mission
Letter from the editor
HELLO, and welcome back to the school year and another issue of The Surveyor. In this issue the feature is on Senior Quintin Gay and the Michael Monday tradition he is continuing. A big thanks to another senior, Audrey Fashimpaur, for designing a new Roses and Thorns logo, which can be found on the inside back cover. In the profiles section you can get acquainted with all of the newest members of the Wash staff. In the sports section, where the best section editors go (not biased at all) you’ll relive the most exciting moment of the summer, the baseball team’s historic run in the state tournament. In the news section you’ll read about the struggles our area has had with flooding over the past few years. Our staff box has been a dream over the past few years, combining everyone on staffs face into one MEGA FACE. This is dedicated to our wonderful former Editor-in-Chief, Sarah Altemeier, who said it couldn’t be done. I’m excited to share this issue with you!
Cover By Gabe Greco
-Benjamin Janssen
The Surveyor is established as a school-sponsored designated forum dedicated to informing and entertaining its readers. The staff will report as fairly and wellbalanced 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
2018-2019 Surveyor Staff Editor-in-Chief- Ben Janssen Business manager-Bryan Ennis Webmaster- Miguel Jacobo Multimedia Editor- Hope Faley A&E Editor- Seth Keppler Profiles Editor- Sophie Lindwall Sports Editor- Isaac Gomez New Editor- Abby Throndson Co-Opinions Editor- Matthew Gearhart Co-Opinions Editor- Jaydin McMickle Copy Editor- Jessie Koozer Copy Editor- Grace McKinstry Copy Editor- Paris McNutt Staff Reporter- Kaden Fields Staff Reporter- Jaxon Brems Staff Reporter- Destiny Adams-Matthews Adviser- Kyle Phillips, CJE
Photo illistration by Ben Janssen 2
Staff Box
Editor-in-Chief
Ben Janssen
News
04 07 11 14 17 20
4 -Cedar Rapids and Floods: A Complicated Relationship 6 -Womens Swim Team Concealed -Principal Cline’s Changes
Opinions 7 Feature Profiles
Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church is more than just News
-iLearning’s introduction isn’t popular at Wash at the moment. 8 -Problematic Parking Pass Policy 9 -Editorial: District Start Times 11 -Michael Mondays: A Warrior Tradition
14 -New Staff 16 -FBOM
Sports
17 -State Football Numbers Decreasing 18 -A Summer to Remember 19 -More Than a Win
A&E
20 -China Inn review 21 -The Book of Truth review -Led Zeppelin: Good music never ages 22 -The Nun review -Boarding House Reach review
Ben Janssen
Editor-in-Chief
Table of Contents
3
Cedar Rapids and Floods: A Complicated Relationship
Abby Throndson News Editor Ranked sixth on the FEMA disaster declaration, the Eastern Iowa floods of 2008 were devastating to Cedar Rapids. Eight years later, the 2016 Eastern Iowa flood drowned the city that ‘would never flood’ once again. Over the summer, Cedar Rapids celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the 2008 floods, and on September 22, the 2-year anniversary of the 2016 flood, as well as gaining funding for a long-awaited flood project. The Cedar River crested at 31.12 feet in 2008 on June 13. It was on this day that the Cedar River had been a record height, 19 feet above flood stage. The 2016 flood crested at 22 feet, ten feet above flood stage. The 2008 flood reached flood stage around June 13, falling below flood stage on July 7. In 2016, the flood barely lasted a week. As it says in “Epic Surge,” a book published by the Gazette about the 2008 flood, “In a city of about 120,000 residents, 5,390 homes were harmed by this disaster, many irreparably.” 940 Cedar Rapids businesses were damaged by the 10 square miles and 1,300 city blocks of water flooding Cedar Rapids. The long process of recovery from the 2008 flood included installing flood prevention measures. This plan included building a levee around the wastewater treatment plant, developing an interim flood control plan, and purchasing temporary flood control measures. No new flood prevention ideas were put into place after the 2016 flood, until the city received $117 million for flood protection services. Rob Davis is the Flood Control Program Manager in the city of Cedar 4 News
Rapids. He works alongside an administrative assistant, a real estate representative, and a construction inspector on the implementation of the permanent Cedar River flood protection system and the design of temporary flood protection plans. This team works with the Federal and State governments on funding, grants, and project issues for
trict cancelled classes Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of the week, then extended it to the rest of the week, due to not being able to safely transport all students to school, students commonly referring to it as the ‘flood week’. “The 2016 flood was not comparable to the 2008 flood,” Davis said. “It was an effective reminder of vulnerability and the need for more permanent flood protection, as the City spent around $8 million protecting itself. It was an effective catalyst in getting the recent federal funding.” Davis also works to improve many things in our communities that happen due to floods. Some of the most important community work his team does is reaching out to the public on the goals and importance of flood control system. “Community is understanding that the flooding is a new normal and the 2008 event can occur again.” Davis said. The flood protection is specifically being designed to not entirely block the river from the city. “We want the flood protection to enhance quality of life in Cedar Rapids and encourage growth and resilience. In order to do that, the flood protection must blend into the background of the community.” Just recently, the Army Corps of Engineers announced the $17.4 billion given to disaster recovery projects across the country. The Cedar Rapids flood protection project received $117 million towards designing, property acquisition, and construction for the levees, walls, and floodgates on 7.5 miles of the Cedar River. This contributed to the $550 million flood control system. After inflation, the project is predicted to cost around $750 total. News Editor Abby Throndson
“It (the flood of 2016) was an effective reminder of vulnerability and the need for more permanent flood protection... It was an effective catalyst in getting the recent federal funding.” the flood protection measures. “Several recovery initiatives have been successfully completed after the 2008 flood. This includes constructing new housing that was lost in 2008... and removing homes that are in the flood zone so that damage in future floods is avoided. While we no longer have immediate recovery needs with either flood, we continue to grow our businesses and expand our neighborhoods,” said Adam Lindenlaub, a planner for the Community Development Department. The 2016 flood lasted about a week, recovery lasting only a few more weeks. The Cedar Rapids School Dis-
This plan has been in the works for around 10 years. “Coincidentally, the city had begun a river study in 2008 with the US Army Corps of Engineers prior to the 2008 flood event,” said Davis. “After the 2008 flood, that planningwas modified and significant planning was done between 2008 and 2011.” No big changes have been made to this plan since 2011. The 2016 flood was an effective catalyst in gaining the funding needed for the project. The flood calendar in Iowa has started to change. “We seem to be having heavier rainfalls throughout the year so I think we’ll no longer have flood months we’ll just have to be prepared all the time,” Cedar Rapids Public Works Director Jen Winter told KCRG. This is where the flood protection system comes into lights, it will help the community be better prepared for the smaller floods that the city is now prone to.
Highest Crests of Cedar River
Recent Crests of Cedar River
31.12 feet
June 13, 2008
15.60 feet
Sept. 6, 2018
21.95 feet
Sept. 27, 2016
17.90 feet
Sept. 26, 2018
20.00 feet
June 1, 1851
21.95 feet
Sept. 27, 2016
20.00 feet
March 18, 1929
16.52 feet
July 4, 2014
19.66 feet
March 31, 1961
17.34 feet
June 25, 2013
19.27 feet
April 4, 1993
15.00 feet
June 2, 2018
18.60 feet
April 4, 1933
13.38 feet
May 25, 2013
18.51 feet
April 10, 1965
11.46 feet
March 28, 2011
Source: National Weather Service
Source: US Army Corp of Engineers
Photo by Jaydin McMickle
Abby Throndson
News Editor
News
5
Women’s Swim Team Concealed
Grace McKinstry Staff Reporter Over the years at Wash, students have established specific traditions making the school a unique place. One of those withstanding traditions is the Fall Sports Assembly taken place within the first few weeks of school. Each fall sports team is responsible for walking out for a team introduction in a way their team has decided upon to show unison. It is not uncommon to find the men’s cross country team running out on the floor shirtless, or to find the football team march out in their uniforms. However, this year, the women’s swim team wasn’t seen in their usual attire, one-piece swimsuits and tights. Despite some of the girls on the swim team being upset due to this change, Coach Megan Lewis decided that it would be more appropriate for the girls to walk out in their team shirts and jeans. “Not all of the girls felt comfortable doing it and my goal is to be as inclusive as possible. So I
said no,” Lewis said. This change in attire made varsity swimmer, Ellie Thompson, ‘21, particularly annoyed. “It was ridiculous that the guys got to walk out shirtless, yet we didn’t even get the option of wearing a suit and tights that cover everything they should,” she said. Thompson wishes that her coaches would have at least talked to the swimmers about the change before taking it upon themselves to make the decision without any input. “We should have the choice to wear what we want to wear, especially when other teams are able to reveal their bodies, even though it’s likely that not everyone on the team is comfortable doing so,” Thompson said. Wash’s Activities Director, Grant Schultz, explained that the decision made was the coach’s decision to make sure everyone on the team felt comfortable walking out. “It came down to the coach’s choice to support
some girls that potentially might not even walk out for their team introduction because they were uncomfortable,” he said. Schultz added that there was no rule enforced that made the team unable to walk out, it was solely a decision based on what was thought best for the team. However, he does acknowledge that the school could take these types of situations into further consideration. “It’s definitely something we could be more sensitive about,” he said. At the end of the day, the women’s swim team was not allowed to walk out in their usual one-pieces and tights, while other teams, like the men’s cross country team, was able to greet their peers without shirts. Is this an underlying example of a double standard for men and women at Wash, or was it simply a decision made by a coach to ensure her team members felt comfortable in front of their peers?
Principal Cline’s Changes
Kaden Fields Staff Reporter Washington High School has had many fresh changes in the coming of time and students are split. Mr. Cline was introduced to Wash as their new principle early of last school year and he was boiling with new ideas to improve academics. “You have to listen a lot and observe. There’s a cheesy quote, but it’s, ‘Seek first to understand then to be understood.’” said Mr. Cline when asked why he waited to implement new changes, or in this year’s case policies. A huge new change to Washington’s environment is iLearning. iLearning is a new design of warrior time that promotes academic achievement for each individual in a more facilitated way. “I think the biggest change this year is iLearning. Folks envisioned 6 News
what kids needed to improve learning time. So when you think you’ve met those learners needs, it’s awesome.” Cline said. But students are extremely torn on these new changes. “iLearning is basically a more complicated Warrior Time, it’s very confusing. The schedule change to accommodate lunch is confusing as well, I feel like kids would end up in the wrong class. Overall, though, this year is fine.” Peja Thurn ‘21 says, who seems to feel uncomfortable and cautious to these new conditions. Furthermore, some believe it to be a lot better condition even if they are freshmen, “I like the policies, it seems like Mr. Cline knows what he’s doing. Even though he doesn’t know everyone’s personal needs that much to
succeed academically. All I can say is it’s a lot better than McKinley.” Grace Fox ‘22 says. So how do you feel? Do you think Wash is heading in a positive direction with these new changes? It will take time, adjustment, and even more change, but that won’t scare us away from trying new things.
Be sure to check out these stories, and many more, on the Surveyor Website. www.crwashsurveyor.com News Editor
Abby Throndson
Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church is more than just News The detailed accounts of sexual abuse under the catholic church are disturbing to say the least. The genuine By Matthew Gearhart reality of such massive religious institutions corrupt to the core. Public ignorance on the matter, previous acts of obscuring the documents that exposed hundreds of priests, done by the church. It all leaves an ugly chill down the spines of those who know. The institutions around America should make clear that any sort of abuse is not tolerated, especially the abuse hidden behind the walls of organized foundations where such wrongdoing can be silenced. According to Vox, over 1000 victimized children have been estimated by the grand jury, with at least 300 priests identified as a predator. The assaults range from rape to sexual physical contact. These specifics originate from a 2 year broad investigation into catholic clerical sexual abuse scandals across the U.S. It reviewed over 500 thousand internal dioceses documents. A dioceses is a district under the pastoral care of a senior member in the Catholic Church. The U.S church has also stated more than 17,000 people have been reported across the U.S. since 1950. A man sexually victimized by the church, Shaun Dougherty, 47, said “It is a life-long thing, you know… We struggle with suicidal thoughts. You don’t try to think about killing yourself over a nice sunshiny day. And when you don’t see a sunshiny day in years, this is what it’s all about.”
Campbell Mitvalksy, a catholic and Junior at Washington Highschool, gave his insight on the haunting narrative. “I have heard of it in the media, however I believe this an issue that needs to be talked about more.” Mitvalksy makes a good point, the amount of students that don’t know in much detail about what exactly has occurred within the walls of these churches is disappointing and shocking to say the least. “’What has occurred within the church is horrible and inexcusable. Truly disgusting what these priests have done… I feel that the church should do a better job investigating tbe priests before they become one. The church should prioritize this issue to make sure something like this never happens again.” Mitvalsky stated. It is one thing to criticize an institution, religion or organized group for acts that are unforgivable. But another to admit your own religion’s misdeeds and failures. Catholics across the world agree with Mitvalsky and are speaking out. Nothing of this sort should be taken with a grain of salt. Instead of just reading incoming news on sexual assault, no matter what the context, we should evaluate and understand the underlying impacts inside the structure and seems that hold our society together. As well as actions that are justified to deter behavior proceeding in our civil society. Long, thought out, intlectual discussions on what this means, how our civilizations should precisely structure itself and what it accepts as within its moral hierarchy We need to show people we won’t forget this. Take action. Speak up.
Co-Opinions Editor Matthew Gearhart
iLlearning’s introduction isn’t popular at Wash at the moment. By Sept. 17 iLearning hadn’t started yet, leaving kids after the first month of school stuck with bad grades and unBy Jaydin McMickle learned material, setting up this year for failure. Starting this school year the students of Wasington have been told how “great” iLearning is going to be and how it is going to decrease the achievement gap, that Warrior time didn’t fix. As we kept pushing iLearning farther and farther back we ended up in a big hole of missing assignments, unlearned materials, and many Fs. Once it began it took a week to get started and people just weren’t happy. They want to be productive in the 25 minute periods. Walking to iLearning you see many kids messing around on their phones and not using the time wisely. “It is super confusing, but I am not behind yet,” said Priya Kearney, ‘21. The three big complaints are the timeslot, which now follows second hour while Warrior Time occurred after sixth. The amount of time, 25 minutes. And the process to look up which advisory they will be in today, requiring students to log on to the Enriching Students software. Lily Palmersheim, ‘20, complained that the school’s wi-fi was too slow for this task. I believe that in a few weeks we will have a good grasp on what iLearning will be for the rest of the year.
Opinions
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Problematic Parking Pass Policy
By Seth Keppler This year the administration at Washington High School implemented a new policy regarding the north and south parking lots. The policy entailed that there would be two parking tags, one for the north (Jock) lot and one for the north (Pot) lot. This rule came with a chain of regulations specifically for Photo of the Jock Lot; Taken by Matthew Gearhart. students interested in buying parking being open spots, tickets are being tags for the south lot. Recently as to buy a parking pass for the north handed out for those parked legally. lot would have to purchase them in we continue into the 2018-19 school They are receiving a fine of twenty a certain order. The order allowed year, the administration has began dollars just because they could not seniors to get their passes first then enforcing the rules of this new policy, buy a parking pass, but because they moving down the chain allowing and per usual students projected their were sold out. juniors to purchase them lastly. grievances. However with the new It seems the intent of this new Despite this many seniors do not have policy comes problems with enforcing policy is to have an assigned parking a pass for the south lot, yet juniors it. That being said many of the student and underclassmen have a pass. The system, meaning only the students grievances were justified. with passes are allowed to use the In previous years students who administration has since said that the parking lots even if there are five, ten, south lot parking passes are sold out. choose to drive to school were fifteen, or fifty parking spots available. Since this school year has started allowed to park in either parking lot But there are too many variables for the south lot specifically has not been with little to no hassle, assuming that a policy like this to be fair. The south as busy as it has in past years leaving they parked legally. Then the parking lot would always and only have to open parking spots throughout the policy asked that students that drove be occupied completely by those day. Recently the administration to school to buy one parking pass, in students with their south lot parking has started to enforce the rules of exchange they were allowed parking passes. their new parking policy by ticketing privileges for both school parking lots. The administration could easily fix students parked in the south parking Even then some students would park this issue by printing more south lot lot. The students subject to getting without a pass untroubled. The only passes. By printing south lot passes fine that would appear for students fined were students without south students can park where they need, lot parking passes. The major flaw in would have been if they parked and the administration doesn’t have the new parking policy is the fact that illegally. to hand out tickets for students that they are sold out of south lot parking The chain of regulations for are just trying to get to class. passes, yet it seems as if there are the new policy as mentioned above always a couple open parking spots in were only true for the south lot. They required that students who wished the north lot. Though, on top of there Co-Opinions Editor Matthew Gearhart Opinions 8
Staff Editorial: District Start Times A district task force is exploring changes to the start time next year- here’s what we think.
For several years now, there has been talk about switching the start times for secondary (7-12) and primary (K-5) schools in the Cedar Rapids Community School District (CRCSD), making primary schools start earlier and secondary schools start later. We at The Surveyor have come to the conclusion that switching the start times for the schools would not be beneficial to the students, parents, administration, or the city for several reasons. With the change in school start times, the issue of morning and afternoon traffic become a greater issue. With high school students driving their siblings to school in the morning, parents may have more time to prepare for work, but the high influx of inexperienced drivers may lead to more traffic and potentially more accidents. This change could also alter bus schedules, thereby leading to more confusion as to schedules and who’s taking who when and where. The start time change would also change when the schools get out, with secondary schools getting out later and primary schools getting out earlier. This means that when the primary schools are released, there won’t be any drivers available to pick Jaydin McMickle
up the young students if their parents work and their older siblings are still in school. Another issue, that would be especially problematic for high school students, is that since school would now end at 4 p.m. instead of 3 p.m., all school related activities would have to be either shortened or go later into the evening. This would mean that high school students would have a seemingly “shorter” day, as it is likely that most of them would take advantage of their extra morning hour to sleep in later rather than use it for something else. This would then translate into less time to do homework, conflictions with other out of school activities, and potentially a dropping of grades. If we do decide to go through with a change in start times despite all of the challenges that it presents, it may be beneficial to look at how another school district had done it and dealt with its issues. Iowa City changed their school start times in 2016 with a unanimous vote by their school board, moving primary schools to start at 7:55 a.m. and secondary schools to start at 8:50 a.m. They chose to make the start time switch to deal with the concerns that citizens
Co-Opinions Editor
of Iowa City had about elementary school kids having to wait a long amount of time for their buses to come and pick them up. It is unclear what issues they had to deal with when they changed their start times. The Surveyor believes that changing the start time for the schools would be a mistake that would lead to more issues than it would fix problems that we already have. We believe that it is best to keep the school times the way it is now so we don’t have to deal with the issues of crashes, traffic, and schedule problems. We believe that it is best to keep going the way we are now rather than to change course and risk all of the issues that come with it.
5 out of 7 editors agree with this editoral.
Opinions
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Photo by Alisabeth Von Presely
Amidst a chorus of “oohs” and “ahs” every Monday, you’ll find Quintin Gay, ’19. Gay has become the third face of the Michael Monday tradition. Every monday, Gay will come to school in his wackiest, goofiest attire. His predecessors have been able to stand out in a crowd dressed as Elvis, a 1960’s pimp, Peter Pan, and even wore dresses and tiaras. This year that task falls onto Gay. Michael Mondays were started by Michael Janssen, ’15. The first time Janssen dressed up was for German fashion show at the end of his sophomore year. “There was a fashion show for German and I decided to wear a dress for that. And then, the next couple of weeks, I just wore little items, like socks with capes. My junior year I just decided; ‘You know? I’ll just do this,’” Janssen said in a 2016 Surveyor interview. Michael decided to dress up every Monday, not just for the alliteration ‘Michael Mondays’, but to help ease the stress a new week brings. “Mondays suck. So, don’t let Mondays suck,” said Janssen. This was the beginning of a weekly tradition of dressing up in outrageous costumes and outfits. He was getting a lot of attention every Monday and loving the reactions he was getting, but the reactions weren’t always positive, “I just kind of played it off like nothing’s wrong, but people Benjamin Janssen
Editor-in-Chief
eventually caught on, and then most comments turned from ‘Why are you wearing that?’ to ‘That’s cool, I like it,’” said Janssen. As people began to catch on, a Picture courtesy lot of Janssen’s peers and even of the Kleman Wash teachers would look forward family to seeing his Monday outfits. Sometimes students would peek into the class he was in just to see what he was wearing. He would always see students and faculty faces light up as he walked down the hall every Monday. “In most of my classes people knew what to expect, but the underclassmen in the hallway would be like, ‘oh my gosh, what’s that guy wearing?!’” said Janssen Janssen had band first period every day, the band was the first group to catch on to this tradition. The band helped spread news to the entire school, solidifying this little joke as a great tradition. “I think most of the band definitely knew what it was, and I think they probably spread Feature
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All photos of Quintin Gay ’19 by Gabe Greco and illistrated by Ben Janssen when people asked, like, ‘Why is that, kid wearing something goofy?’ And then band kids would be like, ‘Yeah, it’s a thing.’” said Janssen. The tradition continued after Janssen’s 2015 graduation when Caleb Kleman, ’18 took over the tradition his sophomore year. Kleman became the new face of Michael Mondays in his second year at Wash. Kleman, another band student, loved seeing Janssen first thing every Monday morning and decided to carry on the tradition, because of the joy it brought him at the start of every week. “I thought Mondays had gotten really boring, and Mondays are hard anyways, and I just thought it would be kind of fun to just carry on this tradition. I think I’m the one doing it right now because I was the first one to ask Michael,” Kleman said in a 2016 Surveyor interview. Both Kleman and Janssen struggled coming up with fresh ideas every week. 12
Feature
They both reused parts of previous outfits but refused to recycle a full outfit. “Recently, I got some stuff that Michael had worn before,” Kleman said “There are random bits of old outfits all over my house.” Kleman and Janssen both relied heavily on second hand stores to find their outfits. Their families would scour various Goodwills, Salvation Armies, and Plato’s Closets for weird articles of clothing. “My mom would just go to Goodwill and grab a whole bunch of stuff,” said Janssen. Although the tradition was passed from Michael to Caleb, their goals stayed the same, to entertain their friends and make Mondays a little better. “[I dress up weirdly] for the entertainment of other people, and myself. It’s kind of like a fun way to start off the week, and it is now a tradition at Washington High School--starting of course with Michael Janssen.” Kleman
said. This year, a new chapter of Michael Mondays has begun as Gay takes over this tradition. After watching Kleman dressing up in costumes every monday for all three years of his high school career, Gay took over. Kleman was searching for someone to pass the reigns onto when he decided on Quintin. “One fateful night last year, I got a Snapchat from Caleb Kleman that said, ‘Quintin, I have a very important question to ask you in person, can I come over?’ and then a few minutes later, Caleb Kleman was at my front door dressed in a toga. I let him into my house and he said, ‘Quintin, will you take upon the honor of continuing the Michael Monday tradition?’ and I said it would be my honor,” said Gay. Just a few weeks into the year, Gay was already seeing people react positively to his outrageous outfits. He has noticed all the positives that
Editor-in-chief
Benjamin Janssen
come with this tradition and has noticed the diverse range of students who appreciate this tradition. “Even though I’ve only done it a few times, teachers and students are always asking me what my costume is, why I’m doing it, and giving me ideas for other costumes and what they think of it. So I think it’s something that a lot of the people in the school, especially people that I wouldn’t otherwise talk to can get excited about.” Gay said. As the tradition has been passed on, so have various articles of clothing. Although Gay’s predecessors would never reuse a full costume, it wasn’t uncommon to see them in a familiar article of clothing. As time has passed, it has become harder to not repeat costumes and ideas but Gay hopes that he won’t have to reuse an old costume. “Caleb gave me two big tubs of costumes that he has collected over the years. One of the tubs
Benjamin Janssen
Editor-in-Chief
had just random costume parts and accessories and in the other tub was little plastic bags of pre-completed costumes,” Gay said. “I can be inspired from their old ideas.” Michaels Mondays has evolved and grown since its inception in 2013. It has become a beloved Warrior tradition as students have started to expect one of their peers to dress outrageously every Monday. Despite the torch being passed down once again, and preparing to be passed down next year, the core values of this tradition have remained constant; to brighten students days and weeks every monday and attempt to bring a little more joy to the school week. “Dear Michael Janssen, I think it was a great and goofy idea and I’m glad you did such a great job with it that other students like Caleb and I wanted to continue it.” Gay said.
Feature
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New Staff Grace McKinstry and Jaydin McMickle
Daniel Maus is one of Wash’s newest math teachers. She graduated from the University of Northern Iowa and worked with Ian Kleman, a science teacher at Wash, last year to further her education and training. Wash must’ve made a lasting impression on Maus, because she joined the 2018-2019 school year as an Algebra 1 teacher.
Monica Hamilton is the new IJAG teacher at Wash. She wanted to work with 9th and 10th graders because they have “big aspirations.” Her favorite TV show is “The Office,” “a classic.” Not only is Hamilton a teacher, but she is also a record-breaking limboist.
Suzanne Kiliper is a new addition to Wash’s social studies department after taking 10 years off to stay at home with her children. She was a student at Wash and has stuck with the school since. Her favorite TV show is “Grace & Frankie,” and her favorite vacation spot is Hawaii, other than her house in Lake Okoboji.
Shawna Chandler, Wash’s new receptionist, was drawn to Wash’s unique atmosphere. This is her first year in the Cedar Rapids Community School District upon graduating from Kirkwood. Chandler and her husband are middle school sweethearts, and her favorite TV show is “This is Us.”
Profiles
Profiles Editor
Sophie Lindwall
New Staff Grace McKinstry + Jaydin McMickle
After four years in the Cedar Rapids Community School District, Cymone Green came to Wash this year looking for “something different.” She graduated from Kaplan University and works as Wash’s attendance clerk.
Lisa Goodwin was hired for the ‘18-19 school year as John Cline’s secretary. “There happened to be an open position and since I lived in North Carolina, I thought I might have an edge up,” she said. Her favorite TV show is “The Big Bang Theory,” and she is an alum of the University of Iowa.
This is Biligana Samovkovic’s third year teaching after attending the University of Wisconsin, Western Illinois and the University of Iowa. She is a member of the ELL department and she is focused on teaching for social justice and the new challenge.s She really enjoys writing.
Ellen Schneider came to Wash as an addition to our ELL team. She graduated from Grinnell College and has worked for the National Archives. Schneider was very impressed with Wash for bringing back the ELL program and her favorite TV show is “Parks & Rec.”
Sophie Lindwall
Profiles Editor
Profiles
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September FBOM Nile Peterson
By Sophie Lindwall
Are you looking for a special someone? Want a bae? A boo? Look no further! Nile Peterson is on the market! He is a 5’5, 15-year-old freshie waiting to be scooped by a caring, athletic, outdoor-loving, golf-enthusiast girl with a “good motherly sense.” Do you meet these qualifications? You might find this handsome devil on the golf course, because “the grind don’t stop.” He is on the varsity golf team here at Wash. Peterson’s dream date consists of an 18-hole game of golf, where he would pick his date up by way of golf cart with presents of roses and matching golf shirts. “Brooks Brothers- only the best.” After a fun game of golf, a romantic dinner would be served on the golf course. Peterson is a goofy, kind, and talented boy.. Make sure to be the first to snatch up this heart-throb bachelor!
October FBOM
Nathan McDermott
Nathan McDermott, ‘22, is October’s cutie bachelor of the month. He participates in the freshman show choir, Vivace, as well as freshman/JV golf, and is looking for a girl that is “adventurous, outgoing and spontaneous.” If these traits fit your personality, you’ll love to hear what McDermott’s dream date would be. “ We would go snowboarding or skiing on a mountain, depending on which they do.” He would fly his date out to Colorado on a private jet and pack a picnic lunch to eat on the mountain. “Afterwards, we would go out to a steakhouse to enjoy some steaks.” McDermott considers himself to be a good date because he will pay for dinner, and his hair is “pretty awesome.” Don’t let this boys fun adventures go to waste!
Photos by Gabe Greco
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Profiles
Profiles Editor
Sophie Lindwall
State Football Numbers Decreasing
By Paris McNutt
Benches aren’t packed with players. The field is partially empty. The number of football players has dropped at Cedar Rapids Washington — the biggest drop the school has seen in years. “Numbers are down everywhere, not just at Washington,” Warriors football coach Maurice Blue said. Several other schools in the Metro, Eastern Iowa and across the state are dealing with the same problem. The biggest fear in playing football is getting injured, and parents and players themselves are concerned with that factor. Concussions are definitely the biggest worry. “The news drives people away due to the fear of injuries,” Blue said. However, football is now safer than it has ever been before, he said. “There’s a lot more science to playing football safely now than there was 10 to 15 years ago,” Blue said. Current players have picked up reasons as to why their number of teammates has declined. “People aren’t receiving enough play(ing) time, which makes them not want to play anymore,” said sophomore Marcus Taylor. With less playing time, people aren’t motivated to join the team and aren’t patient enough to receive the playing time they want. On the other hand, some just don’t have enough time to play football. “Nowadays, most sports are yearround, leaving no time to play seasonal sports, like football,” activities director Grant Schultz said. Ideas are being brainstormed to attract more people to play football. The number one idea is to reach out to a younger crowd. “We are currently reaching out to lower levels, such as middle school and junior teams, to join football in high school,” said Schultz, who believes numbers will increase in the future. Isaac Gomez
Sports Editor
Camps are beneficial to getting more people playing the game when entering high school. It prepares them for the challenges and the physicality of playing at a higher, rigorous level. The difficulty of the sport and the fear of injuries are the biggest concerns driving people away. Solving this issue will take a lot of work, but schools all over are working hard to overcome this decline.
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Football Numbers Getting Hit Hard
Graphic by Isaac Gomez Sports
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By Jaxon Brems
A Summer to Remember
The Washington 2018 baseball season was a wild but great season. The Warriors lost just 18 out of their 45 game season. According to coach Brune the season was challenging due to complications, but the team overcame these obstacles and had many great games. “It was an exciting and challenging season. At one point we had 10 guys healthy and able to play in a week where we had 7 games in a three day span. We also overcame injury and low numbers to make it all the way to the state championship game.” Rimmy Nemickas was the one who sealed the win in all three substate games, two of the state games, and kept the score the same in the championship game. In all six games, Nemickas combined for nine innings pitched, allowed zero runs, and struck out 17 batters. Those stats sure show why Nemickas is continuing he baseball career at Iowa University. Some of the games came very close but ended up being victories for the Warriors. Such as the Johnson opening round game of the state tournament and the West Des Moines Valley games. Draeden Spang ‘19 came in clutch in one of the biggest spots in the game. In the fifth inning with bases loaded and a tie game, Spang sent a scorching line drive into the left center gap. All three runners scored and Spang ended at third with one of the biggest at bats in his life. Nemickas continued to show his dominance by ending the Dragon’s season. The common phrase “Dragons aren’t real” was shouted throughout the day. “Johnston opening round game of the state tournament - beating the number one team in the state in the first round of the state tournament was one of the biggest wins in program history. An eighth seed beating a 18
Sports
one seed had only happened a few times every in state baseball history.” commented Brune. “West Des Moines Valley - scoring 4 runs in the top of the 7th to take a one run lead on no hits was something I have never seen before in all my years of baseball.” The Warriors made it to the championship game against Urbandale, with a score of 0 to 3 with the Warriors losing. The team and coach Brune were disappointed with this loss, until revisiting how great of a season they had. “It was a tough loss to take and that feeling lasted a few days, but then after you take a step back and realize that you were one of the two remaining 4A team left and the accomplishment that is. It was a great run and a special season and a special group of guys.”
Final Record 27-18
Substate Finals Davenport North: Won 4-2 Jefferson: Won 5-3 Iowa City West: Won 5-2 State Finals Johnston: Won 7-5 Valley: Won 5-4 Urbandale: Lost 3-0
Photo by Scott McWherter Sports Editor
Isaac Gomez
More Than a Win By Isaac Gomez It’s hard to stay committed to a certain activity or task when things seem to always be going wrong. So a different level of respect goes to the people who really work their hearts out and give everything they got into that certain activity. So when things go right, you can’t help but feel relieved and overjoyed for them. The Softball team who had struggled for the past year was able to pull through with a win against Dubuque Senior Rams on Dubuque’s home turf. They were able to win 4-1 with Grace Stockmaster ‘19 picking up the win. Stockmaster who was able to pick up her first win against the Rams with an outstanding pitching performance. “She was hitting her corners and making her pitches spin which continually kept the Rams on their heels the entire game.” said assistant coach Erin Drahozal. It showed that the Rams were on their heels because the Rams were only able to push across a run. While the Rams offense was next to nonexistent, the Warriors were able to score 4 runs against the Rams who made some crucial errors and good teams are able to capitalize when it’s most important. The Warriors were able to do just that. Drahozal sees a great trend with little things like being able to capitalize on miss plays. “This win showed the girls that they are capable of playing with anyone in the conference.” Arguably the most important step for a team to turn the corner is to not only have a coach that believes in the team everyday, but also for the team to believe in themselves. Without a doubt you must have the right mindset and attitude to succeed in anything. “It is easy to get down on yourselves and develop a negative attitude, but everyone continued to stay positive through the adversity we faced.” said Drahozal. Sky Monty ‘21 is one of the players who has been with the team for the past couple Isaac Gomez
Sports Editor
of years. She was part of the team who didn’t win a game in 2017, but like many other girls who are dedicated to the team, she came back. The hard work and dedication paid off. “I just remember it being so fun to win with a team what finally deserved a win because of how hard some of the people have been working” commented Monty. The win itself was a feeling like no other and they had a certain type of hunger for a win on this day. According to Monty Quick Stats had already said that Dubuque had already beat Washington. “Throughout the game we were fueled by the fact that in Quick Stats they had already said they won against us.” The day was bigger than just a game, it was more than just a win. Emotions were flowing throughout the game. And a sense of relief was shown after the win. “ The feeling was like none other. The middle infielder caught the ball and ran into the dirt while everyone hugged each other and people were crying. You could see the faces on the other team in disbelief that we just won.” That’s what the team played for everyday, they wanted to come out on top everyday and they never stopped fighting. They will continue to work as hard as possible to get better and better each year. The head coach Amy Bautista will not be coming back this year to coach. When asked why, Grant Schultz had no comment and didn’t think it was the best idea to contact her. Drahozal commented that she had no idea why she isn’t coming back. It’s so important for a team to have a good relationship with their coaches if they want to take the next step to becoming a competing team. One player gave an insight of the relationship with the head coach and why she may not be returning. “We have gone through a rough patch with our coach, it only makes us better and
stronger as a team and working together, because we had to experience a time when we had to stick together if we wanted to even have a team this year.” When asked if the player would like to make any other comment she said “I’d just thank her for making us have to work harder as a team because that brought us together.” The team looks to improve in this new season and they look to continue to have many more memories and bright spots in the season.
2018 Varsity Roster 2-Grace Stockmaster-JR 3-Corri Peterson-SR 4-Cora Barton-FR 7-Tanaya Sylvester-SO 9-Sky Monty-FR 10-Aly Dye-08 11-Kyra LaGrange-08 13-Olivia Jacobs-Jr 15-Lydia Jackson-08 19-Danielle Levy-08 20-Haven Johnson-08 21-Deja Redmond-08 22-Sam Gehrke-08 25-Megan Bartels-SR 29-Jaliea Havel-08 37-Anna Wilson-08 44-Emmigin Myers-08 47-Mady Meeker-08
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Seth Keppler A&E Editor
China Inn Chinese Cuisine Review
If you drive along busy 1st Avenue, you may notice China Inn, a snug little restaurant that serves delicious Szechuan and Cantonese style food for dine in, takeout, or delivery. It previously occupied a rinky-dink little hole in the wall, but it has since moved into the more spacious building next door, formally known as Xavier’s. China Inn has taken to the structure beautifully by adding a stylish new color scheme and two lovely windows with stunning views of urban Southeast Cedar Rapids. Its menu features a plethora of choices packed with flavor and variety. Inside, the royal red walls are dotted with paintings and other asianesque decorations. On top of a shelf in the back of the dining area, there is a charming chinese dragon that resembles Mushu, the dragon from Mulan. My party and I ordered three different dishes; moo shu pork, Mongolian beef, the chef’s special dragon and phoenix, along with egg rolls and crab rangoons. The entrees came out each on a different platter as if we were going to consume them individually, but instead, we ate them takeout style by compiling all of the meals onto one plate on top of a layer of white and/or fried rice. The moo shu pork was excellent. It was served with five thin flour pancakes. I treated the pancake as a tortilla, filled it with a scoop of the entree, and rolled it up to make a chinese burrito of some sort.The pork was flavorful, smokey, but a little on the dry side. However, the sauce that came on the entree made up for the dryness of the pork. There was an array of vegetables in the dish, from sliced carrots to luscious mushrooms. These veggies, in their mediocracy, combined to be a flavor powerhouse with the sauce that topped the dish. Lastly, the eggs were light, fluffy, and flavorful. They filled in the cracks of
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A&E Photos by Seth Keppler
missing flavor with their delicacy. Mongolian beef has always been my favorite choice of entree at Chinese restaurants, and China Inn did not disappoint. The beef was cut into slivers and was cooked to point of exquisite tenderness. It absorbed the flavors of onion and other mixed vegetables and could almost be a dish by itself. The same mixed veggies from the moo shu pork were present in this dish as well. All together, the ingredients of the mongolian beef made it one of the best mongolian beef dishes I have ever had. The chef’s specialty dragon and phoenix dish was my personal fa-
vorite. It came with perfectly cooked General Tso’s styled chicken, a different variety of mixed veggies, including delicate steamed broccoli and grade-A shrimp doused in zesty chili sauce. The whole entree was completed by the chili sauce. The sauce enhanced the flavor of the chicken, shrimp, and veggies. The only thing that the dish lacked was the spiciness that was promised on the menu. Next time you decide to order takeout or go out to eat, try China Inn. They have friendly staff, cozy dine-in seating, and wonderful food that will, without a doubt, have you leaving with a smile in your stomach and on your face.
A&E Editor
Seth Keppler
Matthew Gearheart Co Opinions Editor
The Book of Truth “12 Rules for Life”
“12 Rules For Life” by Jordan Peterson is a sophisticated and complex analysis of how you should organize and manifest yourself in society. Written by a psychologist, public speaker, online influencer, and professor at the University of Toronto. His book provides 12 introspective bits of advice to improve your existence, though it’s not like any other book stemming from the ‘self-help’ genre. “It is a book that combines sensible advice gleaned from his clinical practice with inspirational anecdotes from his personal life, accounts of his academic work in the field of psychology and a lot of intellectual history of the ‘great books’ variety, which he interprets in highly tendentious ways.” The Guardian described.
Kaden Fields Staff Reporter
of real honest listening. Because often conversations are debates, where the two individuals spit what they have learned to show off their intellectual capacity and wisdom. Though, if you try your best to peer into the others personal interpretation of the world you are sure to learn something. 12 rules for life is sometimes called preachy, other times news sites like Vox describe it as, “Emblematic of the way white male anxiety is producing new and powerful political movements across the West today.” Which I think is all utter nonsense. If you are feeling lost and without meaning or direction and you’re looking for a solution, I highly recommend this piece of literature.
Led Zeppelin II Good music never ages
The obscurity of music in the past compared to modern music is very apparent. To most, it’s a debate whether music is better aged or new,but personally, rock and roll speaks to me as the most influential genre of music for many reasons. The enthusiasm, expression, culture, history, and most importantly, the feeling that the listener gets. In the 70’s, Led Zeppelin created this feeling beautifully and set the foundation for music to come. One of their most famous and ambitious albums, both for them and the rock and roll genre, Led Zeppelin 2, is a fantastic example of the band’s talent in their prime. There is not a single song that falls into the range of being bad in this album. If anything, all of the songs are unique to one another with interesting lyrics, groovy guitar riffs, and explosive sounds, in general. The album was released by Atlantic Records in 1969 and was an instant success with listenSeth Keppler
He follows these rules with a complexity of history, religious text, philosophy, anthropology and biology to prove his ideas are in the realm of truism. The utterances of Jordan Peterson and his book have influenced many in western society whom fallen stray of meaning or have suffered the sensation of no life direction. To provide an insight on the context of what these rules say, the most prominent one that sticks out, is Rule 9, “Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don’t.” Peterson details the intricacies of conversation, and how difficult it is to have a real meaningful session where the sole purpose is to exchange knowledge to uncover something new. He describes the intrinsic importance
A&E Editor
ers making it the band’s first number one hit album. Being described as the “heaviest album” of their career by critics, it holds true with a legendary drum solo by John Bonham in “Moby
Dick” and Jimmy Page’s unique, hard, and melodic guitar riffs and solos in songs like “Whole Lotta Love” and “Thank You.” Led Zeppelin’s uniqueness in this album was like no other album in it’s time. Those who were fans at the time
couldn’t exactly pinpoint their competition. They assumed Deep Purple was close to them musicality wise, yet their other worldly compositions were beyond its time. The album’s only problems for me is the length of some of its songs. For example, in the almost-9 minute song, Moby Dick, a weird filler of bongos and other drums take a good portion of the middle of the song. Don’t get me wrong, it’s amazing, but I just feel as if it can be altered to keep the audience’s attention. Furthermore, can Robert Plant’s vocals get anymore chilling and amazing? I mean if you don’t get goosebumps when listening to him, you may be hearing wrong. “Ramble On” is a great example of Plant’s vocal range and power, however, each member seems to serve the music genre beautifully with their instruments. So give this album a listen, for I assure you you’d like it, or at least respect it for its influence on music to come. A&E
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Jaxon Brems Staff Reporter
The Nun
“The Nun” is a 2018 mystery/horror movie that was directed by Corin Hardy, written by Gary Dauberman, and stars Damian Bichir. This movie is in the same world as popular horror movies such as “The Conjuring” and “Annabelle.” The series started with “The Conjuring” and then “Annabelle,” which both take place in the early 70’s. The movies continue to move backwards in time and slowly explain and unravel the full story. “The Nun” takes place in the early 50’s, and follows a young Nun, Irene, who has not done her pledges yet, meaning she is not a full Nun yet. There is an incident at an old church where a Nun sacrifices herself, so Irene is sent, along with a priest from the Vatican named Father Burke, to investigate the situation. They first
Kaden Fields Staff Reporter
A&E
the nearby cemetery, and following them. Towards the end of the movie, the young nun, priest, and Frenchie head towards the source of the Nun, or “the evil”. The Nun attacks all of them and attempts to kill Sister Irene, but fails and is destroyed by the blood of Christ. I thought this was a good movie, but not quite as good as the movies before it. It was definitely creepy in many scenes, but it wasn’t as scary and suspenseful as “The Conjuring” or “Annabelle.” I also felt the ending was unsatisfying, because the Nun seemed to have been killed a little too easily, even though there was a big struggle in doing so.
Boarding House Reach
Jack White is famously known for his guitar role in the duet band “The White Stripes.” Their epic, electric and defining sound blew the rock and roll media out of the water during their time as a band. But ever since Jack and Meg White’s break up within the band in 2011, Jack has been on a roll with his solo career, even debuting his first solo album in 2012 called, “Blunderbuss.” As of recently, Jack had released the highly anticipated album, “Boarding House Reach” last summer. This album is super unique to its predecessors especially considering he sometimes ditches the “White Stripes” sound he is known for. The albums use of technology, noises, and tone is super weird and off-putting. Most of the album is a psychedelic dive into the mind and how we understand music and art in general. Don’t get me wrong though this album is pretty sweet. The single “Connected by Love” was a great introduction to what this album 20
talk to a man named Frenchie who is a local farmer. He is the one who discovered the dead Nun, so he brings them to her. Once they reach the church, they find the diseased Nun and give her a proper barrual. After, they speak with the head Nun who says they must stay the night and speak with the other nuns in the morning, for they have a vow of silence after sundown. They stay in the housing area where the other nuns sleep. After sundown, Father Burke feels that something isn’t right in the church, so he roams to investigate. “The Nun,” who is the evil entity that haunts the church and surroundings, roams at night as well. She toys with Irene and Father Burke at night time by putting Burke into a buried coffin, chasing them around
was going to sound like. It’s catchy, melodic, and an epic that people can
associate the album with. The only sad part of this album is how Jack shies away from his icky, melodic, genius, and truly masterful guitar and piano playing. Yes, it does show up, but not as much as I would like it too. What made Jack White unique from other rock stars is how he uses his instru-
ment and his sound no one could replicate and to see him really take a big step in a new direction makes me sad. But there is hope! In the song “Over and Over and Over” his iconic and beautiful guitar riffs and solos speak out. This is my most favorite song on the album by a longshot. Continuing, this album doesn’t really have “flaws” it’s just simply an acquired taste with the majority of the album. Rolling Stone simply puts it saying, “It’s his strangest record yet.” And I couldn’t disagree more with Rolling Stone, it makes me uncomfortable at times and maybe that was the end goal for Jack. All in all, if your a White Stripes fan looking for another fix, this album probably wouldn’t suit you best. But for those who are interested in Jack White and the sound he has been developing himself in nowadays, this is a great album to check out. A&E Editor
Seth Keppler
Roses -Hawkeye State -Katiana Arnold -Darshaun Smith -Tornado Drills -Homecoming -Warrior time -Solar Frost Podcast -The Surveyor is back -Tea Time with Sophie and Seth -Spooky Season -AddamsFamily -Rain --Newspapers -Postseason Baseball -Football
Roses and Thorns graphic by Audrey Fashimpaur ’19
&
Thorns -Administrators thinking students don’t know how bells work -Hurricane -Jeff Bezos -Homecoming Playlist -iLearning -New iPhone cost -Country music -The Last Lifeboat is over -Spoopy Season -Not enough roses or thorns -a stiff, sharp-pointed, straight or curved woody projection on the stem or other part of a plant. -Kavanaugh voted onto supreme court
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non-discrimination policy It is the policy of the Cedar Rapids Community School District not to illegally discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age (employment only), marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and socioeconomic status (students/ program only) in its educational programs and its employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. District employees with questions or a grievance related to this policy should contact the Executive Director of Human Resources, 319558-2000. Students and others should contact the Manager of Student Equity, 319-558-2000. The District mailing address is 2500 Edgewood Rd NW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52405-1015.
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Carter May, ‘19, plays the trumpet during a halftime show at a home football game. Photo by Jordan Smalley