May 1 2015 hi line

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Tigers Trotting Check out the pics from those who participated in the annual run/Page 4 Follow us on Twitter at tigerhiline, Facebook at TigerHilineOnline and on our website at www.hiline.cfschools.org

Volume 55 Edition 25

Junior’s athletic research leads to national competition

For most people, running is all about leg power. However, for junior Vineel Mallavarapu, it’s all about brain power.

What began as a research project to pursue his personal aspirations ended up landing Mallavarapu in a spot among the most talented and competitive young minds on the planet.

This weekend, Mallavarapu traveled to Maryland to present his work to a panel of esteemed judges for a shot at scholarships and incredible academic prestige.

So what exactly has this humble young man been up to?

Towards the beginning of his sophomore year, Mallavarapu combined his passion for athletics with his aspirations to pursue the medical profession. He planned to research the running of cross country athletes, aiming to figure out exactly how and why the best runners took home first place.

Taking initiative, Mallavarapu contacted University of Northern Iowa professor Kevin Finn for help in his testing.

He then assembled a group of statequalifying cross country runners from Cedar Falls, Hudson and Denver to participate in various forms of physical attribute testing. Because these athletes all ran on the same course in Fort Dodge, Mallavarapu could correlate each athlete’s data with their race performances.

Gathering data included recording each runner’s height, weight, body fat percentage and maximal oxygen consumption, as well as recording video clips of the runners on a treadmill to analyze their strides. After performing statistical analysis, Mallavarapu found that a higher stride frequency seemed to be the most prominent factor in better race performance.

Junior Vineel Mallavarapu used specialized software to conduct extensive research into the physiological traits of successful athletes.

Taking the research a stride further, Mallavarapu rented a running-kinematics software that allowed him to map joint angles in the runners’ strides.

“Using those joint angles, I can run a statistical analysis and find out which joint angles from which runners resulted in a better race performance — breaking running down to mechanics, basically,” Mallavarapu said. He also analyzed and recorded data on the runners’ gait cycles, which involves the mechanics of the various stages of running motion.

After finishing with testing, Mallavarapu compiled his research and published a paper — a process that was completed in mid-January this year. He then submitted the paper to a scholarship program known as the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS). “The research was out of personal interest, and then I found out this

program existed. I thought it’d be cool, you know. Why not just enter?” Mallavarapu asked.

After evaluation, 15 papers from Iowa students are selected for the regional symposium competition — among them, Mallavarapu’s. The 15 then present their research in front of a panel of judges and an audience at the Belin-Blank center at the University of Iowa. Twelve minutes are allotted for presentation, followed by six minutes of open questioning from the judges.

“They make sure you know your stuff,” Mallavarapu said.

After a day of deliberation amongst the judges, the scores are given, and the top five students move on to the national competition; however, only the top two formally present their research to the panel of national judges. The other three present a poster-board style

capping those totes with recycling bins.

Robots then try to put pool noodles, representing litter, inside of the recycling bins.

The world championship event is set up with eight divisions, each with 75 teams. After 10 matches, the top eight teams from every division pick three other teams from their division to form an alliance with. After that, the alliances compete in the quarter-finals, semifinals and finals. The winners of each division then play the winners of each of the other divisions in the same format.

The Swartdogs finished third in their division but were knocked out in the quarterfinal stages, but Swartdogs mentor and physics teacher Kenton Swartley was pleased with the way the

Cedar Falls High School will say goodbye to two outstanding teachers at the end of the 2014 -2015 school year. Family Consumer Science teacher Linda Schutte and science and engineering teacher Ron Hoofnagle are both moving on to pursue different interests in the coming year.

Schutte has taught for 23 years in the Cedar Falls school system. Her current classes include fashion merchandising, interior design, child development and adult living. Schutte decided to make this year her last to become more active and allow time for a hip and knee replacement, which may be on the horizon.

Schutte plans to spend her time pursuing her own sewing projects, reading and traveling.

“I won’t be sitting around doing

Swartdogs return from St. Louis Out of around 3,000 robotics teams in contention to qualify for the world championship tournament in St. Louis last weekend, only about 600 made it.

The Swartodgs, or Team 525, from Cedar Falls High School were one of those 600.

Each year, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) creates a new game, with all teams involved with FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge) making a robot to perform in the game. In the past, games have pitted Frisbee-throwing robots against each other, basketball-playing robots against each other and soccer-playing robots against each other.

This year, the game was called “Recycle Rush.” It is a recycling-themed game played by two alliances of three robots each. Teams score points by stacking totes on scoring platforms and

SWARTDOGS Continued on Page 7

representation of their research. There will be no poster-board for Mallavarapu, however. He is headed straight for the national judges’ panel with an incredible first place finish at the regional competition.

Mallavarapu has been working to refine his presentation at the national level. “The judges give their feedback from the regional competition, and basically I just tweak some things in my paper and presentation, and do it again in Maryland,” he said.

At the national competition, Mallavarapu will be among 270 total students that come from around the globe to compete, and winning the competition would entail a substantial scholarship.

“I’m excited. I’m sort of nervous too because you’re in front of this panel of judges and competing with other kids who are really passionate about their research too, but at the same time I’m not as nervous because I’m already happy that I’m this far.”

With aspirations for the future, Mallavarapu plans to continue his inspiring pursuit of athletics and medicine. With a successful high school tennis career, he also hopes to continue playing at the collegiate level. “I love tennis, so hopefully I could play somewhere in college — then hopefully go on to become a doctor. I’m interested in sports medicine and orthopedics, which would be a good mix of my interests.”

Mallavarapu presented his research on Thursday, April 30. Don’t worry, however, because he will return to Cedar Falls just in time to present his other smooth moves on the dance floor at prom.

By Staff Writer Ben

LOUVIERE

CFHS says goodbye to two staff

nothing. I don’t even think of it as retiring. I’m just not teaching anymore,” Schutte said. After 23 years teaching, Schutte will miss the students and colleagues she gets to work with everyday.

Hoofnagle has taught for five years in the Cedar Falls school system. He currently teaches AP physics and computer integrated manufacturing. Hoofnagle is leaving Cedar Falls to work for multinational biotechnology company, bioMérieux in North Carolina.

At bioMérieux, Hoofnagle will work as a quality assurance manager, leading a team of people working to perfect diagnostic medical devices.

As one might imagine, to perform this job requires great commitment and knowledge, which excites Hoofnagle. “I

GOODBYE

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2

The

NEWS

Seeds of Service

Tiger

HI-LINE

Friday, May 1, 2015

Senior’s long term plan for garden comes to life Some say the opportuni- Fenech applied for the grant, ties to generate an incredible submitted a project proposal, impact are rare for Cedar Falls budget plan and list of qualiHigh School, but through the fications to be an ambassador. seeds of perseverance of seThe grant was given through nior Agatha Fenech on a proj- Youth Service America, which ect long in the planning, may- distributes grants and desigbe this assertion will be proved nates a National Child Awareotherwise. ness Ambassador, only giving It all began when Fenech out one per state. Months latwitnessed Davenport Central’s er, Fenech received word that school she was garden selected last year, as the which National t h e C h i l d school Awarehad ren e s s cently Month b u i l t Ambasr i g h t sador for next to Iowa. t h e i r “One building. of the Fenech b e s t began parts of to think being of the an amgreat imbassapact that dor and starting receiva stuing this dent run g r a n t garden was goat Ceing to National Child Awareness the fully dar Falls Ambassador for Iowa p a i d c o u l d initiate.

Ambas“Even though Iowa’s primary sador training in Washington, industry is agriculture, many D.C., last September. I got to Cedar Falls students, includ- meet all the youth ambassaing myself before this project, dors, hear about their projects, don’t know that much about meet with Senator Grassley to where their food comes from,” discuss the project, and learn a Fenech said. lot about successfully executThat was not the only in- ing a large-scale service projspiration behind starting the ect,” Fenech said. garden. Fenech also wanted After receiving the grant, to raise awareness for locallywhich supplied Fenech with grown food and community $1,000, she started on the inihealth, and with the idea of tial prep work for the garden. the garden already underway, The location of the garden is one question still remained: behind the high school behow is the school going to be tween the auto mechanics able to fund a garden? Having classroom and the track. Green been a member of the State club adviser Ethan Weichmann of Iowa Youth Advisory Coun- helped with tilling the garden, cil (SIYAC) for the past year, then Kamyar Enshayan, a comFenech picked up the idea for munity expert on gardening a grant from her SIYAC advisor. and locally grown food op-

Agatha Fenech Photo

On Sunday, April 26, students gathered to plant seeds in the new garden plot that grew from the planning of senior Agatha Fenech’s involvement with Youth Service America and many other partners.

“I hope this encourages other students to pursue their passion through service projects and involve other students.”

—Agatha Fenech

Erik Tazegul Photo tions, taught Fenech about planting a cover crop, which would enhance the soil’s nutrient level so that it would be ready for planting in the spring.

When spring rolled around, the garden had to be retilled, and Fenech also decided to place wood chip paths.

Finally, this last Sunday, April 26, with the weather being sunny and gorgeous, all of the hard work in preparation for planting was finally put to the test. Several volunteers from Senior Leadership, Student Senate and a few other interested students came back to the garden to help with its very first planting.

The team planted eight dif-

ferent vegetables, including lettuce, squash, honey squash, spinach, beets, cucumbers, peppers and carrots.

“It was the perfect day for planting, and we got it done in under an hour. Best of all, I think everyone had a really good time planting, getting down in the earth and working together,” Fenech said.

Fenech’s sense of accomplishment beamed as she talked of her vision of a school garden finally becoming a reality. As the garden continues to thrive, Fenech is going to continue to work on it along with other volunteers, who are mostly sophomores and juniors, for they will be the ones that will keep it running next

year.

The experience of making the garden come to life, has had a major impact on Fenech.

“It has been fantastic. It is a really empowering experience to take on a project of this scale and engage so many CFHS students. I hope this encourages other students to pursue their passion through service projects and involve other students. Being an ambassador has also been a phenomenal position; I can say I have a friend in every state, and it was really cool to meet people from all over the country who are interested in the same things I am,” Fenech said.

By Staff Writer Josie

SPELTZ

The

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Friday, May 1, 2015

3

Summer Threads

rn Patte d n a r p Colo ley, dee ds i n an Pa nd h ave bee ing a s l com flora abrics h f e up rns are h d t r e e dy ed fo patt who reviv er. Loud r those fo How m sum y to find t them. the ’t as ou still e live with lors aren eas t o ’ can bright c hues this amy , ever summer and cre es l ow n o y rthtone ith p d red, w a E g . n n son es, alo ge a arity. n t a i r h w pul e, o d blu ing in po e r e d row are g

Silho u Bell s ettes l e e dres ses e and pe ves ’70s a m s loose revival. T body a ant f h u c best hiffon s e blessin ll-on h o g o w of rt ed o lows n us. s has be you of pa to enjo Chiffon en y th aljama look pan e comf ing l t o i s k Risin , g po e you ju without rt st wo pula and rity ke realm flare jea of boyf up. rie ns s ger e of denim mean th nd e xclu sivel are no l ony skin tight .

D

ays filled with heat, humidity and no air conditioning are fast approaching, which means it’s time to line up your summer wardrobe. This realization brings a variety of reactions spanning from total elation to sighs of dread. But picking out your new season favorites is surprisingly simple. Whether you prefer clean aesthetics or whimsical ensembles, there are no rules telling you what to choose. And thanks to the rising temperature, there is no layering required to survive the cold, or snow to trench through outside. All you have to do is find your favorite tee and grab a pair of shorts to match (or not match). Afterall, the longest summer of your life is on the horizon, and you don’t want to waste it.

ls s Shoe e sanda le s, slid rtab for u t comfo s this y k Luc e mos shoe h ted l classify t n e a r a l w i t t ’re s dma mos and . (If you as gran you g ks on seas rkenstoc are askin als d i ing B retailers iator san run, s d g shoe op.) Gla ut stron ck for t b s a t to istan ms are b rave. d a r are . Platfo db h an p s i l u y r t s ne ber the u

Accessories Circle sunglasses have resurfaced for the summer, complemented by its fellow ’70s staple — the middle part. Jewelry is being layered, from necklaces to ring stacks. If that’s too much of a hassle for you, temporary tattoo jewelry is a safe alternative when venturing outdoors.

Croc T het, extiles l ace com ers a pliment and chi ff b n leath d dress oho rom on e e s p. It l rm ting a we ight fina ooks like lly be ll-de off. U se g n to g less you rved se etet of a a son r en ting f go is that tra ’t ready in ye hard t, , mak so no o letne w e yo u. ill

By Staff Wrtier Sommer

DANIELSEN

4

FEATURES

The

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Tigers Trotting Friday, May 1, 2015

Staff, students and community members added some warmth to a cold Saturday, April 25, at Pfieffer Park as they participated in the annual Trot Trot Color Run, an event that raises money for some CFHS families. At right is Principal Jason Wedgebury. Below him is sophomore Allie Taiber, junior Gus Marty, junior Nathan Shull and sophomore Arie Vernon. At top is PE teacher Paul Elser. At right is sophomore Tyler Campbell. Below him are special needs teacher Bridget Bakula and her daughter.

Photos by Agatha Fenech and Leah Forsblom

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FEATURES

5

Story and Graphic by Skylar Starbeck

Cedar Falls Students Expand Talents to Hearst Center Exhibit Top Left: A Thousand Faces, by senior Amber Hagen Bottom Left: Ambient Pizza, by junior Sommer Danielsen Top Right: Monkey Business, by senior Kyler Boss Bottom Right: Cat & Water, by junior Landry Boerhave

At the Hearst Center in Cedar Falls, local Cedar Falls students artwork has been placed in the collection. This exhibit contains artwork from kindergarden to 12th grade. Talented artists from all around the Cedar Falls School District have been placed in the Developing Expressions exhibit which started April 19 and goes on till May 17. The emerging talent of young artists provides a diverse and impressive exhibition with works in all media including ceramics, painting, photograpgy and printmaking.

Junior art student Landry Boerhave has used her art talents to enter one of her pieces into the Congressional Art Competition. Only being a junior, Boerhave has taken many art classes here at Cedar Falls and has been praised for her art.

Another junior art student, Sommer Danielsen, is proud of her piece located in the Hearst Center exhibit. She said, “I am proud of my work and how I have improved. This piece was a challenge for me, but I was looking to make this picture realistic. I was thrilled to see all the amazing artwork done by Cedar Falls students up on the wall with mine.”

Amber Hagen, senior, painted her piece called “A Thousand Faces” inspired by her favorite song. “I got the idea from a 5 Seconds of Summer song called ‘Close As Strangers.’ The line from the song is “Every night I’m losing you in a thousand faces.’ I love the song, and when [art teacher Emily] Luensmann told us about this project, I could just see what I wanted to paint.”

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The

OPINION Our View

Triumphant Tunes

Highly rated musicians headed into their final performances On Saturday, April 18, a number or CFHS choir, orchestra, and band students participated in the solo/ensemble competition at East High School. Many great things happened and there were a lot of amazing accomplishments.

There were a majority of Divisions I and II ratings given out to members of band, orchestra and choir students.

Junior Amy Pattee participated in an orchestra trio. “I did a clarinet trio. It was fun working together and bringing all of our parts together.” Other people who participated in this trio were Autumn Timm and M e g a n Wa l l a c e .

They received a choir director Division I rating.

Sophomore Allie Taiber also took part in solo ensemble. She performed a viola solo.

“The ISHMA Solo Festival is always a great opportunity for student musicians to show their progress, talent and passion for music. Receiving multiple Division I ratings the past two years has shown me how much I enjoy solo performance, and hope to pursue it in the future.”

Senior Kyler Boss performed a multi-mallet marimba solo. He also received a Division I rating.

“I’m pretty sure for everyone it was a little nerve racking, and the school was really hot, but I got to see some friends from other schools, and it was overall a good day.

I got to eat at La Michoacana, which is a restaurant that is

by East High School,” Boss said.

Choir director Elliot Kranz was pleased with how his students performed and said, “It was great, the kids performed well.”

Be sure to check out the last musical performances of the band, choir and orchestra in their final shows at the high school.

The band will be performing on Monday, May 11 at 7:30 p.m. The orchestra show is the following night on Tuesday, May 12, at 7:30 p.m. and will include some CFHS wind and percussion musicians, and the choir will complete the three-night streak on Wednesday, May 13, at 8 p.m. Of course, they will also use their gifts in the quickly approaching commencement ceremony at the McLeod Center on Sunday, May 17.

“It was great, the kids performed well.”

—Eliott Kranz

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

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Friday, May 1, 2015

Follow these tips to stretch your fashion budget There is nothing I hate more than spending money. If you give me your money I will spend it. But my money that I worked hard for? Nah. That’s a struggle.

So buying clothing and other items that are important to my style is always a process that doesn’t have to be hard or long, but often times ends up being hard. When it comes to online shopping, I never leave the SALE section, and I always change the settings so they show me the items from lowest price to highest price.

You should do the same if you value my advice. Here are five tips to help you ball on a budget.

1) Let Goodwill be your new best friend

Goodwill might just be the greatest store ever in the history of great stores. Before you wrinkle your nose or think you are too good for Goodwill, let me let you in on a very important secret. At least one item that I wear every day is from Goodwill.

Do I have shame in that?

No. Why? Because no one else is going to have that item, and there’s such a wide variety.

Goodwill is cheap and has so many cool finds. People just go and take the things that they don’t want, and I willingly go and take what I want.

I went one day and spent $35 there. I got a green fur coat, four pairs of jeans, a cardigan, two denim jackets, a Tshirt, and two sweatpants. Tell me where you will get all of that for $35? Nowhere.

Goodwill’s best kept secret is the fact that they have so many jeans. If you’re into jorts like I am, then Goodwill is the best place for that. You can go buy jeans for $2 or $3 and then just go home and cut them into jorts. It’s a system that has served me well.

2) Scissors are Nice

As I mentioned before, I am a huge fan of jorts. Jorts are just jean shorts. Because I’m kind of tall, it’s always hard to find shorts, and I always end up having jeans that fit right around the waist but look like I am preparing for a flood. So to my mother’s dismay (bless her heart), I took some scissors and cut one of my jeans and began

“In the end you’ll end up saving money buying what you want AND that you’re comfortable in.” my foray into jorts territory.

Scissors are something that are very essential. If you have long legs that you just feel it’s in your divine right to show, then I suggest you find some scissors and cut your jeans that may be a little too short. Your mother will not be pleased, but she will get over it.

3) Seasonal Shopping Is Very Important

When I was younger and I wanted a new bike, my mom would always look during the winter. I never understood why until later when it dawned on me that since people don’t bike that much during the winter and there isn’t a high demand, they will be cheaper. But during the summer since everybody wants to be out biking, bikes will be more expensive.

The same ideology applies to clothes. Anything that you wear during the summer is going to be cheaper during the winter and anything that you wear during the winter is going to be cheaper during the summer.

It’s a simple pricing rule that we don’t realize and end up spending more money than we really don’t need to.

4) Promo Codes Are A Gift

A while back, I was buying some shoes on the Adidas website, and they asked for my birthday, and I accidentally entered it wrong. I didn’t realize it until March 7 came and they sent me a 15 percent code to

use on their website.

Lots of sites ask you for your birthday so they can send you codes like this to reward you for being an awesome customer. Besides birthday codes, companies will often send you promo codes to your email every once in a while.

If you have already marked them as spam, don’t waste your time going through your email and unmarking them. Just go to websites like RetailMeNot or even Groupon and type in the clothing site that you want to find promo codes for and let the website bless you and your bank account.

5) Comfort Is Key

With anything in life, being comfortable is important. There comes a time in high school or maybe later on in your life where you decide to do things that you want to do and wear things that you want to wear.

For me that happened at the end of first semester, and I decided to really and truly wear what I wanted to wear. Only things that I was comfortable in.

For some people, they are comfortable in wearing sweats all the time, and that’s cool. I’m not that way. It’s important to buy things that you are comfortable in and not just follow trends or what other people are wearing. In the end you’ll end up saving money buying what you want AND that you’re comfortable in.

By Staff Writer Malcolm

MUSONI

The

Tiger

7 Red planet trip

Mission to Mars? carries big risks HI-LINE

Recently, 200,000 people have applied to live on Mars knowing full well the countless risks that come with this decision. Most sane people would do anything not to be forced into this circumstance, but surprisingly this huge number of applicants is eagerly pursuing the selection process to get a chance to go live on Mars.

Thousands are applying to be a part of Mars One’s mission, with one goal in mind: to find life and one day have life on Mars.

Mars One is a group that that plans to send humans on a one-way trip to Mars. They are a non-profit foundation with the goal of establishing permanent human settlement on Mars. To prepare for this settlement, the first unmanned mission is scheduled to depart in 2020. Crews will start departing in 2026. Additional crews will be sent after every certain amount of years.

As of now, there has been no proven life on Mars. Yet the thousands of people applying to live on Mars are jumping at this opportunity, and Mars One is taking extremely careful consideration in selecting the applicants that will be chosen.

In selecting the crew, there are a number of requirements that must be met to become a Mars One astronaut. The combined skill set of each astronaut team member must cover a wide range of disciplines.

These astronauts must be intelligent, creative, psychological-

Friday, May 1, 2015

ly stable and physically healthy.

They also must be resilient, adaptable, curious, trusting and trustworthy, creative/resourceful, above the age of 18 and have an A2 English level.

The selection process consists of four rounds, with the group getting smaller each round.

This may seem the opportunity of a lifetime to a first time learner of this mind boggling experiment, but many people question, is it possible for humankind to find life on Mars? Well, there are countless risks that come with this idea.

There is a high risk of space travel. During the launch, people will be strapped on top of a massive rocket that might explode, and, even worse, during the flight there is always the possibility of being smashed into space

debris. If the rocket for some reason veers off, it could be hurdled far off into deep space or even toward the sun. Actually landing on Mars would be the most dangerous event of all; landing is the top reason for missions failing. The risk of these applicants’ violent and/ or terrifying death is extremely high.

There is also the risk of radiation poisoning; flying to Mars may take over a year to complete, and during that time participants will be faced with two main types of radiation: cosmic rays and energetic particles from the sun. Both types of radiation can damage DNA and greatly increase risk of cancer.

Another risk that should be thought about before accepting to take part in this journey is one that probably most people wouldn’t see as something to worry about, but extreme boredom is a real thing, and it will start to impact those on this mission eventually. They will live in a small pod, about the size of a jail cell. Over the years, the excitement of going outside will wear off and there will be nothing to do but sit inside the pod. This can start to really depress people, and once on Mars, there would be no way out.

The last big important

risk is what if someone ends up being the last man standing?

Over the decades, people in the colony will die, and there is no guarantee that more people will come and replace them. In time, there could potentially only be one person left on the entire planet. That could get a bit lonely.

Other risks may include ripped suit death, maintenence issues death, rover breakdown death, doctors dying, crippling nostalgia or depression. There are numerous risks that come with this mission. Is it worth it?

There are positives that come with this mission; everything is just at extremely high risk. Mars is seen as the stepping stone of the human race on its voyage into the universe.

Human settlement on Mars would aid the understanding of the origins of the solar system, the origins of life and our place in the universe. There is hope that if the human mission to Mars is successful, that it will inspire future generations to know and believe that anything is possible and will eventually be achieved.

Even with this hope, the idea is still crazy. It is said that the estimated time of survival on Mars is 63 days, and there are countless risks involved with this mission. If people stay optimistic and determined, maybe the outcome will turn out better than expected.

By Staff Writer Annebeth

AHRENHOLZ

SWARTDOGS

Continued from Page 1 team performed.

“We performed above expectations. At our regionals, we were usually able to make two full stacks of totes, while at championships, we improved to completing three full stacks of totes,” Swartley said. “The team as a whole did a great job throughout.”

Now that the championship is over, junior Sam Ponnada said she is looking forward to next season.

“Our goals for next season are to have a good season, even better than this one was,” Ponnada said. “We would like to win a chairman’s award as well.”

Ponnada said that the team will work hard during the off-season to achieve those goals.

“We’ll have summer projects as well

OPINION

GOODBYE as practice drive time on old robots for future drivers,” Ponnada said.

“We will continue our outreach into the community to help the team grow as a whole, along with staying committed throughout the whole off-season.”

Swartley said he was happy with the year overall.

“We focused on keeping the robot simple and reliable,” Swartley said. “We were very pleased with the way the season turned out. We won both regionals that we competed in and made it into the playoffs at championships.”

The winning alliance at the world championship event consisted of teams from California and Texas.

By Online Editor Zuhayr

ALAM

Continued from Page 1 haven’t worked with a product like this before, so there are all sorts of new things to learn.”

Hoofnagle is most importantly excited to make his move towards the east coast because it will bring him near to his family and friends. However, he will also miss parts of his life here in Cedar Falls.

According to Hoofnagle, the involvement of the Cedar Falls community with it’s school is “one of a kind.” Hoofnagle will also miss interacting with his students. “They say, ‘Kids say the darndest things.’ The things you hear in the hallway just make you shake your head and laugh.”

Ron Hoofnagle Science Teacher

Linda Schutte FCS Teacher

By Staff Writer Sommer

DANIELSEN

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The

SPORTS

Tiger

Tigers shine at Drake

Records are routinely broken on the legendary blue oval at the annual Drake Relays in Des Moines. From the fastest runners in the entire world to CFHS’s very own student athletes, track stars gather in Iowa’s capital to prove themselves in front of 40,000 spectators in a meet that bonds hundreds of athletes together through one legendary track.

For a high schooler, hearing your name echoed throughout the stadium and being able to watch yourself running live on the Jumbotron is a memorable one. “It’s pretty awe-inspiring because you think of so many great things that have happened there.

“It’s an honor to run on that track,” junior hurdler Ben Louviere said. “It’s not so much a meet as it is a total experience for a track runner. It just sort of exemplifies the greatness of track.”

This greatness was exemplified for Cedar Falls during the 4x200, a relay that the Tigers came in happily as the No. 3 seed, meaning they would get the third lane and be able to see their fastest competition in lanes four and five.

The lone senior, Matt Turcotte, experienced a slow start

to his high school track career as he didn’t go out for the sport until his junior year. His start in the leadoff leg of the 4x200, however, was anything but slow. Head coach Dirk Homewood tweaked the lineup a bit, putting Turcotte first in order for him to immediately chase those in front of him that started farther up the track but also farther from the middle.

The team of Turcotte, junior Denison Harrington, junior Hunter Lavalle and freshman anchor TreyShawn LaBeaux finished the last of three final heats comfortably in first place, but the team to beat was Cedar Rapids Jefferson. Jefferson ran in the first heat and finished with a time of 1:29.79, which led the field before the third and final heat that included the Tigers began. The champion was immediately unknown before the PA announcer came on saying, “The Cedar Falls Tigers are your new 4x200 Drake Relays champions with a time of 1:29.74.”

Champions by five one hundredths of a second.

“At first it didn’t really hit me,” Turcotte said. “Then me and Hunter were like, ‘We’re Drake champions’ and started freaking out.”

Friday, May 1, 2015

Turcotte played in the USSSA World Series, was a starting cornerback for the varsity football team, is a track captain and is committed to play baseball at Century Community College next year, but he said nothing compares to the feeling of being a Drake Relays champion.

“So far,” Turcotte said. “It’s at the top.”

Each runner played a key role in bringing home the victory, but none were more mesmerizing than the 6’4” freshman anchor LaBeaux who also played an essential role in bringing the 4x400 team a second place finish and just .12 seconds from being champions.

After leading off, senior Josh Jamison looked up and saw the Tigers trailing rival Waukee by 10-15 meters after a lap and a half had been completed. The next time Jamison looked up, LaBeaux had caught up to the lead, but in the end they fell just inches shy of the right to be called Drake champions. “Getting second, it sucks, but going forward, we have a team to beat now,” Jamison said.

LaBeaux will challenge for the open 200 title at the state meet in late May and has

achieved success that many runners never approach in their entire high school career let alone in the ninth grade, but he is eager to continue to improve, “You can tell the kid really cares because every day he’s asking me questions. The kid’s very devoted, and we are very proud of him,” Turcotte said.

The early success has led to some high praise at a very young age. “He could be one of the best track athletes in the school’s history,” said Jamison, LaBeaux’s 4x4 teammate.

Other Tigers also performed very well on the blue track in Des Moines: the 4x100 team collected a fourth place finish, and sophomore long distance runner Sam Schillinger set a personal best by 12 seconds in the 3200, finishing sixth.

Drake is not only one of the biggest meets in the state, but also in the entire country, but all of the hard work remains aimed at the state meet in just three weeks. “We know that come State, that’s when it really matters to us,” Jamison said.

“It’s the last meet of the year.

How could you not give it all?”

By Editor-in-Chief Austin

ANDERSON

Golf team makes strong start toward state berth The women’s varsity golf team has had a winning start to the first half of the 2015 season. Having beaten Waverly and won the Metro meet against Waterloo East, Waterloo West and Waterloo Columbus Catholic, the girls have created an impressive record of 4-0 and are optimistic about their chances of heading to State.

Eight girls — including freshman Clare Rolinger; sophomores Hailey Bermel, Hannah Bermel, Taylor Sernett, Kenzie Roberts and Miranda Rokes; juniors Alex Miller and Megan Bradford — rotate as varsity members. Only six are allowed to play per meet, so each girl must qualify to play for the week. Meets consist of a range of anywhere from two to 10 teams. At a typical meet, each school’s lowest scoring member is deemed No. 1, then paired with opposing schools’ No. 1 players. All the No. 1 players then usually play a nine-hole course together.

Sophomore varsity member Miranda Rokes, who has been playing all of her life, said that golf is “definitely a mental thing.

If you say y o u ’ r e going to shoot really bad, Jackie Norman Photo t h e n y o u ’ r e Lining up a putt at Irv Warren on Wednesgoing to day, April 30, at Metro is sophomore shoot realHailey Bermel. She and her sister Hannah ly bad. You tied in shooting the lowest rounds at the definitely event. The Tigers won the event. have to practice a Similarly, all the No. 2’s, No. lot. It’s not something you can 3’s and so on are paired tojust pick up and naturally be gether, and thus play together. good at. It takes serious time.”

Of course, after everyone has The golf team puts in this played, the lowest total team serious time, holding daily score wins.

practices at Pheasant Ridge Golf Course. A typical practice starts with putting practice at the putting green or practicing at the chipping range before playing the course.

Keeping up the hard work, the girls may make it all the way to State and could earn the state champ title. Cedar Falls won it last in 2011. To qualify, the team must be one of the top teams at an upcoming regional meet.

At State, their biggest competitors will be Linn-Mar and Ankeny, teams they normally don’t play against. “Coach Youngkent says we can be state winners this year, so that’s our goal,” Rokes said. “And if not this year, definitely next year. Most of the team members are sophomores, [and because] most of us have been playing golf together for eight years, we know each other’s weaknesses and strengths.”

By Staff Writer Mikaela

MALLIN

HI-LINE

Athlete

of the

Week

Hannah Bermel Golf

Sophomore Hannah Bermel is back for her second varsity season and once again is leading the young CFHS women’s golf team. Golf runs deep though her family roots as her twin sister Hailey is also a top tier golfer and recently hit a hole in one. Bermel’s older siblings also have had storied careers at Cedar Falls, and her father is the head coach for the UNI men’s and women’s golf teams.

When did you start playing?

I probably picked up a club around four or five and really started getting into it about 10 or 11.

How important is golf to your family?

Very important. My dad, he doesn’t push us [too much], but he knows it’s important to all of us, so it’s really important.

Do you ever envision your life without golf?

No [laughs]. Golf is a lifetime sport.

How are you taking the steps to qualify for State?

We have a lot of girls working hard this year, so I think if we keep working, we’ll get there.

Tigers in Action Women’s Track May 7 MVC Divisionals @ Dubuque Senior 4:30 p.m.

Men’s Track May 7 MVC Divisionals @ CR Kennedy 4:30 p.m.

Women’s Soccer May 4 @ IC West 5 p.m.

Men’s Soccer May 4 vs IC West 5 p.m.

Women’s Golf May 4 MVC SSuper Meet @ Dubuque Senior 9:30 a.m.

Women’s Tennis May 1 vs Marshalltown 4 p.m.

Men’s Tennis May 2 @ Dubuque Hempstead 8 a.m. @ Dubuque Wahlert noon