Zest of West

Z E S T

O F

THAT’S

A

W E S T

WR

Another season closes out in AP culture at West High.

AP

SIGRID ROSSI

Claire Hahn ‘25, an athlete on the Girls Varsity West High Tennis Team, serving in her singles match on April 21st.

PHOTO FEATURE

CONTENTS

4

NEWS

6

COVER

8

The Playathon

As the school year wraps up, we wanted to leave you with one last publication to unfold.

From registration to graduation, from every imagination, to every solved linear equation, West High has seen the best of what it’s students have to offer. In this last publication of the year, we discuss current trends at West High-just so you don’t forget over summer!

Banned Books

10

That’s a wrAP

Hello Readers!

Feature

ENTERTAINMENT We Heart Iowa City

gems or personal fav’s, check out our “We Heart Iowa City” page, featuring West Highs students’ responses- you might find your new go-to place!

We understand that students are gearing up for summer vacation, and seniors are moving onto their bright future, we hope this publication gives you an opportunity to remember all the Zest of West!

Until Next Time,

Page 4-5 showcases the traditional West High Talent Show, the “Playathon”, and the numerous performances. Who knows, maybe you’ll be enticed to take up the spot light next year.

As the year ends, so do AP classes with the infamous and often dreaded AP tests. Read about teachers’ and students’ thoughts about AP testing on page 6-7 in our cover story. Discover what attitude students and teachers possess while preparing for these exams from fellow classmates and teachers.

Erinn Varga

Helen Orzula

Gabby Moniza

Sigrid Rossi

Our feature issue addresses the controversial topic of Book Bans. What books are being banned? Why? Does it affect West High? Here from one of West High’s Librarian on page 8 to find out more.

When you’re not reading through this publication, you may take a trip downtown to visit local shops. To learn about Iowa City’s hidden

Andreas Warren ‘24 singing and playing the guitar to the song ‘Heart Shaped Box’.

The Playathon West High’s traditional student led talent show in which any performer can participate.

Emma Barker ‘22 singing “Dream a Little Dream of Me” between running the event.

Clayton Bopp ‘22 performing his stand up comedy bit entitled “To Slay or not to Slay”.

04 NEWS

MAY 26, 2022

Principle Gross acompanying the Jazz Combo on the tambourine.

have the pressure of going through the audition process knowing there are limited roles in the performance. If students do get cast in the production, they may experience stress all the way up until the final bow especially performing for such a large audiences. However, the Playathon offers the stage up to anyone that’s willing to perform, with no strict guidelines of what students can and can’t perform. “I think it means a lot because it’s a lot more low key tha like if you had to audition for like the swing show”, Nolte says when asked how valuable the Playathon is to students. The event provides performers with complete artistic freedom with little to no stress. Nolte continues, “If you want to just like do like a funny little song with your friends, you can it and it’s no stress.” Artists also feel less pressure because they are performing for mostly family and friends.

JD Deninger ‘23 playing the trombone in the Jazz Combo.

BY SIGRID ROSSI PHOTOS BY SIGRID ROSSI

W

est High has many students, teachers, and programs designed towards exploring the arts and showcasing artistic talent. From the plays and musicals West High’s theater program produces to the award winning show choir groups “Good Time Company” and “Showtime”, talent shines on a stage in every way. Student’s work hard all year to memorize their lines, explore their role, hit all the high notes, and nail the choreography required of them. That’s partially why West High students host a talent show of sorts where anybody can perform any kind of act, called the Playathon.

Every year, seniors involved with theater or the arts organize the event for family and friends. Then, they pass the responsibility of the event onto a couple of people in the grade below them. Amelia Douglas ‘24, a participant in the Plaything describes it as, “a fun little get together at the end of the year where people can show off their talents.” Zoe Nolte ‘22, a senior who organized the Playathon this year described the purpose of the tradition as “[an event] just to give people more people opportunities to perform.” During more formal performances like the school musical, students

“ WH ETH E R IT’S SI NG I NG, DANCI NG, PLAYI NG AN I NTSTR U M E NT OR EVE N A COM E DY SKIT, IT’S J UST A FU N OPPORTU N ITY,” -AM ELIA DOUGLAS ‘24

Martin Briar ‘24 singing and playing the piano in honor of her grandfather.

Seniors (left) Emmar Barker ‘22, Zoe Nolte ‘22 and Kira Jones ‘22 organizing the event, viewing the performances

“Whether it’s singing, dancing, playing an instrument or even a comedy skit, it’s just a fun opportunity,” Douglas wrote. In short, the Playathon is a celebratory event of all kinds of artists at West High, for all who are willing to participate. And if you missed your chance to perform in at this year, sign up for the next Playathon to keep the tradition alive!

NEWS MAY 26, 2022

05

ART BY ERINN VARGA

ZOW takes a look at the different AP exams and the ways students prepare for them.

BY GABBY MONIZA AP Testing season has finally finished, and a collective sigh of relief is being let out by students and teachers all over West High. The tension and eyebags are a dead give away to the late studies and fatigue students experience. AP classes are a fixed part of the culture of West High, leading to pressures on taking and receiving good scores.

However, not all AP classes are the same test of a student’s will.

AP testing is an extremely prominent part of American students’ daily lives. In 2021 only, over 2.5 million students took an AP class, and 4.7million AP exams were taken. 44 percent of West High students were enrolled in an AP Class last spring (Gazette) and the pass rate was roughly 83 percent. With so much stress and pressure put on students during the AP Testing season, how do students from West High balance the stress?

“ BEING ABLE TO SAY ‘I’M TAKING SIX AP’S VERSUS ‘I’M TAKING ALL REGULAR CLASSES’ GIVES YOU A LOT OF ACADEMIC RECOGNITION.” - DELM I RA JARA ‘24 One student, Delmira Jara ’24 explains that most of the pressure felt during the AP testing season is pressure placed on oneself. West High was ranked the top high school in Iowa this year, and there seems to be a lot of internal pressure placed on students to maintain that high standard. “West High’s kinda like a competitive school and everyone wants to do their best. Being able to say ‘I’m taking six AP’s versus ‘I’m

taking all regular classes’ gives you a lot of academic recognition.” Jara ’24. Tyson Smith, AP Economics and Seminar teacher, prefers to describe this feeling as urgency rather than stress.

“It’s hard sometimes to craft a good message to the whole group. Because you may have some people who mabe need to feel more urgency and some you hope will feel less.” Smith believes that laughter is always one of the best medicines for stress, and he tries to keep his classroom an open and light hearted place students can be in to learn, yet also relax.

To manage this stress, students utilize different methods of studying to prepare for these exams.

Jara likes to take practice AP tests before the actual exam to get a taste of what it’s like. In terms of when to start studying, Annie Schwartz ’23 states, “I start studying whenever we finish our course content so it’s different for each class.”

Bella Tisdale ’24 uses the website Fiveable, “This website really saved me this year, it’s great for when you really need to cram.” It is easier to cram for some AP classes than others, take for example, AP Seminar.

When you visualize a typical AP test, you most likely imagine rows of desks all lined up, with complete silence except for the scratch of a pencil on paper, or the occasional cough. But for AP Seminar students, their AP “exam” looks much different. They do have a written exam at the end of the year, but it is much shorter than most, and it is only essay writing. The rest of the year they work on a series of performance tasks to turn into the college board. Smith describes the class as “projects involving extended writing.” Another similar AP class in terms of exams is AP Art. Rather than an end of year test, AP Art students spend the year working on a portfolio showcasing their art that they turn into the college board. Despite the lack of end of year exams, the stress level for AP Art students is still very high.

Though AP classes are all different, they are still an important part of West and students’ lives. “The importance of [the AP tests] depends on what you want to do in your future, if it is important to what you want to do in the future, it can be beneficial for you.” Jara ’24.

AP CLASSES AT WEST Studio Art English Literature and Composition English Language and Composition Calculus AB Calculus BC Statistics Computer Science Music Theory Biology Chemistry Physics US History Human Geography Government & Politics Psychology Economics: Macro & Micro World History Spanish French Capstone Seminar Capstone Research DESIGN BY HELEN ORSZULA

BANNED BOOKS BOOKS BANNED

BY HELEN ORSZULA

08 FEATURE MAY 26, 2022

ART BY ERINN VARGA

T

he banning of books goes all the way back to the 16th century, when the Catholic Church established the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, a list of books prohibited from its members. In the past decade, common themes in banned books in the US are depictions of sex, homosexuality, offensive language and racial discrimination.

An example of a book that fits in three of these categories is “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie.

According to Banned Books Week, it has been challenged in several states, including Iowa.

The primary reasons for this being that it contains profanity, sexual innuendos, and violence.

In 2017, a school board in Nome, Alaska challenged “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” along with Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple,” “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini, and Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye.” All four books contain sexual content and graphic violence which can be distressing for some readers.

“The Bluest Eye” and “The Color Purple” both contain themes of racial discrimination, which is part of why they were banned.

However, books like this are commonly taught in English classrooms across the country. “To Kill a Mockingbird,” for one.

This begs the question: Why are these books banned and “To Kill a Mockingbird” isn’t?

One of the key differences between these books is that “To Kill a Mockingbird” is by a white author and told from the perspective of a white man. To teach the theme of racial discrimination from a white person’s point of view is counterintuitive.

The banning of books on the basis of racial discrimination goes hand in hand with a law passed last summer, banning the teaching of critical race theory. Critical race theory, a decades-old legal theory that examines how slavery’s legacy continues to influence American society, is not specifically named in the new legislation. But the law would ban teaching certain concepts, such as that the U.S. or Iowa is systemically racist.

“The Color Purple” also contains a homosexual relationship between two characters. Many books are banned because they contain themes of homosexuality, but the reason given for the banning is that they contain sexual content.

There are quite a few books with heterosexual sex scenes in the West High library, and they haven’t shown up on a banned book list yet.

There are two children’s books that have been banned because they depict gay couples.

Those being “And Tango Makes Three” by John Richardson and Peter Parnel and “Buster’s Sugartime” by Marc Brown. “And Tango Makes Three” is about two male penguins who adopt an orphaned chick and raise it as their own. Complaints consist of parents saying it is unsuitable for young children and contains homosexual overtones. Some parents have said that it should be placed in a section for alternative or non-traditional families.

West High librarian Jill Hofmockel weighed

in with her opinion. “I feel a responsibility that our library collection should represent the students who go here and their experiences.”

Hofmockel also said, “It’s a representation of yourself and stories are so important, but then seeing representation about people who are not like you.”

“

OU R LI B R ARY COLLECTION SHOU LD R E PR ESE NT STU DE NTS AN D TH E I R EXPE R I E NCES. —J I LL HOFMOCKEL

”

She’s dedicated to making sure students see that representation. “I absolutely am going to continue to provide books in our library that have characters from all of those marginalized populations, and I actively seek them out.

And I welcome any conversation with anybody who’s not happy about [the] ones that we have.”

CHALLENGED BOOKS IN THE U.S. “And Tango Makes Three” by John Richardson and Peter Parnell “Buster’s Sugartime” by Marc Brown “Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou “Playing Without the Ball” by Rich Wallace “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” by Peter Hedges “Sloppy Firsts” and “Second Helpings” by Megan McCafferty “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chobsky “It’s a Book” by Lane Smith “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien

DESIGN BY HELEN ORSZULA

“Hoops” by Robert Burleigh FEATURE MAY 26, 2022

09

WE HEART IOWA CITY

Mesa Pizza Reef Persons ‘24 S Dubuque St

“There’s not like regular pizza, it’s like mac n cheese pizza, and they have big slices”

E Washington St

S Clinton St

Students suggest their favorite places in Iowa City to grab delisous food or an intresting hangout spot for friends.

BY SIGRID ROSSI DESIGN AND ART

BY ERINN VARGA

DAYDRINK Coffee Bodie Williamson ‘22 “They have the best coffee I’ve ever had.”

E College St

10 ENTERTAINMENT MAY 26, 2022

S Gilbert St

The Pedestrian Mall Elena Garvia ‘25 “Walking through it is just like aesthetic”

Crêpes de Luxe Cafe

Advika Shah ‘22 “It’s a cute activity to do with your friends.

I love crepes, I love eating, I love sweet food!

ENTERTAINMENT MAY 26, 2022

11

GABBY’S GRANDMA GADGETS

BY GABRIELLE MONIZA AND ERINN VARGA Follow these steps to learn how to crochet a “granny square”, perfect for beginners.

Round 1

Step 1: Start off with a center ring (how to below) -Chain 4 stitches, and use a slip stitch to join your chain into a circle.

Then work your first round into the circle.

Disclaimer: Basic knowedge of crocheting is recommended.

Yarn and crochet hooks can be found at Michaels or most craft stores.

Step 2: -Chain (ch) 3. This counts as the first double crochet (dc) stitch of the first granny cluster.

-Into the center ring, work 2 dc.

You should now have what looks like 3 dc next to each other. This is the first granny cluster. Ch 3.

Step 3: -Make the second granny cluster.

Into the center ring, work 3 dc. Ch 3.

-Next, make the third cluster: Into the center ring, work 3 dc. Ch3.

-Then, make the fourth cluster. Into the center ring, work 3 dc. Ch 3.

Round 3

Round 2

1. Chain 4. (This counts as the first dc and ch-1 space.)

2. In the next ch-3 space (aka the first corner space), work: 3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc, ch 1.

Step 4: At this point, you should have four granny clusters seperated by ch-3 spaces at the corners and the last ch-3 space at the end. To join the round and create the square shape, slip stitch (sl st) into the top of the first ch-3. This completes the first round.

3. Repeat Step 2 twice more for a total of three times.

4. In the last ch-3 space, work: 3 dc, 3 ch, 2 dc.

5. Join with a sl st to the third chain of the beginning chain stitches.

This completes the second round.

1. Chain 3. (This counts as 1 dc.)

2. Then, into the ch-1 space just below in the previous round, work 2 dc, ch 1. (This makes the first granny cluster of this round.)

3. Into the next ch-3 corner space, work: 3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc, ch 1.

4. Into the next ch-1 space, work: 3 dc, ch 1.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 around to the beginning chain.

Finally, join with a sl st to the top of the starting ch-3.