THE FALL EDITION
SCROLL
ISSUE 1 VOLUME 88
Staffers
Taryn Anderson McCayla Dahlberg Elise Dowler Luz Gonzalez Tayrisha Kipper Maddie Miller Cheyanne Potter Alicia Solis-Palos Fallon Trenter
Cover
Mayson Williams
Design Editor Ryleigh Hayworth Feature Editor Fabiana Centeno Co-Editors in Chief Shelby Alsted Nikki Grove Mayson Williams Principal Leslie Morris
4 Under the radar
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The struggle of school for the undocumented
Cover Photo
Anthony Arroyo
Adviser Natalie Niemeyer
7 Trent Smith
DISTRICT EDUCATIONAL EQUALITY STATEMENT The Des Moines Public Schools prohibits discrimination in educational and employment programs and activities based on age, race, creed, color, sex, marital status, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. In addition, the District prohibits acts of intolerance or harassment toward employees or students that are not related to the individual’s employment or education.
LETTER POLICY
The Scroll welcomes letters but reserves the right to edit for space as needed. Outside contributions are subject to the usual restrictions of libel and obscenity and must conform to general paper policy, which is available upon request. Signed commentaries represent personal opinions, not views of the staff. Also, your letter needs to include your full name and grade. Unsigned letters can not be printed. You can deliver your letter to Natalie Niemeyer in room 3060N.
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Familiar face, new beginning
Dear sisters...
Your self worth doesn’t depend on others
ADS POLICY
Ads are available in quarter page, half page and full page sizes. Ad inquiries should be directed to Natalie Niemeyer at natalie.niemeyer@dmschools.org. The Scroll reserves the right to reject ads deemed not in the best interest of East students. The paper is printed by Wilcox Printing in Madrid, IA.
NOTE: All contents are the product of the EHS newspaper production staff. Occasional stories are contributed from the Journalism Intern program.
The Scroll is a public forum for student expression.
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16 School spirit
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Be proud of your school, it’s important
October 22, 2018
Page Editor/ N. Grove
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Page Editor/N. Grove
Under the Radar
Story/ Alicia Solis
When you’re a child you can’t help but dream of the future that lies ahead of you. They always ask you what you want to do when your older? What do you want to pursue? What are your dreams? Then high school comes around and you’re dreading senior year because unlike the rest of your peers you aren’t eligible for Federal Financial aid for college or even able to get job, What now? This is the harsh reality for many undocumented students here at East and at many other high schools across the U.S. As senior year comes creeping up, undocumented students face the same college and future decisions as many other students, but at the same time they face many struggles citizens don’t have to. For starters, many of them aren’t eligible for Financial aid, not to mention many scholarships are only available to U.S citizen’s, so many must make the hardest decision whether to pay out of pocket or not go to college all together. One of many people who fall under this dilemma is Sarai Gonazlez, a Junior and straight A student whose status is getting in the way of her going to college and following her dreams. “No college or further education, less opportunities ahead. My brother for example dropped out of high school because he couldn’t go to college anyway and said ‘What’s the point?’ We’re kind of forced to give up and find our own way,” Gonzalez said. Not all undocumented students have same situations. They all have their own stories and problems
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they all deal with. How someone’s undocumented status affects them varies person to person and depending on the circumstances affecting them, some can’t ask for help or are too afraid to reach out due to fear of getting exposed. For
“It’s hard being undocumented, but we came for a reason.” Gonzalez, her story starts in Mexico. “I was born in Totolmajac, Villa Guerrero in Mexico and I lived there until we came to the U.S by airplane. They say to build a wall, but honestly nothing can stop a determined person who wants a better life, especially parents. I’ve been in the U.S for over 12 years now. I came when I was 5 around the spring or summer and I’m about to be 17 now,” Gonzalez said.
The strugle of school for the undocumented and unafraid Some of the things they struggle with is the fact that many are not able to get a job or drive due to needing a social security number to do so. Undocumented students often miss out on a lot of things that we as students all look forward to, things that are considered a part of growing up. Like applying and getting your dream job or learning how to drive but for undocumented students its often not possible, they yearn for many of the things people take for granted. “My situation is complex. I’m undocumented but they can’t deport me either. I’m stuck in between. I wish I could work in a clothing store, that’s the type of dream job for me but my options are limited, I can only work where relatives offer me work such as a Mexican restaurant. I’m grateful for my job but I wish I could work where I want not where I can. I also can’t drive because I need a social security number to get a driver’s license and I don’t have one. Many times, I feel excluded because of my status,” Gonzalez said. There are up to 50,000 to 65,000 undocumented students in the U.S who do manage to graduate high school but a large percentage of them don’t apply or don’t end up going to collage as it is economically impossible for them. There is a small majority of those who do end up getting private scholarship’s or get some
Page Editor/A. Solis Photo/ C.Casanova
money from instate tuition programs which is good but it’s still a huge expense being that they would have to pay the rest out of pocket and with minimum wage that would take ages to pay off. Many who do manage to get a job to try to pay tuitions off often find themselves in low paying jobs with bad working conditions unless they have some type of work visa or are in DACA which is not often the case and they are doomed into working full time at such a young age. In Gonzalez’s case her status is making her future uncertain and unclear. “It gets in the way of the way of my dreams because I can’t get financial aid for collage without a social security number, I’m not sure I can even go to college, I can’t work where I want to work, I can’t even go back to Mexico to go visit my grandparents,” Gonzalez said. Another common struggle is the racial profiling and racism directed towards them due to their status and race. They often face judgement especially now due to the political debate over immigration, so they live under the radar even if it means not being able to stand up for themselves if it means there safe from persecution. “One of the struggles they often face is judgement by others, especially during our current political climate as sometimes people who are undocumented get associated with people
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who do something bad and they are automatically grouped with those types of people and that’s definitely a struggle for people who are undocumented probably deal with,” East High Counselor Natalie Madsen said. The future for many undocumented students is uncertain but there’s always many recourses and programs out there that will lend
“Nothing can stop a determined person who wants a better life.” a helping hand for students in these situations. Here at East High School stuff that can assist them are available from the counselors as they have information on opportunities and things that are helpful and available for undocumented students and are able to provide information in a privet, safe and secure environment.
“We also discuss different plans for collage as money is typically the biggest barrier, its often not that they can’t get into collage it’s the money part, we’ll often talk about possibly maybe starting at DMACC or another community college that might be a little cheaper and maybe doing DMACC during the day and working at night, just finding ways that are flexible for collage plans,” Madsen said. East works with Gear up, a service available to any student that helps them with academic success regardless of their income or family background. This service is currently working on compiling a list of collages that are most helpful for undocumented students, collages that will help them out and keep their information safe and secure. Another option is going to a community college as it’s tuition rates often aren’t as expensive as other collages and are a bit more affordable then other collages. To help with financial aid there are always small local scholarship’s that you can apply for as they are less likely to require a FAFSA or documentation of citizenship. In the end undocumented students have their own struggles to face but there not going down without a fight, even though there future is uncertain for them it’s a future worth fighting for. “It’s hard being undocumented, but we come for a reason, we would rather suffer this then risk our lives in our home country, where poverty is quick to steal dreams,” Gonzalez said.
Page Editor/ A. Solis
From the Bears Den to the Tribe story/C.Potter
From a school with 1,471 students to a school with 2,205 students. From a school where I would see the same faces every day, to a school where I see new faces every day. From a school with only two floors to a school with four floors and five different wings of the building. This is my story of being a transfer student from North High School. When I was at North, I was unhappy. I tried to get involved by joining the cheer team, but that just didn’t help me. Yes, I had a lot fun but it didn’t feel right. At North, I felt alone. I had friends but those friendships never worked out. When I went to an event at East whether it was a sports game, or a play or a musical, I was truly happy. When I was thinking about transferring I talked to my best friend and boyfriend about it and they both were at East so they thought it was a good idea and knew I would be happier, for many reasons. They both knew that the teaching style was stressing me out and that I felt alone at North. When I was completely sure that transferring was what I wanted, I had to talk to my parents about it. My parents knew I always wanted to transfer but we just never talked about because they thought I wouldn’t be able to get into East because of how many students already go there.
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A Transfer Story My parents filled out the transfer paper and then the wait started, the wait to get the letter saying I would be enrolled at East High School. When I got the letter I was so happy I couldn’t wait to tell my best friend and boyfriend and everyone at North. People would always ask me when I would finally transfer because I was known as the “East girl at North” so when I told people
I was known as the “East girl at North”. at North they weren’t surprised. There was one person at North I needed to tell and I had no idea how, it was an administrator I was very close to. I waited awhile before I brought it up and it was really emotional because he was my go to person when I needed to talk since my freshmen year. Before school started, I knew it was going to be different but I really didn’t know how different until I got here. Even my schedule looked different because I was used of seeing a color by the room number
because each hallway was a different color, but this year I there was a letter from each section of the building. Knowing that I could go from one floor and section to another really scared me, but luckily I never got lost looking for my classes because my boyfriend helped me get from one class to another so I wouldn’t get lost. At East, the teaching is very different. North is a “school of rigor” which means teaching is done in a weird way. Teachers would expect you to learn from each other. Students would be put in groups so we could get ideas from each other, and most of the times it was one person having to figure everything out themselves. Teachers at the end of class would help you and show on the board but would expect the students to put all ideas together. East feels like the teaching is what I personally need. I take notes and the teachers explain how to do something before giving us a worksheet. Here I actually use notebooks because at North I didn’t need to at all. Overall I am so much happier here, I’m so happy I transferred and that I can actually be with my friends every day. I’m Cheyanne and this is my story of being a transfer student.
Page Editor/C.Potter
TRENT SMITH
photo / T. Anderson
East High School alum, Trent Smith, takes the reigns of East High School’s men’s basketball team story / T. Anderson
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uring the last block of the day on a Thursday afternoon, new head basketball coach, Trent Smith, entered room 3060N filled with Scroll members ready to ask smith about his life on the Eastside. Smith’s pride and joy of being an Eastsider flowed as he described his experiences at East. Whether it’s being a student, coach, counselor, or hall monitor, East is in his blood. A majority, of Smith’s life has been spent coaching. From starting as an assistant coach for Saydel’s women’s basketball team 12 years ago, to currently being East’s head coach for boys basketball. Smith Coached two years for the women’s basketball program at Grandview University, one year at AIB college, worked for the Iowa Energy team for one year, as well as coaching volleyball, women’s soccer, and women’s basketball here at East. Although Smith has had many coaching experiences, he has always enjoyed coaching at East. “It’s one of those things like, this is where I am from, so I want to be able to give back to the place I graduated from because they have done so much for me. If East hadn’t left an impact on me I wouldn’t be back here working and coaching,” Smith said Over the past decade, East has struggled with their basketball program, and Smith plans
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to change that, on and off of the court. Smith’s main goal is to prepare his student athletes for the rest of their life whether or not basketball is involved. “My goal is to have a team full of guys that actually are student athletes, guys that go to class, that actually do their work on the school side of things. Then when they get on the court they also do their work there. That is my number one goal to
“I mean, I would not be who I am if I wasn’t here at East.” have kids ready, so once they leave my program they can go on and be successful,” Smith said. Smith admitted that he wished the culture around East was better. He hopes basketball could be a factor in changing the negative stigma that many people attach to East, although many people don’t know what East is actually like. “East gets a bad rep about everything it seems like, and that just wasn’t and isn’t the case, you have so much support from the community
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here at East... I mean, I wouldn’t be who I am if I wasn’t here at East, because I wouldn’t have had the same experiences,” Smith said. Smith, being the fourth head basketball coach for East in the past five years, definitely brings doubt to the East community. But Smith believes he has what it takes to raise the standard. On the school side of things, the basketball team has already improved in terms of attendance, behavior, and grades. “As far basketball itself I want to win some games, I mean the great thing is that after last year there is only way to go and that is up,” Smith said. During the process of hiring a new head basketball coach, athletic director Lyle Fedders had Smith as one of the top candidates the whole time. Smith’s experience and background at East landed him the position. “Trent’s experience as a coach at the collegiate and high school level put him in a situation that he was one of our top candidates. He also graduated from East and was part of the basketball program during our last winning season. Trent also has a great knowledge of what is needed to turn our program around due to working at East and coaching at East in multiple capacities over the past 10 years,” Fedders said.
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Page Editor/T.Anderson
What is the definition of worth? When seeking out self worth, where does one typically look? More importantly, why do so many of us look for our own self worth in the hands of men? Seeking reassurance, validation and recognition for those who have no idea what the true complexities inside of our brains consist of? Our worth coincides with the beauty each of us possess- inside and out. Men are not, nor have they ever been, the answer. When lacking self-love, self-worth, and self-esteem we always tend to turn to a comparison unto others. Comparison is the gateway to a self ha-
ly created so that we may bring life into this world. So that we may quite possibly be the most beautiful creatures on this planet. So that we may be the ones to acknowledge our own strengths as women. “For most of history, Anonymous was a woman,” -Virginia Woolf. Our voices have been diminished by the likeness of men all of history. From being “owned” by our husbands with no sense of control or independence, to now: fighting for the right to our own bodies and the choices we need to be allowed to make as women. Everyday the battle creeps onward and our enemies multiply. Except, the number one person we consider a threat is another woman. Why? You scared your boy toy will cheat on you with another woman? Let her have him. A “man” who will lessen your sense of self-worth isn’t worth your time, loyalty, or effort. Let that BOY go. It is absolutely liberating to thrive in your
Dear Sisters,
photo illustration / M. Williams page / 8 / opinion
tred which is projected onto the fellow women we are surrounded by everyday. Rumors, gossip and bitterness come to surface for no other reason than our own insecurities. I’m sure we’ve all heard the saying: “I have more guy friends because there’s less drama.” But why is there less drama? It is because of the constant seeking of a physical or mental validation that men provide with their body language or testosterone. Barriers are built within the female community which inevitably leads to trust issues with one another. We weren’t molded to look the same. We were made to be different and to be someone who goes against the grain rather than someone who is like everyone else. What’s so special and unique about being the girl on twitter who talks down on other females in order to feel some sort of comfort in her own skin? Appreciate beauty. Appreciate your own beauty and mind. Appreciate the beauty others possess because they are their own person. We are not simply the lump of rock we see when we look in the mirror; we are the sculptures. We are the Sistine Chapel in Michelangelo’s vision; we are the Starry Night on Van Gogh’s canvas; we are the Mona Lisa; we are art. Our bodies so perfect-
own skin- To love yourself the way you were intended to. Knowing that your beauty isn’t measured by some scale of 1-10, or the Instagram models showing off their flat stomach and big booty; your beauty is measured by the intelligence, strength, wisdom and worth you find within yourself. However that scale has no stopping point. We will always continue to grow and to blossom our flowers. In order for the flowers to flourish they need to be watered, they need sun, they need to be in the right environment. We are our own garden and we grow our own flowers. Appreciate what you have grown, cut the weeds, watch the pedals blossom and fall with every season. My worth is not up to anyone else to decide. Your worth is not for anyone to judge or determine. Our worth is not a point for others to discuss behind our backs or over a screen. Our worth is what we make of it, so let’s make it valuable (and expensive too, because damn… we look good). Page Editor/ M. Williams / 9
Story/ F.Centeno
With the new year the seniors have events to look forward to that some have always desired to come. From all the football games to senior pictures, graduation parties to receiving your cap and gown, this is a typical senior year. But all the questions start coming in: What college are you going to? What’s your major going to be? Have you applied for any scholarships? What are your plans for your future? It’s rare to see a calm and prepared senior walking through the halls with their future fully planned. In reality, most seniors are full of anxiety, wondering what comes next. No one really asks what your plans are after high school because typically its assumed that you will go to college. The question is: do you need to go to college to be successful? “Not everyone is meant to go to college it depends what you want to major in,” English teacher Virgina Johnson said. Society tends to implement that college is a necessary and that if you don’t go, you will have a difficulty succeeding. But what many people don’t tell students is that not all jobs require a college degree. Society portrays those jobs as lower than white collar -those who work in professional careers- and that only low-income people work them. Many jobs such as careers in trades job; electricians, construction mangers, aircraft mechanics etc. , don’t require college education. Salaries range from around $60,000 to $89,000. Even as kids, we were taught that in order to be successful we had to go to college, that in order to succeed you need to have a college career picked out early. Justin Hall, an East High Senior going to skill labor who wants to get his ASC and become an Auto Mechanic. “It’s something we don’t have many people in and there’s so many job opportunities, even for high schoolers,” Hall said. These jobs viewed as low class jobs. We seem to focus on high paying jobs and that money is a number one priority. It is true that most high paying such as type of doctors, lawyers and some types of engineering are, but they tend to be more seen as
higher and high ranking instead of someone who works in concertation or a mechanic isn’t seen as important even though they work twice as hard and their work is valued. “As much as there is a push to go to college from people don’t listen and don’t let anyone tell you how to live your life,” Hall said. College isn’t for everyone for a variety of reasons, one being that is that education really isn’t for most people. Some students have special needs and tend
Photo Illustration /F.Centeno
to focus better with hands on experience rather than just sitting in a class and listening to a teacher talk for hours and reading out of a book about things that we won’t even think about in a couple of years. Many students probably consider going to college because of the pressure of having an education from their families, such as being the first generation in a family to go just to make their parents proud. “I’ve felt very alone, I had to do research and fill out forms without my parents help since they never had the experience of going to college,” East alumni Melissa Hidalgo said. It’s hard for first generation students to apply for college without their parents help. Many parents that are undocumented and their main reasons to come here are for their children to have a good education. They make sacrifices so their children will get the best education, so they can have a better life and have success. “I’ve turned that pressure from other into motivation to keep going through college,” East alumni Carlos Celaya said. Most students that do end up going to college aren’t exactly ready and prepared but the motivation they gain from their families and friends thrives them to show determination in their careers. College isn’t exactly for everyone and it is okay if you chose not to. Society isn’t always right, and there is a lot of successful people in the world that never finished college or have a don’t degree such as Ellen DeGeneres who is known to as a successful comedian and host. Another is Steve Jobs who is known for creating Apple. They didn’t expect to make it, but now they’re known for who they are and what they’ve accomplished.“Don’t go if you’re not prepared.Some people don’t know what they want to be yet or want to have more experiences before college,” Hidalgo said.
Do I have to go to college? How college isn’t for everyone
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Editor/ F.Centeno
Finding support in the middle of the storm
In a school full of students and staff, where can we find someone to help us through the mess? story/ R. Hayworth
If you’ve ever wondered who you can talk to at school, or why it takes so long to get your schedule changed, you are not alone. You don’t have to look very far to find a student complaining about lack of support. It makes one wonder: what do the counselors do all day? Why is so hard to find someone to talk to at school? “Every day’s completely different from the next. Most days you get here with a list of everything you need to do for the day, and most days you barely get to any of that list,” counselor Natalie Madsen said. A counselor’s job varies on the time of year. At the beginning of the year, it consists of a lot of scheduling. It always seems like there are no counselors around at the beginning of the year, because scheduling is a time-consuming job. It is hard for teachers and students alike when schedules get changed late in the school year, so administration requires all schedule changes to be made within the first week and a half of school. This short time period mixed with hundreds of kids needing help often results in a shortage of counselors to assist. Perhaps having a longer time period and other school staff available and educated to help with scheduling would solve this shortage. As October gets closer, counselors are working with seniors on college applications. The rest of the year involves things
“Teaching mental health will help students throughout high school,” junior Christina Garcia said,
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such as working on scheduling for next year, and making sure students are getting enough opportunities and are preparing for the rest of their educational career and life. “Students need an advocate, a support system, a mentor, someone that’s willing to listen to them or hear them out. They need someone that’s gonna stick to their word. If they say that they’re gonna do something, they’re gonna do it,” teacher Kayla O’Connor said. Building relationships with students is key to building a support system. Kids are more likely to come to adults at school if they already have an established relationship. We need to foster student-faculty relationships at this school in order to build a network of support for students. “There’s always social-emotional stuff that comes up randomly, you have to respond to crises, and the rest comes after that,” Madsen said. More and more students are struggling with social/mental/family issues now than ever, and more and more students feel like they have no one to talk to. It often seems like the counselors don’t have time or aren’t willing to talk to students about these things. This is not entirely true, but even if you feel like you can’t talk to the counselors, there are many teachers and students who care about you and are there to talk with.
“We can help students by making teachers seem more like people and less like authority figures,” sophomore Liana Sampson said.
“We can do social-emotional stuff, but when it gets to an issue beyond our scope, that’s when you refer out to a therapist,” Madsen said. “There’s grey area, and it can be tricky.” Therapists have smaller case loads than counselors, and with the growing amount of students with anxiety, depression, bipolar, and other mental illnesses, this is concerning. Schools cannot afford mental health specialists for a variety of reasons, but it seems as though they cannot afford enough counselors to provide for a large student population, either. “I want students to know they’re always welcome in the counseling office. We do have large case loads at East High, and so unfortunately we don’t always know every student on that level, but students are always welcome to come in here,” counselor Karin Mills said. It is important to recognize that keeping the stresses and worries to yourself can be harmful to your mental health, and that there are people at school who are looking out for you. Issues outside of mental illness are important and worth talking about as well, because the little daily things can add up into bigger issues if left unspoken. In the blur of busy student life and the large class sizes, it can seem like there is no one to talk to, but support can be found throughout the staff and students of East High School.
“Trust is a big thing. Most students have trouble trusting others, so we need to show them that there are people they can trust,” freshman Stormie Komarek said.
page editor/ R. Hayworth
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photo/E. Dowler Story/E. Dowler
Aaron O’Tool
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Hear ye Hear ye....Have you heard the news? The new Econ and psychology teacher is a big hit. Get to know Aaron O’Tool
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Why did you come to East?
“I’ve always wanted to teach in Des Moines, I have heard so many good things of the Des Moines Public School Systems and they are usually the front runners to everything that’s changing with education and I want to be apart of that and grow with the students,” Aaron O’Tool said.
Any advice you have for the students?
“For the freshman and sophmores, try your hardest and do your best you first couple years in high school, it'll make you like as a junior and senior a lot easier. My advice to the upperclassman is to take risks don't be afraid of failure. I've taken risks, I have failed many of times, but it's how you respond to those failures that make you successful and so much stronger,” O’Tool said.
Who is your role model and why?
“It would have to be Mr. Lampy. He was my band teacher and my instructional coach. He taught me to be the best drummer I could be. As a instructional coach he pushed me to become a better teacher, a better person and he is the sole reason I got back into education,” O’Tool said.
What is the best and worst thing about teaching?
“ The best thing is the kids, just being able to see the potential each student has. The worst thing is not seeing those kids use their potential. People struggle growing up, lives might not be the best, I understand that, but with the potential they withhold and their drive it kills me to see students not succeed,” O’ Tool said.
What do you like to do outside of school?
“I bartend on the weekends, other than that I like to play sports I in the winter time is snowboard, in the summertime I wake board and I golf play tennis, basketball anything that is competitive count me in,” O’Tool said.
What inspired you to change jobs?
“I missed making a difference in people's lives I missed the daily routine and having a social life,” O’Tool said.
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Page Editor/E. Dowler
The wave coming alive Story/M.Miller
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hills fill my body and tears roll down my face as we smile and wave to the children in the Stead Family children’s hospital (UISFCH). The “wave” takes place at Kinnick Stadium after the first quarter of each game. The hospital over looks the field,this is how the kids are able to see everyone waving. For one minute everyone at Kinnick turns around, faces the hospital and waves to the sick kids. This has taken place for two seasons now and is a tradition that will go on forever. Krista Young has no affiliation with the U of I or the children’s hospital, but the wave was her idea. Young has three boys and lives in a small town called Anita. She is a day care provider and has not had to use the Stead Family Hospital nor really came in contact with them. This goes to show that she just wanted to help better others and brighten their day as they go through a tough time having a sick child. Young’s idea came to her one day after the hospital opened. “I think with the new U of I hospital addition open,Kinnick should hold a ‘wave to the kids’ minute during every game. Can you imagine how neat it would be to have all of those fans, players,& coaching staff looking up at you sending a little extra inspiration?” Young said in a Facebook post two years ago. There are three families that are behind the wave shirts. One is John Mickelson and his wife Brooke. John is a former football player and his wife graduated from Iowa. They are connected to the (UISFCH) because one of their boys was diagnosed with a life-threatening genetic condition. The second family is Cy Phillips, also a former football player and his wife Meighan. They were connected
and moving lives
because their now five year old was diagnosed with an acute illness that could only be treated at the (UISFCH). Lastly is Jason Willis and his wife Lori who are huge hawkeye fans and are big charity supporters and this is something they wanted help support. Jennifer Jetton is a pediatric Nephrologist and has worked at the hospital for eight years and has been able to experience the wave from the crowd and was a meaningful moment for Dr. Jetton. “ I had seen the Wave in some of the special stories that ESPN had done on it. And I had heard from several of my patients about it, especially the ones who had been in the hospital for a long time and had been able to take part” Jetton said. Jetton never truly knew the impact of the wave until she was apart of it in the stands. “Nothing really prepared me for how I felt when I saw the Wave from the stands in Kinnick during one of the evening football games last year. I turned around and saw all the parents and children waving down from the hospital. There were so many little figures waving and jumping up and down. And everyone in the stadium was waving up back at them. Everyone had their lights on in their phone, so the stadium lit like a blanket of stars. I have tears in my eyes just thinking about it now” Jetton said. Jetton has watched and given bad news to so many of theses kids and their parents “I have cared for so many kids in the hospital. I have seen so many scared looks on the faces of both children and their parents. I can only imagine how they must feel when they realize they are not alone in their journey. The Wave is such a powerful sign of community support and love for families living through incredibly difficult times,” Jetton said. As Jetton continued to tell me how In addition to the hospital being scary, it can be incredibly isolating. If kids have to stay there for more than a few days, they become separated from the rest of their family at home, from their friends at school, and from their day to day lives. Having this one moment where everyone outside the hospital seems to say, “‘We see you and we want to show that we care about you and what you are going through!’”
It all started when Krista Young said to Hawkeye Heaven.... I think with the new U of I hospital addition open, Kinnick should hold a “wave to the kids” minute during the game. Can you imagine how neat it would be to have all of those fans,players, & coaching staff looking up at you sending a little extra inspiration
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Page Editor/M. Miller Photo/contributed
East High Diversity When you walk into East High School the first thing you see is our school diversity. We are diverse from different sexual preferences, gender identities, race, religions, and cultures. Our differences bring us together as a school. Diversity isn’t as common in other schools and that is something we should be proud of that we get to have. America is at a place right now were we’re slowly getting separated from that. We shouldn’t separate each other from our differences. East High school is made of 36 percent students that are Latinos/ Hispanics, 34 percent are White, 16 percent are African American, and there are so many more different people from different backgrounds in our school. We are one of the most diverse high schools in DMPS. This is something we need more in schools and in our daily life. “It’s what makes us East, it’s part of our school identity”, counselor Karin Mills said. “I just knew this is where I wanted to be” Diversity is a good thing that should be embraced more. People should know not to stereotype others for their differences, to be able to come together and learn about each other. East High School is a place where your skin color or gender
doesn’t mean anything and doesn’t stop you from meeting others or from doing anything you desire. Being around people with different backgrounds and seeing them achieve their goals encourages us that we can too. “This is real life because once you step out of your comfort zone and you travel that’s how the world is, we’re so diverse and we’re keeping it real at east by showing how diverse we are and what all that encompasses,” Spanish teacher Ruby Herrera said. Seeing our differences could bring us closer together, from what we wear to how we are or our different personalities, we get to accept each other. Sometimes people go straight to judging someone by how they look or judge people for one person’s poor choice. Getting to be around others who aren’t always the same as you is a good thing, you get to understand others better and see different perspectives. “I feel comfortable being around people like me and people that are different.”, East High Junior Beatriz Reyes said. “I like our school diversity because there is different cultures and you get to learn about different people.” Our future depends on whether we choose our
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Standing infront of East are Taryn Anderson, Jalen Long, Chatian Banks, Mayela Chaidez, and Tyler Bernardino. differences to let it separate us or to use them to come together. In our world today, there are people out there that think diversity isn’t a good thing, people who probably haven’t took the opportunity to go out and give someone a chance. The diversity among us helps us accept others and put an end to discrimination. We today choose to change the negativity we put in diversity and use it as a positive thing.
Race/Ethnicity 8% 5% 36% 16%
34%
graph/DMPSTableau
Page Editor/E.Gonzalez
Is it too much time? Here’s a look at some cases and people getting time they don’t deserve
It’s mid-evening and you're riding in the passenger seat with your best friend. You both see the police then suddenly, she starts getting antsy, and she’s literally scared to the point she’s shaking and about to throw up. It makes the hair on your neck rise. You see the car out of the corner of your mirror, they bust a U-turn and turn their sirens on. You feel super sick; your stomach is churning just from the sight of the officer walking up, that’s how it feels being black in America. In a one-year study in New Minneapolis from Oct.31, 2016 to Oct.31, 2017, black people were stopped more than twice as often as whites for traffic violations. In instances where a person was searched, 62 percent were black. In vehicle searches, 63 percent of people whose cars were searched were black. 44 percent of those stopped for moving violations and 53 percent of those stopped for equipment violations were black. 51 percent of people on the receiving end of citations were black, and 57 percent of people booked as part of an arrest were black. Social media has brought all these racial problems to light but it’s not a bad thing. It’s a good thing because we can speak out about everything, we know that is happening in America. Police officers and other law officials are giving the wrong people the wrong time. They don’t understand how it affects people in the community. This country is racially divided; it’s like black versus white. I feel America is unfair when it comes to how much time they charge a white man versus a black man, meaning a black man will get more time for the same crime they are both guilty of. Look at these
Traffic Violations
different charges. Murder is defined as killing somebody with the intentions of killing them, while manslaughter is the crime of killing somebody but not having the intentions to kill them. Recently, a black man was shot and killed in his apartment by an off-duty police officer, according to abc13.com “A Dallas police officer who shot and killed her neighbor and later explained that she had mistaken his apartment for her own will be charged with manslaughter, " Dallas District Attorney said. Residents of the complex said they can either access their apartments with a key or a key code,” two neighbors identified as Simpson and Hernandez said. “It was like, police talk: open up! Open up!,” Simpson said. We heard cops yelling, but otherwise we had no idea what was going on,” Hernandez said. Guyger had to put in the code into his apartment number which would have opened the door or would have had to have a key to get into his apartment. This cop did not deserve a manslaughter charge she deserved murder because she intentionally went into this man's house and killed him. Then made a false story to the police claiming she thought it was her apartment. Things like this keep happening to people in the black community because not a lot of people are being heard. The black community participates in
Study in New Minneapolis in 2016- 2017
62% of people
ed in traffic stops
were BLACK Vehicle Searches
63%
whose cars were searched was
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protests, marches, poetry, all speaking out about what’s happening to them and their families. The charges aren’t murder because that’s not what the white community wants. They “look” up to officers when in all reality, this officer who is supposed to protect, is a murderer. It’s not murder because white communities are heard in any and everything while black communities are under-represented in these situations. Recently a man was charged with murder for protecting his 16- year old daughter from a pervert. The headline read: “Melvin Harris III is charged with second-degree murder in beating of fatal of man who tried to attack his 16-year old daughter in bathroom of a Phoenix convenience store.”(abcnews.go.com). “She feels guilty, that’s what she keeps saying. She wishes she never told her dad to take her to the store. She's terrified by the incident and believes Armstrong was out to hurt her,” Melvin’s finance Diana Jackson said. He didn’t do anything wrong, he was protecting his daughter from a grown man, something his 16-year-old daughter could not do. His intentions weren’t to kill him, just make him regret following his daughter in that bathroom. No child should regret telling her father about her safety. It’s the parent's job to protect his children if you can’t trust your parents to deal with something, what’s the point of parents? If you let a man hurt your children, in my opinion Harris was not wrong for beating this man, but you can’t say he meant to kill this man. Harris
Moving Violations 44% BLACKS
were
ed
57% of blacks were arrested Page editor/ T.Kipper
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The aroma of concession stand food smacking you in the face while the sound of people cheering, and chanting consumes your ears; your body shakes and wobbles from all of your friends and school mates jumping up and down on the trembling metal bleachers. Goosebumps cover your body while you watch our boys run down the field, yard by yard, making their way into the end zone. This feeling of adrenaline is something people without school spirit are missing out on when they don’t attend games. Attending games, matches, meets and just being involved in general is what makes former graduates say ‘man, those were the good old days.’ As a Junior in high school who participates in whatever I can and goes to almost all the games, I can say that gaining school spirit and getting involved has made high school such a better experience. When I was a freshman I never really went to anything, I thought I was too cool for school spirit and going to the games. Going to the games and becoming involved with other sports at school has let me make more friends, make amazing memories and just enjoy coming to school every day. The more things you get involved in the more fun you’ll have at school. For example, I’m currently a varsity golfer, Scroll Editorin-chief, an Ambassador, and a member of the Unity dance team. I have made s o many new close friends in ambassadors and golf. Some of my now best friends are people that I would have never met if I hadn’t competed against them in a tournament for golf. Being this involved has taught me the benefits of being more open with my peers. The dance team has
Page Editor/S. Alsted
story / S. Alsted
photo/ C. Ounlokham
brought me out of my comfort zone. I’m more comfortable in my own skin and walk with more confidence. East High pride is a very big thing at our school, for our Tribe Leaders, teachers, and people who choose to participate. We stick up for our school, crush stereotypes and simply love our high school. We are full of pride here at East, that’s why it upsets us when our full potential is not shown. When compared to other schools our student section may be smaller, and our chants may not be as loud but our love and appreciation for our school
Students at East have loads of school spirit, but we wish we got that energy from every one who attends East High. So heres some reasons why you should love your school and attened games.
SCHOOL SPIRIT