Nov 21, 2014 hi line

The

Dancing to Des Moines

Tiger HI-LINE

Friday, Nov. 21, 2014

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Volume 55 Edition 9

Upperclassmen use MVP program to mentor health classes Several juniors and seniors in the MVP program are currently visiting health classes to talk to the underclassmen about relationships, violence and abuse.

Consisting of over 80 members, MVP stands for Mentors in Violence Prevention and is run by six staff members. One of them, guidance counselor Susan Langan, said that it’s important for students to know more about these kinds of topics because they’re ideas that students talk about anyway, especially with news like the NFL’s recent off field struggles with players like Ray Rice.

“Kids are hearing about that stuff, but I don’t think they’re having structured conversations where they’re also hearing what their options are to deal with it,” she said.

Langan said that discussion

Submitted Photo

Juniors and seniors have trained for mentoring health classes in standing up for tolerance. among peers gives options and it empowers the students to know that they can make a difference and make the school more accepting. She said that while these problems aren’t outwardly prevalent in our school, they do happen behind closed doors.

Many of the trainers for the MVP program have actually had experiences with friends and family members when it comes to abuse, and it gives a realization that it happens a lot more often than one might think. Junior Cayla Rasmussen is one of the MVP members who talks to

mined that Zach would get a tablet-like device with an app called NOVA Chat 7, which is a speech generating device. It shows simple categories and words on a screen that the user can use two buttons to operate. Zach uses a green button attached to his wheelchair to swipe through categories such as “social” and “I want,” and a red button to select certain words or phrases such as “Hello” or “Pizza.” He has had the device since June.

Because of NOVA Chat 7, Zach find it much easier to communicate his emotions and interact with people, but it has not always been so easy for him.

Gannon remembers how hard it was before NOVA Chat 7. “Last year, before NOVA Chat, we were working at a computer. Another part of Zach’s Cerebral Palsy is that he produces a lot of saliva, but can’t clean himself, so an adult helps him,” Gannon said. “Two students sitting a ways away were grossed out and reacted in a negative way. Because of this, Zach began to get mad, and his feelings were hurt. I explained what was wrong, and the students were very apologetic, but the experience was hard for Zach.”

Ever since he began work-

ing in the Tiger Den this year, he has been using and slowly getting more adept at NOVA Chat, but the reaction to the device has been varied among students.

Gannon said that sometimes kids don’t know how to react.

“The reaction to Zach and his device has been mixed,” Gannon said. “Usually, the reaction is either ‘What is that?’ or ‘How does that work?’”

Gannon also wants to remind the students that Zach loves people and talking.

“Zach loves to interact with his peers,” Gannon said. “He loves showing others how his technology works,” and she said she thinks that the Tiger Den has helped Zach.

“The Tiger Den has done wonders for Zach,” Gannon said. “He can interact with his peers, see his friends and spend time in a cool environment.”

Gannon encourages others to be friendly towards Zach.

“The next time you are in the Tiger Den, just try to acknowledge Zach,” Gannon said. “Try to say hi when you walk in and bye when you leave. He’ll always reply with a smile.”

female students in health about relationships and having respect for themselves.

To prepare for presenting in each class, Rasmussen and her partner get together to talk about an ice breaker they can use, and they discuss what kinds of questions they want to cover and what points they want to get across. Both try to make each lesson they’re covering fun for the class so everyone can be engaged and open to the conversation.

Rasmussen also thinks it’s very important for kids to learn about these issues because all of the students in each class will eventually become role models for the classes beneath them and for the people they meet in their everyday lives.

“If people are unaware of these issues, then how can they

step up and create a safer place for people to have relationships?” she asked. “I also believe that these issues are buried and people choose to not believe in them, which has the potential to be dangerous.”

Rasmussen said she really enjoys doing this because she loves giving people help as much as she can. “If I can bring more attention to it because I am not an adult who is exhausting the topic, I will take every chance that I get. I love to be able to take the chance and get to know the people around me too,” she said. “It also makes me think that we are giving people more of a chance to have a healthy relationship by bringing more attention to the topic.”

By Staff Writer Sarah

STORTZ

Device empowers student to connect with others As one enters or leaves the Tiger Den, one may see a nice sophomore boy enthusiastically greeting students or wishing them a good day. His name is Zach Carr, and he loves food, Michael Jackson, Spongebob and interacting with his peers.

He also has Cerebral Palsy.

Cerebral Palsy, or CP, is a group of permanent movement impairment conditions that do not worsen or get better over time. Usually, CP is caused by damage to the motor control centers of the brain and is contracted during pregnancy, birth or early childhood, and can also result in speech impairment. In Zach’s case, he has never been able to use his legs or speak and has limited use of his arms.

When Zach first went to Peet Junior High, he only knew how to convey two of his emotions: anger and happiness, and he would represent the two either by throwing something or making a high pitched squeal, respectively.

Zach’s speech pathologist, Peg Gannon, immediately came up with a way to see how much he actually knew. She asked simple questions, and Zach would answer her questions by motioning to a picture.

After a conversation with Zach’s family, Gannon deter-

By Copy Editor Zuhayr

ALAM

Zuhayr Alam Photo

Sophomore Zach Carr enjoys working in the Tiger Den on Monday and Thursday mornings. He is using an innovative device to help him overcome his Cerebral Palsey in communicating with customers.

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The

OPINION Our View

Interstellar Lessons

Recent comet landing delivers messages of heroic ambitions On Nov. 12, humanity took another big step forward, perhaps the biggest since Apollo 11 landed on the moon. A team of European scientists and engineers successfully landed a man-made probe on a comet after a 10-year, four billion-mile journey.

The probe that landed on the comet, named Philae, was launched from another probe called Rosetta. Rosetta will orbit the comet for 17 months in order to conduct the most extensive study of a comet ever.

A more extensive study is being undertaken by Philae, with data being sent back every day. Philae drilled into the surface of the comet in order to determine what makes it up. One thing has already been confirmed: the comet contains organic molecules, like the ones found in coal as well as humans.

Landing on a comet shows It also shows our that in the near future, if need- enduring curiosity ed, we could gain the technology to push an asteroid out of and yearning for Earth’s path in order to save exploration and the planet.

This landing also shows an understanding of ability to take huge risks and who we are ... overcome setbacks. After the initial landing on the comet resulting from a series of hard bounces, the Philae crew was able to anchor the probe into the rock hard surface, but the struggles did not end there. The resting place for Philae is in a shadow that prevents it from receiving enough light for its solar-powered batteries, yet it raced to collect data with the limited window of battery reserves it had, and the crew on Earth is optimistic that Philae will be able to add to these discoveries after the comet’s orbit allows sunlight to fall on Philae’s panels sometime next year.

The comet landing signifies much more than a leap forward in science. Exactly 100 years ago, the countries in Europe that came together to design and build Rosetta and Philae were involved in one of the biggest wars in human history: World War I. Those same countries have come together to go four billion miles away.

It also shows our enduring curiosity and yearning for exploration and understanding of who we are and where we came from. Comets are leftover from the formation of our Solar System, and the material making them hasn’t changed since then. What Philae and Rosetta find on the comet could greatly increase our knowledge of our Solar System and where life on Earth came from.

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 Lead Opinion Writer: Kaleb Bengston Staff Writers: Annebeth Ahrenholz, Kaela Avila, Dino Odobasic, Skylar Starbeck and Sarah Stortz

Tiger

HI-LINE

Friday, Nov. 21, 2014

Team Troubles Recently,Twitter was blowing up as some student athletes were upset that their sports are lacking the attention that they deserve. Some saw football and basketball as the big dogs in sports and questioned how much attention the other sports receive.

Of course, attention does matter, and administrators at the high school have tried to do what they can to validate the accomplishments of those involved.

Activity Director Gary Koenen said, “We try to encourage students regardless of what the sport is.” Koenen has tried many ways to help students hear about all the other activities other than football and basketball. “It’s really up to the students and their interests,” he said.

Some students have also pointed out that a lot more staff are found at football and basketball events than any other sports that the high school offers. These students are getting the vibe that even administrators don’t want to come to their activities other than the two main ones, but Koenen

Though equal attention fleeting, students all play important part

said there is another simple reason for the difference.

The reason for more administrators at those activities is because there are simply a lot more students there, which means that there “needs to be more supervision,” Koenen said.

If there are more students at those games, administrators need to look over them in case things get out of hand, and since not as many students attend the other activities there is just no need to have that many administrators at those activities.

“The media plays a big role on those sports too,” Koenen said. A lot of the sports talked about on TV are mostly basketball and football.

He also pointed out that many of the fans at football and basketball events are there for other activities scheduled at the same time. “There are students that are involved in dance, cheerleading and the marching band, which have a lot of students involved, so that brings a lot more people to the football games,” he said.

Koenen said he wants stu-

dents to know that he is trying everything he can to get students involved in other activities other than just football and basketball, and the rewards are worth it regardless of the degree of public attention.

And isn’t that what it comes down to in the end? Increased attention to sports like football and basketball at Cedar Falls is no different than anywhere else in the country. In the end, let’s not forget that we have such a wide variety of opportunities to get involved, and many of them at a level of top competitiveness.

At the Hi-Line, we strive to give the most balanced coverage we can to everyone in every corner. If we fail, it’s usually because there are so many corners to explore that we may have simply overlooked the potential.

Send us your stories, and we’ll do what we can to tell them in all their details. In the end, we hope all CFHS students know that we are on a big team and pulling for every member.

By Staff Writer Dino

NANOWRIMO

ODOBASIC

Follow this formula for writing your November Novel For authors, writing a novel may take months or even years to complete. For National November Writing Month however, the event pushes the mindset of the writer right from the beginning, a total of 50,000 words ending as the finish line.

Along the way, writers can track their daily writing progress and earn badges when they meet a certain amount of words.

Throughout the writing of the rough draft, however, writers will be forced to face many obstacles, such as writer’s block, inconsistency of events and the most obvious being the enormous time restraint.

Scouring through many other author’s forums, here are tips that seem to help many writers for this time of the year.

One: Have the end in mind.

Even if it’s one event or one character, it’s best to have a starting point to your novel.

Inspiration can come from anywhere, and writing that one useless scene may lead your novel down the path an interesting plot.

Two: Have a regular writing routine. When there is a time you know you’re supposed to write, your brain will follow along with the schedule and keep your progress in check.

Three: Be focused. It takes a lot write 50,000 words in under a month, so the times you give for writing should be for mostly writing, and not for scrolling through Facebook.

Use the limited time you have wisely.

Four: If there seems to a be a block, skip it and move on.

There may seem to be a problem with a story character or a certain event, and that’s OK to leave it be for now if it’s stopping your writing momentum.

Five: Write everywhere.

If there’s a miniscule break, it would be best to use it to your full advantage. The times where you can get anything down on document are just as important as your designated writing time.

Six: Save the current progress frequently. There’s nothing worse than having three

long chapters gone instantly because your computer was on low battery. Make sure you keep your progress saved in at least two different places before stopping for the day. Better safe than sorry.

Seven: Take breaks and replenish your hunger. It’s hard to think on an empty stomach, so the occasional walk or snack time will help your mind rest before getting back to work.

Eight: It’s supposed to be a draft, so editing comes later.

Leave the spelling errors, incorrect grammar usage and forgotten punctuation for later.

Wait until the novel is finally complete to go back to review and revise.

In all, National November Writing Month is a time for authors to push themselves to the limit of their creative abilities while also facing a vicious timespan of only the 30-day month of November. For any other details of NaNoWriMo, go to http://nanowrimo.org/.

By Staff Writer Kaela

AVILA

The

Tiger

HI-LINE

SPORTS

Courts of Dreams?

Friday, Nov. 21, 2014

3

Athlete of the

Week

Iowans anticipating strong showing at Big Dance Hawkeyes ready to redeem late season meltdown The 4-9 record in their last 13 games of the 2013-2014 season has been categorized as a collapse for the Iowa Hawkeye men’s basketball team.

After spoiling their 16-4 start with a loss to Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA tournament, the Hawks lost leading scorer, playmaker, catalyst and all Big 10 performer Roy Devyn Marble to the NBA. Marble’s production will have to be replicated by committee. Junior Mike Gesell has improved in each of his first two

seasons and will need to continue to reach his potential as one of the upper echelon point guards in the Big 10 in his third season.

Gesell along with Trey Dickenson, one of the top juco transfers in the country, will help

lessen the blow from the loss of Marble in the backcourt.

Juniors Anthony Clemmons and Jarrod Uthoff will be the go to scorers from behind the 3-point line having combined to shoot nearly 69 percent through their first two games.

Junior Adam Woodbury is the big 7’1” presence in the middle that will have to battle with the likes of other premier Big 10 big men such as AllAmerican Frank Kaminsky of Wisconsin.

The four juniors in the start-

ing lineup will all be vital to the success that the Hawkeyes have this year, but the power to take this team from a NCAA tournament participant to a potential Sweet 16 team lies in the hands of senior Aaron White. White took a backseat to Marble last season and often was known to disappear at times. If White asserts himself as the go to guy for the Hawkeyes and improves his shooting touch, Iowa will be lock for a tournament and will win their first game in the big dance since 2001.

Sweet 16 vets join key recruits in Final Four push A Sweet 16 run is certainly something to be proud of, especially for a team that hadn’t been to that point in the tournament since 2000. But it’s hard not to play the “what if” game for the Iowa State Cyclones after they lost arguably the most important piece of their basketball puzzle in Georges Niang to injury in their first game of the NCAA tournament.

While it’s obviously a tough loss to swallow with losing all Big 12 players DeAndre Kane and Melvin Ejim, who was also the conference’s player of the year, the return of a healthy Niang has the Cyclones’ expectations higher than that of a season ago.

Niang has gotten a lot of

love as a potential All-American, and rightfully so, but he wasn’t the only Cyclone receiving preseason awards. UNLV transfer Bryce Dejean-Jones was selected as preseason newcomer of the year in the Big 12 and would be the fourth straight Cyclone to win the award.

Head coach Fred Hoiberg has a history of getting key contributions from transfers and seems to have struck it rich again. Dejean-Jones led UNLV in scoring and assists last season while finishing third in rebounds. He’ll start at the guard spot opposite of sophomore Monte Morris and will hope to at least maintain his 13.6 ppg scoring average.

Hoiberg’s other big-time transfer won’t be eligible until December, but he gives the Cyclones a defensive presence protecting the rim that no Hoiberg coached team has had.

Jameel McKay originally signed with Marquette when he came out of college but decided to attend junior col-

lege at Indian Hills in Iowa.

Due to transfer rules, he must sit out the first semester, but when McKay suits up for the Cyclones after Dec. 20, Iowa State will have a legitimate interior presence that will be vital in a deep tourney run.

Niang, Dejean-Jones and McKay are all integral parts of Hoiberg’s team, but the X-factor might be sophomore Monte Morris. With a 4.79 assist to turnover ratio last year that led the entire country, Morris will once again have the ball in his hands feeding his teammates.

The progression of Morris into one of the conference’s top point guards will have Iowa State eyeing the Final Four when March rolls around.

Returning starters aim to bust March brackets The UNI Panthers are known around the country for advancing to the 2010 Sweet 16 after an Ali Farokhmanesh dagger ripped the hearts out of the top ranked Kansas Jayhawks. It was one of the greatest moments in the history of the school, but in the four years since, the Panthers have yet to return to the big dance. With all five starters returning from a team that finished third in the Missouri Valley Conference a year ago, Ben Jacobson’s team is poised to get back.

It’s no secret that MVC powerhouse Wichita State is the conference favorite this year as they should be. It also

shouldn’t be a secret that the McLeod Center will be packed on Jan. 31 when the Shockers come to Cedar Falls.

Among the five returning starters for UNI is All-MVC performer Seth Tuttle. His 15.4 ppg and 8.0 rpg paced the Panthers last season.

Paul Jesperson started 33 games for the Virginia Cavaliers two seasons ago before

transferring to UNI. The 6’6” wing has come off the bench early but might make his way into the starting lineup before the season is over.

The Panthers have the potential to be one of the top shooting 3-point shooting teams in the country. The six leading scorers return from a team that shot 45 percent of its shots from beyond the arc and connected on 40 percent of them. Those numbers actually produced an offense that was statistically better than the MVC’s best Wichita State. With an efficient offense, the Panther defense was what really struggled. They allowed the

second most points per game in the MVC a year ago, uncharacteristic for a Jacobsoncoached team.

With Tuttle and the three point shooting considered, senior point guard Deon Mitchell might be the biggest determining factor for how well the Panther season goes. Mitchell, while being a good player, has also been known to be inconsistent over his four year career at UNI. If he improves his 3.4 assists per game to go along with his 12.1 points per game, pairing Mitchell and Tuttle could be the duo that knocks the door down on the elusive big dance.

By Editor-in-Chief Austin

ANDERSON

Hiram Marquez All-Male Dance

Senior captain Hiram Marquez is on his third year with the all-male dance team. He hopes to finish his CFHS allmale dance career with an unprecidented fifth straight team championship. He is unaware if he will continue dancing in college, but he is excited to go out with a bang with the rest of the “males.”

How did you get involved in all-male dance?

I like to dance, so I signed up for all male dance because Raud Kashef looked really cool when he danced. Dancing is cool. You get women when you dance.

Can you describe the mentality of the team?

We want to get women.

We have to perform as good as we can so we can achieve our goal. We want to impress the women.

How does that work for you? It works. It definitely works.

What does it mean that you have been a part of potentially three of the five straight first place teams?

That means a lot to me.

It means I have made history in this school. I left a part of me here. It makes me feel happy.

Anything else?

Come watch us Dec. 6.

We’re gonna kill it.

State is actually Dec. 5.

Yeah, that too.

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CAPTURED

The

Tiger

Friday Nov. 21, 2014

HI-LINE

DANCIN’

to Des Moines

The dance team held an exhibition on Saturday, Nov. 15 as they prepared for their state competition in Des Moines at the Wells Fargo Arena on Friday, Dec. 5. Starting at top left and moving roughly clockwise, those pictured include Sommer Danielsen, Casey McIntyre, Sierra Fredrickson, Josie Speltz, Brian Keiser, Austin Anderson, John Dunlop, Ben Dagit, Josie Speltz, Kylie Mast, Talon Plum, Kloe Pilipchuck, Jessica McMurrin, Katy Lockard and Mikaela Mallin.

All Photos by Annebeth Ahrenholz