![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 Saegusas first performance with her hip-hop team in 2020, she holds her personal award for being the most improved. [When] I started, I didnt have any of the right technique, you could see I wasnt used to hip-hop in the beginning, so [that award] was for the most improved, she said.](https://lancerfeed.press/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/LTI-SNO-pic-Saegusa.png)
![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)
![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)
At the Board of Education meeting on Aug. 3, the BOE voted to change the calendar for the 2023-2024 school year.
The last day of school for seniors will now be on May 10 instead of the original date of May 17. The changes mean that graduation for the Class of 2024 will now be held May 11 at The Family Arena in St. Charles instead of May 29 at the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, which is where it was held last year.
In a message sent out through ParentSquare, Gary Jansen, Executive Director of Secondary Schools, said, “the change was made based on valuable feedback from students, staff and parents who also asked that graduation be earlier in May and closer to the last day for seniors.”
The Lancer Feed will update new information regarding the change once it is available.
![The Manternach family spends a day at Gulf Shores, Alabama in 2009. Since Dana’s melanoma diagnosis in 2008, her family has paid more attention to sun care, especially during trips to the beach. “We take constant breaks. We try to reapply [sunscreen] every hour and a half to two hours,” Dana said.](https://lancerfeed.press/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Tanning-pic.png)
