The
Dancin’ the Night Away
Tiger HI-LINE
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Students enjoy their special night at prom, page 3 Follow us on Twitter @ tigerhiline, Facebook at TigerHilineOnline and on our website at www.hiline.cfschools.org
Volume 53 Edition 26
Administration hears students’ voices During November and December, Student Senate members visited classrooms during Related Class Time, pursuing student input to make the school a better place. They compiled the ideas into a list, with recurring issues receiving tally marks; this method indicated the most important student concerns. The student officers met with administrators and individually went through each concern students had raised. One of the most surprising demands was a stricter dress code. After speaking with administration, senior and treasurer Hanno Fenech said, “Usually parents want it enforced. It’s usually not students raising the concern. They [the administration] think that is a very responsible thing for students to have taken notice of.” Senior Rex Ju said he thinks the dress code needs to be more strict. “It’d be more professional and therefore create a more focused atmosphere,” Ju said. Sophomore John Nicol also said our school needs a stricter dress code. “They need to enforce what we have, stronger. I see a lot of people who break the dress code and don’t get punished, so I think if we were to enforce our current dress code more, it would be more effective,” Nicol said. Not all students think a whole new dress code is in order. “The school doesn’t necessarily need a stricter dress
code but instead needs to make sure the current code is made clear and is enforced by all staff,” senior Laura Schwickerwrath said. Senior Madie Judisch disagreed. “High School prepares us for the real world, and in the real world, you have the freedom to do what you want. However, you are also held accountable for your decisions, and that is something we high schoolers need to learn,” Judisch said. Another suggestion students proposed to Student Senate was reading announcements over the intercom during the day. However, this will not be happening next year because it takes up class time. Announcements are on the high school website, and they can be tweeted or emailed daily to students who sign up for these features. Students also stressed their desires for the school to enforce teachers parking in their designated areas. Although brought up every year, the parking situation will not change because even though it sometimes looks like there are empty spots in teacher lots, the lunch staff and traveling teachers need them for when they arrive. The school administration is looking into two more student requests currently: offering Subway sandwiches in the cafeteria and a coffee bar. Junior Katie Meier said the addition of a coffee bar
would benefit the school’s atmosphere. “It would give people the chance to get coffee in the morning and help them be more awake during the school day and help them pay attention,” Meier said. Other suggestions such as getting rid of the CPR requirement and the Healthy Kids Act cannot change because they are state and federal laws. But one suggestion that shows promise is more access to technology, such as iPads or laptops in class. Sophomore Arianna Mitra said students need more access to technology at Cedar Falls High School. “Technology is changing the way we learn and get information. Students should have access to computers, tablets and other various sorts of multimedia resources to do their homework and class work,” Mitra said. Students requested an early dismissal day of the week for next school year, but it has already been decided that there will be late start Mondays for Professional Development next year. Students also want an outside student area with picnic tables. “It would give people an area to hang out,” junior Laura Ralph said. Senior Lex Redfern agreed it would benefit the high school. “Students are not allowed to eat on campus except in the cafeteria, but when it’s nice out, some might want to eat out without having to leave campus,” Red-
fern said. Junior Alyssa Voung is enthusiastic about the proposal. “With the lack of seating we have downstairs, we should definitely consider getting picnic tables. It sounds like a great idea. If we had those outside picnic tables, the number of students that eat in the hallway would be less. With less students in the hallway, there’d be more room. It’s a win-win situation,” Voung said. Another piece of advice from students was to have finals before winter break next year. This was already taking place after Superintendent Mike Wells and the school board set up next year’s school calendar. Student Senate wants the dialogue between students and administrators to continue. Starting this month, the fourth Thursday of every month at 7:30 a.m. will be a meeting time between officers and administration to discuss student concerns. Students can go onto the CFHS website and pull up the tab “Be Heard. Get answers, get results.” Students are welcome to post questions or concerns for the administration. All students are welcome to attend the Thursday morning meetings to make their voices heard.
By Editor-in-Chief Maya
AMJADI
School safety discussion continues Since the recent tragedies and growing number of school shootings and violence, many schools have been strengthening options to keep people safe. From local governments to the federal government, ideas from metal detectors to guns in the classroom have been proposed. In the Cedar Valley, Officer Chad Walderbach and Lt. Joe Tyler began teaching a training program at UNI for students and faculty to learn about how to be prepared in the event of a violent incident. “The program Joe and I teach was created in Texas in 2000. It was created to provide a better solution to lockdown protocols after the Columbine shooting in April of 1999,” Walderbach said. With this new program, the goal is to get the public to feel more prepared in the event they are caught in a dangerous situation. “The training we offer is Violent Incident Defense Strategies. This training is not Gun Safety training. It
does focus on active shooter incidents, but this training can be applied to any type of violent incident. Lt. Joe Tyler and I began instructing the program in the fall of 2012,” Walderbach said. In many ways, this program is very unique and stands out from the typical lockdown drill, which focuses on waiting for help. “The training is a more proactive approach than anything we have done in the past. Most of the training when it comes to active shooter incidents is how law enforcement responds where this training is focused on the public’s response,” Walderbach said. Instead of just hiding under a desk, this program gives people more solutions when faced with a violent situation. “I think the biggest thing people can take away from the training is there is more than one option when being confronted with a violent incident. Furthermore, having options will allow people to make a choice given the circumstances in front of them,” Walder-
bach said. While this particular training is only open to students and staff at UNI, other Iowa colleges have similar programs. Associate Principal Dana Deines and the CF District Safety Committee have discussed exploring a similar safety approach for our school district. “The CF District Safety Committee has discussed holding a Staff Training/Active Shooter Training Plan,” Deines said. “We have been proceeding cautiously in making changes to our emergency procedures due to the controversial nature of the proposed ALICE response to active shooter plans.” Since the beginning of the year, administrators have been discussing this option. “Our school district administrators also attended a safety conference earlier this year to learn more and discuss our response to these types of emergency procedures.” The committee has discussed a pro-
gram that involves taking action against a shooter, much like the UNI training. “One program being considered is call the ALICE program. We are continuing to discuss these ideas as an additional response to our district lockdown and evacuation plans,” Deines said. However, it is a concern whether or not younger students should be involved with this type of program. “We are aware of the controversial nature of teaching (the ALICE Response to) our young students to engage/distract/ fight any active shooter.” The next steps in this plan will be discussed at a board meeting in early May.
By Staff Writer Amanda
HARWOOD
2
The
Tiger
OPINION Our View
Huge thank you to parents for making After Prom a success
After Prom was a huge success thanks largely to the time and energy the supportive parents of CFHS students put into it. It is impressive that our school has that many people willing to stay up until 4 a.m. so that we can have a safe, fun atmosphere to hang out in. Some favorites of the evening included the hypnotist’s show and the games that were set up including jousting, shooting free throws, bingo and casino games. Part of the draw for students is the many prizes they can win at After Prom. Thank you to all of the businesses that donated gift cards and products. At the end of the night, students smiled through sleepy eyes at the surprise of winning iPods, Kindles and TVs. Girls’ makeup gave the illusion they were still wide awake, and the coffee and caffeine-filled soda helped that cause. Along with these drinks, there was plenty of food for the hungry dancers. Pancheros burritos, sub sandwiches and cookie plates stacked to the ceiling were big hits. Ultimately the evening was spectacular and could not have continued so smoothly without the hours both behind the scenes and on the surface. Something students might not know is there were many parents that donated their own money to be able to provide many of the attractions After Prom offered. Literally funding and functioning the event, parent volunteers deserve some praise and time to catch up on their sleep. The night was a big success, and After Prom was a great way to end it. Without the time, energy and support from all the parents, the night wouldn’t have been as great as it was. Thank you to everyone involved.
HI-LINE
Tuesday, April. 23, 2013
Wonder women lead television Times can be tough for teen girls around the country. As they are constantly bombarded with advertisements telling them that they’re not good enough, it can be hard to be confident and strong. Singer Lady Gaga’s wacky, revealing outfits make some call her “the new face of feminism,” but Gaga has alienated herself from feminism, saying, “I’m not a feminist — I, I hail men, I love men. I celebrate American male culture, and beer, and bars and muscle cars.” However, Gaga showed the misconception that feminism is anti-male, when most women view it as a celebration and push for equality between genders. The world doesn’t expect all well-known females to be feminists, but what’s the point of hating on equality? Julia Kennedy is a college senior majoring in French at Barnard College in New York City. She started “The Wonder Women Project” as an intern for the NYC-based Athena Film Festival. She started the website as her Athena Scholars project, found at http://thewonderwomenproject. tumblr.com. “I wanted to start this project because I was working on the Athena Film Festival, which is a celebration of
women and leadership on screen, and I realized that there was some attention paid to female characters on television, but not necessarily as to how female characters interacted with leadership positions and actions,” Kennedy said. Her website focuses on the qualities and strengths of female leaders on TV. Luckily, pop culture isn’t devoid of strong female characters. Headstrong women have been appearing on television, both in the past and present, but sometimes it’s hard to flip through the channels and find them. To make it a little easier, here’s a list of some multifaceted characters. NBC’s comedy “Parks and Recreation” focuses Pawnee, Ind., Deputy Parks Director Leslie Knope, an ambitious and over-excited optimist. Her job forces her to interact with the morbidly obese townspeople of Pawnee and deal with raccoon infestations. A die-hard workaholic, Knope’s enthusiasm mixes with the deadpan humor of her fiance, Ben Wyatt. She works hard to cultivate female friendships, like celebrating “Galentine’s Day,” a yearly breakfast tradition, which is, according to Knope, “Lilith Fair minus the angst and plus frittatas.” Knope’s
girl-power attitude makes her a must watch character on television. As she said, “Uteruses before duderuses. Ovaries before brovaries.” Fellow NBC comedy “30 Rock” recently wrapped up, ending its sixth and final season. The show focused on Liz Lemon, a nerdy comedy writer dealing with childlike stars on her show, TGS. Lemon can seem hopeless at times, but that makes her such a great character. “30 Rock” never seemed preachy or created impossibly high expectations for a woman. It showcased Lemon’s talents and faults, making her a down to earth, lovable character, even in her most unlovable of times. By using stereotypical laughs — “OH MY PERIOD! You’re all fired!” — her character showed the ridiculous gender roles sometimes portrayed on television. To the naked eye, teenager Buffy Summers seems to live a normal life, until you see that she’s actually the “chosen one” — the one and only vampire slayer. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” aired from 1997 to 2003, focused on Summers’ struggle to balance a normal life and the life of vampire slaying bestowed upon her. She’s got extreme strength, a
strong heart and a great circle of friends with her every step of the way. Summers manages to function with the weight of the world on her shoulders, doing everything she can to live a normal life. She’s enough to make any girl want to go out and kick some vampire butt, stake in hand. Veronica Mars is a teenage private detective in sunny California. Sounds cliche, but Mars pulls it off seamlessly. She’s tough, but seems like the kind of girl that you’d want to be friends with. Well, maybe not be friends with, but at least admire. “Veronica Mars” aired from 2004 to 2007, drawing Emmy buzz but never winning. After her best friend is murdered, Mars struggled with a breakup and being kicked out of the popular crowd. Instead of wallowing in self pity, Mars jumped into detective work, searching for her friend’s murderer. Mars’ father was also a private investigator, but was often overshadowed by her top notch investigative work. This is a shout-out to all the strong women out there: there are role models for you — whether geeky, overly optimistic or supernatural — even on television. By Online Editor Martha
HALL
Contact Us The Tiger Hi-Line is a weekly publication of the journalism classes at Cedar Falls High School, 1015 Division Street, Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613. Our website is www.hiline.cfschools.org. The Hi-Line is distributed to CFHS students on Tuesdays to read during their RCTs fourth period. Columns and letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Hi-Line staff or Cedar Falls Schools. The Hi-Line editorial is presented weekly in the editorial labeled Our View, and it is the view of the majority of the editors listed below. 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 in the following Tuesday edition. Letters may not exceed 300 words and may be edited to meet space limitations. Writers should include their contact information for verification. Editor-in-Chief: Maya Amjadi News Editor: Katherine Mayhew Opinion Editor: Maya Amjadi Sports Editor: Jared Hylton Feature Editor: Sandra Omari-Boateng Entertainment Editor: Lindsey Davis Hi-Line Online Editor: Martha Hall Staff Writers: Ana Cunha, Amanda Harwood, Alyssa Jensen, Lauren Nickerson, Kaleb Bengston
“I think my sister is a good role model because she’s blind, which is something I think would be considered strange in our society. It’s cool that she’s able to overcome that. Most people would think it would hold her back, but she doesn’t let that happen to her.” Senior Zach Fuller
“Beyonce, starting from the day she came onto the scene. She really showed women what it means to be a strong female minority leader in this country. From ‘a diva is a female version of a hustle’ to ‘let me upgrade you,’ she’s constantly telling women to move up in the world and break that glass ceiling.”
“I think the First Lady Michelle Obama is a great role model because she’s really involved in the country and is a good representation of a wellrounded woman in the public.“
Seniors Raud Kashef, Isak Knivslnd and Luka Zdilar
Media Specialist Kristi Anhalt
The
Tiger
HI-LINE
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
CAPTURED
3
Dancing under Chicago Lights At left moving down, students “sleep” during their hypnosis and get cozy with their peers. Junior Dane Geerdes and his date Monica Anton use their mad skills to raise the roof. Senior Matt Fedro gets in the zone and shakes it like he just doesn’t care. Under hypnosis, senior Josh Ochoa believes the broom is actress Emma Stone and gives her a longing look as they dance together. CFHS students enjoyed grooving out at prom, watching their peers get hypnotized at after prom and winning awesome prizes like iPads.
Kaleb Bengston photos
The
Tiger
HI-LINE
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Cedar Falls graduates at Boston Marathon
More than 28,000 people from around the world gathered to run the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 15. At about 2:50 p.m. the first explosion went off, shocking the world. Just about 10 seconds later the second explosion erupted. Everything was in chaos. Families whose loved ones participated marathon, went into a state of panic. Not knowing if they were hurt or even alive was, to say the least, terrifying. This became a reality for a couple families from Cedar Falls: the Sevciks and the Hallorans. The Boston Marathon has been THE race to be at for many years. The race is like the Superbowl of all marathons. It is a huge deal for the runners because they have to qualify for the race. That in itself is a huge accomplishment which these runners can spend years of training to reach. Former CFHS student, JP Sevcik, had family running in the prestigious marathon. His two brothers, David Sevcik and Daniel Sevcik, ran for their 3rd time at Boston. When the explosions went off in Boston, Sevcik remembers exactly where he was at that moment. “I was walking into the library here at Loras when I first heard about the bombs. It was about 2:27. I was walking to a class that was meeting at 2:30, and a group of my friends was talking about it at a table nearby. I casually just said hi and walked past and realized they were talking about something. Curious, I asked what it was, and one of them said something to the tune of they didn’t want me to tell you this, but there were two explosions at the finish line at Boston,” Sevcik said. Sevcik’s friends knew that his brothers and some friends were running the marathon. “They all knew that I had family there. I was receiving text alerts throughout the day on all of their times, including Andrew Halloran, and I was certainly bragging about it to everyone I saw, so that’s how they all knew. Needless to say, I really wasn’t really all that present in class that day,” Sevcik said. Lisa Sevcik, mother to all the Sevcik boys, was down at
the Presbyterian Church setting up the ice cream machines for the CFHS women’s track team meal when the explosions occurred. She didn’t have to wait and wonder if her sons were OK. “They were waiting for all the members of the Iowa State Running Club to finish. When everyone from the running club came to the meeting place, they went to the subway to go back to the hotel. The blast occurred at 2:09 p.m. My son Joey called me at 2:17 to tell me that two bomb explosions had just went off but they were OK,” Sevcik said. She was just happy for her son’s accomplishments at the race. A bomb going off was the last thing Sevcik thought she would hear about. “My reaction was one of disbelief. When Joey called, I started to talk about the race and tell him what a great job he did. That there were two bomb explosions was the last thing I would have ever thought he would call about,” Sevcik said. JP Sevcik was also completely surprised over the bombings. “I was shocked. Sometimes you get a pit in your stomach when something bad has happened, and that certainly happened on Monday. Thankfully, they had sent out a text saying they were all alright, so I didn’t have to worry for all too long, but nonetheless I couldn’t stop thinking about it for the next couple hours. Last year, I could guarantee I would’ve been within a quarter mile of the bomb that went off since we (Mom, Dad, my brother Timothy and my sister Brenda) were watching the race. It took a little bit of time for that to sink in, but hearing about the explosions scared the living daylights out of me,” Sevcik said. Another former CFHS student, Andrew Halloran, was also there running the Boston Marathon. “I was planning on running Boston ever since I qualified for it last summer at Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minn. I wanted to run it because it is THE marathon to do. It attracts the best runners from around the world every year. Boston celebrates Patriot Day the same day, so none of
SPORTS
the schools have classes and to see if she had finished, but many businesses are closed for the day, which leads to a lot of people going out and supporting the runners every year, which is the best part of any marathon,” Halloran said. Halloran’s sister Sarah also ran the marathon. However, he crossed the finish line before Sarah did. She was just minutes away from Submitted photo where the bombs exploded. “When Cedar Falls graduates Sarah Halloran the two bombs and Andrew Halloran pose before the went off, I was in Boston marathon. the family meeting area, about a block and a no calls were getting through half away from the finish line. and she didn’t respond to my Before the race started I asked texts (I later found out she my sister, Sarah, when she was didn’t have her phone on her). planning on finishing so I could I was pretty worried because try to get there to see her. By I thought she might’ve been her prediction she was about right around the explosions, 15 minutes away, so I was just and I started to hear a few about to get up to head todeaths reported. Finally I heard wards the finish line,” Halloran the bomb was in the crowd, said. which although this may sound Since Halloran finished beselfish, I was so happy to hear fore the bombs went off, he it wasn’t on the course,” Haldidn’t find out about them right loran said. away. “When the bombs went Finally, Halloran got news off, there wasn’t an immediate about his sister. “After about reaction. I heard it and wasn’t an hour of trying to get hold sure what it was — it wasn’t a of/find her, my dad got hold rolling boom like thunder, it of me and told me she was at was more like a large dumpa friends house and for me to ster being dropped by a truck catch a cab back to her apart(which I wrote it off to be). Five ment, which was a giant relief. to 10 minutes after the bombs, My words can’t do justice to I was still sitting and a lot of how relieved I was finding out people started walking by with she was safe, then actually seeworried looks on their faces, ing her later that night,” Haland I didn’t make the connecloran said. tion with the bombs immediEven though this happened ately, but I headed towards in Boston, JP Sevcik won’t where everyone was walking let this awful event stop him from, and the race authorities from future marathons. “I will and police stopped the crowd say that despite this tragedy I a block away from the explostill plan on running Boston in sion and told everyone to head 2017. Despite the bombings, back to the waiting area,” HalBoston is still one of the most loran said. prestigious races in the world, After finding out what had and people like me will still be happened, Halloran had no drawn to run it. While events idea if his sister was OK. He like this can take away our tried desperately to get ahold sense of security at big time of her. “ eventually overheard events like Boston, the aura of someone say there was an exthe race will never change,” plosion and some people were Sevcik said. Staff Writer Lauren injured — I had no idea to what Nickerson extent. I tried calling my sister
Athlete of the
4 Week
Natalie Shimp Sophomore Natalie Shimp got a record 102 on the pacer. What were your goals for the pacer? The record was 97, and I was three short of it last year. Mrs. Youngkent wanted me to try and go for it this year. Did track help with the pacer? Yes it did. I didn’t really train for the pacer, but it wouldn’t have been possible without track practices. Were you really tired after the pacer? I wasn’t really tired. I was just hot.
Tigers in
Action
Women’s Golf
Next up: Linn-Mar on April 23 at Linn-Mar at 12:30 p.m.
Women’s Track & Field
Next up: Drake Relays on April 25 at Drake University
Men’s Track & Field
Next up: Drake Relays on April 25 at Drake University
Women’s Tennis
Next up: Marshalltown on April 26 at home at 4:15 p.m.
Men’s Tennis
Next up: Ames on April 23 at home at 4:30 p.m.
Women’s Soccer
Next up: Waterloo West on April 23 at 4:15 p.m. at West
Men’s Soccer
Next up: Waterloo West on April 23 at home at 6:45 p.m.
Baseball
Next up: Oelwein on April 27 at Oelwein at 10 a.m.
Softball
Next up: Waterloo East on May 21 at home at 5:30 p.m.