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…

As she watched her reflection leap across the dance floor, the large mirror covering the wall in her dance studio reflects her along with her classmates. She couldn’t help but compare herself to the…

The adrenaline was building. He continued to press on the accelerator, no thought of stopping in his head while the open road flew by him. The wind rushed past him, while he had no care in the world.
…

After 785 days of waiting, our prayers have been answered. Frank Ocean released an original single, “DHL,” at the end of the first episode of Ocean’s Beats 1 radio program, “blonde Radio.” Although…

Enormous, pristine front lawns preface equally elegant manors. Poised porches, towering white columns and distinct window shutters exemplify the grandeur of their homes. A drive down N. Taylor Ave is a…

For the past decade, people across the country, especially Kirkwood residents, have turned on the TV every Sunday in the fall to see the name “Maclin” on their screen. But before all the fame, Jeremy…

When kids don’t eat, they are not only hungry. They are at an increased risk for depression, suicide and substance abuse, according to Delivery community benefit. For the 16.7% of food-insecure households…

Post Malone gives us another glance into his unimaginable world of 50-meter yachts, Versace boxers and overwhelming heartbreak with the release of his third album, “Hollywood’s Bleeding.” He sings…

Eleven years ago, Dylan Brady did not want to be a musician. The 2012 KHS alum wanted to be a filmmaker. But entering his freshman year at KHS, he chose to take choir with David Cannon, KHS choir teacher.
…

Two hundred eyes rest on Morgan Hooker, freshman. Three sets of these eyes belong to judges who are sitting, pens in hand, bodies leaning forward, eagerly waiting to point out every one of her imperfections….

His heart is racing. 130 beats per minute and he hasn’t started running yet.

The gun fires.

One minute and 53 seconds later, he collected his second state championship title of the weekend.

Martin…

Overlooked, ignored, excluded. Imagine going through years of school and never learning about yourself. This is the reality for LGBTQ+ students throughout the United States. As an established community,…

The lights go down and the crowd screams. Music starts playing and a screen shows the faces of 2000’s pop culture icons: Paris, Lindsay, Britney. The faces soon fade, and a name appears. 

S-L-A-YYY-T-E-R. 
…

When President Barack Obama left the oval office for the final time three years ago, it was expected that he would follow the tradition set by former presidents and recede into private life. After President…

“This is not Bastard. This is not Goblin. This is not Wolf. This is not Cherry Bomb. This is not Flower Boy. This is Igor.” -Tyler, The Creator, 10 days before releasing his highly anticipated studio…

When it seemed the most unbelievable, the St. Louis Blues accomplished the ultimate goal of any hockey team. After sitting dead last in the National Hockey League (NHL) with a record of 15-18-4 on Jan….

KHS sponsors 10 fall sports affiliated with MSHSAA (Missouri State High School Activities Association). Each team has goals and expectations as well as areas to improve from last season. TKC spoke with…

His ears are big. He dunks his full head while taking a drink. His favorite things to play with are socks, and he wants to eat soap–badly. He chases his tail, gets startled by the sound of crumpled-up…

“Sophomores! Battle cry!” the JV cheerleaders shouted. It’s the first pep rally of the year, and the cheerleaders are leading the infamous battle cry.

“V-I-C-T-O-R-Y is the sophomore battle…

Alex Chapman, senior, looked up as her father walked through the front door with a large silver cup in his hands. Beaming, he made his way to a small table draped in a black NHL tablecloth and placed the…

The day after KHS shut its doors for summer, Governor Michael Parson (R-MO) signed House Bill 126 (HB 126) into law. Once the bill was passed, Missouri championed one of the most restrictive abortion laws…

We were in the car driving back from one of my weekly therapy sessions, and my mom started talking about Suzan, her best friend at the time. She took a deep breath and said she had to tell me something….

Grant Trokey, 2016 KHS graduate, had attended Greentree Community Church for as long as he could remember. For two years during high school, he played with the worship band a few times a month and attended…

The first time I remember hearing it was in fifth grade.

“Those poor kids in Africa.”

When the Student Council leaders at my Catholic school said those words, they were presenting the latest…

Since 1990, there have been three district task force committees dedicated to closing KSD’s achievement gap. Yet on Feb. 11, 2019, Dr. Bryan Painter stood before KSD staff and shared Kirkwood’s…

Most high schoolers have heard an older figure in their lives say they are too young to be in a serious relationship or in love. According to Eileen Finley, junior, who has been dating her boyfriend for…

As the deafening noise of the halftime buzzer sounds, Samaya Trawick, junior and varsity cheerleader, leaps into place before her team begins their routine.

At this moment, she feels a part of something….

Wanting to surprise herself on her eighteenth birthday, she decided to make some riskier plans than usual. Sophia*, senior, pocketed her pepper spray before sneaking out to a bowling alley to meet a boy…

They drilled a hole in his back. They put metal tubes in his body. He came to school with a cane.

Then, under KHS’s revised attendance policy, he got detention.

Aaron De Marco, senior, has cystinuria,…

He raced across Selma Field, ready to make his next move. To him, there is nothing better than a double overtime soccer game against Webster Groves. The KHS varsity boys’ soccer team had a tough matchup…

“Who here plans on saving themselves for marriage?”

One hand goes up. Mary Wacker, junior, can see the girl’s raised arm across the health classroom. Mary’s hand should be up, too. She is saving…