THE Spring play, page 4 and 5
VOLUME 52 ISSUE 21
1015 Division St. Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613
Online schools receive mixed reactions Lindsey Davis Staff Writer
Wasting time on the Internet is part of a new-world life. Imagine doing that seven hours a day, five days a week, for 13 years. That is what some Iowa students may be starting to do with the institution of online K-12 schools. While wasting time is certainly not the intention, according to a recent New York Times study, the success rate of online schools certainly seems to fit that mold. Nearly 60 percent of students enrolled in a cyber school are behind grade level in math. Almost 50 percent trail in reading. A third do not graduate on time. Within months of enrolling, hundreds drop out. With all these negative figures, why are two Iowa school districts pursuing this very wrong path in education? Kids mean money. Clayton Ridge Community School District (Guttenburg) and the CAM (Cumberland, Anita, Massena) School District have partnered with K12 Inc. and Connections Academy to offer a completely online education for students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Because of these partnerships, students from any Iowa district can enroll
in the online schools. When a student enrolls, nearly all the public money accumulated for the child’s education ends up in the pockets of the out-ofstate companies. It costs almost $6,000 per pupil in tax payer money, but the state ends up keeping only 3 percent of that. Where does the other 97 percent go? To the for-profit companies, of course. Many schools already face harsh budget cuts. Some worry that siphoning more money away is doing nothing to help improve Iowa schools. Not only do online schools mean money problems, but legality issues too. Iowa school districts are in chains to “Dillon’s Rule,” which means they are only allowed to do what the law clearly says they can. The Iowa Code states that schools cannot operate completely online. Somehow CAM and Guttenburg got around these rules. Iowa Department of Education communications director Staci Hupp explained how this can happen. “Iowa law provides a different pathway through which school districts have the authority to develop online schools. It is through this pathway that the CAM and Clayton Ridge school
districts are moving forward with online programs. The two districts did not need department approval to launch these online programs; they are arrangements between those districts and the online learning providers they will contract with. The department’s role is Are you in favor of K-12 to make sure those Internet schools in Iowa? programs follow state law,” Hupp YES NO said. So there are 77.5% Soph. 22.5% loopholes to almost everything. Dan Conrad, Cedar Jrs. 20% 80% Falls Director of Secondary Schools, 67.5% 32.5% sees a different side Srs. to this issue. This poll represents a total of “Several years 10 percent of all students ago, the state attorney general ruled that this — 40 per grade, 20 per gender practice [online curin each grade. riculum] violated the laws of open enrollment. It is my hope that this will happen again. The money for-profit companies,” Conrad that districts receive from said. the state to educate students There are a lot of opinions should be used to hire and on the online schools, but support highly qualified while havoc occurs because teachers, and not go towards of the CAM and Guttenburg
districts, the state’s education office is looking to more online learning. “The Governor’s education proposal supports the expansion of Iowa Learning Online, a state system that already provides high-quality online instruction to students across the state. The goal is to create a state clearinghouse through which school districts can choose to buy high-quality online courses taught by Iowa certified teachers. Technology has virtually changed every aspect of our lives; we must adapt in education by expanding quality online learning as an option for Iowa students,” Hupp said. Iowa lawmakers point to some other bright side to cyber schooling. Online schools allow students to complete coursework at any time during the day. They can go back and re-watch a lesson or lecture if they are not understanding the concept. Students would have the ability to turn in assignments electronically, and their skills in technology would be enhanced. For regular homeschooling, Internet academies like K12 may also be a smart choice for some students. Continued Page 2
Students at Columbus use iPads efficiently Izzie Hayes Staff Writer
A year ago this March, the Cedar Valley Catholic School system started making decisions about giving each student in grades six through 12 an iPad 2. The original plan of purchasing each student a Macbook laptop was put aside after opting for the iPad 2 at almost half the price of a Macbook. Students were taught how to use new apps
and how to apply their new piece of technology to their studies. According to staff, implementing the iPad 2s to the schooling of the students of Columbus High School, Blessed Sacrament, Sacred Heart and Saint Edwards grade schools has made learning more efficient. Tom Ulses, principal of Columbus High School, said, “I believe that we have raised the efficiency level of what we are doing.
For example, all students have access to the same device. Teachers can plan projects more efficiently because they know that all the students will have access to the tools that can help them complete it. Students are able to access digital content more efficiently, and paper consumption has dropped significantly,” Ulses said. Many students feel that the iPads have significantly helped their learning as well.
Having an iPad means automatic access to the Internet and millions of apps that can assist them in their learning. Junior Ashlee Sinnot said she believes that the iPads have helped her learn more effectively. “I think it helps for some things like being able to access the Internet all the time and being able to do projects. You can also get more done in class when working on a project or even taking notes
because typing things is a lot quicker,” Sinnot said. With technology comes maintenance. However, the students have not seen many issues with their iPads. Paticia Wiss, theology teacher, has at times struggled with the new iPads. The technology is sometimes difficult to get a grasp on. “It’s kind of like freshmen Continued Page 2
hiline.co.nr Feb. 28, 2011
iPads
Continued from page 1
News Online schools Continued from page 1
Connor Watson Photo
Students at Columbus High School, like junior Josh Van Beisen, use their iPads daily in class and at home. and their lockers after the first semester. It’s a piece of cake, but that first semester, oh boy, it’s nerve wracking. So maybe this technology isn’t as simple as the freshmen lockers, but it really is an adventure, and for everything we lose because of technical difficulties, I think we gain in building community as we problem solve together,” Wiss said. Connor Watson, junior at Columbus, has not had many troublesome issues with his new technology. “The screen can get touchy at times, and if you don’t shut it off after a while, it gets a little wacky, but you can do pretty much do whatever on them. They’re really portable and, although I hate to say it, they are great for homework,” Watson said. The iPad’s portability is also one of its strong suits. “If I have a game that’s away, I can bring my iPad and get everything done without having to wait ‘til I come home to use the computer,” junior Carlie Sullivan said. However, the iPad is not only known for being an educational device. There are millions of
games and websites students can also access on their iPads. From the point of view of an instructor, math teacher David Will said he believes that the iPad is not to blame if students have off-task tendencies. “The idea of focus is up to the individual student. Students always have daydreamed and still daydream,” Will said. Students agree. Sophomore Lindsay McManus commented, “They have helped with expanding creativity with projects and stuff, but you can easily get off task with them.” Other big changes are also on the horizon for the Waterloo Catholic schools. In addition to an increase in enrollment in the past year, the building of the new middle school is ahead of schedule. The Blessed Maria Assunta Pallotta Middle School will be a consolidation of all Waterloo Catholic 6-8 graders. Along with the iPads for all students, the new Middle School will also have an elevator to assist students with disabilities. The middle school is set to open next fall.
“The education system must adapt to the learning needs of Iowa’s children, and we believe that online learning is the right choice for some families. Technology has changed how we live, communicate and work. Online learning is expanding rapidly nationwide. We must adapt in Iowa with quality online learning options for students,” Hupp said. Though cyber school may be the right fit for some, others argue that it will never amount to obtaining a “normal” education. Gene Glass, a Research Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder’s School of Education, discourages the idea of online schooling. “The online student is missing so much about what education can and should be: what it is like to get to know a really excellent teacher personally who will affect his or her life years after high school; how one’s peers struggle and succeed to help each other; what it feels like to dissect an organism or titrate a solution in the chemistry lab. An online school will never live up to the school that opens its doors and says ‘Come in, join us,’” Glass said. Some also argue that students enrolled in K-12 online schools will never fully grasp social skills that would naturally form in a classroom with 20 other kids. The opportunity to thrive and participate in extracurricular activities would be nixed. “I believe having regular, faceto-face interaction with teachers and other students allows students to learn at higher levels and provides a more realistic experience for what students will face when they enter the work force. Very few careers allow a person to sit at a computer and work in isolation all day. There are also some courses that do not lend themselves to an online curriculum because they require hands-on activities (such as science labs, Industrial Tech, Family Consumer Science, etc.) I also believe students benefit greatly from the social interactions they have with other students, teachers and administrators at
Dakota Abels Cartoon school,” Conrad said. It’s safe to say most of the online K-12 schools are being instituted in rural areas. Most likely there will never be a total online curriculum in the Cedar Falls district. Rather, administrators may plan for more online activities that can coexist with lessons. These could provide additional help and support for struggling students. The idea of incorporating online lessons sits better with people than a full blown online school. “I would not enjoy having school online because I like the communication aspect of the school day. I also prefer hands on activities like chemistry labs. The difference between a real life lab compared to an online lab is that in the real life you are actually performing the steps and on the online one, you just click what to do. The interaction with peers is an aspect of school that I find important. If school was only online, the social skills of people would be horrible and almost nonexistent,” junior Rachel Nurse said. The agreement that online schools disable social skills and encourages isolation is nearly country-wide. School may not be where students want to spend seven hours each day, but would they rather be sitting at home for that amount of time staring blankly at a computer screen? Glass puts it best: “There is an exciting world out there beyond the laptop on the kitchen table. Go meet it.”
Feb. 28, 2012
hiline.co.nr
Words Won’t Help You Here All Over Town 32 Awkward Silences
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Feature
Play tri The play will be held this Friday and Saturday, March 2 and 3 at 7:30.
Feature
Feb. 28, 2012
hiline.co.nr
ifecta takes stage
Erin Keiser Photos
Starting at the upper left and working clockwise, senior Rhydian Talbot and junior Zach Souhrada-Rogers dip dramatically while doing the tango, sophomore Carrsan Morrissey rages at one of 32 awkward silences, Talbot expresses disbelief that her husband is Buddhist, Souhrada-Rogers tries to awaken senior Falken Jaramillo from a trance, senior Nate Hua spurns junior McKenzie Sesterhenn’s advances, Jaramillo wheels in a distraught junior Amanda Harwood, sophomore Katherine Mayhew accepts senior Jacob Dailey’s marriage proposal, senior Cole Stricker and junior Evan Fairbanks plot an act of shenanigans and senior Colton Sherwood screams for interior design.
Opinion
Feb. 28, 2012 hiline.nr.co
NYPD profiling Muslims perpetuates stereotypes Karl Sadkowski Opinion Editor
Many of “New York’s Finest” have just been put into question. The New York Police Department (NYPD), the largest police department in the United States, works primarily in New York City’s five boroughs and monitors and controls every kind of illegal activity in the area. On Wednesday of last week, however, New Jersey’s Newark Mayor Cory Booker demanded state authorities begin a deeper investigation in the NYPD’s activities in Newark’s Muslim neighborhoods. Since mid-2007, the NYPD has spied on Muslims in Newark and elsewhere in the Northeast — including Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania — photographing mosques and many Muslim businesses and eavesdropping on their
visitors. Newark’s Muslims are profiled in a 60-page guidebook recently obtained by the Associated Press. But the police’s espionage goes deeper than taking photographs and listening in on conversations. Detailed reports on some Muslims provide information such as where they live, where they work and where they are likely to buy food. The Sept. 11 attacks in 2001 most definitely sparked this secrecy for fear of future terrorist attacks. To the NYPD’s wasted efforts, however, no suspicious Muslims were discovered in Newark or anywhere else in the Northeast. Officers may just as well have bugged Christian churches and listened to hundreds of Sunday masses. Police surveillance regulates crime and protects many, but when it grows as tall as Big Brother, it causes trouble. After discovering they were being watched, some outraged Muslims wondered why the NYPD didn’t just ask its questions directly. Abdul A. Muhammad, the imam of the Newark Masjid Ali Muslim mosque, asked, “You want to
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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come in? We have an open door policy.” Booker said no person should ever be watched indiscriminately because of the way he prays. He calls it “a very unfortunate situation” in which people are being targeted “based upon nothing but their religion.” Further investigation of the NYPD’s
more animosity toward the United States as a whole. Remember last year’s July 22 terrorist attacks in Norway by Anders Behring Breivik? He was responsible for a car bomb in Oslo that killed eight people and injured 92, and later a shooting rampage at a summer camp that killed 69. This was the most violent massacre to occur in Norway since the Second World War. Breivik, a Christian rightwing extremist, committed the killings mainly to market his written manifesto outlining his (Hitleresque) worldview. He is now being held in jail until his trial in April. I write this to explain that Islam is not the only religion associated with historic terrorist attacks. The NYPD may have just wasted five years of its time committing unethical work while it let slip by the rising “Breiviks” in Newark or elsewhere. So why should the god a person prays to determine whom the police spies on? For the record, the NYPD’s efforts discovered no would-be terrorists. Religious profiling can be remarkably misleading.
I write this to explain that Islam is not the only religion associated with historic terrorist attacks. activity is underway. A great deal of deserved heat has burned the NYPD. People rely on the police to protect communities and rid them of crime, and now that Newark’s Muslims know they’ve been on the NYPD’s “potential criminals” list for nothing else but their religion, they feel betrayed. No kidding. So would I. It’s understandable that the NYPD’s goal in this scheme was to catch terrorists, but this displays a complete lack of trust and suspicion for all innocent Muslims. As for the actual terrorists — whoever they are — this event has probably stirred in them even
our view
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“Just because someone claims they’re a Muslim doesn’t make the whole community agree that they’re right. A Muslim cannot be a terrorist and a terrorist cannot be a Muslim, and I strongly believe that.” —Furkan Pecen Senior
“They’re innocent people. They’ve done nothing. Why would they go after innocent people just because of what their religion is?” —Ahmad Shehata Sophomore
Check out Hi-Line’s new Web features The Tiger Hi-Line is available online. In an effort to bring news and events to every one’s attention quicker, we have been moving to quicker forms of communication on the Internet. We have started a Tiger Hi-Line Twitter account for all users to follow. The account name is @TigerHiLine. We tweet information about upcoming games, concerts or other current events. We also try to make our stories available to you by sending out links. Every Friday, we tweet the current favorite songs from the staff. We call this Friday Song Day. If you want to participate and help promote the Tiger Hi-Line Twitter account, simply tweet your favorite song of the day @TigerHiLine and hashtag #FSD for Friday Song Day. Another available website for information regarding the Cedar Valley and our school is the Cedar Falls Patch website. The website is run by CFHS graduate and former Hi-Line editor Allison Gowans, and it serves as an information site about news, events, blogs and photos of the Cedar Valley. The Tiger Hi-Line has a blog on the site, and you can read published stories on the site if you cannot get your hands on the latest edition. There is no reason for not keeping in touch with the happenings of your community with all this information so easily accessible to you, so, by all means, start reading the news, whether it be by from tweets, papers or websites.
Opinion
Feb. 28, 2011
hiline.co.nr
Pay attention to roads, not phones Texting while driving is problematic, destructive to everyone on roads Rhydian Talbot Staff Writer
The sun’s shining a little longer, the temperature is climbing higher and the urge for recklessness is growing stronger. With Spring and all its activities — Spring break, prom, graduation — just a page turn away on the calendar, it’s completely understandable that students may start fidgeting with pent up restlessness and recklessness. As we approach the final nine-week stretch, however, it’s absolutely crucial we not forgo basic safety practices when sitting behind the wheel. Allow me to get all “Public Service Announcement” up in here for a few paragraphs in regards to the oft-discussed controversy, texting and driving. For the license-holding drivers among us, statistics and shocking anecdotes about the dangers of texting while operating a vehicle don’t come as a total surprise, what with driver’s ed spending liberal time cautioning against it. To ward against accidents and fatalities, the state legislature has enacted certain precautionary measures. As per Iowa law, adults caught texting while driving can be slapped with a $30 fine. For teens, the restrictions are a little bit tighter and bit more costly: driving while operating any electronic handheld device generates a $50 slap on the wrist. While deciding that those over 18 are worthy of electronic exemptions
may be questionable, the underlying message — prepare to pay for your distractions — remains. Unfortunately, state law can only force text-anddrivers to pay monetarily for their on-road mistakes; no tangible item could ever pay for a life unnecessarily taken. Almost 6,000 deaths and over half a million injuries are caused by texting drivers every year. Each of those 6,000 deaths are entirely preventable. What can someone possibly have texted that’s so allconsuming, it couldn’t wait another five minutes? More importantly, what earthshattering tidbit of information do you need to spread that’s so dire it forces you to stop watching the road for five seconds while hurtling through traffic in two tons of death? Responding to inane gossip about some relationship controversy or a twotiming backstabber sucks up all the energy needed to focus on, you know, staying alive (and keeping those around you breathing, as well). You’re so consumed with a cell phone’s threeinch screen that you fail to see the jaywalking pedestrian, and boom. Manslaughter. How do you compose your text now? “BRB just hit some dude with my car LAWLZ”? Just soak this in: according to the Department of Transportation, sending or receiving a text takes a driver’s eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, the equivalent — at 55 mph — of driving the length of an entire football field, blind. During these crucial 4.6 seconds, you might fail to see a cute four year old racing into the street to retrieve a wayward basketball. You’d fail to see the unaware biker or the unsteady elderly couple; you’d fail to see the neighbor’s yippy toy-breed
Cartooon by Dakota Abels dog streaking across the street (on second thought ... let your foot slip on the accelerator. Exception to the rule!). I could continue to bore you with statistics (speaking of: a young driver’s reaction time while texting is equivalent to the reaction time of a 70 year old), or I could give one last heartfelt plea: just don’t do it. Keep your phone in your pocket, in the backseat or in a time-out until you’ve killed the ignition. Waiting another five minutes to read a text won’t kill anyone; taking five seconds to respond while driving, however, could.
Do you think cell phone use while driving should be outlawed? Yes
No
70%
30%
Sophomores Juniors
62.5%
37.5%
Seniors
57.5%
42.5%
This poll represents a total of 10 percent of all students — 40 per grade, 20 per gender in each grade.
Sports
Feb. 28, 2012 hiline.co.nr
Tigers drown Wahawks, move on to McLeod Center Jared Hylton Sports Editor
Revenge was on the minds of the boys basketball team Friday night, and revenge they got. They defeated Waterloo West 55-39 to move on to a Substate final. “It felt really good getting revenge. We knew it was going to be tough because it’s the third time we’ve played them this season, and the stakes were high,” said junior Kalehl Brown. The Cedar Falls Tigers advance on to play in the McLeod Center on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. against the Cedar Rapids Jefferson J-Hawks. The winner will advance on to the first round of the Iowa High School Boys Basketball State Tournament, the loser will go home. The J-Hawks are coming off a
64-58 win over Marshalltown. This will be the second time Cedar Falls has seen Jefferson this season. Earlier in the year James Harrington led the Tigers to a 64-49 victory over Jefferson with his team-leading 19 points. Two years ago Cedar Falls found themselves in a similar position; playing Jefferson for the right to go to State. Jefferson prevailed pulling out a 47-42 win behind the steady play of Jarrod Uthoff who is now at the University of Wisconsin. The Tigers are looking for a different outcome this time. West’s game plan was obvious from the start: shut down senior James Harrington. But, like most teams this season, they were unsuccessful. Harrington led all scorers with 19 points. West had all the momentun at the
end of the third quarter, they had just chopped Cedar Falls’ lead down to four points. The fourth quarter is when Cedar Falls really broke the game open. The Tigers roared back behind the hot hand of senior center Tony Johnson who drained three three-pointers to propel CFHS to a 15-3 fourth quarter run. The streak sent the Wahawks packing, and thrust the Tigers into the Substate final. The Tigers are looking to return to the State Tournament in the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines for the first time since 2009 when Harrington was just a freshman. “We’re really excited about the opportunity to play in the McLeod Center, the seniors really deserve the chance to go to State, we want to make that happen” junior Kalund Brown said.
All games Tuesday 7:00 Substate 1- Sioux City East vs. C.B. Lewis Central Substate 2- Ankeny vs. Des Moines Roosevelt Substate 3- Cedar Falls vs. Cedar Rapids Jefferson Substate 4- Dubuque Senior vs. North Scott Substate 5- Iowa City West vs. Bettendorf Substate 6- Linn-Mar vs. Cedar Rapids Kennedy Substate 7- West Des Moines Valley vs. Johnston Substate 8- Des Moines Hoover vs. Waukee
UConn’s appeal on ban is a joke Staff Writer
UConn’s appeal is a joke. The University of Connecticut was recently banned from all postseason play after academically falling below the standards established by the NCAA this past October. These standards use a value called APR, or the Academic Progress Rate, which measures the success of collegiate athletic teams in moving student athletes towards graduation. Under the current rules, a school must have a two-year average score of 930 or a four-year average of 900. UConn falls below both of these metrics, averaging 900.5 for the two-year and 888.5 for the four-year. It’s unfortunate, really, that students that are
on the UConn basketball team right now must suffer for the sins of former students, but rules are rules. That’s not the issue here, though. The issue here is the fact that UConn is trying to appeal the ban on their basketball program. Instead of being banned from postseason play, the punishments would go as follows: reduce the number of regular-season games from 27 to 23; forfeiting a Big East postseason revenue share: no head-coach recruiting off-campus in the fall of 2012; extra time in study hall; and a tour of inner-city schools to stress the importance of education. Sounds reasonable, right? Wrong. I find this situation analogous to what happened to Ohio State’s football program, who also was hit by sanctions set by the
NCAA and then subsequently tried to appeal and set their own punishments. They got denied. And so should UConn. Just because you are a so-called “Power Conference” school doesn’t mean that you are above the rules established by the almighty NCAA. The rules are the rules. Abide by them. Take the penalty. These schools are accustomed to getting their way from time to time in all kinds of matters when facing sanctions. The men’s basketball programs are Southern and Grambling and the football programs at Jackson State and Southern all fell below the NCAA’s APR and have been banned from postseason play because of it. You don’t see them trying to appeal and woo the NCAA. Though there is some big conference bias in sports, that
of the
Class 4A Substate Pairings
Sports Opinion: Jeff Daniels
Athlete Week
isn’t the underlying problem. The biggest problem with college athletics is not programs buying players or making deals with agents or family members. Those are major issues, yes, but they aren’t the worst thing. The worst thing is academic malfeasance. These athletes are learning nothing away from the court, which in turn corrupts the academic mission of the schools—the very reason for their existence. Making a mockery of education while pursuing athletic fame and fortune should have its consequences. There should be no bargaining to avoid penalties such as these, no switching rules when the results aren’t going your way. Most children learn this growing up. Hopefully UConn will learn it now.
Imonee Qualls Women’s Basketball 1. How do you feel about the team’s performance this season? I’m really proud of the team because we progressed a lot, but I wish our last game could’ve had a different outcome. 2. What is your favorite memory from this year? We all drowned at the Noah’s Ark Waterpark. It was a little scary, but it was great.
3. How was the team chemistry this season?
Our team chemistry was a lot better than last year. You can tell by how we played compared to last year.
Tigers Action MEN’S BASKETBALL Tuesday, Feb. 28, 7 p.m. @ McLeod Cener vs. Cedar Rapids Jefferson