As RSD returns to its first full in-person school year since COVID-19, staff shortages have affected departments including transportation, substitutes and nutrition. 

Bus Driver Shortage

Following…

During the first Academic Lab, Dr. Tracey Waeckerle presented the dress code via Zoom. Since then, increasing numbers of students have voiced their discontent with the policy. 

Among these students…

In spring of 2020, Brian McKanna, author of “The Big Purple Tree,” found a notebook from his high school years at Lafayette. Seven years ago, during high school, McKanna had pitched his idea of a children’s…

Shriya Sawant, senior, is a competitive gymnast and often finds it difficult to feel completely comfortable given the tight-fitting nature of her uniforms and the sexualization of athletic wear she has…

On a clear night, the sky is sprinkled with stars. Ordinary people may just see dots of light; scientists may see balls of gas.

People who participate in astrology, the study of the influence that stars…

Wednesday ended the month-long Muslim holiday of Ramadan, where from sunrise to sunset, those particpating, including some MHS athletes, were not allowed to eat or drink.

Instead participants prayed…

This story was originally published on Marquette Messenger on May 17, 2021.

To add a “vintage” vibe to their photos, teens are documenting their lives via disposable cameras as opposed to digital cameras or cellphones. 

Dating back to the 1960s and gaining popularity in…

Julia McCarthy was a fun, sarcastic best friend to Anna Zamenski, Rockwood Summit High School (RSHS) senior, since they were in kindergarten. 

“There was never a dull moment with Julia, and I never…

MHS students, Trinity Lopes and Suchita Karnati started the Days for Girls club to help women in our community and all over the world.

This story was originally published on Marquette Messenger on May…

On a typical Saturday, while many teenagers are spending time with friends or family, Valarie Inch, sophomore, is organizing clothes at her part-time job. 

Inch has been working at the Ellisville Savers,…

As a teen, Lili Schliesser, project coordinator of the Community Partners in Prevention Coalition (CPIP), personally encountered the dangers of substance abuse. Now, over a decade later, she has been hosting…

I shriveled into my mother’s embrace, instantly burying my teary face into my hands when the trial verdict rang through my kitchen: Guilty.

For nearly a year, I was deflated by the blatant, horrendous…

Thoughts are fleeting, but social media is forever.

That’s what former Teen Vogue Editor in Chief Alexi McCammond had to learn the hard way. McCammond was just about to step into her new position…

A 65-year-old Filipino woman was kicked, stomped and subjected to anti-Asian statements by a man in New York City. A 59-year old Korean woman was punched in the face repeatedly by a group of young women…

Local bird watcher, Russell Robins, reflects on what this hobby means to him and the most recent addition to his backyard wildlife.

This story was originally published on Marquette Messenger on April…

After failing to get bids in the past, St. Louis is officially getting a Major League Soccer (MLS) team in 2023 with the stadium to be located in the city with a capacity of 22,500 fans.

Chris Kenny,…

For many years, senior Christie Legate’s social media routine was the same: dress up, hang out with multiple friends, always check the lighting and positioning, edit to perfection, then seal the deal…

Paige Mathys, senior, has two tattoos: a geometric pineapple on her ribs and a date in Roman numerals on her wrist. 

These tattoos are more than just ink, they are in remembrance of her late mother. 
…

Missouri entered Phase 2 of COVID-19 vaccinations Monday, March 29, which includes essential workers in education, childcare, communications and community-related sectors. 

Dawna Barnhart, biology…

As a Black woman, Aliyah Edwards, senior, said she is undervalued. As one of few the Black students in predominantly white classes, she combats daily limitations and stereotypes that negatively affect…

“If you’re miserable you can feel it deep in your chest and stomach.”

Madison Horwitz, sophomore, is all too familiar with these feelings as she is one of many youths in the LGBTQ+ community who…

Since the beginning of school in August, each MHS student has spent a minimum of 224 hours on Zoom, emitting the equivalent amount of CO2 that almost 4 gallons of gasoline would produce.

For every hour…

This story was originally published on Marquette Messenger on March 30, 2021.

All RSD schools are participating in a study investigating cases of students and staff who tested positive for COVID-19 or identified as a close contact in an effort to research the impact of mitigation…

Hailey Benting, senior, does not smile in the hall.

Instead, she waves and excitedly flashes her eyes at peers.

Prior to COVID-19, a smirk or saying “hi” would suffice as a proper greeting; however,…

Sophomore Principal, Dr. Rick Regina, continues the tradition of Trivia Thursday despite this year’s unusual circumstances.

This story was originally published on Marquette Messenger on March 18, 2021.

The average human sneezes 4 times a day.

That didn’t use to matter. Before COVID-19, sneezing was just a normal bodily function. If done  in public, no one would take a second glance. But now, sneezing…

What initially started off as a mere attempt to earn a Girl Scout Gold Award eventually blossomed into a full-blown campaign for change in RSD by LHS senior Isha Deol.

Deol started Mission Mental Health…

We Care STL is a nonprofit organization that raises donations and distributes care packages and donates them to free medical clinics in St. Louis that provide primary care, mental support, and domestic…

Junior Jess Willsey’s dream is to open her own bakery in Chicago, but for now she’s opening her own bakery out of her kitchen in Ballwin.

Willsey used her free time during the stay-at-home order…

“Taking a life is not permissible or allowed in our religion.”

This tends to be a theme for many main religions, and Tamima Hasan, senior and co-president of Muslim Student Association (MSA), pulls…

Annika Haas, senior, was often consumed by anxiety and unbalanced priorities. She tried breathing, among other techniques, that failed to ease her mind. Her sophomore year, she discovered an outlet to…

Following the death of her close friend, Addison Bricker, junior, wanted to do something special in remembrance, so she reached out to Junior Principal Carl Hudson.

Bricker was hoping to talk about…

The protest at the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, Jan. 6, obstructed the ceremonial counting of electoral votes that would declare Joe Biden the winner of the presidential election.

Pro-Trump demonstrators…

St. Louis natives Dr. Julie and Dr. Daniel Ring opened up a new donut shop in Chesterfield in November.

This story was originally published on Marquette Messenger on January 16, 2021.

“My name is Zara.”

One might think that for me, these words are easy to say.

But that’s not the reality for people with a stutter. Oftentimes, saying my own name is a task that requires effort…

Strolling through a worn-down pathway of grass to her neighbor’s house, Zoë Malik, senior, smiled as she envisioned a day full of festivities. With each stride, Malik recalled joyful memories from previous…

Family gatherings are monthly occurrences for Sri Varatharaj, sophomore, that is, before the COVID-19 pandemic. But for a family filled with intense care specialists and doctors, their regular gatherings…

“Whenever a trans individual gets deadnamed, it tends to really hurt,” Samir Faruq, junior, said. “It feels like a punch to the gut. It feels like you’re being hollowed out.”

Faruq came out…

I was frozen in time, grief-stricken and directionless since the night I learned Brandon Bernard, a federal prisoner, was declared dead. 

Bernard, 40, was executed by lethal injection following a Supreme…

Seniors in Emily Stockwell’s Multicultural Literature class decorated and wrote thank you cards to current and past Rockwood teachers. What they didn’t know is that they had to read out their card to the…

Social studies teacher Scott Szevery has been living in a 119-year-old house, featured in three world fairs before being transported to its current location in Webster Groves.

This story was originally…

Jordan King, senior, was eager to enroll in an unprecedented opportunity. She had the chance to see herself, a Black female, in her school curriculum before she graduated high school.

Black Literature,…

Television brightness illuminated my pooling tears of frustration. The historic vice presidential debate Wednesday, Oct. 7 agitated my apprehensive vision of the future, backdropped by the impending general…

Many students adopted furry companions to keep them company during quarantine.

This story was originally published on Marquette Messenger on October 17, 2020.

With the emergence of COVID-19, many students have had extra time to pursue other hobbies and interests. For two students, the spare time provoked a jump start to entrepreneurship and business experience.

Alex…

Sepo Chuunga, junior, was shattered. Footage of summer protests and uprisings made her nervous and desperate. She imagined her father and brothers embodying hashtags—victims of police brutality.

Following…

This story was originally published on Marquette Messenger on October 2, 2020.

This story was originally published on Marquette Messenger on September 25, 2020.