The Spirit Week Issue

The

oracle THE SPIRIT WEEK ISSUE

North High School 501 Holcomb Ave. Des Moines, Ia 50313 September Issue A public forum for Student Expression

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TOC THE

SPIRIT WeEk-

THE_Snaps

ISSUE

THE_O'S_Opinions_ Fast food

pg 3 -vargas

pg 3 -willis

short lunch pg 4 -nash

straight pride pg 4- sam

tweet drama

THE_FEATURES vukovich

pg 8 -ambrose

pg 9 -natale/linebach

movement 515

riverview pg 10 -kelly/waughtal

THE_SPREAD the recaps

pg 6 -young

pg 6 -young

fall updates

short in #'s

pg 7 -chup

pg 7 -jones

cheers

homecoming_week the dance

pg 12

pg 12

the game

the tailgate pg 12

pg 12

the spirit

oracle staff

Photo 1: Luis David Orellana (Sr) Photo 2: North High Cheerleaders at The Pep Assembly Photo3: Homecoming Pep Assembly Photo 4: Calvin Lovan (Sr) and Chanbopha Sam (Sr) Executive Editor & Chief Storyteller – Chanbopha Sam Executive Editor & Master of Design – Cameron Fisher Social Media Director – Michael Pham Sports Director – Derek Young News Editor – Kelsey Ambrose Features Editor – Sammi Linebach Opinions Editors – Valerie Natale & Esperanza Vargas Creative Arts Editors – Hatte Kelley & Leah Waughtal Copy Editors – Jacob Sanderman, Iliana Castillo Photography Editor – Saleena Lovan

Reporters: Kolby Chup Alexander Crosby-Anderson Paige Hennick Jessie Hertz Celina Horsley Tanna Jones Aminah Lothi Alejandra Magallanes Hannah McNichols Rachael Nash Yolanda Perez Jesse Primrose Marina Song

Photo 1: The Dunk Tank At the North High Tailgate Photo 2: The North High Tailgate team’s T-Shirts Photo3: Austin Stroud’s (Sr) Truck Homecoming Week Photo 4: Jessie Hertz (Sr) showing some school spirit Chandalae Staples Moise Tuombemungu Daishon Willis LAURA ABUHL ELISHA BOARDMAN MICHAEL COLON-RAMOS WILLIE GARDNER ABBY MCGRUDER Elisha Boardman Michael Colon-Ramos

the_o's_Opinions

We Are What We Eat

By: Esperanza Vargas

“WITH APROACH LIFE AN OPEN MIND AND GOOD HEART.

”

Welcome to America, home of the free, the brave, and the fat.

In this country, about 69% of adults are overweight and about 36% are obese. That’s two thirds of the adult population that is overweight.

As for children and teenagers, 32% are overweight and 17% are obese.

Simply put, one third of our peers are overweight. If those statistics shock you, you’ve obviously been living under a rock. However, the statistics should scare you, or at least make you worry.

The main cause of obesity in America is the high exposure to unhealthy food such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, and any other fast food restaurants you can think of. Everywhere we go, there is always some kind of fast food available nearby.

And who can blame us for eating fast food? It’s convenient, it’s cheap, it tastes good, and we get it almost instantly. If there’s one thing that works in the favor

of fast food companies, it’s our inability to wait. It’s one of the reasons why fast food is so popular.

The other thing that works in their favor is how we’re all in denial.

You go to McDonald’s and order a Quarter Pounder and think to yourself, “It’s just one more, it won’t make a difference to me.” But let me tell you a thing; You’re wrong.

Okay, maybe that escalated too quickly, but you catch my drift.

I’m not saying, “Don’t eat fast food ever.” That’s impossible, and who am I to ban you from fast food? That would make me a hypocrite. The lord knows I love food, and McChickens with bacon are my favorite. But I am saying, “Watch

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what you eat.” because...who knows? One day you could be that sad parent who can’t play with their children because their poor heart just can’t take the physical activity. Not only that, but you would be incredibly unhealthy. Case in point, you better check yourself before you wreck yourself.

Here’s why:

This isn’t the first time this week you’ve had a Quarter Pounder, it’s the third. There are 520 calories in one Quarter Pounder, meaning that you’ve now consumed 1,560 calories. I’m going to assume you had fries and coke with that, which now racks up your total of calories to 3,330, and that’s only if you didn’t make that meal large. Theoretically, one pound of body weight equals 3,500 calories, which means in three meals alone, you managed to consume enough calories to (almost) equal a pound of body weight. If you think about it in these terms, you can see how the calories add up until one day you’re driving around in a scooter because you can’t support the weight of your own body. And guess what? You’re on your way to McDonald’s.

This popular McDonald’s item has 825 calories and is a popular item for teenagers to order.

SO MUCH FOOD, SO LITTLE TIME

NORTH VS OTHER SCHOOLS

Old Schedule:

By: Willie Gardner Iliana Castillo “I never take ZZZZZzzzzz good pictures.”

“

”

North students have stepped into a completely different environment.

With about 1,300 students at North, there’s no space to breathe, let alone eat comfortably when our lunch has been shortened by 15 minutes. With one lunch and a ton of kids that are hungry, 30 minutes is not enough time to eat.

Kelly Wear expressed that “The lunch lines are too long.” She also brought up another great point, “There’s not enough time at Bibb’s or at school.”

The lines at Bibb’s are packed as they are at North.

With all the new students, hallways are a mosh pit that students can’t wait to get out of. The students that can drive find themselves to different places to eat, like McDonald’s, only have thirty minutes to drive to these places, order food, wait on it, and finally eat it in peace.

That isn’t enough time.

Mrs. Ramirez said, “It’s too early to tell, but I still think it’s better from an administrative stand point.”

Lunch time was shortened because people apparently had too much time on their hands and were causing disruptions during the last fifteen minutes

of lunch. Just because a select few people decided to cause trouble, doesn’t mean the rest of us should get punished, that’s unfair. We’re growing teenagers that need to stuff our faces half of the time, and the environment we have to do this in is uncomfortable.

I requested to get the tardy numbers from last year so that a comparison could be made to this year. The faculty refused this information to me, which sounds extremely suspicious. So, please, North High faculty, reconsider your decision of giving less time to eat, especially when it makes us late to class. Our options have been cut down, and we’re starving.

On behalf of the North students, we want our lunch back.

“hallways are a mosh pit that students can’t wait to get out of.”

1/5- 7:40am-9:00am 2/6- 9:05am-10:25 Skinny/Advisory- 10:30am-11:15am Lunch- 11:15am-12:00 pm (45 min) 3/7- 12:00pm-1:20pm 4/8- 1:25pm-2:45pm

New Schedule:

1/5- 7:40am-9:02am 2/6- 9:07am-10:29am Skinny- 10:34am-11:20am Lunch- 11:20am-11:50am (30 min) 3/7- 11:56am-1:18am 4/8- 1:23am-2:45am

Hoover Schedule:

1 and 2- 7:40am-10:40 am Lunch- 10:40am-11:25am (45 min) 3 and 4- 11:30am-2:35pm

East Schedule:

1/5 and 2/6- 7:40am to 10:29am

A Lunch- 10:34am-11:36am (62 min) B Lunch- 12:05pm-1:05pm (60 min)

Release time- 2:35pm

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The_o's_Opinions

By: Rachael Nash “Never forget who you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength and it will never be your weakness.

Armor yourself in it and it will never be used to hurt you”

I keep seeing online and in real life “Why doesn’t straight pride exist?” and “We need a straight pride parade!”

When ever I hear that I just have to laugh a little.

A lot of people are actually confused as to why straight pride doesn’t exist. Well, it does, but like heterophobia, it is extremely rare. The reason we don’t celebrate it or throw a parade for it is because Homophobia is more

Straight Pride? common than heterophobia and a lot worse.

Homosexual’s are a lot more accepting of heterosexuals. I recently went to a gay pride parade and one of the floats were asking for all the straight supporters. A few people cheered.

I was very pleased knowing that the homosexuals were accepting of the straight supporters in the community.

There are a few though, that

witter By: Chanbopha Sam “Food is everything, food is life.”

Lately, social media has taken school rivalries higher then ever. Twitter, one of the most used social medias of the past few years, has helped cause many of these quarrels.

Fo l l o w U s !

The most common fights are focused on school athletics. They usually start when a person tweets about their school being better than another, and someone who can’t hold their tongue down immediately has something to say.

The most recent argument on Twitter was Thursday, September 5. The disagreement was on who would win the North vs East varsity football game. I feel like these fights are nothing but a waste of time.

People are always too quick to judge. They base things on the past and assume it’ll repeat itself. Just because a school has had a bad record of sports doesn’t mean the record will remain the same forever.

It works for the other way around as well.

Just because a school has had a good record of sports, doesn’t mean they will continue the astounding record. With every new year comes a new team, meaning the outcome will not be the same.

I believe that people should hold their

unlike others in the LGBT (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*) community, that believe everyone should be gay or trans*.

That is what we call heterophobia. Heterophobia compared to homophobia is almost nonexistent. Few have stories about their rude encounters but very few have been bullied into depression or even suicide. I don’t think even one person has been bullied into suicide for being

straight.

Straight people are not told that the god they believe in hates them for a very natural human emotion. Straight people are not beat up and killed because of a very natural human emotion. Once I see a straight person being bullied for their sexuality I will first stop it, but then I will start showing straight pride.

Rivalries tongues down, especially when they’re arguing about a game that hasn’t even started yet.

A school shouldn’t be judged just by how well they play in sports. There are many qualities a school can have, so they shouldn’t be judged by just one. In order to properly judge something, you look at it as a whole, not just the little parts.

to your team to boost up their confidence, which helps in the long run.

I believe each school in the Des Moines Public District all have their pros and cons. Instead of talking down on other schools, each person should understand that their own school isn’t as perfect as they think it to be.

What each person should focus on is how Rather than talking down on other to better their own school, rather than schools, the students should increase worrying if they’re school is better than their school spirit and route for their own others. team. Why waste your own breath? Talking down on another school really isn’t helping out your team in the end. What would help is showing and giving support

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THE

locker

room In this edition of The Locker Room, we will be focusing on such things as the NHS football program, “The Athlete’s Dilemma: Filling up the team” is a story on the struggles of getting students to come out and play on the team. The lack of participation can create fatigue on the players.

Along with that we have added a summer recap for baseball and softball plus updates for all the sports that are currently going on in the Fall Season. Golf has taken a turn this year with barely enough athletes to make a full team.

Caleb Lara, #1, during a injury timeout during the North vs. Hoover game.

Photo taken by Michael Pham

For sports updates and more, follow us on Twitter:

@NHSPolarBears @nhsoracle

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The_Locker_room

Polar Bear Sports Updates Football starts 0-4; here are recaps on the games and the many new faces on the team Council Bluffs vs North On August 30 the North High Polar Bears played against the Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson Yellow Jackets.

Sadly Big Green lost the game but showed some bright spots.

For example, on the opening kickoff of K.J. Davenport #7, Shymere “Jersey” Williams #9 and Brian Kinder #4, prepare for the game the game Shymere against Hoover. Picture by Michael Pham Williams (senior) prepared to return the ball.

Shymere Williams, #9.

North vs East As the ball sails through the air and Late in the second quarter, Williams On September 6 North High football lands in his chest he begins to scan the would later dive and collide helmet to team visited Williams Stadium to comfield. Going to his right he followed block helmet with a Roughrider player. He pete against the East High Scarlets. after block and found room on the right would then lay after receiving a concusNorth High got routed 43-6 with the sideline to bolt past all defenders for a only score coming on the very last play of sion. Paramedics were called as the Polar touchdown.

Bear fans sit quietly in shock of the inthe game on a last second fumbled field On the ensuing extra point attempt jured player. Williams, #9, a major factor goal attempt that senior K.J. Davenport there was a botched snap and the loss of a in the Polar Bear’s Offense, rushed for 13 (Quaterback) recovered and scored a free point. carries for 38 yards, one being a touchtouchdown.

From that point the Yellow Jackets down before suffering the injury. drove down the field, scored a touchdown Two minutes left in the half, the bears North vs Hoover and converted the field goal. rallied together to stop the Roughriders This past Friday the 13, North lost to Once again on the kickoff North until half but that would do no good. the Hoover Huskies 49-14. returned it for another touchdown. This Roosevelt would run the ball in for a one The Polar Bears scored their first two time it was Calvin Lovan (senior). Lovan yard touchdown, leading into halftime offensive touchdowns of the season after also went to the right and accelerated 10-6. only scoring on special teams in the down the weak side barely escaping the The Bears would come out lookprevious two games. defender as he sped toward the pylon ing to score but being stopped by the The defense still was very weak but and crossed the goal line. The field goal Roughrider defense as each team battle the offense obviously showed improvattempt was blocked. it out. The Roughriders would score 6 ment. If they could stop the botched At this point the score is 12-7 but times before the Bears get going again. snaps and all the fumbles then chances of Scoring on a fumble recovered by Imani from here on out it was all about Council winning a game become much greater.

Bluffs. They went on to score 28 straight Kwizera, #3, that he would run back for points to defeat our polar bears. After the a touchdown in the final five minutes of two kick-off returns the Yellow Jackets Roosevelt vs North the fourth quarter. never kicked the ball past the 30 and On September 20, the Polar Bear The rivalry between the two teams squibbed it a few times on all kickoffs football team faced the Roughriders on would only grow stronger as former fearing another return. homecoming night. bear’s head coach Greg Holland is the On the bright side of all the game we The polar bears got in a groove defensive back coach for the Roosevelt have learned our team has a great return where they stopped the Roughriders on Roughriders. squad who should be feared. multiple drives and later scoring in the

Final score: 43-13 Final score: 36-12 first quarter on a 13 yard run made by

SUMMER RECAP Over the summer you may have missed the North High sporting events due to work, vacation, or just being too busy. But baseball and Softball players were still competing in the hot sun representing their future Alma Mater.

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Softball Softball finished last in the Metro with a record of 4-33-0, increasing their win column by two from the previous year. Coach had this to say about the past season. “We made great improvement in the 2013 season. Now we will focus on strength training this offseason to help us become complete players. I am expecting 2014 to be a great season for us. I am expecting major contributions from Annie Hayes, Taylor Wisecup and Mackenzie Gray.”

Baseball - Baseball also finished last in the Metro matching their record from the year before with a record of 2-37-0. (senior) also was selected for 2nd team All-District and 1st team all-Conference.

“It felt pretty great to get a district award, it means im doing my work and that I’m improving. Its showing on the field.”

UPDATES Cross Country Boys:

Cross Country Has lost every match this season but have competed strongly.

They have struggled with having a small amount amount on the team.

Volleyball:

The girls have competed in four matches and two tournaments.

The girls are winlesss this season. The girls will have competed in 2 more matches by print.

Golf:

The boys golf team has gone 1-4 this season. They won the match was against Hoover on September 26. They will play Lincoln and have a meet by the time we go to print.

Swimming:

The girls have lost every meet this season but have competed strongly and have gotten better each time. There have been six meets and they will have another by the time we go. to print.

The Lonny Kerman Invitational was September 28. The girls placed third overall.

Tim Turner, #10, lines up as the play is about to be underway. Picture by Michael Pham.

OMVA (Oracle Most Valuable Athlete) of the Month.

Each Issue we are going to choose a male and female athlete who excelled in sports this past month.

This Month the athletes are......

- Kolby has had Stellar play this season in golf and has metro ranking of 3rd overall.

- Moraiah has proved herself as a great swimmer winning almost every race she competes in.

Moraiah broke records at the Lonny Kerman Inv. in the butterfly and the 50m freestyle.

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The_Locker_room

By Michael Pham

The Athlete’s Dilemma: Filling up The Team

In the past few deto not come out and play, not be a part of cades, North High a team. Athletics at North High School School Athletics has are more than just a team, it’s a family, a not been the greatbrotherhood. We look out for each other. est. Many of the

A football team with 23 people Polar Bear athletic on it, and many of which are playing teams have had a both sides of the ball is never good. It is losing season, year exhausting whether you condition your after year. It is believed that North is the body or not. It wears and tears your body worse school in the 4A and spirit division in all athletics away. Its not excluding basketball. the coaching Every team that plays that makes us North may look at us • Lincoln Rails Football lose, it’s not as just another game the players 44 players dress they have to play. that makes • Roosevelt Football Some schools may us lose, it is

46 players dress circle it and call it an the lack of • Hoover Huskies Football easy win. For the last participation 34 players dress four years I have been and the lack at this school, North of confidence • East High Scarlets has taken a change that comes Football in many things. New with a losing

57 players dress faces, new coaches, record. If • Valley High School new jerseys, a new injuries do Football team, it gives the Polar occur, you Bears hope. won’t have as

67 players dress

What I have • Johnston Dragons many players seen in most sports is to substitute Football a lack of participation in.

64 Players dress from boys and girls.

I play North has always had • Dowling Catholic Football on the varsity a problem in the num- boy’s basket68 Players Dress bers area. North is in • North High School ball team fact a smaller schools for the Polar Football compared to the Bears. One

25 Players Dress others in the Metro thing I have Conference but we noticed with have students that just don’t come out for this team is the change it has brought. the team. The fact that North doesn’t alOne year, the team goes 3-18, two years ways win supposedly gives them a reason later the boys finish the season with 13-10

Size comparison to other Metro schools:

Homecoming Night: North lines up against the Roosevelt Roughriders. Photo taken by Michael Pham

record. Above .500, and looking to improve. We walk into a school’s gym with everything against us, the majority of the crowd going to the opponent’s side, the referee’s not wanting us to win. Nobody wanting us to win. No one wants to see us, North High School, win a game. They want us to fail. Some of the games we play in, home or away, there is always something that has to be against us. Whether it’s the referees, ourselves, or the other team, something always comes up.

In the 2012-2013 basketball season, we played Southeast Polk, a game that we were never expected to win.

Bcmoorerankings.com projected us to play under our ability and lose that game.

Home and away sides of the bleachers were filled with black and gold. Just a few stand out green and white could be seen.

They had the home team advantage, the crowd, the whole upper hand. We played above their expectations and won that game by 10 points, 63-52. We came in with a desire to win, and a confidence level that was above what they expected.

I believe North can progress in athletics as they have in academics.

It takes commitment from the students, staff, and coaches. The numbers in participation increases, the more substitution that can be available. The one to one help that teachers and study tables can provide help for student athletes who have a busy-some schedule. The staff organized encouragement for students such as pep rallies, getting people involved. That all can make a turn around.

Golf at North High

By Kolby Chup

The student section at the North High Homecoming game against Roosevelt. Join in on Friday, October 18th for the final home game of the season against the Johnston Dragons!

Would you ever play golf for your school?

If you were like like most kids your answer would be no. As captain of the NHS Golf team , I want people to know how much of a struggle it is for my coach and I to find kids to play.

We’ve had one kid quit the team because of other sports. Most kids see golf as more of a secondary sport, or they think golf is an old persons sport. Some kids just think it takes too much time out of school. I bet if kids new a professional golfer makes more money than NFL players, NBA players, and MLB players then maybe they would go out for the team.

At North High School, golf isn’t the

only sport struggling to field players.

The football team also has trouble with finding athletes to play. They often have students playing offense, defense, and special teams.

And they wonder why there so exhausted by the third quarter. It’s not that we don’t have the the athletes. It’s just that the athletes don’t play. Mostly because they are ineligible. Why wouldn’t you play a sport? You can have fun, sometimes you get out of school, and if you are good at what you do, you can get college scouts.

This might somewhat sound like I’m trying to recruit players. But it’s because I am. North High sports needs all the help they can get.

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the_Features

New Changes, New Principal

By Kelsey Ambrose First-year principal Michael Vukovich says the decision to become North High’s new principal was an easy decision to make.

“I’ve worked in education for eleven years, administration four years now...and being principal at North, in my opinion, is the best job in the country,” Vukovich said.

Throughout the 2013-2014 school year, there are a few new goals to be met.

Vukovich is striving for community in-

“Being principal at

North,

staff, students, and you are representing yourself.

“The expectation is greatness,” he said.

Not only do students at North have to focus on the big picture this year, but Principal Vukovich also has many things to focus on, and work towards.

“Being principal, the buck stops here.

When things go well, that’s great but when things go wrong, that’s when I need to look in the mirror and see where I went wrong,” Vukovich said.

With the higher expectations and goals for this year, Vukovich, along with the rest of the North High staff is eager to see students improve from previous years.

With the right mindset from students, this could be a year to remember.

in my opinion,

is the

best job

in the country.” volvement, much more school spirit, and higher test scores. As Vukovich explained, there’s much more that needs to be done to make these goals happen.

Not only does there need to be higher expectations, and more provided opportunities, but student feedback. It’s all about the students at North.

Student success at North is what Vukovich is really focused on this year, the students are the future, and helping them along the way is what will help them to succeed.

According to Vukovich, when you walk into North, you are representing North High School. You are representing the

- He attended Southern Illinois University - His father helped the Philadelphia Phillies win World Series in 1980.

- Vice Principal for three years -Social studies teacher for seven years - Has three children: Regan, Avery, and Weston.

Opinions on the change of principal.

Laura Abuhl (Senior): “The year has just started and he has already begun making changes for the better. I already see a bigger, brighter future for North, even after the best class (2014) graduates.”

Hatte Kelley (Junior): “With any change, the transition is hard. He is trying really hard, and that’s all that counts.”

Connor Nason (Sophomore): “Mr. Vukovich is a lot better than Mr. Smith; he has created a lot of new things and every student is having fun.”

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Opinions

A walk with history..

Many are aware of this bridge, but do they know the story behind the pillars?

Photo taken by Sammi Linebach and Valerie Natale on the bridge to Riverview Nature Island.

By: Valerie Natale

On a cool, breezy summer night, you walk across the Riverview Park Bridge and look over the railing. You hear the carnival music on repeat, children laughing, Laffing Sal’s obnoxious “laff ”, but you realize it was all just a dream.

In 1915, Riverview opened up with roller coasters, a Ferris wheel, a carousel, mirror maze, mini golf courses and the Iconic Riviera Ballroom.

North Des Moines’ sky was crimson, dark and smoking. In 1933, Riverview was on fire. The beloved Fun House was destroyed by the flames.

After being rebuilt and reopened, Riverview was flooded over a decade later in 1944. The Flying Scooter planes were submerged.

On the other hand, Adventureland opened in 1972.

The pressure from the competition forced Riverview to sell. According to riverviewparkdsm.com, Labor Day of ‘78 was the last day Riverview was ever opened.

Adventureland bought Riverview with the only purpose of using the park as a “company picnic” facility and a low budget amusement park.

However, once the papers were signed, Riverview’s gates were closed for good.

Riverview is an important piece of history to the Hiland Park community.

On 6th Ave, there is a mural of Riverview

on the Hiland Park Hardware building.

There are still remains of The Chute and support columns from the coasters on the park’s site.

Adventureland made a terrible mistake buying Riverview. Riverview brought so many people happiness and joy over the years.

Meg Natale, 49, “Growing up about a block and a half from the park I can remember on the 4th of July, we would sit on the roof over the front porch and watch the fireworks show!”

A former child from Riverview still remembers what is was like to live the dream. He still remembers the innocence of the park.

“I remember a lot about Riverview from the roller coasters, to the arcade, to all of the company picnics” Ed Linebach, 54, remembers going to the park all the time.

“I think what I remember most though, is the fact that it was such a family friendly venue whereas the whole family could spend the day there and not have to spend a fortune.”

Linebach and Natale are just a few of the many that remember the famous park. Over the summer, on every Friday night in June and July, there are events on the corner of 6th and Boston called Rendezvous on Riverview.

This event has gathered up to 902 people a night. It helps bring back memories and history of Riverview.

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Features

Our Brave New Voices

Nine Poets Compete in Chicago

by Hatte Kelley & Leah Waughtal

“There is nothing more powerful than the human soul set on fire.”

Three minutes and thirty-nine seconds.

That’s all you have.

Three minutes and thirty-nine seconds for five hundred youth, across the globe, to tell their story.

In five days, fifty teams met in Chicago in early August. They were carrying on a traditionsixteenyearsstrong,thatreaches all lengths of creative genius.

TheBraveNewVoicesinternationalyouth poetry festival is a beautiful combination of contemporary slam poetry, and youth orientated activism. This five day festival is writing intensive, performance demanding,andaboveallelse,lifechanging.

For young people spanning continents, from South Africa, to Philadelphia, to the United Kingdom, it is a remedy for the soul - where connections are made and voices are heard.

SeniorLeahWaughtal,ourpersonalSlam champion of the Iowa BNV recounts her experience.

Junior Hatte Kelley, our personal Slam runner-up in the Iowa BNV team, expresses her focus after BNV.

“BraveNewVoicesappearsonthesurface to be oriented around a competition, but in reality it is more about youth connection and creating dialog about topics that need to be discussed. I was introduced to a girl from Phoenix, a few kids from Philadelphia, and a young girl from Cape Town in one meeting.

“What I am really keyed in on since returning from Brave New Voices is finding the Iowa voices that have yet to find the courage to begin slam poetry or haven’t even heard of it yet. I will be searching every corner of North High and Central Academy for undiscovered poets and exposing slam culture to the teenagers of Des Moines.

We were prompted to discuss heavy topics like rape culture, the issues of a binary sexuality, and the fact that we are all just victims of each other. It was moving and so incredibly honest.

People I had never met before were comfortable enough to share their opinions and tackle concepts that are difficult to talk about. In the opening ceremony alone,wewereaskedtospeakpeace.With its origin in Chicago, a city torn apart by gang violence, as a group of five hundred youth, it became our soul purpose to spread peace. And not just within the city limits, but back to our homes, all over the world.”

My Central Academy English teacher, Mrs. Catie Miller, has proposed an opportunity for me to expose the students of CentralAcademy to slam culture with poetry workshops. Even you, reader, could be a poet no matter what your preconceptions or dispositions are. Being human alone means you can be a poet. I am very excited to expand the family.”

Mia Windsor, a Junior at Roosevelt, took a moment to tell us about what it was like to meet up with youth from across the world.

“For me, meeting new people from around the world was really amazing and a great experience to get to work and

interact with them. I made a lot of new friends and I still keep in touch with them after BNV.

Mia Windsor, Junior at Roosevelt, Photo

by Emily Lang I have a lot of new inspiration and new perspectives from the the groups we were around. It amazed me how much poetry meant to people and the stories that they told. BNV brought everyone together and it was just a big family at the end of the trip.”

For Iowa, it was their first year ever competing. Six young poets from the metro competed to represent Iowa for the very first time. Along with these six poets came three entourage poets who served for support and social media direction.

Nine native Iowans made home in Chicago this summer to set the record straight: Midwestern poetry is something to be reckoned with.

Big name cities such as New York and San Francisco often get the attention, but the summer of 2013 the team from Iowa demanded the recognition they rightfully deserved.

So, to bring it back to its roots, here are somepersonalaccountsdescribingthese poets’ experience in Chicago this summer. Although it is a competition, something preached in every spare moment, is that is isn’t about about points. Its about the poetry.

The Brave New VoicesTeam posing in Des Moines before a ShareThe Mic rehearsal, Photo by Emily Lang.

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Torianna Buttrey, Freshman at North, Photo by Emily Lang FreshmanToriannaButtreyexpressedthe communal feeling of BNV. “Everyone was so open and happy and willing to talk to you. You could walk up to a complete stranger, hug them, and have and conversation as if you’d known them for years. Everyone was selfless and non-judgmental. Everyone gave off inspiring vibes and were very warm.”

Julio Delgadillo, Freshman at North, Photo by Emily Lang Freshman Julio Delgadillo spoke on the mechanics of the competition and what it was like while there.

“Being at BNV was a pressurized moment, knowing the best poets of the world are here, in the same footsteps I’m in. It was the first time to ever speak my truth in front if an audience at a Brave New Voices Competition.

It was a nerve racking experience, not knowing what to expect from BNV. Having to be judged, but keeping in mind that I had to stand up for the city of Des

Left to right: Mentor Emily Lang, Brionna Lam, Callie Bates, Torianna Buttery, Leah Waughtal, Julio Delgadillo, Davonte Binion, Mentor Kristopher Rollins, Mia Windsor, Savannah Van De Boe, Mentor Larry Moore, and Hatte Kelley. Photo by Emily Lang.

Moines. I stepped up, faced my fear, and dropped Iowa knowledge on BNV, proudly.”

This past summer was a whirlwind. This students not only represented Iowa for the first time but overcame many of their own fears.

But it isn’t over.

This is not the end.

This spring will be the second annual teen

poetry slam, and we will need an entire new group of students to compete for these spots. Six spots that will completely change their lives.

On another note, our first Share the Mic will be on October 11 and we would love to see you there!

It will be hosted at Drake University, at the Sheslow Auditorm and you can find more information at www.rundsm.org Not to mention, this coming January we will also see a teen summit take place for

all students to get together and discuss challengingissuessuchasgenderidentity and gun violence.

A requirement of this summit is your voice! The ever important voice of youth in our community are essential. They have often been told that their voices don’t matter to the point where they actually believe it! So please, we plead, come share your voice.

@northhighoracle

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