Feature Magazine 2013 by Foundations of Journalism

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INTRO. TO NEWSPAPER’S

FEATURE

MAGA-

ZINE Decem 19, ber

2013

stereotypes

“When people start believing they need to do a certain type of thing because of stereotypes [they become a problem],” -Hannah Murray ‘17 “[Stereotypes are] a problem wherever they exist,” -Elizabeth Han ‘16

“All stereotypes are horrible because they hurt peoples feelings,” -Meldia Sharpe ‘17

2 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 {DESIGN BY MAGGIE TERRY

By maggie Terry dmrt98@gmail.com

Dumb blond. Asian fail. Hispanic alien. These are all stereotypes we encounter everyday. But what about other stereotypes? Like that one we all know about how City kids are delinquents and no good. Or what about the one that all West kids are rich and stuck up? What? That is a City stereotype. As you can see, stereotypes are evident everywhere. In the hallways during school you hear people yelling things out to each other or on the bus. Yo u

may have made a joke before about “asian failing” a quiz (getting a B or A-) once or twice. Most of the time, it doesn’t cause any harm. Just a few jokes among friends. No one is being racist or homophobic or anything right? It is not as if you treat people differently because of stereotypes or they treat you differently. However sometimes they can harm people. There is a phenomenon known as the stereotype threat. This is best explained through an example. A group of students are taking a math exam. Half of them are asked to check a box at the top of the test to indicate whether they are male or female. Half of them do not have the box on the exam. When girls check the box, they are reminded that they are girls and the stereotype is that girls do not do well in math; therefore, they do worse on the exam then the girls who are not reminded of the stereotype. So stereotypes can cause you to under perform. scary huh? Really though, are stereotypes a problem? “[Stereotypes are] a problem wherever they exist,” said Elizabeth Han ‘16. Hannah Murray ‘17, City High, agrees stereotypes are a problem. “[It’s a problem] when people start believing they need to do a certain type of thing because of stereotypes,” Murray said. Murray says there are stereo-

types about African Americans and Hispanics all getting free and reduced lunch at school. There are other racial stereotypes as well. Han, who identifies as AsianAmerican, says when she was younger she had more problems with stereotypes. Other children would ask her if she ate dog, or make mean comments about her appearance. Han doesn’t think they were being mean on purpose through. “[The children] were not being racist on purpose, they were just kids” and she said it went away after a while. Yet Han says some stereotypes came back or started again “I’m Asian so people expect me to get good grades.” she said. Han added that this may have pushed her somewhat to get good grades so it’s not all bad. But some stereotypes are not so positive. Meldia Sharpe ‘17 has encountered some bad stereotypes about her weight. “[One of the stereotypes I’ve encountered is] I’m overweight so I must never work out and I must eat a lot.” Sharpe says. another ste-

reotype is that she is stupid because she is white. She says people often don’t take her accomplishments seriously or even believe she swims. “It makes me feel really bad [when people stereotype me].” Sharpe says. She says people shouldn’t be treated like a stereotype, they should be treated for who they are. So why do people stereotype? Sharpe says people use stereotypes because they are easier than getting to know people. Han agrees that most people probably do not mean any harm. What should we do to stop stereotypes then? According to Han, we should just stop saying them and point out to others when they use them to prevent this “People shouldn’t use [stereotypes] any more or try to get to know someone first [before they judge them].” said Sharpe. So perhaps if we all just stop using stereotypes and start being a little nicer, we can get rid of the problem.

photo by//Eugenia Chen

DESIGN BY MAGGIE TERRY }DECEMBER 2013 FEATURE 3

H V E A S M E B NO V ER The Students and Staff of West High School dawned facial hair last month in order to raise money for childhood cancer. By Morgan Schmitt-Morrs

Photos By// Creative commons

6 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 { DESIGN BY MORGAN SCHMITT-MORRIS

ovember. A time of falling leaves, turkey dinners,

incentive, Smith offered pizza to the winning class in the

and...Bushy beards?

days leading up to the end of first trimester.

The growing amount of facial hair in November has been

around since 1999 when a group of Australian men first coined “Movember” (another name for No Shave November) to raise awareness for men’s health. Since then it has

Dave Rosenthal, a Spanish teacher par-

grown into a worldwide event in an effort to end cancer.

ticipating in No Shave November, decided to opt out of

Unlike the Aussies, West High School Dance Marathon

incentives.

(WHSDM) is using No Shave November as a chance to

“In some ways, sometimes, I feel like I’m a purist ... I

raise money for childhood cancer.

want people to give for the right reason. I want people to

In order to gain support WHSDM (pronounced like

give because it’s intrinsically the right thing to do and that

“wisdom”) went to teachers for help. WHSDM asked

they want to [donate],” Rosenthal said.

teachers to grow mustaches and beards to help raise mon-

Rosenthal also had personal reasons for supporting the

ey for the cause.

fight against November.

With the help of those bushy beards WHSDM has raised over 5,000 dollars to donate to the University of Iowa Dance Marathon. This money will ultimately be used to support families fighting cancer. The proceeds will also be used to improve treatments and hopefully find a cure.

“

“I have a nephew through my wife’s family who suffered

It sorta starts Growing on you.” -Tyson Smith

“People should participate in No Shave November be-

from leukemia when he was 18,” Rosenthal said. Others participated just to help out the cause and to participate in the fun. “It’s not the end of the world if you don’t shave,” Smith said. With the month now over and the days getting colder

cause it is a great way to support the battle against cancer.

some teachers opted to stick with the beard.

I also hear that some teachers will let you do wacky things

“It sorta starts growing on you.” Smith said.

to their beards when the month is over,” said Paige Brazina

The facial hair of West High has been a great success for

’16, a member of WHSDM.

WHSDM and the families it helps in more ways then one.

One teacher participating in No Shave November al-

“The major goal of WHSDM is to bring people together,”

lowed shaved his beard into a beard reminiscent of the

Brazina said, “and to give people the opportunity to serve

Hunger Games. Tyson Smith grew out his

a bigger purpose than themselves.”

beard all month, so the class period with the most money donated could pick the style he could shave it in to. Besides this

No Shave November Timeline

A group of Austrialian men grow mustaches for charity and coin the term Movember (a combination of mustache and November)

1999

The Movember Foundation charity is formed in Melbourne, Austrailia by an unrelated group to the 1999 organization

2004

The Moscars is created to allow participants to submit videos displaying their involvement in Movember

2010

1.1 million people sigend up with the Movember Foundation and raised 95 million dollars

2012

http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Movember

DECEMBER 2013 FEATURE 7

Photo by//Eugenia Chen

Colorblind

By Eugenia Chen

eugeniachen123@gmail.com

Green. Red. Blue. Yellow. Orange. Purple. Colors; what if you couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see them? What if they were just black words on a page? For one out of every one hundred thousand people, this is life. They see no colors at all. For 8% of males and 2% of females, only a narrow spectrum of colors can be seen. And for some students at West, this life is a reality.

8 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 { DESIGN BY EUGENIA CHEN

Color Spectrums % with condition

Colors seen

People with protanomaly have problems with the long wavelength cone in their eye and have trouble seeing the color red. This extreme of this is protanopia where the cone is missing and the person cannot see red at all.

People with deuteranomaly have defects in the medium wavelength cone in their eye and have issues with the color green. Deuteranopia is the extreme where the cone is not present and the person is not able to see green. Protanomaly and deuteranomaly are commonly known as red-green color blindness.

And tritanomaly is when a person has an issue in their short wavelength cone. This is commonly known as blue-yellow color blindness. What really happens is that they cannot distinguish blue from green and yellow from violet. The extreme end of this is tritanopia where the cone is never formed and the person is unable to see blue and yellow.

Achromats are people with achromatopsia. They have defects in all the cones in their eyes, which is why they can’t see colors at all. Images from//creative commons

or Logan Stuart ‘17, colors like red and green, and blue and purple get mixed up; and some colors are just seen as shades of gray. “[I found out I was color blind] the first time I went to the eye doctor. I was pretty young,” said Stuart. What Stuart has is commonly known as red-green color blindness, although there are many other colors that get mixed up besides just red and green. This type of color blindness is a color deficiency. True color blindness is Achromatopsia where no colors are seen at all. According to Dr. Wilkinson, clinical professor in Ophthalmology at the University of Iowa, “Achromats see no colors. Everything is a shade of gray. Color deficient folks see primary colors, but cannot distinguish shades of colors.” Though Stuart has color blindness, he does not seem to mind it. “It’s just how I see things. It’s natural,” he said. It is not a positive or negative thing to him; it’s just neutral. He doesn’t see any limitations by it and lives life like a normal teenager. At home, Stuart’s three siblings will tease him about his color blindness from time to time. “They will ask me what color something is and then tell me it’s something different,” he said. But, he doesn’t let teasing get to him. “Teasing doesn’t bother me,” he said. This applies to home and school. At school, Stuart is open about his color blindness and tells most of his friends. If there is a project involving colors, he will tell his teachers about his deficiency. Aside from that, Stuart has no setbacks in school and is a high achieving student. As with Stuart, color blindness is usually discovered at a young age. “Usually this is found out when the child goes to school and has trouble with their colors,” said Dr. Wilkinson. From this, the child is then directed towards an optometrist or an ophthalmologist, two different types of eye doctors. The doctor will then take them through a multitude of tests. “Sloan achromatopsia test, Ishihara plates, Farnsworth 100 hue or Farnsworth D15 test, are the most common tests used,” said Dr. Wilkinson. Stuart said, “[In the Ishihara plates test] there were a lot of different dots and you

had to say the letter or number in them. I failed all those tests.” Though Stuart went to the doctor to see if he was color blind, this was not because of trouble at school. His parents had a suspicion that he might be color blind before he even went to school. This is because color blindness is a genetic disease. According to Dr. Wilkinson, achromatopsia is inherited from both of your parents. For the different types of color deficiencies it is inherited from the mother. Each of these different types of color blindness all cause defects in the cones in the eye. For Stuart, the disease comes from his grandfather. “My grandpa is color blind. My parents aren’t color blind … My three siblings are all not color blind,” said Stuart, “My grandpa has the same kind of color blindness [as me].” Unfortunately, there is no cure for color blindness right now. “[Cures are not being developed] currently, although gene therapy for achromatopsia is currently being developed,” said Dr. Wilkinson. But, Stuart doesn’t care if there is a cure or not. “I wouldn’t want to change [my color blindness]. Even if there was a cure, I wouldn’t really use it,” he said. For him, he feels it would be weird if he could see anything different than he can now. Even with driving, Stuart has a neutral mind set. In a traffic light, he cannot see the red and yellow lights and can only see the green one. “I learned by watching my parents drive to find out the order of [the lights],” he said. One thing that is memorable about Stuart is his acceptance of what he can do. He does not question if he could see all the colors or if he could be cured. It is part of his life. And though he will never get to know the exact shade of blue in the sky, or the brightness of fire-engine red, he can achieve whatever he faces and color blindness will not hold him back.

DECEMBER 2013 FEATURE 9

BY SHANTHI CHACKALACKAL shanthichackalackal@gmail.com

blah blah Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah

or years now,

the United States of America has been falling behind other countries when it comes to education. We’ve been beaten in nearly every subject by countries such as China, Singapore, and Finland. Recent international tests resulted in the U. S. placing 24th in reading, 36th in math and 28th in science. The overwhelming consensus is, of course, that the American education system must be improved. In order to bring about this improvement, the Iowa City Community School District board purchased the newest , trendiest technology.

The ICCSD board bought Interactive White Boards (IWBs), better known as Smartboards, for every single classroom. Even the orchestra room got an IWB. They were a generous gift; smartboards can cost over $5,000 apiece. The smartboards were arguably worth the cost; one can write on them, for instance, or surf the internet, or present a powerpoint. While much of this could be done with a whiteboard and a projector, smartboards make these tasks easier and sometimes simultaneous. 10 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 { DESIGNED BY SHANTHI CHACKALACKAL

Nonetheless, there are some who believe that IWBs are a complete waste of money, that they are nothing but an excuse to believe that something is being done to improve American education. As Dr. Gary Stager, an education PhD, argued in his article entitled, “The Case Against Smartboards”, “We don’t buy a chainsaw for every teacher. If we did, a few teachers would do brilliant work with the chainsaws, a few others would cut off their thumbs, and the vast majority would just make a mess. Even in the case of the great teachers, the best we can hope for is one of those bears carved out of a log—not high art.” While none of the West High staff can yet be accused of self-amputation, no one can deny that certain teachers have, at best, a love-hate relationship with their smartboards.

“{The smartboards} can enhance class, but they cause lots of difficulties in terms of software,” said Stacey Strief, an American Studies teacher at West High School. “It impedes the lesson of the day, and sometimes this happens upwards of three days a week.” Strief is wary of depending on the smartboards. “I don’t want to depend on technology,” she said, “most of my lessons haven’t changed.” On the other hand, Sara Whittaker, the Intro to Journalism teacher, is supportive of the IWBs. “Before, we had to reserve projectors, and share with the other teachers,” said Whittaker. Smartboards have made lessons easier and the process of lesson preparation simpler. “I really think of {the smartboards} as glorified projectors,” said Whittaker. In addtion, Whittaker has experienced no technical difficulty. She feels that she can safely make aspects of her lessons depend on smartboards. So it seems that Stager’s argument was valid in that some teachers cope well with the IWBs while others are less than ecstatic about them. “I wasn’t consulted about them,” said Strief of the smartboards, “I literally walked in and was surprised. I didn’t realize I was going to get one, and I wasn’t prepared.”

“

I WASN’T CONSULTED ABOUT THEM. I LITERALLY

WALKED IN AND WAS

SURPRISED.” -Stacey Strief Some have pointed out the absurdity of purchasing a smartboard for the orchestra room, but Wayne Thelander, the orchestra teacher, disagrees. “The orchestra room is a classroom and teaching space used by multiple groups. The Smartboard has been used at other times than orchestra classes,” said Thelander, “... it is technology for the room, not solely for the orchestra. The monies for technology cannot be redirected to some other purpose.” While teachers boast a range of opinions, one question remains: do the students feel like they’ve been learning better with the smartboards?

What We Could Have Bought... Small air conditioning units for each classroom Decent-sized, working lockers (as low as $114.99 per locker) Cafeteria renovations Real classrooms instead of temps

“Yeah, it makes me more engaged in class. It’s pretty cool and really new and makes us pay more attention. It’s really useful for, like, checking homework and it’s just nicer than a projector,” said Danetta Dobre ’17.

“Actually, no, because the teachers have to figure out how to use the smartboards, and it takes way more time. I mean, I think they’re good and bad, ’cause some of the teachers have no clue how to use them and other teachers make things more fun with the smartboards,” said Layla Hannaford ’17. “No, I think I could learn the same with a whiteboard or a projector,” said Nicole Lange, ‘17.

Evidently, opinions differ greatly. Perhaps teachers should have been consulted before such a large sum was invested; maybe there should even have been a student poll. All we can do now is make the best of our smartboards and hope that they help us to keep up with China.

DECEMBER 2013 FEATURE 11

BY MIRIAM PEREZ miriam.prz359@gmail.com

“It’s all abo Is it

Do teens still care about popularity?

hroughout history popularity has ruined the lives of many helpless and vulnerable teens. Making their self-esteem lower than ever, ruining many friendships, and changing everyone’s opinion about their own self. However, popularity seems to be dying down, specifically in West High. Popularity doesn’t mean the exact same thing to every single person, all of us have different definitions to what we think popularity means. “I think popularity is where you have a lot of friends and you’re the school’s idols,” Caleb Thurman ‘17 said. “Big crowds of girls that everyone wants be, like mean girls,” Sammy Plummer ‘16 said. “A person that has lots of friends and gets along with people,” Micah Otterbein ‘15 said. If you really think about it everyone’s definitions about popularity haven’t really changed since the previous years. Many teens say, “you either care about it or you don’t”. Popularity doesn’t affect just “the popular person” but it can also affect the people around “the popular person”. And Caleb Thurman got to see how that was like when one of his friends decided that they wanted to become popular. “He sometimes had to choose his ‘popular friends’ over me. I mean everyone worries about the labels of who they’re with. When people have a choice, they will 9/10 choose the popular,” said Thurman. Being popular doesn’t necessarily make you the top of everyone’s list. There can be some negatives in trying to act popular as well. 12 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 {DESIGN BY MIRIAM PEREZ}

“He hates his being popular; he says you have to constantly w with, talking to, what you look like, and sound like, the actions most of his [popular friends] are fake anyways,” said Thurman Popularity always has to ruin something. And that big thing “I think I realized not to care about [popularity] towards the because one of my friends decided not to be friends with me lar,” Isabelle Robles ‘17 said. The stages of realizing what pop difficult and teens seem to be understanding that in middle s people start to tend to care more about popularity because th self conscious and in high school you realize you have your ow you get to a state where you only care about your friends,” said We all seem to grow out of the state mind of popularity. But defining people as popular? “I think it’s mostly because we used to identify them in the junior high,” Thomas Sparks ‘14 said. “It comes with age, it gets to the point where we stop basin people think,” Matilda Mackey ‘17 said. In elementary we didn’t really know what popularity was much input into it because, we mostly cared about having th But, once you hit middle school that’s when all the dating, g dards start to get serious.

out popular!”

t really?

worry about who you’re s you make, and he says n. is mainly friendships. beginning of 7th grade because I’m not popupularity is are the most school. “In junior high hat’s when they’re most wn group of friends and d Otterbein. t why is it that we keep

e earlier stages, such as

ng ourselves over what

so we didn’t have that he best toys and recess. grades, and social stan-

Photo by Miriam Perez

Fast Facts on Popularity 1. Mean Girls is based on the book Queen Bees and Wannabees to show popularity in high school. 2. 78% of people think of popularity as being the best looking and the best dressed. 3. Popularity tends to matter more to girls than boys. 4. Mean Girls describes how female high school social cliques operate and the effect they can have on girls. 5. Guy’s tend to care less about popularity than girls cause they care less about appearance and social standards. Source Teen Health and Wellness (real life real answers)

DECEMBER 2013 FEATURE 13

{Forever

Would you consider Twilight a fandom?

Molly Howes ’17

“Twilight is the anti-fandom. The characters are so flatly written.”

Shanthi

Avery Smith ’16

“I think its fandom is just as legitimate as any other fandom. Fanatics of one series shouldn’t bash fanatics of another series just because they have a different taste in books.”

Chackalackal’15

“Twilight was written to make money. It is not well written.” COMPILED BY//REAGAN GRIESER-YODER

Fandom-ing

Imagine that you are in a near death experience; someone is coming at you with a knife, or trying to poison you. Imagine that you are rebelling a ruthless capital, or learning new spells at a wizarding academy. Imagine being able to solve mind-boggling mysteries, having supernatural powers, or being a young child who is risking their life for their beliefs. These are the worlds and characters many students at west high describe that they enter or become when they read their favorite books, or watch their favorite movies and tv shows; when they see their idols in their minds or on the big screen. What is it, then, about these characters that is so special?

s human beings, we all have favorites, and within those favorites, are our most preferred television shows, movies, and books. Most of the time, when we have an interest in these particular aspects of media, there is a great chance that there are many others that favor the same movies and books that we do. These common interest groups are referred to, by the general public, as "fandoms." So, what is a fandom you might ask? Well, according to Urban Dictionary, a fandom is "the community that surrounds a specific book, television show, movie, celebrity, or band." However, to some students at West High, many specific "fandoms" are much more than that. In the past few months, there

BY REAGAN GRIESER-YODER

seems to have been much rave over some of these. Titles such as: The Hunger Games, The Walking Dead, Harry Potter, The Book Thief, Divergent, Sherlock Holmes, and Doctor Who are some of them. Of course, in order to be made into movies, these books had to be very well liked by the public. So,what separates these from the rest? "{Harry Potter} is a beautiful, well-written story." says Shanthi Chackalackal '17. "It's about serious stuff but there are funny moments." The stories seem to be very well thought out and strategized. "I love Doctor Who because of how intricate and often times mind blowing the plot of the show can get." said Avery Smith '16. The love of these books, for some students, comes from the characters in the stories. "I see myself in some of the

14 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 { DESIGN BY REAGAN GRIESER-YODER

reagan.g.yoder12299@gmail.com

characters," said Molly Howes '17. "Harry {Potter} is really isolated and I see myself in that." The ability to connect with the characters in these books and movies appears to be a trait that defines some of the most popular titles. "You fit in with them...You get who they are," said Howes. "{the setting of the book} is a fantastic, unbelievable world, but the kids are so realistic." said Chackalackal. With all of the responsibilities students have, these books serve as almost a break from life. "For me all the books and TV and fandom stuff is really just an escape from reality," said Howes. "You get to run off and play pretend for a little bit." The people that participate in these fandoms have been called "fangirls" or "fanboys." These

Mikayla Johnston searches for a new book to read.

PHOTO BY//REAGAN GRIESER-YODER

fans, as implied, don't just read the books, they worship them. Some students research, draw, and/or dress up as some characters and symbols from these books. "I dressed up for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows {movie premiere}, " said Chackalackal. "I wore a Hogwarts robe and scarf." Many of these "fan-students" have stayed up until midnight for these fandoms. Whether it be to buy a book, or see a movie premiere. "I went to my first one when I was 11" Said Mikayla Johnston '17. "I have also stayed up late for books." There are also other ideas and inspiration to students that have come from some of these fandoms. "I have had this list of collective baby names {based on characters}

since I was ten." said Howes. Some students describe getting mad at other people for not reading the same books as them. “I bark at my friends for not getting my jokes and reading the books.” said Johnston. Others talk about sometimes getting made fun of for reading so much. “I get called a nerd for my ‘perhaps unhealthy’ obsession with fictional characters.” said Johnston. Fandoms are, to some students,a very important part of life. The ability to connect with characters, analyze the plot, and simply have something to be excited about, is something that seems to bind these fans together.

“

IT’S AN ESCAPE FROM REALITY. YOU GET TO RUN OFF AND PLAY PRETEND FOR A LITTLE BIT.” -Molly Howes

DESIGN BY REAGAN GRIESER-YODER } DECEMBER 2013 FEATURE 15

“

Don’t let someone tell you that you’re different. If you are, so what. You are who you are. Don’t listen to what people say.” -Cole McKillip ’17

Now more than ever, people are worring about their appearance By eleanor ho

eleanorcpbw12@gmail.com

n a society where we are obsessed with our appearance, our body image issues are driven unconsciously by the advantage visually attractive people have, for example Miley Cyrus’s controversial attempt to separate herself from her past as a Disney star. According to the Social Issues Research Centre, good-looking people are more popular among peers and teachers, get better jobs, and they are even less likely to be found guilty in a court of justice. Body image is defined as a combination of factors: How we perceive our bodies visually, how we feel about our physical appearance, and how we think and talk to ourselves about our bodies. Also, our sense of how other people view our bodies, our sense of our bodies in physical space, and our level of connectedness to our bodies. Body image is affected by a variety of sources; the media, our own ideas of what looks good, and people surrounding you. These people include family and friends, but also negative influences, like bullies. One student, Cole McKillip ’17, experienced just this. “[It] probably [started in] eighth grade until the middle of the same year,” McKillip said, “I don’t really know exactly [why.]” “ I found out he was being bullied when he told me that a kid was making snide little comments. I thought it was pathetic that this ‘friend’ was stooping so low,” said Derek Smith ’17, a close friend of McKillip’s. Consisting of name calling and insults, it went on until he had enough. “I started to joke with them. I started to make jokes similar to what they were saying. So I overcame it by just laughing with them,” McKillip said. Thankfully, he did not allow the bully to affect his image of himself. “He appears to be totally immune to other people's negative opinions of him now,” Smith said, “They think they're hilarious, picking out trivial imperfections they see in you. They're just trying to get you to react. Don't waste oxygen trying to reason with these people.” 16 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 { DESIGN BY ELEANOR HO

the tee

in th

mir

“Don't let anybody tell you that you're this or that. Don't let someone tell you that you're different. If you are, so what. You are who you are. Don't listen to what people say. But most of all, it will get better,” McKillip said. However, not all people can be as strong-willed as McKillip. Poor body image can cause an array of problems, including low self esteem, anxiety, depression, over exercise, and eating disorders. We all know about eating disorders, stereotypically attributed to insecure teen girls. However, recent studies have shown that one out of 10 people with an eating disorder now are males. Additionally, out of a study that ended in 2012, of 5,527 males ranging in age from 12 to 18 in 1999, almost one third admitted to binging on food (regularly overeating) or purging (inducing vomiting or overuse of laxatives.) “Wrestling is a common [reason], because [athletes] need to get into a certain weight category,” said Dr. Beng Choon Ho, a psychiatrist at the University of Iowa. Other sports that may trigger eating disorders include ballet, gymnastics, and long distance running, according to Dr. Ho. Extremely dangerous, eating disorders can cause a rate of death upwards of 10%. It causes depression, inability to sleep, reduced mental and physical performance, and a decline in grades and even quality of relationships. Eating disorders may also become a chronic problem, lasting an entire lifetime, despite undergoing rehabilitation. “Leading a healthy lifestyle is definitely important,” Dr. Ho said, “Educate the coaches and family and the kids doing the sports… [encourage] the person to go seek help.”

rror

Facts: 74.7% of women and 46% of men

think about their bodies “frequently” or “all the time” 70% of 17 year-old girls have been on a diet source//the brown university heal education, the social issues research centre

pHOTO by//ELEANOR HO

DECEMBER 2013 FEATURE 17

4 Things

People Do For Christmas BY: ALEXIS GRONEWOLD

kklexis521@gmail.com

December is a magical month to be with family and friends. To get presents and give presents. There’s something about Christmas that brings everybody together and everyone can be happy. A time for everybody to smile and laugh. Also a time to celebrate.

1. What people do on black Friday Lots of people start Christmas shopping on black Friday for one thing and one thing only and it’s the sales. We buy cheap gifts but also good quality, so that we don’t have to spend so much money during the holidays. So then on black Friday so many items get swarmed just because they are less expensive. black friday is the day where sales are so good it make people crazy and buy things because they are such good deals. There are brave enough people to go into the crowd who do go shopping on black Friday and Shelby Davis ‘16 is one of them. “I go every year and it’s when I start my Christmas shopping and also my family starts then as well,” said Davis ‘16 There is also Andie Lynch ‘16 she also goes black Friday shopping but this year was her first time and she loved it. Everybody has their own way of getting gifts and shopping. “I went black Friday shopping for the first time this year and it was fun but our feet hurt a lot afterward…I also didn’t go crazy buying stuff like everybody else” said Lynch ‘16

Shelby Davis ‘16 Outside infront of her big christmas tree.

2. Ways of shopping for Christmas time

40 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 { DESIGN BY ALEXIS GRONEWOLD

3. Things people do Christmas morning Megan Hanson ‘15 With her family on christmas .

Most people just want to go straight down those stairs, or open their door and open the presents to see what they got from Santa and their family, but of course some parents say they must have breakfast before they open their gifts. “We all go down stairs and make breakfast and eat then we go to the tree and we all open our presents” said Davis ‘16 That just builds the anticipation to open the presents and makes the moment even more exciting for when you do start opening your presents. Others want to just sleep in and then open their presents. “I usually wake up my sister in the morning and we eat breakfast and then go to the tree to open our presents .”said Lynch ‘16 “I feel hopeful around christmas and in the morning, thats the best way I can describe how I feel, although it isn’t as exciting as when I was younger but when you’re younger things are always more fun and exciting”

Andie lynch ‘16 Its an old christmas tradition.

4. What some traditions might be? “We make cookies as a family, we also go down to Texas to see my family.” Davis said ‘16 “We also put up the tree the night before christmas, and also on Christmas eve we wrap everybody’s presents and put them under the tree” Every person has different thing they do for Christmas. They may sound the same but it will always have a slight difference to it. Some are just very unique or just brings the family together for the season. “We put up decorations, pick out and decorate a tree with the family, baking cookies together and go gift shopping.” said Lynch “we also have a gift exchange thing that my family and me do where we put our names in a hat and if someone draws your name they give you a present.” Some people instead of receiving they like giving like Megan Hanson ‘15 she does charity she tries giving money or food to the food bank or shelter. “I like to spread the kindness around, more charity work. Doing stuff for oters rather than myself ” DECEMBER 2013 FEATURS 41

One

Decision Day Result “Darkness “Life’s most cannot drive out persistent and darkness: only light urgent question is, can do that. Hate can what are you doing for not drive out hate: “If others?” “Our lives only love can do you can’t fly begin to end that.” then run, if you the day we can’t run then walk, if become silent about you can’t walk then crawl, things that matter.” but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” quotes by//Martin luther king Jr.

Debates about MLK day continue By lexi shaffer

lexi.shaffer123@gmail.com

or the first time in nearly 20 years, students may have to set their alarm clocks on Martin Luther King Day. There have recently been debates on whether the Iowa City Community School District will be attending school on Jan. 20. Debate has not only been between adults, but students also. Many arguments have been presented to the school board and now Iowa City West High School students want to share their opinions too. "'I have a dream...' a dream that we will not be having school on Jan. 20," said Morgan SchmittMorris '16. Many other students agree with Schmitt-Morris. Arguing the point to not have school on MLK day. "I think you could argue it either way but I would say we should get [the day] off to honor what he did and give him a day in his memory," said Molly McGoldrick '17.

Leah Rhodes '17 also agrees that King was a very important man whose life should be celebrated. "I think we shouldn't have school on Martin Luther King Day because it is the celebration of a life of someone who made a major statement in American history. He wanted everyone, not just blacks, to be treated equally and with respect and he was also one of the few to stand up to society and tell everyone his beliefs even though many people didn't agree with him. Also he was risking his life to do what he did. He got many death threats and still kept pushing for everyone elses rights," said Rhodes. However, some people are in favor of having school on Martin Luther King Day. They want to talk and help others understand the importance of this day. They hope to educate in a way that students wouldn't think about if they were not in school. "Having school on Martin Luther King Day gives schools time

20 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 { DESIGN BY LEXI SHAFFER

to acknowledge the holiday and thoroughly explain how it came to be and it's significance," said Emma Cooper '17. If West does have school on MLK day it will not be an average day at school. MLK day will consist of many different activities. These activities were organized by Ms. Martin for all grades. The schedule consists of watching videos and having class discussions for first period. Class activities for second, third, and fourth periods. Including a service fair during lunch periods. Lastly, students will listen to guest speaker Zach Wahls talk about diversity “in a broader scope,” said Maria Martin. “[Martin Luther King] lived his life in service of others so we tried to incorporate this into the activities,” said Martin. The school board will make their final decision on Tuesday, December 17. However in school or not students across the nation will find a way to honor the memory and teachings of Martin Luther King Jr.

photo by//creative commons

Who: Civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr. Born: January 15, 1929 Atlanta, GA Assassinated: April 4, 1968 Memphis, TN Awards: Nobel Peace Prize, Presidential Medal of Freedom, Time’s Person of the Year, Congressional Gold Medal, Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding, Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album, Spingarn Medal, Margaret Sanger Awards, Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards

TECH TIME A DEVICE DEPENDENT DISCUSSION

By PAIGE BRAZINA

brazina.paige@gmail.com art by//paige brazina

echnology is an important part of I think it also makes us spend a little less time today’s modern society. New devices face to face with family and friends.” Said give us the ability to get in touch Mackenzi Marsh 16’. and connect with others from far In fact, phones previously had one social away. They also allow us to have quick access purpose: to call people. Nowadays, many phone to things such as work, social media, or even users enjoy texting rather than talking.. games. Psychologists suggest that most people favor Even schools ask students learn from devices texting because they would like to avoid the such as smartboards, computers, and TV confrontation of a call. screens. Recent studies find that if you place your However, many teens are using this tech more phone on a table during a meal or a discussion, as a past time than a tool for learning. Social heavy or personal topics are not likely to come media and games have up. People don’t want to share become a popular way to personal ideas with someone Interviewees are spend screen time. Even who is likely to reject them to constantly lookin class, many teachers get back to their phone. ing at their phones “A dependency on cell phones are ignored, as the desire to update sites and level instead of finding a is affecting potential candidates up on games seems more abilities during interviews.” connection with Said Shelly Shell, a local Zoetis important than an education. the people around pharmaceutical representative. Psychologically, people them.” -Shelly Shell “Instead of maintaining eye conlike social media because tact, interviewees are constantly it makes them feel like others are listening to looking at their phones instead of finding a them. The human brain naturally wants stimuconnection with the people around them.” lation, which leaves many uncomfortable when Whether it’s finding a job, communicating they are left alone with their thoughts. People with friends, or playing games, technology is enjoy playing games because the virtual world used more than ever in our changing world. allows them to move up levels and get on top. “I think anyone should be able to use techIt’s not always selfish, it’s just human instinct. nology as long as they don’t overuse it.” Said “I think technology helps us as a whole, but Mackenzi Marsh.

“

FAST FACTS: - Only 1 in 6 parents understand the gadgets used by their children. - Two thirds of people receiving tweets found them boring. - 66% of ‘tweeters’ don’t like updates on how someone is feeling or what they had for breakfast. - Just over a third of messages on Twitter were rated ‘worth reading’ and 25% were ‘dislikable’. - 220 million tons of old computers and other technological hardware are trashed in the United States each year. - The Apollo 11 computers had less processing power than a modern

cellphone.

COMPilED by//Paige brazina

FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 21

By: Brandon Berner

Apocalypse: n an event involving destruction or damage on an awesome or catastrophic scale Many people prepare for such events and many other people see those “doomsday preppers” as fools. “People do sometimes poke fun playfully about the prepping and the Zombie club and all, but what are you going to do? Just do your own thing! Haters Gonna Hate!” said Cody Reuter, ‘14. These non-preppers don’t believe that there will ever be an apocalypse, and that there never has been one, but there has. About 65 million years ago, an apocalypse-type event occurred that made the dinosaurs go extinct. There were some survivors, such as sharks and Cody Reuter ’15 crocodiles, but almost every other organism was killed. Sure, we don’t really know how the dinosaurs became extinct, but who is to say there could never be another event like that? A big question a lot of people ask is “what should I do if an event like this was to occur?” Well, that depends on the person you are talking to. Some people want to just be with their “inner circle” (friends, family, etc.), others want to be in a big group of survivors. Some people even want to fly solo; it’s by your own preference. “Don’t live in a big group of people” said Wyatt Jones, ‘17. Of cource, everyone wants food and water that is safe to drink, so those things are going to be difficult to get. Be very careful when trying to get things. You never know what could happen. 22 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 { DESIGN BY BRANDON BERNER

Our

Desolation

10 Tips for an Apocalypse: 1. Be cautious 2. Wait to get things until it’s safe to do so 3. Get as many supplies as you can before everything gets taken 4. Don’t act stupid 5. Don’t be loud 6. Don’t be seen 7. Do what you must to survive 8. Get a secure place 9. Don’t die 10. Survive

Cody Reuter-“I have been preparing for an apocalypse/bad situation for about 9 months now.” “People do sometimes poke fun playfully about the prepping and the Zombie club and all, but what are you going to do? Just do your own thing! Haters Gonna Hate!” Wyatt Jones-”I have created an underground bunker and have been preparing for a couple of years now. People don’t really know about it so I don’t get judged for my preparations.”

DECEMBER 2013 FEATURE 23

ut with the old

and in with the new New Years Resolutions

What are YOUR goals? •

I had a goal about being able to fit as much grapes in mouth as possible when I was little and I only got up to four grapes cause they were the big fat ones

Miriam Perez, 17’ •

Curl my hair without burning myself

Annie Mons, 17’ •

Being on west high JV poms, and going to nationlas with my

Alexandra Walton, 17’

Have you ever carried through with a new years resloution? 80% said no.

20% said yes.

Have you ever gotten over a pet peeve? 60% said no.

40% said yes.

When January first rolls around, it means, eating healthier, better habits, and staying organized, right? Only for some people. The WSS conducted a survey, and found that 20% of a selection of students at West High have actually carried their New Year’s resolutions all throughout the new year. Lucky enough, a few of those people decided to share their stories with me. Everyday you’ll James Lanoue ‘17 bench pressing in the weight room. He’s strong, but it took a lot of goal making and baby steps to get there. Lanoue said, “I make goals because I believe everyone can get better if they really want to try.” Unlike many other students here at West, Lanoue has carried a new year’s resolution throughout the whole year. According to, Nick Sher, ‘17, the reason for people not carrying out their new years resolutions is “People usually

don’t make a plan for how to do it. They just say ’this is what I should do’ and they don’t know where to start.” Not all new years resolutions are serious. “One of my goals is to be able to play the guitar behind my back,” said Jj Colgan, ‘17. Colgan has been playing guitar for three years, and would like to be able to show off his unique skills. “You could just say ‘ hey, I can play guitar behind my back’ and just start shredding,” said Colgan. Some goals are simply so they have some piece of mind when dealing with the things that annoy them. A pet peeve that, Erica Roth, ‘17 shares with a ton of other people is, “people saying li-bary.” Finally she got over that. “It made me mad because there is an ‘R’ in the word and that just kept getting ignored.” Each year, no matter the case, there are people everywhere promising themselves that they’ll eat healthier, and a month later returning to their sweets, and pizza. It’s people like Roth, Lanoue, and Colgan that are admired by many for their hard work and dedication towards their goals. Maybe this year, we can make a change and carry through with our resolutions. Happy new year!

Future Artists By Nicole Lange

There’s always at least one kid in the class that draws instead of doing homework at the end of class. And for some of them, they aren’t always just simple doodles, but beautiful, detailed pieces of art. “I usually start with a doodle, do it in pencil, then make little edits with black pen and make it into a finer lined sketch” said Maeven Goodno ‘17. There are many different styles of art be it black and white, manga/ anime, or furries (animals with human-like qualities). Depending on who you ask they could be defined very differently. “I guess I would describe my art as very colorful” said Grace Henk ‘17. Artist get involved in art many different ways. Such as art classes, family, or friends, and sometimes even our teachers. “During my elementary years, I often referenced to those ‘How To Draw 50...” (Animals, cars, etc.) books in the library! While I was browsing for new things to draw, I found a book entitled “How to draw More Manga.” by Katy Coop. Naturally, I started reading it and found some genuine interest in it! I was able to draw my family members, as well as my own make believe characters! I continued to reference only on that book, and gradually started to read some Manga as well! Now, after six years, I don’t have to reference material out of books for anatomy, I can make my own forms in a matter of minutes!” said Morgane (Gwendoline) Jambor ‘16 Jobs in the art field can be competitive and hard to get into. An artist will always have to listen to criticisms. They must compete with their peers to get the better job or grade. Most of it is a matter of opinion. But some still strive to get a job in the field. “One of my dreams is to work in an Animation company, either Disney or Pixar. Though, I wish I could work in Studio Ghibli in Japan, or at the least be part of the Nintendo company in one form or another! I hope to be a character designer, or someone who develops art-concepts for character’s wardrobes or the such.” said Jambor Almost everyone has someone they look up to. Although when you’re an artist you almost hate the person look up to the most, because they can draw better than you. As people we tend to look up to our friends, family, or other important people in our lives. “I look up to a bunch of more modern artists, instead of people like Vincent Van gogh. Morgane [Jambor ‘17], Meldia [Sharpe ‘17], and Victoria [Cicha ‘17] from anime club are people I look up to the most. Of course that’s when it comes to human-ish figures. I also look up to people who draw furries and ponies like Nicole [Lange ‘17] and Kiera [Tran ‘17].” said Goodno

Know Your art styles Manga/anime

art by//morgane (gwendoline) Jambor ‘16

Black and White

Art by//Grace Henk ‘17

Furries

art by//morgane (gwndoline jambor ‘16 for more artwork go to sarajanewhittaker.com

DESINGED BY AND ART BY NICOLE LANGE } DECEMBER 2013 FEATURE 25

How to Become Your Favorite Superhero written by Carter leavesseur

cleavesseur@gmail.com

photos compiled by Carter Leavesseur cleavesseur@gmail.com

Do you wanna be a surgeon, lawyer or maybe even a therapist. Why do that, when there is a job that lets you kick butt, be cool, become the law, fight for justice and get all the ladies? This job would have to be a superhero. Now I know what you’re thinking, I don’t know the first thing about becoming a superhero! Well, here is a detailed guide on how to achieve Superhero status of two very popular superheroes; Iron Man and Batman.

Batman (Bruce Wayne) “It's not who I am underneath, but what

I do that defines me.” -Bruce Wayne

Batman is quite possibly the most practical Superhero in the DC universe, and the easiest to become. Before you start, having a photographic memory is crucial. If you don’t have that, then you kinda screwed the pooch there. With or without your photographic memory, you’ll either need to be very wealthy yourself, or have a very wealthy family member that left you everything. Another thing that would be useful to learn during your run for wealth, would be to learn computer hacking and while you're at it, try and get your IQ to about 190. Bruce Wayne’s estimated iq is 192, which is higher than Einstein's IQ by about 20. So no pressure. Upon completion, I would try and find the best martial art trainer that would suit Ra's Al Ghul's position in Batman Begins. Chuck Norris may be able to do this for you, and since you're filthy rich, money is no object. A problem with this is that Chuck Norris is actually pretty old now. Another factor you should consider, is that by the time you make your billions, Chuck Norris will probably be dead. So act fast. By the time your training is completed with Ra’s Al Ghul, you should try and find five other trainers to help you become the Batman. Now that you have completed your training, it would be a good idea to invest in a batcave. Your batcave should be complete with an impressive computer system, an osculating circle for your batmobile, a training room and armory. This batcave should be relatively close to your estate, so you can take a cool elevator complete with a view of an awesome waterfall. As aforementioned, you need to buy a ton of weapons, but no firearms. As the Batman, you have declared strong independence from guns. While you’re getting your armory stocked up, you should get some bullet proof armor, or kevlar, because bad guys haven’t taken the no firearm pledge as you have. Now that you have your intelligence, weapons, training and batcave, you’ll need the most important part to being a superhero. A costume. You don’t want anybody knowing your identity, because then everybody you care about, is in danger. Continuing from that, if you don’t wanna have the name Batman, then I suggest maybe the Bulk, Admiral Australia or maybe Titanium Man. You might get sued for copyright infringement, but it will be totally worth it. Now that you have completed your course on Batman 101, feel free to fight crime. For around three months. All of the battles you have with Penguin, Bane, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow and the infamous Joker, all went down in the span of 3 months. A downside to being batman, is that the people you fight, and the enemies you have, are truly evil. Joker, blew up a hospital for funsies and Bane had intents to destroy a city roughly as large as New York with a nuclear bomb. These aren’t litters and jaywalkers. These are terrorist masterminds. On that note, Good luck. You’re going to need it.

26 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 DESIGN BY CARTER LEAVESSEUR

Iron Man (Tony Stark) “Contrary to popular belief, I

know exactly what I’m doing…” -Tony Stark

Iron man is a much more basic Superhero, which Marvel is quite famous for. Much like the Batman, he has no superpowers. The only thing you have is your suit. And you’re a genius, a playboy, billionaire, crime fighter and philanthropist. To start your adventure, start at an early age. If you didn’t start in advanced physics and robotic building when you were 7, then you should start this moment. If you’ve started your career in physics, engineering, artificial intelligence, software design and robotics. When you graduate from college, you should start your own business in robotics and weaponry development. Once you get kidnapped by the Vietnamese and held hostage, because you are the worlds smartest person, and you happen to be able to build weapons of war, and are very advanced in robotics. I mean, lets face it, nobody is a better robot builder than Tony Stark. Anyway, thanks to this event, you will develop your first Mech Suit, complete with Flame thrower and Machine gun. But you were wounded by a landmine, and your heart was subsequently ruined in that process. So what should you do? Build a new one out of cockroaches and nails. You bust out, you have created a war machine. After this, since you will have the money and the means to create the rest of your Mech suits. The villains you will have to face are much softer than Batman’s. But nonetheless, they are super villains. Doctor Doom, who is a major problem for Iron Man, and the rest of the Avengers, is actually the evilest of the Marvel Super Villains. He destroys towns, steals precious metals and robs banks. Another villain you have to worry about, in Fin Fang Foom, a dragon from an alien planet, who just so happens to be out to get you. Then there is Shock wave, a former M-16 Agent that stole one of your Mech suits. Since you’re Iron Man, and you couldn’t care less about whether or not people know your identity, it doesn’t really matter what you do outside of you superhero life. So that’s definitely a perk. Now that you have the ability to become a superhero, you should probably go save some people. That would be pretty cool, because you don’t really get paid, and you get to save the world. So now that you’re a big shot, go get those ladies, and stay classy. It would probably be safe to say, that the end justifies the means.

on the spot

What super Power would you have?

“I would want to fly, because then I could save money on gas, and flying is pretty cool.” Derek Nugent ’17

I would be invisible, so I could spy on people Megan Weisenbbeck ‘17

“To read minds, because then I would know all of the answers to my tests.” Mackenze Bonner ‘17

COMPILED by Carter Leavesseur

FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 27

Wher

e Hav e You

Colorad Idaho o a Georgi

United Kingdom

Lived

? France

Mexico s

a m a h a B

Yiwen Gao ‘17

Isabelle Robles‘17

Most people have a dream place where they have always wanted to live. For some people that dream has come true. Yiwen Gao ‘17 has been willing to share her story with us. “Well I was born in China and I lived there till I was 7.” said Gao, “Then I moved to Bristol, UK and I lived there for two years and then I moved here.”

There have also been some...interesting experiences. “When I was in Italy with my grandparents I took an overnight train from Venice to Paris. We bought the first class tickets because we wanted to be comfortable, but the cabin ended up being about the size of a closet,” Isabelle Robles ‘17 said, “We had to cram ourselves and our very large suitcases into the cabin and there was a triple bunk bed we slept on. It ended up not being comfortable at all because the train was very loud and rocking side to side a little and I kept thinking that I was going to fall off my bunk.”

Olivia Reed ‘17

Though some people are “living the dream”, some people are not liking it so much. “In georgia there was a lot of racism,” Olivia Reed ‘17 said. “one time we couldn't go into a museum because they were racist against Asians.” Reed said that it was difficult to live down in the south and is glad there is not as much racism up in the North.

China

t o p S e h On t Q: Where have you lived/traveled?

A: Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Hawaii, Malyasia, lots of places around the USA

ve you moved ha es m ti y an m ow H Q: in your life? A: {I have moved} 7 Times

Q: What is different in other countries that people may not know?

A: {When I went to India}, there were a lot of homeless people. It was so different there. Also, we could only shower/use the restroom on certain hours. When I came back to America, I was a lot more thankful for what I have, because I know that some of the richest people in India don’t even have as much as I do.

Call me by my name, not my disease Schizophrenia: a mental illness affecting a person’s ability to think clearly, manage emotions, make decisions and relate to others. Statistically, for a school the size of West, two out of the 2,000 students could be suffering from the illness. The numbers are small, but the attention and misunderstanding the illness has received is anything but. BY ISABELLE ROBLES isabeller99@gmail.com

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insa ne

PSYCHO Cr

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KILLER bad

Treat others how you want to be treated: the golden rule. Odds are you’ve probably been given this piece of advice from a majority of your teachers and your parents throughout your educational career. However, if you happened upon a person who told you that they were hearing voices in their head telling them to do terrible things, what would you do? Would you listen and try to find them help, or would you walk away, scared, dismissing the rule that

has been drilled in your head throughout your life? As of 2012, 2.4 million American adults suffer from Schizophrenia, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and many are trying their best to raise awareness for the disease. Their first stop: to educate high school and college students. “We really need to give good information to high school and college students so they can make changes down the road,” said Frank Flem-

30 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 { DESIGN BY ISABELLE ROBLES

Z HI

S d r i

PSYCHO

PHOTOS BY//ISABELLE ROBLES

ing, Nurse Manager at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Mental Health Clinical Research Center. “You’ve got to teach that generation because they’re the ones that grow up… then you’ll have a whole group of kids that become voters and help make decisions on mental illnesses.” In an attempt to reach this goal, West High has added a mental illness unit to the health curriculum to help educate kids on what mental ill-

ness is, the symptoms, ending voices, delusions, memory problems, indiscrimination based on lack ability to organize thoughts and many othof knowledge and treatment. er things-- making the disease very complex. Kathy Bresnahan, health teacher, “The biggest misconception is that this is one thinks the new edition will help. illness… however, it’s just different areas of the “I believe that the time we spend brain that aren’t functioning,” Fleming said. Kathy Bresnahan in Health class is a good startFleming admits that this makes correct treating point to increase awareness of these diseases.” ment for the disease very difficult. However, with Once you can understand the disthe appropriate treatment, patients can thrive. ease, it’s easier to accept it as well. “If you properly treat and educate individu“It’s so important that you als with schizophrenia they do what you can do to make can go on to have a proWE ARE ALL AFRAID OF THE that difference, that you ductive life,” Fleming said. . INDIVIDUALS DEALING can role model appropriHowever, some individuals ate behavior,” Fleming said. that don’t receive the appropriWITH MENTAL ILLNESSES MIGHT Moon Fangman ’17 is ate treatment can be detrimental APPEAR ‘DIFFERENT’ AND THAT one of few students at West to themselves and to society as that can, and will, be a COULD BE UNCOMFORTABLE FOR a whole. This is apparent in cerneeded role model. With a tain tragedies such as last year’s SOME. WE ALL NEED TO BECOME shooting in Newtown, Conlong family history of the disease, Fangman has a MORE TOLERANT OF OTHERS IN ALL necticut, committed by Adam broader understanding of Lanza, a 20-year-old suffering AREAS OF OUR ; MENTAL ILL- from schizophrenia. These such mental illness than most. “[Having these relationshootings have caused patients NESS BEING ONE.” ships] has made me more -Kathy Bresnahan suffering from schizophrenia comfortable around peoto have a ‘bad rap’ and to creple with mental disabilities…I think more peoate fear among citizens. However, Bresnahan admits ple should have the opportunity to learn about that the new curriculum can help to change the that. it and realize what exactly it is, ” Fangman said. “We are all afraid of the unknown. Individuals dealPart of learning and understanding the dising with mental illnesses might appear ‘different’ and ease is understanding that the patient can’t that could be uncomfortable for some. We all need control their symptoms that they experience. to become more tolerant of others in all areas of our “Mental illness is a disease and something that is lives; mental illness being one. Hopefully spending often genetic or are involving circumstances that time in health class discussing health concerns such are beyond that person’s control,” Bresnahan said. as schizophrenia will increase students knowledge The patient can experience hallucinations, and understanding of the disease,” said Bresnahan.

“

UN-

KNOWN

LIVES

2.4

WANT TO HELP?

SCHIZOPHRENIA BY THE NUMBERS

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

The millions of American adults over the age of 18 suffering from the disease.

The year that a study conducted by Dr. Jim van Os in Feburary proved that extenisve smoking of marijuana leads to earlier onset of the illness. SOURCE//NAMI.ORG

http://tinyurl.com/schizophreniamoreinfo Percent of adults with Schizophrenia that use healthcare.

TO DONATE: http://tinyurl.com/schizopreniadonate TO GET INVOLVED: http://tinyurl.com/schzophreniatakeaction DECEMBER 2013 FEATURE 31

g n i y l F Solo

Deborah Yu, a senior at the University of Iowa, and Phoebe Low ‘13 provide opposite perspectives of owning an apartment versus living in a dormitory for college.

By Christina dai

christina.dai18@gmail.com

irty dishes are overflowing in the sink. Mounds of laundry lay in distressed heaps and the vacuum seems a little lonely. The refrigerator is devoid of anything of actual nutritional value but no one is bothered enough to change anything. This is a situation that could occur while living without parents or any real authority, like most college students, whether they live in dorms or in their own apartment. However, living in the dorms and living in your own apartment are two different stories. Between the pros and cons, should college students choose to live in dorms or in their own apartment? APARTMENT LIFE Deborah Yu, a senior at the Uni-

versity of Iowa, is one of many undergraduates who live without any sort of authoritative structure. Yu stayed in the dorms for the first part of her undergraduate but is now the tenant of an apartment she inhabits and takes care of by herself, along with a roommate. Though it may seem stressful, Yu says she does not have a hard time with taking care of the responsibilities that having her own place entails. In fact, there aren’t even that many responsibilities. “It's kind of a pain to find time to clean everything often. But besides cleaning, we don't really have any other commitments to renting an apartment,” Yu said. Cleaning, though, does seem to be a bit of a problem. Yu admits that her standards for sanitation and order have gone down. Grimy dishes and dusty bathrooms are

32 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 { DESIGN BY CHRISTINA DAI

things that she has to be aware of now. “When I was in the dorms, I didn't have a bathroom or kitchen, so I didn't have to worry about cleaning those places. Now, I have to worry about...cleaning after myself [and] cleaning the bathroom, etc,” Yu said. Yu also has to do her grocery shopping and cook by herself. She says that her meals are now less healthy than when she lived at home because she can’t cook very well. She also eats out a lot more, which she says is more expensive and not as nutritious or healthy as a home-cooked meal. Besides all the cons of having her own place, Yu also loves the freedom that comes with living by herself. There is less responsibility and she doesn’t have to clear things with her parents first.

“I like how I can choose what I do, whenever I want to do it without my parents calling me and asking me to come home or checking up on me,” Yu said. She also says that she has less family obligations, which means less freedom. Constantly having to take care of siblings and drive her family places can take time out of her own schedule. “When I'm at home for break, my mom will always ask me to take care of my [eight year old] sister, help her with piano, take her someplace,” Yu said. So, what do the parents think? “[Yu] is an independent child and can take care of herself. She makes her own decisions based on her own judgement and situation,” Yu’s mom, Fenchin, said. Fenchin also says that she trusts Yu to make her own decisions

7 SAFETY SUGGESTIONS 1. Get to know your neighborhood/general vicinity 2. Lock doors and windows when they are not in use 3. Have a self-defense utensil 4. Use common sense and don’t invite random people into your home 5. Check in with somebody every day so that if you do not one day they will know that something is wrong 6. Have some kind of alarm system 7. Make sure the shrubbery around your residence cannot obscure any intruders

photo by//creative commons

by allowing her to learn from her mistakes, and ultimately accomplish what she wants to without Fenchin’s advice or help. Yu also has something to offer to high school students that will be facing a decision like this soon. “If you're going to college, for at least your first year, definitely live in the dorms. It's just way easier to focus on doing well in school than if you were living in an apartment... The key is learning how to balance without your parents there to help you.” DORM LIFE On the flip side, there’s Phoebe Low ‘13. Low is currently a freshman at University of Pennsylvania. Coming from a relatively quiet family of four, the dorms are a louder, livelier contrast to home life.

“A lot of people here like to stay up until [at least] 3 or 4 a.m. studying, talking, laughing, playing video games, etc,” Low said. Communication between her and others has also been cut. At home, she was able to form close relationships with her family because they “all knew quite a bit about each other's lives, shared the same laundry basket, and petted the same dog.” Now, Low and the other students in her building don’t feel pressed to get to know each other. “[E]veryone carries on their own separate lives, and we have to put a significant amount of time and effort to get to know each other, which we don't always do,” Low said. As for the facilities, the dorms have a lot to offer. Low’s building provides space for entertainment for diners, among other cool luxu-

ries. “[T]he floor above [the dining hall] is open so the marching band and random choir groups gather there to provide music for the diners below. [Also], my floor has a scooter and a Ripstik and people ride on them to get across the hall to the bathroom, and then there's the underground Starbucks with a fireplace,” Low said. Even though the dorms may have a lot of positives, things aren’t always the safest. Besides students being “irresponsible and end[ing] up in the hospital”, there’s crime around campus. “Wandering more than two or three blocks off campus takes you into a really ghetto area. There are even robberies on campus, so the university has put security guards everywhere,” Low said. Low’s study habits have also

changed from the constant buzz around where she lives. She finds it more difficult to be ambitious. “Since I'm living on a floor with thirty or so people, there's always going to be about a third of them who have nothing to do and are going to some concert or restaurant for the heck of it. So the general impression is that if no one else is studying, why should I? It's harder to be motivated and requires a lot more self discipline,” Low said. Low summed it all up with one statement: “ I don't love it, but I think it couldn't be any other way.”

FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 33

MEGAN CLEMENTS ‘14

AARON STUMPF ‘16 JAMES CHRISTENSEN ‘16

DEREK STEFFEN ‘14

WILL PETERSON ‘17

We’ve all found ourselves stuck in an embarrassing moment where people laugh, point, or stare. Almost everyone has had one happen to them in their lifetime, from something small as spilling a drink on yourself, or something even worse like throwing up during a huge presentation. Plenty of West High School students have had an embarrassing moment in their time at West, these are the stories of their moments.

Most Embarrassing Moment At West BY KEVAN PATEL kevan.patel525@gmail.com 34 FEATURE December 2013 { Design by Kevan Patel

Getting Over Embarrassing Moments 1. TAKE DEEP BREATHS, BUT DON’T MAKE IT TOO LOUD OR YOU WILL EMBARRASS YOURSELF MORE 2. LAUGH AND KEEP LAUGHING, IT’S EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO LAUGH WITH YOU THAN AT YOU 3. MAKE IT FUNNY, TRY TO MAKE A WITTY JOKE OUT OF IT 4. ADDRESS IT, IT HAS ALREADY HAPPENED AND YOU CAN’T GO BACK IN TIME AND CHANGE IT 5. DON’T MAKE A HUGE SCENE ABOUT IT 6. DO SOMETHING TO DISTRACT YOURSELF AFTER IT HAS HAPPENED 7. LEARN HOW TO AVOID IT AFTER IT HAS HAPPENED

“On the first day of second tri during my freshman year my American Studies teacher pronounced my name wrong (he said it like Migin) and I forgot to correct him. So he called me by that for the rest of the year and I never bothered to correct him and it was really awkward when ever he said it because no one would say anything about how he pronounced my name wrong.”

MEGAN CLEMENTS ‘14

“Haha, I was taking a test one time during freshman year, I forget which class it was, but it was a pretty big test. Well, I had a water bottle by me during it. So I went to go drink out of it in the middle of the test, and I drank a little too much at one time and a lot came out of my mouth and I spilled it on my pants. It really looked like I peed my pants during the test. So, after I was done with taking it and had to get up slowly and pull my shirt really down low so no one would notice it. I don’t think anyone noticed it, so I went straight to the bathroom to try and dry it off. Which, I did, but I was late to my next class.

AARON STUMPF ‘16

DEREK STEFFEN ‘14 “One time during a big play I had to help my friend do a wheelie on a wheelchair, and I almost messed it up pretty bad. He was leaning back a little too much and he almost fell over, but I saved him and it looked pretty clumsy from what I heard from other people. There were a lot of people watching and most of them were laughing when it happened.”

JAMES CHRISTENSEN ‘16 “..Yeah, I was walking during passing period, and it was really crowded so people were close together and stuff...So it was like four people going (up and down) at the same time, and my hand got stuck in someone’s backpack strap somehow and I lost my balance, but I regained it. But, my arm was (still) in the strap and I made the guy lose his balance and fall down the stairs, he ran into some people too (as he fell). -“...people laughed at him, they didn’t know that I caused it” -”I forgot to say sorry to him.”

WILL PETERSON ‘17

“I was eating lunch during like the beginning of the year and I’m pretty sure I was really tired then. So, I went to eat my food and I don’t know how but my whole tray of food fell on my pants and I hate a brown stain on me for the rest of the day (since) I didn’t have any other clothes to replace my pants. A lot of people who were my friends and I haven’t even seen before asked me if I pooped (in) my pants.

December 2013 FEATURE 35

To eat or not to eat BY CAMERON COOK

cecook1117@gmail.com PHOTOS BY//CREATIVE COMMONS

Not many high school students spend time watching what they eat, let alone follow pre-programmed diets. Recently, though, there has been a revolution in eating trends across the country; and, more locally, in Iowa City. Before recently, who’d ever heard of wheat germ? And when did everyone start eating kale? The way people eat is taking a dramatic turn, for better or for worse. Here’s the

overview of what’s been up:

Veganism Raw Foodism The Scoop: Vegans only eat foods that haven’t been The Scoop: Raw Foodists, as might be derived from taken from animals; no eggs, no dairy, no meat, and the name, do not eat anything that is cooked. Their no anything containing any part of animal, like geladiet consists of uncooked, unprocessed and often tin. Some vegans also don’t wear leather or fur because times organic food. Many people believe that the they believe clothing to be consumption. enzymes--large biological molecules responsible for The Reasons: Many people become vegan for ethimetabolic processes that sustain life -- in foods are cal reasons, because they believe that killing other“MOST cooked off, therefore making the food empty of all animals to eat is wrong. But others cut back on the nutrition and that cooking creates toxins that can animal products because they need to for healthAMERICANS cause cancer in animals. issues. “My dad had to be vegan due to medicalCONSUME The Reasons: Some people have ethical reasons conditions,” said Lauren Katz ’18, a student at for eating raw, but in this case the main motivation 2-3 TIMES North Central Junior High School. is to be as healthy as possible. Raw foodists believe The Challenges: The American diet gravitatesTHE PROTEIN that all the ailments suffered by humans can be around the main dish, and the main dish usually traced back to cooking food. includes meat. Especially in Iowa (A pork-plentyTHEY NEED.” The Challenges: Most people cook their food, and -Kym society), it might be hard to find food that fits the lots of meats and dairy products cannot be safely vegan criteria. eaten raw. This means that most people going raw Wroble The Solutions: As veganism has become more probably also will go vegan for safety. popular, more and more food substitutes and restauThe Solutions: While eating raw may not be as poprants are popping up to cater to the new demographic. ular as other eating trends, that doesn’t mean it’s too “Most Americans consume 2-3 times the protein they hard. The Raw Movement, though more popular in need. A person that omits dairy and meat from his/ places such as California, where fruits and vegetables her diet can meet their protein needs with beans or can grow year round, can be applied in Iowa. Most legumes, eggs, soy products, nuts, seeds and whole grocery stores are stocked with food from all over, grains,” said Hy-Vee Nutritionist Kym Wroble. Also, even in the winter time, and you’ll definitely save a there are lots of restaurants that have vegan options. lot of money not using an oven. Trumpet Blossom in downtown Iowa City has all vegan cuisine, and Fair Grounds Coffee House and Oasis Falafel, among others, are very vegan friendly.

36 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 {DESIGNED BY CAMERON COOK}

DID YOU KNOW... 2.5% OF THE COUNTRY IDENTIFIES THEMSELVES AS VEGAN

Gluten-Free The Scoop: Gluten is a protein found in wheat and wheat processed grains. As the title might suggest, people who eat a glutenfree diet don’t eat anything with gluten in it. This includes products with wheat, barley and rye. Lauren Luce ‘16 The Reason: The main cause for people to stop eating gluten is gluten intolerance. Oftentimes the allergy to gluten is small and dismissible. However, a small percentage of people have celiac disease, which is a fatal gluten intolerance. “[A doctor] recommended that [my family] get a blood test, and mine came back with a sensitivity to gluten, milk and other things. So I started to eat gluten free,” said Lauren Luce ’16. The Challenges: Bread, most of which contains wheat or rye, is a staple in most families’ meals, so eating out at a restaurant or eating at someone’s house could be challenging. “Meals that are hard to transition are the meals that are processed, like chicken strips, Mac ‘n cheese, and box mixes like muffins and cakes,” Luce said. The Solutions: Gluten-free products are increasing in numbers to cater to the intolerant community, and many restaurants, like Monica’s in Iowa City, have gluten-free options. “Fresh fruits and vegetables, if eaten in recommended quantities, plus other whole grains that do not contain gluten can easily meet recommended fiber needs,” Wroble said.

1.8 MILLION AMERICANS HAVE CELIAC DISEASE FOOD COOKED AT LESS THAN 104 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT IS STILL CONSIDERED RAW DESPITE ITS NAME, BUCKWHEAT IS NOT RELATED TO WHEAT FEWER THAN 5% OF AMERICANS CONSUME ENOUGH WHOLE GRAINS

Which diet is best? It’s up to you to decide what you should eat, and it’s a decision that should be made, whether it’s choosing to stop eating gluten, animal products or anything cooked. “[I don’t] eat vegan food,” Katz said, “but even so I realize how important it is to watch not only what I eat, but what’s inside the food and how much I eat of it.” DECEMBER 2013 37

The

Secret

Success

PHOTO by//CREATIVE COMMONS

by lily westemeyer

lwestemeyer@gmail.com

or most people, school is stressful. Unless you’ve got some pretty impressive skills, you’ve likely had to deal with excessive homework, an essay you don’t want to write, or something else you don’t want to do. But could these pressures be higher at West High than at other schools? The statistics sure say so. West was ranked as the number one high school in Iowa by Newsweek, and also had one of the highest average ACT scores in the state. While these attributes look great for the school, it also means more competition. More people are striving to be the best, which may influence 38 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 { DESIGNED BY LILY WESTEMEYER

everyone else. “Compared to my old school there seems to be more people extremely dedicated to doing really well in school at West,” said Fallon Ratner ’17. Ratner moved to Iowa City from California and is new this year at West. “I think that it is generally healthy competition at West and the people selected for the activities reflect the people who are truly talented.” Many people at West are talented and in all kinds of ways. Academics, music, sports, you name it, there’s probably someone at West who is great at it. Quite a few people are part of groups that aren’t school re-

lated, like different sports teams or private music lesmuch higher level than in most schools in Califorsons, but there are plenty of opportunities for people nia,” Ratner said. This could be because the students to expand on these talents at school. are more successful, because the curriculum is hard“...People in America love school because it’s not er, or the teachers doing more with their lessons. just a school; there are many activities and it’s kind Teachers have a huge influence in their students’ of fun,” said Hana Jwaied ’17, a new student to West success. Whether someone passes or fails can often this year. “...In my old school, there are no activities be determined by their teachers. For instance, hatbefore school or after.” ing a teacher won’t make you want to learn more or There really is something for everyone at West. be excited to come to school. From arts to sports, West has On the other hand, loving a teachmany options, and with these oper will encourage people to learn, tions come people who are pas- compared to my old but once you take away the classes sionate and talented at what they the teachers, it all boils down to school, there seems and do. Some people might think that the students’ attitudes. this intimidates students who are to be more people Some people may think that West just looking to do something for High is special, that it’s different fun, but others think it encour- extremely dedicated than other schools, that it’s more ages them to be as good as theirto doing really well competitive and successful. Others peers. may argue that it’s no different than in school.” “In my old school everyone other schools with stresses just as would complain about being in relevant, but just with students who -Fallon Ratner, ‘17 school and didn’t really like to be try to be the best. there,” said Elise Chang, ‘17. Chang is also a new “Teachers at my old school would always encourage student to West. “[At West] I feel like people enjoy us to do our best, but I don’t think anyone really lisbeing at school.” tened to them,” Chang said. “Here, I think most stuThere could be a number of reasons that many dents already know that they need to try their best people here enjoy being at school and are successful. and work hard to succeed without someone telling It could be because of the influence of teachers and them so much.” staff, or it could be that there are outside pressures. Also, people could like school just because they do, and they want to succeed for themselves. “My old school was really small so there were just a few kids with high aspirations, whereas at West there seems to be more overachievers,” Ratner said. “...I have my own goals which pushes me to do well in school.” Another reason as to the success of someone could be their peer group. Peer pressure is what creates competition; to try and work to be at the level of other students. • 2012: 25 National Merit Awards finalists, top “At my old school, no one was competitive,” Chang in Iowa said. “It’s different coming to a school where people • 2010-11: 64 West High All-State musicians actually want to be the best and try hard at what (top in Iowa) they’re doing.” • ICCSD has an 89.03% graduate rate Along with the extracurriculars, there are also many • 2012-13: ICCSD average ACT score of 25.5 academic opportunities not only at West, but in the • ICCSD was named the fifth best public school Iowa City Community School District as a whole. district in the nation by Expansion ManageWest and City both have a wide range of honors and ment magazine. AP classes available, and there are many people who • Since 2007, West has produced the top take courses above their average grade standard. number of National Merit Semi-Finalists and “I think that the math education [at West] is at a Finalists in Iowa.

“

West

by the

Numbers

DECEMBER 2013 FEATURE 39

art by Olivia read photos by olivia read

the exchange experience

Students from around the world are learning to travel the world during high school. The WSS looks into the lives of transfer students at West High School.

By Olivia Read

olivia7r@gmail.,com

Many high school and college students dream of studying abroad in order to explore a new country, but few actually take hold of the opportunity. However, some foreign students seized their chance and started attending West High School this year. Julia de Martino ‘15, from Switzerland, and Victor Arias ‘16, from Brazil, transferred from over 4,500 miles away to Iowa City. “Like, here, in America, you’re in the country where things are happening,” de Martino said. De Martino transferred from Switzerland to Iowa through her godmother, who sent emails to a family she knew in Iowa City so de Martino could have the opportunity to discover a new place and improve her English. Others like de Martino came to the United States looking for a new experience as well as the chance to learn the

culture and language. “I try to enjoy every second because the experience is not going to be forever,” Arias said. Arias transferred from Brazil with the help of some old friends. He was born in the United States but moved out of the country with his family at a young age. Both Arias and de Martino had been wanting to study abroad for a while. But after staying in America for a few months, they learned more than just the culture and language. “I’ve always been independent, but a thing I learned being here is social aptitude and social skills that you need to consider. If you aren’t social, you’re just going to be by yourself. It’s a hard thing, actually,” de Martino said. “I’ve learned how to take care of myself, how the school [system] works, a little of football, a little of politics,” Arias said.

40 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 { DESIGN BY OLIVIA READ

“I think that my mind is more open for new ideas and aspects. My respect for other people, my idea of university and career, and my personality changed, of course, all for [the] good.” Although many transfer students arrive in America over the summer, the most anticipated and nerve-racking moment is the first day of school. “[The first day of school was] awful, horrible. That was so scary,” de Martino said. “I’m not the kind of person who is right away comfortable in a place I don’t know. I had trouble communicating.” The transfer experience is not all about discovering the new, however. Arias and de Martino are both figuring out how to live away from home. “Homesick[ness] is complicated, because I miss my family, but we are always talking on Skype or on the phone,” Arias said. “I have a lot of friends but I'm not

talking so much with them because if I talk, I'm going to be very connect[ed] to Brazil and I don't want this.” Others, like de Martino, have fewer worries about being away for a year. “I’m not homesick. I don’t really miss my parents, I guess. You know, my family, that’s okay. The relations you have with your parents, you know that’s something you’re not going to lose,” de Martino said. Even though many exchange students have to deal with homesickness, new responsibility and independence, and meeting new people, lots of foreign teenagers choose to go. According to Upon Return, about 28,142 foreign students temporarily left their country in the 2009-2010 school year to study abroad in America, while West High School’s records show twenty transfer students from other countries are attending this year. Language is not a barrier to stop transfers, either, even though it’s the reason many students study abroad. “I don’t think for me language is a barrier. My hardest barrier in language is pronouncing some words,” Arias said. “[It’s] just with time and practice to correct.” “During the three years that I’ve taught ELL, we’ve had no exchange students in our program. Most exchange students come to the United States already fairly fluent in English,” said ELL teacher Anne Schularick. Even though transfers come to America already equipped with English skills, it doesn’t mean they

don’t improve in the brief time they stay. “I can feel it [my English improving]. I’m still having a lot of mistakes, but each day I’m improving and getting better,” de Martino said. Despite the things exchange students like Arias and de Martino are focused on in America, the aspect of travelling to America that they consider the best is the relaxation. “[The] ability to relax [is the best thing]! I never relax, I am always think about something, or a test or family or language,” Arias said. “I like it [here] because I don’t need to worry about school which is a great thing. And, like, last year, I had a really rough year with school,” de Martino said. “That was the year after my obligatory school. It was rough and hard and horrible, so that’s good for me that I’m here. I can just be kinda chill for one year and don’t need to worry about it.” De Martino plans to enjoy the rest of her year here in Iowa City before going back to Switzerland. On the other hand, Arias already left Iowa City for Richmond Hill, Georgia in December. “I wish I could stay in Iowa City,” Arias said. “But since I’m here [in Georgia], I’m going back in January [to Brazil].” As for de Martino, the end of the school year is a long time away, but she wants to keep making the most of her time in America. “I’ll miss it a lot,” de Martino said. “I’m happy I’ve gotten this experience.”

“I try to enjoy every second

because the experience is not going to be forever” -Victor Arias ‘16

bio box: Arias

{ {

Name: Victor Arias Age: 15 Born: April 1998 From: São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil Language(s): Portugese Family memebers: mother, father, brother (14), sister (11) Dream job: mechanical engineer Favorite food back home: beans, rice, and meat Favorite food in America: donuts Involved in: bowling Best thing about the US: cheaper goods, politics, school life, and respect Biggest miconceptions: that America is just like the movies

bio box: de Martino

Name: Julia de Martino Age: 16 Born: February 1997 From: Fribourg, Switzerland Language(s): French Family members: mother, father, brother (21), sisters (19 and 23) Dream job: comedian Favorite food back home: swiss chips Favorite food in America: pancakes, peanut butter, coffee cake, and donuts Involved in: ballet, tumbling, SPIT Best thing about the US: peanut butter and the young driving age Biggest misconceptions: that school life is totally relaxed DECEMBER 2013 FEATURE 41

{

West high’s favorite places in Iowa City

{

The Whiteheads house “Because there is a lot of things to do there and I love the little children, like once Griffin taught me how to flip, it was pretty hardcore.”

Michale Moonjely ‘17 Kinick Stadium “Because Iowa games are fun as hell and its fun watching drunk people get around.”

{{

Dog Park “Its a beautiful place, it really is. And the bridge there by the dog park, thats where I proposed to my wife.”

West High School “Because its where I have dance practice and where I get to spend some of the best times and where I get to see my friends nearly every day.”

Ped Mall “Because when its nice out its fun to go and people watch and there are good restaurants down there and Elizabeth Anderson ‘16 some cute stores. So whenever I have a weekend off I try to get with some friends and go down there.”

The perfect place harris.mckenna@yahoo.com

Everyone has that favorite

place to go on a rainy day. A place that never fails to brighten your day and put a smile on your face. Iowa City is a small, but exciting city. From street corner to street corner people are busy making memories. Everyone has that one perfect place they enjoy being at more than any other, that place that leaves you remembering why this is a city worth living in. Lauren Meyer ‘16

{

West High School “Because that’s where I have met most of the people I know and I feel like I am part of a family of friends and staff.”

Alejandro Lopez ‘16

42 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013

{{

BY MCKENNA HARRIS

Mason Carter ‘16

Jeff Finn

{

My house “Watching netflix with my dog Moby Todd.”

Jarrett Beireis ‘16 Prairie Lights Books “It is an awesome store with great books and they have great guest authors.”

Megan Johnson Kinnick Stadium or Carver “Because the Hawks are my favorite team, and nothing else gets more exciting than being in that environment playing a rival and coming out on top, especially against Iowa State.

{{ {

Dominic Iannone My house “With my kids. If my kids are there its the greatest place.”

Peggy McGure

Hy-Vee “Because they have the best Chinese food and I really enjoy food. They also have good cookie cakes and sometimes good donut holes.”

Alex Henderson ‘16

My house “Because there is no students there and I get to relax.”

Maya Echols

{ {

Campus recreation and wellness center “Because that is where I go to dive and diving is one of my favorite things to do.”

Emma Fowler ‘16

Mary Mondanaro ‘17 The Reservoir “Because I love to go boating with friends and go cliff jumping.”

{ {

Jessica Harder ‘16 Softball diamond or batting cages “Because it’s where I spend most of my time pitching. I like those places because playing sports really clears my head when I have a lot going on and it is where I can take my mind off things. Also, I know that to be good at something you have to practice a lot and I want to be know as that girl that works really hard.”

Finn and Feather “Because they have a lot of stuff I like there.”

Jonathan Raley ‘15

Coralville Lake “Because I love the hiking trail, its really pretty up there and relaxing.”

Malissa Nies

{

“Because sushi is enjoyable to my pallet.”

{{

Brad Wymer

Maureen Head Hannah Birt ‘16 Scanlon Gym “Because thats where my volleyball team practices. Its my favorite spot because I get to play volleyball and see my teammates, two of my favorite things in the world.”

The West High gym “For some strange reason, I choose the west high gym because it brings back so many great memories and I love seeing the current students make memories there, thats kinda special.”

Kinnick Stadium “It is a really historic place, its been there for such a long time and its kinda a staple for Iowa City. I can take my kids there and they will ooh and aah about it.” The beach or Square Point “On top of a horse or at the beach, or at the rocks in square

{

Carver Hawkeye Arena “Because there are a lot of fun activities and lots of good games are at Carver.”

Ben Gast

Nate Price

{

point.”

Hannah Van Roekel ‘15 DESIGNED BY//McKenna Harris

Julie Manny

JD Goodfellow ‘16

The Social Club “I like that restaurant because it has a good atmosphere.”

{

My house “So then I can hang out with my dog, Deacon.”

MONTH 2013 FEATURE 43

The Status of Recently, Facebook has been losing daily users in the teenage demographic. The WSS takes a look at why teens seem to be fed up with Facebook. ByMichael moonjely mmoonjely9@gmail.com

It seems like just a year ago, Facebook was a frenzy among teenagers. The quirky games, easy photo-sharing, and real-time status updates filled the mind of teens across the world. Mark Zuckerberg’s billion dollar company achieved success fairly easily, with little competition-until the smartphone craze.

A BLAST FROM THE PAST

“There are so many other social media [apps] that are more interesting now. Facebook is no longer the ‘new thing’ so it isn’t as attractive as other social media websites.” Claudia Tait ’16 said. So what are these other social meClaudia Tait ’16 dia sites? Among the many apps, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat are rapidly gaining popularity and surpassing Facebook. According to a 2013 Forbes article, Instagram has reached 150 million active users since

its October 2010 release, with 60% of its users from outside of the United States. Instagram and other social media have become such a global success, that Facebook is noticing a decline among the teen demographic. According to November 2013 Guardian article, Facebook announced there was a "decrease in daily users, specifically among teens." However, not all teens are running away from Facebook. “I still use facebook a lot because my family lives far away, but I see how other things are cooler,” Allisha Smith ’17 said. The most popular complaint among teens was that their parents had joined the social media site, Micaela Gravelin ’17 causing them to stray away from it.

None/Other

The West Side Story asked 55 West students what their favorite form of social media was THREE years ago.

Twitter Facebook 0

44 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 { DESIGN BY MICHAEL MOONJELY

SURVEY SAYS

“It’s for old people. My mom goes on it,” Micaela Gravelin ’17 said. However, it might be the lack of parental supervision that is making other apps more appealing to teens.

The West Side Story asked 55 West students what their favorite form of social media is NOW. Other

Peggy McGuire

“Kids are going to other things because they know they can get away with inappropriate things, because their parents don’t have accounts,” study hall teacher Facebook Peggy McGuire said.

After analyzing our survey results (see sidebar), Instagram proved to be the most popular Snapchat social media medium among teenagers at West. However, what makes the simple photo-sharing app so unique? According to tech guru Zohra Ashpari of PCWorld , it’s the ease of Instagram Twitter that makes it appealing. “When it’s hard to communicate in words, sometimes photos make the task easier, especially when you're bumping up against Twitter character limitations or struggling with self-consciousness as you attempt to express yourself fully on Facebook, where every- Instagram one and your distant aunt is on your friends list.” Only time will tell how Facebook will perform in the coming months.

THE OTHER GUYS Here are just a few of the social media apps that are taking over Facebook. Descriptions courtesey of the Apple App store.

SNAPCHAT: Experience a totally new way to share today. Snap a photo or a video, add a caption, and send it to a friend (or maybe a few). They'll view it, laugh, and then the snap disappears from the screen unless they take a screenshot!

INSTAGAM: It's a simple way to capture and share the world's moments on your phone. Customize your photos and videos with one of several gorgeous and custom built filter effects. Transform everyday moments into works of art you'll want to share with friends and family.

TWITTER: is the best way to connect, express yourself and discover what’s happening.Discover what's happening. Get real-time stories, pictures, videos, conversations, ideas, and inspiration all in your timeline. DECEMBER 2013 FEATURE 45

Three West High students

With teenage job rates hitting record lows due to the economic recession, teenagers are rushing to find jobs With teenage job rates hitting record lows due to the economic recession, teenagers are rushing to find jobs for themselves. Three Iowa City teens have found their own unique jobs even with the struggling job market. for themselves. Three Iowa City teens have found their own unique jobs even with the struggling job market. By Allie biscupski albiscupski@gmail.com

McDonalds, the usual epitome of greasy teenage jobs, may now be filled with adults working the register instead of adolescents, a MaClatchy study finds. In the last 14 years, the teen employment rate has dropped from 52% to 32.25%. Teenagers are scrambling to find any sort of work that comes with a paycheck at the end of the week. Going off the beaten path, three West High students have found an uncommon jobs in the Iowa City area. Caleb Thurman ‘17 detasseled corn over the summer. According to Thurman, waking up at 3:30 in the morning and working 10 hours a day was tough, but worth it. Although the hours were hard, Thurman enjoyed the experience and plans on doing it again next year. “I loved it and the money was really good. We were on machines that carried us through the cornfield, so it wasn’t too difficult.” Thurman has found that he likes the option of making a lot of money over the summer and being able to use it on necessities throughout the school year as opposed to working year round. 46 Feature December 2013 {Design by Allie Biscupski

With school, homework, and extracurriculars, there isn’t a lot of time for working during the school year. Others find that they can work during the school year, and can even enjoy it. Lexi Fleetwood ‘16 works at Walden Retirement Home in Coralville. Fleetwood loves spending time with people older than her. “You can definitely see the difference because of age. Older people are so much more respectful and expect you to be respectful back to them.” Fleetwood serves breakfast, lunch, or dinner to the residents depending on her shift hours. She usually works two days a week. Irena Charles ’17 has also found luck in the food business. Charles works at Homewood Suites in Coralville. She first acquired her job through her mom, who supervises the food and beverage department. “They were running low on workers. I wanted to make a little extra cash for a rainy day.” Charles appreciates the flexible hours that come with having

pave their own way in Iowa City job market

Photo by//Allie biscupski

“

When you finish a field, it’s an ultimate sense of accomplishment. You do it for so many hours and then you’re like, I finally finished this.” -Caleb Thurman ‘17

her mom as her manager. “I don’t have a definite schedule. I just fill in whenever they need me to, usually two or three times in two weeks.” As for a typical work day, Charles has a laid back experience at work: clocking in, setting up the dining room, and interacting with guests. She likes how even with her job, she still has time for family and friends. “So far I don’t regret not having a regular job; it’s easier for me to manage my time now.” From hotels to retirement homes to the cornfields of Iowa, there are numerous jobs everywhere for people of all ages. Being a teenager doesn’t mean you have to take the night shift at your local McDonalds. As Thurman said, “You just have to go out and look. You’ll never know what’s waiting for you unless you get out there.”

5 Tips to Land

{

the Job

1. Focus on one area of interest 2. Make eye contact and smile 3. Go outside of your comfort zone 4. Show up and submit your application in person 5. Be persistent, go back in and ask about your application

December 2013 Feature 47

Not just a “white girl” trend By MOON FANGMAN

moonfangman@gmail.com

COMPILED by//moon fangman pictures by//creative commons

double chocolatey chip at home

caramel frappuccino at home

WHAT YOU’LL NEED: 1 CUP OF MILK (ANY KIND) 2 TBS OF REGULAR SUGAR 1/3 CUP OF CHOCOLATE CHIPS 3 TBS OF HERSHEY’S CHOCOLATE SYRUP 2 CUPS OF ICE 1/4 TSP OF VANILLA EXTRACT

what you’ll need: 3/4 Cup double strength cold coffee 3 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 cup low-fat milk 2 cups ice caramel topping 3 tbs whipped cream hershey’s chocolate syrup

ADD ALL OF THESE INGREDIENTS INTO THE BLENDER AND BLEND ON HIGH UNTIL SMOOTH. THEN ENJOY!!

48 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 { DESIGN BY MOON FANGMAN

You’ve probably heard of the popular coffee shop that goes by the name of “Starbucks” and it’s famous drink, the Double Chocolaty Chip frappuccino. And I’m sure you know just how popular it is. But just in case you didn’t, here’s a little bit of information According to the website “Statistic Brain” in 2012 there were 10,924 Starbucks coffee shops in the US alone. And about 5 million people visit those stores every day. And a high majority of those people, buy the same drink. So if so many people go to these Starbucks every day, you’ve got to wonder just how much of an impact this store has on the community around us. For us that community is West High. The popular social media app, Instagram is where you can post a picture and put a caption on the picture. A common caption is to “hashtag” everything the picture is related to. This makes it so other people can look at

your picture if they search a hashtag you have tagged on your picture. According to this app, over 7 billion (and still rising) people have tagged their picture with the hashtag “Starbucks”. So it’s obvious people flaunt their Starbucks. Whether it’s a joke or not, they want people to know they just bought Starbucks. “That’s too mainstream.” said Hannah Krupp, ’17, when asked if she’d ever taken a photo of her Starbucks and posted it on social media.. However, Michael Krupp, ’15, said he in fact has taken a picture with his Starbucks, along with his friend, Noah Barrows, ’15. The two of them posted the picture on Twitter with the caption “#thuglife”. Michael stated it was a joke. But when asked if he thought showing people you buy Starbucks was a form of showing your status symbol he said, “Stereotypically, yes. People give me weird looks when I carry a Starbucks cup because I’m not a ‘white girl’.” White girl

being a common stereotype that goes along with not only buying Starbucks but wearing the popular Ugg boots and Victoria’s Secret yoga style pants. Which Michael does not do. At West High we have our own coffee shop and it’s not Starbucks. It’s nothing like Starbucks. But many people go there everyday. It’s perfectly good coffee. Yet no one calls Michael or anyone else at who buys the coffee a “white girl”. The Starbucks franchise may have good coffee and they may have good intentions but whether they like it or not, they got this stereotype. And they don’t seem to be doing anything about it. To the left there’s a very non-expensive version of the popular drink, Double Chocolaty Chip frappuccino and a caramel frappe. We experimented with different portions and this is the best recreation we came up with. Please try these at home and share them with your friends and family. DECEMBER 2013 FEATURE .49

WEST HIGH NEW YEARS

2013

R E S O L U T I O N S

By Claire Murray

claire.cl.murray@gmail.com

Some students aren’t starting their resolutions at the beginning of the new year. “I don’t think you need a new year to start pursuing a new goal,” said Hassan Ali ’14. Other students don’t have New Years resolutions, “I don't make new years resolutions because it think they are stupid and unrealistic. Very few people actually follow through with their resolutions…” said Jaya Blanchard ’17

{

he New Year is just around the corner. 2013 has flashed before our eyes. With only a few days left of 2013, kids around West are beginning to ponder some New Years resolutions. What will they change about 2014? Will they follow through with their resolutions?

Eveline Dowling ‘15

“[My New Years Resolution is to] drink more water, because I’ve been feeling dehydrated. I’ll probably [pursue my resolution] for about a month,” said Eveline Dowling ’15

“[My New Years Resolution is to] focus more at swim practice, because I want to become a better swimmer. I think I’ll stick with it for about a month, and then it’ll become more of an everyday thing,” said Tereysa Lehnertz ’14

Tereysa Lehnertz ‘14

In 2012 only 46% of Americans maintained their resolutions past six months. “[My New Years Resolution is] to get straight grades because I want to get into West Point and you need get good grades to get in,” said Zach Logsden ’17

{

A poll was taken among the six west students that were interviewed on what they think the most cliche New Years resolutions are. Here are some of the top answers: lose weight, eat healthier, exercise more, get better grades, and be a better person in general.

You always have your cliché resolutions, but there can be some out of the ordinary ones too. “[An unusual resolution I was told was] to get a cat,” said Blanchard, but there are even more unusual ones. “Someone told me they were going to wear pink more often,” said Lehnertz. “The most unusual resolution I’ve heard of is one time a girl told me she wanted to spend more time driving around and spend more time in the car,” said Dowling.

Top

Resolutions o f 2 0 1 3

Jaya Blanchard ‘17

New Years resolutions statistics seem to agree with Blanchard, in 2012 only 8% of Americans were successful in achieving their resolutions.

Photos by//creative commons

50 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 { DESIGN BY CLAIRE MURRAY

“I don’t have [a New Years Resolution] because nobody sticks to them any ways. I feel like New Years resolutions are less common than they once were. If people have them, they usually don’t share them with me,” said Rachel Weeks ’16

1) Eat healthy and exercise regularly 2) Drink less 3) Learn something new 4) Quit smoking 5) Better work/life balance 6) Volunteer 7) Save money 8) Get organized 9) Read more 10) Finish the around the house to-do lists

source// www.policymic.com

Favorites

From 1st Trimester

“My favorite thing was meeting new people. I met a lot of new people.” -Leah Rodes “The pep assembly was my favorite thing. It was exciting.” -Alex Rupert

BY NATALIE TROUT

nataliejtrout@gmail.com Photos by Natalie Trout

Freshman is tough. Changing classes, being the youngest of the school, and a brand new setting. Fortunately we can have good memories. While some are happy about test, others are happy about meeting new people. Here freshman share memories with us.

“My favorite thing was football season. It was fun, I got to meet a lot of new people.” “I liked -Liam everything in Sheusel 1st tri.” -Maggie Dahlstrom

Would you change anything in first trimester?

75% Yes 25% No

what does christmas

mean to

hristmas is in the air, and many West High students are thinking about what gifts and treats to buy for their loved ones. Lots of questions come up when preparing for the holidays, such as, what present should I buy for --? Or, what should we have for Christmas dinner? but one not often asked is, what does Christmas mean to you?

you? BY MARY MONDANARO

marymondanaro@gmail.com

christmas classics

1.“Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” John Lennon

“For me, Christmas is a time of getting together with family and friends and celebrating the holidays, watching fun movies, and eating Christmas cookies,” said Piper Wenzel, ‘16.

“I think that Christmas is a good way for people to not only receive gifts but also give gifts. It is also a time for people to spend time with their friends and loved ones,” said Noah Barrows, ‘15

“Christmas is a time were I get to hang out with friends, family, and my dog, and of course, be out of school!” Said Maddee Whitehead, ‘17.

top

“To me, Christmas is a time where I get to spend time with my family, friends, and people that I am close to. It is also a time to celebrate life, give thanks, and celebrate Jesus’s birthday,” said Alli Peterson, ‘17.

Out of the six people interviewed, the most common meaning of Christmas to the interviewees was spending time with their family and friends.

“To me, Christmas means family, friends, and celebrating the holidays.” said Nicole Ritchey, ‘17

2. ”The Christmas Song” - Nat King Cole

“Christmas is a time where I get to have good food, spend time with my family, have fun in the snow, and sit by the firepolace with a cup of hot cocoa,” said Claire Keller, ‘17

”Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” - Judy Garland

4. “O Holy Night” - Celine Dion

5. “Santa Claus Is Coming to

Town” - Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi

SOURCE// HTTP://TOP40.ABOUT.COM PHOTOS BY//CREATIVE COMMONS

Young Hearts,

Young Stories

The student writers at West High share their current projects and tips to writing.

PHOTO FROM//WIKIMEDIA

BY DANETTA DOBRE

thedanadobre@gmail.com

Max Granfield ’14 is walking down one of the numerous streets in Iowa City one night when he sees them. Two figures, a man and a woman, are unwittingly giving him inspiration for his writing. Though their faces and features are shadowed into oblivion, he looks at the woman and wonders if she’s a girl he knows. Stepping one- twothree- four- towards him, he gets a better view and is surprised to find that neither the woman or her companion are teenagers at all, but rather an elderly couple. Max Granfield ’14 “I thought that was something about the cycle of life,” Granfield said, referring to his inspiration. “Of course I can describe it, but I can’t write exactly what it means. I just see things and if they’re good enough I write about it.” Annie Gleason ’16 Granfield has many literary inspirations as well, from the well-known Stephen King and H.P. Lovecraft to the somewhat more obscure F. Marion Crawford and Michael Moorcock. Between short stories and writing a piece for Zombie Club, Grandfield keeps himself occupied. Granfield got into writing in third DESIGNED BY//DANETTA DOBRE

grade, and is only one of many as- iPod or at my friend’s house with piring writers at West High. Iowa her music on.” Gleason said. “We City is already known for its nu- run ideas past each other, and we merous writing programs such as alternate chapters, each from the the Writers’ Workshop at the Uni- perspective of the character based versity of Iowa, which has been in off of whichever is writing. A lot of operation for over 75 years. Writ- the time, we just have the general ers flourish in this City of Litera- idea of what we want to happen, ture, especially of the young vari- and we come up with the little deety. tails as we write the chapter. If we When Annie Gleason ’16 and are really stuck, then we ask each her best friend Laura Fletcher ’17 other for ideas.” are looking for ideas on their latest Elsewhere, a figure sits in front project, there are a whole myriad of of a laptop in a dark bedroom, different places to turn to. The two its glow illuminating its features. are writing a fantasy novel, or more An idea in mind, their fingers flit specifically, a fantasy series. across the keyboard and a story be“Some of our inspiration comes gins to take shape. Underneath the from the music we listen bed lies a tub of old “books”, to while writing, some folded paper stapled togethcomes from events in er, evidence from the beginour lives, some comes ning. Among them is their from movies we’ve seen, very first, How a Rainbow and some from books we Kennedy Posey ’17 is Made. Kennedy Posey ’17 read,” Gleason said. “... has been writing since kinany random thought just floating dergarden when a fascination with through our heads that we think making things out of paper had just sounds cool, we write a note started something that has carried somewhere and incorporate it.” on, even now. The two made up the idea to write “I write because I’m bad at keepa story when Gleason was in eighth ing a journal,” Posey said. “Writing grade after an afternoon of discuss- from my personal standpoint just ing the Ranger’s Apprentice series. feels awkward to me, so I write my So far, they have completed two feelings from a character’s standbooks. Finding inspiration for their point instead. My pieces are like story is only part of their process, parts of me, and it’s really the only however. way I can express how I feel.” “I write a lot at home after I’ve finPosey draws much of her inspiraished with my homework. General- tion from things in her daily life. ly I will be listening to music on my “I’m very much inspired by my own

experiences. Most of the pieces I write are based off of something that happened to me. Most of the characters in my stories are based off of my friends and real people. It really makes the story more relatable. Sometimes I have really crazy dreams, so I tend to write about those too.” Posey is currently writing about her eighth grade year. “It was a very… interesting year to say the least, and I wanted to share my experiences. There was a lot of drama, a lot of funny stories, and some really good memories that I felt like people could relate with.” Posey said. “So far, I’m only done writing half of first trimester, so I’m not very far yet. It’s definitely a work in progress.” Though we all fly under the same Trojan flag, the differences are significant. No two writers are the same, and though many write and are inspired by things in their lives, the result is usually much more diverse than you’d suspect.

QUICK TIPS Gleason: Good or bad, keep a notebook and a pencil on you to write down every idea that comes to mind. Granfield: Read, read, read. “The things I read are the building blocks for what I write.” Posey: Write using your own life experiences if you’re ever in a slump. “Everyone has a story, so everyone can write!”

DECEMBER 2013 FEATURE 53

NO Shame

My Skin

By Taicheal Petty email: pettytaicheal@gmail.com

those people who don’t care. When asked what are some stereotypes you heard about your race. “That we are all smart, we don’t work for what we have , and we love to shop.” When asked how did she feel about”I really don’t care because I don’t care what other people say about me.” When asked how did it make her feel “Umm I mean its not true so why should I care, I earn my grades, and I don’t shop a lot.” Sometimes people think their stereotypes are some what true but it just doesn’t apply to them,

‘Omg when she came over my house last night she ate all my fried chicken and drank all my orange kool-aid.” ‘I got a C+ in math and Jen got an A+, it’s just because she’s Asian. “Did you see Megan’s new shoes, she only got those because she’s a brat. Everyday people are stereotyped because of the their skin color,people are also stereotyped about their gender. Ever since I was little I have heard While interviewing Noel stuff about each race, so I decided Jung ‘17 what are some steto see if other people my age have reotypes you heard about heard the same or new stereotypes your race? “ That we have of their races. Let’s hoop right in to bad eyesight, we don’t have any fashthe stereotypes of people. ion, our parents are strict, we always get Everybody who is walking on this great grades, every Asian plays an instrument”. Earth is stereotyped because of when asked were any of those things true?, “ We their skin color. Like white people don’t always get good grades, we earn our grades just can’t dance, black people are loud, like everybody else, I think I dress well, and the majority Asians are worked hard, Puerto Riof us play an instruments.” When asked did the ster cans are all drunks. Well I wanted to know if other people have heard these stereotypes about their race. So I asked some West high students. When Arthesha Jacques ‘17 was asked what’s the stereotypes you heard about your skin color? ‘Um chicken, watermelon, kool-aid, that we use our skin color for an excuse, and we don’t tip.” When asked was any of those false? “ That we use our skin color for an excuse we don’t do that, well I don’t I take everything I do for based on me not my skin color. And we don’t tip, I tip all the time, but if the service is bad I won’t tip.” Some people think that its just part of life to be categorized, but some refuse to be stereotyped. Madelia Sharpe ‘17 is one of

DEDICATION. D

I c

By Emma Fowler

photo by// Emma Fowler

For three students at West High, juggling school work, a social life and a dedicated dancing schedule has always been a part of their lives. Take a look at just some of the students at West with a passion for dancing.

56 Feature December 2013 Design by Emma Fowler

For many people, sports, dance, and music are considered just a hobby. But for Mckenna Harris, Courtney Fitzharris and Taylor Digmann, dance is much more than that; it’s a lifestyle. These three girls dedicate their lives to perfecting an art that, according to Digmann, requires a great athletic ability, and years of experience. Between the school dance team, modern, contemporary and jazz classes alone Fitzharris spends a staggering thirty hours a week dancing. “I can express myself through dance, I am so dedicated and willing to spend that much of my life dancing because it’s what I love and I will never give that up,” Fitzharris said. “I would never be able to give it up, but sometimes I have nights where I feel so defeated because I don’t believe that I executed a dance as well as I could, nights where the choreography is too much or I am just tired and need a break, those are truly the only times I ever dislike dancing” Fitzharris added. According to Fitzharris, it is not uncommon for dancers to put in forty or more hours a week. Other students, like Digmann, spend twenty to twenty five hours a week dancing. Although she puts in less hours, she strives at perfecting more than seven different types of dance, including: ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop and even pointe. “I love dance, but not just because

it’s a way for me to express myself, but because there is so much diversity in the art.” Digmann said. Digmann believes that because of the diversity it is easy for her to be exposed to many different opportunities and experiences. Digmann, Fitzharris and Harris agree on one aspect of becoming a successful dancer; dedication. “If you are not one hundred percent dedicated, and willing to spend every second improving yourself, then dance is not the sport for you,” Harris said. Harris spent two weeks in Russia at the Bolshoi Ballet school with only 10 others from the United States. Harris says that she had experienced issues with an earlier injury in her foot during her time at Bolshoi. Bolshoi is the leading ballet in the world, and each year a select few are given opportunities to attend summer intensives or other classes exposing them to a totally new atmosphere. “Even though I couldn’t dance for some of it, watching the teachers and Russian dancers dance was incredible. I was dancing alongside girls younger than me and all of them were absolutely amazing. It was such a great experience and I’m so happy that I got to experience it.” Harris said.

Design by Emma Fowler December 2013 Feature 57

HIGH SCHOOL

OVERLOAD WSS takes a look at the busy lives of some high schoolers to see if a busy schedule goes hand in hand with success... or failure.

By AVERY IAN SMITH

avery.ian.smith.ais@gmail.com

58 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 ( DESIGNED BY AVERY SMITH )

Str

West High consistently wins big. We’re production Alice in Wonderland.” Proud a community of talented, hard working, said. “I dance around 21 hours a week, motivated people, students and teachers a not including Alice in Wonderland.” like. Each year we bring in Allstaters, high “Dance takes away a lot of free time placing trophies by our math away, so it’s taught me how team, varsity show choir, to manage my time. The only athletics programs, speech problem is that in order to and debate teams, and that’s make free time, I cut into time just the tip of the iceberg. dedicated for homework” But what does such a high Proud said. standard for achievement And maybe it’s the same mean for students on an motivation that makes a individual level? Students are English Teacher Katy Nahra person active in their activities often bombarded with things that keeps them motivated in like, “Having a rigid schedule their school work. helps with homework,” and “colleges According to English teacher Katy expect lots extracurriculars,” and “Your Nahra, she’s seen more people falling GPA should be no lower than 3.95 if you asleep in regular courses as opposed to want to go to a private university.” Honors courses. While some of these may or may not be “This is only my second year of teaching true, is it the case that students are taking and I’ve seen students falling asleep in this all too much to heart, affecting their class.” school work or even their health? Students may see their friends burning Maybe not. Allison Christopher ‘17 out, and maybe they’ll think, “Gee, has been dancing since she was five, they’re quite too busy, I’m sure that’s the participates in S.P.A.M. Through West, problem.” But could it be that dedication and sings in her churches choir. With a is the motivator for some peoples success? schedule that includes up to 17 hours of dancing a week, she came up with a unique way of finding time. “All of first trimester I left school two class periods early to take a online math class, but it ended up being not a good fit for me.” Christopher said. “When second trimester began I started taking math at school. I still leave school one period early though.” Another dancer, Payton Proud ’16, has an equally busy schedule as Christopher. -Payton Proud ‘16 “I made All state, I’m in band, I do competitive dance, and I am in the musical

“

I dance Around

hours every

Week.”

According to the National Sleep Foundation, only

15% Of teenagers get the recomended 8 1/2 hours of sleep a night

ressed

DECEMBER 2013 FEATURE 59

mrs.mom? mr.dad? The West Side Story paper asks students and teachers what itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like to have their parent or child in class with them.

By hannah song

hannahsong1098@gmail.com

60 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 { DESIGN BY HANNAH SONG}

When most students and parents leave their houses in the morning, they say their goodbyes and part their separate ways. Students go to school, and parents to work. But for some parents, school is work and their children become students. Joan, Ellen, and Elizabeth Burns

For Northwest Junior High French teacher Joan Burns, having her two daughters, Ellen Burns ‘16 and Elizabeth Burns ‘18 as her students turned out to be two completely different experiences. “Ellen mostly ignored me and kept a low profile...[she] wasn’t thrilled about me being a chaperone at events so I tried to leave her alone and be discreet,” Joan said. “Elizabeth is more outgoing and participates more. She actually comes up to my desk and talks to me before the bell rings.” Teaching both her daughters also gave Joan the opportunity to become more involved with Ellen Burns ’16 their school and get to better know their peers.

Mary Jo Williams

Weber Elementary School teacher Mary Jo Williams may not teach at her 6 year old daughter’s school, but as a highschool student was in both her parents’ classes. With attending the same school her parents taught at, came the inability for Williams to avoid hearing what fellow students had to say about her parents. For Williams, one teacher was well liked as the other wasn’t. “I did enjoy having my mom as a teacher, mostly because she was well liked, so I felt proud of her. My dad was a strict teacher, not that well liked, so that was tougher. It was hard to hear peers complain about my dad and his class. There wasn’t anything I could do about it, so I just felt embarrassed about it,” Williams said. As for grading, Williams believes her parents were verymindful while grading her work, making sure to be fair and grading solely based on her work. For some students, having their parents as teachers changes their personalities in the classroom. Many students, like Williams, may feel embarrassed or just don’t want the extra attention. “I was more quiet in my parents’ classes because I didn’t want to say anything to draw attention to myself. I remember not knowing what to call them. Dad? Mom? I just didn’t say their name if I had a question,” Williams said. Perhaps it was through the experience of having her parents as teachers, but Williams does not plan on teaching her daughter or at the same school. “I just wanted to enjoy her school as a parent, not as a teacher and a parent. Right now, my

daughter always says she wishes I was her teacher, but she’s only six. I think that will change,” Williams said.

Carolyn and Abby Walling

Although she chose not to teach her daughter, West High chemistry teacher Carolyn Walling thoroughly enjoys having Abby Walling ‘15 attend West with her. “I requested that she not be in my class because I didn’t want to worry about favoritism. [Also] I am sure that I do lots of embarrassing things, and I don’t want Abby to have to be embarrassed by me. I love having Abby at the same school as me. We can remind each other of events...She also comes to visit me from time to time and I enjoy that,” Carolyn said. “I think that it would be fair as long as the teacher treated their kid like any other student. However, my mom’s fear was that she would whisper answers in my ear while I slept,” Abby said. Along with Abby, Carolyn has a son who she does not plan on having in her class when he attends West High next year. Other than being able to be with her children, Carolyn shares other reasons for teaching at the same school her children attend. “My house is very close to West High, so it makes sense that I work here rather than City. In addition, I have been teaching here since Abby was in fourth grade at Horn. So at that time, Abby being in high school seemed like a lifetime away,” Carolyn said.

Dan and Terra Hill

Northwest Junior High science teacher Dan Hill, having his daughter, Terra Hill ‘16 attend Northwest wasn’t even a question. “I wanted Terra to attend Northwest because of the excellent programs and opportunities she could enjoy here, not to mention the convenience of transportation for her,” Dan said. Even though Terra attended Northwest, Dan chose not to teach her although she was disappointed by this. “I thought it would be best to give her the experience of learning from other teachers,” Dan said. “He [Dan] was worried that it would be weird for me and for the students in my class if they knew he Terra Hill ’16 was my father. I’ve never seen him teaching a class before and I was curious to see what he was like around his students. I remember being asked why I wasn’t in my dad’s class a

lot when in junior high and feeling more left out than embarrassed. Lots of kids told me that my dad was such a great teacher, but I wasn’t able to find that out for myself,” Terra said. For Terra, having such a close relationship with her father along with her curiosity drove her towards wanting to be in her father’s class. “He’s always been one of my biggest role models,” Terra said.

Q&A: Can you think of a time when you’ve been embarrassed by your parent at school? “One of the funniest things, not necessarily embarrassing, was when my mom ran into Ms. Wikner’s chemistry class, came to my desk and asked what Australians call cotton candy. I answered and she ran out of the room yelling, “Fairy Floss!” Other than a few classroom visits like this, it has not been embarrassing at all.”-Abby Walling “Definitely. Many times. My dad was a high school teacher and it was always rough if he was being strict with a student or the whole class and I was there. It was awkward.” -Mary Jo Williams

What does your parent teach and how do you feel towards the subject? “My mom teaches chemistry. This is one of my favorite classes and it is nice to be able to discuss science and get help if I need it.” -Abby Walling “My dad teaches 7th grade foundations of science. Science is and has always been one of my favorite subjects.” -Terra Hill

Is there anything you disliked about having your parent as a teacher? “I disliked it because some kids assume you’re naturally good at the subject. I also disliked that she is friends with the other teachers and they do things outside of school and I think it’s just weird.” -Ellen Burns

DECEMBER 2013 FEATURE 61

Emotions Regret

Repentant, or disappointed over (something that has happened or been done, a loss or missed opportunity). Synonym: be sorry about, feel contrite about, feel remorse about/for. Antonym: satisfaction, happiness

Relief

Feeling of reassurance and relaxation following release from anxiety or distress. Like when you worked all week for this big project and finally get through presenting it.

Guilt

Fear

A person realizes or believes that they caused something against their moral standard. Feels responsible to what happened. “I accidentally jumped on a five year old’s head when I jumped into a pool, I felt really guilty.” Said Emily Mergenthaler ‘17 “ Then the same day I accidentally punched him in the face when he tried to wrestle me.”

Surprise

Suddenly or unexpectedly: caches unaware. It comes from the Latin word for “seize,” and originally meant an unexpected military attack.

Sweaty hands,widened eyes, hands shaking, you fidget, your heart rate quickens and your breath speeds up. Fear. Fear is when there is something perceived as a threat which causes entities to quickly pull far away from it and usually hide. It is a basic survival reflect.

Hopelessness The despair you feel when you have abandoned hope of comfort or success. Feeling empty no place for you.

Nervous Confusion Excitement

Nervous is when you feel unnaturally or acutely uneasy or apprehensive. The origin of the word comes from 1350 to 1400 middle English. Many words and sayings came off of nervous like nervous Nellie which is a person who is very worried some. The origin is from 1926

Don’t understand something; uncertainty. “I hate it when I don’t understand something or don’t know something.” Said Shanthi Chackalackal “17. “ You know when someone is telling you something then you space off and they ask you a question. Your reactions is like, what?”

62 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 { DESIGN BY Layla Hannaford

By: Layla Hannaford

Feeling of great enthusiasm and eagerness. When you want something to come now and not later. Synonym: provocation, incitation, incitement, instigation Antonyms: apathy, indifference

Hate

Intense or passionate dislike of someone or something. The word “hate” comes from the old English word “hete”. The word has Been around Before the 12th century.

Embarrassment The feeling of wanting to disappear off the face of the earth. Discomfort of oneself. Experienced upon having a socially unacceptable act or condition witnessed by or revealed to others. “Embarrassment. Once I had to present my family tree in class and I said one of my ancestor was a seaman and started to laugh uncontrollably. It was really embarrassing.” Said Logan Mcneal “17

A Show to Remember

Facts and the Furious:

•

The first successful electronically-powered television set was demonstrated to the world in San Francisco, in 1927. It was built by a young man named Philo Farnsworth. The average person spends about a total of 9 years in front of the TV in their lifetime. Almost a billion people (984 million) watched the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics on TV.

website,

Statistics

Brain

Sources: Wikipedia, New York Uni-

versity

Some Links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ List_of_most_watched_television_broadcasts, http://www.nyu.edu/classes/stephens/History%20of%20Television%20 page.htm, http://www.statisticbrain.com/ television-watching-statistics/

been here for around the last century, have become quickly ingrained into popular culture, changing people’s view of the world around them with famous quotes and scenes, usually speaking of topics on love and destiny, but sometimes, TV shows remain in the minds of viewers just because of the particular sense of humor associated with them. For example, the conversation between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, which was a dramatic and emotional scene depicting a son and a father who had been long seperated from each other and were know on opposite sides of a war. In the next movie, Vader had finally redeemed himself as a Jedi and as the father of Luke. It taught us that no matter what you had done in the past, there is always a chance to make things better.

West High students talk about their favorite shows on television

When asked, most people can remember the name of at least one episode of a show on TV that they had watched on TV one time, be it a dramatic sitcom, a hilarious cartoon, or a series of scientific documentaries. Even more people can say that they have a favorite. A few people even discussed their favorite shows: “Supernatural, [it’s] a mystery show about two brothers who [hunt and] destroy supernatural creatures.” said Moustafa Sidahmed, 16’. He also said that he wouldn’t mind a sudden reboot, as it, “Would [probably] make it better [than the first].” “Mythbusters...its about two guys and their team who [take on] myths, [using] science and explosions.” said Neil Wu about his favorite show. This is what he thought about a reboot, “It doesn’t really matter, as long as [they keep the formula].” TV shows, although they have only

December 2013 Feature63

TheNextGeneration

Investigating the new video game consoles such as the Playstion 4, the Xbox One, and a look at the Steam Network.

BY: Benjamin bliven BENJAMIN.BLIVENWSS@GMAIL.COM

Video games. It’s how many people like to pass the time. However, they Do it in different ways. Some use the Xbox, some use the Playstation and some use a PC. With all of the new consoles it can be confusing which one is the best to use. Do you take the small and discrete Playstation 4 for $399.99. Or do you take the next generation console, the Xbox One with a kinect and voice commands for $499.99? Or do we use the PC, which has access to the Steam network, which has cheaper games. The Playstation 4 is priced at $399. It has a sleek design, and the controllers are similar to the Playstation 3, but with a few extra features such as a microphone and touch pad. The select and start buttons are placed in the upper corners, instead of the middle. The console has free access to Hulu, Netflix, and an internet browser. On the other hand, it is not backwards compatible. Meaning, you can not play Playstation 3 games on the Playstation 4. There are also no external hard drives, so you have to stick with the one that the console comes with. The Xbox One is priced at $499. The design is very different from the Xbox 360, as it comes with a Kinect, which is why the console is priced higher than the PS4. The Xbox one controller isn’t much different than the Xbox 360 controller, however, the battery pack is in the top, instead of the back which makes it a lot easier to hold. Other than that, nothing has changed. The D-Pad is in the same spot, along with the start and select buttons. This console has a lot of cons, which could really affect the console in the early stages. In many consoles, when a game was places in the tray to play, the game made a loud grinding noise. In many cases, this seemed to completely brick the console. Making it unplayable completely. The Xbox One does not have backwards compatibility, so you can not play Xbox 360 games on the Xbox. Then there is Steam. Steam is a free online program which allows you to purchase, download, and play games on your computer. Steam has sales very often such as the Summer Sale, or the Winter Sale, where almost all of the games go on sale from 10% to even 90%. Most of the games on Steam are a lot cheaper than what you would find anywhere else. You can play with your friends or even create groups with other PC gamers. Many people find this is the better choice, however to play the newer and more intense games like “Call of Duty Ghosts” and “Tomb Raider” you will need to make sure you have a computer that can handle it.

photos by creative commons

64 Feature December 2013 The Top Console Article by: Benjamin Bliven

Fast Facts “I play old games like “Pac Man Adventures” on the original Xbox. I also like to play “Super Mario Brothers” on the Wii. I will probably get the PS4 because the graphics seem really good and it has good games.” Said Maeven Goodno 17’

“I play PC because of the better multitasking, and graphics. You get a lot better control over what your doing with mouse and keyboard. Plus the amazing Steam Sales. There also aren’t very many games out for the new consoles, so I would recommend sticking with your old one for now.” Said Eben Senft 17’

1. The Xbox One sold over one million copies in the first 24 hours. 2. The buttons on the first playstation controller represented different things. The triangle represented the player’s point of view. The square represented a map, and the x and y buttons represented yes and. No 3. According to Minecraft’s creator, everything in the game including your character, are genderless. 4. The faces of the characters from “Half Life 2” are modeled after real people. Eli was modeled after a homeless man that Valve found on the street 5. A group of children found out that if you make quarters out of sand and ice, you could get free games from Atari arcade machines

65 December 2013 By: Benjamin Bliven

Skinny Jeans And Thick Glasses By rICKY rODRIGUEZ photos by//ricky rodriguez

Lets be honest, high school is full of labels. Theres the sporty jocks, the popular girls, the preppy smartie-pants, and who can forget the band nerds. But as the years go by a newer label gets thrown around more and more, The Hipster. You know, the folks with the thick rimmed glasses, thrifty clothes, and who just insist on rebelling against the mainstream. But is this label really accurate? or is it just another phenomenon that society once again has to stick a label on. As the infamous Urban Dictionary defines it: Hipsters are a subculture of men and women typically in their 20's and 30's that value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, intelligence, and witty banter. Now notice how there's no mention of thick rimmed glasses or deliberate avoidance of the mainstream. “[A hipster is] a very pretentious person who dresses well,” said Kelsey Keranen ‘16. When asked if she considered herself one she replied “No 66 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 DESIGN BY RICARDO RODRIGUEZ

Stereotypical Editon

{

How To Be a Hipster

Joe Feldmann ’16 “Throw away your beats by dre, take off your slacks and hoodies and get some jeans and old shoes and a flannel. Also take out anything in your music library that more 3 million people listen to”. Ebony McKeever ’16 “You gotta get those big glasses right? gotta wear a scarf, maybe some plaid, throw some layers in there with some combat boots with the jeans and u have to have one of those beards with a goatee, and a messy hair to”. Kelsey Keranen ’16

because i don't think i am a particularly pretentious person and i don't think i dress well”. Strangely enough Joe Feldmann ‘17 and Ebony McKeever ‘17 also both responded “no”. Why doesn’t anyone seem to like this label? Well maybe its because a word that used to be used to describe another subculture has evolved into a very negative misleading stereotype, one that is very swank and defiant of the mainstream. For example the thought that hipsters think they're better than everyone else(as stated by Keranen) is actually the exact opposite.“i don't consider myself better than anyone else, if anything i’m kinda lower than everyone else” said Feldmann. Another aspect of the “hipster” stereotype is clothing. “Usually people just call people hipsters who are well dressed but have a bunch of funky clothes” said McKeever. When you look at Feldmann the word hipster might come to mind, and Feldmann agrees, but he make it very clear “I’m not different just to be different, i’m different because i don’t like what’s presented to me”. There’s always going to be that kid who will stick a label on those who are “different” but as Feldmann puts it: “You can label me however you want, i really dont care, im going to be who i am”. So what really is a “Hipster”? Maybe it’s not someone who is different, maybe, just maybe its someone who is just being themselves.

“Look angry all the time, wear 80’s sweaters and obnoxious leggings and high tops and get that attitude. I feel like theres an attitude with being a hipster, its very pretentious”.

DECEMBER 2013 FEATURE 67

Embarrasing World By zayetzy Luna

lunazayetzy@gmail.com

verybody has been there. The initial shock. The blood rushing to your cheeks and the instant need to run and hide. Well, unless you are one of the few magical people who take it all in a stride and laugh it off. The WSS investigated and found some brave people who are willing to share their story, and remind you that you’re not alone in this embarrassing world.

“

I was outside playing soccer and I skid on the ground and got a mailbox tear near the top on the back of my thigh. It …was awkward.”

-Kaitlyn McCurdy ’14

“

Our grandma twerked on the vine and got 50 plus views. It was funny weird and crazy” -Victoria Dove El ’17 & Janiya Johnson ’17

The Cringe index 1. Watching sex scenes in movies with parents 2. Parents talking about sex 3. Parents using abbreviations such as YOLO, OMG and LOL 4. Public displays of affection between parents 5. Mid-life crisis behaviour of dad 68 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 { DESIGN BY ZAYETZY LUNA

6. Questionable parental literature– i.e. mum reading 50 Shades Of Grey 7. Embarrassing swimwear and cycling gear ie MAMIL (Middle Age Man In Lycra) 8. Drunk parents 9. Discovering dodgy search histories on your parents’ computers 10. Parents copying your dress sense

Embarrasing Stories

“

i was over at my friend’s house and he was giving me a massage with “rubbing Oil”. it turned out to be super glue... both his hands where stuck to my back. to get them off we both went into the shower to try and unstick it with hot water. The first hand only took five minutes. The second took half and hour.”

- Gage Lake-McNeese

“

My mother took me to the center of the room at Gamicon and yelled ‘THIS IS MY SON CONNER!’ and repeatedly kissed my general head region while everyone was staring.” - Conner Burns ’17

“

I was at the airport and I ran into a very well cleaned glass door and got a concussion.”

- Shadi Taha ‘ 15

DECEMBER 2013 FEATURE 69

For Awkward...

WSS took a deeper look into the overusage of the growing word, awkward, around the halls of Iowa City West as well as in today’s society

By Katie mcgrane

Picture this, you walk down the hall and say hi to your friend, in return, they stick their hand up in the air and walk away. You think to yourself, “wow that was awkward….” however, according to the official definition of awkward (Lacking skill or dexterity; lacking grace or ease in movement), that situation was in no way “awkward.” WSS dug deeper into the popular, growing word by interviewing some students on their opinions about the word awkward and about times they might have felt the need to use the word.

70 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 { DESIGNED BY KATIE MCGRANE

Do You Feel The Word Awkward Is Over Used In Today’s Society 15% NO

85% YES

Survey of 100 West High Students

Stephanie LeBlanc ‘17 Definition: “When you’re in a situation and you don’t know what to do so you just stand there quietly” Awkward Story: “When i was six I walked into the guys bathroom and some guy was in there washing his hands”

Zach Armstrong ‘15 Definition: “Odd and unusual. A weird situation.” Awkward Story: “We were talking about the revolutionary war in second grade and i said ‘Oh! The British people were mean.’ and just then a British teacher walked in and walked right out.”

Ali Ali ‘17Definition- “Silence that is hard to break between two or more people.” Awkward Story: “I was in a mosque when this person comes out of nowhere and says he wants a marriage and no one knew who he was.”

Kyle Triplett ‘15 Definition: “Unusual, weird” “I’d describe myself [as awkward]” Awkward Story: “ I was on an Alaskan cruise and my parents and I were eating breakfast in the main eating area. I look out the window and “think” I see an orca so i stand up and yell “ORCA!” Everyone stares and I look closer and it was a dirty iceberg we were passing.”

The art of studying while listening to music Music. Its the sound that comes out of those little white things you put into your ear that can play anything you want. BY TAYLOR LIBBY

Is there a time when you shouldn't listen to it? Teacher lectures, the opera, or even while you're studying? The West Side Story decided to interview students about what they think about music, studying, and how they complement each other.

y are m s c i r a e ly nto “Som ts put i uld co gh thou hat I words t y d melo find the wise,” r e v e n r lain othe urt ’16 p H x to e ourtney C said

“(M som usic get etim helps e har me o s. (b me st ut u f Na dle f task ) can dy) r ’ 16 ,” sa also id Zo -

to round g k c a ,” a b y life band ic is “Mus ressing m 6 1 ud ’ xp me e yton Pro High a t said P t at Wes n e d u t s sic mu sign- y e v m a as t h my e, all r,” ' n id e of e n d o low f I e d on “ I ost n uld b ld be bs ’15 u alm ts wo es wo o-Dob n rad e a z n m t g lla Lo s e t Be said

“(It h becau elps me s tudy) se it ju calm and n st keeps ot m said T yus A stressed e ,” dkins ’14

“ Without music, life would be a mistake.” Said Friedrich Nietzsche

Quotes by the “If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I famous live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.” said Albert Einstein

DESIGN BY TAYLOR LIBBY} DECEMBER 2013 FEATURE 73

74 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 { DESIGN BY//LEOLA EKO

‘Tis the Season... To do Homework?

If homework is given over the holidays, is it still considered a break? By Leola Eko

leolaeko@gmail.com

he holiday season is just around the corner. Most of us have been counting down the days since Halloween until school is out and the long awaited break begins. People spend the holidays doing a variety of things. Maybe it’s decorating the Christmas tree, baking gingerbread men, or sipping hot cocoa while snuggling up to a warm fireplace with that special someone. But for most West High students, ‘winter break’ is essentially just ‘two weeks worth of assignments I have to complete but I don’t have to go to school’ tudents have to cope with the amount of homework they are given every week while school is in session, especially with some of them having a schedule full of classes. Teachers give homework to help students learn and improve their skills, even when they’re not at school. Breaks are given a few times throughout the school year, with the intent of giving students some time to escape from their responsibilities and be with friends and family. Whatreallyisthepointofgiving assignmentsover breaks? Gaby Pitcher ’14 thinks the purpose of this is to help students learn and better their understanding of concepts. “You could be behind in your classes, and by doing homework over breaks, it could really help you understand things,” said Pitcher. On the other hand, some students just detest the idea of having to do homework altogether. “I really don’t like having to do homework over breaks. We’re supposed to be hanging out with our families,” said Anna Gathings ’15. “We really don’t even pay attention to it until the last minute,” said Gathings.

any students travel during breaks, and those trips don’t necessarily give us the time or motivation to complete homework. Sarah Graber ‘15 believes that students would usually choose to not study while travelling for the holidays.“Do you REALLY want to take your textbooks with you in the car?” said Graber. eachers should be aware of the amount of homework that students have to do normally on a daily basis and cut back on assignments before the holidays, so students can use time during breaks for what they are really meant for.

What should we really be doing during the holidays? HERE ARE SOME IDEAS ON HOW TO Stay stress - free this winter break 1. Spend quality time with family 2. Wrap presents 3. Make gingerbread cookies 4. Watch classic holiday films (or any film you want) 5. Go outside and build snowmen

Photos From//Creative commons

Feature December 2013 75

Cupcakes By gabby skopec

gabbyskopec@gmail.com

Cupcakes are tasty, adorable, fun, and are taking over the town one batch at a time. Currently three cupcake businesses are in the area all within 12 miles of one another, and two within four miles of each other; JJ’s Cupcakes and Creamery is located in North Liberty, Molly’s Cupcakes is located in Iowa City, and planning on opening another store in the North Liberty area, and Scratch Cupcakery is located in Coralville. For consumers this gives options such as location and type of cupcake, but for the businesses it poses many challenges including that they have the same consumers. Scratch Cupcakery, however, is not concerned about the competition, “Our owner hasn’t a competitive bone in her body, and so we do what we feel is good for our company, and good for our customers.” said Kate Sterner, a marketing intern for Scratch.. Molly’s Cupcakes admits to some concern about the competition, but it also has its positive effects, “Positive effects, brand awareness. More cupcake businesses cause more commotion and curiosity about cupcakes, which drive people in. Negative effects, instead of having a hold on the entire market, you now have to share the competition,” Said Jamie Skinner, owner of Molly’s cupcakes.

Take Over the Town

Why the cupcakes

sudden push on in the area?

“Cupcakes are small and transportable; they are delicious; they’re cute, they’re very practical, already individually portioned; and they’re part of what our culture has always enjoyed: Cake!” Skinner of Molly’s Cupcakes said. Students this in “’Cause Morgan

at West a simpler

say way,

they’re yummy.” Saylor ’17 said.

The rest of America seems to be on board with the cupcake as 770 million cupcakes were consumed in the US last year; this is 726 million more than the United Kingdom . The cupcake is expected to only get more popular in the coming year; the projected market growth from 2009 until 2014 is 26%. This cupcake boom is a good thing for the local businesses, because they chose cupcakes to be their feature item over other baked goods, “I’ve always had a love for cupcakes. I was living in Chicago at the time and there were already a lot of cupcake shops there, that was probably part of my inspiration.” Skinner said. This is why cupcakes were chosen as the signature item. After choosing the cupcake you also should pick a signature flavor, the one you will be known for, your most popular cupcake. For Scratch this cupcakes is Wedding Day, which is an almond cream cupcake with vanilla but-

76 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 { DESIGN BY GABBY SKOPEC

tercream frosting. Molly’s signature cupcake is The Cookie Monster, a vanilla cupcake baked with chocolate chips and then filled with chocolate chip cookie dough, then topped with buttercream, chocolate chips, and a small chocolate chip cookie. These cupcake, though, are not the only special cupcakes, all of the cupcakes are special, “Two main things [ make our cupcakes special], most of our cupcakes have fillings, which add another element flavor and overall texture. Also we have Build-Your-Own cupcakes, you choose the cake, frosting, toppings, and we build it right there in front of you.” Skinner said. “To us Scratch is much more than just cupcakes. It’s the experience and the relationship we build with customers. Whether you are getting cupcakes for a wedding, a birthday, a holiday get-together, we love that people include us in their milestones.” Sterner said.

“I get cupcakes from Molly’s or I make them.” -Gabby Klemme ‘17

“[I eat cupcakes] probably once every two weeks, I wish I did more.” -Madison Brenner ‘17

770 million cupcakes consumed in the US alone last year

72the record of cupcakes consumed in 6 minutes

cookie monster at molly’s cupcakes

WEDDING DAY AT SCRATCH CUPCAKERY

1776 the year

the cupcake was invented

“[I get cupcakes from] Scratch or Molly’s because they’re delicious.” -Madison Brenner ‘17

Cupcake Review

1.5 cm by 3 cm the size of the world’s smallest cupcake

“[I like cupcakes] because they’re sweet and delicious.” -Abby Zimmerman ‘17

for A cupcake Tutorial go to google drive

Molly’s Cookie MonsterApperance- 9 out of 10 Taste- 7 out of 10 Wow Factor- 10 out of 10

Scratch’s Wedding DayApperance- 9 out of 10 Taste- 10 out of 10 Wow Factor- 6.5 out of 10

“I make cupcakes, I don’t get them from anywhere.” -Morgan Saylor ‘17

PHOTOS BY//GABBY SKOPEC

} DECEMBER 2013 FEATURE 77

1 in 2000 BY RYO OHASHI

Locker Edition

ryohash1231.com

PHOTOS BY RYO OHASHI

There are over 2000 lockers in Iowa City West High School. Each containing an important element of their owner. Beside their standard classroom materials, there can be odd or interesting items that only 1 of 2000 lockers have.

“There used to be so and ribbons here,” Pi I hang stuff on the ho the way so I had to d them.” Although th there, the ribbons are top shelf.

The sticker was fro grader friend of h of putting it som ticeable. Her friend granted.

The infamous Sam paper says, you, to have an a day!” A wish fr friends.

The wallpaper is jus ping paper, taped on c on the locker walls.

Jenny Pigge ‘17

There is a reason why this locker is very decorative. “On my birthday my friends snuck into my locker in the morning and put all of these decorations on.” Pigge said when describing her locker. The decorations are “sweet and nice”, However, it has been more than a month since her birthday. “I kinda feel bad tearing these down.” Pigge said. She plans to wait until they just fall off or if not at the end of the year.

78 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 { DESIGN BY RYO OHASHI

“It used to say Happy Birthday.” Pigge said, when pointed out the missing letters which have fallen from the locker.

“I wear my sweat shirts to school but when it gets hot in school I take it off and throw it into my locker. Then I forget to bring it home and bring another one the next day. By the end of the year all of my sweatshirts ends up in my locker”.

ome strips of paper igge said, “but since ooks they just got in do something about he papers are not e still present on the

om an eighth hers in hope mewhere nod’s wish was

Dance shoes are for show choir practices.

Shea Yamashita ‘16

Uncle “ I want amazing rom her

“I got 4 sweatshirts, 3 cans of coke, a pair of Nike shoes, dance shoes, a big bag of gummy worms, a tie, deodorant, headphones and socks in my locker” Yamashita said when listing things in his locker. He still has other school materials in it as well. Despite all of the things in his locker he manages to keep his locker organized. “My locker is pretty organized except it just has lots of stuff in it. My sweatshirts and stuff are all neatly folded. I sort all of my things in there” Yamashita said.

st wrapcarefully

{

A New Addition

Earlier in the year, West high had 50 students without a locker. For these students West added 100 new locker to satisfy these students. Compared to most of the lockers in West High, the oldest being 7 to 8 year old, these new ones are significantly larger and easier to open. They are placed in the top floor of the Ninth Grade Center.

“I get thirsty so I tent to keep at least one can of coke in there.”

The locker handle opens by turning it on the third number, making it easier to open.

DECEMBER 2013 FEATURE 79

Oneseat , Four stories BY SIMRAN SARIN

simran.ranisarin@gmail.com

Have you ever wondered who else sits in your desk during the day? Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s their story? Who are they? The West Side Story chose a random desk in the corner of 110 and revealed the stories behind the students that sit there.

PHOTOS BY// SIMRAN SARIN AND CREATIVE COMMONS ART BY// BEKKUH ANSON

82 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 { DESIGN BY SIMRAN SARIN

“Paris, London, Kenya...Mexico, Jamaica, Haiti,” said Joy Kimani ’17. Kimani has had the opportunity to travel to all these places throughout her life. “I think I just love sightseeing, getting to meet new people, seeing how people live, [and] making new friends,” Kimani said. Kimani is planning to go to Kenya again to see her family. “I’m super excited [because] my whole family will be there; my mom’s side and my dad’s side,” Kimani said. Of all the places she has been, Kimani’s favorite place is Mexico. “The people there are fun, they have really great food, and it’s just a wonderful place to be,” Kimani said. In the future, Kimani hopes to go to Venezuela. “One day when I was on a cruise ship I met a kid from Venezuela and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh his life sounds so awesome, I wanna go where he lives one day,’” Kimani said. JOY KIMANI ’17

Many artists have someone that inspires them. Rather than being inspired by famous artists who lived in another time or celebrities, Bekkuh Anson ’14 is inspired by her close friends and family. “I aspire to be like people that like me,” Anson said. However, other than her friends and family, Anson often comes up with art designs on her own. “A lot of the time, [ideas] just comes to me, but I really like to draw things that make me laugh,” Anson said. Besides drawing things that make her laugh, Anson often expresses her thoughts through her art. “When someone draws you, it’s an example of how they actually see you as a person. And so [art] is a way of expressing not only yourself but others,” Anson said. BEKKUH ANSON ’14

Going to NYC and interning for Brock Capital Group? Now that would be a summer to remember. Grayson Alberhasky ’14 had the opportunity to be an intern at Brock Capital Group headquarters in New York City last summer. “It was a great experience. I got to meet many interesting people, work on business deals including giving presentations, [and] I got to expand my knowledge of business,” Alberhasky said. Alberhasky became interested in economics after taking an economics class last year, however, he has owned stocks since his freshman year at West. Some of the stocks Alberhasky owns are Apple, Ford, Phillips 66, and Harley Davidson. Alberhasky’s family is also very involved with economics. “My family has been running small businesses in Iowa City since 1948,” Alberhasky said.

GRAYSON ALBERHASKY ’14

JOSHUA WOOTONN ’15

Fresh face or freshman- there’s a difference. Joshua Wootonn ’15 often gets mistaken for a freshman. “ I think I am mistaken for a freshmen because even though I am a junior...this is my first year at West- I am a new face,” Wootonn said. Before coming to West High, Wootonn was homeschooled. “I had taken all the classes I could at home and desired to advance myself through more advanced subjects [at West],” Wootonn said. It wasn’t all fun and games transitioning to West. Wootonn had to adjust to a public school after being homeschooled his whole life. “Getting up early, having strict deadlines, [and] having a different teacher for every class instead of teaching myself [were some difficulties I faced],” said Wootonn. Outside of school, Wootonn enjoys playing several sports. “I rollerblade in the spring and fall, snowboard during the winter, and skateboard anytime its warm,” Wootonn said. Of all these activites, skateboarding is Wootonn’s favorite. “Its challenging, unique... it’s dangerous, I love it!” said Wootonn.

DECEMBER 2013 FEATURE 83

TUMB wit

body

How a popular new

BY EBONY MCKEEVER It is highly likely that you have at least heard about what many are calling the ‘new’ uprising social networking site. Tumblr. And while the uses for Tumblr vary dramatically depending on who you follow or what you post, Morgane ‘Gwendoline’ Jambor ‘16 said, “I would probably explain Tumblr as a blogging website. Although most of us don’t create daily posts or whatever, it’s a way to show others what you’re interested in, and maybe spread out your knowledge about current events in that topic, and discovering new things.” While scrolling through the depths of Tumblr’s deep navy blue sea, most find a plethora of funny posts, fandoms, hipsters and a dash of miscellaneous kawaii stuff to spice things up. But every so often, one finds posts about things that can make a significant impact on their lives. Posts on Tumblr that advocate racial and gender equality, as well as positive body image. Even though many would like to think that the feverish blogging of teenagers around the world can actually stir up a change,many seem to think they do more harm than good, most likely because of their argumentative nature. Kelsey Keranen ‘16 said, “Arguments on Tumblr are very one sided, they (tumblr users) act very accepting but then they only think about what happens from their perspective.” In their attempt for change they put down one side of the argument and only focus on the part that applies to the majority. One case of this, which has become painfully apparent on Tumblr is body image. A recent ‘thigh gap’ craze (dieting or exercising with the intent of becom84 FEATURE 2013

ing skinny enough to obtain a gap between your thighs) has had many well-meaning bloggers scrambling to impose positive self-esteem and acceptance of all body types onto everyone around them. While this attitude is intended to help better society, in the rush to make everyone love themselves and their body’s, many have started to bash those who either strive to have a thinner body or who come by it naturally.“Our society has become very accepting of all body shapes and sizes but in the rush to make people who don’t wear whatever size is considered beautiful be hollywood they’ve gone to a certain extent where it is kind of becoming like skinnyshaming” Keranen said. They do this by saying skinny girls look like ‘skeletons’ and are ‘less appealing’ than people with other body types. Which has prompted many to question the bloggers’s intent. “Are you saying being skinny is a bad thing?” Keranen said. It has gotten to the point where it almost seems like bloggers are saying that there is a ‘wrong’ body type to have. “I feel like skinny shaming has become a bigger and bigger thing” Keranen said. This of course contradicts their primary goal of bettering everyone’s image of themselves. Posts that compare body sizes or just of people speaking their minds are saying that girls are ‘too skinny’ or that girls who don’t have curves are not ‘real women’. These go against the main purpose of this movement, which was to spread acceptance and love. But by following their logic... being skinny is by default a negative characteristic. “ If everybody is beautiful then why do they still make fun of every body” Keranen

BLING th

y Image.

w blogging website can impact a person’s body image.

said. One of the main reasons that this attitude is a problem on Tumblr, is because they gain momentum from being shared and reblogged. This allows for the negative opinion to gain more supporters. “There’s a really big mob mentality on Tumblr.” Daneta Dobre ‘17 says. But not all blogs and body image posts have such skewed opinions, however the majority of ‘social-justice bloggers’ as they are so aptly called by other Tumblr users seem to be split between genuinely loving all body types and shaming those who are perhaps skinnier than normal. The definite minority being those who advocate a healthy weight for people and genuinely accept all different shapes and sizes. But before you go off hating Tumblr and the people that use it, you have to remember that tumblr is similar to real life in the fact that the opinions you are subject to all depend on the people you surround yourself with. If someone follows blogs that either shame different body types or glorify one over the other, those toxic viewpoints have the potential to seep into your own beliefs. But if you follow blogs that are accepting and loving, those views might be what you embrace and apply to your own life. “On my Dash, I surround myself with positive compliments to my followers as well as myself concerning our body image. Because, society has built up this image for us that if we aren’t photoshopped or in the 100 - 130 pounds area, than we are hideous, and should be mocked and ridiculed for our outer shell. Though, as a whole Tumblr does have a nice atmosphere concerning Body Image, I think.” Jambor said.

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Views of Tumblr Overall

PHOTO BY//CHARLOTTE ASTRID

“ I adore tumblr, I think it’s an amazing thing that a good portion of people should look into. You can easily discover new things simply by following more diverse blogs, find new friends, and surround yourself with people who share your common interests. “ Morgane Jambor’16

Kelsey Keranen ‘16 “ I think they [Tumblr users] are very wishy washy on the whole thing.a lot of people try really hard for a “thigh gap” while others say you don’t need a thigh gap to be beautiful,”

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Pump It Up

Want to work at

Pump it Up? You will have first have to join the club Business Professionals of America, otherwise known as BPA. Then, the advisor, Diane Fickel, chooses 5 or so responsible people to work at the coffee shop. Then the chosen people get their schedules arranged so they can get at least one person working per period.

BY JIUNG JUNG

jjjiung@gmail.com

ou see someone walking down the hall with a cup of iced coffee in their hand. Seeing someone walking down the hall way with a cup of iced coffee is a common occurrence at West High. According to Business teacher Diane Fickel, iced coffee is the most popular item at West High’s coffee shop, otherwise known as Pump it Up. PHOTOS BY//JIIUNG JUNG

Q & A with Jillian Haas ‘15

Q:How many people come to the coffee shop every day? A:It varies but it’s around 2-300 people per day. You would think that we would get less people on Thursday, but that isn’t the case. Q:What time of day is the most popular time at the Coffee Shop? A: Definitely before school or first period. Q: During your years at West High, have there been other West High businesses?

Pump it up has been open for the past 4 years.

The money earned from the coffee shop goes to BPA’s trips.

A: There was a school supply shop. But it closed down a few years ago. They were selling things that distracted the students. Q:Where do you guys get your supplies from?

Ever wondered what Pump it Up’s worst selling item is? The gum, shown above, wins this category. Pump it Up employees pay for all the items themselves! Nevertheless, they do get payed back from the profit they make.

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A:We usually get them from Costco, Fareway, or Sam’s Club.

Hundreds of people come and go to the coffee shop everyday. So the question is how much money do they make daily? The coffee shop makes an average of ber of items sold per day for each item.

$200 per day. Here’s a pie chart showing the num

31.25%- I don’t care for the Coffee Shop 31.25%- Iced Coffee 12.5%- Suckers 12.5%- Hot Chocolate 6.25%- Fruit Snacks 6.25%- Daily Treat

Drink Sales at Pump it Up per day

Scotcharoo

Monster Cookie

Pump it Up’s special, the Daily treat, is baked by their own employees everyday. Examples of the daily treat are shown above.

DECEMBER 2013 FEATURE 87

sonder. n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own Submerged in your own thoughts you walk through the vast, long hallways, rubbing shoulders with people. Who are these people? A friend? An enemy? A stranger? In this fastpaced world, it seems that we tend to forget about the others; the humans beside ourselves. Going through life, we all have our own unique struggles and fragments of darkness surrounding us. These dark feelings could be hidden to the strangers beside ourselves under a veil of indifference, but when the veil is lifted, we are exposed. This “veil” seems to be what really sets people apart from one another; the veil being the fact that we are indeed strangers. Being strangers, we really don’t understand eachothers struggles quite like they are presented to the person. Every person on this planet is a complex machine each equipped with an even more complex mind and; when presented with such struggles, comprehend them in a complex way making everyone a unique individual.

“A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other. A solemn consideration, when I enter a great city by night, that every one of those darkly clustered houses encloses its own “Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll secret; that every room in every one of them encloses die tomorrow.” Anna Tafolla ’17 its own secret; that every beating heart in the hundreds of thousands of breasts there, is, in some of its imaginings, a secret to the heart nearest it!” - Charles Dickens

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Being so absorbed in our own lives and struggles, we may some of the time fail to see the beauty in life that surrounds us. A particularly beautiful rose by the sidewalk is paid no mind when a person briskly walks by it on the way to wherever they might be speeding towards. How many others things may you traipse by without a second glance? WIth neglect for beauty, when would we experience the feeling of happiness? There are 2,000 people in this school, and there are 2,000 individuals. Every one of these people has a life, a personality, and qualities. We all have our own lives swirling and billowing ceaselessly about ourselves, although invisible to the people surrounding us. When you walk past people, these vast webs of sprawling tendrils of thoughts and stories silently melt through you, giving you an almost infinitesimal sense of a presence of some body.

“Something people don’t know about me? I play bass guitar.” Jaron Lamp ’16

“I can’t go a day without listening to music or doing something artistic.” Hannah Sheldon ’14

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“For the past three years my mom has been making these weird cookies that are suppose to be like “Santa’s cookies” and no one eats them because they’re so gross but she thinks it’s our tradition.” Graca Tafolla ‘15

“My mom makes fudge in the winter.” Aaliyah O’Connell 15‘

“I love the smell of Christmas candles the most.” Devin Bush ‘15

“My family and I go to Canada every year for Christmas.” Tia Goodman ‘15 PHOTOS BY AZEMINA LISINOVIC

90 FEATURE DECEMBER 2013 } DESIGN BY AZEMINA LISINOVIC

Wintertime Happiness Lana Del Rey spent most of her summer on the radio reminding us of her “Summertime Sadness”, but what about wintertime happiness? The weather outside is becoming quite frightful to some but beautiful to others. Some people enjoy Winter because they finally get to enjoy the food and beverages that they waited all year. They also go on trips to different states and countries to spend their holidays with their loved ones. Some even practice their snowboarding and skiing, a sport not very common in Iowa. WSS took this opportunity to look inside the West community to find out some wintertime favorites among our student body from sports, to food, to warm beverages to make these frigid days less longing and boring.

“My favorite drink to warm up during the winter is a White Chocolate Raspberry Mocha from Starbucks.” Morgan Russell ‘15

PHOTO BY PIXABAY

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Short People By:Sydney Hemphill SydneyHemphill16@gmail.com

Excuse me, Excuse me don’t you see me?! Please move your bookbag out my face! Can you help me reach my book off the top shelf of my locker? Can you move your head?! I can’t see the bored. This is what some short people say during school. Short people go through a lot because of their height. West Side Story decided to interview four short girls and ask them questions about their shortness. How tall are you? & How do you view tall people?“I'm 4’ll 1/2 and I view tall people as giants, who need to stop growing and shrink more to my size” said Najha Spivey Jones’17. Her struggle is she gets bumped in the hallways all the time and she can’t reach things like most people. We also asked Mariah Davis'16 Do you have any struggles because of your height? “Yes I do have struggles that I extremely hate but at home when I want some food, I have to stand on a chair or ask for help. Thats so annoying!” and we asked Mariam Himat’16 her struggles. “My struggle is I can’t reach certain things and I hate it when people call me short” The most common struggle between short people is we can't reach things and most short people view tall people as giants. Short people have nicknames that are kinda cool. Like Spivey Jones'17 nickname is Funsize and Tazkira Haque'16 nickname is Shorty. And also there are some really good things about being short. West Side Story asked Do you like being short? “Yes I like being short because some boys like short girls.” said Davis’16. “ Yes I like being short because I get to wear heels and not look super tall. Just normal height, that’s what I love about being short.” said Himat’16. There are some good and bad things about being short. We short people like and love our height. 92 Feature December 2013 Design by Sydney Hemphill

Their

Struggles Tazkira Haque’16 Height: 4’8 “I have to look up to alot of people. I wish I was taller because my dad is tall. That’s one thing I hate about being short. I struggle everyday and every minute.’’

Najha Spivey-Jones’17 Height: 4’11 “My nickname is funsize, my close friends only call me that. My struggle is I can’t reach alot of things and I get bumped in the hallways a lot. I really hate it. I wish sometimes I was taller but not to tall.’’ Mariah Davis’16 Height: 5’1 “Most tall people to me are giants. I don’t like being short, it’s annoying. But there is one good thing about being short and it is some boys like short girls. If I was able to be tall for a day, I would brag and call everyone else short.” Mariam Himat’16 Height: 5’2 “Sometimes I do wish I was taller because I want to be the same height as my friends. I really hate when people call me short. But I do like my height.”

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