No matter what the situation is, knowing what to value when it comes to sex and hooking up is hard, experts say.  Development of sexuality and beliefs regarding it depends on the person, Danny Gladden, HIV/STI prevention coordinator at Project ARK, part of Washington University School of Medicine, said.

“There are different understandings of sexuality,” Gladden said. “There are some individuals who have a more physical attachment to sex and there are some who look more to the physiological stimulus it offers.”

Others, he said, combine the two, but how individuals react to sexual experiences and what sexual experiences they decide to partake in vary greatly depending on what they look for going into a hook up.

“One of the things that is true about adolescents who are entering into sexuality is that there is not one path for sexual experience,” Gladden said. “Their experience on how they enjoy sexuality depends on how they were raised.”

Craig Dickinson, health teacher, also emphasizes the importance of what teens have been exposed to in their attitudes toward sexuality.

“You like to think values come from the families, but a lot of time it comes from friends, TV, what they see in movies, trends, and all that, so those things don’t always show proper guidance,” Dickinson said. “I try to give good information because a lot of kids have bad information that they hear from their friends or whoever, so it’s really important to give them the proper information that’s out there. The earlier they can get that, the better you can prevent a bad choice.”

One thing Gladden said is interesting, though, is the assertion that the media and entertainment have a huge role on earlier sexual activity for teens. That belief, he said, is not true.

“You’ll hear people talk about the media playing a role in sexuality, but the reality is that the kids are hitting puberty earlier,” Gladden said. “That’s the point where attraction is really notable and has been connected with sexual activity. Puberty is occurring earlier because we have better doctors and nutrition, and that leads to better development. That’s not saying media doesn’t play a role in how we look at sexuality, but media has no control over our development. When people are saying kids are becoming sexually active earlier, it’s not media’s fault, it’s nutrition’s fault.”

According to a survey by The Kaiser Family Foundation, a program dedicated to providing health information, over two-thirds of 15 to 17 year olds report participating in hook ups, and according to Planned Parenthood, just about half of high school students have had sex. No matter when any form of sexual activity begins, Gladden and Dickinson both agree founding a solid set of beliefs and values regarding sexuality can help prevent dismaying situations. These beliefs, they say, are best founded on accurate information regarding sexual topics along with influence from family, religion or personal morals.

Kirkwood’s health program is designed to deliver information on topics surrounding sexuality accurately and fully. The district is not restricted to an abstinence-only program, and while it places emphasis on abstinence as the only entirely effective way to prevent the physical and emotional repercussions of sexual activity, it also strives to provide knowledge about various forms of contraception, a topic on which Dickinson says students seem hugely misinformed. Classes are split by grade level, with freshmen and sophomores grouped together and juniors and seniors grouped together in order to provide ease of conversation. In Human Relations classes, that conversation veers more toward the emotional and social aspects of sexual decisions.

Through the information and discussion facilitated by the classes, Dickinson hopes students become more informed about sexuality and more able to develop their own opinions in regards to it.

“We don’t teach values,” Dickinson said. “That’s a big thing. I’ll let the kids say their opinions and thoughts on things, but as a teacher, I don’t teach values. I’ll give the information, but once you have that information you have to decide what’s best for you.”

Whats your take?

Jordyn Rivera, senior

Jordyn Rivera made a decision to not have sex in high school. Despite the attitude expressed by many teens saying sex is no big deal, Rivera, senior, realizes that her views differ from the Hollywood portrayal of high school relationships where sex is a natural part.

“I’m not ready, and if you love someone you can wait,” Rivera said. “I don’t agree with hooking up [having sex]  with random people, but I’m not going to judge other people based on what they do. I want to wait and have sex with someone I’m in love with.”

Rivera was in a serious relationship lasting several years, yet her choice to remain abstinent did not negatively affect the relationship.

“He never pressured me, surprisingly. He was really understanding and we never fought about it,” Rivera said. “We ended up breaking up but for different reasons. He respected my morals.”

Emily Hall, junior

A sharp pain under her ribcage that made movement difficult and painful landed Emily Hall in the doctor’s office March 1, 2011. That day she received word she was going to have a baby. Hall’s biggest concern was no longer what outfit to wear to school or where she wanted to travel for vacation.

“I could never have an abortion. That would just be guilt on my mind forever,” Hall said. “So it was either adoption or keep her. Those were my only two options.”

Though she initially wanted to keep the baby, Hall realized she did not have the financial means to care for a child. Eventually Hall’s aunt decided to adopt the baby, and Hall traveled to her aunt’s house in Louisiana for a semester until Lilyahna Korin was born Nov. 1, 2011. Through her aunt’s adoption, Hall will be able to remain in contact with Lilyahna and be a part of her life since she wants to avoid letting Lilyahna experience the feelings of doubt that Hall never wanted her.

Currently planning to graduate on time with her class, Hall knew she needed to stay healthy while continuing her education. While she does not regret the choices she made, Hall cautions others.

“When you’re hooking up, be careful what you do when you have sex,” Hall said. “And think about your actions before it happens.”

Thats what he said

by Ryan Bearden

Throughout KHS exists a wide variety of guys and their approaches to girls. Here, I have listed the most notable and prevalent of these types. Of course, the guy population is not limited to these classifications.
-The Egotist
Nice guys finish last? Well, to some extent, that could not be more true. The amount of girls a high school boy hooks up with often directly correlates to the girth of his ego and the extent of his ability to insult his peers. When successful, this guy will be with a girl for approximately one to two hours.
-The Chameleon
This guy will search non-stop for some comparable trait or activity with a girl he is pursuing. The guy will mimic false physical and personal traits, like a chameleon, if he cannot easily find something in common with a girl. He will do anything to interest the girl, including ditching his friends or spending way too much money. When successful, the guy will maintain a physical relationship for approximately one to two months, or until he is deemed as clingy as a chameleon to a branch.
-The Lonely Hearts Club
High schools are made up of a large population of nice guys who are terrified to talk to girls. As a result, lessons a guy can learn from trying and failing with girls are dawdled until college, or perhaps even adulthood.
-The Jack-Of-All-Trades
Remaining are boys who maintain a balance between all three of these categories. They have the genuine kindness of those too afraid to talk to girls, the assertiveness of the egotists and the interest of the chameleons. These guys are interested in a meaningful relationship with a girl, including, but not limited to, hook ups. In high school, these guys are hit and miss in their attempts to hook up with girls and likely get placed into the dreaded friend zone a few times. The friend zone is a negative term, but does not mean that a guy does not want girls to be his friends. Friend zone means that you are too good of friends with a girl who you would like to date and hook up with. The friendship inhibits both dating and a physical relationship because the girl does not want to “make things weird” or “end up losing [a guy] as a friend.” But most of them maintain their confidence and learn lessons that enable them to eventually find success with girls during high school and later in their lives.

That’s what she said

by Emily Trokey

No one can agree. My parents think it means someone is having sex. My neighbor thinks it means two kids are going to hang out at the park. But I be- lieve hooking up is kiss- ing. There are many other types of girls in the world that look at hooking up and relationships with boys completely differently than me.

-The Stage 5 Clinger
She still has feelings for that boy that took her to the 8th grade dance. The fact that he held the door for her clearly means they are meant to be. The past is all that is important to her, and she will do anything to keep herself there. Moving on will never be an option. Marrying her high school sweetheart is high on her priority list. Having a history with someone is comfortable, and that is where the clinger will forever remain.
-One of the Guys
The guys call her “dude” and will happily release a ground-shaking burp with her around. She isn’t someone to cuddle with but a human punching bag. Taco Bell runs and trips to the gym are a regular thing for her and her guy friends. They see her as a best friend and nothing more. She is quite possibly their portal to the girl mind. Every guy needs one of these, so instead of being ashamed of this, embrace it.
-The Cootie Queen
Boys have cooties. The term “hooking up” makes her hands sweat and cheeks blush. She is petrified of the male sex. All-girl PE classes and her lunch table are safe havens. She may never speak to a boy or have her first kiss before graduating high school, but she will have absolutely no distractions in class. Rumor has it college cures cooties.
-The Girl Next Door
Her first kiss was in downtown Kirkwood in 7th grade and yes, everyone watched. Hold- ing hands in the hallway makes her smile, she’s seen The Notebook 15 times and lives for watching the fireworks in Kirkwood Park on the Fourth of July. Being single doesn’t bother her, but she can’t help but notice how cute that boy in her math class is. Most girls will end up in this category at some point in their lives. Hooking up doesn’t scare her. It is part of a re- lationship, but it is also something saved for a relationship. The Girl Next Door is in the middle of the road when it comes to relationships

“[The Moth Project] brought me together with a diverse group of kids and we got to show students it’s not only about racism, it’s about people with real problems,” Bria McWoods, senior, said.

Tyanna Green, Mia Woods, Bria McWoods, Oscar Sanguinette, Daisha Smith, Allison Walter, Adrienne Columbus, Kory Anthony- Petter, Sami Rindahl, Quincy Webb and Blake Voller were participants who opened the eyes of KHS.

“I didn’t like what I saw,” Sack said of her 234-pound frame. “I was just so sad with myself.”

One year later and 80 pounds lighter, Sack described how her achievements changed her life.

“I guess [I feel] confident and accomplished,” Sack said. “I’m more outgoing now.”

Her mother, Stephanie Sack, has seen positive changes in her daughter first-hand as a result of her sucesses. Not only has Courtney lost a significant amount of weight, but she continues to lose insecurities along the way.

“I think [Courtney] just feels so much better about herself,” Stephanie said. “She just seems a lot happier.”

According to Courtney, her mother has been one of her biggest supporters by paying for her trainer, providing encouragement and with providing healthy foods.

“I’ve always just encouraged her whenever she didn’t feel like she wanted to work out or whatever,” Stephanie said. “I just encouraged her to go for it.”

Her personal trainer, Greg Moore, whom she visits three times weekly, said it is typical for teenagers to give up on losing weight and it takes a lot of dedication.

“It’s harder to get the dedication with the teenagers because of busy lifestyles and the lousy eating habits,” Moore said. “So [Courtney is] definitely a special case.”

With lack of motivation being one of the biggest aspects of weight-loss failure, Courtney said she stayed motivated with her father’s promise of a new car with the meeting of her 50-pound weight-loss goal. After changing her goal to 100 pounds, Courtney stays dedicated by picturing her before and after pictures on a wall in her gym, Club Fitness, where success stories are displayed.

Moore thought Courtney set herself apart from other teenagers because of her extreme dedication.

“She’s so determined,” Moore said. “She’s like no one else I’ve worked with. She’s just a go getter and a real inspiration in many aspects of life, other than just weight loss.”

For teens desiring to reach their own goals, Moore said the importance lies on sticking with with their aspirations.

“If you’re thinking about doing [losing weight], just do it,” Moore said. “Don’t do tomorrow what you want to do today.”

Mr. Johnson:  When walking into a classroom and finding a comic strip on the desk, most likely a panel from “Zits” or “Pearls Before Swine,” students can guess Charlie Johnson is their sub.
“Mathematics is hard, so you have to find an element of fun in teaching mathematics, so I try to do things that make students either laugh or energize to want to do the hard work,” Johnson said.
Johnson usually starts out class with a few trivia questions and awards the students that guess with the right answer with candy.
Although Johnson adds a fun atmosphere to the classroom, he takes teaching students very seriously. One of his favorite quotes is, ‘A teacher affects eternity; he never tell, where his influence stops,’ by Henry B. Adams.
“I have him a lot and he is very knowledgeable on a lot of different subjects. He is one of the only subs I have ever had that can take any subject and teach it almost fluently if not fluently,” Matt Conaway, junior, said.
Johnson has been in the Kirkwood School District for three years, the only district he has ever taught in.
“There were days in my ‘real job’ [as a engineer] when I did not necessarily want to get up to go to work.  I cannot say that about this,” Johnson said.

Young told his inspirational struggle about beating throat cancer to the group for free instead of charging his usual $250 fee.

The students went through a series of incentive-laden steps to help them kick the habit. At the end of the program, whoever improved the most was given tickets to a Cardinals game.

According to Woodard, the kids took complete ownership and provided each other with help and support to limit or quit smoking. There was absolutely no fee to the members, and they were never pressured by Woodard or other speakers to quit.

“You want kids to have an opportunity to make a change,” Woodard said. “If nothing else, they at least had more tools than before to help them quit.”

Familiar face: Her time to quit

Julie Rice, family and consumer science

Julie Rice, family and consumer science teacher, picked up smoking as a freshman in high school. Packs of cigarettes were only $1, schools had designated smoking areas and both of her parents smoked, along with her boyfriend and closest friends.

When she became pregnant with her first son, Rice knew she needed to quit because of the health risks, but only cut back by a few cigarettes. Patrick Rice was born healthy and showed no signs of disease caused by second-hand smoke until he reached the age of 3, when he began limping and complaining about pain in his leg.

Concerned, Rice payed a visit to his pediatrician where she was told that Patrick had what is known as Perthes disease, where the ball of the thighbone in your hip does not get enough blood and eventually dies. Perthes disease, the doctor said, is correlated with second-hand smoke.

“That was it. I had to quit,” Rice said. “The doctor said it wasn’t my fault, but I knew it was.”

That day, Rice gave up her addiction for good.

“I remember feeling like a drug addict,” Rice said. “It took me two years before I didn’t think about smoking every single day.”

It’s been 12 years since Rice has picked up another cigarette. When Gina Woodard, health and gym teacher, asked Rice to tell her story to the smoking group, she was more than willing.

“I really empathized with the kids in that group because I know how hard it is to quit,” Rice said. “I’m really
grateful that that’s not a part of my life anymore.”

Black Nike sweatpants, a black shirt with red capital lettering screaming, “BALL IS LIFE” with AND1 Streetball shoes on. A 6-foot-6-inch junior weaves through the halls spinning a basketball around and around on his fingers. Frankie LeBeau is a magician whose tricks revolve on a single basketball.

LeBeau, junior, first spun a ball on his fingers at age 12. Soon after, he discovered streetball freestyle, a sport which individuals perform tricks using a basketball, such as taking targeted shots off a wall or spinning three balls at once, all of which LeBeau can do. For LeBeau, streetball freestyle is an entertaining hobby for him and for others around him.

“I don’t consider myself extremely good at this compared to others in the whole world,” LeBeau said. “I just do it because it is fun and it entertains other people and myself.”

LeBeau has never played on a basketball team; instead he is in a group, Unprotected Hoops, where professional freestylers and players post videos of their tricks, including LeBeau’s.

“What I like the most is nobody considers themselves better than anybody else because everyone has their different style,” LeBeau said.

He connects with other spinners through Facebook, where a photo album he posted of his tricks is a popular hit with around 4,000 likes.

“[Other streetballers] can all do [my tricks], obviously, if they felt like it,” LeBeau said. “But no one has ever made an actual picture album like I have, so they will just say that is a cool and new idea.”

Jordan Olsen, junior and camera man for LeBeau’s pictures and videos which are posted on his Twitter and Facebook page, has been friends with him since second grade.

“I think it is kind of fun to experiment with photos and doing different shots and camera work,” Olsen said. “There are a lot of kids that follow him around when we are walking down the halls and tell him to spin the ball.”

LeBeau has maxed out his number of friends on Facebook at 5,000 because of his website, Twitter account and Facebook pictures. He has countless unanswered requests, some of which are from St. Louis, but others are from countries around the world, such as Indonesia and Iraq.

“I have at least one person from every state, including a bunch from California and New York,” LeBeau said.

Alex Shehadeh, junior, created a website featuring LeBeau’s photos, videos and accomplishments, EnigmaStreetball.org. He has seen the best and worst of LeBeau’s tricks. Shehadeh’s favorite trick is when LeBeau puts a pen in his mouth with a spinning ball on top.

“It has gone wrong a couple times where the pen has exploded in his mouth,” Shehadeh said, “but it’s a cool trick when it goes right.”

LeBeau can spin three balls at once, one on each foot and one in his hand. He can balance a spinning ball on top of an umbrella while opening it up at the same time. He can make a spinning basketball balance on the tip of his biology book, a chair leg, or even on a cell phone antenna. All of these pictures can be found on his Facebook page.

LeBeau does not spend much time practicing his tricks. Instead, he studies YouTube videos of streetball freestylers, Bavo, Snake and Lunatic, and attempts to mimic their tricks.

“I try to stick to the ones that are easier to do,” LeBeau said. “They just look cool physically to everyone else, but they’re not hard to do.”

Besides basketballs, LeBeau collects baseball hats which he wears sports daily. Each hat is custom made and custom fit. While speaking with me during our first interview, he wore a midnight black hat with the word “Magic” written in a silver graffiti font.

“When people ask me how I spin a basketball,” LeBeau said, “I just say, ‘It’s magic.’”

Kenny Klostermeyer, junior, ditched the private school polo for a KHS sweatshirt this semester. Although Klostermeyer has switched schools before, he has attended private schools until this year.

“I have been to three high schools: Desmet, Vianney and now Kirkwood,” Klostermeyer said. “I made a deal with my dad that if I didn’t get all C’s [at Vianney], I would come to KHS. I ended up getting a D in geometry.”

Klostermeyer said he was surprised at the calm tone of the students and staff at KHS, a huge contrast to the uptight attitude of a private school.

“If you get out of line even a little bit at Catholic school, you are in deep trouble. At KHS, you don’t have to watch what you do as closely.” Klostemeyer said. “It’s a lot more laid back and you have a lot more freedom going from a private school to a public school.”

Some students may not realize many of these freedoms are restricted in other schools.

“At Desmet and Vianney, you could never have your phone out. You couldn’t have it out between classes, during lunch, in the halls and sometimes not even before school started.” Klostermeyer said. “You can also go to lunch wherever you want or even choose to not go to lunch, whereas at my old schools, you would go to the cafeteria and you have to stay there until lunch is over.”

Klostermeyer said even the grading is more relaxed. He claims that private schools have a stricter grading system than KHS.

“An F at Kirkwood is a 59 and an F at Vianney is a 69, and it goes like that all the way up the grading scale,” Klostermeyer said.

Stephen Bregande, sophomore, made the switch from private to public school his freshman year and thinks making the transition would be tougher in the middle of the year.

“I think it would be difficult in a sense,” Bregande said. “If I spent that much of my life seeing the same opinion, because private schools are typically more conservative, it would take a while to to get used to all the different kinds of people here, but [the different kinds of people] is what makes it easy to fit in.”

Bregande said most private school students notice the relaxation Klostermeyer described.

“In my experience, the environment is much more friendly, much more open and a lot less restrictive. At private schools, they had all kinds of rules, and the uniforms were ridiculous,” Bregande said.

Although Klostermeyer transferred for academic purposes, KHS receives ex-private school students for several reasons.

“If [the student] started with us at Nipher or North, they are typically more comfortable,” Cheryl McClure, resource counselor, said. “Students may come because they want to fit in better, or want to be happier.”

Overall, Klostermeyer thinks switching to KHS was a good move. He said not having to wear a uniform helps him concentrate better and he feels much more relaxed in the public school environment.

“It’s impacted me very well. The relaxation has helped me be able to focus on my work. Because I’m so relaxed, focusing takes half as much work,” Klostermeyer said.

View Klostermeyer’s Schools in a larger map.