November 2007

2205 Forest Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52403 Volume 51, Number 3 November 14, 2007

Been sick this school year?

You’re not alone, pages 6-7

The girls are back

Carter Oswood/ Surveyor

Above: Seniors Kaitlin Armstrong, Micha Mims, and Katelin Oney jump for an airborne basketball as they practice for their highly anticipated season. Story on page 11.

MORE INSIDE SURVEYOR Student Debuts on You Tube Molly James gets the details on creative Internet videos from Wash students. page 10

Nervous about Finals?

News offer tips with the visual help of Sarah Van Deest and Sam Summer on how to suffer through finals successfully before fall break. page 3

Page 2

NEWS

November 14, 2007

Callahan uses the Heimlich to save student

Briefly Aida takes the stage

Kestrel Henry Staff Writer

Megan Barnes/ Surveyor

The fall musical, Aida, closed its doors last Saturday night after a successful three-night run.

Staph infection finds a home in CR For the first time in over 20 years, the Staph infection has made a stake in Cedar Rapids.

Four students at Jefferson High School have been diagnosed with the disease that is currently sweeping the nation. Although the source of each student’s infection is yet to be confirmed, it is speculated that all four students were exposed to the disease while at school.

So far the students have not shown any symptoms of carrying the life threatening strand.

Freshman Bachelor of the Month: Ian Fischer

His face was turning purple.

“I couldn’t get a breath,” said Sean Sanford, ‘10. “I was really scared.”

Sanford had been reading in Tim Çallahan’s ninth-grade LA class on Oct. 25 when he broke the sucker he’d been eating and started choking on the stick. He was coughing badly and his eyes were watering.

“I could tell that he was in trouble,” said Callahan.

Seeing something was wrong, he took Sanford out into the completely deserted hallway. The coughing turned to wheezing and Sanford stopped breathing altogether, the stick lodged in Megan Barnes/ Surveyor his throat. Callahan grasped him around the waist and gave him the Language arts teacher Tim Callahan stands next to Sean Sanford, ‘10, after performing the Heimlich maneuver to save his life on Oct. 25.

Heimlich maneuver.

“I’ve never done it on anybody,” room at the time of the incident. He hand.

Callahan said. “I didn’t have time noticed Sanford coughing, but didn’t Callahan said he’d seen a story about to think - it was total instinct.”

It wasn’t until afterwards that he think much of it at the time. He an elementary school teacher doing the realized the enormity of what he’d couldn’t tell what was happening in same thing that week, but that he never done. “It happened so fast that I wasn’t the hallway, but he learned what had thought he’d have to use the Heimlich afraid,” he said. “After is when it kind occurred from Callahan. “He said his on anyone. “You never know when heart was beating as fast as it could.” you’re going to need to do something of hit me.”

Sanford said of his friends, “They like that,” he said. “You just react more The sixth hour LA students were just as impressed. “They said, ‘Mr. C, you were just like, ‘are you okay, I’m glad than anything and hope you do the you’re not dead.’” After the incident right thing.” saved his life!’” said Callahan.

Trent Buchanan, ‘10, was in the he thanked Callahan and shook his

Global warming: How green are you?

Lauren Sines Guest Writer

Megan Barnes/ Surveyor

Senior Surveyor staff women pose with November’s most eligible freshman, Ian Fischer, ‘10.

Fourteen-year-old Ian Fischer has received the first Freshman Bachelor of the Month honor from the Surveyor.

He is a three sport athlete who loves going to parties and the color blue. Fischer’s ideal date includes sailing at sunset on the Mediterranean Sea next to Diddy’s yacht while being seranated by Frank Sinatra. This handsome blondie is surprisingly single and just waiting for that special some-

After losing a close presidential race in 2000, Al Gore began campaigning for something new, our Earth.

His years of work have finally won him some recognition. Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in raising awareness about global warming, a phenomenon many people still don’t believe is happening. Gore received the medal on Oct. 3. Gore travels all over the world giving presentations about climate change and the effect it is having on the Earth.

Dennis Schlict, Environmental Sciences teacher at Washington High School, explained that people who don’t believe that global warming is happening either don’t want to believe it or are uninformed. “It isn’t an evil thought

they just want to live their own little of global warming, but trees budding lives,” said Schlict. The problem of in the wrong season and bugs coming people being uninformed can be easily out at the wrong time are. “It’s hard to grasp it all from our own little fixed by oblives,” said Schlict. serving your Schlict advises thinking about surroundyour own carbon footprint. Your ings, and carbon footprint is the amount of watching carbon you release into the envidocumenronment each year. The less you taries, such release the more green your life is. a s G o r e ’s “Do I really need a 5,000-pound mov ie, An car for a 2,000-pound man and a Inconvebrief case?” asked Schlict. nient Truth, Schlict said.

Gore’s campaigning may have Schlict shot his political career in the Dennis Schlict said that the foot, according to Schlict, but movie does a his efforts could potentially help pretty good save our planet. More and more job of getting people to “think big.” He people are being informed about their explained that a couple of warm days harmful lifestyles. in your life aren’t necessarily a result

“Do I really need a 5,000pound car for a 200-pound man and a briefcase?”

Iowa Caucus attracts nation’s master debaters Max Ernst Guest Writer Washington’s early dismissal on Friday, Oct. 25 meant one more hour of fun and relaxation for most students.

For members of the WHS Debate Team, though, the early dismissal meant something entirely different.

This day, the team hosted the Iowa Caucus Debate Tournament, an event held annually at Washington. High school policy debate teams came from across the country to participate in a competitive series of debate rounds. Almost 270 kids from 42 schools entered the tournament, filling most of the classrooms at both Washington High School and Franklin Middle School. Nearly one dozen states were represented, constituting the largest event Washington hosts.

“Our tournament helps to encapsulate what is really good about debate — the national focus of the activity, the hard work put in by the debaters, and the collaborative effort of students and parents to make it a successful event,” said Warren Sprouse, head debate coach.

For Washington debaters, the fact that their program was hosting a large tournament meant a long weekend ahead of them. Chase Lehrman, ‘10, a WHS varsity debater, said Photo compliments of Sharon Kann Iowa Caucus is a big tournament and is important in the Washington student Tracey Cook, ‘10, works at the Iowa context of team advancement.

Caucus.

“A lot of people come. If you do well here, you might get a chance to go to the TOC — that’s a really competitive tournament for successful debaters,” Lehrman said.

As hosts, WHS debaters were not permitted to participate in the tournament, but had to dedicate a great deal of their Friday afternoon and Saturday to assisting with the tournament. Their tasks included setting up during mealtimes, collecting judge’s ballots, and ensuring tournament guidelines were followed.

The students who entered the tournament were excited and nervous to compete. Anna Koelsch, ‘10, a Henry Sibley High School debater from Minnesota, was anxiously engaged in last-minute preparations just before the tournament in the Washington cafeteria.

“I’m really nervous about the tournament. We’re running [a new affirmative position] in all of our rounds, and I hope I can get my message across successfully,” said Koelsch.

For many Washington students, the early dismissal was simply a chance to get out of school early and enjoy the fall weather. To the WHS debate community, it signaled a long weekend of work ahead. For the national debate community, the Iowa Caucus Debate Tournament was a chance to be a part of a highly competitive event hosted by the prominent WHS debate program.

NEWS

November 14, 2007

Page 3

Trick or treat cans ?

Madeline Steiner Staff Writer

While the drive raised a significant amount of food for the center before Thanksgiving, the group felt they could have gotten On Oct. 31, Adastra had its annual can more donations if they had had more time.

To help accommodate the band members food drive. About 30 seniors involved in the National Honor Society met in the North and the fans who wanted to go to the playoff parking lot dressed in their Halloween cos- game at Kingston Stadium that night, Adastra had to start tumes ready to t he s er v ic e ask for canned project at an goods. earlier time.

“A s o u r This year they first Adastra started at five service projo’clock a nd e c t , it w a s only asked for ha rd to ordonations for chestrate, but an hour. it turned out “Although pretty well,” we’re happy s a id A bb e y the boys made Gesing ‘08, it to the playan Adastra offs, we were officer. sad that our Members service projof t he Na Laura Hart/ Surveyor tional Honor Adastra members gather for a photo on before going door ect was comp r o m i s e d ,” Societ y met to door asking for cans for the Madge Phillips Center. said Gesing. and divided While the into groups of four or five and headed out to about seven project had a few setbacks, the group was different neighborhoods on the southeast and still able to dress up and make a contribution northeast side of town. Each group went door to the center.

Everybody who participated came dressed to door, and instead of trick-or-treating for up and there were a variety of different coscandy, asked for canned goods.

“People were really weirded out when they tumes. The most memorable costumes were saw 18-year-olds trick-or-treating, but after Katie Jones, as a red crayon; Laura Hart, as a we explained it, they were willing to help,” ninja turtle; and Stella Hart as Bill Cosby.

Adastra has more service projects coming said Gesing.

Adastra donated about 10 boxes of canned up, including a blood drive in January. As of goods to the Madge Phillips Center, a char- now, Gesing and fellow officers Laura Hart, ity dedicated to helping homeless and near- Sarah Van Deest and Trevor Johnson, all ‘08, homeless women and children. The center are working on some holiday related projects offers basic needs, information, support, and for the near future. skill development so women can gain family stability.

WHS Leaders face tough issues Abby Varn Staff writer

of time for fun.

“This year we did activities like tug-o-war, and balloon tag. Both of these activities were On Oct. 29, the majority of the fresh- pretty fun,” said Mariah Althoff, ‘10.

With the balance of fun and learning, the man and sophomore classes gathered with upperclassmen leaders at Camp Wapsie for retreat seemed to satisfy the campers.

“I enjoyed it a lot because I had a lot of the annual leadership retreat. my friends with me and we Ever y yea r, unhad counselors, not teachers, dercla ssmen travel watching us,” said Abby Shey, to Camp Wapsie for ‘11. the overnight retreat, “I think the underclassmen where they are split enjoyed themselves. They were i nto g roup s , pl ay all very good at sharing ideas games and learn about and being a part of the group. leadership and how All had a good time that I know to make a difference of,” said Timmons. within the school.

Some were even influenced “At the retreat, we to become future retreat leadplayed several leaders. ership games, name “I would like to be a leader g a me s , a nd ot her Sally Timmons, ‘08 next year because I enjoy takgames to make the ing part in these types of leadcampers feel comfortable and welcome, “ explained Sally ership retreats,” said Althoff.

While success seemed to be a common Timmons, ‘08. Timmons was a leader this opinion for this retreat, there were some sugyear.

“We talked about the pros and cons of gestions for improvement.

“I think they should change that you have Washington, and ways to (eliminate) gossip, cheating, and discrimination. At the end, the to sit with your group for meals, because different teams had to share their thoughts,” that should be a time where you can talk to anyone you want to. Plus no one really does said Timmons.

While the groups discussed the serious it anyway,” said Althoff. issues at Washington, they also made plenty

“We talked about the pros and cons of Washington, and ways to (eliminate) gossip, cheating, and discrimination...”

It’s Miller time: Math team starts strong Tyler Hubler Staff Writer Crunching numbers and solving challenging story problems are all part of the fun for the Washington High School Math Team. The math team is coached by Matthew Miller, Math teacher, and led by veterans Jason McDowell, ‘08, and Wes Keene, ‘09.

“Over the course of the year we will have 15 kids participate (on the Math Team),” said Miller. The varying number of participants on the math team is due to members having other school activities conflict with competi-

tions and Friday practices.

After only two competitions this fall, the math team has already achieved great success.

At the Waverly Shell Rock High School’s Invitational on Nov. 6 (the team’s second competition), McDowell, ‘08, and Keene, ‘09, each individually qualified for the state tournament, along with Luke Reynolds, ‘09, who qualified due to the overall team score.

These Warrior mathletes face tough competition all year, especially from perennial power-Iowa City West High School.

“My goal is to win, and have two kids finish in the top 10 at state,” said Miller.

Eleanor Vernon/ Surveyor

Surveyor models, Sarah Van Deest and Sam Summer, both ‘08, act out four of our study tips: studying, sleeping, stretching, and drinking lots of water.

Finals for Dummies: a guide to acing your final exams Short of giving you the answers to all of your exams, here are some helpful hints to get you through the next two days of tests.

Sleep

Sleep, sleep, sleep. It can not be emphasized enough according to Larry Simons, one of the counselors at Washington High School. It is important to have “the ability to think clearly,” says Simons. He suggests that it is better for students to sleep more rather than cramming until the last minute.

Food

“Brain food” is a must. Eating a healthy breakfast just might make all the difference. A study by the University of Minnesota’s Center for Applied Research and Educational Achievement showed that students who ate a healthy breakfast in the morning improved their test scores significantly.

Stretch

Stretching and exercising is a good way to relieve stress. A quick bike ride around the block, a treadmill run, or just a few minutes of stretching will make you feel much better and ready to begin studying again.

Hydrate

Drinking lots of water is key to boosting your capacity to learn by warding off the effects of dehydration such as thirst, tiredness, and irritability. When were are thirty mental performance decreases by 10 percent.

Smart Studying

Another key to finals week is studying what is needed. “Study appropriately,” says Simons. Make sure you ask each of your teachers to clarify exactly what materials to study for their exam.

Rachel Owens

OPINIONS

November 14, 2007

Stay cool, chil-lax Staff Editorial

Sleep. Have we all forgotten how important it is? A typical student at Wash has two to three hours of homework each night, along with a billion extracurricular activities going on, not to mention jobs and errands to run. Okay, so maybe not a billion extra activities, but enough to deprive us of our sleep and minds.

Teenagers need approximately 8-10 hours of sleep each night. If we finish school at 3 p.m. and have a sports or performing arts practice for another two hours, we don’t get home until 5 p.m. or 5:30 p.m.

Then, add in the nights where all of our teachers assign homework.

Does this sound familiar?

Unfortunately, we can’t ask our teachers to stop assigning homework or to stop getting involved in our school. This is apart of being a high school student. However, one thing we could all work on is remembering to relax.

How many people actually take time to stop, and evaluate what they are about to do next? We have so many thoughts running through

our heads constantly, it is hard to focus on what we need to accomplish next. Here is a tirck. Stop. Breathe.

“Remember, take some time off for yourself. Relax tonight.”

-Surveyor Staff Recognize your homework situation, but take it piece by piece.

We are all overwhelmed with finals tomorrow. We have been studying non-stop. But remember that you need to take some time off for yourself. Relax tonight, don’t cram in the math equations or chemistry formulas. To be honest, cramming doesn’t help. What will help you achieve that A is relaxing tonight. Put in your favorite movie, or read a good book. Go to the gym and work out or grab a bite to eat with your friends. You have worked so hard, give yourself a break.

Roses & Thorns

Roses to...

Thorns to...

-Thanksgiving break and end of first trimester -Successful Leadership Retreat -Excellent performance by diverse cast of Aida -Fall and leaves changing colors -Football team for beating Kennedy again and making it to the playoffs!

-All those who made it to AllState -Cross country boys and girls and their 6th and 8th in state -Coach Coates getting Coach of the year in cross country -Girls swimming 7th in state -A successful Iowa Caucus Debate Tournament -Faith Club for breaking down the stereotypes -Mr. Rieck is back, “Science baby, science!”

-Math team qualifying for state -Mr. Harte’s marathon run in Minneapolis!

-Fight song playing during passing time -One more hour of sleep, yay daylight savings!

-FINALS!!

-Anyone who’s not a Warrior -People setting fires in bathrooms -Torture at Guantanamo Bay -Unrest in Pakistan -Faked FEMA press conference -California wildfires -Cross country and swimming team not getting a special assembly after they made it to State -Not having money to fill up your tank -Speeding tickets, racism -When bathrooms run out of paper towels -Cold weather and getting sick -Poor school spirit -Drugs, dropouts, skippers -Christmas commercials in October -Ladybug infection in cabin at Wapsie for leadership retreat -Too many late night events leaving no time for homework or sleep -One less hour of daylight, makes life kind of gloomy

Page 4

Ethanol, not way to go Ethanol. We all know it. We’ve all seen it at local gas stations. We’ve all heard politicians raving about the wonders of ethanol made from corn, and how corn is the “fuel of the future”. Is this really true? Well, in a word, no. Ethanol made from corn could not even come close to replacing gasoline. If we turned our entire corn crop into ethanol, it would replace just 12 percent of our gasoline, all the while squeezing supplies of corn and corn products.

Dan Ethanol isn’t even that enviWilliams ronmentally sound, as it takes almost as much fossil fuel to make ethanol than it replaces, not to mention the large amounts of herbicides and nitrogen fertilizer that corn needs to grow. So really, is ethanol the way to go? No, there are many alternatives that are more beneficial, though they all have their drawbacks…..

Biofuels Compared Corn: CO2 Emissions: 22% less than gasoline, Energy balance (Fossil-fuel energy used to make the fuel “input” compared with the energy in the fuel “output”): 1:1.3 U.S. Retail Price: Gasoline- $3.03 Ethanol (E85)- $2.62 Pros: Limited dependence on foreign oil.

Cons: Limited energy balance.

Sugarcane: CO2 Emissions: 56% less than gasoline Energy balance: 1:8 Brazil Retail Price: Gasoline- $4.9 Ethanol$2.92 Pros: Good energy balance; research is being conducted to increase the efficiency to 1:12.

Cons: Monocultures of only sugarcane spreading throughout the landscapes displacing more

biologically diverse areas; also could lead to deforestation of rainforests.

Biodiesel: CO2 Emissions: 68% less than gasoline, Energy balance: 1:2.5 Germany Retail Price: Diesel- $6.15 Biodiesel$6.80 Pros: Easier and more energy efficient to make.

Cons: Very low yield (8-9 gallons per acre).

Cellulose: CO2 Emissions: 91% less than gasoline, Energy balance: 1:2-36 (depending on production method) Retail Price: Still in development; no current production.

Pros: The goal to what everybody is driving towards. Takes “food” out of the equation; you can make ethanol from anything from garbage to sawdust to fast growing trees to crop wastes to prairie grasses.

Cons: Expensive, burn more ethanol than you would if you were burning simply gasoline.

Goals: Lower the cost. If it works, we would be able to produce most of our own transportation fuel, while having less CO2 going into the atmosphere.

Algae: Not enough research, but enormous potential.

Pros: Can grow it in almost any kind of water; can produce a lot of biodiesel (5000 gallons an acre each year) Cons: Finding the right species of algae, and finding methods to harvest the algae in ways that are economic.

Source: www.nationalgeographic.com

Greg Hansen/Surveyor

Recently wildfires in California wildfires forced the evacuation of over 500,000 people.

Surveyor Editorial Policy Surveyor is established as a schoolsponsored open forum dedicated to informing and entertaining readers. It is published nine times each school year by students in the Journalism News class at Washington High School. The staff will report as fairly and well-balanced as possible. All activities and news will be covered to the best of the staff’s ability. Surveyor accepts the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics as the basis for good journalistic ethics.

Editorials and reviews that appear under a byline are the opinion of the writer, not necessarily the staff. Unsigned editorials represent the majority of the Editorial Board. The Opinions section is designed to provide a forum for the opinions of the Surveyor staff and the Washington High School Community.

John Runde Editorin-chief

Letters and guest editorials Readers are encouraged to express their viewpoints through guest editorials.

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 300 words.

■ It is signed.

Eleanor Vernon News editor WRITERS Caitie Allen Maddy Becker Anne Brenneman Matt Ceryanec Alexis Guess

Fatima Wagdy Opinions editor

Laura Hart Profiles editor

Maddy Halyard Co-focus editor

Alex Taylor A&E editor

Megan Hartman Kestrel Henry Tyler Hubler Molly James Allie Johnson Lauren Kelley

Lauren Glantz Co-focus editor

Greg Hansen Graphics editor

Megan Barnes Photo editor

SPORTS EDITOR John Runde COPY EDITOR Aunna McDowell PHOTO STAFF Carter Oswood Sky Smith Lauren Hoth Jessica Wohlers

Emily Kopec Aunna McDowell Rachel Owens Molly Parker Sam Seyfer Abby Varn

Keile Wahle Dan Williams Mallory Williams Tiffany Westrom ADVISER Steve Riley

Page 5

OPINIONS

November 14, 2007

Pro-choice=pro-family When I picture my life now, I would have to say that things are going pretty OK. Although my AP Chem grade could stand to go up a grade level or two and the gas tank in my car is about as empty as my pockets, things are going alright.

But I can’t help but picture what my life would be like if circumstances were Allie different. For instance, I Johnson can’t even ponder how different my life would be if I was one of the 34 percent of girls, in 2005, who became pregnant before age 20.

Instead of staying up late to finish my AP US homework, I would be up to feed a screaming baby. And instead of driving back and forth to swim practice every day, the miles in my car would be spent driving to and from the daycare. I can’t help but pray that I never have to face that situation in high school. But, I know that there are people who have to make that decision, to keep a baby or not, way before they’re ready to. That’s why I’m sure many of them, along with myself, agree that this decision should be pro-choice.

However, many pro-life individuals support their cases by saying abortion means

“Children deserve families who want them and have the means and knowledge to care for them.” the death of an innocent child who never had the chance to defend itself. Aaron Aulwes and Joel Lydon, are two such supporters. They say, “We are helping to bring awareness to the thousands of unborn babies who aren’t ever given the opportunity to speak their mind or live their life.”

As wrong as killing is, maybe this is a better solution than subjecting the child to a life of welfare and poverty; because most teens lack the experience and/or money to parent correctly. A child takes a lot of time and energy to parent; they require constant care and attention that is almost impossible to provide at such a young age. Barely scraping by, or not at all, (although it may be the result of some very hard work) is not something that anyone should choose, if they had the choice, to put themselves, or their child through. Children deserve families who want them and have the means

Warriors speak out on abortion

Mackenzie Hartman ‘10

Joey Mescher ‘10 Adam Rosenberg ‘09

I’m a very religious person, so I’m going to say abortion is wrong.

That being said, there are times when it’s the best choice-if a 10 year old gets raped and pregnant, I’m not going to deny here an abortion.

Evan Anderson ‘10

I’m not pro-life because I believe the woman has a right to choose, but being pro-choice is not the same as pro-abortion. I hate ignorant people.

Seth Kuba ‘09 It should be allowed to those who want it. If you don’t like, don’t do it.

Don’t force it on everyone else.

This is not a majority decision, it is the right of the mother. Legislation making that decision would be unjust. If millions of people are starving, the resources we would potentially have if all the accidental or unwanted fetuses were aborted could save many lives. Our world is reaching its capacity.

I think that abortion is no better than having your baby and throwing them in a dumpster. The baby has every right to live.

Mothers do have choices, they can choose whether or not they would like to get pregnant. Or of course, there are cases of rape, incest, etc. But these things make up less than 1% of abortions in America.

Inequality still at the forefront White Privilege. Half of Americans will say there is no such thing, and the other half will say it is extremely prevalent. Personally, I don’t think either one is totally right. But the fact that there is such a disparity in opinion here goes to show that indeed neither is fully correct and there is something going on.

About two weeks ago, Nancy Wright, a professor of education at the University of Iowa, came to speak to Wash about the Fatima issue of White Privilege, a Wagdy term first coined by Peggy McIntosh, a pioneer in racial equality. One of her main concerns was that “there are systems in place to make discrimination possible.” McIntosh once said, “WP is an invisible package of unearned assets that I can count on cashing in everyday.” Sometimes, being of the same race of most the people around you makes everything a little bit easier. That opportunity, no matter how small, harbors resentment and inequality.

Wright did not focus on the “disadvantages of people of color.” She focused on the advantages of white people not held by others. Her goal was not to take them away,

but to give those advantages to all. I also agree with her on this point — that everyone deserves the same advantages. These may be The fact is, if one is not in another person’s shoes, they cannot possibly make a judgment on their behalf, or the situation as a whole. We have to come together and accept that everyone has a bias, and face the problems head on.

That being said, let’s address some of the issues to do with the many inequalities out there today. More specifically, I’ll focus on racial inequality, mostly because racial inequality is something we can change individually. If everyone attempted to reform the way they think, we could erase at least racial inequality-erasing stereotypes, assumptions, and trying to change those innate attitudes within us.

The change can begin here at school.

I commend those teachers and students who attended the presentation and are attempting to fight racial inequality. Let’s look at who was at the lecture given by Wright. The majority of the students who attended were of a minority, and half the school didn’t even know such an event occurred. I looked around and saw a few pale faces, clearly not representing the school as a whole. There is no question the event was

Jessica Wohlers/Surveyor

Aaron Aulwes and Joel Lydon, ‘09, protest abortion on the national Day of Silence. and knowledge to care for them.

Also, right now, all across the world, orphanages are filling up at an alarming rate.

Many lack compassionate caretakers and thousands of children end up abused or with emotional scars every year. By choosing life, the child is alive; but what kind of

life are they leading? Is this doing them any favors?

Before hating me for my supposed lack of compassion toward the unborn wavy black lines, just take a second to really think: What would you do if you had to make that choice?

‘Jingle bells ...,’ in October?

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. With the kids jingle belling, and everyone telling you, “Be of good cheer it’s the most wonderful time of the year.”

We are all familiar with the sight of “city sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday cheer” and the sounds of “sleigh bells ring, are you listening.”

Tiffany These cheery songs Westrom bring back all of the good feelings associated with Christmas, the family, the good food, the tree, the wrapped presents, etc.

The entire environment is usually happy, almost to the point of giddy, especially when there are little kids around.

Whether Christmas in your view is focused on the religious aspects, or if its just your opportunity to get gifts, most people who celebrate it thoroughly enjoy it. This is why Christmas is the longest lasting holiday out of the entire year.

People enjoy it so much that preparation begins the second the clock strikes midnight on Halloween. Red and green billboards, Christmas lights, and especially holiday catalogs are already being sighted. It is exciting when the Christmas environment arrives, but anytime before Thanksgiving is just plain irritating. Who could possibly want to skip aviation history and peanut butter lovers’ month which includes Veterans day and the holiday where you get to enjoy eating ten times as much as you are supposed to and then fall asleep on the couch after the football game?

The extended preparation tends to take a little bit away from the impor-

important. The Gazette was even there to take pictures and write a story about this presentation. But it seems the very people that needed to hear the message were not there at all. It is understandable that many were not there because it was during school, but then again, we get out of school for so many other random things that such an important issue seems like it should take more precedence.

However, I will not go to the extreme end of complete rage against the world in saying life is not fair. In America, I think everyone really does have access to mostly the same opportunities as everyone else, however, they are easier to come by for some than others. For example, coming from another country to America, im-

tance and uniqueness of that one day.

The tradition of giving gifts to your loved ones turns into a sometimes stressful situation that the media continues to play up and not a meaningful gesture.

And with all the stress we deal with daily, who would want to add to the commotion two months before we need to?

With Iowa’s unpredictable weather, we never know when the first snow of the season is going to come. So why would we want to hear “Dashing through the snow, in a one-horse open sleigh, over the fields we go, laughing all the way,” when we have no snow to go dashing through? Mainly because it doesn’t usually snow in the middle of November. Radio stations actually compete to see who can put out the best Christmas music first, and everyone tends to be hit upside the face with all the holiday cheer the morning after Thanksgiving.

It is unnecessary to start thinking about how “Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer had a very shiny nose,” or how we need to “Deck the halls with boughs of holly,” before we even give thanks for the things we do have before we start asking for more. However cheesy it may be, it is true. For all of you warm weather people, we still have one more month of fall to enjoy before we shove on our boots and shake out the winter coat, so lets savor it.

Yes, it is true that “It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” and that “Our troubles will be out of sight” and even that “all is merry and bright,” but lets not get too wrapped (no pun intended) up in the Christmas spirit just yet. migrants are often expected to know and learn everything about America. Minorities and immigrants in school need to be treated with equity, and not necessarily equality in this case. This would ensure they have comparable access to opportunities.

Obviously the issue of racial inequality is way beyond Wash, and affects the rest of America, and probably the rest of the world. But just because the rest of the world is this way does not mean we have to settle. Change always starts small. We’ve improved a lot as a country, but we’re not done yet. And by not acknowledging that there is still a problem at all, we cannot begin to change.

FOCUS

Page 6

Helping hand in health

Common illnesses around Washington re o S

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2% of students have had mono 3% of students have had walking pneumonia 6% of students have had strep throat

rac

Quiz: Does an apple a day keep the doctor away?

he

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Sneezing Fev er

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sch oo l Greg Hansen/Surveyor

The Surveyor surveyed the Washington student body in order to get an idea of how many students have been sick this year. A total of 180 students returned the surveys. Above and below are the results.

10%

2%

of students have had bronchitis.

of students have had an unknown illness.

of students have had migraines.

of students have had a mild to severe cold.

Q & A with school nurse As flu season grows near, Surveyor’s Lauren Kelley interviewed school nurse, Monica Piersall, to get her comments and advice concerning health around Washington.

Q: Have you ever caught any illnesses from the students you treat?

A: Only once- at the very beginning of my career, I caught the flu.

I generally wash my hands often. It usually prevents me from catching anything.

Q: What is the hardest part of your job?

A: Getting to know the students. I also work at two elementary schools and one middle school, so I am not here every day.

It makes it hard to get to know students here at Wash.

4%

47%

1. In a study conducted by the American Society for Microbiology in 2000, it was found that approximately _____% of nurses and physicians did NOT wash their hands after using public restrooms: A. 30% B. 80% C. 60% D. 50% (Statistics from www.archives.cnn.com)

Q: What is (in your opinion) the best way to prevent illness?

A: The best ways would be good hand washing and getting flu shots.

26%

of students say they have had the flu.

Q: Have you ever had any students fake illnesses?

A: I wouldn’t say they fake it. Many times it has to do with stress.

Sometimes stress creates other symptoms, and students just need some time to rest.

Q: What would you say is the most common illness at Wash?

A: It comes and goes. We usually see lots of colds and flu-like symptoms during certain parts of the year.

Q: Is the flu bad this year?

A: No, not yet, but I would encourage getting the flu vaccine.

Q: What is your busiest time of year?

A: The winter months during flu season is busy. December and January are the worst. It’s especially busy after students are back from winter break.

Q: Have you been involved with any mono cases?

A: Most students with mono are diagnosed by their doctors. Some of them come in just to rest or lie down during the day.

Q: How often do students stop in the health clinic per day?

A: We get twenty to thirty students per day. During the flu season we have seen up to ten at the same time!

2. In the 19th century (1800s), which was NOT a common remedy?

A. Sleeping on stones to cure baldness B. Touching the hand of a hanged man to cure tumors C. Driving a nail into a tooth and then transferring the nail into a tree to cure toothache D. Sleeping on the liver of a pig to prevent hearing loss (Statistics from www.historic-uk.com) 3. Going outside with wet hair will give you a cold: A. True B. False 4. You can die from drinking too much water: A. True B. False Junior Mike Pace has quite a history of bad health. “In sixth grade, I had GuillainBarre,” said Mike. My body attacked my nervous system and I couldn’t walk for four weeks.”

Unfortunately, Mike’s health has continued to cause him discomfort this year. Recently, he was sick for about six days and missed four days of school.

“I don’t know exactly what it was, but I had lots of pains.” He referred to his unknown disease as “a plague of some sort.”

1. C 2. D 3. B- this can cause you to become sick more easily, but will not actually be the primary reason for sickness 4. A

Doctor

Page 7

PROFILES

November 14, 2007

Page 8

Brown’s bad break

By Madeline Steiner Staff writer

compliments of Allison Reisner

Allison Reisner, ‘08, riding her horse, Missy, in a show.

Love of horses drives Reisner Aunna McDowell Staff Writer

Every little girl dreams of being a beautiful princess, marrying a handsome prince, and riding away with him forever on a magical horse. Horses are part of almost every fairytale. Cinderella’s carriage is pulled by horses, Snow White and her prince ride off into the sunset together on a horse, and Belle escapes from the Beast’s castle upon the shoulder’s of her trusty steed.

Allison Reisner, ’08, lives her own fairytale through her love for horses.

Reisner’s father bought her first horse when she was five. Her father supported her interests and encouraged her to be passionate about horses. Oftentimes, as a young girl, Reisner would ride horses with her father and listen to his stories about the horses he had owned as a child.

This started Reisner’s interest in horses.

“I took to horses before I took to anything else,” said Reisner.

Reisner currently owns three horses: Missy, Leo, and Scribbles. Because she lives in Cedar Rapids, Reisner boards her horses on someone else’s property.

A lot of work is involved for horse owners. Reisner has to clean stalls, provide vet care, train and ride her horses, and spend time with them. Horses are social creatures and need to be around humans or other horses.

Reisner especially enjoys participating in horse competitions. The two kinds of horse competitions are pleasure and halter and games. Competing in pleasure and halter competitions consists of showing the horses for judges. Competing in games involves the horse and rider racing and partaking in numerous activities where they compete against the clock.

Reisner competes in games because she likes working against the clock as opposed to performing for judges.

Reisner is a member of the Center Point Saddle Club. In competitions, Reisner and club members earn points.

These points are added together so the owners know by the end of the season how many total points they have earned.

Reisner has held the most total points out of anyone in her club for two consecutive years. In addition, she has also achieved this accomplishment through the Cedar Rapids Horseman’s Club.

Reisner’s father continues to support her love for horses.

“My dad’s always at the shows. He doesn’t miss one,” Reisner said.

Reisner is hoping to be involved with horses for the rest of her life and said, “I just don’t think I’d ever be without horses...I think I’ll always compete in some kind of show.”

Reisner is living her childhood dream and pursuing her happily ever after through horses.

Kraft has brought Germany to Wash Anne Brenneman Staff Writer Although he’s only been in Iowa for a few months, Tillman Kraft ‘10 has really enjoyed his stay so far.

Kraft arrived in Iowa on Aug. 14, coming from his home in Northern Germany. The government chose Iowa for Tillman, but he has no complaints. “So far, it’s good,” said Kraft. “I like how it is a rural area; littler than Germany.”

Tillman While in Iowa he is Kraft, ‘10 staying with the Hayes’ family who have no children of their own.

“They’re very nice,” said Kraft.

So far, Kraft’s favorite thing in Iowa has

been the high school experience. “It’s good.

Everyone here is nice. It’s different from high school in Germany, but I like it,” said Kraft.

Washington students and staff have taken note of Kraft as well. “Tillman is a quiet kid and a great, hard working student. The other students in class are enjoying getting to know him,” said Tracy Stranathan, Kraft’s Algebra II teacher.

While at Washington, Kraft is taking Algebra II, French III, U.S. History, L.A., Biology, and American Government. “My favorite is French,” said Kraft.

Even though he is from a different country, he has many of the same hobbies as kids in Iowa. Kraft said, “I love listening to music, hanging out with friends, and meeting new friends.”

Kraft plans to go back to Germany sometime next July.

On Sept. 21, Hannah Brown and Tanaya Ghosh, both ‘08, were on their way to the football game against Jefferson at Kingston Stadium. There was a storm that night causing the game to be postponed until later that evening. The two were driving on Edgewood Road when the traffic lights went out, causing Brown’s car and another to collide.

Both girls were knocked unconscious and Brown has no memory of the accident.

Brown was braking so hard that it took all of the impact of the crash and both bones in her right leg were broken.

The girls were taken to Mercy Hospital.

X-rays were taken of her leg and doctors saw two pretty serious breaks. Brown was put into a splint and was scheduled for surgery.

Two 2-inch screws were put on the inside of her leg and a 4-inch plate held by six 1-inch screws were put on the outside of her leg to hold the bone together.

“Eight screws total, I feel like I could open a hardware store,” said Brown.

T h e s c r e w s a r e i n h e r l e g f o re ver, wh ic h i s ju st a s wel l bec au se Brown doesn’t want another surger y. ”My ankle is really sore and swollen; I’ll be dealing with a cankle for a while,” said Brown.

After the surgery, her leg was put into a splint and she missed about a week of school. When Brown returned, she came back in a wheelchair and had to wait to get a cast until the swelling went down. Soon after, a hard cast was put on. ”I went with a hot pink cast and started using crutches. I’ve gotten pretty good at it and

Sky Smith/Surveyor

Hannah Brown, ‘08, with crutches. can get around pretty fast,” said Brown and added, “I like to race people.”

Brown had her cast on for four weeks and got it off on Nov. 1.

Brown hopes to stop using crutches in about two weeks and started physical therapy.

As for her car, “It’s gone, totaled. It was already a piece of crap though,” said Brown.

Brown advises others to “drink your milk and wear your seat belt,” and adds “a shout out to all my homies who have been carrying around my stuff!”

November 15-December 16 at the IMAX, Science Station, 427 First St. SE, Cedar Rapids

BEOWULF.3D - CAMP A 2COL X 4" .5" THEATRE SPACE

A&E

November 14, 2007

Page 9

Aspiring Spielbergs find online audience Molly James Staff Writer

Keegan O’Neil/ Patrick Berry

Keegan O’Neil (left) and Patrick Berry (right) get their jacuzzi on in their AP Stat parody of “Make it Rain”.

They were not too wor- them about 30 minutes Molly James ried about other people to make it, and then Staff Writer viewing it. they simply uploaded it “That’s what we’d onto Facebook. HowM a n y s t u d e nt s , such as Jessica Giese, expect posting it on ever, since they filmed ‘10, have not put vid- Facebook,” said Giese. in the Sonic parking eos on YouTube, but “We just want some lot, Giese mentioned that people from rather posted on other cars were Facebook. Giese laughing at them. recreated a Sonic “ We we r e a commercial about big disturbance, cranberry iced tea but it wa s f un with her friend, making it,” said Ha le y Broad ie, Giese. “No one ‘10. else from our The two made Jessica Giese, ‘10 school has made the video for fun a Sonic commerout of boredom, cial. I thought it and posted it on the internet, “because input on how we did.” was pretty unique.”

To see this video, Their video making we t hou g ht people would get a good laugh process was fairly easy, check Giese’s Facebook out of it,” said Giese. because they had no profile. Search Blooper editing to do. It took #1.

“No one else from our school has made a Sonic commercial...”

Washington PTA Congratulates Academic Letter Winners Karly Abel**# Lucas Adolphson*# Reginald Anderson**# Ashley Aull* Emily Barker# Megan Barnes*# Sheldon Bazzell*# Daniel Belay# Timothy Berry*# Mariah Beshears Michael Best Jessica Bixby* Hall Block# Allyson Brawner*# Joseph Bredl*# Ryan Brown Caitlin Bruggeman* Aaron Castro Matthew Ceryanec*# Chad Christensen# Andrew Chupp** Nicholas Clark Hannah Colton**# Bryce Cooks* Brian Covington* Emily Covington** Matthew Daughtery**# Stephanie Davenport**# Kyle Dvorak* Aaron Ekland Kellar Elliott*# Audrey Erger* Courtney Everts Douglas Fowler**# Gabriel Frana*# Ashley Freeman* Kyle Freeman* Alexander Fuller# Derek Giesking Lauren Glantz** Nathan Glassmeyer Alexandra Gorkow* Samantha Haigh Madeleine Halyard**# Zachary Harford Joshua Harris* Tosha Harrison* Roland Hart* Megan Hartman** Ellen Hatala Megan Heck Charles Heins*

Chelsea Hines Thomas Holmes**# Meghan Hunter Eric Intlekofer Parker Jamieson* Andrew Jarvey*# Michael Jarvey*# Allison Johnson# Jacob Johnson*# Alexander Karr* Wesley Keene**# Nathan Kintner* Sarrah Knause Emily Kopec# Rebecca Krewer**# Jason Krusie* Taylor Kuhn Long Lai Sean Leeper*# Reece Leuenberger* Ryan Lipp*# Joel Lydon Lewi Manirumva* Camille Marie-Lidd**# Eileen Marshall*# Sean Matthews# Aunna McDowell*# Nathaniel McFarland Colin McLaughlin**# Shaun Mellor Molly Meyer Lauren Mitchell*# Ethan Moyer Stephanie Muehlemann Gloria Munyakazi* Tiffany Murphy* Ryan Murray Hong Nguyen Cassandra Novick# Stephanie O’Neill Ian Olson* Shondra Olson*# Carter Oswood* Michael Pace*# Courtney Patterson Zachary Patzwald**# Gabriella Perez** Daniel Peterson**# Danielle Peterson**# Landon Pickens Abigail PressleyBrown*#

Making a video is also a popular choice for students when it comes to school projects, especially if someone in the group is creative and talented at shooting and editing. This was the case for a couple videos made by Patrick Berry, who graduated last year, and many of his friends.

The most popular creation

by Berry seems to be a rap video he made to the instrumentals of “Make It Rain” with Keegan O’Neil and Kevin Kennedy, both ‘08, for his AP Statistics class.

“We did movies, because they aren’t hard to make,” said O’Neil.

“They’re fun because you can have a relaxed kind of humor.”

The fact that they are so fun makes the long hours spent filming and editing a little easier to manage. The trio filmed everything they needed over about two days, and edited the whole thing

“Strangers will just think we’re as fly as can be,” Kevin Kennedy, ‘08 in one night; Well, actually, one night and one very early morning as they worked on it from 9:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m.

Although Berry posted this video, along with many others

he has made on YouTube, neither O’Neil nor Kennedy seem too concerned.

“Strangers will just think we’re fly as can be,” said Kennedy. “I’m okay with that.”

In the long run, the time spent on making a video is probably a great deal less than the time a group would spend perfecting their PowerPoint and oral presentation. Plus, according to these students, it is a lot more fun and really rewarding.

“I really like the finished project,” said O’Neil. “Movies are awesome when you’ve gone from a bunch of scattered and dysfunctional scenes to an ordered storyline. It’s just satisfying.”

To check out this video, search Sue His Ass on You Tube.

Crazy YouTube * Facts *

1: You Tube currently hosts over 6 million videos, growing at about 20% each month!* 2: The videos take up 45 terabytes of space (that’s like 5,000 home computers!)* 3: 70% of You Tube’s registered users are American!

4: Video views have reached 1.73 billion!* 5: The total time the people of the world spent watching You Tube in the past year is 9,305 years!* 6: The most viewed video on You Tube is The Evolution of Dance with over 63 million views! In second is Avril Lavigne’s Girlfriend with about 60 million! *as of August 2006 Find 13 Differences Between the 2 Photos. Answers on the following page.

Erik Randall*# Devon Reese* Luke Reynolds Abigail Rings** Alec Sabin Mariana Scanlon Eric Schlehuber*# Karen Schmidt* Laura Seyfer*# Nikhil Shah**# Fallon Shakespeare* Sara Shelton* Kathryn Siebels**# Regan Sieck** Austen Smith**# Elizabeth Smith** Caitlin Sole** Anne Stark Ryan Stolba Martin Strobel# Wyatt Suess Ross Sullivan*# Kathleen Swain Alexander Taylor**# Jennifer Titus**# Bud Trosclair Jaron Ulrich Meredith Van Woert* Danielle Wakeham** Yueling Wang*# Yuerong Wang**# Brett Warner**# Mackenzie Williams Lindsey Wolfe*

Additional Junior Recipients of 2nd Year Algebra Award Alexis Bartling John Beardsworth Katharine Bott Abbey Kramer Mason McCort Jefferson Megown Claire Nilles Mitchell Odell Brittany Quaid Renesa Smith-Taylor Andrew Stuelke Kollin Trevallion Micheal Wenndt

Alex Talyor/ Surveyor

P H O T O C H A L L E N G E

Page 10

A&E

November 14, 2007

A & E: Teacherʼs Choice: Dr. Kreitzer Mallory Williams Staff Writer Music teacher Dr. Gerald Kreitzer obviously has a tremendous love for music. He shares his love of music with all grades at Washington high school but many students may not realize that Dr. K also enjoys other music besides the classical pieces sung in chorus.

Dr. K recalls the Doobie Brothers as one of his first concerts he was able to attend. Other favorites of his include Paul McCartney, Chicago, James Taylor and Sons of Champlin. When not seeing his favorite artists in concert, he enjoys listening a variety of genres, although he does admit to not listening to much country. Some of his favorite

genres include classic rock and roll, folk, and solo artists. His favorite band is The Beatles and his favorite album of The Beatles is Abbey Road.

Dr. K recalls The Doobie Brothers as one of his first concerts...

Not only does Dr. K love music but he also enjoys movies as well. If you are a student of Dr. K, you might know that he loves the game of golf and spends every moment he can over his summer vacation, out on the greens. His love of golf reflects on the movies he enjoys as well.

Some of his favorite golf movies include: Tin Cup, The Greatest Game Ever Played, Happy Gilmore, and Caddyshack. When not enjoying golf movies, Dr. K also enjoys The Lord of the Rings trilogy and says his “favorite movie of all time,” is The Princess Bride. And although Dr. K doesn’t watch a lot of TV he says when he does, he mostly enjoys MASH reruns, any type of sport and Grey’s Anatomy.

Besides directing two show choirs, Magdrigal Singers, and Concert Choir at Wash, Dr. K also conducts Wash’s musicals.

Dr. K has conducted over 30 musicals. His favorite musicals include Les Miserables and Tommy, which he has seen in both Chicago and New York.

Spice up your Thanksgiving with two recipes that are really cookin’

Pumpkin Pie

Movies

The Greatest Game Ever Played The Princess Bride

Music

The Beatles Les Miserables

T.V. Show MASH

(1) Lid of pumpkin can on (2) Bread in the toaster (3) Stacked cup in the bottom right corner (4) Different spoon in bowl on the right (5) Spice bottle in the right changes to sweet basil (6) Measuring spoons in bottom center change order (7) Wisk and beater next to the toaster change position (8) Brown sugar patted down (9) Measuring cups on bottom left switch places (10) Cinnamon in front of measur ing cups changes to cumin (11) Bottle of vanilla next to the flower bucket is empty (12) Butter stick in center turns to show a different side (13) Spice in the left center turns upside down

Steve Carell keeps it real... entertaining

Alex Taylor/ Megan Barnes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 cup granulated sugar ½ cup packed brown sugar ½ cup canola oil ½ cup egg substitute 2 large eggs 1 15-ounce can unsweetened pumpkin 2 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 1 teaspoon baking powder Instructions:

Ingredients for frosting: 2 tablespoons butter, softened 1 8 ounce block cream cheese 3 cups powdered sugar 2 teaspoons fresh orange juice *Tip: It’s easy to forget to add your baking powder and baking soda: DON”T. You’ll end up with pumpkin pancakes!

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees 2. To prepare cake coat 2, 8 inch round cake pans with cooking spray. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of flour over pans.

3. Combine granulated sugar, brown sugar, and oil in a large bowl, beat with a mixer for 2 minutes or until blended. Add egg substitute and eggs and beat until blended. Add pumpkin, and continue to beat.

4. Spoon 2 cups flour into measuring cups. Combine 2 cups flour and next pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium sized bowl. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, beat until blended. Put batter into pans. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove cake from pan and cool.

5. To prepare frosting, beat butter and cream cheese until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar beating until blended. Add juice, and continue stirring.

6. Place 1 cake layer on plate. Spread 1 cup frosting over cake and top with re maining cake layer. Spread frosting over top of cake.

Cheesy Potatoes Ingredients:

1 Bag of shredded cheese 1 ½ Soup can filled with milk 1 Bag of frozen hash brown 1 Block of Cream Cheese cubes 2 Cans of Cream of Celery Soup Seasoned Salt 1 Cup of butter Instructions:

Kreitzerʼs Picks

Photo Challenge Answers

1. Turn stove on medium. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Pour cream cheese, butter, cream of celery, and milk into pot on stove. Melt in ingredients together by stirring until blended. Sprinkle seasoned salt in 2 times while stirring.

3. Pour bag of hash brown cubes into pot and mix together. Then pour potatoes in cake pan.

4. Cook potatoes in oven for 30 minutes.

5. Sprinkle cheese on top, let cool.

www.moovyboovy.com

See Steve Carell work his role as a family man in the new comedy Dan in Real Life.

From left to right: Steve Carell, Marlene Lawston, and Alison Pill.

Keile Wahle Staff Writer

family getaway to an isolated cabin in the woods with extended family members, soon changes Dan’s average life forever.

He meets an admirable woman (Juliette Binoche) in a bookstore only to find

or had girlfriends and boyfriends. Being single gave Dan the loud laundry room to sleep in while everyone Steve Carell continues else enjoyed private and to increase his popularity as peaceful bedrooms. He was he adds to his chain of sucwidowed after the death of cessful movies after playing his beloved wife. prominent character roles Carell played the in 40-year-old Virgin, role of Dan perfectly. I the television series thought every character The Office, and Little was given the best role Miss Sunshine.Known that fit them. The plot Starring: Steve Carell for his comedy acting, line was very entertainCarell yet again stars in Directed by: Peter Hedges ing and fit together. another popular movie, The setting where the Dan in Real Life. movie took place was In Dan in Real Life, well chosen, a tradiDan (Carell) is an astional family gathering piring writer and full in a log cabin in the time father of three woods. very opinionated girls.

I thought the movie His goals in life are to out she is already dating could appeal to all types of get his dream job of writing someone, his brother (Dane audiences. The movie was for a New Jersey newspaper, Cook). Something about comical in parts, serious, keep his middle child away this girl won’t let Dan stop sad, romantic, and happy in from boys, oldest child away liking her. Dan wasn’t other scenes. I enjoyed the from cars, and youngest treated as an adult because movie and would recomgirl away from maturity. A all the adults were married mend it.

Dan in Real Life

Surveyor wishes all Washington students and staff a wonderful Thanksgiving break!

SPORTS

November 14, 2007

Q&A

Page 11

Hungry for the championship Armstrong, Mims, and Oney fearlessly approach their final shot at state glory Maddy Becker Staff Writer

with Ryan Phelan A returning senior on the men’s swimming team, Ryan Phelan discusses his previous seasons and determination to win state this year with Emily Kopec of Surveyor.

Emily Kopec: At what age did you start swimming?

Ryan Phelan: I started swimming at a very young age. I remember swimming 8 and under for summer swimming, then I really got competitive when I started the YMCA swim team when I was 12.

EK: What are your goals for yourself this season?

RP: I would really like to break the 100 and 50 free school records and to place first in at least two events at state. Last year, I placed second in my events, but this year I’m determined to get first.

EK: What are your goals and expectations for the team?

RP: We have a strong team with a lot of new and returning members, so I know we will do well. A main goal of the team, including me, is to win state. Last year we were second, but I know this year we’re stronger and better.

EK: How have you accomplished your past goals?

RP: Well obviously by going to CRAA or swim practice every day. I like to print off in big bold letters goal times for the end of the season, and post them up on a wall either in my room or in my car. I also print off results from national/world meets and post them in my room.

EK: You almost made the Olympic Trials cut. Are you going to try for it again this winter?

RP: I missed the Olympic Trial cuts by .11 of a second, but I will have one more chance this spring right after sthe eason is over to do a long course meet to try and qualify.

The last time the Warrior women’s basketball team won the state tournament, Toy Story was No. 1 at the box office, Bill Clinton was president, and the current Warrior players were in the fifth grade.

Following the 1995 season, the Warrior basketball program somewhat fell off the map. In 1996, they qualified for state. But, for the next seven years, the team lost in the regional games and failed to play in the state tournament once. It wasn’t until Coach Frank Howell began his Washington career in 2003 that the Warriors regained their status as a basketball powerhouse.

Since Howell began coaching, he has taken the Warriors to the state tournament three times, placing second twice. Howell’s winning record is the best the Warriors have seen in over 30 years, at 78 percent. He has been named MVC Coach of the Year twice and district coach of the year once.

“It’s an honor to be coached by Coach Howell,” said KK Armstrong, a returning senior to the team. “He always makes sure we’re in the game mentally and he prepares us well.”

During the season, Howell spends a lot of time watching game film and scouting other teams in order to know what to expect from the competition.

The work of Coach Howell and his players has paid off in a dramatic way. In the past three years, the Warriors have won the Valley Division Conference and regional championships three times each and have won over 85 percent of their games.

This year could be their best yet. The team is returning seven varsity players, including Katelin Oney, KK Armstrong and Micha Mims.

Oney, Armstrong, and Mims all earned First-Team All-Conference honors last year. Oney and Armstrong also made First-

Carter Oswood/ Surveyor

Above: Coach Howell watches his team practice for their anticipated season.

Team All-Metro. Mims made Second-Team All-Metro and led the team in steals and rebounds. Armstrong was named Most Valuable Player overall and Oney led the team in scoring with a total of 398 points in the team’s 25 games. Together, they averaged 40 points and over ten rebounds per game.

The three seniors are very excited to play such a large role on the team. “It means a lot to me to be a part of the Warrior basketball team,” said Oney. “It’s a great feeling every time I put on that jersey to represent the Warriors.”

The success of the women’s basketball team spreads a feeling of excitement to students at Washington as well.

“I’m most excited to watch them beat Linn-Mar, Jefferson and Kennedy,” said Marion Epperson, an avid fan and a player for the sophomore team.

Kennon Meyer, also a fan, plays for the pep band at basketball games. She said she likes how the band pumps up the fans and players as well.

“I hope they make it to state so we can go

cheer them on,” said Meyer.

The players love a noisy student section and the entertaining spirit the band brings to games.

“The fans have been great. Hopefully they will come back, get loud, and show their Warrior spirit,” Oney said.

Coming within grasp of a state championship three years in a row has made the Warrior women more determined, not disappointed.

“Our motivation level is at the max,” said Coach Howell. “Winning state doesn’t make you as hungry as just placing.”

Howell says the team will focus day by day in order to gain a spot in the tournament.

He is very confident in returning players as well as new players who he believes have a lot of potential.

The players all agree that this year is their year to win. “This time we need to take the whole thing!” said Armstrong.

“This is a new year. Hopefully we will get the big one this time around,” said Oney. “I am very confident in the team.”

POSTSEASON ROUNDUP

CROSS COUNTRY

The men’s cross country team placed sixth at the State Championships held in Fort Dodge on Oct. 27. The top finishers and their times included Lewi Manirumva (16:01), Liberio Niyiragira (16:02), Jonathan Weatherwax (16:34), Saromo Mugisha (16:58), Zach Harford (17:03), and Phil Kincheloe (17:14).

The women’s team also qualified for state in Fort Dodge, where they placed eighth. Their top finishers and times included Maddy Becker (15:10), Madeline Steiner (15:23), Ramsey Steiner (15:36), Tiffany Westrom (16:06), Eveline Niyokwizigigwa (16:18), Kathryn Bell (16:27) and Allison Knockle (16:29).

VARSITY FOOTBALL

After crushing Linn Mar 47-9. the Warrior football team’s 7-2 season record qualified them for the playoffs. In an exciting victory against Cedar Rapids Kennedy on the Oct. 31, the Warriors defeated the Cougars for a second time 34-28. They proceeded to the UNI Dome for quarterfinals, where they lost to Cedar Falls 35-13 on Nov. 5.

WOMEN’S SWIMMING

Women’s swimming placed seventh at the state meet held in Marshalltown on Nov. 3, with a combined team score of 115 — trailing West Des Moines Valley, Marshalltown, Mason City, Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Johnston, and Ames. Notable events included the 200-yard freestyle, in which junior Emily Kopec placed second, the 100-yard butterfly, in which freshmen Jill Broghammer took fifth, the 200-yard freestyle relay, in which Wash came in third, and the 200- and 400-yard freestyle relays, in which the team placed fourth and sixth.

Watching the most unexpected Warrior comeback at Kingston I arrived at Kingston Stadium at around 6:30 p.m. with several of my friends. We figured that we had arrived early enough to get good spots in the student section.

However, while walking up the ramp leading into the bleachers, we were astonished by the number of Washington students. Standing up, screaming the Washington Fight Song, they filled up the bleachers two rows from Sam the top.

Seyfer After sitting down and anxiously awaiting the start of the game, I watched as everyone stood up and began to jingle their car keys. The crowd was extremely elated, in spite of the chilly October weather. As the voices progressively grew in a crescendo, the ball was finally struck and one of the most suspenseful games I have ever witnessed began. Wash-Kennedy in the playoffs. You can’t beat it.

Everyone was standing and jumping and yelling cheers that were started from either the cheerleaders, the seniors up front, or even Filipe Camarotti up near the back. White “MVC Champs” shirts dotted the student section, but everyone was decked out in Washington gear.

Everybody was incredibly hyper until there was a collision when the Warriors were on the offensive attack. One of the Kennedy players dove into Wyatt Suess’ knee. Everything on our side went completely silent. The disrespectful Kennedy side cheered even though Wyatt lay on the ground injured.

At this point, even though it was only the first quarter, many people could be heard yelling, “Oh well, here goes our season.”

Washington put in our backup quarterback, Derek Giesking. He would prove to have a spectacular performance in this playoff game. Giesking’s first drive was a very successful one, capped off by an incredible catch in the end zone by Keenan Davis. Everyone in the stands went wild. People were seen being thrown into the air by their peers.

Heading into halftime, the score was 21-14 Kennedy, but Washington’s spirit was not hampered. Everyone got up and started dancing as the drumline came playing unto the field.

I don’t think anyone expected the turn of events Kingston Stadium witnessed during the second half. Kennedy opened up and scored a touchdown to take the lead 28-14. But then Washington scored two passing touchdowns after two great drives. They seemed to be completely unstoppable. There

they were though, on the 2-yard line, down 27-28, going for the two point conversion. Everyone was freaking out in the stands. Shouts of, “What the heck are you doing?” or “There is no way we’ll get it!”

Giesking snapped the ball, dropped back and threw the ball. Pass intercepted. We all thought the season was over at this point. Kennedy got the ball near the 50 yard line, and we didn’t think we were going to be able to stop their run offense. For some reason, though, they threw the ball two times and Wash forced a three and out. As Giesking then got the ball, he pulled off a Tom Brady-like drive and Wash was on the 5 yard line in no time.

Everyone in the stands was hushed by the seniors up front, and grew anxious to see what would happen. Geisking snapped the ball and threw a screen pass to Davis. He sprinted and ran in for 6. Washington fans went crazy and filled the alley by the fence. Although we didn’t rush the field, there was no reason to because the Kennedy side was dead silent. We all left the stadium after cheering with the team, and prepared for the Cedar Falls game the following week. Giesking played one of the best games in conference history, setting a conference record with 480 yards and also threw for 5 touchdowns.

Page 12

SPORTS

November 14, 2007

Warriors at State Varsity football Lauren Hoth/ Surveyor

Above: Derek Giesking runs the ball in the fourth quarter against Cedar Falls on Nov. 5. The Warriors lost 35-13.

UNIDome

Quarterfinals

Right: The team gathers on the field at the UNI-Dome to collect the quarterfinal trophy.

Cross country

Above: Lewi Manirumva running at the State Meet in Fort Dodge on Oct. 27.

Far right: Coach Will Harte stands with Liberio Niyiragira, Lewi Manirumva, Jonathan Weatherwax, Phil Kincheloe, and Zach Harford.

Bottom: Madeline Steiner running at the State Meet in Fort Dodge on Oct. 27.

women’s

men’s