The
urveyor Volume 60
Issue 4
16 December 2016
Multicultural Holiday Celebrations- page 10
Letter from the Editor...
As the highly anticipated winter break nears, I think it’s safe to say we all have something of a realization about the amount of homework we need to catch up on, things we need to learn or relearn (ugh, finals), and the lack of time we have to do it all. Or, if you’re like me, the feeling I just described has been fairly consistent throughout the course of the school year thus far. Something that I constantly am wondering is how people like me prepare for these winter months in other countries in completely different parts of the world. This month’s feature is something a little different. I’ve compiled a layout of a number of different holidays celebrated during these winter months in different countries with completely different cultures. Something I discovered-- a lot of times, these cultures celebrate things pretty similarly to the way we do in America. I also wanted to emphasize the importance of understanding other cultures. Not only is it interesting, but it is also essential to avoiding a close-minded view of the world around us. Happy Holidays from the Surveyor staff!
Emily LaGrange
Matthew Andersland
Sarah Altemeier & Emily LaGrange
Claire McKinstry
Jillian Gannon
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Staffbox
Billy Lemos
Seth Keppler
Ben Janssen
Rielle Jones-Teske
Brandon Cullen
Betsy Smith
Gunnar Bosking
Addi Westpheling
Kate McCartan staff reporters (not pictured) Bryan Gosch Quinn Wilcox Tyler McGuire Quinn Spivey Araya Dunne Andy O’Neill Becca Turnis Julia Carlson Mariah Rodriguez Maggie Rinas
Editor-in-Chief
Emily LaGrange
WHAT’S INSIDE? news
4 Freshmen With Fresh Paint 5 The Club of Clubs Post-Election Aggression
6 Quick Weed Read
opinions
7 Surveyor’s Thoughts On Rules: Staff Editorial 8 Dating vs Anti- Dating in High School 9 Media’s Influence On Election
feature
10-12 Multicultural Holiday Celebrations
profiles
13 Kleman’s Crappy Car Lock Down Your Man 14 Where the “Cool” Kids Are Working
15 Artist of the Month- Haven Henningsen
sports
16 Number One The Proper Way To Bowl 17 Upcoming Sporting Events
18 Unique Winter Sports
a&e
19 “Awaken, My Love!” Aurora
20 Who Are You This Christmas? 21 Claire’s Vegan Cupcakes Emily LaGrange
Editor-in-Chief
mission
The Surveyor is established as a school-sponsored designated forum dedicated to informing and entertaining its readers. The staff will report as fairly and well-balanced as possible. All activities and news will be covered to the best of the staff’s ability. The Surveyor accepts the Society of Professional Journalist’s Code of Ethics as the basis for good journalism. Readers are encouraged to express their viewpoints through guest editorial. The Surveyor also welcomes letters to the editor, with these guidelines: it is no libelous or obscene, it explains the material clearly, it is not longer than 500 words, and that it is signed.
creative commons
“CC by” represents that our staff has taken content from Creative Commons, a nonprofit that offers an alternative to full copyright, and that we have done our best to correctly attribute the author to their artwork in order to avoid copyright infringement.
non-discrimination policy
It is the policy of the Cedar Rapids Community School District not to illegally discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age (employment only), marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and socioeconomic status (students/ program only) in its educational programs and its employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. District employees with questions or a grievance related to this policy should contact the Executive Director of Human Resources, 319-558-2000. Students and others should contact the Manager of Student Equity, 319-558-2000. The District mailing address is 2500 Edgewood Rd NW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52405-1015.
affiliations
Iowa High School Press Association, National Scholastic Press Association, Journalism Education Association, Quill and Scroll.
PHOTOGRAPHS Backpage by Emily LaGrange all front page photos are public domain Table of Contents
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Freshman with Fresh Paint Quinn Spivey Staff Reporter
Photo by Seth Keppler
If you have ever been around the streets of Wash, it’s evident just how hectic the intersection of Cottage Grove Avenue and Forest Drive can be. Not only is it a dangerous spot for cars, but it is also a hazard to those students who ride the city bus and have to walk through the intersection to get to school everyday. Students in one of Carrie Tinkham’s ninth grade language arts classes noticed this problem and decided to do something about it. The group of students consisted of Sophia Hopkins, Joab Johnson, Alliyah Wilcox, Josh Gilbert, and Narcella Robinson. What started off as a hypothetical project based learning assignment turned into a real course of action. The students decided to create a project that would help the city or school and the issue with safety at the intersection stood out to them. “One of the people in the group went out to watch the traffic and one morning there was like eleven people who almost got hit by cars. It was really bad,” said group member Alliyah Wilcox, ‘19. The group had to gather a lot of research to present the situation to city officials. Some of their initial ideas included putting a traffic light in place, a roundabout, and in-pavement flashers to make the traffic flow better. However, they concluded the the best and most efficient option was to put in a crosswalk. When they gave the pitch, one of the officials had already gone to look at the intersection and noticed that it was odd that there was no crosswalk there. From there on out the project was smooth sailing. The project took flight and was a success as the city officials approved their request. Because of the students and their idea Wash is now a safer place. So now when you’re driving to or from school and you notice traffic is going a lot smoother than normal, you’ll know who to thank.
Four of five students who advocated for the crosswalk on the intersection of Cottage Grove and Forest. (Left to Right) Josh Gilbert, Alliyah Wilcox, Joab Johnson, and Sophia Hopkins (not pictured) Narcella Robinson
Photo by Zakaya Stokes
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News
News Editor
Sarah Altemeier
Sarah Altemeier News Editor
The Club of Clubs
From sharing favorite lettuce experiences to cleaning up the parking lots, one of the newest clubs to be created at WHS may just be the most interesting yet. Meeting every Tuesday and Thursday, Clubs Club switches up its meeting topic every gathering. Clubs Club was founded by seniors Bryan Gosch, Jackson Kluber, and Colin Vande Weerd in hopes of creating a club that included a large demographic of the Wash population. “We wanted to create a club that people could just have a bunch of fun times, doing any whacky ideas or activities that we came up with,” said Kluber. A representative goes on the announcements most days and shares what Clubs Club will be doing at that evening’s meeting. Thus far, topics that have been chosen include lettuce, jazz, philosophy, community service, poetry (collab with WLP), KaHoot, and Mad Libs club. Clubs Club is always open to different topic ideas.
“Clubs Club might seem like a bunch of dudes just goofing around, but it’s actually a diverse group of people who enjoy expanding their horizons”
Bringing in anywhere from 15-30 students each day, Clubs Club might be one of the fastest growing groups at Wash. Michael Muhlena ‘18, who has attended and particularly enjoyed Jazz club, said, “I think Clubs Club might seem like a bunch of dudes just goofing around, but it’s actually a diverse group of people who enjoy expanding their horizons when it comes to clubs. It’s a great way to meet new people and try new things.” The club meets in room 132 and is sponsored by James Burke, a spanish teacher at Wash, “I think that kids should be afforded a safe place to hold meetings even though that club might be a little dubious and might need a little direction. I decided to let them use my room after school, so that they would have a place to go and explore whatever kind of strange ideas they wanted to explore. I also felt like having them meet here at school instead of somewhere else I could maybe gently persuade them to take a productive tact in their club, for example, cleaning up the parking lots.” So, if find yourself free on a Tuesday or Thursday after school, you might want to swing by Burke’s room and see if you’re interested in Club Club’s selected topic. Photos courtesy of Jackson Kluber
Sarah Altemeier
News Editor
News
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post-Election aggression Kate McCartan Copy Editor Almost two months after the news that Donald Trump would be the next president of the United States, many Americans admit that they are still trying to process the fact, whether happy or unhappy. Some Americans, on the other hand, have been doing a little more than just TALKING about how they feel; they have been committing crimes. Even before the Nov. 8 election, violence often resulted from Trump’s campaign. Bryan Sanders, a protestor at a Trump rally in Tucson, Arizona, was one of many who were injured as a result of this tense environment. A Trump supporter named Tom Pettway grabbed a sign out of Sanders’ hand and then proceeded to sucker-punch him and stomp on him repeatedly. Now that the election is over, cities all over the United States have been experiencing “explosions” in racist graffiti and hate crimes. In fact, in the first 10 days
Addi Westpheling A&E Editor
News
been plastered on public property across the nation and Trump has been accused of stimulating these acts of hatred. He has regularly talked about his disdain for
immigrants, particularly from the Middle East, and some of this graffiti reads threatens attack on Muslim-Americans. Some have even gone so far as to bring back the universal Nazi symbol as a sign of white supremacy. This hate speech and symbolism is not as far from Cedar Rapids as one might think, as several incidents have taken place all across Iowa since the election. Just two hours away in Burlington, Iowa, a minister went to his car to find a note tucked into his windshield. The note read “So, father homo, How does it feel to have Trump as your president? They’ll put marriage back where God wanted it and take yours away.” Here at Wash, there haven’t been many encounters with pro-Trump vandalism, but multiple bathroom stalls have been plastered with anti-Trump pictures and words. Photo by Sarah Altemeier
Quick Weed Read
On Election Day, Nov. 8, Donald Trump was elected for president, but that wasn’t the only surprising results from the ballots. Many states allowed voters to vote for the legalization of marijuana on their ballots as well. This resulted in the legalization of marijuana for medical or recreational use in seven states. These states include California, Nevada, North Dakota, Arizona, Florida, Massachusetts, and Maine.
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after the election, the Southern Poverty Law Center counted 867 cases of hate crimes across the United States, a 30% increase. Offensive wording and symbolism have
This is an addition to the existing legalization in several other states. In Iowa however, the debate has not been settled regarding legalization of marijuana for medical or recreational use. Many students at Washington hold strong opinions regarding this issue in the Iowa legislature. Delaney Logan ’17 created a project to push for legalization last year. In this project she researched all aspects of how the legalization of marijuana would affect the state of Iowa. “I think it honestly would bring in a lot of money to this state. Since there are already a lot of people that do it I think making it legal would allow for a whole new market of business and though I do get the other side there are not really any “bad” things that would come from legalization. It would also save so much money and time for the police here and decrease the number of people getting pulled over and charged.” said Lo-
gan. Sammie Harrington ’17 has a different pro-legalization perspective regarding drugs that are already legalized and regulated in Iowa. “We have tobacco and alcohol legalized and they have severe consequences that could lead to death, whereas marijuana doesn’t have those extremes. There is no reason it shouldn’t be legal.” said Harrington. Jackson Kluber ’17 believes the legalization could bring a lot of benefits to the state of Iowa. “I think the state of Iowa should legalize it for medical use and maybe revise looking at it for recreational use, there could be some revisions to Colorado’s as well. I believe medical oil is legal in Iowa which is a good first step. We would no longer have to write letters to our congressmen about education funding and also it would free up space in our jail cells.” said Kluber.
News Editor
Sarah Altemeier
Surveyor’s Thoughts On Rules Staff Editorial
There have been a plethora of changes at Washington High School since the start of the 2016-17 school year, the most significant being the retirement of our beloved Dr. Plagman. With the introduction of the new administration following DP’s exit, many students have felt bombarded with new rules and policies. This has led many students to blame the new administration for everything going “wrong” in the school--limited vending machine times, increased ticketing, and the enforcement of hall passes. What exactly are these rules you speak of? If you’re a new student, a freshman, or just generally unobservant, you may not even be batting an eye at the implementation of the new policies. For starters, there are the “hall monitors” that are actually just security guards adopting a slightly new persona. The policy of needing a hall pass during class time isn’t new, but the stricter enforcement definitely is. Students have encountered a couple of adults in the building demanding to see their passes, and understandably, the students weren’t pleased. A high school student is probably wondering why they, someone who thought they grew out of the “needing a pass stage” of school in early middle school, need a pass to be going from point A to B. But on the other hand, not all students have a destination-some simply enjoy leaving class for no legitimate reason. These students are the ones causing trouble in the halls by disrupting other classrooms in a variety of ways, from banging on lockers to yelling to getting into fights. The administration noticed this type of student, and found it necessary to enforce the pass policy. The outcome, unnoticed by most students
Jillian Gannon
but praised by teachers, has been quieter hallways and generally less chaos. If getting a quality education while it’s still free means something to you, then maybe this policy isn’t so bad...after all, the motive is to better the students’ educational experience. The second “new rule” is the relentless ticketing. The administration argues that parking illegally can lead to accidents, can block buses from accessing the arcade, and can prevent important visitors from parking in reasonably located spots. These are legitimate arguments, regardless of how many tickets you have received this year. While we could go on for the rest of the article about how the administration tickets too much, refer to the last issue of The Surveyor for that rant, if you so please. For now, we will begrudgingly accept the argument of the administration on behalf of ticketing. The third significant change at Wash this year is the time limits on the vending machines. This presumably affects underclassmen more than upperclassmen, since freshmen and sophomores are stuck in the school for the entire school day, and thus probably get a bit peckish. The new restrictions on the vending machines (available before school, during lunch, and after school) are to keep kids from leaving class to meander to the vending machines to grab a bite. They’re probably more bored than hungry, and don’t need to be disrupting learning time for this. The time restrictions seem reasonable because they keep kids in class, so there isn’t really a reason to disagree with them. Plus, according to Mr. Ballard, the restrictions will be lifted after break if the hallways continue to be quiet and peaceful during class.
Opinions Editor
Where to point fingers... Although everybody wants to blame the new administration for all of the new rules, it’s clear that they aren’t the ones at fault. With the “different” class of freshman from previous years, who have required different disciplinary methods, according to Dr. Nyberg, combined with the disruptive students who wander the hallways during class, it was time to lay down the law. Nyberg believes that even if DP had been principal this year, these policies would probably still have been implemented, simply because of the new dynamic at Wash. What Surveyor truly thinks... Students may have felt like they’ve been inundated with new rule after new rule, but if you take the time to understand the viewpoint of the administration, these rules aren’t actually so bad. They aren’t doing unspeakable things, such as tampering with our lunch period, taking away any much anticipated events (that we know of), or implementing any other unsolicited policies. It’s obvious that if students are well behaved, these policies hardly even affect them, and in fact, they might even help them. Because of this, it’s safe to say that this particular batch of new rules isn’t a significant problem in the eyes of the Surveyor staff.
9 out of 12 editors agree! Opinions
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Dating? Sure! Let’s not date Ben Janssen Managing Editor
Dating in high school is a topic that strikes a controversy. If you aren’t planning to marry the person, is it really worth your time to date them? In my opinion it is absolutely worth it. Dating is high school is something that everyone should consider. For starters, high school is a great place to meet people with the same interests as you. Since we get to pick and choose our classes and activities that we want to be involved in, we are put with people who share likings in those subjects and pastimes. For the people who argue that you will never marry someone you are dating in high school, I beg to differ. Even if you don’t find your future spouse in high school, it is a great place to practice dating, for when you are actually looking for your future spouse.Dating in high school also teaches how to build successful, long term relationships. Dating isn’t something that you can study and perfect, but dating in high school is a perfect way to learn the do’s and don’ts.. Dating in high school not only will teach you how to be in a relationship, but it will also teach you valuable lessons that you can apply to all aspects of your life., You can learn where to draw the line, how to communicate with others productively, and how to be caring and compassionate. Dating someone in high school creates opportunities and friendships that you may not have gotten without that “special someone”. You may become friends with some of their friends, and those friendships could last a long time. You may also find something that your “significant other” likes to do that you would have never seen yourself enjoying. But the most important reason to date in high school, in my opinion, is simply to be happy. High school is a tough time for a lot of students. You have to juggle school work, extracurriculars, work, and figuring out what you want to do with your future. Sometimes it helps to know you have someone other than your family who is always supporting you. A good high school girlfriend or boyfriend will always be proud to call you theirs. Dating isn’t an essential component to survive your four years of high school, but if you have the right person, it can add joy to your stressful life.
Julian Klepach Guest columnist
When it comes to dating in high school, I can see both sides, good and bad, so I’m going to play devil’s advocate here. Dating in high school is pure nonsense. I’ve seen so many relationships go away, out of the blue, just because of lost interest. There are also those who get very upset that their once beloved counterpart broke it off with them, making way for social media bashings that are just sad. Why do you have so many bad things to say about a person you called your boyfriend or girlfriend? I truly don’t understand dating someone if you can’t see yourself having a future with them. I know, it seems like too much commitment for high school, but that’s the point of dating, to share an emotional bond with someone that should last a long time. If you date someone you should truly love them, if you want to mess around with someone because it’s high school and you’re having fun, don’t call it dating, call it messing around. Dating at this stage in life makes no sense if you’re going to separate colleges and don’t want a future together. All I want to say is that if you want to date somebody, make it last. Too many people are doing it wrong. Many are simply dating for frequent “physical contact” and then break it off when they feel like it’s boring. Dating is for the lovers, those who want a partner, not a toy to play around with and then throw it back in the toy box. The word ‘dating’ should have meaning to it. I’m not saying I don’t believe in high school dating, I’m just not down with what most of you call dating.
cc by Corazón.svg
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Opinions
Opinions Editor
Jillian Gannon
Media’s Influence On Elections It’s undeniable that the 2016 election was unlike any other. The entire campaign was clouded Gunnar Bosking over by insults, Web Sports Editor conspiracy theories, and flat-out lies being tossed out by both sides of the race. This rhetoric has led to a divisiveness and a broad sense of nationalism on a scale that hasn’t been seen since possibly the 1950s during the Joe McCarthy era. But who is to blame for fanning the flames? Who is to blame for separating American citizens into sides of black vs. white, Democrat vs. Republican, and Christian vs. Muslim? In the 2016 election, more media, and easier access to it, changed the election outcome more than any other factor. We are in an age where we can get our information from whoever we want, however we want, and wherever we want. We’ve come a long way from having Walter Cronkite feed information on elections to the entire country. Nowadays, more people use the internet to find articles about their candidate. Now instead of network news shows like CBS, NBC, or ABC giving people their news, consumers can get it from any website or news outlet of their choice, ranging from the relatively neutral CNN to the liberal Huffington Post to the far right Breitbart.com. This farleaning propaganda will repeatedly stretch the truth just to get more subscribers and make more money. For example, a headline from Breitbart once read “would you rather your child had feminism or cancer.” These offensive, misogynistic, far right types of stories have attracted a new following called the “alt-right,” an extreme sect of Republicans that have been associated with white supremacists and neo-Nazis. Just recently, this movement influenced by Breitbart scored a huge victory when the head editor of the website, Steve Bannon was appointed as President-elect Donald Trump’s chief strategist. Talk radio shows have had a
Jillian Gannon
profound impact on public opinion in this new millennium. The most infamous host of talk radio is the right-winger Rush Limbaugh. His talk-radio show involves him discussing politics with his audience, who will frequently call in with opinions and/or questions. He takes a conservative stance on his opinions, sometimes even saying shocking and offensive things in order to get his point across. He first started broadcasting his national show out of New York City in 1988, and continues it to this day. Over the years, he has turned his show into a juggernaught. His average of 13.25 million listeners per week make his show the most popular in the country. Limbaugh didn’t know it at the time, but when he first established his show, he had also established a basis for which all future talk radio shows. The 2016 election involved a much heavier use of social media to spread information. People all around the world can share any link to any news story, whether it be true or not. The intentional fabrication of stories for entertainment purposes (satire) is not a new concept.
People take what they read seriously, true or not, and sometimes these people will react violently or aggressively. However, the presentation of these stories on social media with misleading headlines that make it difficult to tell the difference between true and untrue is new. The can even lead to violent reactions. On December 4, 2016 a Washington state man read a story that had been reposted on his Facebook page. The story was about a child prostitution ring that was being fronted out of a pizza parlor. The article went on to claim that the Hillary Clinton campaign was connected to the illegal operation. The article had been very frequently circulated
Opinions Editor
through social media, with even Gen. Michael Flynn, Trump’s national security advisor, and his son reposting it onto their respective accounts. The Washington man decided to “investigate”, and proceeded to fire an AR-15 assault rifle into the window of the restaurant. Luckily, no one was injured. The man was arrested and the article was quickly disproven, but the effects of the internet is now clear. People take what they read seriously, true or not, and sometimes these people will react violently or aggressively. Satire is not a new concept. Many commentators and publications use humor and intentional fabrication of stories in order to get their point across. Jon Stewart was a pioneer of the now very popular Daily Show, a “news” show that still airs four days per week. The show includes jokes about mainstream news as well as insightful commentary on the world. The show attracts a mainly liberal following, with Stewart and now Trevor Noah typically making fun of the GOP candidates and members of Congress. With an average of a million viewers per episode, the show has a profound impact on public opinion. As technology becomes more and more advanced, it will continue to have a large impact on politics. It has created the ability for any person with access to a computer to put information out there for all to see. I would argue that this was the root cause of the intense divisiveness in this country after the election. We now have to figure out how to use these methods to come together as country, rather than separate further - that is before we destroy each other.
Opinions
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Multicultural Holiday Celebrations
Emily LaGrange Editor-in-Chief
Living in the United States, let alone the Midwest, the holiday season is often, whether we like it or not, geared toward the celebration of Christianity due to the fact that a large majority of Americans are Christian. Because of this, Americans are often blind to the inner-workings or relevance of other cultures’ celebrations during the winter months. The following is a compilation of ways that winter holidays are celebrated world-wide— religious affiliations or not— and some symbols associated.
December 6-December 14 menorahnine-branched candelabrum (candle holder) that is lit during the eight-day holiday of Hanukkah; eight of the branches represents one night during the span of the holiday, the ninth is a “shamash” or a helper candle that lights the other eight
Hanukkah Perhaps the second most prevalent winter holiday that’s celebrated in the United States is Hanukkah, a Jewish celebration. Hanukkah does not fall on a definitive day using the modern calendar, but on a definitive day in the Hebrew calendar. This eightday celebration, contrary to popular belief, is actually not the most significant Jewish holiday. Other Jewish holidays- Yom Kippur, Passover, Rosh Hashanah- are considered far more important than Hanukkah. Hanukkah celebrates the “rededication” of Judaism to its followers after Alexander the Great took over their Temples and prohibited the practice of Judaism. The significance of the menorah comes into play as oil was needed for the menorah in the Temple during the time of the rededication. There was only enough oil for one night, but the menorah ended up burning for eight nights. Now, the menorah is set out and eight candles are lit left to right— one per night— by the ninth, tallest candle. Many Westernized regions refer to Hanukkah as the “Jewish Christmas” because often times it’s celebrated by gift-giving on each of the eight nights.
Chinese New Year The Chinese New Year (also called Spring Festival) is tied not to our modern calendar, but to a lunar-solar Chinese calendar and is a 15-day celebration throughout China. The Chinese New Year is a holiday that was originally celebrated to honor the household and the family as well as ancestors and deities. The Chinese would draw the attention of these deities to their homes by thoroughly cleaning their homes and sacrificing food and Chinese paper icons to the gods and their ancestors. In doing this, they hoped to bring good luck to their homes. The tradition of scaring away these evil spirits spurred into parades of lights and loud noises including fireworks set off throughout cities. The traditional meal of choice during the Chinese New Year are long noodles to symbolize long lives or dumplings to symbolize perfection and the family unit.Today, the Chinese New Year is called Spring Festival and is often celebrated by younger generations much differently than their ancestors. This holiday is typically observed more as a day of relaxation and spending time with friends rather than family.
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Feature
dragonrepresents prosperity and good luck, many believe themselves as descendants of the dragon; often present in celebrations through dance during the celebrations
Editor-in-Chief
January 27
red envelopestypically filled with money and given to children; the color red is seen as good luck and fortune throughout the Chinese culture
Emily LaGrange
December 11-December 12
Mawlid
Mawlid is an Islamic holiday that is not celebrated on a definitive day in the Western calendar— it’s celebrated on the twelfth day of the third month in the Islamic calendar. This year, Mawlid was celebrated starting the evening of Dec. 11 to the evening of Dec. 12. Much like Christmas, this 24 hour holiday celebrates the birth of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, their spiritual leader. Mawlid is actually not celebrated by all Muslims because it’s often seen as a Sufi (a particular strain of Islam) holiday — it’s one of the most argued-over aspects of Islamic law, although it’s celebrated by most Sunni and nearly all Shia. Mawlid is celebrated by honoring the prophet Muhammad through devotional song and poem and, in some countries, cities are decorated in lights and candy and sweets are handed out to children. In other countries, town squares are set up in carnival-like manners to celebrate this sacred holiday.
Christmas Nativity scene- a visual depiction of the birth of Jesus with figurines to represent the people present; often set up in Christian homes during the holiday season
poinsettiasthe story as to how they became relevant to Christmas originates in Mexico when a young girl had nothing to offer Jesus other than weeds after his birth— they turned into the bright red poinsettia flower upon giving them to Jesus Santa Claus- fictional old man that lives in the North Pole with his elves, magical reindeer, and wife, Mrs. Claus; travels by sleigh pulled by eight reindeer around the world in one night (Christmas Eve) to deliver presents to well-behaved children by entering through their chimneys
Through Westernization over the years, Christmas has taken on a new meaning, beyond its religious affiliations, to that of commercialization and materialism. Festivus was a parody holiday created by Seinfeld, a popular TV show, in 1997 as an alternative to the typical Christmas celebration. The official day is celebrated on Dec. 23. Festivus tradition begins with each person telling everyone in attendance of the celebration the ways in which those people have disappointed them over the year. An aluminum pole with no adornments is used as an alternative to a Christmas tree. Dinner includes meatloaf served over lettuce, and following dinner the head of the household wrestles a person of their choice— called Feats of Strength. While Festivus seems like a trivial way to celebrate during the holiday season, the existence of this “holiday” shows just how much the Western world has evolved Christmas from its roots.
Editor-in-Chief
December 25
A winter holiday that most Americans are likely quite familiar with is Christmas Day which takes place on Dec. 25 each year. This holiday is a Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the spiritual leader of Christianity. Jesus was born to a poor, virgin woman by the Holy Spirit in a manger (trough) because she was unable to afford to pay for a place to stay overnight. Because of this “immaculate conception”, Jesus became a spiritual leader for Christians once he was born, exhibiting the ways to live an ideal life. Historically, and totally unrelated to the religious celebration, Santa Claus arrives at the houses of “nice” children and brings them presents under their Christmas tree on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24. This aspect of Christmas is often celebrated by non-Christians and is the incorporation of gift-giving to this holiday. The defining variable that parallels most celebrations of Christmas is the foundation of togetherness and the exchange of gifts.
Festivus
Emily LaGrange
Burdahone of the Prophet’s cloaks made of goat hair; the Prophet gave his cloak away to a criminal that asked for repentance
December 23
aluminum pole- in place of a Christmas tree; symbolizes the lack of materialism and the simplicity of this holiday
Feature
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December 26-January 1
Kwanzaa
Also one of the main winter holidays celebrated in the United States, Kwanzaa is a celebration that takes place between Dec. 26 and Jan. 1. This holiday was created in 1966 by Dr. Karenga, a black studies professor, after the Watts riots in Los Angeles, CA when an African American motorist was arrested for drunk driving which spiraled into an argument, then allegations of police brutality. A riot broke out and 34 died. Kwanzaa was created as a way to bring the African American community together after such troublesome times and celebrate their cultural heritage. Indeed, though created in the U.S., many aspects of African culture are represented within this seven-day celebration. Each day of Kwanzaa represents a different principle of African culture, called Nguzo Saba. The seven principles of Nguzo Saba are unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. Rituals that are popular during this holiday include the passing of the unity cup in which whatever is in the cup is drank and passed in memory of ancestors and the prevalence of song and dance with the use of African drums. On Dec. 31, a traditional African feast is usually set up called Karamu. Since it’s origin, people of all ethnicities have begun to use this holiday to celebrate African culture.
kinaraseven-branched candelabra that represents each night of the week-long celebration, one candle is lit per night; each candle represents a principle of Nguzo Saba
African drumspopular during Kwanzaa as a way of celebrating African culture through song and dance
Boxing Day December 26 Christmas box- a Christmas present
The day after Christmas comes Boxing Day, a day celebrated in Australia, Canada, Ireland, and England and is much like Black Friday in the United States. This day, contrary to popular belief, has nothing to do with the sport of boxing, nor is it a day attributed to returning unwanted Christmas gifts. Boxing Day originally was a day in which employees or servants received gifts, called a Christmas box (hence the name Boxing Day), from their employers or masters. It would also be a day off for servants as they would spend Christmas Day working for their masters. Now, the holiday often incorporates charity into its celebration as many volunteer and give to the poor on this day. Many will celebrate by spending time with their family and friends and watch football and horse racing, which are very popular Boxing Day sporting events. Traditional food includes mostly Christmas leftovers and tends to be a far more relaxing holiday than Christmas.
Omisoka
December 31
Omisoka is the Japanese New Year and is celebrated on Dec. 31 each year. Japan, being a mostly Shinto and Buddhist culture, incorporates religion into their new year celebration. A bell, rung 108 times to represent each of the 108 earthly desires that cause human suffering, sounds at Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines throughout amazakeJapan. traditional In order to prepare for Omisoka the Japanese often deep clean Japanese drink their houses, a process called “ojosoji”. Traditional food for Omisoka during Omisoka; sweet are long noodles because the Japanese believe they symbolize a longJapanese drink made life. Taking place in the evening of Omisoka is a TV program called from fermented “Red vs White” where popular singers split into two teams— the rice women on the red team and the men on the white team— and the most-favored team wins a trophy and the “winners’ flag”. Afterwards, TV programming switches to coverage of Omisoka celebrations throughout the country.
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Feature
Editor-in-Chief
omamoriJapanese charms dedicated to particular Shinto deities or Buddhist figures that are believed to have good luck or protection; burned during Omisoka and new ones are purchased for the new year
Emily LaGrange
Kleman’s Crappy Car
Lock Down Your Man Freshman Bachelor of the Month
Seth Keppler Photo Editor The parkings lots of Washington high school are full many rides. From Cherry Red Corvettes, Land Rovers, and Audis to corroding pick-ups, grimey minivans, and the occasional moped, the really crappy rust-coated cars stand out the most. Caleb Kleman’s whip is a 1988 white Ford f-150. This rust bucket has an endless list of problems, “Sometimes it just doesn’t like to start, it’s leaking coolant, and the truck bed is falling apart.” said Kleman ’18. Caleb’s ride is decked out with chipped paint all around the body of the car, a completely rusted backside, and a substantial crack in the windshield. Kleman got the car last summer, pre-owned (obviously), and says that the car hasn’t changed much, aside from the most recent problems. When he got the car paint was already chipping off, along with more issues. “The brakes didn’t work until my dad and I bled them. The coolant system also didn’t work for a while which led to a hole in the engine, and when we
took it into the shop they said that the rear axle was about to disconnect from the truck because some parts were so rusty.” said Kleman, and if that wasn’t enough, “There was also a hole in the muffler.” Kleman is proudly able to say that he hasn’t yet crashed it, but he, “doubts it would look much worse,” if he does. However, he plans on driving the car until its final breath(which probably won’t be long). And he doubts that he will get a new car unless there is, “something on the truck that is really expensive then maybe,” but, “if it still runs fine, I’ll probably still be driving it around.” said Kleman. So, the next time you may be complaining about your piece of crap car, at least you can say that you don’t have a car with a hole in the muffler, no a/c, a non working gas tank, broken tail lights, a constant-blinking ‘check engine’ light, a corroding rear axle, faulty brakes, two missing leaf springs, and/or a hole in your engine.
Photos courtesy of Caleb Kleman, Andy O’Neill
Claire McKinstry
Profiles Editor
Matthew Andersland Business Manager Attention ladies! Winter is coming and everyone knows that during the winter nothing is better than being able to snuggle up beside a wonderful dude, and out of all the dudes in the world it would be hard to find one more suitable than Washington High School’s very own Richard Lock, ’20. Lock is a freshman who enjoys singing and playing card games, as well as many other skillful endeavours. He especially enjoys the card games cribbage, pitch and rummy. Lock’s skills don’t end at the card table though, as he is also a very talented singer/dancer, and has been told that he can give very good back massages. Lock has been singing for longer than he can remember, and got his first role in a musical when he scored the lead role of the musical Seussical when he was in 6th grade at McKinley Middle School, during which he broke his arm after running into a brick wall with a little bit more enthusiasm than intended. “Bricks hurt!” said Lock when thinking back on the experience. “I was being so idiotic when it happened, it was literally the most slapstick comedy thing ever!” Lock’s ideal date would be going to dinner at a cheap, not too casual, and not too fancy restaurant followed up by going to a movie, preferably a comedy. For a first date however, he would probably want to go to a little bit fancier of a restaurant, and would want to talk to the person and really get to know them to make sure they are a good match. If you are looking for someone who can really hold the key to your heart, Lock might be the man for you!
Profiles
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Where the “Cool” Kids Are Working An inside look at interesting student jobs... Bryan Gosch Staff Reporter
Next Top Model Alanna Arrington, ’17, is a professional model whose most recent achievement includes being featured on the Victoria’s Secret runway. Arrington had gone through many trials and setbacks to get where she is saying, “There were so many moments in the last few years where I thought, “things aren’t working out, maybe it’s time to quit this modeling thing and go back home and just be normal.” But had I decided to give up in those moments I would have never been in the position I am today.” The road to becoming a successful model can be strenuous and at times almost seem hopeless but in the end hard work always pays off. Arrington however doesn’t want to halt herself at modeling, Arrington went into detail about her plans beyond high school saying, “College is definitely part of my future, I plan on applying to NYU’s online program after I graduate to keep my education going.”
Artist Maya Gönlübol, ’17, first started creating art at age of seven at art lessons from her teacher Mark Cook. Through her art classes, Cook helped Maya channel her inner flow into artwork. Gönülbol credits much of her inspiration and success to Cook. Gönülbol’s constant exploration of her creativity has led her to start selling both portraits she made, as well as photographs she takes professionally. Gönülbol’s first exhibit was at the Cook Gallery, and she has since taken her works to be set up at places such as Brewhemia, Greene Square Park, as well as a live painting where she was commissioned at the beginning of the day in a public space or gallery for the public to watch Gönlübol’s process. When asked about any advice for aspiring artists looking to make success on their talents Gönlübol said, “Just don’t doubt yourself, pace yourself, and don’t stress too hard. Creativity isn’t about thinking, it’s about doing, so do a lot.”
Re$eller
Keenan Collins, ’17, has taken his interest in shoes and clothing and participated in the popular and profitable trend of reselling. “I did shoes first,” says Collins. “I would go to Plato’s Closet and buy a pair of shoes for $30 and sell them right away for $150 or more sometimes.” Collins has since shifted from simply thrifting and flipping Nikes and Jordans from Plato’s Closet to flipping a profit on clothing. “I just recently started selling clothes because you can find vintag stuff for $2 and flip it for upwards of $50 just from a shirt or sweater.”
Babysitting Ali Haefke, ’17, makes money aside from her job working at NewBo. “I babysit because it’s an easy way to get money plus kids are a lot of fun and you usually get free food,” said Haefke. It’s not as easy going as you can imagine, Haefke says, “Kids are also crazy and they have trouble keeping attention on one thing, so it’s hard to come up with something new to do every five minutes.” That being said, you are able to rank in money regardless depending on who you are babysitting for, “Most families pay like $10 an hour. It’s totally worth it.”
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Profiles
NewBo Chef Jackson Kluber, ’17, works at Zaytoon Mediterranean Grill located in the NewBo City Market preparing and serving gyros. He assists his boss with serving food and preparing the gyros. “I chose to do the small business route because I knew the boss as well as students from Wash that work at the market. It makes for a fun wholesome environment,” said Kluber. Working at NewBo, Kluber enjoys the laid back environment and culmination of students that both work there and come to eat.
Profiles Editor
Claire McKinstry
Artist of the Month: Haven Henningsen Araya Dunne Staff Reporter Haven Henningsen, ’18, is probably In the beginning, one of the most abstract artists that Henningsen would we’ve featured so far this year. He likes watch his father paint and using name brands and incorporating taught himself how to respecific words that add his own personal create a similar style by touch to every art piece that he creates. watching. His dad tends One of his favorite words to use is to paint darker than Kakorraphiaphobia, which means “fear of he does. Not in color, failure”. Henningsen might come off as but in the feelings that shy in a first impression, but his artwork are being portrayed in speaks loudly. His acrylic or spray paint social issues, etc. When pieces include scenes that were inspired Henningsen was around by his own life. He says that even though six years old, that’s when some of his paintings look simplistic, it really all clicked for him every line has to be made perfect, which and he had found a niche isn’t easy. He paints on canvas and makes for art. He had went to the custom designs on shoes for anyone Chicago Museum of Art and began to who is interested. Henningsen’s art is experiment ever since then. Some other complex; the more that you look at it, the artists that influenced his style are Keith more that you see. He paints what comes Haring and Jean Michel Basquiat. Here at to mind and tries to finish as soon as Washington High School, Henningsen has possible, rather than keeping it as a work taken a drawing class and plans on taking in progress. his first painting class next semester because he is always looking to improve and fine tune his skills.
For the future, Henningsen says that sometimes he thinks about going to the San Francisco Art Institute for graphic art design or architecture, but he admits that he will probably focus on football instead. But, if he ever wants to pursue a career as an artist, the Surveyor staff will always have his back.
Timbs photo from Dallas Hobbs, art photos from Haven Henningsen, sweatshirt photo from looklive. com, graphic art from Maya Gönülbol, runway photo courtesy of Alanna Arrington
Claire McKinstry
Profiles Editor
Profiles
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Number One MVP: O’Rien Vance Mariah Rodriguez Staff Reporter O’Rien Vance, a 6’3”, 235 pound linebacker, is one of Washington High School’s many Division I athletes. Vance has been playing for Washington since the 6th grade when he played for the Junior Warriors traveling team, and has been showing immense talent for the game ever since then. As a freshman, Vance was moved up to play for the sophomore level right away. “O’Rien’s physical attributes stood out from the beginning,” said assistant varsity coach Frank Scherrman. “He’s physically mature, a fantastic player, coachable, and eager to get better. He’s a fun kid to have around.” Vance is ranked as the number one linebacker in the state, third overall linebacker in the Midwest, and 34th in the nation. As a sophomore he was selected as first team all-conference player and second team all-state. It was all uphill from there when he was selected as first-team allstate the next two years. “Everyday I install in my mind to be the best player in the state,” said Vance. Assistant varsity defensive coordinator, Maurice Blue has been coaching Vance since he was a freshman. Blue said, “‘[Vance] is very coachable. You don’t have to explain the big picture to him. In practice we work on the little things to improve and getting him ready for college. As a freshman, ‘O’ played nine games and out of all of them he was the best on the field for both teams. We almost started him on the varsity team during the playoffs.” Blue goes on to explain that Vance has a chance to play in the NFL if he sets his mind to it. “There’s a reason why he gets the attention he does. He could go past college depending on his career at Iowa State. [Vance] has a chance,” said Blue. Ian Thomas, ‘17, middle linebacker, has been playing with Vance since 6th grade when Vance first moved to Cedar Rapids. “[Vance] is a great player. He is definitely a defensive player and changes the game
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with his presence.” Thomas said. During Vance’s sophomore year, he played alongside Connor Vincent ‘15, another acclaimed linebacker who was named “Player of the Year” as a senior. “What we had were two linebacker all staters, that’s not common. Vance didn’t have to share the spotlight his junior year. O’Rien didn’t have to earn his way up. You just knew he was ‘the guy.’ We took advantage on what he could do. He sets the bar high every year. [Vance] is mature. He understands the physical aspect of football from the beginning, but understanding the game all together helped him develop from year to year,” said Blue. Vance’s junior year is when hard work ethics and technique started to pay off. Michigan State University and The University of Notre Dame were both interested in him,but Iowa State was the first and only Division I college who offered Vance a full ride. On Dec. 16 of 2015, Iowa State assistant coach Tyson Veidi offered Vance a spot on the team. This 3 star recruit then verbally committed on Feb.15, 2016. The disappointing loss to the Kennedy Cougars in 2015 encouraged Vance to lead the Warriors to the UNI dome this year. Although his high school football career ended in the semifinals on Nov. 11 against Iowa City West, his stats proved his determination. Vance had a total of 95 tackles (14 of them were for a loss of yards), 1 interception, and 2 fumble recoveries. “O’Rien is dominant on the field. When a team purposely does things to stay away from you that means you’re pretty good.” said Scherrman. As Vance gets ready to become a Cyclone in 2017, he continues to improve his game. “I’m staying focused in school and I’m working out and eating right. I’m trying to be the best player I can be, Said Vance.” He will sign his letter of intent on Feb. 3, 2017.
Stats Solo Tackles: 72 Solo Tackles For Lost: 14 Solo Sacks: 7 Interceptions: 1 Int. Return Yards: 12 Fumble Recoveries: 1 Fumble Recovery yards: 15 Fumble Recovery TD’s: 1 Rush Attempts: 25 Rush Yards: 188 Receptions: 3 Reception yards: 78
Photo by: Rielle Jones-Teske
Sports Editor
Brandon Cullen
The Proper Way To Bowl
Becca Turnis Staff Reporter
Bowling is a fun pastime enjoyed by many who go to Washington High School, but few know how to do it properly. “First you’ve got to pick the right ball”, said varsity bowler Andrew Hammer, ’18. Most high schoolers use between a 10 and 14 pound ball. According to Wash women’s bowling coach Traci Mooney, a good rule of thumb is 10 percent of your body weight. Next you have to hold it properly. “Your middle and ring fingers go in the top two holes and thumb goes in the bottom. If you try to use your index finger or pinky, the ball will go all wonky and you might hurt yourself,” said Hammer. Your non-dominant hand cups the side of the ball for support. Then you need to figure out your approach. Most bowlers use a four step approach. “You start with the foot you throw with. Right-handed people start with the right, left-handed with the left. You stand on that side of the lane as well. You hold your ball up to your chest when you
take your spot. There are two lines of dots on the approach, most stand on the line closer to the lane. As you take your first step, swing your arm back. Don’t arch it up,let it fall back naturally. As you take your next two steps, bring it forward again and release it as you slide your non-dominant foot to the foul line,” said Hammer. The most important part is aim. “Most people can’t aim from 60 feet away,” said Mooney. Luckily there’s a closer target. About 15 feet from the foul line, there’s a set of arrows. “If you hit the second arrow in from the gutter, the ball should hit the pocket between the 1 and 3 pins. That’s the sweet spot,” said Hammer. If you hit that spot, chances are high for a strike. This all seems complicated but it comes easier over time. “You just have to keep practicing,” said Hammer, “remembering all these steps will make you a much better bowler and bowling is more fun when you’re actually good.”
Graphic by Becca Turnis
Upcoming Sporting Events
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1/6 M/W Doubleheader vs. Jeff. @ home 7:30 pm 1/7 V vs. Grinnell @ home 6:30 pm 1/10 V vs. IC High @ IC High 7:30 pm 1/14 V vs. Western Dubuque @ home 6:30 pm 1/20 V vs. Waterloo West @ home 7:30 pm 1/24 V vs. Waterloo East @ Waterloo East 7:30 pm 1/27 V vs. Xavier @ home 7:30 pm 1/31 V vs. Dubuque Wahlert @ Deb. Wahlert 7:30 pm Brandon Cullen
Women’s Basketball
1/6 M/W Doubleheader vs. Jeff. @ home 6:00 pm 1/7 V vs. Grinnell @ home 5:00 pm 1/10 V vs. IC High @ home 7:30 pm 1/13 V vs. IC High @ home 7:30 pm 1/20 V vs. Waterloo West @ Waterloo West 7:30 pm 1/21 V vs. Davenport North @ Davenport North 2:30 pm 1/24 V vs. Waterloo East @ home 7:30 pm 1/27 V vs. Xavier @ Xavier 7:30 pm Sports Editor
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1/3 V vs. Dubuque Senior @Dubuque Hempstead 6:00 pm 1/7 V vs. West Des Moines Valley @ home 12:30 pm 1/10 V vs. Iowa City West @ home 6:00 pm 1/14 V Invitational @ home 12:30 pm 1/21 V MVC Supermeet @ Linn-Mar 12:30 pm
Sports
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Unique Winter Sports Unique Sports That Wash Students Compete In Jillian Gannon Opinions Editor
Alex Paoli Every sport has its season. Winter sports are less common than the ever-popular sports like soccer, football, baseball, etc., but they are popular nonetheless. Alex Paoli, ’18, plays the popular winter sport of hockey is definitely one to watch this winter sports season. Paoli plays for a team in Cedar Rapids whose season started in October and usually ends in the middle of March. His team is around ten games into their season currently, however these games haven’t gone as planned. “We’re not going as good at we’d like,” said Paoli. A combination of new players, new lines and new teams in general have caused this year’s hockey season to not turn out as well as they had hoped for. The best part of hockey isn’t winning a game, according to
Paoli. “It’s fun to play and fun to be around the guys on the team,” he said. Paoli and his team practice for the hockey season year-round, including summer practices. Paoli himself has been playing hockey for 11 years, but this is only his second year playing high school hockey. “It took a couple years to get used to staying on my feet [because of the ice skates],” said Paoli. On the team, Paoli plays the left-wing offensive position. As far as future plans go, hockey could take him far. “There’s a lot of opportunity [in playing hockey]...I could see myself going D-III or a low junior team to play outside of high school,” said Paoli. “[It would be] just something for fun and not competitive.”
Photo courtesy of Denise Willhite
Zach Huggins Zachary Huggins, ’17, also works on perfecting his skating, only this time with a routine. As a figure skater, he has trained for years on how walk on ice. As Huggins explains, “I’ve been skating since I was seven, so that’s...almost 11 years.” Huggins did not start competitive skating right away. “When I was very little, it definitely wasn’t competitive [skating]; it’s basically you learning how to walk on ice,” said Huggins. He used to perform in many different categories of figure skating, but Huggins’ favorite category is artistic.“You do jumps and spins to music. I like that one better [than the other categories],” said Huggins. Before ice skating, Huggins hadn’t liked sports. “When I was little I didn’t want to do
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any sports. Then I saw a flyer for figure/ice skating and I gave it a try and I realized that I really liked it,” said Huggins. To him, summer and spring sports weren’t appealing because they’re too warm and you sweat a lot while doing them. Huggins no longer competes in competitions, however he still plans on skating. “The reason that I don’t want to compete is because I want to teach little kids how to skate,” said Huggins. There’s an ice skating rink where he plans to attend college, so he wants to teach kids there. Figure skating is set up so that the athletes have to take a test in order to move up a level. “You take the test to move up the level, and it means you can compete in
that level [in competition]. I still take tests and move up a level but I don’t compete,” said Huggins. “The last [test] I took was Juvenile…[and] some jumps are considered illegal if you attempt them without taking the test.” His favorite story from his years of figure skating happened when he was very young. “One artistic competition I was [skating as] Curious George, and it was the first time I started on the hockey rink. So I kinda skated around and didn’t do my routine, but I still got a good placement. I was around 9 then,” said Huggins. However, his favorite part of figure skating is all the people there. With lots of friends there, it’s difficult to not look forward to practices and competitions.
Sports Editor
Brandon Cullen
“Awaken, My Love!”
Aurora Betsy Smith Webmaster
Billy Lemos Web Editor On Dec. 2, multifaceted artist Donald Glover released his long-awaited album. Glover’s “Awaken, My Love!” is a soulful, Funkadelic inspired project that will both confuse and fascinate fans of Glover’s work. The opening track, “Me and Your Mama”, is an erratic ride of sorts. It begins with a simple, soothing chorus and abruptly transforms into a psychedelic rock anthem. The perfectly arranged choral backings and airy production from Ludwig Göransson help establish this track as a surefire standout on the album. Track two, “Have Some Love”, has Glover telling his brothers to love one another over a percussive, funky instrumental produced by both Ludwig and Glover. The third track, “Boogieman”, is one of the more lyrical tracks on them project. Glover uses precise imagery to express his critical views on police and rising racial tensions in the United States. Track four, “Zombies”, is one of the biggest misfires on this project. It feels as though Glover was trying too hard to establish unique sonics on this track and the result is offputting, to say the least. The fifth track, “Riot”, features bizarre rock and roll production and some solid, abstract vocals from Glover. Track six, “Redbone”, has Donald delivering awe-inspiring
vocals over evolving, synth-infused production reminiscent of classic Prince and Bootsy Collins songs. The seventh track, “California”, is the biggest flop on the album. The blissful, tropical production on this song is ruined by Glover’s horrendous, obscurely auto tuned vocals. Track eight, “Terrified”, is one of my personal favorites on the album. Glover’s wide vocal range blends perfectly with Ludwig’s spacious guitar riffs and percussion to create a contagious groove. The ninth track, “Baby Boy”, has Glover expressing the newfound joy and pain he feels following the recent birth of his son over a retro, clutsy instrumental produced by Ludwig. The tenth track, “The Night Me and Your Mama Met”, is an expansive instrumental piece with a graceful, underproduced electric guitar lead and relaxing choir vocals. The projects closing track, “Stand Tall”, has Glover preaching positivity as he reflects on the advice his parents gave his as a child. Ludwig Göransson’s production on this piece features an incredible variety of flute, guitar, and choral arrangements. Though it may not be the album you were expecting, Donald Glover (A.K.A. Childish Gambino) has delivered a throwback funk record that should not be overlooked.
If you’re anything like me, my homework cannot be done within the premises of my home. My bed and just the ability to fall asleep without anyone stealing my belongings is too much of a pull. Coffee shops are the best possible location for optimum homework productivity. That is if you can find a coffee shop not filled to the brim with a bunch of people you know. Enter Aurora Coffee Co. Slightly off the beaten path and outside of the Wash school district, its large booths and dark walls provide the perfect cave to enter into homework induced hibernation. If you wanna talk numbers, Aurora maintains the hand-crafted feel of Brewhemia at the price point of a Starbucks or Caribou, making it somewhat more affordable for those of us who can drink 4-5 cups without feeling the slightest of jitters. Plus they offer a 20-ounce coffee cup size which is the avid coffee-drinker’s dream. Aurora itself is renowned by students across the district with both Wash and Kennedy students alike giving it rave reviews. “The white chocolate frappuccino was one of the best drinks of my life… It was like drinking magic through a straw” Erin Klinger, ‘17 on Aurora’s non-espresso based beverages. “Their coffee is stronger and more delicious than Arnold Schwarzenegger.” said Arshi Munjal, ‘17 of Kennedy High School. So, if you’re willing to put in a few extra minutes for the drive, deal with Marion speed limits and potential run-ins with clans of annoying middle-aged women for some cheap and delicious coffee, give Aurora a try.
Photo by Betsy Smith
Addi Westpheling
A&E Editor
A&E
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Who Are You This Christmas? Sarah Altemeier News Editor
Start
Yes, it makes xmas last longer!
Which do you prefer?
Giving gifts
Wrapping presents?
Wrap & distribute!
Do you make the cookies or just eat them?
Eat! Duh!
Santa 20
A&E
How do you feel about Christmas movies?
They’re my favorite
Receiving gifts
g ou r h
t ire m w Ad ndo wi
What is your reaction to snow?
Stay in b ed & hide ins ide
he ht
Go sledding or build a snowman!
Sike! I’d r ath build a gin er ge bread hou rse
What’s the meaning of Christmas?
& ve o l ng adi s e r Sp dnes kin Waking up to all my presents! Help ba
I’ll pass
ke!
Buddy the Elf
Do you help decorate your house?
is ee r t s ma art! x p e Th orite fav
my
My parents force me
What day is Christmas on?
Are you kidding ? Dec. 25 th! for o g in s t ait vitie W ti fes ss pa
photos by isacvale & serioustux
No! We can’t forget about Thank sgiving
Do you start playing Christmas music in November?
The worst day of the year
The Grinch
A&E Editor
Addi Westpheling
Claire’s Vegan Cupcakes
Claire McKinstry Profiles Editor
If you’re looking for a festive recipe that will spice up the food selection at the ugly sweater party you’ve just been invited to, these vegan cupcakes will do just the trick. Or, if you’re like me and there (sadly) isn’t an ugly sweater party in your near future, you can serve these at a family holiday gathering to spread some holiday cheer. You can also just bake them and eat them by yourself, if you’re into that type of thing. (Tip: if your family is anything like mine, they will like them way better if they don’t know they’re vegan...sigh).
Ingredients for vanilla “butter”cream: 3 tsp vanilla extract 2¼ cups powdered sugar ½ tbsp warm water 1 tbsp soy milk ½ cup vegan butter at room temperature (I used Earth Balance) Christmas sprinkles galore Ingredients for chocolate cupcakes: 1 cup soy milk 1 tsp apple cider vinegar ¾ cup raw cane sugar ⅓ cup coconut oil (melted) 1½ tsp vanilla extract 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour ⅓ cup unsweetened dutch process cocoa powder ¾ tsp baking soda ½ tsp baking powder ¼ tsp sea salt
Directions: Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a muffin tin with cute holiday themed cupcake liners (cute holiday theme technically optional). Bake for about 15-18 minutes. Frosting: Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Frost cupcakes once they’re cool, and then add sprinkles. Bone apple tea. Photos by Claire McKinstry
Addi Westpheling
A&E Editor
A&E
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Surveyor’s ‘get-youthrough-theholidays’ Playlist
CC by Barbara Williams2010 and Greg Hume
Roses mashed potatoes communism PAM Slam
& Thorns Mary Beth Haglin stuffing “The Stranger” fruit flies King Jellybean pork pot pie new chairs in the lab dry skin
-Robbers- The 1975 Target during Christmas time -Six Feet Under- The lapel pins Weeknd schmeckles -Girls Like You- The Kwanzaa Naked and Famous Bryan’s car -Change- J Cole last four words of “Gilmore Robotica -Now I’m Learning to Girls” “Gilmore Girls” revival Love the War- Father Christmas music doggy snowboots John Misty being in debt sparkling grape juice -Miserable Americaslush wrapping presents Kevin Abstract terrible winter parking crewnecks -Gooey- Glass Animals finals Cocoa & Carols -Cocoa Hooves- Glass buying presents fuzzy socks/sweaters Animals getting hit by an avalanche Don’t Shave December -Just Friends (Sunny)while skiing cuffing season Musiq Soundchild it gets dark early snow days -LA Devotee- Panic! at “Death of a Salesman” silly things the Disco anticipating winter break parkas -Nevermind- Foster mononucleosis winter break the People having to work to make 8-ball pool -Lock It Up- Marc E. money looking at senior pics Bassy political arguments -The Ballad of Me and ugly sweater day late stories again!? My Brain- The 1975 thrifting 9-ball pool -Love On the Brainnew Surveyor sweatshirts “where are you going to Rihanna senior’s black long-sleeves college?” Emily LaGrange
Editor-in-Chief
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Snowman construction courtesy of Ben LaGrange, ’20.
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