First in the Nation
Tiger Hi-Line The
Volume 48 Edition 4
The Iowa Caucuses are an important part of the presidential campaign process. For more information on the caucuses and some opinions them too, turn to the Opinion page.
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Core standards likely to be adopted Vincent Stigliani Staff Writer
The Model Core Curriculum project is a set of standards developed by the Department of Education that the state advises public schools move toward. Although this model may soon be required, Iowa is the last state not to have a set of standards from the state that all schools must comply to. This plan would consist of goals that students should reach by graduation. The students would meet these standards gradually. Each year benchmarks would be met that we lead to the graduation standards. “The Iowa Model Core Curriculum is currently just a model that the state is recommending schools move toward,” Director of Secondary Education Dan Conrad said. “Whether or not we are required to adopt them as part of our graduation requirements will be determined by the state legislature. I believe this will be a major topic for debate
during this year’s legislative session.” CFHS English department head Judy to be done to develop these. The ITBS The Iowa Department of Educa- Timmins said. “We are very familiar and ITED tests would not be adequate,” tion has two main goals for this proj- with the standards and benchmarks. Conrad stated. ect. One goal is to ensure that all Iowa Now we need to marry the two. The reAnother expressed concern has been students have access to a rigorous and constructing that may be required is yet the absence of certain areas in this currelevant curriculum to riculum. prepare them for success “I think it’s a little The Iowa Model Core Curriculum overboard to start with in post-secondary education and the emerging such high expectations,” is currently just a model that the global economy. The Art Department Head state is recommending schools other is to provide a tool Bob McCullough said. for Iowa educators to “They’ve already inmove toward. use to assure that essencreased enrollment in core tial subject matter is becourses. It has affected our — Dan Conrad enrollment in art because ing taught and essential Director of Secondary students have fewer elecknowledge and skills are Edcation tives. It’s not gentle to the being learned. Cedar Falls High education system.” School already has developed bench- to be determined. The department is at Conrad is sensitive to McCullough’s marks that they strive to reach in each the initial stages.” concerns and is planning to keep all acOne concern with this model is how ademic options open for students. subject. Many of the concepts on their benchmarks are very similar to those of it will be monitored. “We believe it is important to offer “We would need to have assessments students opportunities in a wide varithe Model Core Curriculum. “It seems the Model Core Curricu- in place that would track students’ ety of curricular areas. It would be our lum has the same elements and con- progress in meeting the standards and plan to continue to provide students cepts but is written less generally,” benchmarks. Much work would need time during their school day to enroll
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in elective courses such as band, family consumer science, industrial technology, etc.,” Conrad said. Another question is how these would standards improve the school. “There have been considerable concerns aired around the state that schools are not setting high enough expectations for students, and that some smaller schools do not have the staff to provide higher level courses for students,” Conrad said. “Most schools’ requirements in the core areas are similar to ours, and would need to be revised if all schools are required to adopt the IMCC.” The school does not have to worry about adopting the standards quite yet. “Currently, the state is not requiring all districts to adopt and meet the IMCC standards and benchmarks. The state is recommending schools adopt them, but at the present time, we are only required to report on our progress of moving toward the IMCC,” Conrad explained.
Dance team finds success at State with Division I ratings for five categories Nadia Honary Staff Writer
The CFHS dance team’s state competition, held in Des Moines on Friday, had results that the girls (and boys) could be proud of. The dance team performed in four different categories including pom, jazz, hip hop and coed. Each performance received a Division I rating. Placing fifth in hip hop and third in coed, the dancers did not leave empty- handed as everyone performed their very best. Senior Jessica Gitchell felt the coed dance team was successful. “The coed dance was really good. The guys were really scared but also really excited to do it. We went out there and they had high energy and really got into the movement. They did everything crazy big. As a group, we were most together timing-wise,” Gitchell said.
Senior Andrew Snyder, who performed for the first time on Friday in front of an audience for coed, enjoyed the experience. “It was pretty scary but a lot of fun. It was fun listening to everyone cheer,” Snyder said. Snyder had never danced before coed, so everything about the involvement was new. “It was fairly easy to learn. Once you get the steps down and put it with the music, everything came together easy,” Snyder said. As a group, Snyder felt that the girls and boys did well. “I think we did pretty good. We came a long way. We were pretty bad in the beginning,” Snyder said. Despite receiving a Division I for coed, Snyder felt they could have done better. “I would have liked to win at State, but it was a lot of fun, so that makes up for it,” Snyder said.
Caitlin Lattimer Photos
Sharing a mid-dance grin, seniors Emily Stortz and Eric Eichelberger kick and turn at the State Dance Competition in Des Moines, at left. At top, senior Ben Main and freshman Alexa Deines have a blast while giving it their all.
Tiger Hi-Line The
OPIn n IO OPI IOnn
our view our view
Students should initiate own political involvement For many high school students, election year simply means passionate rambling about seemingly irrelevant ideas. Despite their significance, issues such as social security, healthcare and abortion are the furthest things from most high school students’ minds. However, certain issues are highly relevant to the average high schooler. The minimum wage, federal funding for postsecondary education and the war in Iraq directly affect literally millions of American teenagers. Even with such issues at stake, fewer than half of all 18-year-olds voted in the 2004 presidential election. Through campaigns such as Rock the Vote, an initiative intended to encourage eligible teenagers to vote, the number of teens who voted increased by 10 percent between 2000 and 2004. Despite this improvement, more work is needed give young adults a strong voice in our democratic process. There are opportunities for teenagers who are ineligible to vote to get involved with the political process. The first step is to get informed. Thanks to the abundant resources on the Internet, countless volumes in the media center and current newspapers, teenagers have ample opportunity become acquainted with political issues. Exploration of candidates’ websites coupled with independent research on issues and candidates, helps to determine a compatible candidate. By contacting the candidate’s local headquarters, students can discover how to get involved with the presidential campaign of their choice. Through making phone calls, campaigning door-to-door and attending the candidates’ events, anyone can have an influence on others’ votes. The Political Awareness Club’s mock caucus that will be held on Thursday, Dec. 13 from 6:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. in the CFHS cafeteria provides an opportunity for students to gain knowledge and show their support for a particular candidate. Any interested students, even those who are too young to vote, are welcome at the event. The Tiger Hi-Line staff believes in the power of influence that high school students have in politics. We unreservedly encourage the CFHS student body to become involved with the upcoming presidential election as well as other federal, state and local level elections. Through diligence and dedication, high schoolers can gain a strong, influential voice in the political arena.
Write 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. Each edition is published on Wenesdays during the school year in The Insider and Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier, 501 Commercial St., Waterloo, Iowa 50701. 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 Wednesday. Letters may not exceed 300 words and may be edited to meet space limitations. Include address and phone number for verification.
Editorial Staff
Editor-in-Chief: Briana McGeough News Editors: Olivia Schares and Kellie Petersen Opinion Editors: Andrea Huber and Torie Jochims Sports Editor: Jacqueline Jordan Feature Editors: Honor Heindl and Briana McGeough On-Line Editors: Ellen Wrede Entertainment Editor: Kristen Hammer
Iowa deserves leading role in picking presidential options We live in Iowa, which entitles us to the first caucus in the nation for presidential elections. It has been this way since 1972, when the Iowa caucus was moved up to 1st in the nation by the Democrats. Origin a l l y, this was to move Maggie Devine t h e Staff Writer nominating process out of the city bosses’ power and into the people’s. The Republicans followed suit, and soon Iowa had a plethora of power in the nominating process. Now it’s 2007 and the caucus and primary process is growing in momentum. You can’t turn on the local news without hearing about which presidential candidate did what in Iowa that day. The number of visits candidates have to Iowa are very well into the doubledigits The other states are angry at Iowa for the privileges we have, and want some attention and power themselves.
Iowa, in order to remain first, has had to move up its caucuses already. Since I’ve lived in Iowa all of my life, I’m probably pretty biased about this. Upfront, I want Iowa to continue its tradition of being first in the nation. It is my belief that we are a pretty independent state and wouldn’t necessarily vote for the same party years and years continuously. It’s true that Iowa doesn’t have a large population, but who’s to say that doesn’t make us an excellent sample of the nation? Another point to keep Iowa first is the fact that if we weren’t, hardly any candidates would come and speak. We don’t have a large population, which means that we don’t have very many electoral votes. Iowa would get next to no attention. Other low-population states, however, are in that situation right now. Mike Huckabee, a Republican candidate riding high in the polls in Iowa, has no plans to visit our Nebraskan neighbors in 2007. He also has no campaign stops in North Dakota or Wyoming. All states with low populations. The root of the problem here is population. The way population affects the presidential election process is shameful. Others have proposed ways to “fix” the process that all can be denied based
on population. For instance, a regional nominating process has been proposed in which the nation would be divided into regions. Naturally, putting the Midwest into a region would include Illinois and possibly Michigan, both who have large populations. If the regional plan were instated, candidates would spend their time in Illinois and Michigan, not the states needing attention like Nebraska and North Dakota. Another proposed plan is a state rotation. The states would take turns on who would be first in the nation for their caucus/primary. Sure, we all learn “take turns” in preschool, but this idea is just preposterous. Nebraska still isn’t going to get those candidate visits they deserve when Maine is 1st. Maine will that time, but the next election they won’t. Clearly, if we want to fix this system it needs to start with the electoral college and its main focus on population. That, however, is an entirely different debate. Right now, we have a system that works. Iowa can be an important part of this election for many more years if we fight for our tradition. At this moment, it is crucial that Iowa stays 1st in the nation for a good election to happen. Iowans must stand their ground and keep Iowa powerful.
Christmas specials should emphasize true story It’s that time of year. Sleigh bells ring. Snow falls. Christm a s lights a n d trees sparkle everywhere y o u look. Rachel Connelly And Staff Writer T V channels are playing Christmas movies. But are these shows all they are cracked up to be? They give viewers the false impression that Christmas is all about decorations, trees, and Santa. Shrek the Halls, a half hour special,
premiered on ABC this year. It focuses on the “true” meaning of Christmas. In the end, the characters decide that Christmas can be whatever you want it to be. In the Family Circus Christmas, 1979, Santa brings the kids’ granddad back to life. Is this what we want kids to think: that Santa can do that? In Jack Frost, 1979, the one hour animated special, Father Winter, who controls everything in the winter, sends Jack Frost to Earth as a human. Jack Frost saves the town of January Junction.Does this sound familiar? God sent Jesus, in human form, to save us. Shouldn’t that be the message of Christmas shows? Sure, Santa is fun to think about, and his reindeer and elves, but shouldn’t there be Christmas shows that show the true story? In A Charlie Brown Christmas, Li-
nus tells the true Christmas story from the Bible’s Book of Luke. “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown,” the characters declare. This special was released in 1965, and that goes to show how our standards for quality have degraded. What we really need is some new good movies about the real meaning of Christmas. Not snow, not trees, not lights. But that God sent His son, Jesus, born of a virgin, that holy night in Bethlehem to save us. Charlie Brown ends A Charlie Brown Christmas by saying, “I won’t let all this commercialism ruin my Christmas…” We shouldn’t let commercialism ruin our Christmas. This year, don’t make Christmas about Santa, trees and presents. Make it about good cheer, happiness and Jesus.
Tiger Hi-Line The
SPORTS SPORTS
Learning Curve Hi-Line kicks off new style, in spite of frustrating learning curves for CS3, but we will dominate. Oh, yeah.
Women’s basketball rebounds to win over Decorah after two close contests Sara Strever Staff Writer
After a rough week of losing to 5th-ranked Cedar Rapids Xavier and 10th-ranked Cedar Rapids Kennedy on Tuesday and Friday last week, the Tigers came out on top on Saturday. Sophomore Laura Johnson led the team with 20 points and 3 3 pointers. “We really needed a win. I think that we all really needed and wanted to win because of how we have been so close the last few games,” Johnson said. The delay of a few basketball players has not been the only challenge the Tigers have had to deal with. “We have had to deal with injury, lots of games and little time to practice. That really hurts. We need to be much stronger on the boards. That has really been our Achilles’ tendon,” head coach Dan List said. In the game versus Decorah, the Tigers were ahead for the majority of the game with the exception of the first half. Players Lindsey Morris added to the score with 13 points and Ali Hines
added 12 points. The final score of the game was 64-55. “We got off to a slow start in the past couple of games, but last night, we came out and we were really ready to play,” Johnson said. “It’s hard to say what the hardest part has been. Confidence. Our confidence has had to go up. Tough loses of three, four, five points in the game really hurt. We just hadn’t been able to get up over the hump of it,” List said. As for State, the Tigers will strive to win at regionals in order to go to the state tournament. “Coach List and Coach Groen are saying that we aren’t playing our best one quarter of the game, especially in the first. One quarter we are just not intense enough. I think that we need to play four quarters of good basketball every game. If we do that, we can make it far,” Johnson said. The Tigers are up against Jefferson and Hempstead next week. “If people come out and watch, it really does make it much more fun to play,” Johnson said.
Senior Shawn Shaddox takes this week’s Athlete of the Week. She has good potential to be a leader and works hard to be successful on court. What are your pre-game rituals? The varsity team gets together for chapel and has a motivational speaker come and talk to us before we go to the game. What have you learned from playing basketball? How important team chemistry is and playing as a team. Our whole team rises to the competition and plays together well. Honor Heindl photo
Taking advantage of the pick from senior Shawn Shaddox, senior Ali Cirksena drives to the hoop. The women’s basketball team went on to win the game 64-55. Up next, they’ll be playing Dubuque Hempstead at home.
Staff Writer
Omeed Kashef Staff Writer
As the CF High wrestlers take off with a 3-2 record and a close 36-33 win on Thursday against City High, they are surely progressing every time they walk on to a mat. “Our goal is to compete hard and become better wrestlers every time there is an opportunity to progress,” coach Jay Llewellyn said. The Tigers came out in 7th place out of 16 teams in the Five Seasons Duals tournament on Saturday. “We train our wrestlers by helping them understand their opponents’ strengths and weaknesses,” Llewellyn explained. Sure enough, this training has
of the
Shawn Shaddox Senior Basketball
Wrestlers overpower Bowling teams not up to par with Sidler’s high expectations City High, take 7th Alex Entz at CR tournament paid off with Kevin Hancock and Sean Yokem having a 4-0 record, and Jesse Froehner and Michael Kelly with 3-1 records. Froehner is a returning state qualifier with great goals in mind. “I’m planning on placing high at State, at least top four.” His next competition will be Mark Ballweg from Waterloo West, a former State Champion. “I have prepared physically with sprints and practice matches,” Froehner said, “but to prepare mentally you have to be in a state of mind that you know you can win.” The CFHS wrestlers have meets every Thursday and Saturday. Their next meet is at home against Waterloo West on Thursday, Dec. 13 at 6:15 p.m.
Athlete Week
Though the bowling teams have been struggling to meet expectations, Diana Sidler, the team’s head coach, still holds hope that the team will pick up its performance as the year moves on. The women’s team sits at 2-1 while the men’s team sits below the .500 mark at 1-2. “I hope that we will be able to reach conference, but that might be pretty optimistic at this point,” Sidler said. Senior Stuart Steffy added, “I think we’ll win more than last year.” The team lost its first match at Dubuque Senior, but they rebounded to win their second match against Iowa City West. The women won and the men lost against Dubuque Wahlert last Friday. The teams play the same teams as other Cedar Falls sports; they play at Valley Park. “In practices we bowl Baker’s games, we bowl games and we work on spares,” Steffy added. Baker’s games involve bowling
single sets. The team’s bowling performance has not been up to Sidler’s expectations this year. The women are bowling about an average 10 pins below where they should be. The men’s team is bowling about 15 to 20 pins below where they should be. “It makes it hard to know just how good our competition will be since many seniors graduated last year,” Sidler said. But the competition looks to be fierce, especially with Dubuque Senior in the mix. According to Sidler, Dubuque Senior is the marquee team of this year’s competition. Any run to a state title will have to go past them. Traditionally the bowling heats up as the season goes on. Sidler said that she is happy that the team has already won some matches. A lot of the good feeling surrounding the team has to due with team unity. “We mesh well and we hang out together,” Steffy said. The team’s next match will be Friday, Dec. 14 at Waterloo East.
What motivates you? The fact that we can make State.
Tigers in Action Men’s Basketball 12/7 lost against CR Kennedy 52-62
(Home 6 p.m.) Next up: 12/14 D. Hempstead (Away 6
p.m.) Women’s Basketball 12/7 won against CR. Kennedy 64-55 (Away 6 p.m.) Next Up: 12/14 D. Hempstead (Home 6 p.m.) Wrestling 12/6 won against IC High 36-33 (Away 6:15 p.m.) Next Up: 12/13 W. West (Home 6:15 p.m.) 12/15 CR Kennedy (Away 9 a.m.) Men’s Bowling 12/7 lost against D. Wahlert 2,518-2,881 (Away 3:45 p.m.) Next Up: 12/14 W. East (Away 3:45) Women’s Bowling 12/7 won against D. Wahlert 2,419 (Away 3:45 p.m.) Next Up: 12/14 W. East (Away 3:45) Men’s Swimming 12/8 won Marcussen Invite with 498 points (Home 11:30 a.m.) Next Up: Iowa City Invite (Away 12:30 p.m.)
Tiger Hi-Line The
FEATURE FEATURE
Senior launches quest for Dove Award Performance Kristen Counsell Staff Writer
Senior Callie Weiss is a singer and songwriter who transferred to Cedar Falls High School this year, with hopes of becoming a Dove Award performer, going on tour and getting a little closer to winning the award. The Dove Awards is the biggest night of gospel music. This year was the 38th Annual Dove Awards, held in the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee. Weiss has two CDs out of her own. Her first CD was just a demo, although her newest CD that came out on April 20, 2007, is called These Walls. The songs are available iTunes. Her favorite song that she has written is called “If I Ever,” but it is not out on CD yet. She writes all of her own lyrics and can play the guitar and piano. She also plays the flute and drums on the side. Weiss began singing and playing piano when she was five years old. By the age of 12, she was composing her own songs and recording profession-
ally. When Grammy-nominated, Gold Record producer Tom Tatman (StoneSour) heard the piano/vocal demo tracks for These Walls, he was inspired to record a fully produced version of the album. “Callie’s a teenage phenomenon. Her song-writing, musicianship and vocal performances on the CD are extraordinary,” Tatman said. Weiss is a Christian singer that writes about whatever is going on in her life at the time. She may write about her friendships or even her spiritual life. “Faith is everything. It’s the most important thing in my life,” Weiss said. Weiss signed with Ultimasongs Records for the exclusive release of her CD, during a private ceremony. “This is one of the most exciting new artists and releases we have seen in years. Callie has a number of potential hit songs on this beautifully-recorded CD. The musicians and Tom Tatman’s work on this record is stellar,” President Steve McLoone announced after signing Weiss.
Kerry Tucker plays lead guitar, Danny Johnson plays bass guitar and Skip Lo is the drummer for her album These Walls, though when she goes on tour, Drew Johnson, drummer for Greenhill, accompanies her. She usually travels with Greenhill, a Christian rock band. “If I open up for someone I like and scream for them and they go on before me, then my voice gets hoarse,” Weiss said. When that happens she doesn’t talk or whisper, though she does drink Chai or another hot drink. Some of her favorite bands are the Fray, Natalie Grant, Bethany Dillon and Downhere. She is originally from Marshalltown, but she recently moved to Cedar Falls. She attended Valley Lutheran High School but decided to transfer to Cedar Falls High this year due to more class options, extracurricular activities, music and sports. If you want to know more about Weiss or her music, you can go to My Space and type in “Callie Weiss Music” and it will bring up her page and you can listen to her songs for free.
Lyrics lyrics L e t t i n g
S o m e b o d y
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I sit down with a smile on my face The same thing I tried yesterday Maybe someone will see through but then again, what would I do? I know I lied when I said I’m OK because they won’t look at me the same You know, I’m trying just to be strong and that’s what it means when I say nothing is wrong I don’t know where I’d begin letting somebody in. Oh Lord You see what he’s become God, forgive him, for he doesn’t know what he’s done I know I lied when I said I’m OK Because they won’t look at me the same Lord, You know how hard I’ve tried To push this away, to keep it all inside But since then nothing has changed it’s twisted and I’m afraid
Callie in Concert (clockwise starting at the left)
1 & 2. Singing in the limelight, Callie Weiss performs a heartfelt tune in Nashville, Tenn. 3. Playing her piano at the Gateway Park shelter, Weiss entertains a Cedar Falls audience. 4. Prepping for a performance, Weiss tunes her guitar. 5. On display at Weiss’ concert, her album, These Walls, sells for $15.