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DESIGNED BY LAYLA HANNAFORD } JUNE 2014 COVER PAGE 01

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photos by//barbara tatum, lenny wilson, trish hartmann

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Layla Hannaford ’17 Photo and Art Editor

1

Danetta Dobre ’17 Editor-in-Chief, Copy and Design Editor

Cover page

23

Table of Contents

3

Seasonal Sandwich

4

GMO Foods and Elliot Rodgers

5-7

Two Tickets to Paradise

8-9

Once Upon a Time

10 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS JUNE 2014 { DESIGN BY DANETTA DOBRE

Summer Madlibs

Easy to make sandwhich recipe This sandwich is an easy to make and has a restaurant quality taste.

Photo by//Layla Hannaford

Steps Ingredients

Utensils

• Deli sliced cheddar cheese • Italian seasoning • Margarine or butter • Hawaiian bread • Deli sliced ham • Mayonnaise

• • • • •

Brush baster Toaster oven or oven Spatula Butter knife Serrated knife

03 FOOD JUNE 2014 { DESIGNED BY LAYLA HANNAFORD

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

for more coverage go to wsspaper.com

Cut bread into sectors of four Put ham and cheese onto the sandwich Put 1 tbsp of butter in a bowl and microwave for 30 seconds Add the Italian seasoning to the melted butter and mix Use the brush baster to spread the seasoning and butter mixture over the bread 6. Take the top bun off the sandwich 7. Put both parts in the toaster oven for 5 mins or until bread is golden brown 8. Use a spatula to take out sandwich 9. Spread mayonnaise onto the sandwhich 10. Enjoy

Natural No More In the near future, science is getting us closer to getting to choose what flavor you would like your apple or any other food. Genetically engineered food is a part of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO), which are foods produced from organisms that have had specific changes introduced into their DNA using genetic engineering. In all, about 40 types of plants have been genetically modified worldwide. GMO foods became legal to sell in 1994 and since then 80% of conventional processed food are genetically modified.

GMOs are very dangerous and have been proven by many scientists and health specialists to be unhealthy and even toxic. GMOs have been linked to thousands of toxic and allergic reactions, thousands of sick, sterile, and dead livestock. Some of the inserted genes that are in GMOs come from bacterial and viral species which have never been tested on humans before. Growing and importing GMOs have been banned in 60 countries Non-GMO Project including most of Europe, Japan, Australia and Thailand. American has not banned any GMOs because of reasons told by the same people who profit off of GMOs. The companies who sell produce with GMOs don't even have to labeled that they have GMOs in them. A poll was taken in 2012 by Mellman Group poll and 91% of Americans agreed that GMOs 04 opinion JUNE 2014

should be labeled and 53% of consumers will not buy a product that was genetically modified. GMO sales are also bad for farmers who sell fresh foods. Most people don't know what foods are GMO and buy the ones that look the best and are the cheapest. Which are bad for farmers who might have more expensive product, but is more fresh. GMO Companies also have the power to sue farmers for the contamination of GMO chemicals. The farmers might not even have putten chemicals on their crops, the chemicals could have been blown over from the GMO factory.

There are solutions to try to get GMOs off the shelf. We can educate ourselves on what GMOs effect on the environment or to our bodies. We can start boycotting the foods we know that have GMO. By doing this we can shut down the GMO industry for good. We can figure out what kinds of food are genetically modified. The most genetically engineered plants are corn, canola, soybean and cotton.

Genetically modified food can be very dangerous and can cause some life long issues.

Even know companies don't have to put labels on their packaging take responsibility in our own hands to figure out what kind of food are GMO. So what flavour would you like your apple?

Dodging Bullets By now, you probably know the name of Elliot Rodger, just as you may know Adam Lanza and Eric Harris. If not, then you should know that on the night of May 23rd, 22-year-old Rodger killed seven people including himself and injured thirteen others.

Tragic incidents like this always find a way to stir up controversies, whether it be mental illness treatment or gun regulation. An interesting (and frankly, quite outraging) difference in this case was that, about a month before his rampage through Isla Vista, he was reported to the police indirectly by his parents after they had seen a video he’d posted on his YouTube that threatened to kill others and himself. Rodger found several police deputies outside his door and was made to undergo a welfare check to ensure the safety of himself and others.

Rodger passed the check by claiming he wasn’t doing so hot socially and the videos helped to express himself. The authorities that questioned him declared Rodger a “perfectly polite, kind, and wonderful human.”

At that point, Rodger’s YouTube account had about twenty videos that described his loneliness and placed the blame on women that rejected his advances despite his looks, car, money, and personality. He frequently envied the men who had girlfriends, claiming he was much better than they were.

Looking through his videos and the manifesto he released

right before his rampage, they show a hatred of women. He claimed to be upset over being unfairly rejected by women.

Somehow, women he had never spoken to, women he had never approached, were the cause of his misery. It seemed he expected them to approach him and was often angry when they didn’t. Looking through his YouTube, it’s obvious how deeply he felt over the subject, even if his tone throughout most of his videos sounds cringingly forced.

If those videos were made to express himself, and the content of one of them was so disturbing he was reported to the police, don’t you think it makes sense that the police would watch those videos? It does... but that never happened. How could the police know what to look for if they haven’t even looked at the smoking gun?

If the authorities had paired his bizarre history with the police (which includes doing a civilian arrest on his roommate for allegedly having stolen his candy) with his digital trail of hatred, and had not mistaken politeness with innocence during the welfare check, would they have asked to search his room or placed him in involuntary mental hold?

Rodger reveals in his manifesto that he had three weapons and written plans for his “Day of Retribution” hidden in his room when the deputies arrived at his door. The killer makes it clear as day that it all would’ve been over if they’d just searched his home.

Two tickets to Paradise From Italy to Anchorage, students of West High spend summer break scattered all around the world.

PHOTO by//Trish Hartmann

05 COVER STORY JUNE 2014 { DESIGNED BY LAYLA HANNAFORD

{“

just walking around... feeling the city vibe, seeing all the people eating, and even standing in unpleasantly hot subway platforms is my favorite experience.”

Max Fennell-Chametzky ’16

By danetta dobre

- Max Fennell-Chametzky ’16

thedanadobre@gmail.com

The city that never sleeps doesn’t need to wait around for Max Fennell-Chametzky ’16. Ever since Fennell-Chametzky finished elementary school, he’s been heading up to the Northeast with his dad for part of the summer to visit family, friends, and the rising towers of New York City.

Their first stop is Massachusetts, where FennellChametzky will be able to see his grandfather.

Fennell-Chametzky looks forward to this part of the trip because it’s the only opportunity to see his grandfather, who lives almost 1,000 miles away.

Then comes The Big Apple, a city FennellChametzky admires greatly. For now he’s just visiting some old family friends and soaking in the city’s atmosphere, but someday he hopes to live there.

“Just walking around New York City at like one in the morning, feeling the city vibe, seeing all the people, eating, and even standing in unpleasantly hot subway platforms is my favorite experience,” said Fennell-Chametzky.

“Just taking in the city with all its glory [is the best part].”

Their last stop will be New Jersey, where

{“

Lushia Anson ’15

Fennell-Chametzky gets to visit his uncle, aunt, and cousin. This will be the first time he’s seen them since his previous trip last summer.

Fennell-Chametzky and his dad, however, make sure each trip is not like their last. Whether it be stopping at Niagara Falls, or planning a new route through the many attractions New York City has to offer, the two make each trip a unique experience.

“Even if we do a lot of the same stuff, that stuff almost becomes tradition over time,” said Fennell-Chametzky. “You look forward it just as much as the new experiences.”

i had to explain to my host sister what was going on because she was like ‘Wait, is everything okay?”

If you’ve ever read the West Side Story, then you’ve probably seen the work of Lushia Anson ’15. Being the copy editor of the WSS, Anson spent much of this school year watching over and guiding the drafts of the WSS to become the final articles we see in the paper today. In the meanwhile, however, Anson found the time to submit entries to the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference. Seeing as she was accepted, it was time well spent.

Every year, Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference accepts 51 high school journalists (one from each state) to go on an allexpenses-paid trip to a journalism conference in Washington D.C., from June 21-26. While at the conference, recipients will be able meet famous

- Lushia Anson ’15 journalists and take tours of several locations pertaining to journalism around Washington D.C..

Anson found out about the competition through a poster on the door of Intro to Journalism teacher and WSS teacher advisor, Sara Whittaker. To apply, juniors must write two essays and send in samples of journalistic work with a headshot.

“The two essays were supposed to be under 500 words which was hard for me because I always go over the word limit. The first [essay] was ‘Why are you interested in pursuing journalism?’ and the second one, which was significantly harder to write, was ‘What makes you a free spirit?’” said Anson. “That was something new that I

06 COVER STORY JUNE 2014 { DESIGN BY LAYLA HANNAFORD

hadn’t really thought about or written about before. [The process of trying to figure out what I had to say about that] was kind of hard, but I learned a lot from it.”

Finding out the results was only half the fun.

“I was in my host sister’s room and we were watching Teen Wolf in French or something like that. I had my iPod right next to me and when the email sound came on I was like ‘Oh my god!’

I had to explain to my host sister what was going on because she was like ‘Wait, is everything okay?’

Fortunately for Anson, everything was more than okay.

“

We’re also gonna help build a

castle.”

- Delaney Burt ’17 Not everyone can say they’ve been in the caves where Zeus was supposedly born in like Delany Burt ’17 can. The famous Dikteon Caves is only one of the places Burt went to on her People to People trip last year, though she admits it was probably her favorite. Along with Greece, Burt also traveled to Italy where she saw the city of Pompeii and climbed Mount Etna.

Exotic landmarks wasn’t the only thing that fascinated Burt. In Greece, a countless number of stray animals live wandering the streets. To counter this problem, the government created a unique program.

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“They have these special collars for dogs and people adopt them, but they still live on the streets. People come around and feed them and give them care and stuff,” said Burt. “So the ones that have been adopted are all healthy. You can pet them and they’re friendly. [The program is] the same with cats.”

Burt was also able to sample some authentic Grecian and Italian food thanks to the hospitality of families from each country.

Burt is going on another People to People trip this summer, this time to Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and France.

“I got the chance to go again this year as an alumni and so I decided it would be cool to go again,” said Burt.

She has plenty in store for the next trip to keep her busy.

“We’re gonna have a home-stay in Austia with an Austrian family,” said Burt. “We’re also gonna help build a castle. There’s no machinemachines, it’s all stake and hammer like [it’s all you use to] cut the stone.”

“

There’s no one my age and there’s nothing to do while I fish.

- Dallas Johnson ’17 What city in America has more than 40% of its state’s population? Which city has been named an All-American city four times?

Here’s a quick hint: it’s the northernmost city in America with more than 100,000 people.

The answer? Well, situated between mountains and the coast lies Anchorage, Alaska.

The three and a half thousand mile journey from Iowa City to Anchorage may seem rather daunting, but Dallas Johnson ’17 and her family has already made the trip more than once in the previous years. The first was for the

Delaney Burt ’17

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graduation of a family friend, while the second was a fishing trip.

Johnson is going to go to Anchorage for a third time this summer, but isn’t particularly excited about it.

“There’s no one my age,” said Johnson. “And there’s nothing to do while I fish.”

JUNE 2014 COVER STORY 07

Once Upon A Time By danetta dobre

thedanadobre@gmail.com

With another school year coming to a close, reminders to turn in books and pay late fees are around every corner.

Iowa City West High Librarians Beth Belding, working for 17 years

Jill Hofmockel, working for 8 years

Favorite book: Grapes of Wrath

8 FEATURE JUNE 2014 { DESIGN BY DANETTA DOBRE

Favorite Book: Paper Town

Jennifer Scheivert, joined this year Favorite Book: Divergent

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i don’t check out books from the library because I’m afraid I’ll lose them.”

-Kennedy Posey ’17

Kennedy Posey ’17 Kennedy Posey ’17 has an unlucky history with library books. Though Posey has never accidentally repossessed a book belonging to teachers or libraries, her problems lie in remembering to turn in the books she has checked out.

Every year, the first book Posey checks out from the library usually ends up being the last she turns in. Posey admits that she’s found books and turned

them in on the last day on more than one occasion.

“I don’t check out books from the library because I’m afraid I’ll lose them,” Posey said.

Though not remembering to turn in her books is her main problem, that’s not to say she hasn’t accidentally damaged a book or two. Some incidents include getting hand sanitizer in her geometry book and even spilling orange soda in her

reading book.

“I was at my grandpa’s house and I was drinking orange soda. I spilled it on my book, but I didn’t really notice until it was dry,” said Posey. “A week later I went to turn it in and [the librarians] were like ‘Umm, yeah, you gotta pay for this.’”

photo by//michael porter

FEATURE JUNE 2014 9

Mad Libs Buying tickets to (1) ________ is really (2) ________ these days.

(proper noun)

(adjective)

It’s hard to believe(3) _______ tickets cost (4)$ ________ (Number)

(Number)

But that’s okay, because the (5) __________ ride had (6)__________ inside (Transportation) (Drink) one of those

(7) ________ cups with the (8)________ bendy straws and little umbrellas.

(Food) (Adjective)

Your (9) ________ team had a(n) (10)________ season, and is going to (Noun) (adjective)

(11)________ their (12)_________ off.

(Verb)

(Plural Noun)

Despite the (13)_________ atmosphere, (14) _________ has been acting (adjective) (Name) kind of (15)_________. Maybe it was all the (16)________ (s)he had. (17) ________ (Adjective) (food) (Noun) thinks otherwise.

“It’s the (18) _________.

It’s got to be,” (19) __________ (20) __________. (noun) (ed verb) (Name) “What else would it be?”

“No,” (21)_________ (22)_________.

“There’s a (23)_________ over there, (ed verb) (Name 14) (Noun) and I can’t stand it.”

(24) ________ _________.

(Name)

(ed verb)

“Come on, let’s go,” _________ said. “I heard there are (26) ________ (Name) (Plural Noun) in the hotel room!”

10 BACK PAGE JUNE 2014 { DESIGNED BY LAYLA HANNAFORD