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VOLUME 51 ISSUE 3 1015 Division St. Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613
Trip time: Two CFHS sponsored trips in the works Trip to France arranged for summer 2011 Sandra Omari-Boateng Staff Writer
Every two years, a few of the French teachers and students take a trip to France over the summer. This year is one in which a trip will be taken. The trip is organized by a company called Vistas in education, and they will be doing the Sojourn South trip. Students will visit Paris, southern France, and will likely stay in Nice. They will visit places such as the Papal Palace in Avignon, the Pont du Gard aqueduct, the city of Nimes, and the towns of Cannes and Aix-en Provence, among others. The trip also entails a stay with an actual French family. This part of the trip is the part most parents and students worry about. “I am really nervous about the home stay, but am also excited to learn about a differ-
ent culture. My parents feel the same way,” junior Sungha Nielsen said. The students also worry about their mastery of the French language. “The differences that impact the students are not the same for [everyone]. Some will be scared to use their French and the language will be the biggest change,” teacher Madame Breddin said. This is a very unique experience for the students and may be the only time in the students’ lives that they will actually be able to live like the French. Each family that the students are staying with have at least one teenage son or daughter living in them. When the students begin their stay with their host family, the kids are usually in school so students get a chance to visit French schools. The trip will include lots of sightseeing and trips
around France, and students will get the opportunity to travel on the famous TGV train, which travels at about 175 miles per hour. The trip will take place in May and June and will be anywhere between 15 to 22 days long. The Vistas in Education program will be providing everything from the flights that these students are taking to the families that they will be living with. Pre-travel preparations are also important. Students take time to learn about the places they will be going to, and each student is responsible for his or her own passport. Nielson said she is excited for the trip. “[I’m eager] just to have the experience of being in a different culture, and the excitement of new things. And, who knows, maybe I’ll fall in love with France, and I’ll pursue my future career in a somewhat related field.”
DC trip planned for spring break will walk through the halls of Congress, visit the FDR Memorial and have a Capitol A trip to Washington, D.C., Hill Day preparation. Students is in the works and will be will get the chance to meet available for all high school members of Congress or their students grades 9-12 during staff on Wednesday, in addithe week of spring break. tion to exploring the Library While the details are still of Congress and the Supreme to be determined, the cost Court. Thursday will be a day will be roughly $1,500, and it of site seeing, with visits rangwill be lead by social studies ing from Arlington National teachers Robert Schmidt, An- Cemetery to the Smithsonian drea Aykens and Traci Lake. Institution to university visits. Students that attend the “It has got to be one of trip will have a packed week. the most rewarding experiThey will arrive on Sunday ences to see the looks on kids’ and have an orientation dinner faces when they see the White followed by a visit to the Iwo House and the Washington Jima Memorial. On Monday Monument. I think every high students will visit the Air school student should have & Space Museum and have the opportunity to visit D.C. lunch at the Smithsonian, and because it can be one of the at night they will listen to a most memorable experiences keynote speaker and sit in on of their lives.” Schmidt said. a Domestic Issues Seminar. For students interested Among several other please contact Schmidt, things, on Tuesday students Aykens or Lake.
Noelle Konieczny Staff Writer
Poor economy puts strain on unemployed teenagers Melanaie Rasmussen Staff Writer
Kaylee Micu photo
Nature Notes
Junior Lucas Payne takes careful notes as he learns about the water reclamation facility in downtown Cedar Falls. This was part of a field trip taken Septmeber 24th that was initiated by Ecology teacher John Black. A full story on this trip will be featured in an upcoming edtition.
Due to the poor economy, many adults, including college graduates, are being forced to take minimum wage jobs that have usually been given to teens. Because of this, many teens are finding the job hunt to be more challenging than ever. History teacher Robert Schmidt said that he believes that adults are taking teen jobs but it is not nearly as noticeable in the Midwest as it is in other parts of the country. “If you look at history, we have had these kinds of downturns before,” Schmidt said. He mentioned that in these times the United States has had to make vast adjustments
to make the economy better and create more jobs. Schmidt also said he feels that the Obama administration should have looked at creating more jobs long before taking on the health care reform. Many students are feeling the stress of trying to find jobs. Senior Alexandria Clark, who works at McDonalds on First Street, was fortunate enough to have connections with close family members who worked there previously, which enabled her to get the job. She has been noticing that there are more and more adults in place of teens in the work place. “In fast food restaurants, more adults are getting jobs where students normally do,” Clark said.
Junior Brooke Craig, who had a life guarding position this summer, said she feels the same way as Clark. “The economy is so low on jobs; they are desperate.” Juniors Richelle Kime and Oguguo Asota have not been as fortunate as Clark. “I’ve been applying everywhere, but I can’t find one because of all the UNI students,” Kime said. Kime has had jobs in the past, but she said it always takes a long time for anyone to call back, especially when the UNI school year starts. Asota is in the same situation as Kime this year. “I’ve put in like four applications, but it is hard because no one is hiring.”