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Volume 57 Edition 11
PAYING IT FORWARD FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Choir’s caroling, coat drive lead Entrepreneurship’s campaign high school’s holiday efforts coming to close today As the season is rapidly approaching, students and staff are jumping in the game and helping out so they can serve others. Fitting to the season, choir director Eliott Kranz’s has his carolers hitting up different places in the Cedar Valley to bring their joy to all. The carolers have already performed at the Sartori Festival of Trees Brunch on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at GBPAC as well as ArtVan furniture for the store’s Christmas promotion. There are 15 carolers in the pack. “The group was created to perform at the Festival of Trees Brunch,” Kranz said. “They were picked by me based on availability and if I thought they could be successful at singing these familiar carols in parts.” They have more destinations, and will perform at Sunnyside Country Club in Waterloo for brunches the club is hosting on Sunday, Dec. 11 and 18. Along with the winter time, senior Miranda Rokes is stepping up and taking on a whole coat drive. She said, “OK, so the coat drive is at CFHS, but we are trying to get collections from ev-
ery school within the district as well as the community itself. All the coats collected will go to the box in the counseling office. There will also be boxes at each school in the district.” The drive has been running since Wednesday, Nov. 30 and will continue until Dec. 23. “I guess the one thing I have always wanted to do within my high school career,” Rokes said, “has been a coat drive. I love knowing that we as a school can have the ability to give someone something so simple and yet so effective, so when Aastha Chandra gave me the opportunity through the Volunteer Club to be in charge, it was a perfect fit.” Chandra is the head of the volunteer club that Rokes is working through. Rokes said, “There is not a certain amount I am looking to raise in the sense of numbers, but the more the merrier. Hopefully, due to getting many schools and groups involved, we can raise a couple hundred. Even if only one is raised, the coat drive will still be a success knowing we helped someone.” ‘HIGH SCHOOL HOLIDAY’ Continued on Page 2
In a room buzzed a busy group of students working away on their multitude of jobs to get done before the time to sell was afoot. This is the usual pattern that Julie Cuvelier’s entrepreneurship class takes as their semester starts to come to a close. “I have only one class this semester,” Cuvelier said. “We had to turn lots of people away, but there will be three classes next spring.” The main class project is the end of semester sale. This semester’s class didn’t let any of the usual expectations fall. Their company, Yo Dawwwwwwwg Inc, came out with a design in two different color patterns: red and grey as well as black and white as shown below. They come in both a sweatshirt as well as a long sleeved shirt in either design. With so many jobs to take part in, there wasn’t a single person that wasn’t important to the task of overtaking
the project. Taking a big leadership role, junior Caitlynn Smith was elected by popular vote to become class vice president, and then he took her leadership role a step higher when she chose to become the class president. “I do many things, some of which include helping to lead the class in decisions, making suggestions to the class and making sure everything runs cleanly and properly,” Smith said. There were lots of steps to take before sales began, from deciding on a company name and logo to choosing a Tshirt design and its colors and multiple to more aspects of business making. “One of the biggest struggles I have had to partake in while taking this class is deciding on what exactly we were going to sell, and in what colors we were ‘ENTREPRENEURSHIP’ Continued on Page 2
Peet Service Learners plea to city hall, Holmes groups line up holiday opportunities school board for spreading kindness Several students from the Service Learning Group at Peet Junior High traveled to City Hall on Nov. 21 to challenge City Council to spread kindness. The group also challenged the Cedar Falls School Board and everyone in the Cedar Valley. Both visits were part of expanding the Peet service learning project throughout the city. About a dozen students formed the main group. “They picked from the get-go a problem, a community that they wanted to influence, and project -based learning in order to impact people and how to impact people,” said Hilary Iehl, an instructional coach in technology at Peet and adviser to the project. “The goal that they came up with was to spread kindness across the Cedar Valley, and then we decided that not only Peet kids [could be] doing it, why not challenge Cedar Valley schools,
the school board and city council,” she said. The group of students started by doing small acts of kindness for the public. “They put notes in Peet library books and were looking to do some more notes in the public library books. They went around and put positive and encouraging notes on every student’s locker, and also wrote cards to the residents at NewAldaya in the skilled living housing,” Iehl said. The acts of kindness helped some students realize how easy it is to change someone’s day. “It was a lot simpler than I thought it would be. It doesn’t take long to do something kind for someone else,” project member Piper Victoria said. The project also created an informative YouTube video, “Random Acts Of Kindness Challenge,” and two hashtags, #SpreadKindness and #PeetPride in order to spread awareness. “The video, as well as the
people part of this project made it so clear how kindness isn’t a big act that is draining from yourself. It’s small things that impact someone else and you positively,” project member Sarimah Ogbondah said. Iehl stressed that everyone can afford to do an act of kindness. “Small acts of kindness can go a long way. They don’t have to cost money or take a lot of time. It could be a smile in the hallway, holding the door for someone or inviting someone to sit by you at lunch,” Iehl said. The current state of American politics inspired the students to try to bring a positive change. “The state of the world we are living in right now — I think we had a lot of disagreement and anger. Preelection and post-election, that’s really when we were developing this,” she said. By Staff Writer Sabine
MARTIN
This holiday season at Holmes Junior High, students and staff have put together several opportunities to donate or get involved. In the past, Holmes has held candy cane sales where students can buy candy canes for friends for a dollar. This year’s sale runs from Dec. 8-15. Last year they raised $878, and the goal for this year in $900. Last year Holmes had Santa pictures, but this year they will be New Years Pictures. “Student council has made an effort to still honor past traditions but lessen the focus on the holiday. Decorations will be more winter wonderland and New Years pictures instead of Santa,” counselor Julie Rouse said. Cost per picture will be $4. All proceeds will go toward buying gift cards to Walmart or Kohls for families that the school “adopts.” “We are motivated to help our Holmes familie have a more joyous holiday season,” Rouse said. Other opportunities would be with the Holmes Huddle or
FCA group at Holmes. Usually this group does Christmas dinner handouts. Corey Peters, PE teacher at Holmes who helps lead this group, said, “I always believe that any ministry that God has me doing starts in my home first.” The group has adopted a few families to support this season with gifts and food. Peters has had previous relationships with these families as he has gotten to know them through his street ministry. The street ministry will head out on Tuesdays this month to give back. They meet at the Heartland Vineyard Church and go from 6-8 p.m. They hand out groceries and intentionally go after tougher neighborhoods. “If we claim to be Christians, darkness should disturb us to action. The best action we can offer is love.” Holmes Huddle is for students at Holmes. They meet on Fridays before school. All of these fundraisers have the same end goal, which is to help our community have a better holiday season. By Staff Writer Jack
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Everyman Educator
Friday, Dec. 9, 2016
Holmes paraeducator inspiring students while assisting in multitude of roles
Freshman Natalie Lang has taught herself caligraphy.
Vipsa Dodiya
Peet freshman begins lessons in caligraphy during Tiger Time Ninth grade artist Natalie Lang has been practicing calligraphy for over a year and has decided to open a calligraphy enrichment in Tiger Time at Peet Junior High. “A lot of people saw some of my writing, and they were really interested and wanted to learn how to write so well,” Lang said. Lang is a self-taught calligraphy artist, and she learned about the art by watching videos on Instagram. “When I first started calligraphy, I thought that it was going to be super easy, but when I actually put my pen to the paper, it was so much harder than I thought it was going to be.” Lang is almost always doing calligraphy wherever she may be. In class when she has free time, she found herself writing beautiful decorative words and phrases.
“It is also my stress reliever and can take my mind off of a lot of things that are going on in my life,” she said. In her enrichment, Lang wants to teach beginners how to do basic calligraphy and creatively express themselves through writing. It took Lang almost a year to get good, and she is still improving as she goes. She said she hopes to learn something in her enrichment as she teaches others. “You can do it too, but trust me, it’s a lot harder than you think. Just don’t give up. You’ll get better as time progresses, and you’ll have beautiful calligraphy just like mine.”Peet Jr. High students can learn calligraphy in Lang’s enrichment this December by signing up in the December enrichments Powerpoint. By Staff Writer Vipsa
HIGH SCHOOL HOLIDAYS/ Continued from Page 1
ENTREPRENEURSHIP/ Continued from Page 1
All these coats will be dispersed throughout different committees and clubs. Rokes said, “There are many different organizations in mind for the final contributions. The Waterloo Boys and Girls Club will be getting a portion of the coats, the Coat Drive Committee is also thinking about the Women’s Shelter in Waterloo. I think it is important for those in our school to also benefit from the drive, so possibly giving a portion to those who need them within our own school district.” Rokes said, “There is no other feeling that can bring pure joy like volunteering and serving. I love seeing the smile on people’s faces after I’ve helped them. It’s crazy because I’m helping them, but really they are helping me see true happiness out of the smallest things.” By Staff Writer Claire
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going to sell it,” Smith said. “We wanted to be able to have a market that appealed to all genders and sizes. Finding a product to do all of that was particularly challenging.” The group is accomplishing that goal by already making $370 in sales. Their selling period ends at the end of the day this Friday, Dec. 9 with a planned delivery of all items by the end of next week, just in time for the Christmas holidays. A portion of profits will be given back as a community support item that is still to be decided by the group. “Last semester was a donation to the Kime Family and a donation to Do Better, Be Better,” Cuvelier said. “This year I anticipate some thoughts due to the flood and helping Red Cross.” By Staff Writer Cassidy
CHRISTOPHER
English, math, art —all other academic subject teachers are all very important, but it is the teachers who don’t have one certain classrooms and will jump in for any teacher in a pinch that keep the school running. Special education teacher Chad Wilming is a hard working paraeducator who comes to work Monday through Friday at 7:15 a.m. and leaves every day at 3 p.m. Throughout the day, Wilming does every job you can think of. He supervises detention, lunch break, Study Plus (Tiger Time activity), P.E., skills ( a special education learning group), algebra, informational tech, cooking/sewing and technology in art. He also teaches special education English and reading. Wilming has seen a lot of kids grow and learn throughout his 12 years at Holmes Junior High, and it inspires him to come back every day. “What inspires me is seeing students who I work with growth intellectually, socially and emotionally as a result of my interactions with them,” Wilming said. In the fundamentals algebra class he helps out and the students notice his determination for them to be the best. “I don’t know him very well, but he is so helpful in our class,” freshman Avery Straw said. Wilming also helps out after school on Thursday at science club. “He’s super organized and gets things done efficiently,” Holmes freshman Elise Markham said. Students are not the only ones who appreciate Wilming’s hard work; teachers do as well. “I really appreciate having Mr. Wilming work at our school because he is a great mentor to students. He cares so much about the students in our building and is so friendly and fun to work with,” Spanish teacher Sara Blanco said. For Wilming, it’s all about the students he teaches. “One of my favorite things I like about my job is working one on one with all different types of kids. Also, over the last eight years, I have had the opportunity and pleasure of helping coach students with autism participate in high school track and swimming,” he said. Wilming gives students with disabilities chances that they may have not have had otherwise. Other teachers also notice his hard work and effort that goes into changing kids’ lives. “Mr. Wilming has worked with special needs students, helping
“My favorite thing about Mr. Wilming is his enthusiasm for life.”
—Sue Green math teacher
them to accomplish athletically what the student would not have dreamed to be possible,” math teacher Sue Green said. Wilming’s enthusiasm and hard work is what really changes the classes he works in. Although he may just be a shadow in those classes, people seem to know him for being kind and enthusiastic. Students and teachers respond to Wilming’s name with smiles and murmurs about his enthusiasm and his dedication. “My favorite thing about Mr. Wilming is his enthusiasm for life,” Green said. Wilming’s main goal is to set an example for the students, and even when he is not in his classroom, he is still striving for this goal. “I appreciate how he uses the Spanish he knows when he is in my classroom. His willingness to use Spanish is a great example for all of my students,” Blanco said. So many students and teachers respect Wilming, and one of the main reasons is because they know he has high hopes for them and will do anything to help them do their best. “He is very helpful to the students he works with, yet has high expectations for them,” Blanco said. He also teaches students that they are all equal and are all so smart. “Mr. Wilming does a great job of making students feel valued,” Green said. Wilming is also known for his persistency and determination, “He works hard to try and bring out the best in a student. He is always willing to give any student extra help,” Holmes paraeducator Janie Laipple said. Wilming’s students definitely benefit from his hard work and enthusiasm as a paraeducator, but Wilming said he thinks it is he who benefits the most. He said, “Working and interacting with kids and teachers in both academic and social settings has made me a more patient and empathetic person.” By Staff Writer Sophia
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3 Sophomore fights back from eating disorder The
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Sports were everything for sophomore Tanner Tangen. He loved to be on the field kicking a ball, and he loved to be outside running for miles. “Soccer is my dream job. My everything,” Tangen said. He wanted to be faster and better at sports and he was very determined. That’s what he thought he was doing when he lost 40 pounds in one month, improving his athletic ability, but then he soon discovered that “My eating disorder ruined my dreams and part of my life for me. I will never get my athletic abilities caught up to what they were going to be, and that makes me mad at myself,” Tangen said. Tanner never thought that in a few months he would be admitted into the University of Iowa Hospital Child Psychology Unit for an eating disorder as he weighed just 95.6 pounds(months before being admitted weighing 134 pounds). “I never thought it would happen to me, but it did. Being a guy doesn’t matter. I wanted to lose weight to get faster, and then losing weight became way out of control,” Tanner said. Tanner’s parents didn’t realize what he was doing at first. They didn’t realize he was hurting himself. It wasn’t until his soccer ability changed and he started cutting out major food groups. “He started out cutting junk food, potato chips, candy, pop and watching his calories. I was not concerned,” Tanner’s mom Lenette said. “When he started cutting out food groups and obsessing the calories and fat in his foods and monitoring everything he ate, I knew we had a serious problem.” Tanner thought he would benefit from the loss of a few pounds, but his soccer career suffered. Tanner’s dad Dominick noticed the struggles too. “Throughout the summer of 2015, he never ate more than 1,200 calories, but he was still practicing soccer three hours per day. I had no idea this was going on, but I did notice he was no longer the most dominant athlete on the soccer field. He was always the fastest and strongest kid on the field with the best ball skills. He was now spending all his time picking himself up off the ground and trailing behind the play.” After comments from relatives and stories from other parents, the Tangen’s set out for help. They found the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, but were put on a waiting list, and after many weeks of agony and a loss of eight pounds, Tanner finally got in. Once Tanner got into the eating disorder clinic weighing just 95.6 pounds, he was told that he was a couple days away from being dead, and Lenette said that “Tanner was the worst anorexic patient they have seen admitted. He was so weak and fragile, his heart rate was very low and his speech was slurred. When leaving him that first day I felt so awful walking out, but I knew he was safe now.” His hospitalization was such a relief for his parents, eating disorders were new for them even after doing research it was hard to deal with Tanner. “We were struggling trying to help him at home so going to the hospital took some weight off us all,” Lenette said. Tanner’s dad still remembers the day he was admitted, how angry and irritated he was. “My entire day was filled with negotiations, manipulation and name calling. It’s funny now, but one way Tan would negotiate is to chal-
Friday, Dec. 9, 2016
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After weighing just 95.6 pounds a year ago, sophomore Tanner Tangen has now reclaimed a healthy weight and eating habits.
“I had no idea this was going on, but I did notice he was no longer the most dominant athlete on the soccer field. He was always the fastest and strongest kid on the field with the best ball skills. He was now spending all his time picking himself up off the ground and trailing behind the play.” —Lenette Tangen, mother of Tanner lenge me to eat some 4,000 calorie meal, and then he would be willing to eat a grape. He did this daily. “Tanner became very irritable and angry. An anorexic is not happy unless they are unhappy and starving to death. He called me names. Meals were hour long negotiations over what to prepare and then we negotiated over portion size for another 20 minutes. He threw food across the room if he didn’t like the amount. I can not put into words how horrible this was. He wore me out, and I can only imagine how worn out he was from this,” Dominick said. As much as it was a relief for his parents that Tanner was hospitalized, it was a struggle for Tanner. “I was stubborn and rude to the staff,” he said. “Some of the time I felt like I wanted to die.” His parents came and visited a few times a week, but it all depended on how Tanner was doing and how he was feeling. When Tanner was in the hospital, he had very specific rules and boundaries. He had to move up through the levels to get more privileges. Moving up a level was based on his attitude and weight. Tanner wasn’t able to reach level three, which is when one meets 80 percent of his or her goal weight. This meant he wasn’t allowed to go outside or go off site for five weeks. To help encourage Tanner and other
patients, his mom made periwinkle-colored bracelets that said hope, faith and love. The color periwinkle represents eating disorder awareness. It started as a little thing for friends and family and eclipsed into a huge thing as everyone began asking for them. When Tanner was released for the first time in January 2015, he returned to school, but he struggled to keep the weight on and was admitted back into the hospital again after 10 weeks. When he was admitted back to the hospital, he only weighed 99 pounds. And it was a lot harder to get him in the second time, although he was in better shape. Dominick said, “When we went for his admission the second time, we sat in a room full of doctors and caseworkers, and he negotiated with them for an hour. Finally a doctor stepped in and said, ‘I’m going to take that off the table. You are staying here even if we have to get a judge to step in.’ He negotiated all day long.” After a lot of support from family and friends and hard work on Tanner’s part, he left the hospital for good in July weighing 133 pounds. “Well, I just finally decided that I’m done with this sh**. I started to satisfy my hunger. I feel good, and as long as it keeps my mom happy, I’ll continue to maintain a healthy lifestyle for her,” Tanner said. That’s what kept Tanner going, his family. All of the visits from his mom and the thought
of her in worry. It kept him going and wanting to do better. Tanner spent 204 days in the hospital trying to become positive and become a healthy weight again, but his journey to recovery didn’t stop there. He visits the hospital monthly so they can monitor his weight, and he takes anxiety pills. He now weighs 140 pounds and said he is at his happiest. Tanner’s family and friends continue to sport him through his YouTube channel. His channel started out as a way to show his shoes, but transformed into a place to talk about anorexia and his struggle. On Tanner’s channel (Tanner Tangen), he tells people to reach out, and know that “someone is there.” After he created his channel, it became a distraction. Instead of thinking about what the scale said, he thought about what his viewers said and how many people were watching his blogs. This fall, Tanner started his sophomore year at the high school and even attended the homecoming dance. Tanner is now regaining his strength and is back to his sports and is trying his hardest to be the athlete he was before. “My biggest struggle currently is that I am not as good at soccer as I was back before this happened,” Tanner said. By Staff Writer Sophia
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For Brock Knoll, his 42 marriage to Joy was his biggest blessing. She died from cancer, but he said, “I’m anxious to see her again” one day.
He closed his eyes, folding his hands in his lap. “Her name was Joyce, but once she got to college, everyone started calling her Joy, and it stuck. It it was the perfect name for her too.” He smiled softly, remembering, “she really was a joy.” Forty six years earlier, Brock Knoll was working at a school for children with developmental disabilities. That’s where he met his wife, Joy Hartwig, who was student teaching in Des Moines at the time. “We were getting to know each other as friends,” Brock laughed as he continued, “and then this one night I was kind of moping around my apartment, and my landlady, who was tired of all my complaining, said, ‘Well, why don’t you just ask that one girl out?’ And so I did.” Two short years later, he and Joy were married. Brock is a current resident of Willowood care facility. He grew up in Cedar Falls as an only child, living with his parents in a small house on Grand Boulevard. As a
Living each day by kindness leads to lifetime of less regrets
“Her name was Joyce, but once she got to college, everyone started calling her Joy, and it stuck. It it was the perfect name for her too.” He smiled softly, remembering, “she really was a joy.” boy, he attended Cedar Heights Elementary, and later on he attended Cedar Falls High School. Brock was not the best student, however Grandview college in Des Moines accepted him on probation after graduating. Following his marriage in ’72, Brock moved back to Cedar Falls and found work in a machine shop at Viking Pump, where he ended up staying until retirement. In 1990 he began taking night classes, and by 2000 he had an undergraduate in psychology and a graduate degree in mental health counseling from UNI. While Brock was blessed with many things throughout his life, the one thing he loved the most
was his wife, Joy. “I think like any marriage, we had our ups and downs, but we learned, and if I’m a better man today it’s because of her.” The two were married for 42 years before Joyce passed away in 2015 from emphysema. “I don’t know how I got through it, and maybe I didn’t. Maybe that’s something that you don’t get over, you just get used to.” His voice broke. “Back in 2004 I was diagnosed with cancer, so I had surgery and radiation, and things were looking fine until Joy got sick. We found out that my cancer had come back, so we started looking more toward controlling the cancer rath-
er than curing it. After she died, I stopped taking treatment, and I’m in hospice now.” He paused. “I’m happy. I’m anxious to see her again, and I may not be the poster child for hospice because I’m smiling all the time, but I’m happy.” He chuckled, looking down at his lap. “The love that my parents had for me and the love that Joy and I had, that’s what life is about to me. And I’ve just been so blessed.” After hearing about Brock going into Hospice, the residents of Willowwood lit candles to show their love and support for him. “The fact that people who don’t even know me all that well would do something like that for me,” his voice broke, “it was so kind.” And the kindness Brock has been shown in his 67 years has taught him an awful lot about how he thinks people should live their lives. “I don’t want to make it sound trite, but I think the best way to describe it is it’s not about you, so get over yourself and just be kind. I think one of the biggest regrets
I have from my generation is that we’re handing over kind of a broken world to your generation. I heard somewhere that in every major religion there is some iteration of the statement: do unto others as you would have others do unto you. I look back on how I treated the woman that I had promised to marry and love, and I realize that I didn’t listen and I didn’t ask and I wasn’t patient and I hurt her. And I’ve wanted so much to have those moments back, to do it differently, to be kind and to treat her as I would have wanted to have been treated.” He paused, thoughtfully wringing his hands. “I think in a way, if you have no regrets, what have you learned? If you can’t look back and say I would change this about myself, then it kind of means that you’re the same person now that you were then, so, have you really grown? Have you really learned? Has anything really changed?” By Staff Writer Clare
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AP STRONG It was Dec. 6, 2013, when current senior Adison Pace entered the doctor’s office for what he thought to be a typical sports physical, but during his regimented routine, his doctor noticed what turned out to be testicular cancer. At the young age of 15, the idea of cancer seemed surreal to Pace. Even more so, being diagnosed with cancer caused a mess of questions: What does this mean? Why me? “My mom picked me up from school. We went to the doctor for what I thought was going to be a routine sports physical. During the appointment, the doctor said he noticed a lump on my right testicle. He originally said it would be fine, but the only word I can use to describe how I felt was scared,” Pace said. For a few moments, Pace sat in a pile nerves waiting for his mother to re-enter the room and for doctor to give further instructions. Pace said, “I vividly remember her saying, ‘You look like you just saw a ghost.’ I didn’t have time to answer before the doctor came back in. Everything went so fast.” For the following hours, Pace would be taking ultrasounds and tests to determine whether or not he had cancer, and if it had spread. Pace said, “After the tests at the ultrasound office, the original doctor called my family and asked us to come back. Nothing was said, but it finally set in that something was wrong. I knew the doctor wouldn’t be calling us back to say everything was fine.” Despite the plethora of nerves exerted from both Adison and his parents, the wait for results left everyone in silence anticipating the confirmation of an answer they already knew. “As soon as the doctor came in, he cut right to chase. ‘We got the results back. It does look like this is testicular cancer,’” Pace said. While the results set a new reality in for Pace’s parents, it only caused further confusion for the young teen. Pace said, “My mom was sitting to my right, and she immediately started crying. I felt sick to my stomach. My dad to my left started asking so many questions. I sat there absorbing their reactions. I was confused. It didn’t make sense to me at the time. I didn’t understand what it meant.” Despite poor news, the doctor was quick to identify positive light onto Pace and his family. “More results came back, and
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Senior recalls third year since diagnosis of testicular cancer
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After being diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2013, senior Adison Pace wears his “AP Strong” bracelet as a reminder of his journey and fight. they said it has not spread. We all joined in for a group hug. I remember the doctor interrupting everyone. He said, ‘You caught it as soon as you almost humanly possibly could. You should seriously buy a lottery ticket, and though it doesn’t look like it right now, this is probably the luckiest day of your life,’” Pace said. Amongst the chaos, Pace soon had tucked away the thoughts and returned back to everyday life as he prepped for his Friday night basketball game with his teammates. “I was supposed to be back to school and then to my basketball
game later that night. My phone had been blowing up with messages, and I told my teammates the appointment was just taking too long. Eventually I received a call from one my friends asking me where I was. I knew I needed to tell him then and there,” Pace said. Support from Pace’s teammates united them as a team that night, but also left Pace feeling in an unusual placement he was not familiar with. Pace said,“Before I arrived back at school, all these texts started rolling in and telling me to stay strong.
I arrived back at Peet during my middle of my coach’s pregame talk. As soon as I entered the door, everyone started clapping. After the talk ended, I remember huddling up for a quick prayer led by my friend. In real life, I felt uncomfortable, but I felt like they didn’t know how to respond and neither did I.” For the following hours of the night, Pace decided to leave all thoughts behind and become present with the game and his team. “I decided I was going to try to focus on the game and not what I had happened previously. I needed
a quick break from reality,” Pace said. Pace’s ability to push thoughts aside would soon be interrupted as he and his family would be meeting doctors and preparing for surgery. Pace said, “The next few days I had to go up to Iowa City to schedule surgeries and talk to the doctors. The four days were a complete blur. The surgery did go well, but it all felt pretty surreal.” Despite a successful surgery, potential cautions remained for Pace and his family. Pace said, “After the surgery the doctors told me we caught it early, but they said that there was vascular invasion, which means it was starting to spread. They said there was a 70 percent chance I was cancer free. However, they said that it could come back in another place where it wouldn’t be as easy as ‘cutting it off.’ My options were doing chemo or lymph node surgery to prevent the spread of cancer in other body parts. Otherwise, I could risk my chances.” The answer to whether or not he should take the intense precautions left Pace and his family in a difficult place. The correct solution did not appear definite for Pace. “It was something that we had to talk about for a long time. We definitely did research on it and talked to doctors who could help make a decision. We decided not to do chemo or further surgery, but monitor. It started with blood work every six weeks and scans every three-four months. Today I do blood work twice a year and scans twice a year,” Pace said. Though there remains a small chance that Pace’s cancer could return, maintaining a positive outlook is the only thing concerning him. Pace said, “I am not worried about it coming back. I came to realize that if it should come back, there is nothing I can currently do. Why would I worry about it? If it came back, I am just going to have to deal with it, and it will be OK.” Amongst an unusual experience for Pace, the important lesson of change he learned will carry with him as he continues throughout life. Pace said, “You never know when everything is going to change. Cancer could come back tomorrow, and life would be different. Or you could get hit by a bus, and everything could be different. Worrying about things you can’t prevent causes you to lose being in the moment and present.” By Staff Writer Maddie
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WILLIAMS
For some students, taking a night to bundle up and drive the Cedar Valley neighborhoods to admire the many elaborate light displays is a tradition that never gets old.
Some take nontraditional track for holiday rituals
The holidays are fast approaching, and many at cf have traditions that they follow every year, whether it be normal or something out of the ordinary. Here are a few traditions that people have, and share with others. Pickle in the Christmas tree Chinese Food on Christmas Eve Christmas Throwdowns New Years, not Christmas
Freshman Sabrina Leistikow’s family has been hiding a pickle in their tree for years. “My grandparents make us leave the room. Then they hide the pickle in the tree, and we all try to find it. Which is pretty hard considering both the tree and the pickle are dark green,” Leistikow said. The pickle in the Christmas tree is an old tradition that stems from Germany. The pickle was the last thing hidden in the Christmas tree, and the smartest child that found it would get another gift. Now it’s changed, and, as Leistikow said, “(Whoever finds) the pickle gets $5 and the honor of being ‘Pickle King/ Queen’ until next Christmas.”That's an honor nobody would want to pass up.
Inspired by the classic movie, “A Christmas Story,” freshman Emma DeWitt said that her family has been going out to Chinese food at Hong Kong every Christmas Eve for four or five years. The whole story behind the Chinese food is that in the movie the neighbors’ dogs eat their turkey, so they have to go out for Chinese food because it’s the only place open. It seems like a random tradition, but DeWitt said that “I think it's become a popular tradition because it's always really busy when we go.”
Freshman Mia Dexter said that all of her family has a “Five person throw-down in the living room” every Christmas. The fights start by one person getting angry, and then they “body slam” each other in the house. “It always ends up in tears and slamming doors,” Dexter said. Apparently Christmas is a field of mines that just is destined to go off.
Andy Mustedanagic, a freshman, said that his family doesn't celebrate Christmas. “I celebrate New Years. We get presents, and we still put up a tree and decorate the house.” A Pew Research survey says that 81 percent of non-Christians in the United States celebrate Christmas. Christmas in itself has become a tradition that families celebrate, even if they don’t believe in it. It’s the season of giving, and nobody wants to miss out of that. By Staff Writer Lillian
SCHMID
7 Make no apologies for these addictive tunes The
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ENTERTAINMENT
Guilty Pleasure Song: (n.) a song that someone finds him/herself continuously listening to but hates themselves for even remotely enjoying the song. A lot of responses came into this poll, but here are the Top 10 Responses. #1 Hilary Iehl, Peet #2 Peet Junior High #3 Freshman Vipsa #4 Freshman Samantha #5 Sophomore Lily Junior High instruc- seventh grader Caro- Dodiya shamefully finds Hadlock said that her guilty plea- Miller finds herself listentional technology line Schafer turns up the herself listening to “Earned sure song is “Don’t Stop Believing” ing to a classic that everyone by The Weeknd and “Love by Journey, a song known by nearly knows called “Total Eclipse coach, loves listening to radio when listening to “Shut It” Me Like You Do” by Ellie everyone in the United States. of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler. “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls and “Party in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus. Her reasoning for listening to these outdated and catchy songs: “Who doesn't love a little karaoke to ‘Zigga Zig ah’ and hopping off the plane at LAX?”
#6 Freshman Sofia Muñoz finds herself listening
to the ’04 hit “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson. She said, “Even though the song is considered a joke, it brings back good memories of an easier childhood.”
Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon. She said, “Every time it comes on the radio I just want to get up and dance around. I'm kind of ashamed that I like it so much, but I'll listen to it when I'm upset, and it just makes my day so much better.”
#7 Sophomore Emerald Barnes-Seger jams
out to the country hit “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood. A lot of people actually love this song without feeling guilty, but he had a different reasoning. He said, “I despise country, but for whatever reason, I enjoy this song.”
Goulding. She claims that these are purely guilty pleasure songs, since they are both from the movie “Fifty Shades of Grey.” She said, “But those two songs were really good in the movie.”
There are a lot of people who love this song regardless, but her response for it being a guilty pleasure song is different from the rest. She said, “It's a catchy song. If I hear it and I'm with my friends or family, we'll all just burst into song spontaneously, and it's really very fun.”
#8 Sophomore Anthony Aldrich said that
#9 Freshman Sofia Muñoz also said that she
he finds himself listening to the Disney classic “Love is an Open Door” from the “Frozen” soundtrack. He said, “Because it's a dank song, but it's also from ‘Frozen,’ so it’s really annoying.”
finds herself listening to the “Mamma Mia” soundtrack. She said, “It's not like anything else I listen to, and it's just so catchy. I can't resist it.”
She said, “It's so awfully ’80s that it's almost enjoyable. It's one of those songs that you sing in the shower to when no one is home.”
#10 Junior Luke Loughren finds himself jam-
ming out to “Touch My Body” by Mariah Carey. His feels guilty for listening to this old R&B hit because “It gets me in my mood, and I can jam to it, but it's girly.” By Staff Writer Alayna
YATES
... and top that off with these addictive flicks
Everyone has that one movie that you’ve seen more than you can count, and you probably know almost every line. Here our some of Peet Junior High’s favorite guilty pleasure movies: Sofia Muñoz Alyssa Joyce Allison Flanscha Gabe Dengler Grade: 9 Grade: 9 Grade: 9 Grade: 9 Movie: “Mamma Mia!” (2008) Movie: “Gnomeo and Juliet” Movie: “The Croods” (2013) Movie: “Batman and Robin” Compiled with only songs of the hit SwedAllison Flanscha’s favorite guilty (2011) (1997)
ish disco band, ABBA, “Mamma Mia” is Sofia Munoz’s guilty pleasure movie. She said, “I don’t watch a lot of romantic comedies or musicals and ‘Mamma Mia’ is both, so it’s totally out of my comfort zone.” “Mamma Mia” was a hugely popular broadway show that turned into a hit film starring Meryl Streep and Colin Firth. “I can’t help from singing along. There are also a lot of memories from my early childhood tied to it,” she said. The dance sequence during the classic song, “Lay All Your Love On Me” is her favorite. “It’s just so funny, and my aunt and I had the best time learning the routine.”
This animated children’s movie tells the romantic story of Romeo and Juliet but through cute garden gnomes. Joyce said, “Most children’s movies are my guilty pleasure because they allow me to go back into the days of my childhood.” The scene when Gnomeo and Juliet first meet is her favorite. “I really liked the setting. The rustiness of the old greenhouse makes the scene ever better,” she said.
pleasure movie is the prehistoric animation, “The Croods.” “It’s hilarious, but it’s an animated movie for kids, but I still think it’s funny,” she said with a smile on her face. “I can’t wait until it’s on Netflix ‘cause I’ll be watching it all the time.” Flanscha’s favorite scene from “The Croods” is when, Grug, played by Nicholas Cage, attempts to invent like the other character, Guy, played by Ryan Reynolds, but only ends up embarrassing himself.
“Batman and Robin” is notorious for being the worst Batman movie ever made. Yet, it’s Dengler’s guilty pleasure movie. “I love it because it’s so bad that it’s funny,” He said while laughing. One of his favorite scenes is when Poison Ivy “seduces” Robin. When he watches it with his friends, he stands up and says, “This is my scene, guys.” By Staff Writer Mia
DEXTER
Follow these five for original, musical YouTube fun
A few weeks ago, I did an article on top 5 “Lets players.” This week, we’ll be doing something different. We’ll be diving into music youtubers. These youtubers range to those who make animated music videos (AMVs) to those who make rap battles and more. One word of thought: this list will include those with original content, not people who just upload cover songs. The first person on this list shall be The various people from a small cameo, to one amazing at finding small things that might be NateWantsToBattle. This youtuber baWarp Zone with their re-cap raps. This of the rappers. turn a victory for the underdog. There's not sically takes a single song or an album, and channel is usually known for the comedy, The battles are more serious than silly, a ton more to say about him, but he’s deficovers it. This might seem odd, but his voice but as of a few months ago, it began to do but they have some subtle comedy. It's a bit nitely worth the time to check out. is amazing, since he’s a professional singer of the re-cap raps series. This series is basically hard to explain their videos, because they eiThe fourth person on this list is an unsorts. a summary of a movie, but in the format of ther have characters from the same universe frequented youtuber by the name of Swift. As his name suggests, he does do a lot a rap. As someone who's seen some of the or sometimes, like with one of the most re- This youtuber does AMVs (Animated Music of Pokemon content, so if you're not a huge movies, they do quite a good job. However, cent rap battles, a person from the real world Videos). These are very underrated, and I Pokemon fan, steer clear of him. However, if you're on their channel for comedy, don’t versus someone from a fantasy world. These personally love them. An AMV basically uses he does do more than just Pokemon, so worry. There are some good jokes hidden in rap battles are very well done and they're scenes from an animated show, with a song don’t worry. their songs. worth watching. Sometimes they're a bit playing over it. This song and the scenes Overall, I personally have something One word for fans, though: they do not odd, but still very enjoyable. usually follow a theme, such as love scenes from every one of the listed youtubers on my put a spoiler warning, so if you haven’t seen The third person on this list is VideoGa- following a song about love, or something song playlist. Every single one of them has a the movie, don’t watch them, but besides meRapBattles. This user, as the name sug- like that. pro and con; however to me, all these youthat, their raps are amazing. gests, does raps between two video games He has not uploaded much, but the little tubers are amazing for their own specific reaThe second site on this list is Epic Rap characters, rarely from the same universe. he has uploaded have been amazing. If you sons. So go check some of these guys out. Battles of History (ERB). These people, What makes this person amazing is the raps enjoy AMVs, he might be worth the time to By Staff Writer Noah as their name suggests, do rap battles with are well thought out, use the characters’ real check out. FORKER someone from history. This could feature world game data and more. This person is The fifth and final person on this list shall
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OPINION
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Friday, Dec, 9, 2016
Racial microagressions leave big impacts 10. This is where it started. 10 was the age that I began to realize my race was going to have a big effect on my life, and not in a good way. It occurred to me when I was in the fifth grade, that my appearance, my culture and the language of which I didn’t even speak, was all apart of the negative aspects of how people perceived me. I guess the first time I truly felt self-conscious about myself and my ethnicity was at the mall with a close friend of mine. We were about 10, and we were walking around by ourselves until we met up with her mom again. I distinctly remember buying a huge bag of popcorn, the kind that you get at the fair in a large, cylindrical plastic bag. I didn’t even care that it was about half the size of me, and I could never finish it all by myself, even if I tried. As we were going down the
escalator, a group of teenage boys, whom I didn’t even know, were on the escalator going up. I didn’t pay any attention to them until we passed, when one of them spoke a bunch of gibberish nonsense in my face. I glanced back at them, not quite understanding what had happened right away. At first, I thought they were making fun of me for carrying and eating such a large bag of popcorn, and I just didn’t hear what they said quite correctly, but it wasn’t until my friend yelled some sort of snide remark in defense for me, that I finally realized what had happened. These boys weren’t making fun of me because of my oversized bag of popcorn; they were making fun of me because I was Asian. They made fun of me for a language that I didn’t even speak, and because “jokes” like that were
“They made fun of me for a language I couldn’t even speak, and because ‘jokes’ like that were funny to them.” funny to them. It didn’t matter how old I was or how I felt, because it was just a “joke.” I can’t remember exactly how I felt after that, but I remember the experience sticking with me, like it had been imprinted into my brain. I couldn’t really shake it or forget it. That might’ve been the start of my realization that who I am, was going to play a role not only in how others per-
ceived me, but how I perceived myself. I began to question my facial features and everything about myself in general. My eyes became my biggest insecurity. I began to ask myself questions like: Are my eyes too small? Are they too squinty? How can I make them appear bigger? And it wasn’t just my eyes that I started to despise. It was also my naturally tanned skin. The things I couldn’t control or change were the things I wished I could. Without knowing, I was whitewashing myself. I looked at myself, and then I’d look at my friends, and I picked out the physical features that separated me from all of them. My monolids, my yellowishtan skin, my thick black hair were completely opposite to their big eyes, white skin and blonde hair. Because of my differences,
I’d sit in front of the mirror for up to an hour, trying to figure out how to change my appearance. I thought stretching my eyes open just a little bit wider would somehow make them stay that way, and my eyes wouldn’t be so small anymore. I thought using whitening cream would make me the same as everybody else. It took me a long time to accept that I couldn’t just make myself look a way, when the only way I could look, is like me. I couldn’t really change the way I looked without being “fake” or “artificial.” In the end, I could only be myself, and all I could do was embrace my features and accept that my race did not separate me from others negatively, but instead made me stand out positively. And that was a good thing. By Staff Writer Jade
PHAM
Positivity can build brighter realities Take the time to think about the things in your life that positively impact you. What makes you happy? What makes you a better person to others? What makes you a better person to yourself? Anything in your life that is positive to you or on you — just take the time to think about that thing and appreciate it for a moment because we could always do with a little more positivity in our lives. If you can’t think of anything in your life that you feel makes a positive impact on you, feel free to read about positive impacts for other students at Peet, as they take the time to share theirs with you.
Jillian Gaines
Sarimah Ogbondah
“My friends and family positively impact my life because when things get tough, they’re always there to comfort me and remind me how strong I am. Dogs also positively impact my life because they’re very pure and are a huge stress reliever for me.”
“I think my church youth group, ‘Youth Alive,’ positively impacts my life because the group is no more than 15 people, but we’re all so close, and it’s so fun to be around those people. It’s a good way to grow through my church, and we try to help the community together, and we put together cool activities.”
Johnathan Moran
Alydia Tyler
“Music positively impacts my life because it helps me get away from school and all the stress, while reminding me that everything is gonna work out. Music has also been a positive way for me to learn, or even make new friends. As I am growing up, I have realized music can be used for learning. In eighth grade, we studied rocks and listened to a song about them, and to this day I still remember it. I have also made a lot of new friends through music, whether it be participating in band or chorus, or just listening to the same genre of music as other people.”
“Dance is a wonderful, creative outlet. It allows you to forget about everything that’s bothering you and let yourself go. I have made so many great friendships through dance and learned so many lessons from it. Dance shows you how much hard work pays off and that you have to work to be better.”
By Staff Writer Jade
PHAM
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Education key to dispelling misperceptions of Islam Islamophobia is closed-minded prejudice against or hatred of Islam and Muslims. An Islamophobe is an individual who holds a closed-minded view of Islam and promotes prejudice against or hatred of Muslims. An estimated 3.3 million Muslims live in the United States, and between Sept. 11, 2001, and the end of last year, 344 have been involved in violent extremism, according to the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security. That number does not include attacks from this year, such as the shooting at an Orlando nightclub by Omar Mateen, who killed 49 people. Still, violent extremists are outnumbered nearly 10,000 to one in the United States, which means that Omar Mateen is not the norm. Students like Fatemeh Moosavi, a student at Peet Junior High, are. Despite statistics that say as such, a YouGov poll conducted in early 2015 found that 55 percent of surveyed Americans had Peet student an “unfavorable” opinion of Islam. Moosavi is one of many victims to the stigma. Once, a student in the hallway pulled her friend aside to ask her if Moosavi was dangerous. Another time a different student attempted to pull her hijab back in the hallway. These actions can hurt. “I feel unsafe,” Moosavi said. “ My mom especially gets very scared and refuses to leave the house or go to social events when she hears news of these things happening here,
“Through respectful and proper solidarity, we can create a better future for all of us.” —Fatemeh Moosavi
U.S. population that say they have a somewhat or very unfavorable opinion of Muslims
Based on 997 US respondents surveyed by YouGov March 6-9, 2015
and I wish I could protect my family against unjustified hatred.” Moosavi proposed that in order to help stop the stigma, we need to provide more subjective education on Islam and Muslims and the historical context and political circumstances behind terrorism in the MENA region. “Most people don’t completely understand why and how the situation is happening, and that has led to the discrimination of Muslims in western countries.” Moosavi said. Many hate crimes against Muslims are racially motivated. Brown people, even non-Muslim ones, often have to deal with the discrimination that comes with people assuming they are Muslim. Not only does this ignore the racial, religious and cultural diversity of brown people, it stigmatizes a huge group of people based on racist stereotypes. “We need to provide safe spaces for Muslims and brown people to discuss the discrimination they face, and nonMuslims need to listen to us,” Moosavi said. “Through respectful and proper solidarity, we can create a better future for all of us.” By Staff Writer Yoon
Ki
Peet Junior High percentage that say they have a somewhat or very unfavorable opinion of Muslims.
A Peet Junior High school survey reveals that 30.4 percent of 165 student and teacher responents report having a somewhat or very negative view of Muslims/Islam.
10
The
OPINION
Our View
Fake news shaping dystopian outcomes
“Aliens Proven Real” and “Blondes Going Extinct According to Science” are titles that definitely spark one’s interest. Titles like these have definitely gotten you to click on them while scrolling through social media. Aside from eye catching, the most prominent similarity between these articles is the fact that they are what is called ‘Fake news.’ Fake news is exactly what the name says it is. False information delivered in some journalistic form, most commonly in articles. This phenomena is far from new. In fact, it has been around for centuries. It’s not exactly hard to lie about something, now is it? A historical example is how in 1782, Benjamin Franklin made a fake issue of a newspaper. A story said that American forces discovered bags of money and goods that were for the King, but had the scalps of soldiers and civilians. Franklin sent the newspaper out and the article was eventually republished in real papers. There were signs the document was a fake, but because of the controversy created, no one seemed to notice. Sadly, Franklin’s “news” added to the hate directed against Native Americans and helped create a false image that they weren’t trustworthy. And like we have learned and observed time and time again, history repeats itself. Fake news has recently gained notoriety due to the fact that it is very easily spread through our modern day luxury (or has it become a necessity?), the Internet. More specifically, social media. A recent example of fake news is a completely fake conspiracy theory about Hilary Clinton that claims that she and her former campaign manager, John Podesta, ran a child sex ring at a pizzeria in D.C. called Comet Ping Pong. This led to a shooting at this location last Sunday. Thankfully, no one was hurt. While Pizzagate is currently the most high-profile example of fake news going wrong, it is part of a bigger problem. Now, more than ever, we need to realize that journalism cannot be done just by picking up one’s phone. We need real journalists and to listen to them — those who realize the actual impact of what they do and who take advantage of it in the right way. Noam Chomsky once wrote, “The duty of journalists is to tell the truth. Journalism means you go back to the actual facts, you look at the documents, you discover what the record is and you report it that way.” One should realize that journalism is at least 90 percent fact-checking. News wasn’t meant for commerce or for self promotion or even for entertainment. It was meant to educate people on what is happening around them, to inform. To seek the truth and to let it be known. So as controversial, interesting or entertaining a fake news story is, that’s what it will always be. Fake. Check your facts because purveyors of fake news sure aren’t.
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. Editor-in-Chief: Tana Gam-Ad Opinion Editor: Brennan Kohls Staff: Macen Adams, Beau Anderson, Jibreel Bailey, Lily Becker, Ben Boezinger, Cassidy Christopher, Logan Cole, Noah Dexter, Vipsa Dodiya, Alexis Dowden, Noah Forker, Halie Frahm, Kyandra Gillum, Emma Graening, Ethan Gunnuscio, Cody Hood, Jubilee Joyce, Yoon Ki, Jackson Kliewer, Mercede Kraabel, Olivia Kress, Elise Leasure, Sabine Martin, Luke Mattingly, Kate Mauss, Casey McIntyre, MacKenzie Michael, Kate Middleton, Jack Moody, Andrew Nickey, Albie Nicol, Maddie Palmersheim, Jade Pham, Skylar Promer, Claire Rolinger, Claire Sabino, Kim Salmon, Madison Schaefer, Sohia Schillinger, Lillian Schmid, Mallorie Sckerl, Sydney See, Lexi Sheeley, Emmey Sherbon, Colin Shultz, Lilah Skaar, Sam Spratt, Mia Stark, Brayden Stotser, Alex Templeton, Tehya Tournier, Matthew Walsh, Haley Williams, Alayna Yates
Tiger
Friday, Dec. 9, 2016
Standing Rock protesters achieve temporary victory In the spirit of humanity, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers asked for a reroute of the Dakota Pipeline, so it would no longer run through Native American territory and risk the quality of their water. Instead of granting the final easement for the project, the Department of the Army said they will be conducting an environmental impact statement to research the impacts of the pipeline and explore other route options. In case you’ve been living under a rock the past few months, the 1,172-mile pipeline is being built to transport Bakken oil from North Dakota to an oil terminal in Illinois. The only missing piece of the pipeline is a 20-mile chunk near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation. The tribe has always been loud about their concerns for water quality and disrupting their land, and eventually thousands of “water protectors” (the name the protestors and the media gave them) showed up to help peacefully protest against the completion of the pipeline going through the reservation. Recently over 2,000 veterans travelled to Standing Rock to join the protests and defend the native’s right to clean water and the right to peacefully assemble and protest. While there is much to celebrate — a win for indigenous people, a win for environmental activists, a win for clean water for all — it doesn’t come without a price. There were thou-
sands of protesters at Standing Rock in the freezing weather. They chose to stand there and peacefully chant, be silent or give speeches. But the police? They tortured the protestors. Police used water cannons against protesters in freezing temperatures. They shot protesters with rubber bullets and used flashbang grenades against peaceful protesting. The excessive force used by police against peaceful protesters at Standing Rock injured more than 200 people. Native Americans have filed a lawsuit against two North Dakota counties and their sheriffs in response, but sadly we all know how this goes — the officers get put on “suspension” or have “additional correctional training” before returning to their posts. Another cost of the denial? It’s temporary. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to downplay the huge victory we’ve just achieved, but it doesn’t stop here. We have to call the Department of the Army, we have to call our legislators and we have to call anyone with a public post and let them know how important this issue is to us. The denial of the final easement only lasts until Jan. 20, so we need to continue to make our voice heard. But there are positives. In defeating the pipeline, we defeated “president-elect” Donald Trump. While Trump has many problematic stanc-
HI-LINE Although pipeline stopped for now, it is not completely defeated es, his view on environmental issues is downright scary. Trump believes climate change is a hoax (despite the science behind it), and supports the completion of the Dakota Access Pipeline. In fact, he has personal investment ties to it. He invested between $500,000 and $1 million in the company creating the pipeline, Energy Transfer Partners. Many people on Trump’s side of things claim he has since withdrawn his support from the company — even if that is true, he still financially supports the pipeline. He’s invested between $100,000 and $250,000 in Phillips 66, the oil and gas company that’ll have 25 percent stake in the finished pipeline. So truly, in putting off the pipeline, even if just for a little bit, we’ve won a victory over someone who’s unfortunately about to gain a lot of power in America. We’ve also proved that peaceful protesting can be effective, and that we can create change with our voices. People argue that rerouting the pipeline would disrupt land and water resources. Well, no matter where you put the pipeline, someone’s going to be unhappy, but disrupting native land given to the people who live there and also risking the water quality of thousands is a much more negative proposition. By Staff Writer Albie
NICOL
Burning American flag disrespects men and women who have sacrificed for it The American Flag has a different meaning to everyone. But does that mean to go to the extreme and burn the flag? The flag that shows all our sacrifices, justices and is part of what makes America great? Many people today just don’t understand the sacrifice that our flag stands for from all those brave men and women who fought to preserve our way of life and freedom. But at times, our freedom can really be taken for granted and misused because nowadays people think they can do whatever they want and have whatever they want whenever they want it. The American flag should not be burned because it is the symbol for our country’s freedom and all of the brave sacrifices made to preserve our country’s freedom. According to a google source, “The colors of the pales (the vertical stripes) are those
used in the flag of the United States of America; White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness and valour, and Blue, the color of the Chief (the broad band above the stripes) signifies vigilance, perseverance &
speech.” Trump said, “Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag — if they do, there must be consequences — perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail!” Now many may see this as
“The American flag should not be burned because it is the symbol for our country’s freedom and made to preserve our country’s freedom.” justice.” This is what our flag stands for and much more. On Tuesday, Nov. 29, President-elect Donald Trump proposed the idea of, “possible jail time or loss of citizenship — for burning the American flag, in spite of two U.S. Supreme Court rulings that protect the act under the First Amendment as a form of free
an extreme punishment. Even when I read this, it surprised me, but when you really think about it, that flag is a symbol about how millions of men and women sacrificed their lives to preserve our freedom, while thousands of those men and women paid the ultimate sacrifice. By Staff Writer Mackenzie
MICHAEL
11 Wrestling team takes 10th at Keith Young The
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Friday, Dec. 9, 2016
First year head wrestling coach Ethan Wiechmann says the start of the season has been exciting. “Because of all the enthusiasm, we are implementing a lot of new initiatives, which will hopefully help us perform at a high level.” Wiechmann was a head coach at West Branch for a few years before moving to Cedar Falls. Last Saturday and Sunday, the high school hosted 16 wrestling teams for the Keith Young Invitational. “We ended up placing 10th out of 16 teams. We were very pleased with how our young men competed. They wrestled with a sense of purpose, and it showed,” Wiechmann said. Wiechmann said he feels they are off to a good start, and that there is lots of support from all areas. “The coaching staff was able to implement several initiatives. Our managers are outstanding. The parents and community have been very supportive, and our wrestlers are putting their best foot forward every opportunity they can.” As the wrestling team heads towards future matches, they are doing lots to prepare themselves. “We talk every day about making our time count whether in the room, competing or in the classroom. When we do these things, we minimize distractions and are able to improve,” he said. Wiechmann said the team has lots of potential to make a lot of gains by the
SPORTS
Tana Gam-Ad Photo
Senior Camron Corcoran pins his opponent at Keith Young Invitational on Saturday, Dec. 3. end of the season, which will be beneficial as they head into Districts and State. The head coach also said there are lots of young men stepping up and taking leadership roles. “We have several people taking the lead in all aspects of what we do daily. While we have individuals starting to
step and stand out as our leaders, most if not all our kids have shown some sort of leadership already.” He said the young men are very hard working every practice to be the best they can be and more. “They are giving us, their team and themselves their best effort and attitude. This ultimately makes them bet-
ter and our team better.” Overall, senior Bryce Pilcher finished second at Keith Young as well as sophomore Jake Penrith. Senior Gabe Penrith placed sixth, and junior Tanner Doyle placed sixth as well. By Staff Writer Tehya
TOURNIER
Hittin’ the SATs before the mats
Every week, the Cedar Falls’ wrestlers devote 45 minutes to “tapping out” of their athletics and tapping into their studies. The group of athletes gather in the Tiger’s Den to focus in on their schoolwork every Tuesday before practice. The idea was created by senior Bryce Pilcher. Pilcher suggested the idea of study tables last year, but it was not put into effect until this past season. Pilcher explained the reasoning behind his idea. “I noticed that myself and a lot of the other wrestlers have had trouble keeping our grades up during the season with the workout schedule and all that, and in wrestling grades are a big deal because the semester ends in the middle of the season, so if people have bad grades it affects whether or not they’ll be able to wrestle for the second half of the season.” Ethan Wiechman, the head wrestling coach, also said that a lot of what they’re doing is because of the team’s GPAs.
“One of the things that we’re trying to work on is that we’ve consistently been at the bottom for Cedar Falls as far as GPA goes. That was something that we felt like was a goal that we could try to improve, so putting study tables in the schedule went along with what our team and coaches wanted to accomplish.” Just the team achieves goals on the mats, Weichmann has confidence the same can be said in the classrooms. “I’m just super proud of these guys. When they come up here, they get work done, and they use their time wisely, and just the fact that one of our seniors really made the push for it makes it even better.” “It was just something that I thought of to help the team, and I’m really glad that the coaches and Wiechman saw the value in it,” Pilcher said.
By Staff Writer Clare
ROLINGER
Clare Rolinger Photo
Wrestlers needing to work on getting caught up academically, like senior Carter Rusell above, meet ever Tuesday afternoon in the Tigers Den for an hour of focused time before their regular wrestling practice.
12
The
Tiger
SPORTS
Winning Ways
HI-LINE
Friday, Dec. 9, 2016
Athlete of the
Week
Freshmen women converge to find success Freshmen women’s basketball is off to a strong start with a 38-32 win against New Hampton for their first game on Monday, Nov. 27. On Monday, Dec. 5, the Tiger’s came out with another win when they played Grundy Center, 23-13. They also played Cedar Rapids Kennedy on Thursday, Dec. 8. The leading scorer in their game against New Hampton was Tjaden Petersen, who scored 21 points. The leading rebounder that game was Kacia Brown with 12 rebounds. Peet freshman, Kacia Brown, the Tiger’s post, is working toward finishing her layups and talking more on the court this year. As a part of getting in shape and building more muscle, most teams find themselves lifting and conditioning to en-
hance their play when it comes game-time. However, Brown said she doesn’t find it as bad as some other sports. “We don’t lift as much and I don’t think we run as much as other teams do or as much as it feels like we do. So, our conditioning isn’t that hard, but I feel like it does push us to be better,” Brown said. With a heavy schedule of school activities, homework, club sports and church groups, Brown is one busy body. “It is a lot to handle because I play club volleyball too, so sometimes I go from basketball straight to volleyball, which doesn’t leave a lot of time for homework,” Brown said, “and weekends get really filled up when you have a weekend of both volleyball and basket-
ball.” Holmes freshman Madison Hurley, the Tiger’s point guard, agreed with her teammate Brown that the team would like to start working together in more of a positive way. “I want to be able to work with everyone on the team and know their strengths and weaknesses,” Hurley said. “We played New Hampton for our first game of the season and were down by seven points in the first half. Once we got calmed down, we started making shots and getting rebounds. We ended up winning by five,” Hurley said. Hurley also does both soccer and track. She thinks that the conditioning they do for basketball keeps them in good shape, but she knows how it varies from the training she
does for her other sports. “It is a lot different than track and soccer conditioning because soccer and track involve a lot more running and timing,” Hurley said. Unlike her teammate Brown, Hurley doesn’t find that she has too much on her plate during the basketball season. “I don’t get much homework in my classes, but if I do, I finish it during school or before practice,” Hurley said. Catch the women’s freshman basketball team back in action on Monday, Dec. 12 at Linn-Mar at 5 p.m. Their next home game will be at Peet Junior High on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 10 a.m.
The college football season is slowly coming to a gliding halt. Bowl season is just starting to rev it’s engine. This season has seen dominance from a likely foe, and some not-so-surprising come ups. With the unusual situation the College Football Playoff committee has been put in, I’m glad to see they got it right with the four best teams in the nation: Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson and Washington. All teams this year have impressive resumes, beating impressive foes. but is any offense good enough to overpower the destructive force that is the Tide’s defense? Is the country’s best QB Deshaun Watson poised for revenge against Alabama? Can Ohio State trump the other veteran teams with their explosive youth? Can the Huskies upset the Tide? All will be answered in the coming paragraphs. Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide defense has been one of the best in NCAA football history. They’re first in total defense with only an average of 3.9 yards per play and only 249 yards per game. Their offense has been slowing down recently, but I’m confident they’ll pick themselves up in time for the Peach Bowl. Jalen Hurts has been a pleasant surprise for some and a thorn for most. The freshman
has impressed me in how he’s been able to handle and control the Alabama offense. He’s thrown for 2,592 yards on the season, which isn’t great but much above the average. Twenty two touchdown passes and nine interceptions are pretty respectable numbers as well. Hurts is a dual threat quarterback, and he proved it. He rushed for over 800 yards with 12 TDs. He is the key if the Tide want to advance through the playoff championship. If the Huskies want to win the Peach Bowl against the Tide, they have to solve that unbreakable defense. The Huskies offense is lead by quarterback Jake Browning. Since the beginning of the season, he’s quieted down a little. Browning is 21st in the nation in passing yards at 3,280. At Washington’s peak this season, the Heisman vote was expected to be between Browning and Lamar Jackson, but now Browning isn’t even a finalist for the coveted trophy. The Huskies turnover ratio is also top notch. They are first in the nation in turnovers gained, turnovers lost and their turnover margin. They have 21 more gained than lost, and are sitting at 1.62 for their margin. Against a young Alabama offense, that could prove to be Washington’s x-factor.
If Washington can force Hurts and a weak running back in Damien Harris to cough up the ball, Washington could steal the game right from under Alabama’s nose. Urban Meyer may arguably be the best coach beside Nick Saban. His Ohio State team prevailed against one of the best Michigan teams to date in “the game” and have an untraditional explosive Big Ten offense. Led by J.T. Barrett and his 24 TDs, the Buckeyes have an average of 479 yards per game, leading the Big Ten. Also leading the conference in rushing, the combination of Barrett and Mike Weber is a deadly force against weak defensive lines. Against Clemson, if Ohio State can punish the defensive line early and often, it will be an easy win, but their defense will be the biggest key. They’re ranked fourth in total defense, but they will be going against a veteran college quarterback in Deshaun Watson. Buckeyes secondary will have their work cut out for them against Watson. It’s not like it will be easy for Watson, however. The Bucks secondary is fifth in the nation in passing yards allowed, so it will be mainly up to the receivers to get some major yards after catch. Across the field are the third
ranked Tigers looking for revenge. After last year’s thrilling loss to the Crimson Tide in the National Championship game. Clemson is led by junior thirdyear starter Deshaun Watson. In what may be his final game before declaring for the draft, Watson will be looking to make a statement for both his pride and draft stock. Watson is sixth in the nation at 3,914 passing yards. He can make plays in the huddle, on the ground and in the air. He’s the powerhouse for this offense and can be a huge deciding factor in the game. As far as teams in the CFP go, Clemson has the worst statistical defense. Ranked ninth in the nation in total defense, Clemson gives up more through the air than the ground. If Ohio State wants to pick apart the defense, this should be their weapon of choice. If I were to pick a national champion right now, it would be Alabama. Their defense is the best in history in my opinion, but I’ve been wrong many times before, and I’ll be wrong many more times. This strange and unusual season wouldn’t be any weirder if there is to be an upset. We’ll just have to see if that involves orange or purple.
Sports Opinion
By Staff Writer Alayna
YATES
Crimson Tide likely to add another football championship
By Staff Writer Ben
BOEZINGER
SAM REINART Swimming
Sam Reinart Is a junior on the men’s swim team. He started off as a freshmen with almost no swimming experience, but it has not stopped him from going to State in his junior year and now is on the track to go again this year with his first place finishes in the 50 freestyle, 500 freestyle and anchoring the 400 freestyle relay during Tuesday’s meet at home against Waterloo. He is ready to keep scoring points for the team moving them higher into the ranks.
How did you get started on the swim team? “My older brother Daniel Reinart swam on the team for his high school career, and then my mom pushed me to do a sport, and swimming was the first one to come to mind.” What made you want to continue swimming? “Well, my first year, I kept on improving and getting better. My mom mentioned that I should go to Blast over to summer just to get ready for the season.” What is something you can take away from the swim team that you believe you can use in the future? “I guess one thing that I am going to take away is like the feeling of being a part of a team like swim is not an individual sport, no matter how much it feels like it is. Like you’re a part of the team, not only that but you have to be a leader for the team.” Where do you see yourself going this season, and what are your goals for it? “Looking forward to going to State this year again, and I am hoping that I can go for all of my events, as well as get all three of our relays in this year.” What are practices like for you? “Mornings are hard to get