The
CATCHING UP
Tiger HI-LINE
Friday, June 1, 2018
seniors celebrate the ending of their high school career together /page 6-7 Follow us on Twitter at tigerhiline, Facebook at TigerHilineOnline and on our website at www.hiline.cfschools.org
Volume 58 Edition 29
SLR honored by teachers with plaque Scott Lawrence-Richards was a beloved English teacher and role model at the high school, loved by teachers and students throughout the Cedar Falls school district. He had three unyielding battles with cancer and passed away earlier this year. Lawrence-Richards possesed passion for writing and had a way with words. He inspired many with his poems, especially with his poem about life in Cedar Falls, called “Spring Thaw.” The poem touches on and reminds us why people live in Cedar Falls. The poem emphasizes the beauty of the Cedar River and Cedar Falls’ connection to Mother Nature through parks and bike paths. “We are pretty much connected to nature on a daily basis,” Troy Slater, a dear friend of Larence-Richard’s said. Slater was very close to LawrenceRichards and witnessed his never -ending battle with cancer. He was inspired by Lawrence-Richards’ incessant strength, grace and dignity.’ Slater wanted to see Richard’s ambitions and positivity spread throughout Cedar Falls, by way of a memorial plaque, honoring Richards’ life. “He was a rare individual in this world,” Slater said. “I imagine that we will have to go beyond the scope of the education system and inform the public about Scott, the
Sophia Schillinger Photo
Scott Lawrence-Richards will have a memorial plaque of his published poem “Spring Thaw” in Peter Melendy park on the corner of First and Main streets. kind of individual he was, and how he touched lives while he was here.” The idea of a plaque came to high school teachers Slater and Ethan Weichmann when visiting Peter Melendy Park, the area where they believe Richard wrote “Spring Thaw.” For
English teacher Troy Slater, his idea to recognize his friend who died after he retired last school year started on Monday of spring break this year. “We took a drive and went over there. We walked out, and we were walking around and heard the flag shackle
rack. And Ethan said this is probably where he wrote it,” said Slater.” In the first line of his poem, Lawrence-Richards writes about what the two men heard on the Monday before Spring Break: “The flag shackle racks against its pole, and the flag snaps north under the promptings of a southern gust.” The plaque is tentatively planned to be built a year from now in Peter Melendy Park, which is located at the intersection of First and Main Street. The plaque will display a copper drawing of Lawrence-Richards, a short biography and his poem. Previously this year there was a “jeans day” at the high school. Teachers paid $5 to wear a pair of jeans to school, and $450 went to creating the memorial plaque. With the success of the first jeans day, a tentative districtwide jeans day is also planned for next year to preserve and spread lawrenceRichards’ mark on this community and in the greater society. The next step in the development of the memorial plaque is to finish a couple models of the plaque, and than getting them approved by the city council. By Staff Writer Sophia
SCHILLINGER
Iowa native wins ‘American Idol’
Maddie Poppe, the winner of season 16 of American Idol and now an Iowa hometown hero from Clarksville, Iowa, has touched many students all the way from her TV performances in Los Angeles back to her home state. “I heard about Maddie mostly through Facebook and Instagram. Every Iowan was sharing her videos, and when she got to around the top 20 in the competition, I started keeping up with how she was doing and fell in love with her voice,” sophomore Olivia Combs said. Before winning the whole competition, Poppe had made it all the way to top three who get to have hometown concerts sponsored by American Idol. Thousands of people flooded the streets of Clarksville on May 15 to see Poppe in person. Many Cedar Falls fans traveled the short distance of about 28 miles to Clarksville to hear her voice live.
Submitted photo
Clarksville native, Maddie Poppe, won American Idol which inspires many Iowans to do the same. “I wanted to see Maddie in person because she seemed like such a genuine sweet girl,” Combs said. “Not only is her voice beautiful, but she has such a sweetheart and is such a role model to young girls.” Poppe also has original songs that she has featured on the show such as “Don’t Ever Let Your Children Grow Up” and her new single “Going, Going, Gone” co-written with fellow Iowan artist Julia Michaels.
“I think she is a good artist because she is unique. She doesn’t sing country, pop, indie, rock. She is her own unique artist. Maddie sings and plays whatever she loves, and I really look up to her in that way,” Combs said. There are not many celebrities from Iowa, but Poppe is one of the stars who have left the state of Iowa and represented it well. She received a $250,000, a headlining performance at the
Hollywood Bowl and a recording contract with Hollywood Records from the competition. “I think an Iowan winning is so cool. You don’t get to hear about Iowans winning game shows, television shows, etc. I think it is really cool for everyone in our state to see one of our own succeed so far,” Combs said. Junior Beth Culberson also attended the concert in Clarksville. “I would definitely say that she is an inspiration to many other young girls who do want to get out there into the singing career because she has mentioned how she wanted to give up at times, but she kept trying because she loves what she does,” Culberson said. The Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center at the University of Northern Iowa has invited Poppe to come perform in Cedar Falls. “We have invited her and are hoping she will come. We have
had people like Emily West from America’s Got Talent, so we love artists like her to come,” Steve Carignan, Associate Dean of Arts Administration at University of Northern Iowa said. Before Poppe officially has a concert in Cedar Falls, she needs to make room in her busy schedule. “She actually has to say yes and have the time, which is hard right now because she is so busy as a hometown hero,” Carignan said. If Poppe’s schedule never opens up for Cedar Falls, she will appear at a free concert in downtown Cedar Rapids at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 25, which had already been scheduled before she won American Idol. “It is pretty amazing to see someone grow as a singer and to win something so big like American Idol, especially if they are from the state you live in,” Culberson said. By Co-Editor-In-Chief Sabine
MARTIN