2205 Forest Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52403 SurveyorWHS@gmail.com crwashsurveyor.com Volume 55, Number 4 December 19, 2011
“I screamed ‘Oh my god, my finger!’”
Cook casts away the cafeteria rumors
don’t know that her accident could have been prevented,” said Crosby. Breakfast turned out to be In regards to the rumors that more eventful than Brittany culminated around the incident, Cook, ’14, had planned for on Cook said, “I laughed, ‘cause the morning of Tuesday, Nov. why start rumors when you don’t 15. Cook was involved in a know the truth? …When I was cafeteria accident that almost gone, [everyone] kind of made severed the tip of her finger. up their own stories... the teach“I was sitting here [at the ers even ask me ‘what happened lunch table] studying and… to your hand?’- when I say I was my friend came up and he fell the one in the cafeteria, they all on the table and my finger get shocked.” was between the table,” said “I’ll say her friend Makayla Cook, “…the table came up [McIntyre] was really strong and and when it came back down, supported [Cook] all the way it sliced it, like, almost all the from the cafeteria to here and way off.” just stepped in and did a really Despite the countless tremendous job and Brittany was speculations that surrounded really strong and, you know, she the incident, the part of Cook’s was definitely hurt and yet she finger that was cut did not didn’t just get hysterical… she detach completely and fall to was able to self-monitor herself, the ground. to some degree, so that she could “It wasn’t my whole finger get to where she needed to be [that was cut] it was only like as any young adult would. So the first joint and this [skin] Photo Illustration by Katie Nunemaker I was really impressed by both was like the only piece holding Cook sits at the table that nearly severed her finger. of them; it could’ve been a lot it together,” Cook explained. worse, you know, some people Secretary, who tended to Cook’s injury recovery. Cook’s first reaction was get injured and they just totally fall before she left for the hospital. Cook has had her surgical staples one of astonishment. apart,” said Crosby. “I laid gauze over the top and then removed but she still had a surgical pin “I was shocked, like, I looked at it Although Cook doesn’t believe she there were paper towels underneath and in her finger and she is preparing for and then I screamed ‘Oh my god my will be able to soon laugh about the matwe just wrapped [the finger] up like a physical therapy which will aim to help finger’ and then my friend Makayla ter, she has adopted a more precautious snowball,” said Crosby. “…I was thinkher regain use of her finger. She has resMcIntyre, ’14,… had my finger and my outlook on life and she offers one piece ing, what a sad day it was for Brittany, ervations as to whether she will be able hand in her hand and then she ran me of advice: “Not to ever have your fingers like any other day, you get up, you’re to bend her finger “all the way down down to the nurse so she got blood all in tables.” gonna go to school and then this acciever again.” over her,” said Cook. dent happened to her and she was being Despite the trauma she experi“When I saw it, it was, like, just brave… but then hysteria would kind of enced, Cook didn’t blame anyone blood everywhere… so I just got everycreep in, as it would with us all.” for the accident and she believed it body out of the way, then I asked for “I thought they were gonna have to was a freak, isolated accident. She help,” said Patrick Price, ’13, a friend cut the whole part off of my finger, but didn’t believe that school safety and bystander of the accident. they managed to sew it back on,” said was an issue, although an accident “It hurt, but like, that wasn’t the first Cook. In reattaching the severed part of to this magnitude may have at first thing that came into my mind when it the finger, doctors had to do tendon and suggested otherwise. happened- it was more of like a ‘my nerve work. Her family and friends had “We can work really hard to finger looks dysfunctional,’” said Cook. mixed reactions in regards to the acmake sure everything is just as “[…The pain] kicked in after I realized cident, but all remained helpful. it’s supposed to be all the time, that my finger was almost all the way “[My friends] were really supportive but people are human beings and off.” and caring.” Cook added that friend everything isn’t always as it’s After Cook arrived at the nurse’s ofJordan Moore, ’14, had been an espesupposed to be all the time so, fice, she was assisted by Maggie Crosby, Photo courtesy of Brittany Cook cially valuable source of support in her ultimately, accidents happen. I Washington High School’s Health
Alyssa Christian Editor-In-Chief
Cook’s finger a week after the accident.
Inside this Issue n e w s
o p i n i o n s
p r o f i l e s
f o c u s
a & e
Pages 2-4
Pages 5-6
Page 7 &10
Pages 8-9
Pages 11-13 Page 12-15
s p o r t s
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Sangamithra Sathian surveyorwhs.news@gmail.com | December 19, 2011
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Monday, Dec. 19, 2011 College Connection, 11:15AM @ Band Room Choir, 7:00PM @ Auditorium Friday, Dec. 23, 2011 1st day of Winter Break
Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012 Winter Break ends, School Starts Show Choir, 7:00PM @ Auditorium Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012 AP Assembly, 9:35AM @ Main Gym PPA Meeting, 7:00PM @ Little Theatre Friday, Jan. 6, 2012 Progress Reporting Day Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012 Band @ NEIBA SAT Test Monday, Jan. 9, 2012 Freshman Education Planning Night, 5:00PM and 7:00PM @ Auditorium Tueday, Jan. 10, 2012 Band, 7:00PM @ Auditorium PTA Meeting, 9:00AM @ Room 128
C.R. Polk Elementary fights shutdown Michael Andersland Staff Writer
What would you do if the elementary school you attended as a child was being closed? Would you advocate its removal if it was backed by solid reasoning and good judgement? Or would you oppose the removal for sentimental reasons? This is the decision being faced by many graduates and parents of students attending Polk Elementary School. Polk is one of the two schools in the Cedar Rapids Community School District (CRCSD) with an adjusted calendar, along with Taylor Elementary. This means that instead of following the traditional school year of nine months of school and three months of summer break, these students have the three months of break dispersed throughout the
Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012 Early Dismissal, 12:30PM @ CR Wash Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012 Orchestra, 7:00PM @ Auditorium Friday, Jan. 13, 2012 ACT Registration Deadline Show Choir @ Off Campus Monday, Jan. 16, 2012 No School / Potential Snow Make-up Day Monday, Jan. 23, 2012 Sophomore Educational Planning Night, 5:30PM @ Cafeteria Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2011 Jazz Band, 7:00PM @ Auditorium Slice of Jazz, 7:00PM @ Auditorium
year. While sometimes referred to as a “yearround school,” students at Polk and Taylor spend the same amount of time in school each year as everyone else. Now, Polk faces the possibility of closing. There are a variety of important reasons for this, including the fact that the CRCSD has approximately 3000 less students than it had several years ago. There are too many elementary schools in the district.
Washington High School Principal Dr. Ralph Plagman said “All schools in the district have a principal, a principal’s secretary, a health secretary….along with paying all of these salaries and the overhead, it can costs several hundred thousand dollars per year just to run a school.” Plagman said that although nobody wants to see the closing of a school they attended, the right decisions must be made. “The superintendent is a good guy, he does not want to do bad things, but he must be responsible. We can’t squander the district’s money paying for a school that we don’t need.” The decision of whether or not to close Polk is still being deliberated by a district committee. The main arguments against the closing of Polk are sentimental reasons, and convenience. Most children who currently attend Polk would have to commute slightly further each day if the school were closed. The district has not closed any school in the past twenty-five years. If the district were to close Polk, the building and property would probably be sold, perhaps to Coe College. Some district boundaries would have to be redrawn, and Polk’s student body would go to some of the other nearby elementary schools, and there might be slight changes in the attendance zoning for certain other schools too. If Polk does close, it is unlikely that this would occur during the current school year. Instead, the changes would most likely take affect after the end of the 2012-2013 school year.
Congress made pizza a vegetable: myth busted Kiran Misra Staff Writer
Recently, Congress has taken a break from arguments over the budget crisis and unemployment to debate a more easily understandable topic: the qualification of pizza as a vegetable. The issue in contention is not actually whether pizza itself is a vegetable, as it is widely agreed that vegetables do not need to be prepared or made, like a pizza does. What is in debate is whether tomato paste should be measured by the amount of tomato that goes into the making of the paste or the actual amount of paste served. When a half cup of tomato paste is pureéd and made into tomato paste, the volume is reduced to one-eighth of a cup. School lunch regulations require that vegetable quantities be measured by the actual volume served. Tomato paste gets special treatment, though, and is measured by the amount of vegetable used to make the paste. This qualifies pizza as one serving of vegetables. As a result, schools can continue to sell pizza as a full meal instead of requiring the additional purchase of supplementary vegetables. Amira Nash,’13, commented on the issue: “ I guess that might be legitamate if tomato is even considered a vegetable.” “This is preposterous. It hasn’t made me think that pizza is any healthier than I thought before. I’ll still think it’s unhealthy,” said Jessica Spurrell,’13, another pizza eater. This move is predicted to add to the rising obesity in America, as pizzais high in salt, fat, and calories. The overconsumption of such salty and fatty foods also increase blood pressure and risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease. For this reason, Theresa Fuller, ’13, felt that, “While it is commendable that pizza contains healthy ingredients like tomato, I believe that we should find alternative sources of our vegetable requirements that are actually one serving of vegetables.” However, European nutrition research has shown that those that consume pizza at least once a week have a lower chance of developing cancer of the mouth, esophagus, throat or colon, probably due to lycopene, an antioxidant cancer-preventing chemical in
tomatoes. This research might not be completely applicable to the pizza in Wash’s pizza line. The pizza used in the study was traditional Italian pizza, which is not loaded with as much high fat cheese and fatty meats as American pizza, which in fact contributes to cancer risk. This new bill in Congress won’t mean that pizzas will be replacing salads and cups of fruit. Pizzas are still limited by calorie and fat limits set by the government for school lunches. The result of this law is that nothing will get worse, but regulations aren’t going to become that strict either.
“The result of this law is that nothing will get worse, but regulations aren’t going to become more strict either.”
Sangamithra Sathian surveyorwhs.news@gmail.com | December 19, 2011
News| 3
WORLD IN REVIEW
Briefs by Ian Schweiger Staff Writer The future of the Euro appears grim-----------------Russia protests against As more European countries lose money, the value of Putin-------------------------
Strip search forced on el derly women by TSA--------
At the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, three elderly women were strip-searched after being suspected of carrying hidden metal objects. Metal detectors at the security check-in sounded off when the women passed through. The ladies were then escorted by TSA officers to a backroom for inspection. The TSA officers found back braces, colostomy bags, and defibrillators as the women were forced to strip down for their inspection. The women said they felt “violated” as the officers made them pull down their pants to search for “unknown objects.” After the search, the women were free to go on their flights.
the common currency in Europe, the Euro, continues to decline. Countries, such as Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Spain, and Italy, have run up too much debt by providing more services for their citizens and thereby exceeding their limit; their revenue made from taxes and other government services have proved to be insufficient. To resolve this, a group of European leaders agreed to work on creating new deals to solve the problem, but Great Britain declined. If a deal isn’t made soon, Europe risks losing the Euro as the common currency. Such a financial calamity could result in a severe financial recession throughout the European continent, that has the ability to spread worldwide.
Iran prepares for war----------------------------------------- This past week, the Iran Revoultionary Guard began preparing for war in retaliation of assassinations of government leaders and bombing of nuclear facilities; they blame Israel and the United States. Tensions have risen after an United States spy drone was “downed” within the Iranian border. It is speculated that Iran has been preparing for war by developing nuclear reactors; these are thought to br a cover-up for the development of actual nuclear weapons for use during times of war. The Iranian government plans to disperse artillery, high explosives, and long-range missiles to defend areas around the border and the capital city of Tehran.
Over the last week, more than 25,000 people have gathered in Moscow, Russia to protest against the upcoming elections for prime minister. Russian citizens have been protesting what they believe was electoral fraud during the election. The protesters suspect that the current Russian prime minister, Vladimir Putin, and his party interfered with ballot boxes by adding votes; it is believed that Putin and his party used monitors to manipulate the voting process in Putin’s favor. Protesters have been chanting, “Putin Out,” according to a correspondent from the Russian state-run RIA Novosti news agency.
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Sangamithra Sathian surveyorwhs.news@gmail.com | December 19, 2011
Mikayla Frye Staff Writer
Countless phone-calls, unending e-mails, and piles of ads are only a few ways for-profit colleges are targeting potential enrollees. Spam mail is becoming a larger problem for in-bound students not only for their sanity, but for their wallets. For-profit colleges are continuously increasing their budget for advertisement spending. According to AdvertisingAge.com, the University of Phoenix has spent more than $100 million annually on media and advertisement. The University of Phoenix, one of the largest colleges in the United States, greatly exceeds the average budget for media and advertising for most for-profit col leges, which is around $30 million annually. As for-profit colleges spend more on advertising, the en rollment rate and number of campuses increases. Tuition rates also rise alongside advertising budgets. To compensate for the huge media spending budget ,a lot of for-profit colleges will raise tuition rates. The revenue received from tuition costs is one of the primary sources of money for media spending. The raised costs may also prove difficult for some students who fear the heavy debt associated with rising costs. As piles of ads and an inbox full of e-mails pile up from for-profit colleges, teachers’ salaries are becoming less and less substantial. The balance between media spending and teachers’ salaries is a common struggle for most for-profit colleges. As stated by TheStudentPIRGs.org: “For-profit colleges are so focused on marketing that the money schools spend on advertising rivals how much is spent on teachers’ salaries and other education-related expenses. At least one major for-profit school spends more on marketing than education.” This leads some to wonder if for-profit colleges actually care about and offer a wholesome education. Although sending out spam mail benefits for-profit colleges by increasing student enrollment and campus size, it also means increasing tuition for students. Mailboxes full of ads and e-mail inboxes full of college-related spam is no longer just an annoyance to future enrollees; it’s a bad sign for for-profit college teacher salaries and tuition rates.
Why does college cost so much? Sangamithra Sathian News Editor / Webmaster
Even credit card debt falls behind student loan debt in the United States, according to USAToday. Why is it that every year we see an increase in college tuition? Why is it increasing at a faster rate than the cost of living itself? There are an overwhelming number of factors that contribute to the answer. As we look across the dilapidated economic landscape, it is evident that other industries and facets of society have experienced an increase in prices as well; the recession and inflation of our currency has played a hand in the nation’s suffering financial system. In addition to that, colleges and universities in the United States are not under pressure to compete with other countries. We aren’t going to “outsource” or “export” our education system, like most computer technology services, to areas where cost of labor is less. Customers shopping for a substantially cheap yet quality education, primarily, don’t have to deal with any choices regarding better deals in other countries. This “lack of adversaries” has been an advocating factor in the raise of tuition prices. Even the state universities, who are funded off the government, are raising their prices. “Since 1981 the list price level of tuition and fees has risen sixfold,” said Robert B. Archibald and David H. Feldman of Forbes.com
As our technological knowledge expands, the average amount of money spent per student has also seen a hike. For example, a student in a chemistry class today gets the chance to work with expensive equipment much more advanced than in the past. There is also a special scrutiny that is involved when it comes to education, that is not evident in other industries. It is something that is almost “necessary” or “mandatory” in today’s society; education is
catered to the mass. Regardless of the general trend, experts agree that secondary-education institutions can’t continue to increase their price tags further and further. There will be a point at which the amount of spending must be streamlined. One could predict that the face of higher education in America is set for some big changes in the coming years.
Photo Below: A student protests hikes in college tuition prices. / cc by Neon Tommy
BIG
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SPAM!: Not the meat
PICTURE
Plans are set in to motion for the remake of the movie Titanic in 3-D. cc by whitelucy67
The race for the presidency among the Republican candidates has recently brought out Newt Gingrich as the front runner. cc by The Heritage Foundation Think Tank
ASIMO, a humanoid robot, won on the British Quiz Show “QI” after serving water to host Stephen Fry and dancing with comedian Jo Brand. cc by AZAdam / cc by Sugarmonster
Alec Baldwin, well known American actor, recently appeared on Saturday Night Live in a parody about how he was removed from an airplane for refusing to stop playing Words With Friends. cc byIncase
A new movement has been sparked from the Occupy movement: Back the Capitol. cc by 99inDC
Opinions| 5
Grant Kamin surveyorwhs.opinions@gmail.com | December 19, 2011
Crazy stuff on the Internet Roses
HACAP PAM Slam P.M. lattes Animal holiday apparel Louis C.K. Pine trees smells Season of giving Crazy holiday socks ABC Family movies Bowl games Otis Road lights Theraflu “It Girl” Beyonce Being prepared Robert Griffin III CoffeeSmiths Basketball Madame Murphy Muffins Santa Claws Lupe Fiasco Indoor plumbing Warm places
Thorns
Cold morning cars Being censored Lack of right click Whoville: real, not real? No snow 2012 Political ads Weird relatives Sequined Uggs The Grinch Rick Perry No more Cain College decisions Ice chunks to the head Alarm clocks Stray tacks Fatigue Short break No snowboarding Blood thirsty tables Yellow Skittles Hit and runs ACT Winter depression
I learned how to cook crack. It turns out it’s pretty easy and it could probably be done in a Chemistry class if we had a “educational purpose” permission slip from the state. Also I learned how to embalm a small cat using house hold appliances. Even more surprisingly, I learned both of these things in within Lewis Blake five minutes of the same class on the same Staff Writer computer. Rather disappointingly, my email was blocked, meaning I couldn’t share my new findings with my parents who were only an email away at work. This is just another one of the districts rules imposed upon us in an effort to make all area high schools functionally and aesthetically homogeneous. Meanwhile in Washington there is a bill in congress called the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) which if passed would allow US government blocking of websites accused of piracy. Apart from the proposed method of DNS-blocking, both violating international Internet policies and being terribly ineffective, it also would also rid the world of the last few pirates it has left – a shame to not only Mr. Witte but pirate enthusiasts everywhere. At school where the issue is not so much piracy but rather distracting websites such as Facebook, it only creates an observable telephone economic gap between those with functioning 4G data phones and those without. The issue of sharing bandwidth aside, I see no reason why our
students shouldn’t be allowed to pull up Facebook, 4chan, and websites to order Russian mail-order brides with rush delivery at Washington. The Internet is full of all kinds of goodies, and we shouldn’t stop the full spectrum of educational possibilities to be displayed to our students. We can get on our moral high horse and say that certain material on the web is inappropriate for school time and only hinders our educations but then significantly underestimate the exact amount they learn from this. An hour spent on World of Warcraft or Call of Duty requires a student to think strategically about their actions which may ultimately benefit them. It requires critical thinking, and area I think ignored by our school curriculum. It might not to be possible to measure exactly what we learn from the Internet, but greater access to information would fill our brains and perhaps eventually be an asset to the “teach to the test” method of learning we are accustomed. I believe everyone at Wash should have the option to peruse mid-lecture through dontevenreply.com or stuffwhitepeoplelike.com - a website I find both uncomfortably accurate and at times horribly autobiographical. In a certain sense, it would undoubtedly be enlightening to some. Seemingly, we place more emphasis statistical evidence of intelligence based on connecting two ideas and not enough on real-world intelligence taught my MMORPG’s, Stumbleupon, and Reddit. Regardless, it’s worth a shot. If nothing else it would make for some great stories, which I’m always a fan of.
Letter to the editor Mr. Blake indicates in the November 18 issue of Surveyor, the need for a “Theoretical and Conceptual Physics” course at Wash, since, in his opinion, the current offerings (General Physics, AP Physics) do not meet his “…pristine…” intellectual needs. Surprising, since I have never met Mr. Blake, that he is so well versed on what particular discussions and activities happen in my classroom, which “[he knows]…mostly revolve around calculating velocity and things of that nature”. More surprising that after watching one episode of Nova in the 4th grade, he is qualified to make determination of what ought and ought not be taught in high school physics [“…discuss the universe and breakthroughs in modern science…”]. I wonder if, in his esteemed opinion, introducing himself to the physics teacher at Wash was an unnecessary and irrelevant step in his course selection process? Fascinating that although I’ve had many conversations over the years with prospective students (some of whom opted to take the courses and some not), Mr. Blake has never crossed the threshold of my door. Fascinating also that despite the “…trivial aspects of the class”, students
leaving the physics courses here at Wash routinely choose physics as a major in college (at institutions including Bowdoin, Coe, Iowa, Iowa State, Luther, Northwestern, and Wisconsin). While I might, in principle, agree with the notion that conceptual physics is a course worth considering (or worth taking, as Foundations of Science – Energy), I certainly do not share Mr. Blake’s assertion that the current offerings don’t meet his “… deep and intellectual…” needs, or the needs of other students that he’s “…willing to bet…would opt for such a course…”. In short, Mr. Blake has no ‘street cred’ with regards to physics courses at Wash and, further, his thoughts regarding our physics courses appear to come more from his ideas of dark matter, than from his grey matter. It’s a shame Mr. Blake didn’t take a physics course while he was here to enjoy it. Ian Kleman Physics Instructor Washington H.S.
The Surveyor Editorial Policy
The Surveyor is established as a school-sponsored open forum dedicated to informing and entertaining its readers. It is published nine times each school year by students enrolled in the Journalism News class at Washington High School. The staff will report as fairly and well-balanced as possible. All activities and news will be covered to the best of the staff’s ability. The Surveyor accepts the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics as the basis for good journalism. Editorials and the reviews that appear under a byline are the opinion of the writer, not necessarily the staff. Unsigned editorials represent the majority of the Editorial Board. The opinions section is designed to provide a forum for the opinions of The Surveyor staff and the Washington High School Community. Readers are encouraged to express their viewpoints through guest editorials. The Surveyor also welcomes letters to the editor, with these guidelines: 1. It is not libelous or obscene. 2. It explains the material clearly. 3. It is not longer than 500 words. 4. It is signed.
Alyssa Christian
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6 | Opinions
Grant Kamin surveyorwhs.opinions@gmail.com | December 19, 2011
Please, just say no
Just say no. That’s what I was always told as a kid, just say no to recreational drug use. We’re Grant Gregory raised by our soStaff Writer ciety to believe drug use is dangerous. Even worse, however, we’re raised to believe drugs and anything drug related is immoral and evil. Ever since the drug war became mainstream in the Reagan administration, every American has considered it their personal responsibility to keep drugs out of the hands of our kids. The problem is kids are anxious, confused and stressed and many of us believe that these feelings are best relieved through substances. It’s understandable to attempt to regulate these substances through laws because it is easy to abuse substances detrimentally, but what really irks me as a student is the
overwhelming criticism associated with drug use. It just doesn’t make sense for kids to be ostracized based on their use of drugs, as they may be the most intelligent, most socially adept individual however they can be stripped of all their accomplishments simply because they like to indulge. I’d like to argue that smoking a joint or drinking a beer can’t harm you, but it can. Kicking back with friends and enjoying these substances is a social experience, it allows kids to band together independently, and even though drug use has taken a negative effect on many students at our school, it also has allowed them to form their own niche. I’d like to note that when I’m referencing drugs, I’m referencing the common high school drugs: alcohol, marijuana and more recently MDMA or ecstasy, all of which aren’t nearly as dangerous as people think (with the exception of alcohol, alcohol is arguably worse than society credits it for). I think people need
to realize how silly the drug prevention movement is, teenage drug use is trivial relative to other problems in America. It’s time to change our focus from illegality to rehabilitation and education, especially on marijuana’s harm, a lot of a research has been done since the 80’s and prior
Occupy Wall Street is not only not creating any real change in our society, it is actually hurting our economy Quincy McGee and creating Guest Columnist widespread confusion. There are Occupy protests in over 80 countries and in cities throughout the United States including Seattle, Portland, Denver, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. The protesters give a wide variety of responses to what they believed they are fighting for, ranging from worker’s rights to a general hatred of the excesses of Wall Street and the rich. In addition, many protesters promote an anti-capitalist message that seems to be hypocritical in light of the protesters reliance on many of the technological advances that are the direct result of the innovations of a capitalist society including laptops, digital cameras
and smart phones. Also, their use of Twitter and Facebook to spread their message is an ironic use of the products of capitalistic society. Unfortunately, the lack of a clear message and hypocrisy only serve to create confusion about their goals, or whether they even have goals. Sometimes even the protesters seem confused about what they are doing in any given place at any given time, probably because the only reason they are protesting is for something to pass the time with their friends. If you contrast the Occupy movement to the Tea Party movement, we see that the Tea Party’s clear message of smaller government worked in their favor. It’s an easy idea to understand and politicians running for office found a perfect slogan in the smaller government message. While many people in our country might believe that the wealth gap is concern, signs that say “Eat the Rich” don’t provide any real solutions. Not only are they indecisive, the Occupy movement is lawless
and has a complete disregard for American citizens. Instead of following the regulations for protesting in many cities, most Occupy movements have chosen to violate the laws by blocking traffic and camping in parks where that is not allowed. Among the laws broken in cities like Oakland and New York City are trespassing, vandalism, drug overdoses, suicide, a shooting in Oakland, and in Occupy Philadelphia a woman was raped in her tent. Noise violations have been a big problem—the bongo drums in Zuccotti Park have been a menace to residents in the area. In addition, a wave of violence has swept through the Occupy movement in cities such as Denver, Washington D.C., and Oakland. Buildings have been spray painted, property destroyed, ordinary citizens inconvenienced, and police officers taunted with such insults as ‘F--- you pigs,’ and ‘Death to pigs.’ In Washington D.C., attendees to a conservative conference were trapped in the convention center as the protesters surrounded the building. These same protesters also blocked traffic, preventing some citizens from picking up their children from daycare or getting to work on time. Instead of following the law and displaying their right to protest and assemble, the Occupiers chose to break the law and turn much of the public against them. Again, if you compare the Occupy movement to the Tea Party, there is a big difference. Member of the Tea Partie carefully abide by local laws and regulations. They don’t allow their message to be shaded by bad behavior. While many Americans do not agree with their position, enough did that politicians jumped on their bandwagon and ran on a Tea Party platform, electing a fair amount of candidates. The Tea Party movement
to contrary belief, marijuana will NOT make you kill your mom. I’m not promoting substance abuse, it is a dangerous activity with negative implications, I just want people to understand that substance abuse does not define you.
Graphic by Tori Wheeler
Occupy movement goes downhill
Graphic by Luke Godlewski
now has the chance to enact real change because they have a presence in Congress. More and more people are going to become reluctant to identify with the Occupy movement if the bad behavior and violence continues. The only effect that the Occupy movement has had on the government is the increased cost to taxpayers for additional law enforcement and clean up, along with the negative affects it has had on local businesses. Occupy protests are costing cities thousands of dollars a day in police overtime and clean-up is not a good thing. In Portland, Oregon, it took 70 dump trucks to clean up the garbage left by Occupiers after two parks were cleared. Denver estimates that the Occupy movement are costing their city $200,000 a week in police and clean-up costs. Disease and sanitation are also a concern. Recently, tuberculosis broke out at the Occupy Atlanta camp and rat infestation is common throughout the camps. In addition, small businesses in the area of the protests have greatly suffered. The businesses in the area near Zuccotti Park claim to have lost nearly $500,000 since late September. Again, all of these problems cause the American public to doubt the credibility of the movement. In the public eye the protesters should be nothing more than something dirty, expensive and troublesome. The Occupy movement is causing more problems than they aim to solve or improve. Their lack of a clear message, lawlessness, and cost to taxpayers will continue to threaten Occupiers mainstream public support, and/or support from politicians, therefore preventing any real change as a result of their movement.
Profiles | 7
CJ Cooper surveyorwhs.profiles@gmail.com | December 19, 2011
Passion in performing is a Warrior’s life Evan Fisher Staff Writer
While in the classroom, one is said to be “amongst their peers.” Everyone is either the student or the teacher. When described so blandly it is easy to overlook who you really are amongst. Shawn Fliger is a student, but many don’t know that he is also an extremely talented musician. If you hear music coming from the fine arts wing at Washington High School, there is a good chance Shawn Fliger, ’13, is a part of the sound. Shawn plays guiPhoto illustration by Jessica Erb tar, bass, drums, saxophone, harmonica, and his favorite of all, piano. He also sings. Just this year he performed as a guitarist in the show “Little Shop of Horrors”, plays guitar for the jazz band, is a member of concert choir, and is in AP Music Theory. “What makes Shawn unique is his overwhelming passion for music,” said Choral Director Peter Westphalen. He believes Fliger’s passion shows
in his music and makes him a better musician. The majority of Shawn Fliger’s day is spent practicing music. He’s been involved in music since he was in sixth grade and hopes to make a career out of it in the future. Meanwhile, he finds himself occasionally playing at the Harbour City Bar. “Music is everything to me,” said Fliger, “it offers me relief, happiness, a way to meet people, understand them, and for them to understand me.” Shawn loves to perform music. His favorite part is the crowd’s reaction and making them happy. His favorite performance experience was last year at Jamnesty, where he performed a fun song and watched the crowd react with great enthusiasm.
Music is everything to me.
Shawn Fliger
A taste of Pink Gravy MJ Kamin Staff Writer
Graphic by Tori Wheeler
When you think of Physical Ed, most people think of a gym class. However, what very few people think about is the alter ego of David Duer, Language Arts teacher at Washington High School, “Physical Ed”. In the late 70s to early 80s, Duer was part of a band, Pink Gravy. This mutation of a regular band played any kind of genre in any kind of way possible, usually featuring Duer on some kind of tube instrument, singing backup vocals, or playing other various percussion
instruments. “I was always proud of playing the smoke detector, which we could switch on. I loved playing the smoke detector, it was a great addition,” said Duer. Pink Gravy started with Thomascyne Buckley, an art student. She created all sorts of sculptures that eventually made their way into music and other quirky ideas, such as The Egg Things, costumes that eventually helped bring together a band. When she started writing songs and gathering people, Pink Gravy was born. This odd collaboration played all kinds of music, danced with the crowds, and even read poems between songs, often written by Duer himself. “There was always this kind of unconscious attempt to play every kind of genre of music at some point along the way. A lot of them (the songs) were parodies, we had our [own] parody of the “Country in Western” song. We had a guy in the band called the Intellectual Cowboy who would get up and do “Country in Western”. That period of time coincided with the beginnings of the punk movement, the new wave music, so we were certainly picking up on what those bands were doing,” said Duer. Pink Gravy covered songs such as “Secret Agent Man” and “Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones, all with different twists and mutations added. Each person in the band had an alter ego name, adding to their playful style, and Duer enjoyed going out and sharing in a public way what they were all about. Duer’s best advice to aspiring musicians is to just go for it. “The moral of this story is just go out and do it. Don’t hold back, and I think most kids are pretty hip to that,” said Duer.
S
8 | Focus
Photo Illustrations by Francesca Hidalgo-Wohlleben
Students discuss drug and alcohol use High school party life is glamorized in today’s media, depicting a party scene full of kegs and shots, with students acting their craziest. This month, Surveyor has taken up the issue, diving into the party scene at Washington High School in an attempt to shed light on the drug and alcohol usage by students at the school. “I’ve seen drinking at every party I’ve attended, with smoking almost as often,” said a junior at Wash. The reasons for which people turn to substances varies person by person, but many insist that it’s just “for fun.” “I do it because I find it fun and I appreciate the change in perspective
ALCOHOL
Alcohol is a depressant derived from the fermentation of fruits, vegetables, and grains. This depressant enters one’s blood stream creating the short-term effects of relaxation, as well as a loss of coordination and slower reactions. Long term, however, this drug causes damage to the liver, stomach, kidneys, muscles, and to the brain. It has been known to damage the frontal lobe, which involves memory, judgment, coordination, decisionmaking, and learning.
Hanna Jonasson, Staff Writer gained… the novelty of it seems to play a role, and its a great analgesic,” said the junior. The short-term effects of drugs such as alcohol and marijuana may appeal to high school students, but the long-term effects can be detrimental to one’s health and goals in life. Wash’s club SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) encourages students to stay away from substances, instead focusing on making positive decisions. “We show our members the danger of using drugs and alcohol. We try to tell them you can still have fun even if you even if you aren’t the ones drinking yourself,” said Abbie Peterson, ’12, vice-president of SADD.
MARIJUANA
The mild hallucinogen, marijuana, is derived from parts of a hemp plant, Cannabis sativa, with the main active chemical being tretrahydrocannabinol (THC). Usually smoked, this chemical travels quickly through the body by means of the bloodstream, creating a short term “high.” Marijuana has harsh effects on a developing brain, damaging communication and verbal skills, while also being hazardous to developing lungs.
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
Drugs prescribed by doctors are seen as safe and legal, but when used without a prescription or paired with alcohol, the effects can become deadly. Painkillers have become the most abused prescription drug by teens nationally. Prescription drugs can cause shallow breathing, fatigue, lack of coordination, and withdrawal seizures when overused. They are equally as dangerous as street drugs, and can have lifelong effects.
Francesca Hidalgo-Wohlleben surveyorwhs.focus@gmail.com | December 19, 2011
|9
Is it worth it?
Madeline Berg, Staff Writer “Absolutely not allowed,” said Thadius Paisar when asked what Washington High School’s policy on drugs and alcohol was. Every case of a student getting caught using or with illegal substances leads to strict consequences within school, including suspension or expulsion, depending on the situation. Students caught are suspended from extracurricular activities, as well as being unable to be a part of Wash’s honor society, Adastra. Even though the consequences can be extreme, some Wash students have taken the risk, with some suffering the consequences. One Wash senior describes his personal experience with getting caught, “I had to tell my teachers and coaches, which sucked. I had to do an ASAC evaluation, and had to partake in ASAC. I graduated that s---... actually I sort of just turned 18 and quit.” The student continued to say that they did not regret their choices, however. “I don’t regret these decisions because having experienced the things that I’ve done makes me who I am today,” said the student. However, another student had a different take on getting caught. “I do kind of regret it because I missed a lot of school and I missed out on a lot of stuff,” said the other Wash student. One consequence of getting caught with drugs or alcohol is becoming ineligible for participating in athletic events. After the first offense, students can expect to be ineligible for one-third of their sport season. The student is also referred for a professional evaluation. A second offense results in ineligibility for up to half the season, and a third offense results in ineligibility for up to a 12 month period, both resulting in professional evaluation or treatment for the student before reinstatement. “I felt like a let down to my team and coach. I feel like I lost a lot of respect from teachers,” said a third source, after getting caught using an illegal substance. Despite the risks involved with illegal activities such as drinking or doing drugs, and the consequences of getting caught, all three student sources admitted that this has not stopped them from continuing to abuse illegal substances.
Photo Illustrations by Tori Wheeler and Francesca Hidalgo-Wohlleben
How do Wash students compare?
Briefs by Amy Parker, Staff Writer
ECSTASY
Party drugs create a hallucinogenic and stimulant kind of high. The most widely used party drug in high school is Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), also known as ecstasy, or “molly.” After taking ecstasy, depression, confusion, and anxiety have been known to occur. Permanent effects from this drug include lessened memory and learning ability, body temperature regulation difficulties, and problems with chemical brain communication.
52% of Wash students surveyed said that they had never used alcohol 28% said they used it occasionally 20% said they used it frequently 69% said that they had never used marijuana 10% said they used it occasionally 21% said they used it frequently
88% said that they had never used prescription drugs not prescribed to them 7% said they used them occasionally 5% said they used them frequently
90% said that they had never used MDMA/ecstacy 6% said they used it occasionally 4% said they used it frequently
10 | Profiles
CJ Cooper surveyorwhs.profiles@gmail.com | December 19, 2011
Little brother becomes big bachelor
MJ Kamin Staff Writer
When Austin Gregory, ’15, struts around the halls of Washington High School, he may appear familiar to you. That’s probably because Gregory has two older brothers, Grant Gregory, ’12, and John Gregory, ’10. However, as far as his “game” is concerned, they haven’t helped much. “Senior girls sometimes hit on me, jokingly,” said Gregory. Gregory is involved in soccer at Wash, and believes his best quality is his humor. The perfect girl for him would be somebody with cute eyes and a good smile who is also funny. His dream date would be a walk on a beach – preferably with Selena Gomez. But Gregory isn’t searching outright for a relationship. “I’m not really [looking], but I’m not not looking,” said Gregory.
Search for freshman bachelor favorites
Word Search by puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com
Words to look for:
Photo Illustration by Lauren Johnson
Favorite Food: Pizza Favorite Hobby: Video Games Favorite Sport: Soccer Favorite Band: Zeds Dead
Favorite Season: Spring Favorite Color: Blue Favorite Class: AP Human Geo. Favorite Movie: Anchorman
With the right combination, Bryant kicks ice Nick Hansen Staff Writer Some students at Washington High School seem to have been gifted with an ease of movement like that of a bird soaring gracefully through the sky. Others, whom are more like ostriches, are just happy to stay right side up with two feet firmly planted on the ground. Kelly Bryant, ’14, is one of the lucky few who have the right combination of rhythm, balance, and numerous other attributes that create an ability to move flowingly and elegantly. Bryant is a two year member of Wash’s competition dance team. Dancing gives her an opportunity to spend time with her friends and she also enjoys performing in front of the school. Bryant says her proudest moment came as a freshman member of the team, when they placed second at the state competition last year. That achievement came through lots of hard work and practice by the entire team, which was nothing new for Bryant, who began taking dance classes at the age of six. However, Bryant’s moves aren’t limited to dance. She began figure skating shortly after dance at age seven and has enjoyed the sport ever since. “I like meeting new people and traveling to [skating] competitions,” said Bryant. But like dancing, skating also requires a lot of practice. Every weekday Bryant hits the rink at 6 am to get in two hours of skating before school. It’s this type of devotion that has allowed her to improve and be successful in the sport. Bryant says she probably prefers skating because she has been participating in it for so long. She adds, “Skating is more difficult because it is an individual sport with more pressure, and it is more time consuming.” Participating in both sports has given Bryant the ability to accept both winning and losing. She adds that both have helped her grow as a person and have given her great amounts of character.
While some of us struggle not to trip over their own feet, she soars into the air, rotates, and sticks the landing, sometimes on ice. One thing is for certain as you watch, Bryant isn’t an ostrich.
Photos provided by Kelly Bryant
A&E| 11
Chloe Kohl surveyorwhs.a&e@gmail.com | December 19, 2011
Cartoon Network’s Amy Winehouse: “Lioness: Hidden Treasures” decline Chloe Kohl
Chloe Kohl
A&E Editor
A&E Editor An affinity for all things strange has been a reputation Cartoon Network has gained, especially since shows that the 90’s kids would recall as unusual, but appropriate, plots. Now the aim seems to be colorful, plot-less, mindblowers that leave the former generation nostalgic and the current one stupid. Earlier shows of Cartoon Network were that of our parent’s memory. Tom & Jerry, Looney Toons, and Hanna-Barbera cartoons were the Saturday morning routine with a cereal bowl and expected caricature violence. The charm continued to what this generation can remember. Dexter’s Lab, Johnny Bravo, Powerpuff Girls, and the even stranger shows like Cow & Chicken and 2 Stupid Dogs were silly and disjointed, but there was a story and maybe even a lesson. The counterparts of Cartoon Network have been critical of their lack of social lessons or moral values instilled in their shows. Nickelodeon was displaying the Rugrats, a conscious show focused on talking babies.
Yet as Cartoon Network adapted an “Adult Swim” of wildly inappropriate late-night shows, Nickelodeon showed “Nick at Nite” which aired classic sitcoms. The inferred edge of Cartoon Network shows the child-like angle was strictly that, an angle. Controversial status established, Cartoon Network now airs shows like The Adventures of FlapJack, Adventure Time, and Chowder as the innovative refreshers to counteract yesteryears. These shows consist of bright backdrops, various mixtures of animation interspersed throughout the story, and very thin, almost on-existent story lines. The generation of children who were lucky enough to get quality television can look at the new material and sigh. The channel doesn’t only consist of these anomaly, nonsequitur slot fillers. Occasionally one can catch an episode of Courage the Cowardly Dog or an openly defiant Regular Show. It’s undeniable however, that Cartoon Network has become a tripped out college dude’s life, and we’re just a part of his sick illusion.
Wasting no time, Island Records has released Amy Winehouse’s first posthumously C.D. entitled “Lioness: Hidden Treasures”. Just six months after her death, fans are finally given another taste of a withered soul. “Lioness” is an album consisted of material she was working on at the time of her death and original versions of already popular songs. There’s a demo “Tears Dry” where the song is stripped to soulful beginnings. There’s also intriguing collaborations with the likes of Nas, bringing different aspects to her music and the people who appreciated it. Like many others in the 27
Forever Club, Winehouse met her fate to the bottle, supposedly drinking herself into a sleepy death July 23, 2011. She had complications in her life with drugs and alcohol, and a marriage to producer Fielder-Civil that was based on that. Though her death was sudden, it was not a surprise. Amy’s image is forever solidified in her bouffant hair, thick-winged eyeliner, and heroin stature that her tough English skin reflected with cc by: Vectorporta; audacity. Her deep, bluesy croon soothes the sadness that surrounds her death, allowing the fans to rejoice in her eternalized soul.
The Muppets return
Oliver Hammond Staff Writer
cc by: woolennium
It is without doubt that The Muppets are back in action and better than ever. Jason Segel, Amy Adams, and Chris Cooper star in “The Muppets” released on Nov. 23, 2011. The general plot around this new phenomenon revolved around Tex Richman, a greedy man who bought the Muppet Theater to destroy it for his own wealth. While The Muppets are faced with the fear and stress of losing their theater, the audience is graced their with entertaining song and dance from. This light hearted and
ccby: thomascrenshaw
upbeat film equipped with humor for all, allows the audience to sit back in their seat and enjoy the show. Rotten Tomatoes reports that 98% of 137 critics gave the movie a positive review, averaging a rating of 8 out of 10. Not only did the critics love the movie, but 91% of viewers who watched the movie liked it. With reviews such as these, “The Muppets” has climbed its way up to the status of being the highest rated movie in the “Muppets” series so far. Throughout the movie, The Muppets tell a tale while presenting their audience with some uplifting advice. “Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection, The Lovers, the Dreamers, and me,” proclaimed one of the Muppets. Inspiration such as this should
cc by: :Benjamin Rabe
provide Washington students with guidance during these painful last weeks before break. This quote demonstrates how positive the characters are and that they always are looking up even in the worst of times. Not only does The Muppets movie offer sufficient entertainment for all, but it also does a good job of slowly introducing the characters back onto the big screen. If you previously loved the Muppets you will not be disappointed with their return. Even though it has been a long time since they last showed, they still remain the same fun, easy to love characters they use to be.
12 | A&E
Kitty McGurk surveyorwhs.AE@gmail.com | December 19, 2011
Battle of the fittest Do you enjoy your social
john Kopec life? What about your ocStaff Writer cupation? Maybe you have
some life goals and ambitions? If so, then I cannot stress enough that the highly anticipated addition to “The Elder Scrolls” sequel, “Skyrim”, is not for you. It’s not that “Skyrim” is a bad game; in fact, it’s the complete opposite. “Elder Scrolls V, Skyrim” has been specially designed to suck hours, days, even weeks away from your life within its rich and expansive game world. Within this immense amount of space, gamers are given the freedom to live as they choose whether that may be following along with quest assignments or simply exploring the ongoing map of Skyrim. What you decide to do in this epic world, is really up to you. As expected, there are hundreds of quests all around Skyrim, but all offer something different. You might join the Thieves Guild and make the name for yourself a notorious criminal, or perhaps you want to get
The days of Nickelodeon
involved in the civil war that’s tearing Skyrim apart. The variety of “Skyrim” is astonishing and at times overwhelming but if you are looking for more focus there is a main Shanay Gonder The kids I babysit can quote Spongebob in their sleep… heck, I can quote Spongebob in my sleep, but quest. Like everything else in the game, Staff Writer what was there before Bikini Bottom and ICarly enamit can be ignored entirely, but with a main ored the screens and hearts of the pre-teen world of Nickelodeon? story focused on killing dragons that swarm Skyrim you’d be missing out on some of the Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, The Adventures of Pete & Pete, All That, The games best moments. Amanda Show, Are You Afraid of the Dark? Catdog, Clarissa Explains it All, The scope and beauty of the land of Doug, Hey Arnold! Kenan & Kel, Rocko’s Modern Life, Salute Your Shorts, “Skyrim” cannot be understated. The far and The Secret World Of Alex Mack are all just a few of the shows that aired away mountain distance and snowy landduring our boob-tube hay day and consequently hold memories for those so scapes, the lively cities lucky to have grown up in such a solid era of Nickelodeon history. and crumbling catacombs, all characterize the game. “Skyrim” has an abundant To pay homage to some of the most classic and memorable shows of Nick in the amount of handcrafted de- 90’s, Washington High School students weigh in on some of their favorites. tail including the swirling mist along distant mountaintops, the incredible design etched into every weapon, spell effect, piece armor, and just the general structure throughout the game. “Skyrim” is a massively beautiful game. It maintains the open world structure of the previous “Elder Scroll” titles along with its flexible character developing game play. Not only is “Skyrim” one of the best games of 2011, it is one of the best role playing games ever made.
What was your favorite show?
Looking to be a cheap date?
When you go to the movies would you call yourself a cheap date? A frugal junky? A, “I’m not really hungry” cheapo? Well, you may Shanay Gonder want to reconsider that title. Just because you Staff Writer opt for the small popcorn, and end up being parched at Wehrenburg Galaxy 16 Cine, instead of going broke and purchasing the unlimited, refillable, large fountain drink, doesn’t mean you’re as spartan an individual as you think. Galaxy 16, while boasting an impressive arcade and 16 large, stadium-styleseating, cinemas, lacks the intimacy and family-business vibe that one experiences at the comparatively smaller, Collins Road Theaters. Home to only 5 theaters and an even smaller price tag for concessions and tickets, the Collins Road Theater, commonly donned the, “cheap theater,” is home to much more then it’s undersized interior. Real Butter; yes real, serve yourself, butter, can be found at Collins Road Theater. The entity proudly title themselves as the only theater in town who do. According to Zac Heinzerling, a junior at Marion High School and two and half year employee of Collins Road, “People will come in just to buy the popcorn,” said Heinzerling. Collins Road Theater: Beverages: Small: $2.00 Medium: $2.50 Large: $3.00 Refills: $1.00 Infamous Popcorn (with real butter): Small: $3.00 Medium: $4.00 Large: $5.00 Candy: Small: $1.00 Medium: $2.00 Large: $3.00 Ticket Prices: (all ages included) Matinee: $4.00 Evening: $5.00
Bruce Taylor, The Collins Road Theaters’ owner, often makes guest appearances in the theaters before showtimes to give away free prizes that allow movie-goers the chance to win some of the concession stand’s delicacies, like the infamous popcorn, or a shot at sampling a Collins Road specialty like their seasonally appropriate Chai Tea that tastes, “just like Christmas in a cup.” De Spiller-Smith, a junior at Kennedy and employee of Wehrenburg, disagrees with Collins Road superiority as a Cinema. “There’s no guarantee that they, [Collins Road Theatre] will get the movies that you want to see...I’d go to Wehrenburg any day.” said Spiller-Smith. Although the movie selection is limited at Collins Road Theater, Taylor makes it a priority to show popular films that are no longer screening in larger theaters as well as introduce films that may not have made it to Cedar Rapids in the first place. Potentially, a fun night out at Collins Road Theater could cost you less then the price of a ticket alone at Wehrenburg, allowing you to go practice your penny-pinching tendencies at other over priced locations like, Mold Stone, or somewhere so similarly named.
Abby Kacena, ’13, Jazmine Royster, ’12, “Hey Arnold! Because says, “Rugrats was Arnold is just so chill... great because I felt boy of my dreams!” like I could relate... you know, it’s still on at like 4 a.m!”
Shelby Leeper, ’13, said, “ My favorite childhood nickelodeon show was probably, Hey Arnold, because my brother and I would always make an effort to watch it and it was just so good!”
Sofie Lenzen, ’13, “Cow Chicken had the best theme song ever, but I didn’t actually like the show”
Wehrenburg Galaxy 16 Cine: Beverages: Small: $4.50 Medium: $5.00 Large: $5.50 Not-so-infamous Popcorn (without real butter): Small: $7.00 Medium: $7.75 Large: $8.25 Candy: Small: $3.25 Medium: $3.75 Large: $4.25 Ticket Prices Adult Evening: $9:50 Adult Matinee: $7:50 Child: $6.50 Senior: $7.50
A&E| 13
Kitty McGurk surveyorwhs.a&e@gmail.com | December 19, 2011
Warrior Spotlight: When portrayed in films, Iowa purely represents an endless stretch of uneventful land that is disconnected to the rest of the world. It is a place Kitty McGurk where having talent A&E Editor is one factor, but getting out and proving this talent to the rest of the world, is another. A factor many may even categorize as
Hazlegrope and the two began recording and composing in Atlanta. It is about this time that the overflowing talent truly started to take its course. After adding another friend to the crew, Lane Shaw, the threesome was complete and Mansions on the Moon was conceived. Jumping around from Boulder to Virginia Beach, the band really started to take off. Suddenly, they were getting more attention and people were really starting to take note of their original sound. Out of many, one very significant person took note of their fresh talent, this person being Shay Haley.
Wendler enjoying time with his younger fan club
Photo courtesy of Ted Wendler
impossible. However, Washington High “He just called us up one day, said School graduate, Ted Wendler, may just he liked our stuff, and told us he wanted be proving that entire theory inaccurate. to come down.” After graduating in ’03, Wendler attended Haley, if you are not already University of Montana. Although familiar, is a main root of the band Wendler had been playing the guitar and N*E*R*D. This musical genius was taksinging casually since he was about 13, ing part in hits such as “Drop It Like It’s while in college he began to write. While Hot” and “Everyone Nose” before many writing what came to him with average of us were even old enough to appreciate pen and paper, it is apparent that Wendler music. Wendler’s band got together with was not aware of the life these words Haley’s and the two began collaborating. could have. Fresh out of college, Wendler The band didn’t just stop there. came back to Iowa and became a camp Since, Mansions on the Moon has colcounselor at Wapsie. Although living the laborated with Diblo, DJ Benzi, Chiddy life with his celebrity status as the most Bang’s Xaphoon Jones, and even the talented campfire singer/song-writer, with other fresh face, Mac Miller. “Yeah, Mac the camping season coming to an abrupt is a cool guy, he actually told us he was a end, Wendler moved to Minneapofan before we even met him” lis. While there, he received a call from his buddy, Ben Hazlegrope, saying he needed some songs and wanted him to come down to Atlanta. Wendler eagerly accepted the offer and the two collaborated the whole time and put a few things Wendler and bandmate Lane Shaw together. “I’m pretty sure the day I got Photo courtesy of Ted Wendler back from Atlanta Wendler and friend Lane Shaw it was about 20 degrees… that’s about the point where I As previously previewed last said screw Minneapolis.” month, Mansions on the Moons collabo Wendler moved in with rated with Mac Miller on the song “PA
“Wapsie is awesome, I can truly say that I would not be doing music if it weren’t for Wapsie.”
Nights” which debuted on Mac’s recently released album “Blue Slide Park.” Many may wonder how a small band from Atlanta went from messing around in a studio fresh out of college to collaborating with some of the greatest artists out there at this time. Truly, the talent was already there and all the group needed was a few performances to form the fame. The band took part in a Red Bull event that really got them out there to the public, toured with Wiz Khalifa, took part in the Green Carpet Tour, and continued to play at various events. Just like that, the fame and the fans erupted. “Now that we’re releasing, people are actually starting to pay attention.” With the official release of their new EP, “Lightyears,” produced by the amazing Pharrell Williams, the band is just taking off. “It’s crazy to think that just a year ago, we were solely creating and writing but not releasing… it’s a very hurry up and wait industry and there are moments where it’s just going and going.” It is apparent to all, that a band is significantly judged by its band name. This comes Wendler performing down to the fact that no one wants to type “Snugglepuss and The Boys” into YouTube or for that matter wear a shirt that advertises that. So how did Wendler’s band come to acquire such a smooth name such as Mansions on the Moon? “When we were in ATL, we were messing around with the name Avatar… one night, one of our buds came up to us and was like, hey guys, you know this is about to be the biggest movie in the world, right?” “After that upset we were down in Virginia Beach… one night we were just chilling down by the water with the full moon illuminating all of the architecture surrounding it… I guess the whole idea of the man on the moon and the metaphor of making it big and being able to own one of those mansions just kind of combined into this one name…. in the end it just really had this sort of surreal and dreamy feeling to it, so we stuck with it.” Making yourself known and getting your talent out there in the world is not an easy task. Doing so, requires a ridiculous amount of optimism, the ability to work you’re a-- off, and the
-Ted Wendler
strength to have faith in yourself and your band mates. With the thought of an eager and avid fan, Grant Gregory, ’12, sending Wendler a message via Facebook about his love for music and the band, I couldn’t help but ask; How? How did you do it? “I don’t want to be cliché, but truly just follow your dreams and believe in yourself… I can assure you’ll get farther than you ever thought you could go.” When asking about the stepping blocks to fame, I couldn’t help but have a Wapsie-goosebump feeling myself when Wendler genuinely proclaimed that “Wapsie is awesome, I can truly say that I would not be doing music if it weren’t for Wapsie.”
Photo courtesy of Ted Wendler
In so many ways is Mansions on the Moon the most ideal band out there right now. Their music is indubitably chill and has the power to enhance any moment of your day. Songs such as their new premiere, “Leaves Fall” and “Love Is Going To Destroy Me” are perfect for hanging around or doing homework, whereas songs such as “She Makes Me Feel” and “This Life” have the beats and sound structure that has the ability to make anyone want to go out on a perfect night and just kick it. You are truly a fool if you do not enjoy this music. As Confucius once said, “The ultimate aim of the ego is not to see something, but to be something.” I am here to say, on behalf of myself, you definitely are something and you’ve made it my friend. Congratulations Ted Wendler and thank you for making Wash, and in fact, Cedar Rapids proud. We all know Ashton Kutcher isn’t really doing it for us anymore. Oh, and if you ever wanted to stop on by and make a visit to the ol’ CR and maybe have a concert… that would highly appreciated.
14 | Sports
Joe Berry surveyorwhs.sports@gmail.com | December 19, 2011
Hierarchical complications in PSU scandal
Child sex abuse scandals at Penn State and Syracuse in the recent months have changed the way people view college sports. They have shed a dark light on the hierarchical structure present in organizations both in sports and businesses. After seeing a child of around ten years of age being molested by Penn State Assistant Coach Jerry Sandusky, Graduate Assistant, Mike McQueary, reported the horrifying incident to the head coach of the team, Joe Paterno. Paterno then informed Penn State’s Athletic Director.
The only response by these high ranking personnel at the tenth largest university in the United States was to ask Sandusky to stop bringing boys from his youth organization, The Second Mile, to the Penn State facilities. McQueary didn’t bring up the case again until eight years later in a Pennsylvania courtroom. Mike McQueary was put in a compromising position and he had a hard decision to make. Unfortunately, he didn’t do enough. When reviewing his actions, one must first understand the complex hierarchy that defines coaching today and the subsequent relation to all athletics. According to Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, McQueary “met the minimum obligation in reporting it up, but did not, in my opinion, meet a moral obligation that
all of us would have.” Why wasn’t more done about the incident? This brings up an extremely complicated set
Lombardi. A college football program is similar to the military in this way. It is deemed highly irrespon-
“If a team would fire you for protecting these young boys, then it wouldn’t be the right team to work at.”
Tony Lombardi
of workplace and moral ethics. “There is a very strict chain of command that occurs in both the workplace and at coaching positions, and coaches are forced to follow it,” said Washington High School head football and baseball coach Tony
sible for an inferior, in the military, to skip the chain of command and bring up a problem to an officer that is more than one “class” above you. This strict chain of command may have been what prevented McQueary from doing more than just informing
Paterno of the witnessed abuse. “A coach must decide if he/she is going to benefit his professional career or their moral compass,” Lombardi said, “The people who move up in an organization are usually the best at following the chain of command and not necessarily the best workers, and this is a shame.” This provides some insight into what could have been going on in McQueary’s head that night when he witnessed a superior coach violating a young boy. McQueary was only in his second year at a college football program that is considered as prestigious as the New York Yankees. McQueary may have felt that going to the police would have harmed Penn State’s reputation, and then inevitably his own. No sports team would want to hire
an assistant whose actions led to the disgrace of a nationally renowned football program. Lombardi sees this issue in a simple manner. “If a team would fire you for protecting these young boys, then it wouldn’t be the right team to work at.” According to Lombardi, workplace decisions are even harder to make when you are dealing with kids’ lives. You not only have to think about the consequence of an action for the school and its rules, but you are dealing with a child’s life. McQueary’s failure to report the reprehensible act he witnessed shines an unflattering light on the hierarchical structure of coaching in our society, and the impact such a structure could have on our country’s youth.
The Penn State ConspIracy: A Timeline
Information according to www.huffingtonpost.com
Reid Rossberger Staff Writer
The sexual scandals sorrounding Pen n State and ex-assisstant coach, Jerry Sandusky, have been filling up the front page of newspapers and web sites everywhere. To understand the scandal it is importa nt to understand its long history. 1969 - Sandusky is hired by Penn Stat
e as a defensive line coach.
1977 - Sandusky founds his youth orga nization, The Second Mile, an organization dedicated to helping you ng troubled boys. 1994 - “Victim 7” meets Sandusky through The Second Mile, at around the age of ten. 1994 - “Victim 6”, then 7 or 8 years old, meets Sandusky at a Second Mile picnic. 1995 - “Victim 5”, while in second or third grade, meets Sandusky through The Second Mile. 1997 - “Victim 5”, then between the ages of 8 and 10, is taken to the locker rooms and showers at Penn Stat e by Sandusky. 1998 - “Victim 6” is taken into the locker rooms and showers when he is 11 years old. 1999 - Sandusky retires from his posi tion at Penn State as the Defen- sive Coordinater. 2000 - Boy known as “Victim 3” mee ts Sandusky through The Second Mile when he is in seventh or eighth grade. 2000 - James Calhoun, a temporary janitor at Penn State, sees Sandusky and an unidentified young boy, known as “Victim 8”, in the showers while Sandusky perform s sex acts on the boy. 2002 - Penn State graduate assisstant, Mike McQueary, witnesses naked Sandusky performing sex acts on a young naked boy, known as “Victim 2” in the same show ers. The next day McQueary reports the incident to Pen n State head football coach, Joe Paterno. Paterno reports a version of the story to the Penn State Athletic Director, Tim Cur ley. 2005 - “Victim 1” meets Sandusky through The Second Mile at age 11 or 12. 2008- The mother of “Victim 1” repo rts to her son’s school district that Sanduky sexually assaulted her son. 2009 - The Pennsylvania attorney gen eral begins investigation of sandusky after a Pennsylvania student reports to authorities that Sandusky innapropriatley touched him several times. Nov. 5, 2011 - Sandusky is arrested and released on a $100,000 bail and is arraigned on 40 criminal counts.
Sports| 15
Joe Berry surveyorwhs.sports@gmail.com | December 19, 2011
Welcome to ‘The Stable’
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Photo courtesy of Heather Adams
Gavin Jones Staff Writer
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Landon Smith
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John Gilmour
Landon Smith, ’12, was born Oct 18, 1993 in Greenwood Village, CO, but soon moved and played hockey in Denver before moving to Cedar Rapids. Landon began playing hockey and skating at a young age of two years old. Smith currently has five points this year (four goals and one assist). Smith said that the atmosphere in Cedar Rapids is “a big step up, the fans are a lot better, and the atmosphere is a great atmosphere to play in.” Landon decided to return home for college, he has committed to play hockey for Denver University.
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Austin Ortega
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Jack Rowe
The kids call him “tegs.” Born Apr 12, 1994 in San Diego, CA, Austin Ortega, ’12, started playing hockey when he was six years old. Ortega is the smallest player among the team standing 5’6” and weighing in at 149-pounds, but his 11 points (seven goals and four assists) leads the Wash players for the season. Being the smallest doesn’t bother Ortega though. “I really don’t think about it or even let it bother me, I just play,” said Ortega. Ortega committed last saturday to the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
John Gilmour, ’12, was born May 17, 1993, in Montreal, QC. The 5’10” 168-pounded Gilmour started playing hockey when he was six years old. The Canadian native says that one pro about living and playing hockey in Iowa is that there’s a lot less snow. Gilmour has four points (one goal and three assists) this season. Gilmour plans to keep his head up and help his team push through the rest of their long season. “I just have to stay positive and make sure nobody’s down,” said Gilmour. Gilmour plans to play hockey at the University of Michigan.
Jack Rowe, ’12, was born Apr 7, 1994 in Gary, ID. Jack soon moved to Chicago where he started skating at the age of two, but he says he fell in love with hockey when he was four. Rowe currently has one assist on the year. He also says he enjoys playing in Cedar Rapids “It’s a lot different, it’s a great town, with great fans, and the coaching staff is simply great,” said Rowe. Rowe has committed to play hockey at the Univer-
NBA lockout over
Peter Holmes Staff Writer
sity of North Dakota.
This year Santa will be delivering something different to sports enthusiasts around the world— an NBA season. A tentative agreement between NBA players and owners was reached Nov 26, with finalizations yet to occur. Both sides must receive a majority vote from 29 owners and 450 players in order to make it official. “I speak for everyone when we say, ‘If we work, we’re excited,’” said Lakers forward, Matt Barnes, according to Yahoo! Sports. “I thought we’d
eventually come to something. The league is doing too well to dismiss the season.” The Players Association has no other option than to reform as a union and apply a vote to ratify the deal. The terms of agreement included a 50-50 revenue split among the players and owners. According to Yahoo! Sports this bargaining agreement could shift as much as $3 billion to the owners over the course of a 10-year agreement. The main concern the league faces is the effect of the lockout on the players. Will this season be similar to the 1999 season
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Andrew Oglevie
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Ian Brady
Andrew Oglevie , ’13, was born Feb 16, 1995, in Fullerton, CA this 5’9”, 151-pound forward began playing hockey at the age of five. When asked how he felt about Coach Carlson Oglevie said his coach is “a great guy and a great coach, a lot more strict then my coach back home, but he’s still a good coach.” He currently has four points this season (two goals and two assists). Oglevie has committed to play hockey at the University of Notre Dame.
Ian Brady, ’12, was born May 22, 1994. The 5’11” 193-pound Chicago native plays defense for the Roughriders. Brady started skating when he was three years old. Before coming to Cedar Rapids, Brady faced-off against current teammate and classmate, Jack Rowe. Brady has 13 career points with the Roughriders spanning the last two seasons. Brady appreciates the devoted fans of Cedar Rapids. “There are a lot more passionate fans here than where I used to play,” said Brady. Brady has committed to play hockey at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. where tight schedules resulted in exhausted bodies and poor play? “I think they’ll be eager to get back on the court and do what they love and are paid to do,” said Noah Burdt, ’13. A burdensome 66-game regular season awaits players and fans beginning Christmas day. After opening presents, the NBA gives us the gift of quality basketball games on TV. These games include a Finals rematch of Miami-Dallas and a Hollywood showdown between the Lakers and the Bulls. To fit the number of games in the time left in the
season, every team must play at least one back-to-back-to-back set of games. This will put more stress on the players’ bodies and take away precious practice time. The performance of the players will ultimately reveal what kind of success the league will have in the future. It could be any team’s year to win it all with the chaos of the lockout. Miami is the clear pre-season favorite, hoping to avenge their loss last year. “If the Lakers don’t make a move, Miami will take home the trophy,” predicts Burdt.
16 | Back Page
Katie Nunemaker Surveyorwhs.photo@gmail.com | December 19, 2011
Cocoa And Carols 2011
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Below Photo By Kara Mclaughlin
Below Photos Courtesy Of Dennis Sharp