THE WEST END
BEHIND THE PHOTO
This photo was taken in Orlando Florida backstage of Universal Studios minutes before performing. When Will Haddy stoped to take a quick rest beforing performing in the parade he set his hat down and decided to take a quick picture of it
CONTENTS FEATURE
COVER
SPORTS
PROFILE
04 08 12 14
04 MARCHING DOWN MAINSTREET 06 BPA TAKES ON NATIONALS
08 INSIDE WSS
12 KICK IT LIKE CURAN
14 GRASSROOT ENTREPRENEURSHIP
LETTER FROM THE
EDITOR
Dear Readers, Finally, I’m happy to say that we’ve reached the end of the school year and summer is just around the corner. As we near the end of third trimester I encourage you to finish strong and continue to study for those upcoming finals. If you can’t wait to go on your sunny vacation you could read about the band’s trip to Florida on page 04-05 and the BPA trip to California on pages 06-07. If you want inspiration to start your own business this summer check out Grassroots Entrepreneur on pages 14-15. If finals are stressing you out make sure to take a look at the back page for a little bit of coloring. Our cover story is all about what the West Side Story is and how it is produced for the entire school to enjoy. Keep looking out for summer and finish this year strong!
Mary Woodward
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MAY 28,2019
MARCHIN’ DOWN MAIN STREET The music on Main Street suddenly stops. You glance around, seeing confused park tourists of Disney World looking around. Suddenly four people wearing red vests start clearing the street. You hear the commentator on the speakers announce “from Iowa City, the West High Trojan marching band.” The band marches by, the beat to “Uptown Funk” with them. Kids are screaming, moms are dancing and dads are struggling to get out their phones to videotape. The West High Trojan Band has been going to Disney World every other year since 1995. But not just any band can go to Disney World. “We need to submit an audition tape to Disney, what they’re looking for is that the band sounds good” Rich Medd, one of the west high band directors used to stress about how the band performed in DIsney World, now he is more interested in connecting with students that he doesn’t get the opportunity to do at school. “I knew the band was gonna be fine, and I wanted to take advantage of all the parks and stuff. And now it’s more building relationships with students n a situation that i don’t get to see them in school.”
where they were free to do whatever they wanted until 5:00. At this time, all of the students had to meet at the backstage gate, where they were escorted in. Being escorted backstage, you would see characters, parade floats, and producers making the park run smoothly. The students were given time to change into their costumes, and were marched into the streets of Disney World. On Thursday, the band played at Universal Studios, marching through the streets by the Rockin’ Roller Coaster and Diagon Alley. Friday and Saturday the students got free time to travel Disney Parks at their own pace. They left on Saturday and returned around 3:00 pm on Sunday, with parents weeping and waiting for their children in the front parking lot. Being gone for a week comes at a price. Dylan Phillibert ‘20 and Lillian Igleheart ‘21 Cite that being on the trip is fuN but it follows with stress of a weeks full of homework.” A lot of sleepless nights” said Philibert on the subject of makeup work. Igleheart sources that her grades were affected by the trip. “ Ya, I had so much homework, a few of my grades went to like D’s,(but) I think I’m all caught up with my homework, I might not be though.”
“You know, there’s this connection of spending 26 hours on a bus” -Rich Medd
The trip begins with students loading their luggage in the auditorium the day they leave. At 3:00 pm, the band students are let out of class and then loaded onto buses. Then they leave for Florida on a nonstop bus. They check in the Rosen Centre Hotel, which is a 14 minute drive from Disney World. On Wednesday the band bussed to Disney World,
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Marching in theme parks as a band is a once and a liftime, and is an oppurtunity not readily available to any band. Rich Medd and Robb Medd have been taking the band to florida since 1997. The orchestra and choir were taking trips and they decided it was time for a refreshor. Nevertheless, wWest High band students have made everlasting memories in the happiest place on earth.
West High Trojan Mrching band marches by the Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket in Universal Studios
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F E AT U R E
MAY 28, 2019
BPA TAKES ON NATIONALS Business Professionals of America travel all the way to Anaheim, California to compete against students from the nation.
Photo by Mary Woodward
The Business Professionals of America Club took 29 students to Anaheim, California to compete at Nationals against more than 6,000 other students from all around the United States. The trip started with a 6:00 am flight out of Cedar Rapids that required half of the team to be at the airport at 4:30 am this flight would take them to Atlanta, Georgia with the other half of the team flying into Detroit, Michigan. The entire team would then meet up at the L.A airport around 2:00 pm to take a hour long drive to the Anaheim Marriott. Tuesday was a tour day that start with a walk through downtown Hollywood with kids perusing the Hollywood Walk of Fame and running around to see their favorite actresses and actors stars. The team moved along to Beverly Hills walking down Rodeo Drive and Sunset which if you don’t know are famously known for their high class stores armed with guards at the entrances and Lamborghinis in the streets. For lunch they traveled to The Market an outdoor market area known for great food and shopping. The day concluded with a trip to the boardwalk were students were free to roam the beach, ride roller coasters and shop. Wednesday was a free day for students to explore Anaheim and L.A with some students visiting Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farms. Later in the evening the team met up for the opening ceremony at the Anaheim Convention Center where there was a red carpet entrance, flashy lights and a keynote speaker. On Thursday competitions started up with kids from West competing in events like Small Business Management, Administrative Support Project and Presentation Management. Friday was a continuation of competitions. Saturday was a beach day where students traveled down to Huntington Beach to relax get tan and enjoy some shopping. Saturday night concluded with the closing ceremony and awards where seven teams from West placed top ten in the nation. The trip finished with an all nighter Saturday night leading to the 2:00 am meeting in the hotel lobby with another hour long drive to the airport with a 6:00 am flight to St. Paul, Minnesota, where the team had a five hour long layover before a one hour flight to Cedar Rapids. BPA is looking forward to their next nationals trip in Washington, D.C.
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MAY 28, 2017
Photo by Abbie Weipert
INSIDE WSS By Will Haddy and Ashley Baum
Do you ever wonder how the West Side Story gets published or how they come up with their stories? With all sixty members of West Side Story it somehow all gets done every few “The best part of my job is the months.
students, they are some of the kindest, most creative and hardworking people I know, and they both inspire me and make me full-on belly laugh just about every day.”
The rooms 110, and 111 are the acquaint home of the West Side Story. The classroom itself seats Mrs Whittaker, the Journalism teacher for WHS. The right wall of the room is a mural of past publications from the WSS. With covers to define that period in the school populations time, many of them addressed old issues, issues pressing at the time. In room 111 you will find the workroom, A home-felt computer lab where journalists work on telling their stories, as well as the staff table where many staff meetings take place. Whittaker has long held the WSS together, being drawn to journalism for her own aspirations. “I've always loved writing and been somewhat of an introvert, and journalism offered a way to have meaningful conversations and connect with people while writing. The WSS is split into three sections. Broadcast, which brings to you the West High Weekly. The web section of WSS, an online website containing videos and articles alike of news at WHS . And the print publication, the newspaper that is handed out by staffers every other month or so. Before being able to be on WSS, there is an application process. For beginning members you have to submit a portfolio and get teacher recommendations and for returning members, they have to get a peer revision. Sara Whittaker goes through every application carefully and selects the members for WSS. But, there is a much larger prerequisite to be on the WSS staff. To become an official WSS staff member, you must take the Foundations of Journalism class. The class is taught by Mrs Whittaker and is three trimesters long. The class teaches you important journalism skills, as well as writing, design and tech skills in the process. The class is free enrollment to any grade, and once taken, the students finished with foundations of journalism, or as their called in the classroom “WSS interns”, are free to choose between online, broadcast, print or yearbook publications. Foundations of Journalism or “FOJ”, also contributes to your academics. It is worth one year of high school english credit. West Side Story prepares students for future journalism and social skills. “The people that I’m friends with now, I don’t think that I would have been friends with at the beginning of
freshman year, when I wasn’t on staff. But when you’re forced to be with somebody every single day and stay with them till 9:00 PM on exporting nights, you kind form a bond, KaraWest Wagenknecht ‘19 talks Do you everofwonder how” the Side Story about her friends and experience on WSS. Wagenknecht is the online editor-in-chief, sports Co-editor, gets published or how they come up with photographer and videographer.
their stories? With all sixty members of West Side WSS Storyjournalists it somehow gets everythat fewthey WSS is good for working on social skills. have all to go up done to students have never talked to and ask them about being interviewed or to be in an article. By going up to ranmonths.
dom people for articles or deadlines new friends are made in the process. Alyssa Skala ‘21, a WSS journalist and photographer, explains that publishing the newspaper doneare a certain way. “We work The rooms 110, andis 111 the acquaint on it for three cycles. Cycles are usually one to two months, we have nine months of school with three home of the West Side Story. The classroom trimesters, so we usually publish every month and a half or so. We have a lot of deadlines, and then we itself seats MrsonWhittaker, the Journalism usually have to stay after school and work one night, usually Wednesdays, after that the publication teacher for WHS. The right wall of the room comes in like a week later.”
is a mural of past publications from the WSS. Skala is another example of the WSS having With an effect on their and future career aspiracovers to school, define career, that period in the
tions. “I just really liked the FOJ photography unit, so I decided to do photography on staff.” When Skala was asked about being a futre editor she responded with delight “I think next year when once Alex is not the managing editor anymore, that’s a position I would definitely apply for.”
school populations time, many of them addressed old issues, issues pressing at the time. In room 111 you will find the workroom, A home-felt computer lab where journalists work on telling their stories, as well as the staff table where many staff meetings take place. Whittaker has long held the WSS together, being drawn to journalism for her own aspirations. “I’ve always loved writing and been Alyssa Skala Photogropher. somewhat of an -WSS introvert, and journalism offered a way to have meaningful conversations
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PROFILE
Soccer MAY 28,2019
KICK IT LIKE CURRAN By Ashley Baum
Grace Curran ‘21 reflects on her soccer career on Girls Varsity for the last two years
“I really like the team aspect of soccer”-Grace Curran ‘21
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Grace Curran ‘21 is a varsity soccer player for West High, that has chronic back pain. Chronic back pain is physical discomfort anywhere near your spine or around your back. Curran deals with the pain everyday, even as she plays. “I just have to work through it, just because we don’t have a lot of subs soo,” Curran says about how she deals with her back pain. Curran has been dealing with chronic back pain since August of 2018. More recently Curran hurt her leg playing soccer. Curran has been out for several games and doesn’t know when she will be back. Although these injuries affect her, she never has a negative attitude. Curran tries to boost everyone up including herself when she or her teammates are down. Right or left outside mid is the starting position that Curran plays. Soccer is more than just a sport to Curran. She uses the practices as a way to release her anger from the day. Curran also really likes how the sport is a team sport. “Wild, everybody has their own personality and they’re all kinda jumbled together,” Curran says about her teammates and her team’s environment. “We both play near each other, so we can talk a lot,” Makenna Vonderhaar ‘22 talks about how her and Curran play well together on the field. Julia Bernat ‘21, the goalie says she works well with everyone because she has to communicate with everybody on the team. “Soccer is a very fast moving game and we try to pick each other up when we make a mistake, but we have to let them know where they messed up. We all try to be motivational towards each other,” Curran says about how her team works together. When playing soccer the team tries to do as many combination plays as they can because that helps score more goals. If the team makes a mistake or doesn’t work together, head coach, Dave Rosenthal tells them to work more as a team. Soccer goes way further back than just her playing. Curran’s dad played soccer when he was a kid and Curran wanted to follow in his footsteps. She got put into soccer when she was just three years old. “I would say (my dad) is my role model because he coached me a lot and helped me out a lot.” Curran has been working hard to become a good match to beating her dad one day. “Having to deal with a loss that you know you should have won, because when you try very hard to win and it just doesn’t go your way, it kinda sucks,” Curran says about what the hardest part about soccer is. Curran struggles with knowing that her team is good and can win more games, but is just not playing well in the moment. Curran works very hard everyday at practice for her spot on the West High Varsity team. She pushes herself to get better every single day, even with her painful injuries. Soccer is a passion on Curran’s that is irreplaceable.
PROFILE
MAY 28,2019
14
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FEB. 17, 2017
Grassroot Entrepreneur Max Long ‘20 is an entrepreneur at West High and has been since middle school. It started with just mowing his neighbors´ lawns for a small fee with a push mower. He now has a larger LLC business and is bringing in more clients and money every month. ¨I have 14 regular maintenance houses that I mow and service every week than many odd jobs¨. The hardest part is the stress for Max between balancing work, school and his girlfriend. Long is always busy leading him to experience more stress then most high schoolers would feel. His girlfriend Avery Carneal ‘19 says ¨I think that he is going to do really well with his business. I’m pretty sure he is going to expand soon and make it official.” He has been expanding his business every summer for the last 4 years. He started small and now he has people who help him with the mowing and building. Long has invested in a trailer and a riding mower instead of a push mower.
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FEB. 17, 2017
Long has many of his friends help him keep all the things he needs to finish on schedule. Long has gotten to a point where he can no longer do all of the jobs that he accepts, which means he needs to disperse some of the labor to make more profits. He has gone from profiting throughout the year to making around $16,000 in profits in a year. Long is running a successful business all while still succeeding in school. Long is showing the true entrepreneurship of West High, and being a representation of the West High standard of excellence through the work he does inside and outside the classroom, to better his future.
SUMMER AHEAD! Look forward to summer and take a break from finals with this fun coloring page.