After coaching water polo and swimming for almost 60 years and teaching at CHS for 35 years, Wally passed away on Dec. 26, 2011.  He was a memorable coach, a wise mentor, a kind friend, a loving father, and a devoted husband who will always be remembered by the lives he touched.

Wally Lundt was a swimming and water polo coach for almost 60 years. He coached the CHS Boys' Swimming Team this past fall. (Courtesy of Sonia Beard)

Wally was born June 10, 1927 in St. Louis as an only child to loving parents, Walter Herman Lundt and Elsie Wilmsmeier.  His parents were not outdoors people or swimmers, but he spent many days at his cousin’s cottage on the Meramec River.  By the age of nine, he had learned how to swim.  In the later years of high school, Wally joined the Meramec River Patrol and saved over 200 lives from accidental drownings.  The Meramec River was ultimately a large source of Wally’s lifelong love for aquatics.

Coincidentally, through his newfound love of aquatics, Wally found the other love of his life, Ann Lundt.  She shared Wally’s passion for aquatics and eventually became his lifelong partner in marriage.

“My first date with Wally was on the river in a canoe while he was river patrolling,” Ann Lundt said.  “I also grew up in a family that had a cottage on the Meramec River…Wally and I really shared a love of the water.”

After graduating from Beaumont High School, Wally joined the Merchant Marines before attending Washington University in St. Louis.  Later, he joined the Marine Corps and was stationed as a Military Police in Guam.  He was then selected for the All Navy Swimming Team to compete in the mile swim.  Drawing upon his years of swimming, he won two events in Guam, two events in Mariana Islands, and one event in Shanghai, China.  He then was a finalist in the 1946 All Navy Championships held in Jacksonville, Florida.

“He was, in short, a man who never sat down,” Ann Lundt said.  “He always wanted to be busy and be doing something.”

Along with his interest in aquatics, Wally loved music and travel.  He started to play the violin in elementary school, played the bass in college with a musical group called the Hush Boys, and maintained season tickets to the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

After serving in the Navy and Marines in the Pacific islands, Wally remained deeply committed to travel and extensively toured throughout Europe with Ann.

Coaching

For Wally, his choice to become a coach and teacher was derived from years of being involved with aquatics.  He never regretted this decision.

“His love for the Meramec River, swimming in high school and at Washington University where he was captain of his swimming team his senior year reinforced his love for water,” Ann Lundt said.  “He loved the outdoors, but he also loved competing.  The two worked together well and gave him the idea of what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.”

Seeking to share his passion for aquatics, Wally began his career as a high school teacher and swimming coach in 1952 at Normandy High School.  In 1957, he came to CHS where he coached swimming and water polo, and taught physical education, scuba diving, canoeing, and lifeguarding courses over the years.

Wally Lundt smiles after a victorious swim meet. (Courtesy of Sonia Beard)

His athletes saw him as a humble and direct coach.  Wally emphasized the importance of mastering the fundamentals of a sport like the different strokes in swimming.  CHS alum Richard Yawitz of the Class of 1973 who swam and played water polo under Wally, remembers a certain regimen and style to Wally’s coaching.

“He had a program,” Yawitz said.  “He prepared in advance what his practices were going to be.  He was predictable in terms of how he would construct his workouts, the passing drills, and the scrimmaging at the end… There was a certain flexibility and interpretation, so that as long as you stayed within the guidelines, you were fine.”

Sports with Wally, however, required a significant amount of hard work, dedication, and commitment.

“He brought this attitude of winning and taught the players and the team that it was important to play as hard as they could,” Yawitz said.  “[The team] would think about water polo not only when they were practicing, but other times during the day too.  So it involved the team 24-7.”

Even till this past fall when he coached the CHS Boys’ Swimming Team, Wally continued to inspire and instill in his players the ability and confidence to take on difficult challenges.

“He taught me to work hard, and even though something was hard, it didn’t mean that you shouldn’t do it,” junior Nico Salavaggione, a current CHS swimmer and water polo player, said.

Despite his sometimes blunt and serious tone as a coach, Wally found moments for the team to have some well-deserved fun.

“He definitely made practice hard, but during breaks he always had something to say, a story, or a compliment to give to us on how we were doing,” Salavaggione said.  “He knew how to make us laugh…He connected with all of us so well because he was a nice guy with a good sense of humor…We were all just really good friends.”

Although Wally coached into his eighties, he was always able to connect on a personal level with his players.  CHS alum Todd Almli of the Class of 1989 who swam with Wally, remembers the friendly and personable spirit that Wally brought to the team.

“He was sixty back then with me,” Almli  said.  “He was old at that point, but that did not matter.  His age did not matter.  He was relate-able to anybody.  For six decades, he connected with teenagers.”

More Than A Coach

Wally was much more than a coach for his athletes; he was friend and mentor that players could count on for counsel and guidance.

“He was able to see the real person and understand what was going in each young man or young woman’s life,” Ann Lundt said. “Working with people was pure joy for him.”

Wally coaches 1968 CHS water polo players Alan Stiffelman on left and Jimmy Spiegel on right in the water. (Courtesy of Alan Stiffelman)

CHS alum Alan Stiffelman of the Class of 1967, swam and played water polo with Wally.  During high school, Wally became a fatherly figure in Stiffelman’s life as he was always accessible for a conversation with kind words of advice.

“When I had problems, I knew I could talk to Wally,” Stiffelman said.  “You just knew that he could be trusted.”

Wally cared about each of his athletes.  CHS alum Jim Floerchinger of the Class of 1988, swam and played water polo with Wally.  He remembers Wally as a warmhearted coach who was concerned about the “success of the whole athlete.”

“Everyone needs someone like Wally in their life,” Floerchinger said.  “He cared about our lives…He probably cared more about the successful life of his athletes outside of the sport than the actual competition…I always felt that even though I was being pushed, Wally wanted the best for me.”

Inspired by Wally’s coaching, Floerchinger has become a successful water polo and swimming coach.  As a coach, Floerchinger echoes Wally’s focus on the individual success of each of his athletes to help prepare them for life–beyond just the sport.

Although Wally focused on the individual, he also recognized the importance of teamwork, valuing the bonds and friendships formed between the various freshman to seniors on the swimming and water polo teams.  According to Almli, Wally was “part of the gang” and the uniting factor of the team.

“Traveling to meets in the bus, Wally never sat in the front of the bus,” Almli said.  “Instead, he sat in the back with us, yapping away.”

Over the years, Wally coached numerous successful swimming and water polo teams.  Under his leadership, the CHS aquatic program flourished throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s.  At the time, it was not unusual for over a hundred students to pack into the old Natatorium for a swim meet.  Water polo and swimming were among some of most popular sports at CHS, amassing several state titles during those decades.

From 1967 to 1972, Yawitz recalls losing only a handful of water polo games in high school and going undefeated in his senior year at a time when Clayton aquatics were top in the state.

Life Lessons

Indeed, Wally loved to win; however, it wasn’t all about winning for him.

“He always said, ‘It’s easy to win, anybody can win, but the ability to lose and go on the next day is the most important thing of all,’” Ann Lundt said.

Thus, Wally not only taught his teams how to win, but he also taught them how to lose.

Wally smiles in the center of the team picture of the 2010 CHS Water Polo Team. (Courtesy of Sonia Beard)

“He taught us about fair play, and honesty, and how to approach any situation,” Yawitz said.  “I remember that by just playing the sport, you learn more from your defeats than you do your victories.  When you lose, you think of how you could be better, so you don’t lose again.  The games that we lost, I remember the most.”

The principles that Wally taught were timeless for his athletes.

“He also loved helping young people fit into adulthood by really thinking about strong ideals, the importance of a work ethic,” Ann Lundt said.  “He tried to also teach courage to young people, a keen sense of integrity, and the ability to cope with the inevitable failures in life.”

Junior Jack Layden, a current CHS swimmer and water polo player, recognizes the significant impact that Wally has made on his life.

“He helped me grow from being a freshman and learn how to be a man,” Layden said. “He taught me how to be a good person.  Wally was someone who you could look up to as he had dedicated his whole life to helping people.”

As Wally coached year after year, his enthusiasm never diminished because he truly loved his job.

“He was in the right niche,” Ann Lundt said.  “Wally never complained about going to work.  He really loved it.  He wanted to get there, the sooner the better.”

Even this past fall, when he became sick during the boys’ swimming season, Wally was committed to trying to come to as many practices as possible.

“This season I did my best because I wanted him to be proud,” Salavaggione said. “Although he wasn’t always there, he was with us in our thoughts.  We kept working hard because that it what he wanted us to do.”

Family Man

Wally always kept a busy schedule, but first, and foremost, he was a family man.

“When he came to the door, I could tell whether they had won or lost, but the minute he came in door, he was hundred percent husband and father,” Ann Lundt said.  “He had the ability to put aside anything that had gone wrong…  Not many men can achieve that.”

Wally enjoys watching a Civil War Re-enactment in May of 2011 at Jefferson Barracks with his wife, Ann Lundt. Wally always set aside time for his family. (Courtesy of Sonia Beard)

Wally made sure that he devoted time always to his family.  Almost every weekend, the family would go on a hike, with a 5-miler being a short one.  Also, Wally and his wife, Ann, loved to share their love of the outdoors with their children and grandchildren.

“He was always involved in teaching the children about the outdoors,” Ann Lundt said.  “We did a lot of camping and canoeing.  We probably hiked 200 miles a year always.  We were both hikers.”
Wally coached many successful teams and he was loved by many, but perhaps his greatest accomplishment was his 57 years of marriage.

Wally’s teams knew just how meaningful his family and Ann was to him when practice would usually end fifteen minutes early on Fridays so he could take Ann to the lake house.  He always had a place in his heart for both his family and aquatics.

His Legacy

When Wally began working at Shaw Park Aquatic Center in 1952, no one knew of his future legacy.

After being a lifelong proponent of the sport as an athlete and a coach, Wally was inducted into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame in 2004.  He was a pioneer for water polo in the Midwest by helping start the first water polo league in St. Louis with University City and Ladue in 1960.  Wally also began one of the longest running water polo tournaments in the nation in 1971, the Clayton Invitational Water Polo Tournament. Today, his presence as well as his passion for aquatics and for helping others is felt by six decades of high school students and members of the community.

“He gave his life to other people,” Layden said.  “The swim team and the water polo team will never forget Wally.”

The Clayton community is fortunate to have had Wally as their keystone for aquatics for almost 60 years.

“I think it is profound the impact he had on the people that he came into contact with,” Patty DeForrest, the Director of Clayton Parks and Recreation, said.  “I don’t think there’s any family in Clayton that did not have any connection to Wally.”

As the principles that he taught were timeless, his character and devotion to people were untouched by age or health.

“After seeing the memorial service, it was interesting to see his consistency in character,” senior Julia Grasse, a current CHS swimmer and water polo player, said.  “It just made so much sense. We actually really did know him.  There were stories that were told that we could relate to that happened fifty years ago.”

The memory of Wally will continue with the countless individuals who were touched by his life.  He was a constant example of dedication, fortitude, and service.

“I was always remember his life lessons, first and foremost, but also just remembering Wally in the last 25 plus years at Shaw Park with his brimmed hat, and swimming suit,” Yawitz said.  “There he was out there with his smiling face, always happy.”

Thank you Wally for teaching us how to live a rich and fulfilling life.  We will always love you.

Snow Day's Profile Picture on Facebook

A storm has been brewing over the past three years at Clayton High, gaining friends and followers in the process. With snow day decisions mired in mystery and clouded in controversy, an anonymous Facebook profile appropriately titled “Snow Day” was created as a form of protest by someone we presume to be a Clayton High School student.

The persona of Snow Day first began to take shape when he (the profile claims masculinity) sent an email in 2010 demanding snow days to the then-superintendent Don Senti. Snow Day tells us that he sends out an email on the eve of possible school cancellations. The whimsical email, written with religious undertones, has been sent each of the past three years, to superintendents Senti, Herrmann, and Wilkinson. The letter, shared by Snow Day, reads as follows:

Thus sayeth the Lord:

Thou shalt giveth unto thy Flock a Day of Rest on the *Twelfth Day of the First Month in the Two-Thousand and Twelfth Year of Our Lord, Jesus Christ. Thou shalt frolic in the Virgin Snows and Iced-Covered Streets which thy Lord and Saviour hath providest for Thee. Thou shalt not labor or hold Periods of Scholarly Instruction on the Premises of thy School Building. And so unto thou I shalt revealeth the Eleventh Commandment, kept hidden from the Eyes of Man since the Times of the Prophet, Moses:

In the Presence of mine Wrathful, Impending Holocaust of Ice and Snow, Thou shalt declareth unto thine CHS A SNOW DAY!!!

[The only adjustment between this letter and previous letters is the date]

Despite Snow Day’s claim that the email has never failed him until his most recent attempt on Jan. 12, doubt remains as to his email’s influence on the superintendent’s final decision.

Snow Day has signed letters under varied pseudonyms, including “Master of Frosty Skies and Everything Chilly”, “Producer of Glacial Winds and Wintry Weather” and the admirably and adroitly alliterative “Savior of Students from the Stresses of School”.

Throughout his profile, biblical, political, and cultural references abound. Taking the personality of God, he claims his family includes Adam and Eve; his religious views are defined as “Ron Paul.” Additionally, his profile pictures comes from Michaelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. Describing his appearance, he claims to have a “beard descending in a frothy cataract”, a clear allusion to Mark Twain’s “The War Prayer”.

It is unclear what his relationship status is, as it is defined as simply “open.” Upon questioning, Snow Day explained that this is to have an “open relationship with humanity and high school students.”

Snow Day has received a myriad of messages from students, administrators and parents alike. They have one simple goal: uncover the mysterious identity of the organizer of such puckish behavior.

A sophomore, who spoke on conditions of absolute anonymity, claimed to be the notorious “Snow Day”. Another student was adamant that “Snow Day” was a former district employee. Nevertheless, the reigning opinion is that an upperclassman or recent alum is behind the deity.

Reaching out to this mysterious demigod demagogue through Facebook, the Globe was kindly granted an exclusive brief interview.

Who are you?

Well, revealing my identity would be no fun now, would it? I’m simply a student that enjoys snow days, nothing more. Much like Rorschach in Watchmen, I’ve taken it upon myself to aid the community—I do it by encouraging more snow days.

What inspired you to develop this alter ego?

The joy of frolicking in the powdery snows of winter is universal. Besides, such amusement is all the more amplified by the knowledge that the bitterly cold weather, a simple natural phenomenon and nothing more, has usurped the power of an institution that controls our lives. Snow undermines school, and for that, it must be revered!

(And frankly, someone has to provide an optimistic balance to pessimistic students who constantly exclaim: “don’t get your hopes up!” or “You are so wrong about tomorrow.” Yes, you know who you are.)

How successful would you consider your endeavors as “Snow Day” to have been?

Quite successful! I’ve never erred in previous years when snow days would be called, and though my prediction this morning [Jan. 12] was sadly inaccurate, nevertheless, an unprecedented event occurred; this morning marked the first response from an administrator. Dr. Losos responded to my email (her response began: “Dear God,”) on the issue, evidently a sign that my power is a very real, perhaps limitless, thing.

Any last words?

This movement is driven by students–so show your support! I’ve doubled my number of friends on Facebook over the past few days, recently reaching seventy-five, and am looking to always add more! Spread the word!

Though they may be small in size, the business still puts in a lot of work and effort. In fact, I had the opportunity to meet Macc and Betty Davis, the couple who started the barbecue stall.

Macc Davis works the grill

“Our barbecue business started because of one of my son’s little league games. It was our turn to bring the post-game meal that day and we brought barbecue. The barbecue just started disappearing! Other parents were just flocking towards the barbecue and were asking us what the recipe was! After that, both Betty and I decided that our barbecue had the potential to become a business,” said Macc Davis.

Macc’s job is to set up the grill and to attract customers, but it is Betty who makes the delicious barbecue. When asked how it felt to see people enjoy her creation, she replied:

“It is a sensational feeling. I don’t like when people come and ask me, ‘oh how is your barbecue?’ I want them to taste it for themselves. If they like it, I know that I’ve done a good thing and it warms my heart to see people rave about my food.”

Equally important members of the Betty-Macc team are their children and grandchildren. While the Davises’ grandchildren do simple chores such as cleaning and organizing, their children, Mathew (8^th grade) and Marcus (9^th grade), have very important jobs. Since Betty and Macc are not familiar with using computers, Matt and Marcus use their knowledge and exposure to technology to help out their parents with financing and inventory.

“There is a lot to learn from this experience,” says Matt. “I have learned the importance of organization and how to work efficiently. Plus, since my whole team is my family, it is easier to work together.”

“Not only are the children helping the family business, they are learning valuable entrepreneurial skills along the way. As a father and grandfather, you can’t be happier,” says Macc Davis.

After spending time with the Davises, it is not hard to understand why their product ends up being so tasty! So much effort goes into the barbecue and that hard work is paying off. The Davises believe they can acquire the land where they sell their barbecue. Once this happens, they anticipate creating a restaurant that not only serves barbecue, but also acts as a haven for kids, a place where they can learn entrepreneurial skills.

The passion the Davises have for their business as well as their charismatic personalities has enabled them to get a good amount of customers from the North Grand area, but they want to be bigger.

“Our goal for Betty-Macc is to have one restaurant in every state. There doesn’t need to be two or three, just one per state. Then, I would be satisfied,” says Betty.

Having tasted their barbecue and having witnessed their effort, I believe this is goal is perfectly achievable.

As a result of the dwindling economy, many people have not been able to purchase Christmas gifts. Thus, they are making installment plans with stores to pay for their gift, known as a layaway. This means that rather than paying the entire amount in one day, they are paying for their gift at a certain rate. For instance, let’s say I want to be buy a laptop that costs $200, but I cannot pay off the amount in one day so what I do is pay $10 dollars every day for 20 days.

While it may be less stressful financially, paying for a gift this way is still inconvenient. However, this year, there have been surges of altruism occurring throughout the country in the form of ‘Secret Santas’.  These ‘Santas’ have been going around store-to-store, paying off the balance of people’s layaways. According to NBC Chicago, one woman named Dori Campbell, had bought several gifts on layaway for her grandchildren. As Dori was beginning to pay for her gifts, the cashier notified her that a Secret Santa had paid for them.

Said Dori, “The cashier woman was like holding my hands because I was shaking so bad because this has never happened to me before,” Dori’s story is just one of many examples of the generosity of these Secret Santas.

The altruistic nature of these Santas exemplifies the whole notion of giving back, which is one of the most important aspects of Christmas. Whether you call it Secret Santa, paying it forward, or just random acts of kindness, many would agree that the spirit of giving still lives on.

The Globe staff wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

10-year-old Gabe Fleisher in his office.

Gabe Fleisher wakes up at 6:00 a.m. every morning. Although most kids his age would think this to be absurd, he has his reasons. Fleisher likes having time to work before going to school. He uses this time to write a daily newspaper, “The Daily Rundown.”  Impressive as it is for any student to do this, what is truly amazing is that Fleisher is only ten-years-old and a fourth grader at Flynn Park Elementary School in University City.

Fleisher’s paper gives readers small bursts of political information, which he sends out to eighty people every weekday as an attachment via email.  His subscribers use his paper to to find out what’s going on in the world.  But the Daily Rundown, or the DR as his readers call it, especially focuses on US politics.

One Daily Rundown subscriber, who relies on Gabe to keep her up to date, is Kaitlin Kremer.  “Instead of trying to read the newspaper or look at CNN, I could check the DR and it would condense all the important information for me,” Kremer said.

Gabe’s introduction into the world of journalism began with his mother, Amy Fleisher.  Gabe likes to wake up very early, and always wanted to tell his mom what was going on in politics.

“I would try very patiently to listen, but, as I like to get to work early, it was increasingly difficult. So I said, ‘Why don’t you send me an email at work and then we can correspond that way?’” Amy said. “So he started sending notes about what was happening and points of interest. Then it slowly expanded into the DR.”

Gabe’s efforts are grown out of a desire to help Americans become more knowledgeable about politics.

“I think it’s important that the American people know their history, and their politics, and what’s happening and who their leaders are and what there doing,” he said. Gabe loves history, and wants to make sure people, young and old, stay informed.

Gabe’s work has also garnered some national attention.

One of his subscribers, or Rundowners, is Ronnie Cho, an Associate Director to the White House Office of Public Engagement. On Nov. 6 Cho requested to speak with Gabe over the phone.

“He talked about how I think President Obama is doing, specifically outreaching to kids,” Gabe said. Besides Cho, Gabe has two other White House aids as subscribers to his paper.

In his very young political career, Gabe has already attended an inauguration, talked to famous historians such as Doris Kearns Goodwin, and, most impressively, shaken hands with President Barack Obama. Meeting Obama was probably Gabe’s most inspirational moment. “It just brought everything together for me,” he said.

Kurtis Werner, CHS history teacher and sponsor of Politics Club, was blown away by Gabe’s work.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Werner said. “My most high ability students have gone and maybe wrote a blog, but I’ve never seen this.”

Gabe, who used to dress up as Ben Franklin when going to pre-school, has always had a passion for history and politics. He wants to be a historian, and Kurtis Werner thinks he is well on his way.

“I could definitely see him taking up aspects of political science, local state or national government, history,” Werner said. “Any of the themes of humanity really are running large through his paper.”

Gabe’s paper, impressive as it is, still needs some work. Both Gabe’s mom and Kaitlin Kremer think Gabe should write more editorials. His editorials, such as his thoughts on the killing of terrorists, are always big hits, but are also more time consuming.

The most exciting thing about The Daily Rundown is what is left to come.  Amy Fleisher agrees.

“I’ve slowly watched him evolve, and what he does with his interests. It will be interesting to see in a year or two years, where this will take him.”

Darlene Castelli poses with Board of Education President Sonny Buttar

It is a special honor for a teacher to be nominated for an award. It is even more special to win an award. For Darlene Castelli, the recipient of the Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award, this is her special moment.

Castelli has taught at CHS for four years as a reading specialist, 11 years in the Clayton School District, and 31 years as a teacher.

According to Chief Communications Officer Chris Tennill the award program recognizes teachers from kindergarten to college professors.

“Each year they [Emerson] recognizes more than 100 teachers who are examples of excellence and teaching in the St. Louis metropolitan area,” Tennill said. “Recipients are selected by the chief administrators of their school districts or educational institutions. This is the only public recognition event of its kind in state of Missouri.”

Castelli was very honored to win the Emerson award.

“Humbling. Very humbling,” Castelli said.

Principal Louise Losos thinks Castelli was an excellent choice for the Emerson Award.

“Richly deserved. She is an amazing teacher of both students as well as other teachers,” Losos said. “She is just tremendous both in the classroom and outside. I think she is just absolutely everything the Emerson award stands for.”

Losos believes the Emerson award is a crowning point for Castelli.

“It is a capstone to her fantastic career and I think it means the world to her,” Losos said. “It is a recognition of the respect her colleagues have for her and I don’t think any of us strive for anything better than the respect of our colleagues.”

CHS and the Clayton School District are thrilled that Castelli has won the award.

“They are absolutely thrilled because they know how tremendous a teacher she is,” Losos said. “I was personally shocked that she has not won it before either in this district or another district. I think when you read the criteria of what the Emerson award should be, it’s Mrs. Castelli.”

Losos said that Castelli has contributed in numerous ways at CHS.

“She helped restructure our reading program at the secondary level, said Losos.  “And she is currently helping to co-chair the literacy committee.”

Castelli has also made an impact on how teachers teach at CHS.

“She has helped teachers look at their classrooms in different ways,” Losos said. “She helped teachers restructure their reading programs to ensure that our students that are struggling readers get the assistance they need to become better and ensure the programming is appropriate and at their level.”

Castelli said that her students had mixed reactions with her winning the Emerson award.

“I think the students in academic reading are like ‘Really?’” Castelli said. “‘Like really, you won an award?’ But I think they felt happy for me.”

Castelli thanks all the teachers and the students.

“Just a special thank you to all of the staff, the students, the students’ parents, the administrators here at CHS and throughout the district.”

Tennill said that the winners of the award would attend an awards ceremony.

“Honorees are announced and recognized at an invitation-only awards ceremony and reception sponsored by Emerson that is held at the Sheldon Concert Hall,” Tennill said. “Each honoree receives an engraved Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award Tiffany crystal apple and a signed certificate.”

The Emerson award ceremony took place on Nov. 13.

Photo: Courtesy of Chris Tennill

Television comes from the root –tele-, meaning far off, and –vis-, meaning see.  But it is under debate whether or not children who watch these far off sights can develop to the point of knowing what the word came from or even what a root word is.

“The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends parents avoid TV for children under age two,” professor of psychology at Peabody College and Vanderbilt University, Georgene Troseth said.  “That’s because research indicates that really little babies and toddlers do not learn well from video, and because watching a lot of TV might replace activities that we know help development, like talking with parents and creative playing.”

And children do not necessarily want to watch television at a very young age.

“In my own research, most parents of children around their second birthday said their toddlers weren’t really interested in TV,” Troseth said. “Children seemed to get interested in TV when they were a bit older, nearer to age three.”

As children get older and their interest in television increases, some educators believe that their time should be limited. Some parents also agree with this sentiment and set limits because they worry that the time spent on TV watching could be used to develop important skills and creativity that would benefit them their whole lives.

“[From] age three to ten, children can watch 30 minutes a day,” second grade teacher at Glenridge Elementary School and mother Karen Engel said.  “[From] age ten to eighteen, one to two programs a day.”

Many parents and educators do not set up or strongly advocate for a strict television regimen with children.  According to a study by the Annenberg Public Policy Center, over three quarters of families do not have set limits on television watching.

Children who watch “a lot” of TV are more likely to get lower grades in school and read fewer books, according to a study by the American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.  And some children see that parents’ limits on television are helpful for doing well in their classes.

“My mom just makes sure I go to bed on time and I do my homework,” Wydown Middle School sixth grader Julia Gollahon said.  “Then I can watch TV.  I think I’d have a little bit of trouble [without my mom’s limit on TV].”

Some adults believe that television can be very beneficial.  The AAP says that, although there are downsides to television watching, there is positive learning, such as good social behavior, to be had.

“There’s good evidence that preschool-aged [kids], unlike babies, actually do learn from video,” Troseth said.  “Research has shown that children who watched Sesame Street when they were preschoolers had better grades and standardized test scores in high school and were more motivated to learn.”

Although 70 percent of childcare centers use TV during an average day, according to a study by University of California Northridge, certain teachers, such as Kathleen Poppe, an early childhood educator at the Family Center, see the positives in no television at all.

“I have a child in my class, a 4-year-old, who doesn’t have a TV in her home.  She’s reading.  It doesn’t seem as if her development is lacking,” Poppe said.

For small children research shows that ambient television diverts children from playing in a continuous manner.  So, many experts worry that this can negatively effect development.

“Research indicates that having adult-directed television on in the background for much of the day is bad for children,” Troseth said.  “In the lab, background TV, for instance, having a game show on a TV in the room, distracts parents from talking to their children, and we know that parent talk helps children’s language skills to develop.”

However, many parents find that their children may try out the language they learn through television.

“I think children may try out language, or behaviors they see to get a reaction from their parents,” Poppe said. “They imitate their family members behaviors much more often.”

Television has been found to have mixed results in language development.

“The development of language and thinking has been related to educational programs such as Dora the Explorer and Dragon Tales, while shows that don’t have good language models, like Teletubbies, are actually related to worse language outcomes,” Troseth said.

Whatever the exact effect of children watching TV is, research shows that children are very successful at developing language skills, reading, and achievement when parents read and talk to them.  So, many parents and educators recommend setting up household rules that teach children a mix of family and television values.

“Everything in moderation is a good motto,” Poppe said.

(Photo by: CANDICE CUSIC/CHICAGO TRIBUNE/MCT Campus)

The Hanley House, a historic house museum, is a perfectly preserved home that provides a look into what life was like for the everyday family in St. Louis in the late 1800s.

The house is big, with stately columns and porches on the first and second floors in the front and back. And the classic St. Louis brick the house is made of keeps it akin to the surrounding homes.

It was restored after being bought by the city of Clayton and opened as a museum in 1971. The house remained in the Hanley family until 1968 when one of Martin Hanley’s granddaughters, Barbara, sold it to the city with all of its contents.

The historic Hanley House in Clayton was built in the mid-19th century then turned into a museum a century later. (Laura Kratcha)

Sarah Umlauf is the Community Resource Coordinator for the City of Clayton and handles the house. While studying in Washington, D.C. Umlauf worked at a historic house museum in Virginia, and when she moved back to St. Louis to work on her thesis she heard about the Hanley House.

“What makes the Hanley House unique is that the Hanley family always lived here until the City of Clayton purchased it,” Umlauf said. “So we have this great pedigree, and we also know that most of the furnishings in the home are original to the family, which helps to tell their story.”

Sophomore Carly Beard is a volunteer at the Hanley House and provides entertainment by playing the fife, a period instrument for when the house was built.

“I love the Hanley House because it’s one of the most unique things in Clayton,” Beard said. “It’s the only rural historical site in Clayton, and it’s really special and is something that needs to be preserved.”

The Hanley House is a learning tool for students to understand how events in the country’s history like slavery, the Civil War, and western migration, affected the people of Clayton 150 years ago.

Like many Clayton settlers, the Hanley family was Confederate, and they were slave owners prior to the end of the Civil War.

“The home is also unique in that it still has its standing slave quarters,” Umlauf said. “The Hanley family owned slaves, just like many of the farmers that lived in this area. We have quite a few Southerners that settled in this area who were slave owners, like Robert Forsythe, Ralph Clayton, and Thomas Skinker. So we are able to tell that history of St. Louis County, of the slave labor that survived in the county and helped build the county.”

And even though St. Louis is often thought of as a Northern area during the Civil War, many Southerners migrated to Clayton during the 19th century. This included Martin Hanley who traveled to Clayton when he was 20 years old from Virginia.

“For students we like to focus on our Civil War history,” Umlauf said. “We know that the Hanleys were Confederate sympathizers, so it’s a great way to tell the story of how the Confederate sympathizers of St. Louis managed to reconcile with the North after the war.”

Much of what Umlauf knows about the Hanley family comes from the extensive letters, record books, and journals that have survived. The Hanley daughters were known Confederate sympathizers, and their letters to Confederate soldiers in a St. Louis prison are one of many interesting documents the museum has.

“I hope to bring more students here and to have more student involvement,” Umlauf said. “I’ve been really lucky to have some great partnerships with the Clayton School District. But I also want to reach out to surrounding school districts. So I’d love to bring even more students here and make more connections.”

The Hanley House recently received a grant from the Missouri Historical Records Grant Program to transcribe and digitize the daybook, one of their most important records at the Hanley House, so that information will be searchable. This, and other research and volunteer opportunities are ways for Clayton students to become involved with the city’s history.

“I would love to see other students getting involved who enjoy working with kids,” Beard said. “A lot of school groups, and parents with their children come, and it’s really unique to be able to work with kids in a historical setting, and be able to teach them about local history.”

The Hanley House is an amazing resource for the residents of Clayton and the St. Louis County. It provides a local, historical glimpse into a time when the St. Louis was still growing, and tells the story of mistakes and achievements of the past.

“I love the Hanley House because it’s such a beautiful place,” Beard said. “It’s so close by, and it is really an amazing piece of the history of Clayton.”

With the advent of high-powered telescopes and spectrographic technology, scientists are now able to observe planets that reside light years away from Earth’s solar system. Several of these planets, called exoplanets, orbit stars, making them viable candidates for potential habitation, similar to what is seen on Earth. Although by no means conclusive, research projects have identified well over 50 of these celestial bodies, bringing the goal of finding a planet similar to Earth all the more closer.

The identification of these exoplanets is difficult, deviating far from a simple pointing of the telescope. The two most common methods make use of sensitive measuring techniques, according to Bruce Fegley, a Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. Most researchers utilize sensitive spectrographs to detect shadows on the surfaces of distant stars.

“The planet crosses in front of the star and partially blocks some of the starlight that we see from Earth,” Fegley said. “The decrease in starlight is very small, much less than one percent, but this is easily detectable by the specially designed telescopes on the spacecraft.”

Another, more reliable method is called the radial velocity method. This searches for minute wobbles in the speed of a star’s orbit, indicating the presence and effect of an orbiting exoplanet.

“A star with a planet will move in its own small orbit in response to the planet’s gravity,” Fegley said. “This leads to variations in the speed with which the star moves toward or away from Earth.”

These wobbles and shadows indicate the presence and relative mass of any exoplanets, but that’s it. Without further research into the composition of the planet, it remains impossible to accurately determine if planets are capable of sustaining life, according to Fegley’s information.

“[Composition could be detected] if one could measure the surface temperature, pressure, and atmospheric composition. This is possible only for planets in our solar system using spectroscopy from telescopes on Earth,” Fegley said.

Simply orbiting a star, however, is not enough to ensure that a planet will be able to support carbon-based life forms. Instead, planets must occupy a space in the so-called “Goldilocks” zone, a “not too cold, not too hot” orbit that allows the presence of liquid water on the planet’s surface.

“Earth is in the zone, but neither Mars nor Venus is in it,” Fegley said. “If they were, Mars would be warmer with a thicker atmosphere, and Venus would be cooler with a thinner atmosphere.”

Currently, the most viable Goldilocks candidate resides 36 light years from here within the Vela constellation. Given the easily-remembered moniker of HD 85512b, scientists believe that this exoplanet could be viable, provided that is has the proper cloud cover and a rocky surface. A friendly visit, however, is out of the question.

“It may be possible to launch a robotic probe,” Fegley said, “but the time required to get from here to there is so long that at least thousands of years would be required.”