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CF has a sister school Friday, Sept. 26, 2014
Volume 55 Edition 2
2009 alumni reconnects with CFHS school in Cambodia Opportunities exist for Cedar Falls to extend its relationship with Black Hawk School
After losing touch with the students she helped five years ago, the former president of a CFHS club has recently traveled all the way to a remote spot in Cambodia to reestablish ties to the school that she and many Cedar Falls students, staff and community members had made possible years ago. Back in 2009, Cedar Falls High School funded the Black Hawk School in Kampong Cham Province Memot District, Cambodia. In a drive coordinated by a high school club called Amnesty International, which had 2009 graduate Sheila Moussavi as president, the school district and community raised more than $15,000 in less than one semester, which was the set goal for the school. Some of the fundraising that helped raise money for the school included a Pablo’s Night at Pablo’s Mexican Grill, a 5k walk/run, a penny drive, a spring choir concert, an art show, a “garage” sale that took place in the high school lobby during parent/teacher conferences and many other activities and donations from schools, businesses and local people. Within one year of receiving the funds from Cedar Falls, the Cambodian school was up and running. The CFHS money was matched by a foundation that creates many schools in Cambodia in an effort to help reestablish education after the genocide that killed millions in the 1970s. Initially, some contact with the school was maintained, but it became increasingly difficult to sustain connections between the schools due to language barriers. Moussavi set out this summer to rebuild those ties as she visited Cambodian staff and students at the Black Hawk
Sheila Moussavi Photos
The Black Hawk School was created in a Cedar Falls community-wide effort to raise over $15,000 about five years ago.
School to find out how they have settled themselves in over the past few years. The school serves nearly 115 students between 7th and 9th grades. Most of the students are girls, which Moussavi said is apparently quite rare since many young women in rural Cambodia are expected to work or marry on their family farms. Moussavi added that “It’s the only lower secondary school in the area, and I spoke with a student who biked for over an hour to get there each day.” On Moussavi’s way back to Phnom Penh, the capitol of
Cambodia, her guide talked to her about how he had lost several family members under the Khmer Rouge, an organization that took over Cambodia and killed over 2 million Cambodians over the span of four years. Moussavi said he and his family had been relocated to another labor camp outside of Phnom Penh and forced to work under backbreaking conditions. The lack of food and water killed his father and siblings, and yet he insisted that his family had been one of the more fortunate ones. “This would have seemed unimaginable, except that I had spent the day prior at Tu-
ong Sleng, the former security prison (turned genocide museum) where nearly 20,000 Cambodians had been brutally tortured, often to death. Only a small handful lived to tell about it,” Moussavi said. She explained tat back in 1975, the Khmer Rouge formed and took over Cambodia. During this time public schools and other governmental buildings were turned into prisons or shut down. By 1976 they had complete control of the country. They created a genocide and wiped out a fourth of the population. The country’s school system has yet to recover.
Moussavi said it was pretty easy to understand why her guide was so committed to the Cambodia School project that has helped to establish new schools like the Black Hawk School. ”Perhaps the most extraordinary part of this experience was actually getting to meet those very students in person,” Moussavi said; however, she also discovered that while the school is fully functional, it could still use some help. “It was incredible seeing what Cedar Falls created, but it was also a nice reminder that it doesn’t have to be a onetime contribution. The possible long-term impact is already evident, not only in Cambodia, but for the students at CF too. I hope we can find a way to maintain the relationship with Black Hawk School for years to come,” Moussavi said. The adviser to the CFHS Amnesty International club back in 2009 was journalism teacher Brian Winkel, and he said he would also like to see some sort of push to help build a stronger tie to the school in Cambodia. “Just a couple years ago, the district was looking to link with a sister school in China, but we really already have a link like that we’ve set up, and it could use our help. I think it would be awesome if we could raise some funds to set up computers and the Internet so they can explore the world on a global scale as well as build a stronger connection to Cedar Falls. I would love to learn from them as much as they can learn from us,” Winkel said. Winkel said Moussavi has some connections for making this a possibility and any Cedar Falls staff, students or community members interested in extending the assistance of Cedar Falls for education in Cambodia should contact him.
By Staff Writer Dino
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Do Better. Be Better.
PE teacher affirms her mantra as she returns from stroke Last year, physical education teach- healthy. The stroke was a shock to er Jamie Smith suffered an abrupt herself and others. She attended Next stroke, and as she was recovering in Level Fitness, which is an intense workthe hospital, she was pregnant with out program where she has picked her fourth child. Her child is currently up on teaching cross training, but the healthy and was born on April 7. The recovery from her stroke has been an new addition to the Smith family makes even greater teacher. a total of four daughters at home, and “This experience has completely Smith lives in a strong manner to influchanged me. I may not like the physical ence her daughters with her story. changes, but I love how I have grown As her recovery process continues, spiritually, mentally and emotionally. I she strives to compete with herself am not perfect; I still get caught up in to get better. With school support, things I shouldn’t, but the difference is Smith’s road to recovery has made her that I am able to realize much quicker endurance to get stronger even greatthat life is about way more than what I er. She said she is so grateful to have am stressing about. I have learned to such a strong support system on her be more compassionate, understandback. With many friends and families ing and giving,” Smith said. encouraging her, Smith is back at the “Much of that I credit to my support high school teaching physical educasystem, or my army, as I now call them. tion. There are so many good people in this One world; c l a s s people s h e w h o s p e w o r k cifically v e r y teachhard to e s , believe cross in the traingood ing, is a n d an inbe the tense good workin this out of world. c a rd i o , I am k i c k blessed boxing t o Pe teacher Jamie Smith and her family a n d know strength exercises. Smith loves the inmany of them. I would not be where I tensity of the class and is still able to am today without all of them. It is ironic demonstrate technique while teachto me that I get praised for the ‘Do Beting. She always encourages students ter. Be Better’ motto when it was into better themselves to get stronger. spired by the people in my army.” The dedication she has is as if she During her hospital time, she would never had a stroke, and students have write Facebook posts about her pronoted her passion to teach others is so cess. Her friends and family then enincredibly inspiring. couraged her to create a blog. Smith’s Smith said, “I have had a very blog is called “Do Better. Be Better.” positive outlook on my situation. I will She has big intentions for herself and never deny that it has been very scary shows that through her many blogs. and incredibly challenging, but I made She wanted to share how strong she a choice in the ER after we were told was and also how tough her battle also I was hemorrhaging that I was going was. She encourages that the commuto fight and NEVER let my stroke denity goes and checks out her blog to fine me. My goal has been to always inspire others. learn from every hard moment I have “I am motivated to stay healthy and come out better on the side of it. because I very clearly understand that I fear being pitied, so I have striven for being so saved my life and gave me a my experiences and my condition to leg up in my recovery process. I realbe viewed in a positive light. I realize ize that diseases do not discriminate; that begins with me. People have reit could happen to any of us, whether sponded to my honesty and positivity.” you take care of yourself or not. So, Before her stroke had happened, why wouldn’t I want to give myself the Smith was in great shape and very best shot I can at making sure that I
Design Courtesy of Sara Fitzgerald
Check our PE teacher Jamie Smith’s blog at http://www.dobetter-bebetter.blogspot.com/
Save the Date
Leadership groups create color run for Jamie Smith Foundation The student senate is working with Dunkerton’s leadership group to put on a 5K on Saturday, Oct. 11. This 5K is in honor of physical education teacher Jamie Smith. The proceeds from this 5K will go toward the Jamie Smith Foundation and two scholarships, one for a CFHS senior and one for a Dunkerton senior. Participants should wear white along with the T-shirt they will get at registration to get splashed with color. In addition to the fundraising, the run
survive it?” Smith asked. “Life can change in an instant. Sometimes those changes are in your control and sometimes they are not. However, you ALWAYS have the choice as to how you respond. You CAN rewrite your own story. It is absolutely
follows the goals of getting many involved to stay active, give to a good cause and have fun with friends. Registration costs $25 and forms are available at http://getmeregistered.com/DoBetterBeBetterDash Registrants will pick up their event packets at the Dunkerton Fire Station, 991 Jon Road in Dunkerton at 9 a.m. The race begins at 10 a.m. Registration includes a T-shirt. There will also be a carnival and silent auction following the event.
amazing where life can take you if you are willing to fight for the story line you dream of living.” By Staff Writer Skylar
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FEATURE
Annebeth Ahrenholz Photo
The choir room is filled to capacity with the 82 girls who have enrolled this fall. 2012’s enrollment was 36.
Women’s choir enrollment more than doubles
There’s a bigger song emerging from the music wing this year, but even though the women’s choir has more than doubled from the 36 girls in the fall of 2012 to the 82 girls enrolled this fall, choir director Elliot Kranz said that teaching that many girls at one time isn’t any different than teaching any other ensemble. There are just more girls. He said he believes there are a number of reasons for such an increase in numbers in the group. One is because of the success of the women’s choir in the past. The All City Choir event including second-
ary students is also a reason students are motivated to to do choir after seeing the CFHS choir perform. The two junior highs have very strong choir programs as well, making it more likely for them to stick with choir going into high school. Kranz said the more girls in choir, the stronger it is for the program. “Any time you add numbers, it makes it more difficult to sing in tune and sound like one voice. But we work on this from day one in rehearsal, and hopefully our hard work pays off throughout the year.” He said he does not think
Fields of Faith
For Fellowship of Christian Athletes leader Corey Peters, the goal of his group is focused on one big tent instead of tiny tents in isolation. For him, the purpose of Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) is to make Christ known in the community and school, and to show love to everyone, no matter their beliefs. “Serve and love everyone, especially the people that don’t believe what you do,” Peters said. He said everyone is so caught up in what is right and wrong, and who believes what, but the goal of FCA is to bring the community together and for students to figure out who God is for themselves. “People spend too much time arguing about whether God exists or not. We can disagree and still love and serve one another,” Peters said. Peters leads FCA at Holmes Junior High and is helping lead this year’s fourth annual Fields of Faith.
that having so many girls will be any type of problem and hopes that the choir will keep increasing every year. Junior Anna Stillman said she thinks it’s awesome to have so many girls in the choir and they are starting to sing very well as a group, although at times it is hard to have a good balance of sound with so many voices at one time. “It can be distracting at times. I love choir, and when other people continue to talk while we are trying to sing and learn new pieces, it can be distracting.” But in the long run, Still-
man also said she thinks that having more girls in choir will make them better as a whole because they have a lot of strong upperclassmen singers and some very talented sophomores with good voices coming to help them out. Stillman chose to take choir again this year because, “I’ve always really enjoyed singing and did it in junior high for two years and decided to try it again in the high school, and I’m so happy I did. It’s been so much fun, and Mr. Kranz is a great teacher.” Stillman’s comment echoes that of many other choir mem-
bers who said that Mr. Kranz being the choir director is part of the reason that so many girls have chosen to go out for choir in the past few years. Many students said they believe that he is a wonderful teacher and genuinely cares for his students and wants each and every one of them to succeed. “Mr. Kranz is a great teacher and cares about each choir so much, and you can really see that while he is teaching us. It’s great to have him as a teacher,” Stillman said. By Staff Writer Annebeth
AHRENHOLZ
High school chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes looks for big turnout at annual rally
Fields of Faith will be held on Oct. 8 from 7-9 p.m. on the CFHS football field, or in the auditorium if it’s raining. For Peters, the purpose of Fields of Faith is to bring people together — people who go to church or don’t. “Sometimes, in my opinion, church can be very segregated by denomination, race and communities. I don’t believe heaven is segregated,” Peters said. He stressed that Fields of Faith is for anyone, no matter what they believe. For him, it is a way to get plugged in with other students, coaches and leaders. Fields of Faith is put on by the CFHS FCA. FCA is an organization that has a wide international reach that has been touching millions of lives since 1954. It challenges all coaches and athletes to use athletics to impact the world for Jesus Christ. The mission of FCA is to present to coaches and athletes the challenge and adventure of receiving
Jesus Christ as avior and lord, serving him in their relationships and in the fellowship of the church. “To let students know that they were created for a purpose. They have a father in heaven who loves them. To get to know him through his word. Then get active. Don’t sit on the sidelines. Serve and love his people,” Peters said. Peters said that students shouldn’t be forced into any relationship with God, but that things like FCA help students figure out what they believe and who God is for themselves. “He took a broken kid like me and has given me the great privilege to speak positive things into the lives of hundreds of children every day. I am so honored by that.” Senior Jamie Becker started getting involved in FCA last year and is going into her second year this year. Becker got involved when she was invited to be student leader at Cedar Falls High
School. This will be her third Fields of Faith, and she will be speaking this year. She is most looking forward to sharing with everyone what God is putting on her heart. Peters said he greatly enjoys getting to lead FCA at Holmes Junior High. He enjoys most learning from them and watching students impact other students in a positive way. He loves watching students hearts open up to the fact that they were created for a great purpose. At this year’s Fields of Faith, Peters, along with many other members, will be there helping lead this eventful night. There will be student speakers sharing their testimonies with everyone. In addition to Becker, some of these speakers include UNI football player David Johnson and CFHS football player Andrew Hager. By Staff Writer Annebeth
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1. Alexa Doyle 2.Gabbie Holtzman, Brady Whitehill, Kayla Wilson 3. Alicia Harrington 4. Larissa Haan, Natalie Shimp 5.Erin Hendrickson, Faith Van Meetren, Olivia Mickey 6. Morgan DeMuth, Allison Griffin 7. Eric Gogola, Adrian Diaz, Sadie Kolpek, Mason Zwanziger 8. Nick Vanderhaar, Ian Voss 9. Morgan DeMuth, Emily Braun 10. Skylar Starbeck, Carly Ekstrom 11. Haley Alexander, Emma Gruhn 12. Jamie Becker 13. Brady Whitehill 14. Haley Alexander 15. Alicia Harrington, Avery Sheehan 16. Lupe Galvez-Rodriguez 17. Morgan DeMuth
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Our View
NFL needs to let each team handle infractions of players
Let’s turn up heat for Kylie Kyle Elser
On Saturday, Oct. 4, Cedar Falls High School has a chance to assist PE teacher Paul Elser and his family in their fight against Retts Syndrome on behalf of his daughter, Kylie. Kylie has wrestled with Retts syndrome, a rare non-inherited genetic postnatal neurological disorder that occurs almost exclusively in girls and leads to severe impairments, affecting nearly every aspect of the child’s life: their ability to speak, walk, eat, and even breathe easily. The hallmark of Rett syndrome is near constant repetitive hand movements while awake. Oct. 4 is Kylie’s birthday, and the Elser family is hosting a chili cookoff to raise funds for the International Rett Syndrome Foundation (IRSF). “IRSF is a four-star charity that provides family empowerment, educational support and funds cutting edge research. Our dream is that some day Kylie will live a life that is free of seizures, and she is surrounded by people who believe in her potential,” Caroline Elser, Kylie’s mom, said. The chili cook off will feature a variety of dishes, including white, green, vegetarian, spicy and other chilies. There will also be kids games, a bouncy house, a silent auction and a raffle. The Elsers could also use volunteers to help and to bring crock pots of chili, dishes to serve on the side (cheese, oyster crackers, sour cream), dessert beverages and drinks. They are also accepting donations for silent auction items. Please turn out and make this their most successful chili cookoff to date. Share the event and bring a friend. The event is at 2819 Willow Lane from 5 to 7 p.m.
Contact Us
The Tiger Hi-Line is a weekly publication of the journalism classes at Cedar Falls High School, 1015 Division Street, Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613. Our website is www.hiline.cfschools.org. The Hi-Line is distributed to CFHS students on Fridays to read during their fifth period classes. Columns and letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Hi-Line staff or Cedar Falls Schools. The Hi-Line editorial is presented weekly in the editorial labeled Our View, and it is the view of the majority of the editors listed below. Reader opinions on any topic are welcome and should be sent to The Tiger Hi-Line staff or delivered to room 208. All letters must be signed. Letters must be submitted by 3 p.m. on Monday for publication in the following Friday edition. Letters may not exceed 300 words and may be edited to meet space limitations. Writers should include their contact information for verification. Editor-in-Chief: Austin Anderson Online Editor: Zuhayr Alam Staff Writers: Annebeth Ahrenholz, Kaela Avila, Kaleb Bengsten, Dino Odobasic, Skylar Starbeck, Sarah Stortz
The start of the National Football League season is usually filled with optimism. A clean slate for every team. Months of sweat, pain and memories of defeat fuel the hardworking, hopeful brains and freakishly massive bodies, but now the league is losing sponsorships (money) coming off what is being widely considered the worst month in the history of the NFL. Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens, knocked his fiance out cold, according to a police report, and dragged her lifeless body out of the elevator, which was seen on video. Rice would not be allowed to participate in the first two games of the season but then would be welcomed back to the Ravens. “It’s not a big deal. It’s just part of the process. We said from the beginning that the circumstances would determine the consequences. There are consequences when you make a mistake like that. I stand behind Ray. He’s a heck of a guy,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said after the two game ban was handed down. Three weeks later, TMZ Sports released the entire video of the assault, confirming what the police report had said. Later that day, Rice was released from the Ravens and suspended indefinitely by the league, even though a first time offender should only be suspended six weeks according to the brand new domestic violence policy. Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy was allowed to play in week one, even though he was found guilty of domestic violence. He is awaiting an appeal. After the media questioned if Hardy should be allowed to play, he was deactivated just hours before his week two game and is on a paid leave of absence. The same situation occurred for Cardinal’s running back Jonathan Dwyer and 49er’s defensive lineman Ray McDonald. Dwyer was deactivated like Hardy, but McDonald continues to suit up for his team. Then there’s the case of
one of the game’s biggest stars, Viking’s running back Adrian Peterson, taking a tree branch and to whip his his four-year-old son, causing him bleeding and scarring. He was placed on paid leave as well and was deactivated from the Vikings. These are five of the 734 NFL players arrested since 2000. In other words, lately, an NFL player is essentially arrested once a week on average. The NFL is not alone, however, for 194 NBA players have been arrested in that same time period, and the captain of the United States women’s national soccer team was arrested for domestic violence. Goalkeeper Hope Solo denies the allegations that she abused her 17-year-old nephew and continues to participate in qualifying for the World Cup. Is there a double standard for domestic abuse chargers for men compared to women? If a man cannot compete for his football team, should a woman be allowed to represent her country on an international level? Domestic violence occurs to both genders fairly equally. One in three women experience domestic violence in their lifetimes compared to one in four men. Regardless of gender, every minute, 20 people are victims of domestic violence, resulting in 10 million cases in the United States alone. Former players and esteemed journalists have come out and said they do not believe Roger Goodell should be the commissioner of the NFL anymore. A recent Sports Illustrated poll saw that only 29 percent of football fans think Goodell should keep his job. The NFL doesn’t need a new commissioner. It needs a new legal system, one that has determined if the league should suspend a player for legal action. In 2007 Goodell created the NFL’s personal conduct policy after bad press from off-field crime. Before 2007, the NFL went many
decades without suspending players for violating the personal conduct policy. Goodell was considered too soft on Rice’s original two game suspension after having a reputation of coming down too hard on other players. The flip side to the problem is with having a one-man judiciary system like the NFL has. Whatever Goodell says, goes, and that is impossible to apply consistently and fairly in the long run. Another question for this new legal system is should a player be suspended when he is arrested before given due process and fully convicted? Goodell has made the game safer since taking over. He should continue to do that by handling fines for unsafe hits and performance enhancing drugs. When it comes to legal action, however, the teams need to make the decision for themselves. Peterson wears a purple jersey with the Minnesota Viking’s logo on it. He plays for the Vikings, and they should decide if he should be suspended and for how long. The Vikings deactivated Peterson, and the same goes for the Panthers with Hardy and the Cardinals with Dwyer. The Ravens also released Rice before any suspension was handed down from Goodell. Similarly, the 49ers are choosing to allow McDonald to play. If the league is going to suspend Rice indefinitely and allow McDonald to play even though they committed the same domestic violence crime, then why not allow the teams to make that decision? The Ravens still chose to do what many consider the “right” thing to do and released Rice, whereas the 49ers still would choose to keep McDonald active. Goodell has singlehandedly wrestled with all of the power in the NFL. He is losing trust, respect and, most importantly to the NFL, money from sponsorships. Clearly a change needs to be made. By Editor-in-Chief Austin
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HI-LINE Lit students link with Dr. King to stand up for changes now
Friday, Sept. 26, 2014
Girls deserve equal access to rodeo events Dear Editor, I am from Mr. Winkel’s 5th hour American Literature 1940s to Today, and we have just read “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King, Jr. This has inspired me to take action on the Iowa High School Rodeo Association rules for being a girl and not being able to ride in rough stock events. Rough stock has been around for a long time now. There are many cowboys that have been riding with the same guys since they were in diapers. Rough stock is a man’s sports some will say, but I have to say its also a female sport. Many people have begun to believe that girls shouldn’t be able to ride bulls because they are so called “girls”. In the Iowa High School Rodeo, girls are not able to take part in any male sports. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “We bring it out in the open, where it can be seen and dealt with.” I think it’s time that we start and make a change for the girls. I have been riding for about
four to five years now, and I have gone to many rodeos. I have met so many new people and have become family with them. I have always ridden with guys, but when my dad had asked about the high school rodeo team, they said girls are not allowed to participate in guys events. I believe that girls can ride just as well as any guy can. In the junior high rodeo association, girls are able to ride rough stock if they do not participate in any girl events. I have heard many people say that girls shouldn’t be able to ride at all, and they should just stick to girl events. King’s Letter addresses this confusion: “Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.” They need to understand that just because we are girls doesn’t mean we can’t get the job done. We are not weak; we are just like all of the other guys. I think that this needs to be
changed. I don’t think that it’s fair to not let girls ride in the boys’ events and the boys in the girls. I think this will affect others in a positive way. It shows that women are strong and won’t back down. They say that everyone should be equal, so treat us equal and let us girls ride with the boys. I think that now is the time to take action upon this problem because if we don’t, then we will never take action. Since the summer rodeo season is coming to an end, I think that this would be the perfect time because then we could get the rule changed. I believe that if we take a stand now, then we are going to make a positive difference for other girls that want to ride in the rough stock. Respectfully, Mattie Starbeck CFHS junior
Legalizing recreational weed is enabling trouble Dear Editor, I am writing as a member of Mr. Winkel’s sixth hour American Literature: 1940s to Today class. A topic I feel strongly about is stopping the legalization of marijuana. After recently reading Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” it has inspired me to take action against this. Many kids nowadays think it’s cool to go out and smoke weed instead of doing something that would help their lives.They do it for many different reasons, including that they think it’s cool because they heard it in a song or see people doing it on television, they give in to peer pressure from their friends or older family members, or they use it as an escape from their problems at home or school. But these shouldn’t actually be reasons to use this drug. There are other ways to deal with problems at home, and we shouldn’t give into something like this, and if we feel like our friends are pressuring us, then they aren’t good friends in the first place. As Dr. King wrote,
we can’t put this off until later: “Now is the time for action.” We need to put forth a bigger effort on trying to stop the legalization instead of the other way around. Why would anyone want to legalize this so their kids can have more access to it? Yeah, they already have access, but we should try and stop that instead of giving more freedom with it. Some kids don’t do smoke weed because of the fact that it’s illegal, and they are scared of getting caught with it or ruining their lives with it, but if it becomes legal, then they aren’t going to see the harm in doing it and are going to start. Many pot smokers will say that it isn’t harmful, but studies have shown it is. According to research published in several psychiatric journals, teenagers who smoke pot heavily find it harder to learn, get worse grades and are less likely to finish high school or college. Those who want to change the laws aren’t seeing the big picture. As King said, “Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating
than absolute misunderstanding from people with ill will.” People are hard headed and don’t believe that no good can come from this at all. Not only can smoking weed harm you, but it can also harm others because kids driving while high are extremely dangerous. As Dr. King wrote, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.” He’s saying that we are all connected and so by people having more freedom to smoke marijuana, it will affect everyone in some sort of way because it is not safe for anyone. There is not a good enough reason, or a reason at all for that matter, on why marijuana should be legalized besides for medical purposes, but it should only be used for that and not recreationally. Respectfully, Amanda Crockett CFHS junior
OPINION
Federal government should make cannabis oil open to all Dear Editors: I am writing as a member of Mr. Winkel’s American Literature 1940s to Today class. The topic that I believe needs to be looked at is the legalization of medical marijuana. I recently read Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” which has inspired me to bring this issue forward. For about the last five to seven years, legalizing the use of medical marijuana has been a huge issue in national and local news. As of June 2014, 23 states have made the use of cannabis oil legal. Because only certain states have passed laws legalizing it, it’s very hard for people in need of it not in those states to get it. They either move to a state where it is legal, or they go without. I believe that there needs to be federal laws in place to eliminate all the complications from state to state. Dr. King said, “One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a responsiblity to disobey unjust laws.” I think that this quote explains how most Americans who would benefit from the use of medicinal marijuana are forced to go without because it is illegal to have in some states. Most Americans are not willing to risk real prison time no matter how much they need the oil. This issue affects everyone because almost anyone you talk to has an opinion on the topic. Some may argue that legalizing medical marijuana leads to legalizing recreational marijuana, but I feel that those people do not have a good grasp on the facts of what cannabis oil truly is. The THC from recreational marijuana (the high) is taken out to make cannabis oil. Theoretically, you could consume a whole gallon of cannabis oil and still not be high. Now is the time to create federal laws making medical marijuana legal in all states because the evidence of its effectiveness is surfacing with more and more disorders and diseases. More and more people are hearing about how this stuff works through social media and the Internet and are trying to figure out loopholes to obtain it illegally. I think that before it becomes a free-forall, the government should put laws in place to regulate the quantity and transportation of
the oil. An example of the troubles faced by those seeking help is an Iowa man named Benton Mackenzie who illegally grew 71 marijuana plants outside his parents’ trailer to treat his terminal cancer. People with his type of cancer lasted a mere three years using traditional treatments. Mackenzie has lasted seven years and defended his decision to break the law in front of the judge. As King said, “We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was ‘legal’ and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did was ‘illegal’.” What Mackenzie did was technically against the law, but he was doing what he had to to survive and was not harming anyone in the process. I believe that federal laws regulating the transportation, possession and manufacturing of cannabis oil would lower marijuana related crimes, boost the economy and allow for less confusion between states regarding the subject. I think that people who find this issue important would accept laws regulating it as long as the people who needed it for medical reasons could easily gain access to it. The effect cannabis oil has on certain diseases is so much more than traditional methods that it won’t be long before people who have been struggling for a long time get it illegally. I believe that instead of throwing these people in prison or fining them for “misuse”, there should be laws in every state setting reasonable guidelines they have to follow. Martin Luther King said, “Society must protect the robbed and punish the robber.” The robbed in this case are the people in need of medical marijuana that have been denied it because of the state they reside in. I believe that if society pushes this issue enough, the robbers, or the federal government, will be forced to reevaluate the state laws and possibly develop federal laws to eliminate frustration for both the people trying to get cannabis oil and the state governments trying to enforce the laws forbidding them of getting cannabis oil. Respectfully, Alyssa Brass CFHS junior
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Friday, Sept. 26, 2014
Six earn All State honors
The dance team has had a strong start to the school year by having all six girls who have auditioned for All-Iowa Honor Dance team being accepted. The dancers include senior Agatha Fenech (Kick Team), senior Josie Speltz (Pom Team), senior Mikaela Mallin (Pom Team), junior Sommer Danielson (Kick Team), junior Jessica McMurrin (Pom Team) and junior Hannah Gaffney (Pom Team). Each school competing can send only six girls to audition based on seniority and skill. All girls had to go Ames High School early in the morning to learn both a kick routine and a pom routine for their auditions. Over 500 students auditioned for All-Iowa Dance Team that weekend with only 200 being selected for halftime performances and 50 being selected for the pre-game performances. “I am really proud that all six girls from Cedar Falls who auditioned made it on to the All-Iowa Honor Dance Team,” Fenech said. “It not only shows the caliber of dancers that we
Submited Photo
Dance team members Josie Speltz, Jessica McMurrin, Mikaela Mallin, Hannah Gaffney, Sommer Danielson and Agatha Fenech are all on this year’s All State dance team. have on our team, but also our strong teamwork ethic.” Fenech said she is looking forward to “performing at the halftime of the State Basketball Championships and spending the week with my dance team girls.”
Dance coach Alyssa Nolte also stated her satisfaction with the results for the dancers competing. “I am very proud of the girls selected for the All-Iowa Honor Dance Team,” she said. “They have worked really hard and deserve this honor com-
pletely. They took the audition process very seriously, and the end result demonstrates the high level of talent we have at Cedar Fall High School.” She also said that “during my years of coaching at CF, I have never had all six dancers make the team,” and that her favorite part about coaching is “watching these students work hard and earn a spot on the Honor Dance team.” “For many dancers, this is a stressful process because you have to learn and perform all in the same day. Our girls handled it like pros,” Nolte said. The girls are going to perform at the Wells Fargo Arena at the championship game of the IGHSAU State Basketball Tournament on the first week of March 2015. The Nolte and the team will travel to Des Moines to practice all day Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning before this event to prepare for their big performance in the dome. By Staff Writer Sarah
STORTZ
Golf team polishing for State
The men’s golf team got off to a slow start this season, but in recent meets, the team has started to turn the season around. During the meet at Pheasant Ridge last Monday, Sept. 22, the Tigers finished 2nd by six strokes. First place was Cedar Rapid Xavier, who had a score of 150. The Tigers next meet is the Varsity Divisional at Ellis Golf Course in Cedar Rapids on Sept. 29. Currently, the Tigers stand in 21st place in the state with a record of 23-26, while Waukee is first with a record of 28-1. Junior Jarod Smith said he thinks the Tigers are beginning to flourish. “We are starting to do better after a slow start during the first few meets.” Junior Sean Fernholz said he thinks that the team has two main goals for the rest of this season individually and for the whole group. “Personally, I’d have to say making it to State would be huge,” Fernholz said. “For the team, I’d say that we would really like to end the season on a good note for Nick Peterson because he is a senior, and we want to send him off with a good memory.” The team has begun to practice for Districts, which is on Oct. 7. “I’ve been going out to the range and practicing the shots that I’m not quite comfortable with,” Fernholz said. “For the team, we need to get out and play more together and just motivate each other more through good and bad days.” That is an outlook that is shared by assistant coach Kenton Engels. “The hurdle to achieving these goals is to work during the offseason,” Engels said. “Once the season starts, it is time to start showing what you have worked on. We are working hard for our Districts course, Hunters Ridge.”
HI-LINE
Martee Grainger Swimming
Senior captain Martee Grainger has a month left in her high school swim season and has yet to receive a loss in a dual meet in her career. She won both individual races and both relays on senior night. She is considering scholorship offers for Division I swimming. How is the team looking? We won our invitational this past weekend, and it was cool because we won the meet on the last relay, so that last relay came in clutch. How is the pressure to remain undefeated? There is a lot of pressure to be good, but we have such a deep team of awesome athletes, so having such a deep team takes a lot of the pressure off. Are you going to swim in college? I have not made my decision up if I am going to swim in college or not, but if it’s anything like the team I have in high school, then I don’t see why not. Where are you considering? University of Nebraska, UNC Asheville or Eastern Illinois University, so I’m kind of all over.
Tigers in
Action
Football
Beat Urbandale 14-7 Next up: @ Waterloo West Sept. 25 at 7 p.m.
Volleyball
Next up: @ Tiger Invitational at Home Sept. 27 at 9 a.m.
Women’s CC
Next up: Metro @ Bontrager Park Oct. 2 at 4:30 p.m.
Men’s CC
Logan Cole Photo
Trevor Benson works his way out of the sand at Pheasant Ridge on Monday, Sept. 22 vs. Cedar Rapids Xavier, Cedar Rapids Prairie and Western Dubuque. Cedar Falls finished six strokes behind top finishing Xavier at the event. The coaches are also pleased with how the golfers have approached the season. “Whatever the outcome this season, Coach Hensing and I are proud of our players and the attitude they carry towards the
sport,” Engels said. “We enjoy going to practice every day.” By Online Editor Zuhayr
ALAM
Next up: Metro Meet @ Bontrager Park Oct. 2 at 4:30 p.m.
Women’s Swimming
Next up: Linn-Mar Invitational at Linn-Mar at 1 p.m.
Men’s Golf
Next up: Divisionals @ Kennedy Sept. 29 at 9:30 a.m.