On Friday December 16th, Clayton High Students engaged in a fun, stress-relieving car smash that served three purposes.  With exams quickly approaching the following Monday, students were given the opportunity to take out their finals’ frustrations by beating up a car with a variety of destructive tools.  In doing so, students were supporting an anti-smoking promotion.  In order to be granted access to the car, kids were required to fill out surveys or message cards that created awareness about the Saint Louis County Health Department’s campaign to have all of the city’s public schools achieve a “24/7 Tobacco Free Gold Standard”.  The campaign’s sponsors, a group called “The Evolvement,” partnered with DECA students to put on the event.  The Car Smash, which was just one component of the semester long campaign, proved a huge success, bringing in over three-hundred surveys and message cards.  By cooperating with The Evolvement to achieve the Gold Standard,  DECA benefitted by receiving a $1,200 grant that was used towards the production of a Teen Entrepreneurship Symposium.

Photos by Andrea Stiffelman

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)

Students walk around the quad, which, by the end of the day, is usually littered with garbage. (Photo by Jack Holds)

It was a sad sight to see when, on the first day that the lush, green grass was opened to students, it was almost immediately littered with plastic bags, bottles, papers and cans. Every day, there accumulates an ungodly amount of debris in the quad. It is puzzling that so few have bothered to care.
This is, of course, entirely typical of the Clayton student. Given so much privilege – a brand new $30 million wing, a beautiful park in the center of the campus – the Clayton student elects to blatantly insult every self-respecting taxpayer by carelessly leaving his trash on tables, chairs, and the ground.
This littering phenomenon shows an utter lack of regard for any of the time, effort and money spent to create this outrageously decadent school. It is almost as if Clayton students don’t realize that their abandoned garbage has to be picked up by someone, and that it is all too often custodians like Omar, making their rounds after school, who are left to do the dirty work.
All of this is made even more ridiculous by the fact that there are trash cans galore in the quad, so that one would barely have to walk 20 feet before encountering some sort of bin. Laziness is simply not an excuse.
What would happen if Omar stopped making his rounds? How much trash would accumulate before anyone took action? How long would it take? A week? Two weeks? A month?
Let’s not wait that long. The good thing about littering is that it is so easy to fix. It is an option, a simple choice between carelessness and character, between disrespect and morals. This is not a widespread problem – a relatively small number of students are responsible. But in a school of 850 students, it is pathetic that so few take the time to pick up trash, even if it is not theirs. Littering is just a symptom of the greater disease: the ideals of community and shared responsibility have gone completely out the window.
This seems to be the perfect initiative for Green Club or Community Service Club, but neither has taken action. This seems to be something that the administration would find disgusting, but it has yet to find a solution. For now, it is up to the custodians to clean up our mess, to pick up the remnants of our disrespect and youthful idiocy. But that just isn’t the way it should be. Until Omar can put his rolling yellow trashcan to rest, this staff will continue to be deeply concerned about the cleanliness of our school and, most importantly, the poor health of the Clayton character and the Clayton community.

Tony La Russa has managed three World Series champion teams. He has 2,728 wins and a .536 winning percentage. He has won six pennants and is one of only two managers to have a World Series title in both the American and National Leagues. And today, at a 9 a.m. news conference, La Russa announced his retirement from the sport of baseball.

Whether you loved him or hated him, it is hard to dispute La Russa’s knowledge of baseball. His constant pitching changes drove people crazy, but others loved his intensity.

“I felt that this just feels like it’s time to end it,” La Russa said during the conference. This year marked the Cardinals’ 11th World Series championship and La Russa’s third.

Without La Russa, the next obvious question is “Who is next?” The Cardinals could go with a well known manager such as Terry Francona, formerly of the Red Sox, or they could stay inside their staff and hire Jose Oquendo, the current third base coach. There are many choices and it will be interesting to see how the Cardinals organization decides to replace one of the greatest managers in the history of baseball.

(Photo: Robert Cohen/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/MCT)

For years to come we can remember Jeter rounding the bases as he smacked his 3000th hit over Yankee Stadium’s left field wall. We will remember Mariano Rivera breaking into a smile after staring down enough batters to reach 603 career saves. The nation won’t forget Justin Verlander tossing a no-hitter and winning 24 games. Boston fans always will remember the historic collapse of their once promising hometown team, and Dimondback fans will never forget how their team went worst-to-first over the course of two seasons.

All of these moments happened in a thrilling 2011 regular season that baseball fans may never forget.

Now, after 2,430 grueling games in the brisk weather conditions of spring, dog days of August, and cool breezes of autumn, the thirty major league teams became eight and the playoffs began. The AL West champion Texas Rangers, AL Central champion Detroit Tigers, AL East champion New York Yankees, AL Wild Card Tampa Bay Rays, NL West champion Arizona Dimondbacks, NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers, NL East champion Philadelphia Phillies, and NL Wild Card St. Louis Cardinals became the last eight teams standing.

The leash is short in the playoffs. The 102 game winning Philadelphia Phillies were knocked off the baseball radar after five quick games to the Cardinals. The Yankees fell to the Tigers, the Rangers overpowered the Rays, and the Milwaukee Brewers took down the Arizona Diamondbacks on the last pitch of the last inning of a winner take all fifth game of the NLDS.

The League Championship Series brought baseball fans even more compelling story lines. What would happen in the growing rivalry between the Cardinals and Brewers? Could Detroit Tigers’ Justin Verlander continue his dominance? What bats would step up for Texas if Verlander was stopped?

The Cardinals shocked the Brewers, winning the NLCS in six games. For most of the year, the Cardinals bullpen had been a concern, but that all changed in the NLCS. The bullpen of the Cardinals silenced the bats of Brewers’ sluggers Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder and actually pitched more innings then the Cardinals’ starters. St. Louis native David Freese, who was taught by CHS math teacher Jane Glenn at Lafayette High School, took MVP honors. In the 2011 playoffs Freese has a .425 average and 14 RBIs.

Nelson Cruz of the Texas Rangers stepped up big in the ALCS. Cruz belted seven home runs, an ALCS record, one of which was a walk off grand slam in game two. The 2010 Rangers also managed to get to the World Series, though lost in five games to the San Francisco Giants. The 2011 Rangers are looking to bounce from their World Series showing from a year ago.

Official Globe World Series Prediction

The big bats of Albert Pujols, David Freese, Matt Holliday, and Lance Berkman will be too much for Texas’ starting pitching to handle. With Nelson Cruz hitting in the seven hole in the Ranger line up, the Cardinals’ pitchers can pitch around him at Busch Stadium – knowing that the pitcher spot is coming up in two batters, instead of the DH spot, which only is in effect at AL stadiums. Slowing down Cruz’s momentum for the first two games will prevent him from coming back strong in games 3-4-5 in Texas when there is a DH.
Cardinals over Rangers. Six games.

(Photos by Peter Baugh and MCT Campus)

The Greyhound football team had their third win of the season verse Westminster on Oct. 6. The team had a close game, which had great defense through out the game.

Captain Jonathan Waldman commented on the teams win.

“The team really came together throughout the game.” Waldman said. “Defense really stepped up and made strong plays when they needed to.”

Waldman had nineteen tackles throughout the game, as well as a fumble recovery. Junior Michael Turner, the team’s wide receiver also had a fumble recovery.

“The team played really well in the end.” Turner said. “We had a slow start and then pulled our plays together and our execution.”

Fans and team alike were happy to see the win after a mediocre season.

“It was a great game to watch.” Junior Graham Fiorello said. “It was nice to see the plays come together. The defense was impressive, especially with the big tackles.”

During the game Walker broke a CHS record for longest interception return for a touchdown at 109 yards.

“With Tyler’s record breaking, it really helped to pump up the team going into the second half.” Waldman said.

The final score was 28-17, with touchdowns by Junior Tyler Walker and Sophomore Cailer Keaton.
“This win against Westminster is a great way to go into districts next week.” Waldman said.

The destruction of Hurricane Irene was a long way from Joplin, Missouri, however the city that was devastated by a tornado just months ago may still be impacted.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, better known as FEMA, has played a vital role in reconstructing Joplin, Missouri after the May 22 tornado, however that aid will be put on hold due to the demand for help on the East Coast.

FEMA’s funds are also lacking. In fact, they are down between 8 million to 10 billion dollars. This shortage causes them to focus on just the immediate relief efforts, not the long-term rebuilding projects such as Joplin.

Many Missourians disagree with this decision, especially considering the difference in the magnitude of destruction. Missouri state senators have pushed to regain funding, including Senator Claire McCaskill.

“What happened in southwest Missouri was huge devastation compared to what Irene did over the weekend,” McCaskill said to the Huffington Post. “I just want to make sure the commitments made to Joplin – we don’t see a hiccup there.”

With Joplin just now finishing the debris removal stage of clean up, the president may have to ask congress for extra money to cover the added cost. This has been a great cause of annoyance for a long time now, after FEMA has fallen short during many crises due to lack of funding.

Despite the fact that FEMA has temporarily halted funding, many agencies are still hard at work.

“Reconstruction is going on as we speak,” said Scott Clayton, Executive Director from Joplin Habitat for Humanity. “Relationships are being built with many outside organizations that will bring Joplin back where it needs to be.”

Although targets of the Joplin tornado will resume getting individual assistance for things such as housing and medical attention, FEMA was their main supplier and source of funds.  Therefore, the smaller organizations continue struggle with the monstrous task of restoring Joplin.

“The task of rebuilding is vast,” Clayton said. “But with God’s help, the hardworking people of Joplin and people from around the country, Joplin will be rebuilt.”

(Photo: Rich Sugg/Kansas City Star/MCT)