Dec. 14, 2012 Vol. 53 Issue 4
BEAK ‘N’ EYE
Kick off your holiday spirit! See the back page Should athletes be required to take P.E. Classes? See page 16 Is our judicial system flawed? See page 12
Should your web activity be monitored? - Page 15 WEST HIGH SCHOOL
3505 W. LOCUST ST.
DAVENPORT, IOWA 52804
CONTENTS
COVER PHOTO - People of Davenport gather downtown to watch several baloons go through the Festivle of Trees Parade along with the West High Band on Nov. 17 (cover and above photo by Saba Khan)
NEWS
FOCUS
4 LIVING LANDS AND WATERS- Take a look at some stuff that floats in our river that you may have never thought of.
12 JUDICIAL PROBLEMS- Take a look at a few trials and the flaws of our system.
5 NURSES OFFICE- Finally figure out why the nurses office has been moved.
VOICE
7 ALICE IN WONDERLAND- Take a behind the scenes look at the play.
FACES 8 HOLIDAY CHEER - Learn about West students and their holilday spirit. 9 WINTER HAZARDS- It’s time for winter driving, learn how to be safe.
LEISURE
11 TWITTER 101- Tips on how to use Twitter as it takes over social media.
16 NO P.E. CLASSES?- Should athliets be required to take P.E. classes?
SPORTS
18 - 19 WINTER SPORTS HEAT UPBoys and girls basketball starts along with wrestling and swimming. 20 CHEER AND DANCE TAKE TRIPFollow your West High Sprit squad through out their recent trips. 21 SPORTS MANAGERS- Learn who’s behind the scenes of the sports teams.
BEAK ‘N’ EYE ● DEC. 14, 2012
The Beak ‘n’ Eye wants YOU to join the staff! Our Program West High has one of the best high school journalism programs in the nation. The Beak ‘n’ Eye has received Quill and Scroll’s highest honor--the George H Gallup Award--every year since 1972 for the quality of its newspaper. Every year students win state and national awards for writing, photography and design. Benefits The Beak ‘n’ Eye staff serves the entire school by informing them of what’s happening in their world. The monthly newsmagazine offers a variety of articles on news, sports, features, entertainment, and opinion. Student editors plan and produce an issue every month. We are looking for students who are: • Creative • Responsible • Talented in writing, photography or art • Available to work after school sometimes The Beak ‘n’ Eye is published eight times a year from 3505 W. Locust St., Davenport, IA 52804. Member of the Iowa High School Press Association, National Scholastic Press Association, and Quill & Scroll Internation Honor Society.
WEST HIGH SCHOOL ● 3505 W LOCUST ST. DAVENPORT, IA 52804
NEWS
Four Students particapte in All State Music Festival
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Brian Lines is the first West student to make the All State Orchestra in 20 years BY Jephthah Yarian JephthahYarian@gmail.com For Brian’s hard work, he, along with three West musicians, had the honor of performing at the All State Festival in Ames, Iowa, on Nov. 17. To perform in the 66th Annual Iowa All State Festival Concert, 1,080 high schools musicians across 178 Iowa high schools, came to the Hilton Coliseum at ISU in Ames, Iowa. Senior, Brian Lines has practiced for the past year in preparation of passing the All
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State audition on Brian Lines practices with orchestra director, Ms. Easley, and Oct. 30. the other orchestra students (photo by Jephthah Yarian) He was the only West student of the highest honor a musician can receive in the 203 students in the All State Orchestra. state of Iowa.” “Experiencing the feeling of being in For these musicans practice is key. such an amazing orchestra,” was Lines’ “You need to want to do the work,” said highlight of the festival. orchestra director, Ms. Easley. “This compiThe festival is not just work, but it is tion is tough. I cannot stress the importance also very enjoyable. of practicing, enough.” “It’s a wonderful three days for the There were 602 students in the chorus, musicians-lots of rehearsing with world 275 in the band, and an orchestra of 203 renowned conductors and a final concert.” students at the Festival this year. Mark Kretchmer, band director said. “The
Other West All-State Musicians
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(photos by Jephthah Yarian)
Shelby Tracy
Dawn Vickers
Jacob Stewart
Percussionist - Xylophone, bass drum, tambourine, and marimba
Chorale Singer - Soprano 1
Chorale Singer - Baritone Solo: Veni Sancte Spiritus
Highlight: “All the talented musicians in one place, everything sounded good all the time.”
Highlight: “Being a part of a huge choir where everyone knew what they were doing and it sounded absolutely amazing.”
Highlight: “Being in a choir that big is probably the best experience you can have. And it was great to have that full sound.”
Favorite Song: “A piece that the director wrote for our band, which was cool, and the whole band got to sing, which was different and fun.”
Favorite Song : Favorite Song: “Sure on the Shinning Night, because it “Dominus Vobiscum-it has a lot of interestwas really expressive and beautiful.” ing clashing notes and sections along with fast and slow sections. It has a powerful message when you know the words.”
PAGE BY JEPHTHAH YARIAN
DEC. 14, 2012 ● BEAK ‘N’ EYE 3
NEWS
NHS raises money to buy gifts
BY COURTNEY GEIKEN courtney.geiken1@gmail.com
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ational Honors Society is raising money for Brittany’s Gifts by selling donuts and asking for donations. Their goal is to raise enough money to buy a playground for North High’s Child Care Center. Brittany’s gifts was started after Brittany Manders, Nurse Linda Manders’ daughter, passed away in October 2008. “With the holidays approaching and with all the grief, we [the Manders family] sat down missing her,” Manders said. “We tried to come up with a way to honor her memory and to capture her amazing sense of generosity. She had such a big heart for those less fortunate and she did a lot of volunteer work.” Brittany Manders volunteered at the Handicapped Development Center and worked at the Child Care Center at North. The director of the Handicapped Development Center was happy to find out that they wanted to create this charity in her memory. The goal of the first year was to
NHS, said they volunteered two weeks ago to help at a trivia night and all proceeds went to Brittany’s gifts. Brittany’s gifts has spread from North, West, and now Central is supporting it, too. Brittany’s “Brittany’s gifts is a great Gifts is a great way to lift the way to lift spirits of children less fortunate and the spirits of National Honors children less Society is proud fortunate” to represent the students of West - Jacob High School in Stewart an effort to better the community,” Stewart said. “We stress how important it is,” said senior Kris Burney, co-president of NHS. “It’s really close to home, and really important to Mrs. Manders. We try to get as much money as we can.” NHS will have a Christmas party on Dec. 20 to give gifts to the children and play with them.
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NHS sells donuts every Friday in the main hall. (Photo by Courtney Geiken)
give at least one gift per person, and they exceeded that goal. Manders said these people don’t get as much as one gift. A pair of socks is like $100 to them. NHS also raises money to buy birthday presents for them. “I’m very proud of the students,” said Manders. “To see the love and generosity, to support such a wonderful cause, it’s very amazing. I’m so proud.” Senior Jacob Stewart, co-president of
Ugly sweaters help cause BY SABA KHAN sabakhanmuhammad@gmail.com
To help raise money for “Falcons for Families,” hat days are being held and an ugly sweater contest will be Dec. 14. Every Wednesday of December is a hat day and you can pay $2 for a ticket to wear a hat in school. The ugly The trophy made by the counselors for the top ugliest sweater contest “is the sweater. (Photo by Courtney Geiken) ugly sweater holiday.” In this competition going to hold this contest and hat days to people have to wear the collect money for the Falcons for families ugliest sweater to win a $100 gift card for because it help us and others. We have Best Buy. There are three winners in this about 15 families in West to whom we contest: a girl, a boy, and a staff member. The top winner will win the ugliest trophy are going to help. In this contest we are going to get $10 for every person who is of the ugly sweater contest. It is going to participating in it by Blaze Restoration to take place at West on Dec. 14, and stuhelp for the ‘Falcons for Families.’” She dents can watch by paying $5 to get in. said it is the spirit of giving. Counselor Jennifer O’Hare, who is organizing all the events, said, “We are 4 BEAK ‘N’ EYE ● DEC. 14, 2012
CALENDAR DEC. 14 Ugly Sweater Contest fourth block DEC. 19 Hat Day DEC. 20 Finals: Block 1 (7:45-9:45 a.m.) Block 2 (9:55-11:55 a.m.) DEC. 21 Finals: Block 3 (7:45-9:45 a.m.) Block 4 ( 9:55-11:55 a.m.) DEC. 24- JAN. 7 Winter Break JAN. 8 Term 3 begins JAN. 21 No School JAN. 26 Gala Dance - Sleigh Ride
PAGE BY COURTNEY GEIKEN
BRIEFS Speech and Debate
AJROTC seargeants hold the strings to the American flag balloon on Nov. 17. (photo contributed by Josie Miller)
ROTC marches in parade
Sergeants march, but that’s not all they do
BY COURTNEY GEIKEN courtney.geiken1@gmail.com
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ergeants and those ranked higher in AJROTC (Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp.) marched at the Festival of Trees Parade on Nov. 17 while holding an American flag balloon. However, ROTC isn’t just about marching in parades. It teaches cadets physical fitness, academics in every topic, and leadership. Students are put in situations that build their decision making skills. “Each day Leadership is in charge of over 140 cadets in the program, and the cadets day by day are challenged with new problems and are tested to see if they can overcome them,” said junior Josie Miller, Public Affairs Officer. Miller’s job as Public Affairs Officer is to take pictures of all the activities they do and document their entire year.
Some may assume that ROTC’s only purpose is to put people in the military, but it isn‘t actually to put you in the military. Miller said they just want to give you a taste of what it’s like. “It really changes your perspective if you really get into it like I did,” said Miller. Miller said the average day in ROTC is different for West students; they usually get to Central 5-10 minutes late because of riding the bus. Then class is normal, starting off with saying the Cadet Creed (a pledge they take every day) and having regular lessons about good conduct, Army values, and principals of leadership. To rank up in ROTC, they take what they learned through out the term and get tested on finals at the Rank Board. If they do well they rank up. “ROTC takes people out of their comfort zones,” said Miller. “It gives them opportunities that they wouldn’t usually get in high school, like I got to ride in a helicopter, be the leader of over 60 people, and attend the summer camp program (JCLC).”
Foul smell causes irritation BY JEPHTHAH YARIAN JephthahYarian@gmail.com The Nurse’s Office moved to room 403 due to a foul smell for the second time. “A really strong smell and then people were noticing some headaches, nausea, and respiratory problems,” said school nurse Linda Manders. The smell is thought to be Volatile Organic Compound (VOC). “Any time you have any kind of new construction, you have VOC,” said Mark, the custodian supervisor. “Ninety-five percent of the time it is not harmful. We
want to make sure it’s not, so we are doing some tests.” “We found an instance with some rodents, and we cleared that. We think it was some of the VOC, not the rodents.” After the rodents were cleared and the nurse moved back, the smell was still there. “The levels of VOC in here are well below toxic. The symptoms would be an irritant.” said Craig, school’s insurance representative. The VOC will go away with time. “Hopefully, when we are able to come back in the problem will be solved,” Manders said.
PAGE BY COURTNEY GEIKEN
Debating against 97 other teams, Noah Kirshchbaum and Greg Windeknecht won first place in Public Forum and Debate at the Dowling Catholic Paradigm competition in West Des Moines on Nov. 7-8. Coach Maggie Rietz said, “Overall they did well, especially Noah and Greg.”-By Shauna Foss
Business Academy
Three teams of Business Academy students placed second, third, and eighth in the JA Titan Competition on Nov. 7. This year, students had to market a holo-generator, and their goal was to sell the most and make the most money,. The junior team placed second, only losing by two points to PV, who usually wins every year. “I hope next year we beat PV,” said Meredith Tangen, business teacher. -By Courtney Geiken
Spanish
Several advanced Spanish students will take a trip to Spain over spring break led by Spanish teacher Barbara Lipnick. The trip’s purpose is to express and perfect students’ knowledge of the Spanish language and further their understanding of Spain’s culture. -By Annalise Buehner
Food Drive
The Hunger Drive ended Nov. 8, resulting in just over 50,000 pounds of food, about 3,000 less than last year. Altogether the 19 schools raised a total of 767,455 pounds, topping last years 756,498 pounds. Student Senate adviser Jodi Zimmerman said, “Locally, we needed more help from our own student body.” -By Shauna Foss
School Boundaries
New school boundaries are being discussed by the school board for the 2013 school year to balance school utilization and to save money. -By Courtney Geiken
DEC. 14, 2012 ● BEAK ‘N’ EYE 5
NEWS
Students learn about filthy local rivers BY BECCA SANDRY becca.sandry3@gmail.com
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tudents got boatloads of information about water education on Dec. 7 in Kim Strunk’s Environmental Studies class when Michael Coyne, a representative from Living Lands and Waters, came to share about how our rivers were in need of some serious cleaning. Coyne brought several items that were found in the waters over his journey of the past 25 years such as a prosthetic leg, a bowling ball, and a radar gun. “The one thing that trumps finding the bowling ball that can float is finding the message in a bottle signed from a girl,” said Coyne. “We made several attempts to find the girls at her current address but failed because her name could have changed since she wrote the letter when she was a young girl.” Living Lands and Waters was established by Chad Pregracke in 1998. Since the organization was founded, Living Lands and Waters has grown to be the only “industrial strength” river cleanup organization in the world. The association goes out on river boats to collect the garbage from the land and brings them back to the correct dump site, including recycling bins. Some students in the class thought the speaker provided a positive message.
`“It was very educational and I learned how dirty our water is, even though we don’t think it’s that dirty,” said senior Taylor Bruce. Living Land and Waters has been able to do their works with the help provide by the city of Illinois. “Alcoa provided us with an $8,400 grant to do our water clean up in our first year,” said Coyne. “The city of Rock Island also provides us a place to put our items after cleaning up and we have then since got many more sponsors ” Living Land and Waters provides students with an Alternative Spring Break option to help the community for a week. From late February to Mid- March, the Living Lands and Waters crew hosts several students from all over the Midwest to help their local waters. In 2011 the organization had a three camp clean up events that recruited and addition 250 volunteers who removed another 15,000 of garbage including 12,000 pounds of recyclables. “If anyone knows of a site and is that inspired, we are on Facebook,” Coyne said. “You can like our page and let us know of a site you think needs some cleaning and you can even be in charge of that site.” For more information on Living Lands and Waters or the Alternative Spring Break Senior Taylor Bruce, displays a prosthetic program, you can visit livinglandandswaters. leg found in the River by Michael Coyne. org Coyne came to Kim Strunk’s Enviormental “I learned 3.4 million people die a year Studiest Class on Dec. 7. to explain the because they don’t have access to clean waimportance of keeping our rivers clean. ter,” said Bruce. “That is something that needs (photos by Becca Sandry) to be changed.”
Living Lands and Water visit
Sophomore Jade Davis looks at the message in a bottle found by Michael Coyne on one of his clean ups in the QC. 6 BEAK‘N EYE ● DEC. 14, 2012
Michael Coyne displays some of his findings over the past 25 years of cleaning the river including a Ronald McDonald foot and a radar gun.
Michael Coyne, talks about the importance of keeping our local rivers clean from debris. He also performed a rap for the students. PAGE BY BECCA SANDRY
Auditorium to receive new sound system
Alice in Wonderland cast performs the tea party scene. (photo by Jephthah Yarian)
West in Wonderland
In a comical version of ‘Alice in Wonderland.’ students were in a world of nonsense BY SHAUNA FOSS ShaunaKFoss@gmail.com From Dec. 7-9 audiences sat their onstage seats and waited for the strange world of Wonderland to come alive. Alice in Wonderland begins with a very bored Alice, playing cards at her sister’s feet, soon finding her self lost in Wonderland. The on-stage seating allowed the audience itself a better feel of what’s happening in the show, said producer/designer Wayne Hess. Some of the actors were presented with opposite-gender roles. “I felt they handled them well; I think they just had fun doing it” said Hess. The production was spread out over six show times, and overall had a decent out turn of viewers. “It was a good performance, a lot of character and growth for people who haven’t been on stage a lot,” Hess said.
Hess said shorter rehearsals were one of the harder parts of producing the show. Along with using repetition, one of the things Hess tells students is to know the show. “If you know your story the lines are going to come easier,” he said. “The script wasn’t that great but they did a great job interpreting what they had,” Hess said. West is expecting a new sound system to improve future performances.
Alice, played by Helena Hansen, has conversation with the Red Queen, Casey Gaylord. (photo by Jephthah Yarian)
The Scott County Regional Authority provided West with a $20,000 grant to for a new sound system for the West auditorium. The grant was received Nov 14th and is anticipated to be in place by the summer of 2013. Wayne Hess, language arts teacher, said the old equipment needed to be replaced. “It is 30 years old, it’s never been maintained, it’s unreliable and it’s time for a change,” he said. The new equipment will include state of the art microphones, amps, inputs, and speakers. “It will make everything easier for everyone who uses the facility,” Hess said.
Facts about Alice in Wonderland
• The stories began when Charles Lutwidge Dodgenson, more commonly known as Lewis Carroll, was on a July 4th boat trip with a friend, his sister Alice and her friends on the river of Isis. The girls were bored and Alice asked for a story consisting of nonsense. • “The Alice Comedies” by Lewis Carroll are what inspired Walt Disney to purchase the rights to Tenniel illustrations in 1931. • Disney asked artist David Hall to create some ideas for a completely animated film. The two did not really begin producing until June of 1974 due to World War 2. • Out of over 200 actresses 14-yearold Kathryn Beaumount was chose to play the role of Alice in the origi-
Two actors enjoy playing opposite gender roles The Mad Hatter Anna Wells, junior, was cast as the role she had hoped for, a male role, The Mad Hater. Wells said by playing a male role, “I can do feminine things and it’s funny.” The harder part of playing a male role she said was keeping her voice tone low. “I sometimes caught myself slipping into an Irish accent, but keeping the loudness was probably the hard part,” she said. She said of her role of the Hater, “I love tea, but I don’t think I have that many crazy hair days.”- By Shauna Foss
The Red Queen Casey Gaylord, junior, was cast as The Red Queen. “I didn’t audition, someone quit and they asked me to fill in,” said Gaylord. Playing the Red Queen Gaylord had more of feminine attire, including a black dress and facial makeup), “It made a lot of people laugh, so I was okay with it,” he said. Gaylord said for his first performance he did really well at performing, memorizing his lines, and keeping voice tone. “I definitely stuck with it; I didn’t sound like I hit puberty halfway through,” he said. - By Shauna Foss
PAGE BY SHAUNA FOSS
DEC. 14, 2012 ● BEAK ‘N’ EYE 7
Holy Days
FACES
Rachel Whiskeyman is Jewish and she celebrates Hanukkah with her family by exchanging small gifts. On this event the Jewish burn candles for 8 nights in the remembrance of temples that were burned in Jerusalem.
Tracy Vo is a Buddhist and they don’t have any special holiday, but they have some days where they do not eat meat in March, June and November. Buddhists pray to Buddha during hard times to help their troubles.
Dinara Dooranavo is exchange student from Kyrgyzstan.She celebrates Eid-ul-Fitr with her family by cooking a national food called Ash, made with rice, beef, onions and carrots, and sharing it with neighbors and relatives.
Christmas is the birthday of Jesus Christ and is celebrated on Dec. 25. Lexi Sachleben celebrates Christmas by decorating a Christmas tree and going to church with her family. Then she has a big dinner with her family.
Students celebrate in different ways BY SABA KHAN sabakhanmuhammad@gmail.com
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est students celebrate a variety of religious holidays throughout the year. Christians are preparing for Christmas on Dec. 25 and it is the birth day of Jesus Christ (the son of God). On this day Christians decorate Christmas trees and has big meal and exchange gifts. Lexi Sachleben, junior, celebrates Christmas with her family. “We get our family together and go to church in the morning and we have big dinner with different types of food as sometimes it is Italian and some time it is Mexican.” said Sachleben. “Then we open presents and play Christmas music and we share old memories.” The Easter is also a big religious celebration for Christians. They celebrate the “resurrection” of Jesus Christ. Christians believe that Jesus rose from the dead, after three days of his death in the cross. Kelsy Morton, sophomore celebrates Easter by going to church with her family. “I get up early, wear nice clothes and go to church with my family and after coming back from church I go to my grand parents house with my family and then we have big meal which consist on roast beef with potatoes, carrot and beef broth.” said
“Hanukkah is the festival of lights, Morton. and we believe that long time ago, our The Muslims all over the world temples were destroyed in Jerusalem and celebrate three different religious events we thought that we had enough oil to burn in a year and they celebrate their events candles only for one day but it worked for according to lunar/Islamic calendar. eight days. So Eid-ul-Fitr is we burn candles celebrated on 1st for eight nights Shawal(Islamic WORLD RELIGIOUS POPULATION and we say month) after the the prayers of month of RamaChristianity 2.1 billion candles and we dan (the month Islam 1.5 billion exchange small of fasting). On Hinduism 900 million gifts on this this religious Buddhism 376 million event,” Whiskeyevent Muslims Sikhism 23 million man explained. donate a parJudaism 14 million ticular amount of Source: infoplease.com Senior Tracy Vo money to poor so said her Buddhist that they also can religion has few enjoy the happiholidays. ness of this event.Dinara Dooranova is a “It’s the religion that has been passed senior, exchange student from Kirghizstan down from generations to generations in celebraes this Eid. my family,” she said. “Just like in Chris “In Kyrgyzstan we usually cook our tianity, Buddhists would pray Buddha national food and share with relatives and during hard times to help their troubles. neighbors and we read Quran (religious There are temple days in March, June book for Muslims) after praying we visit relatives and the children’s go for trick and and November where we give offerings to statue gods. Every first and fifteenth treat on this event.” said Dooranova. days of each month, my parents would Junior Rachel Whiskeyman, celebrates practice vegetarianism for the entire day, Hanukkah which is celebrated according Although I don’t practice this, I respect it. to Hebrew calendar anytime from late Most monks in Vietnam are, to an extent, November to late December.
8 BEAK ‘N’ EYE ● DEC. 14, 2012
PAGE BY SABA KHAN
Features
Winter Hazards Winter drivers spin a little too far out of control on the roads BY GARRETT ANDERSON garrettanderson@gmail.com
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“One time I was driving to school on Pine in the morning when I noticed the roads were bad. I stopped at a stop sign, then went on. But as I was in the intersection, another car tried its brakes but kept sliding. Right when It was about to hit me,
inter weather is right in front of us, and its the most dangerous season in the year. But inexperienced drivers may not be aware of the dangers. With winter comes snowy roads, icy sidewalks, and not to mention injured people! In 2005, there were nearly 6.5 million car accidents, 50 percent of those being in winter, according to the Car Accidents Statistics. Winter is clearly the most dangerous season to be driving in and has more possible threats to drivers. Whether it’s spinning out, getting in a wreck, or driving off the road, there are Davenport Police arrive to the accident scene at the West parking lot many possibly threats of winter after two cars collided on Dec. 11. Accidents can happen at anytime weather. of the year, but more often in winter. (photo by Malik Salsberry) An average 500 people drive a vehicle to West High every I stepped on the pedal and somehow slid out of day. All of them are vulnerable to the weather danger,” said junior Brad Belz. “It was the scariest conditions and its hazards. As some young student thing to ever happen to me, and I wouldn’t want drivers don’t understand the dangers of the condianyone else to experience this.” tions, one student shares his awful experience.
What’s the most frustrating part about winter?
“If snow comes along we must call off driver’s ed. It’s very frustrating because time is valued and the schedule is packed. - Steve Baldry, Drivers Ed Instructor
“To me, the thing that makes winter so difficult is physical activity. I love to be outdoors and do activities, but I don’t like frost bite.” - David McVay, 11
“The most frustrating part I have about winter is getting out of my house. My driveway is awful.” - Quinton Baenzinger, 10
“What I think is the most frustrating is getting ready early. I have to go start my car to see out the window and stay warm.” - Maddy Saskowski, 10
PAGE BY GARRETT ANDERSON
WINTER DRIVING TIPS Preparation • Leave early and assume slow traffic. • Make sure your windows are clear so you can see. Driving • Drive very slow and stay extremely cautious of traffic. When approaching a stoplight: 1. Brake slowly from a good distance away so you don’t slide into the intersection. 2. Steer your wheel to the direction you want to go and hold it steady. 3. Accelerate the car slowly and gradually gaining speed. Parking • Always park as far as possibly from everyone to avoid getting hit or possibly hitting anyone. SOURCE: Steve Verdon, Drivers Ed
DEC, 14, 2012 ● BEAK ‘N’ EYE 9
LEISURE
HALO4 BLACK OPS 2 VS
VS
CALL OF DUTY
BY CODY GEURTSON cgeurt@gmail.com
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he battle for the top video game got heated last month with the release of Halo 4 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. As far as the games’ aesthetics go, Halo 4 takes the cake. The graphics in Black Ops 2 show no improvement from last year’s Call of Duty installment, Modern Warfare 3. Halo 4 features cut scenes that almost make the player believe the game is live action. “I prefer the graphics of Halo 4 because movements seem a lot less jumpy than in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2,” said senior, Sebastian Roe. The main difference between these two games is that Call of Duty takes place in a more modern time where as Halo 4 takes place in the future. This major difference impacts numerous aspects of the games including the campaigns, the types of maps encountered and the types of weapons featured in each. Both games have campaign modes which are drastically different from each other. Halo 4’s campaign mode is centered around Master Chief, a Spartan IV supersoldier. Halo 4 is set four years after the events of Halo 3, as Master Chief wakes up from cryogenic sleep, orbiting the planet “My favorite part of BO2 is the random Tomahawk kills from across the map.” -Conner Leahr, 12
of Requiem. Cortana, Master Chief’s AI partner informs him that she is going to die of rampancy. The duo is pulled onto the planet and encounters The Didact, and is led on a mission to defeat him before he destroys the Earth. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2’s campaign has two connected story lines in which Alex Mason, the protagonist in the first storyline, fights in the Cold War (19861989) and his son David Mason, the protagonist in the second storyline, fights in a second Cold War in the year 2025. There are multiple alternate endings in this campaign which are based off of the player’s actions throughout the game. One popular feature in both games is the online multiplayer. Players are pitted against each other in either free-for-all or team based events with goals such as capturing flags or bases or simply killing other players. Many of the games are centered around strategy and require planning and communication between players. Both games have many of the same multiplayer types, with the main difference being the weapons available to players. Halo 4 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 each have an additional game type. Black Ops 2 features a zombie apocalypse mode where players attempt to survive the zombie onslaught for as long as possible. Halo 4 features Spartan Ops in which players work to achieve a primary goal. “My favorite part about Halo 4 is Swat. Swat is a one shot, one kill game but with only headshots!” -Kyle Bramman, 12
10 BEAK ‘N’ EYE ● DEC. 14, 2012
REVIEWS Wreck-It Ralph Grade: B+ Disney’s latest production, Wreck-It Ralph, follows a video game villain, Wreck-It Ralph as he tries to break the mold and win a hero’s medal to prove to everyone that he is not a bad guy. Wreck-It Ralph takes viewers on an emotional roller coaster from points of comedy, to despair, and to moments of triumph. The only flaw was with the ending that didn’t quite add up
One Direction Take Me Home Grade: B Take Me Home is the second album by the English-Irish boy band One Direction. Overall, the album is upbeat and catchy. However, some of the catchy songs, such as “Live While We’re Young” and “Back For You” seem far too repitiive. The album also features slower songs such as “Little Things” and “Summer Love” which stand out among the other songs on the album for not really fitting One Direction’s ‘style’.
Snapchat Grade: A-
Snapchat is a photo messaging app in which users can send photos to their friends wtih a slef-designated time limit, after which the photos are deleted. Most teens use Snapchat to send ratchet photos of themselves to friends. However, Snapchat has been used by some for ‘sexting’ since the pictures are deleted automatically. Just a word of caution; people can still screenshot the pictures so be careful as to what you are sending. PAGE BY CODY GEURTSEN
Is Twitter On Top? BY OLIVIA TERRONEZ olivia.terronez@gmail.com
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s 2012 comes to an end, some are saying goodbye to one major social networking site and hello to another. For the last four years, students have been obsessed with Facebook. Posting pictures and status’ has been a daily part of life for high school students. But recently high school students have found another way to spend their time. Twitter is the new trend. It’s a social networking site that is in some ways like a blog. You can talk about things that are on your mind and see what’s on others minds. It started out like any other social networking site-slow. It began almost five years ago and had a quarterly user rate of about 400,000 in 2007. But Twitter has grown to be something huge. In 2011 it had a quarterly user rate of 140 million and has about 500 million active users. According to media bistro if Twitter was a country, it would be the 12th largest in the world. Twitter is on the top 10 most visited websites. Twitter is a different type if social networking site because it is more than just socializing. “Twitter is useful for more than just seeing what’s going on with your friends,” said Junior Taylor Snyder. “I never even used Facebook because it seemed like a silly fad, but Twitter actually helps you.” On the other side of things, there’s
I’ll teach you how to Twitter BY OLIVIA TERRONEZ olivia.terronez@gmail.com If you don’t have a Twitter you may be a little behind. But if you want one but you can’t seem to figure out exactly how it works, here’s a little instruction to help keep you in the Twitter sphere. Facebook. It has been on a downward spiral since mid 2012. According to the New York Times Upfront Magazine, annual growth this year is a record low of six percent compared to a high 39 percent only two years ago. In a recent Gallup poll almost 50 percent of Americans say is a passing fad, some say this because of the lack of privacy and then there are some people that have simply just lost interest in Facebook. Another reason why people have stopped using Facebook is because it’s hard to control all the people you see posts from. “There are so many annoying people on Facebook,” said freshman and active twitter user Abbey Walters. “On twitter you can control who you see.” So what makes twitter so appealing? Many students like following their favorite celebrities and sports stars. “My favorite person to follow is Lolo Jones, an Olympic track star,” said junior Mary Perez. “She makes really funny tweets and she’s one of my idols.” Many other students use it to keep updated on the news for things like classes or speech and debate. “I use Twitter to see what’s going in the world because I’m too busy to watch the news and on Twitter it takes five minutes!” said sophomore Olivia Grubbs. No one can predict that Twitter will overtake Facebook, but many can agree that Twitter is something new and exciting and could be used as much more than just a social networking site.
PAGE BY OLIVIA TERRONEZ
First step: Sign up! Go to twitter’s website and pick a name and user name. You also need a picture of yourself for your page. Second step: Follow people! If you know people on twitter you can search for them, but if you have no idea who to look for, go to the discover page and you’ll see trending people and some celebs you may like. When you start out, its easier to just observe what tweets are like before you start tweeting yourself. Third step: Tweet! To make a tweet on phones you press the pen in the top right corner. If you’re on a computer you press compose. You only have 140 characters, so use them wisely. Fourth step: Communicate with others. To reply to a tweet on Twitter, you just press the arrow pointing to the left underneath the tweet. It’s just like commenting. To retweet you press the two arrows under the tweet. It’s basically like sharing on Facebook. To Favorite you press the star. If you like a person’s tweet and you want to show it just favorite it. Fifth step: Find your way around. To find your new notifications press connect. The Me button on the top of the page is your profile. On your profile it will show your followers, who you follow, and all your tweets. With these tools, you can stop stressing out and finally tweet as long as your heart desires.
DEC. 14. 2012 ● BEAK ‘N’ EYE 11
T HOW FAIR
FOCUS
IS THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM?
Court decisions anger the public BY TRACY VO
tracyyvoo@gmail.com
5 Famous Controversial Court Cases 1. The People v. O.J. Simpson - He was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife, which created massive public outrage as there was a lack of physical evidence. 2. The Case of Trayvon Martin - The trial hasn’t happened yet, but the case had already caused several to be angry at the offender, George Zimmerman. 3. Roe v. Wade - A landmark decision was made by the Supreme Court in 1973 to legalize abortion, a controversial topic, due to right of privacy. 4. State of Florida v. Casey Marie Anthony - Like the O.J. Simpson case, her acquittal was due to a lack of physical evidence and had many angry. 5. Tinker v. Des Moines - The Supreme Court ruled that the school had violated the students’ freedom of speech.
12 BEAK ‘N’ EYE ● DEC. 14, 2012
he United States judicial system is one of the most organized in the world. The exhausting process of a trial is done to make sure that courts are throwing the right person in jail. But even with this kind of a system, flaws can still occur. One of flaws is imprisoning the innocent. Although the exact number is unknown, according to studies done by University of Michigan law professor Samuel Gross, about 136,000 people are currently wrongly incarcerated. Another interesting fact leads to how DNA testing can be beneficial for exonerating, or freeing, those who are unjustly imprisoned. The first DNA exoneration occurred in 1989. The Innocent Project is an organization dedicated to “exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals through DNA testing.” According to The Innocent Project’s website, 234 people have been exonerated since 2001 due to DNA evidence. Eighteen of those people have served time on death row. The exonerees have served an average of 13.6 years. Other than imprisoning some of the innocent, there is a clause in the Constitution that may let some get away with crime. The Double Jeopardy Clause in the Fifth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution states that “no person for the same offence [sic] can be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb.” “It protects an accused individual from being arrested and tried again on the same identical offense,” said former correctional officer Frank Noblet. This clause has angered the public as the outcomes of trials are not what they had expected. A case that had gathered national attention was the Casey Anthony trial. On May 9, 2011, Casey Anthony of Orlando, Florida was tried for first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter of a child, and four counts of providing law enforcement false information. Casey Anthony’s 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, was reported missing by Casey herself a month after she saw her on July 15, 2008. Casey then accused the babysitter, Zenaida Gonzalez, of kidnapping Caylee. Caylee’s remains were found six months later a few miles from the family home. In July 5, 2011, Casey Anthony was found not guilty of murder due to insufficient evidence. Mostly circumstantial evidence was provided. The evidence failed PAGE BY TRACY VO
“I was so mad, you don’t even know!” “Circumstantial evidence can weigh said Jacquelyn McKittrick, senior. “How heavily on a trial,” said Noblet. “However, can someone even kill their kid and have no it’s the connection to physical evidence to remorse for it, and can’t even report the kid the circumstantial evidence that generally immediately after she went missing?” does not materialize leaving reasonable Some were also sympathetic for Caylee. doubt.” “I was kind of sad that the actions took In Nov. 2012 new evidence surfaced. place.” said senior Andy Snawerdt. “It shows Investigators had overlooked the browser search history on Anthony’s home computer. that we have holes in our legal system and that it identifies a problem that must be The 17 search entries revealed that someone resolved.” had searched “fool proof suffication,” misDo you think Casey Anthony is guilty? Indifference was also spelling “suffocation.” shown as Anthony If more evidence was acquitted. were found against “I Anthony, she candon’t really care,” not be retried for her said Nicole Kraft, daughter’s murder junior. “I think the by the double jeopmedia really affected ardy clause. She could how the trial went. I admit to murdering her don’t even get why it daughter and still canwas such a big deal. not be retried. Stuff like this hap “Despite the crime pens all the time.” she was accused of, those prosecuting her Nothing is perfect. were not able to satisfy Although there are by law her guilt,” Noflaws in the justice blet added. “I personSource: Survey of 152 students system, it is the ally had no reaction fairest way to settle other than the defense things. proved reasonable doubt. Yes, I think she “The purpose of the judicial system is was guilty, however, the requirement of law to interpret the laws of its jurisdiction and was not satisfied.” However, she can be tried lesser offenses. apply them equally in the context of the facts of a case.” said Noblet. Anthony also spent time in jail for lying to “The judicial system in this country is the police. and will be the greatest in the world while Many people believe that Anthony is guilty of murdering her daughter. Her acquit- the system is compromised by those whom have personal agendas, and ideals the system tal had sparked public outrage.
Process of a Trial 1. JURY SELECTION – Jurors are selected from a pool of available jurors. 2. OPENING STATEMENTS – Each side presents what they expect the evidence to prove. 3. Presentation of evidence and testimony of witness – The prosecution’s case is presented first. The witnesses testify. The other side that did not call the witness can ask questions. Evidence is then admitted and numbered. After side presents their evidence, they rest their case. 4. closing arguments – Attorneys summarize the evidence and try to persuade the jury to be in favor of their client. The plaintiff can then open and close arguments. 5. Presentation of jury instructions – The judge reads instructions of law to jury, defines issues the jurors must decide, and informs everyone of the law that governs the case. 6. deliberation – Jury retires to deliberation room to consider case and reach a verdict that governs the case. Source: hamilton-co.org Compiled by Tracy Vo
How did you react to the outcome of the Casey Anthony trial? “I was shocked because it seemed like she really did kill her kid and I think that she should go to jail.” – Brianna Bohland, 10 “I found it really sad. It would be terrible for that to happen to a child. Her mother is horrible, and she should have been convicted.” – Brittany Geiken, 11
“It was kind of wrong that she got away with it. I feel that she should have been convicted because there was evidence stacked against her.” – Hunter Meador, 12 “If the court didn’t think she was guilty then that’s okay with me.” – Khalil Hacker, 10
PAGE BY TRACY VO
“My first reaction was shock, then I was angry because they let a murderer loose.” – Tuyen Nguyen, 10
“I was confused with all of the evidence that she was acquitted.” – Aubrey Kohl, 12
DEC. 14, 2012 ● BEAK ‘N’ EYE 13
FEATURES
Masses of people wait for the doors to open on midnight at Victorias Secret on Nov. 23 (photo by Hannah Fandel)
Students go crazy to find holiday deals BY HANNAH FANDEL HannahFandel1@gmail.com
O
ver 500 shoppers took over the North Park mall on Black Friday while waiting for Victoria’s Secret to Open. With so many people, and only so little space police had to take over and direct the shoppers. When the doors unlocked at midnight, the anxious crowd rushed into the store. Some students experienced the craziness first hand. “Population limits only allowed so many people go in at once. I waited in line for so long, and I still wasn’t in the first group to get in.” junior Abby Thumann said. “There were so many people trying to all get in at once, everyone wanted in first. People were pushing and shoving each other,” freshman Lauren Vandemark said. “Some random girl ended up punching me. I didn’t know what do so, so I just punched her back.” However, other people weren’t the only thing shoppers were destroying at this clothing store. “People took anything they could get their hands on, if they didn’t want it they would just throw it on the ground or into the air,” freshman Jade Jones said. “There were also girls jumping on displays and knocking things over so they could get items others couldn’t.” Why might someone want to go out among all the hustle and bustle of crazed holiday shoppers?
Well, Black Friday is a great day to get deals on everyday items, and other gifts that are just in time for Christmas, and the holiday season. A main attraction to many shoppers are the incredible sales on electronics. Senior Jaime Peterson waited 3 hours at WalMart to purchase a television for a gift to her parents for Christmas. “It was worth the wait because I saved over $200,” Peterson said. However, scoring deals on the more pricey items isn’t the motive for every shopper. “I didn’t buy anything big on Black Friday, but I did purchase a lot of clothes and other small items,” sophomore Brianna Bohland said. “I saved a lot of money and probably spent half of what I would if they weren’t on sale.” Freshman Meghan Pierce has made a tradition out of going Black Friday shopping every year. However, this year was different for her. Instead of going out in the early morning to go shopping, she started very early the night before. “I started shopping at 5 p.m. on Thursday, and didn’t finish until 9 a.m. on Friday morning.” Pierce said. Starting her shopping journey at WalMart, pierce continued and went to over 20 different stores total. With wanting to buy as much as possible, while still having a limited budget Pierce planned out all the stores she wanted to hit up on Black Friday. “I definitely saved more money than I spent.” Pierce said.
14 BEAK ‘N’ EYE ● Dec. 14, 2012
While worrying about getting all the items on your loved ones wish lists, not many think about the people who have to run the retail shops. On Friday, over 86 million Americans went out shopping. Senior, Bailee Fulton works at Hollister at NorthPark Mall. Dealing with crazed customers was something Fulton had to deal a lot with on her long shift. “I worked a 13 hour shift on Black Friday, it was so crazy,” Fulton said “The customers would get mad at me if we were out of something they wanted, even though it wasn’t my fault.” For many stores, the after effect was even worse than the madness during the shopping hours. “I didn’t even know where to start cleaning. Everything was in mountains, and scattered everywhere” Fulton said. “Me and my co-workers jammed to some music and had an extreme clean though, so that was fun.” After all the madness of Black Friday was over, the Terranomics retail services reported a 16% sales increase over last year’s sales. The average shopper spent $398.62 this year, topping last year’s sales at $365.34 per shopper. Overall, the total sales amounted to over $52 billion spent on black Friday this year alone. Black Friday 2012 might have been the craziest, but it can now be said that it was also the most successful.
PAGE BY HANNAH FANDEL
s e l a T
from a shopping cart
What are the top items on West High students wish list this year?
1.
2. iPod/iPhone 3. Clothes
Uggs
4. Video Games 5.
Money
6.
Laptop
POLL
How much do students spend on holiday presents? Pets
$8
Friends
$13
Bf/Gf
$135
Siblings
$17
Dad
$22
Mom SOURCE: Beak ‘n’ Eye survey of 160 students
$34 0
$20
$40 $60 $80 $100 $120 $140
PAGE BY HANNAH FANDEL AND EMILY THUMANN
DEC. 14 2012 ● BEAK ‘N’ EYE 15
COLUMN
VOICE
Athletes not exempt from gym
art by Katie Mozzarollo
Helping Sandy victims
I
t’s not everyday when elementary school students work together to help with a natural disaster, and recently young Davenport Community School District students have done just that. Wilson and McKinley students have been working hard to collect donations for those who have been effected by Hurricane Sandy. It’s great that elementary school children are taking the initiative to help others. It is always good when a group of people come together to help after a tragedy has occurred such as Hurricane Sandy. Wilson Elementary School students have managed to fill a school bus full of donations, such as blankets, flashlights, batteries, construction materials, children’s toys and cleaning supplies that will be transported to Long Island, Rockaway, and Staten Island. Nov. 27 and 28, Davenport Community Schools served as dropoff site for the Super Storm Sandy Relief Drive along with Hawkeye Movers, Atlas van lines, and the downtown Davenport partnership. Other schools, such as McKinley did
“Cents for Sandy” where students brought in their change and managed to raise $523 worth of change. On Oct. 29, Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast with 80 mph winds and record breaking storm surges. The storm caused more than 15,000 flights to be cancelled, knocked over 7,000 trees in city parks, and destroyed many power lines leaving up to 90 percent of Long Island without electricity. Hurricane Sandy killed over 90 people and left an estimated $30-50 billion worth of damage. We invite West students to contribute to this cause. Many charities are still accepting donations. The Salvation Army is accepting monetary donations that go toward providing emergency shelter and food, as well as support for volunteers. The American Red Cross is accepting financial donations through its website. To provide emergency food and shelter, also you can donate $10 by texting REDCROSS to 90999 to help with disaster relief efforts.
Beak ‘n’ Eye Staff Editors in Chief Emily Thumann and Becca Sandry News Editors Jephthah Yarian, Shauna Foss and Courtney Geiken Faces Editor Hannah Fandell, Saba Khan Feature Editor Garrett Anderson
Focus Editor Tracy Vo Sports Editors Malik Salsberry, Ali Martin, and Katie Mazzarollo Leisure Editors Cody Geurtsen and Olivia Terronez Voice Editors Athena Dinh and Ashley VanWinkle Adviser Steve Lyle
16 BEAK ‘N’ EYE ● DEC. 14, 2012
By Ashley VanWinkle Although I really don’t mind gym, I don’t enjoy the idea of having cross country practice just a few hours after I finish working out in gym. The current gym policy in the state of Iowa is that all students, including athletes, are required to take four years of high school gym class. On paper this policy may sound good, some gym teachers, such as Ms. Rommel, state that gym is a great way to introduce students to other activities outside of their sport and to maintain a healthy physical lifestyle after high school. Where I do agree with Ms. Rommel’s reasoning, I disagree with the fact that athletes should have to take gym for several different reasons. As a four year athlete at West, I find taking gym and running at the same time can be exhausting. Where I would usually be working out only about two hours a day in the heat, I end up working out three and a half. This causes me to be exhausted both mentally and physically, finding it tough sometimes to stay awake for homework when I get home after practice. Also on meet days or game days, resting up and reserving your body is incredibly important, so on meet day I can’t participate in swimming, fitness days, or certain gym activities. But exhaustion isn’t the only reason. In PE we do learn a variety of things, but I am an athlete and involved in many different activities that help me stay fit and healthy other than my sports. On the side I do yoga, zumba, platies, golfing and other activities. It takes a little effort from the person to find a hobby they are interested in, but it can be done. Not all school districts and states require gym for athletes though. In school districts like Chatham Community School District, in New Jersey, if you are an athlete training at the varsity level, you are no longer required to take a gym class. If the state of Iowa would pass the same law as Chatham, we would have less tired athletes, resulting in better athletics and better students. PAGE BY ATHENA DINH
The fight for Obama’s plans After being reelected for another term, one of President Barack Obama’s first plans for office was to create more jobs. His proposals have been repeatedly shot down by the Senate, making him look like he isn’t doing anything good for this country. In my opinion, the Senate, being mostly Republicans, votes against Obama’s ideas because they don’t want him to look good. People say that Obama isn’t doing a good job as president, but he is not to blame. Emily Almost every good idea he has, has been rejected by the Senate. They voted against a fully funded jobs for Veterans bill that they even helped write, approved it at the table, and then voted against it on the Senate floor. It would have provided 225,000 police, firefighter, and forest ranger jobs for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, which would have not only helped the veterans, but also the whole country. They didn’t pass it on the Senate floor because that would mean that Obama would be creating jobs. To me, they are willing to ruin our country just to make Obama look like a bad president. Obama also created a bill that
LIKES
would help disabled people in our country. 38 republicans voted against equal rights for disabled people around the world, including those with blindness. I think that disabled people should have every right that any other person would have, but the senate obviously doesn’t agree. Obama also wanted to cut taxes on the middle class and raise it on the rich, but the Senate thinks that the rich should have a tax break. Millionaires don’t need tax breaks; they make enough money to pay a little bit Says more on taxes. Right now they will cause middle class families to pay an average of $2,000 more in taxes because they want tax breaks for millionaires. In our area, we gave a $74 million tax cut to John Deere. Their CEO makes over $19 million a year, but we don’t even have enough money to make the educational budget. I think that Obama has good ideas for this country and we would be in better shape if the Senate would think of this country before themselves. The only explanation for people voting against a bill that would give our veterans job, is that they don’t want Obama creating jobs.
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No debit cards at lunch
Winter break
Killing your girlfriend
The Holiday season
Iowa weather
Honestly, after two terms of hard work, a break is definetly needed. Christmas break is the perfect time to get away from school stress and indulge in some friend and family time during the holiday season.
The smell of roasted almonds, fresh baked grandma’s cookies, holiday lights all over the city. The holiday season is a beautiful season, what is there not to like about any of that?!
Social media is out of hand Have you ever had that friend who is constantly on the phone, Facebook, or Twitter while you’re together? Social media today is ruining the childhood of teens and young adults. I remember the days when riding bikes, playing house and just having sleepovers were something done regularly on the weekends growing up. On my weekends now I tend to just surf the internet on my iPhone. Although I have a busy schedule, when I do get the chance to hangout with my friends they are constantly on their phones. I understand that everyone wants to be connected to their friends but there is always a time and place for everything. When I am with someone I want them to be focused on our time together, not worrying about plans they are making weeks from now with someone else. Not only does that friend being on their phone constantly get annoying, it also causes a lot of drama. Sarcasm does not transfer well through messaging. Someone can’t always tell if someone is joking over the web or trough texting leading to miscommunication. Miscommunication can cause fights between friends, leading them to have conversations that could end a friendship all together. Not everyone is technology educated and there are still those few teens who aren’t on Facebook, Twitter or constantly texting, and I feel that is what our youth needs, those long nights out with friends sitting around joking and staying up late instead of sitting at home behind the computer screen typing ‘LOL’.
DISLIKES
Holiday season giving
Toys for Tots, Salvation Army, Brittany’s gifts, Angel trees and other various ways to give are scarttered throughout the quad cities during the holiday season. Whether it’s spare change or an item, helping others in an incrredible feeling!
Becca’s Thoughts
There is just about nothing worse than going through the lunch line and the lunch ladies telling you that you don’t have the money for lunch. You try to pull out your debit card.. OH! They only take cash. No one uses cash anymore! Dislike
When the murder suicide involving Belcher, from the Chiefs, and his 22 year old girlfriend Kasandra was announced, it was shocking. The killing left a child parentless and two families in mourning. Dislike! I’m pretty sure we are all getting tired of the constant changes in weather. It’s December and last week it was 70 degrees, whereas this week it’s freezing. This is getting old, seriously!
PAGE BY ASHLEY VANWINKLE
DEC. 14, 2012 ● BEAK ‘N’ EYE 17
SPORTS
West High’s Geo Butler sets up to make a free throw against Iowa City High on Dec. 1. (photo by Ali Marten) Nick Moeller tries to pass to teammate Jerry Myles while playing against Iowa City West on Dec. 1. (photo by Ali Marten)
Boys Basketball
Young team works to improve BY KATIE MAZZAROLLO k.mazzarollo@gmail.com The boys basketball team started off the season with a win of 65-62 against Cedar Rapids Prairie. Coach Mark Bigler said that he was proud of the team’s effort. “The players really gave their best. It was nice to see us pull out a win when in reality we did not execute as well as we will down the road during the season.” Although the boys started the season on a good note, Bigler said there are still things the team needs to work on. “We need to keep developing our basic basketball IQ. We need to show a better command of our half court offenses in
“
My goal is to become the Mac Champs and to work hard on the court.” -Geo Butler
regards to patience. We need to avoid being selfish and share the ball on offense in the half-court,” said Coach Mark Bigler. “Defensively we need to remember our team rules so we can cause turnovers by the opposition and avoid giving so many easy layup opportunities,” added Bigler. If the team continues to practice and work on their weaknesses, Bigler believes that the team will become even better than they already are. “We are a young but talented team. We are going to be a very good team by the end of the season if the players continue to bring great attitudes, good listening skills, and a superior work ethic to practice each day.” said Bigler.
Girls Basketball
Team works on chemistry BY KATIE MAZZAROLLO k.mazzarollo@gmail.com “Lack of chemistry” caused the girls basketball team to begin the season with a 78- 37 loss to Davenport Assumption on Nov. 30, said Coach Steve Saladino. However, Saladino also sees the positive side when it comes to the way the girls play. “I saw improvement and a lot of great effort from the team,” said Coach Saladino. Although the girls lost their first game,
Saladino has faith that the team will step it up even more. “They are young and don’t have much height, but they are making progress,” said Saladino. Saladino also pointed out that the team needs work on being more disciplined and running their offense and defense. Saladino still commends the team on their strong suits of aggressiveness and competitiveness. The girls basketball team’s next game is 7:30 p.m. Dec. 14 at Bettendorf.
18 BEAK ‘N’ EYE ● DEC. 14, 2012
Alex Finn plays a strong defense for the Falcons girls basketball team against Clinton on Dec. 4. (photo by Ali Marten)
“
My goal is to not let the person I’m guarding score, and I need to score more.” -Alex Finn PAGE BY KATIE MAZZAROLLO
West’s boys swimming team practices starts in their pool to prepare for the Clinton Holiday Invite on Dec. 15 (Photo by Malik Salsberry)
Boys Swimming
Small team gains experience BY MALIK SALSBERRY salsberrym1@gmail.com
The boys swim team began the season with a loss to Clinton 114-47 on Nov. 29. Evan Felix received first for the 50 freestyle and the 100 freestyle. Even with this lose, the swim team continues to work hard. “We are learning what it is going to take to be competitive,” said coach Brian Heller. There are six returning starters on the swim team from last year: Hunter Meador, Evan Felix, Kris Burney, David Braun, Austin Barton and Kyle Dittmer. Heller said he “relies on these guys to help me get the team motivated.” Heller also counts on teamwork to help
in and out of practice. “We are a team and each person help everyone else get better,” said Heller, “in general we need to really focus on putting maximum effort into every practice.” The majority of the swimming team is young and inexperienced, but Heller sees it as a challenge that can be overturned. The boys swimming team has a total of 16 swimmers and Heller states that the sprint free is their strongest event. “We have low numbers and have a lot of new swimmers,” said Heller. “I love teaching kids to swim and the coaches are going to be doing a lot of that this year.” The Falcons are preparing for the Clinton Holiday Invite, Dec. 15th at Clinton.
Evan Felix stops to pose for a picture while working to participate at the Clinton Holiday Invite. (photo by West Boosters)
“
My goal this season is to hopefully make it to state this year.” - Evan Felix
Wrestling
New coach guides team BY ASHLEY VANWINKLE ashvanw@gmail.com Inexperience caused the wrestling team to lose their first match against Pleasant Valley on Nov. 28. Although the match didn’t go the way the team and coach wanted it to, Coach Mike Crane said the reason for their loss was mostly the inexperience that comes with a lot of the guys because the team is relatively new, excluding the three wrestlers that competed at districts last year. “There were some wrestlers who wrestled well, upsetting some very good wrestlers,” said Crane.
The team isn’t letting the first match get them down though. The team has been training about 16 hours a week, three hours daily, to be the best they can be. “We need to forget about how hard the conference and district this is and focus on building the foundation of a successful team,” Crane said. The boys strong work ethic has been paying off, showing immensely as they broke the record this year during the conditioning test, he said “I like the group I have right now,” Crane said, “They are going to build the foundation here that will keep the program growing for years to come.”
PAGE BY MALIK SALSBERRY
West’s Jorge Caldera prepares to stand up against Davenport Assumption. (photo by Malik Salsberry)
“
My goal this season is to place at state like my brother did when he went to West.” - Jorge Caldera DEC. 14, 2012 ● BEAK ‘N’ EYE 19
SPORTS
Competiton cheer team excited with win
BY ALI MARTEN alimarten2013@gmail.com motions were hanging on end as the Cheerleaders waited for the results of the state competition on Nov 3 in Des Moines. They were trying to continue the tradition of their coach Melanie Gray to win since she started. “We took second at state this year due to two deductions we received in our routine. We lost by 5 points to first place, and our deductions totaled 20 points,” said Coach Gray about the loss to Fort Dodge. “We were pretty sad because we knew we could have won state again but we lost on a technicality,” said sophomore Genevieve Gaston. “We got deducted for stepping on poms and some spotting penalties,” remembered assistant coach Brad Rollins. “The loss wouldn’t have been a big deal if we deserved all the deductions but it was clear that we didn’t so it really sucks.” They worked hard especially on their opening stunts. The opening consists of, “a 360 extension, rewind to a heel stretch, turn to an arabesque, and a full down,” explained
E
senior Collin Gillaspie. After narrowly being defeated at state, they practiced hard the next week and won first place at the Spartan Challenge in Dubuque. Although they won the Spartan Challenge, the team had injuries and had to end their season. “We had plans to attend regional in December and nationals in February. We hope to get there next year,” said Gray. The cheer team is like a family and before every competition they have little rituals that they do. “We usually have a pep talk. Sometimes I pray for us, and of course we break it down and yell Falcons!” said Gaston. As the teams’ season ends Gray looked back on the experiences they had this year. “My favorite memory was watching a fairly new, inexperienced team from the beginning of summer turn into a highly skilled team by the time state came around. Many of the cheerleaders achieved new tumbling and stunting skills from June till November because they work hard and are very dedicated. Coaching a group of kids, that want to be become better, is fun to do,” said Gray.
The cheer team practices their competition stunts at sporting events. Senior Laren Skulte and sophomore Olivia Grubbs perform a stairstep lib hitch. (photo by Ali Marten)
Dancers content with state placement BY MALIK SALSBERRY salsberrym1@gmail.com
T
Diamond Dancers Abby Thumann and Kaitlyn Cooper perform one of their routines at a West High home basketball game (Photo by Ali Marten)
he Diamond Dancers left their state competition in Des Moines, Iowa with fifth in Hip hop dance, fifth in poms, and second in high kick on Nov. 30. Coach Lisa Schmidt commends her team on their work ethic, teamwork and perseverance at the state competition and other performances. “The entire group as a whole stands out,” said Schmidt, “They are the hardest working, most motivated team I’ve coached.” The Diamond Dancers are working on putting together new routines for the basketball season in several different styles of dance and with songs that are current. “They are working on their flexibility, strength and balance,” said Schmidt,” An increase in their flexibility will enhance
20 BEAK ‘N’ EYE ● DEC. 14, 2012
their kicks and jumps, and increasing their strength will make their motions more powerful and will also help them to do different hip hop stalls. She also emphasizes that perfecting balance will help them perform higher level turning combinations. The Diamond Dancers are looking forward to performing at West High home basketball games. They will be dancing at the next basketball game when West takes on Bettendorf at home on Dec. 14. They have performed at the Universal Dance Association Summer Dance Camp in Wisconsin, volunteered at the Jr. Bix, the YMCA Carshaw Kids Games, the Child Abuse Council Lifesaver Day, the Stack the Stands competition in Cedar Rapids. They have also performed at West home football games during halftime and perform at West High pep auds throughout the year. PAGE BY ALI MARTEN
Wrestling managers do different tasks such as video taping and taking stats during a meet at West against Burlington and Assumption on Dec. 6. (photo by Ali Marten)
Being a sports BY ALI MARTEN alimarten2013@gmail.com
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MANAGER much,” said Aleana Riley. “We do a lot behind the scenes work. All the managers dedicate their time to help the coaches with all the little things,” explained boys basketball manager Sydney Buckles. There are many good memories that come from being a manager.
s the game ends and the fans rise to leave, the managers’ work is just beginning. Although it’s the athletes that get the credit, none of our teams would be where they are without the help of these girls. There are many managers for winter sports The basic jobs for each of the managers are to fill water bottles, wash towels, and to keep stats. “Basically we take care of the guys!” said wrestling manager, Aleana Riley. Boys basketball manager Iquan Mosley said their most important job is to, “clean out the water bottles every week.” Wrestling manager Alisa Behrens however, thinks that their most important job is, “to keep stats of all the wrestlers. We score all their matches and keep accurate records of each match.” “We go to tournaments to help out the coaches,” said wrestling manager Taymi Pates. Caitlyn McCreight added, “We do pretty much anything Coach Crane needs.” Some of these things are to, “ help with anything at practice like setting up schedules and recording matches, mostly Aleana Riley shows off the manager motto. we already know what needs to be don’t (photo contributed by Aleana Riley) and do it, he doesn’t need to ask us to do PAGE BY ALI MARTEN
Wresting manager Breana Riley’s favorite memory is, “everything about State 2012! We spent the ENTIRE weekend listening to ‘We Found Love in a Hopeless Place’ by Rhianna, using a Pringles cup as an amp; that song will never be the same!” Mosley said, “I like being with my friends and I use the hours as volunteer work.” “Out of all these years of managing my favorite memory is when they boys would goof off before practice,” remembers wrestling manager Bailee Fulton. “Like when they would try and run up the wall or do flips. One of them went to flip and landed on his face. Good times!” The hardest part of being a manager according to Alisa Behrens is “trying to score multiple matches. It’s really difficult because you’re trying to look multiple places at once and record them all.” Kaytlyn Karman chose to be a manager because “my brothers were wrestlers and now that they are at college I wanted to keep wrestling in the family.” “Coach Crane asked me in BFS, and I said yes,” explained wrestling manager JoHannah Leigh. Boys basketball manager Libby Burken said, “I did it last year, and my best friend does it. It’s fun, and you get to go to every game, showing your support and watching the team succeed.” DEC. 14, 2012 ● BEAK ‘N’ EYE 21
SPORTS
Supplement Use (Photo by Malik Slasberry)
When is it too much? BY MALIK SALSBERRY salsberrym1@gmail.com
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lmost everyone is aware that anabolic steroids are banned at the professional level and at the high school level. However, there is a trend of young students and student athletes using more legal supplements to gain an athletic edge on the competition. “The most popular supplements that I see taken in a high school setting are creatine, and protein,” said West High athletic trainer Devin Mattson. Protein, which comes in a powder form, is used mainly for post workouts to help muscle building, recovery and weight maintenance. It feeds the muscles after workouts to promote muscle recovery and feeds the muscles proteins to increase muscle growth. Creatine, a synthetic form of an amino acid compound naturally formed in the body, which also comes in a powder form, is used to increase strength and muscle mass, and is mainly used with short, high intensity workouts. “I use M5, a pre-workout supplement and whey protein for after workouts,” said senior Triet Nguyen. Nguyen uses M5 about once a week and whey protein after every workout. He uses his supplements for personal fitness and also for soccer. “M5 gives me a boost before I work out,” said Nguyen. “It gets me to feel like I can lift more than I can, the whey protein is just for muscle recovery.” Nguyen also explains that he uses whey protein as a way to keep his weight in check.
Senior Edi Turcinhodzic uses a more concentrated three way creatine system as a pre-workout along with protein. He uses these supplements for personal fitness and for cross country and soccer. “I tried creatine but wasn’t a big fan of it,” said Turcinhodzic. “My pre workouts are part of a three way creatine system but more concentrated, and I use 100 percent protein after every workout. Turcinhodzic uses his pre workouts based on which muscle group he’s focusing on, but roughly three times a week. “Some say its all mental,” says Turcinhodzic, “but I can feel the bust of energy it gives, and once you’re actually lifting, you feel stronger.” “The majority of the reason is due to the fact that these supplements are pushed hard both by peers and by advertising media,” Mattson said. “I would say at least 90-95 percent of males especially overuse workout supplements,” said Mattson. “Kids feel as though that they need to take four or five scoops of a protein powder to refuel their body after a workout.” This however is not the case. According to Mattson, the body can only absorb a limited amount of protein per day. “Overusing protein causes a large amount of free floating protein molecules which must be filtered by the kidneys,” said Mattson, “and overuse of creatine has been shown to increase the amount of water retention.” He stresses these dangers as they are increasing problems with over usage of workout supplements. Creatine has also been linked to liver dysfunction,
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Top 5 most used supplements 1. Multivitamin- essential to get the daily amount of vitamins needed 2. Protein powder- supplies the body amino acids needed for muscle growth, and helps speeds muscle recovery. 3. Creatine- for muscle recovery and promotes lean muscle growth 4. Green tea- helps fight fat and provides antioxidants 5. Fish Oil- helps aid the heart and fight against heart disease and other diseases. Source: mensfitness.com but studies have not shown a significant increase in the liver enzymes. “I would encourage each student to thoroughly evaluate and research a specific supplement before using it,” said Mattson, “and not just take them because a friend or the guy from GNC told you to. Being smart will save your body and your wallet in the long run. Mattson said that moderation and a balanced diet in protein and carbs is a key essential to achieving your physical goals. PAGE BY MALIK SALSBERRY
WHSTODAY. COM coming in 2013 Are you good with a camera? The Beak ‘n’ Eye is looking for photographers to cover school events. See Mr. Lyle in Room 161
AAAA Driving School Classes held at West High 3:15 - 5:15 p.m. Room 102
563 332-6941 Steve Verdon, instructor
4adrivingschool.com
DEC. 14, 2012 ● BEAK ‘N’ EYE 23
Festival Of Trees Annual parade kicks off the holiday spirit!
By SABA KHAN
T People pull a Rudolph balloon during the Festival of Trees parade on Nov. 17. (photo by Saba Khan)
In hopes to get people in the holiday spirit, the parade featured a giant holiday ice cream cone balloon (photo by Saba Khan.)
here are many kinds of events that “kick off” the holiday season around the U.S. For The Quad Cities the “Festival of Trees Parade” is a long-standing tradition that seems to grow every year. This event took place on Nov.17, 2012. This Parade passed by The River Center, in downtown Davenport. It was the 21st annual Quad City Arts Festival of Trees Holiday Parade in Davenport, featuring 22 Helium filled balloons guided by walkers, beauty pageant queens, dance groups, high school marching bands, clowns, floats, tractors, antique cars, military vehicles, and Santa Claus. This Parade has been fun for the last 21 years for children and their families. Donna Dubberke was present in this Parade to see her children enjoying themselves while performing in the West marching band. “Since my kids march in the parade, we go every year to the parade,” said Dubberke. “We go to the festival itself every two or three years.” The Festival of Trees parade is how many families kick of the holiday season. “It’s fun to watch kids enjoying themselves,” said Dubberke. “We love all the balloons in the parade and in this parade my favorite part was the marching bands and I also loved the penny-farthing bicycles.”
The Festival of Trees kicks off the holiday celebrations with their annual parade on Nov. 17, 2012. (photo by Saba Khan)
PAGE BY EMILY THUMANN
West High marching band marches in the Festival of Trees parade. (photo Saba Khan)
People of Davenport pull a giant blow up present down thrid street for the Festival of Trees parade. (photo by Saba Khan)
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