Volume 59
Issue 6
Sophomore Metro Point Guards (pg. 16)
2 March 2016 Jovon on the Announcements (pg. 15)
Should Under Classmen Leave for Lunch? (pg. 8)
Branstad’s Budget Cuts (pgs. 10-11)
Matthew Andersland
Sarah Altemeier
Gunnar Bosking
Emily Burke
Brandon Cullen
Riley DeWolf
Jillian Gannon
Molly Hunter
Ben Janssen
Rielle Jones-Teske
Seth Keppler
Grace Kline
Emily LaGrange
Billy Lemos
Tyler McGuire
Claire McKinstry
Jonathan Melander
Anna Rizer
Hannah Sherman
Betsy Smith
Jake Truemper
2
Staff box
Becca Turnis
Addi Westpheling
The Surveyor: even though we dress alike, we promise we’re not a cult. Editor-in-Chief
Molly Hunter
What’s Inside: Mission
News
National Blood shortage - 4 Mr. Green’s Departure - 5 Next Year’s New Schedule - 5 CRCSD Mental Health - 6
Opinions
2016 Election Poll Results - 7 Check Your Priviledge - 8 Editorial: Revamp Required Reading? - 9 Calling All Pinball Wizards - 9
Feature
Branstad’s Budget Cuts - 10-11
Profiles
Tales of a Spring Break Nothing - 13 Melissa Brecht is an Archer - 14 FBOM - 14 Blue Bins in the Hall - 15
Sports
Three Metro Pointguards - 16 Men’s Swim Team Wins Districts - 17 March Madness Preview - 18 Girl’s Basketball Team - 18
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.
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, 319-558-2421; jcirivello@ cr.k12.ia.us. Students and others should contact Rhoda Shepard, Director of Student Services, 319-558-2964; rshephard@cr.k12. ia.us. The District mailing address is 2500 Edgewood Rd NW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52405-1015
Affiliations
Iowa High School Press Association, National Scholastic Press Association, Journalism Education Association, Quill and Scroll.
A&E
Life of Pablo Album Review - 19 Deadpool Review - 19 MoShow Pics - 20 State Speech - 21 Currents Album Review - 21
Backpage
Roses + Thorns - 23 March Movie “Playlist” - 23 Faculty Funnies - 23 MOM - 23
Molly Hunter
Editor-in-Chief
Photos Front Cover by Seth Keppler Back Cover by Rielle Jones-Teske
Table of Contents
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The National Blood Shortage Why Donating Is Far More Important Than It Seems Emily LaGrange News Editor The past couple of years, the United States has seen a significant drop in blood donations, making for the delay some types of surgeries. According to ABC News, the United States saw an increase in its need for donated blood between May and July of 2015 in which some elective surgeries, such as plastic surgeries, in big cities like Los Angeles and Philadelphia were to be postponed. A similar situation is taking place now, although not to the same extent. “Something that we cannot allow to happen is to have surgeries scheduled and not have the blood there. We are not there yet,” said Kirby Winn, Director of Public Relations at the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center. In fact, the shortage in blood is somewhat characteristic of the winter months, especially in midwestern states. “Blood supply has its ups and downs through the year. During winter some parts of the country experience bad weather. Schools, for example, sometimes have blood drives on days that happen to be snow days, which is a loss of blood for us,” said Winn. When the weather plays such a big role in the mobility of donors, it’s often difficult to keep donations consistent. In doing so, the management of the donated blood supply is vital to its success. “Management of inventory definitely becomes a challenge. We try to bring in more donors, we work carefully to manage our supply of blood making sure very little, if any, goes out of date,” said Winn. 4
News Editor
CC by Jon Harald Soby
The problem with inconsistent blood donations is the fact that blood is always needed whether it be for surgeries or emergencies, so it becomes increasingly difficult to compensate. Donated blood sees its expiration after 42 days of refrigeration at 6 degrees Celsius, according to the www.redcross. org. After this expiration, the blood needs to be discarded. Because of this relatively long time in which the blood is usable, any amount of blood that’s donated will almost always be used. Because O blood is the universal donor blood type, meaning that blood is able to be received by everyone, it’s the blood in the highest demand from blood centers and hospitals. On the other hand, AB blood types are the universal recipients, meaning that they can receive blood of any kind safely. The month of February is Heart Month of which awareness is spread regarding heart health and heart disease in men and women, according to www.cdc.gov. “We do have special promotions later this month since February is Heart Month. Donors that come into our clinic, not blood drives, will receive a $5 giftcard to Walgreen’s,” said Winn. According to Winn, 1 in every 10 blood donations will go to a patient with heart disease. Heart disease is a complication in the heart’s structure, clotting, or vessels that can lead to heart attack, stroke, or chest pain. All genders and backgrounds have a potential to develop heart disease, but it is
most common in African American males due to their characteristically high blood pressure, according to www.redcross.org It’s important that all who are able to donate do so as only 40 percent of the population is able to donate due to health issues, medications they take, or the possibility of an illness as a result of places they have traveled, according to Winn. In order to find this information out of potential blood donors, blood centers go through a screening process with to ensure the quality of the blood. In Cedar Rapids, blood donations go to area hospitals including St. Luke’s and Mercy as well as Jones Regional Medical Center in Anamosa. One can donate blood every 56 days, must weigh at least 110 pounds, be at least 16 years of age with parental consent, and feel overall in good health on the day of donation. Following the donation process, provided are cookies and juice as well as water or pop to ensure an adequate blood sugar regulation. One will also be asked to refrain from heav y lifting and too much physical exertion within a day of donating. ADASTRA hosted a blood drive on Feb. 23. The Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center set up in Washington High School’s main gym and took the donations to distribute to nearby hospitals. Yearly, Wash hosts two blood drives for area blood donation centers in which students are able to sign up to give blood during the school day. News
Emily LaGrange
Wash’s NFL Legend Retires
Seth Keppler Staff Writer
Star football player, amazing scholar, and great teacher. Samuel Lee Green, or as you may know him, Mr. Green, retired from Washington High School earlier this year in January. Green is rumored to have moved to the Seattle area to spend more time with his family. It is unknown if he will continue his teaching career in the Pacific Northwest. Although many new students at Wash had not known Green, those that did remember him for his college and professional football career, his work in education, and his friendly personality. “Mr. Green was funny, really cool, and pretty chill.” said Kyle Arends, ’16. Green attended the University of Florida, where he played football from 1972 to 1975. Green went on to be drafted to the Seattle Seahawks, being the 29th overall pick of the 1976 NFL draft. He continued his
professional football career with the Seattle Seahawks until 1980 when he went to play for the Houston Oilers. After his time in the NFL, Green played in the United States Football League (USFL). After his football career, Green decided to go back to school, where he attended the University of Alabama. He then took up an interest in education, and began studying
Molly Hunter Editor-in-Chief Next year, the CRCSD will be implementing a new schedule in its high schools - a day with seven periods, instead of six. Unless you go to Jefferson, or are graduating this year, this is pretty big news. Washington counselor, Jennifer Byers, says, “Freshmen and sophomores, and most juniors, should plan to take five classes, plus something for PE - six if they want the academic waiver. Seniors, if they are on track to graduate, they’re minimum would be four classes, plus PE.” Seniors would still have to take six classes to get the academic waiver. Speaking of waivers - the PE requirements aren’t changing. “You have to have something for PE each term you’re a student here, you can’t work ahead. One academic waiver a year - to get that you have to have six classes one athletic waiver a year...or a PE class,” says Byers.
Students in marching band and show choir will still be eligible to receive athletic waivers as they have in past years. But what about early bird? For better or for worse, unless their first hour is a study hall or free period, every student’s day will start at 7:45 a.m. “I think a lot of people are going to be very picky about where that study hall is,” Byers says, “but we can only do so much.” Mountains of research can be found which prove that, when the school day starts later, teenagers get more muchneeded sleep, are more alert and focused, and generally learn better. But getting up early isn’t all bad. “On a six-period day...it’s really hard to expect students who maybe need seven classes...to get here an hour earlier [for an early bird]. So, I think it’s going to help a lot for graduation for students who may be behind in credits.”
Photo by Kyle Phillips
at Simpson College. After Simpson, he attended Iowa State University where he received his teaching license and English and Liberal Studies degrees. He then attended Grand Canyon University where he received his Masters in teaching. Green went on to teach at Fort Dodge High School in Fort Dodge, Iowa, for six years. After Fort Dodge he transferred to Wash, where he taught for seven years. “I think I will remember his passion for Shakespeare best of all; he was truly passionate for all of the Bard’s work, and tried his best to pass that interest along to his students.” said Adam Witte, L.A. department chair, and Green’s colleague. Although Green is gone from Washington, he will be remembered by many.
The Best Kept Secret in Town...
Emily LaGrange
News
In addition, says Byers, “We won’t have people clamoring to get out of...or into specific early bird classes.” Finally, what will the new schedule mean for teachers? On our current schedule, with a sixperiod day, they’ve had to teach five of six classes. Starting next year, they’ll have to teach six of seven class periods. Clearly, there is reason to be worried about an increased workload. Byers, however, hopes that the extra class period will allow teachers, counselors, and students to keep class sizes down, which wouldn’t mean a huge change in numbers across the board. Of course, there’s also the worry that, with the extra class period, those who are certified to teach multiple classes, will have to teach an additional course next year. What with losing five teachers next year, this concern is especially understandable. News Editor
5
Help Isn’t On The Way... How The Lack of Mental Health Services in the School Affects the Jillian Gannon Student Body Staff Writer Photo by abbemhc.org
According to the Cedar Rapids Abbe Center for Mental Health, 1 in 17 Americans struggle with some sort of mental illness in their lives. Not to be taken lightly, mental health is something that people of all ages struggle with on a daily basis. For some, the struggle is so much that they need to seek out therapy for help with ways to deal with it. However, that help may be harder to reach than most high schoolers realize. In previous years, Washington High School had a therapist that was onlocation or on-call 24/7, who was provided by the Abbe Center in Cedar Rapids. That was before everything changed. A year ago, Surveyor staff reporter (and current Editor-in-Chief) Molly Hunter wrote a story in the September 2014 issue about the changes to the care provided by the Abbe Center, entitled “Mental Health Remodeled”. In the story, Hunter describes the changes to the Abbe Center that the new school year had brought. In essence, the on-call therapist was replaced by a Abbe Center Mental Health specialist, who was used to help students a few hours a week, greatly reducing the time a therapist spent on campus. However, this was the old system. As of this year, or rather last summer, all of the help that District schools received from the Abbe Center or any other organization 6
News Editor
has become virtually non-existent. Now, instead of a therapist being on-call for a few hours each week, Washington and the District schools have something worse that is to say, nothing at all. Jennifer Byers, Wash counselor, describes the outcome of the lack of a system as detrimental to the student body.
“If we are all out of the building, there is no backup person,” said Byers. “A student came in [needing help], but there was no one to help him. He had previously utilized the Abbe Center person.” Byers explained that the counselors at Wash can talk to the students, but they can’t provide therapylevel assistance to them. Because of the lack of an Abbe Center therapist, Byers said, “If we are all out of the building, there is no backup person.”
Because of this, students do not have a way to gain immediate access to therapy if it is needed throughout the day unless their situation is an emergency. “We don’t have a direct contact at the Abbe Center,” said Byers. Not having a direct contact means that all student therapy via the Abbe Center must be initiated through the student’s parents, or by the student. Due to legal obstacles, Wash counselors cannot recommend a certain organization for a student to work with. “We’d give them multiple phone numbers, but we can’t recommend,” Byers said. Dean Blanchard, Wash counselor, explains that the Abbe Center changes did not benefit the students. “Not when we lost the program. The program was cut this summer...they lost the grant funding,” said Blanchard. There is a partial solution to emergencies which may arise. Blanchard said, “If there is a crisis...if it’s something we can’t handle…[we would] call a parent and have them come and talk it through [with the student].” As far as the aftermath of a crisis, Blanchard said, “There is a crisis team available through the District to come in…[they’re] social workers. [But this is] if something has already happened only.” In the end, it seems as if help isn’t on the way after all. News
Emily LaGrange
Graphs by Anna Rizer
2016 Election Poll Results... Besides the four states that have already held primaries/caucuses for one or both parties (as of press time), the next big event is ‘Super Tuesday’. ‘Super Tuesday’ is held on Tuesday, March 1, and 12 states and one territory all hold their primaries and caucuses for the Democratic and Republican nomination.
States involved in Super Tuesday: Democratic and Republican- Alabama, Arkansa, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Virginia Republicans only- Alaska, N. Dakota and Wyoming Democrats only- American Samoa Anna Rizer
Opinions Editor
The Democratic South Carolina primary was held on Feb. 27.
Opinion
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Check Your Privilege Freshmen and Sophomores Leaving for Lunch Emily Burke Business Manager & Profiles Editor Freshmen. Sophomores. Juniors. Seniors. Should they all have the same privileges? Many students, with permission or without, leave the school campus to grab a bite to eat for lunch. The liberty to go out to lunch is very much enjoyed by juniors and seniors who use the lunch hour as they wish. Upperclassmen have “open lunch,” which means that they can leave campus for lunch. Some use this time to go home and eat, get some extra homework done, or simply take a break from school work with friends at Wendy’s or Bruegger’s, as long as they come back at the end. Underclassmen have “closed lunch,” which means that they must stay on school grounds during their lunch hour, specifically in the cafeteria or the courtyard when weather permits. Washington High School is one of the few schools in Iowa that allows their older students this privilege. Xavier High School, for example requires all students to stay on campus throughout the day, including lunch time. Because every Warrior is granted this freedom the last two years of his or her time at Wash, the rules set by authorities would be expected to be followed. However, a recent poll was started by an anonymous source requesting that the school’s principal, Dr. Ralph Plagman, permit freshmen and sophomores to also
8
Opinions
Gunnar Bosking Sports Editor
have the entitlement to leave for lunch. So far the poll has 13 signed petitioners with a goal of 100. Freshman Ally Bemus, ’19, one of the 13 who did sign the petition, shared her thoughts on the situation. “I think that we [underclassmen] should
be able to go out for lunch, because many do anyway and nobody gets caught doing it or says that it is bad so I think that we should just be able to do it without having restrictions on it,” Bemus said. Vanessa Kappler, ’19, also signed the petition and said that she thinks that underclassmen should be allowed to leave but only with the accompaniment of an upperclassmen who can drive. Plagman has been the principal of Washington High School for 35 years and
has instilled the open lunch versus closed lunch policy for the safety of his students and believes that having the privileges of an upperclassmen comes with time and experience. “They [freshmen and sophomores] are safer here, most of their parents want them here, and it’s not necessary to have all the privileges of being a senior when you’re a freshman. That’s something that comes for 11th and 12th graders. I’ve had conversations with parents over the years and they don’t think and don’t want their 9th and 10th graders out running cars,” Plagman said. Plagman does not even support the idea of letting sophomores who have their full licenses leave for lunch because it is too hard to keep track of who does and who doesn’t. “Freshmen and sophomores should stay here for lunch, there’s no reason not to. The taxpayers paid several million dollars to build a beautiful cafeteria, there are lots of food choices and they have no reason to leave,” Plagman said. So what are you waiting for, freshmen? Head down to the Warrior Cafe, grab a piping hot walking taco, and enjoy your underclassman privilege before it’s too late.
Opinions Editor
Photo by Anna Rizer
Anna Rizer
Staff Editorial
Revamp Required Reading Most high school students would agree that the reading list for high school language arts is a little “out-dated”. Here we are in the year 2016 and we are still reading the same books our parents read in high school. The current reading list needs a little modernizing in order to capture and maintain students’ interest in American literature. One reason supporting this ancient reading list is that these books are the “classics” of American literature, but is this true? Is any book written before the 20th century automatically considered a “classic” simply because it’s old? In reality, there are numerous books that have a greater moral impact on today’s society. Students should be reading books that they can learn from and apply to their own life, but if students continue to read about women in oppressive nineteenth century societies and English settlements then they will begin to lose interest in American literature.
Most of the books included on high school reading lists, like The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible, are set in early oppressive societies that don’t apply to our society today. Even the way they are written and structured is in very old English, making it harder not only to read, but also to understand and comprehend the morals of these stories. Then comes the problem that most of these morals are irrelevant in students lives today. It is important to read historical literature in order to understand America’s past, but it is also equally important to understand the present. There needs to be a better balance on the reading list between modern literature and past literature. Currently the reading list is heavily focused upon past literature and needs a little push towards the modern world of literature by including books such as Life of Pi and Gone With the Wind.
Calling All Pinball Wizards Tyler McGuire Staff Writer If you, or your parents, are looking for something fun and different to do on a Saturday night, consider going to the Quarter Barrel. The Quarter Barrel is located downtown on 2nd AVE. There are many games such as: Miss Packman, Mortal Kombat 2, and Donkey Kong. It’s a great idea in my opinion. It attracts younger people because it’s different from any experience we’ve had, and it appeals to older people because it brings back memories of their childhood. The food there is also pretty good. It’s typical bar food, pizza, burgers, and fries. It can get pretty crowded, but there always seems to be a game open. The overall atmosphere is very cheerful, people love it and I would highly recommend it.
Photo by Anna Rizer
6 out of 10 Editors Agree With This Editorial Photo from Quarter Barrel
Anna Rizer
Opinions Editor
Opinion
9
Claire McKinstry Staff Writer
STATE BUDGET CUTS
Addi Westpheling A&E Editor
The state of Iowa has suffered expansive losses over the past few years in regards to public education, and the losses are beginning to add up. This inconsistent funding is going to make the 2016 school year a lot different from previous years. Each year, the state of Iowa decides a budget for public education, and for the past few years, that budget has been decreasing, especially compared to the increasing enrollment in public schools. “We’re dealing with several years in a row below the necessary level of budget increase for education,” said Pete Clancy. The term budget “cuts” is not very popular in the Iowa legislature. “State funding has not decreased, but it has not kept up with inflation in education or with school funding by other states. Iowa is now more than $1,600 per student below the national average in school funding,” said Senator Rob Hogg (D). The necessary funding at the state level is 4 percent which doesn’t even come close to the proposed 2.45 percent by the governor. “I support 4 percent funding growth. We have had years of inadequate state funding, which means that 2 percent (as proposed by House Republicans) or 2.45 percent (as proposed by Governor Branstad) would result in additional cuts to our schools. Our rainy day funds are full and we have a large ending cash balance so we can afford it. Actually, we can’t afford not to invest more in education,” said Hogg. Teachers and students at Washington have many opinions on how the state is handling public education funding. “I think we are in a little bit of a crisis because I just think our state is setting us up on a path and really making education a low priority,” said Frank Scherrman. “The state of Iowa, the legislature and the governor should start to fund schools at an appropriate level if they want to have 10
Feature
Branstad’s Budget Cuts What do they mean for the CRCSD?
quality schools. That they think they can just keep us trimming every year is ridiculous,” said Dr. Ralph Plagman. “At some point the state legislature has to be held accountable and that point will probably happen. Iowa has always been a really good performer in public education and I think we are risking giving that up. It’s not like we have mountains and beaches and oceans, that’s one of the incentives that people have for living in the midwest, and I think it eliminates that and makes us less competitive against others states,” said Warren Sprouse. Clancy took a group of students down to Des Moines to lobby for educational funding, and many learned a lot about the state’s involvement in the decreasing budget. “I think that educational funding has pretty set party lines and ideologies in the state of Iowa right now and while us going there hopefully did put some pressure on those partisans who are trying to deny us our basic right of education, in the end, unfortunately, I’m not too sure how it will do,” said Ian Klopfenstein, ’16. (Attempts to contact Republican legislators were not returned.)
THE CRCSD BUDGET CUTS
Naturally, if the state education budget has not been able to keep up with inflation, districts within the state of Iowa are similarly incapable. The Cedar Rapids Community Schools district is one of many that has suffered immense losses over the years, and is only continuing the pattern. “In Cedar Rapids we have commitments that are at the 3.72 percent level. If the funding occurs at the governor’s proposed level of 2.45 percent level, we will need to make reductions in the district of approximately 2 million dollars,” said CRCSD Superintendent, Dr. Brad Buck. “Cedar Rapids needs at least a 3.74 percent [increase in funding] to remain budget neutral just because of the cost of living
increases and all of the expenditures that the school has. The Iowa Senate, which has a Democratic majority, has passed a 4 percent increase for next year, while the Iowa House, with a Republican majority, has only passed a 2 percent increase,” said Clancy. With the less-than-necessary increase (essentially a decrease) in the education budget comes many sacrifices. In the past five years, the CRCSD has cut 139 teachers, and that number is only going to increase, as each high school is set to lose another four to five teachers in preparation for the 2016-2017 school year. “I think any cut to education is a disservice to the student body, as well as evidence of a lack of respect for the teaching profession. I feel like overall it also implicates legislatures in having a mindset of not acknowledging the importance of education in society,” said Dr. Amy Jones.
WASH’S NEW SCHEDULE
It’s no secret that Washington is getting a new schedule next school year. The 20162017 schedule at Wash will not have an early bird, will have seven classes instead of six, classes will start at 7:45, and teachers will teach one more period without an increase in pay. The controversial new schedule is a direct result of state and district budget cuts. Because there will be fewer teachers in the district, schools are compensating by assigning all teachers an extra class to teach, whether they’re informed about the subject or not. “[Teachers are] forced to teach more subjects that they don’t necessarily know about. Mr. Clancy teaches Literature and AP Human, and he’s good at those, and he’s also good at econ, but he’s not supposed to teach econ, and it’s an AP class and it’s really hard, and so it’s frustrating as a student that we went from having an amazing econ teacher to someone who didn’t know any-
Editor-in-Chief
Molly Hunter
thing about econ until this year. He’s doing a great job and I’m learning and he’s working super hard, but I don’t think that’s something that should be happening at the number one or two or three rated high school in Iowa,” said Maya Altemeier, ’16. The new schedule seems to be studentfriendly, but at the same time, it’s likely to have a negative effect on the teachers. The strain on the teachers can lead to poorquality teaching and a non-stimulating educational environment, both of which are beneficial to no one. “[The schedule] just shows how the teaching staff is willing to bend over backwards and take a situation that is detrimental to them, and work with it because of the commitment to the student body, and trying to provide the students with the best that we can provide them. But, like any other labor situation, when you work your employees harder, the quality of the work is probably going to decrease,” said Jones. Among all the negatives, there have been a few speculated upsides to the new schedule, such as the opportunity to expand beyond the limits of a six period school day. “From a standpoint of Washington students, it’s all good, this is very much a student-friendly decision, I think. For the early bird kids, they get to sleep a half hour longer, and still have their regular seven period day. For all the other kids, they now have a chance to take an extra class within the school day, and I think that’s a plus,” said Plagman. Only time will truly tell if the new schedule is an appropriate response to the statewide and districtwide budget cuts. For now, we can only speculate whether or not the positives outweigh the negatives, or if it will really be as bad as some people predict.
CONSEQUENCES
If the budget is not keeping pace with the increasing enrollment and inflation in public education, there are bound to be consequences that will affect the quality of our schools. The most apparent and significant loss that will come from this decrease in education funding will be the educators Molly Hunter
themselves. “We will lose 5 teachers in the building. Experienced teachers close to retirement will have an incentive to do that instead of staying to teach more. Teachers that don’t have to be here, that either have a second career or rich wives/husbands, if I was in their position I’d be gone tomorrow, so I think that’s going to be a problem,” said Sprouse. “You have individuals like myself, who, if they feel disrespected or devalued, might start to look for employment elsewhere. Again, you have educators that are more stressed, overworked, fewer resources, you’re asking miracles of people that aren’t miracle workers. I see eventually you’re going to have to have program cuts, eventually class sizes will continue to increase. It’s not good,” said Jones. “Unfortunately, in the past who’s gotten cut are your young, newest teachers, and they’re the ones with the energy, they’re the ones that are currently eager, so I think that is a bit of an issue. I don’t know if the overall quality of teaching will be affected, I think we’re a resilient group and we’ll rebound and adapt, but I think anytime that you are having to cut teachers, people who’ve chosen to be in this profession, it’s going to have consequences,” said Scherrman. “I know [teachers are] feeling some stress about [the new schedule], but they’re not complaining and they’re just doing their best. I have promised them that we’re going to make every effort not to increase their number of preps, preps means number of different classes they have to prepare for,” said Plagman. The students of Washington will also be experiencing the effects of these cuts next year. “I think teachers are underpaid and there aren’t enough because the classroom sizes are just getting bigger, which makes learning harder for kids because the teachers can’t focus on each individual kid and how they’re supposed to learn,” said Altemeier. “I’m sure you’ve noticed in your classes, sizes probably getting not drastically, but certainly larger. When that happens it’s really unfortunate because it means there’s less time that we can give students one on
Editor-in-Chief
one attention, that we can be contacting or working with parents, making sure that we’re supporting the students in the best way possible. Large class sizes aren’t good for anything,” said Clancy.
FUTURE OF EDUCATION
With budget cuts wreaking havoc like they are today, questions have risen about whether or not the allotted funding will continue down this path, or if someone can reverse the impending doom of properly funded education. Extracurriculars are one of many sacrifices schools will be making in order to ensure that basic educational needs are met, not necessarily now, but shortly down the road. Programs serving the smallest amount of students may have to be cut as well, such as the Arabic program and APs with few students. “A lot of the things that happen at Wash now, like the great variety of clubs we have and our really successful music department, will probably become decrepit because the funding for that will have to be placed on the individual students and their families instead of from the school itself,” said Klopfenstein. On the bright side, Plagman has heard rumors about a reversal regarding the priority of education in the state budget. “Our superintendent used to be the director of education, so he’s pretty tuned into that stuff, and he thinks that... this is the last year that the state budget is going to be as tight as it is, that things might get better. He has reason to think that, it’s not just a wild guess on his part,” said Plagman. Education is necessary for the continuation of a fully functioning society to grow and prosper, whether that be in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, or the world as a whole. “I believe that investing in education is not only good for our economy in the short run, it is necessary to lay the foundation for future economic success. In my view, it is clearly more important to our future than more business tax cuts. Businesses need a skilled workforce, and education is critical to make sure Iowans have the skills that our businesses need, and to help attract workers to Iowa,” said Hogg.
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Profiles Editor and Business Manager
Emily Burke
Soldier. Patriot. Student.
Zach Gilbert’s Acceptance into West Point Military Academy
Brandon Cullen Sports Editor
Soldier. Patriot. Student. This is Zach Gilbert, ’16, who is going to West Point after graduation. West Point is a college that is hard to get into, which requires a GPA above a 4.0, a lot of volunteer hours, you need to have a physical, and you have to apply for recommendation by a congressional representative. Gilbert wants to go into the Army branch of the military. “All my life I wanted to serve my country and protect what I love,” Gilbert said. Gilbert wants to go to West Point because it offers a high level of education and military education. It also allows Gilbert to go to Ranger school, an elite Army unit. After Gilbert graduates from West Point he plans on serving in the military as a career and going into combat deployments. Graduating from West Point allows Gilbert to become an officer as well and the only concerns he would have is getting his
Emily Burke
men home alive and even if it means if he has to risk his own life to do so. Jennifer Byers, a counselor at Washington High School helped Gilbert get accepted into West Point by sending his transcript to West Point, as well as by requesting for recommendations from Sen. Charles Grassley, Sen. Joni Ernst, and Rep. Rod Blum. One or more of them would then send a recommendation to West Point. Byers thinks that West Point is a good fit for Gilbert since that he’s already a member of the National Guard, a strong student, a model citizen, and has outstanding leadership skills. Byers also thinks that Gilbert will do well at West Point because he
“All my life I wanted to serve my country and protect what I love...” is eager to learn and serve his country. Gilbert is the first student that she has helped get into West Point, but Byers has helped students get into the Naval Academy. To Jeff Gilbert, Zach’s father, Zach’s desire to join the military was no surprise to him. Zach always wanted to be in the military since he was five years old. Zach’s parents told him that he had to go to college before he went into the Army and that he couldn’t just join the military right out of high school. Jeff recalls the moment he found out Zach had been accepted. “It was one of the happiest moments of our lives. We were told that we would be notified if he was accepted between Febru-
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Photos courtesy of Zach Gilbert
ary and May. We prepared ourselves for the long wait but on a Saturday morning in January we received a phone call from Senator Joni Ernst that Zach was accepted. We were excited, relieved we didn’t have to wait, and really happy. We are still ecstatic about it.” “We have had to come to terms with the fact that being in the military involves the possibility that our son might have to make the ultimate sacrifice. It’s tough to think about, and as a parent, you want to be there to protect your children from harm. But to deny him this opportunity, the opportunity to serve his country, something he has wanted since the age of five, is harder to think about than whether or not he might get hurt. I wouldn’t think of standing in his way,” Jeff said. “If any of you are planning on joining the service don’t be afraid, don’t let anything stop you and do your best in everything you do,” Zach said.
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Freshman Bachelor of the Month
Emily Burke Profiles Editor and Business Manager
Photo by Anna Rizer
March’s bachelor of the month is very well-rounded. He can be found on the tennis court, playing violin with the Washington orchestra or kicking the soccer ball on the Kingston field this spring with his highschool teamates for the first time. He has been playing tennis for six years, playing violin for 12 years and playing soccer for eight years. He is a member of the Cedar Rapids Soccer Association (CRSA), along with many of his buddies that also go to Wash.
Brooks Papendick, ’19, is a 5 foot 11 inch, brown-haired, blue-eyed young man who is looking for an athletic verson of his celebrity crush, Scarlett Johansson. Papendick said that his ideal date would be going on to a “nice dinner.” If you consider yourself a “fun to be around, funny” girl, with a high quality personality, you might want introduce yourself to Papendick. You may find yourselves enjoying the movie, Boyhood, and some pomegranate seeds, a few of his favorite things, on a second date.
Is Archery Dead?
Grace Kline Staff Writer
Melissa Brecht’s Archery Upbringing and Hobby
Photo courtesy of Melissa Brecht
Robin Hood. Legolas. Katniss Everdeen. Melissa Brecht. What do all four of these legendary names make you think of? Archery. Melissa Brecht, ’16, has been doing archery for 13 years, following in her father’s footsteps. “It (archery) was something that my dad was into and he got me into it when I was little and I liked it so I stuck with it,” said Brecht in an 14
Profiles
email interview. Unknown to many, there are 4 different types of bows to choose from as an archer. Melissa’s instrument of choice is the compound bow, known to help archers hold the bow back so that they can take time to aim without severely straining their arm muscles, according to livestrong.com.
her shooting to be off, and she couldn’t keep her left eye closed while shooting, so she had to wear an eye patch over her left eye in order to shoot accurately. When she was finally able to close her left eye, Melissa was so happy to be able to shoot without her “pirate eye patch”. Competitions for Melissa’s
“It was something that my dad was into and he got me into it when I was little and I liked it so I stuck with it...” This gives the archer more accuracy and speed to hit the target every time. Although archery is a very rewarding sport, it does have its challenges. For almost 2 years Melissa had to wear an eye patch over her left eye so that she could shoot. Her left eye was dominant, causing
archery league are held in Anamosa. Her dad and a few people that were part of her league used to help her train, but now she can practice shooting and her stance in her own in her backyard, basement, or at the league. “I’ve done it (practice her shooting stance) so much that
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I just automatically stand in my form even when I’m not shooting”, commented Melissa. At the competitions, more points are scored the closer the archer hits the bullseye or the heart region of the animal target with her bow. Melissa plans on continuing archery when she goes to college and encourages all those interested to try it. “ It’s a great sport that almost anyone with the drive for it can do. And it’s a fun way to become stronger and make good friends.” So if you’ve ever wanted to help the poor, kill an orc, start a revolution, or make friends, archery may be just the hobby you’re looking for.
CC by Alberto Barbati
Emily Burke
Put Your Blue Bins in the Hall
Matthew Andersland Staff Writer Photo by Emily Burke
“Teachers, please put your blue bins in the hall,” is a phrase that many of us have not heard in the past 3 years. Instead, we often are serenaded by the melodic verse of Jovon Johnson, ’16 on Wednesday afternoons before Student Senate picks up the recycling bins from classrooms. For the past 3 years, almost every Wednesday when he is available, Johnson has sang for teachers to put blue recycling bins in the hall to the tune of a popular or
well known song. “Sing it loud and people will listen,” said Johnson, as he believes that often teachers would forget to put their bins in the hall with a simple, boring announcement. Not everyone has the guts to put their voice out there, live, for the whole school to hear, but Johnson believes it has to be done, for the good of the environment. Johnson chooses which songs to cover with his message of recycling by just using songs he hears. Many of these songs are popular on the internet or are played on the radio a lot. The first time Johnson ever sang the announcement for teachers to put blue bins in the hall was around halfway through the 13-14 school year. The first song that he ever covered was “Don’t Drop That Thun Thun” by Finatticz. Since then there have been countless different songs covered by Johnson. His personal favorite song that he has covered was “This Is How We Do It” by Montell Jordan.
In most of his covers, Johnson would sing only a single verse telling teachers to put their bins in the hall, although on a few special songs, Johnson would add multiple verses to the song. I had the honor of hearing Johnson sing his “This Is How We Do It” cover, in which he went on with second and third verses about about the environment. As this is Johnson’s last year here at Wash, he will finish out the year singing for teachers to put blue bins in the hall on the announcements, but he is looking for a possible replacement for years to come. His only hope is that the replacement will be able to keep up with the standard that he has set.
by CC
Tales of a Spring Break Nothing
Jake Truemper Staff Writer We all have that special memory of the awesome spring break when we got to leave the cold death grip of Iowa, but some students only have a handful of these memories, and find themselves stuck in Iowa more often than none. While Iowa may not be as beautiful as the tropical Belize or the beautiful Florida, it still has a lot of great times ahead for those students not leaving. For Emily Bierbaum, ’16, Iowa spring break still has a lot to offer. When asked what her highlight of Spring Break 2016 will be Emily said, “Moving out to my new house.” She may not be leaving Iowa, but this new and exciting experience will be with Emily for awhile. Emily Burke
Who knows, maybe Iowa will get lucky and not be freezing cold, but it is Iowa, so let’s not get our hopes up. With our state’s random weather we could see -10 degrees, or above 50 degrees and beautiful. For Kellen Ochs, ’19, cold weather would be great, because when asked where he would go for spring break he said, “Somewhere cold.” This was shocking to hear, considering Iowa is always cold over the winter. Why on earth would you want to leave Iowa for somewhere colder? The world may never know. For other who aren’t as crazy as Ochs, like Rachel Hartwig, ’18, anywhere that is warm seems perfect. While the cold, dry Iowa weather may seem depressing and
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terrible, there are some advantages. For one thing, Iowa is pretty cheap with gas prices at $1.59 (as of press time), and affordable restaurants. When asked how much she planned to spend, Hartwig said $50. As a budget for an entire week, this isn’t that steep. However, for Nolan Cavanaugh, ’18, $50 just doesn’t cut it; he plans on doubling that and spending $100 here in good ol’ Iowa...
...continue reading Jake’s story at www.CRWashSurveyor.com CC by Petr Kratochvil
Profiles
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Sarah Altemeier Staff Writer Three Cedar Rapids high schools. Three boys’ basketball teams. Three starting sophomore point guards. Three dreams. All beginning their basketball career around the age four, Derrick Diggins, Matt Mims and Hunter Strait have grown up playing with and against each other on club teams. Now, they all play and compete against each other at the high school level. The 6-foot-1 Derrick Diggins plays for Kennedy, 5-11 Mims for Xaiver and 6-0 Strait for Washington. Diggins has played in 19 games this year, averaging 12.5 points per game. He is shooting 44.3 percent from the field, 33.3 from the 3-point line, and hitting 68 percent of his free throws. Diggins has 43 assists and 18 steals. “One thing that makes me different or better than other point guards is that I can play multiple positions,” Diggins said. “My greatest strength is my awareness and how I see the game, but I can work on everything. I can always get better.” He hopes to continue his basketball career in college and would love to play at Duke.
Three Dreams Mims has played in 16 games this year and averages 12.3 points per game. He is hitting 47.3 percent of his shots, including 37.5 from 3-point range. He has connected on 77.3 percent of his free throws and has 65 assists and 39 steals. “I’m able to create for myself, but also my teammates,” Mims said. “I’m a pretty good leader for my team. My greatest strength is probably my ability to shoot off the dribble or my defense.” Like Diggins, Mims believes he can improve in all aspects of his game. He wants basketball to take him as far as possible and play at the highest level in college. Strait is averaging 13.6 points in 19 games, shooting 41.9 percent from the field and 30.9 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. He is hitting 66.7 percent of his free throws, has 64 assists and 35 steals. “My greatest strength is definitely my ability to make the other people on my team better,” Strait said. “Whether it’s getting them the ball for an open shot or setting them a screen or even just motivating and keeping them engaged and focused on the win throughout the game. “I could definitely work on my confi-
Graphic by Seth Keppler
This story first appeared on IowaPrepSports.com on Feb. 18
dence. This year and basically my whole basketball career I haven’t had much confidence in my scoring ability. I would say just I need to work on knowing when I’m shooting or driving to the lane that I am going to make the shot and not worry or doubt whether the shot is going to go in or not.” Strait’s ultimate goal is to play in college. He doesn’t know if he would want to play after college or not, but he definitely wants to become a coach like his mother some day. In head-to-head competition this year, Xavier beat Washington, Washington beat Kennedy (twice) and Kennedy beat Xavier. The Cedar Rapids area will get to watch these sophomore point guards lead their teams and compete on the court for the next couple years. Good things really do come in threes.
Photos used courtesy of Cedar Rapids Gazette
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Sports
Sports Editor
Brandon Cullen
Jonathan Melander Multi Media Editor
Swimming Legacy
Washington’s know for many sports, but one that doesn’t get enough recognition is swimming. The Warrior men’s swim team just claimed their 53rd consecutive district title a while back. Obviously this streak of wins is a big deal for our school and something we should be proud about. The 53rd district title was a massive win for the Warriors as far as making new school records, and even some state records claimed by some Warrior swimmers. Cameron Kelley, ’17, came away from the meet having made multiple new Wash records, including ones in the 200 free and the 500 free. “At this time of the year, my only focus is state,” Kelley said. “Being successful at other meets is just a byproduct.” Senior Nick Saulnier also came through
with multiple individual wins playing a large part in the Warriors’ win. His performance in the 200 individual medley and the 100 backstroke qualified him for the state meet in both events for the fourth year in a row. Together, Kelley and Saulnier had multiple event wins in addition to wins in other relay events. “I’m so happy with how our team did. As a senior, I’m super proud. It feels so good,” Saulnier said. Sophomore George Durin had a big win the 100 free as well, coming in at 47.64 seconds, which gave the warriors a slight six-point lead after six events. The team finished with 421 points overall. “It was a great day for the kids and for the Warriors in general,” Wash’s Coach
Cruise said. “A total team victory, I think, just like so many of these are. It’s not just any one kid, but everybody contributes. Everybody scores points.” Linn-Mar and Jefferson also had multiple individual event wins, with Kennedy finishing third overall and Jefferson finishing sixth overall. “As a coach, it’s great to see these guys execute on all the things we’ve been working on all year,” Linn-Mar Coach Tom Belin said. This was a big district title for the Warriors, what with many individual event wins, school wins, and state qualifying runs. The Warriors continue to come to the district meet every year ready to beat the competition, and it seems like we’re in line to get title number 54 next year.
Photo by Scott McWherter
Brandon Cullen
Sports Editor
Sports
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Riley Dewolf Staff Writer
Girl’s Basketball Picking Up W’s
Coach Frank Howell has guided the Women’s Varsity Basketball Team throughout their successful 2015-2016 season. Howell is an experienced coach, having coached at the high school level for 24 years - 22 as a head coach, 13 of which were at Wash - but that isn’t the only thing the team has going for them. The fact that the players are also all familiar with the game, as they have all grown up playing it, is something else which has contributed to their success. Howell explains that although they lack players who are above six feet tall, he knows that, “[They] have probably more speed, and have some good shooters too.” Joniqua Clark, ’16, is a 5 foot 11 inch starting point guard who has carried a huge role in leading the team. She is viewed as the playmaker for the team, and is also known for being number five in the
Gunnar Bosking Sports Editor
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Sports
Photo from Surveyor Archives
younger team is still learning, they have improved much more quickly than teams dominated by seniors. The team is 8-5 in the league as their season is coming to an end. Their first substate game was on Saturday, Feb. 20 (a home game) where they played Davenport West and won big, 78-578. The winner will proceed to the following game, which is the state game that will be played at Johnston against No.1 Johnston on Tuesday, Feb. 23.
March Madness is on the Way
Duke, Kentucky, Louisville and North Carolina. These are the typical names that a basketball fan might hear during the discussion of “NCAA #1 seeds”. The only difference between past discussions and the 2016 discussion is the fact that none of them are included. Instead, the underdog teams of the Villanova Wildcats, Maryland Terrapins, and the always-impressive Iowa Hawkeyes have thrown their hats into the ring. The storied University of North Carolina, led by standout point guard and former Linn-Mar prep Marcus Paige, started out the season at #1 in the AP poll, as they usually have in previous years. The security of that spot atop the totem pole quickly was quickly diminished when the Tar Heels paid a visit to Northern Iowa and were Photo from ncaa.org
state for most amount of steals. She is very proud of her team, explaining that, “Everyone on the team is important and helps in a certain way, we all pull for each other.” Although the upperclassmen dominate this team in numbers, there seems to be some respect for the younger end of the team. According to 5 foot 11 inch Devon O’Donnell, ’17, this year’s upperclassmen are different than in previous years. “The upperclassmen are more accepting,” she explains. “We all see each other as equals, and that’s really important.” This certainly says something about both the older and younger players, given that there are two sophomores and two freshmen who play on the team. Coach Howell feels as though their consistent positive and hardworking attitudes have helped the team improve. He also feels that while the
upset by the Panthers, who have a bit of a history of playing spoiler when playing top teams, by a score of 71-67. No one knew it yet, but the Panthers had started a small streak that day, as the Iowa State Cyclones knocked off the #1 Oklahoma Sooners and the Hawkeyes made short work of Michigan State. This dominance by the state of Iowa has created a major shake-up in the world of NCAA men’s basketball. March Madness, the name for the famed NCAA tournament, will begin this year’s Round of 64 on Tuesday, March 15 at Dayton University in Dayton Ohio. From there, the tournament will travel all around the country to places like Seattle, Omaha, Los Angeles, and finally, to San Antonio for the Final Four, and then off to Houston for the title game.
Last year’s Final Four was a spectacle, as Big Ten powerhouse Wisconsin Badgers, led by senior center Frank Kamisky, shocked the #1 ranked Kentucky Wildcats, who were making headlines as being a “one and done” team, meaning that they were loaded with top freshmen who would play one season and then move on to the NBA. In the championship, the Badgers were edged by the Duke Blue Devils, winning their historic fifth title. This year’s tournament is projected to be another show, as it will be stacked with underdogs and potential upsets. Tune in at the end of March, to see one of the greatest basketball events in the world.
Sports Editor
Gunnar Bosking
Billy Lemos Staff Writer
THE LIFE OF PABLO THE LIFE OF PABLO THE LIFE OF PABLO
“The Life of Pablo” is the type of album that you listen to once and immediately know you’ll be listening to for years to come. Mixing the sounds of the “The College Dropout” and “808’s and Heartbreak” eras with the instrumental complexity of “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”, Kanye is ditching the rushed and rough sounds of “Yeezus” and returning to what he does best. The album has a tremendous amount of variety in both song structure and lyrical content. In the songs that are lacking solid lyrical content, the production takes over with the strong selection of samples that are seamlessly laid into each track. The album starts off on a high note, with the soulful, gospel production Kanye
promised and a feature from Chance the Rapper. Following up the first track is “Father Stretch My Hands”, a two-part masterpiece with the first good feature from Kid Cudi in years. In “Low/High Lights”, Kanye delivers a classic “Graduation” era instrumental with stylized, autotuned vocals. Later, “Waves” stands out as an incredibly positive and upbeat track that will be topping radio charts in no time. Following this track is “FML”, in which The Weeknd is featured - this is a lyrically deep and depressing standout on the album, which contains a simple, but melodic, instrumental. “Wolves” was one of the few songs I found
disappointing on the album. Originally, the track featured both Vic Mensa and Sia, but both of these parts have been stripped from the final song. The saving grace of the song, though, is the surprise feature from Frank Ocean, returning after a long (and unnecessary) absence. The rest of the songs are “extras”, but two songs stand out: “30 Hours” and “Fade”. “30 Hours” is the “Last Call” of this album, harkening back to the way Kanye credited everyone on “The College Dropout”. “Fade” is a banger with a memorable bassline and vocals from Ty Dolla $ign. As a whole, the album is a bit disjointed, but works perfectly as a collection of individually well-crafted songs.
Deadpool Review
Becca Turnis Staff Writer When a movie has been lost in development hell for a over a decade, you either don’t expect it to get made, or you don’t expect it to do very well. Deadpool somehow managed to do both, the latter exceptionally well. As of press time, the film has broken 14 box office records, which include February opening weekend, 20th Century Fox opening weekend, and R-rated opening weekend, having made $282.1 million worldwide. Deadpool first made an appearance in 2009’s “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”. The production was marred by delays, arguments between staff, and worst of all, a PG-13 Deadpool. Not wanting to make the same mistake again, Fox decided to make the first R-rated film in its X-Men franchise. Deadpool has officially paved the way for the R-rated superhero film. And trust me, it deserves that R-rating. According to pluggedin.com, a Christian Addi Westpheling
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review site, there are about 75 f-words, 40 s-words, and copious amounts of other foul language. He isn’t called the ‘Merc with a Mouth’ for no reason. With all this, plus a fair amount of graphic nudity and some extreme violence, it should surprise no one that this film is not made for children. Sorry, freshmen. Aside from that, Deadpool is one of the funniest movies of all time. Reynolds’ wit and charm will have you cackling throughout the entire film. X-Men Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead also have a good few quips of their own. Colossus can be compared to the Captain America in “Age of Ultron” in that he’s the voice of reason that wants Deadpool to clean up his act, lose the mouth, and start walking the straight-and-narrow. Negasonic may be the epitome of moody teenager, but she’s also one of the most powerful mutants in the film.
To wrap this up, I’ll just say this: if you want to see a movie about a pansexual mercenary with a potty mouth, who breaks all 16 walls (you’ll understand that later), fights with some dish soap (you’ll get that soon, too) and hangs out with a tin can, then this movie is definitely for you.
Photo from 20th Century Fox
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Rielle Jones-Teske Multimedia Editor
MoShow 2016
MoShow is performing arts fundraiser for Washington High School where show choirs from all over Iowa come to compete. It took place on Feb. 13.
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Addi Westpheling
Large Group Speech Ben Janssen Staff Writer Over 100 students at Wash are involved in speech, and they work for hours each week to prepare for - at most - three performances. In some cases, a group may only perform once, and won’t get a score high enough to advance in the state-wide speech competition. However, due to the groups’ usually small sizes, it’s easier for them all to work together. They are each taught based upon what they need. “The smaller groups of students allow us to not only drive toward a final performance, but I also have the chance to teach students specific skills to help shape their talents,” Coach Carolyn Tinkham said. Speech is a competition that consists of numerous categories, from mime to musical theatres, all with different unique
aspects making them fun and exciting. The performances are given ratings by judges that are, from best to worst, I, II, III, IV. “The best part of speech is the performance, you get to show everyone how hard you’ve worked and that’s really cool,” Paul Linville, ’19, said. The teams starts off at the district competition and hope to advance to the state competition. The groups get judged and are given ratings, and if the rating is high enough they advance to state. Wash sent 22 groups to the district competition, 18 of whom advanced to the state competition - but it doesn’t end there. Next, those 18 groups performed at state in order to advance to the All State level. Of those groups, 16 received a I rating, and two received a II rating. All of the
groups performed very well, but they have to receive an “Outstanding” nomination to advance to the All State Festival in Ames, Iowa on Feb. 20, 2016. Five groups achieved that. These groups made it to All State, the pinnacle of Iowa High School Speech. They perform there to get scored by judges, and also to enjoy the atmosphere around the whole experience. “It’s cool to go to All State to experience it and see all of the top groups in the state,” Rahel Nshimirimana, ’18, said. These students work so hard while assured just one performance. They go to practices week after week, and come back year after year and may never make it past the district meet. These students embody what it means to be a Warrior.
Five teams made All State
Currents//Tame Impala Matthew Andersland Staff Writer I sat down for a good 51 minutes and gave the album “Currents” by Tame Impala a listen. The group Tame Impala - an Indie Rock band that started in Australia in mid2007 - released their third studio album, “Currents” on Jul. 7, 2015. The vocals in this album are sung by the creator of the group, Kevin Parker. The style of the entire album has a really calm soothing flow to it, with lots of guitar, drum riffs, and synthesizer. In my opinion, as far as instrumentals go, the group almost seems like a modern day “Pink Floyd.” The instrumentals for the album are almost all done by Kevin Parker, then edited over each other on the track. The other members of the group, Jay Watson and Dominic Simper, are not featured in any tracks in the album, as Parker does everything in every song. However, if you were to see Tame Impala live, then you Addi Westpheling
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would see these other members. Lyrically, the album seems to be from the point of view of a young man who recently went through a difficult breakup, and is trying to get back together with his significant other. Many of the songs deal with love, loss, anxiety and sadness. The ideas expressed in the lyrics are probably relatable to the majority of young adults, as many people still feel relatively lost at that age. The album really makes you think about the effect you have on others during that ever-changing time in a person’s life. My favorite song on the album is probably “The Less I Know The Better”. The song has a very catchy beat, and is focused around someone who is trying to get over an old girlfriend who has already moved on. The album’s themes also include how life moves on and how not everyone will
accept you. The message I get from the album is that you have to be your own person and live your own life. I would recommend this album to anyone going through tough times, or anyone who is just generally stressed out with life. It helps you put everything in perspective, and reminds you that sometimes you just need to let go and let things happen.
Photo from Interscope Records
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Faculty Funnies “I can’t spell or teach math.” -Mr. Fisher “I’ll touch you... and you won’t like it.” -Anonymous “Yeah, because the venereal guessing game is just so much fun.” -Mr. M “[Heavy breathing] G--DAMMIT!” -Mr. Scherrman
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MARCH MOVIE “PLAYLIST” Moneyball American Sniper Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope Star Wars: Episode V Empire Strikes Back Moulin Rouge Deadpool Blazing Saddles Inglorious Bastards Nacho Libre BBC’s Pride and Prejudice Dirty Dancing The Perks of Being a Wallflower The Big Lebowski Big Hero 6 Tucker & Dale vs. Evil Life is Beautiful
“Oh it’s so hard to be a handsome, rich white guy.” -Mr. Phillips “Oscars, Grammies - what’s the difference?” -Mr. Harte “It’s just your grade.” -Dr. Kahler “It’s supposed to be a delta, but it looks like a Teletubby.” -Mr. Kleman “Yeah, he uses a s---load of pathos.” -Mr. Duer
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Washington’s top show choir, Momentum, performing at MoShow 2k16