The Little Hawk

LITTLE HAWK THE

Student Senate Plans Upcoming Prom

The student organization has worked to plan food, themes, and ticket prices for the May 3rd event

By Martha Willard

As City High’s prom night approaches, Student Senate has continued to plan details such as the theme, ticket prices, and food. This year’s prom, with the theme Hollywood Glamour, will be held at the Iowa Memorial Union (IMU) on May 3rd. This year’s tickets will cost $25, similar to last year’s price.

“The ticket price seems like a lot, but it pays for the venue, which is almost $3,000; it pays for the food, which we’ll order for about $2,500 to $3,000 worth of food; it pays for the DJ; and it pays for the decorations,” Gibbens said. “And then it also gives us enough [money], and perhaps leftovers for the senior picnic and any other expenses we have for homecoming.”

The food selection at prom will be an array of both sweet and savory hors d’oeuvres. To plan exactly what those would be, Student Senate reviewed the food from the last time prom was held at the IMU.

“We had a cheese tray; we had a fruit tray. Pretzel bites were a bad idea because they didn’t stay warm, so I wouldn’t recommend them. Brownies, mini cupcakes, and frostings,” Steve Tygrett said.

In addition to food, Student Senate also plans the decorations for prom, which this year will be centered around the theme of Hollywood Glamour.

The decorations will be primarily gold, black, white, and red.

There will also be a photo booth at the venue.

“We need to get at least two volunteers, you know, and they can be underclassmen that we’ll let in for free,” said Tygrett. “It is busy because everybody wants their Polaroid, so it’s pretty crazy, but if we had a couple, that would be nice, because we only had one girl doing it last year.”

Liberty is also holding prom at the IMU on the same day, causing concerns for parking. Despite

being at the same venue, though, the dances themselves will be kept separate.

“These are three doors that face east, and they face the parking ramp. Liberty will enter from another area, and they will just go up the stairs,” Melanie Gibbens said. “So it’s not a big deal. IMU takes care of everything.”

There will also be the annual Party After Prom. It will have a variety of food, including pizza, sandwiches, and mac and cheese

from Blackstone. There will also be games and raffles with various prizes, such as gift certificates, laptops, and TVs. Students do not need to have attended prom to enter; they will simply need a student ID.

“Party After Prom is a free event for all juniors and seniors on May 3rd from 10:30 pm to 2:30 am at City High in the cafeteria and arena area,” Tobi Drake said. “Juniors and seniors can also bring their pre-approved prom guests to the party after.”

Mural Club Finishes their Project and Plans for the Future

Mural Club works on their main foyer project

By Estelle Hartz

The Mural Club is a new separate club at City High where members work on public art projects with the intention to beautify the community. The group meets twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays after school.

CONTINUED ON PG 5

Track & field captain Josie LeClair on the importance of leadership

By Amelie Donovan and Tessa Driscoll

Josie LeClair ‘25 has been on the City High Girls track team for 4 years and has been selected to be one of the Varsity Girls Captains during her senior season. She has been a key member of the team, running in different events whenever she is needed. LeClair brings lots of expertise to the team, as she is one of 12 seniors running track this year.

NESTT Moves to 2nd Floor and Continues Mental Health Awareness

By Melody Ross

“So at the NESTT I offer kids the chance to take a break from everyday life like school work [and] things going on at home.” Autumn Higdon, NESTT supervisor said.

“What I do is a lot of the time I give them advice. A lot of the time the kids come in and just want to get off their chest what’s been going on at home or with friends.” Higdon continued.

“Sometimes they just want to come in here and chill and relax. That’s how calming it is. A lot of the time we’ll play games, do some puzzles, and a lot of it is just talking with each other, sometimes joking around, whatever it is that takes their mind off of [their problems].

“I have a a few students coming in to do check-ins, usually in the mornings or when they have study halls. They just come in and hang out and tell me how the day is going.” Higdon said.

GRAPHIC BY KATE MEIS

Beverly Blau watches time pass. NESTT activities help students de-stress.PHOTO BY: MELODY ROSS

Letter From The Editors

Hey, Little Hawks!

Happy 3rd trimester! It’s the time of year when everything is in full swing, which is showcased in this new issue! If you check out the News section, you can find out everything you need to know about prom. Over in Arts & Entertainment, Estelle has a deep dive into City High’s Mural Club’s ongoing project in the foyer. In Culture, you can hear what Yomi had to say about the new film A Minecraft Movie. Finally, do not skip out on the sports section, where Amelie has covered Josie Leclair as part of our Unbreakable Profiles series.

Our student journalists are continuously covering all corners of City High, so we hope that every reader can find a piece within this issue that fits their fancy! And as always, we encourage our readers to check out every story featured in our paper, as they are each a labor of love. Thank you for your continued support of our publication. We appreciate it and look forward to writing more stories to share with you!

Lots of love, your executives, Tai and Kate

Model United Nations Takes Home Worldwide Wins

Three members of the club were recognized for their outstanding posittion papers or as work as outstanding delegates during the conference

By Claire Hartwig

Every spring, City High’s Model United Nations club attends the Iowa High School Model United Nations Conference at the University of Northern Iowa.

This year, students in the club were divided to represent City High’s three assigned countries: Spain, Portugal, and Namibia.

Then, for each of the three countries, members choose their committees, made up of one or two delegates per country. Participants have many options for the committees they want to represent, from the Disarmament and International Security Committee to the Social Humanitarian and Cultural Committee.

Oftentimes, the club sees returning students choosing to join committees they have been a part of in the past, but this year, due to an influx in new members, many participants tried new committees.

Natalie Michelson ‘25, a two-year member of Model United Nations, felt this year was a chance to branch out.

“I started off doing Political and Security last year since it was my first year, and that’s what my friends had done in the past, but this year, with more countries than last year, I figured it was a good time to try something new,” Michelson said.

Although she had won an award for outstanding position paper for her work on the Political and Security Committee last year, this year she switched her focus and participated as a delegate representing Spain for the Social, Cultural, and Humanitarian Committee.

As for this conference’s awards,

City High had a notable 3 members who won awards. Ethan LaLumiere ‘25 won an award for an outstanding position paper. This award rubric-based award, is earned by students whose position papers receive high scores across multiple grading categories by judges at the University of Northern Iowa.

Each year, this award is only given to around 10 delegates from a conference made up of hundreds of students. He wrote this position paper to represent Spain as a delegate on the Legal II committee.

Two more members won the Outstanding Delegate Award for their work in their respective committees. This award is given to just a few delegates per committee who represent strong skills in debate, leadership, and are committed to the conference’s goals.

Toe Collins ‘26, who represent ed Spain in the Legal II committee, and Kaj Larsen ‘25, who represent ed Namibia in the Political and Security Committee, were the two honorees of this award.

Jenna Eastman is continuing her second year as the club’s advi sor and is very proud of how this year’s conference went.

“I believe that our 2025 Con ference was outstanding. Our Lit tle Hawks were extremely prepared on their committee topics, with each student writing a position paper for their country. They were kind but firm leaders in their com mittee rooms, and I am extremely proud of what they accomplished.” Eastman said.

While the club’s activities are now winding down for the 202425 school year, students can join in the coming fall.

Ethan Lalumiere ‘25, Toe Collins ‘26, and Kaj Larsen ‘25 pose with their awards after the conference’s conclusion. PHOTO COURTESY JENNA EASTMAN

All of City High Model United Nations participants representing Spain, Portugal, and Namibia pose for a photo aftet the conference’s conclusion. PHOTO COURTESY JENNA EASTMAN Kate

City Quiz Bowl Wins State Championship 410 to 80 over Marshalltown

The victory is City’s first Varsity division Quiz Bowl championship

By Jethro Michaelson

“We are screwed!” thought Nicolas Vergara-Vanegas ‘28, a player on City’s Quiz Bowl A team. This was during the team’s fourth round of the State Championship versus Ankeny’s B team. Many of the players on the team had enjoyed previous success, winning the 2024 Junior Varsity State Championship and the 2023 Middle School Championship of the academic trivia competition. The team, consisting of Felix Cook ‘28, Daniel Drollette ‘27, Ethan Lalumiere ‘25, Jethro Michaelson ‘27, and Vergara-Vanegas, was down by 120 points, or 12 questions, at halftime.

“We didn’t think there was any way to come back.” Vergara-Vanegas said. He sat out the second half, and the team started closing the gap. “Then, Ethan [Lalumiere] just explodes. He buzzes in three times in a row, one of them being a power (buzzing in early and getting an extra five points).”

By the final question, the gap was at about 30 points, or one tossup, a question where a player buzzes in, and two bonus questions--three per tossup, where the team can confer.

“I’m watching from the bench, and I’m going insane because I never thought we would even have a chance.” The team got the tossup

and all three bonuses, winning the round by 15 points and securing a spot in the playoffs. Vergara-Vanegas said.

“Arguably, our biggest challenge of the tournament came in our first playoff game when we played Waukee Northwest.” Vergara-Vanegas said. Waukee Northwest A had won every game so far at that point of the tournament. “It was another very tough game, but we pulled through again, making it to the final round.”

The final team, Marshalltown A, had beaten West Dubuque, the team City A lost to in the third round. “I felt really anxious about this round, but it turned out we had no need to worry,” Vergara-Vanegas said.

City A won the championship round 410-80, claiming City’s first Varsity Quiz Bowl State Championship and the ICCSD’s third overall Quiz Bowl championship.

The team will be losing Lalumiere, the team’s all-time highest scoring player, as he graduates. However, there are many eighth graders expected to come up from Southeast Middle School.

“I think [a third team will be required]. I am quite sure that, if most people coming up from eighth grade come here and continue to play, we’ll definitely need, at the very least a C team, if not a D team,” said Jonah Hefti ‘28, the

B team’s highest scoring player. “I would say that a lot of the eighth graders are very good, especially Ezra [O’Connor ‘29]. There are tons of very talented players coming up.”

“Hopefully [there will need to be a third team],” said Drollette. “Maybe not as many as [Southeast], that have seven teams, which is absurd,” Drollette stated that

next year’s goal is to win both the Varsity and Junior Varsity championships. “I’m hoping it’ll happen, but we’ll see how it goes.”

Some of the A team’s players lamented that it wasn’t a particularly strong tournament. “I don’t think I did very well at this tournament,“ Vergara-Vanegas said.

“I got a good amount of questions, but it definitely wasn’t my

best tournament.” Cook shared a similar sentiment to Vergara-Vanegas. “[In the Ankeny round] we won by a very small margin, and I kinda dropped the ball on it.” Cook, the team’s math and science specialist, claimed there were some questions he missed. “Overall, it wasn’t the worst tournament. You can’t ask for much more than winning the state championship.”

Press Start: City High Starts Esports Team

The team launched during the winter E-Sports season, now competing amidst

By Kate Meis

Entering Assistant Principal Gerry Coleman’s office, tucked behind his desk, are computer monitors and headphones, all belonging to students who participate in the program he advises: Esports.

Although Esports in Iowa has a fall, winter, and spring season, the City High team had its inaugural season this year during the winter season.

“Esports is online gaming where we’re competing with other high schools throughout the state, and there are different titles that we play each season. We’re in the spring season right now, so our titles are Valorant, League of Legends, and Mario Kart,” Coleman said.

Coming into this first year of Esports, Coleman was not wellversed in the world of Esports, but through his involvement this winter and spring, and his work with the participating students, he has learned a lot.

“I did Esports because of Zakai Kreiner [‘25]. He had talked to me about wanting to do it, and I said, Let’s try to make it happen. So, shout out to Zakai for being the one who kind of was the impetus for making this happen and pushing us to get where we are,” Coleman said.

Additionally, the neighboring high schools, West High School and Liberty High School, both had preexisting Esports teams. With that in mind, and after seeing the extensive list of Iowa high schools that participate in Esports, Coleman felt City High needed to be a part of it, too.

As of the spring season, City High Esports has 20 total players, distributed differently depending on the season’s titles. Currently, the Valorant team has five players, League of Legends has five players, and Mario Kart has four play-

ers. While the team does not have many extra players, the goal for next year is to grow.

“The plan is to grow this thing a little more and talk to the middle school as these ninth graders are coming up and say We’ve got eSports at City High, and here’s how to get involved,” Coleman said.

In growing the number of participants, a goal for the team is to have enough students involved to have both JV and Varsity teams for the titles they are playing. The team intends to build a roster by promoting Esports to incoming

freshmen at the beginning of the year, although participation can be dependent on the titles being played.

For example, while this season’s titles are Valorant, League of Legends, and Mario Kart, the team’s winter season titles were Overwatch and Rocket League. The games rotate through the year, but the competition style stays the same.

“Each week, we compete with another school’s Esports team. It’s all online [at City High] until the state meet, because if you make

the spring season

it to state, they play in Marshalltown.” Coleman said. This season, all games are best out of three to win in competition. Based on the results of the regular season matches, teams can make it to the state competition. While City High’s team did not go to state, Mr. Coleman feels that the teams for this season’s titles have been competitive and could be potential qualifiers.

“They’re serious. Monitors, backpacks, and all those things are what [the students] bring in for their gaming. They are gaming at home and then bringing their things here to play. So it’s been fun,” Coleman said.

The unique thing about Esports is that the titles are games that many participants are already playing at home. This also easily opens up the club to new players, as most prospective participants are already familiar with the titles for each season.

But just like any other sport at City High, Esports is a state-sanctioned event, meaning it has school expectations. All participants must be passing their classes and be without behavioral problems. This also means that anyone can participate. Any students interested in Esports can come to a meeting and get involved.

From left: Ela Pierce ‘25, Jethro Michaelson ‘27, Daniel Drollette ‘27, Ethan Lalumiere ‘25, Samuel Richman ‘27, Jonah Hefti ‘28, Coach Dolores Silva, Felix Cook ‘28, Vivian Adams ‘28, and Nicolas Vergara-Vanegas ‘28 outside Waukee Northwest High School. PHOTO

COURTESY FIRST LAST

David Martinez-Ortez ‘25, Nick Tran ‘25, Elijah Wyatt ‘25, Zakai Kreiner ‘25, amd Ziggy Alvarez ‘25 play League of Legends in competition

PHOTO COURTESY GERRY COLEMAN

Kamel Elgiseer Looks to Expand Palates with Middle Eastern Cooking

Through food and community, Kamel Elgiseer brings people together one dish at a time.

By Liyan Elgiseer

Ring, ring, ring! The sound of the alarm wakes Kamel Elgiseer early as he partners with the Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa and others to cook for the people of the St.Patrick Catholic Church of Iowa City.

“My favorite part is building a recipe and testing it out by cooking it and finding out whether it is perfect or still needs some changes,” Kamel said.

Trial and error is one of the most important parts of cooking for Kamel. On today’s menu, he is preparing crispy chicken paired with rice and salad as well as za’atar (a Middle Eastern culinary herb) and a fatayer.

A Middle Eastern pastry also known as a meat pie that can be filled with various things such as za’atar, cheese, and meat.

Kamel says he is very fortunate to have his wife Ameira to help him cook.

“Someone who inspired me to start cooking was probably my wife; she enjoys cooking, which led me to the hobby,” Kamal said.

Kamel and his family head to the St. Patrick Catholic Church with their pre-seasoned food. Kamel sets up his dishes in the kitchen and is greeted by a quiet, huge

area. He is greeted by many familiar faces from the Center for Worker Justice.

“The biggest challenge I’ve faced is probably building recipes because it takes patience to get good results,” Kamel said.

After perfecting his crispy chicken recipe through trial and error, he is ready to share his recipe with others.

He has made many different dishes, but his crispy chicken is the most special to him.

“My favorite dish to cook is crispy chicken because I use such special ingredients.”

Crispy Chicken was one of the first dishes Kamel made that boosted his cooking hobby with its special blend of spices.

As the evening starts, Kamel, with the help of Ameira, starts to lay out their food and make sure it is warm and ready to be served. The aroma of the crispy chicken and fatayer spreads across the dining area, and faces turn, trying to figure out where this aroma could be coming from.

Kamel’s children are here to observe this significant part of his cooking journey.

“I was inspired to start cooking because I wanted to cook new and interesting meals for my family,” Kamel said.

I.C.C.S.D.

Kamal hopes his cooking expands everyone’s palate. As the crispy chicken and the smell of the spices spread out through St. Patrick’s, the sound of laughter and happiness spreads across the Church, and not a frown is in sight.

“I have been cooking ever since I was a young kid, but I started

cooking for large numbers of people as an adult,” Kamel said.

Beyond cooking, for large groups, Kamel is now teaching his kids how to cook and is expanding their inner love for cooking.

“I have gotten a lot of opportunities like cooking for Johnson County and non-profit organizations and numerous churches,” Kamel said.

Beyond the flavors, Kamel loves serving people. He greets everyone with a smile. Kamel believes the opportunity to serve someone is very valuable and he plans to continue bringing Middle Eastern cuisine to more events in the future.

Championship in Houston

The combined team for City, West, and Liberty will compete against teams from all over the US, Canada, Mexico, Turkey, Australia, China, Brazil, and more.

By Micah Hartwig and Henry Birt

The Children of the Corn 167 I.C.C.S.D robotics club finished second in Iowa and earned a spot in the upcoming world championship in Houston.

Liam Asher and Cody Rhinehart joined the team and have been practicing and building their robot at the Kirkwood Regional Center.

“So our robot, as of right now,

weighs about 113 pounds and uses swerve drive for the wheels. It has four of them. And what they do is they can turn and go in all directions, so it can move wherever it needs to. The robot also has an elevator on it, which is two stages, and it has a coral mechanism, which is just a PVC pipe inside of it,” Liam Asher said.

Children of the Corn built the robot to go up to a height of eight feet. The robots don’t fight, but are

dropped into a coral station, which is where the robots can grab the game pieces. Video game controllers move the robot. There are different levels worth different point values.

Liam is considering pursuing degrees in engineering or building-related fields.

“I think I like the whole building aspect of it. That’s what I’ve been doing. And I like it because we’ve been able to use power tools

and learn how everything works and build things. And it’s really cool because we get to learn how everything works,” Liam said.

Heading into the world championship in Houston, the team is working on final adjustments to their robot.

“We’re hoping to do decently well. We know we’re one of the better teams. So we’re hoping to really show off what we can do, and hope to get a good place in Worlds,”

Asher said.

“We’re fixing some things, making sure everything works as it’s supposed to. We’re just keeping everything in shape and trying different things as of right now. We don’t have a whole lot of time, so we can’t make major changes, but we can make small changes here and there.”

Students interested in joining the team can email Coach Maddison at info@iowacityrobotics.org

Kamel Elgiseer has expanded his hobby of cooking to large church groups and events where he brings Middle Eastern flavors to his recipes.

PHOTO BY: LIYAN ELGISEER

Members of The Children of the Corn 167 pose for a photo at the state compettion.

PHOTO COURTESY: MADISON KRIEGE

Members of The Children of the Corn 167 work around their robot at the state competition PHOTO COURTESY: MADISON KRIEGE

Mural Club Finishes Up their Project and Plans for the Future

Mural club is finishing up their first mural project in the main foyer

By Estelle Hartz

The Mural Club is a new separate club at City High where members work on public art projects with the intention to beautify the community. The group meets twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays after school.

Nora Cole ‘26, founder and president of Mural Club, came up with the idea and sketch for their current mural project. She then submitted her idea to Mr. Bacon for approval, and after he approved it, she started looking for people to help her.

The club is currently finishing up the process of repainting the mural in the main foyer, tucked into the staircase, which is redesigned every 10 years. The new mural will picture a red-tailed hawk that stretches in front of the sun and over our school’s bell tower.

¨About a year ago, I was offered the opportunity by Michael [Close] to replace the old mural in the staircase. It took a month or so to start sketching and get a solid design for the mural. I was inspired by our school colors and our mascot since this mural is supposed to represent the school,¨ Nora Cole said.

The entire process has now taken around a year, and the painting around three months, which has added up to

over 100 volunteer hours for the club members. The mural is nearly finished and is now being fitted for the final part before its completion, which is a wooden frame still to be added.

¨One challenge that we ran into was scaling the mural to size. Obviously, when Nora sketched out the idea for the mural, she did not draw it to scale, so when painting it, everything is made bigger, leaving certain spaces empty that might have looked fine when they were too small to fit anything. But now that looks kind of weird, so we have done a little bit of editing from the sketch to the mural on the wall to hopefully make it better,¨ Tessa Clore ‘26, vice president of the club, said.

Finding the correct materials and the right people to execute the project was the first big hurdle that the club dealt with. After Cole found a vice president, the club was given a $400 budget, which went to high-quality interior paints and supplies for the artists.

¨I was able to gather some friends from my AP art class and a few from my friend group to help out with the painting process. We decided to keep the club closed off to other collaborators because we discovered that you can really only have 4-5 people working at once,¨ Cole said.

The mural club will be opening up for more people to join in the next few weeks in preparation for their upcoming

projects.

¨One personal fear I had to overcome was a fear of heights as a large part of the painting was being perched up 6-7 feet from the ground on a very old wobbly ladder. We decided that a pair would work together, the person at the base would hold the ladder so the other person felt more secure so that they would feel free to paint, then the two would periodically shift so that neither of them had to be at the bottom not doing anything for too long,¨ said Cole.

The members of the club earn volunteer hours for the time that they spend working on the mural, so their project counts towards Silver Cord hours.

¨Mural club is a very welcoming environment and has brought me closer to people I otherwise never would have met. I also enjoy feeling like I can leave a mark on this school; even if it’s not permanent, it’s still there. I also like the creativity because I signed up for a lot of academic classes this year. I didn’t really have any time to take any art classes, so this gives me the chance to still fit art into my schedule,¨ said Clore.

The mural club has agreed to participate in the downtown bench painting program at the end of the school year and is also planning on painting a nature-themed mural in the art hallway that supports native plants and animals, which will be painted during the winter of next year.

PHOTO BYESTELLE HARTZ

URINETOWN: To Pee or Not To Pee?

City High’s annual spring musical, filled the halls of the Opstad auditorium with laughter. The musical satirises the troubled dystopian town as they battle severe water shortage and the “privilege” of urination

ABOVE: Brody Clarke performs his role of Cladwell B. Cladwell in the spring musical Urinetown. ALL PHOTOS BY ESTELLE HARTZ

ABOVE: Cast of urinetown charges towards Miss Penelope Pennywise during a town dispute.

FAR LEFT: Yomi Hemley, Julia Shannon, Ami Bechtel, and Auggie Dickerson showcase their individual characters in Urinetown with strong performances.

ABOVE: Ben Haines and Leo Partridge perform “Don’t Be the Bunny” in the first act of the show.

ABOVE: Alex Kohler and Poi Borchardt play their role of cops in musical.

DUMB BILLS

The dumbest bills in the 2025 Iowa legislature

By Lily Rantanen, Ethan Lalumiere, Martha Willard, and Ben Clifton

Chemtrails

HF 927 prohibits intentionally releasing air contaminants within state borders for the purpose of influencing temperature, weather, and sunlight. In other words, it…bans chemtrails. Chemtrails, or the idea that airplanes spray hazardous chemicals that control the weather, are the type of conspiracy theory your great aunt Doris says she learned from Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Facebook posts. Actually, this bill doesn’t surprise me at all, given that one of the co-sponsors of this bill describes himself as a “mushroom evangelist” in his official legislator bio. I’m not insinuating that a politician was in another world while writing this bill, but I’m not… not saying that.

An amendment to the chemtrail bill calls for investigating Bigfoot. This obviously isn’t necessary–everybody knows that Bigfoot lives under JD Vance’s MAGA hat. He’s the far-right’s very own Ratatouille.

Iowa Cream Draft Horse

SJR 4 designates the Iowa Cream Draft Horse as the official state horse of Iowa. While legislation like this isn’t unusual–there’s also a joint resolution for a state butterfly and one for a state fish–this one sets itself apart because the text of the resolution says that the horse breed can trace its lineage back to a mare named “Old Granny.” I don’t know about yours, but I’m not sure my grandma would like being described as “having a wide chest; sloping shoulders; a short, strong back; well-muscled hindquarters with strong, well-proportioned legs set well apart; strong hooves; and a gentle disposition” like the resolution says.

Donald J. Trump Highway

HF 53 would have turned a US highway in the northwestern corner of the state into “President Donald J. Trump Highway.” Though I don’t agree with the premise of putting Trump on a highway name, I do think we should be renaming more of our highways to something more interesting, like potentially changing part of I-80 to “Free Luigi Now Highway,” or a section of US-6

to “The Little Hawk

& Republican representative Skyler Wheeler can get to some of those after he finally leaves Trump’s orange shadow.

NFTs and Cryptocurrency

This bill would allow the state of Iowa to invest in NFTs and cryptocurrency. The crypto proposed would be “Stable Coin.” (Do I even need to make a joke here, or is the name Stable coin enough?) Don’t worry, not all of our tax dollars will go into this. Only a maximum of five percent of Iowa’s general fund would be able to be invested under this bill. To put that into context, you could buy 5,774 brand-new, top-of-the-line Tesla Cyber Trucks with the same amount of money. Ah, and NFTs. I know what you’re thinking: didn’t the idea of NFTs fail miserably? Well yes, they did–the value of a standard NFT is a whopping $0.0064. But think about it this way: we could buy 4,666,161 Donald Trump NFTs at $99.00 each and admire our digital trading cards of him as a superhero with lasers shooting out of his eyes.

Buying Minnesota

This ingenious bill calls for the annexation of Minnesota’s row of counties along its southern border with Iowa. Obviously,

Minnesota must agree to the purchase. The bill doesn’t name a specific price, but I can only assume this will be paid in the NFTs our state was supposed to invest in.

Trans Rights

The very first bill Governor Kim Reynolds signed in the 2025 session removed gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act. Before this change, discrimination based on gender identity in areas like employment, housing accommodations, and education was prohibited. Now, however, an employer can decide not to hire somebody just because they are transgender. This new law makes Iowa the first state to strip gender identity protections and also took away the ability for Iowans to change the sex on their birth certificate if they receive gender-affirming medical care. Additionally, it makes sex synonymous with gender, as opposed to gender also being gender identity, experienced gender, gender expression. It also updates the 2023 law prohibiting kindergarten through sixth grade education on gender identity, to prohibit education on gender theory. In short, the 2025 Iowa Legislative Session began by taking away basic civil rights and further shrinks the scope of what teachers can teach.

Cars and Community

By Ben Klitgaard

Growing up, my grandpa instilled a sense of curiosity and a desire to learn in me. This was directed towards cars. As long as I can remember, my grandpa has had his “project” in his garage. His most recent project, his Mustang, and the cars that came before it were the fixation of any visit to his house. Now, at 17 years old, this fascination and appreciation for cars and what they can mean to people has stuck with me. Hearing stories of my grandpa and his friends as kids getting into trouble, and more importantly just having fun together, have stuck with me for a long time. These stories are something we can always laugh about. In my opinion, cars are something that can bring people closer over shared experiences and shared interests. Some of my fondest memories with my grandpa are riding along with him to car

shows where I would get to hear stories that, as a child, blew my mind. Driving fast, building cars, and messing around seemed like the perfect mix of controlled chaos. After my grandpa and his friends grew tired of telling me story after story, we would walk around and look at seemingly endless rows of cars. From new makes, to classics, to stock, to hot rods, there was something unique about each one, and each had a story to tell. The car itself was one thing. All the paths it had traveled, all the work that had been done to it, were another. The person behind it was equally as interesting. I met a lot of people who I probably never would have gotten to meet otherwise.

To car enthusiasts, cars are more than just something you drive. Cars are an expression of who their drivers are. The care and precision that some of the cars are taken care of is amazing to see. As he is older, many of his friends have lost spouses, and these cars are some of the only things they have, and they

bring lots of joy to them. A lot of my grandpa’s friends served in the military just like he did. Some of these men came back from wars like Vietnam and their world had been turned upside down. Many found that the US was a different country than when they had left. Finding the community of the men he served with and using cars as an avenue to do so led to continuing those friendships he and many others made in the Army.

Cars are the perfect hobby for people of all ages. For my grandpa, it’s a way to stay in touch with many of his friends, as well as his favorite pastime. Being retired, he needs to find a way to occupy his time. For me, it is something that my dad and I can work on and share together as father and son. We recently bought a 1993 Nissan GT-R R32. It will be a long road to get the car to where we want it to be, but I am just happy we can share that common interest and more importantly share that time and memories together.

Speedway.” Maybe bill sponsor

Bills in the Iowa legislature this year include banning chemtrails, investing in NFTS, and renaming a highway Donald J. Trump Highway. GRAPHIC BY LILY RANTANEN

FREE MONEY

By Jethro Michaelson

Imagine, for a moment, a world where most of one’s basic financial needs are automatically met. You can stay at home to take care of your children, you can pursue more hobbies, or you can continue to work a job to gain disposable income.

Welcome to the world of universal basic income (UBI). According to the World Bank, there are three main criteria. First, it must be unconditional. This money goes to you regardless of employment, income, or other factors. Second, it must be cashbased. It can’t be a check or other system where you have to deal with a bank. Cash payments allow people to spend the money on whatever they want, be it food, clothes, or transportation. Third, and similar to the first criterion, it must be universal. This money must be given to every single American citizen. Whether you’re working a minimum wage job in Wyoming, a successful engineer in Michigan, or a student in Iowa City, you get $1000 every month.

“Ok, why not just improve existing welfare programs like Social Security?” It’s a good question. There are a few key ways a UBI is better than improving current welfare, and there are some ways it’s worse. Starting with the good, it prevents a poverty trap. Current welfare programs have many strings attached, such as that you have to be actively seeking employment. In many cases, if you get a job and make a single cent over your quota, all of your benefits can be taken away. UBI was described well in a video by Kurzgesagt as “instead of a ceiling [UBI] creates a floor from which peo ple can lift themselves up.” Another benefit is the universal aspect. There are likely to be fewer opponents to a UBI than other welfare systems because every person receives a benefit. Finally, there is much less red tape. Current welfare programs require extensive paperwork, verification, and monitoring. There is just one requirement people have to meet: Are you an American citizen?

There are many downsides to a UBI, but most of them revolve around the gargantuan cost. Giving all 340 million Americans $12,000 every year is not cheap. Some quick math says it would cost about $4 trillion annually. That is around 14% of the US’s an nual GDP. Funding a UBI would require cutting or defunding a few programs as well as implementing new and reformed taxes. Most taxes can be targeted at large corporations or the ultra-wealthy, but the average American will have some slightly increased costs.

The first to be cut would be current welfare programs such as Social Security. A UBI is designed to give everyone the benefits of these programs, not just the elderly and the disabled. Social Security income should still be used to help current recipients get the same amount of income when supplemented with the UBI. Some programs, such as food stamps and housing assistance, should also be kept for particularly disadvantaged citizens. Cutting these programs while still maintaining some for the most underprivileged would save around $1.21 trillion, according to the Treasury, or about a third of the cost. (Quick note: I’m using federal spending from the fiscal year 2024 for all of my calculations.)

While the decrease in spending on other welfare programs will cover a sizable portion of the UBI cost, the transition will likely have temporary, albeit negative, effects on vul nerable populations. A temporary fix for this issue could be to implement the UBI for current welfare recipients first. This would provide them with the same funds they received before and ease the slow implementation of the UBI.

Medicare and Medicaid programs should be reformed to increase cost-effectiveness while still covering Amer icans with conditions or a lack of funds them from using private insurance. These changes include allow ing these programs to negotiate drug prices directly with pharmaceutical companies, similar to conventional insurance firms.

This could allow Medicare and Medicaid to provide quality care similar to that of normal insurance com panies.

Finally, military spending can be reduced by 25-30%, saving $175-$210 billion. The federal government reported that $842 billion was spent on defense during the 2024 fiscal year. That is more than all other NATO members, plus Russia and China combined, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. If defense spending is decreased, it will encourage the US to choose its positions more wisely and, hopefully, but not likely, encourage more ethical engagement in foreign affairs.

There will also need to be new and reformed taxes. These taxes can be implemented in a manner that shifts the burden away from working and middle-class citizens and gives more of the load to wealthy individuals and corporations. First, the federal income tax could be changed to a capital tax (a tax based on one’s net worth rather than just income). This would close a loophole the ultra-rich have been using for years and tax other assets in one’s possession (such as real estate or stocks). Estimates vary on how much revenue a capital tax would generate versus an income tax, but it’s generally estimated to be around $100 billion per year. Next, the corporate tax rate could be raised from 21% to 28%, which is still lower than the pre-2017 rate of 35%. Keeping the corporate tax relatively low will hopefully keep companies from moving their operations overseas and prevent them from increasing their prices too much.

The final tax that would be implemented is a 0.1% financial transaction tax. This tax requires 0.1% of the value of a financial asset (stock, bond, etc.) to be paid to the government when it’s traded. This would ideally shift the burden away from average

misconception is that people will simply spend the money on alcohol, tobacco, and other products known as “temptation goods”. According to a review by the World Bank, no study on UBI has shown a significant increase in spending on temptation goods. Some showed a decrease in spending on temptation goods. Most people reportedly used the money in UBI trials to cover their basic needs, such as food, healthcare, and education.

“Okay, but won’t inflation just go up?” Not if the program is managed well. Because the UBI described in this article is funded by increased taxes and program cuts, no new money enters the economy. A UBI would also allow people to pursue professional education and work more specialized jobs, increasing economic productivity.

The increase in automation could, in fact, lead to deflation. This is because companies will have lower operating costs, allowing them to sell products for lower prices while still maintaining their profits. The increase in automation is expected to lead to the loss of around 300 million jobs, according to the BBC.

This is where UBI comes in. It will provide the American people with purchasing power during the turbulent economic period that is pretty much inevitable. While the corporations will continue to reap profits, the American people will be able to use the UBI to get good training and work a specialized, AI-proof job or start a business of their own.

In short, the economy is likely going to get worse before it gets better, but a UBI is one of the best safety nets for the US. The only question now is whether the United States will be ready to help its people.

Fashion Q&A with Marty Powers

By Sadie Bodzin and Claire Hartwig

Where do you get your style inspiration from?

I get my style inspiration from a few things. First thing is just social media outlets, Instagram, Pinterest, stuff like that, are the easiest way for me to get style inspiration. I also talk

What components do you think about when buying clothes? Do quality and sustainability factor into what you buy?

Do you have any favorite brands?

Right now, my favorite brand is Puma, just because they are one of the most innovative brands in shoemaking. But honestly, most of my shopping comes from just secondhand. So local thrift shops, Goodwill, Salvation Army, things like that, but then also online secondhand stores like Depop and eBay.

Do you follow any trends? If so, which ones?

I think that having a sense of fashion is all about following trends. So you know, right now we’re in an era that’s all about baggy pants and tight fitting tops, so I try to appeal to that, but I also try to incorporate my own things outside of trends, like very chunky shoes and very loud colors that you don’t see in a lot of trendy images on places like Pinterest and Instagram.

think about accessories when planning an outfit? How do you feel like they can level up an outfit?

I think that accessories are probably the most important part of an outfit. What you wear as an accessory, down to what type of metal your jewelry is and what type of leather your belt is makes an outfit go from something trendy to something fashionable.

What do you enjoy about fashion and planning outfits?

I enjoy making something new that I’ve never worn before, just because it feels like a part of my body that I’m changing every day and that I get to control.

LH Movie Review: A Minecraft Movie

By Yomi Hemley

Minecraft, one of the most famous video games ever, was released in the early 2000s. Many Gen-Z kids grew up with this creative video game, establishing itself as a staple in many people’s childhoods. So what better way to profit off of this nostalgia than a movie?

With a budget of 150 million dollars, A Minecraft Movie profited greatly from the release of this live-action video-game movie adaptation, earning around 313 million dollars from the global release.

However, this children’s movie has incredibly mixed reviews. But that raises the question, is this movie bad, or just made for children?

The movie begins with a bunch of exposition about the character Steve. He explains how he found the overworld and how an evil Piglin Sorcerer, Malgosha, wants to destroy the overworld. The exposition shares many plot points quickly and almost lazily, just spitting facts at the audience.

Then, we are introduced to the other main characters in the real world. An outcast boy struggles on his first day of school in his new town with his older sister. Eventually, the pair of siblings, their realtor, and a middle-aged gamer get trapped in the overworld where they meet Steve and work together to save the place.

A Minecraft Movie instantly became popular among Gen-Z due to its many cringey one-liners. The movie is an incredibly easy target

because of famous moments like “Chicken Jockey” and “Steve’s Lava Chicken.”

But many moments in the movie weren’t famous, but equally as cringe. The movie tried too hard to be funny but sometimes would take itself too seriously by adding “sad” moments that just seemed out of place. The movie didn’t know whether to cater more to Gen-Z or kids, and that was its downfall.

Other than how easy to make

fun of the movie was, there were some major flaws as well. Children nowadays have a very short attention span, and to account for this, the movie was very fast-paced. But this meant that nothing was fully fleshed out because it was just one quick thing after another.

This also made every character’s relationship not believable or as sweet as it could have been. The siblings were meant to have a cute relationship, but there was really no development and they didn’t

even interact much.

With Steve and Garret, their turn from enemies to friends seemed sudden and also not very well developed. Because of these underdeveloped relationships, the audience couldn’t really care much about most of these characters or relationships.

The plot also suffered because of its fast pacing. The plot was put to the side for most of the movie so that Jack Black could deliver a bunch of random one-liners. An-

Our Senior Song Picks!

other major complaint was how the female characters were horribly written.

The two female characters served only to show more reactions to the three main boys. The only major things the female characters did the entire movie were get lost and make a house.

When the two girls were alone, all they talked about were the boy characters. They added little to the plot or story and seemed to just be there for diversity points.

Fans of the game complained that the movie was very inaccurate to the game and that the entire movie was just a cash grab. The jokes were not funny and the writing made the movie hard to watch or enjoy.

The movie was over-stimulating and fast, and even with so many things happening, nothing interesting ever happened. There were a couple of funny jokes, but the rest of the movie’s corny lines overshadowed this.

Even if the movie was solely made for children, it was not well made. There are plenty of children’s movies that are able to be enjoyable to multiple age groups, funny, and also have meaning. A Minecraft Movie does none of these.

Still, this movie is bound to find its target audience, even if that audience is small. A Minecraft Movie is for people who simply want a good and dumb time. If you just want a fun movie with little substance, then A Minecraft Movie is calling for you.

BOYS TENNIS

Anil and Feagler Lead Highly Ranked Team Through Regular Season

TBy Jack Rogers

he boys tennis team is coming off a bounce-back season. They have a lot of talent going into the 2025 season. In the 2023 season, the team went 2-11, but last season, they went 9-8. The team has had standout player Abhay Anil ‘25 for the last three seasons, who has been consistently a top-ten player in the state. Up-and-coming freshman Will Feagler ‘28 has joined the team this season, already ranked top ten in the state.

“I am looking forward to playing on the team, with it being my first year playing high school tennis, I will get some good new experience while hopefully winning some matches too,” Feagler said.

This season, Feagler has yet to lose a game in any of his matches. He is undefeated in his first season for the Little Hawks. The recent hiring of Jeff Hightshoe made a big difference last season. The team’s meet record improved from 2-11 to 9-8 in Hightshoe’s first season as head coach. According to Bound, the team is ranked ninth in the state going into this season.

“I’m looking forward to this season, especially it being my last one here. The team looks really good, the best we’ve had in a long time. We have two top-ten players in the state and we can definitely make a really good push for team state this year. In my freshman and sophomore years, we had 2 wins as a team. Last year, we improved to 9-8. I expect even more improvement this year as we have a well-rounded team.

I’m really excited for one last season with the team, and I’m hoping I can do well at individual state this year too,” Anil said.

Last season, Anil led the team with 12 wins at position one with only five losses. This season Anil is undefeated playing the number one position. Emmett Bottorff ‘25 led the team in position two with seven wins and ten losses last season. Another returner for the team is Brendan Lestina ‘25, who led the team in position four with seven wins and nine losses.

“With the new addition of Will, that really adds to our game and puts us up there to be state qualifiers with the rest of the tennis powerhouses of Iowa, and we have high hopes that this could be a record season for City High boys tennis,” Lestina ‘25 said.

Abhay Anil ‘25 returns a shot in a home match against Kennedy. Anil went on to win the match. Anil is ranked top ten individually in the state.

PHOTO BY JACK ROGERS

ABOVE: Will Feagler ‘28 gets ready

BELOW: Brendan Lestina ‘25 winds

ROGERS

TOP 10 RANKED CITY SOCCER LED BY SENIOR CAPTAINS

By Rito Perez & Jack Rogers

After an exciting last season for boys’ soccer, which saw them make it to state and have one of the best records, the team ended the season by losing in the state quarterfinals to Johnston in extra time. The City High boys’ soccer team has all its returning players except three seniors who graduated.

“Last season was surreal, especially making it to state, scoring a goal, and having an assist. I feel like we have just as good a chance this season to win state,” Gabriel Egeland ‘25 said.

This year for the team, some new players will help the team succeed, including Will Lang-Fallon ‘28, Antoine Mwanza ‘26, Wagdi Darya ‘26, Ahmed Mousa ‘27, Clark Erdahl ‘28, Bruno David-Chang ‘26, and Timmy Kelly-Harvey ‘26.

Some returning stars of the team are Jack Dancer ‘25 who is committed to Drake for soccer, Jackson Lindsey ‘25 who is committed to Augsburg University, and Teylor Salinas ‘27 who led the team in goals (10). Lucas Riley ‘25 also played a big role last year, earning a spot as one of three captains on the team this year with Dancer and Lindsey. Both of those two were captains last year.

“I’m excited for us to get the season started, I think we got a pretty competent and good team. I’m excited for my collegiate-level future at Drake. We have a sour

taste in our mouth of how the last season ended and we are hungry to make this a season to remember. I’ve been getting good reps in practice, actually cooked Jayden Le yesterday. It was nice to score the two goals, but at the end of the day, I would’ve rather won the game and had zero personal goals” Dancer said.

“I’m just trying to win the state championship. It would be amazing to end my soccer career at City that way,” Lindsey said.

The team had a rocky start in their first game of the season against Ottumwa, tying 3-3 in a game they were heavily favored in. A new rule this season for the IHSSA soccer is the addition of no extra time in the regular season.

If a team ends the regulation of 90 minutes tied, they will end in a draw. However, later that week the team bounced back to beat a solid Linn-Mar team 3-1. The team is also missing two players that had a big impact last year. Lucas Riley, a senior captian has been out with a concussion, but hopes to return before the game against Liberty on April 15. Teylor Salinas ‘27 is away from the team for personal reasons, but hopes to return for the teams’ game against Xavier.

Both of them were central piece of City High’s attack last season. The return of Tatum Born ‘25 has helped the team greatly. Born was out for both scrimmages, and for the first game against Ottumwa, where the teams defensive morale struggled, allowing three goals against a team that they felt they could have shut out. “There may be some personnel changes as well as a mindset shift,” said starting centerback Jackson Lindsey.

Despite the struggle during the first game, the team beat their crosstown rival Liberty 2-0 on April 15, with Wagdi Darya and Jack Dancer both scoring goals.

The teams beat Xavier and Concil Bluffs to improve to 4-0-1 on the season. The next game is against rivals West High on the 24th. Following that, they host their annual home tournament on the 26th.

For updated coverage on City High soccer visit thelittlehawk.com

Captain Jack Dancer ‘25 making a strike towards the goal in the boys first scrimmage against West Liberty. The team went on to win 8-0. Jayden Minh Dan Le ‘26 makes a cross in the teams scrimmage against West Liberty. PHOTOS BY ALEX KIHIBILO

ABOVE: Josh Borger-Germann ‘25 dribbles the ball while playing CAM in the teams game against Liberty. PHOTO BY OWEN RAEFIELD

ABOVE: Jayden Minh Dan Le ‘26 celebrates with teammate Wagdi Darya ‘26 after scoring the first goal in the game against Liberty. The team went on to win 2-0. PHOTO BY RITO PEREZ

LEADING THE CHARGE:

Inside the mind of Harper

Senior captain Harper Chrabascz gears up for another dominate season as she hopes to lead the Little Hawks to their first state Appearence since 2017

By Ahmed Basheir

Harper Chrabascz, a senior midfielder/ forward who transferred to City High her junior year, now finds herself as one of three captains her senior year as she suits up for a productive season wearing the red and white one last time.

During her junior year, Harper didn’t see the field as much as she would have imagined, only appearing in nine out of the Little Hawks’ 17 games and starting only one of them. This was due to the Little Hawk phenom duo of Western Illinois University Division I soccer players Aoife Boulter and Ava Bell.

Can you describe to me the feeling you felt when you knew you were going to be named a captain during your senior year?

‘‘It definitely feels good to know my teammates trust me to lead them and be positive especially since we lost a lot of players last year it just feels good to be choosen”

What are goals that come to mind when you think about what you want for the team or yourself individually to achieve?

“Just building a bond with the team and making sure everyone is close and getting along because we have a lot of new faces either from JV or freshman so really just trying to get everyone getting along”

What game/games have you marked down on your calender and are most excited for?

“ West is definitely our big one because we beat them last year and it would be nice to beat them one more time so yeah I think we are all looking forward to it.”

As a captain how do you prepare yourself for big games?

“Well we have our team dinners and we eat a lot, I also like listening to music

to help lock in before games, usually more calming music that helps me relax and get into the zone, What message do you hope to leave to the underclassmen once you leave?

“I want them not to be afraid to make mistakes and put too much pressure because I know last year I was the new person on the team and I made myself so stressed out and like underperformed because everyone around me put pressure on me so now I don’t want them to put pressure on

themselves.”

What do you love the most about playing for City and is there anything you already feel like you will miss?

“Mostly just the people but also the team dynamics since day one it feels like a giant family there is not really any drama between anyone this year we all just love each other and get along and we have team dinners all the time and are at each others houses so just not having that after this year is going to be tough’’

ABOVE: Harper Chrabascz ‘25 dribbles the ball around the West Liberty defender. PHOTO BY AMBER SEATON

FAR LEFT: Harper Chrabascz wins the ball in a fifty-fifty battle in the second half vs West Liberty WALKING TALL: Chrabascz and Taylor Bartee ‘25 walk back on defense after scoring a goal vs Kennedy Lawerence 4/3/25.

PHOTOS BY

NINA RENAUD

UNBREAKABLE PROFILE: JOSIE LECLAIR

Senior track & field captain Josie LeClair discusses the importance of leadership as an Unbreakable Female Athlete at City High

By Amelie Donovan and Tessa Driscoll

Josie LeClair

‘25 has been on the City High Girls track team for 4 years and has been selected to be one of the Varsity Girls Captains during her senior season. She has been a key member of the team, running in different events whenever she is needed. LeClair brings lots of expertise to the team, as she is one of 12 seniors running track this year.

LeClair is a multi-sport athlete here at City High, where she has participated in cross country and track for all 4 years, and joined the dance team her senior year. Because of this level of experience participating in many activities, in and outside of school, LeClair understands the mental and physical challenges that come with being a female athlete. She has learned over time how she best deals with them.

“Practices are very long [so] I like to spend some time before my races and sometimes practice, just thinking about

my race and how I want to perform.” LeClair says. The senior also tends to take time for herself before her events to “visualize the race” and think about how she wants her race to go.

LeClair has had to step into a large leadership role this season, and as a captain she wants to try to encourage her teammates and “support them in anything they need.” Due to being a part of City High track for so long, LeClair understands the pressure some underclassmen may feel on the track, and also recognizes that upperclassmen may seem intimidating at first.

“I know I was scared to talk to the seniors so I think that it’s good that we have some younger captains this year, it’s nice to just have a role model of someone [that may be] your same age, especially so you have somebody that you [may] feel connected to and not as scared to talk to. I also just think about how I was once in the underclassmen shoes, and how hard it was to be a varsity athlete during

that time.” LeClair said. She also added that she strives to “encourage them to keep going with the sport, even when it gets hard, and lean on your teammates that are around you.”

That support is what LeClair believes brings everyone on the team together. “I would say the support that we give each other on the team really motivates you when it comes time for the race, and just seeing your teammates pushing you to be your best, even when it’s a 400, it makes you better. Being a team that supports each other is really what makes us succeed.”

LeClair currently leads the team in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:11:62, and is the 4th fastest on the team for the 400m dash with a time of 1:05:30.

To LeClair, being an Unbreakable Female Athlete means that “you’re a strong worker, supporting your teammates, and supporting women athletes, in whatever sport it may be.”

Josie LeClair jumps the 400m hurdles at the Cedar Falls track and takes 4th place in the meet for the team. PHOTO BY KELSEY HERRIG

BOYS TRACK

ABOVE: Davon Sanders ‘26 takes off on his blocks running the 200 in a meet at Assumption High School

Coach Ryan Clevenger pointing at the camera while coaching during the meet at Assumption High School

David Randall ‘27 finishing his race at the annual Forewald Coleman Relays

Raphael Etuma ‘26 launching the discus in a meet. He went on to nearly break a school record.

Grant ‘25 helping Jay’den Williamson ‘25 with his block starts.

UP AND OVER

Bernard Grant leads the state in high jump and a pack of ranked City High speedsters

By Rito Perez

Connor Cross and Isaac Washpun have spent the winter recovering from injuries and are set for a new sprint into track season.

“Just sitting out while everyone is running has probably been the worst part of this injury to be honest,” Isaac Washpun ’25 said.

Connor Cross is coming back this season after a hamstring injury, he leads the team in times in the 400 meter hurdles. Other runners like Logan Halter ‘25 and Bernard Grant ‘25 have been out

to begin the season. Tyler Rindels also is making an impact on the team for throwing, being second in both throwing events. Isaac Washpun is another senior who has had an impact in past years, but this year due to a knee injury, he has been forced to sit out for the beginning of the season.

“I’m excited for this last season, it’s been a good run so far. I at least want to make state this year because I missed out last year,” Tyler Rindels ‘25 said.

The team has a lot of young runners this year, with only a few seniors on the varsity team this

year, many underclassmen have had to step up. In the junior class, Dom Roe ‘26 has led the team in hurdle times for the shuttle hurdle and 110 meter races. Raphael Etuma ‘26, is one of the best throwers in the state for both shotput and discus, ranked number 26 for shot put with a personal record of 51-06.75. He recently soared to number three all time in school history, throwing the discus 174-06. Along with those two, Damari Lacy ‘26 has transferred in from West to come to City High for both football and track. He currently leads the team

in long jump with a distance of 21-11, and is number 14 in the state for long jump.

“I just want to PR in the shuttle [hurdle] and 110 hurdles. I definitely want to score points at state this year, ” Dom Roe ‘26 said.

The distance runners on the team continue to be a strong point. Led by senior George Karr, the team continues to put up quality times in the distance races, running a 4:39 in the 1600 and a 10:03 in the 3200. Linus McRoberts ‘26 and Emmett Palmberg ‘27 both are also leading the team

in distance times, putting up new records from last year.

McRoberts’ best this season for the 3200 has been a 10:09, and Palmberg leading the team in 1600 times with a 4:36.

The 4x800 team broke the school best for the relay, the team included McRoberts, Karr, Palmberg, and Max McDowell ‘26.

The next big event coming up is the annual Drake Relays on the 24-26 of April.

For updated track coverage, visit thelittlehawk.com

MAIN PHOTO:: Bernard Grant ‘25 jumps over the High Jump at the Forewald Coleman and David Randall ‘27 finishes his race in the 1600 PHOTO BY AUDREY VANDEBERG

Bernard

PHOTOS BY PRESTON MENSAH

Claire

It wasn’t until I hit submit on my college deposit that it started to feel real. My friends had all already committed to a college and were now looking for roommates, my parents were asking me what food I wanted at my grad party, and I finally had an answer to the question I had heard all year long, “Do you know where you’re going to college?”

While it was exciting to know my plans, I also know there won’t be any more missing school to go to concerts with my friends in Chicago, lunch at McDonald’s and bringing back a McCookie tote for my 5th period class, or attending pep rallies where Mr. Bacon is always wearing his tear-away pants.

The end of my high school career for sure is bittersweet, but I know that with every ending, there’s a new beginning. From elementary school ice cream socials to high school orientation to freshman move-in day. Because of my time here at City and the memories made, I’m sure now that I’m ready for whatever my future holds!

Amelie Hartwig Ethan

Donovan

I’ve moved across the world, had to leave family, friends, and a whole life somewhere else, but somehow, leaving behind childhood seems to be the hardest goodbye yet. I have been experiencing a lot of nostalgia recently. I just turned 18, got into college, bought my cap and gown, etc. And while I’m excited to start this new chapter in my life, a part of me is scared to let go of the previous one.

But one thing that has helped is reflection. Reflection of my memories, experiences, and life lessons. I’ve experienced a lot of things throughout high school, and every single one has had some sort of impact on my life in a small way or vice versa. But the main thing I’ve taken away is that I control the impact of these experiences. ‘Do I want to keep having experiences like this or not?’ Your life is in your control, not anybody else’s. To the underclassmen (possibly) reading this, make mistakes, have fun, you deserve to learn those life lessons and experience new things, it’s what makes your life even more special.

Lalumiere

When I first joined journalism, I was in the middle of junior year, kind of burnt out and looking for more direction in school and life, and my friend told me I should join because the 7th hour class was too boring. Journalism really helped establish that for me and gave me a passion for politics and reporting, as well as getting to the truth in every story. Fast forward to now, I’m more excited for life after high school than ever, finally going to college in a new state, and I’m even getting the most awards to wear at graduation!

My best advice to underclassmen or literally anyone out there is just to keep persevering at everything you do and try to be the best. Join that sport you’ve been thinking of going out for. Join another club for a cause you care about. Actually put in the time and work to be good at whatever it is you do. Take every opportunity you get, and have as much fun as you can along the way. Also, winning is way more fun than losing, so get good!

SENIOR COLUMNS

Gabe Egeland

Coming into City High, I was initially very nervous and unsure of what to expect for my future. As an underclassman, there weren’t many expectations placed on me. I participated in four sports during my freshman year, with two taking place in the spring. People often say that time flies in high school, and for me, it really did. It feels like just yesterday I was a freshman, not worrying about my future or what I was going to do with my life, and now, in the blink of an eye, I’m a senior.

I feel like I made an impact on the school, both through sports and by supporting others, and that was an important goal for me. One piece of advice I’d give to underclassmen is to take advantage of every high school event and moment during your time here. Build strong bonds with your friends, because sooner or later it will all come to an end. You and your friends will go your separate ways, and unfortunately, those shared experiences will become memories. That’s the sad part of life, but it also makes these moments all the more meaningful.

Yomi Hemley

If there is one piece of overused advice that I would scream from the rooftops, it would be “YOLO.” Obviously, I am not the first person to say this, but it has been the most useful motto for my entire four years at City High. The key to a fulfilling high school career is to understand that you truly only live once. You have four years in high school, and then you move on, so why not try everything you can? Take every opportunity that comes your way, whether you have crazy low chances or not. A simple choir solo audition? Take it. A hard AP test? Take it. Applying to a very selective college? Take it. There is never any harm in trying. You should never close any doors for yourself, because many other people will do that for you. By YOLOing, you are forced to be ambitious and therefore get everything you can out of high school. You make new friendships, you earn hard opportunities, and you get rewarded in every possible way.

Charlie Firmstone

Coming into City High as a freshman, I honestly had no idea what to expect. I was nervous, unsure, and trying to figure out where I fit in. Looking back now, these last four years have been some of the most meaningful and impactful of my life. The friendships I’ve made and the people I’ve met have affected me in ways I never expected, and I know those relationships will stay with me for a long time.

I’ve made countless memories, whether it was messing around in the freshman-year news lab while doing journalism with my best friends, playing basketball after school, or hitting the golf course in the fall. There were so many unforgettable moments. If I could give one piece of advice, it would be to take every chance to get involved, even if it feels uncomfortable at first. That’s probably my biggest regret during my time at City, not pushing myself to do more.

Sadie Kate Meis

It was a funny feeling claiming my cords, medals, and honors. I had been so excited for it, all the way up until they called my name and handed me my envelope. Then suddenly, all of my time, work, and efforts were in my hands—summed up in a few cords and medals. Huh... That’s it? And yeah, that is it.

Don’t let those be what your time in high school is all about. Your high school experience isn’t your GPA. It’s not how many APs you took. It’s not defined by a letter grade. Let your time at City High be shaped by the unexpected friendships you build, the new peers you meet, and the teachers you learn from. Celebrate the failures and not-so-perfect scores— they help you grow. Get out of your comfort zone. Try the new club, the weird elective, the sport you’re nervous about—I promise it’s worth it.

It can be easy to choose the safe, straightforward path, paved with checklists, fixed expectations, and a clear destination. But I encourage you to take the path not yet paved and make it your own. Choose the direction it goes, who walks alongside you, what stops you make—and don’t set a destination before the journey even begins. Four years is a long time until suddenly it’s not, leave without any regrets by making your high school experience what you want it to be.

There have been many times over the past four years that I’ve been insanely stressed because of school. I’ve stayed up too late studying, practicing a presentation, and trying to teach myself to do math problems. I spent months preparing for the ACT and memorizing for Mock Trial.

Despite being overly motivated throughout my high school years, this year, like many other seniors, I’ve dealt with an extreme case of senioritis. But instead of feeling disappointed in myself for succumbing to burnout, I feel proud of myself for finally realizing that it’s not that serious. The world is not going to end because of a bad grade on a test.

Hattie Conover

The past 4 years spent at City High and with the Little Hawk publication, I have as sumed many different roles, some as a reporter focused on having fun and simply getting by, and some as an editor focused on a constant grind and high-quality work. Through these shifting roles within journalism and even just as a high school student, there are three key pieces of advice I would like to impart.

To Little Hawk journalists, specifically, creativity is essential to be a successful jour nalist! Your best work will come from creativity, whether in the form of headlines, leads, story ideas, or even interview questions that get below the surface. Learn what triggers your creativity flow states and use that when you find yourself in a hard place. Secondly, you control your narrative; you are the deciding factor in your life, work incredibly hard, but keep your feet on the ground and don’t get lost in the grind, because at the end of the day, there is more to life than school. Lastly, both in my most locked-in states and times when I had nothing left to give, I have relied upon the community built around me. I have grown to understand my friends and family as the backbone of my life.

If I had one singular takeaway from high school, it would be to maintain your friend ships and understand the invaluable nature of a shoulder to lean on and somebody to make you laugh. Good luck, Little Hawks!

CLASS OF2025!

Ahmed Basheir

When I started high school, I remember always feeling anxious about messing up or doing the wrong thing. And let me tell you, constantly having that feeling isn’t pleasant. During my first couple of years of high school, I was laid-back. I didn’t push myself out of my comfort zone; I just tried to fly under the radar and get by.

Then junior year came along, and it was like a switch had flipped. One day, I started doing and attempting things I never would have before, like talking to more people. Anyone I saw, I’d try to talk to, and through this, I’ve had some of the most meaningful conversations. I’ve learned the power of how one conversation can truly change your life. My advice is to always reach out and strike up that extra conversation with the random person you’re sitting next to. Always try to have a positive attitude when around new people because one conversation can really change everything.

Bobby Bacon

City High is truly a special place. I have been a student here for four years, but I’ve been walking through these halls for sixteen years. I have truly grown up here from hitting in the cages to shooting baskets and throwing the football at Bates. I’ve been here almost every day of my life (non-sarcastically). Yet I still feel like I have grown as a person more in these last four years than I could ever imagine.

You will make special connections at this school, with friends, teachers, teammates, coaches, and more. But you have to do your part, you must be kind and treat people with respect, you have to say yes to things, if your friends want to do something, or you have an opportunity to get extra practice with your teammates, do it. You never get it back, so you might as well give it a shot. Take time to talk to people you wouldn’t typically talk to because they could turn into your good friend. Make as many memories as you can, even if you don’t want to in the moment.

And most importantly, make Ms. Dora and Ms. Rita’s lives easy and bring them food if they ask; they deserve it. Go, Little Hawks, the school that leads.

Isabella Young

I have simultaneously not lived up to and completely outdone my high school expectations. There’s a lot of advice I wish I could give my freshman self (ditch that procrastination habit quick), but ultimately, I’d like to reassure her that we turned out fine. No matter how many times I’ve stumbled or outright failed, I’ve managed to get back on track again. As I prepare for my next four years surrounded by strangers and away from family, I keep reminding myself of the thing that got me through these previous four years: perseverance. The journey ahead is long and arduous, but there’s a path for me somewhere. Come what may, I can handle anything. While I won’t be at City High for much longer, the person I have become here will always be a part of me.

Ben Clifton

1. DON’T try the “whale challenge” and try to eat a krillion shrimp. Bob Sacamanto tried it in his sophomore year, and now he is no longer with us, RIP Bob.

2. Put all your life savings on the Cowboys winning the Super Bowl. With Dak finally healthy, it really is their year.

3. Get leg extensions, so you will look taller and therefore more attractive.

4. Dedicate your 30s to finding a cure for the holes in Swiss cheese.

5. Buy a salt lick. It keeps you entertained and healthy.

6. rug pull

7. Create biodegradable life jackets (would do it myself, I just have too many projects going)

All of these tips and tricks helped me through my time at City, and if you have any questions about anything regarding the list, let me know via carrier pigeon. (P.S. Don’t actually do any of the things listed. I don’t want to get in trouble. It’s just meant to be funny.

Where To?

Photos from May 1, 2025

George Karr

“Do not ever devalue small people”

Noam Morton Lebron

Dylan Beerends

“Make your eyeballs bleed” - Evan Risk

Asia Garrett

This was not like High School Musical

Natalia Flack

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it’” - Isaiah 30:21

SENIOR

Adrinna Brock

“i was always the muse”

Yomi Hemley

“Will happen, happening, happened,” -BMO

Ania Naso

“People without brains do an awful lot of talking, don’t they?” -Dorothy(Wizard of Oz)

Emerson Roesler

“The scary news is you’re on your own now, but the cool news is… you’re on your own now!” - T. Swift

Oliver Freitag Road to Nowhere --- Talking Heads

Rin Bessman

“As long as I know the shape of my soul, I’ll be alright” -Jake the Dog

Nicole Peterson

“The power of the mind is very powerful.” ~ Coach Ryan Ahlers

Rachel Matel

“Dwell in possibility.” --Emily Dickenson

Sam Pannell

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow! What a Ride!” -Hunter S Thompson

Lucas Stinson

The fool thinks of a quote

Tiana Reid

“What do you mean this is the library? I’m in the bathroom!”

Berenice Rivera

my parents came in as dreamers, and I came to make their dreams a reality

Comet Gordon

Ta Moira tha vron drómo

Zakai Constantine Kriener lo que seriá, seriá

QUOTES

Juan Carlos Martinez Junior

“The Curse of Much Knowledge is often Indecision” -Paarthurnax

Alexa Ramirez

Mi esfuerzo es por mi familia, y yo no voy a fallarles -Hermanos Espinoza

Sofia Arriaza

“ En este mundo todo se puede lograr, Dios por delante porque él nos va a va guiar” -hermanos Espinoza

Bobby Bacon

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take -Wayne Gretzky” -Michael Scott

Ellie Eisenberg Guck Fluten

Olivia Vande Berg

Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop to look around once in a while, you could miss it.

Angelica Hamilton

“Peace begins with a smile.” -Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Nicole Fernandes

If you never try, you will never know

Isabella Young

“Smile, my boy. It’s sunrise” - Robin Williams, Night at the Museum 3

Kae Lynn Clark

“With all due respect…sometimes no respect is due.”- Sza

Sam Glass

“Don’t adventures ever have an end? I suppose not. Someone else always has to carry on the story.”J.R.R. Tolkien

Thanh Le thanks y’all

Claire Hartwig RIIZE HIGHHHHHH

Brendan Lestina

“Choose what is right, not what is easy”-Stars Wars: The Clone Wars Season 2, ep 18

Mary Hamilton

“Life is to live and life is to give and talents are to use for good if you choose.” — Blessed Solanus Casey

Dominic Salibi Like him -Tyler the creator

Adam Schaefer

High school seems like it never ends, but it does so make the most of it.

Eli Foster Live Laugh Love

Ethan LaLumiere

Don’t take yourself so seriously…

Keaton Rephun signing out!

Elijah Davis

I thank chat gpt and copy/paste

Tatum Born

Your life isn’t your life if you care about what others think

Junior Dabusu

John 14:6

Sylvia Plank

“Nevertheless she persisted” - Elizabeth Warren

Kyle Evans

“Just Trust”

Laith Alawneh

“My success can only come from Allah” - Quran 11:88

Liv Leman

SENIOR

“Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet” -Anne of Green Gables

Benjamin Clifton live your life not others

Rebeka Baloci

“I ain’t a kid no more, but these memories will stick with me forever, even if they hurt.”-Frank Ocean

Hessler Javier Ramirez Galdamez

Did you know that the universe is bigger then you :)

Rebeca Mauricio

cuando entre en la escula de city high por primera ves tenia miedo por que era muy grande y me perdi como 4 veces para encontrar mi aula pero apesar de todo eso mi sueno siempre a sido de graduarme.

John Waterbury

“The hunt begins!”

Zaylex Ballantyne

“I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul” - William Henley

Riziki Shukrani

rejoice in hope. endure under tribulation.persevere in prayer-Romans 12:12

Bryttney Washington

“Though it be a thrilling and marvelous thing to be merely young and gifted in such times, it is doubly so - doubly dynamic - to be young, gifted, and black.” - Lorraine Hansberry

Jack Dancer one of one

Aisha Dargool

“Today is where your book begins, the rest is still unwritten

Senfanie Simpson

Jesus piece, sixty thou, i’m never going to hell now - LUCKI

Thalia Svec Damn I forgot...

Joanna Galluzzo

Are you sure?

QUOTES

Inaiyah Smith 25!

Connor Cross “Out and Up”

Anora Klauke

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” — Gandalf, Lord of the Rings

Brooke Fethke

Where’d all the time go? - Dr. Dog

Ahmed Basheir

Silly goose amongst serious geese

Amelia Wolfe

Behind every man is a woman rolling her eyes

Brady VanVang

“This for everybody going through tough times: believe me, been there, done that, but every day above ground is a great day, remember that. Dale.” - Pitbull

Fatima Ahmad

“We’ll never be those kids again”Frank ocean

Noah Semabia

Remember winners do what losers don’t want to do. Thanks pops

Gabe Egeland “Mamba out”

Pauline Lama

Don’t ever let anyone make you feel like you don’t deserve what you want.

Santiago

“Aun no estoy donde quiero pero se que no estoy lejos”

Kacy Khongmaly

GG go next

Owen Gahn

Cancer: 1 star, would not recommend

Sakina Mamona

Kill The Urge To Be Chosen, Chose Yourself - SZA

Tai Caputo

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou

BrandaLee Gallardo WINNERS DON’T GIVE UP

Sephora Bikoli

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. It’s about creating yourself.” — George Bernard Shaw

Ivanna Barajas

“I put my grades up for adoption because I couldn’t raise them”

Megan Swartzendruber

“Life is Hard. It’s Harder if Your Stupid.” - John Wayne.

Aolanis Chavez

“Lo bueno siempre va a ser difícil, pero todo siempre se va a poder, poniendo a Dios por delante.”— Hermanos Espinoza

STAFF

Life is about showing up and do ing the work. No more sliding.

MR. BURKLE

Be curious. The questions are more important than the answers.

SEÑORA EIVINS

ADVICE

Follow your bliss. There are times in life when you have to do what’s necessary to provide, but if you can find something career wise that you enjoy, that makes life a lot easier.

MR. HARTWIG

The world is full of the energy you give in it.

MR. HAGY

Senior Advice

Words of Wisdom for Underclassmen

Start saving for your senior year now

Adrianna Brock

Asia Garrett Chase purpose not validation

Try out for ev- erything! YOLO! Rejection means nothing because life goes on

Yomi Hemley

Go to that football game, go to that school dance, be kind to everyone even if they’re really annoying

Ania Naso

Do your homework on time

Dylan Beerands

Take an easy schedule senior year

Noam Morton

Take AP Psych

George Karr

Never be afraid to try something new; do everything you can

Natalie Flack

Take all the opportunities you can! High school is the time to give everything a try, and you might discover something you’re super passionate about

Nicole Peterson

Focus on your goals, not the drama. Your future is worth it

Emerson Roesler

Sprint to lunch

Ahmed Basheir

Enjoy it, it goes by fast

Aolanis Chavez

Ask questions, and care about the answers

Olivia Vande Berg

Don’t take high school for granted. It’s not a long-term thing, so go to events, get involved, and make memories. You don’t want to look back and regret not doing more

Lessons are taught by teachers between the class curriculum, don’t ignore those lessons

Put yourself and your success first!!

Kae Lynn Clark

The fastest way to finish is to start

Alex Bouska

Get involved in as many clubs as you can, and don’t be afraid to try new things and put yourself out there

Noah Semabia

Eli Foster Sleep

Brendan Lestina

Enjoy the present

Tatum Born

Be confident, be yourself, and be good at whatever you do

Ethan Lalumiere

The things you wish to have are on the other side of your comfort zone, so try hard things!

Inaiyah Smith

Don’t be late to morning workouts

Connor Cross

Get involved in extracurriculars, you will meet people and make new friends and it makes high school much more fun

Brady VanVang

Live life to the fullest

Gabe Egeland

Don’t take things too seriously

Thalia Svec

Live your high school life without regrets, do everything you can and have fun in the process!!

Nicole Fernandes

Take a chance, try something new. It might be the most fun thing you ever do! And go out for theater!

Zaylex Ballantyne

Don’t run to the lunch line

Dominic Salibi

Take art classes!

Joanna Galluzzo

Communicate with your teachers where you are struggling, we are all human

Ellie Eisenberg

Give everything a chance, you never know if you don’t give it a try

Adam Schaefer

Be outgoing, this is your last years of school, enjoy it

Tiana Reid

Your grades freshman and sophomore years do in fact matter

Keaton Rephun

Whatever you do, do it with all your heart!

Bryttney Washington

Sofia Arriaza Never give up

Explore different career options and take any opportunities that come to you. Have fun and go to class

Go out for sports, even if you’re bad, you still get out of school early

Try always to make someone else’s day a little brighter

Angelica Hamilton

Take everything day by day, slow down life moves quick!

Brooke Fethke

Try to stay awake during pre-calc

Sakina Mamona

Jack Dancer Make Friends

Junior Dabusu

Do retakes, and it’s never too late

Pauline Lama

Try new thingsyou’ll regret it if you don’t

Liv Leman

CLASS OF ‘25

PHOTO DUMP

Ezra Sheldon

In Memoriam

Ezra Sheldon would have been a member of the 2025 graduating class. He tragically passed away on August 11th, 2020. Ezra was a friend to all and always accepting of others. Ezra participated in many sports and was active in band. Above all, Ezra was kind and always willing to help others. He’s remembered as a supportive brother, loving and joyful son, and a thoughtful teammate and friend to everyone. In honor of him, Ezra Sheldon Memorial Scholarships were given to ten members of the Class of 2025.

Senior Recognition

Broadway Bound

Nolan Balmer & Yomi Hemley

Worst Drivers

Sieben

Senior Superlatives

Most Likely to be Billionaires

Lars Anderson & Aylan

Most

Likely to be

Reality TV Stars

Teacher’s Pets

Brady Gluba & Sylvia Plank

Nat Flack & Seth Yoder

Class

Natalie Michelson & Sahleh Al-Herz

Most Muscial

Most Senioritis

Janie Owens & Keely Clouse Noam Morton & Nick Meredith

Most Likely to be the next...

Janie Owens as Mr. Kowbel

Bobby Bacon as Mr. Bacon

Most Likely to be Survive the Zombie Apocolypse

Mason Tilley & Ephram Byler

Most Likely to be a Viral Meme Dylan Williamson & Marko Perencevich