e g h iin l Ti er THE
Feb. 2, 2010
Volume 50 Issue 15
1015 Division St. Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613
CFHS mobilizes for Haiti relief effort Sara Gabriele Staff Writer
Students and staff at Cedar Falls High School are taking on various projects to raise relief funds for the Haiti earthquake victims. Student Senate is selling T-shirts for $10 each that say “Haiti” and have a South African symbol that means “support and cooperation.” The shirts are for sale in the main office and will also be sold at the upcoming winter dance on Saturday, Feb. 13. The dance will be a semi-formal called the “February Fling” and will be held at Nazareth Lutheran Church with a $5 admission fee. Student Senate plans to donate all proceeds from the dance to the relief efforts, and a student DJ, senior Nate Buck, will be hired to maximize the funds raised. “Student Senate always takes an active role in addressing world-wide problems,” student body president Allison
Duchman said. “It’s important because they’ve gone through so much, and there’s no such thing as too much help.” Senior Leadership will add to the efforts by selling wristbands within the next two weeks for $2 a piece during lunch and in the activity office. “We wanted something different that won’t die out in the first few weeks,” adviser Diane Flaherty. “Generally people stop losing interesting in the third week of any crisis and start moving on. It’s important to remember this is an ongoing problem. Hopefully they [the wristbands] can provide a constant reminder.” Senior Leadership also plans to conduct a penny war during 3rd hour classes through the week of Feb. 1. Other individuals around the school have also been taking the initiative to raise funds for Haiti relief. Psychology teacher Charles Blair-Broeker and his psychology students contributed to
the national relief efforts the Friday after the earthquake. “When things like this happen I’m always frustrated I can’t do more, but the one thing I can do is send money,” Blair-Broeker said. An envelope was passed around in his classes and a total of $375 was donated to the Red Cross. Sophomore Karl Sadkowski has also been soliciting spare change for Haiti during 4th period lunch blocks and at school events. He set up a booth at the last men’s sophomore and varsity basketball game and raised over $100. “Anything helps. Obviously it won’t make a massive impact for the issues going on over there, but hopefully it can help,” Sadkowski said. He will be collecting money at the basketball home games until Feb. 5 and will donate all money raised to the Red Cross. “What I like is that it’s just a good spirit of giving,”
Honor Heindl Photo
Senior Nate Buck will be DJing at the winter dance on Feb. 13, with the proceeds going toward Haiti relief. said government teacher Bob Schmidt, who will be giving faculty support to Sadkowski’s fund raising efforts. “The im-
ages and stories coming out of Haiti are heartbreaking, and any type of humanitarian effort is a good thing.”
theater and choral reading. It’s really added to the depth of the team, and we’re really producing a diverse body of work,” Kauten said. The team has also grown too, and this also helped it get better. Students from Holmes, Peet and Cedar Falls High School have all come together. “For the past several years the speech team has seen a high level of participation. This year we have more 9th graders than we have had in the past few years,” Kauten said. With State approaching around the corner, the team would like to give public a taste of what they will be doing. “Thursday, Feb. 4, we are
hosting an evening recital of our large group speech performances. It’s a chance for friends and family to see the work that the speech team has put forth and also see the variety of performances we prepare for contest. Our recitals are also our main fund raising events for the year. The recital for individual events will be Monday, March 7, also at the high school,” Kauten said. The large group recital, which begins at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium, will cost $3 for adults and $2 for students. Everyone is welcome to come and enjoy. “Hopefully folks can attend the recital and see all that we do – it’s really more than just speech,” Kauten said.
Speech team prepares for state large group contest Meg Lane Staff Writer
The Cedar Falls speech team is back in action. This year they are aiming to have even more Division I’s, the highest rating that groups can receive at State. “Groups that receive three Division I ratings and are nominated by one or more judges are then eligible to perform at the Large Group All-State Festival, which is Saturday, Feb. 20 at Iowa State University. The top 300 performances from across Iowa are selected by the IHSSA All-State Committee and recognized with a ceremony at the Iowa State Center,” coach Rebecca Kauten said.
The ratings are not necessarily groups against each other. “State Large Group Speech Contest will be Saturday, Feb. 6 at Decorah High School. All teams from the northeast section of Iowa will compete at the contest. However, the teams don’t compete against each other per-se. The groups perform before three certified judges affiliated with the Iowa High School Speech Association (IHSSA) and receive written comments. Performances receive Division I, II, III or IV ratings, with a Division I rating being the highest possible rating and a Division IV being a disqualification due to a rule violation,” Kauten said. Last year’s team had large
group performers selected to perform at All State Festival, and two were nominated for individual events. Kauten said she hopes that the teams can do just as well this year. “CF speech team has had All-State performers for both group and individual speech events consistently since 2003,” Kauten said. With expectations higher than ever before, the team this year is working more to improve its skills. “We have two assistant coaches helping with the team this year. Karen Franke and Nick Chizek have been very busy working with ensembles on events like our one act play, group improvisational acting, ensemble acting, musical
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tiger hi-line feb. 2, 2009
our view Apple releases iPad
We’ve revamped our site: The Tiger Hi-Line Online To keep up with the new year and brand new semester, we at the journalism staff have been improving our old website. Now it is snazzier and easier to use than ever. You can now type in http://www.hiline.co.nr/ to get to our new hiline website, or, like before, go to the school website and click on Stories by Student Journalists on the sidebar. Once you find your way to the website, the homepage is formatted for an easy-to-use visit. We have current stories from this year, as well as some old stories from past decades. There are also links to highlighted audio/visual stories and vox pops from previous years. Every week we will try to add new links to keep you informed and satisfied. Along with updated audio and visual news, we will soon be adding yearbook pictures so you can more easily see what is going on at CFHS. We hope that you will continue to be supportive of our journalism team and check out our new and improved website.
Contact 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. Our website is www.hiline.co.nr. The Hi-Line is distributed to CFHS students on Tuesdays to read in their DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) classes. Columns and letters do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Hi-Line or Cedar Falls Schools. The Hi-Line editorial staff view is presented weekly in the editorial labeled as Our View. Reader opinions on any topic are welcome and should be sent to the Tiger Hi-Line staff or delivered to room 208. All letters must be signed. Letters must be submitted by 3 p.m. on Thursday for publication the following Tuesday. 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: Maggie Devine and Vincent Stigliani News Editors: Vincent Stigliani and Ben Sadkowski Opinion Editor: Monica Clark Sports Editor: Alex Entz Feature Editor: Aubrey Caruso On-Line Editors: Vincent Stigliani and Maggie Devine Entertainment Editor: Maggie Devine Senior Writer: Alex Entz Photo Editor: Ben Sadkowski
Jayne Durnin Staff Writer Every year, Apple comes out with a new product to catch the public’s attention, and this year they are really turning heads. On Wednesday, Jan. 27, Apple launched it’s newest project: the iPad. The iPad measures 9.7 inches diagonally and weighs 1.5 pounds. You can purchase it with 16, 32 or 64 gigabytes of storage, and it comes with Wi-Fi and bluetooth connectivity. New in this product is a multitouch screen, which allows you to pull the corners of a picture to make is wider for example, or pinch a photo album and drag upward, so you can get a preview of the pictures in that album. The battery can last for 10 hours, and the device can sit for a month on standby without needing a charge. The iPad has multi-touch capabilities that makes it the biggest piece of technology able to do this. Software included in the iPad includes an iPod, video player, Safari, contacts, notes, maps and a calendar, which have all been redesigned to fit the iPad. The tablet is capable of gaming and the Apple App store has been redesigned to fit the iPad’s capabilities. The bigger screen will allow more room for controls and will create a more vivid gaming experience, as well as being very portable. It
is expected to challenge many gaming companies upon it’s release. In addition to a new and improved App store, the iPad possesses a iTunes store and a brand new iBooks store. The iBook application appears as a bookcase that houses the books you Photo courtesy of apple.com purchase and The newly released iPad comes download to with many features like Wi-Fi read on the iPad. capability. A new way to view photos I, myself, own an Apple has also been created for iPod and Macbook Pro, and the iPad. You can upload am very impressed with this photos to the device, and new product. However, I it will present your albums probably won’t be buying it in stacks. If you want to because I feel that the iPod see your pictures, it will and Macbook will be able automatically go full screen to do anything that the iPad and allow you to view them boasts of. Perhaps the best in a slideshow. customer for this product Apple is also releasing is one who is new to Apple a variety of accessories and wants to take advantage to go with the iPad. The of all they have to offer. Keyboard Dock for the I think that the iPad will device provides a dock and be a revolution in the way wireless keyboard. An iPad that things are designed and case will also be available, priced in the technology as well as accessories that industry. Considering that enable the tablet to connect the least expensive product to television, projectors and besides the iPad from Apple displays. is a Macbook for $999, the Pricing for the iPad starts at $499 for 16GB with iPad seems like a pretty good deal for a device that Wi-Fi and goes up to $829 has a lot of the same capafor 64GB and built in 3G bilities. network. Apple will also We can definitely expect team up with AT&T to crethis device to be very well ate a data plan for the iPad made, considering that for $14.99 per month for Apple sets extremely high 250 megabytes of data, or standards for its products. I $29.99 for unlimited use of think that only time will tell data each month. how successful this product The iPad will be availis and how ready we are for able for purchase worldthis new technology. wide in March.
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tiger hi-line Feb. 2, 2010
Super Bowl: Alex Entz Senior Writer
Maybe it’s quarterback Drew Brees. Maybe it’s running back Pierre Thomas. Or maybe it’s just some strange premonition. Certainly, if I were to judge this year’s Super Bowl off of the paper matchup, it would seem to be a probable victory for the Indianapolis Colts. The Saints are 0-fer-43 years, while the Colts have their second title in the past four years in their sights. The Colts have the talented and playoff-tested Peyton Manning, who has played in nearly double the number of postseason games that the Saints franchise has ever played in. Both teams
SPORTS 3
More than a feeling with the New Orleans Saints
entered the playoffs on losing streaks, but the Colts easily dispatched both the Baltimore Ravens and the New York Jets, while the Saints had to brush past the Minnesota Vikings in overtime. Add in a couple of questionable calls that fell the Saints way in overtime, and a dubious picture appears. Certainly the Saints have the resume to play in the Super Bowl, but do they have what it takes to upset the favored Colts? Surprisingly, the answer is yes. The Saints will be playing with more than just the wind at their backs; they will be playing with the entire city of New Orleans at their back. The Saints were the Band-aid to the bleeding New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina; without
the Saints, the town’s suffering would have been much worse; distractions tend to have a way with helping one recover. In any case, the Saints have finally reached the apex of their rise from the cellar of the NFL to the primetime lights. It would, quite simply, be hard to bet against the Saints finally fulfilling the destiny they set in motion when the team resisted a permanent move to another city in the midst of the Katrina crisis. Brees gives off the aura of a man who can handle himself in stressful situations, and the rest of the offense is simply vicious. The team led the NFL in the points allowedpoints scored split, at +169. Thomas leads the running attack, and with competent role players behind him, the
Colts fundamental defense would be hard pressed to stop them. In fact, the Colts are a pretty unremarkable team, albeit with solid veterans, if one looks past their evident postseason experience. That’s not to say that the Colts lack any semblance of competitive depth. This is the team that owned the best regular-season record this year, and a team that has turned up the intensity during the playoffs by easily dispatching both of its opponents. Perhaps the Colts are narrowly favored simply by virtue of the fact that they have been here before, whereas the Saints’ players are fairly green. In fact, the entire city of New Orleans is pretty green. Not for long.
in an effort to rest athletes and get them ready for big events at the end of the season. Marcussen plans to employ this age-old strategy to rest his team before crunch time in the next few weeks. Iowa City will be the biggest competition for Marcussen’s team, and they are considered the team to beat at Districts. “The other teams have some good people, but they don’t compete at the depth it takes to win Districts. I don’t know how we’ll swim,” Marcussen said. There will be about 15 swimmers headed to the district competition, and it will take all of their efforts to win. “I think we’re good enough to win it. They have to work together, and if
they do that, we can take it home,” Marcussen said. A number of teams will be at the top, vying with CFHS swimmers to take home the district championship. Ames, Muscatine, Dubuque Senior, West Des Moines Valley and Des Moines Dowling. Nontheless, Marcussen predicts that he’ll have someone in every event, if not two swimmers. Not only that, but he also said he believes that all of his relay teams will make it, and this bodes well for the Tigers chances at winning, as those events are the biggest point makers. “We need to pull together as a team, and that’s what you need to do at Districts and State to be successful.” The strongest events for
the Tigers are expected to be the 200 Free, 50 Free, 200 Individual Medley and the 100. Marcussen summed up his belief that his team’s chemistry will be vital in order to secure a win. “(The boys competing) just gotta have the dream to win and the time drop. Our success will really come from support from the others. Even a high five, that’ll do it. Right now we’re swimming as individuals, and it can’t be that way. You need a team to do anything. You gotta have the heart too.” The district competition will be held at Marshalltown High School on Feb. 6 at 12:30 p.m. The state competition is the following weekend in Marshalltown.
Marcussen expects strong Tiger showing at District meet Ali Miller Staff Writer
CFHS men’s swimming head coach Dick Marcussen has some high expectations for his boys at the upcoming district swim meet. The six strongest swimmers that Marcussen is banking on will likely be senior Garrett Moses; juniors Jon Baker, Austin Abbas, Taylor Burkes and Josh Sund; and freshman Connor Clements. To prepare the boys, Marcussen will cut down the yardage that they swim at practice. “Its all about rest, and at practice, it’s quality over yardage,” Marcussen said. Tapering is the process of slowing down and doing less at practice than usual,
Athlete Week of the
Heather Barth Women’s Bowling Senior Barth leads the team with a pin average of 182. Her top game was a 223.
1. What are the team’s strengths this year? We try our best, hope for the best, and we never pressure each other. We just have fun and joke around, and if we do something embarassing, we make it funny. 2. What have you done to prepare and be successful? I listen to my iPod, eat candy, and practice whenever I have free time. 3. What is your favorite activity outside of bowling? I don’t really do anything outside of bowwling besides bowl with friends and go to movies with friends.
Tigers in Action
Men’s Swimming Away 2/6 @ Districts @ Marshalltown, 12:30 p.m. Wrestling Home 2/4 vs. Linn Mar, 6:15 p.m. Away 2/6 @ MC Super Meet @ Waterloo West, 9 a.m. Bowling Home 2/5 vs. Dubuque Senior, 3:45 p.m. Women’s Basketball Away 2/2 vs. Cedar Rapids Xavier, 7:30 p.m. Away 2/5 vs. Dubuque Senior, 7:30 p.m. Away 2/6 vs. Union, 6:30 p.m. Men’s Basketball Away 2/2 vs. CR Kennedy, 6 p.m. Home 2/5 vs. Dubuque Senior, 6:00 p.m. Away 2/6 vs. Union, 6:30 p.m.
tiger hi-line feature 4 THE
Feb. 2, 2010
Legislature debates changes to license rules Drivers Ed students share their opinions on bills being considered
Q: Do you think it would be a good idea to set a bill in place to prohibit drivers from reading or writing texts and e-mails if the car is not in park? A violation would bring 30 days in jail or a fine up to $625. A: “I don’t think it’s necessary. People will still text and drive, 30 days or $625 is pretty steep for just using your phone while driving.” —Junior Alex Gibson, male, age 17 Q: What do you think about having a bill change the law that requires an adult to be in your car while driving from 12:30 a.m. - 5 a.m. curfew to 10 p.m. - 5 a.m.? A: “I think that by the time you have your intermediate license, you should be responsible enough to stay out untill 12:30 a.m. without having a parent with you, so I think having a parent with you from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. would be ridiculous.” —Junior Abbey Kruse, female, age 16
According to some recent research, texting while driving is as harmful as drinking four alcoholic beverages and getting behind the wheel. Photo by Aubrey Caruso
Q: What do you think about changing to a one-year period, instead of the six months of driving experience with a parent before drivers receive their full intermediate license? A: “Some people may be against this, but I think that this is actually a really good idea. That way the ‘driver’ can get in more experience from someone who has had the experience.” —Sophomore Kaitlin Izer, female, age 16 Q: What do you think about a proposed new law requiring intermediate drivers to allow only one other passenger in the car that is not a family member? A: “I think that is a good idea. Having extra, distractions in the car while you’re learning to drive can be dangerous. However, I think that if the people who aren’t your family member have permission from a guardian, it shouldn’t be an issue at all.” —Freshman Jillian Ross, female, age 15
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