PRINTRumors and realities
No more he said, she said. Assumptions about crosstown rivals are put to the test
ILLUSTRATION: ELISE CATCHINGS
September 24, 2009 | 12:00 a.m. CST
They have, like, no money. They smoke pot. Our sports teams crush theirs. If talk is cheap, then the hearsay of Columbia is on clearance. No more than five miles separate Hickman from Rock Bridge, but rumor and speculation drive the divide even further. It’s time to toss conjectures aside and face the facts in this Providence Road myth bust.
Rumor: Rock Bridge students drive nicer cars than Hickman students
Next time you’re in line at halftime for a hot dog and Twix, know what ...
- Scenes from the Providence Bowl
- Fast times at Hickman High
- Tech-savvy students
- The young and the reckless
- Overcoming obstacles
- The spread
- The Education of Segregation
- Lifelong leaders
- Edged out
- Roosters, cows and mice, oh my!
- Crosstown competition
- Playing the field
- Say what?
- Where are they now?
- On the Job: High School Custodians
- After-school alliance
- Rival Survival
- Through the Years
- High school mascots go head to head
A simple comparison of numbers should do the trick for this one. Rock Bridge has approximately 300 cars in its student parking lot at a given time, and by Vox’s count, roughly 13 percent of those are nicer-than-average vehicles. Luxury cars, such as BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes, and new cars were considered above-average for this debate. Meanwhile, Hickman has approximately 350 cars in its student parking lot with about 3 percent above-average.
By the numbers, this perception appears to be true, but are Rock Bridge students rubbing in the fact that they have sweeter rides to roll up in?
Some say Rock Bridge students taunt Hickman students by jingling their car keys during sports events. Rock Bridge-ers say this is just to create noise in order to distract the other team or get the attention of Hickman fans, not to parade their financial well-being. “We just want to make sounds since we don’t have cowbells,” says Samantha Jones, a Rock Bridge senior.
Hickman students aren’t convinced their rivals have the upper hand in all things vehicular, though. “They might have nicer cars, but their parking situation is worse,” says Tori Buxton, a Hickman junior. “They have first-come-first-serve parking, and our spots are assigned.”
Rumor: Students transfer to attend Rock Bridge for fine arts and Hickman for sports
It’s not that simple, says Jennifer Mast, Rock Bridge athletic director. If a student lists drama or sports as a reason to transfer, the request will be denied, she says.
Administrators and students agree that this perception is not as accurate as it might have been years ago. In the past, Hickman was much larger, and the perception that it had a better athletics program might have originated because it had a larger pool of athletes to draw from. However, today Hickman and Rock Bridge are much closer in size: There are 2,005 students at Hickman and 1,823 at Rock Bridge, according to Rock Bridge Assistant Principal David Bones and Hickman Guidance Director Susan McWilliams.
Jordon McGaughey, a sophomore, transferred to Rock Bridge before her freshman year. “I liked how the block scheduling worked, and it was more convenient for me to carpool,” McGaughey says. “I think most people transfer for friends.”
Some believe that students decide to go to Hickman because of family ties, says Maria Garcia, a sophomore at Hickman. “Most students have parents that have already gone to Hickman, and they recommend it,” she says of the nepotistic preference.
“Both of us have teams that excel,” says Doug Mirts, Hickman’s athletic and activities director. “As kids come and go, talent levels go up and down, so, athletically, we are very similar.”
Rumor: Rock Bridge students abuse block scheduling
Sarah Hemme, a Rock Bridge sophomore, takes time away from her structured day when fourth period, Alternating Unassigned Time (AUT), arrives. She takes a seat in her AUT classroom, or if the weather is nice, goes outside to work on homework. “I don’t leave campus,” Hemme says. “But if I finish my homework, sometimes we go outside and play football.”
AUT is a free period when students are not assigned a class. With parental consent, juniors and seniors may leave the building. Extra time can be used to do things such as visit a teacher for help, use the media center or leave campus.
Giving an hour of free time to high schoolers is risky, but the administration is confident that students are behaving. “AUT does not allow students to do things that they wouldn’t do otherwise,” says Bones, who also acts as director of student activities.
AUT is a privilege that can be taken away, but monitoring what goes on can be tricky. Rachel Epps, Rock Bridge alumna of 2004, says that some students work a lunch shift or study, but there are those who leave, sleep or smoke.
Jake Patterson, another Rock Bridge graduate, says use of AUT depended on what block it was assigned. Sleeping in or going out to breakfast were common first-hour rituals, but things got more interesting as the day went on. Second-hour AUT ran into lunch, so free time was more than the usual hour and a half. “It would go anywhere from playing Xbox to getting the party on,” Patterson says. “It was the reinvention of recess into the high school community.”
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