April 6, 2018 Hi-Line

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Volume 58 Edition 22

MARCH ON Students Participate in March for Our Lives/Page 4-5 Follow us on Twitter at tigerhiline, Facebook at TigerHilineOnline and on our website at www.hiline.cfschools.org

Students take action against school gun violence

After the postponement of the March for Our Lives rally in Cedar Falls because of a snow storm, 200 students and supporters marched down Main Street a week later to take the issue of school gun violence by storm.

On March 31, the March For our Lives rally in Cedar Falls was one of more than 800 marches in the United States. The protests totaled over one million students and supporters rallying for their lives against gun violence in schools after the Valentine’s Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in

Parkland, Fla. Students were the leaders of the march in Cedar Falls, supported by many parents who joined the crowd with signs such as “Moms demand action.”

Dylan Mack, a sophomore from Columbus Catholic High School in Waterloo, was the main student organizer and lead speaker of the Cedar Falls rally. “One day someone might ask you, did you do anything to stop this?” he asked.

Other speakers represented five area high schools and UNI. Sophomore Ryan Westhoff represented Cedar Falls High

School. “At first I was hesitant to take up this task but decided that this was too great an opportunity to voice my mind to pass up,” Westhoff said.

Westhoff spoke of the remembrance of the many drills that he as a student has had to go through for gun safety in school at the rally. After 17 students and teachers were killed in the Parkland shooting, the action to speak up became a necessity for Westhoff. “I wouldn’t say that my positions on gun laws changed, but my sense of urgency regarding the need for legislative action definitely went up. I used to think

of gun control as a secondary issue, but now I think that it needs to be addressed as soon as possible,” he said.

Edina Kuduzovic, a sophomore at West High School, mentioned that the time to act is now and to not forget. “Textbooks are no longer for reading, but for shielding. We will go from visiting our friends at their houses to visiting them at cemetaries,” Kuduzovic said.

Westhoff and the other speakers at the March for Our Lives rally said it is time for their generation to be politically active.

“Students need to make

difference on this issue and a whole host of others because this is the world that we’re growing up into. This is the world that our kids will grow up into, and if we don’t take charge of our future, things won’t get better,” Westhoff said.

Gun violence is a pressing matter for many students in the United States, and in Cedar Falls.

“We can not let this happen another time. Not at a church, not at a concert and sure as hell not at my school,” Kuduzovic said.

By Co-Editor In-Chief Sabine

Cedar Bend Humane Society honored with national award

The Cedar Bend Humane Society (CBHS) has received the Champion for Animals award from The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) on April 2. This award is an exceptional award that the CBHS has been honored with for rescuing dogs from dog fights and giving them another chance in life to start over in loving homes with caring families.

Dog fights have been a nightmare for dogs and animal lovers over centuries. “As of 2008, dogfighting is a felony in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

People convicted with this crime face fines and jail time,” the volunteer and outreach coordinator of the CBHS Jordan Kruger said.

Although this bloodsport has been outlawed, because of the low-punishment, some still manage to train, sell, abuse and kill dogs. There is an ongoing list consisting more than 20 different dog breeds that have a reputation in the dogfighting sector because of their endurance, fighting abilities, power and strength.

“It is hard to understand why people choose to participate in this cruel and vicious activity. I would guess that

Saba Aydiner Photo

The Champion for Animals award honors animal shelters like Cedar Bend Humane Society for rescuing dogs from dog fights and giving them the opportunity for a new life. the most common reason is that the people are driven by greed. Those who put dogs in the rings can make thousands of dollars off the fights as well as the breeding rights,” Kruger said.

These animals not only suffer during or after the fight, but their whole lives. Most of the time the puppies are born into this savagery and are constantly chained. They are not

taken good care of, regularly left without food and water, beaten and the only time they face human interaction is when they are surrounded by people who enjoy violence and bet for their lives.

At the end of their fights, these dogs are not taken to a vet and are forced to suffer the results of their untreated wounds. The fights usually end with one of the dogs dying un-

less the owner has a salvage value.

Since there isn’t a system that tells where these fights are happening, the accountable use a lot of help from the caring community. “Often, authorities are alerted by citizens about suspicious activities that suggest dogfighting is happening in an area. Law enforcement and anti-cruelty teams from animal welfare organizations

MARTIN

are sent in to apprehend the suspected individuals and to seize all of the animals from the property. Because these dogs have been bred to be aggressive, there are risks to those handling them. When there is a seizure of dogs from a situation like this, professional behaviorists are brought in to determine whether these dogs can be rehabilitated or if they will need to be euthanized due to aggression,” Kruger said.

The common use of pit bulls not only affected the specific dog that has been used for fighting, but the whole breed in general. People have a huge stigma against pit bulls, which has developed a broad portrayal of them being a dangerous and aggressive creature. People have held protests against these dogs, and some countries, including Germany, Great Britain and Denmark have banned pit bulls.

Since 1910, the CBHS has shown the Cedar Valley that pit bulls aren’t grumpy dogs, and they can actually become amazing family dogs when taken good care of with their pit bull-friendly policies.

“Pit bulls are becoming a very common breed, and we

‘CEDAR BEND’

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Students share personal testimonies in annual Good Friday service

Every year on the Friday before Easter Sunday, also known as “Good Friday,” Nazareth Lutheran Church holds studentled services in partnership with BIGhouse, a high school ministry program based out of Orchard Hill Church in Cedar Falls. A group of students from around Northeast Iowa—including Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Grundy Center and Dike-New Hartford— are invited to speak at two services and share a personal testimony about how their religion has changed their lives.

Good Friday is a religious holiday observed by Christians and is a day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the cross. Good Friday often entails penance and fasting as gratitude to Jesus for sacrificing his life to forgive the sins of the world.

“For me, Good Friday is the reason I don’t hold so much wait on my shoulders because Jesus took all my sins to the grave,” senior Sarah Wagner said.

“Despite the mournful reason why we celebrate Good Friday, I genuinely think it is still such a good day to celebrate,” senior Sydney Brustkern said. “Without the blood shed on the cross, we would not have been saved. Plus, the story doesn’t end at his death. He raises from the dead three days later.”

On March 30, eight CFHS students spoke at two different services, including

seniors Brandon Nelson, Sarah Wagner, Sydney Brustkern, Jacob Keagle, Caroline Ross, Emily Lehman, Molly Rygh and Colin Klatt.

The group of students was selected by mentors and organizers from the high school ministry as students who would be willing to share their stories about their journey finding and experiencing their religion. “They choose a lot of people from different churches, communities and walks of life,” Rygh said. “They also try and put together a diverse group that can touch the lives of those listening.”

However, the speech would not just be an easy conversation, and typically includes moving and emotional stories from a variety of different perspectives and experiences in front of a packed Nazareth sanctuary, which seats over 1,400 people.

“I immediately felt so honored to get asked to speak. The second I said, yes, though, is when the flood of nervousness kicked in that I would be speaking in front of a lot of people,” Brustkern said.

Hesitation often entailed, especially due to the intimidation of speaking in front of such a large crowd, but the opportunity prevailed despite the nerves. “I asked if I could have a few days to think about it because I do not like public speaking, but I ended up calling [Emily Huckfelt, the high school coordinator at Prairie Lakes Church]

‘CEDAR BEND/Continued from Page 1 are pit bull friendly, so we do receive quite a few. We take in quite a few from this area, but we also take in hundreds of dogs from the ASPCA, some from overcrowded shelters, but many that have been rescued from dogfighting cases. Any dog can behave aggressively, not just pit bulls, but the high usage of pit bulls in dog fighting rings and the way people train them has created a stigma that all pit bulls are mean and aggressive. That’s really not the case. It’s all about the training they receive and the way they’re treated. If a dog is given love, proper training and socialization as a puppy, they can develop into a wellbehaved, sweet dog. Many of the pit bulls we’ve taken in here at CBHS are some of the nicest, most ‘snuggly’ dogs I’ve ever met. Pit bulls actually make great family dogs,” Kruger said.

Kruger stresses the importance of educating people about animal abuse. “The more people know about the horrors of animal abuse, the more we can do to combat it,” she said. She said it is also im-

portant to report to the authorities right away if any situation where the animal is not taken care of properly.

She also encourages volunteering at the CBHS. “Dogs are never purposefully mean, and if they are aggressive, it’s because a human bred has trained them to be that way.

We need to take care of these wonderful animals who possess the gift of being able to love unconditionally despite the hardships they’ve endured,” Kruger said.

By Staff Writer Saba

AYDINER

back that night and saying, yes.,” Wagner said. “I was shocked they had chosen me because there are so many other seniors out there that worship God. I felt nervous, but it was an honor to be asked.”

Like Wagner, Rygh was also hesitant due to the sheer pressure of the feat. “I thought about it for a while, and I was a little nervous because it takes a lot of vulnerability to get up there and share about things that are special to you, or hard things that you’ve struggled with,” but after ruminating on the possibility, Rygh accepted the offer. “Eventually I decided to say, yes,” Rygh said.

To prepare for the testimony, students picked a Bible verse that represented how Jesus’ sacrifice affected their lives. After being paired with mentors and coaches from the church, often friends and smallgroup leaders from the youth ministry, the students wrote their speeches and gained feedback on what they had created.

“They gave us pointers on how to make the speech good and really helped us bring it all together and be prepared,” Wagner said of her coaches and mentors.

The speeches revealed personal struggles and revelations from the students; sides that many of their peers had never seen before. “I spoke about my own struggle with dealing with my insecurities. I was talking about a side of myself

that barely anyone has ever seen,” Klatt said. “I wanted to make people aware that even someone who looks like they have it all figured out could really be struggling to swim in a sea of self doubt. I wanted people to know that they are not alone.”

Wagner spoke of dealing with her mother’s stage four lung cancer and how her relationship with God as a Christian helped her to see the good in her life. “It really opened my eyes to see that God has a plan,” Wagner said. “I hope people can realize that God has a plan for everyone, and in order to have no doubt in God, you have to put your trust into his hands and trust what he is doing with your life.”

Other speech topics included pivotal moments where students observed religion helping their lives, as Rygh did, about loving others, as Nelson did, or about internal struggles with loneliness, as Brustkern did.

By sharing their personal struggles, the students hoped to reach and relate to members of their audience. “I hope people learned about how to let go of their sin and brokenness that was stopping them from experience a full relationship with God,” Keagle said.

By Co-Editor In-Chief Elise

LEASURE

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FEATURES

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Steps to forgiveness often misunderstood Contrary to what one might think, forgiveness does not mean forgetting a hurtful action or walking back into a hurtful relationship after someone has apologized. In fact, there may not even be an apology.

There are many definitions for the word forgiveness, and the definitions can vary by clinician, researcher and individual.

According to forgiveness researchers, Freedman, Enright, & Knutson in 2005, the following definition given by Enright and Fitzgibbons in 2000 is widely accepted: “People, upon rationally determining that they have been unfairly treated, forgive when they willfully abandon resentment and related responses (to which they have a right) and endeavor to respond to the wrongdoer based on the moral principle of beneficence, which may include compassion, unconditional worth, generosity and moral love (to which the wrongdoer, by nature of the hurtful act or acts, has no right.”

Contrary to 31.8 percent of 44 students at the Cedar Falls High School that took a poll questioning their knowledge about forgiveness, an apology is helpful but not necessary to forgive. Not forgiving one’s offender can actually be harmful to the victim according to Professor of Educational Psychology Dr. Suzanne Freedman.

“Saying one can’t move on and heal until they get an apology from the one who hurt them leaves the victim trapped and dependent on the actions of the offender before they can move on and heal. Not all offenders admit to their hurtful behavior and/or apologize.

Forgiveness is something you can do all on your own without any response from the wrongdoer,” Freedman said. However, she goes on to state that an apology does make forgiving easier.

Based on survey responses, most people believe an apology is necessary to forgive. For Devin O’Loughlin, a sophomore and one of the 31.8 percent who believes an apology is necessary, said, “I think for one person to be able to fully forgive someone, the other person needs to at first admit that they did something wrong and be willing to ask for forgiveness,” O’Loughlin said.

Freedman would state that this is true for reconciliation or get-

ting back together with a person who hurts another, but not for forgiveness.

Sophomore Jake Jensen also believes an apology is necessary for forgiveness. He said, based on personal experience, “I’ve dealt with one too many snakes.”

According to the definition given by the forgiveness researchers already mentioned, many times the offender does not deserve one’s forgiveness because of his or her hurtful actions. They have done something wrong, and forgiveness from the victim is actually a “gift” the offender is receiving.

Sophomore Megan Smith understands the healing aspect of forgiveness and states that by forgiving the offender, one is actually giving oneself a “gift” by letting go of anger that can weigh one down.

“When you’re angry at someone, it’s always better to forgive them even if they don’t ask for it or don’t deserve it because then you can stop worrying about it or feeling angry about it,” Smith said.

No one should be forced to forgive after experiencing a deep hurt, and it usually takes a certain amount of time for one to come to terms with another’s actions and to go through the 20 steps in Enright and colleagues’ model of forgiveness. According to University of Wisconsin professor R.D. Enright and the Human Development Group in the “Handbook of Moral Behavior and Development” i n

1991, “Forgiveness is an active process requiring the injured to journey through the various steps.”

It is common for people to think that when one forgives another, the offender’s deed is forgotten, but according to McGary from the “American Philosophical Quarterly” in1989, forgiveness and forgetting are “incompatible.” It does not make sense to think about forgetting a deep hurt. One does not forget when a best friend lies, but it is possible to forgive the best friend. As time passes, the specific details of the hurtful event may not be recallable, but the pain caused by the offender still exists.

Ninety point six percent of 44 students say that forgiving and forgetting are not interchangeable. Students understand the difference between forgiving and forgetting.

Junior Cole Miller, part of that 90.6 percent, said that by forgetting about the past, you lose a part of yourself. “The past makes you who you are; you can’t forget what has happened, but you can accept it,”

“Forgiveness is something you can do all on your own without any response from the wrongdoer.”

—Suzanne Freedman Professor of Educational Psychology

Miller said.

To accept the words “I’m sorry” and to forgive doesn’t correlate with excusing or condoning one’s actions. It is often easier to condone because a survivor of deep hurt forgives and acknowledges the pain inflicted, so forgiveness is not equivalent to condoning or excusing according to Enright. It may be easier at times to condone someone’s actions rather than admitting that one has been hurt and dealing with that hurt, but forgiveness and condoning are not synonymous.

Only four individuals out of the 42 individuals who responded to this question on the survey connect condoning and forgiving. Sophomore Sierra Miller believes that if one forgives what someone has done, then one is ignoring their wrongful actions. “In a way, I think it means you ignore what they did,” Miller said.

Sophomore Adel Scherrer understands that by forgiving the offender, one is not validating or excusing their ac-

Rachel Schmid Graphic

tions, but accepting what they have done and moving on.

“This does not mean you forget what they did or make that action OK,” Scherrer said.

“Forgiveness is something you can do on your own,” Freedman said. It does not require the actions of another.

Whereas reconciliation requires the participation of both the survivor and offender.

Less than one percent of 42 students who responded to the question “Do you believe forgiveness means you automatically get back in a relationship or the same relationship with someone?” believe that forgiveness means reconciliation.

Forgiveness takes time, and building up to the same relationship one had before one was hurt requires time and space. “When you ask for forgiveness you may receive it, but they won’t trust you in the same way,” sophomore Evan Stolz said.

Junior Tayah Medhaug is another student who doesn’t connect reconciliation with forgiveness. “Just because someone cheats on me and I forgive them doesn’t mean we are getting back together. It just means I’ve moved passed it,” she said.

Although, forgiveness is a complicated and easily misunderstood concept, there are many benefits to forgiving.

Forgiveness is also necessary for the repair of relationships, if desired and possible, and enables one to effectively cope with injury and betrayal according to the clinical review by T. A Legaree and others found in the Journal of Martial and Family Therapy. Thus education on what forgiveness is and is not as well as the process of forgiving is indispensable, according to Freedman and others from a report on the process model of forgiveness in the “Handbook of Forgiveness” in 2005.

By Staff writer Sophia

SCHILLiNGER

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Marching for their lives

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Sabine Martin photos

Students, parents, and members of the community participated in a national “March For Our Lives.� The march was aimed at voicing discontempt for recent gun violence, and was spurred by the activism of students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

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Sabine Martin photos

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sophomore Ryan Westhoff (above) delivers a speech against gun violence on Main Street in front of representative Rod Blum’s office.

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OPINION

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Friday, April 6, 2018

Our View

Opposing side: Feminism

Submitted photo

Support Autism awareness month

April is national autism awareness month and a perfect opportunity to support, celebrate and recognize those with autism as well as promoting autism awareness.

Autism is a disorder that affects one in 68 children in America, according to the Autism Society, and one in 160 children in the world, according to the World Health Organization.

Despite its prevalence, autism is still widely misunderstood. National Autism Awareness Month seeks to dispel common misconceptions about autism and promote the unique talents and success of those on the spectrum. Adding public accomodation in schools and movie theaters are two of many things that the month hopes to do, but there are many things that individuals can do themselves to help the cause.

Understanding autism is a very important step to make in promoting awareness and inclusion, and there are many resources to do so, including the Autism Society. According to the Autism Society’s website, “Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex developmental disability; signs typically appear during early childhood and affect a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others.”

What is especially unique about autism is the wide range of symptoms that people on the spectrum can exhibit, meaning no two people with autism are the same. Recognizing that there is no one label to apply to those who have autism can help us to fully appreciate and encourage those who deal with it.

You can participate in Autism Awareness Month by donating to the Autism Society at www.autism-society.org, to help improve the lives of those impacted by autism, educate the public and improve databases, or you can donate time and money to local organizations such as UNI’s Spectrum Project.

The Spectrum Project “combines music, movement, drama and art for children with differing abilities. Productions are created by children with direction from UNI students.”

Whether you decide to participate in National Autism Awareness Month locally or nationally, your help can impact the lives of millions living with autism.

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 Fridays to read during their third period classes.

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 Monday for publication in the following Friday edition. Letters may not exceed 300 words and may be edited to meet space limitations. Writers should include their contact information for verification.

Editors-in-Chief: Elise Leasure, Rachel Schmid, Sabine Martin Lead Writer: Tehya Tournier Opinion Editor: Benjamin Boezinger Staff: Saba Aydiner, Noah Forker, Chase Kline, Kendall Maslak, Sierra Miller, Skylar Promer, Sophia Schillinger, Matthew Walsh

With Donald Trump winning the 2016 election, the scandals of Harvey Weinstein and other men, and, well, Donald Trump existing, it might seem like the United States needs feminism more than ever. However, that simply isn’t true.While feminism may be defined as a movement promoting the social, political and economic equality of the sexes, the movement has strayed far from what its founders intended. I’m going through the most repeated feminist talking points and debunking them: the wage gap, mansplaining/manspreading/manexisting, the so-called pink tax and internalized misogyny.wage gap not real. There are different pay gap statistics in every corner of the Internet, but most range from 75- 80 percent, and, sure, at first glance it can seem like the 22-ish cent gap between the earnings of men and women is patriarchy in practice, but there are many factors this simple number doesn’t take into consideration.What the statistic represents is the average earnings of women working full time compared to the average earnings of men working full time.

What it does not account for are hours worked per week, position, occupation, education and the amount of time they’ve had that job. This means that both a man with a masters degree earning 170K a year and a woman with a high school degree working for Burger King would be treated as the same in calculating this statistic. Of course, they’re not going to be paid the same. A lot of this gap has to do with career choice.

High-earning college majors, such as electrical engineering (89 percent male) and naval architecture and marine engineering (97 percent male), are overwhelmingly dominated by men. However, women are more likely to choose low-earning college majors, such as social work (88 percent female) and communication disorders science and services (94 percent female).This isn’t about a patriarchal conspiracy to leave women socioeconomically disadvantaged; it’s

Was it more difficult being a teenager 20 years ago or toady?

By Staff Writer Kendall

MASLAK

personal choice. Seemingly, the only way to even it out would be to force women into higher-earning career paths. Shoving women into lives they don’t want doesn’t seem particularly feminist to me. manspreading/mansplaining/hepeating Manspreading~when a man spreads his legs apart in public and takes up space.

Mansplaining~when a man explains something to a woman.

Hepeating~when a man repeats a woman’s idea and takes credit for it.

What is this buffoonery? To be honest, I included these for their hilarity. Most of these came into feminism during the early 2010s through pop feminism outlets like BuzzFeed and Cosmopolitan.

Manspreading, mansplaining and hepeating are far from the only ones, but they illustrate the concept well enough, which is that men doing things is bad. Firstly, manspreading. While it is technically true that men tend to spread their legs further apart than women, there’s a pretty good reason for it: testicles. Men have them.

Onto the next. Mansplaining is a thing that occasionally happens, but it’s not exclusive to men. All genders have the ability to condescend and patronize. Hepeating emerged onto the face of the earth quite recently, at the end of 2017, and it hasn’t been used to the extent that manspreading or mansplaining have, but the concept has been around for a while.

Basically, it states that women have ideas, and men steal them.

Again, it applies to both genders, and we already have a word for it.

That word is “repeating.” I wrote about these less because they actually matter and more because they represent the absurdity of third wave feminism. pink tax (spoiler alert: not a thing that exists) Even if you haven’t heard of the catchphrase “the pink tax,” you’ve probably stumbled across the idea it encapsulates. The pink tax states that women pay more for basic items such as razors, deodorant

“Older generation becuase of lack of technology.”

—Mack Eastman Sophomore

and shampoo.

At the surface, this appears to hold up, but, much like the wage gap, it comes down to personal choice. See, if I want to buy men’s deodorant and smell like meat and sawdust, I can. If I want to buy a men’s razor and bleed to death (women’s razors tend to be more precise), I can. If I want to buy men’s shampoo, I have the right to do so, but I choose not to because I like it when my hair smells like coconut. Women’s products have more features. They’re more precise, they’re nicer smelling, they have a better graphic design, and all of that costs extra money to produce. Dove’s Clean & Fresh Anti-Dandruff 2-in-1 Shampoo costs $4.88 at Walmart and has 31 ingredients. Dove’s Men+Care Clean Fortifying 2-in-1 Shampoo costs $4.48 at Walmart and has 17 ingredients. You want the extra 14 ingredients? Pay the extra 40 cents and enjoy having nice hair. Choosing to buy expensive products because they make you feel better does not equal the patriarchy invading your local Bath & Body Works. Internalized misogyny. This is the grandmother of terrible feminist talking points. It asserts that after being oppressed by the patriarchy all their lives, women internalize certain misogynistic beliefs. Typically, this is used to shut down any woman who disagrees with feminism. Women who aren’t feminists are told they’re internalizing misogyny, being brainwashed into loving their own oppression because nothing screams female empowerment quite like silencing women who want to express themselves. In conclusion, modern feminism isn’t about strengthening women or fighting for equality in countries where women don’t have equal rights, it’s about blaming the “patriarchy” for minor inconveniences and making it hip and cool to feel oppressed.

By Staff Writer Sierra

“We have i easier because of technology”

— Cally Widen Junior

MILLER

“The older generation did not have access to tech. the way we do.”

—Andrew Frankhauser Senior

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OPINION

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Teenagers experience many misconceptions from adults

I am tired. I am tired of being told, “You cannot do this,” “You most definitely can’t do that” and my personal favorite, “You’re 17. You’re just a kid.”

I am exhausted of the treatment that underestimation sweeps over the adults when preaching on what teenagers and young adults can and cannot do. Who else is tired?

Words are buzzing like honey hungry bees, in not only the political world but in schools and churches and workplaces and news stations, etc., because of the Parkland students organizing the March For Our Lives movement.

It’s not a gun problem, they all say. It’s that we are the problem.

We need to be nicer to each other, care about each other and do something to help the youths’ mental health state, and I agree that we do need to be better to others, treat everyone with respect and finally get some damn funding for mental health across the country.

But if that is the case, why do I and plenty of others scroll through the platforms of social media to stumble across memes, Twitter accounts, Facebook posts, Youtube videos, roast sessions on well known talk shows and news stations, based around proving how wrong these kids are when expressing their First Amendment rights.

And, it’s not just the “Parkland kids” getting the hate.

It’s all teens and young adults grouped into the species of notoriously self obsessed, lazy and know-it-all robots.

If you want everyone to treat each other with equal rights and respect despite race, gender, religion and ethnicity, why are the adults who don’t agree with change the ones preaching anti-bullying while bullying those who are, dare I say, taking action?

We are told, do this and do that, in order to prepare us for the future in whatever journey we take. Why are we not allowed to question the system set up for us?

Why are we not allowed to move policies, write new laws and make others think too in order to give perspective?

Oh right, we are just teenagers. We’re entitled. We think we know everything about anything, and we are incapable of enabling change. All while being on our cell phones 24/7.

So, to those who say we are

always distracted and don’t listen to what you have to say, we are hearing what you preach.

We just don’t like it, and you may have created a fire inside of us and uproar of change by not listening. How ironic.

An article written in The New York Times by Lisa Damour, titled “Myths About Teenagers and Risk-taking”, in 2015 talked

ing the civil rights movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. According to Biography. com, Janice Kelsey, a child involved in one of the protests, as inspiration leading up to their time of change, “We were told in some of the mass meetings that the day would come when we could really do something about all of these inequities that

in the 1960s either.

Locally, a group of high school students broaden schools, parents and community members on how the controversial topic of climate change is taught in classrooms.

CFHS students Tana GamAd, Olivia Fabos Martin and Sarah Stortz helped shape the mindset or create questions

“If you want everyone to treat each other with equal rights and respect despite race, gender, religion and ethnicity, why are the adults who don’t agree with change the ones preaching anti-bullying while bullying those who are, dare I say, taking action? ” about myths that overtake teenagers and stereotypical behavior. One myth stated was that adults often times believe that they were a better child than their own children or better than the “average” teenager/ young adult.

The article included a study taken by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which compared teenagers nowadays to teenagers and young adults in the early 1990s and showed that our youth behaves much better than let’s say our older siblings or parents.

According to their data, today’s teens are less likely to carry a weapon, smoke cigarettes, try alcohol, binge drink or have sex. They are now more likely to do things such as wear seatbelts or use protection instead of taking these risks.

I am not saying that we are better than anyone, but I want to give some insight on nobody is perfect, not the baby boomers, generation Xers, millennials or gen Z. We have evolved with technology, communication, culture and societal expectations and views.

Now, I didn’t think I would get away with just a “rant session” article, so let me give a quick history lesson to help give perspective to those who seem close minded on this subject.

Because most African American adults, both men and women, had to stay at their jobs in order to keep food on the table and pay the bills, it was the children who marched in Birmingham in 1963. Who marched? The children.

In 1963, children, teenagers and young adults sprawled along the walls of their community in Birmingham, Ala., to engage in peaceful protests dur-

we were experiencing, and we were calling it D-Day. That was May 2, 1963.”

Thousands of children who wanted to be a voice were trained in nonviolent protest tactics. In the series of protests, hundreds were arrested,, sprayed, hit and attacked.

Despite their unjust treatment, it was the children who wiped the tears aside, stood tall and tread on with pride in the movement they helped create.

This isn’t the only studentled protest that has taken place in our country.

Peaceful protests against the Vietnam war started small on college campuses in order to give a place to express concerns and give opinions. Activists, college students and other youth merged together in order to open the public’s eye on a monumental issue within this war.

The small protests gained national coverage in 1965 when bombs were dropped in North Vietnam.

After this incident, anti-war marches were organized and led by students. Who? By students. Many of them started and led by the Student for Democratic Society (SDS), according to History.com.

One of the most historic and prominent marches led by the youth was Oct. 21, 1967 when 100,000 people stood at the Lincoln Memorial. After protesting that day, 30,000 of that crowd later on continued their march to the Pentagon.

“Student activism played key roles in bringing anti-war ideas to the broader public,” Jessie Kindig wrote in 2008 for the Depts.Washington.edu website.

Movements, opinions and determination hadn’t stopped

on how this subject should be talked about when partnering with Iowa Watch, a non-profit organization that collaborates with high school and college students for high profile news stories.

This story was printed in our local papers but also picked up by many around the state and a few outside of Iowa as well.

You see, it’s a pattern here.

We are the ones starting the conversations, these revolutions and movements instigate the curiosity that is much needed in society today. We are the ones who will, one day, change the world.

Once popular singer, songwriter and musician Kurt Cobain said, “The duty of youth is to challenge corruption.”

In no way is this an attack on all adults. Granted, some teenagers and young adults can be entitled, lazy or irresponsible spoiled brats who don’t know how to educate themselves on topics they do not know about, but do not, I repeat, do not put every one of us born in the ’90s and beyond in a box. Do not judge based on stereotypical accusations made by people who are unable to listen and empathize see our ideas.

Published Livestrong.com, writer Morgan Rush states that according to the National Association of Social Works, the findings clearly states that generalizing and stereotyping teenagers and their behaviors can oftentimes scar them with negative effects such as isolation or obscure the conversation of what teenagers and young adults actually need further in life.

Another theory developed by researchers and authors Shelly Helgeson and Dylan Schneider is the youth develop-

ment theory.

This shows that when creating communities where youth are encouraged to be engaged, it allowed them to adapt to and overcome adversities and also has shown a decrease in traditional problem behaviors.

Both women in the studies and research from 2015, shown on the Texas State Safety Center website, agreed that when youths become engaged in community activities, they develop skills needed to become effective leaders.

“It is clear from the current political and social landscape that youth today crave recognition as equal contributors in shaping a just society,” Helgeson and Schneider said.

Underestimating young people has got to come to an end. Older generations are starting battles, tweets and problems they won’t be around to fix, and who gets the hand me downs? We do. The people who don’t know how to function without taking a Snapchat or sending a tweet every five minutes, right?

We aren’t just kids anymore.

Those Parkland students aren’t just everyday high schoolers.

After all, not many almost graduates can say that are verified on Twitter, marched with thousands of people and are heroes to celebrities.

Kids just like the Parkland students are standing up, starting to talk and want to become a voice because they are tired.

We are tired of being shut down, our persistence finally non existent and our opinions being thrown in the trash.

Listen to us. Let us do the talking for once.

American author, civil rights activist, mother, advocate and wife of civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King said it best, “The failure to invest in youth reflects a lack of compassion and a colossal failure of common sense.”

Because we are the future teachers, principals, senators, policemen, advocates, presidents, doctors, managers, parents, counselors and community members. We are the future.

Instead of trying to tear us down with your words because you preach how to be an “adult,” watch us rise up through our own actions to finally, and truly, make a difference.

By Lead Writer Tehya

TOURNIER

8

The

SPORTS Rugby team starts strong into 7th season Taking on their sixth season, the Cedar Falls rugby team has high hopes for a great season and qualifying for State.

The team is composed of 10 students, ranging from ninth to 12th grade. Last year the team struggled and did not qualify for State, the first time in team history.

“Last year we didn’t have as many guys. The determination was there. We just didn’t have as many guys who were willing to fight for each other, and I think that has changed this year,” senior Ben Boezinger said.

In the seven-week long season, the team will play 12 games, all leading up to the state qualifying games in May where the team plans to qualify. The team currently is 1-1-0 for their first two games, starting the season ranked third in their conference.

Team coach Brent Piper has worked all over the Cedar Valley to promote and start rugby teams. He shares his love of the sport through volunteer coaching and devoting much of his time to the students and the sport.

“I try to influence on them my passion for the game and my desire for new people to get involved.

Friday, April 6, 2018

I know last year one of the kids brought three or four new guys, so I feel like my will to spread the game reflected onto him because he wanted to share the game as well,” Piper said.

With the lack of awareness of the sport, the team has struggled with finding players and people interested. Piper said, “It has been very difficult to grow the sport in this area. People have a false perception of rugby that it is dangerous because we don’t have pads, but it is not really the case. It is actually safer than football and a really low concussion rate. The hardest part is getting new people involved because nobody really understands rugby. People don’t know we have rugby, or people are afraid of rugby,” Piper said.

The team is not yet seen as a school sanctioned sport. They just play under the logo of Cedar Falls and use the players from the high school. The team itself is in the Eastern Iowa conference 2A class of the Iowa Youth Rugby Association.

“We try to mirror everything that the Iowa High School Athletic association does so that when we do get the go ahead we are already implementing the rules and

regulations that they already have in place for all the other athletics,” Piper said.

The team has faced a few struggles over the years with numbers, which has held the team back from success.

“The biggest struggle is weather right now, along with overall number of athletes on our team.

We have 10 registered players right now, but realistically we would like 14. The biggest struggle is getting enough kids out and just dealing with the current weather conditions,” Piper said.

However, the numbers have gone up from last year, which Boezinger notes makes the team stronger.

“Last year we didn’t have as many guys. The determination was there, we just didn’t have as many guys who were willing to fight for each other, and I think that has changed this year,” Boezinger said.

With the lack of knowledge of rugby in the area, many incoming players have never experienced the sport.

“We have a lot more new players, so learning the rules and plays are something we need to focus on more,” junior Dakota Southworth

deadline, as well as the next few years.

The Indians will probably take the second spot in the postseason behind the Yankees.

However, I am wary of picking them over anyone they play due to their recent postseason struggles. They couldn’t finish off the Cubs in 2016 and lost their first series last year. I’m not sure if they have the offense to keep up with the rest of the league, but they have the pitching. The Indians will have to hit more home runs if they want to be useful in New York or Boston.

AL West- Houston won last year and came into the season heavy favorites. They’ve shown the success and importance of a proper rebuild.

The Angels are facing the same situation after their acquisition of the so-called “Babe Ruth of Japan.” Shohei Ohtani is a dual tool athlete, recruited as a designated hitter as well as a starting pitcher. The Angels season rides or dies on his success. They could use the extra double-digit wins from the front end of their rotation including a powerful bat to back up Albert Pujols and Mike Trout.

Angels aren’t anywhere close to the level of the Astros or the rest of the league. They’re on the cusp. In the next few years, they could become something special. A free agent signing to either the rotation or batting order would be pivotal in making a run through the American League.

NL East- The Nationals are facing an end of an era and need success now; it is championship or bust. Bryce Harper is facing a critical decision in the

free agent market.

Chicago is the favorite to sign him outside of the Nationals, and things aren’t looking positive for the Nats in the gradual future. They have the right materials to run far into October, but the question looming is are they ready. The past few postseasons haven’t been kind to the Nationals, not making it to the World Series as the victors from the NL. The Mets are up and coming, looking to return to their World Series form from 2015.

They have pitching and a gamechanging player in Yoenis Cespedes. I don’t imagine that they’ll have problems with the division. The rest of the NL is what worries me. They’ll cruise into the playoffs, but once again, I don’t think they’ll do much damage.

NL Central- The Cub’s are on top of the Central today, but what about tomorrow? They are the clear best team in the division, but if they can’t keep their stars or sign others, the division will catch up to them.

The Brewers made leaps and bounds over the offseason, acquiring key defensive and offensive athletes. The pitching is up and coming; the batting order is growing into its own.

The Cubs should be scared of the Brew Crew. They need better players as well as their allstars to skyrocket to the top of the statistical charts. The Cubs have the power now, but come to the offseason we’ll see if they can improve the opening day lineup. Cubs will make it to the postseason, but I don’t see them coming out of the NLCS with a trophy in hand.

HI-LINE Athlete of the

Week

said.

The number of new players is crucial to the team for making strides in the program, along with the knowledge of the more experienced players.

“This year I would say we have a lot more new players. A lot of the new players are very eager to learn.

It is good having some experienced players to help teach the inexperienced players,” Piper said.

In the fall, Piper has plans of starting a women’s rugby team, broadening the opportunity to all and knowledge of the sport.

“We do not currently have a girls team in our area. We are hopefully going to start a girls’ rugby team at Cedar Falls,” Piper said.

As the team heads full force into the season, winning isn’t the only thing on their mind.

“We need to work on more of our skill sets such as passing, tackling, communication — all the fundamentals. Most of the intangibles are there, and I think that is what is going to get us to the point where we can win,” Boezinger said.

By Editor In Chief Rachel

SCHMID

World Series will feature Yankees, Dodgers A predictable, regular season, an incredible postseason and a forgettable offseason highlighted the year in baseball for 2017. 2018 will most likely be very similar to a primer for a league-wide shakeup in 2019.

Teams like Chicago and Los Angeles should get comfortable in their throne now because they might not have ownership come spring 2019.

AL East- The storyline of the year perhaps lies inside the American League East division.

The season-long battle between them, once again, the evil empire from New York and their neighbors to the east. The Red Sox went under the radar with their offseason signing of J.D. Martinez, often compared as the lesser to the Yankees’ acquisition of Giancarlo Stanton.

The Yankees and Red Sox will be a season-long battle on the East Coast that will have a massive impact on the postseason. It will most likely be a battle between the two come first round, but whoever gets homefield will win the series. The Yankees proved this last year when they lost all their road games in a seven-game series. I think that the Yankees have more active bats than the Sox; however, come October anything can happen.

AL Central- This is a nobrainer. The Indians have a clear advantage over the rest of the division. The Twins are close to finishing their rebuild but don’t quite have the firepower to overtake the lead in the Central. The Tigers and Royals are both at the opposing ends of the rebuilding spectrum. Both teams will most likely be sellers at this year's

Tiger

NL West- Similar to the AL East, the NL West is extremely competitive. They were last year, and this year will be no different.

It will be a three-team race to the finish between the Rockies, DBacks and Dodgers. I wouldn’t be surprised if it comes to the same conclusion as last year, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a shift in power. Picking between the three is hard.

All are very similar in lineups, the Dodgers just having a slight advantage in skill. The D'Backs and Rockies will be a sprint to the finish, and every game of every series will count tremendously. Rockies and D’Backs during the year will be must-see television, and I wouldn't be surprised if the games birth a playoff-type atmosphere.

I’ll give Arizona a slight advantage, but I don’t think it means much when both teams are so close in ratings. My prediction will be the same result as last year. Arizona beats Colorado in the wildcard, but the Dodgers come out on top in the end.

The power balance is close to shifting in the MLB, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the current state while it’s here. The Yankees short rebuild will bring them to prominence, and Los Angeles will continue their success based on their well-manufactured rotation. The New York Yankees will play the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2018 World Series. The series will be seven games but end in a triumphant game seven win for the Dodgers, ending their 30-year championship drought.

By Opinion Editor Ben

BOEZINGER

PEYTON WAGEMAN Women’s Tennis

How long have you been playing tennis?

Competitively, I have been playing since freshman year. However, when I was young I took lessons at the Black Hawk Tennis Club in Waterloo.

What has been your biggest accomplishment this season so far?

Although we have just begun season, I think my biggest accomplishment comes from the fact that myself along with many other girls on the team have been committed to playing multiple times a week year round.

What are some of your personal goals?

My main goal is to win and be competitive at number two singles and hopefully compete at State for doubles.

What are some team goals?

Obviously, the team’s overarching goal is to go to State (for the first time) as a team, but beating the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids schools is definitely a goal of ours too.

Best memory from this or previous seasons?

The best memories I have from seasons are with my team during practice. The environment is fun, my teammates are great and there are always lots of laughs on and off the court. (Krisha beating the No. 1 player from Iowa City was pretty awesome too, though.)

Are you planning on playing tennis after this year?

I am planning on playing club tennis at Iowa State University next year. I also will play for fun with family and friends.