westsidestory IOWA CITY WEST HIGH SCHOOL
2901 MELROSE AVE.
IOWA CITY, IA 52246
WSSPAPER.COM
VOLUME 44 ISSUE 5
MARCH 7, 2014
PG.22-25
SEARCHING FOR PEACE
STUDENTS FROM COUNTRIES EMBROILED IN CONFLICT SHARE THEIR JOURNEYS TO WEST.
FOLLOW US @wsspaper FOLLOW US @wsspaper
MARCH
LIKE US West Side Story
Principal Jerry Arganbright honored Steve Bergman for the most consecutive wins in 4A basketball on Feb. 11. photo by//madie miller
[12-13] FEATURE
PRESIDENT-ELect
Seven West students were selected as nominees for the U.S. Presidential Scholars program. Get to know them through two truths and a lie.
[22-25] IN-DEPTH
Students from countries embroiled in conflict share their journeys to West and the challenges along the way.
Lushia Anson Fiona Armstrong-Pavlik Stephon Berry Lucy Blair Abby Burgess Aaron Carter Meredith Cullen Paul Curry Schyler Davis Nick Deerberg Anna Furlong Lydia Hinman Kelsey Keranen Megumi Kitamoto
WSS asks students about their favorite hangouts in the Iowa City area.
JUST KEEP SWIMMING
The West boys swim team won the state championship for the first time on Feb. 15. WSS got their reactions to the victory.
WSS staff
Madie Miller Anna Mondanaro Katie Mons Amelia Moser Matthew Murry Blake Oetting
Katie Peplow Anthony Pizzimenti Lizzie Pruneau Apoorva Raikwar Velarchana Santhana Leela Sathyaputri Daniel Syed Julia Truszkowski Gage Van Dyke Tyler Voss Shirley Wang Jaycie Weathers Rebecca Wen Sara Whittaker Grace Young
Photo Editor, Sports Co-editor Designer Managing Editor Editor-in-Chief Copy Co-editor Assistant Editor, Arts and Entertainment Co-editor Designer Writer, Co-Web Master Photographer Designer, Video Editor Profiles Editor Artist Writer Web Copy Editor Photographer Design Co-editor, Feature Co-editor, Backpage Editor Design Co-editor Feature Co-editor Writer Adviser Business Editor, Designer
ec
ycle this
agazine
Copy Co-editor Opinion Editor Writer Archivist Photographer Sports Co-editor News Co-editor Videographer Co-Web Master Photographer Artist Web Sports Editor, Designer Writer, Artist Social Media Editor, Arts and Entertainment Co-editor Writer News Co-editor Sports Co-editor Artist, Designer Photographer Feature Co-editor Writer News Co-editor
M
Hilah Kohen Lauren Knudson Brittani Langland Jaeho Lee Brooke Lofgren Kaitlyn McCurdy Consuelo Mendoza Hannah Merrill
Hot hangouts
[39] SPORTS
faces of conflict
03.07.14
Please R
[08-09] PROFILES
Cover art by//anna furlong
Mission to Mexico
WEST SIDE WORD
COMPilED by//brittani langland
Blue Shelled
@wsspaper asked West High students
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your life? @kelsey44sehr:
Students pose with locals on the Xicotepec trip in 2013. photo used with permission from//anna Mondanaro
Over spring break, students from West will be attending a service trip to Xicotepec, Mexico. This will be the 12th consecutive year for the trip, which is organized by the Rotary club. The overall goal is to improve the town of Xicotepec by doing jobs like laying cement, painting, translating, construction and educating schoolchildren about health and hygiene. They will also be traveling with University of Iowa medical and dental students who will help locals receive health care, including a deworming project for many schoolchildren. “I want to do this trip because a few of my friends did it last year and had a great time. I also want to travel internationally more,” said Maggie Taylor ’15. However, this isn’t the first year for all of the students. Emily Starman ’14 went on the trip last year. “I’m not too nervous since I know what to expect now, but last year the language barrier and traveling for the first time out of the country was nerveracking,” Starman said.
Alum’s band Lake Street Dive comes to the Englert West graduate Bridget Kearney ’03 is the bass player for the soul-pop group Lake Street Dive. The group has been featured on NPR and The Colbert Report and will perform at the Englert on March 25. The WSS scored an interview. How has your time at West High influenced your career today? The two things I really got excited about in high school were music and English. West High is really strong in both of those worlds. In the music department, for example, I played in the jazz band with Rich Medd and he always just made jazz band really fun. How would you describe your band’s style? We can sum it up in soul pop, but basically we think that genres are dead, and we try not to put ourselves into any stylistic boxes. We’re just looking for parts of music that excite us and then including that into what our music is.
For more on Lake Street Dive’s distinctive name, their experience on national talk shows and their journey to fame, check out wsspaper. com and read more of the interview. COMPilED by//Shirley wang
DESIGN BY//SHIRLEY WANG
Kelsey Sehr ’15
@SparksThomasj:
It takes someone an instant to know what to say. It takes a lifetime to know what not to say.
side stories
An allusion to Mario Kart. The blue shell strikes the player in the lead, packing the most punch of any power up. This happens in real life, when life gets you down just when you think you’re ahead.
COMPilED by//blake oetting
In high school it is hard not to lose yourself. Always be true Zach Richmond ’14 to yourself, and remember real friends accept you as you are.
Thomas Sparks ’14
@alexandra_dobre
If your pun doesn’t make people roll their eyes, it’s not a good one. Alexandra Dobre ’16
“
3
COMPilED by//lushia anson
NEWS BY THE NUMBERS:
We already have our lines memorized and we [began] trying on costumes [Feb. 27]. It is exciting to walk by … and hear the orchestra already learning the songs. I can’t wait for opening night.” - Piper Wenzel ’16, on West High’s musical production of “Annie.” The performance dates are April 24, 25 and 26. COMPilED by//amelia moser
Animals the International Amnesty club and EATS club bought for the Heifer International Organization.
1,320 Pounds of pre-consumer compost the EATS club was able to gather in the cafeteria.
COMPilED by//Shirley wang
STUDENT SERVICE PROJECTS: KIDS AGAINST HUNGER
co-organizer Mareda Smith ’15. At the event itself on March 29, volunteers work to put together meals in one-hour shifts. “Our need for volunteers is a lot higher this year than it was last year,” said Megan Donahoe ’15. “We want to help spread awareness … it’s definitely something we take for granted,” Smith said.
PROJECT REDRESS
“[Project Redress] wanted to get high schoolers more involved because [they] are the primary target for these [items of formal clothing],” said Kate Anstreicher ’14, who is helping with the donation process. If students are interested in volunteering with Project Redress, they can check the group’s Facebook page for a link to a volunteer sign-up.
After the success of last year’s Kids Against Hunger meal-packing event, the group leaders decided to get more ambitious. Last year, the group packed over 53,000 meals and sent most of them to Honduras. This year, the goal is 75,000 meals. “65,000 will go to the Philippines, and 10,000 will stay in the Iowa City area … the need here is great too, and we don’t really see it,” said Project Redress was started by the Iowa City landfill as a way to keep wearable formal clothing out of the landfill as well as get it to people who might need it. People could donate their used clothes at West up until March 6. After that, the collected clothing will be available to the public in a boutique at Sycamore Mall.
COMPilED by//fiona armstrong-pavlik
MARCH 2014 NEWS 3
State University to compete, resulting in varsity bringing home second place and JV receiving first. In January, the team went to Mount Pleasant’s first math competition, placing first in both varsity and JV. The competitions run from September until May, as Math Club begins meeting in August. Many students participate in both Math Club and F-Cubed. However according to James Kirpes, West math teacher and Math Club adviser, F-Cubed is photo by//abby burgess more student-organized and “as much [about] the social aspect ABOVE: Rowan McKee works on a math problem after school. as the mathematical aspect.” Students gather together to tackle challenging math problems that they find. the opportunity to apply their Math Club, which meets on By Hannah merrill math skills and passion for the Tuesdays, however, has a different hannah.merrillwss@gmail.com challenge during sixty minutes of approach. “Typically we give [the students] Questions varied from “How quick calculations. And to answer many distinct ways can the letters the previous questions, n has 18 mail-in exams and we periodically of BANANA be arranged?” to positive divisors and BANANA’s submit our results throughout the year,” Kirpes said of the dynamic at “How many even, perfect cube letters can be arranged in 60 ways. West’s math team has had many Math Club. positive divisors does n = 24355876 And often, Math Club is a place have?” on the sprint test of the 2014 recent successful competitions Mount Pleasant math competition, during this season. For example on for students who have enjoyed leaving West High students with Feb. 15 students traveled to Iowa math classes in the past to go.
Math Club places in top three at recent events
“I was in math since middle school and [Math Club] was a continuation of that,” said Jiahua Zhang ’16, mentioning that his favorite part of math competitions is “the time with the team.” At competitions, there are four events. Two of them, the sprint and target rounds, are individual events. Competitors work as a team for the team test and relay round. The sprint round allows the use of a calculator while the target round involves four sets of two questions without a calculator. In the past, the relay round has required students to work on a question, solve it, and then pass it to the next student who answers a question based on the answer to the previous one. Now, the team is allowed to work together. Some strategize by splitting up problems based on who knows what—those with strengths in geometry will focus on problems that work in that area, for example. The Math Team will continue preparing for math competitions this season, such as the upcoming University of South Dakota event April 4.
Budgeting by the numbers: A look at Monetary changes to the IcCSD Starting in Fiscal year 2015, the ICCSD is projected to have a ‘negative unspent balance’, largely due to no longer receiving stimulus money from the federal government and a growing district enrollment.
$6,897,660
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4 NEWS MARCH 2014
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Enrollment in ICCSD schools is supposed to increase from 13,159 students now to 15,115 in the 2018-19 school year.
However, if the district permanently cuts $3,600,000 from the budget, the ICCSD will not have a negative unspent balance in the future.
i s c a l y e a r 2 014 ,w ag es
-$10,252,762
COMPilED by//fiona armstrong-pavlik art by//shirley wang
DESIGN BY//HANNAH MERRILL
Speech and debate qualify for nationals leknudson18@gmail.com
Speech and debate qualified seven people to the national tournament at the Eastern Iowa District tournament on Feb. 15. Partners Layla Siddig ’15 and Kai Trepka ’16 and Amelia Moser ’14 and Kai Yan ’14 qualified for the National Speech and Debate Association’s national policy debate tournament. Qualifying for nationals as a junior and sophomore, such as Siddig and Trepka have done, is an unusual occurrence. “I feel incredibly lucky to have qualified to nationals as a sophomore, and I am glad that all my hard work finally paid off,” Trepka said. Speech and Debate Director Megan Johnson is very proud. “Layla and Kai have excelled beyond where most juniorsophomore teams do. In addition to qualifying to the national
tournament, they have earned a bid to the Tournament of Champions (TOC), another national championship tournament held in April,” said Johnson. They are currently working hard on preparing for nationals. “I plan to work on judge adaptation since there are a lot of lay (inexperienced) judges [at] nationals. I want to be able to effectively persuade anyone who judges me,” Siddig said. The two have high hopes for next year’s season. “[I]want to be able to qualify for the TOC and NFL nationals again. But also, I want to be able to leave an impact on the debate community and influence people,” Siddig said. Amelia Moser ’14 and Kai Yan ’14 have had a very successful year, qualifying to the Tournament of
PHOTO by//Sophi Brenneman
Champions and getting far in the national tournaments they have attended such as the University of Michigan tournament. Yan has high hopes for the rest of the year. “[I hope] to close out finals of state, win the top 2 speakers at state, break at the TOC and be in late elimination rounds at NFLs,” Yan said. Paul Curry ’14, Daniel Syed ’14 and Yannik Encarnação ’14 qualified for nationals in speech events. Encarnação qualified in dramatic interpretation for speech. “I plan on working with my fellow speech members … and others, and to work with coaches that we have to come in to help us with our pieces,” he said.
ICCSD postpones EATS composting plans By rebecca wen
wen.y.rebecca@gmail.com
West High previously planned to implement post-consumer composting in mid-February. However, post-consumer composting was postponed to March 10 due to intervention by the school board. Pre-consumer compost is still in action, with 1320 pounds of food waste diverted in just ten days. Assistant Principal Colby Miller said the school board “wanted to make sure what we were doing was meeting district guidelines.” The composting at West is not funded by the school board, but it cannot run until approved by the school board. “This is completely funded through our environmental club (EATS), grants and efforts being made by the student body, Miller said. “My main role is to communicate with the district office with updates.” DESIGN BY//LAUREN KNUDSON
During the first two for several years.” weeks of composting, She and other club Steve Merkle, special members are now programs teacher, will working on ways to get be hauling all of the all students educated compost to the landfill. about compost. This costs between $2-4 “I helped design the each day. kiosk and make signs After that, EATS will that explain what can Olivia Sheff ’15 hire a company to haul be composted. I’ve been the compost. The club to meetings where we plans to pay for the composting discuss composting and recycling,” with grants and fundraisers, but the Sheff said. costs for composting at West each Scott Koepke, the New Pioneer year will be about $3000. Co-op Outreach and Education “Funding will always be a barrier,” coordinator is part of the Miller said. “But I hope it will be a sustainability committee linked to permanent thing.” the school district. He informed Despite concerns for the future, the school board of composting EATS Club member Olivia Sheff ’15 plans. is glad to hear that the composting “Scott plays a big role. He’s very plan is good to go. active in schools and very good “I’m really excited to be able to at educating the public about have West do composting because the importance of gardens and it’s just a big step to make West more composting,” Sheff said. environmentally friendly,” Sheff said. “We’ve tried implementing it
current EVENTS
Quiz march
1
The U of I President Sally Mason made a controversial speech over which topic? A) Iowa football B) Sexual assaults C) Underage drinking D) Admissions
The boys swim team won state for the _____ time. A) Second B) Third C) First D) Fourth
3
2
Which country has been in the news for recent riots? A) France B) Ukraine C) Cuba D) Mexico
What caused part of Iowa City to be unable to drink their water for several days? A) Main water break B) Acid rain C) Construction problems D) Pollution in the Iowa River
4
COMPilED by//LAUREN KNUDSON
Answers: 1. B 2. C 3. B 4. A
By LAUREN KNUDSON
MARCH 2014 NEWS 5
WhaTin the World? England
A father and son were stopped in Heathrow Airport after security saw the “Toy Story” doll Woody as a threat because of his toy weapon.
Kentucky
A sinkhole swallowed up part of the National Corvette Museum. The floor collapsed, damaging eight cars, two of which were borrowed from General Motors.
Israel
An ancient statue of Apollo, estimated to be over 2,000 years old, was found in the Mediterranean Sea by a fisherman.
COMPILED by//MEREDITH CULLEN
Australia
A couple found out from scans that they are expecting a baby with two faces and two brains but only one body. The doctors warned the baby would not survive, but the couple refused to terminate the pregnancy.
New club spreads awareness for mental health
RUmor BUster Field renovations? Word around the school is that West High is making renovations to its football fields. According to Assistant Principal Colby Miller, the school will in fact be getting a new field turf along with a resurfaced track, fencing and APA parking this spring and summer, a “major upgrade to what we currently have.”
CONFIRMED
By danial syed
danialsyed2007@gmail.com
On Valentine’s Day, West High’s students found little slips of paper on their lockers, each with an inspirational quote upon it. Having topped off each note with a Hershey’s Kiss, the members of Behind the Mask spread them all across West High. Behind the Mask is a new student group that is a West sponsor of The Storytellers, a national campaign, which is a two-month-long fundraiser. The campaign was created by To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA), a non-profit group that focuses on tackling mental illnesses such as self-harm and depression. Over The Storytellers campaign’s two-month term, which started in early February, Behind the Mask is expected to conduct at least two events (one which was done on Valentine’s Day, with the Hershey’s Kisses) and sell wristbands to support TWLOHA. However, Behind the Mask will continue to operate even after The Storytellers campaign is over, according to 6 NEWS MARCH 2014
Credit cards?
photo by//nick deerberg Members of the new Behind the Mask Club meet to discuss awareness on topics such as mental illness and depression.
member Hannah Twitchell ’15. “The whole point of the campaign is to raise awareness for all the mental health issues that we feel aren’t being talked about at West High,” Twitchell said. “We want to start a conversation that will hopefully continue after The Storytellers is finished.” In keeping with its long-term goals, Behind the Mask has made efforts to connect with West High’s faculty as well. On Feb. 13, Behind the Mask met with teachers and helped them create worksheets that listed their greatest fears and biggest dreams. These are
meant to be displayed in-class, where hopefully they will prompt discussion. On the whole, Behind the Mask’s members are excited by what they’ve accomplished, and by what’s to come. “I love this group and everything it stands for,” said Meredith Hamilton ’14, a group member. “Depression is a disease, not a mood. You can’t snap out of it. Struggling with depression myself, it took me a long time to understand that. But this group is amazing because we are trying to let people know that they are not alone.”
The days of scrambling to find a check or cash in our wallets are gone; the Iowa City Community School District has since the end of last school year begun allowing the use of credit or debit cards for payments during school hours at district schools. The cards may be used for parents to pay school fees or put money into their child’s lunch account.
CONFIRMED COMPILED by// Hannah Merrill DESIGN BY//MEREDITH CULLEN
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WSSPAPER 7 ADS MARCH 2014
www.birthright.org/iowacity
The 2014
Presidential scholar candidates of West High
This year seven West High students were nominated Presidential Scholar candidates. The scholarship was created by an executive order in 1964 to recognize some of the nation’s most successful graduating high school seniors. Each year a maximum of 141 students around the country are selected for the honor. The West Side Story asked all the nominees from West for two truths and a lie. See if you can guess which one is the lie.
COMPilED by//lAUREN kNUDSON AND JULIA TRUSzOWSKI photos by//brooke lofgren, apoorva raikwar and nick deerberg
Kate Anstreicher ’14 he
Award r a l o h c by ential S
Presid
n from
atio Inform
8 PROFILES MARCH 2014
. Dep
the U.S
A I lived in Belgium for a year. B I am a certified scuba diver. C I am a vegetarian. Lie: C
es omine lects n eir invites e s m e th ogra The pr ly. They bas year of n , ey o s e e r sco not th invit or SAT whether or T C A d on tion an gradua . Citizen. .S are a U e an receiv e year ualify th q o o h . Jan f ts w Studen on by mail in . ati applic nominated e r a y the cted in en sele h t e r a nalists Semifi il. r p mid-A ay. mid-M ed by t c le e s on ts are ducati Finalis nt of E artme
photo used with permission fromy//kate anstreicher
eceiving t
rR Steps fo
Amy Man ’14
Maya Bassuk ’14
Lie: C DESIGN BY//SHIRLEY WANG
My great-grandfather partici-
A pated in Gandhi’s salt march. never parked in B Ithehaveteacher lot. I know the entire of C Music screenplay Sound and libretto by heart.
Lie: B
my first birthday on A Iaspent plane. have an obsession with B Isucculents. C I have a pet bird.
years old.
Amiela Canin ’14
A I only like dark chocolate. B My favorite season is spring. C I have 2 younger sisters. Lie: B
Lie: A
Jennifer Wu ’14
total, I’ve lived for a year in A InEurope. got a perfect 2400 on the B ISAT. read the Lord of the Rings C Itrilogy when I was seven
A I like to watch basketball. B I am an only child. C I’ve lived in four states. Lie: B
I have read every known
A Shakespeare play. B I enjoy ballroom dancing. occasionally crochet Mario C IKart characters.
Stephen Bork ’14
Lie: B
Hilah Kohen ’14
MARCH 2014 PROFILES 9
photo by//kelsey keranen
facilities master plan
sally hoelscher:
president of the iccsd school board By kelsey keranen
kelseyjanekeranen@gmail.com
Sally Hoelscher, elected Iowa City School Board president this past September, is more than just an administrator. As a mother, former university professor and children’s ministry director and current board president, Hoelscher has proven that she is more than prepared for future challenges. “[As school board president] I’m in charge of facilitation of the meetings, recognizing the speakers and that kind of thing, and the president and vice president also meet with the superintendent to set the agendas for the meetings,” Hoelscher said, recounting the responsibilities that come with such a high position. “I really enjoy getting out in the schools and seeing the wonderful things that are going on,” she said. “They’re just fabulous schools and students and parents and it’s been fun to learn about this from an administrative viewpoint.” Hoelscher, now residing in Iowa City, was born in California and grew up in Missouri. “I came to Iowa to go to school at Drake University,” Hoelscher said. “Since I grew up in Missouri, [Iowa] wasn’t too much different.” Although she initially came to Iowa in pursuance of academic interests, other factors kept her in the state. 10 PROFILES MARCH 2014
“My education brought me to Iowa, but then I met an Iowa boy and that kept me in Iowa,” Hoelscher said. Education has been a consistent interest of Hoelscher’s. “I’ve always been interested in
“
[The future of the district] is looking really great - we’re expected to continue to grow and I think we’re on a good path to handle that growth.” -Sally Hoelscher
education and kids, and I got my doctorate in order to teach at the college level,” she said. “I got involved in children’s ministry and became involved in that professionally. Through that, I went on to do what I do now, which is write curriculum for children.” Regarding future plans for the
district, Hoelscher is enthusiastic about the paths the district will be taking. “I’m really excited about the Facilities Master Plan that the board just approved in December, which over the next ten years will affect every building in the district as well as build four additional buildings.” Although this plan will take a lot of time and effort in order to pull through, Hoelscher is determined that she and other district administrators are up for the job. “This is very exciting, especially considering the growth the district is undergoing. We’re behind, and we need to catch up. That has really been my main goal, to keep the district moving forward.” Hoelscher is looking forward to her time on the job and has nothing but good words for the district and its schools “It’s a great district. I think that every school is wonderful, and while being a growing district is challenging, there are many districts in Iowa that wish they could be in that position,” she said. As for the future, Hoelscher believes that there is little need for worry. “[The future of the district] is looking really great - we’re expected to continue to grow and I think we’re on a good path to handle that growth,” Hoelscher said.
the iccsd is facing changes as four new schools, including a FOURth high school, are being built. the WSS compiled a timeline of upcoming events. 2015
A new elementary school will be built on the south side of Iowa City.
2017
Renovations to West High will begin.
2017
Begins the use of the new North Johnson County High School. Students from West will be transferred there. The exact manner of this transition is yet to be determined.
2019
A new elementary school will be built in North Liberty.
2019
A new elementary school will be built on the east side of Iowa City.
2019
Hoover Elementary school will close.
2019
New North Liberty High School will become fully functional.
2023
At the end of the year, the Facilities Master Plan will be complete.
Compiled by//kelsey keranen
DESIGN BY//VELARCHANA SANTHANA
a TIME of change
West Side Story reflects on recent victories and defeats for one of the most controversial social issues of the decade: gay marriage.
1 2 3 4 5
Feb 10, 2014: The U.S. federal government expanded benefits to same-sex couples across the country, which would affect things “including bankruptcy cases, prison visitation rights, survivor benefits for police officers and firefighters killed on the job, and the legal right to refuse to testify to incriminate a spouse,” according to CNN.
February 2014: President Obama and his family declined to attend the Sochi Olympics, instead sending several openly gay athletes in light of Russia’s anti-gay laws.
June 2013: A poll conducted by ABC
and the Washington Post showed a 21% increase in American support for gay marriage between 2003 and 2013, from 37% to 58%.
W on vs Lo s
t
COMPilED by//Amelia Moser
Jan. 6, 2014: The U.S. Supreme Court banned recognition of newlywed gay couples’ marriages in Utah in light of a pending appeal.
1
Dec. 12, 2013: “Australia’s High Court has overturned legislation allowing gay marriage in the Australian Capital Territory,” according to BBC News.
2
June 26, 2013: The Supreme Court
overturned part of the Defense of Marriage Act in a 5-4 vote, eliminating the federal delineation of marriage being solely between a man and a woman.
2013: New Jersey, Rhode Island, Delaware, Minnesota, Hawaii and Illinois all either legalized or eliminated laws against gay marriage.
Feb. 24, 2014: A law that would allow denial of service to gay or lesbian customers on the basis of owners’ religious beliefs passed Arizona’s legislature. Similar laws were proposed but not implemented in Kansas and Idaho.
Nov. 6, 2013: “We’re going to be entering an era where most of the legislative fights are over, and we’re going to have to undo constitutional amendments, and do that at the ballot box,” said Marc Solomon, national campaign director of the group Freedom to Marry. That’s terrain that has traditionally favored defenders of traditional marriage”, as printed in the Washington Post. Feb. 24, 2014: “Uganda President Yoweri Museveni signed an anti-gay bill that calls for harsh penalties, including 14 years in jail for first-time offenders, and life imprisonment as the maximum penalty for, among other offenses, repeated gay sex between consenting adults,” according to the Associated Press.
DESIGN BY//TYLER VOSS
3 4 5
MARCH 2014 FEATURE 11
Best Iowacity
COMPilED by//Abby Burgess, Gage Van Dyke & Rebecca Wen
West Side Story talked to students to find out their favorite places to hang out in Iowa City. Location: The iowa river
“I really enjoy riding along the Iowa River and around Sand Lake. The area is scenic, and there are a lot of shelters and benches around the lake which make it a great group route.”
Daniel Smith ’15
Location: Kinnick stadium
“Going to Iowa games is fun because my friends are there and it’s something fun to talk about.”
Ryan DeKeyser ’17
OF
12 FEATURE MARCH 2014
Location: Campus recreation & wellness center
“I like going to the CRWC to work out because it has nice equipment and a really motivational environment.”
Hayden Bevelacqua ’14
Location: squire point
Location: Downtown
“I like hiking at Squire Point in the fall because the leaves are changing and it’s so pretty. There are also a lot of nice places to sit and enjoy nature. I like hiking with my parents because it gives us a chance to catch up with each other.”
Eleni Katz ’14
“Going downtown is fun because there is always something going on, and there’s always music playing.”
Dillon Crowell ’17
“There’s that one tree [the larch tree] in the Pentacrest and it has a really low, long branch. You can climb up and sit in it and eat burritos. It’s the burrito tree and you eat burritos there with your friends.”
Mandy Rosse ’14
DESIGN BY//TYLER VOSS
art by// Iowa City/Coralville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
Location: Pentacrest
MARCH 2014 FEATURE 13
BENEFIT CONCERT The Miles of Smiles Team will host their second annual benefit concert on March 30th. The WSS sat down with the students behind the scenes to talk about the upcoming event.
BY MEREDITH CULLEN
T
meredithcullen@wsspaper.com
here are already high expectations as the second annual Miles of Smiles Team benefit concert undergoes planning for Sunday, March 30th at 7 p.m. in the West High Auditorium. The concert, a talent show featuring West High students and artists, raised over $10,000 for MOST its first year in 2013. Kasra Zarei ’13 planned the inaugural event last year, from recruiting performers to acquiring donations and spreading awareness of the event throughout the community. The MOST team from Iowa uses money fundraised through this event to travel to Huehuetenang, Guatemala and perform cleft lip and cleft palate reconstruction surgery. However, as Zarei graduated last year, he passed the baton to Lilian Zhu ’14 and Akash Borde ’15, while still helping out behind the scenes. Zarei said the event was such a huge success last year and he is hoping for another wonderful event. “The MOST team was ecstatic about the benefit,” he said. “The money we raised substantially helped fund their trip this year. Besides being extremely appreciative of the support they loved the performance. I got so many positive remarks including how they loved the wonderful talent, diversity of performers, essentially everything about it.”
14 NEWS MARCH 2014
Here’s a look into the planning and organization going into preparing for the concert. Lilian Zhu ’14 WSS: What are you helping out with the planning for this year’s concert? Kasra [Zarei ’13], Akash [Borde ’15] and I began planning for the event during the summer, even before school started. Since then, we’ve done a lot of stuff, including
“
BUT BY COMBINING THE EXISTING TALENT WE ALREADY HAVE AT WEST, WE HAVE THE CHANCE TO MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE...” -Lilian Zhu ’14 contacting local businesses for sponsorships, finding performers and artists, talking with the radio, local newspapers, and retirement homes to help spread awareness about the benefit, coordinating with the MOST team and University of Iowa doctors, designing posters and tickets and a lot more. WSS: How did you get involved with planning the event? When I first heard about the benefit last year, I wanted to be able to help out. Helping plan an event like the MOST benefit seemed like the perfect chance to support a great cause and fulfill that wish.
WSS: What will the concert this year be like, are there any differences from last year? Last year everything seemed to work smoothly, so we’re looking at a pretty similar layout. We’re hoping for a variety of acts that will give as equal of a representation of the talent at West as possible. We’re also trying for a program that will be entertaining and enjoyable for a wide age group, as we’re hoping to attract both high school kids and adults in the audience. WSS: What is your favorite part about MOST? I think my favorite part about the MOST concert is how simple the concept is. It’s essentially just a big talent show. But by combining the existing talent we already have at West, we have the chance to make a huge difference in the lives of countless kids whose families otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford the surgery needed to correct their cleft lip and palates. Akash Borde ’15 WSS: What goes into the planning for the event? We have to contact everyone who will be performing, contact the foundation to facilitate the donation to them and we’ll have someone speak [from the foundation] hopefully. We’ve had to get administrative approval again and Mr. O’Connor and the janitors were very accommodating. WSS: How was the experience of performing in the concert last
year? It was great, it was fun to perform Akash Borde ’15 classical music that I don’t usually perform in front of an audience that was mostly high schoolers and people I knew, whereas most of my piano concerts are [in front of] people I don’t know. It was for a great cause, so that was great. WSS: How did you get in charge of planning the event this year? I helped Kasra a little bit last year, he did so much of the work on his own, but I talked to some other musicians last year. This year, he’s graduated obviously, but he’s still doing work, but you need people at West to talk to students so he just asked if I would help out again and it’s a great cause. WSS: Do you have any specific goals for this year? We’d like to raise more than last year. [We want the event] as successful as last year, if not more, and to keep the tradition going. What are you looking forward to the most with the event? To see how much money we raise. We hope to have a huge crowd and get people aware about this cause because it’s so local. Not many people know about it so it’s also an awareness campaign. [We want to] raise money for a good cause and support for the people that do it.
DESIGN BY//MADIE MILLER
SCHOOL OF
ROCK DAVID MCNAIR
PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION FROM//DAVID MCNAIR
ALEX WIESE jocelyn
COMPILED BY//NICK DEERBERG
WSS: How many bands have you been in? DM: Four solid bands and a couple jam bands. [One was]Lesher. It was the maiden name of the singer’s high school English teacher. Moc4 was the first band I was in. There was four of us; that’s where the four came from. I really don’t remember where the Moc came from. WSS: What genre/style of music did you play? DM: All the bands for the most part [were] rock. Moc4 and Lesher were kind of modern rock for the time period; pop rock and heavy metal. WSS: Do you have any stories? DM: I started in high school, and we played most of our dances… and we played dances at other
high schools. When I was a junior or senior we started playing at some bars. Puffer Billy Days was probably our biggest show. We had probably six or seven thousand fans there. We had our own recording equipment, so we recorded [and] put a couple of demos out. We played mainly cover tunes. We had some scary situations in some bars a couple of times, but you know, pretty much normal band life stuff. I got to meet some pretty cool people in the music industry. I had a connection with Yamaha. I met Rudy Sarzo, he played bass with Ozzy [Osbourne]. We were never superstars by any means. After high school for about four years we were pretty active.
NATE FRESE the bad intentions
PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION FROM//ALEX WIESE
WSS: What do you play? AW: I play bass and acoustic guitar. WSS: Where do you guys usually play shows? Who have you opened for before? Toured before? Favorite venue to play? AW: We have toured the lower 48 states and parts of Canada in the last year and a half, including several national tours with smaller acts. We have opened for Hot Chelle Rae, Mayday Parade, The Academy Is..., and many more. Favorite venue would be “Chain Reaction” in Anaheim, California - favorite show ever though was a couple weeks ago, we played during the University of Iowa Dance Marathon, which was an amazing experience.
Some West teachers discuss their involvement in bands after the papers are graded and the classroom doors are locked.
WSS: What’s the story of how the band got started? AW: The singer and I played together for years growing up and wanted to really try to go national with our music careers after college. After graduating we started the band and hit the road soon after, successfully living off our music for two years and seeing the country coast-to-coast. WSS: How did you come up with the name Jocelyn? AW: We believe that people matter and their stories are important. We chose a person’s name because we wanted a face to connect with that idea, and none of us knew a Jocelyn so it allowed us to imagine whoever we wanted.
PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION FROM//NATE FRESE
WSS: What is your role in the band? NF: Drummer, owner of our practice space. WSS: What style of music do you play? NF: Eclectic is an understatement— all covers, though. One of our more recent set lists included covers of: the Jackson Five, Daft Punk, Paul Simon, Kiss, Tegan and Sara, CCR and the Muppets. WSS: Who are the band members? NF: Matt Harding (West physics teacher)—guitar and vocals; Jennifer Horn-Frasier (former Northwest teacher)—bass guitar and vocals; Sean Boarini (West High graduate)—keyboards and vocals; Nate Frese (West language
arts teacher)—drums and horrible vocals. WSS: Have you or do you plan on playing any shows? NF: We have been playing shows for about seven years with the original trio. Sean has been playing with us since last year. We have played in Wisconsin, Kansas City and the Quad Cities, but we mostly play at Iowa City Yacht Club or Gabe’s. Our last gig was in January at Gabe’s—an Elvis Tribute with seven other bands as part of a charity fundraiser. With some busy spring schedules for a couple of band members, we probably won’t play out again until June.
ART BY//KELSEY KERANEN DESIGN BY//KAITLYN MCCURDY
MARCH 2014 FEATURE 15
1
in
2000
Andrew conquest ’16
MAxwell Brown ’17
By Velarchana Santhana velarch9123@gmail.com
“
“[I’ve] spoken in front of 6000 people,” Andrew Conquest ’16 said. As Mississippi State Chaplain Junior Beta, Conquest has had lots of experience communicating with new people which has helped with his move to Iowa from Mississippi a few months ago. His position as Mississippi State Chaplain Junior Beta is part of the National Beta Club. According to the club’s website, it’s mission is “To promote the ideals of academic achievement, character, service and leadership among elementary and secondary school students.” “Speaking in front of more than six thousand people is an experience of a life time. The first time was nerve racking but carried a lot of adrenaline. After that, I grew
My favorite
thing about going
West is all of the interesting people that go to
you don’t really get that much variety,” Brown said. “The As he nonchalantly waltzes transition from Oklaaround the halls of West High homa to Iowa has with an everlasting smile, Maxbeen pretty smooth. well Brown ’17 is the epitome of My mom actually cool. Despite Brown’s recent en- school went to West, she rollment in the Iowa City School graduated in ’82 so District after moving here over we moved back here the summer from Oklahoma, he -Maxwell Brown ’17 to get closer to famihas not had any trouble adjusting. ly. I learned a lot from “My favorite thing about going moving. I miss people in Oklahoma, but I’ve to West is all of the interesting people that go kept in touch with my best friends. When I visto school here. I mean coming from the south, By ANNA MONDANARO
mondanaro.anna@gmail.com
to
to enjoy the stage and a t t e n t i o n ,” Conquest said. As part of this club, Conquest had to give speeches and run for the position. He has also gotten the opportunity to attend the prestigious Broyhill Leadership Conference in North Carolina and participate in the Duke Talent Identification Program. “[I was] pleasantly surprised by how nice and friendly people are,” he said. Overall there aren’t too many differences between his two high schools. “[I’m] not used to the cold,” he said. Through it all Conquest has followed his motto “All it takes is all you got.” ited in December, it was a little weird because a lot of my friends moved on. But, it was nice to see everyone.”
here.”
Anya schmitz ’15 By REbecca Wen
wen.y.rebecca@gmail.com
Anya Schmitz ’15 left her home of Munich, Germany a few years ago to reside in Iowa City. “I moved here because my dad lived here and I wanted to learn English and see how living here is like. And then I just kind of stayed,” Schmitz said. Now she’s anxious to travel again, this time, to Southeast Asia. After graduating from high school, she will take a year off. “I want to go to Southeast Asia or India, but I don’t want to plan out my entire year,” Schmitz said. “I want to take it step by step and just see 16 FEATURE MARCH 2014
where it takes me.” Her affinity towards Asia was inspired by her parents, who traveled to India. “I don’t really remember when I started to want to go travel for a year, but the inspiration definitely came from hearing my parents’ stories of their own travels while growing up,” she said. “They mainly told me stories about the people they met and sometimes [those people] would come and visit us.” Like many other high school students, Schmitz is ambivalent about college plans. “I think another reason I want to go travel is because I have no idea what I want to go to college for so I don’t see why I shouldn’t wait another year to figure it out,” she said. Instead of going to college right away, Schmitz said, “I’m probably going to buy a one way ticket there and then we’ll see.”
PHOTOS by//Abby burgess and lizzie PRuneau
Sara longmire ’17 By Apoorva Raikwar
ing him through the airport and wasn’t really paying much attention when he tripped on … “My sister Mary is biological and she’s twelve, a tiny plastic trash can... That was the first time I and then my sister Rebecca is also biological realized that because my brother’s blind I [was] and she’s ten, and then my brother Jake, who going to have to help him with that kind of is blind, is from Korea and he’s eight, and my stuff,” Longmire said. Longmire’s family, unique in many ways, enbrother Luke is seven and he’s a biological sibjoys spending ling, and then time together my brother doing fun activiPhilip is six That was the ties like hiking in and he’s adthe mountains opted from that because my of Utah last sumKorea, and fimer. Another nally my sister brother’s I [was] going to responsibilHannah is five of havand she’s also have to him -Sarah Longmire ’17 ity ing a large adopted and family is she only has making sure to look out for one another, two fingers and no legs so she wears prosthetic which can be challenging at times. legs.” “We have to be there for each other That comes to a grand total of six siblings, more because sometimes a kid will be three adopted from Korea, for Sarah Longmire ‘17. Due to the unique makeup of her family, talking about my sister [Hannah] looking she has experienced things that many people weird or something because they don’t understand. So we just have to try and exdo not. “On our way home from Korea, we had just plain. It was hard at first but it’s easier now,” gotten Jake, I was holding his hand and walk- she said. apoorva.s.raikwar@gmail.com
“
I realized
first time
blind
help
.”
Callum scott ’14 By Julia Truszkowski
juliatruszkowski@gmail.com
Standing six feet, five inches tall with an ever-changing mass of hair adding another two inches, being unnoticed in West High’s always overcrowded hallways was never a problem for senior Callum Scott ‘14. As a member of the boys swim team, Scott followed suit and bleached his hair to support the team. A week later he was sporting a rainbow ‘do, and the following week a bare, shaved head. “My hair has always been nuts,” Scott said. “Quite literally sometimes, it’s whatever way the wind blows.” Perhaps the condition of his hair has something to do with chlorine, as Scott has been swimming since sixth grade. “Swimmers are always quirky, fun, and unique: more so than any other group of people I’ve met,” Scott said. “It takes special
kinds of people to get 90% naked and drown themselves for two hours.” In addition to swimming the butterfly, which “is actually mostly pelvic thrusting,” according to Scott, he has always been a gamer. “I grew up on the Internet, always plugged into something,” Scott said, “Video games as well, because the worlds created by video
games are almost always more entertaining than our own. I love to get lost, immersed in a story or a world unlike anything I’ve dreamt of. It’s enchanting.” Scott is also fascinated with the real world. “It’s fun to understand how the world works because I’m always asking ‘What? Why? How?’” he said. “My current favorite class is physics.” As for next year, Scott is still undecided about his major, but he will attend Grinnell College. “I’m excited because it seems like an adventure, something absurd and crazy,” he said. Scott is prepared for this adventure after learning, “a hell of a lot at high school.” When concerning one’s future, Scott advises others to be like him and “take reasonable risks … don’t overthink things.”
for VIDEO COVERAGE go to wsspaper.com
DESIGN BY//JAYCIE WEATHERS
MARCH 2014 FEATURE 17
BY DANETTA DOBRE, WSS INTERN
especially flourish in this City of Literature. Other student writers at West Max Granfield ’14 is walking High have a different approach to down one of the numerous streets finding inspiration. in Iowa City one night when he When Annie Gleason ’16 and her sees them. Two figures, a man and best friend are looking for ideas a woman, are unwittingly giving on their latest project, there are a him inspiration for his writing. whole myriad of different places to Though their faces and features are turn. shadowed into oblivion, he looks “Some of our inspiration comes at the woman and wonders if she’s from the music we listen to while a girl he knows. Stepping towards writing, some comes from events in him, he gets a better view and is our lives, some comes from movies surprised to find that neither the we’ve seen, and some from books woman or her companion are teenwe read,” Gleason said. “[When agers at all, but rather an we have] any ranelderly couple. dom thought just “I thought [the mistake] floating through our was something about the heads that we think cycle of life,” Granfield just sounds cool, we said, referring to his earwrite a note somelier inspiration. “Of course where and incorpoI can describe it, but I can’t rate it.” write exactly what it means. Max Granfield ’14 Finding inspiI just see things and if ration is only part of they’re good enough I write about their process. it.” “I write a lot at home after I’ve finGranfield started writing short ished with my homework. Generstories in third grade, and is only ally I will be listening to music on one of many aspiring writers at my iPod (most likely to be movie West High. Iowa City is already soundtracks) or at my friend’s known for its numerous writhouse,” said Gleason. “We run ing programs such as the Writideas past each other, and we alterers’ Workshop at the University of nate chapters, each from the perIowa, which has been in operation spective of the character based off for over 75 years. Young writers
QUICK TIPS
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1
18 FEATURE MARCH 2014
“Good or bad, keep a notebook and a pencil on you to write down every idea that comes to mind.” - Annie Gleason ’16
2
“I’m very much inspired by my of whichever is writing. A lot of the time, we just have the general idea own experiences,” she said. “Most of what we want to happen, and we of the pieces I write are based off come up with the little details as we something that happened to me. Most of the charwrite the chapter. If we are acters in my story really stuck, then we ask each other for ideas.” are based off of my Elsewhere, a figure sits friends and real people. It really makes in front of a laptop in a the story more redark bedroom, the glow latable. Sometimes from the screen illuminating her features. An I have crazy dreams, Kennedy Posey ’17 so I tend to write idea in mind, her fingers about those too.” flit across the keyboard Posey is currently writing about and a story begins to take shape. Underneath the bed lies a tub of her eighth grade year. “It was a very old “books”, folded paper stapled ... interesting year, to say the least, together, evidence of the begin- and I wanted to share my experining. Among them is the very first, ences. There was a lot of drama, a “How a Rainbow is Made,” which lot of funny stories, and some rewas crafted in kindergarten. Ken- ally good memories that I felt like nedy Posey ’17 has been writing people could relate with,” Posey ever since, when a fascination with said. “So far, I’m only done writmaking things out of paper started ing half of first trimester, so I’m not something that carries on even very far yet. It’s definitely a work in progress.” now. “I write because I’m bad at keepThough we all fly under the same ing a journal,” Posey said. “Writing Trojan flag, the differences are sigfrom my personal standpoint just nificant. No two writers are the feels awkward to me, so I write my same, and though many are infeelings from a character’s stand- spired by things in their lives, the point instead. My pieces are like result is usually much more diverse parts of me, and it’s really the only than you might suspect. way I can express how I feel.” Posey draws much of her inspiration from things in her daily life.
Read, read, read. “The things I read are the building blocks for what I write.” - Max Granfield ’14
3
COMPILED BY//DANETTA DOBRE
Write using your own life experiences if you’re ever in a slump. “Everyone has a life story, so everyone can write.” - Kennedy Posey ’17
ART BY//KELSEY KERANEN & HILAH KOHEN DESIGN BY//TYLER VOSS, JAYCIE WEATHERS AND KAITLYN MCCURDY
the
Cupcakes take over town BY GABBY SKOPEC, WSS INTERN
Molly’s Cupcakes admits to some concern about rivalries, but the gabbyskopec@gmail.com competition also has its benefits. “More cupcake businesses cause Cupcakes are tasty, adorable, fun more commotion and curiosity and are taking over the town one about cupcakes, which drive people batch at a time. Currently three in,” said Jamie Skinner, owner of cupcake businesses are in the area Molly’s Cupcakes. all within 12 miles of one another, Why the sudden push on cupcakes and two within four in the area? miles of each other; “Cup c a kes JJ’s Cupcakes and are small and Creamery is located transportable. in North Liberty, They are Scratch Cupcakery delicious, is in Coralville’s they’re cute, new Iowa River they’re very Landing and Molly’s practical, Cupcakes has a a l r e a d y site in Iowa City, i n d i v i du a l l y and planning on portioned, and -Kate Sterner, opening another they’re part Scratch intern store in the North of what our Liberty area. culture has always enjoyed: cake,” For consumers, this gives options Skinner said. such as location and type of This cupcake boom is a good cupcake, but for the businesses it thing for the local cupcake stores, poses many challenges including because they chose cupcakes to be the fact that they are all vying for their feature item over other baked customers. Scratch Cupcakery, goods. however, is not concerned about “I’ve always had a love for the competition. cupcakes,” Skinner said. “I was “Our owner hasn’t a competitive living in Chicago at the time and bone in her body, and so we do what there were already a lot of cupcake we feel is good for our company shops there, that was probably part and good for our customers,” said of my inspiration.” Kate Sterner, a marketing intern for Each cupcake shop also comes Scratch.
“
TO US, SCRATCH IS MUCH MORE THAN JUST
CUPCAKES.”
F
AST ACTS
cupcake edition
FROM// BESTFRIENDSFORFROSTING.COM COMPILED BY//GABBY SKOPEC ART BY//LEELA SATHYAPUTRI DESIGN BY//KAITLYN MCCURDY
with their “signature flavor,” the most popular cupcake in the store. For Scratch, this cupcake is “Wedding Day,” an almond cream cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting. Molly’s signature cupcake is “The Cookie Monster,” a vanilla cupcake baked with chocolate chips and filled with chocolate chip cookie dough, then topped with buttercream, chocolate chips and a small chocolate chip cookie. These cupcakes, though, are not the only special cupcakes being sold. “Two main things [make our cupcakes special]: most of our cupcakes have fillings, which add another element flavor and overall texture,” Skinner said. “Also we have Build-Your-Own cupcakes. You choose the cake, frosting [and] toppings and we build it right there in front of you,” Skinner said. Although each store has their individual quirks and unique flavors, one thing is universal: each have a passion for “To us, Scratch is much more than just cupcakes,” Sterner said. “It’s the experience and the relationship we build with customers. Whether you are getting cupcakes for a wedding, a birthday, [or] a holiday get-together, we love that people include us in their milestones.”
770 MILLION 1.5 CM X 3 CM cupcakes consumed in the US alone last year
RECORD: 72 cupcakes consumed in six minutes
the size of the world’s smallest cupcake
1776
the year the cupcake was invented MARCH 2014 FEATURE 19
Showtime & Good Time Company
PHOTOS by//PAIGE BRAZINA ABOVE: Emma Christison ’16 and Claudia Tait ’16 of Showtime perform their opener at City High during an invitational event. LEFT: Michelle Wise ’15 sings the ballad for Good Time Company during the first competition at Waukee Starstruck. BOTTOM LEFT: Haley Steffen ’15, Madison Voigt ’15 and Sarah Franz ’16 perform Showtime’s closer at the Winter Swing Show. BELOW: Angie Kalwies ’16 sings Showtime’s opener at the Winter Swing Show. BOTTOM RIGHT: Noam Schey ’15 sings the closer for Good Time Company during the first competition at Waukee Starstruck.
for more coverage go to wsspaper.com
20 FEATURE MARCH 2014
DESIGN BY//MADIE MILLER
adopted perspective West students share their personal outlooks on being adopted. By GAGE VAN DYKE
agvdmaster@gmail.com
Payton Knupp ’14
“You grow up as a kid and that’s all you know. It’s normal,” said Payton Knupp ’14.
PHOTOs by//GAGE VAN DYKE
For Payton Knupp ’14, adoption has never been an awkward topic within her family. “I had a little cartoon book that taught me through illustration how I was adopted,” Knupp said. “I never had a situation where my parents sat me down and told me. My parents never hid the fact that I was adopted.” However, Knupp believes she will be cautious if she ever asks her adoptive mother about her birth mother. “I feel like I’m offending my mom if I ask her about my ‘real’ mom,” Knupp said. Knupp possesses photos of her biological mother but her father was never in the picture. Knupp has never met her birth mom; nevertheless, knowing the identity of her biological mother doesn’t make Knupp feel any less connected to her adoptive mother. “You grow up as a kid and that’s all you know. It’s normal,” Knupp said. Knupp has no problem admitting to her peers that she is adopted, but there have been strange occurrences where her friends compared her looks to her mother’s. “People will tell me I look like my mom, but then I tell them I’m adopted,” she said. “They are always surprised when they find out I’m adopted. It’s not something I go around bragging about all the time, but I’m definitely open to talk about it if anyone asks.”
Isaiah Johnson ’15
T by // K EL SE YK ER AN EN
“I respect her because she gave me to a family that could take care of me better than she could,” said Fiona Edberg ’14.
AR
“I have their height, weight, blood type and name. Holt International (the adoption agency) gave me paragraph excerpts of my parents and why I was adopted,” said Isaiah Johnson ’15. Johnson was adopted as an infant through an international adoption program called Holt International Children’s Services. Based off of the reports of his parents and reason for adoption, Johnson understands why his mother decided to give him to another family. “She was a bit of a rebel,” Johnson said. “She ran away from home. She lived in America for [about] twelve years but decided to leave because she didn’t like it anymore. Back in South Korea she hooked up with her older boyfriend. She decided to give me up because she knew she couldn’t take care of me.” Johnson knew of his adoption as far back as he can remember. The knowledge of his birth parents and adoption were never a big deal. “I’ve known since I was in pre-school. I never thought anything of it,” he said. In regards to stereotypes against adopted children, Johnson believes there aren’t any. The topic of adoption is never relevant in friendly conversation for Johnson. “My friends never ask because there is no reason to,” Johnson said.
Fiona Edberg ’14
“They were always open about my adoption. My parents made it so it wasn’t a big deal. If parents wait to tell their kids, then it becomes this shock,” said Fiona Edberg ’14. Edberg is not the only child in her family that is adopted. Edberg and her siblings knew at an early age that they were adopted because their parents didn’t see the point in avoiding the subject. “I have two other brothers from separate birth parents,” Edberg said. “I’ve met my half-siblings, too.” With Edberg’s adoption being an open adoption, she informs her biological family about her life every so often. “I’ll update them about my life, but it’s not regular communication,” Edberg said. Edberg’s birth mother was nineteen when she conceived Edberg. Edberg understands her birth mother’s decision to give her up and respects the decision. “I respect her because she gave me to a family that could take care of me better than she could,” Edberg said. for more coverage go to wsspaper.com
DESIGN BY//KATIE MONS
MARCH 2014 FEATURE 21
SE ARCHING FOR
PEACE BY HILAH KOHEN & MEGUMI KITAMOTO hilah12@gmail.com megumi.kitamoto@gmail.com
WHEN HE WAS FIVE YEARS OLD, Masumbuko Omari ’16
ran from Congo to Tanzania to escape from constant bombings in his village. Ayat Jassin ’15 endured the dangers of religious violence every day as a child in Baghdad, Iraq. Memo Rasic ’15 has witnessed his family struggle for hope after three years of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Omari, Jassin and Rasic are among a number of West High students who moved to Iowa from around the world to find new opportunities, a good education and a life free from the threat of conflict.
DESIGN BY//APOORVA RAIKWAR
MASUMBUKO OMARI ’16
AYAT JASSIN ’15
MEMO RASIC ’15
stuff, and they tell us to move. They kick us out.” Mausa, her parents and nearly a dozen brothers and sisters fled into a nearby forest. They lived in the woodlands for three months. “There is no food, no nothing. We are just living like animals. Sometimes we get food from fruit trees … We drink river water, and we sleep on the ground,” Mausa said. Even in the forest, Mausa’s family could not find safety. She and her siblings lived in constant fear of encountering Rwandan militiamen. “If they saw you somewhere, they kill you. Many people died. The good thing was that nobody died in my family, but they were trying to kill all of us,” she said. Mausa and her siblings experienced none of the pleasures of youth. Their lives contained no formal education and no distractions from the dangers at hand. “We were just scared all day. We didn’t have anything. There, in the
SITU MAUSA ’15
NANCY EL-SHIEKH ’16
MOHAMMED KHAMEES ’17 AT 8:05 AM, SITU MAUSA ’15 SITS IN FRONT OF A COMPUTER in her first period study hall and begins to edit her English homework. She’ll soon walk to the art hallway for a drawing class, and her weekend will be filled with family time at the mall and Sunday services at church. Mausa’s present and future mirror those of the vast majority of her classmates, but her past places her among a small but significant group of West High students who have endured unimaginable hardship to achieve what their peers consider to be a normal life. Less than ten years ago, Mausa lived in Nundu, a small village near the eastern border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Civil wars rocked Mausa’s childhood. When she was 11 years old, a band of Rwandan gunmen attacked her family’s home. “They try to get in, but we pass faster,” Mausa said. “They steal all our
forest, there are a lot of snakes; sometimes, they come close to us ... It was very dangerous. You can’t go somewhere to play because it’s just forest,” Mausa said. “We were just sitting together and waiting for something good.” AFTER THE RWANDAN GENOCIDE OF 1994, defeated militias fled to what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since then, the country has been a battleground for the armies and rebel groups of at least six African nations as well as thousands of foreign troops. Every year, armed conflicts force hundreds of thousands of Congolese citizens from their homes. Some of those refugees have, like Situ Mausa, found a new home here in Iowa City. Sophomore Masumbuko Omari’s path to Iowa was one of constant immigration. Omari escaped from Congo to Tanzania primarily on
foot. He then moved to Mozambique, Arizona and, finally, Iowa. Each new location presented Omari with a unique set of hopes and challenges. “Tanzania was safer than the Congo,” Omari said. “My dad found a job. He took me to school … I started playing soccer, and it helped me not to think about the hard things I had been through.” High rental costs soon drove the Omaris out of Tanzania, but economic concerns continued to dominate their lives. “Life in Arizona was hard. Some days there was work for my dad, but some days there was not,” Omari said. Mausa’s family followed a similar trajectory. After escaping from the woodlands, they found a ferry to Tanzania and sought protection as refugees. Approximately five years later, the Tanzanian government helped the Mausas fly to Texas. However, moving to Iowa soon be-
‘‘
came a financial necessity. “My mom, she was pregnant, and she didn’t have the chance to go to work, and we are like twelve kids in the house, so my dad didn’t have the money to help every person … [In Texas], it is very hard to find a job if you don’t know English,” Mausa said. Iowa’s job market and social services have helped the Mausas and Omaris find a better life. “Life is good in Iowa. My dad has work, my mom has work and I work at Target,” Omari said. “Here in Iowa, when we came here, they help us every month, they give us a little money to help the family,” Mausa said. Mausa has also seen a vast improvement in her access to education. “There was a way to get an education [in Congo], but nobody was there to protect other people. So I was scared, and my family wouldn’t let me go to school because I could get killed. I can die,” she said. Now, Mausa plans to study nursing after high school. Omari would like
her journey. She hopes to work in the pharmaceutical industry, and Khamees plans to study engineering. In Iraq, religious conflict often interrupted Jassin’s education. “When I’m in school, there are bombs. American soldiers would come to my school … to help people come home,” she said. When asked whether she went back to school after terrorist attacks, Jassin looked slightly perplexed, as though it were a strange question. “Yes,” she replied. “Every day, there are bombs.” Khamees emigrated from Iraq to Jordan when he was seven years old. “In Iraq, there were helicopters and people shooting. When I was five years old, someone put a gun to my head and to the head of everyone in my family. I moved to Jordan because of this problem,” he said. Since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq began in 2003, sectarian violence between Shia and Sunni Muslims has escalated rapidly. In 2006, the
through the capital and threatened to bring her tranquil lifestyle closer to the state of terror Jassin and Khamees experienced in Iraq. “At first, Egypt was normal without revolutions,” she said. “I used to go out a lot and then, [when the revolutions started, my dad] restricted the time I went out. He’s like, ‘This day, it’s going to happen, a revolution, so you’re not going out at all.’” The 2011 revolution began during the height of the Arab Spring, a wave of anti-government protests that consumed over a dozen countries in North Africa and the Middle East. The original Egyptian revolution was a response to the autocratic rule of since-ousted President Hosni Mubarak, but the rise of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood has shifted the focus of the conflict. “There were people [in my hometown] making the revolutions to happen because they hated the Muslim Brotherhood party and they didn’t want them to rule the town and Egypt … but there were
WHEN I WAS FIVE YEARS OLD, SOMEONE PUT A GUN TO MY HEAD.
’’
-Mohammed Khamees ’17
to be a soccer player. When asked to describe her new life, Mausa smiles softly. She responds with one word: “Normal.” “I MOVED TO STUDY HERE.” Mohammed Khamees ’17 lived in Iraq and later in Jordan. Like Mausa and Omari, he was drawn to Iowa City by the prospect of a better education. “[I moved from Jordan] to study English,” Khamees said. “In Iowa, it’s the best schools.” Ayat Jassin ’15 lived in Baghdad, the war-torn Iraqi capital. Despite the violence she escaped as an emigrant, Jassin also cited the search for schooling as the first reason for
bombing of a major Shia holy site by the Sunni terrorist group al-Qaeda led to massive, communal attacks and counterattacks that continued until the end of the decade. For Jassin and Khamees, those conflicts were a personal threat. “Iraq has bombs all the time. There’s a big conflict between Sunni and Shia. I am Shia, and our neighbors were Sunni. It was a big problem,” Jassin said. “It was scary,” Khamees said. “It was very scary,” Jassin agreed. NANCY EL-SHIEKH ’16 GREW UP PEACEFULLY in Tanta, Egypt, a small town about 60 miles north of Cairo. In 2011, revolutions swept
a few with [the Brotherhood], so there were actually some fights,” elShiekh said. el-Shiekh never encountered direct threats to her safety, but the expanding risk of violence and the deaths of other residents of her town persuaded her father to move her to the United States. “We could get injured because there were lots of bombings, and there were people shooting guns. So we were just afraid. And there were revolutions, so we could get hurt by somebody fighting. When we were crossing the street or whatever, we could get hurt,” she said. el-Shiekh said the American educational system was also a major
factor in her family’s decision to bring her to Iowa. However, she enjoyed many aspects of her education in Egypt. “I liked my life there ... I went to school during winter, and it’s pretty similar [to school in Iowa]. In Egypt, I used to hang out with my friends more than here, because I’m used to them,” she said. el-Shiekh contacts her relatives, many of whom are still in Egypt, on a daily basis. “They’re OK, and they say that the revolutions are less now. This month, it’s secure there,” she said. However, el-Shiekh said she still worries sometimes about her family’s safety. “Mostly, I’m worried about my cousin because he always goes out with people who are in the revolutions,” she said. Thus far, he has avoided involvement in outright violence. THROUGHOUT FEBRUARY, PROTESTS SHOOK BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA with such force that the movement has been dubbed the Bosnian Spring. For Memo Rasic ’15, the demonstrations inspired concern and hope for his home country. “When I sit at home and watch the [Bosnian] news watching the crowds of people protesting right now and fighting for equality, it means something,” Rasic said. Rasic was born in Germany and lived in Bosnia for about a month before moving to the United States. “We moved to Iowa so my father could pursue a job opportunity in Coralville, because it was not that populated at the time, and it was easy to find a job,” Rasic said. Bosnia still reverberates with the aftereffects of a war that began in 1992 as a result of the breakup of Yugoslavia and subsequent territorial conflicts. Although the conflict ended in 1995, it has impacted Rasic’s family. “My parents are physically and mentally affected [by the war], and it has made us realize [how] one group wants to unfairly dominate over others. My uncle in the Netherlands helps out the rest of my family in Bosnia with his money, but it still worries me because I’m afraid that something is going bad to happen to them,” Rasic said. Although he read the Bosnian
news, Rasic realized the extremity of the bias in the media towards the government after he spoke with his cousin. “I make about $400 a month at my part-time job, but [my cousin] works six days a week chopping wood for 12 hours a day, but he only makes about $100 a month. This work schedule is the case for most people [in Bosnia], and they can’t buy food, water or a house because all of the prices are skyrocketing since the government is taking away the money and not giving it back to the people,” Rasic said. However, he is faithful that conditions will improve. “It’s been years since the war, and it’s taking a while to do peace talks. Hopefully it will be another month or so until things are resolved. Bosnia is a beautiful country, and usually it’s really nice to be there. But at the same time, it’s really hard to see people outside working so much every day, and they are still struggling to find the hope that they need to survive,” Rasic said.
think, however, it would be helpful if more English speaking students reached out to our ELL students. It’s hard for new students to make friends no matter what, but it’s extra-difficult when a language barrier exists,” said ELL teacher Anne Schularick. Sometimes, those barriers do not dissolve on their own. Students who find it difficult to adapt to their new environment may be reluctant to reach out. “I know we have students who are struggling psychologically, but non-ELL students also struggle with mental health issues, and most students are very good at hiding their struggles within the school environment,” Schularick said. Nevertheless, the school day continues. Students who hold memories of war are now forming memories of West High School.
“WATCHING THE CROWDS OF PEOPLE … FIGHTING FOR EQUALITY,
EACH STUDENT WHO JOINS the West High student body after experiencing the perils of conflict has a unique story, but they all must find their places in a new Iowan home. More often than not, that transition can prove difficult. “For the most part, I do think integration is happening, especially when [English Language Learners] students are out for sports. I do
IT MEANS SOMETHING.” - Memo Rasic ’15
Tag Instagram photos with you and a copy of the
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#WSSAbroad 26 ADS MARCH 2014
THE
ON ARTS
KATE VANDER LEEST ’17
By lushia anson
lushia.anson@gmail.com
Whether she is executing leaps and pirouettes, singing solo or in a chorus or combining her passions of song and dance while in costume, Kate Vander Leest ’17 shines on stage. Although the multitalented freshman had always loved singing, she didn’t discover her aptitude for it until junior high. “I didn’t really know that I could sing … until I tried out for OPUS Honor Choir in 7th grade, and I made it,” she said. In October, Vander Leest was the only freshman from West High who accepted into the Iowa AllState Chorus. In addition to singing, Vander Leest is involved in ballet, jazz, DESIGN BY//MEGUMI KITAMOTO
modern and contemporary dance at Nolte Academy. Even though her schedule fills up quickly with dance technique classes as well as show choir and musical rehearsals, she still manages to balance singing and dancing in her life. “I’ve always been dancing a lot, and especially as I kept getting older, it kept becoming more of a serious thing,” she said. “I still love it, but now I’m also doing other stuff with singing, so it’s been kind of hard to do both, but I’m still doing it and … dancing is still one of my passions.” This past summer, Vander Leest has also become involved in musical theatre. Her first roles in productions include the Genie in “Aladdin” and the White Rabbit in “Alice in Wonderland.” She is now
rehearsing for Theatre West’s production of “Annie,” where she will play the role of July, an orphan. Vander Leest is greatly inspired by her cousin, Piper Wenzel ’16, who shares many of her musical interests. “Pretty much everything I’m doing this year is stuff that she did last year,” she said. “I look up to her for inspiration and it’s cool to call her my cousin and kind of follow in her footsteps.” Wenzel is proud of her younger cousin’s achievements. “I think it’s really cool to see how much she has improved just as a freshman, just how much she’s already done at West High and how much she has accomplished,” she said. Wenzel also admires Vander
Leest’s performance style and work ethic. “I think she has great stage presence and always has good facials and a good smile,” she said. “[Vander Leest] always does her best in everything, like all of her auditions and performances, and even just in rehearsals for dance, she’ll always be trying her hardest.” No matter what she is performing, Vander Leest thrives under the spotlight. “It’s just a really cool feeling to be on stage, especially after you’ve worked so hard on a show,” she said. “All that work pays off when you perform [and] the audience cheers for you or claps for you.” PHOTO by//GAGE VAN DYKE
MARCH 2014 A&E 27
Arts
the fashion profile: ebony mckeever ’16 West Side Story: How would you describe your style? Ebony McKeever ’16: I don’t really know how to describe it. I really like bright colors, but then I also love distressed things, and then I like that preppy look … is preppy grunge a thing? Prunge? That’s me. WSS: How has your style evolved? EM: Well, in junior high I tried really hard to dress well. I would put on a lot of jackets and vests and then wear knee-high boots and pretended it looked nice. Since junior high, I’ve been able to observe more trends that I like.
My friends are pretty fashionable, so I kind of went off of them, but I also found sites like Tumblr, and Pinterest and Lookbook, which helped me gain insight as to which styles I liked. WSS: Where do you like to shop? EM: Well, I like to shop at the White Rabbit, Forever21 and ... my mom’s closet, I guess. I’ve found some pretty cool things in there. WSS: Do you have any stories about your fashion experiences? EM: This one time in junior high we were having Wacky Day and I didn’t want to participate. That day, I put on an outfit that I thought
photos by//gage van dyke
was pretty fashionable, but then later when I was walking down the hallway this girl I know saw me and was like “Oh, I didn’t do Wacky Day.” I laughed and walked away. WSS: What advice do you have for people trying to find their own styles? EM: You should probably find places like Pinterest and make a Tumblr to follow fashion blogs. Also, picking up magazines and piecing together outfits you like from the clothing items featured in them is a good way to create something that’s entirely you. COMPilED by//kelsey keranen
artist of the month: minsoo kim ’16
“
[I love] the expression of art, to create something and let others see it.” -Minsoo Kim ’16
COMPilED by//stephon berry
28 A&E MARCH 2014
DESIGN BY//BLAKE OETTING
review: teddy’s burgers By rebecca wen
wen.y.rebecca@gmail.com
photo by//brooke lofgren
Teddy’s Bigger Burgers welcomed me with a sign that read “#1 party school, meet Hawaii’s #1 burger.” The restaurant rests in downtown Iowa City, near Gabe’s and the Iowa City Public Library. Its interior is reminiscent of a ’50s style diner, with red and yellow plastic booths, red vinyl chairs at a bar and black-and-white checkered patterns galore. A large, rather obnoxious metal palm tree stands in the center of the building. Since Teddy’s started off in Honolulu, a few of the menu items are Hawaiian themed. The burger sizes available are big, bigger and biggest. I ordered a big Hawaiian version burger for $5.99, which was definitely large enough. The meat is cooked medium, and although it didn’t have a thick
juicy center, it wasn’t dry or tough. Teddy’s emphasizes its natural beef sans fillers or binders. For a fast food restaurant, the beef is stellar, but Teddy’s is not quite fast food since most orders require a 10-15 minute wait. Unlike the meat, the toppings were fantastic. There was a generous helping of fresh lettuce, tomatoes, onions and pickles. The Hawaiian bun was also good, lightly toasted and subtly sweet. It was soft but did not get soggy even though the burger was slathered with their signature “super sauce.” The super sauce tasted like a smoky mix of honey mustard and mayonnaise. It continually dripped down my fingers though, so I didn’t know whether to be pleased or annoyed. A grilled slice of pineapple and teriyaki sauce are what distinguishes the Hawaiian burger from the original. The pineapple gave it a tender bite, and I didn’t taste much teriyaki, but that didn’t bother me. Perhaps it had all dripped down my
hands. I also tried the Veggie Burger, which was $5.99. Like the Hawaiian burger, it came in a Hawaiian bun and was packed with vegetables. The veggie burger itself was crispy on the outside and had a chewy, tender inside. It was thin and tan, with a taste comparable to chicken. There were visible flecks of carrot and what appear to be red bell pepper or tomato inside. I paired the burger with steaming, thick, crispy fries. They weren’t too salty and a small was enough for two people. After stuffing my face and downing water, the waiter kindly gave me some moist towelettes. He must have noticed the grossly mounting pile of napkins next to me. In spite of a few flaws, Teddy’s is a comfortable place to enjoy good food and relax. Its simple menu and fresh ingredients are sure to satisfy.
student mixtape: wynton karanja ’14 photo by/liZzie purneau
“lover’s carvings” Bibio A good friend and teammate of mine introduced me to this pleasantly melodious song soon after providing me with a gadget that allowed me to take my music on the go. I am sure it was valued by its previous owner and I can assure this friend that it had a good life indeed. “Songbird” Kenny G I remember hearing this song on evenings when my dad would come home from work. He played it on his radio so often that it became routine for him, but it sounded like a new song every time I heard it. He said it was called “Jazz” so for a while in my world, Kenny G had a song named Jazz.
“I’ve Got To Get Away” John Holt This is a wonderful song that features one of reggae’s most influential artists and a great slow-sounding, tropicallike drumming rhythm. “One More Night” Phil Collins I heard this song as a child in Kenya, and I loved it at first sound. It is a soulful song that has a slow harmonious rhythm. “Got To Give It Up” Marvin Gaye I have been familiar with the name Marvin Gaye for a very long time; however, until coming to the United States, to many Swahili-speaking people and myself Marvin Gaye was slang for the typical knit stocking cap.
COMPilED by/megumi kitamoto
DESIGN BY//BLAKE OETTING
MARCH 2014 A&E 29
tech hex
By anthony pizzimenti
A&E calendar COMPILED by//STEPHON BERRY
pizzimentianthony@gmail.com
We worked hard to create useful technology, we really did. The scientists have been working hard, hustling and bustling over stacks of paper, writing equations and tapping furiously on keyboards. But after all this hard work was put in to make everything easier, is it really working out like we thought it would? Over the past few years, our dependence on technology has become overwhelming. It’s like your older brother shoving your head under the water at the swimming pool. It’s drowning, and it sucks that things are going this way (also the lifeguard may or may not be laughing at you.) I haven’t seen anyone walking down the hallways without a device in their hand since back when phones weren’t even allowed in school. Whether in class, on the bus, in the car, in the halls or on the toilet, people somehow figure out how to squeeze some sense of technology into the equation. Now it’s not bad to be connected to people over the internet and it’s not bad to be able to search for information at the tap of a screen. What’s bad is how it has affected our ability to focus, to work towards achieving knowledge, to work to get out of the bathroom in under half an hour. Technology poses itself as a helpful, useful resource that provides any answer to any question and no search left unresolved. But it can submerse people into a state in which their mind isn’t connected to their body but rather what’s in their left front pocket. They’re no longer focused on the person sitting next to them, but to the screen in front of them. And these little strings of thought get all tangled up until no tidbit of idea can cross the mind without being strangled in the wires. And they will only keep constricting.
30 A&E MARCH 2014
Leslie and the Ly’s, the creator of the viral video- “Tight Pants/ Body Rolls,” will be gracing the Blue Moose on March 21. Moonface, the latest project from Wolf Parade and Sunset Rubdown’s former member Spencer Krug, will be at the Englert on March 5.
The Head and the Heart will be performing at the Englert on April 4 as part of the Mission Creek Festival.
Lake Street Drive, with bassist Bridget Kearney `03, who recently appeared on The Colbert Report will perform at the Mill on March 25.
sOURCE: Flickr creative commons
photo by//gage van dyke
the reader: garrett hartwig Blue Heaven C.J. Box “A murder mystery that takes place in the mountains of Idaho, with a corrupt police academy. A very simple read, there’s not a lot of literary merit to it but its something that you can read in a couple days and its a page turner.”
Into The Wild Jon Krakauer “It’s about finding your own voice and finding your own place in society. It’s a good book to look into. Is it inspirational? Is it selfish? Is it tragic? It’s a book that brings good discussion, and I think that is what makes it a valid read.”
To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee “I find it insightful for a couple of reasons. I liked it when I was a kid while I was growing up because I could see things and relate to things from Scout’s perspective. As a father now, I look at Atticus in the story more. I’m fascinated by how my own perspective changes while I read it.”
Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury “It was written by Bradbury in the 60s … society was slower then and I think the book reflects that ... There are messages in this book that still ring true today and for Bradbury to hit on that at that time period is phenomenal.” COMPilED by//GAGE VAN DYKE DESIGN BY//BLAKE OETTING
W E S T
H I G H
W E I G H S
I N
O N
T H E
2014 OSCARS Students of West High filled out surveys giving their predictions of the 2014 Oscars before the show aired on March 2. Here are the results, compared to the actual winners of each award. PREDICTED WINNER: BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
PREDICTED WINNER: BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
SANDRA BULLOCK
LEONARDO DI CAPRIO
for “Gravity”
for “The Wolf of Wall Street”
with 53% of the votes out of 237 surveys
with 62% of the votes out of 238 surveys
Real winner: Cate Blanchett for “Blue Jasmine”
Real winner: Matthew McConaughey for “Dallas Buyers Club”
PREDICTED WINNER: BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
PREDICTED WINNER: BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
JENNIFER LAWRENCE
for “American Hustle” with 33% of the votes out of 233 surveys
Real winner: Lupita Nyong’o for “12 Years a Slave”
JONAH HILL
for “The Wolf of Wall Street” with 70% of the votes out of 241 surveys Real winner: Jared Leto for “Dallas Buyers Club”
PREDICTED WINNER: BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
PREDICTED WINNER: BEST PICTURE
“AMERICAN HUSTLE”
DISNEY’S “FROZEN” with 74% of the votes out of 245 surveys
with 23% of the votes out of 235 surveys Real winner: “12 Years a Slave”
Real winner: “Frozen”
FOR REVIEWS OF MANY OF THIS YEAR’S OSCAR NOMINEES,
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT WSSPAPER.COM.
ART BY//LEELA SATHYAPUTRI COMPILED BY//KAITLYN MCCURDY & MEGUMI KITAMOTO ALL PHOTOS LEGALLY OBTAINED FROM//CREATIVE COMMONS DESIGN BY//KAITLYN MCCURDY
MARCH 2014 A&E 31
MARCH 2014 ADS 32
risinG star
Leah Rhodes ’17: Track
PHOTO by//MADIE MILLER
After just three weeks on the girls track team, Leah Rhodes ’17 has already made her way to the top. At the unofficial 50-meter time trial, Rhodes was the fastest on the team. She was also the state champion last year at the Mike Henderson Junior High State Track meet in both the 100 and 200 meter dash, and she is ready for her high school debut. DESIGN BY//BRITTANI LANGLAND
West side story: What made you want to start running? Leah Rhodes ’17: I guess I just like the feel of it. When I was younger I used to watch track meets and I ran everywhere. Once I got to junior high I couldn’t wait to start doing track. WSS: How are high school athletics different from junior high? LR: You have to work a lot harder, [it requires] more dedication and I think the ending result is a lot more worth it. You put in so much hard work and it’s just worth it all at the end. There’s more recognition for high school sports [than junior high]. WSS: What are your personal goals for the season? LR: I want to participate in the long jump and the high jump maybe as well. I tried [high jump] in junior high but they didn’t really teach us very well.
I want to be able to jump higher and further than last year. I would like to go to Drake and probably run in a couple sprints [as well as] beat my own personal records. WSS: What are your personal records? LR: For the 400 [meter] I’ve run a 59 [seconds], and in the 100 [meter] it’s 12.78 [seconds]. WSS: What are you most excited about? LR: I’m most excited about getting to know everyone on the track team and just running in general. WSS: Describe yourself. Lr: Probably kind and I have a good sense of humor. WSS: Who are some of your inspirations? LR: I don’t know their names. [I’m inspired by] everybody on the track team kind of. They push you to go harder and do your best. COMPilED by//Grace Young
MARCH 2014 SPORTS 33
risinG star Aidan Keen ’16: Swimming
PHOTO by//GAGE VAN DYKE
Aidan Keen ’16 contributed to West High’s first state championship win in boys swimming. He did so by winning the 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle, the 200 freestyle relay and the 400 freestyle relay. Practicing nine times a week, Keen’s goal is to one day make it to the Olympics.
34 SPORTS MARCH 2014
West side story: How old were you when you first started swimming? Aidan Keen ’16: When I was 11 years old. WSS: What got you started in swimming? AK: I was taking lessons at the North Liberty Rec. Center and one of the lifeguards there told me I should start swimming on ICE (Iowa City Eels) and it all started from there. WSS: What is the hardest part of swimming? AK: Making it through failures, even though you’re pretty sure you’ve worked your hardest. WSS: How often do you practice a week? AK: [I] Practice nine times a week. WSS: What is it like to be a part of the boys varsity swimming? AK: It’s really cool. It’s not any different from being on JV; it’s just sort of a title you have. WSS: How have your teammates impacted your season? AK: They are super supportive and I couldn’t have asked for a better group of guys. WSS: Do you do club swimming too? AK: Yes, for IFLY (Iowa Flyers Swim Club). WSS: What was it like winning athlete of the year?
AK: I was completely shocked, as you can see from my picture in the paper. I thought it was going to be the guy who won one of the state records and it’s usually a senior every year so it was really cool. WSS: What was it like winning the state championship? AK: I can’t even describe the feeling. It’s beyond real. WSS: What has been your greatest accomplishment in swimming so far? AK: Definitely winning state. Freshman year my state was disappointing, so I wanted to come back and win it this year. WSS: Overall, how did this season go for you? AK: It went exactly how it should have. [I] started off doing the same times, didn’t drop for a while, then I dropped time at districts, and dropped as much as I wanted to at state. WSS: What are your goals for the future? AK: I definitely want to swim in college. Olympics are a goal but I would have to work real hard to make it to Rio. By 2020, though, I feel like I should definitely be there. COMPilED by//Consuelo Mendoza
DESIGN BY//BRITTANI LANGLAND
The final push
The girls basketball season comes to a close, while the race for the state title begins for the boys.
BELOW: Energizing the crowd, Sarah Kang ’14 cheers with her teammates during the girls game against City. BELOW LEFT: Girls head coach BJ Mayer talks to his team during the game against City on Feb 11.
PHOTOS by//MADIE MILLER
This page isn’t finished because it was changed yesterday
“
Obviously our goal is to win every game, but our losses have been helpful in identifying our weaknesses, so we can improve on them.”-David DiLeo ’15 ABOVE: Wali Parks ’16 defends a City player during the Feb. 11 game. The Trojans won 73-41. FAR LEFT: Students participate during the cheer “lean” during the City vs. West double header on Feb. 11. LEFT: David DiLeo ’15 high fives teammates during team introductions before the City game on Feb. 11.
DESIGN BY//LYDIA HINMAN
MARCH 2014 SPORTS 35
In
the
gym:
The perspective of a different kind of athlete
Rachel David ’16 WEST SIDE STORY: How old were you when you first started gymnastics? RACHEL DAVID: I started team when I was in third grade, and started gymnastics when I was 18 months old. WSS: What is your greatest accomplishment in gymnastics so far? What has been the biggest meet you’ve competed at? RD: I have competed at regional championships, and my greatest accomplishment so far would be getting first on bars and vault with a score of 9.625, which is my highest score. WSS: How do you handle the fear in gymnastics? In your opinion, what is the scariest skill you can do? RD: Handling fear in gymnastics is really hard to do, because the sport is mostly mental, but what I do most of the time is just think that my
coaches wouldn’t have me doing the skill if I wasn’t ready to do them. [The] hardest skill I can do is a layout step out on beam. WSS: What do you think is the hardest thing about gymnastics? RD: I think getting over the mental blocks. WSS: What are your goals for the future? Do you want to do college gymnastics? RD: I would like to go to UCLA (University of California Los Angeles) and do college gymnastics there. WSS: What is your favorite thing about gymnastics? RD: I really like the rush that it gives you and the feeling of accomplishment is amazing. Also meeting new people around the country when competing. WSS: Have you’ve had any injuries from gymnastics? What has been the worst injury you’ve gotten? How did it happen? RD: I have had plenty of injuries, as many people know. I’ve sprained my ankles at least three times and each time has put me out of gymnastics for at least three months. I also have bruised my ankle bone leaving me out for at least five months. WSS: How many hours/ days a week do you work out? RD: Don’t know exactly, but at least 20 hours a week.
TOP: Aaliyah O’Connell ’15 jumps while practicing her routine. ABOVE: Rachel David ’16 performs on the beam. LEFT: Rachel David ’16 adjusts the uneven bars before practicing.
WSS: What kind of impact has gymnastics made on your life? RD: Gymnastics is kind of my everything. I don’t know where I would be in my life if it wasn’t my sport. WSS: What has been your most memorable moment in gymnastics? RD: When my dad awarded me my first place medal for my beam routine in level eight a couple years ago. COMPILED BY//CONSUELO MENDOZA PHOTOS BY//ABBY BURGESS
36 SPORTS MARCH 2014
Aaliyah O’Connell ’15 West Side Story: How old were you when you first started gymnastics? Aaliyah O’Connell: Unlike most people who start gymnastics when they first started to walk, I started when I was seven years old and started competing when I was eight. WSS: What is your greatest accomplishment in gymnastics so far? AO: My greatest accomplishment so far would be when I won All-Around at a competition in January. WSS: What is your favorite thing about competing? AO: My favorite thing about competing is the feeling I get right after I hit a routine. There isn’t a better feeling than knowing all your hard work has paid off. WSS: Do you get really nervous at meets? How do you handle it? AO: Yes, I do get very nervous. I try to think positive and focus on my breathing. I tell myself that my body knows what it needs to do, my mind just needs to let it. WSS: What do you think is the hardest thing about gymnastics? AO: Getting over mental blocks is definitely the hardest thing about gymnastics. WSS: What are your goals for the future? AO: I do plan on doing gymnastics in college, but I’m not sure where yet. Hopefully someplace nice and warm. WSS: What is your favorite thing about gymnastics?
AO: My favorite thing about gymnastics is that there is always more to learn. There is always another twist or flip you can add to a skill. Gymnastics also keeps me in good shape all year round. WSS: Have you’ve had any injuries from gymnastics? What has been the worst injury you’ve gotten? How did it happen? AO: I’d have to say the worst injury so far has been breaking my fifth metatarsal. I broke it on beam doing a skill that I have been able to do since I was 12 years old. I had to get surgery to get a pin put in. It took me a couple months to fully recover after the pin was taken out and the cast was taken off. WSS: What is it like managing a high school life and a gymnastics life? AO: It’s difficult to say the least. Balancing gymnastics and school is a skill many gymnasts learn early on. I’m up most nights till about 12 doing homework. WSS: How many hours/ days a week do you work out? AO: During the school year I practice 20 hours a week and during the summer time I practice somewhere around 32 hours a week. WSS: What kind of impact has gymnastics made on your life? AO: Gymnastics has taught me so many things over the years. The main thing it has taught me is that nothing comes easy in life, you have to work hard for it.
ABOVE: Aaliyah O’Connell ’15 performs a push-up handstand. RIGHT: Aaliyah O’Connell ’15 poses on the beam. for more PHOtos go to wsspaper.com
DESIGN BY//KATIE PEPLOW
MARCH 2014 SPORTS 37
MARCH 2014 ADS 38
March Madness By aaron carter
aaroncarter51298@gmail.com
photo by//madie miller ABOVE: The West High boys swimming team got first place in the state championship.
Swim team wins state
The boys swim team won the first state championship in West High history at the State swim meet on Feb. 15. By lydia Hinman
lydiahinman29@gmail.com
The boys swim team finished with 205 points, 69 points more than second place finisher Cedar Rapids Washington at the IHSAA State Championship. “It’s the most amazing feeling,” said swim coach Rob Miecznikowski on the win. The team raced past the competition by winning all three relays and having a first place finisher in four individual events. “Winning the three relays says a lot about our guys,” Assistant Coach Jordan O’Donnell said. “They put the time, the effort, and the hard work in to win. The first two relays clinched everything for us and winning the 400 free relay was just icing on the cake.”
DESIGN BY//BRITTANI LANGLAND
Overall, the Trojans won seven of 11 events. “It was a domination,” Miecznikowski said of his team’s win. “Last spring we had a team meeting and talked about everything we wanted to accomplish and at the meet, we executed all of those goals perfectly.” The team realized that they were going to win after the 200 freestyle relay, according to swimmer Mark McGlaughlin ’16.
“We knew we had [the state championship] after that,” he said. O’Donnell agreed that the 200 freestyle relay sealed the meet. “I looked at [Miecznikowski] after the relay and he just had the biggest grin on his face,” she said. for VIDEO COVERAGE go to wsspaper.com
BELOW: West swimmers at their last dual meet of the season. photo by//Megumi Kitamoto
The NCAA men’s basketball tournament is absolute “Ma-mama-ma-ma-ma-ma madness.” “Madness” by Muse was rightfully the theme song for last year’s tournament and could very well be fitting this year. With 64 teams total in the bracket, there are plenty of spots where upsets occur, the question is: where? The last two years, three teams that were seeded number two in the tournament have been kicked out in the first round. Last year, the big Cinderella team was the Wichita State Shockers, who were a number nine seed in their side of the bracket, and ended up upsetting number one Gonzaga and making a Final Four appearance. The Shockers kept on shocking the world again this year with an undefeated regular season receiving a number one seed in this years tournament. I don’t believe that they will be the team taking home the trophy, though. The Kansas Jayhawks are my favorite to win this year’s tournament. They have the size, the speed, the coaching and the freshman phenom, Andrew Wiggins. If you are wondering which lower seeded team might make a run, you might want to look at Arizona St. and even Iowa (not being biased at all). Both teams have been inconsistent but have shown signs of greatness. But it only takes one or two wins in the NCAA tournament to set a team on fire. Who else will shock the nation and make a name for themselves? Who is your dark horse pick to make a title run? An even bigger question is will anybody predict a perfect bracket and receive the $1 billion prize from Warren Buffett? Like always, March will have some miracles and plenty of surprises in store. MARCH 2014 SPORTS 39
n a j o r T PINBOARD THE n o i t a N Sports updates that caught our eye this month.
10 things you didn’t know about boys tennis coach Mitch Gross
1. He is the son of an immigrant, making him a first-generation American. 2. He has caught a marlin. 3. He is the first person in his family to earn a college degree. 4. He has been on Air Force Two. 5. He is “a longtime, and long-suffering Baltimore Orioles and New York Jets fan.” 6. He got lost at an Iowa–UTEP football game when he was eight years old and his dad had to be paged over the loud speaker at Kinnick. 7. He has three daughters: Zola, who is a 3rd grader at Wickham, Mary Danielle, who is a 1st grader at Wickham and Elsie, who will be in kindergarten next year. 8. He met his wife at a Christmas party in 1999. 9. He was the only kid in his third grade class who voted for Walter Mondale in the Weekly Reader election. PHOTO by//Lydia Hinman 10. He has a false tooth. COMPilED by//BRITTANI LANGLAND
Serving up competition
Entering the 2014 spring tennis season, the boys tennis team is 56-1 in the last three years and on a 36-game winning streak, capped off with the 2A team title last May. “I think it puts pressure on us, because everyone is out to get us, and they’re trying to beat the top team in the state, so obviously we’re everyone’s target,” said returning varsity member Karl Wenzel ’14. Wenzel draws inspiration from his teammates. “I just love being with my team [as well as] being able to compete as a unit to play for each other as we go out in our senior season,” he said. The outlook is good for another championship Karl Wenzel ’14 season. West returns seven of 12 varsity members including David DiLeo ’15, who placed fourth at the state singles tournament last year, and Blake Oetting ’14, state champion in doubles last May. With large numbers of junior varsity members, competition for a spot on varsity will be tight. “We have some really talented freshmen as well as backups who have a lot of promise,” Wenzel said. ”[Coming in], these players have the opportunity right away to compete with the best players in the state.” The season begins mid-March and concludes with the state tournament in May, but the anticipation for the season is already building. “I’m excited to be on a team that has potential to win our third state title as well as [to] mentor the incoming freshman and help foster future elite teams,” Wenzel said. COMPilED by//grace young
Mi
ca h
Ke ls
ay ’
14
Results from wrestling State Championship Team Christopher Walters ’14 John Milani ’15 Donovan Doyle ’16 Micah Kelsay ’14 Tanner Rohweder ’15
5th place 3rd place 5th place 7th place 8th place 4th place
PHOTO by//madie miller COMPilED by//tyler voss
40 SPORTS MARCH 2014
DESIGN BY//BRITTANI LANGLAND
Editorial: Snow daze After second trimester’s abundance of weather-related delays and cancellations, the ICCSD should reevaluate the way they plan for hazardous weather. It’s hard to get into the swing of things when the school weeks are as choppy as they were this winter. And while the occasional snow day is nice, they aren’t worth making days up into June. Although we have not had a winter without a snow day in years, the district did not build in any snow makeup days this year. In fact, the only kind of planning the ICCSD did for any kind of weather delay was making second trimester 61 school days long and third trimester 59 days long, which would account for just one makeup day. Despite five cancellations and many more delays, district officials did not extend the trimester, which left teachers and students with less time to finish the trimester’s planned curriculum and prepare for finals. This especially impacts students in trimester-long courses, which still could have a cumulative final despite not having as much class time as originally scheduled. Tacking on days at the end of the year is by far the simplest solution (and it appears to be the ICCSD’s preferred method), since the school district doesn’t need to reschedule anything. However, there are several other options the district has for making up these days.
One possibility would be switching to the hour system. Instead of going to school for 180 days, we would go to school for a certain number of hours. However, this change could incentivize the district to avoid delaying school so that the hours do not need to be made up, even if the weather is hazardous. Another option that the ICCSD could have planned is to cut spring break short to make up for snow days. However, it’s not the most appealing option, even though students would finish earlier in May. Many students participate in activities that occur over spring break, such as the foreign language trips. Removing the time off would make it much harder for those students, who already miss a full week of school. Additionally, cutting spring break short would probably reduce the number of students going on the Xicotepec service trip. If having 180 days per school year is so important to the school district, why don’t they add in the extra days in a way that gives all of the students the correct number of days? Having five extra days added to third trimester offers little benefit to most classes with seniors enrolled in them; since the days at the end
of the year are after graduation, remaining students in those classes will have already completed the course despite the extra days. In the past, the district has built snow makeup days into the year – usually one in February and one in April. While using the days to make up for missed school is probably not what most students would consider ideal, it would prevent the school year from dragging on for too long. In the editorial board’s collective opinion, the best solution to the snow day problem is to build in makeup days to the second trimester and use them as needed. If the district had planned two or three days into January and February (and actually used them), the transition from second to third trimesters would be a lot smoother and there would be fewer summer days to sacrifice.
Should the ICCSD change the way it plans for cancellations?
15-8
The WSS editorial board voted for the change.
Editorial Policy
The West Side Story reflects the views of the staff and does not represent the school administration, faculty or student body. Guest articles may be accepted to represent an additional point of view or as a part of a collection of reader contributions. The staff will carefully scrutinize all reader submissions. All ads are subject to approval by the business staff. Those that are libelous, obscene or plainly offensive may be rejected. The West Side Story attempts to publish all letters, which must be signed, to the Editors, but may reject submissions due to space limitations, inaccuracy or poor quality. It is the responsibility of the opinion editor to verify authorship. Editors can make minor edits for the sake of clarity, length and grammatical correctness.
41 OPINION MARCH 2014
index March
Spring break wooooooooooo0o0o0! It’s only five school days away!
plus 8
Melting snow It’s still pretty cold and gray, but at least the dingy snow mountains are slowly disappearing.
plus 2
No parking spots The front lot has been ridiculously full lately, and even the teacher lot has been full of student cars.
minus 4
Sudden homework I guess most of my teachers have realized we’re not going to get through everything by the end of the year if they don’t assign everything now.
minus 4
Equity Statement
It is the policy of the Iowa City Community School not to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, martial status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability, or socioeconomic programs, activities, or employment practices. If you believe you have (or your child has) been discriminated against or treated unjustly at your school, please contact the Equity Director, Ross Wilburn, at 509 Dubuque Street, 319-688-1000.
Quality of life
2013-2014 Editorial Board Lushia Anson Fiona Armstrong-Pavlik Stephon Berry Abby Burgess Meredith Cullen Schyler Davis Nick Deerberg Megumi Kitamoto Brittani Langland Kaitlyn McCurdy Hannah Merrill Anna Mondanaro
Katie Mons Amelia Moser Matthew Murry Blake Oetting Katie Peplow Velarchana Santhana Julia Truszkowski Tyler Voss Shirley Wang Jaycie Weathers Grace Young
Grades don’t matter Colleges won’t get any grade updates until after we’re admitted. Joke’s on them, I’m dropping everything to take five sections of Foods.
plus 1
Total: plus 3 COMPILED by/FIona armstrong-pavlik DESIGN BY//FIONA ARMSTRONG-PAVLIK
Editorial: Substantial consequences Drug use obviously has repercussions; however, West’s student handbook offers little information on the specifics of what actions the school administration can take. Behavioral guidelines in the student handbook evoke the Iowa City Community School District’s policy 502.6 on Alcohol and Other Drug Use/Abuse. Substance abuse, it says, is defined as “distribution, dispensing, manufacture, possession, use, or being under the influence” of something, then continues with a long list of substances including but not limited to things like alcohol, non-prescribed prescription drugs and controlled substances (i.e. marijuana, LSD and cocaine). Some parts of the guidelines are a bit more unclear, though. The possible consequences are prefaced with this: “Students who violate the terms of this policy may...” It’s the word “may” that seems suggestive and indicative, but not concrete. With situations that relate to substance abuse, there isn’t always a clear-cut answer as to what will happen to the student because every case is different, depending on the level of abuse
and the impact of the actions taken by the student. Many punishments are possible, but only a few are for sure. According to the West High administration team, any student found in possession can expect certain ramifications. The school will always talk first to students, then involve the parents as quickly as possible, so they can be part of the discussion. At the minimum, the student will be given a three-day suspension and the Good Conduct policy that deals with extracurriculars and athletics will come into play. Principal Jerry Arganbright emphasizes that with students found in possession, “it doesn’t matter what the circumstances are, it doesn’t matter if the next day there’s a major event; [the student’s] privileges will be revoked.” Substance abuse suspicions can be raised by teachers, students or school officials’ own observations. If a student isn’t “functioning
appropriately, [or school officials] feel like [the student] is under the influence of something,” then a school official will pull the student aside to discuss the concern, according to Assistant Principal Molly Abraham. What the administration can’t do is penalize based on suppositions. At West High, two to three members of the administration team will gather and run an investigation to ensure they have all the facts and accuracy they need to make a well-informed decision for the student’s future. During this investigation, school authorities have the right to search lockers and seize any unauthorized items they find. On school property, they do not require a search warrant and aren’t held to the standards of probable cause like the police are. When the police are involved, the potential outcome of the situation is more severe. Whether or not charges will be pressed is a decision
made by the police and not the school. And if a student is caught outside of school by the police, the police don’t have to notify school administration unless they press charges. On the other hand, school officials aren’t required to notify the police when a student under the influence or in possession is caught if they believe the situation can be resolved within the school. For many reasons, the school feels a responsibility for substance users. According to the administration, they feel obligated to provide students with information through the education system and enforce disincentives to encourage an abuse-free lifestyle.
Guest column: I love my school
by enam mohamAd I like West High School, My school is cool, I like the class, the rooms and the hall I am not just talking about how pretty our school is I love the teachers, the principal and every worker in our school Just ask for help, everyone is happy to help even during your ups and downs they’re ready to help ready to listen, to share they really do care ASK 42 OPINION MARCH 2014
Don’t you ever be shy to ask to stand by school is like a train it keeps going and going don’t you think you should be going ASK whenever you ask, you are sure to get more, then you ask again ASK Teachers are nice, and cool They’re happy to have you in school Just ASK I love my teachers, I love my school They taught me to talk, to care and to be cool To be responsible, successful everyone would like you in school They taught me to work hard believing in myself, smile, keep working, you’re sure smart enough
love you principal, love your goodness, your modest and you’re really cool, I’m so happy to be in your school Oh thanks my counselors, my teacher and every worker in our school So glad to be a graduate from this school Do you ever think to yourself, it’s the best school? I love my teachers, I love you school.
art by//leela sathyaputri DESIGN BY//FIONA ARMSTRONG-PAVLIK
Friendzoned
Mindful motives
By kelsey keranen
madie miller
kelseyjanekeranen@gmail.com
On the cosmic list of things that I disapprove of, right between internet memes and men’s rights activists, there is a magical land called the friendzone. The friendzone, just north of ignorant and southwest of hella stupid, has mass deposits of whining and “nice guys,” utilizes the tears of the weak for its sole source of water and offers no tourist attractions save for walking tours of the native towns, where everyone lives in homes that resemble enormous trash cans. In short, this is the last place your family would ever want to visit for their annual spring break fun-inthe-sun road trip extravaganza. Fortunately, there’s no way any confused moms or dads could accidentally make an ill-fated turn off the freeway into the city limits of what sounds like one of the most disgusting places on the planet. By the good grace of the universe and maybe a little bit of fairy dust, the friendzone doesn’t actually exist. Essentially, nice guys are people who try very hard to be kind to people they’re attracted to and expect 100% cooperation in return, and the friendzone is where these nice guys are sent when their feelings are not reciprocated. These people think that anyone who is blessed enough to catch their eye is obligated to give them a relationship regardless of their feelings. Honestly, when you consider it, friendzoning and nice guy syndrome seem a lot like politically correct ways to phrase “harassment.” The friendzone is sexist, demeaning and an unnecessary institution that has no moral or social value whatsoever. In saying you have been friendzoned, you are blaming someone – someone you supposedly liked – for something as arbitrary as wanting to be your DESIGN BY//FIONA ARMSTRONG-PAVLIK
friend. Care to hear that again? You are getting mad at someone for offering you friendship. It doesn’t matter how nice of an individual you’ve been; you might have managed to give them the entire world, but if they do not return your feelings you need to take a couple very big steps backwards and reevaluate your choices. The friendzone is, in reality, just a way for narcissistic people to save their egos; “they friendzoned me” is a lot easier to say than “they turned me down.” It was made up by the people whose affections were snubbed, not by the person being pursued – its only defense is entirely backed up by anger and a need to save face, not rationality. Additionally, this godforsaken zone from hell dehumanizes whoever is on the receiving end of the nice guy’s affections – if you turn the nice guy down, you become a bitch, a prude, a slut who only dates bad guys. There is no winning in the friendzone. Please never ever ever accuse someone of placing you in the friendzone. You are well on your way to becoming an awful human being (yes, you might be a “nice guy,” but that name is misleading) and no one deserves to be criticized for not wanting to enter a romantic relationship. Finally, to anyone who feels that someone is pressuring them into a relationship without mutual consent, don’t place somebody that terrible into a zone meant for friends - toss them right into the trash where they belong.
madiemllr@gmail.com
As citizens, it is safe to say many of us strive to be good people. We are all fortunate to go to a school with so many giving hearts. West High has numerous organizations and clubs that do so much good in our community. We should be proud and inspired that many of our peers are involved in helping others. However, throughout my time at West and the activities I’m involved in, I’ve begun to think about why some of my peers do the things they do. I’ve become haunted by this question: If someone does something good for the wrong reasons, is it still a good thing? There may not be a definite answer to this question, but while searching for an answer, I zeroed in on the population of West High. In this day and age some of the most prevalent things on the minds of students are getting into college (with that comes building a strong resumé) and having thriving social media accounts. I think these two popular trends play an instrumental role in how we measure being good people. One way that students build that strong resumé is with the Silver Cord system. The Silver Cord is an accomplishment that is awarded to students who complete 400 or more volunteer hours during their high school career. While this recognition is a logical way to measure devotion to service and honor students who have completed numerous hours of volunteering, it can be a dishonest incentive for some. Next time we sign up for volunteering work let’s not advertise and talk about these helpful opportunities as “easy hours.” Let’s not discuss the progress of our resumés and how the title will be a way to prove to colleges and our peers that
we are “good” people. Let’s volunteer simply because we want to. Let’s help others because we want to make a difference in someone’s life. It would be ridiculous for you to deny that technology and social media have an impact on our daily lives. We are constantly broadcasting our achievements and good deeds (among other things) online through our social media accounts. Sometimes we do this without realizing it. Why? Because we subconsciously want people to know we did something good. We need the out pour of likes and comments exclaiming, “OMG ur such a gr8 person i love you!!!” to reaffirm the idea that we are good people. Let’s take a step back and hold ourselves accountable. Here’s a crazy idea: do something good and tell no one. Be content with knowing in your heart that you did something good and made a difference. I’ve decided that volunteering is good no matter if one is doing it for the right reasons or not. I’ve also decided that the only person who can judge if you’re doing something for the right reasons is you alone. I’ve come to the conclusion that individually we need to evaluate ourselves. Let’s stop volunteering for ourselves. Let’s stop volunteering for our college resumés and Instagram likes. Let’s be content that we did something good without telling the world. I challenge us all to rethink our motivations and truly become better people.
MARCH 2014 OPINION 43
Fiction fun
Talking big
By Danial syed
By velarchana santhanA velarch9123@gmail.com
danialsyed2007@gmail.com
Let me tell you about a book. It’s called “The Kite Runner,” and it’s one of my favorites. Heartwrenching and poetic, it offers incredible insight into Afghan life. Prior to reading this book, I’d had no idea what it’d be like to grow up in Kabul – the author’s reflections on its horrors and joys are simply amazing. “The Kite Runner,” I reconcluded with every page-turn, is an incredible biography. That is, until I got to the acknowledgements at the end of the book. I then discovered something. “The Kite Runner” is a work of fiction. Now, a smarter person probably would’ve noticed that the author and the main character have different names. Or that the story had a lot of coincidences. But I’d been drawn in by its plot and characters. Everything was so artfully constructed that I didn’t even notice its foundation of lies. When I found out the truth, I felt like a four-year-old who’d been told the truth about Santa (that he pays his elves in candy canes, not gumdrops.) And then I got excited. A story doesn’t have to take place in the real world in order to say something important about it. After all, if “The Kite Runner” were a true memoir, Amir’s fatherin-law would’ve been a general because he had been promoted to the rank of general. Simple is simple. But in a work of fiction, his position holds deeper meaning. Why did the author decide that the father-in-law would be a general? Why did he make Hassan a great kite-runner, or give Baba an unwavering hatred of anything Russian? What is the author trying to say about the real Afghanistan? 44 OPINION MARCH 2014
All in all, I think these mysteries make “The Kite Runner” all the more interesting. Now, I’m not trying to bash reality or anything. I’m just saying that fiction, despite being fake, can be really helpful in understanding the world around us. As a writer, I’ve long been drawn to science fiction in particular – because with it, you can take an utterly bizarre concept and use your characters’ emotions, actions and ideas to make sense out of it. For instance, physicists foresaw the creation of nuclear weapons long before anyone actually made them; but as I found out from an article by Isaac Asimov (one of my favorite authors of all time), it was a sci-fi writer who first predicted the nuclear stalemate – he did so through one of his stories, over a decade before the bomb was actually created. So basically, fiction is cool – and it can definitely be relevant to the real world, no matter how wild it is. Take “Mistborn,” for instance; it’s an awesome book in which there’s a boatload of mist and ash everywhere, all of the plants are brown, and people try to fight an evil tyrant by eating metal. …Okay, that was a pretty awful description. But metal-eating and kandra-ception (don’t ask) aside, “Mistborn” has a lot to say about us humans. As Orson Scott Card once wrote about the author of “Mistborn,” he has “much understanding of how leadership works, how communities form, and how love really takes root in the human heart.” Then again, Orson Scott Card is the last person I’d ask about how love really takes root in the human heart ... but you get the idea.
“Hi. How are you?” “Good. You?” “Great.” “I’m glad to hear that.” “Got to go. See you later.” “Bye.” Then we both walk off. This is probably the most frequent conversation I have on a daily basis, commonly considered “small talk.” Small talk is informal communication that doesn’t serve a particular purpose but is often used as a way to fill silence. To me, the whole concept just seems pointless. I’d rather not hear about the trivial details of your day or about how it’s raining. The rationale for small talk is that we humans, as social animals, find silence to be awkward; however, this seems silly since we’re supposed to be these “intellectually” superior animals. Shouldn’t we be above awkward silences? In fact, silence can be a good thing. Silence can allow you to be more observant or let you reflect. Just because we’re sitting next to someone in silence doesn’t mean that we must force dialogue. Or if we must converse, why don’t we have conversations with meaning? I find that small talk can be awkward especially when I don’t really know someone. Often this is because we both know conversation itself is not genuine or that the only things we feel comfortable talking about are things like the weather. We would rather have a boring conversation that we know the other person will respond to versus one that may be deeper but may not have as much common ground. When someone asks me “how are you?” I always respond with a “good” - whether that is a true reflection of my feelings or not – because it has become routine.
And when I ask this question, I do so just because it’s a daily conversational ritual. We try to make this conversation seem important when in reality it isn’t, it’s just a meaningless way for us to try to establish repertoire with another person. It’s simply fake. Sure, there are merits to small talk. Of the large amount of small talk that occurs in one day, the majority is uninteresting or unimportant, but a little bit may be fascinating or lead to deeper conversation. I just think that we should strive to have those interesting conversations with people rather than talk about how we’re superficially “feeling.” I know that this isn’t something easily changed because it is how humans socialize, but to me it seems more important that I actually get to know someone rather than entertain a meaningless conversation. We should try to have real conversations that mean something, that teach you something, establish a connection. I’d rather talk about current events or space or cows than have the same, bland discussion about weather. So next time I start to engage in small talk, I’m going to try to go about it with meaning, and you should too.
DESIGN BY//FIONA ARMSTRONG-PAVLIK
P.O.S. of the month
1998 Ford Prism
Samantha Ruback ’15
“
It got too cold this year, and my dad tried to open the door, and the handle snapped off. So we had to tie a piece of twine to the metal where the door handle attaches and that keeps freezing up, so it’s really hard to pull.”
“
The car has crank down windows so you have to manually crank them down instead of just pressing a button.”
“ “
During winter, the steering wheel will freeze in its place and get locked up so you have to sit and jerk it back and forth for like five minutes because it just won’t turn.”
The windshield wipers: only one will actually work, both move, but one will just go above the water.”
{
Complete the
lyrics
With Sophi Brenneman
DESIGN BY//KATIE MONS
“Feel Again” by OneRepublic
WSS: It’s been a long time coming since I’ve seen your Brenneman: ears. WSS: Every thing that I had until my feet went Brenneman: stinky. WSS: It’s like a million dollar phone that you just can’t Brenneman: call me on. WSS: I was a lonely soul but that’s the Brenneman: fool in me.
COMPILED by//BROOKE LOFGREN
“Die Young” by Ke$ha
WSS: I hear your heart beat to the beat of the Brenneman: drum. WSS: Let’s make the most of the night like we’re gonna Brenneman: fly away. WSS: Take my hand I’ll show you the Brenneman: right way to do it. WSS: Oh what a shame that you came here Brenneman: expecting me to
be here.
“Marry Me” by Jason DeRulo
WSS: A hundred and five is the number that comes to my head when I think of all the years I want to Brenneman: go to the dog park. WSS: Buy you everything all the Brenneman: jewel studded collars. WSS: I wake up every morning with you in my Brenneman: yard. COMPILED by//ANNA MONDANARO
MARCH 2014 HUMOR 45
PHOTOS by//abby burgess and brooke lofgren for VIDEO COVERAGE go to wsspaper.com
D a n ce
For
Humanity
West High’s 1440 Interact Club teamed up with Habitat for Humanity at the Old Brick Church to dance the night away while raising money for a good cause. TOP LEFT: A jazz band plays for all to enjoy. TOP RIGHT: Zainab Makky ‘16 gives a lift while dancing. MIDDLE: West students choreograph a line dance, miles all around. LEFT: Brendan O’Sullivan ‘14 and Emily Starman ‘14 enjoy their time dancing together.
DESIGN BY//JAYCIE WEATHERS
MARCH 2014 46
MARCH 2014 ADS 47
D by//k COMPilE
lo atie pep
“
w & Luc
y Blair
Well, my right arm has the birth and death date of my grandma, and the left is for my grandpa. I got them because both my grandparents influenced my life decisions and I
always want them right
by my side. Kinda cheesy, I know.” -Alice Kolder ’14
“
PHOTO by//NICK DEERBERG
It says ‘Let It Be,’ and it's on my forearm. I got it because it's
“
PHOTO by//MADIE MILLER
My tattoo means a lot to me. It is the word love written in my aunt’s handwriting. She died last April, and I have missed her every day. I wanted to get something to remind me of her and how much love we shared, so I got my tattoo. I absolutely love
a daily
reminder to let things go, which I used to have problems with, and so having it there is a good way to keep myself calm when things are hard. It's a song title from The Beatles, which is also my favorite band.” -Kayla Culjat ’14
it, and every time I see it, I
smile because it reminds me of the best aunt ever.”
-Bailey Ryan ’14
PHOTO by//GAGE VAN DYKE
DESIGN BY//APOORVA RAIKWAR
fo r m o re cove ra ge go to w ss pa pe r.co m