THE Feature, page 4
VOLUME 52 ISSUE 17
High school hosts variety of jazz ensembles Rhydian Talbot Staff Writer
On Feb. 4, the high school will host a showcase featuring a variety of jazz ensembles. The Holmes Junior High and Peet Junior High jazz bands play a free concert, followed by performances by the high school’s Jazz One and Jazz, Too! instrumental ensembles with a set by Vocal Jazz in between. In a night celebrating an oft-forgotten musical genre, Jazz One director Kyle Engelhardt acknowledges the beneficial opportunity to showcase the school’s own talent to a diverse audience. “The jazz show is a great chance to see the jazz bands and jazz choir. We have some of the top jazz groups in the state, and it’s a neat chance to see these guys play and perform in their home environment. It’s a fun night, and the selections for all the groups are very audience friendly and feature almost everyone at some point or another.” Among the featured musicians are senior Sarah Welter on “Deedle’s Blues,” a grammynominated arrangment for Diane Schuur and the Count Basie orchestra, and senior Ian Abbott on Duke Ellington’s “Isfahan.” Senior trombonist Nathaniel Welshons also appreciates the chance to provide peers with an entertaining lesson in a less mainstream musical genre. “I feel like a lot of high school students don’t listen to jazz typically, and it’s really interesting because it uses melodies and rhythms that aren’t as common in more popular forms of music, so it helps you be a well-rounded listener.” Performances by the junior high jazz ensembles begin at 5 p.m. and are free to the public. Performances for the high school jazz ensembles begin at 7:30. Tickets are $5 for adults and $4 for students.
1015 Division St. Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613
Unsung heroes rewarded for actions Rhydian Talbot Staff Writer
In efforts to recognize peers of outstanding character, a student organization has enacted the Exceptional Effort Award. Before the start of the school year, Senior Leadership and coordinator Diane Flaherty acknowledged that certain students and staff in the school exceed expectations in terms of spirit and dedication. Through discussion, they agreed on the importance of celebrating the unsung heroes of the school community. “Each individual had someone who they knew who works really hard and does so without ever expecting any credit or acknowledgement,” Flaherty said. “The group did the first nominees and now they have opened it up to the whole school to nominate those individuals who really go above and beyond to make the high school a better place.” Each month, a staff member and a student from the sophomore, junior and senior classes will receive recognition for their good deeds that often go unnoticed. Dec. 20 marked the giving of the first ever Exceptional Effort award. Principal Dr. Powers, along with a small crew of senior leadership members, surprised sophomore Richie
Korneisel, junior Rachel Nurse, senior Karl Sadkowski and FCS teacher Gayle Bruene in their classrooms with a certificate of recognition and a Scratch cupcake. “When Dr. Powers first announced my name in front of my first hour, I had no idea what why he was there. I was more confused than anything as to why there was a group of people asking for me,” Nurse said. According to those who nominated her, Nurse’s active involvement in extracurricular activities like Student Senate and Junior Leadership made her an excellent candidate, contributing her time and a positive attitude for the betterment of the school. Flaherty acknowledged Bruene as an obvious choice for a recipient as well, citing her passion and verve for her students both during the school year and into the summer months. “She does so much with dance team in terms of fund raising, practicing and building up the girls. She is out at the ball park every night in the summer. She gives everything to the dance team.” Students and staff may be recognized for a variety of contributions to the school. “A teacher might nominate a student who he sees help other students all the time. There are so many
students who work behind the scenes helping teachers, programs and other students. The award recognizes leadership effort, but we knew there are so many others who make small and large contributions.” Besides giving a monthly nod to the under-appreciated, the award also provides a subtle incentive for all members of the school to go “above and beyond” in their participation. Such exceptional behavior can be exemplified through enthusiasm, diligence, unselfishness and empathy for peers. Acknowledging good deeds as they occur provides a boost to the do-gooders as peers express their appreciation. Nurse, however, believes that intrinsic motivation should provide the driving force for behaving with integrity, forgoing public recognition for a sense of personal satisfaction. “There shouldn’t have to be an award for being involved. It’s self-rewarding already. I’ll admit that it will probably motivate students to realize that there are a variety of ways to get involved.” Nomination forms for future Exceptional Effort Award recipients are available in the ERC and Main Office, along with an online ballot found on the front page of the high school’s website.
Over at Peet and Holmes Junior High, general algebra is no longer taught. This has led to one change in the CFHS math department: instead of pre-algebra, the high school will offer algebra fundamentals class. This class will help the students who need extra time to learn the concepts of algebra, and will be spread out over the course of two years. However, with new classes coming in, some of the current classes will no longer be available. In the science department geology and astronomy will no longer be offered; in their place will be three other similar classes. Environmental science will now be offered as a semester class, with biology as a prerequisite. Another class, earth science, will require students to have taken Algebra I. The third class, integrated science, will not require a prerequisite.
For students who take the course called Project Lead the Way, there is a new class called C.I.M. (Computer Integrated Manufacturing). There is a three class sequence for Project Lead the Way, and this will be the second of the three. This means that the sequence will change for everyone taking the three class sequence. “Students need to get into their Infinite Campus and start to look at the classes they would like to start taking. They need to start choosing electives, classes that will help them meet their high school requirements and look into college requirements,” counselor Susan Langan said. “The reason for all these changes is because the Iowa Core has started raising requirements.” These new classes will be a choice during registration for next fall. Registration for next year’s classes will be on Feb. 6 and Feb. 7 for juniors and Feb. 8 and Feb. 9 for sophomores.
Multiple departments offer new classes Sandra Omari-Boateng Feature Editor
Next year, new classes will be introduced in multiple departments throughout the school. In the business department, there will be two new classes offered: marketing concepts (which will replace the already existing sales class) and sports entertainment marketing. The latter has already caught the interest of students. “Sports and entertainment marketing is a great opportunity for students to get exposed to this booming industry; it helps teach how to plan for events and marketing to be successful. Sales and Marketing are both popular classes, so I think this could be another. Anybody interested in business would interested in either class,” business education teacher Brad Remmert said.
Opinion
Jan. 31, 2012 hiline.nr.co
‘Armageddon in slow motion’ is coming Maya Amjadi News Editor
You can deny that you’re an environmentalist but you cannot deny the fact that you need oxygen to survive. Global warming is a real and urgent matter. The planet as we know it will not be around for much longer. Recurring evidence supporting the phenomenon has been accepted by so many scientists that even leading gas companies including BP and Shell acknowledged global warming by pulling out of the Global Climate Coalition (which lobbied against the publication of global warming), knowing that it would hurt their image. Being unable to recognize global warming as reality at this point is shameful. Politicians can’t agree to do anything beneficial as the fate of our planet nears disaster. President Obama has failed to tighten legislation regulating air pollution, smog and carbon dioxide emissions. However, the Republican candidates’ energy plans are horrifying compared to Obama’s shortcomings. Although global warming is the biggest problem we face, none of the Republican presidential candidates have energy plans that outline ways to reduce
emissions or stop the drilling. In fact, they state the opposite. Presidential candidate Mitt Romney intends to get rid of the Clean Air Act and loosen environmental policies so that coal and oil companies will have less regulations. Presidential candidate Ron Paul intends to remove restrictions on drilling, make it easier to
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or the world. Green energy is more expensive but 230,000 lives are predicted to be saved from the Clean Air Act by 2020. We need to focus on our planet and stop the growing pollutant patterns. The United States considers itself a strong and developed leading county, yet we cower at the mention of
We are losing our lead as a country because we have taken insufficient steps to stop the emissions, while we remain neck-and-neck with China for the position of largest polluter in the world.
use coal and nuclear energy and calls for an immediate 30 percent reduction in discretionary spending for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). His plan states that he wants to eventually eliminate the EPA for good. These views will make it impossible to establish a cleaner and greener environment. Although drilling options may create an immediate abundance of jobs, they do not benefit the future of our nation
Contact the Tiger Hi-Line
The Tiger Hi-Line is a weekly publication of the journalism classes of Cedar Falls High School, 1015 Division St., Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613. Our website is www.hiline.co.nr. The Hi-Line is distributed to CFHS students on Tuesdays to read in their free time. Columns and letters do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Hi-Line or Cedar Falls Schools. The Hi-Line editorial staff view is presented weekly in the editorial labeled as Our View. Reader opinions on any topic are welcome and should be sent to the Tiger Hi-Line staff or delivered to room 208. All letters must be signed. Letters must be submitted by 3 p.m. on Thursday for publication the following Tuesday. Letters may not exceed 300 words and may be edited to meet space limitations. Include address and phone number for verification.
Editorial Staff
Editors-in-Chief: Sara Gabriele, Ellen Gustavson, Meg Lane News Editors: Maya Amjadi, Sara Gabriele, Chandal Geerdes Opinion Editors: Meg Lane, Karl Sadkowski Sports Editor: Jared Hylton Feature Editors: Ellen Gustavson, Sandra Omari-Boateng Entertainment Editor: Lucas Hamilton Hi-Line Online Editor: Martha Hall Staff Writers: Sarah Church, Lindsey Davis, Chase Eremieff, Mikayla Foland, Isabelle Hayes, Trevor Johnson, Kathrine Mayhew, Diamond Spann, Rhydian Talbot
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“reducing green house emissions.” We are losing our lead as a country because we have taken insufficient steps to stop the emissions, while we remain neck-and-neck with China for the position of largest polluter in the world. In 2001, President Bush opposed the Kyoto Protocol (which required all industrialized nations to reduce overall emissions by 5.2 percent from the 1990 levels for 2008 through 2012). Our nation was blinded
by its competitive nature when Bush reasoned that India and China were unaffected by the Kyoto Protocol and would increase their emissions. Ignoring the basic statistics, he did not address that the United States accounted for a quarter of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions while only accounting for 4 percent of the population. On a per capita basis, the total carbon dioxide emissions of a single citizen from the United States is 19 times that of an Indian’s. We cannot escape the daunting truth. Global warming is not an abstract issue for the future, and it’s not just killing polar bears. Over 641 Americans died in natural
disasters in 2011 alone. In fact, 2011 set a record for the most billion-dollar disasters recorded in history. These are caused by climate change due to global warming. Some scientists have concluded that we are past the point of no return and cannot undo the damage we have done. I still have hope that we can stop global warming, but we had better get a move on before more natural disasters prove these scientists right.
our view: A message from Congress
On Jan. 24, President Obama gave his third annual State of the Union address. Attending his address was Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D), who narrowly survived gunshot wounds after a shooting last year in Tucson, Ariz. Still recuperating from her wounds, she stepped down from her position in Congress the day after the president’s address to spend time on her recovery. On entering the House of Representatives chamber before the address, Giffords received cheers from audience members for her attendance. She took her seat next to Congressman Jeff Flake (R), also from Arizona. Throughout President Obama’s address, Giffords repeatedly struggled in standing up to applaud due to her injuries. But while Flake holds opposing political views to Giffords, he helped her stand on every occasion. At one point, he started getting looks from fellow Republicans because it appeared he was the only one of them standing up to clap for the president. Unfortunately, political partisanship is part of the United States governments’ definition. It seems to divide individuals to the point that they cannot acknowledge each other beyond criticizing their political motives. Flake, however, bridged the great rift last Tuesday and risked standing as the only Republican among all Democrats for the sake of helping his friend. He disregarded the hard feelings between the parties and did what any person should do, regardless of beliefs. Political partisanship is painfully evident at the high school level, as well. At any hint that seems to discredit the opposing party, some particularly outspoken students chortle out loud in pleasure. These students may one day recognize their immaturity and give the people who support the opposing political party some respect. Seriously, everyone. Let’s stop bickering. Giffords and Flake (and the rest of us) would really appreciate it.
Sports
Jan. 31, 2012 hiline.co.nr
Warriors continue winning streak Izzie Hayes Staff Writer
The Warrior hockey team is off to a perfect start so far this season. With a record of 24-0, the Warriors have hopes of continuing on to state. On Jan. 21 and Jan. 22, the Warriors had free admission nights for their home games. They “packed the house” and played in front of the same crowd as a Black Hawk game. On dates, they faced the always competitive team from Des Moines, and the Warriors triumphed each time. Sunday, Jan. 29, the Warriors played the Quad Cities and came out with the win of 2-1. Jake Lichty, a senior at East High School, led the
team scoring the two goals for “Every team will play hard the Warriors. Assisting were especially against us, but if Austin we play Jackson, like we a junior can, no at West one will High stop us. School We have and worked Rhoads hard all Doland, a year to sophobe where more at we are,” Columbus —Connor Hyde Skarlis High said. Warriors team member The School. Jon Warriors Skarlis, take pride a junior at Cedar Falls High in being the No. 1 team in the School, is currently 4th on the league right now. team in goals with 15 goals so Two years ago the Warfar this season. riors walked away form the
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We win as a team. We lose as a team, but we aren’t planning on losing. We are the team to beat.
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season with a state championship trophy. The Warriors are ready to repeat a performance like that. “We just have to continue to work hard,” said Sean Cavanaugh, a junior at Columbus High School. Being on a travelling team makes the players of the Warrior hockey team more like a family. “We win as a team. We lose as a team, but we aren’t planning on losing. We are the team to beat,” said Connor Hyde, who’s a senior at LinnMar High School. The next game for the Warriors is on Thursday, Feb. 2 against the sixth-ranked Mason City Mohawks.
Wrestlers dominate Dubuque
Athlete Week of the
Tony Johnson Men’s Basketball
1. How has the season been going? It’s been going good so far. Best record we’ve had. 2. How is the team preparing itself? We have gone through the other teams’ plays and ours as well. 3.What are your expectations? Hopeful to reach State.
Tigers in Action
MEN’S BASKETBALL- Feb. 3 @ Dubuque Wahlert 6 p.m. WOMEN’S BASKETBALL- Feb. 3 vs. Dubuque Wahlert 6 p.m. MEN’S SWIMMING Feb. 4 Districts @ Marshalltown 12:30 WRESTLING- Jan. 31 @ Linn Mar, 5:30 p.m. MEN’S & WOMEN’S BOWLING- Feb. 3 @ Dubuque Senior 3:45 p.m.
Devon Davis, wrestling at 220, Dan Kelly, wrestling at 106, and the team overall defeated Wahlert at home on Thursday, Jan. 26. They go on the road on Tuesday, Jan. 31 at Linn Mar.
Feature
Jan. 31, 2012
hiline.co.nr
If the holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year, the month or so after could possibly be considered the worst. As seasonal depression, senioritis or just plain old winter blues kick in, many of us are severely lacking motivation at this time of year. Enter kindergartners. Though they have been in school for much less time than us, many have some excellent insight towards activities to boost one’s mood or motivation level during the end-of-January slump. (Besides, who says one’s ever too old to play dress up?) Have a tea party with all your friends. Then you can dress up and be fancy and stuff. — Jade
Play tag with your best friend. Just watch out, so you don’t run into anything. — Kooper Play dress up because you get to be a princess or prince, but you don’t want to be the witch because she is evil. — Autumn Quotes from kindergartners at Hansen Elementary in Mrs. Hancock’s class.
Watch Barbie and The Three Musketeers, because it’s Barbie and Musketeers. What more could you want? —Naomi
Play with puppies. They are so cute, and you can play fetch with them too.
Make a fort so you can hide away all day and no one will bother you. — Monet
Get a class pet. You can get those cute, really little hamsters or guinea pigs and watch them eat the celery really really fast or watch them play in their wheels. — Kaden
Play games with your little brother or sisters, but let them win so they don’t tell Mom. — Vincent
Ask your mom or dad for a hug because they know how to make it better. — Ivy
Watch Transformers because it has a lot of fighting and cool robot cars, and, oh, definitely eat some chocolate chip cookies. — Ethan Have a special blanket. My blanket always makes me feel better. —Natalie
—Grace
Play card games, like wild cards. They are super fun. —Frances
Pretend to be an airplane. It’s really fun and you can make the cool airplane noises too. — Kemani
You could play checkers. I don’t know how to play checkers, but my grandma tells me all the time that they are really fun to play. —Ruby
Play Mario Kart. It’s super cool, and you can race your friends, but just don’t lose. I never lose, but that’s just me. —Evan