UNCHARTED N
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iowa city west high school
2901 melrose ave.
iowa city, IA 52246
wsspaper.com
Volume 1 issue 1
JUNE 2015
Summer Lovin’
People think Iowa is just a small midwestern town, but little do they know that we hold some of the best summer events around.
Pages 7-9
pHOTO BY ALAN LIGHT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
wss
FOR MORE COVERAGE, GO TO WSSPAPER.COM
4 A year in photos 6 Prolife: Paul Amrani 7 This summers top events 10 Summer reading list 12 DIY: summer garland 13 Homemade ice cream 14 This years trends 16 Choose your own adventure Staff: Catherine Ju, Fenna Semken and Sarah Longmire
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DESIGN BY FENNA SEMKEN
WSSPAPER.COM JUNE 2015 3
August 13, 2014
FEATURE ENTERTAINMENT
A year in photos
September 19, 2014
July 22-25, 2014
February 28, 2015
November 14, 2014
August 31, 2014
March 1, 2015
December 5, 2014
February 14, 2015
August 19, 2014
January 18, 2015
July 22-25, 2014
The baseball and softball state tournament.
November 21, 2014
Many West music students got accepted into allstate an honor music program.
August 13, 2014
Heck week kicks off the Trojan Marching Band season.
December 5, 2014
Theatre West put on its heartwarming production of Little Women.
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August 19, 2014
First day of school for the 14/15 school year.
January 18, 2015
West High put on its mini Dance Marathon raising $67,837 for the kids.
August 31, 2014
First Stadium clean up after the first home game of the season. February 14, 2015
The West boys swim team won state.
September 19, 2014
The boot is back! West beat City in the battle of the boot football game.
November 14, 2014
The State Volleyball tournament.
February 28, 2015
March 1, 2015
The Jazz bands got invited to play at the Coe College Jazz Festival.
The showchoirs showed all their hard work in the Spring Swing Show.
COMPILED BY SARAH LONGMIRE DESIGN BY SARAH LONGMIRE AND CATHERINE JU PHOTOS BY BECKY MILLMEYER , SARAH LONGMIRE, AND THOSE FEATURED.
March 3, 2015
March 13, 2015
March 12-26, 2015
April 29-30, 2015
April 20-26, 2015
April 16-18, 2015
April 24-25, 2015
May 15, 2015 May 18, 2015
May 20, 2015
June 2, 2015
March 3, 2015
The girls basketball team made it all the way to the state tournament.
March 13, 2015
The boys basketball team also made it all the way to the state tournament.
June 28, 2015
March 12-26, 2015
April 16-18, 2015
The French, Spanish, and German classes all went on foreign language trips.
Theatre West put on its spring musical, Cinderella.
The marching band went to Disney World and marched in the parade there.
May 20, 2015
June 2, 2015
April 29-30, 2015
May 15, 2015
May 18, 2015
Best Buddies took a trip to Camp Courageous.
West celebrated its first annual Flash Festival in honor of Austin Schroeder.
The girls soccer team beat City in the City West double header.
The math club ends its amazing season.
April 20-26, 2015
The last day of school for the 2014-15 school year.
April 24-25, 2015
West sent many track athletes to the prestigous Drake Relays.
June 28, 2015
The JETS engineering team is headed to nationals.
WSSPAPER.COM JUNE 2015 5
PROFILE PROFILE
BEYONCÉ Or wait, Paul Amrani.
BY FENNA SEMKEN
semken.fenna@gmail.com “One word to describe me? Beyoncé. Or Paul, but Beyoncé is best,” said Paul Amrani ‘18. Amrani names Beyoncé as his idol. “She always puts her all into everything and she is beautiful. She also is a very strong and powerful person.” And what Amrani describes as life has brought him to loving her. “In dance classes my jazz teacher would always play Beyoncé music and I was around it a lot so I grew to like it. Now it’s kind of an obsession. Beyoncé runs the world.” Amrani has been singing and dancing for as long as he can remember, and it has taken over his life. “[I love] ballet because it’s very controlled and there is a right way to do everything, and once you learn those things everything works. And that is how my brain works, structure,” Amrani said. “It has made me more open and comfortable with who I am.” “Paul is amazing. When he dances, it captivates you and makes you want to see more,” said Audra Warren, ‘18, who dances with Amrani. Besides ballet, Amrani practices jazz, tap, and modern dance. On a regular day, he shows up half an hour before his first class so he can stretch and get warmed up. “And then I take a class, and another class, and another class,” Amrani said. “Some days there are breaks in between classes, but some days there are not. I take at least one ballet class every day, sometimes up to three. And weekends are filled with rehearsals.” According to Amrani, dance is a great workout, but it’s also way to express yourself and be free, and Amrani wants to continue that freedom throughout his life. “Hopefully my future will be in a professional ballet company somewhere where I can dance and be successful in life and not be a poor starving artist,” Amrani said when asked about future plans. Besides dancing all day, Amrani enjoys singing and cooking in his free time.
“I’ve always just been that little kid who sings a ton, like ‘oh, I’m going to do it,’ and then I joined choir in middle school and I have been singing ever since,” Amrani said. But he doesn’t sing your everyday pop songs- No, Broadway is his type of music. “I really like Broadway musicals. Right now my favorite musical is Kinky Boots because it encourages you to be yourself and help change the world when you change mind,” Amrani said. If you have ever been on Amrani’s Instagram (@paulamrani), you will have noticed the photos of magnificent food; but the meals aren’t from a restaurant, they are from Armani’s kitchen, and they mean a lot more to him than just a plate of food. “I was born in France and moved here when I was two because of parents jobs. France has a huge culinary background and so both my parents are really good cooks. I guess it was kind of a necessity for me to cook. I have always loved food and I have always loved sharing my food whether it be on social media or in person,” Amrani said, “I like to make anything with chocolate because chocolate is the best creation ever.” Even though he loves all these things, Amrani is choosing what he loves most and following his dreams. “It is possible that I’m either moving to Houston, Texas or Boca Raton, Florida to go to school next year. I’m going to Houston this summer to audition for their year round program to see if I can get it, but I also got into the program in Boca Raton last year so if I don’t get into Houston I can still go there,” Amrani said, “It’s like a boarding school kind of, so there are regular classes in the morning and dance classes in the afternoon for just ballet.” For many, this step in Amrani’s future will be a hard change. “I’m excited for him,” Warren said, “But I’m sad to see him go. He gets to expand his knowledge of ballet and learn more while having fun, but at the same time he won’t be here to make more memories with.” “To be a professional dancer, it takes a lot of blood, sweat, and tears,” Amrani said. His future will be a lot of work, but as he says, “I’m ready for the challenge.”
DESIGN BY FENNA SEMKEN
SUMMER
LOVIN’
Don’t sit around and watch movies all break this year. You have a few extra days, so make them count. With these 16 events and festivals, this summer will be rockin’.
June 1: Coralville Farmers Market. This recurring market is held every monday during the summer, and hosts local vendors selling delicious food, flowers, herbs, jewelry and crafts. It is hosted at the Coralville Community Aquatic Center Parking Lot from 5-7 p.m.. June 5-7: Iowa City’s Summer of the Arts. Come to eat great tasting ethnic food and see live dance and music featuring bands such as Darlingside, The BoDeans, The 100’s, and Supro Quatro. There will also 115 local art vendors will be up and around, and the Community String Orchestra will put on a live show. Children’s day (June 6) features booths which represent different countries. This festive is the most visual-art centered event all summer, and it’s located in the heart of Iowa City around the ped mall. (Pictures 5 & 6)
June 6: Fish Iowa! Game State Finals. At Liberty Centre Park in North Liberty, a fishing competition will be held from 8:3011 a.m. If you did not qualify for the state competition, come watch K-12 students take on fishing, or enter in the open class division to compete (to enter you must have an ID). Iowa DNR will also be entertaining with aquatic exhibits. Free food and prizes will be given out throughout the event as well.
June 19- 21: The Addams Family. This production will be put on by the City Circle Acting Company. This play tells the story of Wednesday Addams and her secret boyfriend whom her parents have never met. The production will be held at the Coralville Center of Performing Arts. Tickets will cost $12-27. Times vary depending on the day.
June 15: Friday Night Concert Series. This event has been a tradition since 1991 and offers a free event on the Pedestrian Plaza in Iowa City which features live music from local Iowa City musicians. This event happens every Friday evening from 6:30- 9:30 p.m. until the end of September. Come to relax and listen or dance the night away. (Picture 7)
June 13: SunSet Salsa. Iowa City offers a free salsa dancing event that also takes place July 18 and August 8 from 6-10 p.m. by the Weatherdance Fountain in the ped mall. (Picture 1)
June 20: Free Movie Series. Every Friday night Iowa City hosts a full, free outdoor movie in the law outside of Macbride Hall right downtown. Grab some dinner before, and then head over to the movie which begins at 8:45 p.m. around sunset. (Picture 3)
July 1: The Weepies. This band is categorized as Indie Folk and Pop music, and will be held at 8 p.m. inside the Englert Theatre in Iowa City. Tickets cost $30. Come for great music, and great people.
July 1 and July 4: Iowa City Farmers Market. This local market is held every Wednesday at 22 South Gilbert St. from 5-7 p.m. and every Saturday from 7:30 a.m.-noon. The market is voted as the best farmers market in Iowa for its great selection of local food and drink, and lively music featuring local musicians.
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June 7: Penn Landing Farmers Market. This market happens every Sunday in North Liberty from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., and will provide you with local, tasty treats to fulfill your appetite. June 11:The World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra. Because of this band’s unique jazz vibe, it is considered to be one of the greatest groups of all time. The show will be held at the Coralville Center of Performing Arts from 7-9 p.m., tickets cost $20.
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July 2-4: Iowa City Jazz Festival. This jazz event is named one of the top ten jazz festivals in the country. This year the event will host a wide range of well known jazz musicians, as well as up and coming musicians. There will be four stages located all around the Iowa City Downtown District, and an activity area which will be set up along Clinton St. and Iowa Ave. July 11: North Liberty Blues & BBQ. This summer will be the ninth year of great food, music, and games. People from all around the state are coming to attend this festival and you can too. Blues & BBQ is an all day event hosted at Centennial Park in North Liberty. (Pictures 4 & 2) July 24-26: Rapunzel! Rapunzel! A Very Hairy Fairy Tale. This story is about the famous Rapunzel, but with a twist. Evil Lady Za Za is holding Rapunzel captive, and it’s up to Sir Roderick and his great hair stylist Edgar to save her. This production is by the Young Footlighters, and will take place at the Coralville Center of Performing Arts. Times vary depending on the date.
DESIGN BY FENNA SEMKEN
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY NICK BERGUS AND LISA BARNES
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August 13-23: Iowa State Fair. Two hours away in Des Moines is one of the best state fairs in the country, and it’s ours. This summer the fair will be featuring artists such as Meghan Trainor (August 22) and Carrie Underwood (August 17), and the 4-H kids will put on a great amount of entertainment from horse races to the Bill Riley Talent Search. Rides, food, and musicwhat isn’t to love about that? August 22: Salute to Summer. This is the North Liberty Fire Departments only fundraiser which will feature silent auctions, inflatable rides, great food, a mechanical bull, and music from the Lonesome Road. This event will be held at Bobber’s Grill in North Liberty and will begin at 11 a.m..
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ENTERTAINMENT
Summer
reading list During the busy school year, it’s hard to find time to sit down and enjoy a book not required by your English teacher. Now that summer’s here and you finally have some free time, here’s a list of a few books some students and teachers enjoyed and recommend that you might want to check out.
No Easy Day
Me Talk Pretty One Day
by David Sedaris Memoir, Humor Our recommendation This collection of hilarious essays details the absurd stories from Sedaris’ childhood and later his new life in France, struggling to learn a new language. His witty and sarcastic humor are refreshing and it was definitely a laugh out loud read.
Too Bright to Hear Too Loud to See
by Juliann Garey Realistic Fiction Recommended by Bre Bradshaw ’18 This novel follows the life of Greyson Todd, a man who has been hiding his bipolar disorder for more than 20 years. He’s a successful Hollywood movie executive, he has a wife and a daughter but one night he just up and leaves to travel the world. “I thought it was really interesting to be inside of this person’s mind, to see what going on, it’s such an interesting disease.”
by Mark Owen with journalist Kevin Maurer Autobiography Recommended by Alyson Kuennen ’18 This is an account of a Navy SEAL and his experience being a part of one of the most successful raids in U.S. history. The raid that killed Osama bin Laden. The first-hand detail helps answer some of the conspiracy theories that arose around the mission. It’s more than that though, “It also talks about what it’s like to be in the military, the training the lifestyle, how he [the author] got there, his aspirations when he was a child and how they changed.” It’s an eye-opening look into something that is usually kept so classified.
10 june 2015 wsspaper.com
COMPilED/Design by catherine ju Photos by Sarah longmire
The Boys in the Boat
by Daniel James Brown History Recommended by Logan Stuart ’17 This true story is about the 1936 Olympics in Germany and the team of rowers from the University of Washington that represented the United States. The competition is fierce and the odds certainly don’t look good. Two rowers even fall ill days before the race, but “This is a good book about their dedication and perseverance even though they’re the underdogs.”
His Majesty’s Dragon
by Naomi Novik Historical Fiction, Fantasy Recommended by Nathan Tansey ’18 Set in the time of the French revolutionary and Napoleonic wars, we add dragons to the mix. The dragons are used in aerial warfare, but they are still very intelligent, capable of communicating with humans. Will Laurence, a young captain of a ship is chosen to become a dragon handler and soon he develops a close friendship with the dragon. “I like that it has the historical big plot line elements but then everything else is complete fiction.”
Station Eleven Tell the Wolves I’m Home
by Carol Rifka Brunt Realistic Fiction Our recommendation The death of 14 year-old June Elbus’ uncle brings her world to a halting stop. He was her godfather but also her best friend. At his funeral, June meets a man that no one wants anything to do with. Finding comfort in each other, the two form an unexpected but heartwarming friendship. I admit I’m a crier, but this coming-of-age story had me bawling.
by Emily St. John Mandel Science Fiction Recommended by Ms. Rocarek, English 9 and 10 teacher A flu virus nearly wipes out the entire world’s population. Fifteen years later, people are recovering, living in scattered tribes. A troupe of actors and musicians travel from camp to camp acting out Shakespeare’s plays, one of the things they hold on to that connects them to the world they used to know. “It’s a very interesting combination [between scifi and Shakespeare].” On their journey, the troupe encounters a mad prophet who has taken control of a small town, and they soon become tangled in his schemes. “It’s also nice though, because it’s very apocalyptic future, but it’s not all doom and gloom.” wsspaper.com June 2015
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ARTS Are you holding a summer party or family reunion? Or are you possibly just looking for a way to add some easy color to your life? Whatever your reasoning is, this summer garland can brighten your summer.
Step 1 Lay your first choice of fabric flat on the table and line a ruler up so that you can cut a 4 inch strip. Lay it so that you can get the most length out of the fabric as possible.
Step 4 Bring back the larger strips of fabric. Tie the ends together with the 1 inch wide strip so you can begin your braid. Lay a brick or heavy book (brick works best) over the tied end of the fabric so that it will stay in place while you braid.
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What you need:
DIY
Garland
3 colorful fabric rectangles Rotary cutter or scissors Ruler or rotary cutter square Brick or heavy book
FOR VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS, GO TO WSSPAPER.COM
Step 2 Cut along the edge of the ruler so that you have a nice, clean edge to the strip of fabric. Now repeat these two steps on the other fabrics so that you have three different colored strips.
Step 5 Braid all the strips together, tightening to whatever width you would like. If your fabric strips are long and get tangled while braiding, roll the ends into a ball while you braid to cut down on wasted time untangling.
Step 3 Once you have all three strips, set them aside. Now cut out two 1 inch wide, 8 inch long smaller strips of fabric. These will be what ties the ends of the braid together.
Step 6 When your is garland done, tie the bottom end of the braid together with the other 1 inch wide strip. If the ends of the fabric are uneven, you can trim them. Now for the fun part- go find a fence line or window to hang your garland in and enjoy. COMPILED BY FENNA SEMKEN DESIGN BY FENNA SEMKEN AND CATHERINE JU
FOOD
Homemade
ICE CREAM
INGREDIENTS
Need a fool-proof way to cool down in the heat? Well, we’ve got it covered. 1 cup heavy whipping cream 2 tablespoons sugar ½ teaspoon vanilla extract Ice cubes
Step 1
Mix the heavy whipping cream, sugar and vanilla extract into the small ziploc bag. Make sure that the bag is sealed tightly, we don’t want any leakage.
½ cup rock salt 1 small (pint) ziploc bag 1 large (gallon) ziploc bag
Step 2
Fill the large ziploc bag halfway with ice cubes and sprinkle the salt over the ice cubes.
Step 3
Place the small bag filled with the heavy whipping cream into the large bag filled with ice and seal it shut. If you notice either bag starting to leak, go ahead and add another layer to avoid a mess.
Shake it, shake it reaaal good.
Step 4
This is the fun part, shake the bag for about five to ten minutes. You can check if the ice cream is ready by squeezing the outside of the plastic bag to test the consistency. COMPILED AND DESIGN BY CATHERINE JU PHOTOS BY SARAH LONGMIRE
Step 5
Take the small bag out and rinse it off to get rid of the salt on the outside. Trust us, the ice cream is better without the excess salt.
Step 6
Okay, we lied, this is the fun part. Scoop out the ice cream from the bag into bowls or just eat it straight, we know how tempting it looks.
WSSPAPER.COM JUNE 2015 13
ENTERTAINMENT
Friends and trends
14 SECTION MONTH 2015 WSSPAPER.COM
Friends Morgan Saylor 17’ and Mac Sunderland 17’ on left show how they like to stay classy and dressed up for the sping season. Friends Gracie Rechkemmer 18’ and Anna Truszkowski 18’ on the right share their bright and summery style that they both like to have.
PHOTOS AND DESIGN BY SARAH LONGMIRE
WSSPAPER.COM MONTH 2015 SECTION 15
Choose your own
adventure START HERE
School has just gotten out and it’s now summer break. You’ve been thinking about going on a road trip just by yourself for a while. Maybe this will be your chance to finally find yourself and your purpose in life. You pack up some essentials and hit the road. You drive onto the interstate and find yourself caught in the middle of a traffic jam. It seems to be going nowhere. Maybe you could drive onto the shoulder of the road and get past everyone or find a smaller, country road. You decide to...
by cATHERINE JU
ju.catherine.18@gmail.com
See if you can get through the traffic. You drive onto the side and cars start honking at you. Mixed in with the honking you hear a siren go off. You look in your rearview mirror and see flashing lights. Reluctantly, you pull over. Drive safe, kids. You have reached the end of your journey.
Take the road less traveled. You detour and turn onto a small dirt road. It’s all going smoothly until you see in the distance that the road seems to just end. You squint your eyes and realize that the road’s been flooded. The section of the road that’s covered in water isn’t too wide and it doesn’t look too deep. Thinking about how to get Drive around. You drive over the rough terto the other side, you decide to... rain and make it to the other side. You drive for about another half hour or so when suddenly your car lurches to the right. You Drive through. Hey, a little water never hurt slow to a stop and climb out to survey the anybody, right? You get about half way damage. You find you have a flat tire. You when your engine, now filled with water, have no spare tires so you have no way to bails and your car shudders to a stop. You fix it. You could try to hitch hike or mayhave reached the end of your journey. be walk and continue your adventure. You choose to... Hitch hike. You stand on the side of the road next to your car with your thumb out. After quite a while, a red truck finally appears. As it comes to a stop in front of you, you peek into the back. Inside is a very large black bag and a couple of shovels. The situation seems a bit sketchy but sometimes you have to take risks right? But then again you don’t want your life to turn into a scene from a horror movie. You decide to...
DESIGN BY CATHERINE JU
Ask for help. The man inside the truck agrees, and you climb in. It turns out he’s a potato farmer. He was just heading back from a field and needed to protect the potatoes from the sun, so he put them in the black bag. He invites you back to his farm where he and his family live. You decide to go for it and you stay a couple days. You discover you have a real passion for potato farming. Who knew? Congratulations, you survived the adventure.
Walk. You could use the exercise. You start off feeling great and refreshed but an hour in you start to feel a little dehydrated. Two hours in, your legs feel like they’re mush. Maybe you’re just not cut out for this kind of stuff. You cave and call your friend to come pick you up. You have reached the end of your journey.
Make a run for it. You dash back the direction you came, but are so panicked you don’t see where you’re going and your foot twists in a hole and you fall. You have reached the end of your journey.