Feet move down the street in unison. “No justice, no peace!” soars through the air. Signs with Black fists dot the skyline like clouds. On June 6, 2020, Kirkwood streets were filled with supported…

In a post directed toward fellow athletes and artists, LeBron James tweeted on June 23:

“We have incredible influence in our community. We need to use this moment to demand change. I gotta be honest…I…

Growing up, the only people she knew with college degrees were her teachers. She expected to cut hair for a living. After losing her aunt and uncle — the people who raised her — to cancer, however,…

The Kirkwood High School Alumni Facebook group exploded with shares, comments and outrage. Katie Pappageorge, 1999 KHS graduate, began the conversation on July 7 by sharing a haunting story – her experience…

It’s 6 p.m. on a Thursday night in “the Wood.” Rebecca Friesen, KSD director of bands, would usually be in downtown Kirkwood enjoying the annual summer concert series. But tonight she stands on her…

*This story contains anonymous sources.

*Katie was on the honor roll at her local high school; many of her peers liked her, but Katie lacked something: a father. He didn’t come home often, but when…

It’s hard to believe that the first portable laptop was created only 30 years ago, a chunky device with limited internet use. As the world has evolved with technology, KSD has integrated it into their…

“Hey, [how are you]?”

“Fine.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

“Ok.”

The next message JJ Penn, junior, received was a breakup text, sent with a few clicks on a screen in the middle…

This story is dedicated to the Geeting family.
Dave Geeting had a way with words. When he entered a party, he’d let everyone know he had arrived. He was convinced that his Tame Impala songs were superior…

It’s the weekend. Taylor Losse, junior, is headed to her friend’s farm. While envisioning the flower field she plans to take pictures in, she looks in the mirror and asks herself, “Have I posted…

From the little girl meeting her forever family for the first time, to the first time mother finally getting to sign the adoption papers. Adoption is a life changing word that impacts many people, and…

In an email to TKC, Dr. Michele Condon, KSD superintendent, outlined further steps the district will take to ensure stability and health in the coming weeks. There will be two “snow days” on March…

 “Bernie! Bernie! Bernie!” 

A crowd chanted and waved blue and white signs reading the name of presidential candidate and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders as he took the stage Monday, March 9 at…

Vibrant blue signs reading “Missouri for Biden” dominated the former Vice President’s campaign rally at Kiener Plaza held Saturday, March 7.  Presidential candidate Joe Biden addressed the crowd…

Former Vice President Joe Biden held a rally at Kiener Plaza in downtown STL on Saturday, March 7.

Tiffany Hamilton – Biden supporter

“I’m here today because I support Joe Biden and he’ll…

They’re hard to miss. At an average height of 6-foot-7-inches, KHS students Ryan Buesching, Christopher Plants, Bryce Simpson and Owen Millikan stand tallest among their respective grade-level peers. I…

Kirkwood is dark in the early hours of a Wednesday morning. The roads are empty, and all is quiet except for the occasional dog bark or church bell. It’s past 2 a.m., and while most students have been…

“If I were to explain to someone what [smoking] weed felt like, it would be like carbonated water,” John* said. “It’s fizzy. You feel kind of bubbly. You talk too much, you laugh too much. Everything…

When Justyne Wright, sophomore, gets up at 5:10 a.m., she needs to be dressed and in the car by 5:25 a.m. She drinks Gatorade on the way to school, then practices until 7 a.m. After practice, she grabs…

The hallways of KHS are empty. It is a Friday afternoon, and students have gone home to relax after a long week, but the janitorial staff’s day has barely begun. Custodian Deborah Stovall’s laugh echoes…

They lived only seven minutes away from each other. Both juniors; one at KHS, one at WGHS, both attended the Friendship Dance separately and a year later, they met on Tumblr. 

Molly Sheridan,…

It still doesn’t feel real.

You fall asleep Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, as LeBron James passes Kobe Bryant on the NBA all-time scoring list, ascending to third place behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and…

An “I heart Jesus” lanyard with a rainbow ribbon and Black Lives Matter pin hangs around his neck and tattoos cover his arms. Recently, a man at the post office asked him what kind of motorcycle he…

KSD School Board member Julie Backer admitted she stepped out of line advocating for students with special needs in an interview with TKC, but also provided documents refuting the real estate claims against…

2002 babies, this year is our time to shine. Well, as long as you’re born before Nov. 3. We are the next wave of Gen Zs turning 18, which comes with a lot of privileges — you’re able to sue someone,…

At the KSD Board of Education meeting Feb. 10, an agenda item set to present a resolution to censure board member Julie Backer was not moved forward. KSD School Board President Darnel Frost amended the…

We’ve all heard it before: get enough sleep, exercise at least 30 minutes a day, eat healthy foods. For some of us, this is easy. But for most of us, including myself, healthy living is more of a want…

Dear Mr. Richard Nixon,

My first question for you might seem a bit rude, but bear with me. Since 1994, your body has rested at your birthplace, Yorba Linda, Calif., but I wanted to ask you this: if…

 
TKC had exclusive interviews with three of the best basketball talents to ever come out of St. Louis. Here are their journeys from local high schools to the national spotlight.
 
Bradley…

While the rest of his family played outside, 6-year-old Darrin Dortch watched “Halloween” with wide eyes in the basement with his grandfather. But he was not hiding under a blanket from the jump scares….

Remember that one movie that shot that made your standards for high school incredibly unrealistic? It’s the one with Zac Efron dancing with a basketball in a gym. The one with teens dancing on the lunch…

6:30 a.m.: Isabella Knopfel’s, sophomore, alarm goes off.

7 a.m.: Olivia Knopfel’s, senior, alarm goes off.

7:20 a.m.: Isabella eats oatmeal or cereal for breakfast, and goes to school.

7:20…

Self-care. The internet took it and ran with it to cover up many underlying issues surrounding mental health. According to Vice in “The Young and the Uncared For,” the rise of self care and the “treat…

Jack Fearn could usually be found in Keating Theater greeting every audience member and making every performance possible with his nose in the soundboard. This was his passion: technical theater. No show…

Lori Zucker’s life changed June 2009. Her daughter, Arianna, was diagnosed with a nerve cell cancer called neuroblastoma at 3 years old, and nothing was like before. They spent more time in the hospital…

For MyCole Pruitt, 2010 KHS graduate and current Tennessee Titan, playing professional football wasn’t always a dream ⁠— and when it became one, getting there didn’t materialize easily. Achieving…

A small pod of kindergarteners press their faces against the tank and stare intently. Inside, fish swim lazily through the murky water.

It is 11 a.m. Suddenly, the kindergarteners gasp, then scream…

Dressed in jeans, sneakers, and a T-shirt, John Allen, senior, looks like he could fit right into a high school crowd. But blending in is next to impossible for him, as shown by his precise style. His…

Two girls spend their time between classes talking excitedly, laughing gleefully and almost always dancing. Clare Sullivan, junior, said she and Lucy Salamon, senior, were born to be best friends. Each…

Angela Scheer was in the middle of a lesson when she noticed students heads tilted down toward their phones. The new Mario Kart app had captured their attention in a way that her most recent lesson had…

We have all heard it.

“They are nothing like my ex.”

“He treats me so much better.”

“This one is different, I promise.”

“I would not make that same mistake again”

And we…

On Brett Radake’s dresser, there’s a photo of his younger-self with an arm thrown around a smaller boy with glasses. Both of them are looking into the camera with goofy smiles on their faces and a…

Imagine waking up and remembering what happened on a random day 12 years ago – not just main events, but specific details such as getting out of bed at 7:25, the red flannel shirt your father wore and…

Every night, she would lay there, eyes shut, waiting for sleep to come. It never did. 

She wondered, is this normal? She assumed it was. 

In middle school when her therapist told her she had insomnia,…

I have 12 social media accounts. I’m fully aware that it’s ridiculous, but before you lecture me about screen time, take a look at your phone. I’m not the only one with a problem here. On average,…

“Of course [people have been mean to me],” Jack Baranski, sophomore, said. “I don’t remember their names though. History forgets those who were judgmental of others’ creativity.”

You might…

*This story contains anonymous sources.

She would speak with her hands.

She loved big sweaters. The cold weather, that was her thing.

She constantly had a smile on her face.

She didn’t have…

With a neutral expression on his face Sam Bryan, junior, makes his way to his first hour. His quiet demeanor may keep him from standing out, but Bryan has done something most students would be instantly…

For KHS senior Jonah Roy, childhood dreams are becoming a reality.

Roy has been playing the guitar on his own at the age of 5. When he was 9, Roy was writing music for a teen rock band, Million Hits,…

London Bielicke, senior, smiles proudly at her high school transcript, recalling the struggles and triumphs of each class. Her 11 AP classes sit like badges of honor in her mind. She’s taken and retaken…