The
Tiger HI-LINE
Friday, May 15, 2015
Last Story After three years, editor files last story for his teacher/Pages 7&8 Follow us on Twitter at tigerhiline, Facebook at TigerHilineOnline and on our website at www.hiline.cfschools.org
Volume 55 Edition 27
CFHS journalism staffs capture many top honors in state contest 2015 Storyteller, Videographer of the Year share their inspirations
As high school students, we are all encouraged to figure out what we love, our passions. We are called to find our place in the world and “follow your bliss.” Countless students throughout each and every year have countless interests, passions and directions they want to go in life. At Cedar Falls, just about anyone has something worth knowing about. Everyone has a story, goals and dreams. A few students who have incredible talents and passions for what they do are seniors Austin Anderson and Jackson Skiles. They both share the common love of journalism, but they express their passion in different ways. A huge impact on both of them is the journalism teacher at Cedar Falls, Brian Winkel. He has impacted them along with numerous other students in so many different ways. The idea of journalism sparked for Anderson at a young age. As a 7th grader when school counselor Rona Messmore was asking students what they wanted to do with their lives, Anderson said, “She said we don’t have to have it figured out now, but she was pressuring us to have it figured out. I sat there and I thought I love sports, I love talking, I love people and the next thing you know I was a sports journalist.” Anderson originally got into journalism because he wanted to be a sports writer. He figured he could get paid for talking about sports, and that seemed like a pretty good job, but he soon realized it was much more than that. He started broadcast journalism his sophomore year, and the Hi-Line his junior year and ending up falling in love with that. Shortly after joining the Hi-Line, Winkel made him editor-in-chief of the staff. “Once I really dove into journalism, I discovered that I really loved people, and I loved learning about their stories. I realized that when you look at somebody, all you see is the outside, but the truth is there is really so much more to them. That’s what I love discovering and figuring out,” Anderson said. After realizing how much he loved journalism, Anderson’s passion continued to grow as he continued to write more stories. He was given the opportunity to attend a sports journalism camp in North Carolina at the University of North Carolina. He was taught by a former Sports Illustrated writer, as well as journalists from the Washington
CFHS 2015 Iowa High School Press Association Winners Column Writing, 1st Place Kaleb Bengston Education trumps regulation in preventing Column Writing, 2nd Place Malcolm Musoni Walking Blue: Teen depression deserves more attention Column Writing, 3rd Place Austin Anderson To Tweet or not to tweet Feature Photo, 1st Place Josie Speltz, Taylor Hylton 50 Shades of Black and Blue Feature Photo, 2nd Place Emily Barth Wet Wiechmann Feature Photo, 3rd Place Logan Cole Powder Puff Power Feature Photo, 4th Place Logan Cole Cowboy Shadow Dance Feature Photo, 5th Place Jackie Norman Wheel Barrow Walking Feature Story, 1st Place Austin Anderson Soul Mates: Two members of Big House worship team lean on faith, each other to pull through Feature Story, 2nd Place Austin Anderson Behind a living legend: Swimmers dive in for Marcussen Invite Illustration or Art, 1st Place Sommer Danielsen Fashion Week illustrations News Photo, 1st Place Logan Cole Seniors tumble to the top News Photo, 3rd Place Courtney Dobson Neighborhood Flames: Grieving Owners News Photo, 5th Place Logan Cole Everybody Cut Footloose News Story, 1st Place Zuhayr Alam Working for a song News Story, 3rd Place Dino Odobasic CF has a sister school Personality Profile, 2nd Place Austin Anderson Like Ike: 2013 grad looks to relish opportunity at Iowa Personality Profile, 3rd Place Austin Anderson Whole New Ball Game: Junior uses football, faith, family to reset his playbook Personality Profile, 4th Place Austin Anderson Confronting Curiosity: Junior’s questions lead to life without God Personality Profile, 5th Place Zuhayr Alam Device empowers student to connect with peers Photo Story, 1st Place Emily Barth Bucket Bashers Photo Story, 2nd Place Logan Cole, Everybody Cut Footloose Ashley Brimacomb Photo Story, 3rd Place Logan Cole Powder Power Photo Story, 5th Place Logan Cole Treasure in Your Trunk Sports Photo, 2nd Place Megan Wallace Rugby Runaway Sports Photo, 3rd Place Logan Cole Flip and Go Sports Photo, 4th Place Logan Cole Sand Shot Sports Photo, 5th Place Logan Cole Stompin’ Senior Sports Story, 1st Place Austin Anderson As clock ticks away, hockey player stands behind years of dedication to face her future Sports Story, 2nd Place Austin Anderson Running Strong: Science teacher helps heal city with his first Boston Marathon Staff Editorial, 1st Place Zuhayr Alam Food drive more than trivial Staff Editorial, 3rd Place Dino Obobasic Parity in Parking: Staff, set our parking spots free Staff Editorial, 4th Place Austin Anderson Join Team Elliot: Spanish teacher’s son begins recovery Staff Editorial, Award of Excellence Ben Louviere Feminism blowup on social media ignores golden lesson Video story, 1st Place Austin Anderson, The Long Road Jackson Skiles Video story, 2nd Place Adam Ahrenholz, Parking Story Austin Anderson Video story, 3rd Place (tie) Jackson Skiles Part-time jobs Video story, 3rd Place (tie) Adam Ahrenholz, Students involved in elections Austin Anderson
Post and ESPN. “They all taught me, and I realized was that I wanted to be just like them. What I learned there, honestly changed my life, and it put me on the course to fall in love with journalism even more,” Anderson said. Anderson also loves journalism because he gets to hang out with some of his best friends while doing what he loves, along with his favorite teacher, who has inspired him to be the best he can be. In order to write a good story, it takes a lot of commitment and effort. Anderson states the “writing” part of the story isn’t always the most fun. “It gets frustrating be-
cause I want everything to be perfect and make it the best story that has ever been written.” For him, the outcome is the drive for the stories he writes. “For me the best part is when the person I’m writing about gets to read it and hopefully gets to understand how great they are and how impressive their accomplishment is. Or if the story is more of an opinion, to have the ability to change somebody’s mind or inspire them is really beneficial. The outcomes and the potential to change hearts, produce tears and impact lives is what I love most.” Anderson’s overall goal of every story is
to inspire people and make their lives better somehow or in some way, if it’s possible by just reading a story. He wants to reach not only those who read it, but also the people he is writing about. “I know that when you’re just reading the newspaper, whether it’s a sports story with your name barely mentioned or something more, it’s always cool to read your name.” Along with Anderson’s passion and deep love of journalism comes big dreams of what he wants to do in the world. “I used to say that I wanted to be the greatest sports JOURNALISTS’ INSPIRATIONS Continued on Page 7
2
NEWS
The
Tiger
HI-LINE
Friday, May 15, 2015
1st Place News Photo “Seniors Tumble to the Top” Logan Cole 3rd Place News Photo “Neighborhood Flames: Grieving Owners” Courtney Dobson
5th Place News Photo “Everybody Cut Footloose” Logan Cole
1st Place Feature Photo “50 Shades of Black and Blue” Taylor Hylton & Josie Speltz
3rd Place Feature Photo “Powder Puff Power” Logan Cole
5th Place Feature Photo “Wheel Barrow Walking” Jackie Norman
CFHS 2015 Iowa High School Press Association Photo Winners
The
Tiger
HI-LINE
Friday, May 15, 2015
2nd Place Feature Photo “Wet Wiechmann” Emily Barth
NEWS
3
2nd Place Sports Photo “Rugby Runaway” Megan Wallace
3rd Place Sports Photo “Flip and Go” Logan Cole
4th Place Feature Photo “Cowboy Shadow Dance” Logan Cole
5th Place Sports Photo “Stompin’ Senior” Logan Cole
4th Place Sports Photo “Sand Shot” Logan Cole
4
The
FEATURE
Tiger
Senior Nostalgia: “I am going to miss the staff because they are very helpful and kind. I’m also going to miss my second hour release breakfast club group.” -Senior Sammi
Palmersheim
HI-LINE
Friday, May 15, 2015
Seniors Dylan Southall, Alexis Mollen hoff and Ryan Oberrider have second hour release together along with seniors Danielle Templeton, Mia Poleksic, Cody Paulson, Sammi Palmersheim, Agatha Fenech and Ariana Mitra. “I’m going to miss a lot of people in our grade. I’ve become close with a lot of new people my senior year. I’ll also miss the distance (running) guys. They are like my second family,” Southall said. “I’ll definitely miss my friends. I know that a lot of my friends are going to the same college as me (Iowa State University), but it won’t be the same. My best friend Karla (Krueger) is staying here for two years, so I’ll miss her a lot. I’ll miss my close friends but also the people I’m not as close with: the people I like but don’t always get to hangout with,” Mollenhoff said. “I’ve made a lot of friends senior year, and that’s what made my college decision so hard. I thought I would be the guy with a plan and going off to college would be my own thing, but I didn’t realize that I would have such an amazing senior year. I’m actually going to miss it,” Oberrider said. The group also unaimously agreed on how much they enjoyed having release together, despite not being close friends before. “What makes high school fun is that you become friends with people you didn’t expect to be friends with,” Oberrider said. “Just talk to people,” Mollenhoff said, “It’s life changing.”
Seniors recount their best high school memories and reflect on what they will miss most
“I’m going to miss band the most because of the people in it. They really created a family for me outside of my own family. It was nice because I could come to school and know I would have people who would care about me.”
-Senior Annie Ross
Class of 2015
“My experiences with the theater were both my best memories and what I will miss most. Everyone is so welcoming, and no one judges. They are all so fun to be around; everybody is friendly. They never put you down. I think I’m going to miss it most because I’ve never had any friends like them.”
-Senior Emma Fox
By Staff Writer Agatha
FENECH
The
Tiger
HI-LINE
FEATURE
5
Living Green: Simple ways to help the environment Friday, May 15, 2015
and why you should care With President Barack Obama’s current words and actions about climate change all over the news, you may be thinking about how what you do impacts the environment. We have been told since elementary to reuse, reduce, recycle, but there are many more steps you can take to be more eco-friendly. With summer coming up, many of us are also probably looking to be a little healthier, and luckily, the two usually go hand in hand. “Turns out, adopting simpler, earth-friendly health and fitness routines had a bigger impact on my overall well being than any high-tech product ever did,” Alden Wicker, a NYC based health journalist, said. Wicker cited actions as simple as shopping at the farmers’ market, which is very easy to do here in Cedar Falls. There are five different farmers’ markets in the Cedar Falls-Waterloo area throughout the week, the most popular being the Downtown Cedar Falls Farmers’ Market, located on third street between Franklin and Clay. Not only is it fun to peruse a farmers’ market, there are so many more benefits than meet the eye. Farmers’ markets enable local farmers to sell their produce back into their community, helping the local economy. Also, farmers’ markets reduce the transportation distances of food, and thus the carbon emissions that go along with transporting food. The Council of the Environment of New York City highlights the situation in New York and how farmers’ markets are of great importance: “Transporting food long distances uses tremendous energy: it takes 435 fossil-fuel calories to fly a five calorie strawberry from California to New York.” If you buy produce from Hoffman’s Farm in Waterloo at the Cedar Falls Farmers’ Market, think of how much better that is for the environment than buying vegetables flown in from California.
Junior Merlin MacGillivray and Senior Brian Keiser make environmentally friendly transportation decisions. You may be thinking, “So what? So what if I shop at the Farmers’ Market? They are still going to transport food for long distances.” This is true. There will still be produce from California and different countries being transported all over the world, whether or not you shop at the Farmers’ Market or care about the environment. But, the simple matter is that every time you buy something, you cast a vote for how our food is produced. Buying locally grown food is voting for a more environmentally conscious future. Local environment expert Kamyar Enshayan said, “Buy fresh, buy local when you can. It is all about supporting, building, and appreciating our region’s food web and all who are involved.” Buying locally grown isn’t the only way to personally help
reduce carbon emissions. The most obvious way, but also one of the hardest in our car-dependent society, is to choose alternatives to driving and reduce driving time. With the beautiful upcoming summer weather and the plethora of bike trails in Cedar Falls, riding your bike wherever you need to go is easier than ever. Biking and walking adds exercise into your day, contributing to your personal health as well as the environment’s health. Senior Brian Keiser rides his bike to school everyday. Keiser said, “I like biking because it is super neat and better than driving those wasteful car things.” Junior Merlin MacGillivray also takes an environmentallyconscious approach to transportation, walking to and from school and carpooling with friends. “We should make cars
illegal and just have the biggest public transportation system in the entire world. Cars pollute and kill people, and we spend so much money on them and the highway system. We are freaking out about oil but keep using inefficient cars that take up too much space and use too many resources,” MacGillivray said. If you have to go shopping or buy things that you cannot fit on your bike, combine your errands. This saves both gas and time: good for your wallet, but more importantly, good for the environment. The Organization Carbon Fund attempts to fight climate change by reducing carbon emission. “A lot of our emissions come from just being inefficient or not deliberate with our daily decisions. Every day think about how you could reduce the miles you drive and pretty soon you’ll start identifying lots of opportunities,” the organization suggests. Now back to the mnemonic device that was sung, memorized and chanted in elementary school: reduce, reuse, recycle. With food packaging, you can do all three. Some of us are going to college next year and will be buying our own food, and many of us bring our own lunches to eat in the Tigers’ Den. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Guide to Reducing Wasted Food & Packaging said, “Together, food and packaging/ containers account for almost 45 percent of the materials landfilled in the United States.” Compared to other types of waste, food packaging is quite easy to reduce. And think about how much we could reduce all the waste landfilled if we took initiative with food packaging. Here are some tips on how to reduce food packaging waste: buy items in bulk to reduce the packaging used to make them (instead of the personal mac and cheese containers for lunch, make a batch at home and bring it in Tupperware containers to school), use loose tea instead of tea bags
(small, but it makes a difference), reuse your containers (glass peanut butter jar? Use it to hold your pencils!), and, of course, recycle whatever you can (pun because you can recycle pop cans). Next time you order Chinese at home, ask the restaurant not to include napkins or plastic utensils. You can just use what you have at home and forgo the waste. The Environmental Working Group is a national organization that works to help the environment, especially through the reduction of toxic chemicals and toxic chemical waste. While this may sound like a large scale mission, the Environmental Working Group says one of the easiest ways to reduce your personal contributions to chemical waste is by using “green” cleaning and laundry products. Though this is more applicable to the seniors who will be buying their own stuff in college, you can also always encourage your parents to buy products like “Ecover Laundry Powder” or “Eco-Me Laundry Soap.” Being around less chemicals is good for you, and using less chemicals is good for the environment. All of these steps are small things you can do to help the environment. Though they may seem insignificant in the big scheme of climate change and national landfills, if we all take initiative to make a positive, eco-friendly change, it can make a difference for a healthier world and a healthier you. As President Obama said, “That bright blue ball rising over the moon’s surface, containing everything we hold dear—the laughter of children, a quiet sunrise, all the hopes and dreams of posterity— that’s what’s at stake. That’s what we’re fighting for. And if we remember that, I’m absolutely sure we’ll succeed.”
By Staff Writer Agatha
FENECH
6
The
OPINION
Our View Thanks to our readers for a year of storytelling
There is a unique, unparalleled energy about the school on Fridays. A person who doesn’t love Fridays is simply wrong. However, along with the TGIF feeling of the approaching weekend, Fridays ensue a special excitement for the journalism staff — as the Hi-Line is published, we witness our project come to life to serve its purpose. As eyes skim the articles and stacks of papers are passed amongst students, it is enthralling to watch our very own stories spark interest, awareness Row One: Sommer Danielsen, Makaela Mallin, Row 2: Skylar Starbeck, Josie and entertainment. As the seniors depart Speltz, Agatha Fenech, Annebeth Ahrenholz, Row 3: Sarah Stortz, Austin through the doors of this Anderson, Row 4: Malcolm Musoni, Ben school for the last time, and Louviere, Zuhayr Alam, Row 5: Taylor as the remaining students Hylton, Brian Winkel and Dino Odobasic conclude yet another year, so too comes this school year’s final edition of the Tiger Hi-Line. As a staff, the Hi-Line would like nothing more than to extend a sincere thank you to the readers — to you, and to the rest student body here at Cedar Falls High School. This is a publication made by students for students, and there is something incredibly special about that. Here, you and your peers are represented in all your glory. High school life may sound mundane on the surface; however, it is obvious to those of us who live it that there are exciting and important things happening around us every day, packed with action and filled with emotion. As a staff, we can only hope that you’ve relished in those stories as much as we’ve enjoyed attempting to tell them. The Hi-Line has allowed ourselves as writers to tell the tales of students, faculty, events, sports, issues, places, politics, literature, hobbies, food, movies, music, fashion, friendships and the rest of student life — all in an effort to pursue the bliss of writing to share it with you. We would also like to extend a warm thank you to our journalism teacher, Mr. Winkel — the man behind the curtain who pours his heart and soul into bringing out the best in his students as they tell the stories, express themselves and pursue their passions. He didn’t have any part in writing this — however, he did arrive at school before the sun rose in order to lay out the paper and ensure its publication throughout the school each and every week. With this edition of the Hi-Line, we thank you once again . Without you, there would be no stories, and without you, there would be no audience. We fervently hope you’ve enjoyed reading with us this year.
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. Editor-in-Chief: Austin Anderson Online Editor: Zuhayr Alam Copy Editor: Annebeth Ahrenholz Staff Writers: Sommer Danielsen, Agatha Fenech, Taylor Hylton, Ben Louviere, Mikaela Mallin, Malcolm Musoni, Dino Odobasic, Josie Speltz, Skylar Starbeck and Sarah Stortz
Tiger
Friday, May 15, 2015
HI-LINE
Ice cream connoisseurs critic creameries I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream. With summer just around the corner, this couldn’t be more true. Everyone loves a cold treat in the middle of hot day, but where’s the best place to go to get it? The Tiger Hi-Line decided to find out. By scooping out four area ice cream shoppes — Dairy Queen, Four Queens Dairy Cream, Cold Stone Creamery and Hansen’s Dairy Outlet — we’ve compiled rankings of their respective variety, service, ambiance, cost and, of course, taste. Remember these are just our opinions. Where you decide to get your summer frozen fix is ultimately up to you.
Variety:
1. Four Queens - Complete with 10 soft serve ice cream flavors, eight flavor burst flavors, seven cone varieties, various coffee crunchies, upwards of 35 snowstorm flavors, 28 snowie flavors, nine slushie flavors, seven smoothie types, five different floats, 15 toppings, nine specialty sundaes and six freezer items including pints and quarts of ice cream and custom icecream cakes, Four Queens by far has the most selections available in the Cedar Valley 2. Cold Stone - Home to a wide selection of hard ice cream flavors, mix-ins and toppings, Cold Stone offers both Signature and Make-Your-Own Creations available in cup or cone.They also have ice cream cakes, cupcakes, shakes, smoothies, frozen yogurt, sorbert and take-home quarts in four flavors available. 3. Dairy Queen - Only two soft serve ice cream flavors are available, but when paired with seven available sundae toppings, four cone types or select mix-ins for prime Blizzard creations, this can be overlooked. They also offer two Royal Treats, three freezer novelties and custom made cakes. 4. Hansen’s - Hansen’s offers a few soft serve flavors, flavor burst cones, pre-made cones and ice cream sandwhiches. In store they sell their hard ice cream in half-gallons, quarts, half-pints, and 4 oz. cups in 28 flavors.
Service:
1. Cold Stone - Employees were extremely pleasant and smiled often. Their service was quick and friendly. They seemed dedicated to making our experience enjoyable. Tip and you might just be sung to. 2. Four Queens - Service was quick even though it was rather busy. Employees were pleasant, and though not highly smiley, seemed to care about making our experience enjoyable. Four queens also offers a drive through window service. 3. Hansen’s - Cashiers were pleasant and helpful, but didn’t go out of their way to make our experience the best of the best. 4. Dairy Queen - Service seemed slow, even though it wasn’t very busy. Cashier was pleasant, but seemed disengaged.
Ambiance:
1. Cold Stone - With light and airy coordinated decor, Cold Stone offers a clean, pleasant ambiance complete with a large array of indoor seating for enjoyin one’s treat. 2. Four Queens - Though indoor space is limited, there are plenty of outdoor benches and shaded picnic tables, and displayed sports posters show appreciated support for Cedar Falls athletics. 3. Dairy Queen - It’s somewhat dim inside, and seating is only offered outdoors. 4. Hansen’s - No seating is offered. Remember it’s intent is not just as an ice cream shoppe, but also as an outlet for selling other Hansen’s products.
Cost:
1. Hansen’s - With standard size, quality flavored, hard ice cream cones only costing $1.75, there’s no better deal in the Cedar Valley. 2. Dairy Queen - Reasonably priced frozen treats. It was pleasing to find that Royal Treats weren’t much more expensive than standard treats. 3. Four Queens - Products have pretty standard pricing. The price difference between sizes is larger than expected. However, perhaps ounce difference between sizes justifies this. 4. Cold Stone - Cold Stone ice cream comes at the steepest price in the Cedar Valley, especially if you’re looking for something other than kiddie sized, and adding additional toppings can increase that price quickly.
Taste:
1. Hansen’s - Hansen’s hard ice cream, made on the Hansen’s farm, is extremely delicious. It’s thick, rich and decadent. Better than any else in the Cedar Valley. 2. Cold Stone - Cold Stone’s Signature Creations come in a close second. By mixing the very best complimentary flavors, they create the perfect combinations. Their hard ice cream is thick creamy, and tastes amazing. 3. Four Queens - Their soft serve ice cream, though not as satisfying as hard ice cream, is the best in the area. It’s pleasingly sweet and smooth. 4. Dairy Queen - Coming in close behind Four Queens soft serve, DQ soft serve is by no means bad. It’s smooth, cool and still hits the spot on a hot summer day. By Staff Writer Mikaela
MALLIN
The
Tiger
HI-LINE JOURNALISTS’ INSPIRATIONS Continued from Page 1
journalist ever. But I have somewhat recently realized that it doesn’t matter that I am the best as long as I am the best that I can be.” He has goals and ways he plans on helping others in the world. “My ultimate goal at the end of everything, if I could, I would really like to be one of the best sports journalists in the world, and then use that platform to help people and do good in the world.” Anderson’s favorite writer is Wright Thompson. He inspires him to be a better writer every day. Anderson describes how much he admires Mitch Albom who writes for the Detroit Free Press. He is an author and has written many different books from young adult short story novels to columns, but he also goes to Haiti every month to help out people who are in need. “That’s a very prominent, famous wealthy person giving time out of his busy schedule every month to help people. I don’t know how it’s going to work exactly, but I would love to follow in that path, maybe becoming an author, and using my platform to do good in the world.” Anderson is headed to Iowa State University next year to study journalism and mass communications. “Iowa State University is one of the best journalism schools in the country. I will be writing for the Iowa State Daily, hopefully get involved with the Iowa State T.V. and just really grab ahold of those opportunities and make the most of them.” High school has prepared Anderson for the next step of his life and going off to accomplish his goals and pursue the dreams he spoke of. “I would say that here at Cedar Falls we have an unbelievably unique and good opportunity for journalism students. I think we have the best journalism teacher in the state of Iowa, Mr. Winkel. I think that his passion and love for journalism just inspires us all to be the best we can be, and not only just do it for a grade. It is so much more than a grade, and that is what he helps you realize that it’s not about if you have an A in the gradebook. It’s about impacting people’s lives and really telling a great story that people will remember for a long time.” Skiles also has developed a passion for journalism, along with art over the years. Broadcast journalism has been his “creative outing” ever since ending taking art classes previously in his life. “This is my new way to express myself, and it’s fun to tell stories. It’s how history is told, through story telling. I am just adding to history, and that’s kind of a cool thing to think about,” Skiles said. Skiles said that he believes that he has always been creative, indicating that he used to draw a lot and has always liked graffiti. “I would draw a ton of graffiti. I have graffiti pictures all over my room, and I used to make little home movies. I did stop motion stuff, which was really cool, but really hard having 300 pictures and putting them on an old Dell, but it all turned out.” Skiles didn’t get involved with broadcast until his senior year. He discovered how much he enjoyed making videos last summer when he made his Caravan and Florida
Friday, May 15, 2015
FEATURES
After three years of storytelling, editor files one last Hi-Line story for his teacher
7
It is 4:30 a.m. and as many would expect, the high school is in silence. In three hours the parking lots will be filled and the silence will disappear. But at this moment, the hallways are as dark as the night sky out the window and all of the 1,200 students that will soon invade the emptiness of 1015 Division St., are fast asleep. The lone breath in the building resides in room 208 and belongs to journalism teacher Brian Winkel who sits in his office, like he does every morning before the big hand on the clock even strikes 5. Anything from journalism books and classic literature to magazines on fishing and nature fill the bookshelf in his office. NPR echoes throughout the small room and The New York Times and Des Moines Register are sprawled out on his desk, both of which get read from front to back each morning in order to find his muse, something he actively pleads for his students to do. By the time most teachers wake up, Winkel has already ridden his bike to school under the moonlight (the same bike he has had since he was 13 that he bought with his detasseling money), read a magnitude of stories and potentially cried tears of happiness and sadness, done grading, and most importantly, has schemed up a way to inspire his students in some way that day, all while drinking a cup of hot tea. Hundreds of students have come through the journalism room over the 14 years Winkel has been at CFHS. Some students come and go as passing faces but other students leave a mark on the journalism program, as well as on Winkel himself, that will forever be etched in history and inspire the next generation. What Winkel might not realize, however, is the kind of mark he forever etched in his students that
has inspired them wherever they go. It would be difficult to find a more successful CFHS alum than 2005 Tiger Hi-Line editor-in-chief Cyrus Moussavi. Out of high school, Moussavi received a $50,000 scholarship from the Freedom Forum and USA Today for his risk-taking high school journalism work under the guidance of Winkel. Moussavi attended Columbia University in New York and has since started a documentary series called Raw Music International focusing on underground music around the world that has taken him to Kenya, Northern Iraq (Kurdistan), Ukraine, Burma and Trinidad. He has had his work featured on the websites of the Washington Post, NBC News, Rolling Stone as well as MTV. The impact Moussavi has had on the world has been substantial, but the impact Winkel made on Moussavi certainly isn’t far behind. “He’s an inspiration and a role model, and I can’t imagine what high school would have been like without him,” Moussavi said. “He empowered us. He gave us a platform and the tools to use it.” That platform is the school newspaper, the Tiger Hi-Line. Awards for the Hi-Line fill the back wall of room 208, and in the left corner of the room, the award for Iowa High School Press Association photographer of
the year can be found with 2009 graduate Honor Heindl’s name on it. Heindl is another case of literally and figuratively leaving her mark on the program. Her awards and photography hang from the wall, but her stories and skill are continuously brought up in staff meetings as examples on how to be great. Heindl believes Winkel is a huge part as to why she has been so successful, “Mr. Winkel puts so much heart into what he teaches,” Heindl said. “As wise and knowledgeable as he is, he remains profoundly humble. When someone is so enthusiastic about what they’re sharing with you, it’s impossible to not jump on board as well. The passion is contagious.” Heindl is currently working on a masters of social work degree, and her photography has taken her to India and Thailand to volunteer for nonprofit organizations. “Mr. Winkel is a huge reason I am where and who I am today,” she said. “It probably sounds cheesy, but having a teacher genuinely believe in you and advocate for you is one of the greatest gifts any young person could receive. I felt like I sort of found my niche or sense of purpose through his class.”
videos, which were projects he did for fun. “I made them all on my phone, and thought to myself, I’m pretty sure we have a class that could do this way better, so I thought I’d just join and see what it’s like.” Along with Anderson, Winkel also has had an impact on Skiles. “I had him before, and I liked him,” Skiles said. Skiles states that he likes all parts of broadcast — taping, editing — but his favorite part is being able to see the finished product before everyone else. “Editing is like the guts of the video. You decide how loud you want it to be, how bright you want the picture to be, what angle you want to be at, just cool stuff like that. Things that you normally don’t think about while watching a videos.” Having experience with these types of things and editing videos has changed the way Skiles watches videos. “Now when I watch T.V. shows I’m always thinking about how the camera is moving or how they are doing a certain stunt. I’m thinking about what’s real and what’s not, and if it’s not, I think about how they would have done that.” Thinking about these things inspires him
to be a better broadcast journalist. “It inspires me to think that I will be able to do that eventually in my life, that’s the goal.” Taking broadcast journalism this year has not only been a positive experience for Skiles, but it has changed what he plans to do in the future. If he did not take this class this past year, he would be majoring in physical therapy next year, what he was originally accepted into college for. But he is now majoring in Interactive Digital Studies (IDS), which is a lot of things. “It is pretty much anything with technology. It’s a newer thing at UNI. I talked to a guy in a coffee shop. I looked it up and liked it.” High school has given him the chance to use some really nice computers and software that would not have been available to him without the school. “It really added to my knowledge that has kind of been self-taught. I kind of play around and figure things out on my own. It gave me the opportunity to develop this into more than just a hobby.” Skiles, along with Anderson, also has goals to complete and dreams to follow. His number one goal in life is to make beautiful art. “It doesn’t have to be for somebody,
as long as it’s for me and I enjoy it. I want people to enjoy it, but when it comes down to it, I need to enjoy what I do before other people do.” Skiles plans to make art and pursue his dreams through movies, T.V. shows, youtube videos, taking pictures and documenting his life. “It’s kind of scary, but it’s going to be fun.” These ideas and dreams may seem a little insane, but Anderson and Skiles both are aware of that and believe they are capable. “I think it takes a little crazy in everyone to follow their dreams,” Skiles said. These two students both have been deeply inspired by journalism teacher, Mr. Winkel. He is extremely passionate about all of his students, and genuinely cares about each one of them succeeding. “I am hoping that they have the skills that they need to realize the dreams that they want to realize. I hope that they spend enough time to discover that that is never a finished effort. It is an ongoing process. Discovering and learning skills goes on and on,” Winkel said.
Hey Mr. Winkel, We often talk about how writing a story can make an impact on somebody’s life and how it’s like you’re giving them a gift. Well, you have certainly made an impact on my life, and this was the best way I could try to repay you, by giving you the gift of a story. I think I was supposed to write something else, but this was the best farewell to the Hi-Line I could think of. I get that you might not want to put a story about yourself in the paper, but you also always say that to be truly creative, a story needs an audience to fully make a difference. So in order for this story to be the best it can be, I think it should be in the Hi-Line so everyone can see the difference you make in your students’ lives. Thanks for everything. See ya in a couple hours. —Austin
LAST STORY Continued on Page 8
By Copy Editor Annebeth
AHRENHOLZ
8
The
SPORTS Baseball, softball winding up for summer
Baseball players have been training in recent weeks, and the softball team started practice this past Monday; however, the pitchers and catchers have been practicing at the high school in the gym for a the last few weeks. Junior Kelsey Aikey is a pitcher for the softball team. She practices year round. “It’s a lot, but it pays out in the end. I like doing it because I know it is making me better, but sometimes I want a break and time to be with friends,” she said. Aikey is very committed to this sport. “It is my favorite sport because it’s aggressive. It is fun to win and show your personality on the field.” Along with the opening of this new season comes new goals and aspirations. “My personal goals are for the first pitch to always be a strike and to have less than two walks a game. As a team, our goals are to have more team bonding, talking to each other every pitch and have fun while playing,” Aikey said. After the long wait, she is eager to return to real ac-
LAST STORY Continued from Page 7
The ability Winkel has had to impact lives as a teacher wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for a split second decision he made on the last day of his college career at South Dakota State. He was sitting in a room filling out paperwork when someone from Mitchell, S.D., came into the room in desperate need of a journalism teacher for their high school. His plan was to get his doctorate in English, and be a professor at the University of Iowa, but his friends immediately told him that this would be perfect for him. He went in for the interview as “practice” and accepted the offer on the spot. “I was driving home, and I grabbed the steering wheel so tight that my knuckles turned white, and I said ‘What the hell did I just do,’” Winkel said. “But I’m glad I did it. It changed my life.” Winkel moved many times during his childhood. He was born in Iowa before moving to Minnesota then to Katy, Texas, where he turned down a date in seventh grade with actress Renee Zellweger. He then moved back to Iowa and lived in Sibley where he was the student council president for all four years of high school with, believe it or not, Justin Bieber like hair.
Friday, May 15, 2015
tion. “The little moments like striking someone out, or having your whole team hit great the whole game, or hearing people in the stands cheering you on telling you, you can do it. You get to play softball. No one is making you, so it should be fun.” Senior Trey Bronner is a shortstop on the baseball team and has been playing since second grade. He trains all year, participating in fall baseball, winter workouts, spring league baseball and summer baseball. Senior Brady Corson assists Bronner through the winter workouts. They hit together and throw at night. Bronner has played his whole life basically and has fallen in love with the sport. “I like baseball because it’s such a mental game. If you fail seven out of 10 times, you are still a good baseball player. But if you fail in life, it’s not the same. You have to keep a strong mentality,” he said. Bronner said that their goal as a team is to make it to Des Moines for State, as the team has not been to State since 1989 when it was in Cedar Rap-
The moves continued once he got into his professional career when he took on an associate principal position at Waukon High School for Allamakee Schools in northeast Iowa. He made more money, but he also felt like he wasn’t earning it because of the light workload. He also wasn’t able to inspire students in the same way and was taken away from his beloved journalism. “I felt guilty walking into work every day,” Winkel said. So when a job opened up for a journalism teacher in Cedar Falls, he took the road trip and met with English teacher Judy Timmons and retiring journalism teacher Judy Funk. When they asked him why he would give up the money and the position to be a journalism teacher, his response was simple yet sincere and may have gotten him the job. “Teaching is my passion,” he told them. It’s been 14 years since Winkel accepted the job as the journalism teacher at Cedar Falls. There are a solid amount of awards that hang in his classroom, but there haven’t been any additions for a few years. The Hi-Line used to be in The Courier before the recession hit in 2009, and the CFHS school newspaper has been rebounding ever since. The rise back to the top has been a struggle for the HiLine, and a new problem arose at
Tiger
HI-LINE
Athlete
of the
Week
Emma Redington Tennis
Leah Forsblom Photo
Senior LHP Brady Corson delivers a pitch to home plate during an intrasquad scrimmage last week at Robinson Dresser. ids. He also said that last year they were very close but did not quite make it, so they have high hopes for this season. The first varsity softball game will be on Tuesday, May 26, and the junior varsity’s will be on that Friday, May 29. The first varsity baseball game will
be on Monday, May 25, and the first sophomore game will be the following Tuesday, the May 26. The freshmen baseball players will compete for the first time on that Thursday, May 28. By Copy Editor Annebeth
the end of the first semester this year. There were only six students enrolled heading into the second semester, and if there was not an increase in enrollment for next year, the possibility of the class coming to an end became a very real one. The worry set in for a split second before recruiting pitches started and the quality of the newspaper spoke for itself. There were six kids as the first semester ended and 13 when the second semester began. Seven students gave up their first hour release to become a part of the family led by Winkel. and Moussavi can see why. “He was a teacher, but he was also a leader. By his own example he taught us integrity and honesty.” After the potential elimination of journalism from the offered curriculum, 51 students signed up to take journalism next year, which produces the only weekly school newspaper in the state. The course will extend over three periods, something that has never been done at CFHS, and if you include Winkel’s other journalism classes, broadcast journalism and yearbook, over 100 students signed up to take some sort of journalism course for the 20152016 school year. Two of Winkel’s journalism students received awards from
the Iowa High School Press Association as the single best in the entire state. Jackson Skiles was named the Videographer of the Year and Austin Anderson was named the Writer of the Year. The IHSPA deemed 40 of Winkel’s students’ stories, videos or photos as one of the five best in their respective field in the state of Iowa. That list includes the best column, feature photo, feature story, illustration, news story, news photo, sports story, photo story, staff editorial and video story. Pretty good for a program that is “dying.” As students and teachers slowly and reluctantly get out of their beds and begin to wake up, Winkel locks his fingers together behind his head and kicks his feet up on his desk. The radio drowns out the slight noise of his fridge filled with food adequate for his vegan diet. With the stresses on his proverbial plate seemingly weathered and a promising future ahead for himself and every student lucky enough to cross his path, Winkel did something he hadn’t done all year, albeit for only a few minutes. With everyone else waking up and the hot tea resting on his desk, he closed his eyes and took a nap.
AHRENHOLZ
By Editor-in-Chief Austin
ANDERSON
Senior Emma Reddington is in her final season playing tennis for the Tigers. How’s the chemistry on the team? We’re best friends and sisters. We really bring each other through the tough times and the good times too. We just really support each other. When does the chemistry really help out? Especially if we have hard practices or we’re going against Waterloo West, or if we have a tough loss. We always support each other. What was the best memory from the season? We were going against the defending State champion, Cedar Rapids Washington. I was paired up with Laura Gibson, and I was up 9-4. Then she started playing really well and once we were tied 9-9, the tensions started rising, and she started cheating. We don’t have refs in tennis, so she started hooking all the calls. She would change the score and would question all of my calls that brought her more points than she deserved. Then I won 11-9.
Tigers in Action
Women’s Track May 21-23 state meet @ Drake Stadium Men’s Track May 21-23 state meet @ Drake Stadium Women’s Soccer May 15 at CR Prairie 5:15 p.m. Men’s Soccer May 15 vs CR Prairie 5:15 p.m. Women’s Golf May 15 Fort Dodge Invite 9 a.m. Women’s Tennis May 16 Regionals Men’s Tennis May 16 Districts