March 25 2016 hi line

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Friday, March 25, 2016

Volume 56 Edition 20

FINDING FACE Follow these steps to bring characters to life/pages 8-9 Follow us on Twitter at tigerhiline, Facebook at TigerHilineOnline and on our website at www.hiline.cfschools.org

Unlocking Senior art student earns Creativity two national honors Senior Landry Boerhave has been moved by art for as long as she can remember.

Upon entering painting class in her sophomore year, she discovered that she is not solely moved, but had a passionate attachment and undeniable talent. Twelve art class credits later, Boerhave is being recognized for her outstanding work.

Her scratchboard piece, “Wanderer’s Return,” was awarded with top honors

by Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, receiving a Gold Key award. Her portfolio was also recognized, receiving a Silver Key award.

Recipients of the Gold Key, Silver Key, Honorable Mention or American Visions & Voices Nomination Awards are selected annually from approximately 300,000 submissions.

All recipients will be recognized in an awards ceremony at the Berlin-Blank Center in Iowa City on Saturday, March 26.

“Wanderer’s Return” depicts a turning point in Boerhave’s life. “It was after I had become a Christian, and I was at the point where I was realizing that it’s not always easy. So it’s just about always knowing I can return to God when I feel like I wander from him.” The portfolio Boerhave submitted is compiled of 10 pieces, all drawings and paintings from the last two years.

Boerhave has also taken photography and graphic design classes and found that their principles and elements overlap with drawing and painting. Spending two periods each day in the art room, Boerhave’s dedication to art, in all forms, is undeniable.

Since sophomore year, she has grown not just in her technique, but in her ideology.

“It used to just be the aesthetic part of it, now it’s more the statement it makes, the concepts behind each art piece that enlighten your way of thinking about life,” Boerhave said. “This year especially it [art] has been a huge part of my life in just realizing the power creativity has — being able to explain ideas and being able to record life.”

Regarding Boerhave, painting teacher Emily Luensmann speaks with genuine admiration. “She works tirelessly at her craft to get better at it, and it’s definitely showed in her time as she’s been here,” Luensmann said.

Boerhave plans to continue pursuing art as she goes to the University of Iowa next year, majoring in studio art and working towards a BFA in animation. This will open job opportunities for creating short films, websites, movies and many other things.

As Boerhave moves from

the art room of Cedar Falls High School to a college studio, she hopes to leave the door ajar so that others might find the joy she did. She also shares a bit of insight she gained from her countless hours of studying and practice. “If you’re into art, just know it’s not always so technical. Even though that is good for getting a base in art, I think creativity is really important, which I didn’t realize until

this year,” Boerhave said.

All students grades 7-12 are eligible to submit pieces to next year’s Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, starting in the winter, although the official deadline for submissions has not been set. These submissions may include architecture, poetry, video game design, painting and more. Submissions are first shown to a panel of more than 100 local judges,

who make decisions at the regional level. The pieces selected by regional judges then go on a panel of national judges who select pieces to be recognized.

All submissions are judged on three criteria: originality, skill and presence of personal vision.

By Editor-in-Chief Sommer

Saturday, March 5, Jazz One and Jazz Too! competed in the North East Iowa Band Association (NEIBA) competition, taking place at West High School, pushing Jazz One to the upcoming Class 4A championship festival on April 5 and Jazz Too! to a strong finish of its season.

Senior trumpet player Sierra Steen, one of the 18 members of Jazz One, said, “The success feels really good. Our jazz band has come a long way with all the early morning and late night practices. Being able to see all of our hard work pay off

is really nice, especially since we did so well in our last two competitions.”

In their first event of the season, Saturday, Feb. 20, the band competed in the Tall Corn Festival at the Gallagher Bluedorn. Tying for fourth place put them in a good position as they moved forward to prepare for their upcoming competition that took place the March 5 weekend, NEIBA. With early morning practices from 7 a.m. to 7:50 a.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays, in addition to late night Mon-

day practices from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., Jazz One’s hard work and dedication is clearly paying off.

“Joining jazz band is a choice that you make. I think that being in it forces you to put in that extra work you don’t need to do, which makes us work harder and more dedicated to our music,” Steen said.

Jazz One conductor Kyle Engelhardt shared some about the experience of working with musicians of such talent.

“The jazz students work hard to play a great variety of music, from classic jazz and

swing to modern funk. It’s fun to hear what they can do, and it’s great to see their growth throughout the year,” Engelhardt said.

As the jazz season comes to an end, the musicians are hoping for something good, “It’s definitely sad that it’s my last year. Jazz band has built up my confidence both in music and outside of it. Playing improv solos, meeting and talking to a lot of different people has overall made me a more outgoing person,” Steen said.

Engelhardt said he hopes

for jazz to have the similar positive impact it had on his life for his students — no matter how the competition goes.

“It’s been fun to see students from Cedar Falls enjoy the music as much as I do, and many have gone on to play in college and into their adult careers. It’s a lifelong love of jazz.”

But the season is not over yet, and hopes are high for Steen. “I’m just hoping we go out with a bang,” she said.

Senior Landry Boerhave is the second CFHS student to win top honors from the annual Scholastic Arts and Writing contest. She won both a Gold Key for “Wanderer’s Return” (the scratch art pictured at left) as well as a Silver Key for her overall portfolio.

DANIELSEN

Jazz band readies for upcoming championship

By Staff Writer Allie

TAIBER

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Friday, March 25, 2016

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DECA members earn top honors at State

After a one year break, the business organization DECA found new leadership and has completed its season. On Feb. 28-29, 12 students traveled to the DECA state competition in Des Moines where their business skills were put to the test. From those 12, three students qualified for the national competition in Nashville.

Students competed by completing multiple tasks. First, students took a 100-point, multiple choice test. After, they were presented with a roleplay situation where they had 10 minutes to construct a practical solution to a business problem, either alone or with their partner, then presented it to judges.

Some categories required students to do more than one roleplay or present an original business plan. Tests, roleplays and business planning span many categories including principles of finance, automotive services, fast food, hospitality and tourism, and more. Those who place first, second and third at state competition qualify for Nationals.

Business teacher Mark Aalderks has been working with students since the fall to prepare for state competition. With 12 years of experience in the DECA organization, Aalderks has served as a judge, as well as an adviser for Southeast Polk before relocating to Cedar Falls. Aalderks shows much enthusiasm for future growth of the DECA

organization in Cedar Falls. “DECA is for kids who want to go into business and is a great opportunity for them to explore the things they want to do,” he said.

Aalderks met with DECA students once a week during power hour and provided practice tests similar to what students saw at state competition. At the start of the year, students attended a leadership conference where they explored the topics within DECA, learning more about business and the format of competitions later in the year.

By late January, DECA members headed to Districts. Iowa is divided into three districts, each of which hosted its own competition. Cedar Falls students headed to Wartburg College where they competed in the same format as State. Districts also gave students an opportunity to network with other DECA members from across the state.

After competing during the day, night time activities commenced, including giant Jenga, hypnotisms and a dance party.

Juniors Allison Eagan and Izzie Armstrong competed as a team this year in the category of Tourism and Hospitality.

Placing second out of 21 teams at the state competition, their performance earned them a spot at Nationals.

Eagan was excited to speak about the events in DECA, assuring her part-

ner she could take the first question, just like she would at a competition. “I don’t even want to go into business, but I do like the management aspect of it and how you’re given a situation and you have to determine a solution under pressure,” Eagan said.

Armstrong was quick to chime in, agreeing with Eagan. “The stuff you’re studying is going to make it so when you walk into a business you know important things. You’ll realize ‘this is why’ about all the things you’ve studied,” Armstrong said.

DECA members said it is a lot of fun for those who participate through learning, but also through meeting kids from all over Iowa with similar interests.

“It really is a fun thing to do. You will compete hard during the day, and then you go back to the hotel and they have a hypnotist for you. And that’s called networking, “ Armstrong said.

Sophomore Katia Haugstad also qualified for Nationals. Her opinion of DECA echos that of the rest of her team. “Competing at state DECA was definitely one of the highlights of my year. Being involved in DECA gave me the opportunity to learn more about the business world, and, in my case, delve further into the fields of hospitality and tourism. Qualifying for Nationals was certainly an honor, and I can’t wait to compete next year,” Haugstad said.

Receiving fourth place, sophomore Hemal Patel was also offered an opportunity to compete at Nationals this year after one of the top three competitors declined an invitation. Unfortunately, this year’s national competition falls on April 23, the same day as prom, making it hard for qualifiers to attend. Aalderks was disappointed in the conflict of schedule but said he hopes to protect the date for next year’s competition by planning far in advance and working with school administration. Next year’s state competition location has already been revealed to be Anaheim, Calif., giving returning members motivation to achieve the same level of excellence they did this year.

The program comes highly recommended from this year’s participants.

“It’s just a fun environment. Even though competition is very prestigious and taken seriously, it’s not too much pressure. We still like it because it’s fun,” Eagan said.

Next fall, DECA will meet once again to start a new season. DECA is open to all students at the high school.

Those interested should look for DECA at next year’s activity fair and keep up with announcements released by the business department.

By Editor-in-Chief Sommer

DANIELSEN

Greenhouse gang readies for upcoming gardening Hidden in the back of the biology offices on the main floor is a secret garden, the CFHS greenhouse. There, in the dimly lit warm and damp room are propagate geraniums and peppers and tomatoes and a variety of other plants. This room is also home to the greenhouse club, which has been meeting for four years now.

The club starts every year by planting many seeds or putting already grown plants into the soil.

The members of the club learn about how to grow plants and about the plants themselves by observing the various stages of plants’ lives and adjusting their growth conditions to have optimal growth. At the end of the year, the club sells the plants to teachers or anyone who will take them. Anyone can donate a few dollars to the club so that they can purchase supplies for next year.

Biology teacher Susan Considine is one of the leading teachers of the club, and said that math teacher Ethan Wiechmann convinced her to get involved.

“Mr. Weichman was really excited that we had a greenhouse in the school and thought that we should work together to get students involved with using the greenhouse,” Considine said.

“[The greenhouse] has helped me build my passion for science, botany and other subjects like that.”

—Senior Isaac Lawerence greenhouse gang member

“We are both very passionate about gardening and think that is it great that we have an opportunity to share that passion with others.”

Last month, the club planted multiple different varieties of peppers, and two weeks ago, the peppers were big enough to be transplanted from the small container that they were all germinating in into large individual cells.

Senior Isaac Lawrence has been involved with the club for three years and said the club has benefitted his high school career.

“It was not detrimental in any way. It could be seen as something which could help you to relax during a long, stressed filled day,” Lawrence said. “It has helped me build my passion for science, botany and other subjects like that.”

Lawrence said the club has helped him decide what to do in

the future.

“Besides helping with the botany unit in AP Biology last year, it has helped me decide what I want to do in the future after high school.”

Considine wants to build on the 10 members this year.

“We would love to have new members to the club and to see this club grow in the years to come,” Considine said. “We meet during A-shift of power hour on Tuesdays.”

By Editor-in-Chief Zuhayr

ALAM

Senior Isaac Lawerence checks over the duties in the greenhouse during power hour. The Greenhouse Gang is prepping many new seedlings for the upcoming planting season.

John Dunlop Photo

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Friday, March 25, 2016

Runner’s Flat offering discounts for students

Sierra Steen Photo

STEM Stipend

Engineering teacher Dirk Homewood accepts a $3,000 check from Iowa Governors STEM Advisory Council on Wednesday, March 23 in his room at the high school. $1,500 is going to the STEM program at the high school, and the remaining $1,500 is going to him personally. He will be recognized at a special dinner in Des Moines with Governor Terry Branstad and the Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds on April 18. Principal Jason Wedgbury said, “I am very proud of Homewood. He brings a lot of great opportunities for students at the school.”

Artist leaves surprise for favorite teacher On a morning before spring break, math teacher Richard Strike walked into his empty classroom to find a peculiar surprise waiting for him. On his stool was a beautiful abstract painting of Strike’s idol, famous physicist Albert Einstein.

“I was truly stunned,” Strike said. “I was truly humbled. The artwork is amazing. Whoever painted it has so much talent.

These simple words do not truly express my feelings.”

The artist has requested to remain anonymous, so the artist’s name will not be used in this article.

“I wanted to paint it because Mr. Strike is one of my favorite teachers, and I thought he deserved a little something after all of the trials he’s been through this year,” the artist said. “It wasn’t hard to figure out he liked Albert Einstein because his room post-

3

ers, photographs and even multiple figurines of Einstein.”

Strike has plans to take the painting with him after he retires.

“I am going to have the picture mounted on the wall behind my computer stand,” Strike said.

“I have told my students on many occasions that I plan to take two things with me after I leave teaching: my life-size Einstein poster that has been with me since the ’80s and this picture.

The artist wants to remain anonymous because “I wanted the idea of the gift to be more about Mr. Strike than myself,” the artist said. “All of his classes were supporting him throughout his trials, and I wanted my classmates to be involved with the painting Zuhayr Alam Photo as much as I was.”

Sneaking in with a special gift after school one

By Editor-in-Chief Zuhayr

ALAM

night, a student artist left a special gift for math teacher Rich Strike, whose hero is physicist Albert Einstein.

The Runner’s Flat, a specialty running store that makes its home downtown, gives a 20 percent discount to students who will be using their shoes for an organized school sport.

Scott Gall, who owns The Runner’s Flat along with his wife Sarah, a former CFHS track star, gives student athletes discounts for lots of different reasons.

Growing up, Gall’s parents were determined to provided shoes for athletics for him and his siblings.

“I grew up with three sisters, and we were all in sports,” Gall said. “My parents worked hard to keep us housed, fed and in warm clothes. Adding shoes for sports into the mix was something that added time and effort to both my parents’ plates. We want to help parents who are helping their kids in sports.”

Many high schoolers also have jobs and are required to pay for extras, including running shoes. Gall wants to help these athletes out with the discount as well.

On the other hand, some student athletes have schedules cram packed with extracurriculars.

“Some athletes may be involved in many extracurricular opportunities and unable to work because of time constraints,” Gall said. “We want to help those who work hard in school and in sports by offering discounts to them as a reward for hard work.”

Both Galls have seen and experienced the benefits of students being involved in sports during high school.

They want to help give this opportunity to all student athletes who come into their store.

“We realize the incredible positives of youth being in organized sports,” Gall said. “From learning to work hard to teamwork, we want to do our part to encourage and support athletes who are working hard and learning positive lifeskills.”

Junior Miranda Simpson is a frequent customer at The Runner’s Flat, and the discount they give student athletes is one of the reasons she keeps coming back.

“Being a student athlete, I go through a lot of running shoes,” Simpson said. “So when I have to get a new pair a couple times a year, it’s nice to save a little money each time.”

Another reason why Simpson continues to buy at The Flat is the top notch customer service.

“They always make sure you get what you need and what’s best for each individual person,” Simpson said.

Not a lot of athletic stores give discounts to students, so by helping students and their families save some cold hard cash, the store is also gaining loyal customers.

“Getting a discount from The Runner’s Flat makes me want to buy shoes from them every time,” Simpson said.

By Staff Writer Hannah

SANDERMAN

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The

OPINION

Our View

Robo Wars

Check out top international robots at McLeod Center today, Saturday

This weekend, the McLeod Center and the UNI Dome will be hosting a different kind of sporting event. The two will play host to a FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Regional Competition. This is the first time such an event has ever been held in Cedar Falls.

Regional competitions consist of many teams forming alliances and competing against other alliances in strategic games that change every year. This year, the game is called Stronghold. The game consists of two teams of three robots each attempting to breach enemy defenses, usually through obstacles or steps of some sort, to get to a row of “boulders” on the opposing side of the field of play.

Once the robots have reached the boulders, they will attempt to launch the boulders using a catapult-like device into windows of a tower to score points. The objective is to score more points than the opposing team. The actual games will be held in the McLeod Center while the UNI Dome is used as a pit area for teams that are not competing in order for them to make repairs.

This robotics competition will feature some teams from China, which is why some Chinese students have been walking around the high school and attending some classes. Fifty three teams have been registered.

On Thursday, the teams engaged in practice matches in which each robot is inspected to make sure it meets all size and safety requirements while practicing with and against other teams.

Friday and Saturday morning are the qualification matches in which teams will form alliances and compete to get seeded for the elimination tournament. The eight highest seeds are allowed to pick two other teams to compete with them in the elimination tournament, including other seeded teams. The elimination process begins Saturday afternoon with the same rules. The teams will compete until a winner is announced. Awards are handed out periodically throughout the competition with the bulk of them coming Saturday afternoon.

Anyone can attend this event.

Robotics mentor Kenton Swartley is excited for this event.

“We’ve never had an event like this in Cedar Falls, and the winner of this can go to the World Championships in St. Louis,” Swartley said. “It gives our students a chance to experience what it is like to host a regional, as well as getting more people involved in robotics in Cedar Falls.”

Be sure to check out the action this weekend.

Contact Us

The Tiger Hi-Line is a weekly publication of the journalism classes at Cedar Falls High School, 1015 Division Street, Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613. Our website is www.hiline.cfschools.org. The Hi-Line is distributed to CFHS students on Fridays to read during their third period classes.

Columns and letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Hi-Line staff or Cedar Falls Schools. The Hi-Line editorial is presented weekly in the editorial labeled Our View, and it is the view of the majority of the editors listed below. Reader opinions on any topic are welcome and should be sent to The Tiger Hi-Line staff or delivered to room 208. All letters must be signed. Letters must be submitted by 3 p.m. on Monday for publication in the following Friday edition. Letters may not exceed 300 words and may be edited to meet space limitations. Writers should include their contact information for verification.

Entertainment Editor: Tana Gam-Ad Editor-in-Chief/Features Editor: Sommer Danielsen News Editor: Sarah Stortz Editor-in-Chief/Online Editor: Zuhayr Alam Opinion Editor: Olivia Martin Sports Editor: Jason Rathjen Graphic Artist: Sierra Steen Staff Writers: Billie Ann Albert, Daphne Becker, Jamie Blair, Ben Boezinger, Tyler Campbell, Miranda Cole, Ashton Cross, Alyssa Dekutoski, Haley Erickson, Noah Forker, Camryn Grubic, Aaron Heimbuck, Noah Hermansen, Cody Hood, Nathan Hoy, Jacob Jensen, Kierston Johnson, Brennan Kohls, Mercede Kraabel, Sam Magee, Olivia Martin, Nolan Nickerson, Madeline Nicol, Kaylee Olson, Hannah Sanderman, Lane Schwickerath, Sydney See, Lexi Sheeley, Allie Taiber, Tehya Tournier, Isaac Turner-Hall, Cala Villavicencio, Drew Walker

Tiger

Friday, March 25, 2016

Looking Up

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Body Positive movement brightens self image With the everyday pressures of looking good, it’s very easy to be negative after looking in the mirror, but there’s a movement sweeping the nation to fight back.

The Body Positive movement teaches people how to overcome conflicts and negative emotions when it comes to their bodies and tries to help practitioners lead a happier and more productive lifestyle.

“It means to be proud of your body and not being afraid to tell anyone about it,” sophomore Zoe Bleile said.

Bleile said that she had struggled with multiple eating disorders throughout her life that started as early as fifth grade. She said coming across the body positive movement was one of the greatest things that has ever happened to her.

“It helped me actually be proud of my recovery and be proud of my body,” she said.

Social media, songs and celebrities have taken part in this movement to teach young girls it is OK to feel comfortable in their own skins. Body Posi means to accept bodies as they are and to make everyone — girls and guys — feel positive about themselves.

“You don’t have to go right away. You can start small, but you know, all it takes is self love and a lot of work. Anyone can do it,” Bleile said.

She said the one way she has come to such a positive place is by “fake it ’til you make it” and by starting small then working her way toward feeling beautiful.

“I feel more and more beautiful every day,” Bleile said.

Body positivity and self love can help people overcome their obstacles and feel

Jamie Blair Graphic more confident within themselves.

Bleile said because of today’s society, both skinny shaming and fat shaming exist, and there’s only one way to look beautiful or attractive in order to impress others.

It is now more of an issue to both guys and girls. She said she thinks that the society of this generation is in between growing with a Body Posi movement and not accepting it at all within certain groups, but she feels that this generation needs to break the cycle.

Duty Calls?

“I keep track of the exact day, and it reminds me that this is how many days that I’ve gotten this much stronger, how many days that I’ve begun my journey of self love and, hopefully, my journey will never end,” Bleile said.

For those who want to follow the body positive movement and follow in Bleile’s footsteps to self love, go to thebodypositive.org for helpful tips to stay on track.

By Staff Writer Tehya

TOURNIER

Now that women are cleared for combat roles in the armed forces, should all young women also have to register with Selective Service for the draft like all young men?

Yes 72.5%

No 27.5%

This Hi-Line Poll conducted by staff writer Ashton Cross represents 10 percent of all students in proportion to gender and the three grades at the high school.

Alyssa Dekutoski Graphic

5

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Rich Rewards

As a senior rapidly approaching the end of my high school career, my mind is a perpetual tempest. At night I wake up sweating or crying or with an emotional song I have not heard for four years stuck in my head. During the day, questions haunt and harass me: have I made the right college choice? How can I keep in touch with my friends? And recently, is it OK that I never played sports in high school? While these first two questions are beyond my ability to answer, the third is easily answerable: Yes, it is OK. Sports have never been my idea of fun, and instead I have actively participated in choir, band, the Boy Scouts and theater. To me, these things, particularly theater, have always been my favorite way to spend my time, use my talents and develop socially. I am not suggesting that everyone should try out for the fall show, nor dissuading anyone from participating in athletics; I do feel however that every student should participate in some extracurricular activity. Cedar Falls has a wealth of activities which are open to the student body: three choirs, two bands, an orchestra, a world renowned robotics team, a dance team, a fantastic drama program, a plethora of varsity and junior varsity sports, and a multitude of clubs and other extracurricular activities. Beyond that, we live in an area which provides many activities and opportunities for involvement via churches, the university, the Rec Center and other community

Letter to the Editor

OPINION For best high school experience, get involved in extracurriculars

Friday, March 25, 2016

organizations. There is no excuse for a student to not be involved, and I would encourage every one of my peers to find something to participate in.

I have many reasons for saying this, but they can all be condensed into three major points. First, extracurriculars are a beneficial way to spend one’s time. Being involved in an activity is a massive time commitment, but one worth the extra hours. As much as I hate to say it, teenagers make stupid choices when bored. I am equally guilty of this, and I believe most of my peers will honestly admit they are too. Being involved gets rid of all that time to be bored and forces students to spend their extra time working and resting. This time commitment can be stressful at times, but that is more than offset by the joy received by participating, and good teachers understand that students are involved.

They will make allowances and be compassionate towards hardworking students who have chosen to spend their time outside of class improving themselves through extracurriculars.

Self-improvement brings me to my next point: extracurricular activities teach students skills which will benefit them for the rest of their lives and help them develop their abilities. Using the theater

as my personal example, I have learned practical skills through my six years of participation in school and community performances. I will not dwell on communication or team work abilities because those are intimately connected with my final point, but know that these have been developed and fortified through my participation. Theater has taught me other things as well: the ability to use tools to build and dismantle (though my crew heads will tell you my skills are still mediocre at best), the ability to be organized and manage my time wisely and the ability to follow instructions and take responsibility for both my successes and failures. While every activity will not teach you the same skills, you will find that learning is deeply intertwined with any activity in which you choose to participate. In addition, talents which you already possess are refined by the practice and feed-back you receive. If you are a talented but unpracticed artist and you find that sometimes your art is beautiful and fitting to be displayed at the Louvre, but other times you would be embarrassed if it were displayed in a loo, join an art class or club.

Having time set aside to practice and to receive beneficial feedback from a supportive community of your peers, teachers and coaches is a fundamental part of any extracurricular activity and will make you a consistent artist or athlete who always performs at a higher level than others.

Finally, the community itself: I

mentioned earlier communication and team work skills. Much like athletic, artistic or academic abilities, these skills have to be practiced to develop. In order to practice these skills, one has to have others to work and communicate with; imaginary friends and mirrors just don’t cut it. Outside of my activities, the only people I really see are my classmates, and while I have some talkative classes, classrooms are not a good environment for social development, nor should they be. The ultimate goal in the classroom is to teach information, not social abilities, and therefore they are not an ideal environment for fostering these skills. Activities outside of the classroom, or even in-class extracurriculars (music and art classes), are a far better place to learn these skills. In an extracurricular, one is compelled to be around people with similar interests and common goals. This means that you will have to work together with others and talk to them beyond idle chatter. Meaningful conversation creates real connection with others and will help you to connect with coworkers, friends and even significant others throughout your life. As you work towards a common goal you also learn the abilities of teamwork, leadership and following instructions, whatever is necessary for the performance to go flawlessly or your team to go to State or your gallery to look beautiful. The individual becomes less important, and you become a part of something greater, making you

greater in return. Communication and teamwork are essential parts of life, and those who are able to communicate and work cooperatively are more successful than their peers. In this way, extracurriculars will benefit you more than almost any other thing you will do in your high school career.

In the end, it does not matter what you participate in, only that you participate. No activity is inherently better than any other, but the wide variety readily available in this area means that every student can find an activity which fits his or her interests and talents and will help each to become a better version of themselves. For those who do not yet know what their interests or talents are, my advice is to try something, anything. But what if I hate it, and it makes me miserable? Drop it. Try something else.

Even the experience of being in an activity you dislike can be beneficial and can direct you toward your real interests. Extracurricular activities make your life and time more enjoyable, teach valuable abilities and will be beneficial to you in the long run. My activities have made my high school experience worthwhile and have taught me more about the world, my abilities and myself than any article could express. I encourage every one of my peers to be involved. You won’t regret the experience.

be pleasant, the foams will eventually feel like you’re walking on a cloud. Regardless, they are still pretty heavy. I’d give the foams a six out of 10 on comfort.

Next, we’ll take a look at how eye-catching they are. Some people look at the Foamposites as cool and unique. Others simply see them as another content of their trash can. I love them, but I can admit they are an aquired

taste.

They are a molded shoe with a rib-like pattern on the side. The shoe laces go all the way to the toe. They come in wild colorways and patterns as well. Some of the old foams are my favorites.

As of late, most of the Foamposite colorways have been a little off the wall and, frankly, too much for one shoe. A lot of people agree that Nike should start re-releasing old colorways again to bring hype back to this silhouette. Overall, I really like some of the eye-popping colorways that are on the foams, but the quality has definitely gone down, so I’m going to give them a six out of 10 on style.

Next, we move on to the performance of the shoe. In this case, the performance of the shoe has to do with how well they are broken in. In my opinion, they are like fine wine; they just get better with age.

I’ve balled in the Foamposite Ones a lot, and each time I play in them, they feel better. They provide solid stability for your foot, have great traction and are comfortable once they’re broken in.

My first few times balling in them were a struggle. I felt very immobile due to how stiff and heavy they were. However, after breaking them in a bit, they were one of my favorite pairs to play in. Overall, I’d give the performance a nine out of 10.

Finally, we’ll examine the price of the shoes. All foams retail for around the same price range: $200-265. This is a pretty hefty price to pay for a shoe that doesn’t always have a high demand. Some of the colorways (i.e. galaxy, supreme, pink, etc.) are well worth the price. However, a lot of the colorways end up being flops.

Resell prices are another story.

Depending on the colorway, you can find some Foams for near $100 less on the market. More popular colorways can skyrocket into the $1,000 and above range.

For me, the Foams are a little pricy.

You can find some good steals if you know where to look, though.

Overall, I give the price a five out of 10 for the Foamposites.

Even though the Foamposite Ones aren’t for everyone, I love slipping on a pair and hitting the court. While they are strange, they are unique and fun. Besides being heavy and hard to break in, they are fairly comfortable, colorful, and great to play basketball in.

While I’m not a fan of some of the colorways, I am a fan of the shoe in general. Overall, I give the Nike Foamposite One a rating of seven out of 10.

By Staff Writer Aaron

By Senior Jonathan

KUEHNER

Sole Food: Nike Foamposite One worth price In this edition of Sole Food, we’ll be taking a look at one of the more controversial sneakers on the market: The Nike Foamposite One, or better known as “The Foams.”

This is a sneaker that you either love or hate. It’s definitely not for everyone. This freaky footwear will be analyzed in each category and given a final grade. Let’s eat some Sole Food.

First, we’ll examine the comfort of the Foams. When you first try a pair of foams on, they are very heavy and stiff. They fit like a glove but aren’t very comfortable.

There’s a catch, however. Foamposites are made out of a malleable liquid material that is poured into molds to form the shoe. Over time, the constant wear of the shoe will allow it to form to your feet for the ultimate “break-in.” So while the first month or two won’t

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Follow these simple tips for discovering

Cruelty Free Cosmetics

Even though NYX is a drug store brand, many of its products are high quality for teenagers purchasing their own make-up. When I have some extra money that I can spend on makeup, I might pick a higher-end brand, but drug store brands are easy to find. One of my favorite products from NYX are the matte lip creams. They come in many colors, and they’re easy to mix with other lip products to get the perfect shade.

Another lovely purchase was the BB cream, which comes in three different shades and is a perfect option for a lightweight makeup day. I have yet to be disappointed by a NYX product, but not only are the products nice quality and affordable, they are also cruelty free. They do not test their products on animals and guarantee that their products are 100 percent cruelty free. They are supported by PETA and are a part of their Beauty Without Bunnies program. NYX Cosmetics was acquired by L’Oreal Cosmetics back in 2014, a brand that does test on animals. This was concerning because people were unsure if their policy would have to change. Even so, all NYX products remain crueltyfree under L’Oreal’s ownership.

Why do Brands Test on Animals?

One of the biggest reasons is to ensure that the chemicals in the product will not be harmful to the people who purchase it. Any severe reactions could get the company in big trouble, so they test the product on an animal so it hurts an animal instead of a human.

In many cases, companies will say the product has been tested, but they do not tell the results. It might end up being harmful anyway.

There is no law in America that requires animal testing on any cosmetic or household products. Neither the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) nor the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission require products to be tested on animals to ensure safety.

This is not the case in China, a country where many companies like to export their products to. The Chinese government requires all cosmetic products to be tested on animals before they are put on shelves.

Many big companies want to make money from Chinese consumers, so they will test their products on animals even if they don’t need to.

Recently, Victoria’s Secret changed its policy from cruelty-free to animal-tested so they can sell their beauty products to China. It’s sad to hear that these brands care more about the money than the harm they cause.

Urban Decay is one of the most well-known makeup brands and gained a lot of popularity with its release of the Naked Pallette. They are famous for their luxurious eyeshadows, but my favorite product from them was the Eyeshadow Primer Potion, which comes in three shades: Eden, Sin and Greed. The shade Sin can be worn all on its own with its shimmer and champagne color, but it is meant to be the base for some strong eye-looks. The primer would pair best with more Urban Decay shadows and eyeliners, but it can still be pulled off with other brands. It does its job well and allows eye makeup to last longer and make the pigments show stronger. This company is famous for its quality, but it is a popular brand for vegans as well. They create some products that can be marked as vegan. This means the products will not contain any animal-derived ingredients. Be sure to check the package, as not all of their products are vegan. Along with that, they are committed to end animal testing. They do not test their products on animals and require that their suppliers guarantee that the ingredients have not been tested on animals, and they are certified by both PETA and The Leaping Bunny Program (CCIC).

Why is Animal Testing Bad?

Animal testing is done to be sure that the product being tested will not harm humans.

Obviously this means the harm is done to the animals instead. They test, see if the animal is in pain or has a reaction, tamper with the ingredients, test again and repeat until they are satisfied. There is no pain relief for these small animals. This is blatant animal cruelty.

Millions of animals suffer this fate, like dogs, bunnies, mice, birds and other rodents. Many of the animals die before the study is complete.

The animals are raised at the bare minimum for existence with barren cages, food and water.

They never get to experience what it’s like to play or be outside or be loved. They are confined to the laboratories from birth until death.

It’s not uncommon for animals to undergo stress-induced psychosis where the life they live literally drives them crazy.

And finally Tarte is a wonderful example of an animal friendly company as well. My favorite product from them is the Amazonian Clay Foundation available in 25 different shades. This product is a heavy-duty full coverage foundation that does a good job at covering blemishes and skin discoloration. It’s oil-free, parabenfree, vegan and works as a light protectant from the sun with SPF 15. This company only works with reputable laboratories that meet the strictest GMP standards and are approved by PETA for their cruelty-free practices. This company was purchased by a different larger company, KOSE, a Japanese brand. This trend seems to repeat itself with many different smaller brands, just like Urban Decay. Once again people were unsure if KOSE would allow Tarte to remain cruelty-free. According to Maureen Kelly, the founder of Tarte, “Tarte will NOT be testing on animals, or EVER test on animals. We are a cruelty-free company and will remain one. KOSÉ is completely on board with our position as an eco-friendly, cruelty-free company …”

(From Tarte’s Facebook page)

Look For These Logos When Buying Cosmetics

Commonly Found in Drug Stores E.L.F. Physicians Formula Wet ‘N’ Wild NYX Sonia Kashuk Hard Candy

Mid/High-End Brands Too Faced Tarte Nars Bare Minerals Urban Decay Anatasia

By Staff Writer Haley

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The Syrian Civil War

A conflict that began in Syria has involved practically the whole world Most Americans are aware of the ongoing civil war in Syria. However, fewer know and understand the true causes behind it. It all began in March 2011, when pro-democracy citizens began protesting after “the arrest and torture of some teenagers who painted revolutionary slogans on a school wall,” according to BBC. Security forces started to shoot at the protesters, killing some in the process. This fueled more protests, this time across Syria, calling for the resignation of President Bashar Al-Assad. As the opposition against Assad gained strength, its supporters turned from peaceful protesting to using weapons to defend themselves.

From this point, as the opposition was fighting fullfledge against government forces, Syria officially had a civil war on its hands. According to the UN, by June 2013, 90,000 people had died due to the war. By August 2015, the death toll had risen to an estimated

250,000.

What was once a country’s fight against Assad, a nasty and corrupt dictator, had turned into a multi-layer conflict. There is now fighting between religious sects, namely the Sunni Muslims who hold the majority in Syria, against Assad’s Shia Alawite sect. Despite being the minority, the Shia Alawite sect is still trying to hold onto power. On top of that, radical jihadist group ISIS has gained followers and is getting more and more powerful.

The war has expanded further, and now other countries are involved as well in a proxy war. A proxy war is a conflict between two nations where neither country directly engages the other. On one side is Russia and Iran, who have teamed up with Assad. Opposing them is the United States and its allies.

Russia is supporting Assad because first and foremost, the country does not want the

Western powers to win the war. However, there are other reasons too that are not as obvious. Russia is in a good position to be on Assad’s side because it has a naval base in Syria that allows access to the Mediterranean. Another reason has to do with money.

The Russian government has benefitted from the sales of weapons to the Syrian military.

Russia has taken on the role of protector to the Assad regime, making sure to block things from passing in the UN that could damage it.

Iran is also on this side of the war. Iran has the largest Shia majority in the region and therefore is extremely willing to help protect Assad’s Shia-run government. Another important reason why Iran is on this side is because the country is very much against ISIS. The United States is allied with the Syrian rebels and other Persian Gulf States, all of whom are Shia Muslims. Along with fighting against Assad’s

corrupt government, the United States is avidly against ISIS — the only thing that Iran and the United States have in common in this conflict. Last fall, President Obama decided to intervene militarily for the first time.

Turkey has also recently been involved in the civil war. It is hard to place Turkey in a category as aiding the rebel cause or going against it. Turkey worked with the United States to train and arm Syrian rebels, and over one million Syrian refugees have camped out in Turkey, putting a strain on the country’s resources. However, the Turkish army has devastatingly bombed the Kurds.

The Kurdish (or the Kurds) are one of the indigenous people of the Middle East, residing in parts of what is now Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Armenia. There are approximately 28 million Kurds in the countries in this region, and they have been looking for borders to call uniquely their

own for decades. Of course, no existing country wants to relinquish control to the Kurds, so all that needs to be known is that Turkey hates the Kurds.

Yet, the Kurds are great fighters, and one of the only groups successfully hurting ISIS in the fight against them. The fact that Turkey decided to harm the Kurds is detrimental to the war on ISIS. There is no way of knowing when this war will end. The conflicts are numerous and run deep. The war is the reason for the incredible refugee crisis happening throughout the world. It has given new momentum to radical groups like ISIS. It has exposed ageold conflicts between nations.

It is an intricately layered and somewhat confusing war involving religion and politics that began in Syria but has extended its arms much, much further.

By Opinion Editor Olivia

MARTIN

Breaking Down Three Parts of One War

1. The Civil War

2. The Proxy War

3. The Sectarian War

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FEATURE

Finding Face

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Follow these steps to bring your characters to life

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This is my complete cast of characters. From left to right are Pandora, Sascha, Derek, Wendy and Jasper.

If you’re an artist and a writer, you might find yourself drawing your own original characters (O.C.s). And, yes, sometimes, you might ask yourself why your designs look so ... boring. Do they even have a design?

Were they even thought out properly? What do I do? There are many questions you should ask yourself when it comes to character design.

There’s no way to completely dodge the cartoonist’s block, but here are a few tips to creating better characters. I will be using my own characters — Jasper, Sascha, Pandora and Wendy — as models. #1 Creating Your Character

The first thing to know: Is your character’s personality interesting? Get reviews from other people. What you might think is interesting might not be to an audience, and I know from past experience. It’s important to first develop their personalities before drawing. What kind of person is this character? Ask yourself these questions and decide which path you want to take. The important thing is that the character should be what you want to portray. We should be able to tell things about this character by the way he or she looks, but another thing is that we shouldn’t forget that we don’t have to make a character look evil if he or she is evil. A funny character might be a contradiction, like a seemingly evil character acting cute and nice, or a little girl with a bloody knife, which is a mite unsettling.

#2 Ways to Develop a Personality

One good way to develop your characters is to pick an Emotion Overlord. What emotion dominates this character’s mind? Does it show on the outside? Are they aloof and sarcastic, or cute and happy-go-lucky? How do I portray that? What is the attitude I want people to see in this character? It’s important to know how to convey different emotions with the same underlying expression. For example, Jasper here is a mischievous, sly, sarcastic character, but his moods change like any other human. Notice his sharp, triangular features, and his domineering, lanky stature, commonly used in villains. He’s actually the hero of my story.

For a cute character, like Wendy, for example, she’s got round, chubby features and a curvy, petite body. I’m a big fan of characters with drastic size relationships like these. Wendy is around 5’4”, and Jasper’s got to be at least 6’3”.

My goal is to change his mood without changing his character. They say the eyes are the window to the soul, and that couldn’t be more true. It’s really all about the eyes. Keep in mind that Deadpool is “the merc with the mouth,” and we can’t even see his mouth, but his attitude is saved by the eyes. There’s your proof.

#3 Clothing Here I was experimenting with a cartoony flair instead of the realistic style for which I usually opt. The simpler the style is, the easier it is to get the character across. This helped me to really bring out their personas, especially Sascha’s.

What does your character wear? Certainly, he/she doesn’t live in a nudist colony.

Naked characters are fine, I suppose, but if they wanna wear clothing, putting them in a potato sack probably won’t do, unless your character is a homeless beggar.

If you’ve got a villain, which I think is one of the most important character designs, it’s pretty cliche and lazy to just put them in all black. Disney seems to have shaped us to believe that the only colors villains can wear are variations of black, purple, gold and red. Break the barrier! For instance, C.S. Lewis’s Jadis (the White Witch) is evil and wears white. I love that change.

Now, you don’t have to make your villains look like something from ’60s Batman, but I hope you get the general idea.

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#4 A Character’s Journey

You might not get the design down right away.

In fact, I wouldn’t stick to the same exact design the whole way through. Experiment; change things up. What would happen if I made the eyes bigger?

Smaller? A larger mouth? Gigantic ears? I like to focus on emphasizing one feature; for example, if I have a loud-mouthed character, I’ll probably give her a large mouth that overtakes her face. A quiet character might have a tiny mouth. If I switch it up, how will that change the character?

In my first sketch ever of Jasper, at the time, his name was Peter, and he was a sad, timid character with a tragic backstory. I’m sure I have similar designs that go as far back as seventh grade when his name was Lucien, and he had an entirely different story than the one he’s in now. Now, I’ve pulled him out of that story and he became Jasper.

I tend to be influenced by whatever anime or cartoon I’m watching, and after binge-watching “Soul Eater” and “Black Butler,” I really wanted a mischievous character, so I gave him a split personality. I think you can tell my art style here makes Jasper look slightly like Sebastian Michaelis.

After a while, I attached Peter’s personality to his shadow, and his name is Craven because he’s afraid of everything. Now, he doesn’t even look human, and Peter no longer exists. I had always planned for Jasper to have pointy teeth, but I had no reason for it until now. (I can’t tell you the reason; I don’t want to spoil too much!)

Recently, I even changed his hair. I’m a fan of his long hair because I feel it portrays his laid-back, flamboyant personality. I asked my best friend, Sarah Jones, a lover of the bad-boy archetype, for some feedback.

“I don’t like his hair,” she said, rather callously, I might add.

“But he needs to whip his hair back and forth. It’s majestic,” I retorted. I felt like a mother defending her

child. I pet his luscious locks and hugged my sketchbook. “Shh, baby. You are so fabulous.”

“Whatever, you weirdo,” Sarah said, walking away.

Even my sisters liked his short hair better. When I finally caved and drew him with short hair, I showed my sister, Eliza, and she said: “Hot damn! Is he single?”

Sarah agreed.

This one shows the epitome of their personalities because each character wears an iconic expression that is their default emotion. Jasper is mischievous, Wendy is cute and Pandora is haughty.

9

I realized I was prideful and stubborn about keeping his hair long. I was so attached to it. With the vote being unanimous, it seemed a cue to make the change.

It’s important to be open minded and to know when to let go of old ideas so that new doors can open to new opportunities. I now think I like his short hair better, too. What do you think?

“Don’t draw what the character is doing; draw what the character is thinking [or feeling].”

­—Ollie Johnston former Disney animator, as quoted by Glen Keane, former Disney Head animator

#5 It’s Not All About Looks

Your characters may look fly as hell, but if their personalities aren’t realistic, the characters are never going to make the cut.

Whether the characters are evil or good, our characters all need likable qualities and flaws. No one is completely evil, and no one is good. A mix of good and bad traits is what makes characters three-dimensional. It makes them reachable and more relatable.

#6 Consistency

I hear complaints all of the time about artists not being able to replicate a face. I can’t lie; I struggle with this as well. Paying attention to where you put the features is the hard part. Something might be too big, too small, too far apart, etc. It’s important to make a turnaround of your character’s head and whole body. Map out the proportions with a ruler and try to freehand them.

It’s good to have a ton of reference on hand of your best drawings of your character and try to recreate those features you like the best. Whatever may happen, the more you practice, the better your art will become, the easier it will be to design your characters and the better your stories will become. The best thing about designing characters is that you can improve your art skills at the same time as you improve your writing skills.

Keep on keepin’ on, friends.

Story and illustrations by Staff Writer Jamie

BLAIR

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TRAVEL

I live on Union Road, down the road from a little creek that goes back what feels like forever until you hit private property blocked off by a barb-wire fence.

It is only about a five- to 10-minute walk from where I live, so I used to go down there quite a bit with some of my friends and walk down by the water, carrying my sandals and trying not to get my clothes wet.

There is a path of rocks going across the creek so that you can get from one side to the other without stepping in the water, and it looks really pretty in the summer when the sun is shining down on it.

Now that it is late winter, though, it is not fun to go to because it is covered in snow, but surprisingly not frozen. I decided to go down there this past week just to show you guys that it is pretty, even when it One Tank is covered in snow.

I didn’t go there a whole lot when I was a little kid,

By Staff Writer Billie Ann like the rest of my ALBERT friends, because my mom did not trust me to go there without a parent, so I went there quite a few times over the last couple of summers. There is a corn field right next to it that I have gotten lost in before, but I eventually found my way back into the rows of trees on the side of the creek. It goes under the road, so we used to stand at the edge of the road and throw little rocks to see who could throw the farthest, and I always lost because that is not my strong suit.

This would be a good place to go to get away from everything because it can be a good stress reliever. Even if you do not have anything to get away from, it is just relaxing, listening to the water run down the stream and the birds chirping in the trees.

The walk is pretty great, too. There are not a whole lot of cars that drive by, so it is pretty isolated for the most part. It is a great place to go because it is very pretty during all seasons of the year, and it is peaceful.

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Thawing waters of youth beckon return to nature

Though the snow has been making brief comebacks, even the small spots are starting to win the battle for warmth and open up after the winter stretch.

Now would be a good time to get out and soak up some sun after being cooped up indoors over the last few months.

Even a trip to the small spots of your childhood, like this little stretch of creek just off Union Road, can go a long way to relieving the winter blues and replacing it with spring fever.

Billie Ann Albert Photos

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FOOD FEATURE

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Hour of Power

Lunches Goulash makes easy meal in under 60 minutes Lane Schwickerath Photos

Goulash

Prep time: 2 minutes Cook time: 25 minutes Feeds: 2-4

Step 1

Step 2

Needs: A large pan 1 lb. of ground beef 2 cans of tomatoes Tomato juice Preferred seasoning Dried onions Macoroni noodles Italian seasoning Prep: Set the meat in the fridge the night before.

Step 3

Cook: Heat the pan to medium heat.

Start to boil the noodles.

Brown the meat with onions, garlic and all the other seasoning including Italian.

Add tomatoes and tomato juice.

Taste for desired flavor.

Add noodles.

Let simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Serve with your favorite sides and some garlic bread.

Step 4

By Staff Writer Lane

SCHWICKERATH

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ENTERTAINMENT

In the House

Packing up her bag in preparation for her upcoming ballet audition for the Nutcracker, graduate Jordan Thompson gets a request from the Milk Carton Kids (a band who performed a concert in her living room the night before) that she put on her pointe shoes for them to see. Right before she was about to leave, Kenneth Pattengale, guitarist of the Milk Carton Kids, gives her a strange look that brings her to a fit of laughter.

Since April of 2008, the Darice Mangin (mother of Jordan Thompson and junior NiCole Thompson) family of Cedar Falls has been hosting small concerts for the community inside their home. Since then other families have joined them to create what is now known as Cedar Valley House Concerts.

A year after moving into their new house in Cedar Falls, Mangin was contacted by an artist who was at the time recently dropped from his label.

He was announcing that he was going to do a completely independent se-

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Local families opening homes for hosting traveling musicians

ries of house concerts complete with unique opportunity, and agents startinstructions on how he wanted to laid ed sending artists that they believed out. would benefit from this type of event.

Mangin quickly responded that Also she has added new houses to she wanted to be a part of the ac- the roster, with each house having a tion, so she offered up her home and specific genre and vibe to go with the spread the word. artist. “In my home, initially, it was just It was such a great experience that singer-songwriter, indie, a little bit of Mangin decided she didn’t want this folk, Americana every now and again. to be the last house concert she had.

Singers of rock bands who go acousThus, Cedar tic when they Valley House are out by Concerts was themselves.” born.

Mangin said Mangin is regarding the an avid music types of mulover. “I’m kind sic she brings of like a guy into her home. with sports, Since deexcept I can veloping it, tell you exactly there have where a music been a numartist went to ber of artists high school,” she has hostMangin said ed who’ve talking about also had their her love for music in popmusic. “I think ular television

By Graphic Artist Sierra Steen shows the only reason like my husband is OK with this is because Grey's Anatomy and movies. Jamie it keeps me from calling up my friends Lono, a participant on season 2 of The in Chicago and asking to spend the Voice, is coming to perform for Cedar night so I could go to a concert.”

Valley House Concerts on April 2, and Before Mangin hosted concerts in just last month, Tony Lucca, another her own home, she would frequently participant on The Voice and a prego to concerts around the Midwest. vious member of the Mickey Mouse Now instead of spending money to Club, performed for Cedar Valley go to them, they come to her.

House Concerts.

Mangin worked to start contactCedar Valley House Concerts is ing the agents of different artists she all about appreciating the music. The wanted to come play in her home, artists like to be interactive with the and after a while both the artists and audience, tell them why they wrote a the agents started appreciating this certain song, how their day is going

and ask questions. It’s all about getting closer with the music.

But attendees planning on using this as a social hour should think again. Each event is focused on respecting the artist and people there to enjoy the music. No talking is allowed during a performance. “I once had to kick someone out for talking and not paying attention to the artist.

He was an 86-year-old man there with his girlfriend and kept talking during the performance, so during a break I said he wasn’t paying attention and appreciating the music and should leave.” That was the last and only time Mangin has had to ask someone to leave.

“What a lot of people don’t realize is that this is all ages. You can bring your family. All kids 11 and under are free,” Mangin said. She wants people to know that everyone is invited.

There is a required donation fee that goes 100 percent to the artist that is labeled on their website: [ http://cvhouseconcerts.wix.com/cvhc ]. For some concerts (like the one on April 2) attendees have to RSVP ahead of time on Facebook. To RSVP for the concert featuring Jamie Lono and Andrew Tufano on April 2, look here: [ https://www.facebook.com/ events/1656184197971654/ ], and be sure to keep an eye on the website for all the upcoming offerings Mangin and her family are bringing, as each event is a rare gift to the Cedar Valley providing a space where everyone can come and appreciate music.

The only reason that Lamar said the songs weren’t placed on his previous album was because of space and time issues. All the songs were performed or written before “to Pimp a Butterfly” was released. The songs are titled the number they are in chronological order on the album and the date they were written.

The beats to the songs are like all of K-Dot’s previous releases: jazzy.

Most of the songs have a brass instrument along with the melody and beat. The beats take a slower quiver sound.

Without the lyrics, the songs are thought provoking enough.

They somehow in a way represent what Lamar had to go through with growing up in Compton. “Untitled 02” talks about what he and fellow Compton-based rappers have spent their success on.

“Untitled 03” has a more up-

beat tempo, and the melody isn’t as dark as it was on the previous track. The lyrics get more positive, very similar to “Untitled 06.” Both songs include a pleasing kickback from drums, which Lamar relies on more and more towards the end of the album.

Then, personally, my favorite song on the album is “Untitled 07” where he raps about how the rap game gets him higher than anything else in life, including life itself. Most of the song is a conversation between himself and his super ego.

After much waiting, the world has finally heard Lamar’s unreleased hits. The rapper’s “project” will go down as one of the most successful eight-track albums in the history and one of K-Dot’s many accolades from his rapping career.

By Staff Writer Ben

By Staff Writer Daphne

BECKER

Lamar’s latest offerings worth a listen Recent days have seen a blockbuster set of new rap album releases. First, on Tuesday, March 1, 2 Chainz album “Collegrove” dropped. With personal favorites like “Gotta Lotta,” “MFN Right” and “Bounce,” that great album was overshadowed by the end of the week by West Coast king Kendrick Lamar’s surprise new album, which was supposedly at Lebron’s request.

The album dropped on March 4 at 11 p.m. and was instantly a whirlwind of conversation. I was personally confused as to why such a significant rapper in Lamar would drop an album at such an insignificant time.

Although the album was leaked onto the streaming service Spotify earlier in the day. This isn’t the first time Lamar has had a problem with a release. You might remember that his album “to Pimp a Butter-

fly” dropped eight days before its schedule release, causing a little feud between Interscope records and Lamar’s label Top Dawg Entertainment. Supposedly most of the songs have been played before, whether at concerts, or in two instances, on T.V.

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ENTERTAINMENT

Music sites make managing files easy

Manage Your Music!

Track Your Tunes!

Lock Down Your Library!

We are creatures of rhythm — we are drawn to organization and order, continuity and fluidity. We like crisp, clean lines and patterns. Things work best when they are assembled and coordinated.

This may be what draws us, then, to music. The vibration of instruments resonates in those ears of yours, filling the space with the 1-2-3-4 of an infatuating melody. The sound floods your brain like the purest drug. The synths pop at just the right times, at just the right pitch, turning your drive to school into a quest through bubblegum happiness land.

Endless rhymes of our language are assembled into complex poetry with infinite possibility — they can stab into your most vulnerable emotions or convince you that you ball the hardest of them all (as long as the beat is fire, too).

Music is, in one sense, the collective human effort to encapsulate bits and pieces of the entire spectrum of human experience through auditory expression. Songs, albums, entire genres — they’re all fragments of other people (and ourselves) that we can choose to experience. Simply put, music is cool, and music can do some cool things for you. What’s exciting, too, is that we are by no means at a shortage of it. There’s an unbelieveable lot of it out there. With the amount of both variety and quantity, it can be seriously overwhelming — there simply isn’t enough time in the world to listen to it all. So, what should you listen to?

As an avid consumer and enjoyer of music, I’ve faced this debilitating question all too many times. Over the years, I’ve found a few ways to cope with this problem.

As creatures of rhythm, organizing sure helps. Much like writing about an experience, cataloging the musical experiences you’ve had provides a sense of fulfillment and consummation.

Then, when the time comes and you find yourself faced with the, “What in the world should I listen to?” predicament, you may easily reflect on your prior experiences — what you loved, what you didn’t like as much, what you found interesting — and pursue a direction from there in the effort of enhancing your personal relationship with the music that you can call your own.

Here are some of my favorite online services to help you catalog your musical journey (for free!)

Last.fm

So, do you scrobble? Have you ever had thoughts of scrobbling? Have you ever been pressured to scrobble?

Word on the street is that all the cool kids are scrobbling like crazy. What is scrobbling, you ask? “Scrobble” is a word created by the website “Last. fm” and it occurs when this website transfers your listening data, or “scrobbles” it, to their database and your Last.fm profile.

After creating an account, you can sync your Spotify account, iTunes and portable music devices to the website. Last.fm will not only catalog what you listen to, but from this data it will build a detailed profile of your taste and recommend artists that you may also enjoy.

Don’t use Spotify or iTunes? Not a problem. You can even stream your music from Youtube directly through the Last.fm website. Here you’ll also find videos, photos, lyrics, charts, artist biographies, concerts and news.

What more could you want, people? Get scrobbling!

Tapmusic

Who likes collages? I suppose you do. I mean, I really haven’t met anybody (yet) who is fervently opposed to collages. But then what about, let’s say, collages that are made up of the music you’re currently listening to.

Those sound even cooler, am I right?

Look no further than Tapmusic.net.

This simple site works in union with your Last.fm profile. Simply navigate to the site, enter your Last.fm user-

name and select your preferences.

Tapmusic will create a quilt of the music you’ve been listening to over the past week, several months or even your all-time most-played music.

This collage is rendered as a .jpg image, which you can save to a folder on your computer (along with the date, or however you organize your digital knick-knacks) and keep it to share your taste with your friends or all the mean people on the Internet, or simply to document what you’re listening to. *Note - because this works through Last.fm, you’ll need to ensure you’ve set up all of your devices to “scrobble.”

Rate Your Music (Movie buffs, check this out too!)

Hey Metacritic — what gives? Rolling Stone — nope. The Needle Drop — who? Pitchfork — I hate you. And hey YOU — is your music good?

Why should other people get to decide if the music you’re listening to is “good?” With all these critics and ratings and opinions, it’s hard to listen to anything without some oppressing expectations — and that’s no fun.

With rateyourmusic.com (RYM), now you are the professional critic.

RYM is a massive collaborative database that allows users to catalog, rate and review both albums and films.

After listening to an album, simply

search it in the database and assign it a rating out of 5 stars which you deem worthy. You can even customize what ratings mean on your profile. For example, a “3.5” on my profile is listed as “Good/Noteworthy” and a “4.5” means “Unbelievably Good.”

Not only is this a good way to get in touch with your perceptions and develop your personal taste, but it’s also a great way to collect and organize your tunes. After you rate an album or film, it goes into the catalog of ratings on your profile, which you can review and change at any time.

The “Charts” and “Lists” tabs on RYM also provide nearly limitless access to finding new music rated highly by other users. This is very useful for exploring genres by using the various filters available. So, get in there and proudly declare the best (and the worst, the not-too-bad and the prettygood) music you listen to.

Just for fun: billclintonswag.com Check out my profiles and show me yours! http://www.last.fm/user/groovylouvy https://rateyourmusic. com/~groovylouvy

By Staff Writer Ben

LOUVIERE

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Novel succeeds in showing family’s resilience over loss

‘Fullmetal Alchemist’ creates golden tale from empty ambitions

“Eve r y thing I Never T o l d You” is written

by Celeste N g .

T h e story begins w i t h a Chin e s e American family in the 1970s in small town Ohio. Their middle daughter Lydia is dead; Lydia the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee. Marilyn and James both had dreams they wanted for her. Marilyn wanted her to become a doctor, and James wanted her to be popular.

When they find her body in a nearby lake, their family starts to fall apart. Marilyn wants to find whoever did this no matter the cost, and she spends most of her time in Lydia’s bedroom. James, who is consumed by guilt, may end up destroying his marriage. Lydia’s older brother

The manga “Fullmetal Alche- stead of starting off in the town with mist” is about a boy named Edward the priest and the sun god, they instead are in their home town helping and a boy named Al. These two are brothers who did the one thing al- to catch a man who uses ice alchemy. chemists are never suppose to do. After these events and the events of In simple terms, they attempted to the priest’s town, they are informed of a strange scientist who researchbring their mother back to life. es things such as the Philosopher's In this process, Al loses his body because Edward had to sacrifice Stone.

Interested in this experihis leg to bind his spirit ment, the two brothers into a thing of armor. In vestigate. However what the laws of alchemy, one they find is an innocent famcan not make something ily with a struggling father. from nothing. One must The father resorts to the obey the laws of equal worst thing ever in a desexchange. perate hour. Will Eward stop In the actual story, the him before it's too late? two boys are in a town Overall, both the manga where everyone believes and anime are similar. Cerin the sun god and that they will be given any- Manga Master Noah tain things in the anime that FORKER reference the manga. In the thing if they just put their manga, there are things that faith in him. Edward, suspicious of this, goes to investi- happened in a way that make it enjoyable. However, in the anime they gate, but finds the priest creating make it slightly depressing very early something from nothing. Edward on, only to pick you up right away. Besuspects he’s an alchemist, but something can't be created from cause of these two factors, I personalnothing. How is the priest doing ly can't pick a favorite this week. The this? Will Edward come to believe manga and anime are equally amazing, and I am looking forward to see or foil the funny priest’s a?

In the anime, it starts off in a what more will come with this anime similar way as the manga, but in- and manga.

Nathan thinks the neighborhood bad boy Jack has something to do with it. Hannah, the invisible child, sees everything, and she thinks that she knows what really happened to her big sister.

“Everything I Never Told You” is unlike any other book that you will read. It’s a different kind of book, where instead of telling from before Lydia’s death, it’s told from her family’s point of view after her death. It’s a story about family and home and what it's like for a family to understand each other.

That’s why I love this book so much. It not just about the person who died but who the family was with and without her — how they mourn and learn to live without her there every day. It’s about not just an everyday American family, but a Chinese American family in the 1970s where other people thought they were different and didn’t like them because of it.

That is why I think “Everything I Never Told You” stands out to me.

By Staff Writer Mercede

KRAABEL

Zombie series returns with lively offering, options for customizing, incentive to replay again and again Emerging from the bunker, the four survivors arm themselves with all manners of rifles, shotguns and pistols. As they step outside, the zombie horde attacks. Each survivor fights and fills his or her role in the group. After the attack is all over, the survivors heal up as needed and move up towards the next safe house, determined to not be Left for Dead.

Left 4 Dead 2 is a multiplayer survival game developed by Valve Corporation, priced at $19.99.

The game is based after the zombie apocalypse, where the player will take the role of one survivor along with three others in an attempt to survive. Throughout each stage, players will find firearms and various tools, which will help in defeating zombies and progressing through the levels in a healthy manner.

What has to be recognized now is Left 4 Dead 2’s amazing modding community. There’s a mod for nearly anything, from gun reskins to the characters themselves. It adds a sense of replayability to

the game and each campaign, allowing players to customize their own experience.

Each campaign has about four stages each, with the last one being the finale. The finale is an event that requires the survivors to hold out for a set amount of time while a rescue team arrives to extract the remaining survivors.

There are all types of weapons and medical equipment scattered around a finale, really wrapping the entire campaign together into a large bow. Once the rescue has arrived, the survivors need to run to whatever is extracting them, also requiring that all players be on or in the escape vehicle before

everybody leaves. It’s typically the most intense part of the entire campaign, requiring teamwork and proper strategy to survive.

The main problem with each campaign though is how linear each is. There is seldom a way to get off the beaten path to find a secret, and that secret will most likely be a large machine gun with limited ammo if there is one. The game is quite simplistic in design, but the maps also slightly breathe that air as well, which may lead to burnout if the same stage is played too many times. In the same place, it’s easier for new players to learn each stage quickly, along with learning where good spots are for hiding

and holding out against a horde.

There is also a Versus game mode, featuring eight players: four for the Survivors, and four for the Infected. The Infected play as the special Infected and have to use their special abilities to isolate and kill the competition.

The Survivors win if a safehouse is reached, while the Infected win if all the Survivors are dead.

Left 4 Dead 2 is a great game, featuring a form of replayability in mods and the occasional itch to play it again. It’s a game that’s great for relieving some stress caused by various things, the player versus environment combat being easy to relax with.

The player versus player is a tad bit hard to start with, but realizing each Infected’s mechanics makes it an easy time to win with a coordinated team. The game is well polished with a great modding community and is definitely worth it for the price.

Staff Writer Cody

HOOD

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Friday, March 25, 2016

ENTERTAINMENT

Plug in to these apps during Power Hour

Having the luxury of hanging out with friends during Power Hour is definitely a welcomed treat. However sometimes, just sitting around and talking can get boring. Sure talking can be entertaining, but why not have more fun with your friends? These three group apps can sure make “sitting around” increasingly more fun.

By Staff Writer Sydney

SEE

HEADS UP

Most people have heard of the game “Heads Up,” but it's still a fun game to address. “Heads up!” could be considered a fastpaced game of charades. The person who is “it” starts the game by picking one of several categories such as “act it out,” “accents and impressions” and many others. Once chosen, everyone else has to give hints to try to cause the person who has the phone to guess as many words that fit under that category in 60 seconds. Although this game costs 99 cents, it’s definitely worth the cost.

PSYCH

From the same creators as “Heads Up,” “Psych!” is a mind-boggling game that is extremely fun to play. When playing this, all members of the group need to have the app to play.

When playing, you have to come up with fake answers to real trivia questions. After the fake answers are submitted, the game will pitch in the real answer. To win the most points, you have to choose the right answer and also have your friends select the answer you put in believing that it is the correct one. This game is free, so do yourself a favor and play “Psych!” with your friends today.

EVIL APPLES

“Evil Apples” is a fun card game that anyone would love to play. This game is essentially “Cards Against Humanity,” but for your phone. Like “Psych!” everyone in the group needs to have this app downloaded. The game starts with the card czar. The czar presents a black card that has a sentence with a blank in it. For example, “The Tiger-Hi-Line has the best _____.” Everyone else has to put in one out of seven cards with a phrase to complete the sentence. To win, you need to have the most comical response in hopes the czar will pick you. Warning: this game is considered inappropriate to some. Please use caution with downloading. But overall this app is hilarious and fun and provides a great time.

Apple extends big power to tinier products

Anxious to see what Apple had to offer, various press and Apple-involved people sat in the Town Hall auditorium in Apple’s Cupertino headquarters. This being the final presentation to be held in the venue, Apple had a heavy weight to lift in the way of firing up the audience and eventually the world. As the clock hit 10, Tim Cook stepped onto the stage in front of a dimly lit crowd. With the recent issues with the FBI and its case on the San Bernardino terrorist attack, everyone was wondering if he would announce any advances on the aforementioned case. After rumors were spread around weeks before the presentation, it is already known what should be announced at the event: a smaller, yet just as powerful iPhone, a new iPad re-spec and an update to the Apple Watch.

Apple Watch Apple’s Watch has gone through a lot of consideration, and many people have enjoyed the device, but there’s always something that its users are looking for.

Fortunately it seems like Apple has thought of these issues, and they are looking into updating the device into the future. As for now, it looks like there will be regular updates to the bands, offering new types of bands over time.

First up, they introduced new nylon bands which seem to be quite stylish and offer a lot of contrast for the watch. Apple also announced that they will be updating the software for the watch with new features that should compliment their other mobile devices.

They also took a look at the cost and decided to lower it, starting at $299, which should appeal to a wider audience.

Overall, the final event in Apple’s Town Hall showed a lot of promise for the company and its future, speaking about their new futuristic headquarters and a new device recycling program. Though Mac users would’ve liked to see an update to the computers, this update should come a bit later in the year, announced at their brand new auditorium.

iPhone SE Apple’s new hardware features a step in the seemingly opposite direction: a smaller screen. With recent mobile devices getting bigger and bigger, some people are still left wondering why the “mobile” industry is making their devices LESS mobile.

The new SE is a great device for those looking for a familiar experience that fits better in the pocket and feels more natural in the hand. Not only does the new iPhone feature a lot of the newer specs featured in the 6S line, like a 12MP camera and A9 processing chip, but it also does so in an overall more compact and cheaper form factor, starting at $399.

The tradeoff with the smaller design is that the phone also loses some of the features of the new iPhones like the newer Touch ID sensor, Apple’s new 3D Touch display and a 128GB capacity for the phone.

However, this device will in fact be a fantastic device, keeping up with the newer hardware with a smaller design and a cheaper cost.

iPad Pro 9.7-inch Apple also announced a sibling for their recently conceived iPad Pro, a tablet targeted at the professional user, which follows the same size display as the original iPad, and true to Apple’s device weight-loss program, the new iPad Pro is under a pound — much lighter than any other device in its field.

This iPad was announced by mocking the Windows audience by stating that it would be the ultimate device to switch to when coming from a PC. Though this may not be true for everyone, it certainly performs well against other professional tablets and seems to be an up-and-coming favorite in places like the creative industry.

The 9.7-inch version of the iPad Pro also starts at an astonishing $200 cheaper than its older brother, the 12.9-inch, with the same specifications. Apple also announced that they will be adding in a 256GB version of the iPad Pro's, better appealing to the power user.

By Staff Writer Sam

MAGEE

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Senior Becky Hughes took a trip south of the border over the break to Acapulco, Mexico, and she returned with many shots including the ones above and to the right.

SPRING BREAK

Tigers travel widely over week-long holiday stretch

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Senior Maddy Wright took a tour of Europe that included stops in England, France and Switzerland. Pictured at top is Big Ben in London, and to the right is the HautKoenigsbourg castle in Strasbourg, France.

Seniors Drew Nida and Trevor Benson also went to Mexico, though their destination was Cabo San Lucas with pictures showing a couple spots at left and top.

Friday, March 25, 2016

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Senior Jason Rathjen hit the slopes in Colorado at Keystone and Breckenridge. They got three feet of snow while he was there. Pictured at left and top are views of the slopes at Keystone.

Journalism teacher Brian Winkel took his two kids to a cabin with no electricity or water by an old fire tower in the Black Hills.

On night two, a snow storm hit and made travel tricky down the 20-mile logging roads. Also, it was quite windy Eli and Maya Winkel Photos everywhere.

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Special Olympics athleties earn trip to state track meet Stepping into the UNIDome in the early morning of Sunday, March 6, a high sense of energy and enthusiasm could be easily detected as Leo Arnaud’s “Bugler’s Dream” resonated within the Dome while groups of volunteers and students marched promptly around the field, displaying flags titled with their school district’s name.

When every school stood in the middle of the area, a torch was wheeled along the track and a flame was ignited, marking the start of the 2016 Iowa Track and Field Special Olympics.

Since 1986, Cedar Falls has a kept a proud tradition of hosting the District event at the UNI Dome for giving special needs athletes the opportunity to participate in athletic competitions.

The track and field olympics offers a wide variety of events such as softball throw, long jump, mini javelin throw, shot put, 50 m dash and walk, 100

Sarah Stortz Photo

Cedar Falls athletes and supporters prepare to open the Special Olympic regional track meet at the UNI Dome on March 6. m dash and 200-400m dashes.

This year, the Cedar Falls school district was represented by junior Taryn Ackerman, senior Troy Wilson, sophomore Alec Vetter and senior Jacob Brustkern, along with a couple of other students from the two junior high schools.

The results for districts were Ackerman earning 2nd place for both softball throw and the

50 m run, Brustkern earning 1st place in the 50 m run and 2nd place in the softball throw, Wilson earning 2nd place in the softball throw and 1st place in the 50 m walk and Vetter earning 1st place in both the 100m dash and 4x100 relay, as well as 2nd place in the shot put event.

With three of these athletes ranking 1st in their events, they

Last second shot sinks men in semifinal Buzzer beaters, buzzer beaters and more buzzer beaters. Many game ending shots have shocked teams left and right this year. In an instant, the season could be over.

The semi-final game for the men ended March 11 as the final seconds ticked away and the Iowa City Trojans made a last second bucket to send them to the finals. The final score was 61-59 as the season for the men tragically ended. The score was tied 59-59 with Iowa City shooting a 1 and 1 with very few seconds left.

Connor McCaffery missed the free throw, and Cedar Falls got the rebound.

The outlet pass was intercepted, and the Trojans shot a shot with a couple seconds left. The shot missed and was tipped like a volleyball in for the win.

But the persistence was there to the very end. “The Iowa City West game showed that we never gave up through adversity and proved what kind of team we were. It just sucks to lose the way we did,” sophomore AJ Green said.

Senior Tra’von Fagan agreed. “That last game was a great game. We got a little of our own medicine, but we worked really hard, and I loved how we never gave up.”

The men’s basketball team’s season officially ended March 12 following the loss against Pleasant Valley for third place in State. The men finished fourth overall in 4A play.

These men are the second team in school history to make it to the semifinals in state play. “The way the last game ended sucked a lot, but we ac-

“Overall this season was one to remember because we made it to state and accomplished all of our goals except one, which was to win it.”

—AJ Green sophomore basketball player

complished more than people thought we could,” senior Michael Abbas said.

Green agreed. “Overall this season was one to remember because we made it to State and accomplished all of our goals except one, which was to win it,” he said.

Of course, the men’s team had become a family, and though sad that it all had to come to an end, it was full of memories that will last forever. “It was fun playing with all the guys, and I’m going to miss it. We made a lot of good memories that will stick with us,” Fagan said, but the relationships remain even after the season. “Our team was special on the court and off. We embodied a true team as we were all in a sense, a group of brothers,” senior Logan Mozena said.

By Staff Writer Noah

HERMANSEN

gain eligibility to attend the State tournament in May. In preparation for this event, all of the athletes were trained by Peet Junior High teacher Jan Williams, who has served as their head coach since 2011. During the past two months, the athletes went through a trial of each event in the Dome events to figure out which category they were most interested in.

“Events such as Special Olympics allow our athletes to compete with others with similar abilities,” Kelly said “It promotes a great sense of pride in their accomplishments, as well as gives them several chances to be part of a team and grow both socially and in their independence.”

As for the results from districts, Williams’ response was overwhelmingly positive.

“I am very proud of these athletes and excited for them to compete at the state level.

It is also a great experience for them to be able to stay with the

team in Ames for three days,” Williams said. “My favorite part is seeing the athletes trying their hardest, seeing them improve in their abilities and independence, and seeing the smiles on their faces when they do well.”

Aside from the coaches and volunteers, the athletes received additional support from their friends and family on the benches.

Special needs teacher Tammy Frahm attended the event to watch her students and was overall delighted with their performances.

“If you go [to the Special Olympics], it makes you see that [these students] are thrilled to be there and participate, whether they place in first, second or third,” Frahm said. “It really makes them feel like they’re part of a bigger event and that they’ve accomplished something.”

By News Editor Sarah

STORTZ

Men’s soccer aiming high after spring break practices As the Monday of spring break approaches, the dragging of the feet and the dreading begins to intensify for members of the men’s soccer team.

When the alarm starts blaring before 6 a.m., they know they are in for a week from hell.

“Monday morning is usually the hardest workout,” senior defender Caleb Schreiber said. “It’s always tough, and it’s the first of the week.”

With grueling four-mile runs with a 30-minute time limit as well as back to back miles under seven and half minutes, players were pushed to their breaking points in their fitness over the course of the week.

“My intentions for spring break are to really push the players,” head coach Spencer Steffy said. “It was a week focused on gaining our fitness back and doing a lot of basic training stuff on the ball to get back into the swing of things.”

Steffy said he was proud of what the team accomplished over their break from school. “All in all, I was very happy with the group of players who completed everything we did over spring break and pushed through everything we did,” Steffy said.

Although the week causes physical stress and fatigue for the players, they do find the bright side of things during the week. “It’s always exciting for the season to start,” Schreiber said. “Even if the practices are tough, it’s always fun

to get back into the swing of things,” senior Eric Sesterhenn said. “My favorite part about practice is getting to play with my teammates once again and seeing the improvement over the offseason.”

Though tough, the players are agreed that the spring break practices are very beneficial in getting the team back into playing shape and skill. “It sets the tone for the season,” senior goalkeeper Aaron Iehl said. “We could be relaxing and enjoying spring break on a beach, but we don’t want to be outworked, so we use that time to get better.”

Expectations are high for the team this year. “We are expecting to go to State and win at State,” Iehl said. “It has never been done before, so we are trying to take the program to another level that it has not seen.”

Steffy echoed Iehl’s remarks. “We have very positive outlook. We return eight starters from last year and have a great mix of young players to add to the senior heavy class this season,” Steffy said. “If we can continue the focus we started the season off with, we will do great things this season — things that the CF soccer program has not done in many years.”

The first game is set for March 31 at 4 p.m. at the Cedar Valley Soccer Complex in Waterloo.

By Sports Editor Jason

RATHJEN

19 Spring fever infects top baseball prospects The

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Junior’s love for sport goes back many years

“Next!” best teams in the Midwest.

The batter at the plate Hayes made the team after slowly walks off as junior Ethan playing in a tournament and Hayes replaces him, silencing being invited to a tryout where the crowd so the only thing he placed in the top out of so that can be heard is his slow, many where he was then asked deep breaths to play and the swift on the noise of the elite bat swingteam. ing through I n the air as he reality, takes a pracbasetice swing. b a l l All eyes are never fixed on the really 6’2” junior, stops but his eyes for the are solely junior. fixed on the In the pitcher as he Junior Ethan Hayes has long spring takes a step legacy of love for baseball. h e back and plays winds up for in a the throw. league called perfect game Hayes, however, is comwhere they throw a bunch of pletely in his favorite place; the kids on a team to see who’s got place where he feels the most what. comfortable. The nerves pass When high school rolled quickly, and as the ball quickly around, Hayes found himself flies away from the pitcher’s playing on the freshmen team hand, a loud crack is heard and a little JV as a ninth grader. throughout the diamond.

Throughout the season, he Hayes once again makes conlooked up to some of the older tact and brings yet another runclassmen, especially Brady Corner home. son who now plays baseball at Growing up, Hayes was surIowa Central. Corson helped rounded by baseball. He lived Hayes develop his game near an older kid who was huge through his freshman year and into the sport and watched his gave the young prospect a every move. It suddenly clicked spark of hope to play up on for Hayes. He genuinely loved varsity the following year, and the sport. that’s exactly what happened.

At age four he started playAs a sophomore, Hayes ing T-ball and never looked found himself stationed at third back. In second grade, kid base playing a critical role for pitch baseball started, and the varsity team. The friendfrom age 9 to 14, he played in ships quickly developed with a tournament league. the rest of the team, and Hayes Hayes’ father has always quickly felt right at home. All been part of the foundation of of the older boys were tremenhis baseball career as well. “He dously supportive and saw a lot was actually a football player in of potential in the sophomore. high school, but he always liked The first game came baseball and most importantly around, and Hayes found was always super supportive of himself sitting in the dugout, what we wanted to do,” Hayes hands shaking and head racsaid. “He coached me all the ing with nerves. “That’s when way growing up, and when I Brady came over and told me got serious, he did loads of to relax and play the way I had research on players around the been in practice,” Hayes said. state and drove me all around “Suddenly the nerves actually the country.” started to pass. To have that In the fall, Hayes competes support was more helpful than on a club team called Iowa Seanyone could have imagined.” lect. Throughout the club seaSuddenly the letters started son there are basically three to come, and Hayes realized tournaments altogether and the game he loved so much games every other weekend didn’t have to stop at the where they play against the end of his senior year of high

Friday, March 25, 2016

SPORTS

2015 grad relishing his new role

Left handed pitcher Brady Corson, who graduated in 2015 and started for Tiger baseball team, now attends and plays baseball at Iowa Central Community College.

“Being at a junior college is a different feeling since you can’t experience the full on university effect like you can at Iowa or UNI. The classes aren’t as tough as I thought they would be, but when you throw in practice and workouts, it adds up to about how hard classes at a university would be. One thing I like is that the team I’m on is very close and gets along very well.” Corson said.

The transition of high school to college is said to be difficult for some, and Corson said it was stressful at first, but after getting to know people, the campus and his teammates, it made the transition easier.

“Having a sport to play is also great too because it keeps you busy doing something that you love.”

The CF graduate made a decision to fully commit to baseball and make it a priority around the time he was making his name known to colleges and college coaches. Corson said it made him realize if he wanted to play baseball in college he was really going to have to make a commitment.

His parents and coaches along the way helped him focus and motivate him as he worked toward his goal.

“If you want to become a student athlete in college, you can’t just dip your toes in the water because if you aren’t fully committed to what you are doing, somebody will pass you.

You have to be fully committed school. “Most scouting is done in the fall, and since there were good players on the team last year, there were always scouts at the game,” Hayes said.

“They would always talk to me in the fall, and I would attend a lot of those schools’ camps in the winter.”

At the end of January, the now junior visited Bradley and found it to be quite appealing.

He has talked to a lot of Missouri Valley schools and some Big East schools but has narrowed it down to three or four schools at this point.

Last summer 2015 graduate Brady Corson pitched for the Tigers, but this year he’s begun his new role at Iowa Central. to what you are doing in order to be successful at the college level.”

Corson said practices are a lot different than high school practices because they are more structured and much more frequent. He also explained they get very intense because everyone is trying grab a starting spot, but as a pitcher, they are very doable and educational for Corson.

“In college baseball, the pitching is quicker and better.

The hitters are more powerful and explosive. The fielding is much more crisp. Each pitch is so important, and a hitter or base runner can take advantage of a mistake by the other team, while in high school, you can’t get away with stuff like that.”

Corson said.

Balancing school and sports can be a challenge, but Brady said the coach at Iowa Central provides times to study and get

homework done on time twice a week for two hours at a time.

He said it can be stressful at times, but it’s what he has to work for in order to play the sport he loves.

“Once you get the hang of it and manage your time well, it gets better as the school year goes on,” Corson said.

Brady said he is very excited to start playing this season and is ready to see what the team brings from practice onto the field.

“I was anxious about joining the team only knowing maybe five guys on the 60man roster at the beginning of the season, but the guys were very welcoming, and we all got along very well. It’s like we all knew each other already before we all met.”

The memories made with baseball have been incredible for Hayes throughout the years.

“Growing up, staying in hotels and playing in tournaments all over the country have been some of the greatest memories of my life,” Hayes said. “Once in the fall I played against a kid who was ranked fourth in the entire country, and I’ve been able to play against kids and then later watch them get drafted. It’s a pretty cool experience.”

He was also able to attend the college world series with

the rest of the high school team.

“The ability to get strong enough mentally to fail 65 percent of the time and want to get right back at it is something that makes me want to pursue the game and continue to improve it,” Hayes said. “You gotta think so much, and it is a lot different than what people watching might think. I just enjoy it more than anything. It’s where I truly feel at home.”

By Staff Writer Tehya

TOURNIER

By Staff Writer Nathan

HOY

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Tiger

SPORTS HI-LINE Athlete 2016 state run holds special connection Week for 1991 championship basketball team Friday, March 25, 2016

of the

Making State in women’s basketball was, of course, a dream come true for this year’s team, but it was also the culmination of a 25-year-old aspiration for some other storied Tiger alumni.

In 1991, the CFHS women’s basketball team went 27-1 and was the first women’s team to make it into the state tournament. Jenny Savold, a point guard for Cedar Falls who is now known as Jenny Nelson, said it was something they had dreamt about.

“We started playing together in seventh grade, and my dad coached us. He would take us to the state tournament to watch.

I had been to the state tournament to watch my brother play in 1987, and my brother’s team got third at State. We had a dream. That was our goal, and we worked really hard during and outside of the season,” Nelson said.

The 1991 girls basketball team had eight seniors, and one of the two juniors also started.

Nelson said they were very close best friends, especially the eight seniors on the team. She is still very close with Nikki Volker who had a huge game and was a big part of the team. Barb Frankie, or “Miss Iowa Basketball,” was also a big part of the 1991 team, and both Nelson and Frankie were there for this year’s 2016 state tournament run.

Another teammate the girls were close with was Cara Oltmann. Nelson described her as fearless, driven and competitive.

“We always looked toward her for leadership and toughness when the team needed it,” Nelson said.

Oltmann and her boyfriend, Shore Young, were killed in a car crash at 19 years old. The cause of the crash still isn’t clear.

Nelson said she was very close with Cara, Barb, Nicki and their other friend Tammy who played basketball with them. She said she would imagine Oltmann and her boyfriend would have gotten married, had kids and been involved with Cedar Falls athletics.

“All four of us were really close. Cara wanted to be a teacher and a coach. I’m sure she would have been at the high school for teaching or coaching.

Her boyfriend, Shore, wanted to be a teacher and a coach too,” Nelson said.

Oltmann loved playing basketball, and Nelson said she

Marquise Jones Men’s Track

1991 yearbook photo

The 1991 women’s basketball team won the state championship, and seeing the return trip for this year’s team was a dream come true for many 1991 alumni, including Barbara Franke and Jenny Nelson (pictured in the selection window on the left and right, respectively) because they lost their teammate Cara Oltmann (pictured in the middle of the selection) after Oltmann and her boyfriend Shore Young were killed in a car wreck at age 19. would have been very proud of them and maybe would have even helped coach or could have had a daughter on the team.

“That’s what’s hard to think about is what kids would they have had or what could have happened. I don’t just miss Cara

this year. She has coached Emma Gerdes, Calli Johnson and Reilly Johnson.

“It was really special, especially being 25 years and having them go to State. It was amazing. I just felt like Cara was just a part of that. I was really proud

“Cara wanted to be a teacher and a coach. I’m sure she would have been at the high school for teaching or coaching.”

—Jenny Nelson regarding the death of her 1991 championship team member, Cara Oltmann

and Shore. I miss their friendship, and when they passed away I know they were saved.

When Cara passed away, that was when we really surrendered our lives to the Lord and started living fully for him. I am so thankful for her, and she would have been a part of the team somehow,” Nelson said.

Nelson said it was very special to see how far the girls went

of the girls. They worked really hard. It just doesn’t come from a lack of hard work. The coaches and players work extremely hard.

It was very special,” Nelson said.

Senior Emma Gerdes said that it meant a lot to go to State, especially in her senior year, and as a team it was very cool and meant a lot to everyone.

“We were able to reach one of our goals to make it to State

and also win at State. We worked really hard all season for it, so to make it happen was really cool.”

Nelson and Gerdes have known each other for a long time. Nelson had started coaching Gerdes when she was really little.

“She’s the reason I fell in love with the game,” Gerdes said.

Gerdes said it was an amazing feeling to play at the Wells Fargo Arena. She said all the hard work paid off and felt really cool to make it to State. “I don’t think there’s much more you could ask for than playing at the Well your senior year,” she said.

Gerdes described her last second shot as “crazy” and a lot of fun. She said they always practice last second shots in practice or when they’re just messing around with teammates, but they never actually think it would ever happen.

Both Gerdes and Nelson were supported by the entire school. More than anything, Nelson said she was proud to see that the tone from the 1991 team still thrives in Tiger womBy Staff Writer Tehya

TOURNIER

Senior shot put thrower Marquise Jones has already made improvements upon last season’s numbers. Jones tossed a 52 footer at a meet in Cedar Falls that has him sitting in the 10th ranked position in the state. Jones has big expectations for his senior year and doesn’t plan on stopping here.

What are your expectations for this season?

My first goal for this season is to qualify for the Drake Relays. That has been something I’ve wanted to do since sophomore year, and I also want to score some points for us at State this year. We have a very talented team, and I want to help us get a state title.

How did it feel to break the 50 foot mark?

It was very relieving to finally break 50 feet. It’s was a goal that eluded me all last season. To finally get it was nice, but I have bigger goals in mind.

What role are you playing on the team as a senior?

Being a senior on the team, a lot of the leadership responsibilities fall on me.

We have to keep everyone on task and working hard. We won’t reach our goals if that doesn’t happen.

What are your plans for after high school?

After high school I will be playing D2 football at Wayne State College in Nebraska. I am also trying to earn a spot on the throwing squad at Wayne State.

Tigers in

Action

Men’s Track Tuesday, March 29 Cedar Falls Triangular @ 4:30 p.m.

Women’s Track Tuesday, March 29 Waverly-Shell Rock Invite @ 5 p.m.

Men’s Tennis Saturday, April 2 Wahawk Invite (Away) @ 9 a.m.

Women’s Tennis Saturday, April 2 Tiger Invite @ 9 a.m.

Men’s Soccer Saturday, April 2 vs. Waverly-Shell Rock (Home) @ 10 a.m.

Women’s Soccer Tuesday, April 5 @ CR Xavier High School @ 4:15 p.m.

Women’s Golf Metro Meet @ South Hills (Home) on Wednesday, April 13 @ 2:30 p.m.