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Friday, May. 23, 2014

Tigers accept responsibilities on and off the playing fields/ See story on page 4

Volume 53 Edition 26

Working for a Song

Buzz about raising minimum wage has some students, staff talking

The minimum wage in Iowa is currently $7.25 an hour, but that may be about to change. During the last legislative session in Iowa, the topic was brought up, but never made it to the floor. A group called “Raise Minimum Wage Iowa” is now attempting to raise awareness for the issue in an attempt to get it back into the legislative discussion and maybe to even get a bill passes before the end of the year. The minimum wage is the lowest legal amount that an employer can pay an employee either by the law or by special agreement. If a bill is passed, the minimum wage in Iowa will rise to $10.10. There are arguments on both sides on whether or not the existing wage should change. Democrats in the Iowa state legislature think that the minimum wage should be raised because the current minimum wage has not adapted to inflation, and because of the this, many minimum wage earners are living below the poverty line. Those in favor of a raise argue that another major reason to raise it is that when more people have more money, they will buy more goods, and that will ripple throughout the whole economy. CFHS economics teacher Chris Dyvig says that the minimum wage that companies pay is not related to the companies’ income. “McDonalds is a good ex-

ample, as they start all their workers out at minimum wage and have for the last 6 years. However over the last 6 years, McDonalds profits have grown significantly and they have given their shareholders a dividend raise each of the last 6 years, a 45% raise over a 6 year period, however,

their entry-level employees still make $7.25 an hour, the same amount they were paid in 2008.” In an interview with Bloomberg TV, McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson says that even though McDonalds’ employees start out at minimum wage, there are many opportunities.

“We’re about providing opportunity,” Thompson said. “When we can help people to be able to have viable income, we make sure we do that.” Republicans in the Iowa legislature, however, think that minimum wage should not be raised. The reasons for this are that because employers will

This school year has brought many changes including the very well-known intervention system, creating more opportunities for students to get help from the teachers throughout the day. The system was broken up into three major parts; academic zone, small study hall and the commons. The use of the small study hall has been seen to have extreme success this school year, and it’s the teachers that have played the biggest role in the success by having a core class

teacher in both the academic zone and in the small study hall during each period, thus allowing students to talk to either teacher when they need assistance in a core class. The success is in the numbers, “Students are anxious to complete their homework and assignments on time,” assistant principal Dana Deines said. “We looked back at data from the previous semester and saw that there were 34 percent fewer [failures than in the past].” With the help of referrals

and help from the small study hall, students have become better at studying and getting everything turned in and graded. Last semester there were around 500 referrals to the small study halls; however, one student can be referred several times throughout the semester . “Quite a few [students] are able to get in, use the resources offered and get out [fairly soon],” math teacher Joe Brown said. The system also benefits teachers. The most helpful part is “communica-

tions between teachers, [by keeping track of the] assignments between the teachers.” As of now, the intervention system is making a great impression. So much that the system is set to continue into the school years to come, though there will be a few changes. “Next year, there’ll be an additional five minutes each day, making classes 45 minutes long,” Deines said. “[We also hope to] move small study hall closer to the academic zone.” With these small changes, the 2014-2015 school year

Aysenur Parpucu Photo

Rocking out on the fake guitar outside of Little Caesar’s is senior Luke Kreger. He said that during the fall and winter time he works inside Little Caesar’s and makes pizzas and pretty much everything they need him to do inside, but during the spring and summer, he works outside, advertising by playing the guitar and dancing a little.

have to pay more wages to their workers, they may have to lay some workers off in order to balance their budgets, and that could increase the unemployment rate. Another reason against it is that employers may hire less people in order to balance their budgets. Pizza Ranch manager Sam Pearce sees both sides of the argument. “I think that the minimum wage is fine where it is at, but I definitely see the other side of the argument,” Pearce said. “It is hard to make a living off of $7.25 and hour.” Dyvig thinks that minimum wage should be raised. “I support a raise in the min wage, and would support a law where raises would be builtin every three years based on cost of living adjustments. That way, business would be able to plan for wage hikes, and the workers would be guaranteed earning a more competitive wage.” Dyvig said. Sophomore Jacob Watters, who used to work at Texas Roadhouse as a service assistant. “For high school students, I think the current minimum wage is enough,” Watters said. “But for adults, I’m not sure. If they have enough money to invest in an education they should be doing that, but if not, then maybe it should be raised. By Staff Writer Zuhayr

ALAM

Intervention plan continues to make strides

will end each of its school days at 2:50 p.m. and have small study hall closer to the academic zone for students to have a chance to talk to multiple or different teachers in a core class. This way if a student has a question in biology and there’s a chemistry teacher in the small study hall, the student has a quicker route to check in the academic zone for a biology teacher. By Staff Writer MacKenzie

DALLENBACH

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OPINION Our View

Legacy of Learning Exiting staff leaving Cedar Falls with two centuries of experience Cedar Falls High School is facing one of the largest numbers of departing teachers it has seen in awhile. Whether they’re leaving for retirement or a new job elsewhere, these staff members are preparing for the next step in their lives, and it’s a bittersweet moment for everyone. The school is losing teachers from almost every department: science, English, social studies, counseling and even administration. Principal Dr. Rich Powers and counselor Josh Carnelley chose to depart for jobs in another district and state, respectively. Psychology teacher Charlie Blair-Broeker, biology teacher John Black and English teachers Judy Timmins, Teresa Martin, and Marguerite DeMoss are all retiring, ready to finally move on after all their years of teach-

ing. Two of these teachers, Blair-Broeker and Timmins, are department heads, and their leadership and quality of work have made their departments excel. Combined, the teachers have almost two centuries of experience teaching. Timmins, DeMoss and Black have all taught for over 40 years. Blair-Broeker taught for 36 years and Martin taught for 17. Powers worked as an administrator for eight years, and Carnelley worked as a counselor for seven years. We would like to thank all of the departing teachers for their hard work and dedication to Cedar Falls High School. They have all made a special impact on students throughout generations, and we wish them luck and hope for the best in the next step in their lives.

Tiger

Friday, May 23, 2014

Same Old Story

HI-LINE

Media missing its role in reporting big news

For the first time since the Cold War, Russia has sent bombers towards the West Coast to threaten and intimidate the United States. Russian strategic bombers conducted flights along the West Coast, near Alaska and the Aleutian Islands last week. This has been considered a nuclear chest-thrust at America — a threatening gesture towards us as the tensions in Ukraine rise to a critical mass. Two Bear H nuclear-capable bombers were spotted flying into Alaska’s military air space and identification zone, which is the same place where a missile-detection defense system is located. Lieutenant Commander Bill Lewis, a spokesman with the U.S. Northern Command, confirmed a U.S. fighter intercept of the bombers but declined to provide details. “Two U.S. F-22’s from Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, were launched and visually identified Russian aircraft on the night of April 28, as the Russian air force flew standard out-of-area flights near Alaska,” Lieutenant Commander Lewis said. The bombers did not enter U.S. airspace, he said. Regardless, the air above Alaska and the air defensezone is a formal national security area, designed to protect civilian and military aircraft from things like this happened. The dispatch of F-22s is an indication that the Russian bombers

posed a potential threat to U.S. territory. This is the fifth time since last June where Russian bombers were intercepted along the military air-zone. Seems like Russia is pushing some limits. Less than a month after June, on July 4, Independence Day, two more Bears flew the closest to the Northern California then they have since the Cold War, a scary prospect that no one had really heard of because the media is focusing on other, less important stuff. Then in February, Russia sent two more Bears, but this time they circled the United States territory of Guam, which is also a significant military base of the States. This is something of mass importance, and yet again, little to no media coverage, at least on the television. Also, Russia simulated attacks on our military bases and Japan. The tension is rising, and no media coverage. To some, this may sound like fear-mongering, maybe even fiction being thought up by Cold War fanatics. U.S. officials believe the stepped-up Russian bomber flights are part of Moscow’s attempt to influence U.S. missiledefense policies. Russia, as well as China, have opposed the United States’ missile-defense program, using policies such as propaganda and influential tactics, like flying simulated bombings and flyovers. Still no media coverage.

The Pentagon in March announced it was adding 14 new long-range missile interceptors to the 30 ground-based interceptors based at Fort Greely in Alaska, and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, in declaring the new interceptors, also said the Pentagon is denying an advanced Navy SM-3 interceptor that was to have been sent to Europe and that would have been capable of shooting down long-range missiles from Iran. The issue here is media neglect. They’d rather focus on trivial things like a racist basketball team owner or an intolerant TV idol. Media prefer to focus on what Miley is doing today rather than tell the people that our nation’s territorial sovereignty is being slowly intruded on by foreign powers. Coming from an administration that has depended on the ignorance and fear of the people, the lack of coverage is suspiciously distracting us from these realistically scary problems. From domestic terror, that isn’t anything new to Martha Hall Photo the Obama administration;

Nintendo recently announced that they are going to be many new remakes due for release in the next couple of months and next year. If you liked Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire on the Gameboy, get ready to play their remakes on the 3DS. The graphics will be very much like the newer Pokémon games, X and Y, and the story should remain basically the same to Ruby and Sapphire. The new games will be called Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire. These games will be coming out in November 2014. The company describes it as a fresh take on the originals that were made all the way back in 2003. The game will take place in a new world and will most likely surprise us with new tweaks of cities and countries like they do in most every new Pokémon game. For everyone that likes Leg-

end of Zelda games, there is another new one coming out as well. Hyrule Warriors is what they’re calling it at the moment, but the name is not final, and it will come out in 2014 or 2015; there is no set date yet. Here’s the catch, however: right now they’re saying it will only be released for the Wii U. The Wii U doesn’t have a great reputation of good games or gameplay, but Nintendo believes this game might be a system seller. Their goal for this game is to create gameplay around classic Legend of Zelda enemies to dominate territories and win battles. Link will also use weapons from other games like Twilight Princess. If you would like to learn more, a short teaser video can be found on their YouTube channel that was released on Dec. 18. A new Super Smash Bros. game is coming out on both

Wii U and 3DS. Not much has been said about this game except for a few teasers and characters that will be included. One new item to this series is Bullet Bill who has been part of the Mario series from the beginning. It’s the mean-looking black bullet face that chases Mario out of pipes. This item will allow the character to turn into a bullet and attack their opponent at a high speed. Another new thing is that Sheik from Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time will be her own character in the new game, separate from Zelda. Two more awesome new characters that will be included are Zero Suit Samus and Charizard. So far there has been confirmation of 29 available characters to play. This game will bring many new items, characters and different ways to play the game. By Staff Writer Kaitlyn

from raunchy teen pop idols, to racism that has always been around and will be around for a long time, the mainstream media miss all the good news, the important news, and resign to spouting off Washington talking points. By Staff Writer Kaleb

BENGSTON

POWER UP: Nintendo amps oldies to reclaim its spotlight Thanks for supporting the Hi-Line this year

Front Row (L to R): Mallory Vallentine, Martha Hall, Ellen Wallingford, Kaitlyn Brocka, Mackenzie Dallenbach Row 2: Austin Anderson, Abby Young, Zuhayr Alam, Kaleb Bengston Back Row: Brian Winkel

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

BROCKA

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Green Team

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Friday, May 23, 2014

Athleteof

the

Bermel twins leading young golf team into postseason

Two freshman are taking over the women’s golf team. The Bermel twins, Hailey and Hannah have been golfing since before they can remember. The girls grew up in a family that loved golf. Their dad owns a golf course and coaches the UNI golf teams. It runs in the rest of the family’s blood also as their mom, older brother, younger brother and sister all love the game too. The girls would both agree that the golf course is like their second home. They are out at the golf course almost every day, whether it be to play a few holes or just practice on something specific, and all that practice has built their skills all the way to becoming the two top players on varsity. “I try to get to the course every day. It is pretty easy considering that is where the rest of my family is,” Hannah Bermel said. As freshmen on top of the varsity team, one might expect a lot of pressure on these to live up to their new roles, but both girls said they’ve found nothing but support from their teammates. If they have a bad day, the other players’ scores will be able to back them up. Hannah and Hailey both especially gave lots of credit to the team captains, Emily Braun and Kristie Boyle. They said the

Jackie Norman Photos

Freshmen Hannah (left) and Hailey (right) have quickly established themselves as leaders on this year’s golf team. captains make it really stress free and a good environment to be in. “It’s fun to have the Bermel girls on the team. They both have a fun personality but they also understand the work ethic it takes to be a champion at this level. They know that champions aren’t made during practice time, but in the extra hours that golfers put in outside of practice,” head coach Megan Youngkent said. If the girls have any pressure at all during meets, it’s the pressure they put on themselves to just get better. “It’s harder being a freshman and

playing the top spot, but my teammates never make me feel like it was my fault we lost, or if I would have shot lower, we could have done better, and I think that it’s just like being on any other team. In any sport, you don’t blame one loss on one person, and you never give all the credit to one person, so I don’t really feel a lot of pressure when I go out and play,” Hailey Bermel said. Although they are shooting one and two in the varsity lineup, neither of them really thinks of themselves as a leader of the team. “The rankings don’t

Long after graduation,

really prove anything. They just show who played better that day,” Hailey Bermel said. They also don’t really see competing for the top two spots as a competition against each other. When one of them is struggling and needs help, the other one will come to the rescue. “Playing against her is almost as easy as playing with her. When she has a good round, I’m proud of her. I also know if I have a good round she will be proud of me,” Hannah Bermel said. After the school season is over, both girls stay highly involved with golf. They play in many tournaments, and when they’re not in tournaments, they are out at the golf course practicing. They play in junior events through Iowa PGA, which is a little more competitive than school meets. They also do a one week camp at the beginning of the summer at Pheasant Ridge Golf Course, where they play golf all day and then stay in the dorms at the University of Northern Iowa. The girls normally play in about two tournaments a week, which also helps them prepare for the school’s season. The Bermel twins will next be playing at the regional meet on May 27. By Staff Writer Abby

YOUNG

Seniors relish the red and white After finishing their finals, putting on their caps and gowns and receiving their diplomas, some seniors are back to show off their Tiger red and white colors as they compete for team wins for the school they just left. Even with being done with high school, some students are still competing in the high-school sports to finish out their senior year seasons. However, it’s very different, for now they are graduated and are on their summer break without having to worry about their grades. Track and field and soccer are just ending, and baseball and softball just starting to pick up their seasons, with more and more senior athletes are coming back to participate. With track having state today, it can be a little shocking for its seniors to still have

“I think if you’re still in high school, you should definitely go out for a sport. Being a part of a team is something really special, and you build a lot of new friendships.”—Kaz Brown senior Tiger intense Tiger connections, including plenty of workouts to prepare. Senior Kaz Brown said, “We’ve been starting practices at 6:30 a.m. It’s pretty weird being out of school and still going to practice.” It’s much the same for senior Jessica Hinz and soccer. “Practice is at 3:45, but we only have one left and three games left. It isn’t too bad because I usually just sleep and then go to soccer.” But some are just begin-

ning. Senior Alyssa Aikey is anticipating a season of softball. “It’s weird being out of high school and playing. I feel old compared to most girls, and I have a lot more free time compared to them.” Though it may be strange having graduated and still coming back every day to see old classmates and coaches, none of the senior girls would change a thing. In fact, all three recommend going out for senior year even if it goes into

summer vacation. Aikey tells others to “play your heart out, step up on the field and do anything you can. Go out with a positive mindset and know that when you step off the field you did all you could.” Heinz’s advice is to just “go out and have fun. It’s your last year.” All and all, the ladies recommend putting one’s best forward and trying something new as a great way to finish out the senior year and make fond and new memories for a lifetime. “I think if you’re still in high school, you should definitely go out for a sport. Being a part of a team is something really special, and you build a lot of new friendships,” Brown said. By Staff Writer MacKenzie

DALLENBACH

3 Week

Blake Love Soccer

In his second varsity season, junior forward Blake Love has been filling up the stat sheet recently for the men’s soccer team. How did you originally get into soccer? I started playing at three years old just through the rec center and community league. I don’t know if I had a choice when I started. How do you bring your own unique style to the game? I like to get into a lot of people’s heads. Being smaller than a lot of people out there, I have to do something that will give me a competitive edge. What’s the team outlook heading towards the end of the season? The start of the season started out really rocky but we’ve been putting together a lot of wins lately. We have a really good chance of making it to State this year with our road. We’ve just got to beat Wash and probably Kennedy or West, those are the only other teams we’re worried about. Are you thinking about continueing with soccer in college? I do not believe so.

Tigers in

Action

Men’s Track May 23-24 State Meet @ Drake Women’s Track May 23-24 State Meet @ Drake Men’s Tennis May 24 Substate Team Tournament Women’s Tennis May 24 Regional Team Tennis Men’s Soccer May 27 Substate Tournament Women’s Soccer May 27 @ Iowa City High 4:15 p.m. Women’s Golf May 27 Regional Meet

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Friday, May 23, 2014

HI-LINE

Role Play: Should athletes be considered role models?

“I am not a role model. I am not paid to be a role model. I am paid to wreak havoc on the basketball courts. Parents should be role models. Just because I dunk a basketball, doesn’t mean I should raise your kids.” These are the words that were famously uttered by professional basketball hall of famer Charles Barkley in a 1993 Nike ad. Barkley, who has had many controversial outbursts and run ins with the law, reiterated his feelings “A million guys in jail can dunk a basketball in jail; should they be role models?” Kids all over the world grow up wanting to be identical to their favorite athletes. They buy their jerseys, clothing and shoes as they replicate their idols and hope to gain the athletic ability of these marketable athletes. The religiously outspoken Barkley has admitted to some not so exemplary behaviors such as losing $10 million gambling as well as been ridiculed for his public comments. Some view the Nike ad as an excuse for Barkley to not grow up and continue his bad habits. He is not the only athlete struggling in the spotlight. Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez is

Senior Danny Watters extends a hand to a Cedar Rapids Washington opponent at the UNI Dome last fall. Kylee Ferrell Photo

currently being held without bail and awaits the conclusion of three murders that he allegedly committed. Coming out of the University of Florida, Hernandez was an All-American and John Mackey Award recipient as the top collegiate tight end in the country. Based on talent alone, Hernandez had the profile of a first or second round pick, but his failed drug tests and reputation as a troublemaker caused him to fall to the fourth round. Cyclist Lance Armstrong was the most polarizing athlete in his sport and possibly even the United States. He won seven Tour de France titles before he was stripped of his accomplishments for doping. He was an inspiration to millions across the country. After nearly dying from cancer, he overcame the disease and went on to raise millions for cancer research and continue his dominance in cycling. He repeatedly denied using performance enhancing drugs and authored multiple books about his cancer battle and return to his bike. In those books he again denied ever doping. He had the world at his disposal, many accolades and diehard fans, all fueled by cheating and lies. Of course the media is far more likely to show the negativity and scandalous nature of professional athletes instead of the charitable. D e r e k Jeter was recently named the 11th greatest leader in the entire world by Fortune Magazine ahead of numerous world leaders and CEO’s. He was ranked just two spots lower than the Dalai Lama

and was the second youngest on the list of 50. He has done considerable charity work and has two charities that he annually raises millions per year for. Jeter has never publicly spoken negatively about anyone or anything. He has never gotten into legal trouble with the law or the MLB itself. He plays the game hard day in and day out and has never tested positively for anything in his career. He plays for one of the most hated franchises in sports and still is able to maintain the utmost respect. It is easy for the world to see the negativity in athletes and to refute their credibility as role models with many justifiable cases of athletes gone wrong, yet there are still good people in the sports world, which brings up the question: Should professional athletes be role models? “I think so. I think tha should be the goal of every athlete. They aren’t really paid to be a role model, but they’re in a high position, so they should be viewed as one,” said CFHS starting quarterback Trey Hansen. CFHS basketball team captain Drew Marchesani agreed with Hansen. “They don’t have a choice. They have to realize that being a professional athlete will have consequences such as losing your private life. It definitely comes with it’s advantages. You are making a lot of money per year and have a lot of nice things that a lot of people don’t have.” One out of every 16,000 high school athletes goes on to play professional sports, and 98 out of 100 high school athletes will never even step foot on a collegiate playing field, let alone be a part of the 0.0000625% of high school athletes to go pro. “Professional athletes need to realize, in order to become great, you need to make sacrifices,” Marchesani added. Most kid sports fans love and admire their favorite athletes. Sometimes those favorite athletes aren’t getting paid millions of dollars or getting nationally televised games. Sometimes role models come from Friday nights at the local football field. That forces another question to arise: Should high school athletes be role models? “Junior high and especially elementary students really look up to high school athletes. Some of our high school athletes don't realize this, but younger students are observing the actions and character of our high school a t h letes,” CFHS Athletic Director Gary

“Professional athletes need to realize, in order to become great, you need to make sacrifices.”

— Basketball team captain Drew

MARCHESANI

Koenen said. After transferring from Becker, Minn., Hansen was the starting quarterback as a junior. Adjusting to a new state, school and system took some getting used to, but as the quarterback, Hansen was forced into a leadership role and embraced the possibility of being a role model. “I like to think of myself as a role model to the kids that watch, but going about my daily life, I just try to be myself.” Just like professionals, high school athletes are viewed in a different light than regular students. If some students fail a class or get in trouble, they have nothing to get taken from them. If student-athletes get into trouble, they lose playing time, their reputation and even their scholarships to get into college. “Athletes are most definitely held to a higher standard than other students. Since they are representing their community and school, there are higher expectations for students who participate in extracurricular activities. It is a privilege to participate in those activities — not a right,” Koenen said. It is clear that being an athlete, at any level, is a very fortunate gift, but there are sacrifices that need to be made to achieve success. Athletes have to stay out of trouble or risk substantial punishment. Marchesani knows in high school it is often a case of being guilty by association or being in the wrong place at the wrong time. “If you’re an athlete making bad choices, people are going to know that. Your image is on the line that you were at a party drinking and smoking. That’s not a person I want to be like, so I stop looking up to them. I just want to be a person that, on and off the court, is respectable and recognized as a good person.” Talent and even hard work can only take people so far in life. As much as Charles Barkley or any other athlete may be opposed, every move that is made is seen by someone. That person is either affected positively or negatively, and so regardless of any other circumstances, athletes at any level, are role models. Sacrifices have to be made to achieve certain levels of success, both on the playing surface and off, and it’s about time athletes start realizing that. By Editor In-Chief Austin

Anderson