Kurzweil, Director of Engineering at Google, responded to Wydown student Lucy Flores’ email.

Flores, a 7th grader at the time, was required to write a 10 page paper and create a presentation on a topic of her choice for her class at WMS called DaVinci. While other students in the class were choosing to re-search history, sports and other ordinary topics, Flores was inspired to do otherwise.

Flores’s father, Hugh, tried to get her to think outside the box, and was successful in doing so.

“When the DaVinci class came around, she had some good ideas, but I was really trying to push her to challenge herself more, so I threw out some more hardcore science topics,” he said.

After a little help from her father, Flores had the perfect idea. She was to focus her project on immortality via singularity, with a special empha-sis on living in virtual reality. After reading his book “The Singularity is Near,” she chose to reach out to Kurzweil for advice on her project.

When Kurzweil replied to her request, Flores was pleasantly surprised. “His response was ‘I’m happy to answer some questions,’” Flores said.

“He was very supportive, and I was happy because I didn’t want to email anyone else.”

With the assistance from Kurzweil, Flores completed her research pa-per, and Kurzweil even Skyped in to her class presentation. Her paper was also posted on Kurzweil’s website.

After an extended back-and-forth email conversation, Flores was in-vited to take part in classes at Singularity University, a research univer-sity in Silicon Valley, that was founded by Kurzweil himself.

“I went for two days to audit the Graduate Studies program, which is a 10 week program, where they learn about exponential technologies,” Flores said. “There were 80 graduate students from several different coun-tries that went this year. There were people from all sorts of backgrounds.”

Flores learned a lot from her time at Singularity University and through her correspondence and mentorship with Kurzweil. When asked what advice she would give to someone with similar aspirations, she said, “Reach out and try to challenge yourself, and take the opportunities that you have.”

Flores’ persistence and hard work enabled her to establish a strong re-lationship and connection with someone she admires, as well as prepared her for continuing opportunities in the science world.

“It’s opened up a possible long-term mentoring relationship. [Kurz-weil has] been very supportive,” Hugh Flores said. “He said ‘If you need anything for your future projects, let me know. I’d be happy to help out, and keep me posted on what you do.”’

In addition, Kurzweil has strongly encouraged Flores to apply for the teen programs at Singularity University once she is in high school.

Despite not getting to attend any workshops or do any projects while at Singularity University, Flores did get the opportunity to tour Google’s Innovation Lab, which she enjoyed.

“They had a bunch of technology, three virtual reality headsets, a tele-presence robot, drones and a flight simulator,” she said.

Due to her time with Kurzweil as a mentor, Flores’s research interests have grown dramatically. She has kept her interests going by doing proj-ects at home.

“I am especially interested in artificial intelligence and robotics, and plan to do more with that,” she said. “I’m doing a project right now. I am building an arduino nano mouse with a set of instructions on a website.”

By watching Flores go after her interests so passionately, her father has realized the capability of teenagers.

“Teenagers are capable of a lot so it is important to take the chance to push yourself and go out of your comfort zone,” Hugh Flores said.

Wydown student Lucy Flores studied at Sin-gularity University this past summer.

Flores with Ray Kurzweil, director of engineering at Google. (Photo courtsey of Lucy Flores)

NEWS 10

11cover

claytonat

workProfiles of Clayton High’s Summer Jobs

by ALEX BERNARD, NOAH BROWN, CAMILLE RESPESS, ELLIE TO-MASSON and ELISE YANG

Lily

COVER 12

Brown

photo by Katherine Sleckman

Q: What’s your hourly wage?A: Too little. I get paid $8.00 an hour.

Q: Biggest mistake you’ve made on the job? A: Talking instead of watching the pool. You can’t help it when you see your homies.

Q: How do you pass the time? A: Being a lifeguard is the ultimate challenge of passing time. I sing, twirl my whistle, talk, try

not to think about the time, divide how much time I have left into small fractions, wave to the little babies in the pool and maybe sometimes actually watch the people in the pool.

Q: What have you learned from being a lifeguard? A: I’ve learned how to be a dependable person. Being a lifeguard requires having parents trust you with

their kids swimming which is a big responsibility. At times it can be a stressful but very rewarding job. I’ve learned how to clean a very large bathroom in less than 10 minutes. I’ve also learned how to work with

other people and have more patience.

LifeguardShaw Park Pool

Concessions AttendantHi-Pointe Theater

jAMESQ: What’s your hourly wage?A: $8.50 an hour.

Q: What’s the weirdest thing that’s happened here?A: This one lady came up to me and asked me for some “mix.” And I was like, “I don’t know what that is.” She goes, “How do you not know what that is?” The “mix” turned out to be half orange soda and half Coke. I made it for her, but of course I had to try some for myself. It’s not bad, but it’s not good either.

Q: What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made? A: I didn’t turn on the sound of a movie, but luckily it was just the previews, so the audience didn’t miss the actual movie. The previews were going and there was no sound. The way it works is you have to start the sound and the movie at the same time, so I had to restart the whole movie.

Q: What have you learned from the job?A: I’ve learned to be a whole lot more patient. I’ve also learned to take certain things with a grain of salt and not be personally insulted when someone is angry, as people are just frustrated sometimes. If it’s out of your control, just shrug it off and focus on doing the best you can.

dANIEL

photo by Elise Yang

Kate The Center of ClaytonRock Wall Belayer

Q: What’s your hourly wage?A: $8.00 an hour.

Q: What does your job consist of? A: I have to watch the climbers at all times, but I’m also responsible for the safety of the

kids waiting to climb. You either tell the kids waiting to sit on the bench or line up against the railing, and if they can’t follow any of the safety procedures in the climbing area, they’re not

allowed to climb.

Q: What have you learned? A: Having patience is something you really need when dealing with younger kids because they’ll get dis-

tracted and you have to make sure that they focus on what they’re doing so they don’t hurt themselves.

Protip:I want to make sure people know that the Center is a great place for people to find a job. It’s a really great envi-

ronment, everyone’s really nice, it’s easy to get there from the high school and hours are really flexible.

GraceHostessHalf & Half

Monshausen

Q: What’s your hourly wage?A: $8.00 an hour plus tips, but I get tax taken off which stinks.

Q: What’s the weirdest thing that’s happened on the job?

A: A woman with a party of 10 that came in got really mad at me one time. She stood behind the hostess’ stand and yelled in my ear for a really long time. She

told me that I am really bad at my job and that I should have sat her somewhere else. She also said that I should figure out how to be better. After my co-workers got

involved, she apologized and said that she works at a restaurant too.

Q: How do you pass the time? A: There’s a receipt feeder at the hostess’ stand. So I always push the button to get blank

paper and draw my co-workers pictures. Sometimes if cute kids are in [the restaurant], I go and talk to them. I also eat a lot.

Q: What have you learned from the job?A: People are mean when they’re hungry.

Reeves

COVER 14

JackBusser

Cantina Laredo

Q: What’s your hourly wage?A: $6.00 per hour and 40% of the server’s tips, and my own tips.

Q: Biggest mistake you’ve made? A: I dropped four glasses. I was carrying a big tray of glasses and I was just thinking to myself, “Wow, I’m really getting better at balancing these glasses.” Right after that, I turned a corner too sharply and all the glasses fell off. All of my co-workers made fun of me after that.

Q: weirdest thing that’s happened on the job?A: One time a server dropped all of these people’s food on their table. I had to clean it up and it was pretty awkward.

Q: What have you learned? A: I have learned more social skills. Especially how to hold up a conversation with strangers.

Snodgrass

photo by Katherine Sleckman

opposite page: photo from Kate Reeves, photo by Katherine Sleckman

Hannah UsherThe Muny

Q: What’s your hourly wage?A: I get paid $17 an hour or $9, depending on what we are doing each night. I get

around $35 every night.

Q: wHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PART?A: There are so many things I love about working at The Muny. I love being around the shows

and seeing all these really great performers. I love giving tours of backstage and seeing kids get excited about being backstage or being on stage because that was me when I was little. I love the

people and interacting with them.

Q: What have you learned? A: I have learned a lot of people skills. I have learned how to deal with difficult situations where people

might be angry that the parking lot is full and I might direct them or apologize. I have learned how to deal with people.

q: aNYTHING ELSE?A: I have this great memory. I was working in free seats, where people don’t have to buy tickets, they just wait in

line to get seats at the top. It was the Buddy Holly show and my boss came up to me and had an extra ticket that he wanted me to give away to someone who was alone in free seats. So I was checking the bag of this older woman,

because that’s what I do in free seats. I asked her if she was alone and she was, so I offered her the ticket and it was a really close to the stage. She said, “How much is it?” and I said, “No. It’s completely free.” She almost started crying,

she was so excited and gave me this huge hug. It was amazing to be able to impact someone’s night. That was probably a great memory for that woman and I’m glad that I was able to do that.

hann

ah

photo by Katherine SleckmanCOVER 16

rYAN

InternThe City of St. Louis Office of the Mayor

brow

n

Q: What’s your hourly wage?A: I’m an unpaid intern. I get paid in recommendation letters.

Q: Hours per week? A: I usually get in there around 7:45 or 8:00 and I stay anywhere from 5 to 6:00, five days a week.

Q: dress code?A: I’m in a suit, I always wear a tie and I always wear a jacket around because you never know what’s going to happen on the job.

Q: what’s been the most interesting task you’ve had? A: For my first assignment, I was given the official DOJ on the Ferguson “incident,” as they called it. Two hun-dred pages. So I learned about all that and I became the office person for that, along with most police matters.

Q: what have you learned?What I’ve learned is that it’s people like [firemen, policemen and paramedics] who make the city go round. We help the cogs turn, we grease them, but it’s the people who actually go out on a daily basis who are the cogs themselves.

photo by Nahuel Feher

Henry

fELIXWaitressCafe Manhattan

evansQ: What’s your hourly wage?

A: Minimum wage, or $7.65 plus tips. But people don’t usually tip on take outs, even though you’re supposed to.

Q: What’s the weirdest thing that’s happened here?

A: I worked a double on both days of the July 4th weekend. A guy came in for the first three shifts and he ate at the counter twice. It was just really awk-

ward, but he was nice and he complimented me for working so much. But we both clearly had no plans for the Fourth of July, so it was pretty weird.

Q: What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made? A: I messed up an order and gave the wrong food to a lady and she left with it. But the

girl who actually ordered that food came, so I had to redo her order. The first lady returned and I had to give her the original food that she wanted. I ended up with an extra pizza and

a salad from redoing the orders, so I at least got free food in the end.

Q: What have you learned from the job?A: I’ve learned to be a lot more patient. But I’ve also learned to be efficient and fast, because other

people aren’t patient. Oh, and if you flirt with the guys, they give you bigger tips.

COVER 18

photo from Felix Evans

In a single season 1,574 yards sits atop the CHS football record book.In the 2014 football season, Tyler Melvin, a junior at the time, set this

record, surpassing one of his role models, Tyler Walker, who now sits at fifth on this list.

“Tyler [Walker] has always pushed me to go my hardest but recently he told me as a senior I have to step up and start a new atmosphere for everyone around me and Clayton football,” Melvin said.

Although this record was incredible, coach Gene Gladstone expects Melvin to be more than one of the best running backs in CHS football history.

“Last year he was a great contributor to the team,” Gladstone said. “This year, that contribution is expected and his role now has become that of leadership. He has become a guy who has taken on an example’s role for the rest of the team.”

Melvin has embraced this new role of leadership coming into his se-nior year.

“Starting football my freshman year, I was quiet. I mean, I was always good, one of the top players, but I never really spoke up or was a leader of the team or gave my opinion,” Melvin said. “This year, I’m getting all the guys together. I’m more vocal. I’m fixing mistakes. I’m more of a leader.”

While stepping into a senior leadership role, Melvin is also keeping

ATHLETE PROFILE

photo by Katherine Sleckmanby BRIAN GATTER

sports section editor

Record breaking Senior Tyler Melvin prepares for the fall football season.

SPORTS 19

himself humble and trying to focus on the team. “We were very close as a team [last year] and this year we are even

closer,” Melvin said.Melvin is grateful for many role models that have helped his football

career as it has progressed. “My dad, he’s my number one, my mom. Some of my own teammates

like Kerry, Robby, Josh, Will. Those guys push me,” Melvin said.Gladstone noticed Melvin’s commitment to the program and drive

early on. “Well, we started together on Jan. 5, when we came back from winter

break and during that time we had 120 workouts that guys were able to make and Tyler made over 80 percent of those,” Gladstone said. “So, we got good exposure to him and who he is and what he’s about during that time. What we have seen is a steady maturation as an athlete and as a person and it’s lead him to the point today where he’s a real leader of our football team.”

The effect that the change in coaching had on the team did not go un-noticed to the players.

“It improved us a lot all around,” Melvin said. “We are a better team. Everything is different. It is a new environment.”

T Y - I N G T H EP R O G R A M T O G E T H E R

“I’ve played on four different continents, I’ve played in the NBA, I’ve played in the minor leagues, I’ve played in China. Two years ago my wife and I lived literally through where the war started between Ukraine and Russia. There were 130 people murdered within a seven iron of where I lived,” former NBA player and current CHS basketball head coach Blake Ahearn said.

Ahearn was hired as CHS’ new varsity boys’ basketball coach in late May.

“I applied for the job for family reasons first. My wife and I, we just had our third kid about three weeks ago,” he said. “So I knew I was going to be having my third and playing-wise, health-wise I felt great, like I could continue playing professionally, but I knew at some point that is not very family conducive.”

The Ahearn family has left a legacy in Clayton basketball. “My dad and uncle went to Clayton, I’ve had eight cousins go through

Clayton and I’ve worked out at the Clayton Center ever since it opened,” Ahearn said. “So I have a lot of history, and I feel when you have [history] with something, not that I wouldn’t work as hard as I possibly can some-where else, but you always try to do a little bit extra when you have some type of history with the school.”

After Ahearn was hired, he immediately went about seeking to change the culture of the Clayton basketball program.

“I feel fortunate enough to have played for, I feel, the best organiza-tion, not just in basketball, but in sports in the last 15-20 years with the San Antonio Spurs and the coach I had there, Gregg Popovich,” Ahearn said. “He’s an Air Force guy, so he was strict, but he was fair. I’m not a guy or a coach that’s gonna be a drill sergeant, but there needs to be a disci-

SPORTS 20

by BRIAN GATTERsports section editor

pline factor, people need to be held accountable and I don’t think that only comes from me. As far as leaders, Josh, David and Robert, our three seniors, they need to hold people accountable.”

Many players on the team were impressed with Ahearn, especially the seniors.

“[Coach Ahearn] is a great guy and a hard worker,” senior Robert Ho-gan said. “He really emphasizes team basketball which I believe will lift our team to a higher level.”

Senior Josh Johnson noticed the same emphasis. “He’s helped us be more confident in ourselves and in our teammates.

He’s taught us how to play together as a team and not individuals,” John-son said.

Ahearn stresses confidence for individual players as well as an out-standing work ethic as keys to success.

“If I was walking down this street right now, not many people would think I played in the NBA, actually nobody,” Ahearn said. “I would go to my own bus when I played in the NBA for Utah in San Antonio where I had already played before and the security guard wouldn’t let me on the bus. So, I don’t look like a basketball player, but the confidence that I gained was because I knew I practiced more than anybody. That’s the mentality you have to have and that’s what I’m trying to tell these kids: if you practice and you work at it enough, you deserve the right to be confi-dent. You may not win every game, you may not make every shot, but it will put you in the right frame of mind to be successful.”

Ahearn’s work ethic allowed him not only to play Division I college basketball for Missouri State, but also to eventually hold both the records for all-time free throw percentage for a career as well as a single season. Ahearn’s records boil down to, according to him, practice and confidence.

“There’s a lot of things in basketball and in life that you can’t control. And when I was growing up I couldn’t control how tall I was going to be. You’re just kind of given what you’re given,” Ahearn said, “The one thing that I could control as a kid was how hard I worked with the basketball and how much I practiced.”

Although he enjoyed success as a player and won countless awards at very high levels including the NBA D-League Rookie of the Year in 2008 and the D-league leading scorer in 2012, Ahearn still says that relation-ships are one of his favorite parts about sports.

“Coach Popovich was great at always caring about your family situ-ation and off the court stuff and all the best coaches I’ve had were like that,” Ahearn said. “That’s what I want to be as a coach: to be able to carry relationships with these players past high school, help them get to col-lege.”

Senior David Brake is just as eager as Ahearn to get into the season and see where Ahearn can lead the team.

“I’m really excited about what Coach Ahearn brings to our team,” Brake said. “He’s a laid back guy but still has an intense side that I think will not only help the varsity team get better, but also the basketball pro-gram as a whole.”

Ahearn also lots to be excited about regarding the upcoming season. “For me, it’s a new opportunity. I always knew I wanted to get into

coaching and to have the opportunity to start at a place that I have his-tory with,” he said. “There are times in practice that I look up and I see my dad’s name on a banner, I see my uncle’s name on banners. It’s kind of poetic in a way. To some people, it’s just high school basketball. To me, it’s something that I’ve worked hard for.”

Blake Ahearn steps up as the new varsity boys’ basketball head coach.

C O N T I N U I N G A L E G A C Y

Ahearn shoots while playing for the USA team. (Photo from Blake Ahearn)

S PHIOn Aug. 7, 2015, the Republican presidential candidate debate drew

a record-breaking 24 million viewers. Donald Trump, self-titled “businessman and reality television star,”

contemplated on Good Morning America the next day, “I wonder what the ratings would have been if I wasn’t in the mix. It would have been very interesting to see, frankly.”

And he’s right. Without the draw of Trump, the debate probably would have passed without a second thought from most Americans. Normally at this stage of the game, before preliminary elections have even begun, most of us wouldn’t have picked out a candidate to stand behind yet.

But Trump is taking the nation by a storm with his celebrity status and hardcore Republican values.

But I’m not here to talk about that, really. I’m here to talk about how I don’t want a man who makes derogatory jokes about women on TV to lead my country. Please and thank you.

At one point during the debate, FOX News moderator Megyn Kelly brought up Trump’s history with women. She began her question by saying, “You’ve called women you don’t like ‘fat pigs,’ ‘dogs,’ ‘slobs’ and ‘disgusting animals.’”

Trump chose this moment to interrupt her. “Only Rosie O’Donnell.”Which, to say the least, is half-true. Trump has called O’Donnell all

of those things ever since 2006, when O’Donnell questioned Trump’s decision to not fire Tara Conner, a controversial Miss USA, over drug abuse. The Trump-O’Donnell feud has been growing ever since.

But Kelly continued her question after the interruption, saying,

“For the record, it was well beyond Rosie O’Donnell. Your Twitter ac-count has several disparaging comments about women’s looks. You once told a contestant on ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ it would be a pretty picture to see her on her knees. Does that sound like the temperament of a man we should elect president?”

I stand with Kelly, and probably every other American woman at this point, in saying that no, this is not the temperament of a man we should elect to lead our country.

For those who do not already understand the concept, the president of the United States would represent everyone in it. Even if he (or she, with the possibility of Hillary Clinton becoming the Democratic candi-date in 2016) consistently poked fun at half of the country’s popula-tion.

Trump’s interjection about O’Donnell generated a lot of laughter from the audience, and it was clear he made the joke simply for that re-action. A presidential candidate is not debating for America’s personal entertainment. He should be debating to prove his ideas are worth lis-tening to and that he would make a good leader of our country.

If Trump gets any further in his journey for presidential candidacy, women will have to face scarily ignorant comments about their health, abortion and their physical appearance all day long.

If you ask me, our next president, if he is a man, should respectfully say he has no idea what women’s health issues are really all about and appoint a woman to help him effectively deal with them.

50 percent of Americans don’t need anyone telling them what to do with their bodies, especially not Donald Trump.

Donald Trump is running for president and Megyn Kelly helped America realize that we don’t want that.

THINGS

HATESa column by SOPHIE ALLEN, opinion section editor

(Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune/MCT)

E

Outside the steps of the Supreme Court in Washington, DC, a massive crowd cheers as the verdict is returned. The vote falls five to four. On June 26, 2015, gay marriage is legalized across the United States of America. Before this moment, fourteen states still prohibited same-sex marriage, including Missouri.

The Obergefell v. Hodges case overruled the ruling of the 1971 Baker v. Nelson case, which gave states the power to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

In President Obama’s words, “This ruling is a victory for America ... When all Americans are truly treated as equal, we are more free.”

However, this decision was not greeted with consensus all around. Various groups, both religious and political, voiced their disagreement with the decision. Several raised the question of whether or not religious institutions would have to grant marriages to same-sex couples if it went against their beliefs. However, the court stated that these matters would have to be determined underneath state laws.

Still, in a recent poll conducted around the time of the decision, nearly 60 percent of Americans support extending the same rights and privi-leges to same-sex couples. But by the glance of the numbers, these results indicate that only a little more than half of America supports the exten-sion of fair treatment to same-sex couples. Even the Supreme Court deci-sion could have easily swayed to a vote of denying gay couples legal rights to marriage.

Certainly these are grand steps that America is taking, a push for equality to provide the rights of union between two people in love. Should one person be denied the right to call their beloved their partner for life simply because of being the same sex?

The great dissent for many lies within their belief and construct of what defines marriage.

A number of Americans hold to the notion of a traditional marriage

(Brian Cahn/Zuma Press/TNS)

by LEMUEL LANwebmaster

involving the union between one man and one woman. Justice Anthony Kennedy, the judge who wrote the majority opinion

in favor of legalizing gay marriage, stated, “It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions.”

Should America hold its beliefs within an age-old tradition, a tradition that has justified holding slaves as property and depriving natives of their land because of their belief in manifest destiny?

America has always been known as the country to offer equal opportu-nities and equal rights, as well as the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness. The decision made has set America down a path that cannot, and should not, be altered.

Restrictions should not be set for those who wish to pursue their own sense of happiness, no matter who their love interest may be. As a nation, why do we spend our time judging and limiting one another, instead of working as a unified country?

We waste time refusing others the right to love and to be married when we truly have no business meddling with their union. Marriage is, indeed, a sacred union, meant for the two partners involved to confess and promise their undying love for each other. The bond made between two individuals is of no one else’s concern, whether they be straight or gay.

Indeed, there is no time like the present. How we, as citizens of Amer-ica, take the decision, will be in our own hands. On June 26th, America stood for equality and fairness. On that day, America took a step forwards towards happiness for all. On that day, love spoke. And nothing speaks louder than love.

The Supreme Court finds in favor of gay marriage nationwide.

OPINION 22

T H E G AY D AY S O F S U M M E R

“Paper Towns” was recently released as the movie ver-sion of yet another teen romance/adventure by John Green.

High school senior Quentin (Nat Wolff) experiences the night of his life when Margo (Cara Delevigne), Quentin’s neighbor and the most popular girl in school, enlists him to help her get back at her cheating boyfriend.

Quentin hopes this will spark the romance he had al-ways imagined between them, but, the next morning, he finds that Margo has disappeared.

While Margo’s parents do not find this unusual, this time it appears Margo, at 18 years old, may be gone for good. Quentin, his best friends Ben (Austin Abrams) and Radar (Justice Smith) and Margo’s closest friend Lacey (Halston Sage) embark on a journey to find the missing girl.

Unfortunately, the movie adaptation didn’t quite live up to the magic of the book.

Although Delevigne and Wolff do a remarkable job play-ing the two main characters, and filmmakers capture senior year of high school perfectly, those factors do not make up for the fact that the story is not realistic.

As a book, playing with “reality” works well, but it’s hard for a viewer of the movie to embrace the idea in only two hours that Margo ran away frequently to do amazing things as a teenager. Hundreds of pages work much better for that sort of premise.

Green’s novels are great to read, but his movie adapta-tions fall short in comparison.

REVIEW 23

by SOPHIE ALLENopinion section editor

P A P E R T O W N S

“You can’t do a slasher movie as a TV series,” Noah Foster (John Kar-na), one of the pivotal members of the main cast in the hit summer series on MTV, “Scream,” said. However, it seems as though the producers of the new show completely went against Foster’s advice. Loosely based off of the movie franchise, “Scream” follows a group of teens in the small town of Lakewood, haunted by a killer who is bent on revenge. The series starts off with a bang, revealing a startling death within the first eight minutes of the pilot, before setting off the chain of murderous events that shake Lakewood’s residents.

Paying tribute to the original movie franchise, “Scream” follows a sim-ilar archetypical set of characters, including a Sidney Prescott character type with Emma Duvall (Willa Fitzgerald), the curious-yet-fame-driven reporter with Piper Shay (Amelia Rose Blaire) and the sex object, Brooke Maddox (Carlson Young). In this series, every character has his or her own motive and agenda in mind. Everyone has a reason to be the killer and everyone has secrets to hide. The series reveals underlying plots and crucial character development that viewers miss in the standard cinema setting of slasher films. Jealousy, lies and betrayal are taken to the ex-treme as the teens of Lakewood determine who is truly their friend and who is just pretending.

“Scream” also includes various witty and snide remarks, helping to keep the show contemporary by using modern slang and references. So-cial media and technology are prevalent motifs that run throughout the

series, along with the ever classic ominous phone call from the killer. Viral video scandals are ever foreboding, and, as Foster states, “It’s the age of Instagram, YouTube and Tumblr. I mean, we need to share the things we do or it’s like it never happened.”

Of course, viewers may still hold protests against the seemingly naive and foolish characters. Surely she would not have gone there alone, or he would not have tripped while he was running. But despite its rather cheesy acting and predictable outcomes found only within a slasher film, “Scream” offers a breath of fresh air to the MTV network. Quick turns of events and sudden deaths propel the series onwards, enough to keep viewers watching week after week.

In a series that seems ever centered in the feelings of the modern day, “Scream” provides the horror that we, as high school students, face every-day, both with technology and finding our place in society. The exaggerat-ed escalation in murders reveals our greatest fears of a nightmare world. The thrilling uncertainty with its modern taste is what gives “Scream” the great potential to become the next horror series. So, be sure to lock your doors and have your phone close by when you tune in to watch. You never know if your own phone might soon get an unknown caller...

by LEMUEL LANwebmaster

S C R E A M

(Brian Cahn/Zuma Press/TNS)

Cara Delevingne and Nat Wolff in “Paper Towns.” (Michael Tackett/20th Century Fox/TNS)

After all, RedKey was founded by a mom of Clayton High School students and several of our agents live in, and support, the

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