Feb 2, 2018 hi line by CFHS journalism

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OLD PEOPLE

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Friday, Feb. 2, 2018

Five students launch their own brand of clothing/page 3 Follow us on Twitter at tigerhiline, Facebook at TigerHilineOnline and on our website at www.hiline.cfschools.org

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#Oneword2018 “My dad was diagnosed with cancer during my sophomore year of college, and my word was hope back then,” math teacher Linsey Zimmerman said. “I had my faith, of course, but I needed something else to help me hold on.” #Oneword2018 is a project Zimmerman is doing to encourage her students for a better year and semester. Zimmerman’s touching story helped her students understand the importance of words and how a single word can change so much in someone’s life. #Oneword2018 is a trend that has been going on for a few months amongst teachers from all over the States now. Teachers are posting photos of their students standing in front of their colorful classroom walls and doors with hundreds of words stuck to it. “I have a lot of new faces in my class this semester. I saw this project idea on my Twitter, and I thought it would be a good way of welcoming new students,” she said. Zimmerman teaches algebra II and pre-calculus, which makes her students mostly juniors and seniors, but looking at the mesmerizing cards on her wall, it’s clear a wide array of students have bought into the idea of adopting a word for focus. Zimmerman is one of those people who doesn’t agree with the flow: new year, same me. In fact, she started off the new year by helping her students to focus and make improvements in their everyday lives by sharing her personal story, and changing her word with them that she’s been sticking to for a very long

Math teacher inspires students to adopt words for inspiration

time. “My word of 2018 is perspective,” Zimmerman said. “I am willing to change my perspective toward everything: my kids, my students and so on.” Zimmerman is not only breaking stereotypes with her students, but with her project that is related to linguistic skills rather than her traditional concentration on math as well. “Some of my students were very creative and came up with really nice decorations, but some of them were not, and they just wrote their words down, which I told them was OK because I’m not creative, and that’s why I’m a math teacher,” she said. Writing a word might seem like a really simple thing to do but considering the fact that teenagers spend most of their time online and coming across popular, pessimistic social media posts, it can be a challenge. “I think the one word idea really gives a focus for something you can do better whether it be in the next week, month or year. I did not find much challenge in finding a word because I think using the first word that pops into your head allows the most important aspect of change to be brought out,” sophomore Annika Strohm said. No matter the challenges, Zimmerman’s students actively participated in the project. “This project made me really happy. The participation was great, and I got to know my students better,” she said. By Staff Writer Saba

AYDINER

After inspiration from her dad’s battle with cancer, math teacher Lindsey Zimmerman introduced her math students to the power of focusing on inspirational words using the #Oneword2018 challenge.

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Friday, Feb 2, 2018

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Students offer tips for finding success on ACT The ACT is standardized timed test that most students dread to take, yet it’s the one way ticket to the college of your choice and college scholarships. The ticking time bomb, endless sets of bubbles to fill in and the biting fear in the back of the test taker’s mind of not getting a high enough score for the college one aspires to go to, create stress and anxiety before and while taking the ACT. Time is a strain for many test takers of the ACT. “The toughest part of the test, for me, was definitely math. With 60 questions in 60 minutes, pacing yourself is extremely important, and sometimes you have to skip and go back to a question to maximize your time on quicker questions,” junior Alex Glascock said. Going into the test blind, Glascock received a 34 on her first try, and with the help of the ACT guide book and practice test, Glascock went up two points, giving her a perfect score of 36 on her third try. But, there doesn’t have to be a stigma that follows the ACT. Instead of walking into the test with trembling fingers and a storm of negative festering thoughts in one’s heads, one should go in confident. Walking in with a broad chest and emanating confidence can make one feel more relaxed and ready, resulting in higher test scores. In a research study done at the University of Iowa, college students were divided into high confidence groups and low confidence and performed a test. Through peer evaluations and test results, the researchers determined that the higher confidence groups performed better than the lower confidence groups. Confidence is not always something that people can just pull out of their bags, like pencils. Many test takers said they did not have the confidence their first time taking the ACT, but they built it up with experience and knowledge. “After taking

“My first time I did not study at all. My second time I studied, wore a watch to check the time and just relaxed. I was so stressed the first time I couldn’t get all the answers filled in on time,” senior Paige Kvale said. Kvale took the ACT twice, the first time she received an 18, the second time a 22.

also be beneficial because one can take it at different knowledge points of high school. Taking the test as a sophomore is good for experience, even though one may not have all the knowledge to answer all the questions. “After being in high school “After being in high school for for awhile, I took the ACT awhile, I took the ACT again in again in December of my juDecember of my junior year, and I nior year, and I received a 30. I received a 30. I think going in with the knowledge I had from 10th and think going in with the knowlpart of 11th grade, as well as having edge I had from 10th and part of 11th grade, as well as havexperience with the test helped a lot,” senior Miranda McGillivray said. ing experience with the test helped a lot,” senior Miranda “The toughest part of the test, for McGillivray said. me, was definitely math. With 60 McGillivray took the test questions in 60 minutes, pacing yourself is extremely important, and the first time as a freshman for sometimes you have to skip and go experience and then multiple back to a question to maximize your times later in high school. Taktime on quicker questions,” junior ing the test multiple times also Alex Glascock said. Glascock earned allows one to work on the tima 36 on her third ACT attempt. ing and get more familiar with it the first time, I realized it wasn’t as scary the format of the test. Each ACT test provides the same as I thought. For my next two tests, I went in with a much calmer mindset. I also real- general prompts/questions, but they can be presented in a different way for ized that the type of loose preparation I did for the first test was no benefit what- each test taker. Thus, taking the test multiple times is beneficial to a student soever,” Gascock said. The ACT benefits students by its al- because the second or third time one takes the test, the information can be lowance of unlimited attempts. It differs presented in a way one may better unfrom a test at school because the score one receives on one attempt doesn’t derstand. “One piece of advice I would give to have to be the final score. One has multiple chances, and this can be a posi- others is that if you can, you should take the ACT as many times as you want to. tive thought in a test taker’s mind that If you think you can do better, it’s very makes the test go a bit smoother. “Just likely that you can. While I reached my relax. You can retake this test if you need to, or if you are stuck on one ques- goal score of 30 in the beginning of my junior year, I still took the ACT again in tion, don’t spend longer than a minute on it. Leave it blank and come back to June, and my score increased to a 31. One of my friends also took the test it when you fill the rest in,” Kvale said. three times and received a 30, 29 and Kvale utilized this positive trait of the ACT and took the ACT twice, and the then a 32. An increase in score by two points is uncommon, but the more you second time received a score she was take the ACT, the more comfortable you happy with. will be, and the more likely it will be that Taking the ACT multiple times can

Pop Music

Emma Herring Photos

The annual choir pops concert was Monday, Jan. 29 in the high school auditorium. At left is Julia Grey singing “Shiver” by Coldplay. At top is the treble clef choir, and at right, Daquevion Burke and Elijah White are singing with the bass clef choir.

the content of one of those tests will be easier for you than another,” McGillivray said. Confidence is an important factor, but for the ACT, studying and focusing on what one struggles with most can also be key to the ACT score of one’s dreams. “After I took the ACT I realized my math score was bringing down my composite score, so I spent more time studying math content specifically and also took multiple small practice tests that were solely math. It was very helpful to study the subject I was weakest in, and my math score did increase,” Gillivray said. Some students have the idea that the test is not worth studying for as they believe that the test doesn’t measure what one has learned, but natural intelligence and one’s ability to be a good test taker. “School didn’t teach me anything important. Test taking skills are more important than what you can learn/ study,” senior Megan Walsh said, but Glascock stressed that studying is always beneficial and can only improve one’s score. “Definitely study. Some people say that not studying is the best way to approach the test, but studying can only improve your score, and knowing exactly what you’re going into is a major benefit. Especially in the writing section, knowing the ins and outs of the test and its format makes testing less stressful,” Glascock said. Although the test does generate a lot of anxiety, fear and stress, both prior to and while taking the test, it’s good to keep in mind that the score that one receives does not determine one’s future, worth or intelligence.“Don’t stress as much. You are more than the ACT score,” senior Alexandria Dungeon said. By Staff Writer Sophia

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3 Five students launch handmade clothing brand The

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“Fabricating irony one font at a time” their Instagram bio reads honestly. As a band of five high school kids with an aptitude for art and design, a clothing brand titled “Oldpeople” does not portray the typical image of people who are, well, old. One shirt design portrays an old man with with brand’s logo scrawled within the confines of his face while his face appears floating in a speech bubble. The face in the design may be old, the name might literally be old, but the faces donning the apparel are not. As Joey Dunning put it simply, “We’re not old.” Formed in late 2017, the brand is comprised of five students: juniors Lars Christiason, Joey Dunning and Camden Dusenbery, and sophomores Mack Eastman and Hollis Wilson. The brand began crafting this ironic sense of youth through original designs and a line of hand printed t-shirts. “It’s a group of creative thinkers that just want to collaborate and make something unique that fits our personalities,” Christiason said. The unique brand name was originally a joke sprouted from Christiasons’s experience as a former employee at a local nursing home. “In the beginning of the summer, we all met on different circumstances, and we were talking about old people one day,” Dusenbery said. After bonding through a group chat of the same name and fashion influences including Off-White, Holiday, Golfwang and Illegal Civilization, and receiving instruction and materials from Wilson’s father, a printmaker, the Oldpeople operation took flight. “We all have wanted to create something and use our different skills,” Dusenbery said. “The art comes from [Wilson, Christiason, Dunning and Eastman], and I’m more of the business side.” However, Oldpeople began as a way for the five to make clothes that they liked; not to profit. “I don’t think we really cared about selling shirts. We just wanted to wear our own,” Christiason said. Originally, Wilson was planning to take on a similar project on his own, but after strengthening a friendship as a group over the course of the summer and fall of 2017, it became clear that the old saying rang true: the more the merrier. With more people comes more opportunities for chaos, however. “Sometimes having five people means there’s more room for error. Naturally, we want to have fun,” Wilson said. “If one person is not doing anything, they could talk and distract. Sometimes you rub ink on a sleeve and the shirt is just ruined. This all happens,” Dusenbery said. But the group is quick to disregard the rare follies and find strength in its numbers. “Obviously everyone is going to disagree on something at some point, but I feel like if we disagree on

Friday, Feb 2, 2018

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Oldpeople, the original, hand-made clothing brand can be found on instagram (@oldpeoplebrand) and online at oldpeoplebrand.com. something, it shows us what is going to work best,” Dunning said. “If our group was only one, two or three people, they could all agree on something, but maybe the fifth person says an idea that no one would have thought of.” “We influence each other,” Eastman said. “There’s a lot of holes in Oldpeople that we fill.” The group soon began posting pictures of their designs and shirts on Instagram. Interest was sparked. “Once we made the Instagram, people started talking to us, and we kind of realized that we should make shirts for more people,” Eastman said. Fabricating this irony is no small feat. While many clothing brands rely on printing companies to produce their work from start to finish, Oldpeople’s process is entirely captained by the members of the group---from design to making screens, printing the shirts to promotion and Wilson’s website design. Wilson’s house has morphed into the brand’s makeshift factory, where the group spends hours on weekends to create their pieces. “As of now, Oldpeople has taken over my life,” Wilson said. Balancing responsibilities with the effort it requires to get Oldpeople off the ground is a difficult task in itself; all five of the members are full-time high school students, most of which are involved in other activities like sports and working jobs. “I have a job and I work a lot. They’ll be together while I’m at work, and I’ll have to run over there right when I get off work, so it’s hard to balance work and Oldpeople,” Eastman said. To explain in layman’s terms, the complicated process begins with a black and white design that is dark enough to expose a screen. Once the screen has been prepared with the design on its surface, it is laid on top of the shirt. The ink is placed on top of the screen and a tool called a squeegee drags the ink across the design, printing onto the shirt through the black part of the original design.

Because the shirts are completely handmade, it can take hours to produce only a small number of product. One weekend, the group notes, it took five hours to make 12 shirts. As a company formed of students with no professional experience, the brand has been learning the best way to perfect their process on the fly. Wilson is confident that they can “definitely print good shirts,” but nods when Dusenbery adds, “The hardest part is that sometimes we make stupid mistakes, but we will get better.” In the clothing business, many would see hailing from a small, midwestern college town like Cedar Falls as a disadvantage, but the boys of Oldpeople express that the town has been a prime node to foster their development as a brand. “It helps us be ourselves more. If you lived in Chicago or LA or New York, everyone’s doing the same thing,” Dunning said. “It’s a lot easier to access stuff in bigger cities, but when you’re in a small town, you can stand out and be yourself.” “We’re actually really lucky,” Eastman added. “Cedar Falls is the perfect place.” With the influence of social media in contemporary society, it is no longer necessary for up-and-coming brands like Oldpeople to be based in a big city. Oldpeople’s influences of designers like Virgil Abloh, artists like hip-hop collective Brockhampton and potential customers are just a click away. “The media makes the small town seem big in a way. You can get inspiration from big artists, and we don’t have to be right there to see what they’re doing,” Christiason said. “Media for us is a big outlet.” For their biggest influences outside of the musicians, artists and designers that dominate avante-garde culture, the group cites where and how they were raised for their creativeness. “We have parents who foster creativity, and being surrounded by that helps,” Christiason said. “I always grew up around music, so I’ve always been influenced by that, and then fashion kind of came naturally from

music.” Oldpeople has emerged as an avenue of expression for the group, allowing them to develop skills for their future early in a way different than many of their peers seem to be doing. “If you have an idea in your mind, you might as well start as early as you can. We are lucky enough to have supplies to do it,” Eastman said. While Oldpeople is an obvious stepping block for Wilson and Dunning, who plan to attend art school in the future, the brand has also allowed its other members to explore outlets of innovation at a young age and develop other skills. Dusenbery, who refers to his skills on more of the “business side” is positive that the things he has learned while developing Oldpeople will help him too, even if he does not plan on attending art school like his friends. “Even as a business major, if I put down ‘I started a business,’ It’s very rare,” Dusenbery said. “Tell me how many people put that down?” It’s uniquely refreshing for a group of Iowa high school kids to develop a clothing brand from scratch and seize an opportunity to do something many twice their age would not be able to do. “This school is cool, but no one is really doing anything out of their way. I just feel like it’s a new creative outlet in the school that no one’s really done,” Dunning said. The group accepts that wherever a new idea commences, especially one that ventures into unclaimed areas of a booming small-town culture, there will be critics. “[Peers] look down on new ideas, but then again we have a big group of people who think it’s awesome what we’re doing,” Dusenbery said. “There are always going to be people who think it’s weird.” The group is prepared to face critics if they arise, but the most important thing for the brand, especially one that started out with the sole purpose to create an innovative outlet to satisfy no one but each other, is to stay authentic to their style and aspirations. “I just think it’s important that we do what we want to do,” Wilson said. “We’re just doing what we want to do, and that’s what matters.” The brand’s first drop is on Saturday, Feb 3. “I just want everyone to know that it’s Feb. 3, and Oldpeople is releasing that day, whether or not they like it,” Wilson said. While the future of Oldpeople still remains to be written, the group is optimistic for what will result from their first release. “I think it would be cool to see people walking around with Oldpeople shirts on,” Eastman said. The first collection of handmade Oldpeople clothing will be available from Feb. 3 at 12 a.m. and can be found for a limited time at oldpeoplebrand.com. By Editor-In-Chief Elise

LEASURE

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ENTERTAINMENT HI-LINE No translation needed for discovering global tunes Friday, Feb 2, 2018

Urban Cone- Stockholm, Sweden

From Asia to Africa, Australia to the Americas, global grooves abound

Notable Song: “New York” Indie-pop band Urban Cone has clear influences in European electro-pop. Their music is bright, and funky melodies are often paired with an electric beat and drums that will make you want to dance.

Jacuzzi Boys- Miami, Florida

Notable Song: “Double Vision” While the Jacuzzi Boys hail from the United State’s own Miami, the band has built itself a solid reputation from a city not known for garage rock roots, and there is a beachy note to many of their songs. Meaty drums and textured guitar riffs are common on Jacuzzi Boys’ records, and their signature style is akin to suave rebellion.

Bomba Estereo- Bogotá, Colombia

Notable Song: “Soy Yo” While this band leans more toward electronic music, there are clear folk and rock influences. Bomba Estereo’s blend of confident lyrics and electronic groove is a sure hit for any fan of rock or dance. Elise Lesaure Graphic

Julia Jacklin- Sydney, Sunset Rollercoaster- Taipei, Taiwan Australia Notable Song: “Pool Party” Singer/Songwriter Julia Jacklin’s songs are witty and nostalgic, blending a mix of indie, rock and folk. Her voice is her primary instrument, and her songs are not muddled with heavy instruments besides the cool hum of her electric guitar.

Notable song: “My Jinji” Taiwanese band Sunset Rollercoaster combines psychedelic rock and synth pop to create a whimsical rock sound. Sunset Rollercoaster produces a distinctly unique sound through American garage rock and soul influences combined with the budding style of Asian indie rock.

Alvvays- Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Notable song: “Archie, Marry Me” Alvvays (pronounces “always”) is an indie-rock group with youthful grunge and nostalgic vibes. Singer Molly Rankin’s clever lyrics make every song a story when paired with the band’s familiar raw guitars and drums.

Sol Gems- Johannes-

burg, South Africa

Notable Song: “Standing With the Sun” South African trio Sol Gems floats within the same circle as Tame Impala, with retro influences emerging in a neo-psychedelic sound. Groovy bass lines and unbelievably catchy guitar riffs are present in many of their songs, as well as clear, mellow vocals.

Los Nastys- Madrid, Spain

Notable Song: “Castigas en el Granero” While not new to the Spanish garage rock scene, lo-fi veterans Los Nastys have songs that are timeless. Their sound can be described as youthful, jagged, explosive and exciting, and Los Nastys are almost like a modern, Spanish counterpart to The Clash. By Editor-In-Chief Elise

LEASURE

British musicians offer enticing musical alternatives

Tired of the same old sound from our American pop stars? Pop to indie English rock bands may be the way By Staff Writer Skylar to go to get a new outlook on music.

PROMER

1) The Hoosiers These guys are a pop rock band that formed back in 2003, but don’t let that date fool you. The Hoosiers have a unique sound that will have you singing along almost instantly. They’re songs have a fun tune while giving a powerful message and telling a story in the lyrics. A few of their most well known songs would be: “Goodbye Mr. A,” “Worried About Ray,” “Killer” and “Worst Case Scenario.”

2) Florence and the Machine Florence and the Machine are an English indie rock band that formed in London in 2007. Their music is more alternative and has a more calming sound than The Hoosiers, but that doesn’t make their music any less exciting. A few of their most well known songs would be “Breath Of Life” (which was originally recorded for the movie “Snow White & The Huntsman”), “What The Water Gave Me,” “Breaking Down” and “Addicted To Love.”

3) The xx These guys are an English indie pop band that formed back in 2005. They have a very unique, minimalistic sound. A few of their most well known songs would be “Islands,” “Basic Space,” “VCR” and “Crystallized.”

4) Mumford and Sons Mumford & Sons are a British alternative rock band that formed in 2007. These guys play a more alternative rock and folk. They have a touch of country sound, but with a nice alternative twist. A few of their most well known songs would be “Ghosts That We Knew,” “Below My Feet,” “Little Lion Man” and “I Will Wait.”

5) Arctic Monkeys This band may sound familiar to many, but for those who don’t know, Arctic Monkeys are an English rock band that formed in 2002. Their music can be filed under indie rock and/or garage rock. Some of their songs have a calm, old timey feel to them, but that can be comforting when looking for a familiar yet different sound. A few of their most well known songs would be “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor,” “When The Sun Goes Down,” “Do I Wanna Know” and “A Certain Romance.”

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ENTERTAINMENT HI-LINE Cuphead offers frustratingly addicting sidescroller Friday, Feb. 2, 2018

Sitting alone in the dark at 11 p.m. Anger boiling over. About to blow a fuse. That’s what Cuphead is about. It’s an incredibly challenging game designed to not be beaten. Every level is hard, and there is no such thing as easy. It’s level after level of brutal challenges and impossible enemies. Cuphead is designed to make you angry, and it does that very well. That’s the beauty and fun of the game, also making it one of the most diverse games on the market. Cuphead’s art is one of the coolest parts of the game. The artwork and music are made to look like you are playing an early Disney cartoon. The 1940s-esque cartoon theme makes for great looking, sidescrolling adventure. A diverse array of enemies that walk weird, talk weird and fight weird is what makes it a little easy playing the same level over 20 times. If it was some other theme like a jungle, or whatever, it just wouldn’t work the same. The crazy up-tempo, jazzy style is in sync with the hand-drawn art in a way that’s hard to describe, but by just looking, you know there’s something special pertaining to it. Cuphead’s is something that is ferocious. It makes you want to slam your controller

Submitted Photo

The art from Cuphead is reminiscent of 1940s cartoons, and the gameplay is maddeningly challenging. down and throw it across the room countless times. That being said, when everything finally connects and falls to fruition perfectly, it is a moment of pure euphoria. It is a dopamine level only felt by heroin addicts and Cuphead fiends. So, this all being said, before buying you must know how hard the game is. It’s nearly impossible. You’ll have to play levels so much so that you remember every little thing. You’ll study it, memorize it and develop new strategies to make it through the gauntlet. Trial and error is both your friend and foe. If you have any

desire to play this game in its entirety, it will be hard. It will seem like an impossibility, but it will be euphoric in the end. The run and gun games will take forever. These are the modes that require the studious concentration. It seems easy enough. All you have to do is run to the right and avoid enemies in this side-scrolling mode, but the lack of forgiveness is what gives this mode its bite. So much as a mistimed jump, dash or sprint can be deadly. Upgrades are important to things like your peashooter and movement abili-

ties, but all in all, they are futile if you don’t have the skills. Boss battle levels are next up. It’s usually just three killer bosses who are impossible to take down. For me, it always seemed to require unconventional ways to take them down, like running around until I got a few shots in. It will be hard, it will be brutal, but if you persist you will get it down. Cuphead is a daunting game. I’ve said that about 400 times now, so you get the idea, but it would be a disservice to let you go in unarmored with tips. First off, I know I said the upgrades mean jack squat

without skill, and I mean that, but that also doesn’t mean you go in without any upgrades. They can provide useful in dire times. For example, there’s a smokescreen ability allowing you to be untouched during dashes. This can be incredibly useful in tight situations. An accidental death resulted by running into an enemy is one of the more infuriating ways to end it. This will hopefully limit those. Secondly, choose a shooter that works for you. Whether it be the spread shooter that fires in multiple directions at short range, a homing shooter that does little damage or the final shooter, the boomerang, that shoots projectiles that follow your character. Thirdly, don’t give up. When times seem dire, things are breaking and you just feel like quitting, don’t. As long as you don’t stop trying, eventually there will be a finish line. Cuphead’s gameplay art, mixed with its challenges, make it a timeless game. The arcade style of play is perfect for the game and only helps its case. The depth may seem limited, but you tend not to focus on that stuff when you’re 50 tries deep into a level. By Staff Writer Ben

BOEZINGER

Circus lives on in ‘The Greatest Showman’ A new highly acclaimed motion picture musical hit theaters titled “The Greatest Showman,” chronicling the career of the creator of the famous Barnum and Bailey circus: PT Barnum. Although the film is a visual and musical spectacle, much of it is fictionalized, showing the massive crowds the magical legacy of PT Barnum’s circus carried on for over a century. Barnum, not the handsome Hugh Jackman, but rather the short 60-year-old man, had made a big sum of money from selling lottery tickets and his general store, so he started his own museum, which eventually burned down and morphed into the first traveling circus, which carried on for 146 years and only shut down very recently. The circus traveled all around the country, eventually being called the Ringling Brothers. It even visited Iowa at one point.

Submitted Photo

Hugh Jackson shines in “The Greatest Showman,” a homage to the legacy of PT Barnum.

Just seven months before the movie came out, the famed circus had to close it´s door due to animal abuse accusations and low ticket sales. Public distaste for use of traveling exotic animals and protests from animal

rights groups called upon the circus, nicknamed “The Greatest Show on Earth,” to pull it´s animal acts. Elephants were pulled from the show, and eventually the circus became an unsustainable operation, bringing PT Bar-

num’s legacy to an end. Before closing, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus was quite the spectacle, employing 500 performers and wowing crowds across the country.

On Sunday, May 21, 2017, the circus gave it´s final performance before closing for good. Animal trainers, trapeze artists, unicyclists, acrobats and more gave a heartfelt goodbye to the millions and millions they had entertained over their 146 year run. “We never say goodbye in the circus. We say see you down the road. So ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages: we´ll see you down the road,” ringmaster Kristen Wilson proclaimed to the massive sellout crowd of the final Ringling Brothers show. “The Greatest Showman” serves as a goodbye and bookend to the great circus started by American entertainer PT Barnum, rekindling the childhood magic of the circus onto the big screen. By Staff Writer Parker

STRAUSS

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OPINION

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Friday, Feb. 2, 2018

Funding our Futures

Our View

Voucher bill would undermine effectiveness of public schools

Sabine Martin Photo

When illness strikes, stay home to recover

2018 has been a year of a flu epidemic, killing at least 2,500 adults and 20 children. According to the United States Center for Disease Control, the peak times for “the flu” happen between December and February. Because the flu emerged earlier than usual, it has left health-care systems in a rush to provide care and vaccines to the many that have been affected. There are many different strains of the flu that are active, but it the strain that is prominent this year is H3N2. This is what makes these months dangerous is the ability for the flu to spread beyond our perceptual bounds for contamination to those who are most susceptible, including children, elderly people, those with autoimmune diseases and even patients undergoing chemotherapy, among others. Their immune systems are often unequipped to battle the rapidly spreading and morphing strains of the flu that are exchanged from person to person in public places like work and school. American culture often pushes us to always get things done without haste, causing many to go to work and school sick all the time with the mentality that they are “roughing it” for the good of themselves or their work. While work and school are priorities for many, it is especially important to recognize that this culture should not prevail when the lives of others are on the line. In the face of a massive epidemic like this year’s flu, we need to hold ourselves accountable for our own health and work to protect those who cannot protect themselves. If you or someone you know is experiencing the symptoms of this year’s flu---high fever, sore, coughing, throat, muscle aches, headache, fatigue, gastrointestinal problems---stay home from work or school to ensure you are healthy so you can protect yourself and those around you.

Every K-12 student in Iowa is worth about $6,500 in state money. This is how much the state of Iowa spends in public tax funds to support each child’s education at a public school. Now, Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Republican-led state legislature want to enable families to use that money to pay for attending private schools or to fund home schooling. It was at the school choice rally in Des Moines in 2017 that the Iowa Republicans brought the idea of a program to create education saving grants or education vouchers to help students pay tuition to go to private schools or to fund homeschool education. The big question for debate in Iowa’s government is: should Iowa’s public tax money pay for non-public education? The fact that tax money is going somewhere nonpublic seems unfair, but Gov. Kim Reynolds thinks it is acceptable, saying it is “not unreasonable.” Former Iowa Gov. Branstad, Reynolds’ predecessor, made his opinion clear on this issue in at the school choice rally in 2017. “We want to make sure all those choices are available, and are as affordable as possible,” he said. On the opposing side, Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, is against the Republican-backed legis-

lation. “I think that if you go to a system of vouchers, what you will be doing is bleeding both kids and dollars out of rural schools,” he said. A report by the National Center for the Study of Privatization in Educa-

private religious schools or homes teaching religion means public financial support is used in service of religion. Even Thomas Jefferson in 1802 clearly warned against public spending for religious purposes: “I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation

11,000

of students in Iowa go to students private in Iowa schools are hometion published in January schooled 2006 found that students in public schools are more successful than private or charter schools. This study is a hard jab to the provoucher presumption that private schools are superior to public schools. If public schools lose their students, they will also be losing money. Every student is part of the community that makes public education better. Spending public money on private education also breaks down the line between church and state, as

between Church & State.” The association of tax money from the people of Iowa and religious schools is unconstitutional. Moreover, educational vouchers, giving public tax dollars to private schools, harms one of the most important institutions of our communities: our public schools. By Co-Editor-In-Chief Sabine

The Tiger Hi-Line is a weekly publication of the journalism classes at Cedar Falls High School, 1015 Division Street, Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613. Our website is www.hiline.cfschools.org. The Hi-Line is distributed to CFHS students on Fridays to read during their third period classes. Columns and letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Hi-Line staff or Cedar Falls Schools. The Hi-Line editorial is presented weekly in the editorial labeled Our View, and it is the view of the majority of the editors listed below. Reader opinions on any topic are welcome and should be sent to The Tiger Hi-Line staff or delivered to room 208. All letters must be signed. Letters must be submitted by 3 p.m. on Monday for publication in the following Friday edition. Letters may not exceed 300 words and may be edited to meet space limitations. Writers should include their contact information for verification. Editors-in-Chief: Elise Leasure, Sabine Martin, Rachel Schmid, Tehya Tournier Staff: Saba Aydiner, Benjamin Boezinger, Noah Forker, Chase Kline, Kendall Maslak, Sierra Miller, Skylar Promer, Sophia Schillinger, Matthew Walsh

“Drink lots of water and “Relax, stay away from get lots of sleep.” others, and sanitize.” —Rachael Carty —Brandon “Og” Wright-ogren Paraeducator

Senior

“Sleep.”

—Kyandra Gilum Sophomore

MARTIN

By Staff Writer Kendall

MASLAK

“Go to the doctor, take medication, and sleep.”

—Jake Wilson Sophomore

The

Tiger

HI-LINE

Friday, Feb. 2, 2018

OPINION

Take action for avoiding online surveillance

As most people know by now, the government is spying on us through our phones, and if that sounds like a conspiracy theory, you’ve not been paying attention. The roads are surveilled by license plate readers, sidewalk and public space cameras, and there are cameras on every public transportation system out there. There’s even a program called Carnivore created in the late ’90s by the FBI, which uses keywords to sift through citizens’ emails. They are watching you. The GPS system on your phone? The government has used that to track people. Your private phone call? The government knows when it was, how long

it was and probably a lot more than that. Facebook, Google, Apple and several other companies have passed browsing data to the government. The NSA ensures that security devices leave you secure enough to suspect nothing, but vulnerable to their hackers. There are simply too many methods of government surveillance to monitor them all. There are many reasons why people may not want their private lives made available to the government. Maybe they’re doing something illegal. Maybe they’re watching porn. Maybe they haven’t been indoctrinated by the state into believing that be-

ing watched every second is normal. Who knows? But citizens should have the right to protect against surveillance, and there are many methods available. Firstly, when you’re browsing the Net and don’t want the government to know what you’re searching for, switch over to a more private browser. Tor is easy to download, and although it runs slightly slower than Chrome, it will make it more difficult for the government to watch what you’re searching. Tor is not technically illegal, although it is home to several torrent sites that sell illegal drugs and firearms. Secondly, if you’re mak-

ing a private purchase, don’t use your credit card or any other payment method easily tracked by the government. Instead, look into cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. Bitcoin is becoming more and more accepted, especially by illegal vendors. Bitcoin and many other cryptocurrencies are decentralized, meaning they’re difficult for the government to hack and nearly anonymous. A third way to avoid government surveillance is encryption. This will probably be most relevant to people who don’t want the government looking through their emails and financial information. To put it very simply, en-

cryption converts your data into nonsense, which can only be decrypted by the person with the key to do so. There are many different types of encryption, and you’ll want to do your own research to find out which is best for you. Encryption helps with privacy because it protects your data from third parties. Ultimately, taking extra measures to ensure your privacy is important because the government certainly isn’t going to stop invading citizens’ privacy. Sure, it might be against the law, but as the old adage goes, some rules were made to be broken. By Staff Writer Sierra

In a standard RPG or JRPG, it’ll be a good hour at the most before you get into real gameplay where the game won’t hold your hand. These beginning segments can either hook you onto a game or drive you away. At the heart of the problem, it depends on a person’s mind set, but it can also have to do with the game itself. Sometimes a game’s starting area is so long, it’s just boring. There are simple factors to make a starting area exciting. First, establish your main character. Yes, it’s true, with most games, you are the main character. However, you still need to establish that. Be-

sides basic character creation, if the game has that, what is their life? Why will they get thrown into the world? These questions and more should be established. Next, relationships are important. Does our character have friends who will fight with them? Do they have a rival? Do they have a mentor? If your character is a blank slate with little to nothing established, the game’s starting section is going to be long and dull. The goal of a starting area is to hook you in. Even if your character has no friends, it is pretty easy to get them some in the starting area. As said earlier, starting ar-

eas are, on average, at most an hour long, with some stretching longer if it’s an open world. With this in mind, what’s stopping them from having character A meeting a character B while journeying and they become friends? It’s a tad cliche, but a lot of games follow worse cliches. Finally, some story should be established. This is hard to do well, but most RPGs do it amazingly. To do this right, you must show bits of the story in the starting area and raise questions. After this, you must have your character face something that is stronger than expected, or that is out of the ordinary.

By doing this, you help establish a character more and help raise questions that you want answered. These answers that you want will usually be what drives you to play more of the game. However, it has to be a perfect sweet spot. It can’t be giving away a lot of the story, but it can’t stay almost nothing. The story has to reveal just enough to hook you onto the game, then let the game itself take the sail, so to speak, from there. When replaying a game, the tutorial can be repetitive, with annoying characters who hold your hand to much, and other things. However this

area is required for the game to flow right. A lot of the time in an RPG, you’ll obtain an item in the first dungeon that you don’t understand but later becomes useful. At other times, the starting area is just to establish the world. There are many ways to build a starting area. Some games do it well, like the Legend of Zelda series, and others not as well, like some Pokemon games. If you get through it and you’re still playing, the game should get a lot better.

MILLER

Beginning segments critical to creating effective RPGs

Need some cash?

By Staff Writer Noah

FORKER

The holidays came and went in a blur, but behind all of the gifts you have both given and received, you may find yourself to be a bit short on cash. Luckily, there are a few ways to get the money you need easily and quickly right here in Cedar Falls.

1) Plato’s Closet

Most likely you’ve heard about this place on an ad on the radio. If you haven’t, here’s a little explanation. If you take some of your gently used brand name clothing items to the store, they will give you money for them. Sounds like a great deal right? They accept anything from hats and gloves to T-shirts and shoes, as long as they are intact and not too harshly used. Not only will you gain a bit of extra money, but this will also help you empty out your closet.

2) Sell some things online

You can sell some unwanted clothes or old toys online. Using apps like Let Go and Poshmark, it’s easier than ever to make some extra money by selling things online. You can even go the even easier route and sell your items on Facebook sell groups.

3) Do odd jobs

Shovel someone’s sidewalk, or mow their lawn if the weather is right. Ask your parents if they would be willing to give you a small amount of money for doing chores. If you’re already being paid to do chores, ask if you could get a bit extra if you do more. With all these ways to get extra money it should be easy to pick which one to do. If you’re up to it, you can do more than one.

4) Bake sale

What do people want? Food. Another easy way is to make some delicious pastries and sell them to your friends, family members and maybe even neighbors. Everyone loves a treat every now and then, and you would be sure to earn some extra money with a bake sale.

5) Take online quizzes

Sure this way would take a bit longer and use up a bit more of your time, but it is another easy way to earn extra cash.

By Staff Writer Skylar

PROMER

The

SPORTS TNT Cheer returns from Super Nationals Friday, Feb 2, 2018

Over the past weekend, two teams from TNT cheer, the only all-star cheer gym in the Cedar Valley, competed in Jamfest Super Nationals in Indianapolis, Ind. Over 700 teams attended, and TNT represented by placing 8th and 10th in divisions with over 24 teams.

Tiger

HI-LINE Athlete of The Week Jacob Nelson Basketball How long have you been playing basketball? I’ve been playing basketball for my whole life. What are some team goals? One of our team goals is to go to State and make it as far as possible. Best memory from this or previous seasons? We’ve had some pretty good bench celebrations. Do you plan on playing basketball after this year? No, this is the final season of my career.

Tigers in

Action

Boys Basketball Friday, Feb. 2 vs West @Waterloo West 7:30 p.m. Girls Basketball Friday, Feb. 2 vs West @ Cedar Falls 7:30 p.m. Men’s Swimming Saturday, Feb. 3 Districts @ Fort Dodge 12:30 p.m. Wrestling Saturday, Feb. 3 JV MVC Tournament @Dubuque Senior 9:30 a.m. Jazz Show Saturday, Feb. 3 @Cedar Falls 7:30 p.m.

Below: Peet 8th Grader Emma Schmidt hits finishing pose

Katie Fernholtz and Sydney Corson Pictures

Sophomore Sabrina Leistikow, sophomore Sydney Corson, sophomore Ashlynn Metcalf, junior Katie Ferholtz, junoir Lauren Bowling and senior Rachel Schmid.