Late March Issue8 2015

ECHOES

Issue 8 | Volume 114 Late March 2015

The Independent Voice of Abraham Lincoln High School | Council Bluffs, Iowa | ALechoes.com

CB planning new stadium

Photo courtesy by the CBCSD. Overview of desired stadium.

Logan Erwin Reporter Council Bluffs Stadium has become a highlight for teenagers all throughout the school district. Hosting a huge variety of events, including both AL and TJ football games, CB Stadium’s events have become a local pastime. But now, there have been rumors and confirmations of the stadium being rebuilt at a cost of $13.7 million.

Phase 1 was commenced on March 24, which consists of the track and football field.

For other locations, such as the baseball field and parking lot, it isn’t known when they will begin renovation. The phases should prevent any construction during seasons that need the stadium. It is known that new turf and track will be used in the stadium for the first phase.

For the overall changes in the stadium, everything is getting overhauled. The tennis court was renovated a few years back and Pirate’s Cove is not included in the stadium,

so only expect changes in facilities, track, fields, and even a new entrance.

“It’s a three year project to renovate the entire complex, not just the stadium,” Assistant Principal Jeff Novotny said. “It will be phased around specific high school events so construction won’t ruin a season. Our kids deserve a first class facility, regardless of what their interests are.”

Back in 2010, the school board tried to renovate the stadium but were unsuccessful due to insufficient funds. Now taxpayer dollars are going to be used for schools and fundraising will go to the stadium. Elementary schools are just finishing up their construction while Wilson and Kirn will be next on the list. Since Spring of last year, they have been planning on renovating the stadium since the district is being modified as well. There has been extensive research on how to optimize the stadium for all spectators and participants. The stadium’s

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location will not be changed due to costs, plus it’s iconic that games have been hosted at that location. Because of all the work in the school district being funded by tax money, the stadium will be fundraised to keep taxpayers money going to the school projects. By the end of April, there should be a bidding session for contractors to invest their money in the stadium and award to the bid to whoever they see fit.

As for donations, the CBCSD has raised $5 million, and metropolitan businesses in the area have raised $6.5 million. An anonymous donor has pledged to match donations raised in the month of March, up to a total of $1 million. Alone, the CBCSD employees have raised $181,000 for the project.

The first phase of the project, which includes the football stadium, track, perimeter fencing, and decor costs $2,317,667.

“It will be phased around specific high school events so construction won’t ruin a season. Our kids deserve a

Upcoming Events

first class facility, regardless of what their interests are,” Novotny said.

The new renovation can have profound effects on the community including more revenue from events hosted at the stadium and higher enrollment rate due to the new

exciting opportunity. Keep in mind that not only schools use the stadium. YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, and Parks and Recreation will also use the new facilities as well. Currently the stadium is composed of: a baseball diamond, a softball diamond,

a soccer field, track, and a football field. In early May, construction will begin, and will get done on or around Aug. 14, which is two weeks away from the home football game between TJ and LC, which will be played on the new turf field.

Photo courtesy of the CBCSD. Phase 1 of project.

April 2:

Easter Break Begins

April 5: Easter

April 22: Earth Day

Echoes News 2 Students become aware of sexting dangers Nathan Vorce | News Editor

Dani Rambo Opinion Editor

Nathan Vorce Co-editor in chief

R

ecently, administrators at AL have been informed of a multitude of inappropriate pictures being sent by students. Once received, these images are shared with others. An incident like this can stem from numerous events, and can cause drastic psychological problems, and can lead to distrust of others, including people dear to the sender.

One girl, who we will call Gretchen, has felt this emotion when such pictures about

her had been sent to others.

“I think girls need to know that there is no one you can trust when it comes to those types of pictures. A lot of boys seem to put a lot of pressure on girls to take naked pictures and send them.

I learned the hard way that after you break up, all of the promises go away real fast and things get mean. People do stuff when they are mad that you just wouldn’t think was possible,” Gretchen said.

When these types of messages are sent, no one wins.

School Psychologist Theresa Jozwiak has advice for individuals who receive an inappropriate picture message.

“If you get a message you didn’t ask for, delete it, that way you’re not a part

Late March 2015

of the cycle,” Jozwiak said.

When a student or a minor takes an inappropriate image of themselves, they are creating child pornography, and could face legal

aware of these legal ramifications, such as a student who will be referred to as Doe. “When I talked to the police they told me that anyone who could be convicted

consequences. Creation and distribution of child pornography is illegal under Iowa law. This can come as a shock to students who are not

of spreading naked pictures of underage girls could be on the sex offender list for the rest of their life. That is pretty scary,” Doe said.

“If you get a message that you didn’t ask for, delete it, that way you’re not a part of the cycle.”

-Theresa Jozwiak, school psychologist

When there are legal troubles for an action, it’s generally a good idea to not partake in that activity, as doing so can lead to penalties, fines and other consequences.

“I looked it up and if you are convicted of underage sexting it is a felony and you can be sentenced to 5 years in prison and forced to register as a sex offender for the rest of your life. The law looks at it the same as child pornography,” Gretchen said.

At AL, there is a small discussion group open to girls that promotes healthy relationships, through educating of the topics to avoid and embrace, and to help teach good relationship goals and decisions.

“The idea behind

the group is to empower people to make good decisions for their relationship, and for life,” counselor Sharon Crawford said.

For students who worry about being pressured in a relationship, or have concerns of any kind regarding relationships, AL has counselors and psychologists who can listen.

“It’s one of those consequences that students learn, and it never goes away, and you never know when it will come back to impact your life,” Crawford said.

Many believe awareness about this topic should be spread with the ever growing number of students being affected by inappropriate pictures.

Speech concludes, three prepare for all-state Alyssa Clayton Reporter

On Feb. 28, the IHSSA, or Individual High School Speech Association, sent its contestants to an individual district speech competition.

Out of the twenty-nine people that went to the event, twenty-five of them made it to the state level contest with their pieces. Most days after school during the season, the students stayed after to work on their performance and practice in Coach Dirk Waller’s room.

“The kids come in and we tweak their presentations in preparation

(for competitions),” Connie Jo Podendorf said.

Podendorf works with

trict level then went to the state competition in Nevada, Iowa. Then, after State, some

vorite part of doing speech is being at the contests! Yes it can be stressful presenting in

“My favorite part of doing speech is being at the contests... you can meet new people or simply joke around in the company of great friends.”

-Noah Larsen, senior Waller as an assistant speech coach for both individual speech and group speech.

On March 14, the people who made it past the dis-

will move on to All State.

Going to compete in the all state contest is a goal of the season for many people. “...quite possibly my fa-

front of a judge (or judges), but aside from that, you’re given a fairly relaxed day where you can see other performances, meet new people,

or simply joke around in the company of great friends,” senior Noah Larsen said.

The kids can present anything from poetry to short plays to radio broadcasts.

Sophomore Devin Bolen’s piece was an acting piece about the multiple views of the people, animals, and objects involved in a bee attack. In his introduction he says, “Things aren’t always as they seem. Sometimes you need to look at them from a different perspective.”

Freshman Olivia Cooper did a monologue about the rhyme, rain, rain, go away, come again another day. Junior Dillon Gibson’s acting piece “Why Chicken Means So Much To Me” and his

improv performance earned him a pass to All State.

“It was a big honor; I had no clue, and I had no idea I was even going to get one award. It was a big surprise; and I’m really excited. All the hard work has paid off,” said Gibson.

Senior Nathan Vorce also moved on with “Nice Guys Finish with a Participation Award, and freshman Russell Holmes did too with his storytelling of “The Teacher From The Black Lagoon.”

As the speech participants prepare to go to the All State contest, they make sure there will be no flaws in their performance. They are looking forward to the last competition, and will keep working.

DECA student projects advance a level

Four AL members join fifteen thousand others in national convention Andrea’ Milstead Reporter

DECA, a business class for juniors and seniors, is sending four students to a national contest in Orlando, FL. DECA is a business class that competes at the district, state, and the national level. They

are given scenarios in business settings, and they are to come up with solutions to the situation. They give feedback about the situation and how they can better the business.

The competitors play somewhat of a role as the manager and the judges are the CEOs. They have to explain to the judge how they are going

to make the situation work.

Paige Wohlers, DECA’s president, along with their vice president, Lauren Kenkel, are two of the four members going to nationals. This is their second year going to nationals, as they also made it their junior year. They are partners and one other partner group, Billy Ehrenberg and Brett Egner, is going as well.

“About 15,000 people go to nationals. This is a huge event and this year we’re going to Orlando, FL for a week from April 24 to the 30,” Wohlers said.

Not only is this a huge competition and national event, but there’s a huge amount of preparation that goes along with DECA. It’s not just a club that meets every so often, but it’s an everyday class with notes and tests. They take lots of notes about marketing and financial things to help them gain knowledge at the competition. They even prepare a long essay or marketing

plan to bring to the state contest. Along with the essay, they take a test about the category their essay is on.

Finally, they do the role play of the business setting given

to them. They practice all this in the class, either with a partner or by themselves.

“Paige has been my partner ever since I’ve been in DECA,” Ken-

kel said. “We are preparing in class for nationals.”

In class they mostly just practice role plays and take tests to prepare themselves for the competitions.

Ad designed by Tiffany Ferrer, promoting the importance of not gambling, and stressing the importance of gambling control.

Echoes

News

Late March 2015

Nathan Vorce | News Editor

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Ceremonies honor current, past students Nathan Vorce Co-editor in chief

From left to right, Victoria Holder, Rachel Harold, and Todd Barnett.

Photo submitted by Jack Holder.

The Abraham Lincoln High School chapter of the National Honor Society annually holds inauguration for new members every year, and the event always coincides with another event, the introduction of accomplished AL alumni into the AL Hall of Fame.

This year, the Hall of Fame induction ceremony took place on March 12. Four new members were inducted into the Hall of Fame: Leo Cash, Victoria Holder, Tony Beck, and the late Fred Glassburner. With the addition of these members, there are now 120 members in the vaunted group.

Teachers and other members of the community came together for the event.

Parents and guardians of the new NHS members were there, as well as people from the community who knew the AL Hall of Fame inductees.

“The NHS and Hall of

Fame ceremonies together give the event a more community feel,” Waller said.

The ceremony kicked off with an introduction

by ALHS principal Todd Barnett. After Barnett gave a few words, each of the inductees came onto the stage in the AL auditorium accompanied by each of the students who wrote their biographies. Each of the speeches had a central theme: Victoria Holder spoke about teaching and learning, and Tony Beck spoke about investing in the youth. Fred Glassburner’s wife stressed the phrase that Fred often used: Move where you are planted.

Each of the inductees had a biography written about them by a current National Honor Society member which was featured in The Daily Nonpareil. During her speech, Victoria Holder commented on the friendship she had built with her NHS interviewer, Rachel Harold.

“I really liked that Vickie

(Victoria) Holder became friends with her interviewer, Rachel Harold,” Waller said.

New NHS members were in attendance for the ceremony, such as sophomore Jacob Kaufman, who believed the speakers were a positive influence on the young scholars.

“It was nice to see all the good things those people have done,” Kaufman said. “Tony Beck was a good speaker-he went out of his way to help high school students.”

Aside from the four inducted members and the students representing them, there was another speaker, principal Todd Barnett, who firmly believes in the importance of the AL Hall of Fame.

“We need to recognize our alumni who are successful,” Barnett said.

Both NHS students and Hall of Fame members were recognized at the event, and both groups will continue to leave their legacies on the school and community.

Al-Shabaab keeps countries on high alert Calab Holder

Business Manager On Feb. 22, the Somali terrorist group Al-Shabaab, a known al-Qaeda ally, made terroristic threats towards western malls, including Minnesota’s Mall of America. Although the group’s influence outside of Somalia and Eastern Africa is extremely limited, AlShabaab was able to reach a new plateau of violence when the Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi, Kenya was attacked by Somali gunmen in Sept. 2013.

The genesis of AlShabaab can be traced back to the violent years of the 1990s following the fall of the Siad Barre regime

when the predecessor to Al-Shabaab, Al-Ittihad AlIslami (Unity of Islam) came into existence. However, the group split in 2003, creating Al-Shabaab and the Islamic Courts Union.

The newly created AlShabaab experienced an early strategic victory in June 2006 when it gained control of the Somali capital city of Mogadishu. Al-Shabaab and the ICU would be thrown out of Mogadishu in December of the same year, but their defeat only strengthened their resolve to fight on in the southern and central regions of Somalia, in areas that they still maintain control of today.

In June 2010, AlShabaab committed its first terrorist attack outside of

Somalia when 74 people were killed at the World Cup in Kampala, Uganda. Several concerted efforts against AlShabaab by contingent forces of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) have hindered the effectiveness of their operations and in Sept. 2014, Ahmed Abdi Godane, a major founder of the group, was killed.

Although some strategic gains have signaled landmark accomplishments in the fight against AlShabaab, U.S. officials should still remain cognizant of an immediate threat. The amount of money generated from illegal charcoal and sugar trading in the nearby African nation of Kenya keeps Al-Shabaab financially

supported and dangerous.

However, just because these actions occur thousands of miles away, their impact is felt around the world.

“Something could happen again in Africa, but just because the U.S. isn’t attacked, we should still be concerned. As Thoreau said ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,’” English teacher Carrie Booms-Ryan said.

Although Al-Shabaab’s capacity for carrying out attacks outside of Africa has shown to be inadequate, officials are concerned because of the large population of Somali-Americans living in the Minneapolis area.

According to some figures,

the Somali-American population of Minneapolis stands at 32,000, which is the highest in the country.

The possibility of a lone wolf attack by a radicalized Somali-American presents a dilemma to national security, as any operation against such an attack would require action from state officials during the phase of initial response.

“I don’t know if civic leaders and the president can protect against such an attack. I think that the city and the state would have to be the early responders to the attack - - not the federal government,” history teacher Dirk Waller said.

And since the enemies of the United States are multitudinous, it’s

difficult to effectively identify significant threats from minor threats.

“Determining who the actual enemy is becomes problematic. At this point I think the solution involves trying to identify and capture those known to be affiliated with the terrorist organization,” social studies teacher Jennifer Bonham said.

Although the AlShabaab mastermind of the Westgate attack, Adan Garar, has been recently killed in a U.S. airstrike, the United States and other western nations must continue to remain vigilant and aware of viable threats from a terrorist organization that has proved its robustness time and time again.

TED Talks useful teaching, learning tool Sean Veazie Reporter

In 1984, an idea came to founder Richard Saul Wurman of a conference that covers ideas surrounding Technology, Entertainment, and Design. This became the first TED, which is now a huge motivational and informational website and annual conference.

The company has grown to include several different ideas and events such as: TED Global, conferences held around the world, TED Prize, which grants the winner one wish to change the world, TED Talks, which is the website with

videos and podcasts free to users, as well as several more. The possibilities are endless with TED and there is no sign of slowing down on the company’s progress.

While the original three subjects that were covered was technology, entertainment, and design, the company has increased their broad view points to cover more than 200 distinctly different topics.

Some of these talks are about God, while another one might be violence.

From activism to world peace there are so many topics that can be looked at and cross referenced. If you aren’t interested in the

topic you click on just search for one you can enjoy and get motivation from. With

“They are more related, modern topics,” English teacher Bethany Stacy said.

over 1,900 talks there is bound to be one just right for what you’re looking for.

The talks are usually shorter than twenty minutes, with diverse speakers talking

“TedX is a way for students to organize speeches for themselves.”

-Bethany Stacy, English teacher

in their own way to try and be as motivational or interesting or funny. They try to get their idea across the best they can. These speakers are from all kinds of religions, ethnicities, countries, and classes. They are all connected on one level, TED. “TED talks are nice to watch, because they’re people who haven’t trained to give speeches,” Stacy said.

Since these talks bring inspiration and learning to a whole new level with fun new videos, its not a surprise that they have been incorporated within learning.

Teachers appreciate the effort and passion that these talks cover. This has even

happened in our own school.

“Tedx is a way for students to organize speeches for themselves,” Stacy said.

Since TED hit big in 1990 it has had a huge increase in popularity and interest. The biggest increase in interest was when TED Talks their website opened up and the motivational talks and speeches that have inspired millions became free and widely distributed throughout the whole world.

These conventions are widely attended by the brains of the world, the scientists, the mathematicians, the leaders.

These people are not just the speakers, they are the audience.

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Opinion

Dani Rambo | Opinion Editor

Echoes

Lessons from Grimm and Disney The harsh, cruel truth Breana Rocha Reporter

When you hear the name “Cinderella” you think about the animated Disney film, not the story from which it originated. The Grimm Fairy Tales are the origin of some of the most popular fairy tales known to people today, but they are a lot darker than the stories Disney portrays them as.

The first version of “the Grimm Fairy Tales” was published in Germany, in 1812. This version had no pictures and it was not directly made for children.

Over time the fairy tales were somewhat revised and people added illustrations.

Even though the stories are slightly revised they are still not what disney makes them out to be.

In the original Grimm fairy tales, the audience is taught lessons that generally aren’t taught to people.

Grimm shows people things that are frowned upon in society, and showed them in ways that people generally wouldn’t think of them in. These stories don’t glamorize the dark and true fact that these things did happen a long time ago and

are happening today in our society.

In the world today, people in places where technology and laws that protect human rights hasn’t reached, people are experiencing what some characters in the Grimm Tales experience. People are tortured, have their feet cut to fit into their society’s norms, and beaten by their significant other. The Grimm Fairy Tales speak the truth by showing events in the book that happen to people around the world. These fairy tales bring light to the awful situations people deal with.

Kids are taught a few things from the Disney movies. A couple of these things are, that women need to be saved by men, there is always a happy ending, and even the bad guys always get caught. Although these things aren’t always true.

Women can save themselves,

life is not always happy and bad guys are not always arrested. This is why The Grimm Fairy Tales are better.

They don’t sugar coat the pain people suffer from everyday. The tales give it to you straight up and the stories may be gruesome but they have reality to them.

With the many different storylines the Grimm Fairy Tales create, the stories encourage people to have different interpretations of what the stories mean. Each story can have many different lessons and feelings that come along with that. When people are reading the stories they see the theme of the stories differently. With these kinds of stories the themes are up for interpretation.

When authors create a story that has so many different lessons in just one chapter the readers can benefit greatly.

“In the original Grimm fairy tales, the audience is taught lessons that generally aren’t taught to people.”

The happily ever after Emma Seilstad Reporter

Disney has been releasing fairy tale movies to promote happiness and positivity since 1937. Since, they have taken the disturbing Grimm’s Tales and turned them into movies that are suitable and enjoyable for all ages. While some enjoy the twisted ways of Grimms Tales, I prefer the light-hearted atmosphere of the infamous, animated, Disney movies.

Walt Disney released his first animated fairytale movie in 1937, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” The film features a girl named Snow White who was poisoned by a jealous queen but was awoken by a prince who she later then married. The upbeat style of this familiar tale helped shape Disney’s future.

Unlike Disney’s first rendition of a Grimm’s Tale, Cinderella has a more gruesome backstory. Disney adapted out the repulsive part about Cinderella’s sisters’ cutting their toes and heels off their feet in order to fit the glass slipper along with the pecking of the sisters’ eyes out by birds. The text of the original story is bad

enough without making it into a movie, which justifies Disney’s reasoning on changing the story.

Out of the Disney movies that have been recreated from Grimm’s Tales, Sleeping Beauty is the least gruesome and most accurate. Contrary to a popular rumor of the prince raping the princess in the Grimm’s Tales, he merely just kissed her lips to awaken her from her sleep and soon after married her, as told in both stories.

I don’t know about you, but reading all of the original stories by the Grimm Brothers made me feel gross and disturbed. The Grimm fairy tales present negative outlooks on life situations whereas in Disney movies the tales are very positive and provide people with a feeling of joy.

In a recent survey I conducted at our school, 136

out of 171 people prefered Disney over the original Grimm Tales. Why? Because those 136 individuals like upbeat stories that embed hope into our minds.

All Disney movies teach valuable life lessons that are important to learn at all ages; whether they originated from the Grimm Tales or not. Life lessons from remade Grimm Tales include facing your fears (“Tangled”), being kind is beautiful (“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”), remember where you came from (“The Little Mermaid”), and attitude is everything (“Cinderella”). But the life lessons don’t stop there.

One of my favorite quotes by Walt Disney is, “I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter.”

“Disney has been releasing fairy tale movies to promote happiness and positivity since 1937.”

Birth control rights should be open to minors Sean Veazie Reporter

Several freedoms are withheld from minors in this country. The freedom to vote

is open at 18, the freedom to own property is also at 18, and guess what age you are legally allowed to get married? You got it. It’s 18.

While some of these things are perfectly fine to keep from minors one that is not okay to hold power over is birth control. Once that child feels it is time to start taking a birth control pill or wants to get a shot then it shouldn’t be up to the doctor to decide if they are ready for it. It shouldn’t even be up to the parents but they should have a talk with their children about it. The fact that a doctor can just say no, or the parents can refuse to let their

child practice safe sex is not fair. It is not up to them. If the teenager is responsible and is ready to practice safe sex then give them the option. It is not up to the parents or any other authority. It’s going to happen no matter what they say so why not let them do it safely? It’s better than letting them ruin their lives with unplanned pregnancies.

When a teenager decides to responsibly take birth control who is to stop them from practicing it? At least they are doing it responsibly.

If they have a pregnancy scare they should be able to buy the morning after pill without having to be a legal

adult. It is a personal issue that many parents believe to be their choice but it’s not. It is up to the teenager to decide when, where, and who with. You wouldn’t stop a 19-year-old from making that decision. I am not saying that it is okay to just go off and have personal relations with everyone, but it is not up to anyone else other than those two. That is a right we get no matter what, and it’s trying to be controlled.

While many people may say that it is wrong and unsafe to let minors purchase birth control, the birth control pill has several benefits and very few risks. It can help lower

the risk of endometrial and ovarian cancers. It improves clear skin by lowering testosterone levels, which are a chief cause of acne. The pill can also steady hormones to make menstruation easier to deal with, with lighter bleeding and even less frequent periods.

In this day of age the cost of raising a child is substantially larger with several extra costs taxed on than in previous eras.

And the age of parenthood is getting lower. Many of these unplanned pregnancies could have been prevented with better availability of birth control. Not all

teenagers discuss sex when they think they are ready. If birth control was just open to younger young adults that would help the poverty level with more and more parents getting an education outside of high school, which usually ends up with better jobs for the adult. With all of these benefits and little to no risk why keep it away from responsible people. If the child is ready and willing to practice safe sex who are you to stop them? It’s not your decision and it is safer to be taking birth control than not. On top of all of that it prevents pregnancy better than just hoping for the best.

Think back to the place you grew up and pull all the memories of toddler years, tween years, and even the grueling teen years, and imagine all that boxed up against your will.

Imagine what happens in 17 beautiful, disgusting, loving, raging, years now covered completely by fresh coats of paint, glistening tile, and remodeled doors. Imagine after only two trips of a U-Haul a home is no longer home. Imagine waking up in a darkened room at 3 am and feeling scared because the house settled without you.

Along comes month one: one load, two load, three loads down and you got a living, kitchen, and working room.

Month two. It’s been this long and imagine a yearn for the crummy old apartment still lies within you and others say to let it be. How am I supposed to forget the Grandma who struggled with countless rubber bands to try and tame my blonde locks?

Or when my Great Aunt and I would have our heads bent over tons of pennies that she was giving to me? Even the time my family actually gave thanks and celebrated

Christmas mourn?

There are many children who are forced to move constantly in their life, whether it’s 17 years, less, and sadly maybe more. Their reasoning relies whether parents didn’t want them, foster parents seeked babies, divorce hit, new jobs arrived, etc. In a few cases some may be delighted for new scenary which is a pro, but a con to moving so much results in countless friendships, fresh face in new school, and having to find the key to settle. In a recurring pattern the stuff they bring each

time lessens until there’s not very much left that’s them.

Even though my experience doesn’t fit these terms, I understand what they’re going through. Yes I still have my school, my friends, my stuff, but I feel like I’ve lost a big chunk of my life that can not be repaired so easily as a house restoration.

The chunk of my life that is missing now was the comfort of walking in the door where those memories unfolded and embraced me to tears. Aside from the common arguments I believe what kept us from

ever leaving sooner was the strange mix of love, strength, kindness, and support that kept the walls sturdy. Losing my grandparents and great aunt in ‘07, ‘08, and ‘09, the walls decided to give, causing the discussion of moving to raid my life.

This theory is denied by my parents and sis, but before they died everything seemed fine. All there is to imagine is a braided blonde haired girl with ruby red slippers clicking her heels and knowing that there’s no place like home.

Moving and the stress it brings into ones life Audrey Hays Reporter

Opinion

Echoes

Staff Editorial

Dani Rambo | Opinion Editor

Basic high school requirements Requirements are what makes up a school. The standards for all Council Bluffs schools are set at the CBCSD headquarters. They are pretty straight-forward but it seems as though students don’t always know what is required of them.

The guidelines for graduation are simple. All four years that you are in high school, you should be earning a total of 48 credits required for graduation. In one year a student should earn 12 credits. The highest amount of credits you can earn in all four years is 60 which would average out to 15 credits in one year of high school.

Along with the 48 to 60 credits are more standards of what those have to be. Each year students have to take a math, history, English and science class. These are part of the graduation standards.

When you sign up for classes you’ve probably noticed that there’s a part A and a part B to each major class.

Each section that students pass will earn them a credit.

Completing and passing a two-part class equals 2 credits. Some classes have parts A, B, and C and each part will count for one credit.

Completing and passing a three part course will earn you three credits.

Next, students need to know how many credits are required for each section or course. English, history, math and science are the four main subjects in high school.

For each of these there are a certain amount of credits that are required to pass. In all four years students will need eight english credits which comes out to two per year. They will also need six history, math and science credits which comes out to two per year. However, since students only need six they only have to take three years of these type of courses, however we’d like

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Graphics by Oakland Elliff

Years of Math

3 years of S cience

THREE YEARS of HISTORY

to recommend a fourth year.

Another important part to the standards are electives.

In all four years students that wish to graduate need to have earned 18 elective credits.

What matters is that you have earned the credit for each section of the course.

One major misconception that students have about high school and graduation is that students must have two years of a foreign language to graduate. People need to stop thinking that. You are not required to take a foreign language at all. Two years of a foreign language

FOUR YEARS of English

are needed in order to go to college. Do we recommend you take them? Yes. Finally, for every year you are in high school you have to take one trimester of P.E. There are options that you have instead of the actual class, but you still have to have one credit for each year.

For questions about this topic make a visit to your counselor. Schedules and earning credits can be pretty hectic but it’s important to understand.

Reporter

In the United States a college education has become a rite of passage.

A transformation between a child and an adult. In recent years it has become a debate whether you’d rather have a college degree or a huge

Alumna

18 Elective Credits

college debt.

I was taught as a child, that in order to succeed in life I must get good grades, graduate high school, and go to college. I still believe that it’s the way to succeed and pull ahead in life. Is another four years in school and the average student debt at $29,400 really worth all the trouble?

Statistics show that it is worth it. Americans with a four year college degree made 98 percent more an hour on average in 2013 than people without a degree. Even those with a 2 year certificate still earn more than those with a high school diploma. The Hamilton Project and others have noted that the risks of

unemployment is higher for those without some sort of higher education.

Having a college degree also offers the potential of living longer and just being happier. From the website, The Happy State of College, it’s said that Minnesota, Vermont, Montana, Iowa, Hawaii, are among the top 10 happiest states which also have the highest educational attainment. Is that all a coincidence? I don’t think so. Higher education gives people the opportunity to explore whatever passions they may have.

Though there are always those exceptions, such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg. All three

are college drop outs that made billions in net worth.

Net worth is the total assets minus total liabilities a person owns.

There are also the negatives of everybody achieving a form of high education.

Who will do the low maintenance jobs?

Who will we serve fries at McDonalds or come collect the trash? So should parents start teaching their kids it’s okay not to go to college?

That any job at all is a sign of succeeding in life? This leads into the chance that there are no jobs left for all those kids with college degrees and huge debts.

Debt and cost of tuition is also a huge deciding

factor for people choosing whether or not they should go to college. In the 201213 school year, first-year, on-campus tuition averaged $43,000 at four-year, private schools and $21,700 at instate public schools. While student loans can range from $27,666 to $50,275. This can lead to people retiring later in their life also. Instead of saving for their retirement, people pay off their student debt.

So is that college degree really worth it? It’s really a yes and no kind of answer.

Most statistics show that getting the college degree leads to more positive outcomes than not getting a higher education.

place. Lately, talking with some of my best friends about college has resulted in a very interesting discovery: We were not prepared for how many classes it would take to receive our college degrees even with the CE courses we had taken.

What I do not want you to think while reading this is that I think AL didn’t help me on my path to college.

I had so much help my last few years figuring out how to apply to colleges, helping me find and apply for scholarships and ACT preparations. The one thing I wish that would have been pounded into my head, along with all that stuff, was that I needed to pick a school to

attend way sooner than later.

I didn’t realize how much I could have helped myself by picking the college I wanted to attend in my junior year, or even sooner than that.

I took as many CE courses and AP classes as I could, or felt I needed to, and

I would have been able to check out the classes that I needed as the general classes that are required for everyone at Simpson along with your degree requirements.

Most colleges I have looked at had online “degree audits”, which allow you

for classes you get a set time and date to register.

The higher you are in the credits earned category the sooner you get to register for classes, which helps a lot if you want to get into a highly sought after class. So, as you can see, there are numerous advantages to learning what your college accepts as transfer credits.

All of you juniors and underclassmen, sorry seniors, pick your college earlier than you think you need to. You will help yourself out so much knowing where you want to go so you can check in to what that school wants for their general classes and you can really take advantage of those CE classes offered.

Holy cow, it’s been almost a year since I graduated high school and I can’t tell you how much I have learned and how much I wish I would have learned before going into this crazy

“Juniors and underclassmen, pick your college earlier...”

upon arriving at Simpson I found that though I had almost 30 credits earned, they didn’t all count towards degree requirements or general requirements. If I had known where I was going before my senior year,

to look at all the required classes you will need to take to receive your degree. Once you know where you are going, these “degree audits” can save your life, and send you into college prepared. At Simpson when you register

Editors-in-Chief Jessi Borwick Nathan Vorce

Section Editors

Dani Rambo Kendal Bainbridge Will Schademann Tanner Hochstetler

Graphic Design Editor Don Vinkenberg

Graphic Designer Oakland Elliff

Business Manager Calab Holder

Circulation Manager Reporters

Prepping for future college courses Britteny Johnson

ECHOES

Logan Erwin

After high school: college or job Sophia Cooper

5

Kelly Hickey Sean Veazie Hailey Carson Alyssa Clayton Audrey Hays Jake Peterson Anthony Ruiz Taylor Daugherty Taylor Bever Emma Seilstad Sophia Cooper Andrea Milstead

Los Ecos

Francisca Aguilar-Padilla Jazmine Martinez Ricardo Lopez Raquel Lopez Juan Nunez

Adviser

Gerry Appel The Echoes is published by the newspaper staff at Abraham Lincoln High School, and exists to serve as an open forum for the students, faculty, administration and community.

All state and federal laws regarding the publications of student materials shall apply, and the Echoes will not publish materials which also fall under the guidelines established by the Council Bluffs Public Schools system, and are deemed libelous, obscene, or a material and substantial disruption to normal classroom activities.

The views expressed are not those of the Council Bluffs Public Schools, faculty, or administration.

Any student, faculty, or staff member wishing to contribute materials will need to submit a letter to the editor within deadline restriction; however, final publications is at the discretion of the staff. Letters to the editor are encouraged, and must be 400 words or less in length and signed; letters will be printed as received. Every attempt will be made to verify the authenticity of the author and no anonymous letters will be published.

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Advertisers wishing to reserve publication space should contact us by:

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Feature

Late March 2015

Spread Design By Jessi Borwick

Students expressing themselves through dance, song Taylor Daugherty Reporter

BAND

With close to 300 members the Abraham Lincoln High School band is one of the largest teams at school. The 300 students all come from the four different band classes; Jazz Band 1 and 2, Concert/ Marching Band and the

Freshman band. Each one of these groups has advanced in their musical abilities.

“It depends on the level of the group...” said band director Mark Mendell, “I pick something challenging but not to much. It has to be good quality and challenging.”

Of course, just like with any other team,

they overcome the challenge, bond and create amazing memories.

Competitions and marching band trips are only part of the fun. another perk of having such a great team is having a proud teacher.

“Our concerts and competitions have been great this year! In

“My favorite memory is from freshman year when we had our annual scavenger hunt all around town. It’s definitely a night I will always remember,” junior Tori Albertus said.

Taylor Daugherty Reporter

Choir is one of the ways many students express themselves.

Through singing and dancing they are able to show who they are.

A.L.’s choir, show choir and jazz choir is

“Life lessons from Mendell and I enjoy that band is a big family and oing stuff together,” sophomore Avery Thomas said.

Taylor Daugherty Reporter

The orchestra has inspired many students to advance themselves through music. Their advancements have greatly depended on their dedication to the class. With this hard work they have been “I am able to showcase my talent while still learning new musical things everyday,” sophomore Michelle Henningsen said.

fact during marching season we marched about 50 students and scored 80 points. It’s been the best marching season since I’ve been here,” said Mendell.

This group is another one of the talented groups here at A.L. and they continue to grow in numbers and talent.

able to accomplish many things.

“We have had many accomplishments this year including Avery Thomas who performed in the All-State Festival, Adam Dreshmire who participated in the Iowa Junior Honors Orchestra Festival, and eight students who

made up of individuals who do just that.

“Many students work hard, and when they are proud of themselves, that makes me feel great,” said choir instructor Lynne Boyd. It is the work and dedication that the students have

that makes them part of a team. Being part of this group means they also create many memories together which only adds to the fun. Part of that fun is being able to sing, dance and compete.

“The concerts and contests have gone

very well.

They keep getting better as voices and knowledge mature,” said Boyd.

With the talent that the student have and the knowledge that they gain the group will surely advance their skills even further than they already have.

“Freshman induction because we got “kidnapped”, taken to a church and we were taught how to sing and dance,” sophomore Alex McConley said.

performed in college winter festivals,” said Orchestra teacher Elmer Ellefson.

Of course with accomplishments like these students are clearly showcasing their talent, which is something they definitely want to do.

Another perk of such a year filled with great

Orchestra

Choir

“That we have to work super hard physically and mentally as a team to get good or even great. I like that you have to apply yourself in any music study otherwise you’ll never be good. A challenge is always fun,” sophomore Nick Hatts said.

success is having a proud teacher.

“I’m particularly pleased with the student participation and attendance and seeing the proud parents,” said Ellefson.

Hopefully with all of their success, they will be able to continue this in the following years.

“How we are able to support each other in our musical accomplishments and aspirations,” senior Kaylee Wiladsen said.

Photos by Don Vinkenburg

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Jessica Borwick | Co-Editor-in-Chief

Feature

Late March 2015

Echoes

New computers to come next year Anthony Ruiz Reporter

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uring the 201516 school year, ALHS students will be receiving brand new Chromes to use from the start of the school year all the way until their final year of high school. According to David Fringer, (the Chief Technology Officer for the CBCSD School District) students will be receiving their new Chromes sometime in August before school starts. The new model that the school will be assigned will be one of three models.

The choices are going to be between the Dell 11, the Toshiba 13, or the Samsung 2 Chromebook. What’s improved about these new computers is that each one of them is going to have faster

internet, they’re going to be more durable, and they’ll have a faster processor.

They’re also going to be 4gb so they will have more memory, and they’re going to have a new screen protector on so the screens won’t break as easily as the older models do.

On the new Chromes, the school district decided on putting in a brand new screen protector to help strengthen the Chromes. The reason why they invested in the new screen protectors is because students can easily break the screen on the older model of Chromes and it started to become a big issue. With this new screen protector, they are going to get rid of the cases that came with the older models because the cases were seldom used by students, and that the cases don’t really protect the Chromes all

that well. Overall, the new screen protectors are going to protect the new Chromes more than ever.

“We’re looking for something to meet the

CBCSD said.

The biggest issue with the district has to deal with is the problem of parts. What the school district is going to do is any and all high school

they don’t have enough parts the district is going to reject that model and move on to find another one.

Right before the first day of school, the school is

“We’re looking for something to meet the students’ needs but it is also the responsibility of the students to take care of their device themselves because they (the computers) won’t take care of themselves.”

-David Fringer, CBCSD Chief Technology Officer students’ needs but it is also the responsibility of the students to take care of their device themselves because they (the computers) won’t take care of themselves,” David Fringer, Chief Technology Officer for the

students with the old black computers is that they are just going to have the students return them and use them for parts. Parts are a big issue, because if the district finds a model that can’t be taken apart easily to repair and if

having a distribution period where students will be able to pick up their chromes right before the school year starts.

Students that have insurance on the Co-op system will be the first to be able to pick up their new Chrome. Although

student won’t be getting the new chromes before the school year ends, the school district is unlocking all social media sites and Netflix like they did the previous summer.

Next school year at Abraham Lincoln High School, students will be getting new Chromes for the 2015-16 school year. Which one shall it be will it be?

Will it be the Dell 11, the Toshiba 13, or the Samsung 2 Chromebook? The cost of insurance will be the same, but parts are the issue that the school will have to overcome. The reason why is they have to choose a Chrome that is easy to repair and that will be a much better improvement than the older model Chromes. The only way to know is waiting patiently for the next school year for the brand new Chromes.

Benefits, joys of being a lunch lady Audrey Hays Reporter

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here’s more that occurs through a normal lunch than texting friends or gobbling up gossip. In three lunch

blocks; first, second, and third, shining smiles are displayed by those of the lunch ladies. Before the first bell releases students into their hands and trays pile up with all the delicacies, their experience is put to use.

Some people may think the lunch ladies are just here to serve the food and that’s all

there is to their job. As one could enjoy a fun hobby or talent so do the cafeteria staff. Among the women, many work second jobs, spend plenty of time with grandchildren, bake what they love, and enjoy being a not too extreme animal lover.

Others enjoy more of the outdoors by camping on the

weekends, fishing off a boat, quality time with a nephew or hitting possibly great garage sales. Ronda Buchta, the assistant manager has been in lunch service for eight years and with AL for five of that time. She became a server because of the incentive of breaks, having great hours and all the time off. When unexpected snow days cancel school not only can that make one happy but she believes it’s nice to have a little break and time to spend with your family.

Kelly Smith, a cook server among the staff has been in food service for five years at AL and wanted to work here not only because her love of kids, but her youngest daughter was starting here at the time. Evaluating the benefits of her position, she expressed, “I love what I do, I love

the hours, you gotta love being off in the summer,” Smith said.

Crystal Lewis, one of the other staff is in her third year at AL and was brought to the job by having an aunt who was a cook for 20 years which made her think of giving it a shot. By getting summers off for full time hours and having something new everyday is a benefit of the position she enjoys. How one cafeteria staff operates isn’t necessarily the same Crystal viewed.

“I travel from school to school from elementary and to the high school, it’s different in every school,” Lewis said. “It’s probably best because most people get bored with their jobs because they’re doing one thing every single day.”

With the staff working not only for the hours or

pay, the experience might not matter if gone unnoticed.

For students who may have shown respect or given thanks for what they provide, one might not realize how easier their job just may become. Holding the title of assistant manager and working with her staff to provide more than 700 entrees, Ronda reflected just what difference a students appreciation does.

“When the students appreciate us and are kind to us it makes our job great,” Buchta said. “It just takes those few to make everything worthwhile.” With fewer interaction between faculty and teachers, it is those students who take notice that makes them more than just a lunch lady.

Photo by Audrey Hays

Behind the suit: what it’s like being Lenny the Lynx Taylor Bever Reporter

T

he mascot Lenny the Lynx is supports Abraham Lincoln High school and gets the crowd riled up for a game and gets ready to entertain everyone. Even if they are losing, the mascot is there to keep spirits high, keeps little kids entertained and everybody excited and happy.

“It was hot and disgusting, but it was fun,” Lenny the Lynx 1 said.

While the Lenny the Lynx suit might be really nasty, hot, and unpleasant people are still using

the opportunity to keep everybody entertained.

While the student in the suit gets to interact with fans they have to be extremely active. Mascots when being active have to be extremely cautious around children this creates a divide between mascots who enjoy what they do from others who don’t.

“Even though it gets really hot in the suit I loved being the lynx,” Lenny 1 said.

Those who were Lenny the Lynx before had enjoyed being the mascot as it was fun and it’s not something you get to do everyday. It’s an experience that many people don’t have. It’s something that not all people would even like to try, but for others it’s something they

want to do.

“I just asked about being the Lynx with Mr. (Activities Director Jeff) Novotny,” Lenny 2 said.

If student would like to become the mascot they would need to talk to Mr. Novotney about it. He will show you some tips and about talking to little kids, many who are fond of Lenny, during the game with all kinds activities. Several of those who play as Lenny that enjoy entertaining people can dress up as Lenny as many times as they want.

“I would do it again, but I know there are other students that would like too”, Lenny 3 said.

This particular student would do it again if asked in contrast to other students

who don’t want to be him again as they didn’t enjoy it like the other ones and some because it’s an experience they only wanted once.

“I only know about three other people this school year that have been the lynx mascot,” Lenny 2 said.

Over the years there has been dozens of students being the Lynx. It’s usually a new person each game, sometimes it’s not.

In the end being the Lynx is to support Abraham Lincoln and cheer on our teams, Make the games even more fun. If you’re a student who is lucky enough to become the Lynx have fun with it.

Photo by Jessica Borwick

Echoes

Sports

Late March 2015

Tanner Hochstetler | Sports Editor

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With tournament underway, looking back at regular season Jake Peterson Reporter It has been yet another fun college basketball regular season campaign. Kentucky has been unbeatable, the Big 12 has as much depth as any conference we’ve seen in a long, long time, and the surprise teams like Northern Iowa, Gonzaga, Providence, etc., have all been impressive.

Starting with the SEC, the SEC has had a very down year this year, Florida has been very sub par, LSU and Georgia who started off the season great have faded since then and Arkansas has had its’ ups and downs this season. Kentucky however

has shown otherwise, a team that is undefeated, led by Willie Cauley Stein, Andrew and Aaron Harrison, and even freshman Devin Booker has contributed very well.

The ACC has had its’ moments of positives but its also had its’ moments of negatives. Duke and Virginia are clearly the two teams to beat in this conference, but right behind them you have Louisville, North Carolina, and Notre Dame. So the question is who can really prevail in a conference that has shown inconsistency.

The Big 10 has had a down year much like the SEC, however they still have a dominant team and that team is the Wisconsin Badgers, led by Frank Kaminsky and Sam Decker, the Wooden Award

frontrunner Kaminsky has all but disappointed despite fighting off some injuries earlier in the season, can they take the Big 10 title and show what they are really all about?

And finally the Big 12, the strongest conference in America, the question remains who will go the furthest in the tourney out of this prestigious conference?

Kansas has gotten better and better as the season went along led by Frank Mason at point guard, Brannon Greene, Wayne Seldon, and Perry Ellis. Iowa State is peaking at the right time of the season, the team exploded after the 11 point loss to Oklahoma in Norman, Jameel Mckay has lived up to his hype, Matt Thomas is contributing and the best

The Iowa State Cyclones celebrate after a 70-66 victory against Kansas in the finals of the Big 12 Tournament. Courtesy by MCT Campus point guard in the country and Monte Morris has made a statement this season in the world of college basketball, and it never hurts to have Hilton Magic on your side.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been very good themselves led by one of the best guards in the country Buddy Hield.

The biggest question for Oklahoma’s sake is will the

lack of depth get the best of them in the tourney? time will tell. This regular season was a fun one, hopefully the tournament will be the same way.

New Baseball Assistant Coaches Gann, Salladay offer experience to AL staff Nathan Vorce Co Editor-In-Chief

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he AL boy’s baseball squad has made a few changes to its coaching roster since last year, including adding assistant coach Kyle Gann to its ranks. Gann has a plan for the team, and also brings some unique experiences and advice to give to the players. Gann graduated from Abraham Lincoln, and attended Northwestern Missouri State University, and played baseball a majority of that time.

“Ever since I was old enough to play tee-ball, I played the sport, until I went to college,” Gann said. “I have a lot of good memories from playing baseball. One year, I only struck out three times the whole season--I was a regular starter, and only struck out three times.”

When he got to college, Gann was planning on continuing with his baseball hobby. But the school had an

“Ever since I was old enough to play tee-ball, I played the sport, until I went to college.”

-Kyle Gann, Assistant Baseball Coach abundance of catchers, which was Gann’s position.

“I tried to walk on the team, and my practice went really well, better than expected. But I got an email from the coach later saying that there wasn’t room on the team,” Gann said.

Aside from playing baseball, Gann also plays golf on occasion. “(Golf) is an infuriating sport, but it’s very humbling,” Gann said.

Gann returned this year to his old high school to both teach science and help coach baseball. But he returned mostly to teach--helping coach baseball was just the icing on the cake.

Jessica Borwick Co Editor-In-Chief

T

“I feel invested in AL. I’m trying to give back to the school that had given me so much.

Gann’s love for baseball has been prominent since he was young.

“My love for the game has always been innate,” Gann said.

Kyle Gann brings a love of the game and a passion for teaching to AL, two things that will influence both the school and baseball team.

he Freshmen baseball team has a new addition to the team this year, and that is a new assistant coach, Jacob Salladay. He is also new to the AL staff as a math teacher. Salladay was born and grew up in Iowa City, Iowa. He attended high school at Alburnett and he played baseball for them all four years of his high school career. His position on the field was a center fielder.

After he graduated, he got accepted into Iowa State University where he received a degree in Bachelor of Science in Mathematics.

During his time at ISU, he played one year of club baseball and participated in an adult league over the summer. Salladay also took some time to coach a Jr. High baseball team at Gilbert Middle School for three years.

“I was always in baseball

from a young age, and have played some variation of the game since I was old enough to hold a bat. In college, I landed a job coaching middle school baseball for summer work and realized I had a real passion for helping kids learn to play the game,” Salladay said.

Salladay has always expressed an interest in baseball and has always wanted to be able to be in some part or aspect of the sport. When he got the teaching position here, he simply expressed his interest to James Larsen, already a baseball coach, and he got what he wanted.

“Baseball has had a huge impact on my life. Baseball can teach you pretty much anything you need to know about life,” Salladay said.

“Being a Cubs fan teaches you patience and humility, hitting teaches you how to learn from your failures, and the independent nature of a team sport teaches you how to contribute to a cause greater than yourself.”

Salladay is excited to coach this year and has hopes to improve and learn from other coach and really impact the kids.

“My hopes for the upcoming season (for the kids) is to teach the players to be cerebral players, and be aware of the situation they are playing in every pitch.

For myself, my hope is to see myself learn a lot from the wealth of experience that the coaches around me have,” Salladay said.

From Little League to the present, Salladay will help provide the Lynx players and coaches the experience needed to put AL baseball into championship contention.

Rollergirls help build girls’ confidence Hailey Carson Reporter

The Omaha Rollergirls is a flat-track all girls roller derby league that represent Omaha. They strive to promote the strength, athleticism, and independence of women and provide skills for them

to compete all the way up to the international level.

The Rollergirls have two different teams, the All-Stars who do a lot of the higher level competing, and the AAA team who is working on developing their skills and strategy while still competing.

The team is not for a profit. Any of the money they make goes towards

developing the league and back to the community.

The whole organization is volunteer operated. The team played their first game at Skate Daze in 2008, but moved to the Mid-America Center in 2011 and that has been their home area since.

“Our goal as a team used to be to just play as hard as we could,” Katy Flores, former All-Star Captain and

blocker said. “We wanted to stay in Division 2, which has internationally ranked teams 40-60, and we did it.”

Roller derby is a full contact sport played on quad roller skates around a flat oval track. The game is divided into two 30 minute sections and within those are two minute jams.

Blockers try to prevent the other team’s jammer from

scoring points by passing the group and becoming the “lead jammer” and also help their own team’s jammer get through. Flores stressed the importance of having an off-skate work out to fully develop their athletic skills, along with two regular practices and a scrimmage.

“It’s about having confidence in yourself,” Flores said. “There aren’t

a lot of full contact sports women can do so we get to do things the boys do and it’s not just for one size, body type or age.” They now have junior leagues for ages 8-18 for girls to start learning the game.

Roller derby is a growing sport that welcomes all types of women and girls to work on their athletic skills and self confidence.

Sports Echoes 10 March Madness sets up dramatic finish Will Schademann | Sports Editor

Late March 2015

Commentary Jake Peterson Reporter

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et the madness begin, and oh how it began, oh so maddening. The three seeds took a huge hit. In the South Region, number three seed Iowa State gets upset by number 14 seed UAB, and in the West Region number three seed Baylor gets upset by number 14 seed Georgia State. Also in the South Region, number 11 seed UCLA beat number 6 seed SMU after a controversial call, and in the Midwest Region, Northeastern nearly beat Notre Dame. What is the reason behind all the madness?

Perhaps the conference tournaments have been proven to be worthless and maybe they should get rid of them or at least maybe move

all of them back a week, clearly it has given the top dog teams a hangover. Or maybe the better teams just had an off day of basketball, either way life moves along with a rather surprising start. 5 games on the first day were decided by just 1 point which is an NCAA tournament record. Perhaps the most surprising upset of the round of 64 was the UAB over Iowa State matchup.

96% of the nation lost their perfection in their brackets after that game in which UAB won it 60-59. It was the first game that senior Dustin Hogue was held scoreless in the entire game, the Yonkers, New York native had this to say after the game.

“It’s embarrassing. We have played much tougher teams than UAB, we play in the best conference in the country, and it just doesn’t make any sense. We just didn’t play Cyclone basketball,” Hogue said to the Des Moines Register. Iowa State head coach Fred Hoiberg aka “The Mayor” was equally as disappointed. “Its just tough.

It’s as tough of a loss as I’ve

Kentucky’s Aaron Harrison (2) drives to the basket against Cincinnati in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats won the matchup 64-51.

Courtesy by MCT Campus

ever been a part of.” Hoiberg said. “With what we had going, I thought the momentum we had coming into this tournament . . . then just to go out there and not play very well,” Hoiberg said to WHOtv.com.

Many other disappointing performances occurred in the round of 64, even Kentucky didn’t get off to the start they wanted against Hampton. “I didn’t like how we started the game, and I didn’t like how we ended the game.” Kentucky head coach John Calipari said to ESPN. Meanwhile the injured Kansas Jayhawks get knocked out in the round of 32 for the second straight year as the Wichita State Shockers beat them by 13 with Fred Van Vleet, Ron Baker, and Evan Wessel leading the way. And the Villanova Wildcats are the first number 1 seed to bite the dust, as the Wolfpack of North Carolina State knock them off.

So who will win the prestigious NCAA title?

Kentucky is the clear favorites, but is there another team looming and willing to knock off Kentucky? Time will tell.

Peters offers insight on being student athlete Breana Rocha

hether you’re a basketball, soccer, volleyball, or football player, athletes have certain activities they do to ready and prepare for a season.

And when it comes to the season there are different activities that keep them active and prepared for what is to come in the season.

For senior Robert Peters, being an athlete means hours of constant work, whether it be class work, or work for the athletes current sport. So, what is it like being a high school athlete?

One part of being an athlete that people normally don’t think about is keeping grades up. If the athlete’s grades are not up to standards then the athletes can be ineligible to play for

half a season or more. As long as students are not failing a class, they may participate in school athletics.

“When you’re getting ready for a big game, as much as you want to focus all your energy on that specific sport, you realize that you still have to keep your academics up to stay on top of your grades,” Peters said.

Most student athletes balance multiple sports plus extracurricular activities, such as 4-H, NHS, student council, and some even balance jobs on top of all that.

Athletes can have busy lives. Balancing these activities is part of being a student athlete, and with this comes great responsibility.

“I have become very good at balancing my activities. Time management is very important. If you start to get behind then you’re in trouble. Stay on top of things and get work done on time.”

said senior Alexa Murphy.

When you play multiple sports, each sport can prep you for the next. This can make preparing for a season easier for all athletes.

“During a sports season I always use a planner, it is an easier way to keep track of all the things I’m doing,” said senior Kaitlyn Murphy.

Athletes have ways of managing their activities, whether it be a planner, time table, to-do list. The ways student athlete manage their time can change from person to person.

Life can be exciting, tiresome, and sometimes stressful for an athlete but they will always push their hardest to be the best they can. With work, effort, and dedication being an athlete can become a way of life.

Whatever sport you do you have to work hard and find a way to improve your skills in and out of the classroom.

Sophomore Avery Thomas agrees with Waugh that the goals for this year’s team is to make it to state as well. “ Hopefully we will make it to state and I will be able to beat my brother’s long jump record,” Thomas said.

Thomas also explained on what he likes

most about being in track. “ I like how track is an individual sport and that you are able to set personal goals ” Thomas added.

Girl’s Track Coach Traci Stoop said that her experience in track have helped her team tremendously. “ I just want to tell them

that hard work pays off and the more work you put in the better of a person you will become,” Stoop concluded.

Waugh and Thomas are just ready to get the year started.

Reporter

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Photo by Don Vinkenberg

Runners have high expectations for season Will Schademann Sports Editor

Spring is starting and that means that track is starting as well. This year, the track athletes are hope-

ful for a terrific year. Junior Breanna Waugh has very high goals for this team.

“What I what to see this year is a lot of people going to Des Moines for state and the Drake Relays, both in individual races and relay races as well.”

Waugh is also excited

on how new members will perform in this track season.

“I’m excited to see how the freshmen perform this year for us because during practice I’ve seen a lot of upcoming talent for the future and it will be fun to see how they progress in the next couple years,” Waugh said.

Echoes

Late March 2015

Arts & Entertainment

Kendal Bainbridge | A&E page editor

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Rooster Teeths ‘Lazer Team’ breaks records ‘Lazer Team’ surpasses goal of $650,000 in mere ten hours Logan Erwin Reporter

In the late 1970s, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Project found a signal in deep space that told us two simple things. One, we are definitely not alone.

Two, the galaxy is a dangerous place. The code was sent by a race of aliens who have kept humans safe for eons, and now they want a Champion of Earth to don their high tech armor and fight for the human race against more aliens. Too bad a band of misfits decide to shoot it down and get individual pieces of the armor stuck to them: creating the Lazer Team.

Rooster Teeth is an entertainment company that has published many shows such as Red vs. Blue (an action packed web show based off of the Halo video game art style, also it’s the longest running web series) and

Achievement Hunter (a famous YouTube group where the play video games for the viewer’s entertainment).

Even the entirety of the company is a franchise, keeping people updated on gaming and movie news along with scheduling events like the Rooster Teeth Expo. Their fanbase has over 10 million followers and now they’re creating a full-length movie: Lazer Team.

From June 6, 2014 to July 6, 2014 on IndieGoGo they raised 2.4 million dollars for their movie.

With their original goal of $650,000 being surpassed immensely, they broke the record for the most amount of money raised in a certain time frame on IndieGoGo. The massive following paired up with benefits from donating caused the company to reach their goal in 10 hours. Afterwards, they had reached a million dollars in just two days. Finishing out

the rest of the month, they finally stopped at $2,480,334 which made their original goal a 382% increase Further on from the plot, Rooster Teeth has guaranteed a great movie. With the massive amount of funds they received, they have upgraded their computer graphics and cast of the movie.

Alan Ritchson, Colton Dunn, and Dalton E. Gray are some notable cast members, including multiple representatives from Rooster Teeth filling in some main roles.

Gavin Free, Michael Jones, and Burnie Burns are three of the main four protagonists which makes a lot of sense since they’re amongst the wittiest of their company.

Besides the huge progress Rooster Teeth has made there has been a huge issue, especially in the animation department. RWBY was created and primarily animated

by Monty Oum. The story is about a group of four stu-

dents who attend a monster hunter academy and protect their metropolis. He also animated Red vs. Blue from seasons 9-12, which has been praised time and time again for its fight scenes and animations. Monty Oum passed away from surgical complications on Feb. 6, 2014.

“Monty Oum had huge plans for the future in Rooster Teeth,” Junior Ben Addison said. “Especially for RWBY and RVB. He would have been proud of Lazer Team and the amount of effort put into it.”

Rooster Teeth has become a cornerstone in web entertainment, especially with Red vs. Blue. Now since they’re unveiling Lazer Team, they are making leaps and bounds in the entertainment industry. Regardless of the movie’s ratings or any, Rooster Teeth has been guaranteed to become a staple in both web and media entertainment.

more to be announced as the date gets closer.

One of the main ideas that comes to mind when one hears Comic Con is “comics.” There are many comic book artists and writers already scheduled for appearances for O Comic Con. Guests include horror comic writer Rachel Deering, Phil Hester (writer/artist for many comics including “Green Hornet”), Christopher Sebulba, Michael Moreci, and more.

Along with the comicrelated guests, other guests, such as actors and actresses will also make be present.

Making appearances are James Bamber (Lee “Apol-

lo” Adama in Battlestar Galactica, and DS Matt Devlin in Law and Order: UK), Walter Koenig (Pavel Chekov in Star Trek, Alfred Bester in Babylon 5), voice-actors Billy West (Fry and Zoidberg from Futurama, both Ren and Stimpy, Elmer Fudd) and Maurice LaMarche (Orson Welles impressionist, Calculon from Futurama, Toucan Sam, The Brain in Animaniacs, and Pinky and the Brain). Guests will hold panels and will be greeting attendees at autograph sessions.

A large part of fan participation in Comic Con is from is their cosplaying. Cosplaying is the art of wearing

costumes to portray characters from fiction. Many people at conventions dress as various sci-fi or video game characters. O Comic Con is encouraging everyone attending to show off their creative and artistic abilities.

There will be a contest held for those who participate as well as a top secret paradelike event.

O Comic Con is offering a nurturing environment for artists to thrive. They are allowing local artists to attend to be able to sell their artwork. Artists will be allowed to hold a table (with either themselves or they can split the cost with a friend) on the expo floor where they

can sell their art. This experience allows the local artists to get a name for themselves and meet other people in the same community. The O Comic Con website lists the information to sign up and register a spot.

There will be an expo floor filled with many various booths. The website shows a map of the expo with some of the table booths there. In the upper left corner there will be a Bat-Wall Climb photo booth. Next to the photo booth there is a Sci-Fi and Fantasy Collectibles featuring Dave Bell’s Batman collection consisting of over 40 years of memorabilia, prop replicas, custom built mod-

els, and dioramas.There are also a couple of tables where you can purchase some nerdy pop-culture t-shirts. Both the 501st Legion and Rebel Legion organizations of Star Wars costumers have booths as local radio shows and Omaha’s own Creature Feature host- Dr. San Guinary.

Tickets for O Comic Con vary depending on the day: Friday and Sunday are both priced at $20, and Saturday is $25, or for $45 you can get the Winter Blitz Pass that will give you access for all three days. Children 12 and under get in for free. Keep in mind that A.L.’s graduation is also Saturday, May 30; parking will be crazy.

Branches”, it was used to indicate the time, moon, and directions in ancient China and Eastern Cultures. Every year the day it starts changes and it ranges within late January to late February, a little different than the Western Calendar. People born early in the year might be influenced by the past animal and it is

recommended to compare both the signs when using it to predict personality traits.

There are many different stories as to how the Chinese Zodiac came about, but some of the most popular state with some variations that all the animals were invited to God’s place New Years morning. The cat had

forgotten the day he was supposed to be there and asked the rat who purposely told him the wrong time. The first twelve of the animals who arrived on New Years morning were rewarded with being the guardians of a year, and the rat who had jumped and road on the ox’s back jumped off and became the first one there, and thus the first animal in the zodiac. After the rat and the ox came the tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and the pig. The cat showed up the next day, and upon learning he was late, hated the rat for telling him the wrong time. “That’s what cats chase rats madly.” Senn. cocoloni.com’s article said.

According to senn.cocoloni.com, the Zodiac also resembles the life of a plant.

The first animal; the rat, represents water and the sign of starting a new life. The ox is new soil and soft sprouting but too cold to continue growing. The tiger means tree and shows the sign of

spring and growing. Plants and flowers are represented by the rabbit. The dragon is the huge mountain and earth, the sign of green trees, blooming flowers, thunderstorms and big changes. The snake takes a different direction, representing the end of growth. The horse signals that plants are at their end with a burning flame. The sheep is a sign of plants bearing their fruit, the monkey; that they are hardening, and the rooster that the fruits are ripe and at their limits. The dog and the pig wrap up the cycle, with the plants withering and a new birth being planted.

When using the Chinese Zodiac Animal signs to determine ones trails, chinahighlights.com says a couple different things affect it. The year a person was born represents the inherent luck, the month shows the strength of energy throughout life, and the day represents one’s true nature and innate self. In AL right now, the most com-

mon years people were born in are 96’, 97’, 98’, 99’ and 00’. 1996 was the start of a new cycle and the year of the rat, so it would just continue in order with the ox, tiger, rabbit and dragon. 2015 is the year of the sheep which started on February 19 and will end February 7, 2016 will be the start of the year of the monkey. This is the 4712th Chinese Year. “People born in a certain animal year are believed to have attributes of that animal, which could either help or hinder a relationship.” chinahighlights.com said in refernce to compadibility. It also warns that when a person’s year comes around, it is bad luck for them.

There are so many more interesting stories about this history of the Chinese Zodiac, and there are more detailed meanings for all of the animals and what it is used for. It brings in constellations, and the positions of the moon and the sun and creates a world of its own.

Omaha Comic Con coming to Council Bluffs Kelly Hickey Reporter

One of the biggest gatherings of pop culture and fan enthusiasts is the San Diego Comic Con event held during the summer. For those who have always wanted to go but can’t: don’t worry! A localized version of the event called O Comic Con is coming soon. The first annual Omaha Comic Con will be held on May 29 through May 31 at the Mid-America Center. The plan is that the event becomes popular enough that it becomes an annual con.

Many guests and events have been planned with many

Chinese Zodiac New Year: its history and meanings Hailey Carson Reporter

The Chinese Zodiac is a twelve year cycle where each year is represented by one of twelve animals that started in ancient China and was then introduced to Japan.

Sometimes called “Earthly

Illustration by Oakland Elliff

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Kendal Bainbridge | A&E page editor

Arts & Entertainment

Late March 2015

Echoes

Write Touch offers students publicity Calab Holder Reporter

She was a hymn dancing through my ears, A suggestion of melody - disjointed congealing as an impression upon my temporal lobe, A faint remembrance of spoken prayers, promises, protests,

“Echoic Memory”

artwork is selected to be published in the magazine...well, that is really sweet! The confidence witnessed in those students is immeasurable.

The feeling of being recognized for something which they created is a true source of pride and joy, not only for the chosen student, but for their “coach,” as well,” Shorey said.

For over three decades the Write Touch has served as a conduit for creativity, enabling students to present their imaginative and creative works of writing and pieces of art to their community.

Patricia Harte- Maxwell; 12th

The Write Touch literary magazine, a publication that includes original pieces of art and writing from Council Bluffs Community School District students, will be published and distributed on Thursday, May 14 at a recognition breakfast sponsored by the Optimist Club of Council Bluffs. Last year 41 students were selected for entry into the magazine, but the history of the Write Touch entails a rich and illustrious past.

“This publication was started by the Optimist Club

of Council Bluffs more than 30 years ago and was the first of its kind in Optimists International. Since then a number of clubs have contacted us to find out more about the magazine in the hopes of creating something similar themselves,” Write Touch Optimist Co-Coordinator Roger Williams said.

The opportunity to work with students during the initial stage of creation is something that makes the amount of devotion and hard work worth it, explains Saint Albert Language Arts Teacher Fran Shorey.

“The student takes pride in their end product, and if their poem, story, or piece of

but for a millisecond - until she was forgotten “Frito”

Mike Bertrand; 12th

No Retreat, No Surrender Courtney Christiansen;11th Each second Each tick tock of the clock Another moment leaves us.

Lives given Lives taken Each...

In that moment.

The bird with the bundle Making deliveries Gently placing lives The man in Black Clipboard in hand Checking off names, Taking lives.

“Peek-a-Boo”

Alexandria Green;10th

Endearing Sacred Dust

“Spring”

Catch and can the finest dust And place it in the highest Steeple of the county So it can gaze at what The bell ringers see

Wisping cotton on the currents of spring air The smell of lavender and honey wafting under the cracks of bedroom doors closed for the past few months Snow melt weaving down the carved paths Rivers forming from the first 40 degree day The robins are coming back in full fledged gentlemen’s attire Red satin shirt buried beneath silky black suit Blue birds contrasted against green buds of rebirth Stark branches turning lovely with a humming livelihood Brought out of their dormant states with the scents of warmed sun and Honey We crawl from the slush of snow and push open frozen doors Iced closed by the smothering winter But no more will the grey skies remind us of soft bunnies and drifting cotton It will remind us of gentle rains and oncoming dusk

Calab Holder;10th

Decline the urn For a Mason jar To store the jam-like dust Of a once-living fruit Unknown to botanists And a species unto itself The cherished fruit has vanished, Leaving you to tend your mournful soul But the beloved will be remembered: Feel grateful for its planting And embrace how it gracefully subsided

Claire Boes; 11th

So let an air of remembrance Bathe our longings In glorious silence

These lives Quickly learn the lesson Not to love each breath, But each pair.

Only two moments don’t have a partner The ones when you’re Entering and Leaving.

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“Majestic”

Madeline Neilson; 10th

Phone: 712.388.4489 customdesign.us.com

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