The
urveyor Volume 60
Issue 6
The Local Muslim Community Reacts to Bans Abroad (pg. 10) What The Media Isn’t Telling You (pg. 8) Wash’s Resident Herbivores (pg. 13)
27 February 2017
the surveyor bunch Seth Keppler
Kate McCartan
Billy Lemos
Ben Janssen
Brandon Cullen Matthew Andersland Gunnar Bosking
Emily LaGrange
Jillian Gannon
Claire McKinstry
staff reporters: not pictured: Rielle Jones-Teske Andy O’Neill
Betsy Smith
Sarah Altemeier
Julia Carlson Araya Dunne Bryan Ennis Bryan Gosch Nik Huerter Tyler McGuire Quinn Spivey Becca Turnis Alliyah Wilcox Quinn Wilcox
The Surveyor Bunch— Surveyor’s high-quality take on the Brady Bunch. This does not tie to anything in our issue, we just thought it would be cute (some staff members did express opposition, but I overruled). This issue, we take an in-depth look at all things political: civil rights, the actions of our new president internationally, and our take on it all. Quite fitting, as February is Black History Month. This month is dedicated to celebrating the triumphs of black Americans and to recollect their importance in American society. Living in the United States, it’s incredibly important to recognize and honor diversity— beyond race and ethnicity, as well— and the success it has brought our country. Spread the love during the season of love (Valentine’s Day) and enjoy our February issue!
~ Emily LaGrange
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Staffbox
Editor-in-Chief
Emily LaGrange
WHAT’S INSIDE? news
mission
Academic Adversity
4 Blood Drive Totals
5 More Flexible Schedule? 6 Women Pay All
Bringing Better Burgers: Five Guys
opinions
7 Trump’s Ban: Staff Editorial
8 What The Media Isn’t Telling You 9 Reaction: President Trump
feature
Muslim Reaction to Trump’s 10-12 Local Executive Order
profiles
13 Herbivores Around Us
Artist of the Month: Gabe Greco
14 FBOM: Aryn Marner
15 Mariah Ward: Stanford Scholar Parks McBride: Videographer
sports
16-17 Swimming District Streak Ends 17 Low Numbers, High Spirits Step Up: Warrior Edition 18 An Iconic Winter Sport
a&e
19 Spacos: Spaghetti Tacos SKAM
20 Process- Sampha Sisay
The Naked Chicken Chalupa
21 Thrifting HACKZ pt. 1 Emily LaGrange
Editor-in-Chief
The Surveyor is established as a school-sponsored designated forum dedicated to informing and entertaining its readers. 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 Journalist’s Code of Ethics as the basis for good journalism. Readers are encouraged to express their viewpoints through guest editorial. The Surveyor also welcomes letters to the editor, with these guidelines: it is no libelous or obscene, it explains the material clearly, it is not longer than 500 words, and that it is signed.
creative commons
“CC by” represents that our staff has taken content from Creative Commons, a nonprofit that offers an alternative to full copyright, and that we have done our best to correctly attribute the author to their artwork in order to avoid copyright infringement.
non-discrimination policy
It is the policy of the Cedar Rapids Community School District not to illegally discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age (employment only), marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and socioeconomic status (students/ program only) in its educational programs and its employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. District employees with questions or a grievance related to this policy should contact the Executive Director of Human Resources, 319-558-2000. Students and others should contact the Manager of Student Equity, 319-558-2000. The District mailing address is 2500 Edgewood Rd NW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52405-1015.
affiliations
Iowa High School Press Association, Journalism Education Association, Quill and Scroll.
PHOTOGRAPHS Coverpage by Rielle Jones-Teske Backpage courtesy of Elizabeth McDermott
Table of Contents
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Quinn Spivey Staff Reporter
Academic Adversity
The brainiacs of Washington High School put their knowledge to the test at the Jan. 28 Regional Academic Decathlon Competition. The team which is composed of members Jillian Gannon, ’17, Chase Ferguson, ’18, Max Stark, ’18, Andrew Hammer, ’18, Rielle Jones-Teske, ’18, Stephanie Kapler, ’17, and Aubrey Moore, ’18 (listed as pictured from left to right) finished fourth at the competition. The competition splits students into three categories based on GPA. The highest tier is honors, followed by scholastic, and then varsity. The test itself has nine events: economics, art, literature, social science, music, and science all have 50 multiple choice questions while math has only 35 questions. In addition to those, there is also a speech and interview section. Speech involves a three-and-a-half minute written speech on any topic and a one-and-a-half minute impromptu speech where you have to choose from three different prompts.
The interview section is essentially like a job interview. Competitors sit down with two interviewers and they grade your responses. Each section is worth 1,000 points each, so theoretically a perfect score would be 9,000. Each team takes the top scores from each tier for their total score. Jones-Teske in the scholastic tier scored highest for the Warriors with a total 4990 points. This performance was followed by Ferguson who scored 4953.5 in honors and also earned three third-place ribbons in the art, social science, and speech categories. Ferguson’s speech was an indepth illustration of science and meaning behind laughing. “It is similar to the Iowa Assessments, but much more difficult. It’s just very difficult standardized test,” said Ferguson about his test experience. The group spent the months prior to the competition practicing every Monday and Wednesday using material from the
Academic Decathlon website to study. They took advantage of the availability of practice problems as well practicing reading their speeches. Each practice was spent dedicated to one topic. The group was one place away from making it to the state competition. Coming off a strong performance this year the group looks to keep their momentum going and improve even more for next year.
Photo courtesy of Jordan Hill
Blood Drive Totals
Gunnar Bosking Copy Editor
On Thursday, January 27, Adastra, the Washington High School chapter of the National Honors Society, hosted the third blood drive of the 2016-2017 school year. The event, which was run by the group’s officers Peter Nassif, ‘17, Spencer Moore, ‘17, Katerina Newcamp, ‘17, Chloe Hatfield, ‘17, was a remarkable success. At the final tally, the drive had collected 77 donated units of whole blood. Each unit is used for approximately 3-4 patients, divided between platelets, whole blood cells, and plasma. All in all, this will contribute to approximately 308 vital transfusions at
“All of the blood stays local, so when students donate then they are helping people in our community.”
This photo is from one of the previous “This was the most successful blood drive of the year so far,” said Sarah Oldag, the blood drives held at Washington by development coordinator for the Mississippi Valley Blood Center. “It had the lowest Student Senate this year. amount of deferrals and the most first-time donors.” Adastra has two blood drives every year with the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center, and they always make sure they take the necessary steps to ensure a safe, effective day. The donation process starts with a test to make sure that the donors don’t have diseases that can be transferred through blood transfusions, such as HIV and Hepatitis. Then they are checked to make sure that the blood hemoglobin levels are stable enough to give. After giving a unit of whole blood, the donors are sat down and have to eat plenty of food and drink plenty of fluids. These steps are strictly followed to ensure that there are no problems and the donors know the risks and benefits. “We want to inform everyone of the benefits of donating blood and try to get as many people to donate as possible,” `said Adastra Treasurer Chloe Hatfield. “All of the blood stays local, so when students donate then they are helping people in our community.” Photo by The Monument staff
local hospitals.
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News
News Editor
Sarah Altemeier
More Flexible Schedule?
Bryan Gosch Staff Reporter
Photo by The Monument staff
. e . p d Ol
W E n
. e . p
Photo Courtesy of Maya Gonlubol
Sarah Altemeier
News Editor
Interim Principal Dr. Carlos Grant plans to help start a program incorporating what he calls “mindfulness and meditation” in order to combat the issues that are facing students in their home and personal lives. This approach would be put into place with the intent that students could spend time in a calm environment to detach themselves from stress and turmoil that they might face outside of the classroom. Grant said that he plans on incorporating this idea of mindfulness in one of three ways throughout the day. Grant stated that an idea they had regarding this idea of incorporating mindfulness is by holding a class such as yoga in replacement of typical physical education (P.E.) classes. Starting during the 2017-2018 school year, the district is initiating a policy that outlines limitations on the amount of P.E. waivers a student can have during a school year down to one. Students involved in activities such as show choir, sports, or overwhelming academics may find a mindfulness and self wellness class more of a productive use of their time contrary to the time that they would normally spend in the gym where they might not usually get much substance or self improvement out of that particular class. Some students may also find this to be a less pressured and more relaxed alternative to traditional P.E. classes. “The training we got really focused on how to use yoga and meditation to deal with trauma and anxiety,” said Dr. Amy Jones, AP Psychology teacher, who took part in the training seminar for the yoga and wellness course and is anticipated to help in leading some of these sessions in the near future. Jones’ plan would be to hold 30to 45-minute sessions after school where the ultimate goal would be to be in a calm environment to practice healthy ways of dealing with stress
and emotional trauma to the point where a student can use these practices to deal with everyday stress and improve someone’s overall approach on how to live life. “I feel like most high schoolers are way, way overburdened and stressed. I think these types of things can really benefit anybody,” Jones said. Jones, being a psychology major, says that simple things such as doing yoga and breathing exercises provide some major benefits to your overall health. “In my classes we talk a lot about mind-body connection and we look at the physical and psychological consequences of constant stress. Learning how to do these yoga moves and breathing exercises will stop your headaches, make you sleep better at night, stop your stomachaches, help you with that neck pain then it’s a lot more of a practical thing,” Jones said. Jones also plans on taking a different approach to the traditional spiritual yoga class that most high schoolers would have in mind when approaching the idea of meditation. “It’s not going to be some hippy-dippy thing. It’s about taking really good skills and information that will improve your mental and physical health,” Jones said. Grant says the idea behind this is to promote positive culture in the building in a way that resonates with students. “Here’s why this is important, often times administrators and teachers deal with students who make bad choices, and that’s just part of school. But the problem is the student who makes a poor choice and at that particular point in time they aren’t in the state of mind to where they want to or even know how to inform us exactly why they decided to do what they did. The problem is that they aren’t already in the state of mind to where they even want to address the issue,” Grant said. The issue Grant also would like to address is the fact that some students who come to school everyday and don’t cause disruptions are also struggling constantly with turmoil outside of school that their peers may not even know about.
News
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Quinn Wilcox Staff Reporter
Women Pay All
This years WPA dance will be on March 3rd from 8pm to 11pm. The junior class officers have chosen A Night In Paradise (Hawaiian) as the theme for the dance. It is not necessary to dress according to the theme; traditional dance attire is appropriate. You can buy tickets at $6 before the night of the dance but if you wait they will be $8 at the door. Tickets will be sold in the foyer leading up to the dance. In order to get into the dance, one person in a couple will need to have a Washington High School student ID as well as a ticket for each person. The DJ for the night will be David Schulte, brother of Washington student Anthony Schulte, ’18. When asked about past WPA dances and how she believes this year will differ, junior class Secretary Emma Witt 18’ said “I believe it’ll be a lot of fun! But I also believe if you don’t have a positive attitude towards it, it won’t be as exciting”.
Bryan Ennis Staff Reporter
Claire Stevens, ’19, asks Erik Lenzen, ’19, (top picture) Cierra Dixon, ’19, asks Brooklyn Butler, ’18, (top right picture) and Ella Peckosh, ’19 and Grace Dewolf, ’19 ask Mason Hatfield, ’19, and Bennett Cooper, ’19, respectively. (right picture)
Bringing Better Burgers
A new fast food addition to Lindale Mall, Five Guys, will be coming Feb. 2 according to Christopher Bennett, the general manager at the new Five Guys. “I hear everyone’s excited. I’m excited. Many people are coming here just to take a picture of the place and post it on facebook and all the other social media apps just to tell others about it,” said Bennett. Bennett also stated that they were starting interviews for potential employees now. “We’re definitely looking for some new employees to hire.” Five Guys makes various types of hot dogs, burgers, and sandwiches. Their hot dogs include the kosher style, cheese, bacon, and bacon cheese dogs. Some of their burgers include the bacon cheeseburger
CC by Jerry Huddleston
and a selection of little burgers. Five Guys also has sandwiches like a BLT, veggie sandwich, or the grilled cheese sandwich that customers can get if they don’t feel like having a burger or a hot dog. Five Guys allows customers to choose from a large selections of condiments for free including things like jalapeño peppers, grilled mushrooms, grilled onions, hot sauce, tomatoes, and barbque sauce. Five Guys also has over ten different types of shakes you can get such as bacon, salted caramel, strawberry, banana, and coffee. Many of Washington’s students and staff, including Mr. Clancy are happy to have Five Guys opening soon. “I’m excited. I really enjoy Five Guys. Oh, their fries!” said Clancy. Photo by Bryan Ennis
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News
News Editor
Sarah Altemeier
Trump’s Ban Staff Editorial
On Jan. 25, the 45th president of the United States, Donald Trump, issued an executive order banning people from seven Muslim-majority countries from traveling into the U.S. for 90 days and suspending admission of all refugees to the U.S. for 120 days. The executive order, according to the White House’s website, was issued “to protect the American people from terrorist attacks by foreign nationals admitted to the United States” and was filed under Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements. The countries included in part of this ban are Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya, and Somalia— countries associated with abuse of human rights; countries ripped apart by civil war, authoritarian rule, and brutal conflict. These are also the countries seeking refuge in places like the U.S., but suddenly Trump has issued, without the permission of Congress, to ban these suffering people from entering our country to escape the horrors of their home. The fact that the seven aforementioned countries are Muslim-majority countries has a lot to do with the ban’s origin. ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) has been deemed a terrorist organization by the United Nations and has been an international threat since April 2013. Often times, people have trouble with overgeneralizing. Just because ISIS is an Islamic extremist group does not mean that all Muslims are involved in ISIS—in fact, most Muslims are actually not extremists and are not involved in ISIS. Take Syria, a Muslim-majority country that has been involved in a civil war since 2011. Simply put, the Syrian Civil War originated from citizens’ protests that eventually grew into an armed conflict when the citizens demanded the removal of their oppressive president, Bashar al-Assad. You see the heart-breaking videos and pictures of the innocent Syrian citizens—the “rebels” —whose bodies are in decay, reeling from the presence of chlorine gas in the air they breathe. These people are in the midst of devastating explosions and are, in many cases, doing all they can to flee and make a better life for themselves and their families. The thing that seems to be the most baffling is the fact that, following the 9/11 terrorist attack in 2001, half of those that committed acts of terror were citizens of the United States. These American-born citizen terrorists executed the shooting in San Bernardino, California and the bombing at the Boston Marathon, to name a few of the most commonly known. If the fear toward Muslim-majority countries stems from the
9/11 terrorist attack, all of the known attackers were from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, and Egypt. Not only are these the top countries known to have committed the greatest amount of terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, but they are not part of the ban. According to an article from The Atlantic published last month, between 1975 and 2015, zero citizens of the seven banned Muslim-majority countries have committed acts of terror on U.S. soil. This is simply illogical. It seems as though this ban comes from a place of overgeneralization— something that is quite common, and is a natural human reaction to the devastation that terrorist groups like ISIS have wreaked on international security. The most important thing is to have the ability to separate extremist groups like ISIS from non-extremist Muslims. They are simply not the same and do not deserve the treatment they are getting from America’s newest leader.
The countries included in part of this ban are Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya, and Somalia—countries associated with abuse of human rights; countries ripped apart by civil war, authoritarian rule, and brutal conflict.
Jillian Gannon
Opinions Editor
9 out of 10 Editors agree
CC by danthelibrarian
Opinions
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What the Media Isn’t Telling You “What Is Aleppo?” Kate McCartan Profiles Editor
“Death Everywhere.”
This is how the human rights group Amnesty International described the Syrian city of Aleppo last May. For years, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or better known as ISIS, has taken the spotlight in the Middle East. They have killed thousands of innocent civilians in Iraq and Syria, as well as other countries, and their heinous unthinkable acts have almost become a norm at this point. They have even managed to bring together Russia and the United States against a common enemy; this is not an easy task. Still, the disastrous scene that Amnesty International described was not caused by ISIS, but by Syria’s very own president, Bashar alAssad. What the Western media has failed to recognize is that ISIS is not solely responsible for the death toll in Syria. In fact, The Washington Post has said that Assad’s forces have killed more Syrians than the Islamic State. From 2013 (when ISIS rose to prominence) to 2014, Assad was responsible for the confirmed deaths of at least 200,000 people, with 10,000 of whom were children. Keep in mind that these are only the confirmed deaths. The number is probably much higher when one assumes that there are thousands of unconfirmed deaths. The widespread deaths are due to air-strikes by the Syrian government that are used to defeat ISIS, though it seems that everyone is dying but ISIS. Assad is also accused of the torture of thousands of Syrians and using chemical weapons on his own people, which prompted Barack Obama to famously warn in 2013-that Assad was “crossing a red line”. Assad obviously did not listen, as in 2016 he was accused of crossing that “red line” multiple times, using chlorine as a chemical weapon. Although air strikes and chemical weapons have been administered all over Syria, one city stands out, as I described at the beginning. Photo by Alliyah Wilcox
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Opinions
The once bustling city of Aleppo, with a population of over 2 million, is now little more than blood-soaked children, decimated buildings and dust-covered rescue workers. In the summer of 2012, rebel forces took over eastern Aleppo. Keep in mind Assad does not like the rebel forces, but the US has allied with them in the civil war and the fight against ISIS. Over a five year period, Aleppo has become the epicenter of the civil war, and the millions of residents have been caught in the middle. These residents have two options: to flee, or to stay. As a result, this civil war has not only created thousands of victims, but also many refugees. This has caused a refugee crisis in Western Europe that you have probably heard about. Hundreds of Syrians have died just trying to escape Syria. In fact, in 2016 alone, more than 5000 Syrian men, women, and children died in the Mediterranean Sea. ISIS is not the only group causing unneeded tragedy in the Middle East and our media sources are failing to tell us that. People deserve to know the truth about the Assad regime and their cruel acts against humanity.
Members of Amesty International meeting to discuss this year’s plan for their annual fundraiser, “Jamesty.”
Opinions Editor
Jillian Gannon
Reaction: President Trump
Trump’s Controversies: -Banning seven Muslimmajority countries -Threatening to build a wall on the border of the US and Mexico -Hang up on Australia -Claim that media is false -Claim that the elections are rigged in the US -Insult others through social media in a derogatory fashion -Stance on the United States’ relationship with foreign powers Jillian Gannon
It’s safe to say that Trump’s first month in office has caused quite a bit of controversy. The one action in particular that kicked off the general turmoil that followed was his ban on travelers from Muslim-majority countries. One of his justifications for that was because of 9/11 and “keeping our country safe.” Unfortunately, what Trump and his advisors seem to have completely neglected to think about is the fact that terrorism in the United States is largely home-grown, and that a ban such as this just fuels the resentment and hatred that Rielle Jones-Teske terrorists feel towards America. Another consequence of the Photo Editor ban was the global outrage that sparked protests, marches, and rallies across the planet. When Sally Yates, the acting attorney general of the United States, refused to support the ban, he fired her. Then, Trump took to Twitter to continue firing off disreputable tweets concerning Mexico and how Mexico would pay for the infamous “Wall”, such as: “The U.S. has a 60 billion dollar trade deficit with Mexico. It has been a one-sided deal from the beginning of NAFTA with massive numbers... of jobs and companies lost. If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting.” In the wake of this declaration over Twitter and others, Trump succeeded in inciting the Mexican president to cancel their summit meeting. Then, Trump upset Australia. When the Prime Minister urged Trump to honor an agreement to accept 1,250 refugees from an Australian detention center, the conversation became heated and Trump suddenly and rudely ended the phone call. He then tweeted: “Do you believe it? The Obama Administration agreed to take thousands of illegal immigrants from Australia. Why? I will study this dumb deal!” Now, thankfully this kind of incident is not of the caliber to start a military conflict with Australia, but I’d like to just put this reminder out there: If we go to war with Australia, we go to war with the entire Commonwealth. There are a few more incidents worth mentioning. Although Trump hails his first counterterrorism operation as a success, he officially has blood on his hands. As a result of his authorization of the project, a Navy SEAL member was killed and it is estimated that civilian casualties, mostly women and children who were used as body shields, were also killed in the raid in Yemen. Trump has also repeatedly lied about fraudulent voting in the 2016 election, and has engaged in Twitter fights,made verbal attacks or condemnations of senators, Mark Cuban, CNN, ABC, NBC, MSNBC, the New York Times, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Nordstrom.
Opinions Editor
Opinions
9
BEyond the
countries affected...
Cedar Rapids, the home of the oldest Islamic mosque in the United States, is deeply affected- directly or indirectly- by the U.S. federal government’s international bans on Muslim-majority countries. They have something to say, too. 10
Feature
Editor-in-Chief
Emily LaGrange
Local Muslim Reaction to Trump’s Executive Order Ban Kate McCartan & Gunnar Bosking Profiles Editor & Web Sports Editor Brief Description of Islam
Islam, which was founded in the Middle East around the early 7th century, is the second-most followed religion in the world, with well over 1.7 billion practitioners. These practitioners, called Muslims, live their lives according to a code that is called the “Five Pillars.” These pillars include declaring that there is only one God and Muhammad is his prophet, praying five times a day, fasting during the holy Month of Ramadan, giving money to charity, and making at least one religious pilgrimage, or Hajj, to the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Each mosque, which is the worshiping site for Muslims, is led by an Imam. The Imam, like a Christian Priest or Jewish Rabbi, is in charge of leading prayer, serving as a community leader, and providing religious guidance. Muslims believe in the same God as Christians and Jews, and they believe His word has been passed down through prophets such as Abraham, Jesus, and Muhammad, the latter is believed by them to be the last prophet. The religious word is written down in the book called the Quran (pronounced: Koran). The Muslim community has been under fire for the last fifty years due to a very radical minority that has carried out acts of terrorism all over the world. This minority represents less than 1% of the overall Muslim population.
The Ban
On Jan. 25 at 4:42 p.m. eastern time, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that would indefinitely bar all refugee admission for 120 days and ban citizens of seven major Muslim countries from entering the United States. These countries consist of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. The
Emily LaGrange
only people from these seven countries who were not affected by the ban are naturalized citizens, meaning even a longheld United States visa would not allow citizens from these countries to enter. The executive order sparked mass chaos for the United States immigration system and airports, both in the US and overseas and caused riots at many airports across the country. Some citizens of those seven countries were on a plane bound for the United States as the order was being signed and were held in detention at the airport they flew into as they were suddenly not allowed in this country. Many public figures condemned the executive order, including former President Barack Obama, calling it unconstitutional. Since then, a federal appeals court has rescinded the executive order and President Trump has made it clear that he will continue to fight the court’s decision. The immigration is currently open between the United States and the seven Muslim countries, but it is indefinite if this will continue.
The Mother Mosque
The city of Cedar Rapids has built up a sizable Muslim community over the years. It started when they built the oldest mosque in the United States, which is now over 100 years old. This mosque, called the Mother Mosque of America, has recently come to serve as a cultural center and museum led by Imam Taha Tawil. The mosque has been dubbed historic and is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Local Muslims have taken to attending prayers and religious services at the Islamic Center of Cedar Rapids.
Local Reaction
Taha Tawil was born in Jerusalem to a Palestinian family and fled when the Israelis
Editor-in-Chief
forced the Palestinians out of the country, rejecting the two-state solution. He moved to Cedar Rapids because the Mother Mosque was in need of an new Imam and has been here for 35 years. He says that is what drew him to Cedar Rapids, other than the job opening up in the mosque, is that the people here are overwhelmingly welcoming and humble. “Iowa people have a unique sincerity and love to help people, said Tawil.” He has established a center that promotes peace, spirit, and education. He says that the talk surrounding the ban is all political, and that groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda are not actual Muslims. “[These groups] are shallow-minded, not religion but all politics,” said Tawil. “They are killing more Muslims than anything else. If people knew about our religion, they would know that the message of Islam is a message of peace.” Tawil also does not think it is fair for politicians to label all Muslims for the violent actions of a few. He thinks that the current administration is making a big mistake. “[Trump] does not know what he is doing,” said Tawil. “Completely banning like that is irrational and unwise. No one blames all white people for the rise of the KKK and white supremacy and nobody blames Catholics for the Italian and Irish mafias that have been prevalent in the United States, so why would anybody blame Muslims for the actions of very few extremists?. To do this is a fallacy, and it is wrong.” Tawil thinks that the way Muslims are portrayed in American society is mainly the faúlt of the media, but he and other Muslims do not let it affect their day to day life “They may label us as violent, terrorists, desert people, or Arabs, but these things
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do not affect who we are, said Tamil. “What I do believe, is that every religion has extremists and that no one is immune.” As for the ban, Tawil expressed that the welcoming environment of the Cedar Rapids community has made President Trump’s views and actions painless for him and other Muslims. He said he knows of individuals in the mosque who have been affected by the ban, such as a member’s Sudanese mother trying to come visit with her visa, but the mosque as a whole has not been affected. Other local muslims, like Irfan Djaferi, have a message for the American people who are scared of their religion. Djaferi, who hails from the Eastern European country of Estonia, says “people need to not listen to other people tell them about Islam. If the turn off the TV and go do their research, they will find that they have nothing to be afraid of.”
looks like while Trump is in office,” said McDermott. “The rally showed support for many different groups such as women, Native Americans, disabled people, and Jews, but was centered upon supporting Muslims in our community. The organizers of the rally were painfully aware of the increase in Islamophobia that the Trump administration has sparked and they wanted to organize an event to show them that our community loves and welcomes them. The atmosphere was overwhelmingly positive and loving.”
Wash’s Reaction
Jihan Akkad, ’18, is a Muslim student at Wash. She expressed how the ban on those seven countries is negatively impacting her family and friends. “I think that it has affected many people including myself and my family. My friends have family in the countries with the ban. It was difficult for them to deal with the situation trying to get their family through to the United States,” said Akkad. “It was scary because their family members were held away without communication.” She also expressed her dislike of the new president and her apprehension for the future. “It [the new administration] has sparked fear in many Muslim-American lives. Wondering if we are going to be okay and safe,” said Akkad. On Sunday Feb. 4, hundreds of people gathered in the downtown Iowa City Pedestrian Mall to protest the executive order and stand in solidarity with the Muslims in the community that were affected by the ban. The rally was hosted by a University of Iowa group called “Students Against Hate and Discrimination” and drew protesters who not only stood in solidarity with the Muslims but also women and the LGBT community. Elizabeth McDermott, ’18, who is an Amnesty International Club officer, was one of numerous Wash students who attended the rally. “The purpose of the rally was to stand in solidarity with members of the community who may fear for what their future
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Feature
Dennis Kimbele, a Muslim man who attended the prayer service on Feb. 17, prays alone in a room at the Islamic Center of Cedar Rapids.
Attendees of Islamic Center of Cedar Rapids’ Feb. 17 prayer service pray on their hands and knees, called “sujood”.
Cards and flowers were given to the people of the mosque from the community conveying the mosque’s importance, especially in current times, with words like “we support you” and “we value you” and “you belong with us”. Editor-in-Chief
Emily LaGrange
Check out vegetarian-friendly recipe on page 19
Herbivores Around Us
Claire McKinstry A&E Editor
Rita Daoud, ’17, has been a vegan for an admirable four years now. She cited ethical and healthy lifestyle reasons as her justification, which covers a wide variety of issues, such as animal cruelty. Since transitioning, Daoud said that she now enjoys tempeh and tofu, two soy-based products that not many people experience unless they’re herbivorous. It is undoubtedly difficult to be a vegan in Cedar Rapids since very few restaurants cater to vegans. It can be helpful to learn how to cook certain go-to vegan dishes, but Daoud said that for now she mostly just eats out. “I eat a lot of veggie sushi, Indian food, and Thai,” said Daoud. Hy-Vee and other mainstream grocery stores are lacking certain specialty items and brands that are helpful to vegans, which is why stores like New Pioneer Food Co-op are beloved among vegans and vegetarians. “That’s my favorite store,” said Daoud, “I like their sweets a lot.” For prospective vegans, Daoud has a piece of advice: “Ease into it — start off as a vegetarian, and then go from there,” she said.
A second vegan at Wash is more of a newbie. Courtney Peckosh, ’17, has been a vegan for 12 weeks, and the cause propelling her is animal rights and her disapproval of the way animals are raised. Becoming a vegan isn’t a walk in the park, a statement that Peckosh and most other vegans would probably agree with. “The hardest part about transitioning for me was just being the only vegan out of my friends and being limited in terms of options when you eat out,” said Peckosh. Omitting all animal products from your diet has its perks, too, such as falling in love with new foods. “I’ve discovered that I really like spaghetti squash and vegan ice cream,” said Peckosh. There may not be a 100 percent vegan restaurant in Cedar Rapids, but Newbo has multiple vendors that offer vegan options. “I really like the veggie dumplings at [Dumpling Darling] in Newbo,” said Peckosh. “I also go to Parlor City rather frequently and order their veggie burger and sweet potato fries.” Wherever you go, fries are usually a safe choice for vegans, and Peckosh has that (and a whole lot more) figured out.
Kate McCartan
Profiles Editor
Photos by Alliyah Wilcox
Erin Klinger, ’17, is a newly devoted vegetarian who began the lifestyle about a month and a half ago. Her biggest challenge in becoming a vegetarian has been her family’s conflicting diet. “My family’s not vegetarian, so there [are] a lot of times where my parents will cook meals and they are meat so I can’t eat [them], so [I] have to cook for myself a lot more,” said Klinger. “I just avoid the meat items that my family buys and eat a lot more vegetables.” Beans are a common trend in the foods Klinger gravitates toward, as she mentioned both Taco Bell’s bean burrito and the black bean burger from Daisy’s Garage as two of her favorite vegetarian choices when eating out. Klinger also cooks vegetarian meals for herself. “I really like mushroom stroganoff and anything with mushrooms in it,” said Klinger. Klinger is potentially easing into a vegan diet, but for now she’s still early in the process of accustoming to vegetarianism. “I want to try to eat a more plant-based diet and I hope to someday be vegan but I don’t know if that will ever happen,” said Klinger.
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Artist of the Month Gabe Greco
Araya Dunne Staff Reporter Gabe Greco, ’19, is a photographer whose pictures usually feature his close friends or his dog. Greco says, “My main goal is just take pictures that I think are cool,” and as you can see, he has definitely accomplished that goal. His trusty Canon T1i Rebel is not the top of the line, but “it works great and is affordable”. Greco and his friends try to find time to devote an entire afternoon to have a photoshoot and explore new places that are off the beaten path so the outcome is always fresh and new. As for editing his pictures, Greco turns to the website and mobile app, VSCO cam. The easy-to-use editing tools and filters on the app create a clean, polished look that Greco is always striving for. Greco’s favorite photographers are those that always incorporate a lot of color and fun into their work. Some examples are musician Chris Creature (@chriscreature), or local photographer Alisabeth Von Presley. Last summer, Greco was even offered a summer internship with Von Presley, but to his dismay, he had to politely decline due to conflicts. Greco’s favorite pictures that he has taken are the candid shots. He usually refrains from taking pictures of strangers because he has a better time taking pictures of friends. “It’s easier to capture someone’s personality in a photo if you know them well,” he said. Greco doesn’t like getting paid for photo sessions because the mood of the photoshoot changes once it seems like a job, instead of just having a good time with friends. In the future, he would like to start getting into cinematography and short film making, but hopes to upgrade his camera and software with his own money before then. Greco’s simplistic, laid-back photography style is not only a reflection of how he acts behind the camera, but also his personality. Random drives with his friends and stopping on the side of the road just to get a cool shot is a standard activity for Greco, and he doesn’t see how it can be done right any other way.
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Freshman Bachelorette of the Month Ben Janssen Managing Editor If any single guys are interested in a 5’4 blonde freshman with blue eyes, then Aryn Marner, ’20, may be the girl for you. Marner is a talented performer-- she participates in the band, show choir and other clubs. In band, she is a first year percussionist and plays the vibraphone during marching band season. If you go to any show choir performances, you will catch Marner dancing with her friends on stage with Vivace, as well as singing her solo in this year’s show. This month’s bachelorette also participated in this year’s musical, Grease, and is a part of speech. In her free time, Marner likes to have fun with friends or just chill. Marner is looking for a funny, caring guy with a good personality. If you’re all that, you may be lucky enough to accompany Marner on her ideal date. “My ideal date would just be to stay home, chill, and watch Netflix,” said Marner. If you’re looking for a cute, intelligent, talented freshmen, you’re in luck; Aryn is single!
Photos by Alliyah Wilcox
Photos by Gabe Greco
Profiles Editor
Kate McCartan
Mariah Ward: Stanford Scholar Matthew Andersland Business Manager Mariah Ward, ’17, received some very exciting news near the end of 2016. On Dec. 1, at around 3 p.m., Ward was informed that she had been accepted to one of the most prestigious colleges in the world, Stanford University in Stanford, California. Not only has Ward been accepted to this eminent school, but she is going to be able to attend without paying a single cent, as she received a full tuition scholarship alongside her acceptance letter. Ward and her family were overjoyed, as this is an extremely coveted opportunity. “My sister was much more excited than I was [when we got the news], we were at Carlos O’ Kellys getting dollar queso and she started bawling her eyes out and telling the server that I had just gotten a full ride to Stanford, she was yelling pretty loud and everyone in the restaurant was just sitting there looking at us,” Ward said. Ward plans to major in Pre-Med, as she hopes to go
into medical or health services. She is considering research and also has a large interest in pharmaceuticals, as she believes that some chronic illnesses can be treated with lifestyle changes such as diet changes, as opposed to overmedication. Stanford University has an extremely reputable history, with only 6 percent of applicants being accepted. With the prestige comes a hefty price, however, costing each student up to $65,000 in annual fees, $45,000 of which are for tuition alone. This fee is unrealistic for the majority of families to be able to afford, yet Stanford is there to help. The school has stated that their highest priority is to remain available to the most intelligent and talented students in the world, regardless of financial circumstances. Out of all of the graduates from Stanford University, 77 percent of undergraduates will have absolutely no student debt to pay off after graduation.
Parks McBride: Videographer Q&A
Sarah Altemeier News Editor
How many videos have you made? I’ve made well over 100 videos, right now on my Youtube channel including private videos that can’t be seen i have 164 and that doesn’t even count what hasn’t been uploaded in the past. What is your favorite part about making videos? My favorite part about making videos is definitely seeing the reactions of people when they watch them. there is nothing better than seeing someone’s face light up in disbelief, excitement, awe, etc. When did you get your first video camera? I got my first camera when I got my first iPod touch in 4th grade, I “upgraded” to a GoPro in 7th grade, but my first real camera came in 10th grade when I started pushing the limits on what I could do with a GoPro. I recently upgraded to a really nice new camera but also have some other really cool gear like 3axis gimbals and drones. What do you plan to do with this talent? I get this question A LOT, and the truth is, I really dont know… I would love to make movies for the rest of my life but I’m not quite sure whether it will be a profession of just a hobby. But for right now I’m just trying to capture memories in my life to have to look back on as well as save a little bit of money for college What are you working on at the moment? I am just working on some car commercials as well as some projects for other businesses in Cedar Rapids. I am also preparing to shoot a movie at Iowa BIG this Spring. I’m always up for suggestions though and I really want people to come to me with their ideas no matter who or what the idea is. I just want to make videos to expand my portfolio and get better.
Kate McCartan
Profiles Editor
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Photo courtesy of Parks McBride
What got you interested in making videos? I’ve made videos for a very long time, maybe 5th or 6th grade but the whole time I’ve always loved the idea of being able to take a very big event and capture it in a movie that only takes a couple minutes. I like to be able to capture and tell other people’s stories and display them in a visual “memory” that will last forever. I haven’t used it much at BIG but I am planning to shoot a movie based on a book I read this spring.
Swimming District Streak Ends Ben Janssen Managing Editor 53 may seem like just a number, but to hundreds of students athletes who swam for the Warriors, that number is a legacy. 53 consecutive district titles. Throughout the past 53 years the Washington High School swim team hadn’t lost a single district swim meet, but on Feb. 4 the streak ended. This streak has been a constant, no matter what happened at Wash, the streak stood strong. Throughout the streak there have been 27 State Championships, and 10 State Runner-Ups. It means so much to so many swimmers and retired Head Coach, Jim Voss. Voss’ teams never lost a district meet. “The streak shows consistency and strength of the program for so many years, it shows total commitment from the washington community, coaching staff and athletes,” said Voss. Current Head Coach Cruise, has been a part of the Warrior swim program for a long time. Cruise won multiple team state championships as a swimmer, one state title as a head coach, he was a two time individual state champion in both the 100 yard breaststroke and the 200 yard medley relay. This year, Cruise was awarded the Mississippi Valley Conference coach of the year. Another Warrior winning an award was Cameron Kelley, ’17. Kelley was awarded co-district swimmer of the year. “It felt a bit hollow considering we lost the team title but it’s nice to get recognized for what I’ve worked for over the past few years,” said Kelley. Going into this year’s meet there was something different, the normally favored Warrior swim team was projected to fall to the Linn-Mar Lions by over 60 points, this didn’t stop the Warriors, who swam their hearts out the entire day. The Warriors won seven of the eleven events. This included victories in the 200 Yard Medley Relay (Kaleb Donels ’18, George Durin, ’18, Zach Kolker, ’19, James Breitbart, ’19), the 200 Yard Freestyle (Kelley), the 200 Yard IM (Donels), the 50 Yard Freestyle (Durin), the 100 Yard Backstroke (Donels) and the 400 Yard Freestyle Relay (Durin, Jeremy Throndson, ’19, Donels, Kelley), as well as the top two finishes in the 500 Yard Freestyle (Kelley and Throndson).
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Photo courtesy of Isabel Hause
“To me, the streak had some importance but it didn’t mean everything. I’ve always had the meet after words to worry about so the importance of the district meet never fully occurred to me until I saw what it meant to everyone else. To the majority of the team, the district meet was their state meet. It’s likely the highest level they’d ever compete at so the streak held a special place in their hearts,” said Kelley. Almost all of the Warriors contributed to the team score, not just those who won their events, including Mitchell Hause ’19, Tyler Cruise, ’19, Quintin Gay, ’19, Ethan Ford, ’19, Mitchell Dake, ’17, and Nathaniel Burke, ’18. The meet ended with Linn-Mar being declared first with 380 points and Wash second with 373.5, only 6.5 points behind the Lions. There were a couple of positive outcomes from this meet. First, the Warriors will send 10 relays or individuals to the state meet in Marshalltown. Also, the Warriors swam far above what was expected of them and some young swimmers showed tremendous improvement during this meet. “Washington has had tough competition every year and this year is no different, 6.5 points is nothing to hang your head
about,” Voss said. Going into the final race, the 400 yard freestyle relay, the Warriors trailed LinnMar by 12. Because of that deficit, the only way the Warriors could win was if Wash won the relay and the number one seeded Lions got sixth or if the Lions got disqualified. Knowing this, the four swimmers swam and beat the Lions by 0.17 seconds, giving the relay team the win, and the team the loss. “Right before the final race, we all looked at the score. Seeing we were down by 12, the only way that we could win is if [LinnMar] got sixth and we won or they got disqualified. The odds of either of those happening were super small. We knew going into that race that the streak was nearing its end. We all knew that if we were going to lose that streak, that we weren’t going to lose that final race. Knowing how great of a meet it had been otherwise, we wouldn’t let that one slip. Once that race was over it was a huge mix of emotions where we were extremely upset, but also extremely proud of how well each and every swimmer swam that day. All in all, we’ll be back next year, and we will start a new streak,” said Donels.
Sports Editor
Brandon Cullen
just so high. Also, seeing the Wash fans in the crowd going crazy is a really really cool experience,” said Throndson. At the state swim meet the Warriors surpassed expectations once again, and finished fourth. The swimmers fought and beat the Linn-Mar Lions by 105.5 points. Despite not winning any events, Wash’s swimmers swam hard and dropped time. The biggest accomplishments of the day was that the 400 Free Relay (Durin,Throndson, Donels, Kelley) broke the school record with a time of 3:10:23. “It feels a lor different this time because before it was just me doing the record breaking, but in this circumstance I had three other guys alongside me working to break it. This one had it’s own significance because of that team contribution instead of an individual,” said Kelley. Ending a long standing streak is tough for a team, but it takes strong leaders to overcome these setbacks. Kelley has been a leader for this team all season, and he stepped up after the loss at districts. Kelley not only offered words of encouragement for his team but also said how proud he was of this team for swimming as hard as they could. The night after the meet, Kelley sent a message to the team.
Photo courtesy of Isabel Hause
The night after the district meet is very special, it is when the announcements are for who swam fast enough to swim in the state meet. This year seven individuals qualified as well as three relay teams. The swimmers are sophomores Breitbart, Ford, Kolker and Throndson, as well as juniors Donels and Durin and senior Kelley. The Warrior relays competing are, the 200 Yard Medley Relay, the 200 Yard Freestyle Relay and the 400 Yard Freestyle Relay. “The meet is super intense, it is really loud during the races and the energy is
“One last thing before I go to bed, great athletes have been in our position before; a spot where everyone wants you to fail. We have to stay focused and be ready to prove ourselves at state. We’re going to be reminded of this for a while. It’s going to be a tagline in each of the following years but that can’t hold you guys back. Stay focused and get ready for the next one,” Kelley said in group chat. Voss had some things to say about not only Kelley, but the team, “I have a lot of admiration for Cameron Kelley, he is focused and has a lot of dedication. A lot of what he said was true. They have to remember the name of the program, Warrior swim team, it’s a team not an individual sport. Although you swim individually, it’s a team, that loss is history, start a new streak,” said Voss. Wash students have a lot of things to be proud of, but with or without the streak, the students are proud of the swim team for working as hard as they can to represent Wash as well as they can, and we, the students, thank you for all you have done for this school. “They need to understand people are proud of them, they lived up to the Warrior tradition,” said Voss.
Low Numbers, High Spirits
Brandon Cullen Sports Editor
The Washington High School wrestling team has been suffering from their lack of people going out for the sport. Every time they don’t have someone for a weight class, the team has to forfeit in that class. When this happens, they lose 16 points and that tends to add up. The team is losing two seniors this year and they are going to have five to six returning wrestlers next year. Assistant Wrestling Coach J.P. Graham expresses their need for wrestlers. “I hope [more people will join], I know we have some freshmen coming in next year that are good, but we need people to join and stick it out,” said Graham. Will Foreman, ’18, was the only wrestler to go to state, where he ended up placing sixth on Feb. 18. The team prepared Foreman for state by making him face multiple opponents that would switch in and out so that when Foreman is
Brandon Cullen
getting tired he has to continually face an opponent that is fresh.
“He had a tough district, the two guys he lost to were seniors that went to state. One got third and the other sixth.”
Sports Editor
“The team supported him by some of us going up and watching/ cheering him on,” said Billy Faulkner, ’17. A wrestler that would have made it to state is Chris Karamitros, ’18. Before he broke his collarbone he was 17-2 and he had defeated a couple state qualifiers. Another wrestler that had a chance at going to state was Ty Johnson, ’18, and his record was 23-11. “He had a tough district, the two guys he lost to were seniors that went to state. One
got third and the other sixth,” said Graham. The wrestling team is preparing for next year and hoping that they will gain more wrestlers. They will also have returning wrestlers like Foreman, Karamitros, and Johnson who will have a good chance for state next year and will lead the team.
Photo courtesy of Ty Johnson
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Step Up: Warrior Edition Julia Carlson Staff Reporter The Washington High School dance team took a four-day trip at the beginning of the month to Disney World in Orlando, Florida for Universal Dance Association (UDA) Nationals at the ESPN Wide World of Sports. Coaches Megan Milito and Addison Mittelstaedt, both students at University of Iowa, flew with the 10 dancers on Feb. 2 to their resort hotel in Orlando. They spent their first two days in the Disney World theme parks as well as a few team practices. “It was really fun getting to have some free time in the parks, especially since we felt some pressure to do really well and having fun on the rides kind of eased it off,” said co-captain Alyssa Comer, ’18. That Saturday, the team competed at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in the pom and jazz categories but did not advance into the semifinals.
“We didn’t really expect to make it past [preliminaries] and into the semifinals, but we were hopeful. It was a good experience getting to see what it was like competing and possibly to set us up for next year,” said team member Ava Klopfenstein, ’18. On Sunday, the girls spent the day watching the final round of the competition and flew back to Cedar Rapids the next morning. “This being my first year on dance team, I was happy with what came out of this trip. Not only did we bond so much more with each other, but we learned even more what it means to be a team and sticking together,” said team member Katie Martens, ’19. Altogether, the team was proud of their hard work and dedication to this trip. Despite their lack of victory, they learned a lot from competing and watching other groups that advanced past them.
“I’m really proud that our team stepped it up for this performance and got to experience a high class competition like nationals. I’m excited to see what the future brings for Wash Dance Team!” said co-captain Regan Heying, ’18.
Photo by Scott McWherter The Warrior Dance Team competing at the state competition in Des Moines, IA.
An Iconic Winter Sport
Jillian Gannon Opinions Editor
Invented in 1891, basketball has since become an iconic winter sport. Women’s basketball has evolved a lot since the first game, which was played between Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley. The game has been perfected since then, from the development of the WNBA in 1996 to the present form of basketball. Washington High School’s women’s basketball team is the result of years upon years of development of basketball. The women’s basketball team is looking at making State, provided they win all three of their playoff games. The team is going up against difficult competitors this year, namely Waukee, whom they will have to beat in order to make it to State this year. Team Captain Devon O’Donnell, ’17, a 12 year basketball veteran, expresses doubt. “We’ll have to have the game of our lives against Waukee because they have a really high rating… I think it’ll be a really
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tough game and I think that we’ll have to be flawless,” said O’Donnell, “we’re doing really well from a team standpoint… We’ve done a good job stepping up to the plate and working with what we have.” The women’s basketball team has been plagued with injuries and sickness this year, with starters out left and right. Assistant women’s Basketball Coach Joel Decker detailed how difficult it has been. “It’s been frustrating. We’ve had more injuries and sickness [than other years] and lots of people can’t make it to the games,” said Decker. But “I think our girls are working very hard… The future looks really good.” O’Donnell explains it as different than other years. “I think as a whole the team works better together [this year], there’s no hierarchy. It helps the freshman become more comfortable playing [basketball] and they’re [getting to be] less shy around seniors,” said O’Donnell.
Disregarding win/loss records, the women’s basketball team is comprised of athletes willing to work as hard as they can to overcome obstacles. The important part of basketball is team dynamics and just having a good time playing. And no matter if the team makes it to State or not, what’s important is that they had fun and learned something from it.
Sports Editor
Photo by The Monument staff
Brandon Cullen
Spacos: Spaghetti Tacos Betsy Smith Web Designer An incredibly versatile dish that spawned from a chance viewing of an episode of iCarly has now morphed into my signature recipe. They’re perfect for family dinners, breakup celebrations (or pity parties), feeding ALL of your friends when you’re too broke to go out to eat and even (especially) for first dates. There is quite literally no way to be awkward around another human being once you’ve had to assemble/slurp/crunch your way through a spaghetti filled taco. Not to mention, if you take advantage of discounts at your local grocery store the basic ingredients can be purchased for under $10 (I was able to buy all of mine for $3.94, quick s/o Hyvee).
What you’ll need: Makes about 10 tacos (increase as needed) 1 box of angel hair spaghetti 1 jar of your preferred spaghetti sauce 1 package of hard taco shells Optional: Shredded/grated cheese of your favorite variety
Spinach Diced tomatoes Sautéed mushrooms Garlic Anything else you’d like in spaghetti or a taco
How to make: Preheat oven to 200° Start boiling water/add pasta when ready While noodles are cooking, place taco shells on cooking sheet and put in oven (to warm) Drain pasta and stir in sauce over low heat Remove shells from oven and fill with spaghetti Eat copious amounts of carbs Sleep off food coma Repeat as necessary Honestly, this recipe is so simple as long as you can boil water and successfully operate an oven you’re set. Wow your potential boo thang with some wicked cooking skillz or impress your friends with your ability to whip up a mean dinner in less than 30 minutes for hella cheap.
Claire McKinstry A&E Editor It’s 8:30 p.m. on a Friday. There are three parties that are about to start, and all my friends are going. I make up a random excuse about why I can’t go. My real excuse? “Skam.” It’s a Norwegian TV show that kept me in bed with my eyes glued to my laptop for two weekends straight. “Skam” is an online show that focuses on a group of teenagers who attend a wealthy high school in Oslo, Norway. Each season focuses on a different character, but all of the characters know each other. There are three seasons out so far, and a fourth one on the way. The show is unlike any other show I have watched. It is amazingly relatable despite the fact that it takes place in a different country and in a different language (there are English subtitles available). Scenes of the show are posted in real time, so if the characters are going to a party on a Saturday night, the scene is posted on Saturday at that time. Every Friday the clips released during the week are compiled into an episode. “Skam” focuses on realistic scenarios that teenagers experience, such as parties, breakups, pregnancy scares, sexual assault, sexuality, etc. The characters are all loveable in their own way. Skam is like an updated (and possibly better) version of the British show “Skins;” it’s more realistic and more modern with the characters’ use of technology, particularly social media. Apparently a U.S. version is being made within the next year or two, but it’ll be quite the feat if it tops the Norwegian version, especially since part of the enjoyment comes from experiencing a new culture. For now, you can find me re-watching previous episodes, fangirling over the cute boys from the show on Tumblr, and anxiously anticipating season four. CC by stormboxx
Photo by Betsy Smith
Claire McKinstry
A&E Editor
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PROCESS Billy Lemos Web Editor
On Feb. 3, producer and vocalist Sampha Sisay released his debut album. Sampha has previously produced with artists such as Frank Ocean, Drake, and Kanye. However, Sampha’s project, “Process”, clearly shows his promise and ability to create a career as a solo artist. The album begins with “Plastic 100°C”, a somber song in which Sampha contrasts his growing prominence as an artist with his agonizing fear of the questionably cancerous lump that lies within his throat. The track features a lush, oriental instrumental produced by both Rodaidh McDonald and Sampha. The project’s second track, “Blood on Me”, has Sampha expressing his anxiety and guilt over a percussive, pop-sensible beat produced by Rodaidh and Sampha. On “Kora Sings”, the album’s third track, Sampha details a story of a mother and her crying child over production that is at times both worldly
and whimsical. On “Under”, the album’s seventh track and one of my personal favorites, Sampha explains how he has fallen under the control of another woman over an instrumental with dense industrial percussion samples and fluid vintage synth hits. Track eight, “Timmy’s Prayer”, has Sampha discussing how he feels bound and trapped into his relationships. The production on this track is particularly strong, beginning with harsh bagpipes and simple one-two drums and ending with more modern trap influenced drums and clean keys. The next song, “Incomplete Kisses”, is somewhat bland in my opinion. Sampha rants about the spontaneity of love on top of production that’s far too spotless and inhuman for my tastes. However, Sampha ends this project on a high note with “What Shouldn’t I Be?”, an immersive song where he battles with his family’s expectations over a hollow, chill-
inducing instrumental. The fourth song, “(No One Knows Me) Like the Piano”, has Sampha longing to return to his childhood home over a gorgeous, raw piano instrumental produced by Rodaidh McDonald and Sampha. On “Take me Inside”, the album’s fifth track, Sampha illustrates a broken relationship over an evolving instrumental with warped keys and sparse synth hits. The next track, “Reverse Faults” feels like the evolution of the previous song. This song has Sampha once again reflecting on a relationship, but this time he is to blame. The production on this track is beautiful and features a large variety of haunting synth layers and erratic electronic drums. Overall, I would strongly recommend that you check out Sampha’s electronic R&B debut album “Process”, especially if you enjoy artists such as Frank Ocean and Anderson Paak.
The Naked Chicken Chalupa Seth Keppler Media Editor Half fried chicken, half taco, the new Naked Chicken Chalupa is a taco with a fried chicken shell. Once again Taco Bell exceeds the ordinary with another wacky food creation. The Chicken Chalupa was officially unshelled on Jan. 26, and comes by itself and in the Naked Chicken Chalupa Box alongside two other tacos. Unlike other fast food meals you might expect from McDonald’s or Burger King, the Chicken Chalupa closely resembles the way it is depicted in advertisements. On first contact the taco has a nice crunch from the fried chicken shell. The breading of the chicken maintains moderate undertones of spiciness similar to that of a Spicy Asiago Ranch Chicken Club from Wendy’s. Accompanied by shredded lettuce and freshly chopped tomatoes, the Chicken Chalupa provides a good balance of heat and freshness. Paired beautifully with a
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bubbly Baja Blast, it is a veritable cornucopia of flavor. I added some of Taco Bell’s signature mild sauce for some extra kick. Although this sublime creation provides great flavor to the palate, it is still missing some key components. Because of the fried chicken shell, it is missing the wholesome taste of a corn or flour taco shell. It also lacked the shredded cheese as promised in the advertisement. in the. Overall the Chalupa has a great texture, nice presentation, and flavor. Taco bell successfully entertains our taste buds with another ingenious invention straight from the mind of someone with the munchies, and it certainly lives up to the franchise’s motto of “Live Mas.” I give the Naked Chicken Chalupa a solid 8/10, and hopefully in the near future we can find more heavenly ways to wrap our tacos.
Photo by Seth Keppler
A&E Editor
Claire McKinstry
Thrifting HACKZ pt. UNO;
How to Get What You Want
Betsy Smith Web Designer
Thrifting can be a bit of a daunting thing to start doing. It may seem like everyone else is having exponentially better trips than you are and it can be a bit discouraging. Never fear, future thrift god, I (a self-proclaimed master) am here to share a thing or two I’ve picked up over the last few years.
Go in open-minded
It would be so nice to be able to walk into a Salvation and say to yourself “I’m going to find the perfect pair of jeans!” or “Today is the day I get the perfect Tommy sweater” but that is not reality. Thrifting is a total crapshoot and you just kinda have to go along with it. The key to having the most successful thrift trip possible is to completely ignore whatever ‘shopping list’ you may think you have and simply focus on finding things you like. It’s easier to avoid buying things you already own than to find something that may or may not be hiding on the racks.
It’s not a race
No one ever said thrifting was going to be quick and easy. You can’t just wander aimlessly for 15 minutes and miraculously find every cool thing the store has to offer (if you can lmk because I would love to know how to do that). As tedious and time consuming as it may seem, flipping through each item on the rack is the most beneficial method to finding the best stuff. This process can be sped up by knowing brands, colors, textures and cuts you like - or Photos by Claire McKinstry
Claire McKinstry
A&E Editor
There’s more than one thrift store in CR better yet by knowing the things that you don’t. For example, if you know that you hate how you look in the color orange or will never wear a full length skirt, skip over those sections and focus your attention elsewhere.
Do it alone
In fact, there are 3 Salvation Armies and 4 Goodwills in the greater Cedar Rapids/ Marion area. Don’t limit yourself to just one if you don’t have to. Get to know the general selection at each and check in periodically. Thrifting is essentially just one big game of chance so and there usually aren’t duplicates so if you don’t find it first you might miss your chance (RIP sunflower dress snatched from me at Salvation. I’ll never 4get abt u).
Forget what you think you know
I know thrifting seems like way more fun when you go with your buddies but to be entirely honest it can distract you from the real goal at hand. Grab a pair of earbuds - or subject yourself to the radio/ christian rock that’s usually playing - and hit the racks alone. There’s some scientific research somewhere that says doing things by yourself is good for personal growth or something, but honestly I simply find it to quite relaxing.
Everything is fair game I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Ignore your preconceived idea of what size you wear. Sizes are essentially made completely irrelevant when it comes to the conglomeration of things tossed on the rack. Grab anything and everything that you like and looks like it might fit and give it a go. There’s absolutely no harm in trying something on, as long as you put it back on the hanger and on the
return rack. I’m talking EVERYWHERE IN THE STORE. Walk the entire store, look on all of the shelves. You would be shocked what you’ll find randomly placed on a shelf somewhere. Some of my favorite thrifted clothes have been found discarded amongst the mugs or put in the wrong section. Check the men’s section, look at the shoes, and always always always hit the jewelry counter.
Always bring your ID You would be shocked how many times I have seen people turned away at the register for trying to pay with card and not having their ID. Both Goodwills and Salvations require this and it really annoys the employees if you forget, because they have to put back all of your stuff. So if you’re paying with a card, don’t forget it.
Good karma This seems like common sense but is probably the most important tip I will ever give. I’m sure you know how the saying goes ‘leave things better than the way you found them’. This rings especially true in thrift stores. The employees greatly appreciate you helping them keep the stores clean (aka not making their jobs more difficult by making a mess) and have expressed said gratitude by selling stuff for cheaper than the tag price. So while you’re shopping, pick things up off the ground, hang your stuff and the stuff of other’s back up, if you take stuff off the rack put it back where you found it, etc. Not only is it common courtesy but it’s just good karma.
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March Activities March 4: Jazz & Revs @ Waterloo West
March 13-17: SPRING BREAK
March 4: Orchesta @ Kennedy
March 20- First day of new sports season
March 6: Revs @ U of I
March 24- No School
March 11: SAT Test
March 27- Speech @ UNI
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Matthew Andersland
Surveyor’s Love PLaylist
-Feb. 1, 1960- First “sit-in” took place in Greensboro, NC -Feb. 5, 1964- 24th Amendment eliminated poll tax -Feb. 12, 1909- National Association for the Advancement of
-I Love You, HoneybearFather John Misty
Colored People (NAACP) founded in NY -Feb. 25, 1870- First African-American U.S. Senator (Hiram Revels) sworn into office
-Sea of Love- Cat Power -Skinny Love- Bon Iver -The Girl- City and Colour -Fall For You- Secondhand Serenade
CC by mia_marianne & emilie.rollandin
Roses &
Thorns
-“Easy A” in LA -Mary Beth Haglin 90 days in jail -Beyonce having twins -South Korea -Coffee -Interior crocodile alligator -Chevrolet movie theater -Salt Bae -MoShow -Patriots winning the Super Bowl -Valentine’s Day -53 consecutive district titles -Chance winning a Grammy -Fun Dip -Black History Month -@wash_yearbook -Mr. Schultz becoming our permanent Activites Director -Joe Biden & Barack Obama memes
-Mary Beth Haglin (only 90 days in jail) -James Dean -Donald Trump -Brussel sprouts -Cauliflower (it’s not a flower) -Rants on social media -#notmysuperbowl -Fights in the middle of the hallway (go somewhere else) -Falcons losing the Super Bowl -Sharp things -The taste of hand sanitizer -getting counted absent when you’re actually there -AP Bio book report -spending all your free time working -pokey things on plant stems -global warming -sophomores’ driving -dead raccoons
-Better Together- Jack Johnson -Almost Lover- A Fine Frenzy -Eyes- Rogue Wave -Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop- Landon Pigg -Baby- Justin Bieber -Only For You- Heartless Bastards -Million Reasons- Lady Gaga -ILYSB- LANY -Marvin’s Room- Drake Emily LaGrange
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On Sunday Feb. 4, hundreds of people gathered in the downtown Iowa City Pedestrian Mall to protest the executive order and stand in solidarity with the Muslims in the community that were affected by Trump’s ban.
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