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JULS AND BOBO Central’s first service dog and how he’s helping a young girl follow her dreams pages 10-11
SEASON CONCLUSION Blue Devils’ fall sports season wrap-up with stats and awards pages 12-13
SPROUTS & SCHOLARS Students create garden outside of school’s cafeteria page 9
MARCHING BAND WRAP-UP Victorious Marching Blue Devils 2013 season comes to a close page 17
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Journalism students compete in Boston
5
Chad Pregracke
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The Dungeon
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Central welcomes new principal
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Get to know foreign exchange student
14
Winter preview
15
The Real Brady Street Bunch
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Spotlight Sport: Archery
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Once Upon a Mattress
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App reviews
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No bad blood for Bastille
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Hunger Games trilogy heats up
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Musicians perform at All-State
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Problems with P.E.
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Christmas infographic
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Updating public education
Letter from the editor It’s true; the Blackhawk staff and I have done the impossible. We’ve done what man has cautioned against since the dawn of time, something more blasphemous than counting your chickens or starting a new Netflix series on finals week. You’re hearing it here first, folks. We reinvented the wheel.
Although, if I’m being honest, I’ve got to say that it’s not much of a surprise. Humans have been changing the original recipe to the wheel for ages. We’ve hooked it up to horses, handlebars, chariots, and engines, opting for sweet rims and chrome plates instead of wooden spokes in our later redesigns. There was some guy in Britain who tried to turn it into a cube or something, too, which I can’t say was the greatest plan but I catalogued it into my brain anyways. Society’s come a bit of a way since the first stone wheel, to say the very least. I’m not suggesting that the Blackhawk’s been around long enough that our first publication was carved out of stone slabs or that my editor-in-chief ancestors ever went by Caveman Steve. No, our newspaper’s only a newborn in comparison, with just a rough hundred years or so under its belt. However, as any engineer or auto mechanic will tell you, even the best constructed wheels become worn out over the years and need to be updated and reinstituted. This is why, for the first time in our paper’s history, we’re making the switch from black-and-white newsprint and going to a full-color magazine. The Blackhawk staff has taken off our old tires and gotten ready to carve out some new ones. I hope our feat has colored the Central staff and student body impressed as we roll out our first-ever in-color magazine publication.
Susan Dircks - Editor-in-Chief Jacob Lamantia - Managing Editor Rebecca Pogue - News Editor Claire Trimble - Features Editor Savannah Moeller - Sports Editor Cassidy Jarrett - Arts & Entertainment Editor Luke Eure - Viewpoints Editor Daniel Nunez - Marketing Editor Zoie Pena - Designer Arika Allen - Writer Selena Flores - Writer Colin Hawkinson - Writer Justin Sanchez - Writer Will McKay - Photojournalist Dominick Pena - Photojournalist Madisen Hovey - Photojournalist Lydia King - Photojournalist Clint Balsar - Adviser
The Blackhawk is published four times a year from Central High School, 1120 Main St. Davenport, IA 52803. The content is produced by students, and it does not represent the view of the Davenport Community School District or its employees. The Blackhawk is an open forum and welcomes signed letters to the editor. We are a member of the Iowa High School Press Association. Also visit www.theblackhawkonline.com
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NEWS Journalism students compete in Boston Will McKay
With a flight leaving the Quad City International Airport, the newspaper and yearbook students of Davenport Central High School boarded for Boston for the National High School Journalism Conference on Nov. 13. They attended seminars of all sorts and participated in their registered write-off competitions. Over 5,500 students from all over the country attended the conference, from as close as Iowa City to as far away as Hawaii and Texas. The newspaper adviser, Clint Balsar, and yearbook adviser, Sarah Ebener, were the chaperones of the trip. The students were able to experience the lifestyle and history of Boston by walking around the city and visiting different historical monuments. Senior Susan Dircks and junior Rebecca Pogue were both awarded an honorable mention for their entries in the write-off competitions. Both of these girls are part of the Blackhawk Newspaper staff for Davenport Central. Dircks was awarded in the category of commentary writing and Pogue was awarded in the category of news writing. Ultimately, the trip was a success and an incredible experience for everyone who attended.
Check out the crowing of the 2013 Homecoming Queen, Naomi Elias.
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I ran into every hardship you can imagine, but I didn’t take no for an answer.” Rebecca Pogue You are driving across the I-74 bridge. Well, at least trying to. Traffic is backed up for the entire bridge; are they really doing construction again? Doing your best to avoid catching a glance in your mirror of the obscenely frustrated man in the car behind you, you look out toward the river. “Hmm,” you notice, “I guess it does look sort of beautiful.” For that, you can thank Chad Pregracke, CNN’s Hero of the Year.
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I don’t think high school students know how powerful they are, especially when they get behind a cause.”
Pregracke, an East Moline native, has dedicated his life to cleaning and maintaining the Mississippi River for the past 15 years. His nonprofit organization, Living Lands & Waters, has collected over 7 million pounds of trash with the help of 70,000 volunteers nationwide. This wide base of volunteers, as well as interested citizens all across the country, recognized Pregracke’s dedication by voting for him as the recipient of CNN’s Hero of the Year Award. He received $50,000 for being named in the Top 10, and $250,000 for being named the Top Hero. He has already pledged
$10,000 of his award to each of the other Top 10 winners. Growing up on the Illinois banks of the Mississippi, he was distraught by the growing piles of garbage and debris polluting the river. He created Living Lands & Waters to mend the damage already done and get people passionate about the sanitation of the river. This passion from Pregracke and supporters is the driving force that keeps the organization moving. High school students can learn a great deal from Pregracke’s success. He even complimented the Central Sprouts and Scholars students, saying, “It’s a great thing the students are doing, and I just wanted to say that I wish more people would think outside of the ‘box’ like those students have!” Pregracke began by making a small difference in his community. By embracing the potential of his passion, he’s changed the country forever.
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THE DUNGEO
Luke Eure and Rebecca Pogue A legendary chamber entombed deep within the bowels of Central, “the dungeon” is shrouded in mystery. Memorable to generations of Blue Devil alums, it remains mere folklore to our current student population, who know very little about the actual function, location, and story behind it. Rumor has it, there are several different ways to access the dungeon. Hidden inside the maze of the boys George Marshall Gym locker room, there lies a large, cryptic framework staircase that leads downward. A trespassing student at the bottom of these stairs would stand before a sandpit. Colossal concrete pillars support the weight of the school above. Half of a track runs around the room, ramping up in the corners, but the other half of the room was built over with the addition of first floor rooms that are now used for ROTC. The lofty ceilings give the room an abandoned industrial feel, riddled with unexplained objects like kayaks, a massive variety of dusty old trophies, and a lonely twin mattress.
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Prior to some major construction projects in the school, the dungeon was a commonly used area for students. At the time, it was simply known as “the indoor track”. It was accessible to all students and was frequently used by the track team during the early spring, before it was warm enough to practice outside. Besides the track itself, which is a portion of the full track size, the area provided a space to practice the pole vault, long jump, and high jump. It was also used for gym classes and as a storage area for mowers and groundskeeping supplies. The dungeon became largely inaccessible after the addition of the new gym and first floor classrooms. Central’s aged building has seen many renovations since its establishment more than 100 years ago. In 1984, the Berry Addition was built, which included a new cafeteria and several classrooms. It connected the main building with George Marshall Gym, rendering the legendary tunnel, another Central architectural relic, obsolete.
ON
heating structure. After years of extensive use, the thermostats became dysfunctional. “Each morning, a custodian would go down to the fan room and prop open the vents that would lead to each room. The heat of the rooms were regulated by how open these vents were,” he described. The hallways were lined with wooden lockers, each with a separate key that a student would use to open the locker. This proved to be hazardous as small fires broke out on a few occaAccording to Fisher, most of the south side of the sions. building used to be very different. The space that Although the physical building has seen many renovations since its original opening in 1907, is now the cafeteria used to be a grassy area. Central’s historical spirit remains intact. Even There were trailers that some classes were held after the legends are dispelled, a curious aura in, as well as other buildings similar to Kemper Hall. The swimming pool used to be a rifle range dwells in the deepest alcoves of the school, for the ROTC program. “We also had a fan room awaiting discovery. on the lower floor between the tunnel entrance and the cafeteria,” said Fisher. This room housed boilers that were used to heat the building. At the time it was built, this was a state-of-the-art Before the addition, this tunnel was the only indoor route from the school to the gym and was used often between classes. Don Fisher, Central’s principal from 1979 to 1993, watched many of these changes take place. “(The tunnel) was lighted of course,” said Fisher, “and one of the things that students would do was break out the light bulbs so the tunnel would be completely black. We had to get light bulbs made by the space program to solve that problem.”
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Central welcomes new principal Susan Dircks One of Central’s most important introductions for the 2013-14 school year has been the change of administration, and we welcome Scott McKissick as our new principal. McKissick attended Western Illinois University for both his undergraduate and graduate degrees, and later the University of Iowa as well for his Certification of Administration. He’s been a school administrator for around twenty years, in multiple districts and at a number of levels, from an elementary school teacher to a college instructor. He has been in the Davenport
Get to know Central’s foreign exchange student Claire Trimble
Davenport Central was lacking foreign exchange students until word was received in mid-September that Danesh Badlani would be arriving in the U.S. from Karachi, Pakistan to spend the 2013-14 school year here at Central. His home town, Karachi, is located in the southern part of Pakistan. It is one of the most populous cities of Pakistan and borders the coastline of the Arabian Sea. “I am a pure Pakistani,” said Badlani, “[and] I am a proud Pakistani.” In Karachi, he attends a private school, one much larger than Central. Each day he attends eight 45 minute classes and studies things such as economics and business. He also participates in 3 sports at his school: ping pong, cricket, and soccer. Badlani is involved in Gardening Club, Photography Club, Video Club and English Literary Club. Before heading to Davenport, Badlani stopped in Washington, DC, where he visited the White House, the Capitol building and the American History Museum. “All in all Washington, DC was amazing,” he said. While at Central, Badlani plans to take part in swimming and soccer. “I would love to try American football as well,” he said, “because we don’t have that in Pakistan.” He is also involved in International Club and Key Club. He is looking forward to experiencing things unique to America, such as Halloween. He is curious to see what this holiday is about and how it is celebrated. Badlani is also eager to attend various events at Central, such as the football games. When asked about his first football game, he answered, “It was amazing and fun. And the band, they were extremely good. We also have that band in Pakistan but they were not that good.” So far, Badlani’s time at Central has been positive. “People are really good here in America, as far as I know,” he said, “they are all supportive, caring and they are very nice. They are all ready to help you at any time, any where.” The Blackhawk will be featuring our other foreign exchange students as running stories in upcoming subsequent issues.
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FEATURES Community School District for a total of about 16 years, even as a Central staff member for a period of time. He was once a coach and a Driver’s Education instructor for our former Blue Devils. With the school year quickly progressing, McKissick has multiple goals about the education progress and how to be of service to students and staff. He believes that a successful principal is an instructional leader and a great listener to the student body and faculty. As the new head of Central administration, he intends to better our current student performance and to improve instruction in the classroom. As Iowa’s high school dropout rate continues to climb, with Davenport’s amongst the highest, McKissick hopes to stress the importance of high school and college degrees for students’ futures as adults. He’s very mindful of the history in our building, which is important to a school with over a hundred years in its back pocket. “From what I can see in the short time I’ve been at Central,” said McKissick, “there’s a wonderful culture here demonstrated by both students and staff.” So far, McKissick says his experience at Central has been wonderful. “I just feel blessed to be able to lead this building, and I’m excited about the opportunity to help,” said McKissick. “I look forward to great things from our students and staff.”
Gail Heninger, the group’s adviser, said she also wants to apply for another grant to purchase a grill and picnic tables to place near the garden, as well as a shed to hold supplies and equipment.
Sprouts & Scholars Selena Flores Pablo Haake, Kelsey Hovey, Caitlyn Oliger, and Hannah Hansen make up “Sprouts and Scholars,” the group of students that have worked to create the garden which is now on the terrace outside the cafeteria. Plants will be planted near April when the weather gets warmer, but at the moment the students are experimenting; the tray of seedlings in the library is a pre-test, to learn more about what plants the students want to use and how much water and sunlight they need to thrive. The students put in a lot of effort to get this intact. They’ve teamed up with our school’s food service manager, Linda Lowder, to use some of the garden’s veggies in the cafeteria. Many volunteers have assisted with the overall creation of the project, like helping them create the blueprint of the garden, and also helping the students figure out what supplies they needed and how it was going to be built overall. The $800 grant helped to pay for the wood to build the garden beds, soil and other supplies.
The students encourage the whole school to get involved and for any class or club to put the garden to use. We are the only high school in the district who has a student run garden.
Go check out the Blackhawk Online for more stories and photos on big events!
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12.18.13 The Blackhawk 9
A girl and her dog:
Juls and Central’s first service dog, Bobo Susan Dircks
It’s said that the bond between a girl and her dog is a lifelong relationship that is concentrated on affection, loyalty, and compassion. When freshman Juls Hance received her service dog Bobo this summer, they had an almost immediate connection that has allowed them to become true companions and supporters to each other, and has helped her towards an incredible high school experience.
show him how to remain by her side in crowded, busy atmospheres.
Juls was diagnosed with Williams Syndrome over 12 years ago, a genetic condition that affects an estimated 1 in 10,000 people worldwide. WS is characterized by a number of medical problems, such as cardiovascular disease, developmental delays, and learning disabilities, which are also contrasted with natural verbal abilities, highly social personalities and an affinity for music. Anyone who’s met Juls can see that she’s social, friendly and endearing, which are commonly found traits in people who’ve been diagnosed with WS. “I don’t have a mean bone in my whole body” said Juls, grinning.
Bobo was two years old by the time he was ready to move into the Hance household, and he officially became a part of the family in the early summer of 2013. By this time, he had learned a massive number of commands, including sit, stay, cover me, hug, lap, and stand, which are all used by Juls in the different situations that require them. Iowa law states that he’s allowed to go anywhere in public as a service dog, which is defined as an animal who is “individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.” Therefore, he was tethered to her from the very start, helping her with issues like her anxiety and her lack of depth perception, which is very troubling on stairs.
Two years ago, Juls’ parents, Laura and Dan, decided that getting a service dog would be good for Juls, who sometimes struggles with anxiety. Before finding Bobo, they tried to choose between another two golden retriever and yellow lab possibilities, but “their personalities didn’t end up matching what she needed.” However, a perfect match came in the form of Bobo, a yellow Labrador puppy from the Quad Cities Canine Assistance Network at the University of Augustana. “You just don’t know until the dog is ready,” said Laura, “that the dog is going to be a good fit.” Also known as the “Viking Pups,” Bobo was trained by Augustana for a number of different tasks and positions alongside twenty or thirty other dogs at every practice. During teaching sessions, Juls would order him to do the tasks that the trainer tells her to do, and also take him to places such as the mall and restaurants to integrate him into public life and
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“At first it was almost like Jules having a baby,” said Laura. “I was like, ‘Oh my god,” because… we weren’t used to having somebody be with you all the time, and it was a big adjustment. And now, they’ve just really bonded.”
“It’s awesome being in class with Bobo,” said Juls, as she affectionately patted Bobo beside her. “He likes to snore, just all the time, and it makes me feel good when he’s sleeping there next to me. Sometimes, he’s just so curious, and he just sits and watches the class.” While he might act like an average student sometimes, he’s still working while he’s in the school. If something were to come up to make her feel anxious, he can do the lap command underneath her desk. In the event that she feels uncomfortable around another person, she can say, “Cover me,” which lets him know that he needs to step in front of her. Students should also remember that when Bobo is wearing his harness or vest, he is working, and he should not be pet by anyone except for Juls.
When Bobo’s off duty, he transforms into your average young, eager dog in an instant. “If we take all his stuff off and take him out back, he’s crazy. He’s super fast and very agile,” laughed Laura. He can’t stand to be apart from her, and once ran through a screen door the second his vest was removed just to be right beside her. Amongst his favorite after-work activities are fetch, cardio, and pulling the pillows out from underneath Juls’ head in the morning to wake her up. Just like Juls, he struggles with his own fears, particularly motors like those of motorcycles and buses. However, once he’s in the vehicle, he likes to stick his head out the window and ride with his ears to the wind. Having Bobo by her side has allowed Juls to have a high school experience just like anyone else. As the first service dog to ever “attend” a school in the Davenport Community School District, they’re both dealing with new, untouched waters that have never been approached before. Together, Juls and Bobo have been involved with the Environmental Club, the fall musical, Once Upon a Mattress, as supporting princesses and the royal dog, respectively, and are part of the crew for Central’s show choir, Blue Vibes, whose winter and spring season is fast approaching. On top of those, she does pageants, such as the Miss Amazing pageant in March, which is based off of interview and eveningwear, two of Juls’ favorite things. Bobo even went to Homecoming with Juls, dressed in a blue bowtie with polka dots and a cursive B on it. “I have a lot of friends that say ‘you and Bobo are a cute couple’,” giggled Juls. Ultimately, the experience of having Bobo has been incredible and has given Juls opportunities she’d never have thought she’d ever have. “Everybody out in the world that needs somebody to love him or trust him,” said Juls,” and Bo’s there to help me no matter what. Bobo, for me, knows his stuff and makes me feel so happy and makes me love him so much… Really, Bo’s there to help me, and I love him for it.”
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When he’s at home, he’s just so funny. He likes to play around when he’s off his leash and he’s comfortable, and he likes to wake me up by jumping on me, into all my pillows and blankets”, laughed Juls, sitting next to a snoring Bobo. “He likes to play fetch and run a hundred miles per hour.” 12.18.13 The Blackhawk 11
SPORTS
Blue Devils 4-6 Football
Justin Sanchez The Varsity football team ended their season on Wednesday, October 30 with a loss in the first round of playoffs to Davenport Assumption, who was later knocked out of the state running contention by Cedar Rapids Kennedy Since the Blue Devil loss, every MAC team has been knocked out of a chance to win state. Senior Devon Brown finished the season with 121 carries for 672 yards and four touchdowns. He led the team in rushing yards and also played defense for the Blue Devils. Junior Tony Marshall had 129 carries for 621 yards, and nine touchdowns. He led the team in scoring. Both Brown and Marshall shared the title of the All-Conference Third Team running back and have been recognized as strong athletes. Senior Cameron Fairchild had eight tackles for a loss in the season and received an honorable mention by the MAC along with senior Thomas Corbin. Senior Jacob Behrendt led the team in tackles finishing his senior year with 64 tackles. He qualified for the All-Conference Second Team middle linebacker. Junior Brady Cartee was also recognized on the Second Team of the All-Conference selections as a utility player. Cartee played safety, quarterback, punter, and punt returner. Junior Rodney Levi also qualified for a Second Team position as defensive end and ended the season with four sacks and numerous tackles for a loss. Junior Justin Sanchez was also recognized on the Second Team of the All Conference; he made 28 of his 29 extra points, four of his five field goals, and had 13 touchbacks. Although Central’s season is over, they have already started preparations for next year, which is sure to be a Blue Devil season.
Boys and Girls Cross Country Savannah Moeller
This year’s Cross Country Blue Devils had two participants in the state meet. Senior Mason Tope finished 17th at state; it was his best time of the season and he was first in the MAC to finish. Freshman Bella Zepeda finished 68th out of 113 partcipants and was the 15th fastest freshman at the state meet. She was also the fourth fastest freshman in the conference this year. The other seniors for the boys team were Matthew Smith, Roy Schindler, Jacob Heber, Tylar Buck, Jayvon Matthews, Mitch Berendes, Matt Dennis, Aaron Gehrke, Sam Nowachek, Van Mielenhausen, Drew Richter, Nick Moeller, Robert Riley, Jesse Trujillo, and Jacob Lamantia. The seniors for the girls team were Naomi Elias, Kate Pearson, Sarah Kersten, and Danielle Baresel. Both teams competed and finished towards the top of the MAC this year, and they have upcoming juniors that are prepared to get lightning quick times next year.
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5-22 Girls Volleyball
Savannah Moeller The girls volleyball team this year was lead by seniors Reagan Menke, Aly Knutsen, Tanasha Atwater, and Tadaisha Thornton. The girls worked hard this season by having extra practices, team bonding in the mornings, and they got in the weight room at least once a week. The team got help especially from their juniors and a couple of freshmen. The volleyball girls are very dedicated, and played and practiced in the off season. Way to go ladies!
Boys Golf Savannah Moeller The boys golf team competed in 11 matches this year. They averaged 160 points per nine hole match as a team and 343 points per 18 hole match as a team. Seniors this year were Matt Moran, Bryce Kerney, Jordan Miller, and Sam Strochin.
Girls Swimming
Savannah Moeller The girls swim team this year came in second in the MAC. Lead by seniors Kristina Seier, Jordan Miller, Grace Voellinger, and Maddie Suetter, the girls bonded as a team this year. “We were like a family!� says Seier, even adding that there were girls from other schools, like Assumption, that swam in the Central suit. Through their close relationship with each other, the team worked hard in practice and it definitely showed in the pool. The team has never been this tightly knit, and hopefully next year their season will be just as great, if not even better.
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Winter Preview Jacob Lamantia The wrestling team is coming back from a 1-7 record. The team will be looking for a bounceback year with a full varsity squad and a hunger for much needed victories. Head Coach Dennis Steverson stated that the outcome of this season depends on how the seniors perform. The wrestling team has a full varsity squad for the first time in five years. Returning Varsity Wrestlers: senior Jacob Lamantia (113/120), senior Ian Herrin (126), senior Berny Ruiz (138), junior Jacob Houghton (145), senior Jacob Behrendt (170), junior Daniel Derby (285) The boys basketball team had a successful season last year. After a poor first half of the season, the team started to click and won many games during the final stretch to qualify for the playoffs. The team will be looking for a huge year with returning impact players Ty Hoeksema and Matt Moran leading the way. The acquisition of Geo Butler adds even more talent to this already stacked team. Look for a successful season this year. Returning Varsity Players: senior Ty Hoeksema, senior Matt Moran, senior Troy Weiman, junior Ryan Kurth, sophomore Trey Hollingshed The girls basketball team upended North twice and upset Bettendorf for their three MAC wins last season. Holly English, who replaced Tom Eagle, thinks her team will have more athleticism than it has recently, but has concerns about its overall depth. Makayla Buck will be the primary scoring option.
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Returning Varsity Players: senior Naomi Elias, senior Keesha Jackson, senior Atavia Rush, junior Makayla Buck, junior Savannah Moeller The boys swim team had an impressive season last year. They look to build off that with many of last season’s Varsity swimmers returning for another shot at glory. The pack is lead by junior Luke Eure who finished sixth at the state meet last year in the 100 backstroke in 53.06 seconds. He was among the MAC’s top 10 in the 200 free, 100 breast, 100 fly and 200 IM. Returning Varsity Swimmers: senior Jesse Trujillo, senior Sam Nowachek, senior Nick Moeller, senior Scott Heuer, junior Luke Eure The boys bowling team has had a history of success and is looking for another tremendous year. Head coach Brad Froelich believes this team is capable of achieving anything that they set their minds to. Returning Varsity Bowlers: senior Collin Herington, Zach Burghoffer, senior Karl Lantzky, junior Michael Langtimm, junior Mitchell Harksen The girls bowling team is young but eager to compete. Returning senior Kortney Bennett will lead the way for the girls bowlers. Returning Varsity Bowlers: senior Kortney Bennett, junior Roxie Bennett, junior Rania Benzbiria, Ashley Durham, junior Shawna LaPrevost, junior Sarah Walsh
The Real Brady Street Bunch Jacob Lamantia
Davenport Central, believe it or not, has been around since 1905. Previously known as Davenport High School, this school is one of the most historic and successful in all of Iowa. Overall, Central has won the most state championships in athletics of any high school in the state. While Central hasn’t been quite as successful as its forefathers, it has managed to be a force in sports consistently through the decades. Throughout the school’s history, Davenport Central has enjoyed great success in many of its sports, earning many MAC conference titles and producing all-state athletes that have achieved at both the collegiate level and in their future careers. For many years, Central - and Davenport High before that - enjoyed unprecedented success in sports, including football, basketball, wrestling, track and baseball. Football teams, coached by the legendary Jesse Day, A.J. “Butch” Stolfa, and Jim Fox, won numerous state titles, including Class 4A playoff titles in 1973, 1976 and 1983. Many former Blue Devil players won all-state honors, and several went on to incredible careers in professional football, including Roger Craig of the San Francisco 49ers. Davenport Assumption was opened in 1958 as a co-institutional facility, with the merger of St. Ambrose University and Immaculate Conception Academy. Assumption became coeducational in 1969 but had not set their mark in sports until many years after. Assumption has enjoyed their success in sports in the more recent years. Assumption picked up where Central left off in the state title category. Soon after Brady Street Stadium was built, Central took home to it as their athletic facility. This sparked the term “The Brady Street Bunch” and many t-shirts and posters were made revolving around that saying. Davenport Central was the Brady Street Bunch until the beginning of the football season where Assumption started calling themselves the same name after an uninformed off-hand comment from a local news channel.This sparked high tension between the two schools leading up to a much anticipated football game. Although Central lost, it seems there is no clear winner of the “Brady Street Bunch” title. So who do you think deserves it? The team with the most history or the team with the most recent success?
Spotlight Sport: Archery Savannah Moeller
Archery is the skill of propelling (shooting) arrows with the use of a bow. This action was formerly used for hunting and combat in war, but is now a really unique and awesome sport. Archery originated as far back as about 25,000 years ago and was used greatly by the Eygyptians and Romans. It has been an Olympic sport for many years, and is the national sport of the country Bhutan, who has only ever entered Olympic athletes in the archery category. There are four events in which archers can medalwomen's individual, men's individual, women's team, and men's team. Bows and arrows were originally made of wood, and still are today, but more advanced models are made of carbon fibre, fiberglass, or aluminum. The bag used to hold the arrows is called a quiver. Scoring is decided by where the arrow hits the target. An arrow in the center or middle scores the most points, while an arrow in the outer rings scores the least amount of points. Whoever scores the most points wins! Archery takes a lot of skill and practice, it is a very difficult sport to achieve in. Our school has its own archer, junior Molly Veith. Veith started archery at the age of seven, and is extremely gifted in it. Her top three achievements so far are: winning several national titles, holding the record for the state of Iowa for eight years, and breaking five state records. She enjoys competing at national and state competitions. "It takes a lot of practice and patience,” said Veith, “but archery's really fun, and all the hard work pays off."
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“Once Upon a Mattress” review Susan Dircks Judging by its previously unexplored venue, unique choice of script, and incredible on-stage talent, it seems that Central’s fall musical “Once Upon a Mattress” will go down in the drama department’s history as one of its finest and most notable productions. Performed this November in the Adler Theatre in downtown Davenport, many were uncertain about whether or not the changes made this year would prevent some from attending the musical. However, by the end of its run, it was evident that the move to the Adler, as lead actress Sadie Theis put it, “made it feel like the show was meant to be.” The cast as a whole was highly impressive. Claire Honsey and Jared Svoboda as Lady Larken and Sir Harry should be recognized for their talented voices and acting abilities, as well as Jack Theiling as Dauntless, Jasmine Maddox as Queen Aggravain, and Elise Castro as the Nightingale. Scenes between Dominick Peña, Daniel Nuñez, and Zachary Waskowiak, as King Sextimus the Silent, the Court Jester, and the Wizard, respectably, truly got the audience’s vocal approval as they roared with laughter during their carefully timed and smoothly delivered lines. There were two cast members who in particular stole the stage during the five performances of the show, beginning with actress Sadie Theis in her starring role as Princess Winnifred. Her floor-length resume, having been involved with Junior Theatre since age six and appearing in sixteen musicals such as “Footloose,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “Fame,” is evident in her acting as soon as her character is introduced. Not a trained singer, she was originally nervous when she discovered she’d been selected for the lead in the musical. Yet, she wouldn’t let that extremely demanding aspect overwhelm her from becoming Winnifred, despite loud and ridiculous the character needs to be in some scenes. “Mrs. IntVeld always says, ‘You have to fit the character,’ and so,” said Theis. “I just went up there and had a lot of energy and gave it my all. I had my voice and I used it.” When it comes to supporting roles in theatre productions, it’s extremely difficult to find an actor or actress who can truly woo the audience with how much life they bring out in their character onstage. However, Mitchell Diamond, as the Minstrel, who most of the story is narrated by and later becomes an unexpected ally of the kingdom, managed to be one of the show’s most talked-about performers. “It was a great experience,” said Diamond of his three years with the department. “I’ve made a lot of friends and they’ve became almost family to me. We’ve spent countless hours about five days a week together for a long time, and it’s just been a blast.” The decision to perform in the Adler was risky, but most of those who were involved believe it was a worthwhile chance taken. Every year, the city of Davenport offers Central’s theatre and music departments the opportunity to use the Adler for school concerts and productions, but in years past, Thea IntVeld, Drama Head, has declined due to the cost of royalties from using scripts, which are paid for by the number of seats in a theatre, and the fact that the money is also to be distributed evenly throughout all of the performing arts groups our school offers. However, she decided that this was the year for the fall musical to take advantage of the venue. “I had eight huge performers in my senior class, and I’m going to lose those eight, but it was worth it, because they’ve been in the program since their freshmen years, and I didn’t want them to wait,” said IntVeld. “Everyone keeps saying ‘Well, let’s wait,” but I say, “They made that ten thousand dollars in my budget, they deserve it!’” As opposed to Kahler Auditorium’s poor lighting and sound systems and lack of appropriate space, the Adler offered a number of great technical advantages that turned it into a professional experience, like functional microphones and proper lights that allowed everyone on stage to be both seen and heard. The cast and crew were able to get backstage and work alongside each other in between numbers, and had the room to store huge set pieces like the purple castle and the stacked king-sized mattresses that Princess Winnifred sleeps on. The benefit of being able to be engaged with everyone caused the show to run more smoothly, and overall helped to give the performance an incredible energy and grandeur. “I thought I was going to die,” laughed IntVeld about all the work it took to be able to put on the production, “but it was worth it to me to give the students something that they wouldn’t be able to do in any other high school.”
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Marching Band Wrap Up
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Claire Trimble The 2013 Marching Blue Devil season was a successful one, filled with triumph and glory as the band travelled all over the Midwest. Davenport Central was represented well by the marching band at a total of six competitions taking place in Morton, IL, Cedar Rapids, IA, Minneapolis, MN, Muscatine, IA, and Macomb, IL. At the end of the season, the annual “Special Persons” awards were distributed to four student leaders who rose above and beyond their expectations as upperclassmen. These students were: junior Omunique Jackson; senior Aaron Gehrke; senior Mason Tope and senior Megan Pfannenstiel.
All season long, the individual sections worked and practiced hard, hoping to be noticed by the band directors and awarded for their improvement and commitment. This year, the “Best Section” award was given to the 2013 Drum Majors: freshman Sami Frahm, junior Hannah Quick, junior Molly Veith and senior Madison West. The Drum Majors are some of the most vital student contributors in the band and are a huge help to everyone involved. The Marching Blue Devils look forward to starting off strong in the summer of 2014 and preparing for an even more successful season.
inClass is an app that lets you take notes, audio, photos and videos and then share it with your classmates. You can also put your schedules on it and it even has task and course alarms to help you stay on track with your classes. inClass is a great way to keep organized, but is only for Apple products. It is a free app and has been rated 4.5 stars out of 5. Its a very good app for any kind of student and very useful.
Dropbox is an app that is for both Android and Apple products, and is also accessible on any computer. This app allows you to bring your photos, videos and documents anywhere you go. With Dropbox you can share your photos and videos with family and friends. This app is great because even if you lose any of your photos, videos or documents you can find them in your dropbox. Best thing is, it’s a free app for all users.
Flipboard is an app that acts like your personal magazine. You can add your social networks to it or just search topics you want to read about. It’s a great app that can be used on Apple, Android and Windows phones and is free for all. It allows you to see all of your interaction on each network and lets you go straight to it from your flipboard.
Flipagram is an app that allows you to use photos that you previously took and make them into a short story with music. Flipagram is one of the newest apps out there and you can access it on Apple products and Androids. It is a free app as of right now, but not for much longer, so download it today.
App Reviews Cassidy Jarrett
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“All this bad blood here, won’t you let it dry?” pours out Bastille in their album’s namesake chorus to their track, “Bad Blood.” Almost a preparation to the rest of their album, it’s just one example of the heartswelling lyrics that the group offers in their premier record released this September. Bastille has the heart-on-your-sleeve vibe that seems to be succumbing all indie bands in this post-Coldplay music age. One of my first observations of the album was that it sounded like what you listen to when you’re driving and crying late at night. I still hold onto this; their disarming, yet at times predictable lyrics are earnest and impassioned, while remaining honest and relatable overall. Everyone’s felt left behind or taken advantage of before, and while the rest of us were taking it out on our secret journals and favorite foods, Bastille was nurturing them for overwhelmingly heartfelt choruses and turning them into Greek metaphors and Biblical references. They’re often supported by minor keys and piano chords, which have been proven by the likes of Ed Sheeran
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and Adele to extract tears from us as an audience. Tracks like “Things We Lost in the Fire” tell beautiful stories through delicate orchestral moments and nostalgic refrains. I’ll admit, there are occasions where you can feel them trying almost too hard to resemble the hard-hitters in the music business like Radiohead and Arcade Fire, particularly in “Get Home” and “Icarus.” However, while it might seem like they’re borderline imitating at points, they’re giving us what’s shown to work and obviously sells in this era. Overall, for a debut album, “Bad Blood” is incredibly infectious and has given the band a remarkably strong introduction to the industry. It’s delivered a catchy, likable foundation for their visibly long career ahead of them, and I look forward to seeing what they’ll accomplish in the future. The release of their extended album, “All This Bad Blood” will be November 25, and will include new songs, rare tracks, and covers.
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“Hunger Games” trilogy heats up with “Catching Fire” Rebecca Pogue
“Remember who the real enemy is.” “Catching Fire,” the second movie in the widely popular “Hunger Games” series, shifts away from the physically dramatic and suspenseful action of its predecessor. While still maintaining the gripping brawl scenes that are characteristic to the franchise, “Catching Fire” introduces a more psychologically intriguing twist on the series. The movie reveals the terrifying behind-the-scenes power of media, propaganda, and dictatorial control. The soft, almost eerie opening scene directly connects the audience with Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence), the main character who is clearly haunted by her participation in the recent Hunger Games. As the dystopia around her is revealed, it is apparent that she is not the only one suffering in the aftermath of the competition. The unprecedented allowance for two victors, brought about by her and her partner’s questionable disobedience of the Capitol’s ruling during the last Hunger Games, seemed to spark the last bit of hope buried deep within the citizens’ hearts. Newly established government control and violence brought about by the fear of uprising provide the main antagonism in the story. At the time of the 75th Annual Hunger Games, it seems that most of the participants are hardly contending against each other, but rather against the oppressive force of the Capitol – the “real enemy”. Although the movie lasts an extensive two and a half hours, it doesn’t cover a huge amount of content. However, the shifts in focus, riveting conflicts, and mystifying affectionate scenes keep the audience on edge throughout the entire duration. The movie noticeably suffers from some typical middle-movie obstacles, given the fact that it’s the transition piece in the trilogy. The plot thrives as a mid-series installment, but wouldn’t have survived independently. Very little background information is explained, and any audience members who aren’t familiar with the series would find themselves largely lost in the detailed storyline. A new illustration of the series was expected with the change in directors. Francis Lawrence, director of “I Am Legend” and “Constantine,” signed a contract to direct the final three movies, beginning with “Catching Fire.” In an interview with Empire Magazine, he commented, “You realize that this is about so much more than one person and that a whole country and a rebellion and loads of people’s lives are at stake.” The risky deviation from the take on the original Hunger Games movie was, in the end, a success that seemed to gain the audience’s approval. Ultimately, I enjoyed the film as a fan of the series in general, but would be cautious to recommend it to viewers who are not familiar with the first movie or book trilogy.
Music All-State Dominick Pena
Davenport Central had twelve students in the Iowa High School Music Association (IHSMA), All-State Music Festival which was held November 23rd in Ames, Iowa in Iowa State’s Hilton Coliseum. There were nine choir students and three band students. The students left for Ames on Thursday, November 21st to be in Ames for the bands placement chair auditions Thursday night. On Friday the 22nd, there were 3 rehearsals throughout the day. The first one was in the morning from 8:30 to 11, the second from 1 to 4 and the third was at 5:30 to 8. All these practices were to refresh and prepare the students minds for the concert the next day. The concert started at 7:30 with orchestra, leading into choir, and ending with band. In the middle of the concert the first years, second years, and third years were honored. Also the very few, four year All-Staters were showcased and had their names read off to be honored.
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PROBLEMS WITH
P.E.
Luke Eure
America has an obesity problem. Over a third of American adults are obese, and the estimated medical cost of obesity in 2008 was $147 billion. The Davenport Community School District, in an attempt to educate students about exercise, enforces mandatory high school Physical Education. No special consideration is given to students who participate in physical activity outside of school on a regular basis. Everyone has to take the classes. If a third of people are unhealthy, why should the other two-thirds have to waste their time in a class they don’t need? Regardless of who is in the classes, however, there are also problems with the way the PE is run. What is the point of fitness testing in gym class? Fitness testing for PE at Central consists of the push-up test, sittup test, and the pacer test. None of the activities done in Lifetime Fitness, the mandatory freshman gym class, help most students improve in any of these tests. A moderately fit student won’t be able to run any more pacers because they played basketball or handball. Occasionally students do 10 or so pushups during warm-ups, but half of the students don’t even do all of them. If there is any testing improvement throughout the term, it is usually a result of the student trying harder the second time, not the great gym workouts. Fitness testing is only one of the problems with PE, however. PE is designed to cut down on obesity in the country, and promote healthy lifestyles. But there are a lot of active high school students who aren’t overweight. There is no reason that they need to take PE. If students can be denied access to advanced classes based on lack of academic ability, why can’t they be required to take gym class based on a lack of physical ability? It would make more sense than forcing varsity athletes to take Lifetime Fitness. Or Central could do what many schools already do, and allow participation in a sport to count for gym credit. There is also a big problem with make-ups on Wednesdays. One unexcused absence can be atoned for by walking 30 laps. But if you run the laps, you only have to do 15. Running 15 laps around the gym is in no way equivalent to a 45 minute BFS workout. 15 laps is hardly anything! A motivated student could probably run upwards of 80 laps on one Wednesday. So, in theory, everyone could skip gym four days a week, show up on
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VIEWPOINTS
Wednesday to run 60 laps, and get full credit for the whole week. That’s an idea worth thinking about... Physical education is a total waste of a block for many students. The warm-ups are a great example of time wastage. A little bit of jogging and a couple minutes of static stretching would be plenty of warm-up for a game of basketball, and would be far less demeaning than doing lunges back and forth across the gym. Mandatory gym class keeps students from taking real, interesting classes. While PE does help some students learn healthy lifestyles, it doesn’t help everyone; students in sports get plenty of exercise. Classes that help only certain students should not be mandatory.
52 million Christmas trees sold in North America
Christmas Trees Artificial VS. Real
85% Artifical trees are manufactured in China
50 million Christmas trees sold in UK
8 million Christmas trees sold in South America
60% 40% 60% of Americans have artificals Christmas trees and 40% have real Christmas trees!
This is the time of year that many families get ready to put up their decoration for the holidays. A recent study shows that artificial trees are becoming more popular than real Chirstmas trees in the United States. 60% of Americans have artificial Christmas trees and only 40% have real Christmas trees. There are over 350 million Christmas trees growing here in the U.S. California, Oregon, Michigan, Washington, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and North Carolina are the top Christmas tree producing states. Sales have risen all over the world. In the UK they sell an estimated 50 million trees, in South America 8 million, and in America 52 million. 85% of all artificial trees sold are from China. Christmas is a worldwide holiday, but traditions vary between countries, from celebrating in a different month, to roller skating, to mass on Christmas Eve morning. Still in most of the countries Christmas trees are a part of the tradition.
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Updating Public Education Luke Eure
C R E A T I V I T Y
The public school system used in America is obsolete. Fortunately, (or unfortunately, depending on how competitive you are) most countries in the world aren’t doing much better. School should be a place where talents are found, new ways of thinking explored, and creative minds cultivated. What it has turned into, however, is a place where we learn the right answers. We crunch numbers, memorize dates, and write formulated essays. The truth is that these skills aren’t as necessary as they once were, and certainly aren’t as important as the ability to come up with original ideas that have value. The problem with America’s model for education is that it wasn’t built for the age of design we now live in. It was made during the Industrial Revolution, and reflects the values needed at that time. Most people worked on assembly lines; they needed to be able to think linearly. They needed to know how to show up on time, how to keep discipline, and how to work well with others. So an education system that taught the “right answers” was just what they needed. “Right answers” don’t cut it in our society anymore. There isn’t one right way to sell fast food anymore than there is one way to design a phone. The best paying jobs in the world are given to people who can come up with a new great idea, whether it be to ship books bought online or to make an affordable desktop computer. Most of these people aren’t much smarter than you or me, if we think of intelligence in terms of I.Q. or SAT scores. They are simply very creative people. If creativity is so important in the age of design, why haven’t schools
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changed the way creativity is (or in most cases isn’t) currently taught? A study by Adobe showed that 78% of college educated professionals said that creativity is important to their current career, and 88% believe that creativity should be built into education curriculums. The answer is that we are stuck in the industrial model of education. One big area that needs changing is the emphasis on standardized testing. The government has mandatory levels that states have to meet for testing; they must meet these goals or they risk losing funding. As a result, schools develop a lot of resources to helping students do well on tests. Standardized tests are not inherently evil, and they can be a very good measure of progress if used correctly, but test performance should not be the goal of education, it should be a byproduct. If the pressure to test well is taken off public schools, they will be able to devote more resources towards cultivating creativity. Test results aren’t important of themselves. When working in a creative capacity, however, results
are critical. A second problem in education is that process is often overvalued in situations where results are all that matter. Take writing, for instance. Do I really need to make an outline if writing comes easier without one? Does my introduction have to be only one paragraph if I can do it better in two? Writing is usually meant to entertain, inform, or persuade. The building blocks of writing should be taught, but only as tools to be used to achieve the goal. Assessment expert Grant Wiggins tells about how he worked with writing teachers who had assigned story writing to their students. The teachers didn’t want to grade the students based on how interesting their stories were. “Isn’t that key to what a good story is about? Well, yes, they said. But it seems wrong to say that a piece is “boring” – even if it is. Why, I persisted? Should we deceive the learner into thinking that their writing is better than it is? Is it right to lie to them about such a basic issue of author purpose and desired result?” When the teachers finally agreed to grade the students on this criteria, the students weren’t offended when the teachers said their stories weren’t interesting. “Oh, we didn’t think that mattered in school writing, said a girl.” When students know that writing is supposed to be interesting, but think that school writing should be boring, there is a serious problem in the education system. A third problem is the lack of connection that exists between teachers and their material. All of the most successful education systems in the world recognize the value of their teachers. In America, we seem to use teachers as distributors of education, rather than sources of education. For the most part, teachers are
handed curriculum and told to teach it. The outcome of this is that teachers become disengaged from the material and, worse, from their students. There is a large difference between teaching math to students, and teaching students math. When a teacher teaches to, she presents the information and hopes the students absorb it. When a teacher is teaching the students, both parties are involved; there is engagement and learning is much more effective and enjoyable. Enforcing standard curriculum, even at a districtwide level, takes teaching out of the hands of teachers and into the hands of policy makers. “The trouble is,” says Sir Ken Robinson, education expert, “that education doesn’t go on in the committee rooms of our legislative buildings. it happens in classrooms and schools. And the people who do it are the teachers and the students. And if you remove their discretion, it stops working.” An Australian study concluded that 65% of children currently in preschool will end up working in jobs that don’t even exist yet. The world is changing rapidly, and it is becoming more and more apparent that the education system in place now will not suffice. Good old reading ‘riting and ‘rithmatic won’t cut it anymore. The world needs creative individuals who can come up with new ideas and make them reality. Everyone is born creative. Schools should be a place where creativity can bloom, where kids can explore their natural talent, not a place where creativity is forced into the industrial mold.
Art by Lydia King
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