LITTLE HAWK THE
Attendance Policy Impacted by New Iowa Law
Senate
File 2435 requires City High and all Iowa schools to update their attendance policy to address absenteeism
By Martha Willard
With the start of the new school year, there has been a slight change to the City High attendance policy. This change comes from a new Iowa law that changes how absences are defined. According to the Gazette, this law’s purpose is to target chronic absenteeism, but it also makes understanding the rules around attendance more confusing.
“It’s actually pretty confusing, and I think it induces a lot of fear where there doesn’t need to be fear,” Taylor Scudder said. “They were trying to do it to be more equitable. One of the things that legislation did was take out the difference between excused and unexcused absences.”
While the goal of the law was to make attendance policies more equitable, students have differing opinions.
“I think it’s weird because if you’re excused, that means a parent had to be okay with you missing school. And so that means it’s more justified; where it’s unexcused, it is just skipping.” Malorie James ‘27 said.
Scudder’s job is to keep track of student attendance and contact parents when students are not going to school or not showing up to class.
“I first reach out to the number that we have on file, and I call; if I
can’t get anyone, I leave a message, and then I document everything that I do. If a call doesn’t work, I use talking points a lot, because people respond to texts much faster than phone calls, then I send an email, and most of the time, one of those three things get me in contact with the family, and we can figure out what the barriers are,” Scudder said.
After Scudder talks to the family, the next step is overcoming challenges that stop students from coming to school. Some barriers, like transportation, aren’t always in a family or student’s control.
“Another barrier right now is with teenagers; your parents can’t go into your bedroom, pick you up, and take you to school like you can when you’re little. So finding ways to remind you guys why school is meaningful and how it impacts your future so that you want to show up every day is another barrier,” Scudder said.
Scudder notes how one way she reminds students how school is meaningful is by reminding them of the purpose of being in school.
“When you grow up, you have a job, right? And you have a reason that you go to that job every day. So you find your why. For kids, we have to find your why in school. Why are you taking those classes to focus on what career you want, on the future, or what you want after high school to look like?”
Student Senate Elects Vice President
The election follows last year’s election in which Nick Tran ran and won the presidency alone
By Lily Rantanen
After a selection of short speeches from candidates and a vote from Student Senate members, Ania Naso ‘25 was chosen as Student Senate vice president Tuesday morning.
Naso wants to focus on better food and drink at dances, especially homecoming. She highlighted the importance of providing food and drink for underclassmen, which she said would make the dance feel a little more special.
“I feel like it’s really depressing that [the underclassmen] only have water at homecoming,” Naso said. “They don’t even have water cups. They have to drink it out of the fountain,”
“I wanted to run for vice president because there are a lot of
changes that I want to see made, and I had my opportunity,” Naso said after the election. “I’m actually pretty surprised [that I was elected].”
Unlike the senior class president elections, where only seniors could vote, anyone who showed up to the student senate meeting could vote for vice president. This is in line
Mock Trial Expands to South East Middle School
The impact and goal of expanding the program to younger grades
By Yomi Hemley
The classroom is filled with mock trial students discussing and planning for their regional competition. However, these students are not at the regular meeting place in Mr Schumann’s room. They are at South East Middle School.
CONTINUED ON PG 3
Iowa’s
with the elections for secretary and treasurer.
The decision to hold an election for vice president is an unconventional shift from the norm. Usually, candidates for senior class president run with a running mate. However, Nick Tran chose not to select a vice president last spring.
That said, Tran was pleased with the outcome of the election.
“[The outcome of the election] was pretty good,” Tran said. “[Ania and I] will talk and work things out together.”
But the vice president election isn’t the only vote on the recent docket. All City High students are able to vote for this year’s homecoming theme, and next Tuesday, elections for secretary and treasurer will take place in Mr. Tygrett’s room at 8:15 am.
New Attendance Laws Do Nothing for Chronic Absenteeism
By Lily Rantanen amd Bella Young
The Iowa State Legislature is only looking at the big picture of overall attendance and not the specific reasons that students are chronically absent, so they are unable to come up with good plans to combat truancy. Instead, they have passed this nonsensical, unhelpful law that does nothing to fix the root causes of chronic absenteeism. MUSIC REVIEW
‘Rains In Heaven’
By Claire Hartwig STAFF EDITORIAL
GRAPHIC BY KATE MEIS
Class President Nick Tran ’25 poses with newly elected Vice President Ania Naso ’25.
PHOTO BY LILY RANTANEN
Letter From The Editors
Happy Fall! Following a summer filled with rest and fun, the staff here at The Little Hawk dusted off our computers and jumped right into working on our first issue of the 2024-25 school year for all of you readers! In this paper, you will find a wide array of stories covering everything from Charli XCX and Brat Summer in the Culture section to this year’s Freshman to watch from our Sports team. Don’t forget about the Feature Magazine either. There are recipes to try and a problem with phones to learn about. We encourage you to take a peek at all the great sections we have in the paper and take a copy or two home with you to share!
Already this fall, we redesigned our online website (thelittlehawk.com), so we encourage you to check out the new look. On our new site, we also have added a place for YOU to submit story ideas to us, so if you have a story that you feel needs to be told, head to our website and let us know via the form. And exciting news: The Little Hawk is a Pacemaker finalist! Besides our awesome staff on both the yearbook and the newspaper, it’s the support of our community that helps us earn awards like this, so thank you! This issue is the first of many this year, so stay tuned for more from The Little Hawk!
Lots of love, your executives, Tai and Kate
New
New Implementation of Advisory Time During Class City High Ends Official Advisory Time
By Tai Caputo
This trimester, there is no longer a designated time for school-wide Advisory. In the past, Advisory consisted of 20 minutes every afternoon (excluding Thursdays) when all students could choose to get extra help from teachers, retake tests, do homework, or participate in clubs.
In the new system, each teacher sets aside 20 minutes per week for an Advisory specific to the class. Periods are slightly longer, from about 47 minutes per period last year to about 53 minutes per period this year.
Guidance Counselor Mary Peterson explained the reasons behind this adjustment, relating some of what she and other staff members had observed.
“Not everyone was using [Advisory time]–which is fine; not everybody needs that support. But even kids who needed it weren’t using it,” Peterson said.
However, for some students, the change seems less helpful. Noe Richman ‘25 said she felt that the new structure may make it more challenging to get help because last year, she often needed help in certain classes more than once per week.
“I am really upset that we don’t have Advisory this year,” Richman said. “Advisory was when I went to go get a lot of stuff done with teachers. If I needed help, it was the best possible time to do so.”
The hope for the new system is to make it easier for students to get help because the support is more teacher-initiated.
“Advisory required the student to initiate going to a specific teacher, which can be hard. What if you walk into a room of a class of 30 kids you don’t know, and you walk up to the teacher and say,
‘I need help.’ That’s embarrassing,” Peterson said.
Matt Miller, an AP Calculus and Aerospace Engineering teacher, supports the change.
“I think [the new system] makes sense because it’s more flexible,” Miller said. “I get to decide what works best in my class. For instance, if there’s a test coming up, I can have an Advisory on the day prior to the test. So it’s very useful for AP Calculus classes.”
Richman feels that last year, she succeeded in her math class as a result of regularly going to Advisory.
“It’s unfair to get rid of [Advisory] entirely,” Richman said. “[The new structure] just feels like more regular class time. It’s a bit harder to ask questions now.”
Richman feels that sometimes the builtin Advisory time is not enough, so in order to get help, she comes to school earlier or leaves later.
“[This] is actively detrimental to lower-income students, like students who live a little bit further away [from school] and have to take the bus,” Richman said. “Because they are not afforded the luxury of getting here early or staying a little bit later to get help from a teacher. They are not able to just come and go whenever they please.”
The 1st Trimester is a trial period that will determine whether City ultimately continues the new system. For now, the future of Advisory waits to be seen.
“In education, people don’t like to try new things,” Peterson said. “And we’re trying new things, just to see [if they work better]. If you don’t change things to see if you can do them better, how do you ever know if you can grow and be better as a system? That’s what this is all about.”
National Merit SemiFinalists Announced
The people and proccess behind the achievement
By Kate Meis
This past September, the names of City High’s National Merit Semifinalists were publicized. The four seniors who qualified were announced as Kaden Huntley, Nicole Peterson, Nina Peterson, and Owen Ruth.
This prestigious title of semifinalist is achieved by less than 1% of High School Seniors in the United States, and getting to this point is not easy.
To qualify for this honor Sophomore and Juniors must score in the top 1% of PSAT takers.
“To qualify for National Merit you have to get a certain score on the PSAT your junior year, what scores will qualify varies
by state. I took the PSAT in 10th grade just to try it out and get a feel for that kind of test and I re-took it the next year. I actually never studied for the PSAT at any point, I think what helped me the most was taking AP tests, standardized tests, and the PSAT10 and just getting comfortable with the test-taking process,” Nina Peterson ‘25 said.
Now the next step for potential finalists is submitting SAT or ACT scores, a letter of recommendation, and an essay by the semifinalist.
“It would give me a lot of confidence going into the admissions process, knowing that I have something that can help me stand out.” Nina Peterson said.
PHOTO COURTESY: CITY HIGH
Mock Trial Expands to South East Middle School
The impact and goal of expanding the program to younger grades
By Yomi Hemley
The classroom is filled with mock trial students discussing and planning for their regional competition. However, these students are not at the regular meeting place in Mr Schumann’s room. They are at South East Middle School.
“Walking in I was a little nervous, because middle schoolers can be mean, but these middle schoolers seem very kind and shy and ready to listen,” Rachel Matel ‘25 said.
Matel is a co-head witness coach while other high school students rotate in and out to coach the younger students.
“Our job is to work with the witnesses. Help them develop a character, help them develop study strategies in order to be successful in the competition, and just sort of advise them,” Matel said.
For the last few years, mock trial has been led at City High by a few teachers and professional volunteers. Until now, mock trial has been a thing only for high schoolers in the area. But the dream for it to spread to younger students has been alive for a while.
“There has been talk the past few years about forming a mock trial team, but this is the first year we have really done it. Last year South East did have a unit in a class dedicated to mock trial, but that was the extent to which there was mock trial at SEMS before now,” Olivia Vande Berg ‘25 said.
Due to it being the first year of a mock trial team at South East, the coaches have decided to take things slow and prioritize making it a good experience for the younger students.
“I think our goals are just to make the students feel more confident with their abilities, either if they want to be an attorney or witness. Competition wise, we want them to go to regionals. We want them to perform the best that they can and see where
we go from there,” Amal Eltayib ‘26 said.
The coaches plan meetings beforehand every week, communicating with the other coaches about what to talk about at the next meeting. With such a short meeting period, coaches must make sure that the middle schoolers retain the information being taught to them.
“I try to emulate how meetings usually work at the high school level, and then break them down even more. I always want to readdress what was discussed the week prior, and then work on building an aspect of the case,” Vande Berg said.
The mock trial season has begun, but some City High students have been focusing on the kids at the middle school instead of themselves.
“It’s really helpful to start from a young age, because it is a huge learning curve. I know my freshman year, they just jumped into objections. I was so lost. I didn’t even know how you use them or when you use them. I was so confused. So I think easing them into it from a young age allows them more time to develop and think about the ideas and the function of mock trial so they’re able to improve in that aspect,” Eltayib said.
Every Wednesday morning, the coaches go to South East Middle School from 7:458:30. The coaches give up their time and effort to encourage engagement in mock trial from a young age.
“It’s super fun that the kids are getting started so young, because I know that for my freshman year, as soon as we went to regionals and got to experience it, I was just like, ‘this is such an amazing thing and I wish we started younger,’ and so I’m really happy that these kids get to have that and get to see regionals and state,” Eltayib said.
While the City High students wait for their problem to come out in December, they help South East students prepare for
Spring Sports Move to the Fall
The Iowa Athletic Association has announced that sports moving to the fall starting in 2025
By Claire Hartwig
On August 18th, the IHSAA announced that both girls’ tennis will be moved to become fall sports in 2025.
Spring sports often conflict with summer sports like baseball and softball, and this change allows athletes to participate in several sports.
This decision aims to equalize fall and spring sports according to the IHSAA.
Although there’s a chance athletes who play both volleyball and tennis, will be forced to pick one sport over another.
“For other multisport athletes, this can ruin the opportunity for them to continue playing multiple sports that they’ve played their whole life and be forced to pick one
over the other,” Amelie Donovan ‘25 said.
Despite some of the backlash toward this decision, the IHSAA has strong hopes that this will be a successful transition for all schools. As for City High director, Athletic Director Phillip Lala says they will be monitoring the 2025 fall season closely to see how many multisport athletes are affected.
“Girls tennis switching to the fall will provide much greater weather than in the spring. In addition, because they are not competing at the same time as boys tennis, it will provide more space as there won’t be conflicting practice times,” Lala said.
He hopes this change will provide more opportunities for our tennis players and have fewer interruptions during the season due to poor spring weather.
their regional competition just a few weeks away.
“We just guide them through the entirety of mock trial. We teach them about what attorneys are, what witnesses are, what a case is. We teach them a little bit about case materials, and then a little bit of the legal definitions, and it’s just kind of a start for them to learn about how mock trial functions. We’re not necessarily expecting them to be state champions, but we want to get them interested in mock trial and learn how it works,” Eltayib said.
Middle school mock trial does not just help the younger kids though. It has its benefits for City High students too.
“Mock trial is a very complicated thing. The legal language is a lot to learn, and it would be really nice if, as freshmen on our city high team, they had something going into it, instead of just completely from scratch,” Matel said.
While the coaches have to teach others about mock trial and guide them through
the case, they also develop their own skills more.
“Teaching is really helpful and learning it yourself as well. When you have to explain it to someone, it really makes you think about how it really works. So you really have to be careful or more considerate with the way you view mock trial. I’ve learned a lot through explaining it to the kids, and I know everyone else has too,” Eltayib said.
Having high schoolers coach the younger kids not only makes the middle schoolers excited about high school mock trial in the future, but also gets the coaches excited due to the impact they are making.
“I really wanted to give back to the program that accepted me my sophomore year and built me into a much more rounded person,” Vande Berg said. “I want to be able to help these kids who have the dream of being an attorney to achieve that and to understand what that entails for them. I really just want to give back to the community and help these kids and the program grow.”
Student Senate Officer Elections
The organization holds voting for this year’s secretary and treasurer
By Yomi Hemley
The new school year brings in a new student senate, composed of all grades. Before students senate can start focusing on planning school events like homecoming, their first order of business is to elect the student senate officers.
After the first meeting, it was decided that the next meeting would be dedicated to electing the student body vice president. This election would be held within student senate, but open to anyone who wanted to come.
Those who were not voted vice president still had hope though. They were able to run for other student senate positions such as treasurer and secretary.
Brody Clarke ‘25 explains how to write a direct to the middle schoolers. PHOTO BY YOMI HEMLEY
Every Person Impacts Culture: Peer Tutors Make a Difference at City High
Student and tutors achievements take off through hard work in the EPIC program
By Hattie Conover
As the rumble of the chairs pushed out travels across the room, the bell for 5th-period rings, and senior Megan Swartzendruber makes her way into room 1114. In this classroom, students of all backgrounds gather with various reasons for being there, some hoping to get help on their math homework or advice on writing essays; others are non-native English speakers there to have a conversation to practice speaking with peers in a non-judgmental and safe setting.
“At the beginning, the students I tutored wouldn’t ask me any questions about anything, but now they come up and say, ‘Hey, what’s it like being an AP Spanish?’ asking about what classes I’ve taken because they want to know if they should do it or not. Then they’re looking forward to doing that stuff,” Megan Swartzendruber said.
Following the theme for the 2024-2025 school year of Every Person Impacts Culture (E.P.I.C.), Ann Schaefer saw a need in her classroom and in the larger school community, which is tutors. Students needed
STUDENT TRADITIONS
more support and time than they often had in class to complete homework or fully comprehend a given topic.
“The program’s goal is to give students a safe place to learn, to collaborate, and to have others model for them what learning could look like. Students often don’t want to ask, because maybe they’re made to feel that others are judging them. So I like to think of it as a judgment-free academic setting to help people know learning is cool,” Ann Schaefer said.
A group of potential tutors was reached out to at the beginning of the year to initiate the program, and now becoming a tutor is very accessible with QR codes spread around the school on bulletin boards and teachers advertising the program.
A key part of the program that students often forget is that tutoring is beneficial for both parties, not just the student being tutored.
“Someone I met earlier this week said to me as she’s gone through City High she’s always been around the same groups of people, and one of the best things about this tutoring program is it has expanded who
she’s gotten a chance to be around; people are exchanging Instagram accounts and saying hi to each other in the hallway. She just felt like she’s getting just as much out of it as the students,” Schaefer explained. EPIC tutoring sets goals, hoping to have a set number of tutors for each hour to ensure that students get equal opportunities. The program also hopes to be able to reward
students and tutors alike through grants from the school district.
“I was gone one day and returned to this note on my desk. A kid who went from failing to a B because he finished an essay with a tutor. I’ve had kids who’ve gone from F’s to C’s. I had other kids walk in and say, ‘I aced that test because I worked with a tutor!’” Schaefer said.
HOMECOMING HIGHLIGHTS
A week filled with football, school spirit, and homecoming royals
By Kate Meis
City High’s Homecoming Week kicked off on September 30th and continued up until the Homecoming dance on October 5th. The week allows the community to gather for special events and celebrate school spirit. It’s a time jam-packed with Powderpuff, dress-up days, the City High community’s parade, and of course the homecoming football game on Friday night.
Throughout the week, students and staff alike participated in spirit days organized by the Student Senate. Monday was Comfy Day, Tuesday was Famous Duo Day, Wednesday was Destination Vacation featuring assigned themes for each grade level, Thursday was Soccer Moms vs. BBQ Dads, and Friday was class color wars, encouraging students of different grade levels to wear City High’s school colors.
After Monday’s parade featuring City High community organizations, local elementary schools, sports teams, marching bands, clubs, and City High’s seniors on the homecoming court, Powderpuff Football kicked off. The teams featured girls from the
junior and senior classes playing flag football on Bate’s Field and the turf. While the crowd savored their bottomless chili, Augie’s Team secured the top spot in the annual competition.
Just before the Friday night football game, those who made the homecoming court gathered on the track to find out who would be crowned homecoming royalty. After voting took place for this title by the junior and senior classes, it was announced that seniors Brody Clarke and Olivia Vande Berg were the homecoming royals for the class of 2025.
Following this announcement, the homecoming football game kicked off against Davenport Central. City High won with a score of 49-7, making it their fourth win in a row.
That brings us to Saturday. This year, the Student Senate came up with theme ideas and took votes from the larger student body to decide which would be the best homecoming dance theme. The winner was “City of Stars,” hosted at City High for all grade levels to celebrate the end of homecoming week and the start of the school year.
Mason Tilley ’25 helps a peer with her geometry homework during third hour. PHOTO BY HATTIE CONOVER
Augie’s Team poses for a photo after winning the PowderPuff competition. PHOTO BY AMELIE DONOVAN
City High stops a play by Davenport Central.
PHOTO BY ALEX KIHIBILO
City High staff dress as soccer moms for Spirit Week.
PHOTO BY JONATHAN ROGERS
Homecoming royals Brody Clarke and Olivia Vande Berg.
PHOTO BY MEGAN SWARTZENDRUBER
Principal Bacon faces the crowd at the Homecoming Pep Rally. PHOTO BY MEGAN SWARTZENDRUBER
Homecoming court member Adam Schaefer waves to the parade. PHOTO BY MEGAN SWARTZENDRUBER
Band Lights Up Halftime and Raises 100k
By Estelle Hartz
The marching band will kick off their season this Friday night at the first home football game of the year against Liberty. The band will march at the annual pre-game show and reappear at halftime. This year’s show is called “Cirque du Soleil,” featuring music from various Cirque du Soleil shows, including La Nouba, KA, and Quindam. The songs to be performed are called “Distorted,” “KA: Flight,” “Urban,” and “Incantation.”
The band has been preparing for this season since the end of the previous school year. This music is rehearsed for the last few weeks of school, then rehearsed intensely during band camp, which is led by directors and drum majors Janie Owens ‘25, Adam Schaefer ‘25, and Poi Borchardt ‘26,
where the members of the band are taught pre-game and the drill opener.
“I am super excited! The first show of the year is always super exciting. I love the atmosphere and getting ready to perform at football games. It is such a cool moment to see so much hard work come together,” drum major Janie Owens said.
This year the marching band consists of all grades, Freshmen are marching in the halftime show along with the upperclassmen for the very first time.
“There are lots of new people learning a lot of new things, but everyone has been doing an amazing job, and I’m super excited and proud of the work that the underclassmen have put in,” Owens said.
Besides the intense heat during the first week of school,
the season has been off to a great start; this year was the fastest that the marching band has learned a show in the history of City High.
“Students are working so hard and so well together; we also have a great team of leaders on our band leadership team,” said band director Mike Kowbel.
“I’m extremely excited for Friday’s performance. The band has worked very hard to bring it all together this year,” said drum major Adam Schaefer.
In addition to this achievement, the band has also raised over 100k in donations over the past month. The music department plans to use this money to purchase a new band trailer, assist with funds for the ‘26 band trip to Germany/ Czechia, colorgaurd uniforms, additional instruments for students, and more.
TOP LEFT: Trumpets perform for halftime show. TOP RIGHT: Kaitlyn Fields marches across field. BOTTOM LEFT: Trombones play in stands. BOTTOM RIGHT: Darby Morlan prepares to perform in halftime show. PHOTOS BY MEGAN SWARTZENDRUBER MARCHING BAND
Cast of DiaryOfAWimpyKid Begins Prep for Fall Play
Shortly after auditions, the cast gets together for their second rehearsal
By Estelle Hartz and Yomi Hemley
Diary of a Wimpy Kid auditions have now come to an end, students who were interested in a role were required to learn a dance, pick up a song sheet, and act out the song as they were performing, along with group and individual auditions.
¨I think the audition process went smoothly, since it was my first audition I didn’t know what I was walking into, so it was all just for fun!” Janrita Dahn said.
The drama department is focusing on getting younger audiences to the show, Diary of a Wimpy Kid will be the first show in the past few years that is targeted towards a younger audience. This show is also being pushed to later in the school year, which is a change from past years.
“Well, this year the musical is delayed to [later in the year], and of course, we are doing a musical this fall instead of a play, which is what we usually do,” Jillian Leman ‘26 said.
Many students are also already familiar with Diary of a Wimpy Kid from the books or movies from when they were younger.
“I do [have high expectations for Diary of a Wimpy Kid]. It’s a great book, great movie, and a great musical as well, and I’m super excited,” Greta Hayek ‘25 said.
Both the cast and crew are looking forward to putting on this winter musical, hoping it will bring in more people to theater.
¨We hope to continue to build this smaller show as an opportunity for more students to get involved in the drama department,¨ Doug Lestina, tech director, said.
No matter what grade, newcomers are always welcomed into the theater space in any capacity, whether that be cast or crew.
“[I started theater now] because I just felt like for my last year at City High, I might as well try everything that I haven’t tried because I won’t get another chance to do it. I’ve heard really good things about the theater department, and I’ve always gone to the plays and musicals, and they’ve always been really good,” Hayek said.
Since Diary of a Wimpy Kid has been pushed back to later in the year, it has around 12 weeks of practice. However, they are shortening weekly rehearsals to only 3 times a week instead of 5. Even with the shorter rehearsal days in a week, the cast is excited to get going.
“You should definitely audition for school musicals because it’s a great way to find a community and make friends. Who doesn’t want to sing and dance?” Leman said.
The theater department usually chooses somewhere between 6-8 shows which they consider and then discuss which show would best meet the needs of the drama department and audience.
Directors were seeking a challenge for students this year.
¨We really hadn’t done a kids show in the recent past. It gives us an opportunity to have a large case show and have many actors have a fairly large role,¨ Doug Lestina said.
The main leaders for the show this year are Lauren Darby, Betsy Staack, Doug Lestina, Rich Burke, Michelle Buell, Shelby Zukin, and Jacque Green.
There are many opportunities for different creative outlets in the drama department, besides acting. Students interested in art, design, construction, or technology can apply for different positions.
¨This is just a really enjoyable show that can be seen by all and I hope that City High students come and check out the show as it puts many of the memorable scenes in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books and movies on stage,¨ Doug Lestina said.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Rehearsal begins in the Ensemble Room, from right to left: Davon Sanders, Jose Vazquez, Abhay Anil, Brody Clarke, Yomi Hemley, Rachel Haack, Tehila Roseman
PHOTO BY LAUREN DARBY
THEATER DEPARTMENT
The Little Hawk
Little Hawk Journalism Staff
Executive Editors
Tai Caputo
Kate Meis
News Editors
Claire Hartwig
Kate Meis
Sports
Ahmed Basheir
Amelie Donovan
Jack Rogers
Rito Perez
Opinion Editors
Lily Rantanen
Isabella Young
A&E Editor
Estelle Hartz
Culture Editors
Sadie Bodzin
Claire Hartwig
Feature Editors
Tai Caputo
Yomi Hemley
Assistant Editors
Gabe Egeland
Ethan LaLumiere
Staff
Bobby Bacon, Hattie Conover, Charlie Firmstone, Jack Lampe, Floris Roorda, Ruby Shulz, Henry Birt, Benjamin Clifton, Liz Degner, Stella Demarest, Alex Donovan, Alex Kihibilo, LaDavion Luckett-Matthews, Estefany Morales, Talina Morgan, Yo Pierpont, Megan Swartzendruber, Audry VandeBerg, Micah Hartwig, Jacob Hills, William Meis, Melvin Murimi, Tessa Driscoll, Ben Klitgaard, Jethro Michaelson, Martha Willard, Olivia Clabaugh-Kroemer, Kaeding Eland, Fisher Fitzpatrick, Owen Raefield, Melody Ross
Advisor
Jonathan Rogers
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STAFF EDITORIAL
Iowa’s New Attendance Laws Do Nothing For Chronic Absenteeism
Little Hawk Journalists believe that new attendance laws should be changed
HALL PASS
LEAD WRITERS: Lily Rantanen and Isabella Young
The Iowa State Legislature is only looking at the big picture of overall attendance and not the specific reasons that students are chronically absent, so they are unable to come up with good plans to combat truancy. Instead, they have passed this nonsensical, unhelpful law that does nothing to fix the root causes of chronic absenteeism.
Chronic absenteeism, which peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic, has become a massive issue at schools around the country over the last four years. Stu- dents are going to school less, and while the attendance policy at City High hasn’t changed much to combat tru- ancy, state laws have. Senate File 2435, the Iowa Legis- lature’s effort to fight back, was signed into law on May 9, 2024.
There are no longer excused and unexcused absenc- es. Instead, the new state law calls for communicated, uncommunicated, and exempt absences. Communi- cated absences are defined as absences that have been communicated by a parent or guardian, such as doctors appointments. Uncommunicated absences are ones the school has not been informed of, like skipping. Exempt absences include but are not limited to medical and fa- milial emergiences, religious reasons, and any excuse for sufficient reason by a court or judge.
A student becomes chronically absent after they miss 10% of school days in the current trimester. At City High, trimesters are 60 days long, so a student hits that mark after 6 days. Schools will send notifications to guardians when a student has reached 5% (3 days), 10% (6 days), and 15% (9 days) absent. The school is required by law to contact a county attorney once a student reach- es 10% absenteeism in a trimester.
“When a student reaches 15% absenteeism in a grad- ing period, a School Engagement meeting is required by Iowa law. An Absenteeism Prevention Plan will be creat- ed at the School Engagement meeting. The goal of this plan is to work together to resolve absenteeism, address attendance barriers, and assist the student in attending school,” reads the Iowa City Community School Dis- trict’s page on attendance.
The root causes of chronic absenteeism are: barriers to attendance such as transportation issues, aversion to school which could be caused by struggling academical- ly/behaviorally/socially, disengagement from school such as the need to work conflicting with their school sched
ule, and misconceptions about absences, according to Attendance Works.
The problem is that the State Legislature isn’t well equipped to make laws surrounding high school atten- dance. The average age of a member of the Iowa Legisla ture was 55 in 2023–a far cry from the 14-to-18-year- olds at City High School. Even if some state senators are former and current teachers, they are not here to understand current reasons of why students are skipping classes, which is a pre- requisite for figuring out how to end chronic absentee- ism.
Because communicated and uncommunicated ab- sences are both treated as unexcused absences in the school system and on transcripts, there is fear surround- ing missing school, even for a valid reason. Students who might have taken a mental health day or sick day be- fore this year may not anymore because they are worried about how the absence will appear to colleges and the school.
If students have to attend school when they physically should not be at school, their grades, social life, and over- all attitude about school will suffer. This is the opposite of what the new attendance bill is trying to achieve.
The Iowa State Legislature is going about this the wrong way. The real problem is that the students who are skipping class and are already chronically absent do not see a point in going to high school, especially if they’re not planning on any sort of higher education. It’s not the students who are taking five AP classes and need to go to school every day to get an A in their classes. It’s not the students who are sick and need to stay home. It’s the students who don’t think school is critical to their devel- opment as community citizens.
Change needs to start and be implemented internal- ly, in school, where the students are. Schools should be talking more about alternative paths to college such as trade schools, certificate programs, appreinticeships, or other routes to motivate students who don’t see the need for school in their future. That is the best way to help stu- dents who are chronically absent realize how important middle school and high school attendance is.
Right now, chronic absenteeism is a huge issue in our community and across the nation. But the Iowa State Legislature is disconnected from the real people, in real public schools, who are being affected by its ineffective laws.
Advisory is Crucial to Student Success
This year’s new scbedule has one glaring issue: Advisory is gone.
There’s a major change affecting students at City High this year: advisory is no more.
Now, however, there are 5 minutes added to the end of every class. This may not seem like a large change, but it has made some students feel the days are even longer.
“With the old format, it was easier because you were able to move to any class you needed help with. Also, the 5-minute longer classes feel way longer,” Osvaldo Lopez ‘26 said.
The ability to move to any class you needed assistance with was much easier for students because you could choose what class you would go to every day there was advisory instead of having to do one certain class.
However, every class now has a 20-minute advisory period once a week at teacher discretion. With many students now having to seek assistance before and after school, this new policy makes it harder for both students and teachers. Oftentimes students will have sports or other things before school and teachers will be busy grading or making plans for the day. Another factor is that students who take the bus to and from school thus have little access to clubs at all since most of them are during this time.
PMany students in the past years have relied on advisory not just for retakes, but also clubs and homework. With the new rule, students cannot leave the classroom for different classes or clubs, which forces them to hold meetings before and after school and makes it impossible to meet during school, which should have been taken into consideration before making this major change. Many students also are unable to be at school before and after school, which has led to a decrease in some club’s attendance, “insert club quote”
The main point for getting rid
of advisory was that many students didn’t use their time for work and wandered the hallways, which led to an increase in chronic absenteeism. Chronic absenteeism is when a student is absent for more than 10% of their school days which is about 6 days per trimester. According to the National Center For Education Statistics, the national attendance rate was 90 percent in November 2023 meaning 1 in 10 students were still chronically absent.
“After studying our data on advisory time, we just believed we needed to try something else to see if we could develop a system where
more students would utilize the time productively,” Principal John Bacon said.
Although this change gets rid of one problem, it creates another one in return. There are still students who do need help from their teachers and this time is valuable for learning.
This also challenges teachers because they have to adjust their schedule to fit in the 20 minutes per week for the new advisory format, which can change their lesson plans and get in the way. This shows it can be problematic for lots of different people at City High,
not just students.
However, some teachers also like the new format
“I like the flexibility of the new format, and I like that the students who want help are already in my room,” English teacher Ms. Brinkmeyer said.
This change to advisory could be reversed though after the end of the first trimester if the new format does show to be worse than the old format
The old advisory style gave us 80 minutes a week to move between classes to get work done. The new format promises 100 minutes a week, which is an increase in advisory time, but some classes like Marching Band and Journalism can’t have advisory due to the format in which they are run, which can decrease the promised time to even less than the old practice.
All in all, whilst the new advisory format has some upsides like more overall time and potential fix to chronic absenteeism, there are too many inconveniences for students and teachers because of many factors like clubs, bus schedules, and sports which all happen before and after school. Teachers have to fit in time for advisory every week also, and most of the challenge to students and teachers schedules by having to do most activities before and after school.
Vote Because the Rest of Us Cannot
Young people will make a difference in this election. You can make a difference in this election.
olitically speaking, I was born at the wrong time. I am seven months short of being able to vote in the 2024 Presidential Election. I am writing to compel you, my classmates who will be eighteen in November, to register and vote.
You represent all the rest of us at City High School who are not of age to vote but who truly have a stake in the future.
According to The New York Times, young people aged 18 to 29 vote at lower rates than older people. This is tragic. We young people have something to say that older people don’t necessarily understand. Older people may forget the concerns they had when they were young. They may not worry about school safety, about finding a career in a computerized economy, the right to healthcare, or the right to religious freedom. In the future of society, our concerns are very important. There are so many issues that will, and have already, had a significant impact on our education and our lives.
In the 2020 Election, the votes were very close in the state of Iowa, according to The Des Moines Register.
Iowa may be a swing state this year, which means that every vote counts.
This election is crucial to the future of our country, and for perhaps the first time, it is possible that young people are going to make a difference.
Although all of us at City have issues at stake, the majority of us will not be able to do anything. So many of us wish we could vote. The select few of you at City who will have turned 18 by November 2nd: you bear the significant responsibility of representing the rest of us. Please register, and please vote on November 5.
This election, whichever the outcome, will likely alter the course of history. Your choice is clear enough. Rest assured, we will be watching you.
ART BY LILY RANTANEN
Ms. Sotillo helps a student during classroom advisory. PHOTO BY LILY RANTANEN
I HATE INSTAGRAM
Iuse social media more than I care to admit. However, no matter how much I try to lessen my screen time, I can never pull myself away from Instagram.
Like every social media app, Instagram’s algorithm is designed to keep the user engaged for as long as possible. Through analyzing behavior and curating content that aligns with their behavior, it keeps you glued to your screen. The more you keep your eyes on Instagram, the better.
However, what makes Instagram different from other social media platforms is its monotony. Instagram is boring enough for me to wonder why I’m scrolling, but the algorithm is powerful enough to keep me there.
One of the most concerning consequences of this design is the tendency for users to engage in doomscrolling. Doomscrolling is a term for spending excessive amounts of
Ttime on social media just scrolling through content that could make one sad, angry, anxious, etc. Users can find themselves trapped in a cycle of despair as they scroll through a never -
ending stream of alarming headlines, disturbing images, and sensationalized posts. Rather than simply allowing you to experience moments in your friends’ lives as they happen as their mission statement suggests, Instagram becomes a breeding ground for anxiety, fear, and cultivates a distorted sense of reality. The allure of doomscrolling lies in its immediacy.
In a world where information travels lightning fast, social media users are constantly bombarded with news about tragedies, crises, and injustices happening all over the world. The Instagram algorithm, like almost
every other social media algorithm, capitalizes on this urgency, presenting whatever content it needs that keep users engaged. For many, the desire to stay informed or give
their own opinions morphs into a subconscious obsession, refreshing feeds over and over again.
If you’ve used Instagram recently, you’ve probably seen your fair share of
Reddit “Am I
The A**hole” posts, where commenters are asked to pick a side. The more outrageous the story, the more comments, the more it gets
spread.
The more people that are sucked into Instagram.
While Instagram can still be used to look at a friend’s photos, its recommended page has become a garbage dump of content from other sites, like the Reddit posts mentioned above. Every other post is a repost from
Twitter, Tumblr, or TikTok. Instagram has no individuality.
Moreover, too much Instagram (and other social media) use has detrimental
effects on teens brains.
“A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) revealed that teens who use social media
more than three hours per day may be at heightened risk for mental health problems,” Jefferson Health says.
However, the consequences of these dynamics extend beyond individual
mental health issues. There is ev - idence that young
peo - ple’s attention spans are getting shorter.
“We started studying attention span length over 20 years ago,” Gloria Mark, an attention researcher at the University of California, Irvine, said in an interview with CBS News, “We would shadow people with a stopwatch, and every time they shifted attention, we’d click, ‘Stop’ In 2003, we found that attention spans averaged about two-and-a-half minutes on any screen before people switched. In the last five, six years, they’re averaging 47 seconds on a screen.”
Thus, what can be done to combat these issues? Though it is easy to tell people to just “Get off their phones,” the responsibility
does not lie solely with social media us- ers. These com- panies, particularly Instagram, must take proactive steps to prioritize users heath and well being. The al- gorithm they have is a very powerful tool and must be wielded well.
Additionally, open conversations about social media’s impact can help young people recognize the signs of doomscrolling and establish healthier boundaries around social media usage. Encouraging critical thinking about content people see online can empower them to actively curate their feeds and ignore purposefully outrageous, seeking out positivity and support instead of negativity and despair. As we navigate this modern, digital age, we must advocate for responsible social media practices and foster a culture that prioritizes the well-being of its users. Only then can we hope to create a healthier digi- tal landscape for the future.
LUNCH IN TWO SHIFTS IS GOOD AND BAD
he new lunch format at City High has been received with mixed emotions. Students like the idea of a much longer lunch, but also dislike the idea of a more jam-packed lunch with only two cycles for the new style. There’s a chance the school could revert to the old format if people keep coming back late from lunch.
The new format just has A and B lunch and each would last 41 minutes, much longer than the old format which had about 33 minutes. This would allow students more eating time and also could serve as advisory time because students would be able to get work done after eating.
“I think it’s a good idea that we get more time to eat since the lines can take a lot of time,” Nathan Voudhivong, ‘26, said.
On the other hand, one negative of this new plan is potential tardiness. Students will be more encouraged to leave campus, which shouldn’t be a problem, but it could become one if it results in consistent tardiness.
However, because B lunch students are now being split up into A and (formerly C, now B) B lunch, the lunches will get much fuller. This could result in students waiting so long in line that the extra time they’ve been given is wasted. This will also make the classes slightly shorter, which will lessen the feeling of classes dragging on. Another positive to this format is that it would help teachers as well. They will have more free time to eat, grade, and potentially help students with one-on-one time.
Brett Finger, a math teacher at City High, said, “It feels like a win-win situation to me, everybody gets a longer lunch, and B lunch goes away, which nobody seemed to really care for anyway. I hope that it works logistically, so we can keep it around.”
Overall, the new lunch format could benefit both students and teachers if it works out correctly, but there are potential problems that still need to be worked out.
Bella Young
Embracing Brat: Charli’s Influence
How Charli XCX’s
album Brat defined this summer’s sound
By Sadie Bodzin
Charli XCX has always been known for her boundary-pushing sound and avant-garde style, but her latest project, brat takes her artistry to a whole new level. Her latest release has reached huge levels of international popularity, starting the “Brat Summer” trend. In releasing this experimental pop album, Charli created a cultural moment where individuality and empowerment reign supreme.
Charli specified the meaning of “brat” in a TikTok video, “You’re just like that girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes. Who feels herself but maybe also has a breakdown. But kind of like, parties through it, is very honest, very blunt. A little bit volatile. Like, does dumb things. But it’s brat. You’re brat. That’s brat,” she said.
“Brat Summer” is more than just a catchy phrase heard on TikTok, however; it represents a mindset—a celebration of youth and unapologetic self-expression. Charli invites listeners to embrace their inner “brat,” opening a space for her audience to embrace being carefree people. Charli encourages her fans to live life on their own terms, promoting messages of confidence and liberation through her music.
This environment is created partially through the sound showcased on the album. She draws from various genres, blending pop, punk, and electronic influences to create a sound that feels both fresh and nostalgic at times. She also invited various artists to collaborate: Billie Eilish, Troye Sivan, and Addison Rae, to name a few.
But the collaboration that really stood out on this album was with
GRAPHIC BY SADIE BODZIN
Lorde. When “girl, so confusing” was released, fans immediately speculated that it was about the New Zealand singer. It was pretty obvious, with lyrics about looking alike and having the same hair, that the song was indeed about her.
The original track left fans of the two disappointed, as Charli sang about her uncertainty around their friendship and how their opposite personalities made it awkward to be around each other at times.
That’s why the internet was shocked when Lorde herself featured on a remix of the song. In her verse, she set the record straight about her good feelings towards Charli and touched on some struggles of her own that may have influenced how she acted in the past.
This moment showed a very powerful moment of connection and womanhood and contributed to the culture Charli created around this album even more.
Another track that pushed the brat summer agenda was “Apple.” Thanks to the viral dance created by Kelley Heyer, both the song and the dance blew up on TikTok. The virality of this track pushed people to listen to the album in full as well, increasing popularity all over the world.
But really, every track on the album added something. The album leans heavily into a playful yet edgy electronic production style. A personal favorite on the album is “Sympathy is a Knife”, which fans have speculated is a dig at Taylor
Swift and her past relationship with Matty Healy, who is in 1975 with Charli’s fiance, George Daniel. Whether or not this is true, this track’s masterful production and blended vocals are truly phenomenal. Thankfully, if the supposed Taylor Swift feud deters you from listening, pick any track on this album, and it will be different and more masterfully crafted than the last.
Charli’s visual identity during this era was also incredibly striking. Her bold fashion choices, from vibrant colors to playful patterns, really encapsulate “brat.” Her music videos, namely the one for 360, also drew attention, especially due to the star-studded cast of Rachel Sennott, Chloe Sevigny, Julia Fox,
and more.
Since brat summer was born, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Fans have embraced the movement, sharing their own interpretations of what it means to be “brat.” Whether it’s posting to the “Apple” dance or lip syncing to “Guess”, Charli’s influence has been all over social media this summer.
But the question remains: how was brat summer able to become such a viral moment? The answer isn’t linear or objectively true by any means; when this amount of virality occurs with anything, it’s hard to pinpoint the exact reason why that specific thing went viral. In this case, it seems to be a mix of everything that occurred during this album rollout. The star-studded music videos and features, the potential feud rumors fueled by multiple songs, the easy to learn and fun TikTok dance, it goes on and on. All of these things are entertaining to a younger audience especially. Not to mention the fact that people enjoy being a part of something, so when people started joining the trend, the rest of the world followed suit. Whether she was trying to or not, Charli created something that will likely stick with her for the rest of her career. Although brat came out months ago in June, the album rollout is far from over. Just recently Charli annouced a plethora of collaborations/remixes through billboards scattered accross the country. With these remixes, brat summer may extend into fall.
Brat summer is more than just a seasonal campaign; it’s a cultural phenomenon that champions self-expression and individuality. With Charli XCX leading the charge, this summer was one all about being unabashedly yourself.
What We Are Listening to This Fall:
Short n’ Sweet
This Is How Tomorrow Moves
Pink Moon
Jubilee
Claire’s Picks: Sadie’s Picks:
By: Sabrina Carpenter By: Beabadoobee By: Japanese Breakfast
By: Nick Drake
LH Album Review: SIS (Soft Is Strong)
By Claire Hartwig
After competing in the survival-type show Dream Academy, HYBE x Geffen Records has officially debuted a new global girl group. The show aired from September 1st through November 17th, 2023. There were 20 girls in the beginning, but only six girls were given the chance to be a part of the group Katseye. These six members were decided through evaluations and weekly voting based on different performances. The main appeal was that these girls were all from different parts of the world, and although HYBE is known for being a K-Pop company, this wasn’t going to be a Korean pop girl group.
The final lineup for Katseye included Sophia,
first place, and from the Philippines. Lara, second place, is from the U.S. and is Tamilian-Indian. Daniela, third place, is from the U.S. and is Cuban/Venezuelan. Yoonchae, fourth place, and from South Korea. Megan, fifth place, and is American/ Chinese. Lastly, Manon who ranked sixth, is from Switzerland, and is Ghanaian/ Swiss-Italian.
The group released their first single ‘Debut’ on June 28th. The single is a pretty generic pop song containing lyrics about self-confidence. While it is catchy, the main killing point is the group’s dance abilities. The dance has high kicks, sharp movements, and lots of different grouping positions. The second single ‘Touch’ was released in July as the title track off of their upcom-
LH Concert Review: The DreamShow3
By Claire Hartwig
The lights dim, and cheers fill the arena as fans start to stand up. This past week I attended NCT Dream’s third world tour, ‘The DreamShow: 3’ at the United Center in Chicago. An arena most iconically known for being where the basketball team the Bulls play was now filled with a hue of green, as that’s NCT’s signature color. The K-pop boy group comprises seven members and is a sub-unit of NCT. Unfortunately, due to health reasons, a member, Renjun, couldn’t participate in this tour. The tour itself spans concerts in over 17 countries and consists of 7 U.S. cities.
‘BOX’ is the opening song on the setlist and is off of their latest album, ‘Dream()Scape.’ This was one of the best entrances I’ve
ing album. Like their first single,‘Touch’ is a pop song but features more dynamic instrumentals and addictive lyrics. Unlike ‘Debut’, ‘Touch’ saw huge popularity and became a trending song on social media platforms.
SIS (Soft is Strong) was released on August 16th and includes five songs in total. The first b-side, titled ‘Tonight I Might’, is an upbeat pop ballad about having the fun that you missed out on earlier in life. The chorus repeats “Tonight I might” and includes a catchy instrumen-
tal. ‘I’m pretty’ is the second b-side and shares a similar vibe to the previous song. The lyrics include a clever play on words, saying: “I’m pretty / I’m pretty / pretty sure I’m still healing.” Highlighting the fact that they aren’t saying they are pretty but emphasizing that their emotions are also an important part of who they are.
The last b-side is titled ‘My way’ and is also known for being Katseye’s favorite song off of the album. “At least I can say-ay-ay-ay / That I did it my way-ay-
ay-ay” is the chorus to this song. The message is powerful, asserting that even if you mess up you should be proud of the fact that you tried.
Overall, Katseye’s debut album SIS (Soft is Strong) was a phenomenal start for these girls and the tracks that they created leave no doubt that if they continue down this path, they will go far as a group. While this album caters towards tweens and teens, I would still recommend anyone who likes pop muisc!
seen for a concert before due to all the special effects that they added. They went on to perform a few more title tracks off of their most popular albums. But shockingly, their setlist was pretty much filled with b-sides only dedicated fans would know. For example, ‘Never goodbye’ off of their 5th mini album ‘Candy’ is a slow, sad song about how even if we aren’t always able to stay together, we won’t ever have to say goodbye. This song was the perfect pick for concerts, as the message is fitting, but as much as I enjoyed what they played, I would rather have heard the more popular songs.
One of the most interesting and unique parts of a K-pop concert is what’s called a lightstick. Each group is given a specially designed light stick so that at a concert it’s able to sync
with the music, creating a cool effect in the crowd. NCT was just given a new lightstick when I went to the concert that was designed just for NCT Dream. While it’s not required to have one to attend the concert, most fans choose to purchase it as it’s a fun keepsake.
The most exciting part of the concert was how dedicated the members were to putting on a good show for all of the fans. One aspect of that is how in sync they were dancing. I mean, watching videos of them dancing is one thing, but seeing it in real life is really life-changing. Another thing is their incredible vocals; hearing the different riffs and adlibs that they add on during concerts is so impressive and truly changes the song. Lastly, NCT Dream really cares about interacting with their fans and the posters and flags they bring for the members to see.
Overall, this concert left me impressed with NCT Dream’s stage presence. I would recommend you going to see a show of theirs!
ART BY ROSANGEL FLORES RUBIO
NCT Dream’s front stage layout at The Dream Show 3 concert. PHOTO BY CLAIRE HARTWIG
‘Neobong’ otherwise known as NCT Dream’s lightstick that is used by fans at concerts. PHOTO BY CLAIRE HARTWIG
GOLF
TEAM FINISHES THIRD AT CONFERENCE
Nick Meredith and Jack Rogers earn all-conference honors. Jack Rogers won the conference meet with a three round score of -3.
By Rito Perez & Jack Rogers
The Little Hawk golf team was coming off a seventh place finish at the 4A state championship a year ago. The 2023 season was filled with many record breaking outings as well as a conference championship for the first time since 2002. The team broke or tied six of the 11 possible records.
This season the team built off the momentum from last year and in their first meet they broke the school record they set a year ago at the state tournament. The team shot a 296 at Gardner Memorial Golf Course tying for first in the MVC Super Meet. Jack Rogers ‘26 led the team shooting a 68 as well as winning the meet by three shots. The other three scores that the team took were a 75 from Henry Birt ‘27, a 76 from Zach Meredith ‘25, and a 77 from Nick Meredith ‘25.
“The rounds at the start of the season where I had multiple 75’s I felt like I was on point. I felt like I was really deserving of my spot on varsity. The shots that I was hitting to start off this season were a lot better feeling than last season. My putting was also feeling a lot better. Although I had a little rough patch in the middle of the season I feel like my game is trending back to where I was at to start the year,” Henry Birt ‘27 said.
In the following MVC divisional meet that counted toward conference honors, the team moved down to third place in the conference. Nick Meredith ‘25 and Jack Rogers ‘26 led the team, both
ference and below is Jack Rogers ‘26 hitting a
shooting 74’s. Newcomer Will Feagler ‘28 shot a 78, and Zach Meredith ‘25 shot an 80. Jack Rogers ‘26 still leads the conference by three shots heading into the final meet in a couple weeks at Irv Warren Golf Course. As a team they shot a 306 and ended up finishing fourth in the meet. They were in third heading into the third meet.
“I’ve been feeling good recently especially with my wedges and my driver. I have a lot of confidence right now. I believe in this team, we have been under dogs before and that didn’t affect us. We are competitors and believe we can compete with any team,” Nick Meredith ‘25 said.
To start the postseason, the
Top 10 ranked XC teams sprint into the post-season
By Rito Perez & Jack Rogers
Entering the 2024 cross country season, expectations were high and have remained there with an elite mostly younger cast returning with high hopes. Six out of the seven main runners for the boys team returned this year, only losing Owyn Noble ‘24. And the same can be said about the girls team, losing their former top runner Ani Wedemeyer ‘25 who transferred to Pleasant Valley High School. Both the girls and boys team are led by juniors who are veterans in the program, yet both teams are in the top 10 midway and towards the end of the season.
The girls team this year is being led by Abigail Burns ‘26 returning for her third year in cross country at City High. Grace Hamann ‘27 is also one of the top runners on the team statistically, returning for her second year on varsity. The girls also only have
two seniors on the team, Nina and Nicole Peterson ‘25 who are identical twins and have been running varsity for most of high school.
This year’s boys team is led by George Karr ‘25 and Linus McRoberts ‘26. McRoberts has already cut off six seconds from his personal record in the 5k from last year. He has taken big leaps and stepped up to be a leader on the team being a veteran of the varsity team.
“So far the hardest part has been our meet at Pella, where myself and another varsity runner suffered heat exhaustion which really made our team do poorly. It made us really motivated to do well the rest of our season though, so in that way it helped. I think it would be great if our team could place top 5 at the state meet, and individually I’d love to be in the top 20. Since our team will largely be the same next year, I think aiming for being one of the top
teams in the state would be a good goal next season,” Linus McRoberts ‘26 said.
The middle three runners on the boys team all have 5K times within two seconds of each other, creating a solid foundation for the team to be able to fall back on. On the tenth of October both the girls and boys teams run in the MVC Super Meet, then the week after that they will compete in their division in the MVC.
The girls have finished in the top five in there last two meets, finishing fourth in the Jim Boughton invitational meet, and the third at the annual Central College meet. The boys team has had success too in their most recent meet, finishing first in the Seminole Valley meet. Districts will take place on the 23rd of October.
team ended up getting third in their side of the MVC shooting a 309 in that meet. Jack Rogers won the conference individually by two shots with rounds of 68-74-71. Ottumwa Golf and Social Club on October 7th for a chance to make the state tournament. In order to do that, the team would need to place top three out of a
15 team event. They also have the number one team in the state and defending champs in West Des Moines Valley in their district. Other notable teams in their district are Southeast Polk, Ankeny, and North Scott.
City finished 8th at the district meet with Henry Birt finishing tenth with a score of 76.
BOOMING DRIVES: On the left side Nick and Zach Meredith ‘25 watch their shots in a meet at Gardner golf course. To the right of them is Will Feagler ‘28 and Henry Birt ‘27 watch their shots. Birt was competing in a quad meet at Gardner and Feagler at the second divisional at Irv Warren. On the far right is the team posing aftter finishing third in the con-
drive in a quad meet at Gardner golf course earlier in the season. PHOTOS COURTESY OF CITY HIGH GOLF
ABOVE: Linus McRoberts ‘26 runs at the Bud Williams invitational. He placed seventh with a time of 17:43.90 and was the fastest finisher for the team. The team is also ranked fourth in the state. PHOTO BY STELLA DEMAREST
ABOVE: Grace Hamann ‘27 and Kelsey Herrig ‘27 after the Bud Williams invitational. Hamann ran a 19:34 in a meet at Luther College. PHOTO BY STELLA DEMAREST
FRESHMEN TO WATCH Hazel Schluckebier
A look into four class of 2028 athletes that excel in their sports, talk about their journey through athletics are future goals
ABy Amelie Donovan
s she steps onto the court for the first time, getting ready to get her very first few assists of the season in, Hazel Schluckebier takes a deep breath and prepares to lock in. The freshman has worked hard to earn her spot on the varsity volleyball team by working hard every practice, and participating in club volleyball in the off-season to prepare for the upcoming highschool season.
Starting in 7th grade, Schluckebier was encouraged to play volleyball by her father. She decided to try out for the Rockets [volleyball club] and made the team.
“I fell in love with it,” Schluckebier said. She currently leads the team with over 300 assists in only the start of this season. Her transition from playing middle school volleyball to high school volleyball shows her talent and resilience as a player and an overall person.
Schluckebier is the only freshman who made varsity this year, and whilst it is a huge accomplishment, challenges come with the territory. However, even with that pressure, Schluckebier has faced an unwavering amount of support.
“It’s hard to deal with that [pressure] just by myself, so I know I can lean on other people to help me. My teammates, especially the upper-
Marshall Sheldon
By Owen Raefield
Marshall Sheldon ‘28 has been playing football since he was five years old. Now here he is starting for the Little Hawks varsity team at linebacker. His dad played a big part in his inspiration to play football. His father, Thad Sheldon, played football at University of Iowa and now teaches at The School That Leads. Sheldon ‘28 also stated that the coaches he has had along his football journey were a big help to keep on going.
The biggest change of scenery in his football life was the jump from playing middle school football at South East to now running it with the Little Hawk starters at City High in just a short year.
“It’s definitely different,” Sheldon ‘28 . “But it’s a good change. I like it: it gives me some challenge.”
However, in the step up of competition, there’s more pressure that comes with it.
“There’s a little pressure, but it doesn’t help to think about all the pressure and [it’s better to] just go do it.” Sheldon ‘28 said. This mindset has done him great, as he started off his first game against Joliet Catholic with 9.5 tackles, the best on the entire defense.
He also explained how his team-
mates are a big help to have alongside. “I got some good teammates who help me out.”
The electric freshman isn’t just great for the upperclassmen varsity players to have around. He has been highly appreciated by his coaches, too.
“Marshall Sheldon has already made history at this school being one of, if not the only true freshman varsity starter,” Linebacker coach Ilias Montoya . “He has earned his spot this year through his resiliency, dedication, natural ability, and coachability. I cannot wait to see how he grows as a player and a person throughout his high school career.”
Sheldon ‘28 says music is critical for getting him mentally ready before a game. He starts off with some Mac DeMarco to calm his nerves, and when it gets closer and closer to game time, he’ll turn on some Ken Carson to get the adrenaline running and be ready to hit.
“Marshall Sheldon has already made history at school being one of, if not the only true freshman varsity starter.”
ILIAS MONTOYA
Marshall Sheldon ‘28 looks to accomplish big things in his high school years, as he has started his freshman campaign great, leading the defense in tackles with 37.5, including 26 solo tackles. While he’s undecided on what he wants to do after high school, he has one major goal in mind for his late teenage years: “Go win that state ‘chip, baby.’”
classmen who have been in my position before, just talk to me before games and ask me how I’m feeling a lot. You know, high fives on the court, encouraging words, etc. Whenever I have questions, Karen, Carolyn, all the coaches [are there for me], and I’m able to talk to them if I’m feeling stressed out,” Schluckebier said.
Schluckebier’s family is also a big part of her support system. They are always willing to sign her up for camps, clinics, and whatever else she needs to help her be successful.
With her new position, a big challenge Schluckebier faces is getting used to her new teammates and the newfound attention that surrounds the varsity court. Despite those things, Schluckebier has continued to improve and learn many new tools, especially as she immerses herself in the increased level of competitiveness.
“I love it so much; setting experienced hitters, I feel like I can just let my imagination run wild when I’m setting them. I [also] love playing competitive games, so it’s a lot of fun, I [also] feel like the older girls have done a really good job supporting me.”
Schluckebier’s big goals for this season and the rest of her high school career are to go to state and to Division 1. She is always willing and wanting to make improvements to help herself grow further as a player.
PHOTO BY AUDREY VAN DEBERG
PHOTO BY AMBER SEATON
Eve Vitense
By Tessa Driscoll
Eve Vitense ‘28 has always been surrounded by athletics. Her childhood was full of every sport imaginable, from softball to pickleball. She spent hours around sports, whether it was watching her older brother Cal Vitense ‘26 play ball, or playing catch with her dad in the backyard. As Eve grew up, she began competing in some of those activities.
“I play volleyball, basketball, and softball. It’s pretty difficult being a multi-sport athlete. But I think that playing multiple sports is better than just playing one, because one sport can help you get better at another,” Vitense said.
When asked what her favorite sport was, Vitense responded,
“Softball is my favorite because I’ve been playing it from a young age. I started playing because my whole family played softball or baseball,” Eve said.
Vitense had many role models as she grew up, including her brother, Cal ‘26, and her dad, Kurt. But her biggest inspiration, she says, is her mom, Teesa, a City High alum.
“She was good
at pretty much every sport. She played volleyball, softball, basketball, track, and soccer, she later on played soccer in college at Iowa.” Vitense aspires to follow in her mother’s footsteps. “My dream is to play collegiate softball.”
Vitense practices softball three to four days a week in addition to the rest of the practices for other sports that she partakes in. She started on the City softball team as an 8th grader, and she also plays for a club team, The Barracudas. Eve loves the competitiveness that surrounds her club team environment but also loves playing for City High softball.
Overall, Eve’s favorite part about playing softball is “playing as a team.” Her favorite position is shortstop, because they are the “leader” of the field. Eve likes to lead by example, and loves to help her teammates out and encourage them when they are down.
Winning is always the goal for Vitense.
“I just like to win. It’s fun. It’s not very fun to lose.”
EVE VITENSE
“I just like to win. It’s fun. It’s not very fun to lose,” Eve said. Although she is in the midst of volleyball season, Vitense is already looking ahead to the upcoming ‘25 City High softball season, she is working hard on her off time. Vitense says her goals for the team next season are “trying to win more games, and just to get better as a team overall.”
Coden Kurtz
By Ben Klitgaard
Growing up with two older brothers and a dad who coached college wrestling, Coden Kurtz has always had a love for sports. He mentioned a very competitive environment he was in growing up. The young Kurtz has shown that he can be a major player in multiple sports, such as baseball, football, and basketball.
Kurtz was born in Coralville and moved to the east side in first grade. He attributes a lot of his success to this change in environment. Kurtz describes how easy it was to grow as an athlete with how supportive the coaches and community are. Kurtz also talked about how part of his motivation comes from his very supportive parents and brothers. Both of his brothers, Kael ‘24 and Kendall Kurtz ‘25, have been longtime City High athletes who have played large roles across many City High sports teams, such as football, baseball, and wrestling.
“My biggest motivation is that I have an opportunity that a ton of kids don’t have. My parents are my biggest sup-
porters, and are always there for me.”
Whether it was them making sure he made it to practices on time, or giving him rides to practices and games, Kurtz said he would not be where he is today without their support.
“The biggest piece of advice I’ve ever received is that there’s always extra stuff to do. You’re never done with anything. You can always go into extra time and have extra stuff to do.”
One of Coden’s goals is to play at the collegiate level and be able to get an athletic scholarship.
“College is really expensive, and to get to that level, I just know that I have to do something every day to get better.” Coden says.
A quote Kurtz lives by is “Just 1% better every day”, it helps him remember that he has to continue to work hard to achieve his goals.
Coden can often be found in the weightroom or in the gym, putting in countless hours to get better. This desire to always push himself and to become better every day is what sets him apart from a lot of other athletes his age.
COMMITTED
By Tessa Driscoll
TClass of 2025 ahtletes Tyler Rindals, August Palmer and Bobby Bacon share their recruitment journeys
here have many talented athletes in the class of ‘25 here at The School
That Leads. Some have already committed to play their sport at very high levels. Three athletes that have committed to play a sport at the collegiate level discussed their different recruitment journeys.
TYLER RINDELS
Our first athlete is Tyler Rindels. Rindels has been a multi-sport athlete his whole life. He played basketball, baseball, football, and threw shot and disc. Rindels recently committed to play football at Northern Illinois University, announcing his decision via Instagram. However, Rindels did not always know that he wanted to play football in college.
“Growing up I was really into baseball, and once I got to high school, I just didn’t really like it as much. Then when I played sophomore year football, I started my first game, and that’s when I was like, yeah, I like football a lot more now,” Rindels said.
“Sophomore year was when I realized I wanted to play in college. But I was undersized, so I knew I wouldn’t get the looks that I wanted. So I started training, lifting, and eating a ton. Once senior year hit, and I went to my first college camp, I started getting the looks I wanted,”
That first camp in Ames, Iowa, changed a lot for Tyler. “At camp, I did really well and South Dakota came up to me after the camp. They said, Yeah, we want to give you an offer. After my first D1 offer, I was like, “Yeah, this is sweet.”
Recruiting picked up quickly for Rindels, as he began talking to multiple coaches. When asked if the recruiting process was stressful, Rindels said, “It was really stressful. You don’t know who you are interested in yet, and when all these coaches are texting you, it’s hard to not be rude,”
Nevertheless, Rindels began to narrow down his top schools as the summer before
his senior year slowed to a stop. “I had four offers that I was interested in: St Thomas, South Dakota, UNI and Northern Illinois. And, I mean, honestly, it was more between UNI and Northern Illinois,”
Rindels chose Northern Illinois University, located in DeKalb, IL. Rindels made his decision based on a few things. “I wanted to give myself that opportunity to play at a higher level while being close to home. I really like their coaches, the community they got there, and their facilities are amazing,”
Rindels is looking forward to his future with the Huskies, and is “excited to be a part of the program.” When asked what advice he’d give to others going through the recruiting process, Rindels said, “Take your time. Don’t rush yourself. Just go in there, see all your options, and make the decision when you feel it’s right.”
AUGUST PALMER
August Palmer is our next commit. Palmer committed to Minnesota State University in June, prior to the ‘25 school year. Palmer has played basketball since she was a little girl, but it wasn’t until she was in middle school that she realized her dream was to play college basketball.
Palmer began her AAU basketball career in fifth grade, and joined All Iowa Attack, a club team based out of Ames, IA, in seventh grade. Palmer dedicated hours upon hours to her craft; whether it was getting shots up alone, or driving two hours to practice in Ames.
Palmer attended West Branch high school her freshman year, and transferred to City High as a sophomore. After her first year at City High, Palmer began thinking about her future plans.
“Recruiting started up sophomore summer. And then, from the beginning of junior year, it just took off. I was getting calls all the time, texts all the time, setting up visits a lot,”
Options were not an issue for the 5’’10 shooting guard. Palmer had looks from
many colleges, and received quite a few offers before deciding to commit to Minnesota State the summer after her junior year. “It was difficult for me to narrow down my schools. Location was a big part of my decision. Family is important to me, and now I’m only going five hours away, so my parents can come to home games,”
Minnesota State was appealing to Palmer for reasons other than location, as well. “They won the NCAA championship, they’re really good, and they really wanted me. The players seemed really cool. There’s so much that they do outside of basketball too, which is what makes me super happy,” Palmer is excited and “not that nervous,” for her future at Minnesota State.
Palmer reflected on the recruiting process. “The entire process is really stressful. It’s exhausting, really. I’m glad it’s over.
When asked what advice she would give about recruitment, Palmer said, “When you start visiting colleges, write down things that you like and things that you don’t like about them. That is so key.”
BOBBY BACON
Our last commit is Bobby Bacon. Bacon has always been surrounded by City High, as Bacon’s brothers both played at City High, and Bobby has always “loved City High football.”
That love grew as Bacon began playing quarterback in high school. Bacon learned from City High alum Drew Larson, as Drew started as quarterback for the Little Hawks during Bobby’s Freshman and Sophomore seasons. Larson planned to play quarterback during Bacon’s junior season as well, but his time as quarterback was cut short due to an injury. Therefore, Bobby’s time in the spotlight began much sooner than expected. Bacon said, “Getting the opportunity to play quarterback my junior year opened a lot of doors for recruitment for me,”
As Bacon began to think about recruitment earlier than he had anticipated, he did
everything he could to increase his chances of getting a scholarship to play college football.
“I really just went everywhere I could. In the off season, I got invited to some places to come look around and meet coaches, and then they would invite me to camp, and if I performed well at camp they would offer me. After that it just came pretty sudden, like one coach offered, and then it led to like, six others. And so that was pretty cool,”
With many offers on the table, Bacon had quite the decision to make.
“It was difficult to narrow down my schools. I had two division one offers, which I was looking at, but financially, it didn’t really work for me. Those were non scholarship schools. And then I had three division two offers that were all in the same conference, in the Mid- America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, which is the best conference in Division 2 football and so that was kind of tough, because they were all the top three teams in that conference,” Bacon decided to commit to Pitt State, located in Pittsburg, Kansas. Bacon chose Pitt State due to a few reasons, one of them being that Pitt state was “most active in recruitment.” Another deciding factor for Bacon was the coaches who are “great people” that he “wants to be around for four years.”
Bacon committed to Pitt State before the ‘25 school year, just as his classmates did. Bacon says this decision was due to “not wanting recruiting to bleed into the football season, because recruiting would have been too stressful in season.” Bacon is now focused on his last season with the Little Hawks, and is looking forward to the “big jump” he will make next year as he moves on to the collegiate level.
If Bacon could give one piece of advice to those who may be going through the same process he did it would be, “Try and commit before your senior season so you are able to focus.”
Tyler Rindels has commited to play offensive lineman at Northern Illinois University. August Palmer has committed to play guard at Minnesota State. Bobby Bacon has committed to play at Pittsburgh State University in Kansas. PHOTOS BY MEGAN SWARTZENDRUBER & JACK ROGERS