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1015 Division St. Cedar Falls, IA 50613
http://www.cedar-falls.k12.ia.us
Four-Karat Gold
This past weekend, the music department sent 27 choir, orchestra and band students to the All-State Competition, giving three orchestra students the title of four-time All-State wins.
Volume 47 Edition 8
Caitlin Glade Photo For details, see the Tiger Hi-line Online at http://hi-lineonline.shorturl.com.
Stewart, Kasal honor veterans at CFHS assembly Willa Simmet Feature Editor
On Nov. 13, 2004, during Operation Phantom Fury, considered to be one of the most brutal battles of the Iraqi War, Sergeant Major Brad Kasal found himself involved in mortal combat. The attack began five days earlier in Fallujah, Iraq, with the intent of destroying the center stronghold of the insurgent’s territory in Iraq. While walking down the street, clearing buildings, Kasal discovered that several wounded Marines were trapped inside a two-story stucco and brick building. Kasal knew what he had to do. “Marines love each other so much that they are willing to put each other through everything to help their fellow man,” Kasal said. Kasal and his fellow Marines entered the building and began shooting for their lives and the lives of others. While shooting at an insurgent, another one came from behind Kasal’s back and shot him. “All I could think about were the other Marines,” Kasal said. “That’s how I was able to keep going. Every once in a while I would think about myself and the pain, but I would quickly dispel it (the thought) and go back to worrying about the others.” Right after Kasal was shot, he noticed the hand grenade flying in from out of nowhere. He instinctively protected the bloody Marine lying beside him. The shrapnel from the grenade caused immense amounts of bleeding to Kasal. Kasal was shot a total of seven times; five times in his right leg, once in his foot and once in his buttocks area, and he received 30 to 40 pieces of shrapnel in his back. Fast-forward two years and two days to Nov. 16, 2006, inside Cedar Falls High School’s bustling gymnasium for the Veterans Day Assembly. Students and staff are taking a break from their afternoon classes and shuffling into rows of wooden bleachers on either side of the gymnasium, the high school band is playing the national anthem, the choir prepares to sing and the Waterloo Color Detail stands next to its flags. Kristy Stanfield, a CFHS senior, wears a shirt showing support for her father, Sgt. Timothy Stanfield whose helicopter was shot down while fighting in Fallujah in November 2003. “When I hear the national anthem, it has more meaning,” Stanfield said. Stanfield’s father retired from the Army in October 2006 after 20 years as a flight engineer for the National Guard. The CFHS ceremony begins and Kevin Stewart, a CFHS Social Studies teacher, leads everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance. Stewart has been
With Liberty & Justice For All Veteran’s Day Assembly: 11/15
Caitlin Glade Photos Left: Sharing his life-changing experiences from Operation Phantom Fury in Fallujah, Iraq at Thursday’s Veteran’s Day Assembly is Sergeant Major Brad Kasal. Top Right: Honoring his flag while the men’s choir performs is one member of the Waterloo Color Detail. Bottom Right: Performing the National Anthem are trumpet players Andrew Kunkle (junior), Brandi Hatfield (senior), Jeremy Resch (junior) and Rhys Talbot (sophomore). organizing the ceremony every year since the mid 1990’s. “I hope the students have a new respect for veterans and a greater respect for the freedoms they have that these soldiers fought for,” Stewart said. “These students are the new generation called upon for the future of their country.” Stewart introduces Kasal as a graduate of East Union High School in the small town of Afton, and as a hero who received 47 wounds while in Iraq, returning as a recipient of the second highest award for valor in the war, the Navy Cross. The applause soared and Kasal took the floor. After assuring the crowd that war is an ugly thing, Kasal spoke of having to fight for what we believe in. He specifically remembered his time recovering in a California hospital. While he was leaving the hospital in his wheelchair after his rehabilitation session, a lady approached him and asked what happened. After telling her he was wounded
fighting overseas, she launched into a long antiwar tirade. After listening to her protests, Kasal said, “M’am, you’re welcome,” and when she asked what he meant, he told her that efforts of veterans have entitled her to her free speech. Kasal stressed the importance of students remembering and not taking for granted their freedoms and the veterans, like him, who fought for them. He closed by saying nothing is impossible, reminding the crowd that he wasn’t even expected to live, and is now walking and running. After the ceremony, while discussing the award, a modest Kasal said, “A lot of people think valor is courage, but it’s more than that. While it does take courage to show valor, someone that is not courageous can show valor.” He added, “I’d hope that regardless of their (students) beliefs, they will still recognize and thank service members for the sacrifices they made for their freedoms.”
Kasal said he wishes he could return to Iraq to help his troops defend the War on Terror, but he realizes that even when he is retired, it is his duty to support someone else. Kasal works as the head recruiter for the Marines in the Des Moines area. Kasal wants future Marines to be prepared to work hard, achieve the impossible and to join the family. “My father always taught me that if someone has the capabilities to help someone else, then they should do so,” Kasal said. “That’s what I believe we are doing in Iraq.” Regarding the current situation in Iraq, Kasal said, “You can’t expect it to happen overnight. We haven’t even cleaned up our own streets in New York and Los Angeles. How can it be expected for us to turn around a country oppressed for centuries when we don’t even have our own streets cleared up? It takes time.” Kasal said he knows that the fight in Iraq comes at a price. A recent Johns Hopkins survey, published in The Lancet, said that over 600,000 Iraqis may have died since March 2003, which is higher than any other number previously reported, and, weighing these losses, Kasal said, “I know that before 2003, hundreds of thousands Iraqis also perished under Saddam Hussein. That doesn’t justify anyone dying now, but to get better it’s going to take sacrifices. Freedom never comes free.” The day after the assembly, Stewart gave his thoughts on the assembly in an interview in his office with walls displaying memorabilia from his time spent in the Phillipines with the Marine Corps. “I hope the students learned not to take their own liberties for granted because, like Kasal said, freedom does come with a price,” Stewart said. “America is an idea lived and fought for by a people. The flag is a symbol of our country’s history and dreams. America is what our forefathers set into motion.” Stewart who has been putting together the ceremony since this summer said, “I thought the student body was awesome and very respectful, and Kasal’s whole message in his speech was very good.” Stewart especially liked what Kasal said about freedom. He said he thinks that it’s incredibly important that people are involved with their country and are protecting the freedoms that they have. “Part of the problem is that people are taking these liberties and forgetting the very people who helped obtain these successes,” Stewart said. “I’m not saying people have to join the military, but they could join Americorps, vote or be a productive citizen.”
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Our View
OPINION
Communities should control Iowa smoking, cigarette laws Newly elected Iowa officials have a number of issues to consider for this upcoming term. The cigarette debate is among the highly controversial topics on their agenda. As districts and campuses throughout the country continue to adjust rules in accordance with a generally anti-smoking mentality, Iowa officials are pressured to make a stance for their state. Will they support leaving smoking laws as they are, banning smoking in public buildings altogether or leaving it to the individual districts to decide? We think the local control option is the best policy for officials to follow. Since second-hand smoke affects individuals within the vicinity, it seems natural that we would leave the vote up to locals in each district. While people in some areas believe everyone should have the right to smoke where they please, others think it is the government’s job to protect nonsmokers from second-hand toxins. In order to increase fairness and properly represent the people at large, we think the officials should allow each district to determine for itself, by popular vote, whether they will (or will not) ban smoking in public restaurants or campuses. Some areas, like those around Iowa City and Ames, have already indicated by vote that they would prefer to limit public smoking. The majority of people in this area, as well as in the areas in Iowa that oppose a cigarette ban, would probably appreciate the opportunity to decide for themselves how their lives will be affected by smokers around or among them.
Write the Tiger Hi-Line
The Tiger Hi-Line is a weekly publication of the journalism classes of Cedar Falls High School, 1015 Division St., Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613. Each edition is published on Wednesdays during the school year in The Insider and Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier, 501 Commercial St., Waterloo, Iowa 50701. Columns and letters do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the HiLine or Cedar Falls Schools. The Hi-Line editorial staff view is presented weekly in the editorial labeled as Our View. 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 Thursday for publication the following Wednesday. Letters may not exceed 300 words and may be edited to meet space limitations. Include address and phone number for verification.
Editorial Staff Editors-in-Chief-Sheila Moussavi & Kirstin Riggs News Editors-Kelsey Ihde & Audrey Kittrell Opinion Editors-Andrea Huber & Robb Klassen Sports Editors-Josh Betts & Katy Schult Feature Editors-Briana McGeough & Willa Simmet On-Line Editors-David Jacobson & Olivia Schares
Be Kind to Kenny
South Park critics miss message Some people may say it’s past 10 seasons. One that the standards for teleof my favorite examples vision have been lowered of this would be an epidramatically. sode from the very first Of the many shows that season. The episode encontribute to this idea, Comtitled “Big Gay Al’s Big edy Central’s South Park Gay Boat Ride” is about may be the most popular and one of the characters, well-known. Stan, who gets a dog. Since it’s debut in 1997, Stan’s dog, Sparky, turns South Park has always been out to be gay. Stan is disKellie Petersen appointed that he does not controversial, often the cause Staff Writer of statements like “I can’t behave a “butch” dog and lieve they show that on TV!” because of this Sparky runs away. What the people that are making Needless to say the episode deals these statements fail to see, though, with the acceptance of gay people and are the underlying ideas and, yes, val- even includes the phrase “It’s OK to be ues, that the plots of South Park often gay.” Whether or not you agree with express. homosexuality is not the issue here. Now, before I explain further about It’s that a show like South Park can what is good about South Park, I just actually support ideas like openness want to clarify that sometimes the line and acceptance. Throughout the other is pushed a little too far (although I’m episodes similar ideas can be found if sure that’s always the point). South you can look over the other content. Park is obviously an extremely inap- Even the movie focused on America’s propriate and offensive show. Most de- obsession with obscenities while often tails of episodes definitely could not be disregarding violence. mentioned in a school newspaper, and Besides being able to provide interdeserve it’s TV-MA rating. esting social commentary, South Park That aside, many people that do not is hilarious if you enjoy this type of watch the show probably do not real- comedy. ize the actual content of each episode. Many of the episodes of South Besides providing surprisingly creative Park involve satire, which is often and intelligent comedy, South Park has expressed in an extremely funny and promoted many important ideas over creative manner. I can think of count-
less episodes involving a satirical plot line. One of the most recent of these episodes would be the Halloween episode involving Satan’s Halloween party, which was an obvious parody of the MTV show My Super Sweet Sixteen and how spoiled and demanding the subjects of the show are. The point here is that even though the episodes can be incredibly obscene and violent, they still contain creative and what I consider to be intelligent comedy. The actual violent and obscene content of South Park is also something I would like to address, since I can easily assume it is what causes people to misunderstand and dislike the show. This content is meant to be funny, not serious, since South Park is a cartoon. I can completely understand why people would not think this is funny, but I would just like to remind them again that it is not meant to be serious, and they do not have to watch South Park if they do not want to. I do understand that certain episodes have been extremely offensive to certain groups of people, and this is probably the only aspect of the show that disappoints me, but creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker are simply using their right to freedom of speech to express their unique, and what other South Park fans and I consider to be, hilarious view on the world.
What are you thankful for?
“I’m thankful for the administrative staff, because without them I wouldn’t have 1st and 7th hour releases.” —Reid Erikson Senior
“I’m thankful to live a country where you are allowed to express your religious views and not be persecuted for believing in a God.” —Sara Pattee Senior
“I am thankful for my Thanksgiving turkey.” —Shyann Beach Sophomore
Tiger
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SPORTS
Women’s basketball looks to build on last year’s success Josh Betts Sports Editor
After losing seven seniors to graduation, the CFHS women’s basketball team is hoping for little turnover this season, returning seven letter winners and seven seniors from a team that went 14-9 last season, losing in the regional final to Linn-Mar. “We did lose a lot of experience,” 14-year CFHS women’s basketball head coach Dan List said. “Those girls had been on the varsity team since their sophomore year, Kristin Iehl a four year (varsity) player. You just don’t replace those overnight.” “We’ve gotten off to a somewhat slow start simply because the volleyball players were very successful,” List said. “We had five girls on there (the volleyball team), so they missed the whole first week of practice. We’re trying to get them in shape and trying to (develop) the on-court chemistry with the girls that have been there.” The Tigers, picked to finish fifth out of seven in the Mississippi Division by the Cedar Rapids Gazette, return two players that started at some point last season in Abby Mohlis and Caitlin Blau, the two top returning scorers from last year’s squad, averaging 4.84 and 6.13 points per game respectively. “We do, in a sense have a little more experience coming back than one might think,” List said. On only returning two players with starting experience, List said, “It’s going to be interesting. I mean, you can look at it as there is a lot of competition out there, and there are some spots
open for people, and hopefully that will make them (the players) work harder. Or you know, we kind of have people that will kind of sit back and not take charge, and that’s not a good thing. So, hopefully, it’s going to force these girls to compete with each other, and that’s going to push everybody to get a little better.” With seven seniors returning, List said finding senior leadership is not a problem. “Alyssa Heller and Caitlin Blau have been pretty good with the leadership aspect of it,” List said. “Abby Mohlis is a take charge kind of girl. So, hopefully, that aspect will be taken care of.” The Tigers averaged just over 55 points per game last season, just over 38 of which were scored by last year’s seniors on the squad. List talked about the offensive goals for this season. “Hopefully we get the ball inside,” List said. “That’s been kind of a problem for us the last couple years. We want to get the ball inside a little bit more, and, of course, once we get the ball inside, you want to be able to finish.” “We hope we can be a little more consistent from the three-point line. I think we have some people that are capable (of that). We want to be a balanced team. We want to be able to hit from outside, but also score from inside. It’s tougher to defend a team that is balanced.” This season sees six players make the jump from sophomore to varsity
basketball: juniors Shawn Shaddox, Ali Hines, Diamond Lee, Ali Cirksena, Katrina Bauer and Abby Conrad. “We have some nice athletes up from the sophomore team from last year,” List said. “We want them to get a little more aggressive. They’re a little timid right now, a little tentative, and this is really their first year they’ve had to compete with more than the people their own age or from their own school. Hopefully, that aggressiveness will come out of them as we get rolling into the season here.” Last season, the Tigers shot a mere 59.4 percent from the free throw line, and after losing their top two free throw shooters from last season, List has put emphasis on that this year as well. “We’ve always thought free throw shooting was extremely important,” List said. “But the thing is, you can’t get that done just during the season. Free throws are such an important factor in games. Bottom line is, the players have to get up there, shoot with confidence and believe it’s going in.” The Tigers top returning free throw shooters this season include seniors Blau, Mohlis, Heller, and Abby Long, who all shot at or above 50 percent from the charity stripe last season. List offered his thoughts on the Mississippi Valley Conference this season. “We’ve got a number of teams in the preseason that are rated already,” List said. “You’ve got (Iowa) City High (ranked 15th in IGHSAU Class 4A preseason poll). You’ve got (Iowa) City West, (ranked 12th). You’ve got Cedar Rapids Jefferson rated in the top
10, (eigthth). You’ve got Cedar Rapids Washington who went to the semifinals of the state tournament last year, and they’ve got a lot of people back. They’re rated No. 3 this year.” “Wahlert is traditionally tough. Linn-Mar, of course, is the one that beat us out, and they have virtually everybody back from last year. They went to the state tournament.” There’s just so many tough teams in the conference. Waterloo West has four starters returning. They’ve been on the team since their freshman year.” “The dark horse is going to be Waterloo East, because they have everybody back,” List said. “They’re big, they’re physical, they’re athletic. They believe in themselves. Hopefully we can get our team to that point of confidence before too far into the season that they believe in themselves and their teammates, and they’re able to play the type of ball we think they are capable of.” “We have some good athletes,” List said. “They have to play with a chip on their shoulder, and every night be ready to play, to match or surpass the intensity of the other team.” List talked about the tough schedule the Tigers have to start the year. “The schedule in all honesty did not do us any favors this year,” List said. “We lost Cresco. We usually start out with Waverly and Cresco, but now we’ve got MFL Mar-Mac, who is a very highly thought of 3A team (16-7 overall, 9-1 in Upper Iowa Conference last season), and then the No. 2 team in 4A, and that is, Sioux City North. That
wasn’t our choice to be on the schedule (Sioux City North). We had a little mix-up with Waterloo West. They were originally supposed to play them in the Thanksgiving Day tournament.” “Then we play Cedar Rapids Washington in less than a week (Thursday Nov. 30 ), and Wahlert on Tuesday (Nov. 28). “We have four games in seven days, against four very highly thought of teams,” List said. “That’s not what you want to go into when you have a lot of inexperience and then you were missing girls for some practice, but that being said, that’s the way it is. “We’re going to play the hand that’s dealt us, and, hopefully, we’ll be competitive in those games and keep getting a little better each contest.” List talked about the team’s chances to make the state tournament. “The ingredients are there; there’s the athleticism there. The questions that remain are how hard are we going to play, how well are we going to play together as a team. How well will the junior and senior classes mesh together, and, realistically, how bad do the girls want it. “If we get through those issues, of course, we have a chance to go, but it’s not going to be an easy road to haul, and we know that, but I think as the season progresses, we’ll get better and better, because we have a real tough start to the season with our schedule.” Friday’s action begins at 6 p.m., with Saturday’s action starting at 5 p.m.
Coach Hartman receives
CF Special Olympics bowlers perform Assistant Coach of Year well at state competition in Des Moines Kristen Hammer Kristen Hammer Staff Writer
“Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt!” This is the motto for the Special Olympics. The bowling championship, hosted by Special Olympic Iowa, was held last Saturday, Nov. 18 in Des Moines.The athletes from CF placed high with junior Dana Siebrands finishing first in her division, junior Brandon Duncan fourth in his, and graduate Don Zuck second. Medals and ribbons were given to all individual participants.
Siebrands, Duncan and Zuck competed after qualifying Oct. 21 at the District Meet with first place finishes. Before this, they had dedicated a couple months to practicing. “We have always been fortunate to qualify athletes for the state competitions, which are fun events and have good competition,” special needs teacher Jim Seeley said. “All of the students enjoy competing as other students do in any sport. The nice thing is that all Special Olympic athletes can compete regardless of their ability, and they all enjoy the social aspect of being a part of a team,”
Seeley said. The Special Olympics believes that people with disabilities can be active in team and individual sports with encouragement and training. It is their hope that the competition and coaching will benefit the kids in many aspects of their life. “Seeing how involvement in Special Olympics benefits the athletes is the greatest reward. As participants, they grow both socially and physically. Without this opportunity, many of these students would not be involved as student athletes,” Seeley said.
Staff Writer
Jeff Hartman, the men’s cross country assitant coach, was nominated Assistant Coach of the Year by the Iowa Association of Track and Field Coaches. Being with the team for 11 years, he has played a critical role in the success of countless great runners. “One of the reasons I like coaching is that everyone is there because they choose to be there, and most of the time they want to work hard to become the best they can be,” Hartman said. Familiar with training techniques and race tactics, Hartman understands there’s more to being a coach than talk-
ing strategy. He has a heart for wanting the team to feel the triumph of their improvements. “The most rewarding part of my job is seeing the athletes improve and achieve personal and team goals,” Hartman said. Every year, Hartman faces a new team with different chemistry, taking time to bond with the guys and get to know them. Hartman has all the attributes that make a good coach and one in particular that makes him a great coach. He has the selfless desire to see personal victory in his runners’ eyes when they cross the finish line. In other words, if they’re happy, he’s happy.
Tiger
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FEATURE
Nintendo Mania History of Nintendo Nintendo Entertainment System (1986)
Nintendo Wii promises to be a hit with gamers Adam Zinda Staff Writer
Super Nintendo Entertainment System (1991)
Nintendo 64 (1996)
Nintendo GameCube (2001)
With an affordable $250 price tag, Nintendo put its latest offering into play on Sunday, Nov. 19. Originally code named “Revolution,” the name of the new system was changed in early May to the Wii. The name is pronounced “wee” and is supposed to show that the system is intended to bring people together to play video games, yet it is still functional in everyday life. “The price for the Wii is going to help sales compared to Xbox 360 and the Play Station 3 which are currently in the $300-$600 price range,” senior Michael Geary said. Recently, Toys R Us and Wal-Mart have gotten in on preorder deals and have offered customers the chance to get a console for the holiday season. Toys R Us offered their preorder deal on Oct. 29 and Wal-Mart offered theirs online on Nov. 1. Gamestop offered their preorder event Oct. 13 and sold out in most stores within minutes of opening the doors to the public. “I’m buying my Wii the day it is released,” Geary said. However, even if someone preordered one, Gamestop and Toys R Us said they could not guarantee they will hold one if demand is great. There were still rumors of one last piece of information about the system, a“Big Wii revelation” that would be revealed before launch. There were some big ideas being thought up on forums around the world, including the Wii being in high definition to the Wii coming with cool handheld controllers to an extra game packed in with the Wii besides Wii Sports. Toys R Us and Gamestop have been personally picked by Nintendo
to be the two launch companies who will be open at midnight to sell their product. Even if they do not have large amounts of stock, revenue will most likely jump for both companies after the launch. The Wii is going to change the gaming industry. It is the first console to have a motion sensor system that sends waves to the “Wii-mote” and makes what the player is doing in real life appear on the TV, so in essence, the player is the character in the game. If the player is not pro “Wii-mote,” don’t worry, the Wii is compatible with the GameCube’s old controllers. The Wii is already making records. The first record is their release date stock, which is estimated to be over one million units, and there will be four million sets worldwide by the end of the year. The Wii is the first system to have a game packaged in with the system since the Sega Saturn in 1995. Sony has cut the price for the PS3 in Japan by $90. The price for the system in the United States is still $500 for the system with a 20-gig hard-drive and $600 for the 60-gig hard-drive. Even the Xbox 360 could possibly drop its prices to compete with Nintendo. Rumors indicate prices may even drop $100 per system. Games for the PS3 are currently set $10-$15 higher than the Wii’s $49 games. “Some games I’m looking forward to are Super Smash Brothers Brawl, Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and Red Steel,” Geary said. Some handy functions that will be on the Wii are the “Mii channel,” which allows the player to make a virtual character of him or herself; a virtual console channel, which allows older games to download to the
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.org
Released by Nintendo last Sunday, is the latest Nintendo game system, the Wii. memory card for a price; a photo channel; a news channel; a forecast channel; a disk channel; “Wii mail,” which is email from your own system to a friend’s system and an Internet channel which will be free until next July. The Wii will also have built in “Wi-fi” or wireless Internet. The Wii is also backward compatible, which means that games from the last system, the Gamecube, are playable on it. “The new additional features are a plus, but the ability to buy older games and play them on the Wii will be a major plus for sales,” Geary said. If someone has the Nintendo DS, the most recent handheld, then they can connect it to the Wii through “Wi-fi,” and they can use the touch screen to control the game on the TV.
Photos courtesy of Wikipedia.org, Geizhals.com, Quickseek.com, Smashbrothersonline.com and Ngcfrance.com