The Little Hawk by The Little Hawk

THE

LITTLE HAWK Iowa City, IA

Vol 74

Friday, February 10th, 2017

Issue 4

thelittlehawk.com

National Teacher Shortage Brings Challenges to Iowa State and local officials are looking for a solution for a shortage of willing and qualified teachers in a number of subjects.

ABOVE: Elizabeth Bernal, who works for food service at City High, attends a meeting at the Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa on February 4th. Bernal has been a proponent for immigrant rights, and advocated on behalf of Iowa City becoming a sanctuary city at a City Council meeting. PHOTO BY SOFIE LIE

Iowa City Reaffirms Immigration Stance By Lucy McGehee & Molly Liu

s the Trump Administration rolls out promised immigration regulations, the Iowa City community has reaffirmed and emphasized their own stance. The City Council has passed a resolution that clarifies the city’s current immigration policies, as requested by fearful members in the community. “In light of public concerns, we are explicitly reaffirming that the focus of our law enforcement efforts will be on ensuring the safety of our residents and visitors, and that the city’s law enforcement resources will not be used for immigration enforcement except as necessary for public safety, or as otherwise required by state or federal law,” said Jim Throgmorton, Mayor of Iowa City, regarding the recent resolution. The exceptions are highlighted explicitly in the resolution. The ‘Sanctuary City’ issue traces back to the period after the presidential election, when groups of Iowa Citians requested a discussion regarding the adoption of the title. The City Council voted to reject the label in January. The

“Iowa City is, and will continue to be, a safe and welcoming city for all of its residents and visitors.” —Mayor Jim Throgmorton term has come up many times following remarks by President Donald Trump. He threatened to pull federal funds from cities that have decided to label themselves as Sanctuary Cities as part of a heavily regulated immigration plan proposed during his campaign. Eleanor Dilkes, city attorney, does not believe that his remarks factored into Iowa City’s decision to reject the title. “I think that if there is any follow through on those remarks by the Trump Administration, they won’t direct any legislation directed at a city that’s labeled a sanctuary city,” said Dilkes. “They will define what actual policies or laws at the city level will result in some kind of federal consequence.” Though the term ‘Sanctuary City’ bears no

legal weight, cities such as Los Angeles and New York who have generally inclusive immigration policies have adopted the label. The council instead passed a resolution which ensured that Iowa City Police will leave immigration enforcement to federal forces, such as ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). “I think prior to the resolution and after the election when there was a lot of fear expressed to us by members of our community and in turn there was a number of city statements released about Iowa City continuing to be a welcoming community to all,” said Dilkes. Historically, Iowa City has left immigration law to the federal government. By passing the resolution, the council seeked to reaffirm this rule. “Immigration enforcement and law is a federal matter, not a state or city matter,” Dilkes said. “The function of our police and other resources are to ensure safety.” Elizabeth Bernal, a lunch lady at City High, spoke in favor of the label of a Sanctuary City at the January council meeting. Continued on page A6

By Rasmus Schlutter & Eden Knoop

ohn Bacon, the principal of Iowa City High School, flips through dozens of applications for a new teacher opening. Whether it be in English, chemistry, or calculus, the time and consideration that goes into his final selection is immense. For Bacon, the hiring process is at the core to his role at City High. “When you have a truly great teacher, everything just snaps into place,” Bacon said. “Hiring is my most important duty. It is sacred to me, and being able to have a great pool of people to choose from is always going to make the process better for me and for all of City High.” City High is in a rare position, with applicants exceeding available openings by significant margins. On average, there are over 80 applications for a new teaching position, a number that many school districts in Iowa would envy. Over the past six years, it has become increasingly difficult for many Iowa schools to find qualified teachers to fill open positions. Cultural shifts in attitudes toward teaching and cuts in state funding have contributed to this growing problem, but the issue is complex and constantly changing. “There have been shortages of teachers almost as long as there have been schools,” said Larry Bice, an Administrative Consultant in Educator Preparation at the Iowa Department of Education. “There are a number of reasons [for the shortages], a major one being that education changes. We see new subject areas and populations growing quickly, requiring new schools and more teachers.” The shortage in Iowa reflects a larger trend across the nation, one which experts have been warning about for years. However, City High and the Iowa City Community School District, or ICCSD, have remained mostly insulated from this emerging problem. “[Iowa City] is such a desirable place to live and a destination school district so I don't know if this has hit us as hard as some places,” Bacon said. Continued on page A7

ICCSD Changes Approach to Inclusivity With Student Advisory Panel By Addy Smith & Victor Kalil The school district released a non-discriminatory statement and assembled a student advisory panel to promote diversity within the ICCSD.

ith the increase of discriminatory rhetoric in the United States in the past several weeks, the ICCSD School Board has issued a non-discriminatory statement to ensure safe and accepting school environments. “I believe our school is a kind, inclusive, supportive place,” Principal John Bacon said. “However, we can and we must continue to improve.” In addition to releasing a non-discrimination statement to all of its schools, the ICCSD School Board has ordered for the assembly of a student advisory panel at each ICCSD school, from the elementary to secondary level.

“It is both an honor and responsibility to be selected into the group,” Ava Otoadese ‘18, a member of City High’s student panel, said. “I think the formation of the advisory board was an awesome idea, and we have a really great group of students who are committed to the cause.” The Board’s first “assignment” for this new student-driven panel was to hold an assembly where the Board’s statement would be disseminated. Instead, the City High Administration made the executive decision to make a video to be shared during the advisory period. “Our goal [when making this video] was to both remind students that harassment will not be accepted at City, and to give students the confidence to speak up if they witness discrimination or harassment,” Otoadese said. After the election, the ICCSD School Board was prompted to reiterate this message of antibullying and harassment after receiving information from students and staff about students receiving hurtful comments regarding potential policies that the President-Elect had called for. “The Board released the anti-discriminatory

“I think the formation of the advisory board was an awesome idea, and we have a really great group of students who are committed to the cause.” —Ava Otoadese '18 statement after a Sudanese family had hate mail written on their car and door, and because of the subsequent events that occurred in response at West High,” City High’s student advisory panel’s faculty advisor and iJAG [position] , Elizabeth Rook, said. “Because of the election, students are feeling like [they] ‘don’t know what to do, [they] don’t feel like [the School board has their] backs’. This [initiative] is the School board saying, ‘We have your back.’” Efforts to continue to promoting diversity and inclusiveness within the ICCSD have not just risen in response to the recent presidential election.

“ICCSD schools have been working on trying to become more equitable every year. It is an ongoing issue not just for our district but across the country,” School Board Vice President LaTasha DeLoach said. “I believe we need to infuse our discussions throughout our school year with a culturally responsive curriculum and discussion. We need to teach our children to not just notice that people are different but to actively engage with [different] cultures and people who are different.” Although these efforts are not fresh, the presidential election has provided a renewed motivation for action and a desire to improve acceptance in our schools. “With the recent election there has been a lot of backlash across the country. Many people seem to be less inhibited about expressing prejudices, and it is important to make sure that this stays as far away as possible from our school and district,” Otoadese ‘18 said. “We have a great school full of great students, and we need to remember that recent events cannot justify a deterioration of social decency. Continued on page A8

NEWS February 10th, 2017 Section A

City High Hosts Third Annual Dance Marathon

The LH Feature Magazine

mental health isn’t a joke

Tapas for two By Eden Knoop & Madeline Deninger

By Mariam Keita

By Corbin Nguyen and Anna Roemerman

Post election demonstrations from iowa to dc

Mariam Keita discusses the repercussions of using ‘triggered’ as a joke.

reflections on ranger robbie

By Noah Freeman AJ Boulund ‘17 and Deckard Finley ‘17 created a mock forest safety film starring Addie Bass ‘17 for the spring speech season.

By Teagan Roeder, Zoë Miller, Victor Kalil, & Phoebe ChapnickSorokin

Dear readers,

By Sofie Lie, Nova Meurice & Sarah Smith

We are happy, after a five week hiatus, to present to you our February issue. Many news-worthy events have also happened between December, when we last published, and now: Maya Durham’s birthday, Valentine’s Day, Black History Month, and, most prominently, perhaps, that a new president was inaugurated. We have covered the outcomes of this intimately; this issue, we bring to you a story about Iowa City’s immigration stance, the postinauguration women’s marches around the United States (as covered by our reporters), and a look into the new political affiliation bullying policy. This issue is complete with a myriad of stories from coverage

Sold By Mina Takahashi

Inside Iowa’s human trafficking industry

of the student produced and directed short film, “Ranger Robbie,” to the depths of human trafficking in Iowa. Additionally, in preparation for Valentine’s Day, we have our current contestants for the cutest couple contest as well as a teacher relationship advice video featured on our website. Like any other issue, we’d like to extend our gratitude towards a number of individuals. Thank you to the entirety of the custodial staff. Without you, there would be nothing. Thanks to Chip for coming in to the newslab for liability, for he is definitely, 100%, a trusted ‘adult’. Lastly, and probably least, thanks to Jam for saying ‘freakin’.

NEWS February 10th, 2017

P.E. Waivers

Not Accepted Next Year By Bella Pittman Physical Education will be required for students without an academic waiver in 9th-11th grade for the 2017-2018 school year.

tarting next year, ICCSD high school students grades 9th-11th currently in a sport are now required to register and take P.E. In their most recent session, the Iowa State Legislature modified the policy stating that seniors are the only ones allowed sports waivers. Students who have a full schedule are eligible for an academic waiver which will keep them from P.E.

The State Legislature modified the policy stating that seniors are the only ones allowed sports waivers. ABOVE: A student walks in the hallway while sporting her ‘City that Loves’ button on her backpack PHOTO BY EMMELINE KRAUS

Students Create Buttons to Benefit Syrians The Political Awareness Club is raising awareness and money for the conflict in Syria. By Emmeline Kraus

tudents across the Iowa City School Community District are showing support to Syrians by having buttons which read “The City that Loves.” Lucy Wagner ‘17, cofounder of Iowa City Community Involvement Club and co president of the Political Awareness Club, along with Mae McDonough ‘17, co president of Political Awareness Club (PAC), have been planning a fundraiser for Syria. “We wanted to focus on refugees because that seems to be a really pressing issue right now, local or global,” Wagner said. After a month and a half of research and planning, they selected The White Helmets, a growing Syrian organization who rescue victims from rubble after bombings. “[The Political Awareness Club] decided that it would be a really good idea to raise awareness for it by creating these button pins” Wagner said. The political awareness club has been promoting the buttons. The buttons will be sold

“We want to spread as much love and awareness as we can.” —Lucy Wagner ‘17 at both City and West High. The buttons have been made, but volunteers can sign up to sell buttons during the lunch periods. Volunteers can get involved by going to the PAC meeting on Tuesdays at 8:15 or by contacting either of the co presidents or Carrie Watson, the teacher sponsor. “Mainly the goal we have is to raise awareness, because the buttons are not going to make a substantial contribution to their goal” said Wagner. Although the PAC club will only make a small profit, they hope to spread awareness of the situation in Syria to the community. “We want to spread as much love and awareness as we can so that people that do have the resources to help, such as the White Helmets,

are getting a positive message,” said Wagner. The most important reason for the PAC members is to show support for organizations helping Syrians. “I think that people should really take a moment to step outside their situation and think about how it could’ve turned out for you if you were born in any other place,” LottieGidal ‘19, member of the PAC, said. Gidal explains another important reason for the fundraiser. “[The fundraiser] is important because it helps people in need and this is a time where there are lots of things going on, and often people feel that there is nothing they can do to help,” McDonough said. Members of PAC are hoping this fundraiser will allow community members to feel they are positively contributing the the Syrian crisis. “I would definitely encourage students to continue raising awareness to organizations that need help to continue advocating for positive messages in the world,” Wagner said. Wagner encourages students to continue researching organizations which need support and awareness after her graduation.

Model UN Prepares for Spring Conference By Eden Knoop The large delegation is preparing for the spring conference.

lthough the Model UN conference is fast approaching, there is one thing that club advisor Steve Dodge doesn’t have to worry about this year: an empty delegation. “This is one of the strongest years we’ve had,” Dodge said. “We have three countries and about ten or twelve people on a waiting list. We’re looking at a good 25 or 26 people.” The club, traditionally a smaller one at City High, has had trouble filling out their

“This is one of the strongest years we’ve had.” —Steve Dodge

countries’ delegations in the past. However, the club has seen a surge in membership this year, causing Dodge to request an additional country: Norway. Along with Norway, City High students will be representing China and Japan. Madeline Deninger ‘17, a four year member of model UN, thinks this expansion is a good sign. “We have a bunch of people who haven’t done it before, including some juniors and seniors,” Deninger said. “With the experienced people coming back, I think we’ll be a really good delegation.” Dodge is excited about the expansion of the club. “It’s really valuable for making [the students] long term citizens who are really concerned with how to improve the community,” Dodge said. He and Deninger believe that this growth is good for both the club and the students, as the club can help them develop important skills. “It forces you to look at an issue from something other than the American point

“[Model UN] forces you to look at an issue from something other than the American point of view.” —Madeline Deninger ‘17 of view,” said Deninger. “You don’t have to agree with it necessarily, but it’s important to understand where other countries are coming from. I don’t think that’s something that’s easy to do.” The club’s competition will be held on April 6th and 7th at the University of Northern Iowa. At the conference, students will represent their countries while working to pass resolutions on international issues. Looking ahead, Deninger has a lot of optimism. “This year we have some conflicting views within our countries and some very key players,” Deninger said. “Hopefully we are going to be able to really take on those roles and represent those countries. It’s going to be interesting.”

Guidance counselor Linda Hoel has finished registering all her of her students for next year and has overall seen most students adjusting their schedule to avoid taking the class. “My perception is a lot more kids are taking full schedules and doing an academic waiver so they don’t take P.E,” Hoel said. Wrestler and football player Joe Ring ’19, who will be required to take P.E. next year, feels the change has little effect on him. “I’ll just take lifting class, which is what I do anyways with my sports, so I see much of a difference,” Ring said.W

NEWS February 10th, 2017

City High Hosts Third Annual Dance Marathon By Corbin Nguyen and Anna Roemerman The Ambassador Club organized a successful event, with all proceeds benefitting the UIHC Children's Hospital.

n January 21st, City High hosted its 3rd annual Dance Marathon. Dance Marathon is an event where students can dance with friends while helping to raise money for the Children’s Hospital. This year, City High helped raised around $2,600. “Dance Marathon is a lot more casual than the other dances City High hosts,” Sasha ChapnickSorokin ‘17 said. “Also, the money goes to The Children’s Hospital instead of the school, so you get to have fun and raise money for an important cause at the same time.” City High Dance Marathon Committee sold tickets for $5 beforehand and $7 at the door with optional donations. Stars were also sold along with the tickets for a dollar each. The class or staff member who obtained the most stars got to participate in a drawing for a Jimmy Jack's gift card. All of the money raised went towards fighting childhood cancer. To help the overall fundraising total, they also reached out to local restaurants for donations. “I’ve had a lot of fun at all of the Dance Marathons City High has hosted,” Matthew Dodge ‘17 said. “They’re high-energy and it’s just a super fun environment all around. Plus, it’s for the kids.” The University hosted its Dance Marathon Friday, February 3rd. Traditionally, for students to be able to participate in the dance at the University of Iowa, “Spirit Dancers” must raise a set amount of money before the dance. This year, the “Spirit Dancers” had raised $500. After the dance concludes, all of the raised funds are pooled together at the event. The dance goes on for 24 hours. No caffeine is allowed, and people are encouraged to stay on their feet and to keep on dancing. “Dancing and raising money for the Children’s Hospital—I couldn’t think of a better way to spend the night,” Sameer Ali ‘17 said.

TOP LEFT: Students take a break from dancing to pose for a picture.. TOP RIGHT: Irene Samuelson '19 and Kaylee Paulsen '19 dance. MIDDLE RIGHT: Ailsa Burke '17 DJs the dance. MIDDLE LEFT: Irene Samuelson '19 hangs loose at the dance. BOTTOM LEFT: Irene Samuelson '19, Isabel Jones '19, Charlie Maxwell '19 pose before entering the dance. PHOTOS BY JULIA COELHO

Yule Ball Fundraises for Habitat for Humanity By Michael Menietti The Yule Ball Dance has been rescheduled for February 10th, with a portion of the money benefitting Habitat for Humanity.

ue to inclement weather, the date for this year’s Snowball Dance was changed from December 10th, 2016, to January 15th, 2017. However, due to scheduling conflicts with the DJ, the dance was again rescheduled and is currently going to be on February 10th, from 8:00pm to 11:00pm. This dance is being organized by City High’s Interact Club, and about 20 percent of the proceeds from the dance will be going towards Habitat for Humanity—a nonprofit Christian organization that partners with future and current homeowners to build simple and affordable housing for low-income families.

Twenty percent of proceeds will go to Habitat for Humanity.

There are no specific goals for fundraising, but the organizers hope that a lot of people will come so they can raise as much money as possible. Any tickets that have been previously purchased for the dance will still be valid. “Initially, Interact Club wanted to have a separate dance to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity, but we felt it would be better to use a percentage of the Yule Ball tickets instead,” said Student Body President Lucia Wagner ‘17. “We would raise more money that way for the organization.” The theme for the dance this year is “Yule Ball,” which is a

“The theme is amazing." —Ivy Monthei '18 winter dance from the book series Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. It was featured in the fifth book of the series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. “I am very excited for the Snowball,” Ivy Monthei ‘18 said. “The theme is amazing—who doesn’t love Harry Potter? The Yule ball is magical.”

NEWS February 10th, 2017

Post-election Demonstrations: From Iowa to D.C.

ABOVE: Protesters march in Washington D.C. on January 21st. LEFT: Protesters assemble in Des Moines, IA, for their chapter of the women’s march. PHOTOS BY LOTTIE GIDAL & ZOË MILLER

By Teagan Roeder, Zoë Miller, Victor Kalil, & Phoebe Chapnick-Sorokin DES MOINES

t was a grey morning, but only slightly chilly as thousands of women’s rights marchers gathered. Signs blared with messages against hate and discrimination. An assortment of messages such as “build bridges not walls”,“Immigrant rights are Human Rights”,“Love Trumps Hate”. And of course there was a sea of pink yarn hats. Initially the march was scheduled to be held inside of the state capitol--that was, until the organizers of the march realized that the RSVP numbers were exceeding the amount that was allowed into the state capitol. The day before the march they moved it outside to accommodate the estimated 10,000 marchers to arrive. By the organizer’s count there were 26,000 attendees throughout the entire event. For some this was their first time at a march, but others were seasoned activists calling for change. “I’m here today because I’ve been marching since I was eleven years old. In 1963 I was arrested marching with congressman John Lewis. I’ve been marching for rights ever since then,” Vikki Brown, the co-chair of the affirmative action committee in Black Hawk county, said. “I tell people this isn’t for a season it’s for a reason. All rights. I’ve been fighting for civil rights for years.” People spread from the top of the steps of the capitol, facing towards downtown Des Moines to the bottom of the steps. The majority of the marchers prior to the march had gathered around the square midway down the steps to listen to the speakers that varied from Democratic state senators to high school students from Des Moines’ Roosevelt High School to Native American clean water activists. Each brought their own flavor of issue to discuss from women’s rights to saving the Affordable Care Act. “We’re here today for our grandmothers, the children that are not yet born, our daughters that are not yet born but our sons as well because we feel like we are at a time in our society where we need change and in order to do that we need to collaborate and unite with one another.” Marissa Cumings, speaker from the Last Real Indians, said. By noon, the actual march had begun around the the capitol. It was a slow start initially as the crowd had outgrown the sidewalks, but it rapidly picked up in pace and the march was completed in 45 minutes. Each person at the march wanted to be able to let their voices be heard. “I hope that my granddaughter sees that we have a voice and that when we come together it makes a difference. It may not

show right then, but it will change,” Donya, a women’s rights marcher, said.

MADISON

housands of signs hovered above the heads of protesters during the Women’s March in Madison. Police were initially expecting a maximum of 15,000 protesters but final estimates showed up to 100,000 protesters-more than two-fifths of the population of Madison. “I found the experience joyful, exhilarating and hopeful,” said Dorris Lanning, an 88 year old resident of Cedar Rapids. “[The] people around the world felt so strongly about the wrong this administration is promoting came together, walked together, chanted together from all nationalities, all religions. We were united for a cause.” Although the march was titled “Women’s March,” protesters held signs about tweets, science, and “Unpresidenting” President Trump. Amid the long crowd, a leader of a series of chants was barely visible, but chants were carried through the streets. At the end of the marching path, several additions were made to the iconic “Forward” statue that celebrates the women’s suffrage movement located in front of the Madison capitol building, including the popular pink “pussyhats” hundreds of protesters wore during the event. “The message sent loudly and clearly is that there are millions of people concerned about the need for equal rights and treatment for all people,” said Monica Dreyer Rossi, an Iowa City resident. Along with the diversity of signs in the crowd, the protesters came from many different walks of life. “I was also very pleased to see how diverse the crowd was in terms of gender, ethnicity, age, and income,” said Rossi. Lanning also agrees. “There were a surprising number of men,” Lanning said. “I realize they were marching for various causes but many were carrying placards supporting women.” Badra Kalil ‘21 believes there’s a reason behind this diversity. “I feel that, in this day and age, people start to view women’s rights as a thing of the past, that the world has come so far that we don’t have to worry about things like equal rights,” she said. “However, many women and minorities still feel as though they aren’t getting the kind of representa-

tion as your general white male. I think this is why so many people, not just women, came together to protest.” Lanning is unsure of the effects of the march but hopes it will change the attitudes of women, but Rossi and Kalil are sure that this march made a difference. “I think the march helped to make women more aware of their potential for influencing decisions in this country and perhaps stimulate some women to stand for public office,” said Rossi. Kalil agrees. “When millions of people worldwide come together to protest, it doesn’t go unnoticed,” she said. “I hope this will make a difference.”

WASHINGTON D.C.

o combat post-election feelings of unease, Iowa City resident Monica Moen organized two buses of 56 people to go to the Women’s March on Washington the day after the inauguration of Donald Trump. “There seems to be an air of exclusion [regarding] certain people of color, of different sexual orientations, women, and I just didn’t think that was what represented America--that we are a combination of so many different races, religions--and the election, I don’t think, was a representation of who we are,” said Moen. The New York Times sourced metro usage and crowd scientists to estimate that there were that there were over 470,000 women and men united in Washington, DC, to peacefully protest Donald Trump’s views on women’s rights. Police were visible throughout the city, although there were few, if any, problems that they needed to stop. As of 6 PM on January 21, no arrests had been made in DC in relation to the women’s march (Huffington Post). People of various races, genders, ages, sexual preferences, and ethnicities showed their support for issues such as clean water, abortions, wage gaps, rape prevention, among others. About 40 people assembled at the North Dodge Hy-Vee parking lot to send off their friends and family on the afternoon of Friday, January 20. Although not all of the people who gathered attended the march themselves, they aimed to show support for the causes with signs and encouragement.

The rally was scheduled to begin at 10 AM Saturday, and the march was scheduled to begin at 1:15 PM. However, the march did not begin until hours after it was scheduled due to the immense crowd. At the last minute, Naomi Meurice ‘19 realized that she needed to participate in the march in order to fight for what she believed in. “Just being there in the atmosphere was very crazy,” Meurice said. “There were so many different types of people there. Not only women, but young men, every type of person--and I think that was crazy that we all came together for one thing.” Beatrice Kearns ‘19 is a strong supporter of Planned Parenthood and abortion rights. She came to the march on the Iowa City bus, accompanied by her mom, to stand up for what she believes in. “I think it was a really cool experience. There were a lot of cool people, and although it was really crowded, there were a lot of cool signs and it was pretty fun,” said Kearns. Kearns believes that it is important for her generation to be a part of these experiences and to stand up for what they believe in. “It’s important that our generation participates because we’re going to be leading the country at some point. And also I think having these experiences is important and it’s cool being able to tell people I was on the Women’s March on Washington,” said Kearns. The Women’s March on Washington was the largest post-inauguration protest in the history of the United States according to The New York Times, but Nia Washington ‘18 believes that in order for the march to be fully effective, there must be continued resistance. “We can’t just stop now. We have to keep doing these things and get our opinions out there,” said Washington. Moen agrees; she hopes that the March will have a lasting effect, and that this will help motivate the men and women of the United States to continue to fight for their rights. “I’m hoping that this march is a momentum and we can keep this going. It can be a strong reminder that we are a diverse nation; because of that diversity we are even better and stronger,” said Moen.

NEWS February 10th, 2017

Iowa Senate Approves Meager Increase for Education Budget

O By Lottie Gidal In the midst of growing enrollment in the public school system, the Iowa Senate has debated how of the state budget should be allocated towards education.

n February 2nd the Iowa Senate approved a 1.11% increase in state funding for education, an amount around $40 million. Senate Democrats, however, voiced strong concerns that this would not be sufficient for the coming years, citing growing enrollment and possibilities of laying off teachers, cutting supplies short and reducing course offerings. Governor Terry Branstad had called for a 2% increase instead, which some would have preferred as a form of bipartisan cooperation. This clash of partisan ideas of how to best approach education has become especially heated after the 2016 election. November 8th left Republicans in control of Iowa state government, and many educators are concerned about the amount of money the state will be willing to provide to school districts. “Providing adequate funding for education is just so huge, there are so many different things we can do to help teachers and administrators support students,” Ryan Ahlers, a special education teacher at City High, said. “If people feel supported they will be more excited about what they do on a daily basis.” Once the state has actually allocated a certain amount for the schools, the districts can then use these appropriations to fund things like special education. Ahlers main job is to help students with individual education plans (IEPs). “I work with kids who have behavior variables and try to help them become successful through providing structure, teaching them some classes but also mainly being there for behavior support,” Ahlers said. “A lot of special education teachers end up having to use an adaptive curriculum and so the budget obviously has to be able to support that.”

“We are struggling right now to support our public schools.” —State Representative Mary Mascher According to a 2014 study by NCES (National Center for Education Statistics), 14% of students enrolled in public schools in Iowa have IEPs. State budgets for education continue to remain lower than they were before the Great Recession. Even though the recession is over now, lawmakers are still hesitant to raise taxes again, even continuing to cut them. “All the education funding that comes to City High and West is state appropriations,” State Senator Joe Bolkcom said. “The state sets the amount and we collect it through state taxes and through property taxes so we put the same amount of money behind every kid in the K-12 system.” Being able to put an equal amount of money behind every student comes into debate when looking at the voucher system. Vouchers allow

parents to choose which school their child attends, with the money allocated to that student going to fund that particular school. “Obviously we are struggling right now to be able to support our public schools,” State Representative Mary Mascher said. “If they put vouchers in place, that’s more money that will be shifted from public school students to private school students.” Mascher herself spent over three decades as an elementary school teacher before shifting to government. “Now I can still have an impact and certainly have a voice in the house in terms of what the agenda is and also fight the fight against things I believe are detrimental to our public school kids and giving a voice to them,” Mascher said. Supporting students is not the only concern being discussed. Teachers are in the pay of the state, and their salaries are have a reputation of being low. As of the end of December 2016, the base annual salary of teachers in Iowa City was $48.6 thousand. And nationally, the average earnings of workers with at least four years of college are over 50% higher than the average salaries of teachers. “Most teachers do not go into education because you make a huge salary, because you don’t,” Robin Fields, the Vice President of the Iowa Education Association, said. “Teachers go into education because they care about the kids, because they want to make a difference.” “You can make more money out of high school working for quick trip than you can as a public educator with ten years of experience,” Maureen Hill, building representative to the teachers union at City High, said. “Teaching is a fantastic job, but you are working so hard when you are on, it’s not an easy job, and you are very vulnerable. Parents can be upset, students can be upset, fellow teachers can be upset, administrators on every level can be upset. Without that protection of a union to back you up and support you... It’s having that negotiation and that power at your back to say this is my mistake and this is how I can get better.” The gender wage gap has also become an issue throughout the past few months, and it’s something that Hill has on her mind. “Collective bargaining, whether it’s for teachers

or not, as a woman in the workforce, I feel very ABOVE: The Iowa Legislation has strongly that I benefit tremendously,” Hill said. halted its increase in “I do not have the gender pay gap that I know education spending many of my friends in the private sector deal in the past years. with. I know that my salary is not going to be INFOGRAPHIC different than the man down the hall. And BY LUCY MCGEthat’s incredible, and I don’t want to see that HEE go away. We’re better as a group than we are as individuals.” Having equal pay though, comes after the ability to receive good pay. Teacher’s depend on the ability to collectively bargain with the state. “One of the things that the republicans are going to try and do is take away the ability of our local teachers to negotiate with the school board for wages and benefits,” Senator Bolkcom said. “If they are successful in doing that, it’s going to make it harder and harder to recruit teachers to go into the classroom.” In fact, enrollment of university students in teacher prep courses has significantly declined over the past few years, while enrollment in public education is expected to increase by at least 5% over the next 10 years. In the end, despite being unable to vote, K-12 students themselves can have a voice in the decisions being made about their education. “You may think that you are voiceless but you are future voters and I think all politicians and elected officials see you that way,” Representative Mascher said. “You have a great deal of power, whether you know it or not, in terms of working with other students across the state on issues that you all care about. Sometimes the most important thing you can do is give some of your time.I try to volunteer as much as I can for different groups that I feel are important to me and I encourage students to do the same.” According to Bolkcom, change is not always immediate. “At the end of the day this is not the hundred yard dash, you know it’s not even a 5k,” Senator Bolkcom said. “Being involved in the political life and the civic life is a lifetime endeavor, it’s a marathon. You go on and you win and you lose and when you lose you look inside and say what can we do better, how can we address the needs of people that think we are headed in the wrong direction.”

Immigration Stance continued from A1 She was motivated to speak her opinion in front of the City Council after sensing fear from fellow Hispanic members in the community after the election. “The fear was all the time before [the election], too. But right now, after the election, the fear is more major,” Bernal said. “People started thinking, ‘okay now what do I do?’ They started freaking out. They don’t know what exactly will follow. I think the Wednesday after the election it was a bad day for everyone.” Like Dilkes, Bernal believes the term ‘Sanctuary City’ carries different meanings. “It means different things in different ways, depending on how you look at it,” Bernal said. “In a city, it’s taking care of other people who are in the dark. Sanctuary is being respectful to each other.” Despite the council’s decision to reject the ‘sanctuary city’ label, Bernal is thankful that immigrant issues have been brought further into light. “The city takes a position and lays it on the table. We are here. We live in this little town. [At the council meeting,] I said thank you for being here to put this on the table because we never have talked about it so now finally they touched on something we never had dreamed of, and something possible to see. I told them thank you for seeing me,” Bernal said. However, not everyone was in favor of the discussion relating to inclusive immigration. ‘Priorities for Iowa’, a super PAC based out of Des Moines initiated robocalls in an effort to cultivate an opposition in Iowa City. The City Council received many phone

calls and emails in opposition, however a large proportion came from people that do not live in Iowa City. “There was a whole range in comments,” said Dilkes, regarding the opposing messages. “Some were respectful and just said ‘I don’t think we should be a sanctuary city’, or ‘we shouldn’t adopt sanctuary city policies’. Others were more harsh, and some threatening.” Opponents of sanctuary city policies voiced concerns regard-

“In a city, it’s taking care of other people who are in the dark. Sanctuary is being respectful to each other.” —Elizabeth Bernal ing their own safety. Through the most recent resolution, Throgmorton and the council sought to alleviate these concerns. “One of the claims we’ve heard from opponents of this resolution is that we would be violating federal law, and the answer is, no we would not, because this resolution is skillfully crafted to account for existing laws and court decisions,” said Throgmorton. “Another claim is that we would be harboring dangerous criminals, and the answer is, no we would not. The claim presumes that undocumented residents are dangerous criminals

and there’s no evidence whatsoever that undocumented residents in Iowa City are dangerous.” In addition to the concerns of the non-immigrant families, Bernal also recognizes the fears that the undocumented families may have regarding the recent debate on immigration policies. By putting faith in the local police force, she believes that everyone’s safety will be preserved. “Some families are scared about it. They start thinking about moving or won’t say anything if they have any problems--they don’t want to call anybody. We try helping a lot of families to continue trusting the police. Whatever [the police] are doing right now in Iowa City, it’s okay. If everyone follows the rules, we are okay. I just think we need to be safe,” Bernal said. Despite the ongoing fears, the council affirms that it will continue to protect its immigrant population. “We do not know what specifically the new President will do in the form of future executive orders or what new legislation Congress might enact. We will just have to monitor their actions very carefully. I do know this: no federal law compels local police to participate in the enforcement of federal immigration law, and requiring the City to do so or conditioning federal funding on doing so would raise significant issues under the 10th Amendment and Spending Clause of the U. S. Constitution. There is no doubt whatsoever that one of the states (California, for instance) or perhaps one of the larger cities would challenge such orders or legislation in the courts. Being such a small city, we would be minor players in such cases,” said Throgmorton.

NEWS February 10th, 2017

Teacher Shortage continued from A1 “I think rural Iowa experiences far greater challenges.” While Bacon is optimistic for the Iowa City schools, statistics on patterns in teaching employment reveal an alarming trend. In the past five years, enrollment in teacher preparation programs has decreased by over 230,000 students, or more than 35%, nationwide. For certain parts of the country, the decrease has been much more dramatic. In California, teacher preparation enrollment dropped by 74% over a ten year period. Today, Iowa colleges graduate 16% fewer educational administrators, counselors, and teachers than they did in 2013. The shortage has left some school districts in Iowa struggling to even get applicants. In Iowa City, special education, English Language Learners, or ELL, and foreign language programs have had the most difficulty hiring new staff. “Currently in Iowa, the greatest shortage need is in the several areas of special education, at all grade levels,” Bice said. “Following that we have shortages in high school shortage areas such as physics, family and consumer science, industrial technology, business, librarian staffing, and agriculture education.” For City High, however, the most pressing issue is not full-time teachers at all, but substitutes. “We have dealt with a shortage in being able to keep in demand with substitute teacher and long-term substituted teachers,” Bacon explained. “We’ve struggled to find qualified teachers that are able and willing to step into that role.” A lack of substitute teacher provides a challenge that is very different from that of finding qualified full-time candidates, but nonetheless has emerged as a challenge for ICCSD in the past years. But similar issues exist in different regions of Iowa , with often great consequences to the learning environment of a school or distrct. “The teacher shortages often mirror populations,” Bice said. “We have a number of school

“We have dealt with a shortage in being able to keep in demand with substitute teacher and longterm substituted teachers.” —Principal John Bacon districts in Iowa with fewer than 1,000 students in the entire district. The shortages in these districts are generally more severe than in urban areas. “ In rural districts, shortage in full-time teacher staffing can have a serious impact on these districts’ abilities to provide a consistently quality education. “There is a definite negative impact for schools that are not able to find teachers to teach certain subjects,” Bice explained. “The students are impacted by either not being able to take courses they want, or being in a class with a large INFOGRAPHIC BY EDEN KNOOP number of students.” greater and be difficult to approach. As shortages develop and often remain, rural districts have “There are a lot of suspected causes being discussed and been working more with officials at both the state and local level researched. Some are cultural: Do we hold teachers in the esteem to alleviate teacher shortages in whatever ways they can. that we should? Some are financial: Do we pay teachers what “The Department of Education is limited in its authority to we should?” Bice said. “Others are geographic: How do we draw make changes directly. We work closely with others, however,” teachers to relocate to rural communities? It is not easy to beBice said. “One agency, the Iowa College Student Aid Commiscome a teacher. Some shortage areas, such as special education, sion, has the authority to award money to teachers who teach require even more learning.” in shortage areas. We work with them to help identify teachers The decline in interest and importance placed on teaching has eligible to receive money.” been increasingly well-documented. The average pay of teachers Even as the Department of Education moves to adis over 11% less than jobs with similar requirements, and today, dress the issues where they can, the variables that contribute only 35% of teachers report satisfaction with their jobs, the lowto shortages of full-time and substitute teachers can vary

TWR DRIVER’S EDUCATION, Inc. Contact 319-338-1583 or 319-331-3864 www.twrdriverseducation.com

est number in 25 years. Jennifer Brinkmeyer, a City High English teacher and the ICCSD Language Arts Curriculum Coordinator works to ensure that the core language arts education offered by ICCSD is uniform across the district and compliant with state standards. Operating between City High and ICCSD, while remaining in dialogue with the state, Brinkmeyer has seen many variables of the shortage at play. “[The substitute shortage] doesn’t really have to do to much with funding,” Brinkmeyer said. “Few people want to do the job. You have to find someone who is available to work a flexible schedule and doesn’t need healthcare, which is a tall order. And they need to have at least a bachelor’s degree in something and not actually be doing something with it.” But even with a locale such as Iowa City, reductions in state funding always loom as a potential threat to staffing, one that

“The teacher shortages often mirror populations,” Bice said. “We have a number of school districts in Iowa with fewer than 1,000 students in the entire district.” —Larry Bice more greatly affect a school’s atmosphere than shortages in substitute teachers. “A few years ago we had to cut money from our budget, and City and West had to both lose six teachers. Now, the district has set goals so that nobody will actually have to lose a job,” Brinkmeyer said. “They might be transitioned into a different role that is not necessarily in the classroom so they can at least still have a job.” Districts like ICCSD often appear immune to teacher shortages generally associated with rural areas, but cuts in state funding can have serious consequences and threaten the wide selection of qualified applicants. “Some of those positions we lost have never been filled back in, and this year our district is facing a one million dollar budget shortfall,” Brinkmeyer said. “It remains to be seen if staffing will be affected by this.” At the Iowa Department of Education, some solutions have emerged, but the complexity of the shortages make them difficult to address in single sweeps of policy. “Recently, the Iowa legislature passed a law to award money to new teachers who finished in the top 25% of their college graduating class and teach in shortage areas,” Bice said. “Another agency, the School Administrators of Iowa, used our shortage information and our help to bring together school administrators from across Iowa to meet with teacher preparation faculty across Iowa to work together to reduce shortages.” Back in his office, Mr. Bacon is still looking through applications. He’s conferred with district official and school faculty and much deliberation, is ready to make a decision. Quickly, an official announcement follows and a new teacher is welcomed to the staff of City High. But that luxury of competition and choice is not a one shared across Iowa, and as potential challenges emerge, Bacon continues to work towards hiring and retaining the qualified teaching staff at Iowa City High School. “Anytime we get a new member it is an awesome responsibility,” Bacon said. “Teaching is such a critically important profession and being able to attract the best and brightest to education is an investment that pays off in so many ways.”

NEWS February 10th, 2017

Students Achieve Potential

By Mariam Keita

ith the 2016-2017 school year in full swing, Achieve is gearing up to get back into action. The group, which was formed in 2014, is gearing up this year with several new freshman as well as a number of Achieve veterans. “Mr. Bacon and the City faculty wanted to find a way to focus on supporting students from ethnically diverse backgrounds so they were well-prepared for a college experience after high school,” Linda Hoel, guidance counselor and co-head of the Achieve Program, said. City High typically identifies minority students as students who classify as anything other than caucasian or white. According to Hoel, representation of minority students in advanced classes has grown. “In the last two to three years, there’s been a significant increase in the number of diverse students who have successfully taken AP and honors classes,” Hoel said. The other method of selecting students for the program involves a compatibility assessment. John Burkle, who is in his fifth year of teaching AP Government, can recall a time when the program was first being initiated. “[Mr. Bacon] came around and talked to all the AP teachers and the honors teachers with the idea of getting minority representation in those classes up,” said Burkle. “We began looking at the test scores and Iowa Assessment scores of those students, targeted minority students who we felt would be a good fit for AP and honors courses, and then encouraged [those students] to take those courses.” The group has had two meetings since the start of the school year—an orientation, to introduce new members to the program, and a course planning session to coincide with the new earlier course registration. “Sometimes students don’t have a support system outside of school where there is a familiarity with the college system and preparation for college,” said Hoel. “We want to be that support system here. [We want to] identify students that have the potential to set high academic goals and succeed.” Melanie Gibbens, who has taught AP U.S. History for the past seven years, is in support of what the program stands to accomplish.

“Diversity is a key component to teaching world history." —Jason Schumann “Maybe you’re a C student and you’re not the strongest writer, but [you] could still go into an AP class,” said Gibbens. “I think there’s been this idea that if your skill set doesn’t match the description of an AP student, you could be excluded.” Achieve’s success inspired a sister program at Southeast in 2014 titled Achieving Potential. The group is similar to City High’s Achieve in that it focuses on high-achieving minority students. The sister program is headed by guidance faculty member, Brian Ingram.

Student Diversity

ABOVE: Samba Traore '19 sits in an honors class with his peers. PHOTO BY MARIAM KEITA

Achieve meets periodically throughout the year to visit college campuses, create academic plans, and come up with new ideas for students to reach their full academic potential by taking advantage of opportunities at a higher education level. Jason Schumann is currently teaching AP World History and likes the idea of increasing representation in his class. “Diversity is a critical component to teaching world history. We’re going to have discussions that cross lines of race, gender, religion, and all those areas,” said Schumann. “The more diverse my classes are, the better.” Burkle believes that Program Achieve has successfully helped to increase the number of minority students in his classes. “I would say that I'm getting more and more [minority] students taking the course than my first year teaching it,” said Burkle. “I think it’s probably more than just one factor increasing [that number], but I think it’s a good idea to keep in place.” Schumann agrees. “I think the program has helped specifically identify and target students that have both the skills, and more importantly, the desire and the will to take a more rigorous class,” Schumann said. Hoel is also satisfied with the growth of minority stu-

Continued from A1

The question still remains, what can we do? What can be done to improve City High?

"Diversity should be embraced with action not just words.” —Ava Otoadese '18 “I really want to see quality conversations. I want [City High to be a] space for students to feel like their voices are heard and that they’re helping to shape the school,” Rook said. “I want to see the people in the building—the students doing the learning—feel like they’re helping to shape the [school] environment in some way.” Conversations will prove key to moving forward with diversity, according to Rook. “I’d like [students who don’t feel safe] to know that there are places here they can go to talk to safe people. I’d want them to know that we’re all aware that that doesn’t mean that you always do feel safe. I think that sometimes we tell people, ‘Oh, there’s plenty of people to talk to.’ As if that solves things? It doesn’t. I want to say to a student that it’s okay to not feel safe, those feelings are valid,” Rook said. “If you can be brave enough to talk to someone, that’s great. It’s hard to ask someone who’s feeling that way to then also speak

about it. If you just want to trust that people are working on it, that’s okay too.” Conversations could also turn into actions, progressing school inclusivity farther. “We have a very diverse school with respect to race, culture, gender identification, interests, and abilities. I think it is essential that we work with all students to accept every student's needs and consider each student's individual circumstances,” Otoadese said. “Diversity should be embraced with action, not just

“I want all students to know we are all part of something bigger than each one of us. I want us to stick together and to be kind to each other.” —Principal John Bacon words.” The inclusivity statement reaffirmed that the school district and its staff are behind each and every student. “I want all students at City High to know we are all part of something very special—something bigger than each one of us. I want us to stick together and be kind to each other,” Bacon said. “I believe that kindness is the most important thing of all.”

dents in AP courses. “We have seen increases in the numbers of students who are taking AP and Honors classes,” said Hoel. “More and more students from ethnically diverse backgrounds are setting academic goals and career goals at the post-

“We want to identify students that have the potential to set high academic goals and succeed.” —Linda Hoel

secondary level that require higher levels of academic achievement.” Cecile Bendera ‘20, who attended Southeast but was not in Achieving Potential, is looking forward to participating in Project Achieve. “I think it will help me to continue pushing myself harder,” said Bendera. “You have people who want you to succeed.”

CUTEST COUPLES

NEWS February 10th, 2017

The contest is continuing on Twitter until Valentine’s Day. Tag or mention @thelittlehawk with your significant other for a chance to win a $50 Basta gift card or Big Grove Brewery dinner.

8 3 5

Get to Know City High’s Perfect Pairs

1. Profesor Jordan Garrett con su muñeca de Star Wars.

2. English teachers Anna Basile and Mandy

Sotillo embrace in the English office. Love is in the air in the English department!

3. Lucy McGehee ‘17 and Stroke Cat McGehee ‘25 share a gentle moment by the fridge.

4. Adam Rose ‘17 and Samantha Titus ‘18 pose for a mirror pic sporting their interschool love.

5. Payton McCallister and Brodrick Spinks ‘17

share a loving moment despite the glaring flash of the camera.

6. Journalism Advisor Jonathan and Gina Rogers sport sombreros and mustaches.

7.English teachers Daphne Foreman and Robin

Fields make a joint heart during passing time.

8. Claire Woodward and Sameer Ali ‘17 share a moment overlooking a fountain.

9. Ash Smith ‘20 and Elliot Beauchamp ‘20 share a tender moment together.

10. Sonali Durham ‘16 and Nova Meurice ‘17, NPR enthusiasts, pose as Sarah Koenig (left) and Ira Glass (right).

2 9

NEWS February 10th, 2017

EDUCATION

A10

ICCSD Expands AP Particip

T By Phoebe Chapnick-Sorokin & Emmeline Kraus The ICCSD is looking to expand diversity within AP classes with new program ACHIEVE, a joint program between Southeast Junior High and City High school.

hree years ago, 13 percent of students in AP classes were minorities. Since then, the Iowa City School District has been making an effort to increase that number, which has risen to 25 percent. City High has received national recognition for this dramatic increase. Even with this impressive increase, the community still feels there is more work to be done. City High has taken various efforts to increase the minority population in AP courses. The main program for growth is ACHIEVE. ACHIEVE was organized in 2014 at City High School in collaboration with Southeast Junior High. It is a group for minority students and students from typically underrepresented student groups to increase their academic opportunities. Many of the students in the program do not have the a lot of support at home. City High guidance counselor Linda Hoel is one of the main organizers of the program. “Achieve is trying to take that extra step for them to support and motivate them to take more challenging courses,” said Hoel. ACHIEVE focuses on advising, encouraging and supporting students with their academic planning by taking Advanced Placement and Honors courses.

City High has taken various efforts to increase minority population in AP courses. “We wanted to make sure all students with potential were having support and encouragement,” said Hoel. 9th through 12th grade minority students are invited for membership based on their cumulative GPA and standardized testing scores. The school works with upper class students to become role models and mentors for incoming high schoolers. Ava Otoadese ‘18, an African American student, is one of the upper class mentors for the students in the ACHIEVE program. “I think it is important for students to know there are a lot of benefits to taking AP classes,” said Otoadese. Some of the benefits of taking AP classes include the appeal on college applications and scholarships. At some colleges, they are even accepted as credit. This year, Mr. Bacon, principal of City High, contacted the AP teachers to get a list of students that they think have the potential to take AP classes. He then met with each student individually and discussed the opportunities. “I made sure they understood that their teachers believe they can be successful in these classes and I want them to feel encouraged and believed in,” said Bacon. Students also encourage incoming high

schoolers to enroll in AP classes. “[AP classes] are not just for the smart kids, but also for students who are motivated to take these classes,” said Otoadese. “Anyone has the capability to take AP classes.” Along with the ACHIEVE program, individual teachers have been making efforts to increase the minority population. AP world history teacher Jason Schumann works to create an environment where all students feel equal. “I try to foster an environment where we have discussions that cross the lines of gender, race, economic status, and religion,” said Schumann. “I try to present my content in a way that embraces all of those various perspectives.” A big part of encouraging minority students to take AP classes and succeed in them is based on positive student-teacher relationships. “Our staff is united in the understanding that it starts with positive relationship and I trust that our staff works hard on this,” said Bacon. Although they have been working hard, the staff at City High recognizes that there is still a lot of work to be done. “While [the AP classes] absolutely have become more diverse, we still have quite a bit of work to do,” said Bacon. “We can’t get complacent, we must press forward and we have engaged in an organized effort.” Students are noticing the efforts being made by the school. Elvis Mugisha ‘17 is an African American student enrolled in AP classes. “When I first started [taking AP classes] I was the one black kid in there and it’s really increased over the years,” said Mugisha. “It’s very good to see that a lot of minorities are taking these classes.” Borey Chea ‘17, a student at City High from Cambodia, is currently enrolled in an AP class that has the most minorities she has experienced in an advanced course. “It’s really refreshing to be in that class because I get to hear different perspectives on things and meet these wonderful people from very different backgrounds,” said Chea. Although students are noticing the efforts, they still recognize that more work is needed. Jessica Sheffield ‘18 is an African American student “I know when I was registering for classes at city, no one really told me about [AP classes], I had to seek them out myself,” said Sheffield. There are still more goals that the school has not accomplished yet. “I think we have earned this recognition but, again, I want to be clear that we have more work to do and I don’t want to say that we are satisfied with where we are,” said Bacon.

AP Capstone Set to Begin Ne

By Zoë Miller

ost students will not have the chance to learn how to write and defend a thesis until their college years, but a new program aims to teach high school students just that. The AP Capstone program, which focuses on teaching skills rather than content, will be introduced to City High in the coming school year. Naomi Meurice ‘19 plans to take part in the program because of its distinctive style of learning.

AP Capstone focuses on teaching skills rather than content. “[AP Capstone] is something different

than the normal curriculum. [Student’s are] not just learning content; [they’re learning] life skills. Plus, it’s a unique opportunity that not a lot of other high school students have, and I wanted to capitalize on that.” AP Capstone will be composed of two courses, AP Seminar and AP Research. These will be taken consecutively, one junior year and one senior year. Ali Borger-Germann, the future teacher of AP Capstone, believes that the course will allow greater creative opportunity for students. “[AP Capstone] is an opportunity. I think that is the easiest, shortest answer. In terms of the skills we are really focusing on the skills of inquiry—how we ask good questions and find good answers,” Borger-Germann said. “That’s what inquiry is really about. Not just good answers, but multi-faceted, complex answers, that account for multiple points of view from

multiple disciplines.” AP Seminar teaches students to view real world issues from different perspectives. Students choose a relevant topic from current events in the world. They will work in groups to approach their question from many different angles. One student might focus on how the economy relates to their question while another may study history or culture. Students will learn how to synthesize information, develop their reasonings through research-based written essays, and design and deliver oral and visual presentations. AP Research, however, allows students to study an academic topic or issue of individual interests. Students will plan and design a research based investigation to allow them to solve or address the question they asked at the beginning of the year. Through their study students will write a 25 page paper to defend

NEWS February 10th, 2017

pation

A11

EDUCATION

ext Year against a group of people who are experts in that field of study. The focus of the course will be on understanding research methodology, learning how to use ethical research practices, and access, analyze and synthesize information. Despite its AP label, the Capstone program utilizes a different grading system in comparison to regular AP classes. In AP Seminar, students’ grades are made up of research projects they complete throughout the year. Students upload papers and presentations so that they can be graded by the college board. Similarly to other AP courses, there is a final exam at the end of the year for AP Seminar graded on the 1-5 scale. AP Research, however, does not have a final exam; instead, the grading of the course will be based upon the research project and defense. Students at City High have many motives

for considering taking part in the two year program; however, for Joseph Cermak ‘19, the independence the course allows is what appeals to him the most. “[AP Capstone] is very different from other courses. You don’t have a teacher telling you what to do and assigning things you’re finding things out for yourself. It’s more group and independent work,” Cermak said. “I’ve heard from a couple of my friends that they are going to do it because they want colleges to look at that and see that they [have the] AP Capstone Diploma.” However, some students see some drawbacks to the program. “The two year thing is interesting it can be good, and that can be bad. [AP Capstone] also takes up another class period. It takes away from the chance to try new electives,” Meurice said.

The freedom of the course allows students to take control of their learning, but this can be daunting for some. In comparison to other courses, the purpose of the AP Capstone teacher is to give guidance and support while the students take more of the initiative in coming up with what they will be studying. “[Students] really need a willingness and an interest in self-guided inquiry and be interested in seeing the connections they can make between all of their classes,” Dr. Michael Ayers said. “That’s the sort of student I think would

The Capstone Program utilizes a different system in comparison to regular AP classes. most benefit from this program, [someone] who would really dig into it.”

OPINION

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February 10th, 2017

Post-Protests:

The practicality of civil disobedience

The Little Hawk editors discuss the uprising of protests internationally, and whether or not they’re really making a change.

Executive Editors

nova meurice, sofie lie & sarah smith

News Editors

lucy mcgehee & molly liu

Opinions Editor maya durham

Sports Editors

jim geerdes & jonathan house

Photos Editor sameer ali

A&E Editors

rasmus schlutter & addie bass

Copy Editors

madeline deninger & danielle tang

Online Editor lucy wagner

Media Editors brady vanlo & estie dillard

Staff

emi bergman-corbet, mina takahashi, maia janssen, zoë miller, lottie gidal, addy smith, noah mueller, courtney hoang, stephanie betinez, olivia lusala, sam naylor, michael minietti, maureen fesenmeyer, lizzi ayers, eden knoop, greg jones, corbin nguyen, callie danielson, patrick mcmillan, antonio lopez, sameer ali, theo prineas, madeline pugh, a.j. boulund, victor kalil, phinny brady

is the recent uprise of protests making concrete change?

mission statement

The Little Hawk, the student newspaper of City High School, aims to inform, educate and entertain readers; to provide an educational opportunity for the students who produce it; and to provide a medium for commercial advertising.

Equity Statements

It is the policy of the Iowa City Community School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability, or socioeconomic status in its educational programs, activities, or employment practices. If you believe you have (or your child has) been discriminated against or treated unjustly at school, please contact the Equity Director, Ross Wilburn, at 509 S. Dubuque Street, 319-688-1000.

yes: 7 LH Staff Editorial On January 21, 2017, the biggest protest in US history happened in Washington DC. An estimated 500,000 people of all ages, genders, races, ethnicities, and abilities gathered and marched the streets of our capital, and around 2.4 million others joined across the globe. The mantra of “the future is female,” “he will not divide us,” and similar sentiments rocked every form of media. And, while these chants and protests have provided a sense of unity for many in the face of President Trump, they do beg the question, “Are they really working?” Honestly, there are some pretty valid indicators that the protests have been effective: the ACLU has raised more than $24 million since Trump’s inauguration, and the ban on legal immigrants has been legally challenged. The First Amendment guarantees us the right to freely assemble; this means that protesting is a fundamental American right. Protests have changed the course of history in the past. During the abolitionist movement, there were protests by enslaved peoples as well as abolitionist allies. During women’s suffrage, there were protests on the capital the day before Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration. The Civil Rights movement had marches like the Selma to Montgomery march, and the Vietnam War had opposition in the form of student-run protests on campuses. All of these demonstrations and movements called national attention to the issues they addressed — and it was this attention that helped bring about change. Eventually, the 13th Amendment was ratified, and so was the 20th. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was put into law, and (after some time) Nixon announced an effective end to United States involvement in Southeast Asia. Nowadays, the protests are linked to social media, which allow people to

NO: 3 ART BY MAYA DURHAM

connect and organize in ways that were impossible for earlier generations of Americans. Facebook pages organizing the Women’s March and Anti-DAPL protests allowed thousands to come together across cities, states, and nations, and Snapchat videos gave people the chance to see first hand what went on at these protests. Twitter has given news organizations and bloggers the chance to share their thoughts and experiences with protests, and opposers to whatever movement is taking a stand are able to voice their concerns with just the push of a few buttons. Now, there are some people who believe street protests as unpatriotic, claiming that our duty is to unquestioningly support the elected president and his policies, or at least to maintain a polite silence and only make our feelings known at the ballot box when we vote. And that’s valid — the democratic process and voting are critical in American politics and should be respected. But this country wouldn’t be what it is without the protests that have shaped the course of its history in important and progressive directions. Slaves were freed, women got the vote, and wars were ended because of protests. So, when thousands descended on our nation’s capital to walk the streets in protest of Donald Trump’s policies, they were acting as patriotically as anyone could. Now, we’ll have to wait and see what kinds of social, cultural, and legal changes will follow. We’re hopeful they will break barriers and move the country forward as surely and effectively as the protests of the past. The people have spoken, and they continue to speak — and rally and chant and march — giving voice to the people is really what American democracy is all about.

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OPINION February 10th, 2017

LH Music: 4 Your Eyez Only Review

Choking on the “Gag Rule”

by GENEVIEVE WISDOM

President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order reinstating the “Gag Rule” on overseas organizations for family planning. Now, foreign countries will not be allotted funds from the United States for abortion services. This limits how much an individual can spend on abortions, the amount of groups that can advocate for legal abortions, and how much an individual can even speak about abortion with a doctor. It is already illegal for countries to pay for abortions with U.S. money, but this new law prohibits organizations from honestly informing clients about available reproductive health options, including education about abortions. Marie Stopes International, a worldwide family planning organization, estimates abortion rates will rise by 2.2 million a year — 2.1 of which will be unsafe for the mother. Additionally, it is estimated there will be 6.5 million unintended pregnancies and 21,700 maternal deaths solely in Trump’s first term of presidency. Because the Gag Rule limits women’s access to birth control options, there will be a spike in unplanned pregnancies, which will lead to more abortions. The Gag Rule has been instated twice before by Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. Trump’s executive order will have a more significant repercussion, extending not only to family planning, but affecting $8 billion in global health aid (organizations cannot use money for the U.S. for Zika prevention or HIV/AIDS counseling). Before Barack Obama eliminated the Gag Rule, and estimated 70,000 women per year were dying from these policies. Currently, 20,000 women are in severe danger. After examining the facts, the solution seems abundantly clear. When America limits access to education about reproductive health and contraception options, abortion rates skyrocket. No one wants abortion rates to increase, and the only way to limit abortions is to increase access to birth control and education. Abortions are not going away anytime soon, even if the process becomes illegal. We have to ensure there are safe abortion options for women everywhere. Women go through incredibly dangerous procedures and occasionally die while getting an abortion. In an ideal world, abortions would not exist. Unfortunately, this is not the world we live in. Abortions will occur whether they are legal or not. According to statistics, the best and safest way to limit the number of abortions is to make them legal and increase availability of birth control options while educating women on how to be safe. The Gag Rule Trump is instating will most likely cause abortion rates and maternal mortality to rise significantly. Women always have the choice to get an abortion or not — the question is whether they have the choice to get a legal abortion or an unsafe, illegal one. Anyone, regardless of political leaning, can see the safest option is to legalize abortion, provide birth control, and teach adequate sex education. Even if abortion is against your moral beliefs, making the option illegal will raise the rates of abortion and cause more women to die. The Gag Rule is destructive and unfit for our current world. It will raise the rates of abortions in other countries and most of those will be unsafe, causing more maternal mortality. Supporting family organizations like Planned Parenthood and the Emma Goldman Clinic can make a great deal of difference in your community.

“THE CATHOLICS ARE GIGGLING.” - MRS. WILSON

“Do they have methadone for berry pie?” - Mr. Rogers

“Extra credit is the work of satan.” - M. Balcaen

- Mr. SCHUMANN

- Mr. Rogers

RIGHT -Mr. Schumann

ART BY LUCY WAGNER

“If I were honest with my children, I’d make them cry everyday.”

“GO KICK ROCKS, BUDDY”

“MMM he’s a man. he pets tigers and takes pictures of himself”

by MAYA CHADWICK

“That’s a scandal here at the school that leads.”

- DR. Schnoebelen

to REmain silent

“Never get a half-price dog at a no kill shelter, you’re gonna get a hot mess.” - Mrs. Scott

On December 9th, 2016, J. Cole blessed our ears with the release of 4 Your Eyez Only. In this album, J. Cole mixes anger, love, and sadness into a beautiful composition. He really took me by surprise with this drop. The whole album really lets you inside of Cole’s life. Cole puts all of his emotions out there in 4 Your Eyez Only. He tells the story of his life and hardships by mixing jazz and classic hip-hop sounds together. And, surprisingly, these genres all fit together to put you in Cole’s point of view. Many songs on 4 Your Eyez Only like “Change” and “Neighbors” reflect on personal and racial struggles. “Neighbors” tells the story of SWAT coming into his house/studio after receiving a tip that Cole was trafficking marijuana. The neighborhood Cole lived in was predominately wealthy caucasians, and the neighbors were suspicious of the predominately African Americans coming in and out of the house. Of course, there was no drug trafficking going on, but the experience inspired Cole to write a beautiful song. Though Cole raps about tension between different races, the majority of the album is Cole rapping about love, sadness, and hope. The 2 part song “She’s Mine” could easily be the most moving song on the album. It completely contradicts the hopelessness and sadness in his intro “For Whom the Bell Tolls” with Cole saying “Don’t wanna die no more” as opposed to him contemplating suicide in his intro. With no features, Cole has the opportunity to make 4 Your Eyez Only his second platinum with no feature album in a row. 4 Your Eyez Only could easily be one of the best albums of 2016. FINAL RATING: 10/10

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OPINION February 10th, 2017

by MIRA KUMAR

by LUCIA WAGNER

DISCLAIMER: This article (and blog, The Little Hoax) is meant to be satirical. The quotes and points of view expressed are meant to be humorous and are fictional. Do not read any further unless you understand and accept the reality that the following is a satire. Renowned film director, screenwriter, and puppeteer Wes Anderson released the title of his new film, The Bad Pastel Dad, during a press conference last Saturday held in Anderson’s own treehouse near the Chesapeake Bay. The film is set to premiere in 2019. According to Anderson, The Bad Seashell Dad will star Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, and a white-tailed hawk smoking a corncob pipe as bad father figures coexisting in a large, dysfunctional family. Anderson stated the 190-minute movie will have no plot, but, instead, will be largely character driven. To save on costs, Anderson’s team will recycle old movie sets from The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, as

Keepin’ ‘em on their toes Souper bowl

the second snowball @2109Convos on twitter Ranger robbie

THUMBS UP

DISCLAIMER: This article (and blog, The Little Hoax) are meant to be satirical. While the facts about speech and its competitions are accurate, the quotes, points of view expressed, and reactions are meant to be humorous and are fictional. For years, students with theatrical aspirations have been signing up for the speech program, but now teens all over the school are realizing that it is truly cooler than anything else Students are rallying behind the speech team to give it support, and tournaments are packed with cheerleaders and onlookers to watch the school’s thespians work their magic. Many in the student body are even prioritizing the speech team over sports, choosing to go to rehearsals and support it rather than attending sports practices. “Sports are great and everything,” Rowan Sleek ‘18, a noted football player, said, “but at the end of the day, theater is just really more important—and more fun.” As a self-proclaimed speech fanatic (or, as she calls herself, a ‘Spanatic’), Jaime Stripp ‘19 is one of many who has plotted out the schedules of rehearsals and routinely ‘rushes’ them in order to gain access to rehearsal space. “I’ve never been more focused,” she told the Little Hoax, fingering the “I Heart Speech” button on her thespian-mask printed shirt. “I’ll never stop. Speech is my only love now.” Stripp also said that her GPA is up, and she’s “happier than I’ve ever been” now that she has this overriding interest—certainly good things for her. However, this huge upsurge in the speech team’s popularity is grating on the nerves of many in the club. “We never wanted to be popular,” Astra Matisse ‘20, a member of Choral Reading, said. “We just wanted to act and have everyone leave us alone. Now they won’t stop following us around. They come into our [rehearsal rooms] when we’re trying to work, and they stand and scream outside the door when we close it. It’s really difficult to rehearse in that environment.” There has even been talk of getting a private security detail for each of the speech team’s members as they walk the halls every day. “The students’ safety is more important to us than anything else,” Principal Bacon said. “If we have to go to the extreme of calling in bodyguards, we will absolutely [do it].” The superintendent of schools agreed. “If the circumstances don’t change soon,” Superintendent Murley said, “I am fully prepared to hire bodyguards. These kids are getting mobbed. It is my duty to keep them from being hurt by a possibly well-meaning fan.” The superintendent also brought up the upcoming first speech tournament of the year on January 21st: “I’m honestly worried that students will follow the speech team to their tournament,” he said. “That kind of distraction could ruin their chances at competition.” But one thing’s for sure: speech isn’t going anywhere. “I guess this is how it’s going to be from now on,” Lilimar Cage ‘17, part of this year’s Musical Theater speech team, said. “For better or for worse...speech is vogue.”

Wes Anderson Announces “The Bad Pastel Dad” well as a rustic cabin once owned by Brigitte Bardot, to create a colorful set that evokes nostalgia. Anxious to try out some new photography techniques, The Doodad Blood Cell Comrade will only be filmed from above and feature symmetrical shots. Also straying from Anderson’s usual song selection of Christmas jingles and instrumental hip-hop beats, Terry Branstad in a Nutshell will highlight only Swedish acoustic covers of classical songs from the 1760s and ‘70s. Film critics are anticipating this fast-paced comedy/drama will be the hit of the 2019 Memorial Day weekend. Wes Anderson fanatic AJ Boulund ‘17 states he hopes The Shoulder Pad Fad will be “quirky” and “give meaning to his vastly unsatisfying life.” An Un-Satirical Note: Wes Anderson did announce the title of his legitimate upcoming film, Isle of Dogs. You can watch the video announcement here.

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THE LITTLE HOAX: Speech is Vogue!

seasonal depression The danes (specifically rash)

slushy snow Ham cubes backwards hats ART BY AJ BOULUND

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OPINION February 10th, 2017

Mental Health Isn’t a Joke by MARIAM KEITA

Tell me you haven’t experienced something like this before: You and a friend are at lunch complaining about the unreasonable price of a single slice of pizza. “Why does it cost so much?” they question, aggravated. “I’m so triggered.” According to psychcentral.com, a trigger is something that sets off a memory or flashback transporting a person back to the event of her/his original trauma. Using the word triggered when you do not have any actual triggers is not only ugly and insensitive, but completely disrespectful. There is no justification for the blatant ridicule of the side effects of a mental illness. Using the word “triggered” as a joke is unacceptable. People no longer care, if they ever did, that there are those among them who struggle to get out of bed in the morning. “[Triggered] still to me holds value,” Elizabeth Rook, an iJAG educator at City who is currently teaching a mental health unit, said. “For somebody to say...this thing that’s happening is triggering my emotions in some way is like a valuable term and we should not devalue it...Anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder all kinds of other things that we really should be working to address.” Mental health is not a joke. It is not something to be taken lightly, brushed away or mocked. I for one am sick of not being able to have a conversation with a person my age without that person feeling compelled to refer to themselves conversationally as having been “triggered”. I am exhausted by the use of words such as “bipolar” and “depressed” as adjectives. Not only is using these words so negligently ableist and insensitive, but it’s an insult to anyone who is affected by anxiety, depression, PTSD, bipolar disorder, or any number of other legitimate mental health disorders. When someone has the flu, we don’t mock them for not being able to hold down food, so why do we as a society think it is acceptable to scorn those who can’t withstand certain societal normalities? Why do we continue to delegitimize mental health triggers? What is humorous about a domestic abuse victim having to relive the memory of a fist flying at her face? A war veteran having to undergo flashbacks of his friends being torn apart by shrapnel? What kind of sick and apathetic creatures have we evolved into that we take pleasure in the alienation and otherization of those who most need our support? The English language is an expansive one, containing thousands upon thousands of words that don’t invalidate the fragility of major mental ailments.

For example, instead of triggered, one could say that they were: exasperated, chagrined, annoyed, perplexed, peeved, vexed, disgruntled, piqued, riled, galled — and the list doesn’t end there. The way I see it, those who use the word so nonchalantly not only need to seek help in nursing their stunted sense of compassion back to health, but also need to consider closely why they feel the need to use the word in the first place. I suppose having low self-esteem or being socially inept would be a pretense, albeit a shaky one, to ostracize those who struggle to walk through life upright. I would also suppose that these same people take pleasure in kicking puppies and pushing small children in front of moving cars. Actually that’s not fair. I’m sure there are those that may just be ignorant as to the weight and nature of the word. These people may not know that 20% of young people live with a mental health condition and that most of those people go undiagnosed. There are those out there who saw the meme on some social media platform, thought it was funny, and decided to permeate the destructive 9-letter word. Some will attempt to detract this train from its tracks by saying that I’m just another butt-hurt, liberal crybaby, that the world is a cruel place and I shouldn’t expect to be sheltered from the harsh realities of it. That the First Amendment protects them from the consequences of slandering their peers. That using the word leisurely or abstaining from it doesn’t matter one way or the other. My response to them would be this: It’s not as if I don’t know what’s out there. I know the world is hard, I know that bad things ART BY AJ BOULUND happen all the time. I just think that if people spent as much time addressing mental illnesses and their sufferers as whole and real as they did belittling them, perhaps I wouldn’t have to waste my words and time on people who won’t care either way. Using the word triggered when you do not have any actual mental health impediments is not only ugly and insensitive, but it is completely disrespectful. If you feel the need to use the word triggered on a regular basis, please don’t present yourself to the masses as a decent person. Using the word “triggered” as a joke should not be tolerated.

LH Reviews: Pocket Points by OLIVIA BAIRD

A new app is motivating students to secure their cellphones during class, and they get rewarded for doing so. The app, Pocket Points (available on Apple iOS 9.0 or later and Android Jelly Bean 4.1 or later), rewards students 15 points when downloaded, then one point every 20 minutes their phone stays locked during the school day. These points accumulate over the school week, and can go toward some pretty awesome rewards. There are food discounts available for local restaurants and even online deals for clothes! I downloaded this app on Tuesday and immediately started to rack up points. I am a very competitive person, so everything has to be a competition. The Pocket Points app has a school leaderboard and shows you who has earned the most points at your school that day and in total as well. For me, this is a huge motivation to put my phone away in class. This app really encourages and enforces City High’s new “secure your phones” policy. I know that many teachers do not send phones to “phone jail” that often, so people do not really feel the need to actually follow the new policy. With this app, I have noticed a lot more people actually securing their cellphones and being more attentive during class. The only thing that I would change about this app is the fact that you have to have the app open for it to count. I often forget about that so half of the school day, I am not earning points! I would love it if it was an automatic thing. If I were to rate this app, I would give it a 9/10!

Albus Dumbledore and the Shattered Pedestal by MIRA BOHANNAN KUMAR

With the release of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in December 2016, the Harry Potter franchise has produced a fantastic spin-off that opens the series to an entirely new set of possibilities. For people like me, this is a dream come true. But Fantastic Beasts isn’t a stand-alone movie: according to the creators, it will have four sequels. It has been confirmed that the sequel will take place in France and England, and that it will have some of the same characters, with a few new ones added into the mix. One of the things I’m most worried about with the sequels is also one of the things I’m most excited to see: it has been confirmed that a young Dumbledore will be part of the cast in later movies. When I went to see Fantastic Beasts for the first time (of course I saw it multiple times; what kind of fangirl do you think I am?), I was there with two friends, one of whom is as avid a fan as I am. There is a scene in the movie when Newt Scamander is talking to Percival Graves. On the subject of Newt’s expulsion from Hogwarts, Graves asks a question that reveals a tie-in to the original series: “I wonder what makes Albus Dumbledore so fond of you?” While there is a very well-founded theory about this, that is not what I want to discuss, because it is not what I thought about when I first heard this line. Upon hearing it in the theater, both my friend and I were

“On the one hand, the appearance of a younger Dumbledore who has a personal, emotional storyline could give me — and other fans — a great new insight into a character who has a special place in our hearts.”

suddenly overcome by a rush of emotion; there, tucked into a movie we were watching in our teens, was a scrap of childhood. Harry Potter has been a constant source of joy in my life since I was five, and Dumbledore, despite all his faults, has been a source of guidance and solace for me for as long of a time. This is why I am conflicted about the later films: on the one hand, the appearance of a younger Dumbledore who has a personal, emotional storyline could give me — and other fans — a great new insight into a character who has a special place in our hearts. On the other hand, if something about the story doesn’t live up to the image of Dumbledore I have in my mind, the movie could ruin the way I view the character. What I have realized in the end, though, is that there are some characters — and some real people, too — who we build up in our minds, who we think of as being perfect — more perfect than the rest of us, at least. But the truth is that we are all people, and we are all flawed — even if we are a hundred and fifty years old and unbelievably powerful. What happens in the movies is the truth of Dumbledore, not what I’ve imagined him to be. Sometimes one has to let the pedestal crumble. In the words of A Very Potter Senior Year, everything ends. It is J.K. Rowling’s world. We just live in it.

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OPINION February 10th, 2017

Thanks, Obama

The Pretend Zone

(Seriously.) by LOTTIE GIDAL

Barack Hussein Obama, how to sum up your time in office. A lot happened. Let’s see — right off the bat you won the Nobel Prize for reasons no one is still quite sure about. You nominated two of the four women to ever serve on the Supreme Court, and waved your approval as they legalized same sex marriage. You signed a landmark climate change agreement in Paris and opened relations with Cuba for the first time in over fifty years. You oversaw the strike that killed Bin Laden and repealed “don’t ask, don’t tell”. America watched you push through tough Wall Street reforms and scale back Iran’s nuclear program. Your signature piece of legislation, the Affordable Care Act, provided health insurance for twenty million americans. You cut the deficit from 9.8% of the GDP to 3.2% and helped rebound the economy from the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. No one can deny that you were an active president. No matter their political views, at least everyone can say that you got s--t done. Not that you were perfect, no, you were not that. I could most likely list off a number of failures or promises never carried through, but I’m not going to. Me, I’m a high school student whose main concerns are grades and whether my cat, or my friends, like me. So I don’t get to judge how effective your policies were, how well you fixed the economy, or whether ObamaCare is or is not working. I’ll leave that to the experts or whoever is judging these days, and besides, you’ve spent the past eight years being told how terrible or wonderful your actions were. My point is that people are going to remember you for the things you accomplished. I’ve no doubt that future AP US History test takers will find a multiple choice test question or two concerning your time in office. You’re not William Henry Harrison, who died three months into office, you’re not Millard Fillmore who I confess I had no idea even was a president until writing this letter. You made a difference, if not simply because you were the first black man to sit behind the desk of the Oval Office. But I wanted to say something else, something not about policy or politics for a minute. You became president when I was eight years old. I honestly don’t remember having any other. You set the tone, you set my understanding of what it means to be the president. My definition of that is set in stone, and it will never wear away. To me, the president of the United States is someone who strives to represent best example of what our country has to offer the world; someone who expresses all of the citizens inside. They are a charismatic speaker capable of inspiring millions of people, someone who brings optimism to difficult situations and always bears words of hope and of love. Whatever, shall we say, interesting things the future has in store, you were a leader for me, and for the country when we needed you to be. Thank you.

by ADDIE BASS AND AJ BOULUND

Now before I begin, yes, I know that I shouldn’t be starting with a definition from Google of all places, but the “friendzone” is of the same level of immaturity and ignorance as ignoring your 8th grade English teacher. Got your notepad out? Take notes.

ART BY AJ BOULUND

Google defines “the friendzone” as a situation in which a friendship exists between two people, one of whom has an unreciprocated romantic or sexual interest in the other. Frequently used as an excuse for people to harbor hatred towards the people they feel sexual frustration towards, “the friendzone” has a growing reputation of hurting more than helping. This idea of a “friendzone” is commonly held by “nice guys/girls” who think that “guys/girls only date jerks.” There is certainly an appropriate way to react to unreciprocated attraction, and lashing out like an entitled dudebro should not be standard procedure. For the sake of gender anonymity and clarity, I am going to be identifying people who claim to be in “the friend zone” as Creepy Little Weirdos, or, for simplicities sake, CLWs. We all know one. This would be someone who finds it almost impossible to hold a platonic friendship with anyone of their preferential gender, and it can be frustrating as a friend of someone with these tendencies to convince them that, come on, they just think of you as friends. This ideology commonly stems from insecurity. CLWs sometimes feel incomplete without a significant other, and so they jump madly, claws out, mouth foaming, at any possibility that they could develop a relationship with someone who shows them kindness on more than three occasions. Other times, CLWs are anything but insecure, and become entitled and brainwashed by the media to believe that their life can only be complete if they find their “manic pixie dream person.”

F A M O U S DUDEBROS WHO DIDN’ T HANDLE T H E S I T UAT I O N A P P R O P R IAT E LY INCLUDE: Tom Hansen, 500 Days Of Summer: Oh, Mr Hansen. You believed so hard in the idea of a soul-mate that millions of little hipsters who completely misinterpreted the entire movie now believe in one sided entitlement to those just as quirky as you are. This movie also gave us the ever timeless, “Just because she likes the same bizzaro crap you do doesn’t mean she’s your soul-mate.” -Rachel Hansen Ross Gellar, Friends: Ross and Rachel had a rocky relationship from the beginning. The question of “Will they, Won’t they?” plagued the minds of fans but made us question Ross’ character as we watched his possessiveness of Rachel and his multiple attempts to control who she dated take over his otherwise chill personality. Harry Burns, When Harry Met Sally: The entire premise of the movie is built around a small minded belief held by Harry that men and women cannot be “just friends.” This combination of gender stereotyping and sleazy entitlement ends up proving Harry… right! Spoiler alert, but Harry and Sally end up together in the end, spreading the ignorant message that platonic friendships between straight men and women don’t exist, and a sexual relationship is bound to start. Yikes. Jim Halpert, The Office: Jim is the reason all these CLWs still believe in “the friend zone.” Every boy has at one point in their life thought of themselves as Jim Halpert. Why not? I’m funny and handsome, they tell themselves. I make my female friend laugh so naturally our “will they/won’t they” tension will result in a relationship. Guess what? You’re not Jim Halpert. Nobody is. Jim Halpert is not real. The reason Jim and Pam got together is because they were in a TELEVISION SHOW written by a team of WRITERS. Their whole nice guy getting the girl dynamic was made that way because it’s easy for audiences to connect to.

Ducky Dale, Pretty In Pink: Arrogant high-schooler Ducky Dale protests wholeheartedly the budding relationship between the school jock and his best friend, the girl he’s in love with. The entire movie is basically him complaining how he’s “different” and better than the jock because he listenes to alt music. Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren, Orange is the New Black: Thought “the friendzone” was no-girlsallowed? Think again! The mentally ill Suzanne took the friend zone to a whole new level when her romantic gestures went unreciprocated by fellow inmate Piper Chapman, even going so far as to urinate on Piper’s cell floor. Ultimately, Suzanne gets over it and her and Piper’s relationship turns into a much healthier one. Norma Desmond, Sunset Boulevard: While Crazy Eyes’ skewed perspective on her friendship with Piper was partly due to her mental illness, Norma Desmond was just straight up crazy. She trapped a guy in her mansion, believing he was her true love, and when he tried to leave her for the woman he loved, she *spoiler* shoots him three times! Eponine, Les Miserables: Eponine, believing her and Marius are destined lovers, fails to deliver a letter sent from Marius to Cosette, the woman he loves. This causes a major conflict and thickens the already immense plot. Eventually, she does away with her selfishness and decides that Marius’s happiness is more important than hers. The audience watches gratefully as Eponine protects Cosette and her father from vengeful policeman Javert. In her final hours, she does end up professing her love for Marius, and he, in turn, grants her an appropriate act of platonic respect and affection and kisses her on the forehead. Tinkerbell, Peter Pan: Tinkerbell was a jealous fairy who grows to understand that a young girl doesn’t deserve to die simply because they have a crush on the same immortal rapscallion.

GOOD EXAMPLES OF PEOPLE REACTING TO UNRECIPROCAED AFFECTION INCLUDE: Tom Haverford, Parks and Recreation: Loveable skeezeball Tommy Haverford pursues many lovers throughout P&R seven seasons, many of whom were initially repulsed by Tom’s advancement. While Tom persists in his advances, they are harmless and non-threatening, and ultimately, he gets the hint and preserves the friendships that grows from his comical rejection. Eowyn, Lord of the Rings: In The Two Towers and The Return of The King, Eowyn joins the ranks of the many fair maidens who have swooned at the battle worn musk of Aragorn. However, Eowyn does not allow her infatuation and subsequent rejection to consume her. Though heartbroken, she pursues her initial ambition of being a battle hero, and breaks gender stereotypes and Orc skulls in the process. Edward Scissorhands, Edward Scissorhands: First of all, he had scissors for hands, so any sort of relationship with a normal human would be tricky. Edward understood this though, and while his love for Winona Ryder’s Kim grows, so does his respect for her. He puts her first over everything, and expects nothing in return. Molly Hooper, BBC Sherlock: Molly Hooper could not catch a break for the first three seasons. She relentlessly pursued the narcissistic Sherlock Holmes to no avail, even suffering through the tyranny of insults he throws her way. Ultimately, she comes to terms with her feelings and realizes that she deserves to be treated better. Their friendship develops into a strong one, and she forever holds a special place in the cold heart of Mr. Holmes. As for any advice I would have for people in “the friendzone,” respect and communication are key. And stop calling it “the friendzone!” Simply addressing the conundrum of unreciprocated attraction as a sadly delivered, “we’re just friends” should suffice. They are your friend, and if you like them that much, then being in platonic comradery should be an honor all its own.

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February 10th, 2017 A&E

ARTS ENTERTAINMENT

PHOTO BY THOMAS RIGAL

Reflections on ‘Ranger Robbie’ AJ Boulund and Deckard Finley ‘17 created a mock forest safety film, starring Addie Bass ’17, for the spring Speech season. By Noah Freeman Snowflakes fall delicately on a cold Saturday morning as speech members dressed in robes and masks trek along one of the winding trails of the Iowa City Forest Preserve. The speech members are a part of the City High Large Group Speech Short Film cast, and they are at the Harvest Preserve to film the final scene of “Ranger Robbie, A Guide to Forest Safety (And Fun!)”, written and directed by AJ Boulund ‘17 and Deckard Finley ‘17.

Their production follows the earnest park ranger, Ranger Robbie, as she tries to teach viewers about park safety, but she keeps stumbling upon increasingly terrible events such as an axe murder, a hostage negotiation, and a cult sacrifice. This snowy scene requires a full cast of cult members, cameraman Cliff, Ranger Robbie, and an Ample Virgin. Sofie Lie ‘17 plays the Ample Virgin, a cult sacrifice covered only in a white dress and tights. She bundles up briefly in between shots to stay warm. Lie’s performance is not the only instance of a cast member enduring harsh conditions when filming. Anna Norman-Wikner ‘17 shares this hardship. She plays a woman attempting to escape an axe-wielding Fred Ogilvie ‘17. In this scene, Norman-Wikner falls repeatedly onto the muddy trails of Hickory Hill park during 35 degree weather. “I didn’t wear shoes for a lot of my filming, so that was kind of interesting,” said Norman-Wikner. “It was really cold and dirty. I had mud all over my feet. It was fun!” The arduous process of making a film begins with an idea. For this film in particular, the film’s

co-director, Deckard Finley ‘17 had the initial spark. “I got inspiration for this film from watching dated info VHS tapes that you would see in a guidance class or something,” said Finley. This theme stood out at competitions, and it was broadly accepted for its uniqueness. Boulund and Finley’s film received a Division 1 rating at the first speech competition, and the three highest level ratings at State. At speech competitions, most short films submitted cover issues such as suicide or the dangers of technology. “The majority of short films are low quality,” said Addie Bass ‘17. “They try to tackle too many issues in a five minute period.” Boulund and Finley faced challenges when creating this film, but writing did not seem to be one of them. “Writing Ranger Robbie was pretty easy,” said Boulund. “Deckard came up with the tone and the voice of the film. I did most of the ground work with writing the script. I wrote the entirety of the cult scene and most of the mob scene.” Filmmaking takes a lot of time,

ABOVE: (From left to right) Fred Ogilvie ‘17, Addie Bass ‘17, Anna NormanWikner ‘17, AJ Boulund ‘17, Deckard Finley ‘17, pose after completing a scene.

Oscars Opinion: Developments in Diversity Come Slowly By Maya Durham

NOMINATED: Hidden Figures, Moonlight, and Lion received a collective total of 16 nominations.

We all remember the #OscarsSoWhite trend from the past two years — backlash against the Academy for failing to nominate people of color for any of the major awards categories. Celebrities and viewers alike boycotted the awards show because of this, causing an eight-year all time low in ratings. Many people attributed this glaring lack of diversity to the general makeup of the Academy, which was mostly white,

male voters. In an attempt to fix the diversity problem and subsequent criticism, they added more women and people of color to the board. The results immediately showed improvement. Seven of the twenty nominees for the top four categories (Actor/Actress in a Leading Role and Actor/Actress in a Supporting Role) are people of color, and four of the movies up for “Best Picture” have casts who are predominantly people of color. Many of these nominations led to records made at the Academy — the six black actors/ac-

tresses nominated makes the largest minority group nominated in one year, and the seven total non-white actors ties with the record previously set in 2007. However, there’s still a long way to go. Dev Patel, who is nominated for “Actor in a Supporting Role,” is only the third actor of Indian descent ever nominated, and the only Asian actor nominated this year. There are also no Latinx or Hispanic nominees this year. So, while the Academy is trying to diversify some, they still have a long way to go.

A18

February 10, 2017 A&E

From the Wrestling Mat to the Spotlighted Stage By Olivia DeNeice and Ellie Evans In the short time since his debut onto the stage, the Iowa wrestling coach's son, Tommy Brands, has made his mark in the City High music and drama department. Brands has stepped off of the mats and into the spotlight at City High. “I did wrestling for two years, and enjoyed it while I participated, but it wasn’t what I wanted to do,” Brands said about his brief wrestling career. “Then, freshman year I auditioned for show choir because some friends encouraged me to, and from then on I loved it.” Though his dad is the Iowa wrestling coach, Brands decided to stray from his father’s footsteps and take a different path. “My family supports my interests. They love to come to whatever I’m performing in. My dad doesn’t put any pressure on me to do wrestling. He’s always just said, ‘do what you want to do.’” Brands has had a very successful year so far, engaging in City High’s varsity show choir, 4th Avenue Jazz Company as a sophomore, acting as one of the leading roles in the fall play, To Kill a Mockingbird, and auditioning for All State Choir as an underclassman. “As of right now, I don’t really know what I want to do but most likely something in the performing area when I’m older,” says Brands on his future. “So far, ever since I participated in the musical [Grease], I want to focus on acting more.” Brands has found acting to be his escape. “It’s fun to perform in front of other people. You’re able to show a side of yourself you don’t usually get to show everyday, and it’s fun to see people’s reactions to your performance.”

PHOTO BY JACOB STRATHEARN

'Robbie'

continued from A17 dedication, and commitment not just from the cast, but from everyone involved to create a great product. Boulund spent about 40 hours just editing footage he shot, and at least four hours filming the footage he edited. Boulund and Finley spent two days planning out their shoot, due to limited time windows in which weather restrictions and daylight played factors. Students involved in Boulund and Finley’s film were given an opportunity to experience a different dimension of drama. The entire film was shot without a proper microphone, so the cast had to redub their lines. To redub a line means to re-record a line exactly as it is spoken so it seems like the actor is speaking in the recording. This is usually done to achieve higher sound quality and clarity. “I’ve never had to do a voice dub before,” said Norman-Wikner. “I had to do all the breathing and weird noises in the background all over again.” Though a person acting on film is essentially doing the same thing as one does in front of a live audience, there are a few key differences that distinguish acting in front of a camera from acting on a stage. Addie Bass, a first- time film actress, describes her experience: “It’s just a different dynamic. There’s much more precision needed for acting on camera,” said Bass. “Every expression you make, every movement you make is captured by the camera.”

"Performing for a live audience is, hands down, more difficult." —Addie Bass There is an obvious difference when it comes to acting on film versus acting on camera; acting in front of a couple people, versus a live audience. Though film requires more precision, theatre presents other challenges. “Performing for a live audience is, hands down, more difficult,” said Bass. “If you mess up during a live performance, there’s no control over that. You can’t say ‘okay cut, let’s do that again’. You just have to keep going and power through. If I forget a line while filming, then I just say, ‘okay sorry guys let’s start over’. Then the best take can be used, versus at a performance, where you just have to roll with it.” Though there are several differences between film and theatre acting, both share an arduous process of creation and presentation. Because of this, they also share the satisfaction of creating something special and unique that cannot be duplicated. “My favorite part about filming was watching it all come together,” said Norman-Wikner. When a project is finished, one must decide what to do with the product. Since short film is a part of City High Speech, Boulund and Finley are submitting their film to speech competitions. Boulund is unsure as to what he'll do afterwards. “I’ll submit it to City High Film Fest, maybe put it on Youtube, maybe just keep it in a drawer and never show it again.”

ABOVE RIGHT: Bubba Perez '19 performs his Fourth Ave solo at the Greater Iowa City Area- Student Scholarships Benefit Concert PHOTO BY ANN MARIE BUATTI

Show Choirs Recover Late in the Season By Madeline Pugh

This show choir season, City High’s Fourth Avenue

Jazz Company was off to a disappointing start, but now both City Lights and Fourth Avenue are rising from the ashes of their burning 6th place trophies. After a few dispiriting placements, the show choirs are making a comeback, and with one competition left to prove themselves, they have their fighting hats on. “There’s been a very somber reaction. I think everyone was expecting to do better, especially with how hard we work,” said Amadou Sanogo ‘18. “You can see the looks of disappointment on people's faces after competitions.” This past weekend at Anamosa Sadie Street Showcase, City Lights ended the day in first place and Fourth Ave in third during the day“There’s been a very somber reaction. I time awards. After think everyone was expecting to do bet- weeks of reflection, ter, especially with how hard we work. Fourth Ave is trying You can see the looks of disappointment to zone in on what on people's faces after competitions." exactly will help them improve, and —Amadou Sanogo how to bounce back from this year’s drastic change in chemistry that resulted from director and stylistic changes. “I think people are still recovering from Berry leaving because it really was heart- breaking, and ever since then it just hasn't been the same,” said Jessie Shaw ‘17. “I also think that since last year was such a let down, people in Fourth Ave are still kind of insecure about our show, which really is a great show, but people just can't seem to forget about last year, myself included.” Dealing with tough placements can be very discouraging for show choirs, considering the amount of hard work and passion that is put into a performance. City High is learning to accept the challenges with grace, but suspected bias from judges is always a component in show choir gossip. Place-

ments are decided from the average rating of all the judges, so if one judge rates the show choir extremely low, the entire placement is thrown off. Earlier in the season, Fourth Ave felt confident that they had knocked it out of the park at Waukee Starstruck Show Choir Invitational. However, when the team didn’t make finals, tempers flared and many performers became discouraged and upset. After learning about how fickle some of the judges were, their feelings shifted from somber to determined. Classmate feedback is an important element of participating in a high school show choir, and peer responses can be both helpful and hurtful. Students are not hesitant to share their critical opinions with the members. It is common for performers to feel insecure about their show, which can affect their performance on stage. “We haven't been receiving any real support from our classmates who constantly tell us how we aren't what we used to be,” said Sanogo. “I think that really affects us.” Fourth Ave is determined to make improvement and is far from giving up. They know to focus on their positives. While not easy to maintain, a good attitude is essential for a successful show choir. “There are things that have gone so well this year, like more of a focus on singing, and our rehearsals go really well too. If you’re talking solely about our placements, we’re pretty disappointed,” said Emma Arp ‘17. “It’s hard to have a show that you dedicate so much time to not place well, but I think that these next two competitions will go really well for us.” City High’s success in Anamosa encouraged and lifted everyone’s spirits for the next competition on February 11th at Washington High School in Cedar Rapids, followed by the Spring Show the following weekend. Performers are keeping their heads up and looking toward the end of the season. “All of Fourth Ave is upset with the results, but I think it motivates us more. The warm up room definitely gets a little crazier now,” said Arp. “Placements are important, but I couldn’t ask for better people to perform next to. Competitions are always fun, no matter what.”

A19

February 10th, 2017 A&E

The Speech Home Show: A Photo Recap By Mira Kumar On Friday, January 27th, the speech teams acted, sang, mimed, and puppeteered at the annual Large Group Speech Home Show. The fourteen speech teams who performed on Friday all qualified for the state large-group speech competition, which is taking place on Saturday, February 11. “I’m super excited,” Genevieve Wisdom ’17 said of going to State. “This is the second year in a row where all our teams have made it to State. I’m incredibly proud of everyone.” While the teams aced Districts, the State tournament will be more of a challenge. “[State] is more competitive,” Wisdom added, “so it’ll be interesting to see how we do and to see other state-qualifying teams.” Speech teams who get three Is will qualify for All-State, but may not be asked to perform. The teams will not be notified of the judges decision until the Monday after State.

TOP: Genevieve Wisdom ‘17 and Claire Green ‘19 perform a scene from ‘Legally Blonde’ at the Speech Home Show. BOTTOM LEFT: Elisa Swanson ‘17 sings her solo in ‘Smokey Joe’s Cafe’. BOTTOM RIGHT: The dark skit ‘Strings Attached’ is mimed by Bekah Tate ‘18, Liz Tornblom ‘18, and Tina Tran ‘17. PHOTOS BY JIM GEERDES

The full slideshow and all updates on City High Speech can be found online at thelittlehawk.com/ cityhighspeech

A20

Deckard Finley

Q&A

February 10th, 2017 A&E

Seniors Finley and Boulund both plan on pursuing careers in the liberal arts after high school. Boulund will major in cinematography at The U of I, and Finley in advertising at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia. By Addie Bass

AJ Boulund

Have you always known that you wanted to do art for the rest of your life?

When did you become interested in art?

I actually did not know. I thought that I wanted to be a teacher until this year. Savannah Haneline was wearing a t-shirt that said “Savannah College of Art and Design” on it, and I looked it up, and it looked pretty cool, so we went down there to look at it and I just really liked the place.

Well, this might sound a little embarrassing, but it was around the time that Shrek came out that I realized that I wanted to go into film and art. That movie really had an impact on me. I think I watched the behind the scenes of that movie more than the actual movie. It was called, “The Tech of Shrek."

What was the general reaction from your family when you informed them that you would be pursuing an arts degree? Did they always know that that was your path?

What was the general reaction from your family when you told them you would be pursuing a degree in film? They said, “Good, you can't do anything else.” My mom encouraged it. She was like, “Yeah, you should major in film and minor in art because you're not really good at anything else.” I was like, "Mom, come on, I can't do both. I have to get a job." She told me, “No, this is all you’ve got, ride this out.”

Well, they didn't always know that, but they’ve been really supportive of everything I’ve looked at; when I wanted to be a teacher, when I wanted to do other stuff, they’ve been really supportive. If you were to go to an art museum, what would be the first exhibit you would go to?

Were your parents surprised or did they always know of your interests?

I really like expressionism. But me personally, if I'm going to pursue a career in the arts, it's not going to be necessarily just illustration/painting kind of stuff. I’ll go corporate, maybe. Really, the only way to make money as an artist, unless you’re Picasso, is to be either a teacher or a sellout, so I'm hoping to sell out probably.

They always knew. I've been making movies since preschool, and I’ve been drawing since as long as I can remember. My first movie I made was a Robin Hood movie with my brother; he was Little John and I was Robin Hood. It was on my sister's Barbie camera. We had little hats and everything. When you view art, what’s something that pulls your eye?

What about expressionism do you like?

I've never been into art-art, where it's like, “what does this mean?” I'm definitely more into cartoons and stuff that's easy to understand— dumb stuff like that.

I guess, to me, expressionism seems like there's the most feeling in it, obviously, because there's expressive strokes, marks... You can feel more of the artist's emotion out of it.

What is your favorite type of art, either to do or to view? I love, love, love animation. Think the cheaper animation, I’m talking like 2D, where I can tell that it was actually drawn, like Don Hertzfeldt. I don't like 3D animation, if I’m honest. I also really like stop motion. Stop motion and 2D are my two favorites, but both of those are dead. They're dead mediums that no one uses, except for Wes Anderson.

Do you have a favorite expressionism artist? Yes, definitely, Otto Dix or Max Beckmann, German expressionism.

Is there a type of art you would like to pursue further that you don't normally show interest in?

Is there a type of art you would like to pursue that isn't really something you’ve shown interest in before? Yeah, I'm actually going to try to go into advertising. It seems fun. I do have kind of a background in graphic design so that helps, but it's collaborative, which I really like. I like working with other people. And S.C.A.D. [Savannah College of Art and Design] actually has a 100% employment rate in the advertising department. I’m going to be a film minor, too. Do you think art is important? Definitely. I definitely think art is important. I mean, life would just be so boring without it. Art’s a relative term, you know, everything’s art. If there wasn't art, people would be wearing prison clothes. What you wear everyday is art, you know, it's fashion. Everything that’s around you, your cell phone, some graphic designer had to make the display for that. Art’s just everywhere, and I think without art obviously life would be so boring. But I do think it's slowed down a little bit, art. I think people have gotten a little more lazy. I think you don't see Da Vincis anymore.

I would like to get more into painting. If I put more time into it, it could be good. I'm fine with watercolors, and I've made stuff that has turned out OK before, but then I’ve also made horrible, horrible stuff. I tried to make that Star Wars mural last year. I got to the very end and I just threw it away. I spent a month on it. I thought if you could add water to regular paint it would make it work but it does not work, it soaks through the paper. be?

If you could choose any career path involving art, what would it

If I could do just straight up art, probably animation. For me, the thing is, animation was made to do stuff that you can't do in real life, so when they do these perfectly rendered faces, it's like, why didn't you just do a live action movie? All that pixar stuff that's coming out where it's like “oh, they look so real”, who cares? I live real life every day, I want to see more toy story. Do you think art is important? I don't know, I guess. I'm not one of those “I can't live without art” people. I don't really care, but some people really need it, and some people never look at it, so it depends on the person. And for me, I don't really care.

Sports

February 10th, 2017

GRAPHIC BY JIM GEERDES

Recreational Basketball CItyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most anticipated winter sport has not disappointed through its first three games.

b4-b5

SPORTS February 10th, 2017

3 Lone Loss Not an Issue for Girls Basketball

UPCOMING EVENTS Feb. 10

GIRLS BASKETBALL

feb. 10

BOYS BASKETBALL

City @ Dubuque Wahlert Dubuque wahlert High School 7:30 p.m.

City vs. Dubuque Wahlert City High School 7:30 p.m.

feb. 10

BOWLING

feb. 11

Wrestling

feb. 11

4&5

City @ Cedar Falls Maple Lanes, Waterloo 4:15 p.m.

Rec League Returns

Wrestlers Look to qualify for State

Season brings New sports

District Tournament

Mount Pleasant High School 12:00 P.m.

College Commitments

BOYS SWIMMING

State Meet Marshalltown YMCA 12:30 p.m.

A letter from your... Editors? Dearly Beloved, Well, the ship has come and sailed for the fourth time this year. And this time the boat was about as unworthy for the sea as possible. This sad excuse for a vessel features the same crew of two as usual, and a number of new renovations, including, but not limited to, a lot of basketball, seasonal depression, and swimming. We probably shouldn’t spend this time critiquing our floating haven, but loving it, and all its glory. Eight lovely pages are filled with even lovelier words. Feel free to read them. We unapologetically apologize for the contents soon to be witnessed. We do, on the other hand, sincerely apologize that our advisor has repeatedly urged you underclassmen to join journalism. We believe in the free will of others -just not our own.

Thanks again for picking up this pile of pages and don’t forget to recycle ;) xoxo,

Jam&Haüs

SPORTS February 10th, 2017

Young Boys Team Looks to the Future By Jonathan House

Iowa State commit Ashley Joens ‘18 drives into the lane for a layup against Cedar Rapids Jefferson. PHOTO BY JONATHAN HOUSE

Playoff Bound Team Looks to Advance With the sub-state tournament bracket coming out, the City High girls basketball team has earned a first round bye following a 14-0 start to the season and will look to return to state for the first time since 2014. “Everyone has been doing their part, and all of us have learned our roles on the team. I think that is what has made us successful this season,” City High head coach Bill McTaggart said. The Little Hawks have a record of 18-1 as of Sunday, February 5th, with their only loss coming to West High, but the team has been playing more relaxed following that game according to McTaggart. The Little Hawks have picked up many significant wins, and at the end of the season the stats are looking quite reminiscent of the 2007-2008 season where the Little Hawks won state. Back then, the Little Hawks had the future winner of that year’s Gatorade Girls Player of the Year award for Iowa, Kelly Krei, who averaged 19 points and eight rebounds per game. This year, City has star junior Ashley Joens, who is averaging 21.6 and 10.1 rebounds per game. Both teams had freshman providing a spark for the team. The ‘07 team went through the regular season with an 18-3 record. The ‘07-’08 championship team also faced some hardships in the regular season which it came back to avenge. A tough loss against West High for City’s current team resemble defeats to Linn-Mar and Cedar Rapids Jefferson in

By Noah Bullwinkle and Jonathan House ‘07-’08, which the Little Hawks could look to avenge in potential state tournament rematches. Coach Bill McTaggart thought this year’s team was similar to the state championship team he coached back then as well. “Both teams had absolutely no trouble putting points on the board. They definitely have a lot of similarities,” McTaggart said. The team has continued to be led by the duo of Ashley Joens ‘18, as well as Aubrey Joens ‘20. Ashley leads the Little Hawks in scoring with an average of 21.6 points per game. She also leads the team in rebounding. Aubrey is second on the team with 11.8 points per game and is second in steals, only behind fellow freshman, Rose Nkumu. “It feels kinda the same as playing with Courtney [Joens ‘16 last year], she’s kinda like the same player. We just kinda know where we’re at on the floor so we can always get each other the ball,” Ashley Joens said of playing with her sister this season. This year’s team features four freshman, two starting, and two coming off the bench. Aubrey Joens and Rose Nkumu have earned spots in the starting lineup and Paige Rocca as well as Samantha Greving have seen their minutes increase as the season has progressed. They are

The Little Hawk bench erupts after City scores against rival West High. PHOTO BY BELLA PITTMAN

second and third on the team respectively in bench points behind only guard Christina Hora ‘18. Joens is second on the team in scoring, and Nkumu is fourth in scoring. “I’ve never had more than two freshmen on varsity before, and this year we have four,” McTaggart remarked. “They have contributed not only in games but in practice. Their future is definitely bright.”

“I’ve never had more than two freshmen on varsity before, and this year we have four. They have contributed not only in games but in practice. Their future is definitely bright.” —Coach Bill McTaggart The team also has had plenty of senior leadership this season, led by seniors Sydney Schroder and Kenya Earl. “I think I bring leadership on defense” Schroder ‘17 said. “I’ve [also] had players come to me personally whenever they have issues because I’m a captain, so that’s helped me develop myself as a leader as well.” Kenya Earl ‘17 also has provided the team with leadership in practice by helping younger players learn the plays. “Helping them focus more in practice, getting the plays right, like if they have questions, I can help them with that,” Earl said of her role as a leader. The Little Hawks head into the second round of sub-state facing the winner of the Burlington (6-19) and Davenport West (1-15) game. If they win that, then they will face the winner of Ankeny Centennial (10-5, #11 in state) vs. Waterloo West (10-6). “If we win our first game, we [potentially] could have a matchup with Ankeny Centennial, and they’re a challenging team,” Sydney Schroder said. Kenya Earl is looking forward to that potential semifinal matchup as well. “[I’m most excited for] probably the semifinal game because that’s the game that if you win, you go to state,” Earl said. The Little Hawks begin their playoff run when they play the winner of the Burlington vs. Davenport West game on February 18th at 7:00 p.m.. Students will not be able to use athletic passes for the sub-state game. The game will be at City High, and tickets are $6.

After a disappointing start to the season in which the Little Hawks started 0-6, and as of Saturday, February 4th, the team has improved its record to 3-14 and has averaged 51.3 points per game over its last 10 games, after the Little Hawks only averaged 32.8 points per game in their 0-6 start. Head coach Derek Roberts believes that the team has also improved its defense and communication. “I think just the maturity level of our athletes has gotten better because at the beginning of the year I don’t think it was in a very good spot,” Roberts said of his team’s development and improvement. “Guys were learning the varsity level; just in terms of how to practice and how to get after it. I think the guys are doing a better job of that.” This year, the team has five sophomores playing varsity as well as a freshman, Keyshawn Christian, who averages 6.6 points per game and leads the team in rebounds. The adjustment to varsity took a little time for some of the younger players on the team, but Ryland Threlkeld-Wiegand ‘19 says he has gotten used to it. “From sophomore to varsity, it’s a big jump, so at first everything was a lot faster,” Threlkeld-Wiegand said. “But since then, all the underclassmen, as the season has gone on, have gotten used to the speed, and we’ve taken care of the ball better, we’ve finished better, we just got used to the big jump to varsity level.” Despite having a relatively young team, the three remaining seniors, Charles Johnson, Jared Taylor, and Kolbie Barnes, have provided leadership to the younger players. However, Jared Taylor is currently out with a shoulder injury. “They lead vocally and by example and I can’t really say enough about those guys and what they’ve done for the team and for the program,” Roberts said. Johnson has really embraced his role as a leader in his final season and wants to pass along his knowledge of the City High basketball program. “I’m just being a good team player, helping the younger guys out, I’ve done this for three years, I have the experience.” Johnson said. Johnson has also provided a spark, averaging 11.1 points per game since his return. As the season comes to a close in the next week or so, Roberts hopes that having a lot of remaining games at home will allow the team to continue improving. “We’re not looking for a certain number of wins but we’re just looking for improvement and carrying over from practice to game,” Roberts said. Despite the losing record, Roberts said he has been really impressed with the way the team has continued to work hard in practice no matter their record. “I would say in one word [to describe the team] is resilience and the courage also. It’s not easy going out there and being a part of a team that has a losing record,” Roberts said. Throughout the season, Roberts still remains hopeful that better days are ahead for the program with an influx of talent in the sophomore, freshmen, as well as the eighth grade level. He also thinks that the experience that the young team has had this year will pay dividends down the road. “You look at some of these guys that are stepping up and getting this incredible experience on the varsity level as freshmen, as sophomores,” Roberts said. “You know, we’re gonna have these same guys for the next two-three years knowing the system, knowing what’s expected, this experience has just been great for them.”

SPORTS February 10th, 2017

REC LEAGUE 2017 R

By Jim Geerdes

ecently, the hallways of City High have been slightly louder. The usual dull chatter of underclassmen is being accompanied with the annual trash talk brought forth by the recreational basketball season. Originally, six City High teams and two Tate teams were competing for the coveted championship medals. Following the second Tate team's first game, it merged with its counterpart, resulting in a total of seven teams participating in the league. Junior teams include Eskimo Bros and Money Shots. Senior teams are headlined by Tune Squad, The Ball Busters, 240 Goats, and The Friendly Dads. As the season approached, family and friends of the players were put on the back burner as more pressing matters approached: becoming slightly above average. Recreational basketball players have rushed to become a little better than the rest. “We’ve been doing nothing,” Jim McMillan ‘17 explained. “We’re men, and we have a great chance of winning.” This year, the league has migrated to the East from the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center to the recently built Alexander Elementary gym. The new venue offers more parking and cleaner facilities. This site does not come without flaws, as the first game played featured a singular eight foot rim, due to the facility’s managers inability to raise the hoop. Last year’s winners, H1&1, have all graduated, allowing new teams a chance to take the title and win the coveted first place plastic medals. Contenders such as Tune Squad, captained by veteran player Isaac Buatti, and The Ball Busters both have solid odds of winning the league. Last years last place finishers, The Cross Boys, have changed their name to The Friendly Dads in an attempt to change their outcome. “We hope for a win that does not come by forfeit,” McMillan, former member of the Cross Boys and current Friendly Dad, said. The Cross Boys tallied one win last year due to a Tate Warriors forfeit. The first game of the season was a shocker. The underdogs Friendly Dads took on the Eskimo Bros. The back and forth game was a nail biter, until the Dads finally pulled ahead for the win. Although the Dads have a sole win on the season, they still consider themselves successful. Through the first three games, Tune Squad and The Ball Busters have both dominated, while the Eskimo Bros have plummeted to last place. “Hopefully we win a game,” Brady Vanlo, captain of the Eskimo Bros, said. “We’ve made sure to practice our layups, because if you put the ball in the net, you win games.” Contrary to regular basketball, most players seem to be more concerned with individual stats than their win-loss ratio. “My role is a rebounder. I’m the rebound king, as some may say,” John Clark, a member of Money Shots, explained. “I care about nothing but getting rebounds.” Players to watch this season include John Clark (Money Shots), Michael Berg (Friendly Dads), Anthony Foster (240 Goats), Dylan Deshler (Ball Busters), Bryce Frantz (Tune Squad), and Cameron Chavez (Eskimo Bros).

SPORTS February 10th, 2017

Starting a New Tradition Alex Kooker '17 wrestles a Jefferson opponent to his back for the pin on January 5th. PHOTO BY MARY OLESBERG

By Jim Geerdes

City High wrestlers are trying to break their drought; and only excellence will work. The time dwindled down on an anticipated match between fifth-ranked Jacob Dykes, a junior at City wrestling at 195 with a perfect record until now, and Linn-Mar’s Bradyn Shultz, who was ranked ninth in the state. Dykes had previously beaten Shultz, but the tables had seemingly turned. Shultz was gathering points against Dykes, who knew he had to give it everything he had to win, and stay undefeated. Late in the third period, Dykes turned it up. He managed to wrestle Shultz to his back, and win the match by pin. After beating the ninth ranked wrestler in the state, Dykes decided it was not a time for celebration, but a time for work. A thought kept pressing him: why was it so close? This drove him to get better. “I need to stay focused and train,” Dykes said after the meet. “My goal is to win a state championship.” “Dykes has always been capable of

than ever to change the outcome of last season, both individually and as a team. He’s posted a flawless 39-0 record through the entire regular season, and hopes to continue his dominance into districts and state. “Everybody’s goal is to always be the best, and I’m no different,” Dykes said. The team has thrived off of the successes of wrestlers like Dykes, along with the senior leaders on the team, Jordain Buckland, Alex Kooker, Bryan Berg, and Brock Hunger. “We have a great senior class,” Coach Connell said. “Our seniors are real good kids, and they are leaders for us.” Buckland, a captain wrestling at 220, has experienced successes throughout the season, but not without roadblocks. In late December, right before the anticipated rival West meet, Buckland acquired a high ankle roll. He wrestled through it, winning a key match and ultimately helping his team beat West for the second year in a row. “He came back and wrestled well for us at West,” Coach Connell said. “We didn’t want to hurt him anymore so he would be ready for now, the most important time of year.” Following the meet Buckland missed

a few matches to heal. He currently has a 24-2 record. This is a success that City has not seen recently. The Little Hawks have not qualified for the state dual meet since 2006, when they were the Mississippi Valley Conference Dual Meet champions. City has also not seen an individual state champion since Zach Mckray and Kyle Anson both won in their respected weight classes in 2005. Nic Jarvis ‘16 was the 7th place winner at 152 in the state during the 2015-16 season. No other wrestler for City has placed on the state podium since 2013 when Ryan Maas took 4th at 220. Coach Connell took over the position of head coach in 2012, and even after four years he is still making strides toward success. Last year, Connell and the Little Hawks beat West for the first time since 2002. On February 2nd, Linn-Mar fell to Connell’s team for the first time in his career of coaching. “They are a good team, a good program that I respect a lot,” Coach Connell said, following the meet. “It’s good to get a win over a team like that.” Coach Connell credits his team’s recent successes on the wrestlers’ offseasons. “We’ve got a lot of guys who have come

a long ways since last year,” Connell said on his team. “Every single person here has improved since last year.” Improvement is not enough to turn the tides of City’s past shortcomings. In order to put City wrestlers on state podiums, Connell believes they have to turn it up. “Coming into the year, we had a lot of guys who were settling for being good,” Coach Connell explained. “Now we're making a push to be great. We have a lot of very good wrestlers here who could be great. If they put in that effort we could be great. We have to take advantage of this opportunity to be great.”

"We have to take advantage of this opportunity to be great." —Coach Corey Connell The question of greatness awaits City as it hopes to take on Waverly Shell-rock in a substate dual meet. If the Little Hawks win they will head to the State Dual Meet, which they have not attended since 2006. “This is the most important time of year,” Coach Connell said. “This is crunch time, and we’ve got to finish strong.”

Wrestler to Watch:

Junior Jacob Dykes is pursuing perfection in his second to last high school season.

"I need to stay focused and train. My goal is to win a state championship." —Jacob Dykes ‘18 doing what he’s doing,” City’s head coach, Corey Connell, said. “Sometimes he forgets to wrestle every single second and score points. When he does that he’s a very good wrestle who’s tough to beat.” Last year, Dykes wrestled at 184. After a promising season, where Dykes wrestled to a 15-0 record, he lost twice in the state tournament, knocking him out. He ended his junior year 21-4. The 195 pounder is more determined

Jacob Dykes '18 wins via pin against a Jefferson opponent on January 5th. PHOTO BY MARY OLESBERG

SPORTS February 10th, 2017

Frazier Lights up his Freshman Season By Jonathan House

ity High freshman Forrest Frazier has been an important addition to the City High swim team and qualified for the state meet. He broke two school records in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 52.45 seconds and what he said was his favorite race, the 100 backstroke with a time of 59.46 seconds at a meet on February 4th, and previously broke an MVC sophomore record in the 200 IM with a time of 1:57.08. “It was pretty good. I’ve been hoping to get that record for a little bit of time now, and I got the school record in it too so that was pretty awesome, but I was really excited when I saw the board and knew I got

Andrew Boyton ‘18 swims the butterfly in a meet against Linn-Mar. PHOTO BY JIM GEERDES

State in Sight for Swimmers By Eden Knoop

hile the season is not yet over, City High boys’ swimming coach Stephen Cimaglia already views it as a success. “I’m thoroughly impressed at the strides they’ve made from the beginning of the season till now,” said Cimaglia, one of the team’s two coaches alongside Zane Hugo. “We had swimmers who just had just started there and then, and we had swimmers who had been doing it forever. That’s cool to see and that’s what high school season is all about.” One freshman in particular has helped this team succeed: Forrest Frazier ‘20, who holds 17 state records in club swimming and who recently competed at Junior Nationals. “Forrest has done an amazing job this year,” Sam Naylor ‘18 said, one of the team’s three captains. “He’s gone to almost every single practice and he’s worked very hard.” Frazier’s most recent achievement came at the Mississippi Valley Conference, where he broke both the MVC and the school record in

the 200 individual medley. “I’d been hoping to get that record for a little bit of time now, and I got the school record in it too, so that was awesome,” Frazier said. “I was really excited when I saw the board and knew I’d got it.” More than just being good athletes,

“I was really excited when I saw the board and knew I’d got it.” —Forrest Frazier ‘20 freshmen like Frazier and Louis Steffon, a club teammate of Frazier’s, can help the rest of the team improve. “It’s good for guys to see their training program and how they train in the water and how they’re focused, “ Cimaglia said. “But it’s also good for the freshmen to see the seniors and to have their experience to draw on. It’s nice to have that leadership going back and forth, to help us succeed.”

With their season drawing to a close, the boys’ team has less than a month to achieve its goal of getting individuals to the state meet in Marshalltown on Saturday, February 11th. “We want to get some people to state. That’s the plan,” Naylor said. “Get some people to state and get some wins.” To reach that result, the team has been putting its efforts into focusing on districts, where the swimmers will attempt to qualify for the state meet. “Pretty much everybody on the team right now is just stepping up and putting everything they’ve got into getting ready for districts,” Frazier said. “For me, (my goal) would be to win a state championship in whatever I swim at state. To do that, I’m going to need to keep preparing myself the way I have been this whole season.” Naylor says he is proud of the team’s accomplishments this season and is already looking forward to the future. “We’ve done a lot of good work,” Naylor said. “I’m excited about next year. I think we can do even better.”

“I’ve been hoping to get that record for a little bit of time now, and I got the school record in it too so that was pretty awesome, but I was really excited when I saw the board and knew I got it.” —Forrest Frazier ‘20 it.” Frazier said of breaking the MVC sophomore record. Frazier also has travelled to junior nationals for swimming and says that he took away ideas on how to better get ready for his meets. “That meet was great. When I was down there, I got to be around some of the fastest swimmers there are in this nation. It was just a great thing to be a part of,” Frazier said. Now, Frazier will look to prepare for the state meet on February 11th. At the state meet, Frazier will be swimming in the 200 medley relay along with Louis Stephan ‘20, Mickale Sadecky ‘18 and Eric Thomas ‘18, as well as the 100 breaststroke and backstroke.

Wieland and Ten Others Commit to the Next Level

By Jonathan House

fter originally committing to Northern Illinois in June and then decommitting on Sunday, City High quarterback Nate Wieland ’17 announced via Twitter on Monday afternoon that he has accepted a scholarship offer to play football at the University of Iowa this fall. Wieland is the first City High football player to do so since AJ Derby ’10 did so before eventually moving on to the University of Arkansas. Wieland said that it was too good of an opportunity to pass up after getting a scholarship offer from the Hawkeyes last week. “Just being a hometown kid, it’s hard to leave especially all the opportunities that come at a Big Ten school,” Wieland said of his commitment. “It’s a dream come true.”

On Wednesday, February 1st, Wieland and ten of his classmates signed letters of intent on national signing day. At the ceremony, all of the athletes were introduced and then their coaches were invited to come speak about them. “I just hope you realize, and I think you do, that you’re very well prepared to move on,” head football coach Dan Sabers told the signees. “I hope you come in there feeling ‘Hey, I’ve got a little advantage, my four years at City High have prepared me well not just for the football aspect of it but how to conduct your lives and how to be a student athlete as well.’” After the coaches spoke, the athletes came forward to thank their coaches, parents, teammates, and mentors before signing their letters of intent. In addition to Wieland, teammate Jared Taylor signed to NCAA Division II school Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Gabe Nkumu, who finished third on the team in

Nate Wieland ‘17 commits to Iowa while surrounded by family and friends. PHOTO BY JIM GEERDES

receiving and fourth on the team in tackles this season, signed with another Division II program, Concordia University in St. Paul, MN. Four other football players, Naeem Smith, Charles Johnson, Narada Poole, and Vance Dillon signed with National Junior College Athletic Association member Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls. Dancer Hailey Fay signed with the University of Arizona in Tucson to be a jazz

dance minor. After leading the girls cross country team to a third place finish at the state meet this fall, Mary Arch signed to run with the University of Iowa next fall in the Big Ten. Soccer standout Grace Brown signed to the University of Nebraska in Lincoln to continue her soccer career. Softball player Gabi Hiatt signed with Division III school Cornell college in Mt. Vernon to continue her career there.

SPORTS February 10th, 2017

Season Brings New Sports By Olivia Baird and Jonathan House For many City High students, the snow and ice is a nuisance. Besides the dropping temperatures and seasonal depression, winter provides a lot of opportunities for seasonal fun. However, for some it’s more than just that. It’s a way of life. Their sports would not exist without it. For Matthew Taylor, a freshman here at City High, the competition field is something completely different -- it’s the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena. Taylor has been playing hockey since he was about five years old. “I saw this ‘try hockey for free’ sign at the ice rink I skated at and I guess something just sparked” Taylor said on how he got into it. Now, playing for almost 10 years, he is a very dedicated player. He has practice in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at the ice arena used by the Cedar Rapids Rough Riders, which is about a half an hour drive from his house. He attends practice three times a week and has lifting twice a week on top of that. On the weekends, he and his team have two games a week. Unlike most City High athletes, who travel throughout Eastern Iowa, usually no further than Dubuque, Taylor often has to travel throughout the Midwest for games. He has travelled to places such as Lincoln, NE, the Quad Cities, as well as Kansas City; just to play hockey games. Taylor says that even though he can’t do it in school, it’s the people that make it worth his while. “Hockey is full of different people that you would never meet otherwise and who you share a lot of things in common with,” Taylor said. “It’s a great group of people.” Even though he loves that hockey is not through school, and the opportunities that come with it, he believes that certain aspects of it would be easier if it were done through school. “It would make transportation a lot easier and school work would be easier to deal with,” Taylor said. When the season ends in March, Matthew still works on improving his game and still has practice once a week. “We have scrimmages that we go to that are organized and sometimes i’ll go to the rink and just skate with my friends,” Taylor said. Above all, he hopes that hockey takes him far in life. Taylor wants to continue playing hockey throughout his life whether collegiately or at a frozen pond by his house. Like Taylor, Max Long ‘19 also lives for the winter that many other students seem to dread. “I love that when it’s dark out, the sky glows because of the snow. It’s so cool.” Ever since Long was four, he and his dad have been snowboarding together. His dad taught him to snowboard, starting with the basics of balance and turning. Long remembers the very first day learning to snowboard at his grandparents house with a plastic snowboard. “The hill was barely big enough to sled on.” Every time he would fall, he would get up and look at his dad, who was smiling, full of pride. The two of them usually snowboard at Snowstar in Andalusia, Illinois, a small ski resort started by 3 ski-passionate families. Long usually goes every other weekend. Since the resort is so small, he knows everyone who visits frequently. “It’s a mom and pop style place started and it’s small enough that I know anyone who visits frequently and everyone has a great time and the atmosphere is just a really happy vibe.” Even with the ski resorts in the Eastern Iowa area, snowboarding can be very hard to do. The season is short and very unreliable. “The whole hill could be snow one weekend, and the next weekend be mud and grass.” Long said of the Iowa slopes. To avoid the unreliability of Iowa’s slopes, Long takes whatever chance he gets to snowboard in Colorado, his favorite place to spend his winters. He often ventures with his family to Copper Mountain, Colorado whenever to snowboard on slopes not accessible in the Midwest. Although Long can’t snowboard at school, he still wishes that City had ski trips like South East Junior High had in the past. For most athletes, they enjoy the team aspect in sports. However, Long is different in that he loves the fact that he doesn’t need anyone else to enjoy the sport. “I just love the solitude of it all. I don’t need anyone there to tell me what to do,” Long said. Long wants to continue snowboarding in the future at least as a hobby, but would love to pursue it as a profession even though he doesn’t see it as a realistic goal in Iowa.

“I saw this ‘try hockey for free’ sign at the ice rink I skated at and I guess something just sparked”

Matt Taylor ‘20

PHOTO BY JIM GEERDES