TheLittleHawk Iowa City High School Iowa City, Iowa volume LXX-issue III December 16, 2011 www.thelittlehawk.com
GL W ABOVE: Members of GLOW stand in a circle with arms streatched wide, united as a family.
photo by ELI SHEPHERD
Gay, lesbian, or whatever you may be, there is a place for you at City High. The club GLOW has made it their mission to welcome anyone and everyone. by Maddie Finley
maddiefinley@thelittlehawk.com
“Okay everyone, let’s get in a big circle. I want to do an activity to reinforce something that has always impressed me about GLOW; how well we communicate our feelings and how we build each other up,” Maureen Hill, one of the teacher sponsors of City High’s Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) Club, GLOW, said. Students sat in a circle and made a web of raspberry-colored yarn as they threw the ball to one another and shared a nice thing about the person they were throwing it to, keeping one end of the string in their hand. “I really like how I can talk to you about anything and it’s never awkward,” one student said as she threw the yarn. GLOW meets every Friday in room 1101 to socialize, plan events, and simply hang out. Club members are constantly generating ideas of events to plan or attend. Often these events are geared towards raising awareness for the club and educating students and the general public about homosexuality. “It would be cool if we could do a big question and answer thing, because there are so many misconceptions about GLOW and being gay,” freshman Natasha Finnegan-Kennel said.
One big upcoming event for this club is the GLOW-sponsored Prom that will be held sometime in February. GLOW is planning this event with West High and Linn Mar’s GSA’s. “We’re planning a gay prom because the school has a prom but only upperclassmen are welcome and we want to include everyone. Prom is a high school tradition but I feel that not everyone is totally welcome,” Zulema Loya, senior, said. By “not everyone is totally welcome,” Loya means not only underclassmen, but the students who want to bring non-traditional dates as well. “I want to be able to bring my girlfriend and not have everyone staring at us the whole time,” Loya said. GLOW’s prom will be different however, in that “everyone is welcome, the more the merrier” Rebecca Barrett ‘13 said. In addition to the dance, GLOW club participates in many other events. This fall GLOW had a tie-dye day, attended club fairs and marched in the University of Iowa homecoming parade. Some of GLOW’s upcoming events include Bring a Friend Day on December 16th and attending a national GSA convention in Des Moines in January in addition to the February GLOW Prom.
While the literal definition of GLOW is Gay Lesbian Or Whatever, for the club members GLOW means something beyond the acronym: L.H.: What is your definition of GLOW? “I think what GLOW really is a safe place to be who you are and not feel discriminated against. It doesn’t matter who you are, you can be gay, straight, a band geek, have weird hair, be and be unfashionable; it doesn’t matter” -Rebecca Barrett ‘13 “I think of GLOW as a social group for anybody to come together and just be goofy. It’s a bridge to the community, from our students to the larger LGBT community. And it is a place for activism and activists” -Maureen Hill, teacher sponsor “For me, GLOW is a place where everyone is accepted no matter who you are. It’s a safe environment where you don’t have to worry about being judged by other people. GLOW is also about trying to change the way people see and percieve the differences in others by helping them accept those differences and to accept the differences in themselves.” -Ruth Anne Riedl ‘12 co-president
Veteran’s Day choir concert honors alumnus Collin Raaz by Sonora Taffa
sonorataffa@thelittlehawk.com
Colin Raaz, 25, a former City High honors student and cross country runner, lost both his legs during combat in Afghanistan on June 15, 2011. Raaz is currently recovering at a military physical rehabilitation unit in San Diego, California. The choir department chose to honor Raaz at their annual Veteran’s Day concert on November 10. Dr. Grove, the head choir director, first heard about Collin’s accident over the summer through a mutual family friend. “As we were getting closer to doing our Veteran’s day concert my mind went back to that conversation,” Dr. Grove said. “We pay tribute to everyone who has lost their lives and this year I was having trouble putting together a compact idea. So I thought we could bring it a little closer to home.” The choir department decided to collect donations to help Collin at the concert. “It kind of just came together at the last minute. I heard that there was a recovery fund for expenses when he comes home,” Dr. Grove said. “He may need a specially equipped automobile... So at the concert we set up a donation box and collected over 3,000 dollars.” Over 700 people filled Opstad Auditorium the night of the Veteran’s Day Concert and all of the choirs sang selected songs. “Although I didn’t know Colin or his family, it’s devastating when something like that happens to any young man like that,” Dr. Grove said. “We cashed it in as City High families coming to one of their own who was in desperate need. It was a very, very moving, excellent night. ”
Music resonates through Ames
Veterans and Newcomers alike come together for the annual All-State music festival by Maddie Finley
maddiefinley@thelittlehawk.com
photo courtesy of HYUNBI HAN
ABOVE: A Portion of the 2011 All-State band.
All State, another year come and gone... Extensive rehearsing and long hours of music making in lieu of the much anticipated 2011 All State Music Festival Concert filled the weekend of November 19th for 27 City High musicians. This year marked the 65th anniversary of the Iowa All State Music Festival, a celebration of Iowa’s talented high school
choir, band, and orchestra musicians from six districts across the state. For the performers and instrumentalists aspiring to be part of this distinguished tradition, the long road to the Hilton Colosseum in Ames, where the festival is held, begins in the summer. “The material comes out in July and that’s when the work starts, so it’s basically about half the year,” Isabel Carman ‘12, cellist, said. Once students learn the music they go
through a preliminary audition in September in which the music directors decide if the student can audition for All State based on their ability level, musicality, and knowledge of the music. Choir students are then placed in quartets that they will audition with while those auditioning in other departments must audition alone. “I started learning the music at the Allstate camp the first week of August. Then we had see 27 students, page A5