THE LITTLE HAWK C I T Y
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T H E L I T T L E H AW K . C O M
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FEATURE MAGAZINE 10.12.23
TWINS OF CITY HIGH Does growing up as a twin affect who you grow into? PG 4
Nina Peterson ‘25
Nicole Peterson ‘25
The Little Hawk
www.thelittlehawk.com
City High School
Iowa City, Iowa
TABLE OF
4-5
TWINS OF CITY HIGH
CONTENT
6-7
RYAN CLEVENGER NEW STAFF PROFILE
8-9
POI BORCHARDT STUDENT PROFILE
10-11
Q&A WITH JOHN BACON
12-13
MILLER’S BIKE JOURNEY
14-15
HALLOWEEN FOOD FEATURE + COMICS
16
FALL THEMED CROSSWORD 2 LH FEATURE MAGAZINE
Nicole and Nina Peterson, twins of City High. PHOTO BY ROSANGEL FLORES RUBIO
October 12, 2023
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Letter From the Editors What’s up, Little Hawks! Another great day to be a little hawk (as per usual). We are your feature editors Hattie Conover (She/her) and Yomi Hemley (He/him) and we’re SUPER excited to kick off our second year in this position! This magazine issue, our theme is profiles, aiming to introduce new and returning City High students to some great figures around City High from new teachers to student leaders to outstanding students. We’re starting this issue strong with a story on Twins of City High and how being a twin affects you. Next, we have some great feature profiles and following that, things like crosswords, comics, and Halloween recipes. We hope you enjoy reading this issue and have a wonderful October.
Stay safe, Little Hawks! From, ,
October 12, 2023
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TWINS OF CITY 4 LH FEATURE MAGAZINE
October 12, 2023
Does growing up as a twin affect who you grow into? By Yomi Hemley
Dynamic duo, two peas in a pod, double trouble, twins. Twins make up only 3.21% of all births in the United States, making it a relatively rare occurrence. Because of this, most City High students can’t relate to the experiences of twins. However, City High has a relatively high rate of twins, with at least two pairs of twins in each grade currently.
Twin VS Non-Twin Relationships
According to National Institute of Health, twins behave incredibly similar to regular siblings. However, according to their shared age causes it to be easier to become closer with them than regular siblings. “We do a lot more things together. Especially since our older brother is six years older and then our second oldest is four years older. So they do a lot of things together, [that was] the way it went. We were the same age so we did a lot of the same things” Grace Schuessler ‘24 says. There is of course good and bad when it comes to being a twin. This includes having to understand certain harder life lessons from a young age. “There’s definitely lessons you learn. When I was little, we had to share everything. What’s yours is your twins. But in other ways, it’s really frustrating, because you do have to do some things that you don’t want to do to help out. But it’s not that bad. I’d say it’s pretty nice” Will Karr ‘25 says. Understanding these things
early can help make others become more empathetic and understanding towards the people they grew up with. “I definitely can’t read her mind, but I feel like if Julia is hurt about something, I feel her emotions a lot of the time. I don’t really feel like that with other people, just her.” Maya Shannon ‘26 said. Although some twins may view non-twin relationships differently, other twins focus more on the similarities of the two. “It’s hard to have any siblings and it also has its pros and cons. It probably wasn’t harder than any other sibling relationship”
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Struggles with Individuality
With being a twin, comes a struggle with individuality. Since birth, many twins have been forced to share things. A birthday, toys, and in some cases, a nearly identical face. Because of this, according to Will, twins may view individuality differently. “We have different things we do for sure” Will Karr ‘25 says. “He’s way more school oriented and I don’t really Nina Peterson ‘25 says. “I don’t think that [having a twin] is objectively worse than having an older sibling or love school. There’s other things like cross country. He runs every day, has a strict schedule, and I’m just doing a younger sibling.” “It’s in most ways similar, but whatever I want. We’re very similar, but in other ways [different].” I think it can be a little bit In the fight to find oneself while having someone so more intense. You’re in the similar to them, it’s not abnormal to try harder than the same grade, we have a lot of the same inter- average person. “I [felt like I] have to do stuff to try and make myself ests. It’s kind of built in more individual” Julia Shannon ‘26 says. competition in a way Although Nina and Nicole are able to see each other’s which can be a really differences, due to them being twins, that isn’t the case for good thing if you’re outsiders. talking about sports “It depends on the person because I know that it gets and academics. That can hard when people can’t tell us apart. There are definitely kind of push you to be people that can tell us apart, whether it’s by appearance better. But it can be a bit much sometimes” or by “vibes.” For people that don’t know us very well, it’s kind of a tendency to sort of see us as the twins, just kind Nina says. of as an entity. For people that know us really well, they do see us as individuals. We can also be treated as a team, a unit. When people don’t know us really well, that can happen” Nicole Peterson ‘25 says.
Outro
Twins have a special bond due to their shared strugles. Despite the differences between twin and non-twin relationships, it’s clear that being a twin is a very enjoyable experience for most. “It’s just like having another friend. [Life is] not gonna be any different because you have a twin.” You’re still separate people.” Will says.
RYAN New Staff Profile:
CLEVENGER By Hattie Conover While Ryan Clevenger wasn’t receiving summa cum laude or the best grades in the school, there wasn’t a student in Downers Grove High School history who could trump his mile time on the track, thanks to running Clevenger’s future was opened up to something he couldn’t have dreamed up. “I am from Downers Grove, Illinois and I have one sister who’s older than me, she’s an architect in Chicago. She motivated me a lot with what it looks like to be a hard-working individual. I also have a very big athletic background, in running cross country and track. I ran all throughout high school and went to college to run as well,” Ryan Clevenger said. Clevenger attended college at the University of Wisconsin Madison running D1 track and cross country all four years. He graduated with a degree in communications later finding himself at the University of Iowa to pursue a degree in education. “During my time at college in Madison, I learned what it looked like to be independent and take priority in my schoolwork. At Wisconsin, I fell in love with caring for people and I learned that the real things that matter are the relationships that you build, and forge, and that eventually led me to teaching,” Clevenger said. Clevenger has felt waves of influence from people in his life from his sister to teachers and coaches all of whom have led him to not
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only where he is today, an English teacher at City High, but who he is today. “I had a coach in high school, Coach Kup who was a social studies teacher for 30-plus years. My team and I thought he was a little bit crazy, in a good way. He’d sing in practice and play his guitar but he was also really present with us and cared for us beyond what we could do for him athletically. Eventually, after college, I looked back on that and I could see the impact he had on so many kids’ lives and I wanted to be a part of that,” Clevenger said. Inspiration for Clevenger’s teaching style comes a lot from the idea that he wants to disconnect kids from technology and instead connect them to their thoughts and emotions through writing in English class. “I think that technology is a wonderful way to help you interact but writing in its purest form comes from your soul and comes from your heart. So I want kids to be in a place where they can do that and feel comfortable doing that,” Clevenger said. While Clevenger is not from Iowa City originally, he has spent his fair share of time here and within the Iowa City Community School District over the past few years. He started at the University of Iowa and spent a bit of time at West High with Ms. Barnhouse, he then moved on to student teaching at City High just last year with Mr. Peters, and now assumes a role at City High teaching four sections of English 10 and one Success Center class.
“When you’re spending months and months with the same group of people there’s something special that occurs at some point where trust gets built through knowing about what kids are doing outside of school and what their interests are. That is probably my greatest memory of student teaching,” Clevenger said. During his time learning about teaching at West High with Ms. Barnhouse Clevenger carefully observed what she did to make her class somewhere that students wanted to be, a class that felt welcoming and didn’t give students an anxious feeling to come to. “[Barnhouse] used to ask me, ‘How does a student feel when they come to your room?’ It made me ask myself and my students ‘How do I make the first few minutes of class a space where we can kind of just chat, and like catch up?’ Today we’re gonna do a little Where’s Waldo game together for the first few minutes. So it’s finding those little things that get kids in the seats and be present in the room,” Clevenger said. Looking forward to Clevenger’s first year as a teacher he has aspirations to make an effect on his students’ lives. “I think the most rewarding aspect of being a teacher is the things that I don’t see, what someone will do when they leave my room. There’s an impact that they can have on the world that’s beyond something that I could even grasp, something like just loving the people around you and caring for people wherever you are,” Clevenger said.
October 12, 2023
“There’s an impact students can have beyond something that I could even grasp,” - Ryan Clevenger
October 12, 2023
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HOW LOW CAN YOU
GO?
Poi Borchardt ‘26 on playing the tuba, marching band, and her band experience
As well as being a tuba player, Poi Borchardt ‘26 plays the sousaphone in marching band. PHOTO BY LILY RANTANEN
By Lily Rantanen Poi Borchardt ‘26 is a fearsome force to be reckoned with when it comes to everything low brass. She’s a marching band section leader, bass trombonist, and talented tuba player. 8 LH FEATURE MAGAZINE
As the Wind Ensemble tuba and low brass section leader, there’s no denying that Borchardt is doing something right. But she hasn’t always been a tubist – in fact, she’s been playing for only two years. “I used to be a trombone player. [I] picked it out in fifth grade and stuck with
it until they asked me to switch in eighth grade,” Borchardt said. Despite the obvious differences between tuba and trombone, Borchardt says it hasn’t been too hard to adjust to the tuba. “It’s been really interesting so far,” Borchardt said. “It’s obviously a lot different October 12, 2023
Poi Borchardt ‘26 plays the double B flat tuba, which is the most common model found in concert bands. PHOTO BY LILY RANTANEN
than trombone with the valves and then [there’s] a different embouchure.” But Borchardt has been taking it in stride. “It’s been a lot of fun and it’s created a lot of different opportunities for me for AllState and honor bands,” said Borchardt. For anyone who isn’t intimately familiar with band instruments, it may be difficult to distinguish between the two. The trombone uses a slide to play different notes, while the tuba has valves, or keys. “Tubas can have three or five valves, but the most common is four,” Borchardt explained. Not only is Borchardt an excellent tuba player, she’s also the only sophomore in band who’s also a section leader. Of course, that doesn’t mean that it’s all a piece of cake for her, either. “It’s been a lot of pressure and I do stress about it, because I’ve been learning all the
basics and stuff with [the other sophomores],” Borchardt said. Even though this is her first year as section leader and first time doing the halftime show, Borchardt has been a valuable role model to the rest of her section. She’s been putting in extra time to learn how to read drill charts, fill out dot books, and help out her fellow section members in any way she can. “It’s been a lot of fun because all the upperclassmen have been really nice,” Borchardt said of her experience being a section leader. And as the cherry on the top of Poi Borchardt’s tuba sundae, this is her first year in Wind Ensemble. “I’m really excited. I didn’t think I’d ever have this opportunity,” Borchardt said. “If you told me when I was younger that this was where I’d be right now, I wouldn’t believe you.”
“If you told me when I was younger that this was where I’d be right now, I wouldn’t believe you,” -Poi Borchardt ‘26
POI BORCHARDT CITY HIGH MUSICIAN
October 12, 2023
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PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN BACON
Q&A
PRINCIPAL BACON
“I DON’T THINK THERE IS ANY OTHER BASTION OF SOCIETY THAT IS QUITE LIKE A LARGE, DIVERSE, PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL.” JOHN BACON
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October 12th, 2023
By Tai Caputo As a student at City High in the 1990s, did you know that you would one day become its principal? Absolutely not. In no universe did I ever consider it. At the time, I wanted to be a sports broadcaster. I wanted to be the voice of the Hawkeyes. I wanted to be the guy who did the sports on the news, and I wanted to be an announcer. So I think that’s why I like doing the [daily] announcements so much, because it’s my one little shot to be a broadcaster. How has City High changed since you were a student here? I think it has grown. We’re now over 1700 students, and it was around 1200 students when I was here. It is a much more diverse place now. I like to say that it’s like holding up a mirror of Iowa City: it’s a reflection of our community. We have people from all walks of life, all different backgrounds, and I think that is such a strength of the high school. I really believe that City High students get two kinds of education: I think they get an education academically, and I think our kids get an education from each other. I think getting to go to school with people from lots of different backgrounds, and getting a chance to make friends with people from lots of different backgrounds, helps our kids learn how to work with a broad spectrum of people. And I think that’s an asset for kids, because the world is a diverse place, and City High students are well-prepared because of their experience here. I think that’s a very positive thing. I think our school is a much more interesting, dynamic, vibrant place because of our diverse population. And it is a much, much more diverse high school than the school I attended in the early ’90s. What do you think that you do well as Principal? I want to believe that we have built a special sense of school spirit here at City High. I think that our students, and frankly, our entire East Side community, know that they are part of something special here at City High. I don’t think there is any other bastion of society that is quite like a large, diverse, public high school. It’s one of the only places–in any aspect of society–where October 12, 2023
people from all walks of life come together under one roof. And we’re all part of a school family, so I feel that we have a strong sense of community here at City High, and a sense of pride in this very special place, and I feel really proud to be a part of that. You have a very enthusiastic and distinctive voice on the announcements each day. What is your goal in this regard? The announcements are important for me, because it’s my opportunity to speak to all 1700 Little Hawks each day. I am not the kind of principal who wants to operate in anonymity. It’s important for me to be out there in front of our students. I want students to know me. I want them to know that I’m someone who is there for them. I want them to know that I’m an advocate for them, that I care deeply about them, that I care deeply about our school, that we are a team, and that we are all in this together. And I feel that the announcements give me an opportunity to speak to students each day. And not only are the announcements a chance for me to talk to students about all the great things going on on our campus, but they are also a chance for me to, a little bit at a time, shape culture on our campus, emphasize things that are important, reinforce a sense of pride in the school, and make people feel they are part of something. And the announcements are just one small tool that I can use to do that. What is your favorite thing about being Principal? Of [the] many, many things that I enjoy a lot, there’s nothing better than watching our students find something that they care deeply about, and work hard at, and get to experience some success. That’s really special. Whether it is watching a student try out for the musical and get up on that stage and perform for the first time and have that experience, or whether it’s watching the Mock Trial team work all winter long on Sundays up here, and then go and win a state championship in Mock Trial. Or whether it’s a sports team that’s competing side-by-side, Little Hawks together, going into competition together, making these memories that will last a whole lifetime. And I really enjoy watching students find their passion here at City High, and then work hard, and go out there and do their best. And that’s really fun to get a chance to
be a part of that process and watch students grow over four years. The freshmen come in as kids, and you leave as a young adult. It’s a transformational four-year period, and our work here is really important. There are other factors–we’re not the only factor, but this high school definitely has the opportunity to play a role, and make sure all our students are walking across that stage at graduation hopefully into something positive that they’re excited about doing. That’s our job for every single Little Hawk. What are your biggest concerns for City High? What are the biggest challenges it faces? Whether it’s our political climate that we live in, or whether it is still feeling certain effects from the pandemic, I think that there is a little bit of harshness, or an edge, out there in our society these days. There are a lot of divisions between people, which our students and all of us are exposed to on a regular basis. And I think a challenge for all of us moving forward, all human beings is: How do we cut through those to just making sure that we treat each other with respect and kindness? And that we are good to each other. Fundamentally, you can either tear somebody down or you can lift them up. And none of us are perfect, that is for sure, and we all make mistakes, but I think that to the extent we can, we should try to place a high value on the way we treat each other, and spread kindness through this high school. I want every student to look forward to coming here every day. I don’t ever want a Little Hawk to say, ‘I don’t want to come to school because it’s not a happy place for me.’ I’m not naive, I’m sure that it’s real life, and obviously, every one of us is going to have hard times to go through, but I want City High to be as supportive and caring and positive a place as possible. So I think our biggest challenge is continuing to strive for that aspiration moving forward. The full article can be viewed here:
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Q&A
MILLER’S BIKE JOURNEY
City High math teacher takes his bike from Alberta, Canada, to Antelope Wells, New Mexico. By Rosangel Flores Rubio
Q: SO, WHY? I’ve done bike racing like extended, ultra distance gravel races, which were fun. Then in 2019 I thought “I want to go somewhere”. I biked from my house to Winnipeg, Canada, which was like 860 miles over the course of six days. And then in 2020 I biked from my house to Washington DC, which [was] almost 1000 miles total. I fell in love with throwing bags on bikes, going and camping along the way and [the] freedom that comes with it and the challenge. Then I was like, I’d like to do a race like this. So for two years, I went up and did a race in Minnesota, which is 1200 miles around the perimeter of Minnesota. I said [to my wife]: “hey, if I’d ever do this [trip from Alberta to the Mexican border], when would be a good time to do it?” and she said 2023- so I put it on my calendar.
Q: HOW WAS THE COMPANY? There were about 200 of us that started in Alberta. Within about a week I didn’t see very many people. There were a few of us that would leapfrog but I very rarely rode with anybody. [There were] a lot of days where I didn’t see anybody at all, I was up in the middle of the mountains. That’s pretty wild. PHOTOS COURTESY OF MATT MILLER 12 LH FEATURE MAGAZINE
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Q: WHAT WAS YOUR BEST DAY ON THE TRIP? That last day was awesome. It was the day between Pineville, Wyoming, and the middle of the basin. [I was] riding up on this ridge and the wind wasn’t terrible and the roads were relatively smooth even though it was dirt. I was totally alone, but it was this beautiful scenery. [There was] this huge sky and mountains here and mountains there. Then you get to the basin and you leave this little tiny town called Atlantic City, Wyoming- you see your last people and you see your last tree for 100 miles, and you enter this vast high desert. That was a fun night, solo and out in the middle of nowhere, knowing there’s nobody for 30 miles in any direction. It was a magical night.
Q: WHAT WAS YOUR WORST DAY ON THE TRIP?
Q: WOULD YOU DO IT AGAIN?
Second to last day, without a doubt. I was in the middle of New Mexico. I was so burnt out and so tired. The temperature got up to over 100 degrees. There was one waterstop that day because it’s New Mexico. It’s all dry. [The] hills aren’t steady inclines like in Colorado, I was pushing my bike a lot in really rocky places. It was just so long and arduous and I was so burnt out, I cried that day. I was physically exhausted. You’re put at your very, very limit.
I would do it again. I would try to lighten up my gear a bit by finding a lighter sleeping bag and maybe switching to a bivey rather than a full tent. I also stopped “early” a few times and got a late start a few other days. I think I could get down the route in a couple less days than the 22:10 [mark] that I did this time. My takeaway is that we are all way more capable than we think. We can do hard things. This pushed me to my limits physically, mentally, and emotionally, but I was able to push through and finish, and I’m proud of myself for that.
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Graveyard Pudding By Yomi Hemley With Halloween coming up, this dessert is the perfect thing to get you into the Halloween spirit. This is a very simple recipe with no need for baking or cooking, and the perfect addition for guests at a Halloween party. This Graveyard Pudding is a simple twist on the classic Dirt ‘N Worms snack, making the original recipe slightly better decorated and much more festive. Ingredients: - Chocolate Pudding - Oreos - Gummy Worms - Milano Dark Chocolate Cookies - (Optional) Edible Marker or Black Icing Directions (for one serving): 1. Get a clear cup 2. Crush Oreos into a semi fine powder 3. Pour a thin layer of this oreo powder into the bottom of the cup 4. Pour about an inch of chocolate pudding into the cup, on top of the oreo layer 5. Add another thin oreo layer on top of the pudding 6. Repeat with another layer of Chocolate pudding, about an inch thick 7. Add one final layer of crushed oreos to the top 8. Get one Milano cookie 9. On the top half of the cookie, write R.I.P with icing or edible marker 10. Stick the bottom half of the cookie into the pudding to make it look like tombstone 11. Add 2-3 gummy worms on the top of the cup 12. Enjoy!
PHOTOS BY YOMI HEMLEY 14 LH FEATURE MAGAZINE
October 12, 2023023
LH CARTOONS COMICS BY YOMI HEMLEY
School Bullying = Bad
Mock Trial Attorneys
Pick Up Lines
Book Bans
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FALL CROSSWORD
ART BY GRETA HAYEK
The Little Hawk
Across: 1. Witch’s pet 5. Arachnids 7. A curious, nocturnal bird with large eyes 8. Popular fall-themed drink flavor 10. Dressing up in ________ for a Halloween party Down: 11. Kids walking around to get candy 2. A big pot used to brew potions 13. October holiday 3. Bedsheets with holes 15. Carved with candles inside 4. Brooms and pointy hats 16. Beverage made from crushed apples 5. Similar to a sweatshirt, knitted 18. The “hair” of trees, fall to the 6. Clothing item worn around the ground during the cooler seasons neck 19. Scream, IT, Silence of the Lambs, to keep warm The Ring, and The Shining are some 9. THE month of fall examples from this movie genre 12. Eerie building occupied by 20. The structural frame supporting ghosts bodies www.thelittlehawk.com
City High School
Iowa City, Iowa
