![Sophomore Mary Kirtley holds her Dressember Foundation button. The buttons are passed down to the new STL Spark executive board members each year and they are encouraged to place them on their backpacks to help raise awareness about human trafficking. My sister, [Class of 2020 alumni] Grace Kirtley, started STL Spark when she was in high school and she would have people carry it on after she graduated, Mary said. Last year I got invited to join the board again with my sister, senior Patty Kirtley, and so weve been working on carrying her legacy a bit. Its become somewhat of a family project.](https://lancerfeed.press/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_5696-e1700061260167-1200x800.jpg)
![During FACS Department Chair Becky Lawrences 5th Hour Baking and Pastries class on Nov. 17, juniors Jack Dolle and Armani Turner eat the pies they made during their previous class. Because they cant use the water in their classroom, they also cant run their dishwashers. So, Lawrence had her students use paper plates and plastic utensils. Luckily I had disposable things on hand for them to eat with, so they used that. And then, the pie plate and server I’m just going to throw in the other [classes] dishwashers in between classes and hopefully I can keep up on it, Lawrence said.](https://lancerfeed.press/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_0008-1200x800.jpg)
![After their State victory on Nov. 4, the volleyball team celebrates on the court. The team defeated Francis Howell in straight sets, 3-0. Everyone was out-of-this-world excited. [Winning back-to-back] was something that hasnt happened in awhile, Nelson said.](https://lancerfeed.press/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2023-State-championship-point-rushing-court-e1699295686646.jpg)
![Sophomore Mary Kirtley holds her Dressember Foundation button. The buttons are passed down to the new STL Spark executive board members each year and they are encouraged to place them on their backpacks to help raise awareness about human trafficking. My sister, [Class of 2020 alumni] Grace Kirtley, started STL Spark when she was in high school and she would have people carry it on after she graduated, Mary said. Last year I got invited to join the board again with my sister, senior Patty Kirtley, and so weve been working on carrying her legacy a bit. Its become somewhat of a family project.](https://lancerfeed.press/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_5696-e1700061260167-300x200.jpg)
![After their State victory on Nov. 4, the volleyball team celebrates on the court. The team defeated Francis Howell in straight sets, 3-0. Everyone was out-of-this-world excited. [Winning back-to-back] was something that hasnt happened in awhile, Nelson said.](https://lancerfeed.press/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2023-State-championship-point-rushing-court-e1699295686646-300x200.jpg)
![During FACS Department Chair Becky Lawrences 5th Hour Baking and Pastries class on Nov. 17, juniors Jack Dolle and Armani Turner eat the pies they made during their previous class. Because they cant use the water in their classroom, they also cant run their dishwashers. So, Lawrence had her students use paper plates and plastic utensils. Luckily I had disposable things on hand for them to eat with, so they used that. And then, the pie plate and server I’m just going to throw in the other [classes] dishwashers in between classes and hopefully I can keep up on it, Lawrence said.](https://lancerfeed.press/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_0008-300x200.jpg)
This year, senior Kate Kilmer decided to become an influencer for Mimi’s Prom St. Louis. It started out when her mom saw a notification that Mimi’s was looking for people to try on their dresses and be an influencer for Homecoming.
“I thought it was like a joke at first and I was like ‘Yeah, no I wouldn’t do that, I wouldn’t be good at that.’ and my mom was like ‘No you should, let’s just see if you’d get accepted,’” Kilmer said.
So, Kilmer applied, thinking she wouldn’t get accepted.
“I applied really as a joke. But then I did [get accepted]. Everything worked out in my application, so I thought I’d try it out,” she said.
Kilmer went into the dress shop for the first time on Aug. 15.
“It was a Barbie-themed night. [All the influencers] went in and tried on dresses. We got to know each other, the rules and expectations. It was really fun,” Kilmer said.
One of her jobs as an influence includes commenting on posts and letting everyone know about the store.
Kilmer actually bought her Prom dress from the shop last year, which was how she found out about it.
“So for prom last year, I went there to get my dress and I absolutely loved the experience. I loved all the people there. And so of course I followed them on Instagram and Tiktok,” Kilmer said.
As an influencer, Kilmer actually doesn’t get paid, and she does the gig for fun. Her favorite part is getting to try on dresses, and she has already bought her Homecoming dress for this year from Mimi’s.
“I think it’s a really cool experience and next year when they do it again, people should consider doing it,” Kilmer said.
