Oct 2 2015 hi line

The

Tiger HI-LINE

Friday, Oct. 2, 2015

Volume 56 Edition 3

Juniors Win a Squeaker Check out some of the highlights from powder puff/pages 8-9 Follow us on Twitter at tigerhiline, Facebook at TigerHilineOnline and on our website at www.hiline.cfschools.org

Outbreak of bullying follows leak of video

For years and years, students have had it engraved into their brains, “Do not bully.” After all the countless posters, assemblies and reminders that bullying is never OK, most students don’t view it as a problem. It doesn’t seem to be prevalent. It doesn’t seem like a big deal until something happens to make it all blow up.

And blow up it did on Wednesday morning, Sept. 23.

Junior Allie Taiber and senior Megan Bradford were regularly going about their mornings as the awful, hateful tweets at them started blowing up their Twitter notifications and as people in the hallways started staring just a little too long. “The day before, everyone was saying that I was going to snitch. I thought it would all blow over by the next day. Going to fourth hour, a friend asked if I was OK. I said why wouldn’t I be?”

Taiber asked.

Taiber was confused as to why the stares kept coming and people kept asking her if she was OK. This was probably due to the fact that she did not have a cell phone, so she could not see the terrible things being tweeted at her. “Random people were

Emerging from the sites of Cyberbullying

Victim shares her window into online harassment Hunkered in a bathroom stall, tears began to spill from my eyes as the words from my laptop screen seeped into my conscience.

My hands trembled, scrolling and searching for the cause. My body numbed.

The words I read creating heart-wrenching wounds that continued to cut deeper and deeper. The “biggest bitch in school,” one tweet said. “F--k Allie Taiber,” said another.

I was feeling alone and bewildered. Why was this happening?

Meanwhile on the other side of the screen, friends new and old, strangers and heedless onlookers com-

posed, favorited and retweeted tweets and messages all in efforts to tear me down. “The snitch,” they accused. The one who “ruined everything.”

Completely taken aback by everyone’s actions not only on social media, but through the gossip and absurd remarks throughout the school, I sat there alone in the stall not knowing how to react, what to do or where to go. As I sank deep into my mind where nothing was OK, I asked myself, “Why me?” For the first couple hours not a single individual stood up to what was happening online. Where were my socalled friends? Where had the good in humanity disappeared to? With no voice, I feared what

was to come as the targeted harassment and threats progressed by my fellow classmates.

Every year, Cedar Falls High School’s homecoming tradition of Jell-O wrestling delivers emotional, physical and mental damage that most of us students, some parents and community members are completely oblivious to. Prior to last Wednesday’s affairs, I had no real problem with the tradition. “Simple homecoming fun” was all, and if you didn’t support it, then you didn’t go.

Little did I know there

asking me, ‘Have you seen the tweets?’ Before I even saw any of them, I started crying. I went off into a secluded room, and Claire Chenowith asked if I was OK. As I

finally logged on to Twitter, I had over 100 notifications, most of which saying, “f*** Allie Taiber” The attacks arose as a way to shift blame for the previous night,

where many students hosted, attended and participated in one of CFHS’s biggest homecoming traditions, Jell-O wrestling. This is an unsanctioned event, hosted pri-

PE teacher’s recovery opens path for all to

EMERGING

Continued on Page 15

marily by the seniors. Students do not want teachers or administration finding out about the event because it is not condoned by them and never will be, especially with all the negative attention the school received from it in 2012.

After this year’s event, Madison Hall and Carly Extrom were tied to involvement at the wrestling event because of a video that was leaked to administration.

Both athletes received a Good Conduct Code violation for their participation in sports due to violating the contract they signed that prohibits involvements such as this.

Both athletes, along with many other students said they feel that this situation and punishment is extremely unfair.

From there, students looked to blame whoever leaked the video, and rumors swirled that Bradford and Taiber were the ones that “snitched” to administration, but neither Taiber nor Bradford were even at the Jell-O wrestling and had never had a video of any of the matches. In fact, Taiber said that before this year’s event, she

JELL-O WRESTLING

Continued on Page 14

Do Better. Be Better.

On Oct. 25, 2013, P.E. teacher Jamie Smith suffered a stroke in the Pons area of her brain stem. At this time in her life, she was 15-weeks pregnant with her fourth daughter, Myah. It was caused by a cavernoma malformation, which is a cluster of abnormal blood vessels.

“My condition is very rare; only .05 percent of the general population have it. It is also very serious because it is located in the Pons, which is where the 12 cranial nerves pass through,” Smith said. All of those nerves are responsible for basic Color Run What: 5K event for Do bodily functions, so even the smallest stroke could cause significant damage.

Better. Be Better.

“I never had surgery to remove it Where: Pfeiffer Park When: Saturday, Oct. 3 because it was deemed too risky, so since it is still hanging out in my head, I at 9 a.m. could have another stroke at any time,” Cost: $20 preregister.

Smith said $30 day of the race Now, two years later, Smith is doing well, but now she has a heightened focus to “do better” and “be better.” With her life and with the help of her family and friends, she has created the Do Better. Be Better. organization and scholarship fund. “The principal,

DO BETTER. BE BETTER. Continued on Page 16

Super Shine

Logan Cole Photo

A Supermoon, casting it’s light over Cedar Falls on Sunday, Sept. 27, occurs when it is at the closest part of it’s orbit of the earth. This makes it appear larger to viewers, and for the first time since 1982, this event occurred simultaneously with a lunar eclipse that also made the moon appear red.

2

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OPINION

Tiger

HI-LINE

Friday, Oct. 2, 2015

Our View

Beware the slope to cyberbullying

Picking up the phone and opening up the Twitter app, one of the very first tweets that comes up says “jacob, no one in 5th hour math cares about how much u love heavy metal music, so please shut up about it.” Scrolling down, the next tweet is a photo which shows a couple kissing in the hallway with the caption “KEEP PDA AWAY FROM THE SCHOOL PLZ.” Scrolling down some more, the next tweet reads, “man, Samantha’s braces and lisp sure does gets me hot ;) ;).”

If what we post on social media is what reflects our culture, the CFHS culture seems to have reached a new level of hostility, or maybe we should just call it what it really is: cyberbullying.

You’ve probably first heard of cyberbullying when a speaker came to your elementary school to talk about it, or when you saw that one film about cyberbullying starring Emily Osment, but now, years later, cyberbullying has wormed its way out from academic assemblies right into the heart of posts we share daily.

If cyberbullying includes writing rude comments about somebody, threatening someone, spreading rumors and posting embarrassing photos, you suddenly realize how often cyberbullying really occurs within our social media. Instead of

If you would like to publicly stand up against all negativity directed at CFHS students, check out the tweet at the HiLine’s Twitter account challenging everyone to do just that and retweet or favorite it to publicly show your commitment.

seeing a bully shoving a kid into a locker and stealing his lunch money, now the bully can just take a Snapchat of the kid and write a demeaning caption about him instead.

What makes cyberbullying so dangerous is that it follows the victim everywhere. The

harassment is posted for everybody to see and partake in.

For victims, it leads to anxiety, paranoia, stress, depression and, in a worst case scenario, the victim’s depression may go over the edge to suicide. It’s happened several times before, and our community isn’t

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.

Online Editor: Zuhayr Alam Staff Writers: Annebeth Ahrenholz, Billie Ann Albert, Daphne Becker, Madison Belden, Jamie Blair, Ben Boezinger, Abbey Carlson, Gabi Carr, Miranda Cole, Amanda Crockett, Ashton Cross, Sommer Danielsen, Alyssa Dekutoski, Noah Forker, Tana Gam-Ad, Emma Gerdes, A. J. Godbey, Camryn Grubic, Amna Haider, Aaron Heimbuck, Noah Hermansen, Cody Hood, Nathan Hoy, Jacob Jensen, Kierston Johnson, Brennan Kohls, Mercede Kraabel, Sam Magee, Jade McBroom, Scott Miller, Nolan Nickerson, Madeline Nicol, Kaylee Olson, Jason Rathjen, Austin Reyhons, Hannah Sanderman, Lane Schwickerath, Lexi Sheeley, Sierra Steen, Sarah Stortz, Allie Taiber, Tehya Tournier, Isaac Turner-Hall, Drew Walker, Isabella Wilson

Palms sweaty, heart racing I begin to prepare for my race. As I lace up my spikes, my teammates give me pep talks and speak encouraging words.

Coach Don walks over, pats me on the back, says, “Have a great race,” and we high five. The JV team huddles, thanking God for the beautiful day, the ability to run, and we end with the usual pre-race cheer. By the time I’m standing next to my team at the start line, any nerves I had are gone.

I joined cross country my sophomore year and nervous was an understatement about how I felt when I started. Never being on a sports team before, athlete wasn’t a word I used to describe myself.

“Just try it for a week and if you don’t like it at least you’ll know,” I remember my dad telling me. Now I

mate’s funeral.

As a student body, we should all realize how big of a problem cyberbullying is and when to recognize it. Take action by reporting content and calling the bully out. Don’t stand by while someone you know is being unjustly treated.

As small step toward ending all of this CFHS negativity, go to our Twitter account (@TigerHiLine) and favorite our tweet to stop cyberbullying. Publicly promsing to stand together will clearly show that we students want cyberbullying at our school to end.

Sierra Steen Illustration No matter how much we think a person is strange, immune to it.

Besides that, there are they still deserve decency also legal consequences that and respect as any other.

When we all look out for come with cyberbullying. In Iowa, you can be charged with each other and make sure that students can feel as safe harassment if you’re caught cyberbullying. That 10-sec- as possible, then we can truly become the best school ond post may earn a criminal record and an invite to a class- that we can be.

Team bonds extend beyond finish lines don’t remember a time when I wasn’t in love with cross country. I might not love the 600 repeats or hill workouts, but when I complete them I can definitely call myself an athlete.

During my three years of cross country, I’ve only run one varsity race, and I’m not even close to being the best girl on the team, but none of that matters to me. Your teammates provide you with neverending support. No matter how fast you are, your team will be cheering you on and wanting you to do your best.

Irreplaceable friendships and the feeling of accomplishment are the reasons why I’ve stayed in cross country.

The people I’ve met in cross country, whether it be on the girls or guys team, are very down to earth, caring, amazing human beings. Outside of

practice, these people have made my high school experience an unforgettable one.

Crossing the finish line gives me an overwhelming sense of accomplishment always accompanied with relief and fatigue. All the work that I put in during practice finally pays off. Whether I feel amazing or awful about my race, my teammates always lift me up, congratulate me or say that everything is going to be OK. Even though my final season is starting to wrap up, I’m going to enjoy every last second of it. I will never forget my three years of cross country. CFXC, you will always have a special place in my heart.

By Staff Writer Hannah

SANDERMAN

The

Tiger

HI-LINE Black & Blue

Silence

I stare at the ceiling. Inside of my black backpack, I have three pages of homework to complete. In the kitchen, the microwave is beeping because my food is done. On my bedside table, my phone is buzzing from a text I should answer. In the bathroom, the shower is calling to me because I haven’t showered in two days, and I know I should.

But I don’t move.

I lay there and stare at the white plaster and think of all of the mistakes I made today, all of the things I did wrong and how ashamed I was to be me. I ponder the consequences I’ll have to deal with for not completing my homework. I wonder why I am who I am and why I couldn’t just sit up and do it. It makes hate run through my veins for myself, and anger boil in my gut.

But exhaustion eventually takes over, and I drift off to sleep.

This is depression. White walls and murderous thoughts. It is not poetry or black eyeliner and black clothes; it is not breaking a nail or getting dumped by your boyfriend.

Friday, Oct. 2, 2015

OPINION

3

Escape from depression’s spiral calls for connections, heroic quest for hope

I’ve been dealing with depression for a little over three years now. It has been a losing battle, but somehow I am still standing here today, and sometimes even with a smile. It can best be described as a really, really messed up roller coaster.

Some weeks I will go through periods of being happy. I will have an unusual amount of energy and will fall in love with my life over and over again.

Nothing can get me down in these days, and I feel like I’m flying above all of the sadness and hurt I have grown accustomed to.

Then I’ll fall. It’s like watching a car crash in slow motion when this happens. I will wake up one day and be unresponsive. It’s like a switch has gone off in my brain. My body will be tired and my mouth will betray me. It won’t smile correctly and won’t say the right things.

My mind will go blank. It stops working right and will show me a brick wall.

The brick wall is the worst part. I’ll spend days and days trying to climb over it, to get through this block in my mind that keeps me from living a normal teenage life, but it scratches and

burns and fights back. It’s concrete, and it locks me in.

When this occurs, going to school isn’t an option. Investing in my interests like reading becomes a dream. Laughing along with my friends and doing normal, day-to-day things becomes an impossible journey that pushes me down every time I stand back up.

People who deal with depression usually aren’t loud about it. Some are even ashamed to tell people since it isn’t a thing you can physically see, and traditionally it has been looked down upon. But in these past few years, people are starting to stand up. They are showing their scars and saying, “Hey, I know I’ve been to hell and back, but here I am still standing, and I’m really effing proud of it.”

Being a victim of this mental illness, showing people my metaphorical scars is definitely challenging. It takes a great amount of courage and strength to even admit that something is wrong.

Depression messes with your mind and makes you see things in a dull shade of grey. Everything that happens to you or your peers, it’s your fault.

Guilt, blame and fear pile up on your shoulders like 50-pound weights.

With all of these side effects depression causes, it’s nearly impossible not to crumble under the pressure of it. You get this idea that you aren’t normal, that you’re a screw up and anyone who finds out how sad you are will look at you differently and look down upon you.

But that’s not true — none of it. Being depressed doesn’t make you weak; in the end it makes you stronger. It puts you through your own personal hell, but it’s your own strength and willingness that gets you through it.

If you are currently struggling with depression or have in the past, there are always people to talk to.

Whether it be a family member or friend, talking always helps. It makes what’s happening that much more real and gives you hope that you can get through it — that maybe this life was meant for you, and you don’t have to surrender to the luring darkness.

Staff Writer Abbey

CARLSON

Humility, giving may be our last challenging lessons You are enduring an 18 year long incubation stage.

Every day you are given a schedule to follow, and guidelines for doing it. You are given the education system as a hand to hold while sifting through information you may need to be competent and successful in the future. You are given restrictions regarding where you can be and how late you can stay.

All of these aspects of youth are intended to serve you as you work to accomplish two things. First, to develop a self with strong character, and second to better understand the world around you. However, we’ve all misused the opportunities of youth at some point.

This time in life can quickly morph into a stage of self-absorption. Somewhere along the lines we lose the idea of development, and lean more and more into the idea of self.

We continue leaning into that idea without the basis of understanding we need.

Living solely to serve ourselves can be observed from a young age. As a child, we fought for what belonged to us; in grade school we fought to be first. Now in high school, fighting for ourselves does not occur in such simple

Sommer Danielsen Graphic scenarios. Unfortunately, we often serve ourselves by creating a sense of superiority at the expense of others.

Verbally attacking the actions or opinions of our peers places ourselves on an illusory pedestal. For whatever reason, we insist that the pedestal exists because we experience a feeling of affirmation regarding ourselves and our lifestyles.

However, trying to stand on a nonexistent pedestal only results in two things. One, a horrendously embarrassing levitation attempt. And two, self

inflicted injuries.

We are destined to fail from time to time. It’s OK. Like a four-year old on top of a playground, trying to defy gravity can be quite enticing. But if youth is intended as a time to grow and shape our character, there are things we must do to keep our feet on the ground.

There are things that are required of us if we want to promote our own growth and support the people around us who are doing the same.

Taking on a selfless disposition is the only way to simulta-

neously develop a stronger self and understanding of the world around you. It is a great paradox: not trying to help yourself will ultimately help you the most. Every day there are opportunities to put this idea into practice.

One of these opportunities (which is in abundance this time of year) is in discussion and debate. Before constructing your illusory pedestal, take time to seriously consider why others have formed the opinions they are presenting. Could their beliefs be plausible? How do their personal experiences shape their beliefs? Would you come to the same conclusions if you were in their position? Knowing the answer to these questions can help you refine your own opinion and also present it more tactfully.

Active selflessness can’t occur without strong intuition.

In order to care for someone else, you have to pay attention to what brings them joy. From that, you can infer what acts will be meaningful to them.

Being intuitive of the needs of others is a never ending duty.

A simple example would be bringing someone coffee in the morning after you know they’ve had a long night. Other times you might have to decide what kind of comfort to give people

enduring serious hardships.

Will words, acts of service or giving time mean more to them? Learning to adapt to the needs of others will build a strong social intuition. This can help us navigate through so many challenges in the future.

The biggest takeaway from selflessness is incandescent joy. Caring for someone brings that person so much happiness that it is contagious. After you experience this, you will long to make it a central principle in your life. One thing you’ve probably realized by now is that satisfaction is fleeting, but it endures far longer when it is contrived outside of yourself.

You’ve been told what to do. You’ve been told where to go. You’ve been told when to leave. In the midst of everything drilled into our minds, it appears there is one concept we haven’t quite grasped. We can’t defy gravity. We can’t stand on illusory pedestals and hail ourselves the greatest.

So why keep trying? Plant your feet on the earth, look beyond your own worries and live selflessly.

By Staff Writer Sommer

DANIELSEN

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OPINION

Tiger

Friday, Oct. 2, 2015

HI-LINE

Brennan Kohls Photo

Outsiders rise to top of two parties’ presidential prospects

Why Trump is the right choice Donald Trump, the multi-billionaire GOP presidential candidate we all hear about every night on the news. When Trump announced his candidacy in June, no one thought he would do like he’s doing right now, at over 30 percent in most polls, he is leading the pack of presidential hopefuls by a long shot, but what makes him so appealing to Republican primary voters?

For most conservatives, including myself, it’s the fact that he isn’t controlled by lobbyists and is funding his own campaign. He’s a successful businessman.

His non-political correctness is quite a refresher in today’s society, including his views on illegal immigration and his revealing the establishment GOP, or as another presidential hopeful, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) calls them, the “Washington Cartel.”

The “Washington Cartel” is made up of both sides of the political aisle. On the Democrat side, you have Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) among others, and on the Republican side Sen. John McCain (RAZ) and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to name a few. They are all career politicians who don’t care about the American people and only look out for their own interests. Trump has the establishment GOP all fired up because he’s an outsider; he isn’t a career politician. Conservatives are sick and tired of the establishment. We want someone who cares more about the American people than their own personal and political interests, and Trump fits that profile.

I went around the school and asked Trump supporters why they like him, and here is what senior Kyle Frost had to say: “I like Trump because he isn’t someone’s puppet like some of the people running.

I also like his ideas and how he plans to execute them, and I think America needs a businessman in charge.”

Dems should ‘feel the Bern’

John Dunlop, a junior, explained why Bernie Sanders, a self-made, outspohe likes “The Donald”: “He’s not afraid ken, Democratic Socialist has stepped into to say what’s wrong with America, and he the 2016 presidential election. Sanders is gets to the point of what he plans to do, serving his second term in the U.S. Senate such as his plans on foreign policy, how after winning re-election in 2012 with 71 he is going to support veterans and their percent of the vote. Previously, he worked families, also his plan of creating jobs and 16 years in the House of Representatives, bringing jobs back from other countries. which makes him the longest serving inI also really dependent like that he is member of going to put Congress in higher taxes American hison compatory. nies that Though outsource the term jobs to other “socialist” countries.” scares away Jay Krammany voters, er, a junior, the term isn’t Alyssa Dekutoski Cartoon nearly as bad said, “He is the only canas conservaIf Donald Trump got If Bernie Sanders got didate that tive Republithe Republican nomi- the Democratic nomispeaks what cans make it nation, and you had nation, and you had he believes sound. Socialthe vote, would you the vote, would you and not what ism is defined vote for him? vote for him? the pubas an orgalic wants to nization be29% Yes 52% Yes hear. It just tween social 46% No 16% No so happens classes where that what I 24% Don’t Care 30% Don’t Care e v e r y b o d y want to hear has an equal The Hi-Line Poll represents 10 percent of all students in proporis what he tion to gender and the three grades at the high school, and was a d v a n t a g e . conducted by Kierston Johnson. Currently, the believes. He might have a country lives few flaws, but who doesn’t? I also believe under heavy influence of the white, upperhe is the only candidate that is actually on class, Republican male. Sanders has plans the side of the American people.” to change that. His competitors are more Trump knows the economy, he has a publicly known with a financial advantage, good plan to bring it back to full strength, but he has the best appeal to every perhe will actually enforce our country’s im- son living in the United States regardless migration laws and he will make our of privilege. military the strongest fighting force there Sanders funds his own campaign, reever was. Like Trump says: “Make Ameri- ceives very little money from the public ca great again!” Vote Trump 2016. and unlike most other presidential candidates, he is accepting no money from Super PACs. Bernie’s funding mostly Staff Writer Brennan comes from the youth supporting him,

KOHLS

but he does not receive nearly as much as the other candidates. Bernie’s popularity branches from social media, where the adolescents promote his policies. Trump is known for his bold, yet very arrogant, personality and wealth, but his grip on the country is fading fast, and we, the future of America, the rebellious youth, the can’tfunction-without-a-phone-in-our-hands generation, will be running the country.

Sanders has been involved in politics since he came out of college, and his views on everything from the environment to health care to workers’ rights have been consistent for decades. Trump’s political correctness is nearly nonexistent, making his proposal to become president quite frightening. He is not an outsider to the world, only to politics, yet the country is considering electing him in the highest position in government.

Sanders, however, has keyed on equalizing people’s benefits, including raising the minimum wage so parents can support their children, making the cost of schooling nonexistent so everybody has the right to an education, making the pay of every minority and female equal to the white men they work next to, and providing universal healthcare to everyone, incuding those who have to choose between paying for their rent or their prescribed medication.

Sanders attacks the issues, not the candidates. He presents his positions and how he plans to implement them. Trump attacks the other candidates, and when asked how his plans will work, he replies with oversimplified action like “rounding up [immigrants] in a nice, humane way” or “we’re gonna grow the economy so much.”

Trump may know money, but Sanders knows our country. Socialize that. Vote Bernie 2016.

Leah Jessica FORSBLOM & HUFFMAN

The

Tiger

HI-LINE

Friday, Oct. 2, 2015

FOOD FEATURE

5

Hour of Power

Lunches Chicken Stir Fry makes easy meal in under 60 minutes

Lane Schwickerath Photos Feeds: 2-3 people Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes Needs: decent sized pan cutting board sharp knife tablespoon of oil 2 medium-sized chicken breasts

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

1 large tomato 1 medium cucumber 1/4 head of cauliflower 2 small cans of mushrooms 2-3 stalks of celery prefered seasonings Louisiana Hot sauce (optional)

The night before, take the chicken out of the freezer and put on a paper plate in the fridge.

If you have time in the morning, dice everything up and put the veggies and the chicken into separate containers.

Otherwise do the following.

1) During your power hour go home and put your pan on the stove and add the oil.

2) Turn the stove to medium heat.

3) Dice the chicken.

4) Throw the chicken in and season to preference (I prefer Greek no salt, Creole, garlic and Louisiana hot sauce.)

5) While waiting for the chicken to cook, dice all your veggies.

6) Wait until chicken is almost done and put everything else in the pan.

7) Season again if you’d like to have more dominant flavor in the dish.

8) Wait until your cauliflower has softened up a little bit and the dish is done cooking.

9) Take off heat and use a slotted spoon so as to not get all the oil on your plate.

10) Serve hot with your favorite sides.

By Staff Writer Lane

SCHWICKERATH

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ENTERTAINMENT

NEW RELEASES

MUSIC •JULIA HOLTER: Have You In My Wilderness •LANA DEL REY: Honeymoon •CHVRCHES: Every Open Eye •NEW ORDER: Music Complete •DISCLOSURE: Caracal •ALAS SAK: Dungen •KURT VILE: B’lieve I;m Goin; Down

MOVIES •THE WALK 09/30/15 •THE MARTIAN 10/02/15 •JAFAR PANAHI’S TAXI 10/02/15 •PAN 10/09/15 •STEVE JOBS 10/09/15

GAMES •UNCHARTED: THE NATHAN DRAKE COLLECTION (PS4) 10/09/15 •UNDERTALE (PC) •JOURNEY (PS4) •NBA LIVE 16 (PS4) *METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN (PS4) *NHL 16 (Xbox1) *Rare Replay (Xbox1)

ONLINE EXTRAS

How To:

with host Emma Weimerskirch Everyone can be crafty by following Emma’s simple steps to a new project on each episode.

This week’s feature:

LETTER PHOTO COLLAGE

Find all the weekly podcasts as well as the broadcast news stories by visiting us on the web at http://www.hiline. cfschools.org.

Tiger

HI-LINE

Friday, Oct. 2, 2015

Path to the Pumpkin Patch First Halloween column explores haunted Iowa What are your plans this year to celebrate Halloween? Maybe handing out candy to trick-or-treaters or going to a costume party?

What about going to the Heart of Darkness, or even better, an actual haunted house in Iowa? This year, take a road trip with your friends, and visit one of these places.

For those who are interested in a truly gruesome ghost tale, go to Villisca, Iowa, to see the Villisca Axe Murder House. On June 10, 1912, in the little white house of the Moore family, a murder was committed. Sometime between midnight and 5 a.m., the parents and their six children were all murdered in their beds. Their murderer was never found. If you want to take a tour during the day, admission is $10 for tourists 12 and older.

If you and your group of friends would be brave enough to spend the night, it’s $428 for one to six people, and it’s $74.90 for each additional person.

To this day, many people want to experience the Axe Murder House, to see if it’s just legend or history. On April 4 of this year, Cedar Falls resident Sarah Moore, and seven of her friends decided to visit the Villisca house for fun.

One of her friends had a ghost tracker app on his phone. At one point of the night, it was going off

3 Haunted Spots

Independence Mental Health Institution Vilisca Axe Murder House Miranda Cole Graphic every few minutes calling attention the “barn.” They have a barn in the yard.

Most of Moore’s strange occurrences at the Villisca house were upstairs. “We went upstairs, and there were a bunch of videos about the history of the house and the family. So that was weird. None of us knew that stuff was up there.”

The bedrooms were the place where the murders took place, so maybe that could explain Moore’s terrifying experiences upstairs.

“Another strange moment occurred upstairs of the Villisca House. I walked up the stairs to give a friend her phone, and when I got up the stairs, I got really cold, and it was hard to breathe, like pressure on my chest. I got a bad

‘Beyblade’ graphic novel, TV show worth a look T h e first volume of “ B e y blade” is the story of a boy named Tyson. Tyson wants to be the Manga Master Noah FORKER w o r l d ’s greateast beyblader, which is not going to be easy with his new enemy on his tail! The art work compliments the the story nicely and the story is at a good pace for anyone to follow, and it’s only five chapters, and a little over 100 pages. Though it’s short, the book doesn’t slack. It jams every bit of story into it. Tyson, along with Chife, must now battle the battle sharks and tame the legendary beyblade dragoon. Join Tyson’s adventure and watch him as he trains to be the best blaybader ever.

The TV show “Beyblade, Let it rip!” is an exciting cartoon ver-

Mathias Ham House

sion for those who can not sit around and read the manga. The TV show, unlike its manga counterpart, is a high-pitch, cheerful show that ran for three years, consisting of 156 episodes. The show moves at a different pace and order than the manga, but still covers everything the manga covers. Compared to the manga, however, the show does not use some the language and other things the manga can, will and has used. For anyone who wants the upbeat, slow pace of a children’s cartoon, watch “Beyblade, Let it rip!” Seasons are not connected, so no worries about jumping into the newer stuff.

Comparing the two, I have to go with the manga. Though the first volume is only five chapters, as I said, they don’t mess around.

My favorite charter, Kia, is not as awesome in the show as he is in the manga. In the manga, Kia has a clear goal. While, in the show, you can not fully tell Kia’s goal until very late. I prefer the manga, but they are both awesome.

feeling up there. Then the ghost tracker app went off again, and it said “danger” or something similar to that. I can’t recall exactly, but I ran downstairs and refused to go up there again,” Moore said For a haunted close a little closer to home, one might explore the Mathias Ham House in Dubuque.

It is a 19th century house, built in 1856 for the lead miner Mathias Ham. The legend says that Ham had turned in some pirates, and they now wanted revenge. In the 1890s, most of the Ham family had died off besides Ham’s daughter Sara. She lived alone at the time, and one night the pirate captain came to get his revenge. She shot him, and as they followed the bloody path, they found the dead

pirate captain.

Some mornings the museum staff will come in to find a window or door left open that they do not remember leaving open. People believe that two ghosts haunt the house: the pirate captain and Mathias Ham. Visitors speak of hearing odd noises coming from the tower and feeling cold drafts.

Some of the light fixtures will only work some of the time, and this leaves their electrician confused, as everything is in working order.

A last potentially haunted location is even closer to home. On May 1, 1873, the new state mental hospital opened to patients. The hospital quickly became overcrowded. By the 1930s, there were roughly 700 new patients each year. According to legend, some patients had reported that they were beaten by the hospital staff.

Parts of the hospital remain abandoned, such as the Kirkbride building. Current staff members have claimed to see apparitions of former staff members and patients, most commonly hearing screaming and laughter throughout the building. Tours of the hospital are only available to groups or organizations, to schedule a tour call, (319)-334-2583.

By Staff Writer Miranda

COLE

Disclosure’s lastest offering delivers familiar grooves Brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence, better known as the electronic duo “Disclosure,” have released their newest album “Caracal.” This being only their sophomore album, Disclosure has still earned a substantial amount of attention.

They first got discovered when they posted some of their early material on their MySpace. After getting so much positive feedback, they eventually got signed to the label, “Moshi Moshi.”

Disclosure has created pretty consistent material fitting in the realm of house music or synthpop mixed with a jazz-like feel from the vocals of the many artists that Disclosure has paired with. This album, “Caracal,” features artists such as Sam Smith, The Weeknd, Gregory Porter, Miguel and more. Strong vocals like Sam Smith’s, “Omen” would have to be

among of the best songs on the album along with “Holding On,” featuring Gregory Porter. The vocals mixed with the wonderfully-crafted electronic symphonies are just a great outcome.

Disclosure continues to impress music carnivores such as myself, but some of their first album “Settle” really set the bar high, but by no means am I saying this is a poor album. They have been known to do the same thing they always do, but they do it well. They stand out in the music scene for their ability to produce a good song without the anticipation of a bass drop.

Hearing the mix of jazzy vocals along with Disclosure’s perfectly crafted and danceable beats makes for a great listen.

By Staff Writer Isabella

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NBA2K16 garners great reviews, excitement Three months of anticipation leading up to this moment.

I skim the 2k16 disk from my MJ edition box into my PS4.

The heat from the hard drive is radiating off and warming the carpet around it. NBA 2k16 pops out onto the screen and finally all my anticipation spills out, and I immediately scan my face into the game and head to my career. The opening cutscene proceeds, and I can immediately tell how good the game and mode will be.

GAMEPLAY One of the things that 2k has focused on this year is new, better and smoother gameplay. Speed actually matters this year. Instead of getting caught on the fastbreak by a 7’2’’, 250-pound center, as a small speedy guard you can take it coast to coast, blowing by everyone and finishing hard at the rim.

The fluency of the game is remarkable and nothing I have seen in any game before. You can gracefully move across the hardwood while simultaneously shaking loose defenders with the skills stick. 2k puts your creativity to the test with what you can do to break ankles.

The system for getting through defenders has been revamped to be harder and give you a harder time of making a mockery of the defense.

There is no more cheese in the game; you can’t simply just squeeze by a CPU and coast

to the rim for an easy lay in.

The defense plays closer and bodies up on you. With active hands, he can easily strip the ball if you’re not careful. If you try to get fancy and break everyone’s ankles, the ball will squirm out of your player’s grip, and the next thing you’ll see is everyone down the court on a fastbreak and the added bonus of two more points on the board.

The next big thing that 2k changed was the shot meter.

No more will you be dominated in online play by a green perfect release. While the infamous perfect release is still in the game, it is much harder to grab. While playing on pro difficulty, I only achieved the green release about three times. While the shot meter is more difficult, so are the shooting mechanics. Your shooting grade actually matters whether you’re taking a

three, midrange or free throw. I definitely had to make a significant change in the way I played and shot. Instead of having a shoot first mindset, I had to search the court for more possible screen options and passing outlets. I also learned that an Iso play can be your best friend if your skills are good enough to go one on one.

My Career By far the best mode in the game. The cut scenes last for about 10 minutes longer than before with way better actor chemistry and emotion. You can just feel the emotion between the actors. They’re voices rise and fall, getting your attention and keeping your attention during the cutscenes.

The scenes are extremely well thought out and detail oriented.

A scene that provokes this thought particularly is when you and your best friend Vic Van Lier are traveling across town. The scene starts out positive and upbeat, Vic revealing one of his rap tracks, giving away his alias of BA$$-KEYYACHT$. Then out of nowhere the tension increases as you can feel it radiate from your TV screen. I was taken back by the actor chemistry and ability. The emotions were raw and uncut.

Feelings were all tossed out on the line as both your character and Vic spill out their feelings for each other in such sentiment and angst.

As the cutscene dives deeper and you think that it’s all over, it goes on and dives deeper and deeper. Hidden treasures like backstories appear and suit the story well as it lengthens and keeps the value high.

Eventually it excels to the best moment of the whole game. Flustered by the way Vic has been treated, his voice escalates to a vicious clamer, leading to the introduction of a very interesting and varied backstory of a time of your character and Vic in Harlem.

After the lengthy backstory and emotions getting pressed onto the screen, Vic cackles and you can see the horror on your character’s face from the moments proceeding. The laughter goes on until your character confronts the current situation as the angst continues throughout until the scene fades out.

Finally when you finish the great movie that Spike Lee has birthed upon our minds, you come to the “connections” screen. This option is new to the game, and it alone is revolutionary to the mode and brings a fresh new approach to Mycareer. The conflict grows between getting fans, doing drills or hanging out with players around the league. This way you can gain special signature styles and virtual currency from the game. This mode really ties together the 2k16 slo-

gan of “Be the story.”

Servers Probably the only thing I didn’t admire in the latest 2k game was the servers. It’s a continued problem from basically all NBA 2k games, and I am disappointed in 2k’s lack of addressing the server problems; however, in the Pro-Am mode, the servers are relatively good and reliable. Once I got a game going (wait times are really good compared to the other modes), not only was there limited lag, but also, the game never did lose connection, and when you can get a good team going, preferably with friends, 2k Pro-Am is one of the most fun modes in the game.

Verdict NBA 2k16 is the best game to come out from 2k studios and in the NBA 2k series. The combined fun and difficulty is a renaissance unneeded for the unmatched ruler of the virtual basketball world. Mycareer is by far the best in the game with the cutscenes introduced earlier in the series.

The gameplay itself is a reason to buy, and there is a mode for everyone whether it be Myteam, MyGM or just Online Play. I give this game a score of a 96/100, and it is by far one of the best games offered this year for next-gen consoles.

Staff Writer Ben

BOEZINGER

Undertale provides adventures for pacifist players Imagine being dropped into a strange hole, only to end up in the Underworld. You meet a monster, ready to burst into tears upon meeting you, frightened of dying at your hand. Do you kill it, or do you spare its life? This is the question that Undertale forces you to ask yourself and act upon.

Undertale is a very recent RPG (roleplaying game) that has just been released on the Steam platform for PC at a low price of $9.99. It takes very heavy inspiration off of the extremely famous Earthbound, a timeless classic amongst most gamers.

Undertale was originally an idea on Kickstarter, getting funded $50,000 for its creation. Everybody seemed to love the idea of a RPG where nobody had to get hurt, and it

definitely exploded in popularity when it was released, selling 9,500 copies within the first five days of its release.

Undertale places you in the role of a child falling into the Underworld, where you meet monsters. They all are just like us; they have insecurities, feelings, hopes and dreams. Some may be hostile, or may just hurt you on accident. You can go

through the game and kill everything, or you can decide to find a way to spare every monster you meet. Remember: You can spare everybody, you just have to find a way how.

Undertale also has a unique mechanic of dodging abilities. You aren’t very durable, especially if you aren’t leveling up due to a pacifist run. Instead of taking those hits or dodging them, you take control of a small red heart during the enemy’s turn to fight as you dodge attacks.

An example is during the fight against one of my favorite bosses, Muffet. She sends spiders out to attack you, as

well as sending out her titanic spider-muffin that she calls her “pet.” During the fight, you’re restricted to vertical and horizontal movements, which is a very nice change of pace to the free-roaming in the small box to dodge, and it helps bring in the spider theme that she has going.

One of the biggest appeals of the game, though, is the hilarity. It’s quite a funny game.

No doubt it could make a player chuckle at least once during the time of playing. You get a cell phone, which ables you to call characters you’ve met, as well as see text messages and read through social media. The creator of Undertale, Toby Fox, really did a great job in reflecting how social media works.

Nothing will be said here; the jokes of the Twitter-like social

media are something you have to witness yourself.

The soundtrack is also great, using a pixel-type soundboard in order to create the music that it uses. It combines with other instruments at times, making great battle music to fight to. Some are silly, and some can even sound dire at times.

The monsters may fall at the hero’s weapon or be spared by their deep compassion and care for any living being. It’s up to the player to choose the difficult road of love and respect, or the easy, simple edge of a blade. It’s your choice, hero, just remember that violence will always have consequences.

Staff Writer Cody

HOOD

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Juniors at Powd

At top (L to R), the seniors advance to the field, the juniors celebrate their win and the junior crowd cheers the team. Across the middle (L to R), the players with the ball are senior Abbey Kuntz, junior Reilly Logan Cole Photos Johnson, junior Ellie Haan, senior Abbey Kuntz. At right, the players with the ball are seniors Madison Hall and Kate Moody.

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Hickory Hills Black Hawk County Park is filled with a wide variety of ventures

Densely wooded lake shore, trails will be primed for fall leaves If you follow my steps this week, be sure to take care for your fingers when feeding the goats grass through the fence, and maybe you’ll have more luck calling for the llama to come over for a share of the snacks.

H e never d i d for us.

There One Tank were a l s o bisen a n d B Staff Writer Billie Ann elk, as ALBERT well as chickens that stunk worse than the other animals.

Seniors Amanda Crockett, Konner Crew and I were going to go to Backbone this week, but we decided to save that for another week and drive a much quicker but still rewarding route to Hickory Hills last weekend. It’s only about 25-30 minutes away.

It is a small Black Hawk County park by La Porte City that has many options for fun including fishing, camping, nut gathering, going to the little zoo, basketball, sledding and much, much more. There are places to have picnics all around and multiple trails to hike along.

In the center of the park is Casey Lake, which is very pretty, and the flowers surrounding it made for some amazing pictures. I found this one yellow flower and put it on the railing of the bridge, and it just might be the best picture that I have ever taken in my opinion. I just love it so much because the railing goes back and looks like it never ends.

I got some other great pictures of the trees and leaves, but the flower is my favorite.

We saw a couple wooden bridges with spider webs on them, but those pictures didn’t turn out very well. I am terrified of spiders, so I had to make sure there weren’t any big ones of the webs; otherwise, I would freak out.

Very soon, the leaves will begin to turn to their autumn shades, so for those looking for an economical trip to beautiful oaks, maples, hickories, sumac and more, the road to Hickory Hills is just the ticket.

TRIPS

From Cedar Falls, just head east down Highway 20 to the Hawkeye Community College exit, and then take Hawkeye Road south until you see the sign to turn east toward LaPorte City. When you come to first stop sign, turn south one more time, and you’ll see the park entrance in about two miles.

Billie Ann Albert Photos

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Caves of Backbone offer hidden vistas for visitors

hoto PExpeditions

By Staff Writer Austin

Nate Llewellyn Photo

REYHONS

In this edition of Photo Expeditions we pack up and head out to Backbone State Park located in Dundee, Iowa, approximately a 50-minute drive from the high school. Senior Nate Llewellyn and I start off the trip by exploring Backbone’s well known caves.

When approaching the massive rock structure, the entrance to the cave looks small in comparison. We crouch and shuffle as we delve deeper into the wet, muggy cave. The air was cool, like the smell of fall, and stale with the scent of

mud.

As we continue, the top of the cave rises, allowing us to stand and let our legs breath, all the while not having the ability to see a thing outside of the boundaries of our flash light. The floors and rocks had a layer of grainy mud that had the consistency of sand spread thin on a surface. Stalagmites were reaching up for the top surface, which, under the blue of the flashlight, gave the cave an eerie vibe.

When the cave’s top stooped low and the sides spread wide, we finally

gave in and committed to crawling on our bellies to continue onward. We slid across the cold rock like turtles feeling the walls of the cave, which were glossy and wet.

When venturing out and seeing the sun burst through the trees and reach into the cave, we realized how magnificent the dark void of the cave really was.

As we leave, looking back, the exit to the cave seemed immense compared to before.

Come back next time for the second day and more of Backbone State Park.

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RIGHT ON TARGET

Follow these tips to better wing shooting success This Saturday Oct. 3, is the opening day of duck season, and if you haven’t been dove hunting for the past month to get all the rust off of your wingshooting, then you probably will be pretty unprepared for shooting ducks.

The best way to practice for duck hunting is to head out to the skeet range.

Here are some things you need to do to be able to shoot on the wing better, but just to let you know before anyone yells, “Your tips didn’t help me,” these tips will not work for everyone. It all depends on what works for you, but if you can incorporate these tips into your method, then you will increase your shell-to-bird ratio.

Keep Both Eyes Open: Most bird hunters go with the stereotypical close one eye and keep your dominant eye open. That is what you are supposed to do ... if you’re shooting a rifle. You want to keep both eyes open for bird hunting because you should be looking at your target rather than the bead on the barrel. You don’t aim a shotgun, you point it, which leads into the next tip.

Point Your Index Finger Underneath the Forearm: Another thing most shotgun shooters will do is curl their fingers with the shape of the forearm. Wrong. As previously stated, with a rifle you aim, but with a shotgun you point, so what better way to point your shotgun than to point your index finger. Pointing your

Brennan Kohls Photo

Bill Kohls demonstrates the five steps to improving your wing shooting. In this picture, the bolt was cycled and locked, and the chamber was empty. index finger makes the gun basically an extension of your finger. When you see the target, just “point” your index finger at the target, and then adjust your lead and fire.

Lead: This is by far the hardest thing for even the most experienced bird hunter.

The only way to perfectly lead a bird every time is practice. A way to increase your chances of hitting a shot that you

have to lead is to keep your barrel moving. That is definitely the thing that messes most people up on crossing shots. When you get your lead of however many feet, keep your barrel moving as your target crosses your field of fire.

This is where your index finger pointing comes into play, for if you keep your finger pointing in front of the target and then stop, your target is going to be long gone from where you are pointing. The

key is to keep your index finger pointing where you set your lead, then fire.

As long as you keep the barrel moving, you have a much better chance of hitting your target.

Keep Your Elbow Up: Another important thing is to keep your elbow level with your shoulder. This will help you with your swing. It will make sure that your point is steady and your swing is smooth.

Cover the Target With Your Barrel: When the clay bird shoots out of the high house and you instantly swing and point your gun towards it, you cover the target with your barrel. When you are going to fire, cover the target completely with your barrel. The spread of BBs will most likely cover the target’s area. When doing this, also factor in your lead, which may mean that you cover up the area where you think the target will be in one or two seconds.

So when that mallard cups its wings and is gliding into your decoy spread tomorrow, make sure when you bring the gun up that you have both eyes open, your index finger pointing at the target, lead the bird by however many feet you deem necessary, keep your elbow level with your shoulder, cover the target while adding in your lead estimates and then take ’em. Good luck!

By Staff Writer Brennan

KOHLS

Disc golf sailing in Cedar Valley popularity Disc golf participation is exploding in the Cedar Valley.

Every day, one can find participants stepping to the platform on hole one of Ghost Town Park and grasping the smooth, round plastic between the crevices of their thumbs and index fingers as they stare out at the the rusted chains and tell themselves that this is the day they’ll knock that stroke off to finally go under par.

The park is filled with disc golfers of all ages and skill sets, from casual to highly competitive play. Senior Ben Louviere is one of the many fans.

“Towards the end of the summer and as this school year began, I know that some guys who work at the Brown Bottle together all got into discing, and they brought more friends, and it seemed to really take off. It was something everyone could get together and do.”

Louviere has played for quite a while now and has showed several friends from school the ins and outs of disc golf. He’s returning the favor

done for him a couple years ago when he was introduced to the game by a friend, and he’s loved it ever since.

“I first started disc golfing in the fall towards the beginning of my sophomore year with a few of my friends. Austin Reyhons’ older brother actually showed it to us. He let us borrow some discs, and we’d all go play.”

Louviere said the simplicity of the game is one of its greatest appeals as well as how it’s a great way to have fun.

“It’s just a simple, social game that’s extremely fun with a group of friends. Nobody is ever too stressed out on the disc golf course. It also feels great to roam around the big open course, especially on a beautiful day. And it’s basically free, too.”

Some, however, enjoy taking it to another level of involvement.

“I’ve never played competitively, but every once in awhile at the course you’ll see a flyer for some upcoming tourna-

Enjoying a sunny trip around the Ghost Town course, senior Aaron Heimbuck sends his driver into flight. ment, and those always include all the information,” Louviere said. “Last summer, actually, this married couple named Jay & Des Reading came to Ghost Town, which is the course we always play at off of Greenhill, and they put on this whole

clinic on disc golf skills. They’re both famous disc golf world champions, and it was really cool.”

But for Louviere, even after he’s built competitive skills, it’s the fun that draws him in.

“Disc golf isn’t all about

how well you play or what your score is. I’ve played a lot over the past couple of years, and I still think it’s just a fun thing to go do with your buddies. But on another note, it’s also fun to be good and hit some of those tougher shots. Don’t be afraid to ask some more experienced players for tips and techniques, or even watch some Youtube videos.”

Don’t be surprised if you find yourself holding the disc in your hand and feeling a sense of comfort overwhelm you.

You feel at home. Regardless of your skill level, you’re ready to conquer the Ghost Town course. You begin your walk to the front of the platform and bring the disc to your hip. You cock back and watch the disc cut through the air like a blade as it starts to curve toward the chains. It may have a chance.

Maybe … maybe ...YES! The disc sails in smoothly as you hear the satisfying sound of the chains clanging.

By Staff Writer Aaron

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Sean Fernholz Men’s Golf

Senior golfer Sean Fernholz led the Tigers this Monday at the team’s divisional meet with a 77, placing him seventh overall. Fernholz has been a member of the Tigers varsity team for the past four years, and he is a threeyear captain.

Is there any extra pressure put on you being a three-year captain to lead the team?

There is some extra pressure, but it’s not put on by anyone but myself. I put it on myself to be a team leader and to do the best I can to help the team day in and day out.

What has it been like this year mentoring three freshman phenoms this year?

It’s really been a lot of fun. I’ve known Ben Bermel for a while, so I’ve been around him, and I’m pretty comfortable with him. I didn’t know Joe Dean or Trevor Heinan, so it was a good experience for me to be a role model to them and look out for them.

With state qualifiers right around the corner, are you doing anything extra to prepare for the big meet?

I will be putting extra time in on the range and especially with my swing coach. I want to have the best opportunity to qualify for State, not only individually, but also be able to post a good round in hopes to help the team make it to State as well.

John Dunlop Photo

Ready for Marcussen On Tuesday, Sept. 29, the Tigers thumped Iowa City 139 to 46 at home in the Holmes pool. Sammi Hall, Olivia Clark, Kailie Valentine and Meghan Hackett placed 1st in the 200 medley relay; Grace Considine placed 1st in the 200 freestyle; Clark took 1st in the 200 IM; Hackett took 1st in the 50 freestyle; Madison Schoppe took first in diving; Hackett took 1st in the 100 butterfly; Hall took 1st in the 100 butterfly; Hall took 1st in the 100 freestyle; Considine took 1st in the 500 freestyle; Clark, Vallentine, Hall and Hackett took 1st in the 200 free relay; Katerine Wikner took 1st in the 100 backstroke; Clark took 1st in the 100 breaststroke; and Considine, Vallentine, Cassie Bergman and Hall took 1st in the 400 relay.

Tigers in

Action

Football (4-1)

Beat W’loo West 28-14 Next up: @CR Jefferson on Oct. 2 at 7:15 p.m.

Volleyball (18-1)

Won 3-0 vs.Dubuque Wahlert Next up: Iowa City West on Oct. 6 at 5:30 p.m.

Women’s CC

Next up: MVC Super Meet@ Waterloo West on Oct. 8 at 3:30 p.m. at Central Intermediate

Men’s CC

Next up: MVC Super Meet on Oct. 8 at 3:30 p.m. at Irv Warren

Women’s Swimming

Next up: Marcussen Invite on Oct. 3 at 9 a.m. at Holmes Jr. High

Men’s Golf

Next up: District Meet @ Iowa City (Finkbine) on Oct. 6 at 9:30 a.m.

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JELL-O WRESTLING Continued from Page 1 had no problem with Jell-O wrestling.

“I don’t think it’s bad if someone participates, but you have to know what you’re getting yourself into. Coaches and parents warn you of the consequences.”

But now she sees it differently. Taiber said that every year something bad has come from Jell-O wrestling, and it is not worth it.

“Lots of drama and fights between girls happen, and this kind of stuff. People who got 20 percent can’t be mad because coaches warn them. Cedar Falls is kind of known for Jell-O wrestling, and it doesn’t give us a good rep.

I am indifferent about it. It causes girls to be looked at as objects roaming around for boys’ enjoyment. And the fact that there is all of this drama about Jell-O is dumb.”

Bradford agreed that Jell-O wrestling is a negative event. “I think it’s a way of women being there to show themselves off to guys.

They are there to prove themselves to an audience of guys.”

But regardless of what either felt about the event, Taiber and Bradford were both falsely framed for telling administration about Jell-O wrestling. In fact, Bradford was seen in the counseling office talking to counselor Erin Gardner, asking if Taiber was OK. At that moment, a few of the boys who later tweeted horrible things at Bradford were also in the counseling office.

Gardner, the other counseling staff and administration were quickly informed of the cyber bullying occurring in the school, and they stepped in as fast as they could. “I was sent a message that Allie was being bullied on Twitter from an anonymous student,” Gardner said. “She was worried about Allie.

Someone saw Megan and thought she was snitching, but she was looking out for a fellow classmate and then got caught in the Twitter gossip, and she got harassed. She stepped up to do something positive and take care of others, and she got brought down.”

Taiber and Bradford have no idea who actually told administration, but they both agree that no one deserves that kind of treatment.

“I just feel like they had no proof, so they wanted to pinpoint it on someone they thought was an easy target. Allie and I weren’t there. I didn’t know about it until the night after,” Bradford said.

Taiber has no idea how the rumors started that she told administration. “I kind of recently had a small falling out with a friend group, which makes it worse. You think they would step up at a time like this, but nobody really did. I’m big into girls leadership and stuff and leadership groups that promote healthy relationships between people.” She said she believes that that could have led people to believe that she would be one to tell.

Taiber said she wanted to go to the counseling office after the bullying started but didn’t want to get bullied even more. “I called my mom, and she told me to go. I just kept seeing more and more stuff and went from there. I was clueless to it all until someone asked me if I was OK. That goes to show that it’s all done behind a screen because nobody did it to my face. Not having a phone, I had no way to see it. Having a phone would

have made it a lot worse, emotionally.”

Bradford was in a girls leadership meeting when senior Olivia Carpenter came and found her and told her that her name was being spread around too. People were blaming her for “snitching.” Bradford then looked at her phone and saw it blowing up with mean tweets at her.

Both girls spent the remainder of the day in the counseling office. They both agree that counselors and administration were very helpful and did as much as they could. “All of the advice they were giving me, I had already told myself.

They helped a lot, and people were coming in and asking if I was OK. I feel that the school is now ignoring it now that it is passed, but they definitely helped,” Taiber said.

Taiber said she is bothered by the way bullying is handled by those at the high school who have pledged to stand up.

“It’s not real. As much as we say we’re allies to it, nobody stepped up in the moment. Even people saying sorry and stuff. It was all behind a screen. After being in that position, it taught me so much about how inexcusable this is. The biggest thing I want people to take away from this is cyberbullying is not OK, and it was all over a lie,” Taiber said.

Taiber added that it could have been much worse if these attacks would have fallen on a student who was emotionally vulnerable. “I can’t imagine what kids who don’t have the support and mindset about it all go through. Not everybody makes it. This leads to suicide. People were directly telling me to kill myself. This taught me a lot about people, humanity, how much people wanted to fall in. People care about getting the most retweets and favorites instead of doing what’s right.”

Bradford agreed with Taiber 100 percent.

“It’s a very cowardly act, I would say. These people don’t have the guts to say it to our faces. It really shows their character.”

Gardner said she thinks that cyberbullying has always been a problem. It is just not always brought to the school’s attention. It is usually done with just a couple students rather than a group of students all against one or two students. “The biggest thing Megan and Allie did was they didn’t retaliate. They left it, and the people who needed to take charge, took charge.”

Principal Jason Wedgbury was notified of what was taking place as he started to receive screenshots of social media from community members, parents and students that were cyberbullying Taiber or Bradford. “I don’t know that we recognize our digital footprint,” he said.

“We lose control over what’s put out there. You could feel it that day. There was not a positive feel in the halls of our school. It was a sad day for Cedar Falls High School.”

Wedgbury along with administration do not support Jell-O wrestling. They understand that it is a “tradition” but also say that it has not been around very long, and it is not a schoolsponsored event.

“The more we take a stance against it, the more students want to take part in it,” Wedgbury said.

Administrators and staff have clearly stated that the wrestling is objectifying to women with the intent to engage in a battle and/or humiliate a person. “There is a reason guys build it, promote it and hold it. We have so many stu-

dent organizations, such as women’s leadership, MVP and gender equity and equality, and JellO wrestling completely flies in the face of all of those organizations when you go back to the objectification of women,” Wedgbury said.

Gardener can understand why a high schooler would want to go and why they think it wouldn’t be a big deal, but she encourages students to take a step back and look at the big picture and realize that it becomes a bigger deal. “Applying for a job in four years, would you want them to see a video of it? In 20 years, if you had a daughter, would you want her JellO wrestling? If the answer is no, then why not?

I think the girls there, their heart rates are up because they are nervous to say no because everyone is chanting their names, and they are embarrassed. They don’t know what will happen if they don’t go in. Who’s really enjoying it? The ones who are enjoying it the most arent even in the Jell-O.” Many students, though, take a very different stance on this event.

“Jell-O Wrestling is a harmless activity that bonds students together. The school blew this way out of proportion, thus bullying came out of it,” senior Kaylene Konigsmark said.

Senior Drew Nida agreed. “I feel as if the administration overreacted and blew the situation out of proportion. It caused a lot of unneeded drama and bullying throughout the student body. I fully understand that Jell-O wrestling is against the administration’s morals, yet I personally felt they overstepped their power in punishing only a select amount of girls.”

Senior Courtney Banwart also has a strong opinion on the matter. She does not agree that it is degrading to women because the girls choose to wrestle.

“It’s just for fun. I think this type of fighting is one of the safer ways to go about it,” she said.

“All you are doing is rolling around in Jell-O, which you can’t get too hurt from. It is better than spreading rumors or getting in an actual fight. The guys that go aren’t going to look at the girls. They are going because it’s really funny to watch us wrestle each other.”

Banwart said she remembers going as a freshman with her sister and how fun it looked.

However, she has never partaken in the wrestling, yet she sees it as missed opportunity.

“I regret not wrestling this year. It’s a part of high school. It’s a tradition. I feel like it needs to be left alone by the school, especially because they aren’t breaking any rules.”

Banwart does not think this event was the reason for the bullying and does not see this repeating itself in future years.

“The biggest problem this year is what happened on social media. I don’t think Jell-O wrestling is what necessarily caused the bullying on social media. I think whoever took it to administration, that is what made the bullying occur, which I do not think is right. It got taken out of proportion in the beginning, then that added to it. The bullying was not needed, and I do not think it was handled well by everyone. Bullying is not what Jell-O wrestling is about. It’s supposed to be fun. We do it as a tradition during homecoming. I think that was the bad part of what happened this year, but as long as nothing illegal is occurring there, I don’t see this being a problem again,” Banwart said.

As a result of all of this, the school will continue its stance against the event, and it will continue to be a violation of the CFHS Code of Conduct.

HI-LINE “We often hear, ‘Police are OK with it.

It’s not illegal,’ but that doesn’t mean that we support it. Legality does not make it OK,” Wedgbury said.

Taiber has been taught a lot through this whole tragic experience. “The silence coming from certain people spoke a lot. I learned in hard times who’s really there for you. It has just been a very good learning experience to friendships and humanity. I’m a firm believer in everything happens for a reason. The self transformation I’ve had in the last several months, this was just a step in learning about myself and those around me and learning what’s important and what’s not.”

It’s safe to say that though the exact nature of the blowup came as a surprise to students, counselors, parents and administrators, with technology and Jell-O wrestling, some combination of trouble was inevitable.

“We can’t always predict the backlash, but somebody will always get negative backlash from this event. Regardless of what your personal perception is of Jell-O wrestling, it is undeniable that negative things continue to come from it. People have been bullied for periods of time after for choosing not to engage in a wrestling match. Fights that broke out that did not end that night, or when people take video and share it with others. The aftermath of that event has always been negative. Even if you disagree with our stance on Jell-O wrestling, I don’t think you can argue that everything after it is bad,” Wedgbury said.

As all of this starts to blow over, some students and staff would really love to raise awareness leading to positive change. Administrators have expressed an openness to looking at other positive events to hold during homecoming week, anything that doesn’t harm property, pride or people.

“There is no action we can do to make bullying stop completely. We try to equip people to have the right responses to negative situations,” Wedgbury said. He said he really saw leadership in some CFHS students.

“It didn’t linger on after people stepped up.

The main negative momentum was counteracted by people who stepped up.”

The administration plans to continue having conversations with all student groups in regards to bullying. They want to use this situation to gain a positive outcome in the school.

Taiber said she has one piece of advice she would give to a student who is being bullied now or in the future. “My main goal is to raise awareness. To people who do get bullied, it does get better; people who bully, it’s not OK. If you have an issue, talk to somebody about it. Anyone can tell you it’s going to be OK, but it only matters if you know it’s going to be OK, and you know who you are.

That’s what helps people the most. Never be afraid to speak up for yourself or tell somebody it’s happening. In the end, the people bullying you are a lot more screwed up than you are emotionally wise.”

Bradford concurred. “Don’t be afraid to ask for help,” she said as she paused and wiped a tear from her eye. “I felt helpless in the moment. Even if a teacher or any random adult can help you, it’s better to talk to someone, than to keep it bottled up inside.”

By Staff Writer Annebeth

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EMERGING Continued from Page 1 were so many strings attached. The violent and sexist nature of this event is mirrored in the way I was treated last week. The idea of Jell-O wrestling is to watch as women are literally thrown around in a pool of Jell-O for others’ enjoyment as they try to strip one anothers’ shirts off. The repercussions of our school handing out 20 percent punishments and suspensions for the athletes who chose to attend and got caught left people infuriated and pointing fingers.

Without any accountability or ownership of their own behavior, the trend began; the search for who’s to “blame.”

And this time, for reasons I am unaware of, the scapegoat was me.

This dysfunctional behavior has become all too common in our generation. It would be easy for me to just tell the story, dwell on the negativity of the situation and search for self pity. But I see this as an opportunity to bring awareness, to step up and to be the voice for many who feel they don’t have voices in efforts to open all of our eyes to the bigger issue.

Cyberbullying is the action of harming, targeting, embarrassing or harassing via technology networks in a repeated and deliberate manner. According to U.S. legal definitions, “Cyber-bullying could be limited to posting rumors or gossips about a person in the Internet, bringing about hatred in other’s minds; or it may go to the extent of personally identifying victims and publishing materials severely defaming and humiliating them.”

This is exactly what I experienced.

Peers who I thought were my friends and people I had never even met all chose to partake in an act of false accusation. My situation is just one standing example of what often goes unsaid all around the world. Unfortunately, not all individuals who are on the receiving end of this kind of abuse make it through alive. We’re all well aware of the sweeping statistics of suicide among teens who are bullied online. The power to stop that starts with us.

Over 80 percent of teens use cell phones regularly, making it the most common and accessible medium for cyber bullying. Seventy percent of students report witnessing bullying online, yet 90 percent of them ignore it. Due to the the fear of retaliation, students feel unable to take action.

Social media creates an affirmation loop where cruel, shaming, mean and destructive messages take on a life of their own. Students need to be trained to recognize this as a real form of violence. A screen provides an easy curtain for the bullies to hide behind and say things they wouldn’t dare to say in person. After attempting to contact several individuals who partook in last Wednesday’s events for an interview, they’ve stayed silent, unable to take ownership of their actions. Our generation has been consumed by social media and all the negativity that ties into it. It’s time

to step out from behind the screens in order to make a change.

When given the opportunity, kids will do anything in their power to receive as many “favorites” or “retweets” as possible on a piece of information (true or false), no matter the repercussions. We enjoy the idea of having a “picture perfect” school with “picture perfect” students. In general, we all want to be good, but when it comes down to it, most of us will do whatever necessary to be accepted or looked at as “cool” by the common crowd. As I witnessed several members of leadership groups also participating in the bullying, it caused me to question their true intentions. Don’t get me wrong; there are plenty of positive CFHS voices within the countless leadership groups, but why be a member of a group that stands for leadership yet chose to stay silent in a situation like we had last week?

It’s time to take action; this behavior needs to stop. Principal Jason Wedgbury notices this. “We need to continue to cast a wider net and engage more people in these conversations. It is also evident that there is some disconnect between what a group stands for and

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Allaire Taiber Graphic how they actually respond when confronted with a difficult situation. We had far too many individuals join in or sit passive during the negative encounters.

“As a high school, we are preparing our students to act independently as this is the last structured environment many of our students will have before they enter the next stage of their lives beyond high school. We must continue to educate our students on the impact of their actions, how negativity can grow out of control, how our digital footprint becomes permanent and how being an upstander can save lives and a lot of unnecessary pain,” Wedgbury said.

I completely agree. The collective voices of individuals who clearly see the wrong need to be heard. We need to increase awareness as to what the power of words can do to others because no human being deserves to be treated so poorly.

Wedgbury and some of the administrative staff do not perceive bullying to be a pervasive CFHS problem, but it is apparent. “With a foundation this size, anywhere you go bullying would be an issue. It’s occurring too much in our society, especially through social media and hiding behind a screen. It is obvious

from the events during homecoming that bullying is something that continues to require our focus. We had many people jump to conclusions, which were completely inaccurate, and join the momentum of the negative movement.

This was a sad day in our school as many hurtful and mean-spirited things were shared that should not be a part of our culture,” Wedgbury said.

I believe any type or amount of bullying is a problem despite the size of the community; if bullying occurs, there’s a problem. Addressing the problem is the first step, and luckily Wedgbury has, but it’s difficult to reach common ground between students and staff.

When he often turned the question I intended for him onto me, asking what I expect of the movement, I found it difficult to answer too. A lot of the time those who bully don’t even realize it in the first place, which is half the problem. Students need to be educated on the effects of their actions and how they can adequately stand up to and for others.

Senior Isaac Turner-Hall, one of the few who was able to own up to his bullying actions, recognizes his mistakes.

“I was really upset when I heard people were getting in trouble with their sports.

I didn’t want that to be me,” Turner-Hall said. The consequences of what might happen to an onlooker unfortunately outweighed what was happening to others in the process. As soon as a tweet had been sent out, everything and everyone instantly blew up.

“Once I realized it wasn’t you [who snitched], I felt awful. I think the whole school could agree. I felt like a bully. I was the bully, and it’s just not worth it; this is what people take their lives over,” Turner-Hall said. But actions will speak louder than the words and apologies.

The inexcusable and destructive actions of these bullies have made the world in which we live a battle for kids everywhere. I’ve made it my goal to show those kids that’s not how things are supposed to be, and they won’t be.

Cedar Falls High School has been given an opportunity to change the way social media is portrayed, but the question still stands whether or not a change will occur. Turner Hall realizes this and has pledged to take action, “I always used to pride myself in being the nice guy. I guess when you’re actually put in the situation, everyone just wants to fit in. This taught me a lot, to think before you type and to be nice. Not just online but everywhere,” Turner-Hall said.

As I flashback to last Wednesday, the hopeless pain is no longer there.

Instead, I am overwhelmed by a feeling of inspiration to use my experience to let victims of bullying know it does get better and to show those who participate in bullying that it’s time to stop.

The power to rise above is found within us. Step up, speak out and put a stop to it — because you are worth it. Everyone is worth it. No one has the right to say otherwise.

By Staff WriterAllaire

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COLOR RUN Continued from Page 1

leadership team and a few of my high school classmates from my alma mater of Dunkerton started the color run to raise funds for a scholarship called “Do Better. Be Better,” in honor of me. As they were planning it, they thought it would be a great idea to collaborate with CF and also have a scholarship here too,” Smith said.

They raise funds for families suffering from medical emergencies, and they award a graduating senior from Dunkerton and Cedar Falls a scholarship each year. Dunkerton is Smith’s hometown. Each May, Smith awards a scholarship to a graduating senior from Dunkerton and CF. As a way to promote healthy choices and raise money for the organization, on Oct. 3, Smith, the Student Senate and other supporting groups will be hosting the second annual Do Better. Be Better. color dash at Pfeiffer Park at 9 a.m.

This is a 5K race, with all proceeds going to the Do Better. Be Better. organization. There is a $20 race registration fee that will be bumped up to $30 the day of the race. All of the money raised will be going to the Do Better. Be Better. Scholarship funds at Dunkerton and Cedar Falls.

Last year, the scholarship at each school was $400. “The turnout was good last year, but I am expecting an even bigger one this year,” Smith said.

Smith said she is very grateful for the immense amount of support, kindness and generosity that her family and her experienced after her stroke. “It inspired my personal motto, Do Better. Be Better. The color run and golf benefit that were organized in my honor the fall of 2014 and the never-ending support that I got from my gym, Next Level Extreme Fitness, sparked in me the desire to give back,” she said By this time, her daughter, Myah was here safe and sound, and she was ready to do more.

“I partnered with Next Level Extreme Fitness and Spread the Care non-profit, and the Do Better. Be Better. organization was born.”

Every 10 weeks, Smith organizes and implements fundraising activities to raise funds for families suffering from medical emergencies.

“Since the organization was started in January, we have gifted 12 families $1,000.

Student Senate will be there the day of the race helping out with the race. They have been preparing for this day by hanging up fliers and distributing brochures around town.

Anyone who knows Smith has nothing but kind words to say about her. Senior Megan Bradford has played a big role in Student Senate the past three years and has been

“After going through something so terrifying and life

altering, Mrs. Smith still continues to put others before herself. She not only aspires to help others but does it with the most positive attitude. With the money from this race, we are giving back to those in need and hoping to show them that we do care and want to help.”

—Megan Youngkent PE teacher and friend of Jamie Smith helping a lot with the upcoming race.

“After going through something so terrifying and life altering, Mrs. Smith still continues to put others before herself. She not only aspires to help others but does it with the most positive attitude. With the money from this race, we are giving back to those in need and hoping to show them that we do care and want to help.”

Health and PE teacher Jamie Smith and her family PE teacher Megan Youngkent also has uplifting really happened. When I went to visit things to say about Smith. She shares her, and seeing what I saw compared an office with Smith in the school, to the teacher you all see now, I but they are extremely close friends am convinced that she is the most outside of school, as well. She has determined, strong-willed fighter I’ve been there through everything that has ever met. We were very good friends happened and continues to stand by before, but when you see your dear and support Smith. friend fight like she has fought, and “I remember like it was yesterday also turn this event into a way to help getting the call from Patrick (Mrs. others (with her Do Better. Be Better.

Smith’s husband) that she had had a campaigns) the amount of respect stroke. He could barely speak, and I you have for that person is immeasurcouldn’t really comprehend that it had able. As you figure out life, you try

HI-LINE to surround yourself with good people that make you want to be a better person. I’ve got a wonderful example of how life should be led, and I get to share an office with her every day at school.”

Smith’s stroke and condition has completely changed her life.

“Personally, I am much more laid back and joyful. I stop and enjoy the little things and realize the beauty in everything. I do not let worry overtake me or hold on to anger. I am quick to compliment others and tell them what they mean to me.”

Youngkent sees Smith striving each day to impact and help those around her. “Mrs. Smith has chosen to take a scary situation and turn it into a way to help others. She is constantly thinking of new ways that she can fundraise for others while making it fun and memorable for those donating. She has a knack for seeing where there is a need and is relentless in trying to find ways to help them.

Smith said she is overjoyed and happy to have the life that she has, and does not take anything for granted. “I am incredibly lucky that I am alive, that Myah is alive and that we are both doing so well. That is an incredible gift to be given, so I live every day as the blessing it truly is.”

Through this whole experience, Smith’s perspective has been changed quite a bit, and she has an even bigger understanding of how much family means to her, and she wants to motivate her children to live life to the fullest.

“I involve my kids in all of the fundraising events. We talk about why they are organized, and I read them the stories of who we help. It is been an amazing way to teach our girls that the world is so much bigger than them, but they can and should be a major piece of that world.”

Smith said she genuinely feels that she has found purpose through this whole experience.

“I would have never taken philanthropy and advocacy to this level without having had my stroke.

I would have never met the type of amazing people that I have or formed as solid of friendships. I feel like I have found purpose to my life. I was meant to struggle and be shown the power of God through all the people that helped us so that I could understand how to help others who are struggling. I cannot cure anyone or take away all their worry, but I can be a bright light in their day and give them a little bit of hope. And I can speak firsthand to how powerful hope is.”

She said she has learned a lot about herself through this whole process. “The biggest change in my life is that I actively try to do better and be better every day.”

By Staff Writer Annebeth

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