ED.
page 11: all about the movie by mail phenomemon and its influence on Wash
cWr
surveyor
Volume 57
Issue 5
27 January 2014
about us... mission
The Surveyor is established as a school-sponsored open 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 Journalists’ Code of Ethics as the basis for good journalism. Readers are encouraged to express their viewpoints through guest editorials. The Surveyor also welcomes letters to the editor, with these guidelines: it is not libelous or obscene, it explains the material clearly, it is not longer than 500 words, and that it is signed.
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 Jill Cirivello, Director of Human Resources, 319558-2421; jcirivello@cr.k12.ia.us. Students and others should contact Rhoda Shepherd, Director of Student Services, 319-5582964; rshepherd@cr.k12.ia.us. The District mailing address is 2500 Edgewood Rd NW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52405-1015.
editors
MJ Kamin, Editor-in-Chief Hannah Jonasson, Managing and Photo Editor Michael Andersland, News Editor Eric Loeffelholz, Business Manager Michelle Zumhof, Arts and Entertainment Editor Andi Lawrence, Profiles Editor Ian Schweiger, Sports Editor Bridget Williams, Opinions Editor
staff members Elijah Wolter Amy Wilkie Cameron Williams Matthew Andersland Lauren Barber
Elijah Wedel Mitch Fisher Chris Harrington Brandon Cullen Mikayla Frye
adviser
Kyle Phillips
2
Meet the Staff
Hannah Jonasson Managing Editor
what’s inside? Bitcoin Facebook going out of style? Amnesty
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news
7
Indoor Soccer Wrestling Super Bowl Picks
17 sports
Polar Vortex Staff Editorial: Magnet Schools Roses & Thorns
opinions
20
Reddit Les MIs Voicebox
a&e
cover story feature:
11 14
profiles Managing Editor
Netflix-ed Netflix-ers Twitter Q of the Month School Poll
Reid Snitker Chris Kroeger FBOM Atticus Roberts Avery Novak
Hannah Jonasson
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Hannah’s Location of the Month:
photo Table of Contents
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itcoin Mitch Fisher Staff Writer A revolutionary new form of trade that the world has never seen before is originating from the Internet, called bitcoin. Bitcoin is a completely different way to think of how a currency should work. It is a currency that is entirely online and is accessible to anyone with an Internet connection. It’s not backed by a government, so there is no central authority in charge of issuing it. Instead, computers connected to the bitcoin network solve complex mathematical problems to create bitcoins. The bitcoin network only operates because everyone follows the same principal rules of the bitcoin source programming. People all over the world have made modifications to the source code for security, but have kept enough the same that everyone can use the same system. Bitcoin is very different from other currencies because there can only ever be 21 million bitcoins. The rate at which they are created, or “mined” slows exponentially, so the amount of time to mine every bitcoin in existence is approximated to be about 90-110 years. Owning a bitcoin is like holding a dollar. To claim ownership of a bitcoin you can start by creating a free digital wallet. This wallet can generate approved addresses for people to send you bitcoins. To attain a bitcoin or a fraction of a bitcoin, most people swap
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News
other currencies such as dollars or euros for bitcoins on an online exchange. It’s also possible to buy and sell things with bitcoin, just like cash. Since there will eventually be a finite amount bitcoin in circulation, and bitcoin is a new technology, there has been a recent spike in demand. One bitcoin is currently worth around $800, and is fluctuating chaotically in value. Right now it is risky to exchange dollars for a large amount of bitcoin because of the volatility. The inner workings of bitcoin are very complex, but understanding how to use it is easier than most people think. Public addresses are long strands of roughly 27 numbers and letters specifying where bitcoin will be sent. Anyone can send bitcoin at any time, and every transaction is stored permanently on the “block chain” which is essentially a public online ledger. The only things someone can see are the address, the amount of bitcoin, and when the transaction occurred. To make a transaction happen in the first place, a user must have access to the private passkey for the public address. If you have the private passkey, you control how much bitcoin is spent from the associated address. Any user can generate as many public addresses as they wish. The security behind bitcoin is brilliantly simple and complex at the same
time. The only way for a hacker to send bitcoins from an address they don’t own would be to guess the passkey, and the odds of doing that are about one in 10^77, which is practically impossible. Bitcoin is still young, and has a very limited selection of vendors, but it operates on a global scale, and many venues are rapidly beginning to accept it as payment. You can spend bitcoins on overstock.com, at certain restaurants in big cities, and gift card websites, among many other places. Some people have even sold their cars or homes for bitcoin. From November 2013 to the end of the year, vendors officially accepting bitcoin tripled. “If another large online company adopts it, it’ll skyrocket in value,” said Jason Wood, Washington business teacher. There are even bitcoin ATMs in Manhattan. Payments.com estimates that roughly $25 million worth of bitcoin is traded every day. “I believe it’s got a very small chance of failure, and it has the potential to be wildly successful. I’m hoping its here to stay,” said Wood. For most people, it would seem unnatural to exchange all of our cash for a currency we cannot physically hold. But that’s just how revolutionary ideas work. Something can’t be revolutionary without changing the rules.
Michael Andersland News Editor
Mikayla Frye Staff Writer
of
all
Any fad in popular culture-ranging from music to fashion to social media-eventually fades away from the spotlight. As Myspace once met its demise with the growth of Facebook, it seems as if Facebook is going to meet a similar fate. “I used to get on everyday for, like, hours. Now, not so much. I maybe get on two or three times a week just to check up on things,” said Emily LaGrange, ’14. LaGrange’s usage pattern is becoming increasingly common among teenagers with Facebook accounts. According to the website TakeASwig, there has been a 16 percent decrease of use by teens from just 2012 to 2013 alone. The decline of use was predicted, however, for TakeASwig has defined four critical steps that all social media sites undergo. The first step is emergence, when the site is in its first stages and starting to gain popularity. The second step, coalescence, is when the site reaches a critical adherence rate by users. The third step is bureaucratization, when the site becomes a legitimate company that hires
acebook
employees and even has shares of stock. Facebook is currently in the fourth and final step: decline. The site has rooted itself in mainstream culture and there is no further room for it to grow. Although some are shocked to see the decline of Facebook happen so rapidly, it is only the matter of the lifespan of a social networking site. “Facebook is just going out of style. There’s competition from other social networks,” said Christian Petersen, ’15. From Instagram to Twitter to
Facebook. Plus, Twitter and Instagram don’t have your parents and family liking every picture you post,” said LaGrange. Parents provide a large contribution to teenagers abandoning Facebook. The presence of parents caused Facebook to become ‘uncool’ and ‘outdated’ and ultimately increased the attractiveness of other sites. “When my parents got a Facebook I was out. Now I only use it for organizational purposes and to check up on cross country stuff,” said Brett Visser, ’16. “I think that Facebook is even less popular with sophomores and freshmen than with juniors and seniors. The upperclassmen still use it to keep organized and to get information about clubs and whatnot, but even in our cross country group hardly any of the freshmen had a Facebook,” said Lisa Nicol, a French teacher at Washington. The decline of Facebook hasn’t inflicted any emotional trauma on high schoolers, who have accepted its fate with open arms.
“Facebook is just going out of style,” -Christian Petersen, ’15 Snapchat, other forms of social networking are taking over what used to be Facebook’s role in teenage life. “People use Twitter more because it’s fast and easy. You post your pictures on Instagram because it’s easier than uploading them to
From 2011 to 2014... 25% 3.3 million teens aged 13-17 stopped actively using Facebook
News Editor
decrease in overall Facebook use among teens aged 13-17
Michael Andersland
Estimates by Mashable.com
41%
increase in Facebook use among adults aged 35-54
News
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Wash Students Fight for Rights Bridget Williams Opinions Editor Almost two years ago a Russian female punk band, Pussy Riot, staged a performance in a church in Moscow in defiance of Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin. Two members were sentenced to two years of imprisonment away from their children and their families. In December 2013, the two band members were released in response to the efforts of Amnesty International. In March, Maryland abolished the death penalty in their state, something Amnesty has fought for globally and continues to work towards ending. In Amnesty International’s Write for Rights event, the organization succeeded in over 630,000 appeals in human rights violations. Their motto is “Action for Human Rights. Hope for Humanities.” “Amnesty’s tactic is to raise awareness amongst people, and then those people go to their government and then they go about it through legal ways rather than violence, so that’s kind of Amnesty’s big overall idea,” said Nick Hansen, ’14, treasurer of Amnesty at Washington High School. Amnesty International is the world’s largest grassroots human rights organization. The organization works because of the small groups all across the nation working towards the same goal. One of those groups is here in Washington High School. Amnesty gets the most buzz when they put on Jamnesty, an event where student musical groups perform, but Amnesty does more than just Jamnesty. Every Friday, the group holds discussions, shows documentaries, and reads excerpts to understand issues regarding human rights. The group also participates in Amnesty International’s Write for Rights event. But anybody with a laptop can read about current events, so what makes Amnesty worth the while? “It’s also fun to have discussions about issues because people in the group have interesting opinions that give me new ways of looking at things,” said Carly Herron, ’14. The biggest part of Amnesty at Wash is the community and drive. The students are motivated and informed. “We are an actual group, we’re chartered, we’ve had people go to regional and national conventions for Amnesty,”
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News
Photo by Michelle Zumhof Students at an Amnesty meeting.
said Peter Klopfenstein, ’14, president of Amnesty. The group is open to new members, informed or wishing to learn. “One thing I really do like about Amnesty is that they really try to focus on getting everyone to understand that they don’t have these things around the world, they don’t have human rights globally, so I think while I didn’t know very much about it, just being a part of it you really do get a better understanding,” said Hansen. “I think that people should join it because it gives you new insight on things happening in our world. Amnesty teaches you things and gives you a way to help people at the same time,” said Heron, “also Jamnesty is awesome to be a part of,” she adds. The group also is making changes to engage more students and find new ways to learn about issues. “Showing documentaries is pretty new, and an increased focus on international current events. Amnesty went to a screening of “Girl Rising” at an independent cinema in Iowa City earlier this year,” said Klopfenstein. This year’s Jamnesty will be held April 18. Through money raised in previous Jamnesties and other fund raisers, Amnesty donated $1,300 to Amnesty International, and $2,000 to Free the Slaves, a group geared toward abolishing modern day slavery.
Michael Andersland News Editor
Bridget Williams Opinions Editor The two snow days in a row was an emotional and miraculous moment for all of us. The ring of my dad’s cell phone sounded more like the hallelujah chorus when word was out of no school. Wind chills were around 40 below across the Midwest on Jan. 6 and Jan.7. But there’s something else going on; if you listened really hard, behind the sacred ringing of your home phones, you could faintly hear arctic air slipping through the fingers of a great and powerful villain almost 2,400 miles away. This ‘great and powerful villain’ is something called a polar vortex. Climate change deniers portray the vortex as a figment conjured out of thin air by climate change advocates. Another claim is that this dangerously cold weather disproves global warming. Here’s what’s really happening,suspended above the
Opinions Editor
Arctic is this polar vortex, a cyclone of very cold air moving very fast counterclockwise. It keeps all that cold dense air trapped in the north. If those winds weaken, they become wavy, and the vortex will become wobbly and distorted. What’s happening now is nearly the entire vortex has dipped southward. This wobbly, distorted vortex leaves a lot of room for that cold air to spill out. This isn’t normal. Although the polar vortex is a term that’s been used by meteorologists for years and has been known to cause small cold snaps every winter or so, the massive vortex distortion we’re experiencing now has never happened before and it’s not something to be overlooked. In the past couple of years, meteorologists have been gradually seeing something strange going on with these things called jet streams. Before I scare you away with the word jet stream, just bear with me for a minute. Jet streams are basically the boundary between cold air in the north and warm air in the south. They are fast flowing air currents driven by the differing temperatures in the north and the south, but that gap in temperatures
Bridget Williams
is getting smaller. As climate change has progressed, so has the melting of ice in the Arctic. Normally ice reflects heat, but as ice vanishes, it leaves water in its place, and water absorbs heat, and this is warming the Arctic faster than the rest of the planet; twice as fast. As the Arctic gets warmer, the temperature gap between the north and the south starts to shrink, and these jet streams increasingly weaken, resulting in a wobbly vortex, allowing cold arctic air to break away and slip right into our lives. Jan 6. and Jan. 7 seem very far away now. It’s been relatively warmer ever since and the polar vortex seems to have just been a temporary inconvenience, but this isn’t the end of the polar vortex’s wrath. We can expect this cold snap to stick around for the rest of the month. Words like ‘polar vortex’ and ‘jet streams’ make this all seem very far away from us, but it’s all very real, and as we get deeper into the hole we’ve dug for ourselves we will find the effects of global warming to be very real too. For all who wouldn’t believe in climate change until hell freezes over, it’s time to unwrap your scarves and feel reality’s cold sting.
Opinions
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Staff Editorial
Recently, the Cedar Rapids School District has considered implementing Magnet schools to the elementary, middle, and high school level. A Magnet school is one that specializes in a certain area - for example, Johnson School of the Arts, where some Washington High School students may have attended. All necessary requirements are then taught through a specialized system that revolves around the certain theme of the school. This system would be new to Iowa. There are over 2.5 million students enrolled around the country in magnet schools. The earliest they could be put in place is the 2015-2016 school year. But why in the Cedar Rapids School District, why now? “The world’s changing, and we’ve got great schools, but the schools we have were designed back in 1890 and a lot’s changed since then. The world today needs, you know, kids who are highly collaborative,
they can think on their feet, solve problems, seek out answers, understand how to mess around with real world problems and issues. Magnet schools would give us an opportunity to pilot that kind of learning,” said Dr. Trace Pickering, Associate Superintendent for Innovation, who is responsible for bringing the idea to the community, parents, faculty, and kids for discussion. We agree with Dr. Pickering that implementing Magnet schools is a good idea. In the final years of high school, students are expected to have an idea of their area of study in college. However, many go into their freshman years at college without any idea what they want to major in and just end up taking general classes. Once they start their sophomore years, they could already be behind others in the area of their study. Eventually they may be competing with fellow students for jobs, internships, and possibly even spaces in classes. Specialization could help them. Specialization doesn’t just mean when you start classes in college - Magnet schools would provide a basis of study for all students, whether they end up in a career of their study or not.
Graphic by Kate Lawrence
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Opinions
Bridget Williams Opinions Editor
According to Community Conversations: Magnet Schools on the Cedar Rapids Community School District’s website, “80% of Magnet schools have higher achievement scores than the district average for regular public schools.” By focusing each vital learning idea around one central idea, teachers would be able to engage students and make them more interested in learning. One of the major themes when it comes to the American Education System is that we are ranked behind many other countries. Implementing Magnet schools would be a good way to boost test scores by allowing students to test on subjects they enjoy. There are, however, many problems and obstacles the school district will have to overcome before they can effectively implement magnet schools. For instance, redistricting and dealing with more open enrolled students. The district says they will also have to implement a “lottery system” when it comes to acceptances into schools. This means that not everyone who wants to attend a school will get to be enrolled - but rather out of a pool of applicants, a random number will be chosen. Another problem that could arise is if a student doesn’t enjoy their area of study as much as they did when they were younger. However, the Magnet school isn’t a binding contract. Not only would there be specialized options, but also schools with a more basic, normal curriculum.
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Cards Against Humanity 4 DAy Weekend Katy Perry Song with The Horse Dance Marathon Mr.Washington is coming Avery Novak is a model Super Bowl Food Richard Sherman MLK Day MLKJ Day? Girls Basketball New Surveyor Members
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8 out of 8 editors agree with this article Students Reflect Johnson Elementary: School of the Arts “The decrease of music and arts in schools due to money and such has affected them just as much as a non school of arts. I think they still try their absolute best to keep that all incorporated in everything even with their lack of funding.” - Aaron Bissell, ’15 “It allows them to start doing thing they like, or help them find out what they like at an early age.” -Caitlin Aiels, ’15.
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Polar Vortex Too Cold for Reptiles PLL Still Happening Lack of Motivation Snow Make Up Days Built iN Make Up Days Spring Break Is 400 Years away Summer is 500000 years away Richard Sherman meth 700 College Emails Mitch Leaves bacon in Surveyor Fridge
Graphics by cc
Opinions Editor
Bridget Williams
Opinions
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Check out the updated Surveyor website at www.crwashsurveyor.com
Full Issues, additional stories and photos
Join The Surveyor staff! Sign up to take Journalism next year and join The Surveyor staff as soon as you complete the course. Juniors and seniors, if you’ve taken AP Comp. you can join without the Journalism prerequisite. Talk to Mr. Phillips in room 217 about how you can join without having taken Journalism. Learn new skills • • • • • • • • • • • •
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• Every October the state convention is in Iowa City. • Celebrate First Amendment Day in Ames. • Trips to national conventions every two years.
Instead of just writing papers for your teachers to read your work will be read by the entire student body and the rest of the Washington community. The work that you do for The Surveyor can make an impact in the school community.
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Eric Loeffelholz Business Manager
ED. MJ Kamin Editor-In-Chief
J
ust 21 short years ago, Netflix was founded by Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings. The movie by mail company is well known for their popular movies and TV shows as well as the cheap cost - $7.99/month. But how does it affect students? How long do students spend watching it? Check out the next few pages for Netflix profiles, a school poll, and the Twitter question of the month.
Editor-In-Chief
MJ Kamin
Feature
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Netflix profiles:
A look into the lives of a few “Netflixed” students and teachers at Wash.
Maya Altemeier Are you obsessed? “I would say so because it’s the only TV I watch.” Do you prefer movies or TV shows? “TV shows, because they take longer to watch.” TV shows watched: The Office, How I Met Your Mother, Gossip Girl, and Grey’s Anatomy Preferred mode for watching: “On the TV in my basement with all the lights off and on the couch with fifty pillows.” Do you think you could live without Netflix? “Yeah, I would probably find some other way to watch TV though, like Hulu or something.”
Chris Barnes How often do you watch Netflix? “A lot during break. 10 movies a week.” Favorite movies to watch: “Whatever gets good reviews.” TV shows watched: “Arrested Development, The Office, House of Cards.” Preferred mode for watching: “TV.” Do you think you could live without it? “Yes.”
Hannah Schroeder Mr. Pete Clancy Are you obsessed with Netflix? “I don’t know I would say obsessed but I’ve certainly watched more than my fair share.” How many hours per week do you watch it? “10-25.” Top 3 shows watched: “Dr. Who, House of Cards, and Star Trek Voyager.” Why do you think it is so popular? “The convenience. You have a wealth of entertainment that’s ridiculously cheap.” Could you live without it? “No. Absolutely not.”
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Feature
Are you obsessed with Netflix? “Yeah, pretty much.” How often do you watch it? “Quite often. When I don’t work. I watched a couple of seasons of Glee in two days.” TV shows watched: Archer, American Horror Story, Parks and Recreation, New Girl Does Netflix interfere with school? “Probably if I had more homework, but senior year…” Preferred mode for watching: “TV… or whatever works.” Could you live without Netflix? “Yeah...it’d be rough.”
MJ Kamin Editor-in-Chief
Twitter question of the month
Follow @CRWashSurveyor for monthly questions, sports updates, and news about Wash!
school poll:
312 students were surveyed in language arts classes. 1.
2.
If so, how many hours per week? 10+
34% 7-9
12% Editor-In-Chief
Do you watch Netflix? 82% yes 18% no
1-2
21% 5-6
15% MJ Kamin
3.
3-4
18%
Do you prefer TV shows or movies? 72% TV shows 28% movies Feature 13
Snitker Named Player of the Year Reid Snitker, ’15, may be known as the quarterback who led the Washington high school football team to many incredible football victories this past season, but football isn’t the only sport Reid is involved with. Snitker, in addition to being involved with his favorite sport, football, is also involved with basketball as a guard and runs the 200 and 400 meter dash in track. Snitker was named both the KCRG Athlete of the Week and the 2013 Player of the Year on the All-Metro football team for this past football season, and helped to lead the Warriors to a 6-4 season after starting with an 0-3 start. When asked why he thought he was player of the year, Snitker said, “Because we had a lot of close game wins and beat the #1 team in the state...lots of last minute touchdowns and exciting games.” But when asked how he deals with other teams talking smack, he
Photo from Surveyor Archives
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Profiles
said, “People saying stuff motivates me.” Even though Snitker is only a junior, he has aspirations for his college athletic career. “I’d like to play football in college, I’m not sure where yet,” said Snitker. He has also received a couple letters from colleges, but he said “nothing big yet.” Paul James, the head coach for the varsity football team at Wash, had nothing but good things to say about Snitker. “He had a big impact on the football team in several ways, one being his leadership and another being his athletic ability,” said James. In regards to Snitker’s success on the football field this year, “I think there are a couple factors that make Reid such a good player, the first being his never quit attitude and just overall great attitude in general. Another would be his
Lauren Barber Staff Writer Additional Reporting from Andi Lawrence
athleticism and hard work at practices,” said James. When Snitker isn’t out on the field, track, or court, he’s a pretty normal guy. Snitker says that his dad is his role model because he’s influenced him in his sports and attends all his games. Snitker also enjoys Netflix, like many students at Washington (see page 13), with his favorite show being “Breaking Bad”. He also likes to hang out with friends and eat food in his free time. When asked something that people don’t usually know about him, he replied “I’m a very quiet and chill dude, but people probably know that already.” Look for Snitker in the upcoming varsity basketball games this season, and out on the track in the spring.
Photos by Chris Harrington
Andi Lawrence Profiles Editor
Not many people are lucky enough to have a parent that was on “Saturday Night Live”, but one freshman is. Gary Kroeger, the father of Chris Kroeger ‘17, appeared on “Saturday Night Live” from the years 1982-1985 in various skits and wrote comedy too. Gary Kroeger has acted in many films, some notable ones being “The Big Picture” 1989 and “A Man Called Sarge” 1990. He has also made a lot of TV show appearances. Chris himself is a bit of an actor as well. He is currently in Speech in the groups for Short Film and Ensemble Acting here at Wash. “I have always liked acting a lot, my parents got me into it at first, seeing as they are both performers and I have loved it ever since” Kroeger said. Chris Kroger has participated in many shows in the past including a lead role in the middle school play his eighth grade year. He was also a band boy in “The Music Man”, when it was performed at the Oster Regent theater in Cedar Falls with his dad who had the starring role. When Chris is about to go on stage he likes to look over his lines and become the character. He explains, “You need to really get into it, if you don’t you will just look like some guy standing on a stage saying words they had memorized, it will have no energy to it.” Some advice that Chris Kroeger has for aspiring performers is this “It is really fun to perform, it just takes a lot of practice. You need to put good time into it.” “Once you get to the end of the show, that feeling you get when you hear the applause or even a standing ovation is extremely self satisfying,” said Kroeger when describing his favorite part about Matthew Andersland performing.
Staff Writer
Andi Lawrence Profiles Editor
If you are a girl who is funny or likes comedy, watches or plays sports, and doesn’t put up a fight (or at least doesn’t start one), this bachelor may be for you. Antonio Patterson keeps himself busy at Washington with sports, including basketball, and soccer. This bachelor is also very busy on the weekends, playing soccer games and tournaments outside of school for CRSA (Cedar Rapids Soccer Association). Next year Patterson hopes to play football. When he’s not scoring big on the field or court, he says his perfect date would be, “Anything with no arguing,” which leaves a lot of options. Patterson said he enjoys watching Netflix like many of us. If you turned on his TV it might read “Because you watched Hot and Fluffy” which is his favorite title, a comedy show. He also enjoys the movie “White House Down”, take note girls. When asked how he is different from everyone else, Patterson said, “I don’t care what other people think.” Find Patterson in the halls to learn more about this mysterious bachelor.
Andi Lawrence
Profiles Editor
Photo by Lauren Barber
Profiles 15
Elijah Wolter Staff Writer At the PAM Slam, Atticus Roberts ’15 took the stage with Aaron Bissell ’15 to put on shades and spiffed up shoes. Ignorant of the audience’s desire to hear their shoe policy or not, they laid it out, plain and clear. Though Roberts only got to perform two of his three prepared poems in addition to the crowd-pleasing “Shoe Policy,” he kept the audience entertained throughout the night. His writing draws heavily from comedy as well as slam and spoken word poetry. He manipulates and toys with the form and structure of his work. He aims to accomplish humor through his writing. “I like making people laugh and writing is the best way for me to do that,” he said. His piece, “‘Before We Go Reanimating Dead American Heroes, Let Us Consider Together the Inaccuracies of Elementary History Textbooks’ as Shouted by a Paranoid Man from a Dumpster Behind the Bus Station,” debated and digressed on topics of Johnny Appleseed, George Washington and his cherry tree, and Rutherford B. Hayes. Additionally, he plays drum set for Significance of Simon. At their performance at the December VoiceBox Poetry Showcase at CSPS, he held down the groove with tasteful technique and a presence that didn’t overpower. Roberts’ strength as an artist comes from his willingness to experiment and dabble in the outrageous and absurd, while still recognizing the importance of connecting to the audience. Though that audience may not be all that large, when his humor hits, it hits hard.
Photo by Chris Harrington
Andi Lawrence Profiles Editor Q: How did you get into modeling? A: “I was actually approached at Starbucks, the woman who is now my manager asked if I was interested and she gave me her card.” Q: What’s the hardest part of modeling? A: “I’d say the hardest part is the reality of it, there’s thousands of gorgeous people out there and “the industry” comes with rejection, you just have to move on and keep doing what you love.” Q:What were you doing in LA? (Everyone is dying to know) A: “I went to LA with my manager and 4 other people from her company to IMTA. You go and do different competitions everyday, to be seen by 300+ agents. I did a lot on the acting side, and from that I was actually asked to send in a tape audition for a new show on CBS, it was crazy. Q: Do you want to pursue a career in modeling? A: “I would love to pursue a career in acting or modeling. Starting out booking jobs as an actress you can get a lot of modeling jobs as well. I really want to go to college or just move to California after senior year so we’ll see how it goes!”
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Profiles
Photo from IMTA
Andi Lawrence Profiles Editor
The Season Starts Now
The goals are smaller, the only out of bounds are the nets, just about anyone can play keeper... and if you fall, you could be stuck with a turf burn for a week. We’re talking about indoor soccer. Ian Schweiger Sports Editor For most athletes, the offseason is a time to take a break from their sports practices, relax, and not think about anything sports related. But this is not the case for the Washington girls soccer team. These Warriors play at all times of the year with either club teams or at the indoor soccer league at the Cedar Rapids Sports Zone in Hiawatha. The girls soccer team has been working hard in order to prepare for the upcoming season. For most of the returning lettermen, they look at the league as not only an opportunity to get more playing time, but to ultimately get better. Among these soccer players is Olivia Altemeier, ’14. Altemeier says that the indoor games are not only a way to get better, but a good indicator of what team the players
will play on when the spring season rolls around. “The whole team competes from a pickup game setting in order to be ready for the season,” said Altemeier. The indoor soccer league has no practices and games occur once a week, usually on Saturday nights starting at 10:00 or 11:00pm. The team plays against other teams from other schools, such as Kennedy and Jefferson. The main point of these games is to improve footwork, get good workouts, and to get as many touches as possible prior to the start of the season. “It’s always good to see all the girls before the season starts and they’re always fun to compete in; everything [that you play in] can help your game.” said Altemeier.
Another member of the girls soccer team, Lydia Kratovil, ’15 believes the games are beneficial to the team bonding aspect of the soccer team. “My favorite part [of indoor soccer] is being with my friends and playing soccer together,” said Kratovil. Kratovil believes that the most crucial part of indoor soccer is not only getting touches before the season, but building team chemistry before the season even starts. “It is a team sport, so getting to know each other while playing can definitely build team chemistry,” said Kratovil. The girls soccer team is on the rise and looking to improve from last year. Check out the girl’s soccer team before their season debut on
Members of the girls soccer team play in a game at Sports Zone in Hiawatha
Photo by: Lauren Barber
Sports Editor
Ian Schweiger
Sports 17
Wrestling with Small Numbers Eric Loeffelholz Business Manager A small group of intense, devoted individuals make up this year’s Warrior wrestling team. Only about 12 strong, the team has a major obstacle to overcome with its small size. Early in the year, the team was hit with adversity when sickness, tough practices and academic suspensions shot down wrestler after wrestler. The wrestlers who survived Hell Week, the week of intense conditioning, were a select group of devoted matmen. “I think a lot of people quit because wrestling doesn’t come easy. You can’t just be a stud athlete and expect success. You have to learn the techniques,” said assistant wrestling coach JP Graham. The small team has trouble competing against larger teams and going to state as a team is almost impossible for a team without a full line-up. “We’re definitely at a disadvantage going into
tournaments.” said Noah Fox, ’14. “Its impossible to win any duel meets, we just don’t have enough guys.” said Graham. Having a small team isn’t all bad says Fox. A smaller team size makes for a tight knit group and internal competition. “We get a lot of focus individually in practice,” said Fox. Whether the small number of turnouts has anything to do with student’s grades or demanding schedule, the sport of wrestling has consistently lost numbers since the late 1970’s and although it has make a bit of a resurgence since the 1990’s, wrestling was to be taken out of the Olympics active in 2020. The decision has been reversed but the sport itself has been under much criticism. Cutting weight has always been a part of wrestling. There are many rules and regulations to attempt to
promote healthy weight loss and gain. Wrestler have to take a body fat test at beginning of the year and wrestlers can only cut so much weight. The practice of cutting may still be a hinderance for potential members. “I think people are hesitant to join because they think the only way to be good is to start really young. It’s certainly harder to start later, but it just takes more work.” said Graham The team has struggled against larger opponents but still holds a respectable record of 4-12 and the team has a few individual standouts. Trey Schuler, ’14, and Dax Dills, ’15, both have individual titles. Dills was 4-1 before sustaining a back injury and Schuler is currently ranked eighth in the state at 132 pounds with a record of 19-2. Fox has also wrestled well with a record of 13-7 at the 195 pound level. Left: Head Wrestling Coach Matt Hatcher instructs wrestlers during a practice. The Warrior wrestling team currently only has 12 team members and currently holds a team record of 4-12. The team begins the season with an intensive series of practices devoted to conditioning known as Hell Week.
Photo by: Rik Powell
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Sports
Ian Schweiger Sports Editor
Super Bowl Pick ‘Ems
Ian Schweiger Sports Editor
The match-up for the 48th NFL Super Bowl has been revealed; the Seattle Seahawks versus the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The Surveyor staff takes a look at the match-up and predicts who they believe the winner will be. Picker Mr. Kyle Phillips
Predicted Winner Seattle Seahawks
Reason Defense wins championships. Along those same lines, Richard Sherman is the best corner in the league! Don’t you ever talk about him! Also, as a Bears fan I still hold a personal grudge against Peyton Manning for the SuperBowl in 2007. I don’t care that he’s not with the Colts anymore.
MJ Kamin
Denver Broncos
I always pick my winner based on which animal would actually win in a fight. A bird versus a horse? C’mon. Also, I prefer non photogenic quarterbacks.
Chris Harrington
Seattle Seahawks
The superior offensive control and pass defense strength (specifically with the ‘best corner in the game’) makes the Seahawks a perfect winning team against a heavily pass oriented offense like Denver. The Bronco’s defense also lacks the ability to finish with strength.
Ian Schweiger
Seattle Seahawks
Apparently, you can’t send sorry receivers against Richard Sherman, so the game will come down to who can run the ball better. Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch will outperform Denver’s Knowshon Moreno in this category.
Bridget Williams
Seattle Seahacks
Everyone else picked the Seahacks so I’d say that’s a good pick. The only time football plays in my house is before 60 Minutes starts, but I think the Seahacks are good because they are navy and green.
Sports Editor
Ian Schweiger
Sports 19
Mitchell Fisher Staff Writer Reddit.com is a popular link sharing website, in which users with registered accounts can post links to anything from the web, such as funny pictures, news articles, videos, discussions, and much more. As a member of the reddit community, you are able to vote on posts to give a link notoriety and if it becomes popular enough, it can appear higher on the front page of the website. Reddit has a very unique community, and hosts a library of links to some of the most interesting content on the web. Reddit works on a system of “sub-reddits,” which are separate reddit boards, organized by category. A reddit account is subscribed to a handful of sub-reddits, so each user’s front page may look a little different, based on what he or she is interested in. There is a sub-reddit for almost any topic that one could think of, so some sub-reddits can be hard to discover. Any reddit user can appreciate a new place that features fresh content. Discovering a new nook or cranny of the Internet can open up a new portal of knowledge and discovery. Reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful, or “Data is Beautiful,” is one of these interesting places. The front page of this sub reddit features links to interactive data maps. This may seem very boring at first, but several types of people can enjoy spending time on this sub-reddit. Data is Beautiful looks to take bland numerical data and turn it to an innovative and interesting experience that absorbs you into something that once seemed boring. Most data maps allow you to distort images, colors, sizes, or shapes that represent statistics, by simply dragging your mouse over certain areas. Data is Beautiful offers a huge potential for sports fans, and it’s interesting to see how sports statistics can be analyzed. For example, I have seen a website that compiled data of each quarterback for each NFL team, and then organized them into different sized arrows based on career touchdowns. I found myself looking at different teams, comparing famous quarterbacks, and seeing how well they performed for a certain era, for longer than I would have thought.
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Some of these maps can be entertaining, such as a real time map that shows where, geographically, the most profane tweets on twitter are sent from on average. Data is Beautiful features links sending to mainstream websites, but for the most part, the creative minds behind the Data is Beautiful community create the interactive graphs themselves. Providing feedback offers a chance for others to explore and challenge their brains to see world and data differently.
Michelle Zumhof A&E Editor
Elijah Wolter Staff Writer
Les Miserables
There’s going to be something big coming to Theatre Cedar Rapids’s stage this summer. So big, in fact, that they’ve held the auditions for it almost six months prior to opening night. On Dec. 27-29, hundreds showed up to audition to be a part of the community theater’s production of “Les Miserables.” It was no surprise to the directing staff that so many people showed up for their chance to be a part of “Les Mis.” “It’s a bucket list show for so many people,” said Janelle Lauer, the upcoming show’s Musical Director. The show has an enormous reputation and legacy. The show originated as a French concept album and then a French musical in 1980 before it appeared as an English version at London’s West End in 1985. It was an overwhelming box office success and in 1987 it opened on Broadway, where it ran until 2003, making it the fifthlongest running Broadway show of all time, with 6,680 shows in its original run. Aside from that, production rights had been limited to revivals, touring productions and film adaptations up until recently. “This was one of the very first opportunities for a community theater to do this. And I know that people in this area have been waiting and waiting and waiting to do this show,” said Leslie Charipar, the show’s director.
A&E Editor Michelle Zumhof
The crowds drawn by the auditions were not only huge, but also diversely composed of TCR regulars, veteran performers from outside of the Cedar Rapids area, coming from Iowa City and further, as well as theater newcomers. Charipar and the other members of the directorial staff were excited having such a desirable pool of prospective participants to draw from. The resulting cast list shows that they got what they were looking for and that Cedar Rapids will get what they’re looking for when the show opens. “Les Miserables” runs June 20 to July 13. Ticket information and cast list available at theatrecr.org.
A&E 21
Lauren Barber Staff Writer VoiceBox Poetry, a Cedar Rapids based outlet for poets of all ages, was founded in 2009 by Christian Roth and Nick Lapointe. VoiceBox holds bi-monthly submission-based events where people of all ages can present their poetry in front of an audience. Those who choose to attend an event may see some familiar faces. David Duer, a language arts teacher at Washington High School, is one of the featured poets for Voicebox and recently performed poetry at their Winter “Best Of” Showcase held Dec. 14th. Amie Aulwes, ’15, who attended the December Showcase, said,“The atmosphere was awesome and everyone who performed was brilliant. I’m most definitely going to the next Voicebox event.” When asked what Aulwes’ favorite part was, she said, “It had to be the people, everyone there was wildly nice and talkative. The poetry could have been terrible and I still would have had a good time. I for sure encourage other Wash students to go!” Aaron Bissell, ’15, has also been involved with VoiceBox but in a slightly different way. At the December Showcase, Bissell and his band, Significance of Simon, were contacted to be the live music during the event. This was a special case as VoiceBox usually has a DJ playing between participants. Bissell said, “I think it could be a great local, quality, outlet for writers and poets of usually any age. But it’s also good for students to just attend, to see poetry and spoken word more than just once a year if they go to PAM Slam or the stuff students usually don’t care for in LA classes” In addition to these Wash students, language arts teacher David Duer has been involved with VoiceBox for around 2 years. “I come to their poetry events and read poems, I’m not directly involved but they think of me as a good outreach person due to my work at the high schools, that’s initially how I got involved, Christian Roth wanted to do a high school poetry event, so he got ahold of me,” said Duer. When asked what a typical event is like, he said, “It’s open call, everyone who wants to read something submits online and the group in charge decides if they want you to read.”
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A&E
Duer also encourages students to attend. “I think that everyone interested in poetry or spoken word should surely get involved, it’s the best thing going on in Cedar Rapids,” said Duer. VoiceBox poetry has always had a special connection with Washington, having a multitude of Wash graduates pioneering the project. Christian Roth, the founder along with featured poets LD Kidd and Kassia Lisinski are former Wash students. Roth being a former graduate was the reason he came to Wash first to talk about trying to start a project. If you are interested in poetry or spoken word, there are other venues like VoiceBox, such as Was the Word, a monthly spoken word event held at the Englert Theatre in Iowa City. Strange Cage is another spoken word event that is held at various locations throughout Iowa City. There are a variety of ways to get involved with spoken word or poetry in the surrounding area.
Upcoming events: VoiceBox Showcase, 3-29-14 CSPS, Cedar Rapids VoiceBox Showcase, 6-28-14 CSPS, Cedar Rapids VoiceBox Showcase, 9-27-14 CSPS, Cedar Rapids VoiceBox Showcase, 12-20-14 CSPS, Cedar Rapids
Michelle Zumhof A&E Editor
Washington PTA congratulates the 20132014 Academic Numeral, Letter, and Certificate Recipients!!
Academic Numeral Recipients
Academic Letter Recipients
Academic Certificate Recipients
An awards assembly was held on December 12, 2013 for the 412 award winners. Business Manager
Eric Loeffelholz
Advertising 23
well, hannah spent so much time on Netflix this month she neglected to take a photo for the back page...sorry guys.
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