2022-05-24

WEST SI DE STO RY IOWA CITY WEST HIGH SCHOOL

2901 MELROSE AVE.

IOWA CITY, IA 52246

WSSPAPER.COM

VOLUME 54 ISSUE 6

MAY 24

WRITE THIS DOWN A look into the life of Pammie Quintero Rodriquez

SACHIKO GOTO Luka Keeney ‘25 plays “Hello Hello” on the guitar at the Community Inclusion Club’s annual talent show April 21.

PHOTO FEATURE

CONTENTS Hey there!

4 NEWS

News Briefs

6 8 10 14 16 18

FEATURE

Silenced Speech

PROFILES

Faculty Farewell

COVER Write this Down

Our names are Katherine Shoppa and Krisha Kapoor and we are the print co-editorin-chiefs for the 22-23 school year.

This year was an attempt to return to “normalcy.” However, it has continued to be altered by the pandemic. Be proud of how many ups and downs we’ve overcome while you see the last of your peers in the bustling entrance of the building.

As you make your way through the West hallways for the final times this year you might recognize the smiling face of Pammie Quintero Rodriguez ’23. Turn to page 10 to learn about Pammie’s life, joy and her experiences with her health conditions.

Looking around, you probably see many kids on their phones, no doubt on social media, immersed in a digital world where people share their thoughts – no matter how radical. For a deeper look into censorship and free speech on social media, flip to page 6.

Exiting the building, you might be met by both sunshine and curiosity about what the summer days will bring. If you’re looking for activities to fill your time, look no further than page 16 for ideas of things to do from a picnic to volunteering.

Have a great summer, West!

SPORTS Top 5 Sports Moments of the School Year

ENTERTAINMENT Summer Bucket List

OPINION

Overcome Where is the Rainbow?

Scan here for mental health resources.

KRISHA KAPOOR

KATHERINE SHOPPA

(she/her)

(they/them)

PRINT STAFF LIST Athena Wu Camille Gretter

Artist, Reporter Online Editor-inChief Caroline Barker* Photo Editor Caroline Copy Co-Editor, Mascardo* Editorial Editor Defne Bayman Photographer, Designer Ella De Young* Managing Editor Eva Jordan* Entertainment Editor Ginger McCartney Designer, Reporter Grace Huang* Health & Science Editor Hanah Kitamoto* Print Co-EditorIn-Chief Heidi Du* Copy Editor Helen Zhang* Columns Editor Jack Alden Reporter, Designer Jane Lam Reporter, Photographer Kailey Gee* Print Co-EditorIn-Chief Kamakshee Assistant Copy Kuchhal* Editor Katherine Shoppa* Print Co-Editor-In-

BOLDED NAMES DENOTE SENIORS *Editorial Board member

Krisha Kapoor* Lilly Graham* Lily Prochaska* Maya Chu* Miguel Cohen Suarez Misha Canin*

Chief Print Co-Editor-InChief News Editor Sports Editor Feature Editor Sports Reporter

Managing Editor, Business Co-Editor Owen Aanestad* Online Editor-inChief Rosemary Timmer- Editorial Editor Hackert* Ruba AhmedBusiness Co-Editor, Abdelmutalab* Profiles Co-Editor Sachiko Goto* Design Editor Sara Whittaker Adviser Sila Duran* Assistant Desgin Editor Sofia Wells-Lu Designer Soomin Koh* Profiles Co-Editor William Cheng* Visuals Editor Xiaoyi Zhu* Design Editor Zaira Ahmad* Profiles Editor Zoey Guo* Art Editor

NEWS BRIEFS

As the 2021-2022 school year draws to a close, WSS highlights recent news ranging from spring sports to prom.

BY LILLY GRAHAM

DESIGN BY SACHIKO GOTO

COVID-19 UPDATE ENTERING SUMMER 2022

PHOTO COURTESY OF UNSPLASH

With the ICCSD dropping its mask mandate in early March and major airlines no longer requiring masks onboard domestic flights, there is hope that this summer will be closer to pre-pandemic normalcy. However, epidemiologists caution against this optimism. There are fears that a more potent variant will emerge, similar to how the Delta variant diminished hope of the pandemic waning last summer. With at-home COVID-19 testing becoming popular, experts are concerned that most positive cases will go unreported, leading to an undercount of COVID-19 cases across the country. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation estimates that a mere 7% of COVID-19 positive tests are being recorded in the US.

STUDENT GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS Having planned this year’s homecoming, initiated the Green Bandana Project and assisted the Best of West Program, West High Student Government is active again, following a hiatus during the 2020-2021 school year. To implement the Green Bandana Project, Student Government handed out six hundred green bandanas to students for them to display their solidarity for those with mental health struggles. The Best of West service connects West students to peers who can tutor them in standardized testing, academics and extracurriculars. Student Government held elections for next year’s president and vice president on April 29. The president is required to be a rising senior and their vice president a rising junior. Jayden Shin ’23 and Cindy Wang ’24 won the election and will lead Student Government next year.

PHOTO BY SACHIKO GOTO

SPRING SPORTS SUMMARY

PHOTO BY MADDY SMITH

04 NEWS

MAY 24, 2022

As the regular season for spring sports ends, teams are beginning to prepare for state tournaments. With a second-place finish at state last year, the boys soccer team maintains a 10-2 record, and Michael Nelson ’23 leads the team with 21 goals scored. The girls soccer team secured a win over Liberty and is 5-5 in the regular season. At the Drake Relays, West’s track and field team placed 3rd in the boys 4x100-meter relay (Rent ’24, Loveless ’24, Janis ’23 and Gudenkauf ’22), and Erinn Varga ’24 finished 6th in the 400-meter hurdles. The currently-undefeated boys’ tennis team looks forward to another run at the 2A state title.

The girls’ tennis team has a regular season record of 3-10.

All season records were current as of print time.

PROM Although West decided against starting the tradition of hosting a winter formal due to concerns of COVID-19 transmission, the upperclassmen were still able to enjoy prom May 7 at the Courtyard Marriott Rooftop in University Heights. It has been two years since West held a conventional prom, with last year’s event consisting of outdoor games on the football field and track in order to promote social distancing. With the theme of “Enchanted Garden,” this year’s prom ran from 7-10 p.m. At 8:45 there was a flashlight wave towards the Iowa Children’s Hospital. The planned waltz dance, inspired by Netflix’s hit show “Bridgerton,” was unable to occur due to technical difficulties.

PHOTO BY HELELIA WA KALALA

FUNDING FOR BIG IDEA HUNT 2022 WINNERS

PHOTO COURTESY OF FOUNDATION FOR THE ICCSD

The Foundation for the ICCSD awarded grants to two projects at West, which were winners of the Big Idea Hunt 2022. The music department won funding for a new Digital Audio Production course, which currently has 93 registration requests for next year. West High also secured a grant for the creation of a NESTT, Navigating Emotions and Stress Through Training center, which will provide mental health services and help students develop coping strategies. Also funded by Foundation for the ICCSD, City High’s NESTT space is supported by research in trauma-informed practice to build a safe space for all students.

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH The CDC estimates that over 50% of Americans will be diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder within their lifetimes. Exacerbating this statistic is a trend of unusually high rates of poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. With mental health struggles becoming increasingly widespread, recognizing May as Mental Health Awareness Month is important. Mental Health Awareness Month is designed to destigmatize mental health, educate the public and spread mental health resources. At West High, both the guidance department and Student Family Advocates are available to connect students with the help they need.

PHOTO COURTESY OF VISTACREATE

ANTI-LGBTQ+ LEGISLATION

PHOTO BY SACHIKO GOTO

A recent state law in Florida, known as the “don’t say gay” bill, prohibits classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity from kingergarten through third grade.

Anti-LGBTQ+ legislation isn’t unique to Florida. Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott issued a directive to Texan health agencies declaring that providing gender-affirming medical treatments to trans and nonbinary youth “constitutes child abuse.” In response, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services stated that denying trans youth medical care is discriminatory and illegal. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill that only allows people assigned female at birth to play girls sports on March 3. West’s COLORS Club hopes to wear and distribute armbands of the trans flag to display solidarity and to protest anti-LGBTQ+ laws, specifically the recently passed anti-trans legislation in Iowa.

NEWS MAY 24, 2022

05

SILENCED With social media being home to an abundance of opinions, news and debates, discussions surrounding censorship have emerged.

BY MAYA CHU AND JANE LAM

T

06 FEATURE MAY 24, 2022

witter announced April 25 that it accepted Elon Musk’s offer to buy the social media platform for $44 billion. Musk, the CEO of Tesla and an avid Twitter user, hopes to make the platform a hub for free speech. He also said March 10 that he plans to reverse Twitter’s ban of former President Donald Trump’s account.

Musk’s plans for Twitter have sparked debate over whether social media companies should censor content they deem inappropriate.

Miles Clark ’22 believes Musk’s Twitter takeover is a step in the right direction.

“One of his primary goals … is to encourage the making of a platform where everyone can say their own thoughts, and they won’t have fear of getting banned from the website,” Clark said.

“It’s going to be an intellectual hub for all different ideas.”

To Clark, social media censorship is almost always a bad thing because it can create a less informed society. He believes even if something is not factually correct, it is still productive and allows people to interact with information.

“If you have a large quantity of viewpoints represented in your discussion circle … then you can do what’s called ‘testing’ of those ideas,” Clark said. “That includes arguing against said ideas and finding out what is wrong or right with those ideas. That’s why having intellectual diversity is good — it allows all of the viewpoints to get thoroughly examined and then have the best one rise to the top.”

One example Clark provides of this argument testing comes from debates over COVID-19 vaccines.

“Whenever I argue with someone who doesn’t like the COVID vaccine, they always come up with some point that I could have never imagined existed,” Clark said. “So I can never prepare a response to it beforehand …because as soon as [a user] would post it, it would get taken down.”

West alumni Jeff Albright is the President of Yanmar America, a global diesel engine and manufacturing company based in Japan. In the early 2000s, he did business in Shanghai and witnessed the effects of censorship in China, which has one of the world’s most restrictive media environments. Albright says that although social media has the potential to connect many viewpoints, it often fails to happen due to online

echo chambers, where people are only exposed to their own beliefs.

“There are two different things going on: users won’t see that information and most people aren’t looking for opposing viewpoints,” Albright said. “Most people are looking to simplify life.”

Albright’s experience in China shaped his views on censorship and led to a greater appreciation for the comparatively uncensored media culture in the US. “I’ve come to value our approach to the world.

Politicians in America, their corruption is often first rooted out by the press. Business people, their misdeeds are often pointed out by a free press or open speech,” Albright said. “That is a really important fabric of who we are.”

“ WH E N … A COM PANY CE N SORS YOU, THAT’S BASICALLY TAKI NG AWAY YOU R R IG HT TO FR E E DOM OF SPE ECH I N TH E ON LI N E WOR LD” -TOM MY PI ERCE ‘22 When taken to such an extreme, the effects of censorship can shape how young people grow up and formulate opinions. Albright observed this as a graduate student in Hong Kong.

“In my opinion, more and more Chinese youth are very nationalistic [and] they see a very narrow view of the world,” Albright said. “A few of [my classmates] were very sensitive to any criti-

“ [FR E E SPE ECH] I S A R EALLY I M PORTANT FAB R IC OF WHO WE AR E” -J EFF ALBRIGHT, PRESI DENT OF YAN MAR AM ERICA

SPEECH cism of the Chinese government.”

Although Albright believes it is difficult to draw a line for when censorship goes too far, he says there should be restrictions for speech with dangerous implications.

“For people who are trying to incite violence or disadvantage others … there should be some kind of guardrails,” Albright said.

Even for content such as hate speech, Clark thinks censorship sets a bad precedent.

“Allowing people to take down what they deem as hate speech … could lead to the ability to have complete suppression,” Clark said. “It’s hard for me to think of a case where hate speech should be banned unless it is actively calling for violence against a specific person.”

Briar Martin ’24 often uses Instagram to speak out on social issues and is conflicted about social media censorship. She believes in giving people a platform to speak on issues that matter to them, but says it is important to minimize harm and avoid perpetuating hate online.

“A lot of the time, certain companies will censor things that shouldn’t be [censored]. For example, on TikTok … there are videos that are taken off the ‘For You page’ because they’re calling out racism or things like that,” Martin said. “I think censorship should only be against things that are actually harmful.”

The discussion surrounding damaging content reached a peak when whistleblower Frances Haugen ’02 exposed Facebook’s practice of boosting the visibility of violent and controversial content to spark more interaction with posts and the app overall. This claim initiated further

debate about the power of big social media corporations.

On the other end of the spectrum, companies have also come under fire for too much censorship. Flagging posts and banning users may seem unconstitutional to some, but the First Amendment does not protect freedom of speech on social media as it only applies to the government restricting speech, not private actors like Twitter or Instagram.

Even so, there are instances in which users believe social media companies are unfairly removing content. For example, Clark believes politically-targeted censorship is almost guaranteed.

“You look at the Twitter staff, and [almost all] of their donations go to … the Democratic Party, and so they’re going to have their own bias inserted into what they flag, whether they like it or not,” Clark said.

Musk’s recent purchase of Twitter has been praised by those who disagree with past actions of the platform. One example of this is Twitter’s removal of a New York Post article which exposed negative content from Hunter Biden’s laptop.

“They released [the article] right before the election, and it’s a factually correct story. And Twitter banned them and stopped the spread of that article specifically,” Clark said. “Censorship of some ideas can influence election results [at the extreme], but broadly, having less informed societies is a bad thing too, maybe even worse than the results of one specific election.”

On many popular social media apps, a combi-

ART, PHOTO & DESIGN

BY WILLIAM CHENG

nation of artificial intelligence technology and staff who professionally review posts influence content censorship. Apps also allow users to report harmful content that violates standards set by the platform. These reports are then reviewed by real content moderators. However, personal bias can impact reviews of the content, which raises major questions over how social media censorship should be structured.

“In reality, you’re not going to be able to satisfy everyone,” said Tommy Pierce ’22. “Something [can be] offensive to one person, but there’s too much gray area to decide what qualifies as offensive.”

Some apps have begun looking into AI for answers, hoping for a non-biased perspective from a machine without the ability to connect on a personal level. However, these algorithms can be equally as harmful when determining which posts should be flagged or taken down.

For example, activists who wish to reclaim hurtful words or slurs are often flagged because some algorithms target the usage of particular terms. A study by the University of Washington and Carnegie Mellon University found that tweets written in African American Vernacular English were twice as likely to be flagged and labeled as offensive.

Pierce emphasizes how censorship can hinder social media’s role as a platform for people to express their thoughts.

“People won’t be able to speak up or speak about ... issues important to them because they have no way to do so,” Pierce said.

FEATURE MAY 24, 2022

07

FACULTY FAREWELL WSS SAYS GOODBYE TO THREE STAFF MEMBERS WHO WILL BE LEAVING WEST HIGH AFTER THIS SCHOOL YEAR.

BY HEIDI DU PHOTOS BY DEFNE BAYMAN DESIGN BY ATHENA WU

CHARLIE STUMPFF

08 PROFILES MAY 24, 2022

WSS: “How has it felt for you to experience West High growing in the past 30 years?”

Stumpff: “Mr. Welch is who I have lunch with, [and] the music department is just incredible. I have close ties to the athletic department, and we’ve just grown and [had] lots of really good student athletes and just a lot of really good teacher-coaches that have just embraced the culture. I think anybody who has been here is very proud of where we’ve come to and what we’ve accomplished here, and I look forward to seeing West continue that.”

WSS: “What parting advice would you give to athletes at West?”

Stumpff: “You know, we always have those goals like, ‘Oh, we’re gonna win conference, gonna go to state, win state.’ Those are your dreams, and they’re just dreams if you’re not going to do the daily work. We’re like everything else, whether it’s a musician or athlete, you do [the work] and then it’s time to perform and the lights are on, so we want to perform well.”

WSS: “What are some things you’ll remember the most about coaching at West?”

Stumpff: “It’s gonna be memories. That’s what I found. Rarely do we talk about that game, that thing, that score. It’s the goofy thing that happened on the bus ride, the thing that happened in practice. And you know, I don’t think enjoying the experience and winning should be mutually exclusive. We want to have good memories, and we hope we’ve got enough to meet all those goals, but we’re going to enjoy the ride on the way to that final place.”

WSS: “What will you miss the most about West?”

Stumpff: “The whole essence of teaching and coaching is forming relationships, and I won’t have that anymore. Every year is a whole bunch of new people: you get to learn and see where they came from, where they’re going, what they’re doing and how we can help along the way. I think that’s what I’ll miss. The faculty and my peers and you guys, students, [I] learn so much. And that old adage is [that] you guys do keep us young. So I appreciate that.”

WSS: “What are your reasons for retiring this year?”

Stumpff: “I’m old. It just seems the time is right for another journey in life. You know, you just have to be cognizant of your age and I’d like to do some other things and not be tied down to an eight-to-four job — coaching is much more, nine months out of the year. [But] I look forward to coming to work, look forward to coaching with my guys, so it’s nothing negative. It’s more [I’m] ready for a new journey, a new place to go.”

RICH MEDD WSS: “What is your favorite thing about teaching music at West?”

Medd: “The number one [thing] is the type of student that I get to work with here at West. The students here, I think, fit my personality better than pretty much any other high school in Iowa [I’ve worked at.] I get the feeling [that] teaching here with the band and orchestra students is more of a small college atmosphere sometimes. There’s just something about West High that I feel like I connect with.”

WSS: “What are some of your best memories at West?”

Medd: “I think, more often than not, the greatest memories I have are just being able to stand in front of the Jazz Ensemble at the end of the year and just listen to them play together as a professional band.

They don’t need a conductor anymore and I just listen to them play with all sorts of emotion and subtlety.”

WSS: “How do you feel about leaving West High after 27 years?”

Medd: “[I’m feeling] very bittersweet about retiring. It’s the right thing to do for my health and the right thing to do for the family and it’s not really retirement, it’s just an opportunity to flip and try something else for a while. I just don’t really know what that is besides playing and teaching lessons. The opportunity was there and talking to a lot of my family and the other musicians that I know and other teachers, they said, ‘Yeah, this is a good opportunity. So, give it a shot.’”

WSS: “What will you miss about West High?”

Medd: “Most of it is just developing relationships with the students and then also being able to teach music. And that’s been the thing that makes me a little sad or emotional about leaving, because that’s what I’m gonna miss.”

CHRIS MARKS WSS: “What’s your favorite part about being a para?”

Marks: “My favorite part is when a light bulb goes off in a student’s mind [about] something they were having problems understanding.

I can help them, and all of a sudden they say, ‘Aha, I know how to do this now.’ If I can get students to do those things, I’m doing my job well.”

WSS: “Do you have any favorite memories that you’ve made from teaching here?”

Marks: “Well, always relationships, I’ve struck up with some of the kids. It always keeps you young, working with high school teenagers, and confounding at the same time. But yeah, I’ve enjoyed assisting the students I’ve been assigned to.”

WSS: “What are some things that you’ll miss most about West?”

Marks: “I’ve always been impressed by the dedication of the teachers to their profession here. I’ve never met a teacher here who is not dedicated to their students. So I will miss observing that in the classroom.”

WSS: “What are your reasons for retiring this school year?”

Marks: “I’m aging out. I’m 65 years old. And there are a number of things I want to do in my remaining years: travel, walk my dogs, relax and read. So I’ve worked long enough.”

PROFILES MAY 24, 2022

09

WRITE THIS DOWN Pammie Quintero Rodriguez ’23 shares how her culture, family and health have shaped her identity.

BY ZAIRA AHMAD & KAMAKSHEE KUCHHAL

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apping out the rhythm with her sparkly boots against the band room carpet, the strumming of a guitar and piano notes fill the air. She grins ear-to-ear as the opening lyrics of her favorite song, “Write This Down” by George Strait, come easily to her. In tune with the upbeat melody of the country piece, her voice flows through the microphone. The crowd goes wild after Pammie Quintero Rodriguez ’23 tips her cowboy hat at the end of her performance.

HOME

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hrough her singing and enthusiasm to meet new people, those who know Pammie recognize that she takes pride in who she is. Her Mexican culture and family have played large roles in forming her identity, including her name.

“I go by Pammie and sometimes Pam,” Pammie said. “My grandma made it up that sometimes I get called ‘P’. Sometimes my mom would call me Pame. That’s the Spanish way of saying my name.”

In Mexican culture, it is often believed that “what God has united cannot be separated by man.” In relation to this, Mexican families are generally very close.

Alex Garcia has been a paraeducator at West for 12 years and worked with Pammie for the past two. She observes the different ways in which family plays a role in Pammie’s life.

“In Mexican culture, family is very important, and it is reflected in Pammie [in] the way she’s shaped [and] how united her family is,” Garcia said.

When she was born, doctors told Pammie’s parents she wouldn’t live to her first birthday.

She was born with multiple health conditions, including a dislocated hip, scoliosis, cataracts, heart problems and a weak immune system.

Due to this, she has had to undergo many procedures and recoveries in the hospital. Throughout her life, family has taught Pammie strength.

Her mom provided encouragement during her time in the hospital and continues to guide her through life.

“I don’t think I would’ve gotten far if it hadn’t been for my mom, who did everything for me.

[She] supported me when I was in the hospital and had to teach me how to talk because I didn’t talk at first and [didn’t start] talking until speech therapy. And they told her that she needed to read to me and sing to me,” Pammie said. “ I feel really grateful that I’ve gotten this far because my mom helped me so much.”

Patricia Rodríguez, Pammie’s mom, has been

her main caretaker for most of Pammie’s life.

Patricia believes that resilience and faith were necessary to get through the tough times.

“She believes we [helped her overcome challenges]. But when she was born, with so many health difficulties and so much need for medical assistance, there was no other way. We had to be strong for her and try our best as parents and trust what the doctor was saying,” Patricia said.

Pammie’s family extends beyond blood relations. When Patricia first moved to the U.S. from Mexico, she met Wayne and Jackie Johnson — an American couple. Patricia asked the two if she could live in their basement as she searched for an apartment. The Johnsons welcomed her with open arms and offered Pammie the same love when she was born.

“When Pammie was born, they started to call her granddaughter. Grandpa Wayne Johnson was the one that was taking me to the pregnancy appointments because I didn’t know any English. He learned Spanish and was my inter-

“My quinceañera was really special. Everybody — my friends, my family and some of my relatives — came over. In Mexican culture, there’s always a mass before the celebration where the Father gives you a blessing to congratulate you and your 15 years of life,” Pammie said.

Surrounded by her family, including her parents and two younger siblings, James and Quetci, Pammie says her quinceañera was one of the happiest, most unforgettable moments in her life.

“Now that I’m 16, it was like a miracle to my family, so they made [my quinceañera] extra special,” Pammie said. “I felt proud of myself for sticking up and proving to the doctors what I could actually do rather than what they thought I could do.”

As Pammie continues to grow older, she follows her passions and shares her love of music, a big part of Mexican culture.

“I listened to mostly Mexican music because that’s what my parents [would] listen to. When I

I FELT PRO U D OF MYSELF FOR STICKIN G U P A N D PRO VIN G TO THE DOC TORS WHAT I CO U L D AC TUALLY DO RATHER THA N WHAT THE Y THO U G HT I CO U L D DO. -PAMMIE Q UIN TERO RODRIG U EZ ’ 23 preter,” Patricia said. “Since they showed us all of their love and let us stay at their house, we just became family.”

Pammie calls the Johnsons her “grandparents” and visits them after school and over the weekends as they help take care of her. She cherishes the many memories she has with them.

“My favorite memory [with my grandparents] is probably playing hide-and-go-seek around the house because we used to do that a lot.

And [my grandpa] also made me laugh when I was younger; he would chase me around their house,” Pammie said.

Another core memory in Pammie’s life was her 15th birthday. She celebrated with a quinceañera, a special gathering that marks an important milestone in a girl’s life with cultural roots in Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean.

was in elementary school, they had talent shows.

I would try out for that every year, and that’s kind of how I started,” Pammie said. “My culture really played into [my] love for music.”

PAMMIE’S PASSIONS

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long with her family, music has stayed a constant in Pammie’s life since she comes from a highly musical environment. Everyone on both sides of Pammie’s family loves music — it is in her genes. Patricia describes how music played a pivotal role in Pammie’s life as an infant.

“She doesn’t remember this, but [in] the unit we were staying in, the nurses had a CD player with all kinds of lullabies. I noticed, when she

SHE THINKS SHE G OT HER STREN GTH FROM M E B U T I THINK WE G OT IT FROM HER .

-PATRICIA RODRÍG U EZ was little, she was crying so much because we didn’t know all of her illnesses yet,” Patricia said.

“I had this exercise ball, and as soon as she was in my arms, bouncing and listening to music, she was happy.”

Although Mexican music still holds a special place in her heart, Pammie also enjoys country music. Two of her favorite artists are Taylor Swift and George Strait.

“She’s always talked about how much she loves music and dancing. I was surprised to find out her love for George Strait; it’s a little funny considering how young she is, and he’s been around for a while,” Garcia said.

George Strait is an American singer known as the “King of Country.” Pammie has found meaningful messages in the lyrics of Strait’s songs, which serve as a constant reminder to persevere through every step of her life.

“Since I’ve been listening to George Strait, I think that I’ve learned to believe in myself and keep pushing to do my work, but not exert myself to where I can’t do it anymore,” Pammie said.

Her process for choosing songs in talent shows lies in whether or not it is upbeat and familiar to

her. It is no surprise that Pammie chose to sing “Write This Down” by George Strait at the annual Talent Show and Family Night put on by West’s Community Inclusion Club on April 21. “[The talent show] was really fun. I liked seeing everybody there, and I got so much applause when I was done. I was happy that I was invited to join; I was actually kind of ready, because I listen to George Strait every single day,” Pammie said.

Performing is something that comes easy to Pammie. Her confidence allows her to overcome nerves and now, she’s always happy to perform for a crowd.

“She was very excited about [the talent show]. I would ask her if she was nervous, and she would be like, ‘No, I’m not nervous,’” Garcia said. “The joy on her face performing in front of people was really touching. She’s a good performer; she knows how to work the crowd. She got them clapping along — she was hooting and hollering.”

Music has also provided Pammie with comfort through the years. Even during challenging times, she knows music will always be there for

her.

“Since I’ve gotten older, [music] makes me feel relaxed. It sort of helps me get through the stressful times at school,” Pammie said. “When I have tests and quizzes and projects due, I’ll listen to music, and that will kind of destress my brain. When I’m in the hospital, it helps me get my mind off things when I’m sick and tired and in bed.”

Patricia’s favorite memory of Pammie’s early exposure to music is from the time when Pammie was in a cast from her waist to the tip of her ankles. Whenever Patricia would play music for Pammie, she would wiggle her toes to the song.

“That’s one of my memories that always keeps me strong or keeps me going. Because for her, it doesn’t matter what she’s facing, she’s still showing us that she wants to be happy,” Patricia said.

NEVER GIVE UP

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or the first two years of her life, Pammie was often in and out of the hospital. She would go for months at a time and only come home for a couple of weeks. Patricia spent days in the hospital, supporting Pammie.

During this time, she faced linguistic barriers while communicating in the hospital.

“The most difficult [time] was when she was born because she needed so many surgeries. At the beginning, it was so hard because she wasn’t talking [or] walking because her hip was dislocated. There were not a lot of translators or interpreters at the hospital; the language was the hardest part because I wanted to understand everything so I could help,” Patricia said.

Many of Pammie’s challenges stem from difficult recoveries, especially due to negative reactions to anesthetics where she would get extremely sick and have to spend weeks at the hospital.

“Through all of those heart surgeries, we were sad, but at the same time, we just wanted her to have the best life possible,” Patricia said. “I just promised to God, ‘If you let Pammie stay with us, I will devote my life to her.’”

During Pammie’s second heart surgery, the doctors told Patricia that Pammie was dying due to bleeding they couldn’t stop. All Patricia wanted was for Pammie to see the beauty of the world, so she prayed to God for her survival.

Later, doctors informed her that Pammie had finally stopped bleeding and she would be okay.

Patricia believes that was the day she discovered faith.

“After seeing how much she has to fight, I have to fight for her … she finds the way to be positive — her courage, her strong spirit — I think it has

helped us all. Everybody who has been around Pammie [has] said [she] is their inspiration,” Patricia said.

Pammie often worries about missing schoolwork and feels the need to complete it all at once. Her teachers regularly email her, letting her know they want her to focus on her health, but it is still hard for Pammie to do. “[I admire] how much she loves school. She has a lot of struggles with her health and sometimes tends to miss classes, but it doesn’t deter her from working hard and making up whatever she misses. She just wants to succeed and keep moving forward,” Garcia said.

Pammie has an IEP — Individualized Education Program — that entails reduced work. However, being in and out of the hospital still makes it hard to keep up. Pammie regularly goes to her grandma’s house to complete work. She tries her hardest, but sometimes there isn’t enough time to do everything, and it can be difficult for Pammie to speak up about the workload.

“I would say that the teachers would always be glad to help me. I just have a hard time saying, ‘this is too much work,’” Pammie said.

Garcia’s main focus is Pammie’s health, always using her mantra, “health comes first.” Whenever Garcia senses Pammie’s stress, she makes sure to ask if she’s feeling okay, her way of telling Pammie she can take a break.

“She also gets worried and stressed when it takes her longer to catch up on her work. She doesn’t always like to voice it, so I don’t always catch it,” Garcia said. “But her teachers are so flexible and so accommodating, so that’s been wonderful.”

Through her experiences, Pammie has learned that doing all of her work at once isn’t always beneficial. She now knows that she can take time for herself and that make-up work is okay.

“If I’m having a struggle or something I don’t want to do, [I remember] if Pammie can do it, I can do it,” Garcia said.

Inspired by her own life, Pammie wrote an essay titled “Never Give Up”, detailing her experiences in and out of the hospital. She hopes to keep working hard in her future and inspiring others.

“She said that even with [her struggles], she loves to go to school, wants to go to college one day and she wants to be a child life specialist and never give up. That’s what she wants to express to the world,” Patricia said.

Patricia and Pammie have learned from each other through their tough times in and out of the hospital. The positive outlook on life that Pammie carries has also meant a great deal to her mother.

“I feel like the best of this has been Pammie’s attitude — that she’s always been so positive when I was crying and falling apart. She was smiling with tubes in her mouth; she was always happy.

You would see her struggling with her walker, but she was still happy. She was still smiling,” Patricia said. “I feel like everything has been easier because of her strength and love for life. She just loves life.”

Patricia explains how their family is grateful for all of the help they’ve received along the way.

“The whole community, the school, the hospital, the health workers were the key. We are so blessed that she had so much support from the school,” Patricia said.

Family, friends, school and hospital staff have all helped Pammie come thus far, but ultimately, her accomplishments come from her own resilience. Patricia feels Pammie is the reason her family got through their tough times.

“She thinks she got her strength from me, but I think we got it from her,” Patricia said.

Pammie believes that people with disabilities should be referred to as those that need a little extra help or support. With specific accommodations, they can do anything they put their mind to.

“I think people should not believe that [people with disabilities] are not worth it and that they’re not going to do anything, like impact anything in life, because they have a disability,” Pammie said.

Through it all, Pammie now knows her own limits but continues to hope for a fulfilling future.

“At first, I thought [my disability] was something working against me, because I didn’t really understand all I had,” Pammie said. “But then, as I grow older, I become more worried that I can’t necessarily do everything, but I also become more happy with myself [and] all I can accomplish.”

PHOTOS BY SACHIKO GOTO ART & DESIGN BY GINGER MCCARTNEY

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COACHES AND ATHLETES REFLECT ON THE TOP SPORTS MOMENTS OF THE YEAR.

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Going into their second crosstown-rival game against City High, the girls and boys basketball teams were eager to stay on top. “It was one of the most important games of the season, and we knew we were the underdogs,” said varsity player Carolyn Pierce ’23. During the girls’ game, the Trojans and previously undefeated Little Hawks left the crowd captivated at halftime with a score of 23-23.

With 11 seconds left in the last quarter, Keiko Ono-Fullard ’23 made a free throw to bring the final score to 52-49.

“When we won, it was one of the best feelings because we worked hard as a team, cheering and playing together, and that’s how we wanted to win — as a team, together,” Pierce said. Later in the night, during the boys’ game, the Little Hawks’s defense kept West down 22-34 going into the second half. While City was up by seven points going into the third quarter, West fought back and found themselves tied 62-62 with under a minute left. Christian Barnes ’22 made back-to-back free throws after getting fouled, and the boys’ basketball team completed the sweep with a score of 68-62. “It was a great team win against [City].

It was a high-level game with a lot of energy from both sides,” said varsity player Kareem Earl ’24. “That big win gave us more momentum moving forward in the season.”

O B Y OW E N A A N E S TA D

Around ten years ago, on Aug. 11, 2011, the West High community and volleyball team lost a teammate, leader and friend. Caroline “Line” Found passed away from a moped accident just before the start of her senior season. A decade later, the West volleyball team continues to honor her by retiring her number 9. The volleyball team stood together as Caroline’s father Ernie Found and former volleyball head coach Kathy Bresnahan spoke. “When we were all locking arms, it felt really vulnerable and memorable, and it was really nice to have that moment so that we could all pay our respects,” said varsity volleyball player Sophia Deyak ’23. Caroline’s legacy continues to live on through the phrase “Live Like Line,” which signifies that hard work and kindness go a long way. “Retiring Caroline’s number was an honor. It was long past due to a player who contributed so much to the sport and continues to do so through the Live Like Line legacy: ‘When given the choice, always choose kind,’” said head coach Keeley Arnold.

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The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union will officially offer girls wrestling as a sanctioned sport starting in the 22-23 school year. Over 25% of high schools in Iowa were involved in girls’ wrestling this year, which means that it will become “sanctioned” or officially offered at all high schools across the state starting next school year. The IGHSAU Board of Directors met Jan. 12 to formally vote on the topic. The vote passed unanimously, and the announcement was made before the night of the state championship matches Jan. 22 at the fourth annual girls state wrestling tournament at Xtream Arena in Coralville. Between 2013 and 2018, an average of 65 girls wrestled per season statewide. During the 18-19 school year, Iowa’s girls wrestling participation jumped to 188 girls statewide. Senior wrestler Ava Davis is thankful for the recognition of her sport, and she believes that sanctioning girls’ wrestling allows her and her team to grow. “Our wrestling team is like a family. We encourage and support each other, so in the end, we all reach our full potential,” Davis said.

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Senior Mason Applegate broke the 2003 school record during the homecoming football game Oct. 1 with 379 rushing yards. With five minutes left in the first quarter, Applegate scored two touchdowns for the Trojans. He impressed many, including head coach Garrett Hartwig by scoring a total of four touchdowns during the game. “Mason’s performance was unforgettable. With the storied history of West football and the list of players who have gone through the program, to set a school record in this particular instance speaks to Mason’s ability, work ethic and toughness,” Hartwig said. “He deserves to own this record and it will be difficult to break moving forward.” Additionally, Boaz Abramoff ’22 recovered a fumble that resulted in the next play being another touchdown by Applegate. With records broken and a 36-21 win over Davenport Central, the Trojans concluded their homecoming week on top.

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Varsity cross country and distance track athlete Alex McKane ’22 tied the school record with a time of 15:17 at the Eastern Iowa Classic in Seminole Valley Sept. 23. Two weeks later, he broke the record with a time of 15:14, setting a new course record at the Waterloo Golf Course Oct. 7. Next, the Trojan cross country teams competed in their last home meet of the season Oct. 14, where McKane finished the race with another individual win. In addition to the second-place overall team finish at the state meet, McKane received 1st-team honors. Moving on to track season, McKane broke a 22-year-old school record in the 3200-meter run at the Drake Relays April 20, cutting ten seconds off his previous best with a time of 9:11:41. “It has been a long-term goal of mine to get the cross country and distance records at West. I show up every day working towards running those times, and it was a great feeling crossing the line knowing that I ran the fastest ever at our school,” McKane said. SPORTS MAY 24, 2022

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SUMMER BUCKET LIST With summer just around the corner, WSS has you covered with a few fun ideas on how to spend your time away from school.

BY JACK ALDEN & KRISHA KAPOOR

VOLUNTEER

GO ON A PICNIC

Volunteering is a great way to give back to your community and meet new people. The Coralville Food Pantry, Iowa City Animal Shelter and Houses into Homes are good local volunteering options. Another plus is that those who record 200 volunteer hours by the end of high school will be honored with a silver cord at graduation.

Grab a few friends, a blanket and a basket of treats. Then, enjoy the nice summer weather at a sunny place, such as Willow Creek Park, North Ridge Park or City Park. Don’t forget to bring sunscreen and bug spray.

JOIN A SUMMER READING PROGRAM The Coralville, North Liberty and Iowa City public libraries have summer reading programs. They are a great way to read more during the summer and keep your brain active.

As an added bonus, you can enter raffles and win prizes after reaching certain reading goals.

16 ENTERTAINMENT MAY. 24, 2022

GET ICE CREAM The sweltering heat always makes getting ice cream a splendid treat.

Cool down by grabbing a cone at a local ice cream shop. Dane’s Dairy and Heyn’s Ice Cream are yummy options, and nothing is sweeter than supporting small businesses.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF UNSPLASH DESIGN BY DEFNE BAYMAN

START A JOURNAL

GAZE AT THE STARS

Whether you love writing, drawing or painting, starting a journal can be a fun way to capture moments.

You can even turn the journal into a scrapbook and add some pictures.

Soon, you will have a place to look back on your memories for years to come.

After the sun sets, you can find a comfy spot to spend some time observing the night sky. The full moon on June 14 will be a Strawberry Moon. This moon is known for its red tint due to its low trajectory near the summer solstice.

CLEAN YOUR ROOM

TOUR SOME COLLEGES

During finals week and end-ofschool-year chaos, your room might have collected some dust. With less going on, take advantage of the spare time to reorganize and shape up your space. Grab some bins for organization, put your favorite playlist on and get to it.

If you are interested in attending college in the future, summer is a good time to tour some options and see if they might be a good fit for you.

Kirkwood Community College and The University of Iowa are two local schools with in-person and virtual tours available.

ENTERTAINMENT MAY. 24, 2022

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OVERCOME

Although trauma impacts every area of an individual’s life, there are steps that one can take to help with recovery.

BY ELLA DE YOUNG & KATHERINE SHOPPA

“SEEING THEM AT SCHOOL WALKING THROUGH THE HALLWAY BRINGS A NAUSEATING BLUR OF PANIC. YOUR HEART RACES, YOUR EARS RING, AND YOUR HANDS SHAKE.”

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eeing them at school walking through the hallway brings a nauseating blur of panic. Your heart races, your ears ring and your hands shake. You anxiously sweat and want to crawl out of your skin. Nothing seems real around you, and you feel disconnected from your body as your mind tries to pull together coherent thoughts.

Trauma is a black cloud hovering above you, waiting to strike down at any time. It is

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a ticking time bomb of built-up anxiety that will be released by a trigger. It is an empty room with the walls closing in on you.

You may wonder, ‘Why? Why do I have to deal with this? What did I do to deserve this?’ However, the fact of the matter is you did nothing wrong, and although having to deal with it feels unfair at times, you must know it is not your fault.

A traumatic experience can happen to anyone at any time. According to the American Psychological Association, trauma is defined

as an emotional reaction to a horrible event such as a rape or a car accident. About 70% of the population will experience a traumatic event in their lifetime with a small portion — 6% of the population — developing post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. There are four main categories of PTSD symptoms — intrusive memories, avoidance, negative changes in thinking and mood, and shifts in physical and emotional reactions.

Some indications of PTSD include nightmares, flashbacks, staying away from triggering places, outbursts, trouble sleeping, being startled easily and thinking about the event itself. Many people who have gone through a traumatic event will initially experience a few of the symptoms, but they won’t be the same for everyone.

Trauma doesn’t have a defined appearance; it impacts people of all races, genders, ages and backgrounds differently. We have both faced trauma in our seventeen years and still suffer from intense fear and stress due to it.

Our traumas are different, but they both occurred unexpectedly at the hands of people whom we trusted.

Flashbacks and intrusive thoughts ooze into our everyday lives. It is frustrating to cope with trauma caused by someone else’s actions. It feels utterly out of your control.

Phrases, people and places can cause memories to hit you like a ton of bricks, making it hard to function. It is challenging to focus on schoolwork in and out of the classroom as we feel constantly on edge and get sidetracked with thoughts of the past events which have traumatized us. We struggle to keep up with the pressures of school, extracurriculars and relationships.

The people who were the specific causes of our traumas have tainted the school environment for us with their presence. With a possible trigger around the corner, school days feel long and hopeless. Many teachers do not understand, and we do not feel comfortable enough to fill them in on such events. Teachers should respect what students need and feel comfortable sharing, but they shouldn’t disregard that their students might not be okay. They should make a point to truly ask how each of their students is doing and make themselves open to whatever response comes their way. When students aren’t turning in their work on time or don’t seem to be giv-

ing the effort they usually do, the first thing a teacher should do is check in with them and make sure they are doing alright. When a teacher follows through with these actions, we feel more valued and heard.

Our relationships with other people are negatively impacted by the lack of trust we have developed due to our traumas. It is hard to be open with other people and feel secure in doing so. Taking the mental energy to heal and cope can make it appear as though we are being apathetic and do not care when in reality we are trying our best to survive.

Trauma makes you question things you never thought you would, including participating in self-harming acts — it is truly terrifying.

Being afraid of your thoughts and yourself is not something that you are alone in though; we’ve been there too.

Through our experience, we’ve found there are many things others can do to help make the coping process easier. One of the most crucial parts of supporting those who are coping with trauma is the language a person uses when referring to trauma and survivors of trauma. First of all, a person should not diminish the trauma another person has experienced by jokingly referring to a minor inconvenience in their own life as “so traumatic” or saying things like, “I’m getting PTSD from this.” Misusing terms can make a person who has experienced trauma feel as though you think their trauma is exaggerated or “not that bad.”

Along with misusing terms, joking about trauma is not your place unless you have experienced the trauma yourself. People who have experienced trauma will sometimes use humor as a coping mechanism, but it’s their trauma to joke about, not yours. Some people will be okay with others using humor. However, that does not apply to everyone and does not make you telling trauma-related jokes appropriate, just insensitive.

In trying to have conversations about a specific trauma, you should never blame the survivor or question their truth. It did not occur because of the way they were dressed.

It did not happen because they were sending “mixed signals.” It only took place because of the perpetrator’s poor judgment, their inability to tell right from wrong and their lack of boundaries. Questioning a survivor’s choices or asking why they did or didn’t do something differently can be a serious detriment to the person and their mental well-being.

Many survivors already deal with feelings of guilt — they don’t need someone else to put even an ounce more of blame on them. It will just make the struggle to get through each and every day that much harder.

If you know someone who is healing from trauma, be patient with them. They should not be made to feel guilty about what they need to process and cope with. In a relation-

“IT IS FRUSTRATING TO COPE WITH TRAUMA CAUSED BY SOMEONE ELSE’S ACTIONS. IT FEELS OUT OF YOUR CONTROL.”

ship, whether that be platonic or romantic, they do not owe you physical affection nor the details of their experience. Do not pressure them into sharing anything they don’t want to, but be open to listening to the person. Take the time to learn the things that trigger the person as well as the things that help them. Practically everyone who experiences trauma needs a friend — a friend who will go with them multiple times to the guidance office until someone is there to help them or a friend who asks ‘how are you?’, waits for the answer and then no matter what the answer is, offers a hug.

If you are reading this and have experienced trauma in your own life, there are things you can do to minimize the effects. It is important to take care of yourself and meet the physical and mental needs of your own body. Taking a break when necessary and giving yourself extra grace during recovery is important. Recovery is a different length for everyone, so seriously, take as much time as you need whether that be a few weeks or

years. Take some time away from your phone to process and just be with yourself. Feel the feelings. Even when it feels overwhelming to have so many emotions that create a tornado of thoughts in your head, it is important to express them, through talking and reaching out to others, crying or screaming.

It is challenging to speak up and tell others what you are going through, and it is even harder to seek help. If you cannot confide in someone at home and do not already see a mental health professional, there are people in the guidance office at school, like the Student Family Advocates who are available to talk as well as help connect you to someone else.

Even if you haven’t spoken up, we see you and are proud of you for getting this far. In recovering, it is important to keep in mind you are more than your trauma, you deserve to be loved and it is not your fault.

PHOTOS BY SACHIKO GOTO AND COURTESY OF UNSPLASH OPINION DESIGN BY SOFIA WELLS-LU MAY 24, 2022

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West High School should provide more opportunities to learn about LGBTQ history and read LGBTQcentric literature.

This is an editorial. An editorial, like news reporting, is based on objective facts.

However, its purpose is to share conclusions and opinions that have been derived by our editorial board and are not associated with the news staff.

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ationally, 1 in 5 LGBTQ students are taught positive representations of LGBTQ people, history or current events at their school, according to GLSEN’s 2019 National School Climate Survey. This number will likely decrease as more states pass legislation aimed at erasing LGBTQ people from school curriculums, such as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill in Florida that was signed into law March 28.

These sentiments exist locally too, demonstrated by the backlash to Tate High School’s teaching of the Stonewall riots at the school board meeting April 12. Fortunately, the ICCSD’s curriculum ensures that every student will receive some education about LGBTQ history and people during their years of schooling, but there is still progress to be made in the social studies and language arts curriculums.

Representation of LGBTQ identities in schools serves two main purposes. For LGBTQ students, it can improve their ability to learn the curriculum through the connections they make to their own lives, which validates their own experiences and struggles. Additionally, the inclusion of LGBTQ identities in the curriculum is important because education is one of the most effective ways to fight homophobia and transphobia.

In the social studies curriculum, representation is limited to the LGBTQ rights movements post-Stonewall and the struggles that queer people have faced since then. This unintentionally reinforces the mindset that the existence of

1880s-1890s FIRST DRAG BALLS

Former slave William Dorsey Swann hosted the first drag balls despite frequent raids by the police.

20 OPINION MAY 24, 2022

LGBTQ identities is a new concept, which can be used to invalidate people’s identities. In reality, LGBTQ people have always existed, and teachers should strive to include earlier examples of LGBTQ history in their lessons.

In American history classes, pre-Stonewall activism movements and the success they achieved are often overlooked. Three years before Stonewall, the Mattachine Society hosted a “sip-in” to demonstrate the discrimination gay patrons faced due to a New York State Liquor Authority policy which viewed homosexuals as disorderly. The event involved declaring they were gay to bartenders before asking to be served, which usually resulted in rejection. The State Liquor Authority denied claims of discrimination at first, but changed their policy after the Commission on Human Rights got involved. Another important event was the first Supreme Court case dealing with homosexuality in 1958, One, Inc. v. Olesen. The verdict was the gay magazine One did not violate obscenity laws by covering homosexuality. There are many other events leading up to Stonewall, such as those included in the infographic below, that teachers could incorporate in their lessons to represent a more complete version of LGBTQ history in America.

There is also a wide variety of non-American LGBTQ history that can be taught in classrooms.

Homosexual relationships were considered normal in Ancient Greece, Rome, pre-Meiji Japan, some Chinese dynasties and the Zande people of

the Congo. While there are few places where binary transgender people were normalized, third genders have existed around the world such as the Hijra of India, and archeologists have been able to identify some skeletons as transgender due to gendered burial practices of some cultures.

LGBTQ representation is also essential in the language arts curriculum. One way the district can increase representation is the inclusion of books with LGBTQ representation into the required reading list. Although “The 57th Bus,” is a good start, the school district needs to continue making the required reading list more varied in authors’ identities and the experiences portrayed. The school should also provide students with the opportunity to read and discuss works that aren’t in the required reading list. This could be done through the creation of a year-long or trimester-long class similar to African American Literature, which could focus on works by LGBTQ authors.

While the school district has come a long way in terms of LGBTQ representation, the WSS Editorial Board believes there is still progress that needs to be made. There should be more LGBTQ history included in the social studies curriculum, and there should be more opportunities provided for students to read LGBTQthemed literature.

ART & DESIGN BY SILA DURAN Source: History, The Nation

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THE SOCIETY OF HUMAN RIGHTS

FOUNDING OF THE DAUGHTERS OF BILITIS

STONEWALL RIOTS

First gay rights organization founded by Henry Gerber.

First lesbian rights group founded by Rosalie Bamberger.

A series of riots in response to a police raid that took place at Stonewall Inn, a bar frequented by New York’s LGBTQ community.

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