The
urveyor Volume 61
Issue 4
29 November 2017
-Sarah Altemeier
News Editor Opinions Editor
For our staff photos this issue, we each picked a Washington staff’s old school picture from the yearbooks, try and figure out who is who! The Surveyor Staff and I decided to focus our feature and editorial on Veteran’s, in honor of Veteran’s Day this month. The feature contains the stories of 3 Wash graduates, Rick Skogman ’63, Bob Vancura ’63, and Douglass Beed ’65, in the Vietnam war. Our editorial was written in hopes of bringing better awareness to readers about Veterans. The political cartoon below is from an old Surveyor published in 1965, it shows an opinion of a student from the time of the Vietnam War, questioning the reason why the United States was even in Vietnam. Other stories include a look at Diamond Roundtree ’19 who wrote a poetry book that was published called “The Words from My Heat.” If you attended the school play, Newsies, you can read more about the leads in the A&E section.! Thanks for reading!
Quinn Wilcox
Tyler McGuire Profiles Editor
EDITOR
Lars Andersland ’20 - Staff Reporter Sydney Dusek ’18- Staff Reporter Isaac Gomez ’20- Staff Reporter Gabe Greco ’19- Staff Reporter Rielle Jones-Teske ’18- Chief Photographer Paul Schneidermann ’19- Staff Reporter Alliyah Wilcox ’20- Photographer
Ben Janssen
Co A&E Editor
Sports Editor
Kate McCartan
Who is who?
Co A&E Editor
Araya Dunne
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Seth Keppler
Copy Editor
by Kate McCartan, American Skillet sign photo by Seth Keppler, Newsies photo by Rielle Jones-Teske, Surveyor Logo graphic by Haven Henningsen
Letter from the
Other Staff Members:
Sarah- Mr. Graham Quinn- Dr. Kahler Tyler- Mr.Witte Kate- Mr. Duer Ben- Dr. Plagman Araya- Ms.Wright Seth- Mr.Burke Becca- Mr.Miller
B11B pgoto by Ben Janssen, Homeless Veteran photo CC By: Kathryn E. Macdonald, Vietnam Jungle photo courtesy of Rick Skogman, Diamond Roundtree photo
Staffbox
Becca Turnis
News Sydeny Dusek Staff Reporter
All-State Musicians All-State Orchestra musicians. Photo by Len Struttman
Photo by Len Struttman.
The 2017 Iowa All-State Music Festival was held on November 16-18, with the concert taking place on the evening of Nov 18 at the Hilton Coliseum on the Iowa State University campus. Musicians were selected to participate in the Iowa All-State Band, Orchestra, and Chorus through a competitive audition process. This year, 28 musicians from Wash were chosen for All-State. The audition process for the All-State Orchestra involves playing a solo of choice, excerpts from the chosen AllState pieces, and a series of scales. Anna Kölln, ’18, has played the violin for 11 years, and she has been in the All-State Orchestra four years now. “[Making All-State] was super rewarding,” Kölln described, “I’m really glad all my hard work practicing paid off.” Band All-State Musicians
Left to right, Tyler Cruise, ‘19, Kendall Stenseth, ‘19 Joe Jonasson, ‘20.
For the All-State Chorus, singers audition in groups of one, two, three, or four. They audition for one of the four voice parts-- soprano, alto, tenor, or bass-- and sing parts of the All-State selections a capella. Singers are judged on their intonation, rhythm, tonequality, and musicianship. Ethan Cooper, ’18, sings bass and has been in the All-State Chorus for three years. Looking back on the first year he made AllState, Cooper recalled, “It was a great feeling to know I’d proven myself capable beyond those who doubted me, myself included.” “All-State is a great thing, it really helps musicians to grow and work towards a common goal, but people take it far too seriously. It’s so incredibly subjective…” explained Cooper. “We’re selected based on a seven-minute preview of what we can do, so by no means does it mean that those who don’t make it are bad. It just means those who do make it are good.” said Cooper.
Left to right, Ella Wolle, ‘18, Dean Wibe, ‘19, Brooks Papendick, ‘19, Anna Kölln, ‘18, Bailey Renfro, ‘18, Anna Kalan, ‘18, Emma Prostine, ‘20, Lee Prostine, ‘21, Leroy Karns, ‘20.
The audition procedure for the All-State Band entails playing a solo of choice, a specific piece determined by All-State, and a series of scales. Tyler Cruise, ’19, represented Wash in the All-State Band for his third year this year. Cruise has been playing the B flat clarinet for about seven years. Recalling the excitement of finding out he had made All-State, Cruise said, “The first year, I was incredibly shocked, and then overjoyed because I never really saw myself as a ‘stand out musician’. It was surprising to me to find out that they actually chose me, but I was beyond happy to have made it. In subsequent years, I have felt the same sense of joy, and it never gets old.” Left to right, Quinn Spivey, ‘18, Brennan Regan, ‘18, Michael Muhlena, ‘18, Alex Haggin, ‘19, Grace DeWolf, ‘19, Lorenn Florey, ‘18, Ethan Cooper, ‘18, Tyler McGuire, ‘18, Quinn Wilcox, ‘18, Scott Griffin, ‘18, Paul Linville, ‘19, Ava Klopfenstein, ‘18, Alann Adkins, ‘19, Gracie Shaw, ‘18, Lindsay DeWolf, ‘20
All-State Choir musicians. Photo by Len Struttman
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Lars Andersland Staff Reporter Brothers to Brothers (BIIB) is an up and coming group at Washington that advocates specifically for AfricanAmerican males around the school. Meeting every Monday and Thursday, students in this brotherhood encourage each other to keep grades up, improve behavior, and use their voice to better themselves and the world around them. BIIB is led by student leaders Thaddeus Daniel ’18, Larenzo Irvin ’18, and DeAnye Bowman-Owens ’18 and sponsored by Chris Wright and Dedric Ward. BIIB was initially created by an idea from the mind of principal John Cline. At Cline’s previous school in Charlotte, North Carolina, a similar organization exists called RISE. RISE helps young black males achieve in school and rise above the stereotypes attached to their appearance. “When I first got
BIIB to Washington, I felt like there was the same need for African-American males to have a safe place to gain support and advocacy.” Although the two groups are similar, BIIB is still in an early stage of development. “[BIIB] is still in the process of defining what its vision and mission are,” explained Cline. “This is just the beginning.” The group aspires to have no failing grades and help in the community. Mentoring at neighboring elementary and middle schools, navigating through the college application process, and touring HBCUs are all on the horizon for BIIB. Studying together every Friday after school helps members bond and work on raising their grades. Setting a good example through leadership is also an important aspect to the young men involved. “I always look around and see kids in the hallway trying to
News
terrorize the school. We need a lot of black leadership,” remarked Daniel. BIIB members additionally want to assure that, after the preliminary stage of the group, any skin color is free to join. To them, the bond formed between brothers is more important than anything. “We just want to encourage and inspire each other to help out more,” explained Jacques Plummer. Supportive staff members hope that students will feel their voice is heard and become better people. “No matter what the race is they’re still brothers.” said Wright. “It’s always about appearance, at some point you want to be judged by your character.” Overall, BIIB has endless potential that will be put to good use.
Members of Brothers to Brothers gather for a photo with Washington faculty and group advisers. Photo by Ben Janssen.
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News Quinn Wilcox News Editor
Niger Attack
On Oct 4 2017, four U.S. soldiers were killed during an operation in Niger. There has been a lot of discrepancy and confusion regarding the exact details of the attack. Reports have said that there were between eight to 12 U.S. troops accompanying 30 to 40 Nigerien troops on a mission near Tongo Tongo in Niger. The group of Nigerien and U.S. troops were on a mission in a village near Tongo Tongo and were reportedly attacked on their way back from the village. Around 50 armed militants in unarmored trucks ambushed the U.S. and Nigerien troops. The militants were reported to have been armed with heavy machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers. A senior U.S. defense official said the U.S. military believes somebody in the village could have notified the militants to coordinate the attack. U.S. intelligence believes that ISIS was behind the ambush. U.S. soldiers Sgt.La David Johnson, 25; Staff Sgt. Bryan Black, 35; Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright, 29; and Staff Sgt.
Jeremiah Johnson, 39, were killed in the attack. 12 Nigerien soldiers were killed in the attack as well. U.S. troops have been in Niger since the early 2000s. In response to 9/11, the U.S. began preventative actions in countries that had never spawned a terrorist attack against the U.S. A joint special operations task force was established in Niger in 2008. In 2011, French and U.S. militaries began a counterterrorism initiative in the country. During the last five years, U.S. troops have been aiding Nigerian troops in conflicts with the Greater Sahara regional division of ISIS as well as the Islamic extremist group and ISIS affiliate Boko Haram. President Trump spoke for the first time about the attack on Oct 16. “I felt very, very badly about that. I always feel badly. It is the toughest calls I have to make are the calls where this happens, soldiers are killed,” Trump said at a press conference on Oct 16.
Monica Lewinsky In IC
Maggie Rinas Guest Writer
The “culture of humiliation” was a quote originally written by professor Nicolaus Mills, but Monica Lewinsky used it when speaking about the rise of social media. Lewinsky spoke at the Iowa Memorial Union on Oct. 24. Lewinsky was publicly silenced for a decade, but she decided to speak up now because it was time for her to take back not only her narrative but also to show other people who are being harassed and bullied that it is possible to survive humiliation. Lewinsky fell in love with her boss, Bill Clinton, who was President of the United States, when she was working as his intern. Her affair with Clinton was said to have occurred between 1995 and 1996. In January 1998 the affair came to public light. This happened “during the digital revolution,” and Lewinsky’s life went from private to public in a day. After the news got out, Lewinsky was slut-shamed, fat shamed, and humiliated in countless ways. She described it as being “publicly stoned.” She sometimes felt like just giving up (suicide),
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but her friends, family, and even some strangers showed compassion. Lewinsky’s main point was that we need to make our society compassionate, especially our online community. For example, instead of posting a picture or tweeting about somebody, think of if your intention is for attention, and how your post affects the person it’s involving. Lewinsky gave some stats about women’s interactions online. 25 percent of all women have been called a “b****” online, 8 percent of women have been physically threatened, and 49 percent of women have had this type of negative online interaction with other women. Lewinsky claimed that what we need to do to stop the “humiliators” is communicate with compassion, don’t support (like, share, retweet) posts that humiliate other people, and send people a positive comment. Most of Lewinsky’s speech was spent talking about cyberbullying and public shaming rather than her affair with Clinton, which was disappointing to some audience members.
opinions
Whose Lives Matter? If you have an opinion you want to share, write an article and send it to crwashsurveyor@gmail.com for a chance to be featured in the next Surveyor! Micah O’Neil Guest Columnist White lives matter. What kind of vision do you get from that? A bunch of white nationalists going around with torches begging for blacks and other races to be killed? Not necessarily. When Black Lives Matter became a thing, it seemed most everyone was behind that, even though some of the people highlighted were not the best people. So when All Lives Matter came out, there was some outrage against it. Why would that be? Don’t we all matter as Americans? I think it’s kind of good that this is happening, it kind of shows the hypocrisy of those who supported black lives matter are now going, “those lives don’t matter!” When people speak about the division here in America, they don’t seem to realize that things like White Lives Matter and Black Lives Matter are dividing us more and more. This
is because we are so focused on one race instead of trying to help all of those that are affected by police brutality or mistreatment by officers of the law, or anything that is simply wrong. The fact that we have allowed these kinds of things to continue on
is the fault of our own, no one else’s. I myself am a nationalist. However, I do not advocate for just white lives. I am an American nationalist, not white or black. If anything, I despise these rallies that are going on. The newest one in Shelbyville is a perfect
example of the allowance of this kind of behavior. However, even if we do disapprove of these rallies, they do have a right under the first amendment. So long as they aren’t damaging any private property or causing violence towards anyone, I think we can all agree that they have the right to assemble and protest whatever they feel the need to protest against. Nowadays we get so much tunnel vision when we hear something about “insert color/race matters” that we don’t focus on the big picture, and we get so stuck arguing about the most pointless stuff. If we took the time to communicate with each other instead of fighting each other, I believe we can actually get somewhere in the political scene that is happening right now. As I have always said, “All Lives Matter.” CC: Wikipedia Commons
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opinions
Thanks-Taking Rielle Jones-Teske Chief Photographer For many people, Thanksgiving is a day of joy, filled with food, family, and gratitude. For most Native Americans, however, it is a day of mourning. In fact, on Thanksgiving this year, many Native Americans gathered in Plymouth for the 48th National Day of Mourning. Since 1970, indigenous people have gathered at noon on Cole’s Hill in remembrance and spiritual connection as well as in protest of the systematic oppression and racism that Native people continue to experience. One of the largest misconceptions that most Americans subscribe to is the story of the first Thanksgiving. “It is concerning that the myth of the first Thanksgiving is still being perpetuated in schools across the state,” said Joyce Rain Anderson of Brockton in an interview for the Boston Globe. The myth goes something like this: The Pilgrims had a long hard voyage to the Americas and
a bunch of them died. When they landed, they had even more hard times because they didn’t know how to plant or farm anything here. Then come the Natives! The natives taught them how to plant and grow
is nothing more than fiction, perpetuated by about 120 years of the story being printed in textbooks nationwide. According to Richard Greener of the Huffington Post, the first Thanksgiving Day did occur in 1637, but it was due to a much different reason that the pilgrims were giving thanks. Instead of celebrating the cooperation between the pilgrims and natives, the “thanksgiving” proclaimed by Massachusetts Colony Governor John Winthrop was incited to celebrate the safe return of a band of militant colonists. They had just been to Connecticut, where they massacred 700 Pequot natives, including men, women, and children. In truth, that first thanksgiving meal was not shared with the local natives, the Wampanoag and Pequot, it just celebrated their extermination. Enjoy your turkey.
“One of the largest misconceptions that most Americans subscribe to is the story of the first Thanksgiving.” food to sustain themselves. In thanks for this help, the pilgrims threw a huge feast that lasted for three days and everyone got along and was happy. Sadly this fantasy of an idyllic relationship between the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims
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opinions
Staff Editorial: Pay Your Respects On November 11, the United States celebrated Veterans Day, an annual holiday to commemorate those still alive who fought for our country. Unfortunately, it now seems to be a day that comes and goes without much notice, similar to National Cheesecake Day or April Fools Day. Veterans Day should mean so much more to the people in this country. We very well may not be where we are today if it weren’t for veterans. They devoted their lives to fighting for their country and the liberties it so diligently upholds. Still, we all but ignore this ONE day of the year that was set aside to celebrate them. I wish I could say that other than this, veterans live very healthy, fulfilling lives, but I cannot. In fact, that is just the beginning of their mistreatment. In 2015, a CNN report showed that at least 40 veterans had died waiting for care at Veterans Affairs facilities in the Phoenix area; the scandal expanded when an internal audit found more than 120,000 veterans across the country were left waiting or never got care. The scandal does not even stop there. A report published shows that Veterans Affairs assigned $142 million in performance bonuses in 2014, the
same year it was being investigated for manipulating data. As upsetting as the as the VA’s failures are, they’re the tip of the iceberg for how the United States fails its veterans. Less than half of the country’s 21.2 million veterans were employed in 2014 — 573,000 were looking for work, while 10.5 million were neither
employed nor seeking employment, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Veterans are twice as likely as the average American to be chronically homeless. In fact, more than a third of homeless individuals across the country are veterans (between 529,000 and 840,000, depending on the time of year) according to the National Coalition for Homeless
Veterans. At this point, the number of homeless Vietnam veterans, male and female, is greater than the number of soldiers who even died during the war. It’s even worse for female veterans, for whom the risk of becoming homeless is four times greater than for male veterans. PTSD diagnoses are on the rise, with as many as 20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans reporting they have experienced it. Even as those rates are rising, the U.S. justice system is failing to take mental illness into account in criminal trials. A report released in 2015 by the Death Penalty Information Center found that mental health is often not weighed as a factor during trial. The DPIC estimates that there are some 300 veterans on death row today, and many, if not most, of them did not have their mental health considered at trial. It is clear at this point that veterans are not being treated the way they should be and we need to do better. Thanking them verbally can only go so far; the US government needs to show their gratitude. Facts and statistics from Rolling Stone CC by Kathryn E. Macdonald
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Feature
Sarah Altemeier Editor-in-Chief
Warriors with Valor
The Vietnam War was arguably the most unpopular war in United States history. Starting Nov. 1, 1955, and ending on April 30, 1975, this war resulted in over 55,000 American deaths, around a quarter million injuries, and virtually no gain for the U.S. The conflict arose due to the decision of North Vietnam to attempt to unify the entire country under a single Communist regime. During this same time, our school, George Washington High School was opened in 1956. As many people are aware, the draft played a huge role in the Vietnam War. 25% of total forces were draftees. The Surveyor found three Washington graduates, Rick Skogman ’63, Bob Vancura ’63, and Douglas Beed ’65,
who were all drafted into the Vietnam War, each with his own unique stories and experiences. As this was an unpopular war, and when soldiers would return, they weren’t necessarily welcomed back with open arms. Vancura said, “We were looked on as being more the enemy than being heroes because it was such an unpopular war. So, the first few years there was absolutely no recognition, there were no events for the military, all the branches of service that served.” People seem to forget that a majority of those who risked their lives in Vietnam were not there voluntarily, they all had lives of their own and would have to leave everything, without a choice.
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Feature
Rick Skogman
At Washington High School, Skogman wrestled, played baseball, and was an All-State football player. Skogman went to Iowa State on a football scholarship, later transferring to UNI. 20 hours short of graduating, Skogman was drafted into the army in ’68. He was drafted into the infantry and volunteered as an LRRP (Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol), today known as Rangers. “When you see a movie today, of some of the bombardier elite groups, they are Rangers, and that’s what I did,” Skogman said. “I was on a four-man team. It was volunteers, three Americans, including me, and a young mountaineer boy, a 15, 16, or 17-year-old and we paid them, they would walk point for us. We would go out for four days, we’d be taken out in a helicopter, and our job was to do reconnaissance to find out if the Vietcong or the North Vietnam were in that area and if they were then they would bring in large groups, so the infantry, and engage and start a battle. Our job was to get in and get out without notice, if possible. But, that was always difficult because they always inserted us with a helicopter which made all sorts of noise. I was chosen for four special missions, and on one, myself along with my team members, got the “V” device for valor and in that particular mission, the line companies had lost 13 people in the valley, but we went into the valley, and we did recover 11 of the bodies and two that were still alive.” Skogman was in the military for about 19 months. He acquired both types of malaria at the same time while in Vietnam, so he was sent to Japan, “They had a rule at that time that if you were out of the field for 90 days they didn’t send you back to Vietnam, they sent you home to the States. So, I got back in the States with three months to go, and they figured that was too short of time to train me for anything, so they let me out of the Army.”
Bob Vancura
While in high school Vancura played basketball and baseball. His most memorable moment at Wash was related to basketball: when his team went to state Senior year. Vancura was drafted after finishing college, “I went to Iowa State and graduated Nov. 1967, and went to work for Shell Oil Company in New Orleans, a great job, a wonderful job, it was in traffic management transportation. I was only there for ten months, and I got drafted into the Army. Probably one of the saddest days of my life because this was the height of the Vietnam War and the Tet Offensive started that month. The Tet Offensive started in the latter part of November, just when I graduated, the first of December in ‘67, and at that time the United States was losing 500 men a week in casualties and more. So, that was a pretty sad day in my life to get my notice in New Orleans that they needed my body,” said Vancura. “I was fortunate because I was in a Joint Service. Joint Service means there was about 115 of us in Vietnam, not very many of us, but Joint Service was that we
had members of the all four branches of the service, The Marines, the Airforce, the Navy, and Army, and it was about evenly divided. We were in communications. So, I had a pretty good job. I was stationed at Tan Son Nhut Airforce Base that was Saigon at the time, they later changed the name to Ho Chi Minh City. What we did was when the Big Red Run Infantry Division would move from one site to another, whether it was chasing Charlie (the enemy) or trying to protect a certain area or something like that, it was our responsibility to set up communications. Now, what happened is, on occasion, being stationed in Saigon, I was in the foxhole about three or four times when the airbase got attacked by the North Vietnamese Army. I got shot at a few times. Fortunately, I wasn’t hit, but I mean, the Air Force provided us bombardments and protected us, because that was the main airbase and the main United States Army base in Vietnam. We got attacked a few times, and we had to protect the outside perimeter, and I was in towers or the foxhole. So, I didn’t have it bad, that was about the worst I had it. I saw some things that I won’t elaborate on that were not very pleasant, I saw a few, one of the things that the North Vietnamese were good at, they had these suicide bombers, and they would strap satchel charges to their body and ride motorcycles around and when they’d find a group of Armed Forces personnel together, they would ignite the bomb and kill a bunch of the Armed Forces, and I was close to those a couple of times. It wasn’t pleasant.”
This is a drawing by Skogman in a letter he sent back home to his parents of the area the 4th Infantry Division held responsibility for.
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It’s hard to imagine the feelings one might have after having no choice but to participate in a war, a war that is so controversial, and then return home without being thanked by the U.S. as a whole. “Well, first I want to say that the Vietnam War was a very unpopular war. It was a very unpopular war because we were attempting to stop the North Vietnamese and the movement into South Vietnam with the demarcation line, and we were trying to protect that just like today, they had the D mark line in North Korea and South Korea. What was bad, Lyndon Johnson and Westmoreland, who was in charge of all the Armed Forces in Vietnam, were not open to the public of what was happening. In other words, the United States Armed Forces were losing many battles and many firefights in Vietnam, but all along they were painting another picture and saying that we were winning the war. And, actually, we were not doing as well as they said we were. We were gaining nothing, and we were trying to train the South Vietnamese Army, and they were very weak, they were very poor people to train. When North Vietnamese attacked, the South Vietnamese Army basically put their tail between their leg and ran. And the only ones that were fighting in the war was us. That was not the way it was supposed to go. We were to turn that whole country over to the South Vietnamese and the South Vietnamese Government, and that never got done. We gained nothing. We lost everything. Everything we gained, at the end, because the South Vietnamese Army was so weak, we lost. We lost 55,000 American soldiers in the Vietnam War, and there were over a quarter million that were wounded. I can truly say, I’ve always told my wife, if I would have came home maned, you would be talking to probably one of the most bitter individuals that you could possibly talk to. If I would have gotten wounded, or permanently disabled, I would be so bitter because we actually gained nothing over there through all the years we were there,” said Vancura Skogman, who was drafted but volunteered as an LRRP had a very different experience, but some of the same feelings, “I was kinda surprised what was going on around the country because I was in the volunteer group with guys that wanted to be there, I didn’t experience much of the dissatisfaction amongst my teammates and then when I got home, I really didn’t either. But as time went on, I started to wonder
what the purpose was. We would fight for one piece of ground in Vietnam, and as soon as we would gain that then they would turn around and leave it back to the North Vietnamese, and all the casualties, loss of lives, and the cost of the war really made very little sense when I really thought about it,” said Skogman It wasn’t until the last 10 or 12 years that these men began being celebrated, “So, the first few years there was absolutely no recognition, there were no events for the military, all the branches of service that served. Only over the past 10 or 12 years has there been recognition on the part of the public, on the part of the commercial people. Hy-Vee has a free breakfast for everybody, and I’ve been going to that and sitting down and talking to some of those Veterans. At lunch, there is somebody in town that has free lunches, sometimes I also attend that. That’s what I’ve done, and I have an opportunity to sit down and talk to others who have served like I did,” said Vancura. When Skogman returned home, he went to work for his family’s business, Skogman construction company. He later started Skogman Realty. Now, he spends the winter in California and enjoys playing golf four or five days a week. He works out with a trainer, and he likes to walk in the desert and climb mountains Vancura returned home and went back to school to get his master’s degree in finance. He went into the home building business, for about 30 years. During his time, he built over 2,000 houses and actually worked for the Skogmans. He considers Rick to be one of his best friends. Veteran’s Day was Nov. 11th, but when you have the chance to meet or talk with a Veteran, don’t forget to thank them for their service whether you agree with the particular war they fought in or not, they might not have even had a choice.
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Feature
Douglas Beed Douglas Beed graduated from Wash in 1965 and went on to attend Ellsworth Community College. However, when he was no longer able to afford any more schooling, he got drafted into the Vietnam War. This year, 2017, Beed published “Chasing Understanding in the Jungles of Vietnam.” The Surveyor purchased this book from Barnes&Noble and it will be available in the library to check out so you can read his story.
Jungle Photos courtesy of Rick Skogman
Looking Back
Profiles
Artists of the Month:
Madison and Hunter Bartlett Gabe Greco Profiles Editor
What could be better than having a twin? How about having a twin with the same passions as you. Madison and Hunter Bartlet are two of Washington’s most talented artists. The twins knew they had fallen in love with creating art in early elementary school, but they didn’t dive deep into drawing and painting until their freshmen year at Washington with the help of Liz Schmelzer. She helped them both learn more about art and grow as artists. Madison and Hunter both primarily enjoy painting and drawing but, Madison also dabbles in ceramics. Her friends almost always influence Madison’s artwork, and she is also very inspired by her eclectic array of music. Not only are the twins very talented artist they are also proud leaders of GayStraight Alliance. If you want to get to know these two more, you can almost always find them hanging out in one of the two art rooms or the GSA room.
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Kate McCartan Profiles Editor
A Poet
Profiles
& You Didn’t Know it Sophomore Diamond Roundtree is publishing a book displaying her poetry. The Surveyor sat down with her and asked her some questions about this historic moment for her!
Q. What is the name of your book? A. The Words From My Heart Q. How did you start writing poetry? A. I started writing poetry in 6th grade to help me cope with middle school and it was just something that I just wrote on paper. Q. Did anyone inspire your book? A. People who bullied me in elementary and middle school. Certain situations that I have gone through in life or that my friends have gone through have inspired me. I want to encourage people to keep the faith and be strong. I want them to know that they are awesome and amazing. Q. Will it be for sale? If so, where? A. I don’t have an exact date yet but we are working on getting it in Barnes & Noble and Amazon. Q. What is your favorite poem from it, for future readers? A. One of my favorites poems is “Dear Everyone” because it is just saying thank you to everyone who hurt me because you made me the person I am today.
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Photo by Kate McCartan
Profiles
#PositivityGang Gabe Greco Staff Reporter
We have all been there. It’s a Monday night, you have a pile of homework on your bed, your crush called you “buddy”, you’re out of pizza rolls and you stepped in dog poop on your way home from school. For most people this would be the time to give up and listen to your emo playlist for the rest of the day, but not for one mighty Warrior, Darshaun Smith. Smith is the founder of at Wash. He was motivated to start this movement when he noticed racism and hate on social media. Struck by all the negativity, Smith took his feelings to Snapchat, where he ranted to his friends. “We are all humans at the end of the day,” said Smith on the social media platform. “We all bleed the same color. There is no need to hate someone for something they didn’t have a choice in. Why hate people in the first place? We need to bring people up and be glad for who you are and where you come from.” Smith followed that statement with saying “Why can’t everyone just stay positive?” and from that point on, it stuck. The movement had a slow start,but soon increased dramatically. “I had tremendous help from everyone in marching band during the summer.” Smith is a lead saxophonist. Now you may be wondering, what is the Positivity Gang, and how do I join? The only requirement to joinis making a commitment to staying positive all day, every day, and try to leave an encouraging impact on the people around you. How does one stay this positive? Smith says “A great way to stay positive is to surround yourself with positive
Freshman Bachelor of the Month:
Marcus Taylor Tyler McGuire Opinions Editor
people who support and bring you up, not down. That’s a major key to life right there.” Though Smith is the leading force behind this positivity movement, even he must try extra hard some days to keep smiling.“I’m not perfect. I have my days when it is difficult to stay positive. But what really keeps me going is the love and support I get from everyone.” Smith is not just staying positive in everyday life. He is also spreading positivity on his Youtube channel. With almost 10,000 views and 200 subscribers, Smith has started a vlog channel where he posts weekly, . “I have been recognized in public by people from Kennedy, Jefferson and even Prairie. It is humbling to know that I, Darshaun Smith at the age of 16, have a pretty good impact on this world already. “Long Story short, if you stay positive and try to only focus on what is good in your life your life will be a better more positive life that is rewarding. Now that is a major key.” If you wanna learn more about Positivity Gang or just some more tips on staying positive, say hey to Darshuan in the halls!
Attention ladies, if you’re looking for a “chill” guy who is 100% invested in everything he’s involved in, including you, then Marcus Taylor ‘21 is totally the guy for you. When asked what his dream woman would be like, Taylor said he was looking for a “chill” girl who knows how to “relax” since he’s a very relaxed person. “She can look good for sure, but she’s gotta be really chill,” added Taylor. Taylor is involved in many things here at Wash, from football and wrestling to show choir and drama, this kid does it all. While Taylor stays busy, any free time he has would most definitely be spent with you. Taylor’s dream date would go something like this, “a night where it can just be us, have a chill date, eat some good food, watch a nice movie, just have some fun.” Said Taylor. Taylor is quite literally the best of both worlds. You get the rugged athleticism with the four sports he participates in, while being able to win you over with his beautiful singing voice. So, if you’re a “chill” girl who knows how to “relax”, and you enjoy good food and movies (and I don’t know why you wouldn’t like that just saying) then I’d say you should give Marcus a shot.
Photos by Alliyah Wilcox
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sports
All recaps written by Benjamin Janssen Sports Editor
Football Recap The Warrior football team was led by first-year head coach Mo Blue. The Warriors finished the season 5-4, which earned them a playoff berth for the fifth consecutive year. Wash was eliminated in the opening round after facing a top team, Iowa City West, in poor weather. This year the Warrior seniors completed a four-year sweep of in city rivals Linn-Mar and Cedar Rapids Jefferson. Football acknowledgments will be posted on crwashsurveyor.com.
Golf Recap The Warrior golf team earned a second place finish at their state qualifying event led by Connor Neighbors, ‘19 and Alex Slattery, ‘18. This earned the team a spot in the state meet. At the state event, the Warriors finished ninth. Neighbors led the team with a seventh-place finish at state and Slattery finished 12th. Golf acknowledgments will be posted on crwashsurveyor.com
Photos by Scott McWherter
All team photos by Reed Photography
Photos by David Parmley
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sports
Volleyball Recap The Warrior volleyball team was led by Kobie Dills, ‘19. Dills not only earned second-team All-Conference and second-team AllMetro, but she also set a new school record for digs in a career. Dills still has one more year to expand that record and make it last for years to come. Her teammates, Corri Peterson, ’18 and Maddie Miller, ’18, earned honorable mention All-Metro and honorable mention All-Conference.
Swimming Recap The girls swimming season was one of its best in a while. The girls team won their regional competition at Linn-Mar for the first time in since 2000. This win was led by a victory in the 200-yard freestyle relay (Lauren Havertape, ’18, Elsie Novak, ’21, Lila Novak, ’18, and Jenny Hughes, ’18) and top five places in 11 of the 12 events. At the State Swim meet eight swimmers placed in the top 24 (Jenny Hughes, ’18, Sydney Jones, ’18, Caitlin Seavers, ’18, Madie Baird, ’18,Lauren Havertape, ’18, Jill Hughes, ’19, Elsie Novak, ’21 and Lila Novak, ’21) as well as one diver (Ayla Taylor ’19). This capped off their season with an 11th place finish, which was above Kennedy, Jefferson, and Linn-Mar.
Photos by Scott McWherter
18 Photos by Scott McWherter
sports
Boys XC Recap The boys cross country team had high hopes entering this fall. However, injuries plagued this team for the majority of the season. Despite their struggle, the team had high hopes throughout their season and going into their state qualifying meet. At this meet Khory Nobles, ’19, Paul Schneidermann ’19 and Max Locher, ’18 finished fourth, fifth and sixth respectively, and Caleb Kleman, ’18 finished 17th. This helped the Warriors finish third at the qualifying meet, earning a chance to run at the state meet. At the state meet, the Warriors finished 11th despite top 20 placements for Locher (eighth) and Schneidermann (19th). Some Warriors earned stellar acknowledgments such as Locher (Valley division runner of the year, Valley Division First Team and first-team All-Metro), Schneidermann (Valley Division second team, first Team All-Metro), Nobles (Valley Division honorable mention, honorable mention AllMetro), Kleman (honorable mention All-Metro, MVC All-Academic, Academic All-State), and Nathaniel Burke, ’18 (MVC All-Academic). With just one runner at state being a senior, this Warrior team looks to return to state next year and finish even better.
Girls XC Recap The girls cross country team was led by Reagan Gorman, ’19, as she, not only was the lone Warrior to run in the state meet, she finished 8th. She earned first team All-Conference and first team All-Metro honors. Sarah Altemeier ’18 also earned secondteam All-Metro and Conference All-Academic acknowledgments. Serena Eck ’18 also earned Conference All-Academic team acknowledgment.
Photos by Scott McWherter
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Photos by Grant Schultz
A&E
Hole in the Wall Review: American Skillet
Seth Keppler Co A&E Editor
Not so much a hole in the wall as it is just an amazing restaurant, American Skillet is a humble hash house that provides in every category of what any sane person would call phenomenal. Located at 4820 Johnson Ave NW, Cedar Rapids, this homey little diner serves small town feels as well as classic American breakfast. American Skillet’s friendly waitresses and staff make this the only place where I’d want to be at 8:00 am, besides my own bed. The Traditional is a hearty plate of golden brown toast, crispy bacon, savory American fries, and perfectly cooked eggs. Crispy toast alongside hearty bacon gives birth to flavors that only grandma can make. The golden brown American fries are inseparable from the classic flavor of a fried hard eggs. The savory flavors cohere in a patriotic manner that would make Uncle Sam’s mouth water. Cuisines like these are what it truly means to be an American. The Fruit and Fiber Cakes are hot cakes infused with granola, plump blueberries, and a touch of cinnamon, all topped with fresh strawberries. The Fruit and Fiber Cakes maintain sweet syrupy flavors throughout, and occasional tangy fireworks of fruity flavors from blueberries and strawberries alike. Every bite amazes the tastebuds with wholesome cereal-like flavors of granola and cinnamon and hydrating freshness from blueberries and strawberries. The sugary yet wholesome fulfilling flavors of the Fruit and Fiber pancakes are a sure way to wake you up in the best way possible and start off your morning amazingly. With great food, great service, and an inviting atmosphere, American Skillet is an American classic that I would highly recommend to anyone who hasn’t yet experienced the peak of American culture. Photos by Seth Keppler
Mads Christmas
Sydney Dusek Staff Reporter On the last day of school before
winter break, you can expect to hear the melodious voices of Wash’s Madrigal Singers (otherwise known as ‘Mads’) caroling through the halls. According to Mads Co-President Thomas Corbett, ’18, “Mads is probably the best choir in the United States-- in the world, most likely-and for sure in Wash.” Singers audition to be in Madrigal Singers, a prestigious choral group that primarily sings classical choral music. With the ladies outfitted in long black dresses and pearls and the gentlemen in black tuxes with cummerbunds, Mads performs with sophistication that leaves all sorts of audiences impressed. From the end of November up until winter break-- a jolly time referred to as ‘Mads Christmas’-the talented singers are quite busy spreading holiday cheer with their angelic voices. For Madrigal Singers,
Mads Christmas involves performing holiday music at about 20 various events, such as charity functions and holiday celebrations. “My favorite part of Mads Christmas is going to see disabled children or elderly people and seeing their faces light up when we sing,” said Corbett. Every Mads Christmas performance begins with a the song “Gloucestershire Wassail”, which Corbett described as a “beautiful little piece”. A song called “I Wonder as I Wander”, a Mads Christmas tradition, always features one of the Mads presidents. Mads makes an effort to honor diverse cultures in their performances. “We like to incorporate some music from other cultures. We’re singing a couple African Christmas songs this year; one of our most famous ones is ‘Noel’,” said Mads Co-President Ella Wolle, ’18. Along with spectacular singing, “Noel” features lively instruments
such as a djembe (a drum originally from West Africa), claves, and a shaker egg. After a few bustling weeks of bringing love and joy to countless people, Mads Christmas culminates in an awe-inspiring concert at First Presbyterian Church. Wolle explained, “[My favorite part of Mads Christmas is] the joy I get from seeing other people’s joy, just because of the holiday spirit and all the love we have for the music that we’re singing.”
Mads singers practicing Photo by Alliyah Wilcox
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I’ll preface this by saying I don’t like R&B. I don’t make a habit of listening to it. My whole experience with the genre begins and ends with “The Hamilton Mixtape”. R&B just isn’t my cup of tea. With that said, I actually really liked “Self,” the debut EP of Wash alum Billy
s m o L e
A&E Becca Turnis Web Editor
part of the album, almost sounding like is the abrupt ending. It’s a good like bubblegum pop, but then settling thing this song opens the album into a nice beat. The second part goes because it leaves me wanting more. a bit deeper, sounding more like the Lemos has big plans for the standard low groove. The cool thing future. His spotify page teases a new about this song is the vocals. While single coming out in November. there is a big difference in the voices from part 1 and part 2, it’s actually the same a r t i s t , Stevan. “[I draw inspiration T h e from] Tyler the Creator, transition from high Frank Ocean, Mac DeMarco, to low is The Internet (the band), like the difference Pharrell, Wes Anderson, between too many people to list.” Batman and Bruce Wayne. Another two-parter is “High // Lemos ’17. Lemos began making music Free” featuring Juto and when he was in sixth grade at McKinley Rei So La, which follows Middle School, and his skills have only the same format as “Can’t Photo Courtesy of Tara Byars grown. His four-song debut only took be // How U Feel,” but in him four months to make and are less reverse going from deep than 10 minutes long, but it’s definitely to light. I appreciated worth that time. The combinations the drum pattern in of different styles along with six the second part of this featuring artists, make for an excellent song, which is almost listen. “[I find collaborators through] reminiscent of Twenty soundcloud, YouTube searches and One Pilots. This track also features a Up next is “probably signing with a recommendations,” Lemos said. neat guitar riff. “[I draw inspiration management company but staying My favorite track has to be “Hold from] Tyler the Creator, Frank Ocean, independent as far as record labels Me Down” featuring Stanley Star and Mac DeMarco, The Internet (the go [to] keep creative control, but Juto. The song has a nice guitar riff band), Pharrell, Wes Anderson, too gain better promo,” said Lemos. throughout and a solid drum beat. many people to list.” said Lemos. Lemos has had his share of early The track is also Lemos’ favorite. The opening track of this EP success and offered some advice to “I like the vocals my dude Juto did “12:34” featuring Maxwell Young anyone looking to get into the music on the hook a lot,” said Lemos. and Omar Apollo is another one of industry: “Don’t try to bite other Another solid track is “Can’t be // How my favorites, with a jazz-y opening, people’s sound and style. Don’t make U Feel” featuring Stevan. Both sections followed by a simple but effective music if you’re just trying to make of this two-part song are intriguing. drum pattern, all accompanied by money and get into ‘the industry’. The opening section is the lightest smooth vocals. The only part I don’t Make music for yourself and for fun.”
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A&E
NEWSIES ON A MISSION:
Paul Schneidermann Staff Reporter
Quinn Spivey, ‘18
Raegan Martin, ‘18
Ian Wolverton-Weiss, ‘21
Character’s name: Jack Kelly
Character’s name: Katherine Plumber
Character’s name: Les
Favorite scene: Seize the Day, because it’s super exciting and upbeat, there is a lot of free range and the cast’s energy is great.
Favorite scene: Seize the Day, “I like the contrast between the beginning and middle. I also love the dancing in that scene.”
Favorite scene: Once And For All
Characteristic Most Related To In Real Life: Jack is a great leader and I feel like I can be a strong leader as well when I’m given the opportunity.
Characteristic Most Related To In Real Life: Her drive to achieve what she wants.
Performance experience: Newsies was his first lead, but he said, “I’m super honored to have this role, and I did work quite hard for the part so it was really nice to see all my hard work pay off.”
Favorite scene: Sofia’s favorite scene is her big solo singing the song, “That’s Rich.”
Favorite scene: Once And For All Characteristic Most Related To In Real Life: Caleb says he most relates to Crutchie’s very optimistic personality and his positive look on life. Performance experience: This is Caleb’s first lead, and he said he was very honored and excited to have such a big part.
HE LEA
Character’s name: Joseph Pulitzer
Character’s name: Medda Larkin
Character’s name: Crutchie
DS OF T
Characteristic most related to in real life: She is not afraid to take control of a situation and has a commanding presence. Performance experience: Sofia has only been in one other musical in seventh grade. “At first I didn’t believe I got the part, I thought I was just going to be in the ensemble.”
HE FIR
ST HIG
Performance experience: He has been doing performances since he was in 6th grade. He has been in shows at school but also several TCR musicals including Ralphie in A Christmas Story, A Named Lost Boy, and Michael Banks in Mary Poppins.
Ethan Cooper, ‘18
Sofia Burke, ‘21
Caleb Engen, ‘18
MEET T
Performance experience: Raegan had been performing since 6th grade and was one or two shows a year. Raegan said this was her first really big lead.
Characteristic Most Related To In Real Life: Asking really weird questions, at the worst time possible.
H SCHO
Favorite scene: Once And For All, because it’s very powerful vocally. Characteristic Most Related To In Real Life: His want for order and and structure in the world. Performance experience: Ethan has been doing performances for two years now and this is his first big lead. Good Or Bad Guy: Ethan says he is for sure the bad guy and he introduces 100 percent of the conflict.
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DUCTIO
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22 Photo Courtesy of Len Struttmann
Backpage CC by mia_marianne & emilie.rollandin
Roses & Thorns -Momentum -”Stranger Things 2” -Mads Christmas -Positivity Gang -3 Burkes at Wash -Green Team -Thanksgiving Leftovers -Java & Jazz - “Thor: Ragnarok” - “Justice League” -Abusive men receiving consequences -Newsies is over -Mr. Phillips -King Lear -M&M Ice Cream Cookies -Pam Slam -BIIB -Winter sports starting -Revs -VSCO -Clubs Club -Veterans -Kevin Spacey and Louis CK lose Netflix Contracts -Seniors receiving early admissions Back -Golden Birthdays
-Icy roads and deer -Big Mouth -Travis Metzger NEVER coming to school -Gucci Gang -Chapped Lips -Frosted windshields -People who cheat on their significant other -Snow in November -Snow Anytime -Abusive men -”Newsies” is over -Overdramatic sappy Instagram posts -Frozen hair -Dry skin -The walk from your car to the door, especially when the door is LOCKED -Bathroom passes -Lack of Gun Control -Trump’s mean girl tweet -Roy Moore -Long Sports Banquets -Your mom -Having to be 18 to buy a Beta Fish
The Zucchini Headline of the issue
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www.crwashsurveyor.com
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 not libelous or obscene, it explains the material clearly, it is not longer than 500 words, and that it is signed.
creative commons
White House set to install jello slides in place of staircases 23
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