THE
Early Exit:
Men’s team upset in sub state game vs. Jefferson, page 4
1015 Division St. Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613
VOLUME 52 ISSUE 22
Band students head to Washington, D.C. Lindsey Davis Staff Writer
One of the perks of being in band is the lavish trip taken every three years, and this year, individuals in band have the opportunity to head out to Washington, D.C. Here, they will site-see for five days and also play some music as well. From Saturday, March 10, to the following Saturday (spring break), band members will spend their days learning about American history and visiting historic sites. On Sunday, March 11, the band will arrive in D.C. and have dinner at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. They will also see Herbie Hancock who is a renowned pianist. Monday brings the Holocaust Museum. Following this, they’ll hit the Lincoln Memorial where they will play concert pieces.
“It’s crazy to think we’ll be playing where MLK has spoken to millions in his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech,” band member Bennett Ford said. Following this experience, the band will watch the Marine Corps Band, an inspiration for all the members. The band will head to the US Naval Academy in Annapolis on Tuesday where they will receive a tour. Taking a break from D.C., they will travel up to Baltimore to shop and eat as well as visit the Baltimore Aquarium. Wednesday is dedicated to the Smithsonian museums. The jazz bands are set to visit the Armed Forces retirement home and play some jazz music for the residents there. Thursday is their last day in D.C., and they plan to visit the Arlington National Cemetery to see the Eternal Flame, the Tomb of the Unknown
Robotics earns 15th place at regional FIRST competition Sara Gabriele Editor-in-chief
The Swartdogs, Team 525, earned 15th place in the regional FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics competition in Kansas City last weekend. The team was eliminated in the semi-finals but will have another chance to advance to the national competition at the 10,000 Lakes Regional. Led by physics teacher Kenton Swartley, the team built a robot to perform different tasks, competing in two minute 15 second matches. This year the game was Rebound Rumble, in which the team’s robot picked up basketballs and shot them into four different hoops. In the middle of the field were three different bridges that the robots had to
balance on. Though the team did not advance to nationals in this competition, they felt the process was still equally rewarding. “It’s nice to win, but it’s more than just winning, “ junior Katie Yang said. “It’s about the entire process of learning about all the science and technology that goes behind robotics. We already won because we got an awesome robot working.” The team received the Gracious Professionalism award, an honor awarded to teams that exhibit outstanding sportsmanship. “It’s nice that other people are noticing what we’re doing to help other teams,” Yang said. The 10,000 Lakes Regional, will be held in Minneapolis on March 31.
Band Pops Concert: •Tuesday, March 6 and Thursday, March 8 •7:30 pm. •CFHS gym •Featuring the Symphonic Band, Wind Symphony, both jazz bands and an ensemble of percussionists. Soldier and watch the Changing of the Guard. They will then tour the Capitol and take a picture with Iowa’s Senator Chuck Grassley. The band will wrap up the day by walking the National Mall. On Friday, the band will depart D.C. and travel to Kalahari Resort, which is the world’s largest waterpark. After a dinner here, they will pack up their belongings and head home. For a trip of this magni-
tude, money can sometimes be an issue. That’s why band members have hosted numerous fundraisers. The annual carwash was the big ringer. Many got enough pledges to raise a healthy amount of money that went to their trip accounts. “The whole thing really excites me. Seeing Herbie Hancock is going to be incredible, and so is playing for tourists at the Lincoln Memorial. The educational side is really neat too. Now
that I’ve taken U.S. history II and American government, I can see lessons I learned in class in action and in front of me. Also, the fact of getting out of CF for spring break for some very nice weather with friends isn’t bad either,” Ford said. Not all band members will be attending this trip, for various reasons. Junior Julie Doyle decided to pass on it in order to save money for the church trip Caravan this summer. “My favorite part about band is the people because they are all solid individuals. Then getting us all together, we just make each other better people as a whole. I won’t be going on the band trip, but a lot of people have told me they look forward to playing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial,” Doyle said.
13 students advance to DECA nationals Katherine Mayhew Staff Writer
The CFHS DECA team had 13 students qualify for the national competition: Patrick Sesker, Kelley Dobson, Lauren Bannon, Ben Challgren, Shane Shaddox, Colby Creger, Chris Dobson, Natalie Rokes, Wyatt Kroemer, Nick DeBuhr, Laura Schwickerath, Lindsey Davis, Jane Challgren and Sami Schildroth. More than 500 Iowa students competed in the state competition in Des Moines back in late February. The national competition will take place in Salt Lake City in April. Business teacher Matt Flaherty described DECA. “It’s a group of kids interested in business and marketing. It
is an organization they pay membership to be involved and gain professional experience in,” Flaherty said. Students competed in various categories of DECA, each category doing different things. “For the most part, everyone took a marketing test. Some of the kids did a oneon-one role-playing situation then presented their ideas in an interview with a businessperson. Some of the kids gave presentations,” Flaherty said. CFHS DECA members were more successful in this year’s state DECA competition than in years passed. “We had the most kids in my 12 years qualify for nationals this year,” Flaherty said. Regrettably, not everyone who qualified for nationals will go
due to financial, locational and timing problems. Flaherty explained how the DECA team will tackle collecting the money for the trip. “We’ll start planning on doing some fundraising, so that helps. I don’t think the cost deters kids. I don’t think it’s a big deal most of the time,” Flaherty said. Flaherty said he thinks that DECA is an important organization to include at CFHS. “I think it gives students an opportunity to gain real-world business experience. They gain communication skills, problem-solving skills, creative thinking and sit down with real businesspeople,” Flaherty said.