Tiger

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Flu Fiction

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As the flu season barrels in, learn how to stay healthy by separating fact from myth in an awareness quiz.

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1015 Division St. Cedar Falls, IA 50613

a t a gl a n k e e w e ThCFHS students stay busy in and ce

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Volume 47 Edition 16

http://www.cedar-falls.k12.ia.us

Brian Winkel Photo

out of school throughout the week

Gold Star provides opportunity for CFHS recognition Tiffany Gross Staff Writer

The time has come again to nominate a superior teacher for The Gold Star Award for Outstanding Teaching. The R.J. McElroy Trust and KWWLTV is seeking nominations for the 19th annual Gold Star Award. The Gold Star Award for Outstanding Teachers is a program to admire the teachers who do more for their students than what is expected of them. Teachers can be nominated in three different ways: nominating a teacher from the school district, self-nomination or nominating a co-worker, friend or family member. The nomination phase of the program runs from Feb. 12 to March 1. Gerald Ramsey, CFHS band director, was nominated last year and won the award. “It felt good to know that there

Caitlin Glade Photo Above: Preparing their robot for it’s first public performance are juniors John Lantz and Kyle Redfern. The robotics team held their open house this past Sunday afternoon in the Industrial Park. Right: Joking around at Once Upon a Mattress’ musical practice is junior Ben Main. The musical will premiere on March 3 at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium. Top Right: Stumbling down the obstacle course brought by the Marines for P.E. classes are seniors Jason Hall and Andy Friedrich. A special thanks to the first hour P.E. students who spent 35 minutes setting the course up.

Elle Frodsham Photo

Honor Heindl Staff Writer

A new art and literary magazine, The Troubadour, is underway at the high school, showing the school and community a completely different side of the talent students have to offer. Since this is the first time the high school has had something like this, it has been hectic figuring it all out, but the staff has been working hard. “The magazine gives students a sense of community to creative activities going on ‘beneath the surface’ of the high school. It’s an informative and entertaining glimpse at the creative life of CF students, ” Troubadour adviser and English teacher, Jennifer Paulsen said. The magazine is completely student-run besides the mandatory presence and tips along the way from Paulsen. The Troubadour has weekly meetings on Tuesdays after school in room

207 for those interested in either submitting material or selecting what goes into the monthly podcasts and the magazine at the end of the school year. “The editors-in-chief, Spencer Collins and Mandy Heath, make it fun. It’s not all completely serious and just work. It’s really interesting and quite intriguing,” sophomore Ashley Ehrig said. For those who are only interested in submitting work but are not sure what the magazine wants, it is simple: any kind of writing including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, screenplay. The Troubadour also promotes any type of artwork like photography, paintings, sculptures, pottery and drawings. The staff also wants any performing arts like films or music. The theme for the magazine is “Beneath the Surface” because the staff feels sometimes fine arts do not get as much recognition as athletics. Also, one has to dig beneath the surface when one examines a piece of work or

listens to the lyrics in a song. “It shows a side many people do not see. The magazine is a way to express your individuality, and it also has less barriers than maybe a school project would,” sophomore Brianna Lough said. The Troubadour plans to have a website launched by mid-February where students can easily access information and have an easy way to submit their work. This website will also provide a free subscription for monthly podcasts that are jam-packed with the creative and performing arts at the high school. The Troubadour staff plans to post the link on the CFHS homepage. Submissions can be done in a number of ways: contact a staff member and give them a hard copy of the work or e-mail the editors with a digital file at cftroubadour@gmail.com. “Students should submit their work because they can voice their opinion— express themselves,” Ehrig said.

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CFHS introduces first student-run magazine

were people who took notice of what I try to accomplish in working with the students of Cedar Falls High School,” Ramsey said. Ramsey won the Gerald Ramsey award of $1,000 and the recognition for what he loves to do. According Ramsey, if a teacher wants to win this award, he or she needs to show care and love of teaching. “I think any teacher should be knowledgeable about his or her subject matter and should be enthusiastic about sharing that knowledge with students,” Ramsey said. Students, staff, families and parents are encouraged to fill out the nomination forms before March 1, so great teachers can be acknowledged.

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Our View

OPINION

Community deserves thanks for helping to build elementary school in Cambodia This semester the CFHS branch of Amnesty International has held three events in hopes of gathering $15,000 to build a school in Cambodia through an organization called Cambodia Schools. So far the group has organized three events and raised over $1,000. This wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Pablo’s Mexican Grill, Roots Market and the Wesley Foundation who have allowed the group to host fundraisers at their businesses. The Hi-Line staff would like to thank everyone from these businesses, from the high school and from the community for their help with this goal for Cambodian kids. Last Sunday Amnesty raised $469 from an international dinner and a movie night at the Wesley Foundation. Members of the group made food such as baklava, Pad Thai, sushi, jambalaya, onion bread and burritos. After the meal they showed the documentary Invisible Children, to inform people about the organization they raised money for from the art show they hosted last fall. Throughout the rest of the school year the whole school will be holding other events in hopes of raising more money for this fundraiser. The Amnesty group has another event planned for the semester. On April 7 there will be a garage sale outside of the school lobby, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Amnesty International is accepting donations of clothes, books and toys. If there is anything anyone is willing to donate for the sale, please bring it to room 208.

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 Wednesdays 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 HiLine 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 Editors-in-Chief-Sheila Moussavi & Kirstin Riggs News Editors-Kelsey Ihde & Audrey Kittrell Opinion Editors-Andrea Huber, Robb Klassen & Willa Simmet Sports Editors-Josh Betts & Katy Schult Feature Editor-Briana McGeough On-Line Editors-David Jacobson & Olivia Schares

Retaining Tomorrow ?

Raising dropout age to 18 may give teenagers better futures Diamond Lee Staff Writer

The legislature has drafted a bill to raise the dropout age from 16 to 18 for students in Iowa, and, according to the Des Moines Register, if the bill passes, Iowa will join 18 other states that set the drop out age at 18. Although there are benefits that ride along with this bill, House File 6, there are just as many disadvantages that come along with it. The students who want to drop out could potentially cause problems in the classroom if they are forced to stay. Students rebelling against the teachers and administrators could become a problem because they don’t want to be there. Some of these problems that could stem from this bill that are being discussed among committees are also problems concerning the teachers. Teachers would have to police students who don’t want to attend school, which could be a burden on both the teachers and the other students. Not all of these students are problem students; some merely don’t have an interest in school as a result of problems at home,

teenage pregnancy, employment, financial situations and much more. Whatever the case may be, Assistant Principal Dana Deines is there to lend a helping hand. “Your education is way too important to want to end it early. We do understand that problems do arise, but I want to make it clear to the students that we are here to help, and if they consider dropping out of school, we will look at every alternative so that the students will stay and at least graduate from high school and hopefully continue to college,” he said. “I think that they should raise it because people should at least finish high school,” senior Rachel Moser said. “To get a decent job now a days you need at least a high school education, and it would just make sense to finish,” Moser said. High school leads us into the real world, and it would be a shame to let a 16-year-old end his or her education with a decision so much as to just quit. School is where minds like ours belong. High school might be tough, but if this is tough, imagine what it’s like out there in the real world.

Can 16-year-old students really make the decision to end his or her education at such a critical time in life? Also, would it really matter to raise the age to 18 because students would already be adults and some would be graduating? “I’m not sure it’s going to make a difference, but I do think it’s worth the try. If it is raised, it would send message to the students on how important and valuable education is,” Deines said. How mature are students at age 16? Should they be able to make a decision like dropping out of school? “I think the age should be raised because at 18 you are considered an adult. At age 16 you are too young to make life-changing decisions. At age 18, you are an adult and will be able to make life changing decisions like ending your education,” sophomore Jordan Sullivan said. It is hard to make a right or wrong decision. But before dropping out of high school, look at how demanding the world is. If you can’t stand high school, how will you survive a demanding boss. Graduating high school is a must.

Television: Necessity for daily entertainment? Torie Jochims Staff Writer

Idiot box, boob tube, telly, TV and goggle-box are all names for the same thing: television. But, no matter what you care to call it, nearly everyone is gathered around the television at least once a week to catch his or her favorite shows. With so many viewers, and a wide variety of shows, there are bound to be seriously devoted watchers. How many of us are guilty of putting life on hold for an hour a night so we can watch that show we like to call “ours”? I’m certainly guilty of it. Every Thursday night all my activities, be it homework or other things, are set aside for two hours from 7-9 p.m. as I watch Smallville and Supernatural. Perhaps it’s the plot that sucks me in, or the alluring “what ifs” left at the end of a good cliffhanger. Maybe it has something to do with analyzing the characters and getting to “know” them to a point where you can guess what they are going to do next, but whatever the reason, many of us do just this. “I usually set out an hour or two

for Desperate Housewives and Dance Life, the shows I watch, because if I don’t, then I won’t have time! It’s like one of those times to relax and just use as ‘me time’,” sophomore Mackensie Smith said. You’d be shocked to know, however, that students aren’t the only ones that do this. “Grey’s Anatomy and Heroes are the only shows that I am really into this year. My husband and I started Grey’s Anatomy during the second season, so we, of course, had to get all the previous episodes on Netflix and have a marathon showing to catch up. When we get on those kicks, we end up staying up late and spend a majority of the weekend watching DVD episodes,” science teacher Debbie Paulsen said. Having quality TV shows is good because it keeps us using our imagination and, believe it or not, our brains. Say you watch something like Bones or CSI, a crime investigation show. Are you not always thinking ahead, trying to solve the case before they do? Between Grey’s Anatomy and House, you pick up at least one new

medical term every week. “It is also fun to reference popular TV shows in class. One day we spoke in third person like a patient had in a recent episode of Grey’s Anatomy,” Paulsen said. The thing is, as Americans, we involve ourselves so much in our TV shows, that it can have negative side effects. Skipping an event for your television show is a common thing that I am guilty of, and if someone calls you and wants to hang out just as your show comes on, don’t you always conveniently find an excuse? While our routine TV shows have a way of impairing (if not completely disabling) our social skills for an hour or two, can you really be blamed for loving it? Fast-paced plots keep you wanting more, character intrigue and relationships keep you analyzing and guessing as well as rooting for which two characters should be together, and once you’re hooked on a show, there really isn’t much you can do but put your life on hold for a one-hour escape from reality. Sometimes, that’s really all we need.

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SPORTS

Women’s basketball suffers loss to East in regionals Josh Betts Sports Editor

Both games so far this season in the series were decided by single digits, so there was no question that the regional semifinal game Saturday between No. 8-ranked Waterloo East and Cedar Falls would be a good one, and it was. The Trojans defeated the Tigers in a heartbreaker 42-40 in the regional semifinal game in Siddens Gymnasium at West High School. CFHS head coach Dan List talked about the hard fought game. “Defensively, we executed very well,” List said. “Offensively, we had opportunities. We had shots go in and out.” The Trojans came out firing on all cylinders, taking a 14-9 lead after one quarter. “We started out well, then we got a little overanxious on offense and fell behind a bit,” List said of the first quarter. The Tigers then outscored East 8-7 in the second quarter to trail just 21-17 at halftime.

“We didn’t want to fall way behind; we wanted to stay within striking distance, and we did,” List said. The Tigers came out in the second half with a white hot touch, as they began the quarter on a 15-4 run, including a 7-0 run during the quarter. The Tigers would expand the lead on six points from Abby Mohlis. A Laura Johnson three put the Tigers up by eight about five minutes into the quarter. “No question (it was our best quarter of the game),” List said. “Abby (Mohlis) really caught fire and got us going, Laura (Johnson) hit a three. Then we got into foul trouble, and with our two posts sitting, it turned the tide. They caught up quickly.” The Tigers would lead by four at 32-28 after three quarters, but slowly, the Trojans began to chip away at the Tigers’ lead. The Tigers would be held scoreless the last three and a half minutes of the third quarter. With seven seconds to go and

trailing 40-37, Mohlis hit a three for the Tigers to tie the game at 40. On the next possession, an inadvertent foul called on the Tigers sent the Trojans’ Brianna Robinson-Porter to the line for two free throws. Robinson-Porter made good on both attempts sealing the 42-40 victory for the Trojans. “We got behind,” List said of the last minutes of the game. “We had two threes go in and out. We were down three with 11 seconds left. Abby Mohlis hit the three to tie it. We had an inadvertent foul, and they cashed in on their free throws.” List talked about the fourth quarter. “We had several shots go in and out at key times,” List said. “(Caitlin) Blau fouled out, and that hurt. We had them rattled. They capitalized on our turnovers. They got the lead and their confidence back.” The Tigers were once again led in scoring by their two post players, Mohlis with 15 and Blau with eight.

“They’re key to our success,” List said. “They had the job to keep (Mikayla) Sims and (El Sara) Greer in check. They did very good (in scoring) considering having to keep Sims and Greer in check.” Robinson-Porter led the Trojans with 13 points. “She (Robinson-Porter) made some key shots, mainly on the line,” List said of Robinson-Porter. Sims added with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Greer added seven points and 14 rebounds. “We said that we weren’t going to let them (Sims and Greer) beat us, and we didn’t,” List said. List talked about this successful season for his team. “We had an up and down season,” List said. “At times we played outstanding basketball and beat some very highly thought of teams. When we played like we were capable, we were a good team. When we didn’t, we didn’t play as well. In the Mississippi Valley Conference, you cannot take a night off.” The Tigers finish the season at 11-11, and 8-11 in MVC play.

by coach Dick Marcussen, and it is both a challenge and privilege to maintain such high standards,” Peiffer said. The team has worked hard all season long to prepare. The team practiced from 5:45-6:45 in the morning and from 4-6 in the evening. During these practices the swimmers covered about 9-10,000 yards on the days that consisted of two workouts per day (Monday, Wednesday and Fridays). On the other days, the team spent time in the weight room. “Practices as a rule are not easy and require a lot of hard work to complete. Keeping the practices interesting is one of the ways to make sure the swimmers don’t become too bored. The key is to keep them motivated,” Peiffer said. In the first event, the 200-yard medley relay, the CFHS team consisting of senior Kevin VanHeiden, senior Austin Creswell, sophomore Josh Bower and sophomore Nick

Challgren took 24th place with a time of 1:47.32, only a few seconds behind their qualifying time of 1: 43.43. Coming into the state meet, the Tigers were ranked 17th place. Last year, the Tiger team set the record for this race with a time of 1:33.56. Freshman Garrett Moses competed in the 200-yard freestyle race, seeded in 13th place with a time of 1:49.82. In the third event, the 200-yard individual medley (IM), senior Jordan Wessels placed second with a time of 1:53.30, which was a second faster than his original qualifying time that had him seeded in second place. Also in this event, sophomore Brian Verink placed 14th with a time of 2:04.88, which was two seconds faster than his original time that had him seeded in 13th place. Senior Nick Cordes, performed well in the 50-yard freestyle. Cordes has shown to be one of the

Tigers’ top performers, with only one non-first place finish in his entire State career for all four years. In this fourth event, Cordes finished in first with a time of 20.56. Also, in the ninth event, Cordes placed first in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 49.90, two seconds faster than the time that seeded him in first place. In the 100-yard freestyle, Wessels placed second with a time of 46.65. Coming into the meet, he was seeded in first place with a time of 46.15. Verink placed sixth in the 500yard freestyle with a time of 4: 51.15. Originally, Verink was seeded in 10th place with a time of 5:00.26. Also, teammate Moses came into the meet seeded in fifth place with a time of 4:53.20. In the eighth event, the Tiger 200-yard freestyle relay team took second place with a time of 1:26.81, which is a second faster than their

State wrestling qualifiers

125—Jesse Froehner

(lost in championship match to Matt Kittleson of Waverly ShellRock 9-0 but earned berth by virtue of second place finish)

145—Daniel Twito

(defeated Khyle Cox of Waverly Shell-Rock 7-3 in championship match)

152—Aidan Brock

(defeated Issac Poolman of Charles City 3-2 in championship match) Students attending the state wrestling tournament, a parent note or phone call must be received by the attendance office before the start of that school day. Those planning on being gone for multiple days should let the attendance office know at that time and present a parent/guardian note or phone call. Students should contact their teachers to collect assignments they may miss. Students will be held responsible for assignments missed during the tournament. Class 3A action begins at 9 a.m. Thursday and Friday. Tickets for first round action are $7 and may be purchased at the Wells Fargo Arena box office.

Cedar Falls men’s swimming takes 5th place at state meet Katy Schult Sports Editor

Ending a run of three straight state championships, the Tigers took fifth place overall in the state meet in Marshalltown last Saturday, with a total of 103 points, 81 points behind the first place finishing team from Bettendorf. The Tigers had members competing in all by two of the 11 state meet events. Dana Peiffer, who has led the team for the past two years, coaches the team. Peiffer’s favorite part of coaching the Tigers is knowing that he is lucky enough to be coaching one of the top swimming programs in the state. “Before coaching at Cedar Falls, I coached teams that competed against Cedar Falls, and you always knew going into those competitions that it wasn’t going to be easy. This long standing success of Tiger swimming was established

qualifying time that had them seeded in first place. The team consists of Cordes, Challgren, VanHeiden and Wessels. Last year the CFHS team set the state record with a time of 1:24.58. In the final event of the State meet, the CFHS 400-yard freestyle relay took eighth place with a time of 3:18.20. The team consists of Verink, Cordes, Challgren and Wessels. Originally the team was seeded in seventh place with a time of 3:19.44. As this season comes to a close, coach Peiffer must set some goals to plan for the next season. “The obvious goal would be to continue with the same level of success. Next year, one of the strongest focuses will be to increase the number of swimmers on the team. The unusually low numbers this year was due to a large graduating class last year and only one incoming freshman.”

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FEATURE

! o o h c Cold A

“An orange a day keeps the doctor away”

“I got the flu shot, but then I got another strain of the flu.”

“I got the flu shot, and I did not get the flu. I just got everything else.”

Monica Reida Sophomore

Matt Moore Junior

4. Feed a cold, starve a fever. 5. People can catch the flu from the flu shot. 6. People with an allergy to chicken eggs should not get the flu shot.

Answers

1. MYTH These liquids may help people feel better and help prevent dehydration, but they do not help treat viruses like the cold or flu.

To shot or not to shot

3. Being outside in cold or wet weather without the proper protection will make people sick.

2. FACT 36,000 people die every year in the United States alone from the flu.

Everywhere you look students seem to be blowing their noses or coughing into their hands. Each class seems to contain more absences then usual. It may be cold and flu season, but at least there are some precautions that one can take to protect oneself from becoming sick when so many other people are. The Centers for Disease Control recommends these three tips to prevent the flu: Vaccination, good health habits and antiviral drugs. The Centers for Disease Control cites vaccination as the most effective means of reducing the flu. There are two types of vaccinations that are used: the typical “flu shot,” which contains an inactivated version of the flu virus, and the nasal-spray vaccine. This vaccine if often referred to as the Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine (LAIV) because it contains a weakened, but still living, version of the virus. The CDC recommends getting vaccinated during

are available as prescriptions, but there may also be some over the counter medications available. Just as it is important to know how to protect oneself from becoming sick, it is equally as important to remain aware of the health risks that there are. One of the greatest of these risks would be a possible flu pandemic. Many health authorities are warning against a possible flu outbreak of a strain of the flu virus that is immune to vaccines, such as the avian or “bird” flu. Although this strain of the flu virus does not seem to be at risk of spreading rapidly among humans, several health agencies are still taking precautions. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has issued a new Pandemic Severity Index. This index, which is similar to the one used to rank hurricane severity, would rank a pandemic on a scale of 1 to 5. The HHS has also issued new guidelines for what to do if a flu pandemic occurs. These guidelines, as well as other information for flu prevention, can be found at www.pandemicflu.gov.

3. MYTH It is a scientific fact that colds and flu are spread by viruses. That means germs are the cause, not exposure to adverse weather conditions.

Staff Writer

the fall before flu season starts. It also recommends the flu shot for high-risk groups, such as young children, the elderly or people with chronic illnesses. As always those who do not want to get the flu may receive a vaccination. The second tip of good health habits is one that can help to prevent the flu as well as colds and other sicknesses. One of the most important things to remember is to avoid close contact with people that are sick, or for those who already are sick to avoid getting others infected. It is also important to stay home for those who are sick so that they can recover and avoid infecting other people. For those who do have to cough, cough into a sleeve and not into one’s hands to avoid spreading germs. It is also important to wash one’s hands often or use hand sanitizers, especially for those who are sick or do not want to become sick. The last tip was to use antiviral drugs. There are four types of antiviral drugs available to treat the flu. They are Amantadine, rimantadine, zanamavir and oseltamivir. These medications

4. MYTH To prevent dehydration, people actually need more fluids than usual when they have the flu or a cold. People should drink plenty of water and juice. They should also eat enough food to satisfy their appetite.

Kellie Petersen

2. The flu can be fatal.

5. MYTH The virus in the flu shot is inactivated, so people cannot contract the flu from the shot. It is possible, however, if people have a rare allergy to the flushot that they may develop flu-like symptoms.

Healthy habits prevent spread of flu

1. Certain liquids such as chicken soup and orange juice help people recover from the flu.

6. FACT People who have a severe allergy to chicken eggs should not receive the flu shot. Other people who should not get the flu shot include children under six months

FLU Season and

Fact or Myth?