With the days ticking closer and closer to the month of June, students at St. Louis High School are preparing for their exams by going over a school year’s worth of information. One topic that won’t be on the exams, however, is all of the happenings at SLHS throughout the year!

The first noteworthy occurrence is the brand-new science department the school got this year. With Mr. Albano, Ms. Austin, and Mrs. Pennock working hard, hopefully they’ll create a science department that’s here to stay.

“With this school year being my first year teaching, I have learned a lot,” shared Austin. “I appreciate all of the positivity from my students even when something might not work out quite right and from my colleagues that have given up their free time to give me advice and guidance. I was nervous at the beginning of the year, but I have been pleasantly surprised.”

However, the science department’s changes weren’t the only staff changes that took place throughout the 2022-23 school year here at St. Louis High School. Many new teachers were hired, and some resigned. Mr. Bernia resigned from his position in the middle of the school year. Luckily, Mrs. Pennock swooped in and filled in his role. Mr. Burleson also resigned from his role, being replaced by new social studies teacher Mr. Neymer. Ms. Russell, the new administrative assistant up in the office, has become a recognizable face at SLHS. Finally, long-time track coach Mr Puffpaff resigned from his position as a track coach, but still continues to coach cross country.

Continuing on with changes from teachers this year, the St. Louis family welcomed a new face! English teacher Mrs. Kaiser gave birth to a son, Theodore.

“This past year has been amazing,” stated Kaiser. “It has been incredible to bring Theo to events where he can see my fellow staff and my students. Everyone is just so loving.”

Aside from changes with teachers, plenty of other things happened at St. Louis High School. Several band students won at states for their performances at Solo and Ensemble. The Language Arts Club also took a win this year, winning first place at the TVC Conference. The team was gifted with a plaque to commemorate their win. 

Several students made their marks at the school this year. Seniors Jenna Abell and Laney Pestrue were declared valedictorian and salutatorian, and fellow seniors Peyton Kuhn and Eddie Memije-Ramirez received remarkable scholarships. Junior Curtis Brashaw also made some big waves this year, in both starting the Rotary Club at St. Louis and breaking the record for the highest SAT score achieved at St. Louis High School. 

A big impact that’s spread not just through St. Louis High School, but through the larger community, is Biggby Coffee. It seems now that every day students pass through the halls of SLHS clutching cups of coffee with a bright “B” right on the side of the cup. 

Traveling is something that a lot of people love to do, and at the high school this year, a lot of traveling was done. During spring break, Ms. Kisser organized and held a trip to Ecuador for the Spanish club. The trip was amazing, and both students and staff came back with plenty of amazing stories to share.

Kisser, the main organizer of the trip, shared one of her favorite stories regarding the trip.

“We got to walk around with a llama, and people were obsessed with her,” shared Kisser. “My favorite moment was when I was with the llama, and I asked Dominic Girard how he felt about this and his only response was unintelligible, but positive noises.”

 The Spanish Club wasn’t the only group traveling, though! Several members of Business Professionals of America went to nationals this year, and enjoyed a fun week in the sun in California. 

Finally, a loving mention goes out to the all-year-round Christmas tree maintained by Ms. Russell. The impact of this tree, and all of the holidays and events it represented, will never be forgotten. Hopefully, the tree will make a bright return next year. 

With the crazy 2022-23 school year quickly coming to a close, it’s important to reflect on all of the happenings at the school throughout the year. Hopefully many of these things will make a return next year.