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You know that girl in your English class? The one who wears the same pair of sneakers every day? Or that boy in your physics class who shows up five minutes late on a daily basis? Sure, they could be defined by these appearances. That is, after all, what we notice without any effort. However, if we dig a little deeper, strike up a conversation, or ask a question, maybe we can find a reason why. Based on the idea that everyone has a story to tell, West Side Story randomly chose 9 students to find the source behind COMPilED by//velarchana santhana the things that define them. photos by//abby burgess
Rowan McKee ’14
“I have four parents,” McKee said. “Three of them live in [California, but] I stay with my [biological] mom here in Iowa.” McKee is the product of a relationship consisting of more than two partners. He was born with two fathers and two mothers. “They used to be a quad, but then my step-mom, step-dad, and [biological] dad moved to California and my [biological] mom stayed here,” he said. He now spends his breaks in California with one family, and the majority of other times he stays in Iowa with his mother. “It’s normal for me,” he said. “When I’m in [California] I talk to my [Iowan] friends on Skype, and when I’m in Iowa I talk to my [Californian] friends on Skype.” McKee has had a relatively calm go of it, even with the recent tremor in the triad. McKee’s biological father is divorcing his stepfather and stepmother. “It’s complicated because my step-dad is my legal father,” he said. McKee’s stepfather and mother were a couple before they met McKee’s biological father and stepmother. He was conceived during the period in which they were a quad. A divorce doesn’t mean complete estrangement from his step-parents for McKee. “When they’re divorced, it’ll likely be after I’m 18. That means I’ll be able to choose when [I] see each parent,” McKee said. “I don’t think it’ll be any harder for me to interact with them, or vice versa.” That’s not to say the split will go out with utter indifference. “Honestly,” McKee states in a matter-of-fact manner, shifting his hands, and giving an uncertain grin, “[I’ll miss] them being together.” Through it all, McKee is keeping an optimistic perspective. “Things will continue to happen afterwards, for better or worse,” he remarked. “[The] story’s not over.” COMPilED by//stephon berry
Emma Sauser ’17
Emma Sauser ’17 is the daughter of Brian Sauser, an academic dean and the West High football coach, and Mandy Sauser, a special programs teacher. “It’s kind of weird being with my family 24/7 and never being away from them, but it’s nice always having someone there,” she said. “[Whenever I see them at school] my parents try to be as obnoxious as possible.” Having a parent teach at school is one thing, but having a parent as an academic dean is a whole other story. “I feel like people don’t want to do anything bad around me, because they think I’ll tell my dad,” she said. “Some people think he’s really strict and mean ... but he’s really just looking out for you. ” At home, “he’s not really that strict of a dad. One weekend, [we] were home alone and got to hang out together. We went to a football game, went out to eat, went shopping. [My dad] actually loves shopping,” she said. COMPilED by//apoorva raikwar
10 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013
DESIGN BY//TYLER VOSS