March 7, 2014 tiger hi line by CFHS journalism

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It’s Popping

Tiger HI-LINE Spring play product of drama dept’s dedication, chemistry Band delivers musical favorites in annual POPS concert/page 4

Friday, March 7, 2014

As I slip into the back of the theater, I immediately feel the energy emanating from the stage. Decked out with an elaborate set, colorful costumes and glowing lights, the stage is resplendent as it is, but the real energy comes from the actors on stage. It’s only a test run, but the way the actors are performing, one would never know. From my seat in the very back of the audience, I can feel how the actors have poured their time, energy and hearts into this show. This spring, the drama department is pulling out all the stops for the comedic show “The Hamlet Thrillmageddon,” which they have been preparing for four long months. The ultimate farce, it details a school drama department that lost its funding and is forced to acquire sponsors for their performance of Hamlet (a play which is free, famous and exempt from copyright infringements). However, guided by three narrators of questionable competence (seniors Carrsan Morrissey, Tommy Truelsen and sophomore Grace Gubbrud), the cast on a moneystarved quest must change the play to reference the products of their sponsors, and from there on out, hilarity ensues. The Hamlet Thrillmageddon is, in a word, chaotic. “There’s never a dull moment,” senior Abigail Van Patten said. Van Patten would know. In the span of an hour and a half, She plays an angsty teenager, a cheerful teenager, a villager, a courtier and a gravedigger. “I have to snap into roles as fast as I can,” Van Patten said. Shakespeare lovers are in for a definite, but comical, surprise, as the original characters have been reworked with endearing, and hilarious modern interpretation as the characters react to the different commercial products inserted into their interactions. As funny as this play is, though, cast members say that’s the hardest thing about it. Junior Lucia McNeal noted that because the play is so over-thetop, you really have to get out

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of your comfort zone. “I’ve never played a comedic role before, so I had to get past all my self-consciousness,” McNeal said. Van Patten agreed, noting the scene where she has to pretend to cry. It’s worth it though, she said. “The gravedigging scene is really funny, and that’s not something I get to do often, be funny.” The Hamlet Thrillmageddon is very much an ensemble piece, with many actors onstage all the time. Many of the actors have multiple small parts, which requires the cultivation of multiple characters and many costume changes. So many set and costume changes require the hard work and dedication of the 17 techies, who work constantly behind the scenes moving and preparing set pieces, props and costumes for the next scene. The techies are led by junior Nicole Loy as Stage Manager and senior Kathryn Wright as Assistant Stage Manager, and assisted by CFHS alum Austin Stiers as Technical Director. While actors ran their lines and learned blocking, techies constructed props and organized huge amounts of costumes. “We had to paint part of a backdrop, build three different platforms and four different staircases,” Loy said. “We also had to build and paint a boat that gets rolled across the stage, some smaller set pieces and figure out lighting and sound changes.” Although it might sound excessive, the techies have dealt with much more. “It was a fairly simple show, tech-wise,” Loy said. The entire set was assembled by cast and crew members on Saturday mornings, who took time on top of their regular rehearsals to see the play come together. “I try to come to every set construction, so I’m usually here 20-plus hours a week,” Loy said. While actors and techies have very different positions, some students really enjoy both roles for different plays. Several techies decided to audition for

the first time for Hamlet Thrillmageddon. Sophomore Miriam Queiroz was a costume techie for the fall play, but for the spring play, she decided to audition. “I always wanted to do theater but had too much stuff on my schedule last semester,” Queiroz said. She also noted that both jobs have very distinct feelings but believes they are both important and enjoyable. “Being an actor and being a techie are entirely different things, but being a techie helped me get used to the environment and the people,” Queiroz said. Although students have worked on this play since midNovember, they’ve put in extra time this past week, rehearsing from immediately after school up to 9 at night. They did lose one of their late nights due to the band POPS concert on Monday, so they only had late nights on Tuesday and Thursday. (Wednesday is always reserved for church night.) Besides that, the cast has lost multiple rehearsals from weather-related early-outs and cancellations, but an audience member would be none the wiser. Despite the trials and frustration that sometimes come from theater, the cast remains both passionate about its work and supportive of each other. “We’re a family,” Loy said. “We’re around each other all the time, so you get really close to people.” Loy also mentioned that while other extracurriculars are competitive, in the play, no one is competing against anyone else, and all the actors come together because they have a common interest. This seems to be a nearly universal opinion. Every student I asked, whether cast or crew, said their favorite thing about play was the people. Van Patten most appreciates her fellow cast and crew for “their openness to others’ opinions, the comedy, [and] the joy that they bring every day. You can talk about your feelings without fear of being judged.”

Submitted Photo

Lucia McNeal Photo

Senior Carrsan Morrisey recalls sophomore Grace Gubbrud’s ex-boyfriend as Gubbrud holds senior Tommy Truelsen and sophomore Clair Chenoweth hostage in her anguish. See more play pics on page 5. The drama department welcomes everyone who auditions or gets involved in other ways. Many of the cast and crew this spring are newcomers, but by the chemistry onstage and off, one would never know. The drama department continues to welcome newcomers. “You should join play for the atmosphere, and for the opportunity to get out of your comfort zone,” Van Patten said. As the scene ends, the curtains close and the narrators pick up their cues seamlessly, the Hamlet Thrillmageddon may seem to be a showcase of chaos, but the achievements behind

the scenes are specifically coordinated, well-rehearsed, and most importantly, clearly heartfelt. As I slip out of the auditorium, the energy from the actors still reverbates within me. This may be acting, but the passion, devotion and love behind it is very, very real. The performances for The Hamlet Thrillmagedon are Friday, March 7 and Saturday, March 8, both at 7:30 p.m. in the Clair C. Stanard auditorium. Tickets are $4 for students and $5 for adults. By Editor-in-Chief Ellen

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Friday, March 7, 2014

Jazz bands triumph at Tallcorn CFHS jazz time; intonation; bands took top articulation; balhonors at the ance and blend; Tallcorn Festival dynamics; style at UNI on Thursand interpretaday, Feb. 20 and tion; and proFriday, Feb. 21. gramming. Jazz 1 earned The CFHS jazz first place out of bands work hard 10 bands in the to prepare for first band class. their performancJunior Michael es, rehearsing Stow was named three and a half outstanding solohours a week outist in the 4A class. side of the school Jazz, Too! earned day. “Jazz band second place out is completely of three bands in extracurricular,” the second band Engelhardt said. class. However, the According jazz bands have to UNI’s Tallmany opportucorn webpage, nities to display the Tallcorn Jazz their music; they Mallory Vallentine Photo Festival is the performed at ArtCedar Falls Jazz One took first place at the Tallcorn Jazz Festival on Feb. 21. oldest, continua-palooza in Sepously running high school jazz tember, the State Jazz Festival years. written comments. “Each festival in the nation, running in January, the CFHS jazz show At the festival, the bands judge is an expert in their for 63 years, and Cedar Falls earlier this month and the were scored by two indepenfield,” band instructor Kyle High School has attended evband pops concert on Mondent judges with 1,000 point Engelhardt said. The judges ery year for at least the past 20 day, March 3. The jazz bands ballots as well as taped and evaluated the bands on solos;

also perform at the District Jazz Festival at Waterloo West High on March 8 and at the Iowa Jazz Championships in April at the Civic Center in Des Moines. Engelhardt said the jazz bands perform a wide range of music, including classic jazz, modern jazz rock-hybrid, a shuffle and a Cuban-influenced bop tune. “We work on the music and try to develop authentic solos over the different styles of music with all the students,” Engelhardt said. At Tallcorn, Engelhardt noted, the jazz students enjoyed hearing the other bands and playing in Russell Hall because it was “built for jazz.” He said, “It’s fun to play jazz because it’s so creative and individualized for solos, yet there is this responsibility to the group to know your part and play the music well. Every student’s role is important to the success of the group.”

By Editor-in-Chief Ellen

WALLINGFORD

Swartdogs claim crown in Illinois The robotics team, Swartdogs 525, won the Central Illinois regional in Pekin, Ill., this past weekend. The Swartdogs were on the winning allegiance and took first place. An allegiance is where one team joins one or more teams in the knockout stages. The topseeded teams can choose their team first. The competition this year is called Aerial Assist. The premise of the game is to score as many balls into a goal during a two minute 30 second match. The more each team scores balls into goals and the more it works together to do it, the more points it will receive. Sophomore Sam Zhang thought the team met expectations. “We made a list of criteria we wanted to achieve like a fast robot, accuracy and consistency while shooting, and good pickups. I think we reached those goals during the Central Illinois regional,” Zhang said. The Swartdogs didn’t only win the regional, but won a few other awards as well. The Innovation in Control award is presented to the team that has

the most innovative or creative control system or implementation of application of control components, and the Swartdogs won it. That’s not all. One of the mentors of the team won the biggest award that a mentor could win. Mentor Jan Newendorp won the Woodie Flowers Award as well. It is given to mentors who lead, inspire and empower students by using extraordinary communication skills. There is only one award given out at each regional, and Newendorp won the prestigious award. Newendorp is elated to win the distinguished award. “Receiving this award at the FRC Central Illinois Regional was even more special since Dr. Woodie Flowers flew to Illinois and presented it to me. In talking with him afterwards it is clear why the award is named after him. He is very gracious. I am honored that our students nominated me,” Newendorp said. The Swartdogs are not done with this season, however. There is another regional coming up in Cincinnati on the 26th of this month.

Agatha Fenech Photo

At an open house for the CFHS robotics team earlier this winter, senior Collin McIntyre makes some updates on their robot. The team captured the title in Illinois last weekend at the Central Illinois Regional. Since it won the Central Illinois regional, the team will be traveling to St. Louis later in the year for the FIRST Robotics Championship. It is a worldwide event, and last year, there were teams from 60 different nations. The prestigious tournament will take place starting

April 23 and run until the 26th. Newendorp is excited about FIRST Robotics at Cedar Falls High School. “Students at CFHS are so fortunate to have a FIRST robotics team providing them with opportunities to work with professionals learning CAD,

programming, engineering, public speaking and so much more. None of this would be possible without Mr. Kenton Swartley, now in his 15th year leading this team,” Newendorp said. By Staff Writer Zuhayr

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Friday, March 7, 2014

Art students create bowls for hungry On Saturday, Feb. 22, nine CFHS art students worked to combat hunger by making bowls. Seniors Kelsey Hansen, Lara Hetherton, Laura Relph, Trevor Balm-Dillingham, Cassy Herkelman and Stephen Jordan, junior Anne Hetherton and Alex Weidenbacher and CFHS alum Dallas Deery volunteered to help with the Empty Bowls Project, which is a fundraiser of the Northeast Iowa Food Bank, with assistance from art teacher Emily Luensmann. The bowls made by students for the project will be used in an event where the NE Iowa Food Bank raises awareness and educates the community on the issue of hunger. At the event, patrons buy tickets, select a bowl that has been made and donated by local artists and then use to to enjoy

soups made by local chefs with breads and beverages. The event takes place at the UAW Hall in Waterloo on Tuesday, April 29, along with a silent auction and live auction. Luensmann first became involved with the Empty Bowls Project when she was in college at the University of Northern Iowa, where she helped make bowls for the project. Knowing that she had a lot of talented ceramics students in the school, she contacted the organizer of the project to see if her students “could help out and make bowls,” and they agreed to allow the students to donate bowls. On Feb. 22, the students spent three hours making bowls, went to lunch and then returned to trim the bottom of the bowls. In the end, they made 40 bowls for the Empty Bowls Project.

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“I am very proud of what the students were able to create. It was great getting to see them use what they learned in class to help the community. I could see this becoming an annual event as long as they continue to need the bowls,” Luensmann said. Luensmann said she believes that art can be incredibly beneficial to the world, whether it be through volunteer work like the Empty Bowls Project or everyday artistry. “Art is everywhere. There are millions of things we can come into contact with every day that had to be designed and created. It is great for the students to make something that will reach a larger audience than just within their classroom.”

By Editor-in-Chief Mallory

VALLENTINE

Submitted Photos

Top Right: Senior Trevor Balm-Dillingham crafts his bowl for the Empy Bowls Project. Bottom Right: Senior Laura Relph begins making her bowl. Top Left: Senior Lara Hetherton leans over as she sculpts her bowl. Bottom Left: The finished bowls created by CFHS art students.

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Friday, March 7, 2014

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Music of the Madilin Neibert photo

Mallory Vallentine photo

Night Mallory Vallentine photo

Mallory Vallentine photo

Top right: Senior Brennan Ashwood solos during a Jazz One song. Middle right: Junior Brian Keiser, as an emcee, encourages the audience to buy concessions at intermission. Bottom right: Sophomore Issac Smith solos with Jazz One. Mallory Vallentine photo Mallory Vallentine photo

Starting at top, Jazz, Too! saxophpnes play at the band pops concert on March 3. Second row, left to right: Junior Kyler Boss plays piano during Concertino, a percussion feature performed by Wind Symphony. Senior Tommy Truelsen plays marimba during Concertino.

Mallory Vallentine photo

Far left: Junior Michael Stow solos with Jazz One. Middle: Senior Timmy Sevcik uses a mute during his jazz solo. Bottom left: Senior Brennan Ashwood and juniors Seth Van Roosendaal and Brett Niemann play saxophone with Jazz One. Mallory Vallentine photo

Mallory Vallentine photo

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Friday, March 7, 2014

CAPTURED

Not Your Typical Shakespeare

Megan Wallace photo

At Top: Senior Anna Hubbard and sophomores Mriram Queriroz and Kailin Reed present an advertisement.

Mallory Vallentine photo

At far left: Senior Erik Muetherties, as Claudius, and junior Logan Ryan, as Laertes, plot Hamlet’s demise. At left, senior Jacob Kline, playing the ghost of Hamlet’s father, gives Hamlet a scare. Photos by Kylee Ferrell excepting those otherwise noted.

Lucia McNeal Photo

Megan Wallace photo Mallory Vallentine photo

Above left: Juniors Brian Keiser as Rosencrantz, John Nicol as Hamlet, and Nathan Hall as Guildenstern take a boat ride to England. Above right: Senior Carrsan Morrissey, junior Grace Gubbrud and senior Tommy Truelsen explain their drama department’s rough financial situation. Bottom right: A group of players triumphantly raise sports drinks.

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ENTERTAINMENT

NEW RELEASES

MUSIC • Dierks Bentley Riser on Feb.25

•Metronomy

Love Letters on March 10

• Shakira

Shakira on March 25

•September Girls Cursing the Sea on March 11

•Foster the People

Supermodel on March 18

•Black Lips

Underneath the Rainbow on March 18

MOVIES

•300: Rise of an Empire on March 7

•Divergent on March 21

•Muppets Most Wanted on March 21

•Mr. Peabody & Sherman on March 7

•Need for Speed on March 14

GAMES

•Dark Souls II

on March 11 on PS3, Xbox 360 & PC

•Lego The Hobbit

April 8 on PS3,PSVita,Xbox one, Xbox 360, 3DS & Wii U

• Pier Solar HD

March 25 on PS3,PS4, Wii U & PC

• SMALL WORLD 2 on PC on Dec. 11

• Deception IV:Blood Ties March 25 on PS3, and PS Vita

ONLINE EXTRAS

LT Shorts:

Return of the Wolfman By Luke Kreger and Tarrell Christie After being dead for over a decade, Larry is resurrected to stop a new evil that wants the power of the Wolfman! Find all the weekly podcasts as well as the weekly broadcast news show by visiting us on the web at http:// www.hiline.cfschools.org.

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Friday, March 7, 2014

Film Fest entrants polish creations as deadline nears

Senior Dylan Pieper said that he first started thinking about making films when he saw the posters for the festival around the school. He plans to enter the contest because he wants to make a difference. “What we do after high school is a big topic that lingers throughout the collective mind of high school students.” The film he is working on is about students’ dreams and what they wish will happen after high school. He hopes to help students better understand dreams and maybe bring to life some of their own dreams. “I want high school students to know that they’re not alone in the search for identity. To do this I showcase diverse minds of those who dream and wander,” he said. Pieper said he is excited for the competition to start and is hoping he gets the Documentary award this year. He said that he will most likely continue in film and digital media because it is a good way to get stories out to a broad audience. He said that he thinks filmmaking is for the passionate and that if you want to bring your stories out through digital media he would highly recommend it. Pieper said he draws his inspirations from a number of spots. “The paths I am able to imagine myself on are endless. The film helps to catch a glance of the many different paths and carve one especially for us.” Seniors Luke Kreger and Tarrell Christie are also preparing works for the film fest, and as veterans of the event for the

From My Nightmare podcast on Tiger Hi-Line Online

In his demonic debut in My Nightmare from creators Carrsan Morrissey and Noah Miller, senior Erik Mueterthies looks over his plans for mayhem. Miller, Morrissey and many others are entering their short films in the third annual Tiger Film Fest. past two years, they said they are looking forward to people seeing and evaluating their work in a fun way. They are entering two movies. One is called Kongoro: The Indestructible, which is a sequel to their film, Battle of the Bigguns, that they entered last year. They are also entering their film Slender: Condemnation, which is a film showing what they think about the Slender myth from the Slender video game series. Christie said he likes how he made the characters as interesting as the big monsters in their film, and Kreger said he is really happy with the effects they used in both of the films: music, lighting, set and all. Christie also said he’s excited for the competition to start because he’s interested in everyone else’s projects and com-

petition always inspires him to push to the limit. This year he said he would like to get the awards for special effects and hopes that Kreger will get the award for best actor. Kreger said he would also like many awards including best director, best special effects, best film and best audience choice. Both these movie maker’s goal is to have the audience know they had fun making the video and also to make “people to be happy, laugh, and know that they need to be themselves,” Kreger said. They both say they plan on going into filming after high school, where both want to become directors. Kreger said, “My favorite part of filmmaking is seeing a scene we’ve shot and imagining all of the scenes weaving together. It gives me a sense of accomplishment and

excitement for the full project.” They both said they think that filmmaking is a fun thing for anyone, and that it is a great way to express your imagination. Christie’s inspiration was the movie Hong Kong; he said it inpired him then and has ever since to make films. Kreger said his inspiration was when he started making small films with Christie; he said he really liked seeing their completed projects. For those who would like to go to the film festival and see these films and many more, it is a free screening in the auditorium in April, and for those who’d also like to share their own cinematic vision, the entries are due by March 31. Staff Writer Kaitlyn

BROCKA

Pokémon TV shows launched on Netflix Hours of happily watching your TV screen await anyone who has Netflix now that the entire first and 14th seasons of Pokemon have arrived. Netflix has also added two movies, Pokemon Black and Pokemon White. Many have already watched as many episodes as they can, and Pokemon is taking them back to their childhood dreams of being a Pokemon master, and fans are hoping that they will choose to put more seasons on Netflix. Maybe the success of these

currently uploaded episodes of Pokemon will help them find out if they want to put more. Many people think that Pokemon — the games, movies and show — are only for children, but they couldn’t be more wrong. When a new Pokemon game is going to be released, go to Game Stop the night of the release, and you will most likely see more teenagers and adults than you will kids. For example, there is a Twitch stream where everyone is allowed to play the game

together. This can be chaotic at times but, they recently just beat the game Pokemon Red and are moving on now to try and beat Pokemon Crystal. There are also blogs, drawings and discussion places for Pokemon to spread. People like thinking that they can belong to this world of Pokemon where, even if your not popular among people, your Pokemon can keep you company. Pokemon has been a big thing in lives of the young and old, and, even with how

long its been going on, is still spreading in many different ways. There are still new games and episodes being made and there is always someone to watch them. Netflix is just the next way for Pokemon to spread happiness. If you haven’t tried Pokemon out yet, or just haven’t for a while, try again and at least one thing about it should catch your attention because Pokemon is really for everyone. Staff Writer Kaitlyn

BROCKA

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OPINION

Friday, March 7, 2014

Time to Ban the Tan? Pick a Side

Blocking UV burns will save lives Tanning bill is overreach by State A recent controversial bill divided state legislatures recently. It proposes to ban minors from using tanning beds. It’s definitely a bold step in the right direction. Currently 11 states including Vermont, Illinois, Texas, California and Nevada have banned tanning for minors, and 31 states require parental permission. In Queensland, Australia, a ban was placed on all tanning beds in 2013, no matter the age of the user. Brazil passed a similar ban in 2003 for minors, but the bill was revised in 2009 to include all ages. Tanning became popular in the 1940s as a sign of wealth and prosperity. (Only the rich could jetset onto an island for a tropical vacation). It’s hard not to like at the beginning — the feeling of the warm sun (or sun lamp) beating down on your skin. It increases vitamin D production, a vitamin that many have a deficiency of. The tanning process releases endorphins, making the experience very pleasurable and almost addicting. It creates an illusion of being thinner, a desirable trait. But tanning isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. Proponents of tanning argue that as long as users aren’t getting sunburned, there is no danger. They couldn’t be more wrong. In fact, a tan is essentially a sunburn. It has the same effect and damage as a blistering sunburn, even if a tanner doesn’t have the painful symptoms. Using an indoor tanning bed increases the risk of melanoma drastically. In fact, the Skin Cancer Foundation cites that 90 percent of all skin cancers are associated with exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. An extravagant amount, right? Exposure to UV radiation causes mutations within DNA. Excessive UV exposure causes skin to wrinkle, age and sag much faster. “Up to 90 percent of the changes commonly attributed to ag-

ing, including wrinkles, leathery skin and brown spots” are due to UV exposure, according to the Skin Care Foundation. The fight against tanning beds shouldn’t be a discussion of “freedom.” It should be a discussion of protecting ourselves from cancer. Alright, maybe banning tanning for minors isn’t the answer. But as long as tanning is a popular cosmetic procedure, there need to be warnings in place. That could be anything from a social media campaign to heightening awareness about the dangerous effects of tanning. If we want to protect teens from aimless skin damage, point them in the safer direction of sunless self-tanner — an easy alternative for achieving the bronzed glow of their dreams. Or better yet, stop focusing on skin color. As Sarah Brown, Vogue’s Beauty Director, said, “A healthy glow does not mean a tan, and I think that’s what we have to clear up. A healthy glow is your skin tone, glowing.” In the long run, it doesn’t really matter. No tan is worth your life. Editor-in-Chief Martha

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

Editors-in-Chief: Austin Anderson, Martha Hall, Mallory Vallentine and Ellen Wallingford Staff: Zuhayr Alam, Kaleb Bengston, Kaitlyn Brocka, Mackenzie Dallenbach and Abby Young

HALL

Iowa lawmakers are heading to the drawing boards to outline a potential tanning ban for persons under the age of 18. Currently there are 33 states that regulate or ban tanning for minors, or peoples under the age of 18. This includes age, parental permission or accompaniment, or the specifics of indoor or outdoor tanning. All these restrictions originate from health risks, specifically cancer. Though this may have a lot of support from people over the age of 18, expect some outrage from so called “minors.” In this day and age, the youth are very concerned about appearances. Though that is a sad truth, it’s a truth nonetheless. Pale, deadlooking skin isn’t what looks good, so many resort to tanning. Though many may not tan, it is not the job of the naysayers to ban such innocent acts as tanning. A term comes to mind when writing about this: nanny state. That refers to a state or government who takes unnecessary steps and bounds, usually stepping over liberties and reason to keep the people “safe.” No, amendment number 10 isn’t, “It is the right of the people to decide if they want to tan, without interaction from the

Editor-in-Chief Ellen

Wallingford

Our View

state,” but it is another intervention from the state to tell people what they can and cannot do. Now addressing the age thing. Who decided that “children” under the age of 18 had limited rights? Who made this arbitrary line in time in which you magically become an adult. One minute you are 17, with limited rights and subject to your parents’ will, and the next you’re 18, free to do whatever and dumped with all these responsibilities, and, oh yeah, you now have all your rights. Who decided this? Doesn’t it seem silly that a state can dictate what a person under this arbitrary line in time can and cannot do? Children, or people under the age of 18, are human, not subhuman. They have every right an adult has, with exceptions to drinking and smoking, and should not be squashed by the state for wanting to look a certain way. There’s a real hypocrisy in this. You would have to be 18 to tan, a procedure that may lead to skin damage, possibly cancer if you’re extremely irresponsible and an intense tanner, but you can drive a car, which is not only dangerous to you but possibly other people if you’re irresponsible. There are a lot of things people under 18 can do that are potentially harmful if not used correctly. Yes, tanning has been shown that it can be harmful, but caffeine is also harmful if the person using it is irresponsible. The use of supplements can also be potentially harmful. There is a myriad of things that could harm a teen, but it comes down to liberty. This is another example of the state bringing down another heavy hand on liberties. Where do we draw the line between personal responsibility and relying on the Nanny State to take care of us? Staff Writer Kaleb

BENGSTON

Extracurriculars deserve recognition

This spring, CFHS students have been putting in a lot of effort from musical groups to acting to robotics to the Capitol in Des Moines. A recent band pops concert (seen on page 4) showcased student talent on many instruments. Wind Symphony played a percussion feature called “Concertino” that showed off our talented percussionists at the school. Tallcorn Jazz Festival on Feb. 21 brought wins for the band program : Jazz 1

earned a first place win out of 10 bands in the first band category. Junior Michael Stow was awarded an outstanding soloist award in the 4A category for his exceptional solo. Jazz, Too! won second place in the second band category. Both jazz bands will be playing at the NEIBA Jazz Festival at West High School this Saturday. Congrats to the jazz program on their exceptional performances. Swartdogs 525, the robotics team, took home first place at the Central Illinois regional in Pekin, Ill. They also won the

Innovation in Control award given to the team with the most creative control system. But they also received yet another impressive win: mentor Jan Newendorp won the Woodie Flowers award, given to mentors that inspire innovation. Great job to the robotics team on their amazing hard work. They will be competing at another regional in Cincinnati this month and a prestigious worldwide tournament in St. Louis called the FIRST Robotics Championship in late April.

8 Sports Opinion: SPORTS

The National Basketball Association is challenging the NFL in global popularity and is undergoing some significant change. Longtime commissioner David Stern has retired after 30 years, and former deputy commissioner Adam Silver has taken over. Silver is interested in adjusting the playoff system, preventing “tanking” and the biggest possible change, moving the NBA age requirement to 20. In 1971 Spencer Haywood challenged the NBA’s rule that forced athletes to go to college for four years before entering the league. Haywood won his case and paved the way for future players. Moses Malone became the first player to go straight to the pros from high school and ended his career by being selected in the basketball hall of fame. The next year, Darryl Dawkins and Bill Willoughby entered the NBA. They were the last two players to forgo college

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New NBA commissioner wisely considering increasing required age to 20, ending ‘one and done’

for the association for 20 years. In 1995 the USA Today’s national high school player of the year, Kevin Garnett made the controversial decision to enter the draft and become the first high school player to be selected in the draft in 20 years. He reopened the door for high school players for the next 10 years such as Kobe Bryant, Lebron James and Dwight Howard to make the leap to the NBA. A decade after Garnett’s decision, the NBA decided to raise the age limit to 19 and be one year removed from graduation. High school seniors are currently faced with essentially three options after graduation: They could go play in college for at least one season, leave the country and get paid to play overseas or they could sign with an NBA D-League team. Many players have succeeded after playing a year in college such as Carmelo An-

More NEWS

Speech team sends 24 to State Individuals After Districts on Saturday, March 1, 24 CFHS speech participants took home I’s and around nine took home II’s. Those who took home a I qualified for State and will be travelling to Starmont High School on March 15 to attempts to receive another I for All-State. Individual speech is exactly how it sounds; one person performs a piece of writing, poetry, story, monologue or something from another category individually before a group of judges. For some, they must memorize their lines and even act out a little bit. Two CFHS students who participated in Individuals, sophomore Carolina Villavicencio and junior Emma Redington, have been on speech team since their freshman years. Junior Valentine Komen, however, joined this year and is among the 24, including Redington, who will head off to State. Villavicencio decided that after she had been in the group part of speech team she’d try out individually. “It made me want to see my potential just by myself and how far I could go.” She didn’t make it to State

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Friday, March 7, 2014

this year but did, however, make it her freshman year. She has taken this year’s setback in stride: “You should give your all and know if you did a good or a bad job and know you’re still part of a team.” This year, Redington’s category was poetry, and she said, “What makes me nervous is the actual performance because I want to give it my all.” The feeling is mutual for many others as well. Komen said, “I’m nervous to forget my lines because we have to memorize for storytelling.” With State right around the corner Komen and Redington are practicing hard to ensure they give it their all at State. “I want to give pretty much the same performance as districts and my hopes are to get all ones,” Komen said. Redington has expectations not only for her, but for the rest of her team as well. “My expectations for State are higher, since we have a lot of great actors performing. I expect a lot of us to get Division I’’s since there is so much talent,” Redington said. By Staff Writer MacKenzie

DALLENBACH

thony, Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose. Others might have benefited from a few more years on campus such as former top recruits Xavier Henry and Josh Selby. So what should the NBA do about the age limit? Stars have come out of high school, one year in college and a full four years in college to succeed. Lebron James came out of high school to dominate immediately, and, after all, this is America. Many people would tell you that you should be able to choose what you want to do with your life. Saying that, James has the potential to go down as the greatest player to ever play the game, and it isn’t often that 18 year olds are able to keep up with 28 year olds. Going to college for a year is the current path chosen by most future NBA studs. They get a chance to play against better competition and work on their individual game to improve themselves for the rest of their careers. Carmelo An-

thony may be the best candidate to show the best of both worlds for college basketball and the NBA. He led his Syracuse team to the 2003 NCAA championship in his first and only season. He then declared for the draft and has arguably become the best pure scorer in the game today. Both sides won in this case. Other one-and-done players such as Xavier Henry, who was a top three player coming out of high school, have struggled mightily in the league. After not meeting lofty expectations at his only season at the University of Kansas, Henry declared for the NBA draft. He has played for three teams in four years and averaged barely over five points per game. No one knows what could have happened, but with a few more seasons in Lawrence, he might have produced a better NBA product. New commissioner Adam Silver reportedly favors an age minimum of 20 years or

two years removed from high school graduation. This is the best decision of any of the options. This option benefits both parties, the NCAA and the NBA the most. College basketball gets to have their best players around for another year and establish more familiarity around the country. The NBA gets a more polished product and players more likely to succeed after having more basketball experience. We do live in the United States of America, and players shouldn’t have to be withheld from possible paychecks. While players cannot go to the NBA right away, they can still go make money overseas or play in the NBA’s D-League. Succeeding David Stern and his legacy will not be easy, but Adam Silver can make a big step in the right direction by increasing the age requirement in the game that is still globally growing. By Editor-in-Chief Austin

ANDERSON

Mr. Flanscha Goes to Des Moines

Junior joins 20 Iowa students in Capitol Project Back in mid-February CFHS sophomore Michael Flanscha travelled to the Iowa Capitol for the annual Capitol Project, a self-nominated program where only 20 students are selected by the Secretary of State. Once chosen the students travel to Des Moines for a four-day learning program that deals with how the government works. The application process consisted of “a short biography of myself, a summary of my interest in Capitol Project and a letter of recommendation from a teacher,” Flanscha said. CFHS social studies teacher Chad Van Cleve assisted Flanscha by writing him a letter of recommendation. “It wasn’t that hard. I have [Flanscha], and he’s an exceptional student,” Van Cleve said. Once in Des Moines, Flanscha and his fellow Capitol Project companions had dinner with Gov. Terry Branstad, then lunch with

our local legislators and then the chance to see how an idea became a bill and then became a law. During this time Flanscha and the other 19 students were divided into groups in which they were to come up with an idea for a bill. From there they organized it and wrote it out to present and debated upon by all the groups. Flanscha recalled “drafting the bill [to be] the most challenging step in the process. It was difficult making sure that all components were stated clearly in our proposed legislation.” Though the Capitol Project’s main goal is to inform students on how the government works if they are considering a career in government and politics, there are some other goals that it hit as well. According to Van Cleve the project helps enforce leadership skills while also teaching two major roles in society and in life: the “practical reasons being interest [in something] and citizen role [in the world],” Van Cleve said.

Flanscha has always been interested in government and politics because “I believe that it’s important to be informed about government policy and how it affects our daily lives.” He also said that his dad also played into his interest and inspiration to want to go into in politics and government after he graduates. Flanscha’s is unsure of his plans after college, but “wants to enter a career in politics.” He encourages others to apply for the Capitol Project program. “You never know if you’ll be accepted. It’s a chance to experience the government in action,” Flancha said. “This experience increased my interest in politics because it exposed me to government in action at our Capitol in Des Moines. [The project also] reinforced my belief it is important to be involved in society.” By Staff Writer MacKenzie

DALLENBACH