Haley Paulson, Jessica Doyle, Teresa Knecht, Lexi Goodale

WEST SIDE STORY IOWA CITY WEST HIGH SCHOOL

2901 MELROSE AVE.

IOWA CITY, IA 52246

WSSPAPER.COM

MAY 23, 2016

MODE

AVANT

DESIGN BY HALEY PAULSON

WSSPAPER.COM MAY 2015 1

Aisha Kazembe ‘18 Turn to page 9

Olivia Allen ‘19 Turn to page 11

Alexa Oleson ‘16 Turn to page 12

Bre Bradshaw ‘18 Turn to page 10

CONTENTS 4 6 7 12 14 FRESHMAN FOREST

See dreams come true with the up and coming Freshman forest

EMBARASSING STORIES

Hear about fails, mix-ups, blush worthy moments and a parade of other embarassing times.

FASHION PROFILES

Read about classmates with unique style

WHAT IS YOUR STYLE?

See what your fashion sense says about your personality

UNKNOWN PLACES

Think you know Iowa City? Think again and read about these awsome places you’ve probably never heard of

COVER DESIGN BY HALEY PAULSON DESIGN BY HALEY PAULSON PHOTOS BY TERESA KNECHT

BY HALEY PAGE PAULSON WSSPAPER.COM DESIGN MAY 2016 3

Freshman forest

BY JESSICA DOYLE

The class of 2019 is showing how they can make a difference, 50 cents at a time.

With lots of space on the front lawn of involved, as they have a true understanding They may not be Neil Armstrong, literally imprinting their footprints on the moon, but the school, and the upcoming extraction of of how planting trees is one of the best ways they are leaving their mark on the school in a numerous elm trees, McGrane thought this to reduce our carbon footprints,” she wrote.

The plan is to plant different way, each taking one small step to would be the perfect year for students to pitch in. year, and “It’s really important to me that each child one tree this ensure the continuation of mankind. They are another tree each the West High class of 2019, and they are going donates 50 cents, so that everybody feels like they then after, allowing to plant a tree. own the same year to have a deep amount to this “students This plant tree,” McGrane understanding of how proposal was p l a n t i n g a tree developed said.

This way, “I think that it’s a very powerful message when no student owns relates to Marianne McGrane r e d u c i n g last year a group of people can get together, and through a more of the tree one’s carbon footprint,” Ellickson wrote. by Science small donation, feel like they’re part of something However, the maintenance of the than another. t e a c h e r bigger, and really contribute to the world S c i e n c e forest will not be a freshman affair.

Marianne around them and leave a lasting impression.”

“We’ll have the nursery come and plant teacher Sakinah McGrane, with the -Marianne McGrane intention of building the bond between this year’s freshman class, while Ellickson, has the same belief.

“Mrs. McGrane is the true behind-the“We decided to make it a simultaneously combating climate change. scenes hero of this project. I hope that people “[The other Foundations of Science teachers collective class effort, so I realize the amount of coordinating with the and I have] been wanting to start a Freshman have been pushing my kids district, city, and local nursery [or] garden Forest for a while,” McGrane said. “We to donate and take ownership centers that is necessary to pull off such a feat,” thought this would be a good way to leave and responsibility for this -Sakinah Ellickson This is especially a lasting impression for our students on tree. the grounds that they went to school in.” important for them to be it,” McGrane said. “For this first year, it’ll probably be me over the summer, coming with buckets of water, and taking care of it. If we can get the tree to go through the first year okay, then the maintenance people will then start taking care of it.”

But don’t get her wrong, McGrane welcomes student help with open arms.

“They donate 50 cents, and they’ve contributed to buying that tree. If anybody ever wants to come and take care of the tree, by all means they can come and water the tree,” she said.

Although the project is still a bit of a work in progress, and the official planting date is unknown, McGrane says she has seeked approval. “[There was] no opposition w h at s o e v e r. Sakinah Elickson E v e r y b o d y I’ve approached has been like, ‘This is a great idea, we’ve got plenty of room, let’s go ahead and do it,’” she said. “Dr. Shoultz has said he likes the idea, we’ve got the head custodian on board and we’ve got the head landscaper.”

That being said, Ellickson acknowledged that “some students...fail to see the benefit of the effort.”

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PHOTOS BY LEXI GOODALE

“However, most of my students have been very receptive to the idea, especially since they will be the pioneers of this forest.

It’s fun for them to think that their tree will be able to be claimed as the ‘First Tree of the Freshman Forest’,” Ellickson wrote.

As far as McGrane knows, West is the first of its kind to be doing this.

“I’ve never heard of it before.

I don’t think any other schools [are doing this],” she said. “I just thought it’d be really cool for building community with the whole class, and it can be something [they] all pitched in and did. We’re talking about climate change, and it’s a nice way to give back to our West High community, build West High community, and also help with climate change.”

As for the possibility of sparking other’s inspiration, McGrane isn’t opposed.

“That’d be awesome if it inspired people to start planting trees, I mean

wants her students to join together to make a change.

“I think that it’s a very powerful message when a group of people can get together, and through a

“I just thought it’d be really cool for building community with the whole class, and it can be something [they] all pitched in and did. We’re talking about climate change, and it’s a nice way to give back to our West High community, build West High community, and also help with climate change.”

-Marianne McGrane trees are great. Who doesn’t love a tree? And to be able to plant a tree, like a red oak, that’s here for 150 years. I mean that’s just amazing.”

All in all, McGrane

small donation, feel like they’re part of something bigger, and really contribute to the world around them and leave a lasting impression.”

According to Ellickson,

McGrane is really the one leaving a lasting impression.

“Mrs. McGrane is the true behindthe-scenes hero of this project. I hope that people realize the amount of coordinating with the district, city, and local nursery [or] garden centers that is necessary to pull off such a feat,” she wrote. “There is a lot of behind the scenes work that occurs besides just purchasing the tree, and I hope each person who is finding joy in this project also take time to thank her for all the work she has put in to make this Freshman Forest a reality.”

One small step at a time, the freshman and teachers filling the halls of West High, are on their way to better mankind.

DESIGN BY LEXI GOODALE

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Embarrassing Stories COMPILED BY TERESA KNECHT

Anonymous stories from students within the halls of West...

“I was at the pool with my good friend and I was wearing a tie swimsuit and she untied my swim top and my bottoms and they fell off and I was naked, thankfully I was about 10 ft from the bathroom so I don’t think many people saw!”

“My hands sweat throughout the day so embarrassed somebody

randomly and I’m whenever notices”

“I said I sat on a cherry and popped it when a classmate noticed I had period blood on the back on my leggings, I was too young to know what pop the cherry meant” “One time after a school field trip.

I really had to pee, I told my mom.

She is speeding home as fast as she can. And I peed when I got out of the car, it was so embarrassing because the little kids kept watching me.”

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“One day I was talking to one of my friends in the hallway have this really funny conversation with my friend over fashion then I kept laughing and laughing then I realized my friend left and everyone was staring at me in the hallway.”

“I showed up thirty minutes late to class one day in English because we were meeting in one of the labs, I just merely did not know where the labs are. And I’m a senior and I’m embarrassed to ask anyone where they are.”

DESIGN BY LEXI GOODALE

FASHION PROFILES WRITTEN BY JESSICA DOYLE DESIGN BY HALEY PAULSON PHOTOS BY TERESA KNECHT

WSSPAPER.COM MAY 2016 7

Aisha Kazembe ‘18

BRE BRADSHAW ‘18 But Bradshaw doesn’t necessarily think people need to wear pajama pants everyday.

“I think that you’re changing as a person, and that as you change, I dress on basically what I feel, so, I mean, you’re not going to feel the same way every single day. I don’t think that it’s good to [wear the same thing everyday],” she said.

Bradshaw realizes, though, that fashion may not be everybody’s cup of tea.

“Fashion’s not for everyone. Definitely, if that’s the way you think you can express yourself, then go for it and just wear whatever makes you feel comfortable. But, for a lot of people, that’s just not something that they care about,” she said. “But if you’re trying to get into it, I would say start with a lot of staples, maybe like a denim button up or black pants, and just build from there. And don’t shop expensively. You can find a v-neck anywhere for like three dollars and you can just build around that and find a lot of outfits around it.”

F

rom the time she was learning to read and write, Aisha Kazembe ‘18 has enjoyed picking out her outfits. “[I’ve] probably [been into fashion] since I was really little, even though my clothes were really ugly back then. I always liked dressing up and picking out outfits, and stuff like that,” Kazembe said. “When I was in elementary school, especially early on, like kindergarten and first grade, I used to change my outfits like five times a day, because I’d like come home and change, and change like an hour later.”

However, what she wore when she was younger, has now turned into a 90s theme.

“I love the crop tops and I love the high waisted pants and I love the sneakers. It’s just really casual and cute and comfy all at the same time,” she said.

Kia Noibi ‘18 has similar thoughts.

“Aisha’s style is more 90s and I love it on her because she can really pull it off, especially her [turtlenecks],” she wrote.

That doesn’t mean her style doesn’t shift from time to time, though.

“I think your style just changes everyday, as you do. And style is just whatever you want to wear; it’s just whatever you feel,” Kazembe said. “[My 8 MAY 2016 WSSPAPER.COM

R

style’s] kind of just whatever I feel like wearing, because sometimes I bum out, and sometimes I dress more hip, and sometimes I dress more classy. It just depends on how I’m feeling that day.” “[Aisha] really [likes] to experiment with [her] outfits and [she’s] not afraid to try something different,” Samantha Young ‘18 wrote.

Kazembe’s confidence with fashion has built up since starting high school.

“I used to [second guess my outfits], but since I started high school, I just wear pretty much whatever I want now and don’t really worry about it,” she said. “When I first got Doc Martens, I was really afraid to wear them, because I thought they were too big and bulky.

But as soon as I started wearing them, I got over it really fast, and I just started wearing like everything else that I wanted to wear.”

For those who tend to second-guess their outfits, Kazembe offers a few words of advice.

“I would say don’t second-guess your outfits, because if you pick it out and you like it, then you like it for a reason and you should wear it, and not let other people influence your decision.”

Kazembe also recommended shopping at local thrift stores.

“I would say experiment a lot to figure out

what your style is. Sometimes, I think thrifting is a really good idea, because you can see a lot of stuff that you wouldn’t see in other places and there are so many different things that you can try all in one place. You get a chance to look at it all, from all time periods and all styles,” she said. “The majority of my clothes are from thrift stores. I shop at Goodwill a lot. And my pants, I always put holes in them myself. And shorts, I cut them off and roll them and stitch them a lot of times. You can just find a lot of stuff there, that you can fix up or just wear it how it is, and it’s really cheap.”

a lot more with fashion,” Bradshaw said.

emember putting on your pink princess dress and tiara? And then sitting down to a pink and purple table topped with plastic china and sparkly Cinderella tea cups? Well, Bre Bradshaw ‘18 doesn’t.

“Bre’s style has more of a grunge look and she pulls that off really well, she’ll wear lots of different patterns, but for the most part sticks with a color scheme,” wrote Kia Noibi ‘18.

“I’ve really liked her flowy patterned shorts.”

“Actually, I was a huge tomboy, so I didn’t wear a lot of girly clothes at all,” she said.

But branching out and experimenting hasn’t come without its drawbacks.

But as her single-digit years came to a close, her interest in fashion started to blossom.

“I think once I got into seventh grade, and especially eighth grade, I started experimenting

“I definitely think [I was unsure about wearing certain clothes] because of who I was kind of friends with in elementary school,” said Bradshaw. “You want to [be] like, ‘Oh what are you wearing to this?’ and I wouldn’t want to look out of place. But honestly, it doesn’t matter at all.”

Bradshaw encourages others who may hold back from wearing what they want.

“At West, we have like 2000 kids. As long as you’re comfortable with what you wear, it honestly doesn’t matter. No one’s going to notice. You can wear pajama pants to school every single day and nobody would even notice,” she said. “And I feel like it’s really important to have that self confidence, so if you’re comfortable and other people try to like tell you that you don’t look good in what you’re wearing, it’s not about them, it’s about you.” “[Bradshaw wears] what is comfortable but [she seems] to make it look nice every single time,” said Sadie Rhomberg ‘18.

OLIVIA ALLEN ‘19

O

livia Allen ‘19 stands pretty in pink, with her style dating back to the days of chokers, overalls, and just plain funk.

“I’ll be walking through the halls [at school], wearing what I think is really cute and I’ll get looks of what is she wearing? I normally just feel like I’m doing something wrong.”

Although the 80s and 90s were before her time, Allen finds that her style best fits those decades.

But Allen has found a way to overcome this.

“That was the funky decade,” she said.

But what led up to an interest in decades filled with both bright and dark colors isn’t too surprising.

“I guess my mom, when I was really little, she told me what to where and how to dress.”

As Allen has gotten older, she’s modified her own style.

“I started paying attention to more what women were wearing and trying to stay up with the fashion trends. And I sort of go with whatever I want now.”

This hasn’t come without criticism though.

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“This is who I am and I embrace that.”

For others who might feel insecure about wearing a certain outfit, Allen offers a few words of encouragement.

“You be you. Don’t care what other people think,” she said.

While the days of chokers and high waisted jeans may lay in the past (for now), Allen does think about her future when it comes to designing.

offers some advice.

“Look what other people are wearing at first and try to mimic that in any sort of way,” she said, “and then it’ll start to flow.”

ALEXA OLESON ‘16

A

lexa Oleson ‘16’s style primarily revolves around comfort.

“I like grungy stuff, but I also like to be comfortable,” she said.

Not one for heels and a flower printed dress, chances are you’ll find Oleson wearing darker colors.

“I wear a lot more black than most people,” she said. “I don’t dress preppy. It is almost like hippy, but not.”

“I would say Alexa has a very natural [and] rustic look! Like a good meets bad kind of thing,” wrote Kaytlin Binns ‘18. “Personally I don’t dress much like her. I’ve got more of a mob style. But I do think she dressed great for how she looks! Especially with the red hair!”

Gracie Tovar ‘17 agrees with Binns.

“I would describe it girly but in a not girly way

I guess?” Tovar wrote. “[We] have very similar styles so I guess we kind of bounce ideas off of each other.” is employed at Plato’s Closet, and enjoys the discounts and free clothes that come with her job.

“Everything I own is from Plato,” she said.

Oleson is also a fan of word printed t-shirts.

“I like wearing shirts with vulgar sayings on it,” she said.

As for her future fashion goals?

“I want a shirt that says ‘I only date millionaires.’”

“[I haven’t designed my own clothes, but I have been thinking about it,” she said. “I think it would be more of a hobby.”

And as for those just getting into fashion, Allen

WSSPAPER.COM MONTH 2016 11

Artsy

Converse or Combat Boots?

Jeans

That’s a good question...

Why did you even take this quiz?

Never

I want to start trying

What is your opinion on overalls?

Leggings

Which Pants?

Which style do you go for?

Cutesy

Sometimes

Always

How often do you try with your outfit?

BY LEXI GOODALE

What Is Your Style?

Birkinstocks

Like to show everyone your cute style, artsy isn’t really your thing, chic is your go to outfit.

Heels

Ewe, no, just no

My outfits are unique and origional

I just like to go with the current styles

Go with the flow or your style?

Combat Boots

Outfits are usually, trendy and very artsy. You don’t follow the trends, you start them.

You do you and don’t care about other’s opinions.

Play it safe, your outfits are typically very in, the latest in style clothes

Wedges

Wedges, Heels, or Birkinstocks?

Converse

OMG YES!!!

DESIGN BY LEXI GOODALE

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Unknown Places

BY JESSICA DOYLE AND TERESA KNECHT

Prepare to travel back in time, and grab your treasure map before you make your way down to Artifacts, across from the Bluebird Diner on the outskirts of the ped mall. You’ll come across

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PHOTOS BY TERESA KNECT

piles of paintings and photographs, along with whosits and whatsits galore. But beware! This antique store is a hit and miss! (Prerequisite: Must be able to read cursive)

Looking to eat lean this summer? Want to try something new? Well look no further than Oasis Falafel located on North Linn Street, downtown Iowa City. You may face an initial fright when presented with your food, but it is definitely worth trying. Or maybe you want to stick to something simple? No need to fear, for they also have that here! Even the grilled cheese is glorified at Oasis.

Want to find a new downtown eatery to enjoy with friends? Then Leaf Kitchen may be just the place for you! They serve tea, scones, and other pastries and even have their own specialty hour, Afternoon Tea from 2 to 4 p.m. Comfort is guaranteed, as you might also enjoy their complimentary window seat. Located at 301 ½ Kirkwood Avenue, Iowa City.

DESIGN BY LEXI GOODALE