The_ORACLE past and present
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home is where the heart is
\teacher by day musician by night
Are North's sports biased?
North High School, 501 Holcomb AVe. Des Moines, IA 50313. A public forum for student expression
TOC The
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Past and Present Issue
NEWS
3 Features
Des Moines Public School v.s Des Moines students - Aeris Heckman World in awry from terrorist attacks - Emily Acosta & Kathleen Tran
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Teacher by day, musician by night - Madison Houska Shelby Sonderleiter: Cooking from the heart - Tanna Jones Get to know Brandon Coleman - Laura Christensen
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4-5 Creative_Arts
Opinions Women in combat - Hannah McNichols Not every Muslim is a terrorist - Somerle Rhiner A class in classism - Taj Milton Undoing the sports bias at North High - Janiecia McCaleb
What’s next for the drama department? - Daniela Hernandez-Avila Rule of camoflauge - Julio Delgadillo
6-7 Sports
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Home is where the heart is: Five North students tell their stories about seeking refuge in America and starting their new beginings - Angelica Reyes, Aeris Heckman, & Megan Bohall
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Are North sports biased? - Kenzie Schnahorst
Social_Media nhsoracle.tumblr.com
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Oracle Staff
Check us out on social media. Executive Editors-in-chief Hannah McNichols Tanna Jones Managing Editor Cheyann Neades Social Media Director Aeris Heckman Copy Editor Kelsey Ambrose
News Editors Angelica Reyes Janiecia McCaleb Sports Editors Colt Wyatt Somerle Rhiner Features Editors Jasmine Inthabounh Nathaniel Cobb
Opinions Editors Taj Milton Kenzie Schnathorst Creative Arts Editors Megan Bohall Daniela Hernandez-Avila Cover Gurus Tanna Jones (Front) Cheyann Neades (Back)
Reporters Emily Acosta-Vijil Amirah Avant Alexis Barnes Julio Delgadillo Jolena Le Janelle Hill Russhaun Johnson Skylar Kilgore
Ian McIntire Chrystal Seger Kathleen Tran Rayshawna Collier Madison Houska Newspaper Adviser Jennifer Dryden
news
Des Moines Public Schools vs. Des Moines students
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50th anniversary of students standing up for their rights
Aeris Heckman, Social Media Editor Mary Beth Tinker and John Tinker, NHS alumni siblings, returned to North 50 years after they were suspended for wearing black armbands in protest of the Vietnam War. Their landmark students’ rights case versus Des Moines Pubic School District was upheld a few years later in 1969, allowing students their right to express their beliefs more freely while in school. “The war in Vietnam was the big news story of the day. It was heating up, it was increasing in intensity and some of us went to Washington D.C. to protest the war,” John said. On the way back from D.C. they were talking about how they could continue to express their protest against the war. They heard there were other people around the world wearing black armbands, and they thought it was a good idea. So they did it, they went to their youth group and John told them the idea about the armbands and there were 30 people ready to wear the armbands the next day. At North High, John was the only one who wore the armband. Ross Peterson, a student at Roosevelt, wrote a story for his school newspaper about why they were wearing the armbands. Mary Beth, then at Harding Middle School, wore one as well. One reason they wore the armbands was to morn the deaths of the war in both North and South Vietnam. The second reason was to support Robert Kennedy and his idea of the “Christmas Truce.” The “Christmas Truce” was a cease fire during the Christmas time hoping that after Christmas, people would decided not to start the war up again. When Peterson wrote the story and it was sent to the faculty adviser, he took it to the principal. The principal at Roosevelt called all of the principals in the school district and they held a meeting. At that meeting, they prohibited the wearing of the black armbands, and Peterson’s article. The students didn’t care, they still wore those black armbands. John was suspended from North High on December 17, 1965 for wearing that black armband of peace.
Kenzie Schnathorst, sophomore, has her armband signed by John Tinker, a replica of the same one he wore. Photo Credit: Emily Acosta
“It’s hard to suppress a symbol,” John said. Their case was heard by the federal district court here in Des Moines, they lost at the state level. The judge said, “the school authorities have the right to make that rule.” They felt they were right to fight against it because students wore other symbols, such as religious symbols and political buttons. Some kids even wore the third Reich iron cross. The Tinkers wore the armbands to protest the war and it became a civil liberties case. Their case was noticed by the Supreme Court, and won. Now there is something called the Tinker Standard: “As long as the speech isn’t substantially disruptive, or impeaching on the rights of others. Then it’s okay.”
Mary Beth Tinker is shown a controversial piece published in The Oracle by the co-editors-in-chief Seniors Hannah McNichols and Tanna Jones. Photo Credit: Emily Acosta
World in awry from terror attacks
Paris attacks stir up questions on media coverage Emily Acosta & Kathleen Tran, Reporters
Nazar
Media coverage was constant within news outlets regarding the terrorist attacks in Paris. As soon as it had happened, social media responded by using hashtags like #PrayForParis and #PrayForTheWorld. Many Facebook users showed their love for the victims and people in Paris by changing their profile picture to
the French flag. As shocking as it was to happen where it did, why did this event get more acknowledgement compared to others? As mentioned, on November 13, 2015, a series of attacks, later claimed by ISIS, were simultaneously made by gunmen and suicide bombers in Paris, France, targeting the city’s nightlife spots such as a restaurant, a bar and a concert hall leaving 130 people killed. Fatima Nazar is a senior foreign exchange student from Morocco at North High School. Nazar shared her initial thought when hearing about the devastating news, “I wasn’t surprised”. She mentioned it has happened before. Just a day before the attacks in Paris, there were suicide bombings in Beirut that killed an estimated 40 people. There was the mass shooting of nearly 100 college students in Kenya. Both of these happened before the attack in France, but not too many people were or are aware of
them. As Nazar said, as sad as it is, shocking events like this happen often. Generally, the media focuses on the cities that attract more tourists or countries that are wealthier not giving much attention to the latter. This is apparent with the U.S. media as well. The U.S. tends to focus more on informing people about issues that are physically closer to them; the same goes for the U.K. media, which is what happened in the case of other ISIS attacks. The Paris attack made headlines quickly and lasted in the news for several days while the bombings in Beirut faded as soon as it was announced. People are just now starting to pay attention to these issues after this particular attack. Nazar addressed this as well, “Why are people now starting to do something about it? Why weren’t people doing something about it then?”
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opinions
Women in combat jobs: new or old issue?
Hannah McNichols, Editor-In-Cheif Historic and long overdue, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter’s decision to open all combat jobs in the military to women reflects the reality of what has already been happening in war for years. American women have been serving, dying and getting decorated for their heroism under fire the entire length of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. They have driven convoys while dodging enemy bullets, flown airplanes and helicopters, ministered as medics. Cultural support teams of women soldiers accompanying Army special-operations units were specially trained to interview and communicate with Iraqi and Afghan women who might resist cooperating with men due to cultural norms. Out of more than 6,600 U.S. military deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan, about 160 of those were women. The only jobs women couldn’t have were direct combat ones. Yet in these past wars without traditional front lines, combat found them anyway. The fact that Iraq and Afghanistan were 360 wars and women were involved spurred a reevaluation of women’s roles in the military. In November 2012, the American Civil Liberties Union filed
a lawsuit on behalf of four service women and the Service Women’s Action Network against the Department of Defense for its blanket rule excluding women from combat units and training schools.
Carter’s decision officially removes all restrictions on qualified women having jobs in direct combat or vying for positions on Navy SEAL teams and in other elite units. Getting to this decision took a while. In
January 2013, then Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said the ground combat exclusion should be lifted and directed the services to come up with plans to do so — or offer justifications why exclusions should continue. On Thursday, December 3, Carter said the only branch of service requesting an exception to the rule was the Marine Corps. That branch won’t get it, Carter said. After all these years, it’s good to see Carter’s decision go into effect swiftly and broadly. Consider that there’s literally no other area of public or civil service in this country that women are barred from. In law enforcement, they already carry guns and fire them when necessary. In Iraq and Afghanistan, women soldiers carry arms and fight back when under attack. It seems almost quaint that we’re even having this discussion. Yet, military combat may be the last totem of male superiority to topple. The resistance to gender integration in the military has generally been along the lines that it would undermine morale and “unit cohesion” — arguments made during every (ultimately successful) wave of integration in the military. And in terms of military close quarters — women already serve on submarines.
Not every Muslim is a terrorist Somerle Rhiner, Reporter When most people hear the word Muslim some think that they are terrorists and blame immigrants that are innocent because some of them decide to create damage. Let’s stop being judgmental and let Muslim people live their lives. It’s repulsive and stomach turning how people think by stopping the flow of having people come here that it’s going to stop violence. These people are being bashed all over when the only people to blame are the ones who are creating violence. These people go through so much in order to be a U.S. Citizen. We judge them based off the wrong-doing of others, who have nothing to do with them. Every race and religion creates crime, so why single out that Muslims as the dangerous ones? We all make mistakes. According to ClashDaily.com people are burning down mosques. But they dont know the cause of the fires just yet. Thats disrespecting their place of prayer. They shouldn’t have be scared to come outside because people will bash them, and they shouldn’t be scared to show their culture. They shouldn’t want to change their last names, change their
appearance, and lose their jobs because of the stereotypical views of others. As of right now, the United States is not letting any Syrians in because we are trying to “protect our safety”. They are coming here to be successful. not to be a problem. Telling these people they can’t come here because of stereotypical views is just wrong. If they don’t start trouble what is the point of denying them a better life? Not everyone is out there to target people. Refugees and Immigrants come from troubled countries to have a better life. I highly doubt that people that are in desperate needs are going to come here just to be sent back. I’ve heard that all they know is destruction, but thats incorrect. Some want to be successful and show the world that they are just as capable as everyone else. There are plenty of Muslims who have made a change and have proven they are here to strive for greatness. To stop having all terrorist attacks and any other destruction we should have laws that are strict. We shouldn’t have to deny everyone that wants to enter the U.S. because of some sterotypes. Lets just let them live their lives and be happy and successful.
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Steps to become a U.S. Citizen. Step 1: You have to see if you are eligible. Meaning you have to have a green card. Step 2: You have to pass the English and Historical test that they provide you. Step 3: You have to pay $595 to file the application of naturalization and another $85 for biometrics fees. Step 4: After waiting for a short period of time, you have to get your fingerprints done along with another more advanced background check. Step 5: You will have to get an appointment to see if you know that you pass the English and Historical test.
Step 6: If you pass all the tests and have no criminal backgrounds, you have to state an oath then you are able to receive a certificate of naturalization and you’re a U.S. Citizen.
OPINION
A Class in Classism
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Why you should respect service workers Taj Milton, Opinions Co-editor At North High, you don’t have to look very hard to see just how much custodians are taken for granted. There’s an overwhelming sense of an impertinent attitude among the student body in regards to those who keep this building clean. A discernible and unpalatable lack of respect is granted to the men and women who work late hours cleaning just so they can come back the next day and clean more disarray created by the student body. More often than not, janitorial staff is treated as less than or invisible all together. This kind of behavior towards people is insupportable. Every human being deserves to be treated with dignity. Respect is a human right and shouldn’t be based on a person’s profession. The way we often see people treat those such as custodians and lunch ladies is often based in classism. Which is defined as, “the differential treatment based on social or perceived social class. Classism is the systematic oppression of subordinated class groups to advantage and strengthen the dominant class groups. It’s the systematic assignment of characteristics of worth
and ability based on social class.” Though as teenagers, we typically don’t hold the economic power to financially oppress others. Through classism being so prevalent in our society, we’ve been conditioned to treat those we deem “inferior” to us, less humane or even like they simply don’t exist. This is classified as everyday classism. For example, how many times have you heard something along the lines of “Don’t worry about it, just let the janitor clean it
up.” Or see people blatantly ignore custodians or lunch ladies as if they are completely invisible? These types of actions are results of classist microaggresions. Which are the everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their race, sexual orientation, gender or in this case, class. Even though most microaggressions
presented to those such as custodians or lunch ladies are usually unintentional, that is in no way an excuse. It is up to you to not only discern your execrable actions, but to also correct them. If you make a mess, clean it. Speak to them and treat them like they’re people because guess what? That’s what they are. Smile at them, wave at them and most importantly say thank you. You may think these are small, unnoticeable things, but they have a huge impact.
“If you make a mess, clean it. Speak to them and treat them like they’re people because guess what? That’s what they are.”
Undoing the sports bias within North High and the lack of recognition they got was just unbelievable. Not to mention how What’s school spirit if it isn’t equally many times the comment “that’s gonna be given among sports teams? the only win of the season for them” was Here at North we have many sports for said. We have to be their support. It’s our students to participate in; soccer, swim- job. Varsity boys without a doubt know ming, volleyball, softball, baseball, bas- they have our support as a school, and ketball, and a few others. However out of they’re extremely confident and that’s all the sports we offer, no sport gets recog- great. At some point we have to make sure nized the our other way the “All of our sports teams are important, sports teams Varsity they make us who we are. Their hard are confiboy’s basdent and they k e t b a l l work cannot continue to go unnoticed, it know their doesn’t deserve to.” team does. important Of course too. We as the boys are good and they often make us a school don’t equally share our support. proud; but they aren’t the only team that A lot of hard work goes completely unbrings home wins. By the way they’re noticed. treated you’d think they’re the only team “We keep a positive attitude even here that does good. though we don’t get the positive recogniBoys varsity is given the privilege to get tion that they do”, said 11th grade Varsity all new gear every year; and let’s not fail cheerleader Marisela Aguilar. to mention the new locker room specifiAll of our sports teams are important, cally for them. they make us who we are. Their hard Their wants get met even if it means the work cannot continue to go unnoticed, it money is coming out of another activities doesn’t deserve to. The boys basketball budget. We’re aware of how hard Coach team is not any better than our other teams, Ryan works for his boys but just take a they’re not any more important, and they minute to think about the needs of the shouldn’t feel superior to any other team. other teams. Lets be honest, they do. If we as a school don’t support any other To answer my original question, school team but boys varsity who will? Our girls spirit that isn’t given equally among sports won a game for the first time since 2012 teams are biased, and completely wrong. Janiecia McCaleb, Reporter
Senior Dontre English goes for a layup on December 3, 2015, against the Ames Little Cyclones.
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Home is wher
Five North students tell their stories about seeking
K Baw Moo & Mu Paw Many people often take for granted the freedom they have like traveling and working. Thousands of refugees have lived confined in camps located in Thailand for many years seeking refuge from the violent attacks around them. Although refugee camps aren’t necessarily a place anyone would want to live in, thousands are born into the camps. For many youth, refugee camps are where they were born and where they grew up. K Baw Moo, sophomore, and Mu Paw, sophomore, were both originally from Thailand and can both remember very vividly the place they used to call home. “The housing was very different from here [America], it was like made out of the leaves and trees anything that was outside,” said Moo. “It was hard to live in Thailand because the war made life hard,” said Paw. Thailand has been trapped in a depressing cycle of violence. Radical groups are constantly fighting for power, a political uprising that is creating civil war between the people in Thailand. Many take to the streets to protest their opinions but are shut down quickly by unexpected shooting and violence, which is why many flee, to seek refuge in a safer environment for their families. In the camps, refugees have a very little opportunity to receive an education and no official means of earning an income. “My family came to America for a better education, in Thailand it is hard to learn,” said Moo. The issue for many young students is that they are only offered post-ten schools. The issue with post-ten schools is the fact that children there do not begin school until they are 10 years old, and most the learning before then would have to be taught by parents. Even then it’s difficult because parents are often working or haven’t received an education themselves making the life of a refugee even harder. Although there are many hardships when being a refugee, in the event that they are given the opportunity to leave and settle in America it’s almost a mixture of emotions good and bad for them. “I was scared coming to the US because it was all new. It was cool but scary, I didn’t know that much English and things were very different here then back home [Thailand], but it good because it was safe,” said Paw. Moo continues to describe his memories and says, “ I don’t remember much but it was different the people and homes it was different.” It is a completely new experience for refugees to live in a new country that has a better quality of life than to what they were accustom to and with this comes the opportunity for them to receive a better education and to be able to work again to support their families. Many have dreams of doing great things here in America, just like Paw, she explains, “I really like school, I want to be administration for a high school because the administration here helps me, I like helping people. I see myself after
K Baw Moo (left).
Mu Paw (right).
high school living with my mom but I hope to able to support them by going to college and working.” “I want to go to college and become an engineer, I like to fix cars and stuff like that,” said Moo. America, for many refugees may be a place to seek safety from their countries that might be filled with warfare and violence, but some eventually find a new meaning to what it really means to live in America. It’s more than seeking refuge, but instead, finding a new beginning.
Story by: Angelica Reyes
Rafeal Hernandez
Imagine waking up and looking outside your window seeing the hot sun, but dead bodies laying on your street, watching people kill each other. Senior Rafeal Hernandez, at the age of 16, his parents and his little sister left their life in Mexico behind when the war broke out. “There is many places where the war started, my neighbor was one of the soldiers, you could see the trucks outside my house,” Hernandez explains. They left Mexico to save themselves. Hernandez’s older sister still lives in Mexico to this day but plans to come to America soon. Hernandez believes moving here was the best thing. “It was unsafe and we have a lot of opportunities here [America],” he says. To come to America, Hernandez needed his passport and his visa, he described the process, “I went to other states in Mexico to get my passport and my visa, it wasn’t very hard.” Hernandez was scared when he first stepped foot on American soil because he didn’t know English. “I can be successful in my life now better than I could in Mexico.” When Hernandez came to America he says he felt “happy and safe, [but also] sad because I still miss Mexico.” His favorite thing about America is the places, he especially likes Oklahoma. Hernandez plans on staying in America for the rest of his life. He plans to get his diploma and to go to college. He wants to major in auto body and learn more about cars. Now he can look outside his window and see the cold winter weather that he loves. Story by: Aeris Heckman
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re the heart is
refuge in America and starting their new beginnings
Lessline Johnson You hear about the war torn devastating countries around the world, but you never hear about what living there felt like. You don’t get to know what moving around the world at the age of 10 to find a better life felt like, but you will. Lessiline Johnson, junior at North, was that kid. He was the one who saw war and came to America because his mother made a choice. “My mom wanted us to get out of the war and [have] a safe place for us to grow up and get a better life,” Johnson said. Johnson grew up in Sierra Leone, Africa, and when being asked if he had any memories he spoke few words, but gave a lot of information. “I can say it was the worst times.” Now this may seem like a little bit of information, but when you think about it, would you want to talk about what you’ve seen? You can only imagine the images that come to mind when he thinks of his old home. Johnson’s grandparents still continue to live in Africa. “My mom has contact, but I talk to them sometimes.” Going back may seem like a hard decision, but to Johnson it’s a no brainer. He says he would go back, “if I have the money.” You might ask why he would go back. “I made a promise to some people that I would come back and I won’t forget that, so I have to go back,” Johnson said. Stepping into a whole new country is like being on a different planet, so when Johnson talked about when he first stepped on American soil that’s exactly how he felt. “I was just happy and sad that there was no war, there’s no shooting, and all of that,” Johnson said “I thought it was a nice place were we could come to be free.” You would think that moving from war torn Africa to America it would be a different way of life without the war, but Johnson thinks different. “Here is the same as back home, it doesn’t matter where I come from, so I just want to go back,” Johnson said. After growing up with the war around you, getting away from it forever would probably be the biggest thing on your mind. For Johnson he wants the exact opposite. “I am trying to go into the National Guard. To serve my country,” Johnson said, talking of the U.S. Johnson has been through a tough life so far but the choice his mother made will help him fight against the war so others won’t have to live the life he did. Story by: Megan Bohall
Hodan Mohamed
Somalia, the horn of Africa, is a country that has been engulfed in chaos and civil war for years. It’s become clear that extremist and radical groups located in Somalia don’t respect people like Hodan Mohamed who just want to live in peace within their country. Born in Kenya but raised in Somalia, Mohamed describes her days in Somalia and says, “Scary, because it didn’t feel safe. Somalia was always fighting and stuff and still they are, that’s why I came to the U.S.” Often Somalia civilians are put in tough positions, to either flee the country or stay and endure the brutal attacks. Those who chose to leave can only travel with little to nothing and often have to leave their family behind. Mohamed reminisces on her time traveling to the United States and says, “Just one random day they posted a list of people to come and so we just waited a week then after that we had to leave to an office where we signed papers then we took a bus that took us to another town close to ours. After, we went to a place in Europe then they took us to a state of Denver, I think, then to Salt Lake City, Utah, and last year I came to Des Moines.” Even after going through a vigorous process to be come to the United States, refugees have a even harder time adjusting to the American culture and language. In most cases, refugees come to the U.S. not speaking a lick of English, which makes learning and finding a job difficult. Mohamed says, “I couldn’t speak English like until I was in fourth grade. I started school second grade so I had hard time learning and I had problems focusing on stuff so it took me really long time to learn English.” Even through all these difficulties, refugees manage to find hope in America. Mohamed says, “Moving to America was the best for me. I am glad I came because I met a lot of good people here it made me feel safe.” Story by: Angelica Reyes
Photo Credits: Amirah Avant
features
Teacher by day, Musician by night An inside look at the life of Mr. Andrews Madison Houska, Reporter If Mr. Andrews were a book, many would say they’ve already read it. If he was sheet music, they’d say they’ve heard the song so many times that they know it by heart. But if you took away the sheet music, and asked them to play it for you, they’d miss notes. So much that it wouldn’t come close to being an accurately mirrored image of his passion for teaching, his love for reading, and his unconditional love for music. Most people at North High school know him as a teacher. But behind every teacher’s “mask” there is a story. A personality. A passion. “In my free time I enjoy being with my friends and family and I do a lot of gigging, T.V./movies and videogames. And lately…coloring books for adults! It’s really relaxing. I look forward to starting kickboxing pretty soon too,” he said. His musical passion began with learning to play the guitar. He then switched to play bass in 8th grade because their middle school jazz band needed one and he had already learned the foundation by playing the guitar. “I wanted to learn because I wanted to be in the jazz band and I loved music so much, but I wanted to stop playing trumpet. However I enjoyed it while it lasted, I just didn’t feel that connection,” he said. Although he started on the guitar and bass, the love for music that Andrews has acquired began long before that. When asked who his biggest inspiration as a musician was, Andrews said “My Grandpa Mike who I never got to meet. My mom tells me he played the heck out of the guitar though, and that he was so happy when he played. I wish I could’ve met him to play a song with him, but I know he’s proud of me, and his blood’s in my veins so he’s apart of me when I play.” Mr. Andrews is one of the five members in a new band called Crosstown DSM. “We named it that because all of us are from the Des Moines area but we live in different parts of town. Beyond that, it’s about us connecting with different people in the area and even across the country, but we all have Iowa in common,” he said. “I actually had a minor in jazz studies, and through that I met Nate and we started our band,” Andrews added.
Andrews loves being in a band because he loves being creative and making people smile. He also enjoys the sense of community. “You meet people and they come see you and then you go see their shows, and there’s just a sense of family by playing in Des Moines,” said Andrews. The band typically takes songs that they love or feel that people would enjoy and then use their own jazz backgrounds to turn those songs into something unique. “Our usual song routine is our singer will do the verses and then chorus of the song while we play in the background, and then she takes a step back and to let the band just jam and groove while different musicians in the group do their solos,” he said. Andrews then added, “you just feel each song in the moment and go with that feeling. Music is a conversation, and the more we play together, the better that conversation between us becomes.” During the summer Crosstown DSM has gigs all over the metro pretty steadily. One example being the farmers market. “We do not gig a lot during the school year because it’s just not possible and we all are more than okay with that. Teaching is my career and my love, and music will always come second to that. So we only gig during the school year once every few months or so,” he said. His end goal is that he wants the band to stay together and keep doing what they are doing, but just to mix it up and develop their sound and their following even more. “I’ve GOT TO GET the one and only, North High’s own Mr. Hill to come jam with us sometime on his trumpet or bass. That man knows music, and I want to collaborate with him as soon as possible. I have so much fun talking to him about music, and he’s been to one of our shows. We’ll connect sometime soon and make it happen, cause it’s going to be awesome,” he said. Andrews has this advice, “If you are involved in any kind of music at North (or any kind of extracurricular, sport, activity or passion that you have, for that matter), my advice to all of you is this: don’t let it go. Keep it with you in whatever way works for you. The things that you love and enjoy should always be in your heart, and if they’re in your heart, you’ve never lost them. So I’ll leave you with this: someday down the road when you’re at a different place in your life, get that instrument or your voice back out of its box and bring it back. It’ll feel like it never left,” he said with ease.
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Features
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Shelby Sonderleiter prepares a winning meal consisting of chicken with saffron cream sauce, green bean almondine, and classic pilaf rice placing third at the Art Institute of Washington DC. Photo courtesy: Central Campus Culinary Arts
Shelby Sonderleiter Cooking from the heart Tanna Jones, Editor In Chief From the classroom to the kitchen, senior Shelby Sonderleiter has been perfecting her skills in culinary arts since she started high school. With such a busy schedule as it is, she is currently taking Culinary 2, Culinary based math and an AP nutrition class. Working full time and studying, she doesn’t have much time to participate in any high school events. Taking away for her high school experience. She has competed in many different competitions. Shelby and her team were picked to represent Iowa at Nationals for the FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) culinary arts competition, winning a silver metal by cooking chicken with a mustard cream sauce, broccoli with classic rice and to end it with a apple danish trifle. The most challenging thing she’s had to do was prioritizing what she wanted and what she needed to do to accomplish her goals in life. Throughout this whole experience Shelby was constantly giving up so much time in the social world to focus on what’s next.
She has two mentors, Jay Veers and John Anders, helping her to perfect her skills and giving her advice guiding her throughout the way. “I got into culinary arts by just thinking about traveling the world doing what I love, which is cooking,” says Sonderleiter. She has already had plans going to DMACC and getting her associates degree. Shelby has been offered a spot at Le Cordon Bleu for four years total, spending two of those years in California and the other two in Paris but has not made up her mind about going. With such a wonderful opportunity at her fingertips she doesn’t want to move so far way from her family even though that’s her dream. Le Cordon Bleu maybe one of the most prestigious college of culinary arts and is very hard to get accepted into. Still being undecided she has to eventually pick if she will venture out of the four corners of her home state, Iowa.
Sonderleiter poses with Molly Resmin, senior at Lincoln (left), and Linzee Abuhl, North graduate of 2015 (right) at the Family Community and Career Leaders of America Nationals Award Ceremony in Washington DC. The ceremony was held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The three go on to win a bronze metal nationally, 1st in Iowa. Photo courtesy: Central Campus Culinary Arts
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Coleman showcases a wall of different newspapers from events in history. Photo Credit: Laura Christensen
Brandon Coleman
Perspective on how reading can help students Laura Christensen, Reporter Brandon Coleman, history teacher at North High School, wants to write a book as an accomplishment some day. “I think that books teach people things in a way that no other median can. Books can open up ideas and imaginations to teach people like no other thing,” Coleman said. He is passionate about when students work hard. When they work hard they can accomplish more and get done what they need to be successful. Coleman didn’t always want to be a teacher he started out wanting to major in business but switched over to teaching during his freshmen year of college because he realized that teaching was a better choice for him. “I didn’t want to spend my life just wanting to make money. So I decided I could go into teaching because I could make a difference,” Coleman said. Coleman attended Drake University in Des Moines. He played football there but focused more on becoming a teacher. “It’s harder to get noticed by NFL teams when I went to such a smaller college,” he said. After he got out of college he taught at St. Charles East. He said it was difficult to leave but he was glad to come to North. “A proud moment when I was over there was when I had to tell my students I wasn’t coming back next year. Like it’s really hard to get up every morning and be there by 6:30 but
then in the end they were really sad to see me leave and I guess that kind of stood out as proud moment because it seemed like I made an impact on their lives,” Coleman said. When asked why he came to North he said, “Two reasons, my wife and I love Des Moines, it’s a sweet place to be and downtown’s awesome. This place is succeeding despite all those things. The teachers and the administration are working together to make this a better place and I want to be a part of that.” Apart from teaching history here at
North he helps with FCA on Fridays and is a part of the building leadership team, which means he gets to see how students and teachers are handling different situations in the classroom. Once Coleman starts working at a new school he said, “The hardest part isn’t about the students and the class work it’s about finding your way around, which doors are open when, what copiers work, where the paper is, and where to park.” Lastly, when asked if he has any advice for students who want to become a teacher he said, “I would say- this is the
Coleman helps a group of students prepare for presentation on World War II. Photo Credit: Laura Christensen
best advice I’ve ever gotten and I have to tell myself this everyday is don’t take yourself as a teacher too seriously because there are going to be days where it’s so easy to think you have to have the perfect lesson planned. And every kid has to get everything you say but really at the end of the day the kids aren’t going to remember everything about the Cold War, for example, they’re going to remember how I made them feel and about who they are and who they want to be.”
Five interesting facts about Mr. Coleman you might not know: 1. He has recorded multiple hip-hop tracks. 2. He reads the Lord of the Rings series at least once a year. 3. He talked to the Vikings and Rams about the possibility of playing professional football. 4. He is teaching himself to play the guitar. 5. He is deathly allergic to sesame seeds.
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CReative_Arts
What’s next for the drama department? derstand how cool it is to be in a musical production. It also lets them know how much work it takes to be in a production,” he said. “And I think we’re going to see a lot of new faces on stage in spring, which is exciting.” In the past, there hasn’t been very many people who would audition to be in the musicals. The group of seniors that are
Daniela Hernandez, Creative Arts Co-editor
With its production of Peter Pan, the North drama department received great praise and sold more tickets than any other show to this day. A big part of this was the involvement in North feeder elementary and middle schools, and the dedication of the cast. But what comes next? Mark Rixner, theatre arts teacher, gave us a heads-up on the show that may top even Peter Pan’s success. “The spring play is a big deal, auditions are February first, and that’s going to be a comedy production of a show called ‘You Can’t Take It With You,’” he said. Rixner said the outlook is busy not only for the spring comedy but also as large group contests start in January. He explained how students can compete. “Where kids get the chance to compete in different events on stage, then there is an individual contest where they can compete by themselves,” he said. The success from the first show impacted the future for the drama department by allowing students to see how much fun it is to be on stage. “It really inspired a whole new group of kids who have never been on stage before or have been on very little to really un-
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Sports Kenzie Schnathorst, Co-Opinions Editor Privileged or unprivileged? People might say that some sports at North High are more privileged than others, while other people say they are equally privileged. Privileged, meaning they get more attention, more recognition, more materials, etc. In this article you will read different perspectives, and opinions from both genders, and a variety of sports at North High. “Everything at North should have equal funding. We care about winning, or preforming well, but we can’t do that without the materials to do so,” said Cheyann Neades, junior cheerleader. Baseball vs. Softball Senior and Varsity Softball Player Justina Negrete says, “In my opinion, the baseball team is more privileged than softball, but at the same time they aren’t more privileged than softball. For the softball team having a better record than baseball, we don’t get anything. We get left in the back. I believe it’s due to them having a bigger outcome with players on the baseball team. But at the same time if they work hard and fundraise for what they get then they deserve to get what they want and need. The softball team hasn’t had new uniforms in years, and I don’t know why but a few seasons ago we did really good and still didn’t get anything for the hard work and dedication. It’s time for the softball team to get equally treated on the field repairs and uniforms and equipment.” Junior and Varsity Baseball Player Kameron Russell says, “I do believe there are certain privileges that the guys enjoy, that the girls don’t get. However, it’s the same for them in certain aspects. For example, we had games that were out of town that we had to carpool to whereas they received a bus. So I do think that there are different things that each team is privileged with. I believe that they should be able to get team bats as well, that’s something that should be done. There are people on the team who don’t have bats of their own, and having team bats would be a helpful solution to that problem.” Russell goes on to say, “As far as the guys’ uniforms go, we’ve been in the same uniforms for as long as I can remember, I believe it is time for an update. I can’t speak on the girls’ uniforms because I don’t know exactly how long they’ve had the current ones, but I believe that if they are old their uniforms should be updated as well.” Junior and Varsity Baseball Player Andrew Phillips says, ““We don’t just focus on baseball we focus on making ourselves better men.”
Are North’s sports biased? Girls vs. Boys Basketball Senior and Varsity Basketball Player Jaylen Trotty says, “It’s really cool getting new things, like our locker room and our warm ups, and shoes. But we are just really blessed and just thankful to receive these things. I wouldn’t say the guys’ basketball team is more privileged, only because I believe we earned everything we have gotten. I also believe that the girls’ team should receive more things as well. It might actually motivate them to do better. Sophomore and Varsity Girls Basketball Player Lationna Robinson says, “The guys basketball getting their new locker room and the girls not having one isn’t fair, not one bit. And not only for the girls basketball, but for every other sports team at North. The boys basketball team gets all the money spent on them and no other sports team gets anything. The guys basketball are way more privileged, because only they can use the locker room. If things are the ‘Polar Bear Way’, and we are all a family, we should all have equal rights to things. Not only the girls feel this way. Compared to every other sport at North, they get treated like princes. They don’t even have to pay for their warm-ups or shoes, while the girls have to buy both. We need to be the ‘family’ that they say we are.” Sophomore and Junior Varsity Basketball Player Jaihon McCaleb says, “In my opinion, the guys’ basketball team is not more privileged than the girls’. It’s just a matter of fact that the guys’ coach does more for the guys then the girls’ coach does for them, in order for them to get the things they want. We deserve the locker room that we received, and all the other things we receive as well. Coach Ryan puts all of his effort into the team. I do think the girls should get their own locker room, but that means their coach needs to strive to get those types of things for his girls. That way they can get the things the guys get. I also believe that’s why they get less recognition.” Junior and Varsity Girls Basketball Player Shamekia James says, “The boys basketball gets more than any other sport at North, not just basketball. If we are socalled a family, why do the guys get all the money put towards them? The new locker room is cool and all, but only those guys get to use it. It’s not fair to the other guys in the school that it’s only for basketball. The guys take all the food provided for the athletes after their practice. They get charter busses while the girls get school busses. They don’t even act like they want any of it. They always mess around while the girls work their butts off. They do earn some of it but they are completely spoiled. Coach Ryan treats them like his own children and that’s family. But at other times you have to know when to draw the line.”
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Football Senior and Varsity Football Player Cameron Hansen says, “I feel it is a privileged sport but equally as privileged as many others. I believe this because yes, the team does get some privileges but not a lot. A lot of stuff the team gets is from people in the community giving the team money. We don’t get new uniforms or new equipment every year, most of the teams pads were breaking because of the use over the years and a lot of our practice pads, pads we hit, are ripped up and most of our machines are also. You can find many other sports are like this as well. Basketball and football both are a little more privileged than other sports, because we do normally get more praise than other teams because we are bigger influence in the school on students rather than tennis, golf and other sports.”
Cameron Hansen Volleyball Senior and Varsity Volleyball Player Jodecy Petithory says, “I don’t think it’s fair that volleyball isn’t recognized like basketball and football. I think it’s because it is volleyball. People don’t really think that volleyball is as important as basketball or football, but volleyball is just as important. Especially if you love the game. I also really wished we would get our team pictures on the video board. It would get us recognized and not only that but it would make us feel like we matter. I don’t think it’s fair. We may not be as good as the other sports at North, but we should still get recognized. We support our school they should support us volleyball players as well.” We all have our opinions, some may be the same or just similar, but some will be completely different. As you have read, there are many different views on how North may give privilege or not give privilege to specific sports at school. Some sports may have more because they do more to earn it. Some may have less because they don’t do enough. Everyone will look at these things and have their own opinions. So what’s yours?
Privileged, or unprivileged?
Tweet @NorthHighOracle your opinion!
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