LH Magazine by The Little Hawk

June 2, 2015

Feature Magazine

With so much pressure on students, is anxiety Everyone has their favorite holiday foods. Little Hawk staffers have chosen still being theirs for this delicious winter list. overlooked? *see page 16

accepting anxiety

CONTENTS 6

chasing the dream

on OUR ENVIRONMENT

ACCEPTING ANXIETY

underrepresented

caffeine controversy

The difficulties of living with chronic sleep disorders.

This series of stories explores the ways in which the Iowa City community interacts with our environment.

With so much pressure on students, is anxiety still being overlooked?

The ICCSD makes small steps toward diversity in its teaching staff.

For years, both parents and experts have discussed the negative effects of caffeine consumption. Recent research shows that there might be more to the story.

Snacking Summer is nearly upon us, and soon daydreams 4 Summer of lounging by a sparkling pool on a warm sunny day will no longer be a fantasy. A LETTER FROM THE FEATURE EDITOR

From prom, to graduation, to the very last issue of The Little Hawk, May has been a crazy

COVER ART BY NOVA MEURICE

2 Little Hawk Feature Magazine

month. With only a few weeks to turn around a new issue, our staff has had some long and stressful nights. But we have pulled through, providing you with one of the best magazine sections I think we’ve seen in a while. Even though the seniors have left, our staff is just as strong as it was before. Sonali has moved on to bigger and better things, taking on a role as ⅓ of the executive editing team. My focus remains here, as editor of all feature stories and lots of photography. My MVP shoutout for this issue goes out to Sarah Smith and Nova Meurice, who as always are doing amazing work for the magazine. They’ve contributed two huge stories, as well as award-worthy art by Nova. In terms of

stories, we’ve got some great stuff this month., from what foods to serve at pool parties and a huge environmental section, to anxiety in teens and insight about minority teachers. The Little Hawk is wishing you a great last day of school, and a great summer. Be sure to add our newspaper to your summer reading list! Until next fall,

TEACHER PROFILE PHOTO BY CAROLINE BROWN

Christina Goering By Miranda Salinas Although it might sound cliche to some, Spanish teacher Christina Goering knows that education is important, and she’ll use whatever tools it takes to teach. “I believe in education and that knowledge is important for well being and happiness.” Goering, said. Education was always an important aspect of life to Goering and when senior year of high school began she knew she wanted to become a teacher. “I loved going to school. It was a great and positive experience,” Goering said. “My teachers and my mother, whom I believe is one of the best teacher I know, had a big impact on my decision to becoming a teacher.” Seeing the passion her mother had for her students and helping them to learn sparked Goering’s interest in teaching. That path eventually led her to Iowa City. “After graduating from UNI, I applied to

and was offered various job positions, but taking the job here in Iowa City just felt right,” Goering said. “I haven’t regretted it for one second. Everyone here, especially the students, are amazing people, and I consider it an honor to work at City High.” Although teaching is Goering’s profession, she has many other interests as well. “I love spending time with family and friends and just hanging out and playing sports,” she said. “Or singing and writing songs.” Goering has always enjoyed music, but her main genre of interest is unique: she beatboxes. “My parents made a rule when I was younger: no singing or making beats at the table. That

was applied directly to me,” she said “I always had a tune or a song stuck in my head, and that’s how I started beat boxing.” Goering has love for many things, but teaching is her top priority. Her past experiences have inspired her to connect with students. “I’ve learned so much from others and am grateful for the knowledge and wisdom they have shared with me,” she said. “I know being a teenager can be really difficult sometimes, and it’s my hope that through teaching I can help support others through their challenges, mentor them, and share with them things that I have found beneficial to understand in my own life.”

“I KNOW BEING A TEENAGER CAN BE REALLY DIFFICULT SOMETIMES, AND IT’S MY HOPE THAT THROUGH TEACHING I CAN HELP SUPPORT OTHERS THROUGH THEIR CHALLENGES.” -CHRISTINA GOERING

June 2, 2015

summer snacking By Ayla Canin & Mae McDonough

pita pizzas Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Use an empty pizza sauce can as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;cookie cutter,â&#x20AC;? and cut out circles from the pita bread. Lightly coat the bottom of the pita circles in olive oil, then set on pan. Spread sauce over the rounds, then sprinkle cheese and other topping of your choice. We used pepperoni and yellow bell pepper. Put pizzas in the oven for ten minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly golden brown.

PHOTO BY AYLA CANIN

4 Little Hawk Feature Magazine

lemonade with watermelon cubes Chop watermelon into ice cube sized pieces. Set cubes on a plate or pan covered in waxed paper and put in freezer. It will take approximately three hours for cubes to freeze. Mix cranberry juice and lemonade and add watermelon ice cubes to a glass.

ice cream sandwiches Put cookies top side down on a baking sheet or plate. You can bake your own cookies or use already made ones. Pepperidge farm shortbread and brussels cookies work well. Make sure ice cream is very frozen. The ice cream will need to be taken out of the carton. To take the ice cream out of the carton, cut down the side of the carton, flip it over on a plate and it should slip out. Cut the ice cream into pieces that will fit on the cookies. Put a cookie on top.

June 2, 2015

sleep paralysis

insomnia

sleepwalking sleep talking

chasing dreams The difficulties of life with sleep disorders.

6 Little Hawk Feature Magazine

narcolepsy PHOTO BY CAROLINE BROWN

Julia Lusala ‘17 was eight years old the first time she woke up and couldn’t move her body. She saw the door outside her hallway and tried to form words, but the attempts to move her mouth were unsuccessful. She laid in the dark as her body continued its last two functions: Blinking and breathing. For anyone else, this experience might be described as unnerving or even traumatic. But for Lusala, who would endure it again and again over the next two years, the situation became tedious at best. “I could still breathe, but I couldn’t talk or move my head. I couldn’t move anything. I was just paralyzed everywhere,” Lusala said. “After the first few times, it was just kind of frustrating. It was ‘not this again.’” Lusala suffers from sleep paralysis, one of the many sleep disorders which affects one out of every four people. Lusala’s diagnosis was not as severe as others as she doesn’t experience paralyzation every night. When the situation does arise, Lusala knows how to recover. “I knew that all I had to do was go back to sleep. It wasn’t that hard to relax because my body was already there,” Lusala said. “There were a couple times when I was in sleep paralysis and I could actually get myself to wake up. It’s hard to describe, but I would tense up inside my body and wake up. It’s almost like when you’re falling asleep and you’re trying to fight and stay awake, and your head keeps falling, but you keep pulling it up. That’s how it feels to get out of it.” While paralyzed, Lusala not only could not move, but also couldn’t feel. This doesn’t mean that she didn’t experience discomfort: Anxiety was a common feeling for Lusala, who felt vulnerable to the thought of anyone entering her room. “I always sleep with my door wide open. I can only see outside of the door, and I couldn’t turn my head to see more down the hallway,” Lusala said. “I would get really scared because I thought if someone walked into my house right now, I wouldn’t be able to move.” There are many triggers that can contribute to experiencing sleep paralysis. Lusala isn’t sure of what caused her disorder, but speculates that watching late night television could have affected it. “I know when I was younger I used to watch TV before bed every

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“I COULD STILL BREATHE, BUT I COULDN’T TALK OR MOVE MY HEAD. I COULDN’T MOVE ANYTHING.” JULIA LUSALA ‘17

night. This was going on when the sleep paralysis was occurring,” Lusala said. “At that age I would watch TV until I fell asleep, and the TV would just run the whole night. As I got older, I would turn off the TV, and now I don’t really watch TV at all in my bedroom. I don’t know if there’s a connection between TV and bad sleep habits.” Sleep paralysis triggers and symptoms have been the topic of research for many doctors. One such researcher is Dr. Mark E. Dyken, neurologist with the University of Iowa’s Sleep Disorders Clinic. Although body paralyzation during sleep is necessary for everyone, Dyken researches unusual cases of sleep paralysis. According to Dyken, the body naturally paralyzes itself when it is asleep to prevent accidental injury. “There’s an evolutionary advantage to not running down the steps in a dreaming state because you’ll break your neck,” Dyken said.” If you were able to act out a hallucination or a dream, you might be able to jump out of a window and think you’re going to fly because dreams feel so real. Elements of dream related sleep -- when they start occurring outside of the sleeping period -- can be deadly.” Sleep paralysis is related to sleepwalking and sleeptalking. During both, the body’s paralyzation malfunctions. Ben Smith ‘16 is an occasional sleeptalker, and has been from a young age. “I was asleep, so I can’t say a lot of details, but from what I’ve been told there have been several occasions of me talking while I sleep,” Smith said. “Usually whatever I’m saying doesn’t make any sense. One time I told my dad to go buy a boat and then something about flaxseed.” Karen Smith, Ben Smith’s mother, can remember his sleep talking outbreaks more distinctly as an observer, once witnessing Ben sitting straight up in his bed and talking with his eyes open. “I woke up to talking, so I went into his bedroom. I walked in, and he was just sitting straight up with his eyes open. It was like his eyes were open, but he wasn’t looking at anything in particular,” Karen Smith said. “He was talking, and again I couldn’t understand what he was saying. Then all of the sudden, he closed his eyes and literally just fell back into his bed asleep. At

40 million people

suffer from chronic sleep disorders

70 million people

suffer from insomnia

adolescents need

nine hours of sleep a night 31% of high school students

get an average of eight hours

the average person has

1460 dreams per year

the average person has

four dreams per night

the average person sleeps for over

25 years

in a lifetime

snoring

only occurs in non-rem sleep SOURCE: THE BETTER SLEEP COUNCIL

that point I didn’t know if he was sick or just talking, and I came up to him and he was just completely asleep without any problems. In both instances, he woke up in the morning and didn’t remember a thing.” Smith’s sleeptalking has been occurring sporadically since elementary school. “He does it occasionally, and when it happens he’ll usually just talk. Sometimes I remember what he says, but he doesn’t recall any of it,” Karen Smith said. “I feel lucky that he doesn’t sleepwalk because that’s more dangerous, and it’s obvious that he’s not in control of what’s going on. It is alarming and does kind of scare me, but in the same token he doesn’t seem bothered at all by it.” In some cases, sleeptalkers will reveal information when their subconscious takes over in a dream state. This isn’t concerning for Ben

Smith, whose talking often goes unheard. “I don’t have any secrets that I’m worried about my parents hearing,” Ben Smith said. “Plus, they go to bed earlier than I do, so I feel like when I’m talking 90 percent of the time there’s no one there to hear it.” Karen Smith says that even though she goes to bed before her son, she can still hear his talking when it interrupts her night. “I can hear it because I’m a light sleeper,” Karen Smith said. “I don’t even know what he’s talking about because when I go in there he’s already in the middle of a conversation.” While a small fraction of people suffer from sleep disorders such as paralysis or sleep walking and talking, disorders such as insomnia are becoming more common in a society that places little emphasis on sleep. Dyken sees technology and pressures from work

and school as major contributing factors. Especially in combination, both of these factors can wreak havoc on a student’s sleep schedule. “I think sleep is something you can go with less of,” Elena LyonsMacatee ‘17 said. “For people who aren’t used to it, it can be kind of a challenge [to go without sleep].” Dr. Dyken disagrees with the notion that people can become accustomed to not sleeping. “It’s still a problem, even if they know that they need to get seven to nine hours of sleep. That’s genetically the amount of time needed for our bodies and minds to restore,” Dyken said. “Some people can get by with more or less hours, but you can’t really fight mother nature.” He argues that sleep disorders such as insomnia are becoming more commonplace because people are so often stressed that their “fight or flight” mechanisms, which

pump adrenaline into their blood, prevent them from being able to settle down easily into sleep. “Insomnia is very popular in our 24 hour society,” Dyken said. “It’s not unusual because many of us at any job are sleep deprived, working all the time if we could.” Many students believe that staying up late is their only solution to accomplishing their schoolwork. Ironically, sleep is more essential to consolidating information than a late night study session. Recovering from sleep deprivation, among other sleep disorders, is imperative for a body’s mental and physical health. “If you take an animal, it needs three things to survive: Air, food, and sleep. If animals are deprived of sleep, the animal will die in 16 to 21 days,” Dyken said. “They’ll wither away and die because there’s something restorative about sleep.”

June 2, 2015 7

10 Little Hawk Feature Magazine

on our environment

This series of stories explores the ways in which the Iowa City community interacts with our environment. PHOTO BY CAROLINE BROWN

the green scene What can you do to help the environment? University of Iowa geologist Bradley Cramer shares his insight to the real effects of climate change. By Caroline Brown

ce caps are melting, sea levels are rising, and snowfall on Mount Kilimanjaro is becoming a rarity. Even as scientific evidence piles up, discussion of causes and terminology for climate change continues. Recently in Florida, DEP officials (Department of Environmental Protection) were banned from using the terms “climate change” and “global warming” because officials don’t believe these theories have been proven to be true. Bradley Cramer grew up knowing he wanted to be a scientist. During his freshman year of college, he decided to specialize in geology. He is now a faculty member at the University of Iowa Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. “People believe a great number of things, but the data is absolutely, incontrovertibly clear. Climate change is happening, and we are playing a role in it,” Cramer said. “Anyone who does not accept the data is either doing it willfully and just choosing to ignore it, or they do not understand how science operates.” As a geologist, Cramer studies many different fields of science. One of them is the history of Earth and how changes in climate and environment occur over time. “Climate change has happened through all of Earth’s history, for hundreds of millions of years. We have always seen extinction, we have always seen changes in the ocean and in chemistry,” Cramer said. “But not like this. We are now running an experiment on the earth. It's been more than 10 million years since we’ve had this much CO2 in the air.” Carbon dioxide (CO2) is emitted by nearly all human activity. It occurs naturally in the atmosphere as part of the carbon cycle. However, as our world has become more industrialized, more CO2 is being produced, which could potentially alter the way environmental systems function. “Earth is as complex of a system as you can possibly imagine. Literally everything affects ev-

erything else. If one minute detail is off, everything changes,” Cramer said. “We are trying to figure out what caused these individual changes and how they're related to one another.” A large portion of carbon emissions come from transportation, which is part of why keep-

fossil fuels are disappearing rather quickly. In past years, as gas prices have vacillated, sales of SUVs compared to sales of electric cars have also changed dramatically. Recently, as gas prices have fallen, consumers are more willing to purchase cars, but as gas prices rise again, many people will begin to purchase electric cars. “The reality is that it’s going to come down to the economy. If the oil prices go up, people will react based on their wallets. So how do you provide natural resources that everyone needs without hurting the environment? This is the challenge of the 21st century,” Cramer said. Solar panels and electric cars are just a few of the ideas being developed to prevent damaging the environment. Not only is too much energy being used, but for some people, energy still isn’t accessible. More than a billion people on Earth still live without electricity. “So many people still need cheap accessible energy -- fossil fuel for example. But there is also a need for important action on climate change,” Cramer said. “A good example of this conflict is organic farming. It’s great, but in order to feed everyone on the planet, it would require every square inch of the earth to be farm land.” Cramer believes that the best way citizens can help the planet is to recycle aluminum cans. Extracting aluminum requires extraordinary amounts of electricity, while recycling cans requires only about five percent as much. “Think globally and locally. Every little thing that you can do helps,” Cramer said. “Even little things like carpooling and turning off lights can make a big difference when added up. By misusing our planet we are only hurting ourselves. In terms of problems for Earth, Earth doesn't care. Whether or not climate change causes a problem for humans, the earth will still be here.”

“IN TERMS OF PROBLEMS FOR EARTH, EARTH DOESN’T CARE. WHETHER OR NOT CLIMATE CHANGE CAUSES A PROBLEM FOR HUMANS, THE EARTH WILL STILL BE HERE.”

12 Little Hawk Feature Magazine

-BRADLEY CRAMER ing these emissions under control is so challenging. “People will always need to get places. Unfortunately, we generally have very poor public transportation in this country,” Cramer said. “The way to go about fixing things is to reduce the carbon footprint per person per mile, and for that we need public transportation.” One reason the U.S. lacks public transportation is the great distances between major cities. With the exception of those on the East Coast, most big cities are very far apart. Other parts of the world have been able to make public transportation much more efficient because everything is much closer together. “Europe is very different: you can get on a train and be in a huge city in 10 minutes,” Cramer said. “We have a geography problem that Europe does not. Our trains are set up for freight, and so it’s very hard to accommodate for passengers.” Since the need for transportation is so great,

the impact of transportation

June 2, 2015 13

profile: ANNA BAYNTON Anna Baynton â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;17 will be attending a school surrounded by the nature of northern Minnesota next year to help expand her knowledge about the environment.

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PHOTO BY CAROLINE BROWN

By Sadie Hobbs & Lucy McGehee Plastic desks and fluorescent school bulbs were the usual surroundings for Anna Baynton ‘17, until the opportunity to experience schooling in a whole different light presented itself. “My mom was looking around on the Internet for various opportunities for things that could help me for college,” Baynton said. “She found [Conserve School], and I was like, ‘I want to go,’” Baynton said. Next fall, Baynton will be attending a boarding school in Northern Minnesota. Most of the classes at her new school will be taught outside. She will learn a regular curriculum, with additional classes on ways to help improve the environment. “[Conserve School] is pretty structured. There is a curfew, and a lot of the classes are outdoors,” Baynton said. “There is basically class time and then free time in which you can also participate in structured activities.” Conserve School is a semester long and goes from mid-August to winter break. Because it is a boarding school, Baynton will keep in touch via Skype and cell phone. Other changes will be less dramatic. Eco-friendly living is already part of Baynton’s life: Her family eats organic and vegetarian foods. “[Organic food] is just healthier, it doesn’t have pesticides and things on it, and it tends to taste better,” Baynton said.

Conserve School is highly selective. The application requires an essay and a school transcript. At Conserve School, Baynton will be joining students from across the country. “[The application] was like a miniature college application. I had to write an essay and fill

house because it is low-energy consuming. My dad is super into gardening. A lot of stuff from our yard gets composted outside, then he uses that to fertilize.” Here at City, school lunch consists mostly of processed foods. Baynton believes the school needs to change that. “[If the school] had more food that was prepared in the cafeteria and less packaged stuff, that would help,” Baynton said. Baynton agrees that global warming is an increasing issue as more scientific research backs the negative effects of greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide emissions. “Statistically, there have been more floods, more wildfires, and more natural disasters in general,” Baynton said. “There have been extremely accurate state-of-the-art computer projections that have so far been accurate in their predictions of the rise in carbon dioxide and the corresponding stuff that happens.” In order for the global warming issue to stop, Baynton believes the government needs to intervene. “[Our government should] increase subsidies for removable energy and cleaner fossil fuels as well. Basically, that would do a lot,” Baynton said.

“MY PARENTS ARE REALLY ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS AND IT’S ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF MY LIFE.” -ANNA BAYNTON ‘17 out a lot of questions,” she said. “[It was worth it] because nature is awesome.” Learning from her parents, Baynton has picked up habits intended to help the environment. For example, she turns off the lights when she leaves a room, composts, and recycles. “My parents are really environmentally conscious, and it’s always been a part of my life,” Baynton said. “They purposely bought our

June 2, 2015

ACCEPTING ANXIETY

*some names have been changed to protect identity

16 Little Hawk Feature Magazine

ART BY NOVA MEURICE

By Caroline Brown Amid late night study sessions, vicious gossip, extracurriculars, and impossible tests, high school is a huge source of stress for every teen. But for some, the stress is extreme, and can cause more than just meltdowns. After dealing with hardships of her own, Miranda Livingston ‘16 was inspired to form a student support group at City High. She started the group October of 2014. “Our goal is to provide a support system for anyone dealing with some kind of mental illness, whether it’s anxiety or depression or anything,” she said. “So if people want to talk about their problems they can, or it can just be a place to hangout and realize that there are other people who are dealing with the same stuff.” The club, “If You Really Knew Me,” took a while to pick up speed. Livingston began by talking to friends, and eventually had Mr. Bacon read meeting times on the announcements. The club has about seven regular members, but events like movie and pizza days have started bringing in more people. “I do think it’s helped. I’ve made a lot of friends who have dealt with similar things, and it’s great to be close with them,” Livingston said. “As someone who’s personally dealt with that stuff, it’s really easy to feel like you’re alone. To know that there are other people dealing with it too is really comforting.” Adolescence is a rough time for everyone, but with growing emphasis on academic performance, as well as colleges becoming increasingly selective, grades seem to be a large contributor to stress among teens. “Last year was the worst. It was sophomore year, when all the AP classes are first being offered, and everyone wants you to go for it and get the college credit,” Livingston said. “But it got really overwhelming and things just went downhill really fast.” After working at Camp EWALU over the summer, Livingston found that her mental health had improved drastically. “As a leader in training and a counselor, you’re constantly having to be chipper and excited around the kids. And that really helped

me, especially this year because as I started If You Really Knew Me, I’ve kind of had to take that leadership role. And being more outspoken and just happier in general has really helped,” she said. “I think mostly just accepting that I have anxiety and figuring out how to deal with it in ways that work for me [has made things better].” According to the ADAA, Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 80% of kids with an anxiety disorder are not receiving help or treatment. Before he got help, City High student Sam* was just one of many. “I have dealt with depression on my own for three years, and I recently started getting help about a year ago,” he said. “So a lot of things I’ve learned how to do on my own, which is not always fun.” Sam suffers from separation anxiety as well as depression. He believes that his anxiety could be linked to stressful experiences he had as a child. “When I was born I was immediately put through an adoption system in China, either because my parents didn’t have enough money, or whatever it was. And I’ve always had an attachment issue,” Sam said. “I got adopted by my American parents that I have now, and I got taken from my foster family there. I was very connected to them so that was pretty traumatizing. I spent several years not really knowing how to interact with people.” After researching psychology and philosophy, Sam recognized many symptoms of anxiety in himself. “I had inklings when I was seven or eight. But when I was in seventh grade is about when I knew,” he said. “When I realized the significance of what I had been reading online I was just sad. All of my grades took a really bad turn.” Livingston has also found that her grades can be connected to anxiety. Beyond grades, classroom situations can also trigger social anxiety. Out of the 10 million Americans suffering from social anxiety, most of them find that symptoms can be disruptive to their everyday lives. “A big part of it is school. There’s a lot of academic pressure,” she said. “Then [there are] also social situations. I know a lot of people who have social anxiety, and being in large groups of people or talking in front of large groups of people can be a major struggle.”

Disorders like anxiety and depression are tough to deal with, especially during adolescence. With surveys showing that 28 percent of students across the country have been bullied, a rise in mental disorders is not surprising. “When I was in elementary school, I would make fun of myself or of Asian people as a whole just so I would do it before other people could,” Sam said. “At the time that made it easier for me, and it lessened the blow. But now I’ve learned how to handle things in a better way and not take those comments to heart.” Through both medicine and therapy, Sam’s depression and anxiety are much more manageable than they were in the past. However, he still struggles with certain aspects of his mental health. “During the day I can control it with the pills and stuff. I just have a different way of conducting myself,” Sam said. “One side effect of me having to work on things by myself is that I’ve sort of become detached from my emotions, which is not a good thing. I know I need to work on that.” A huge part of what Sam has been working on is his state of mind and his outlook on life, especially in

“DON’T LET THE ANXIETY OVERRULE YOU. IF YOU’RE ANXIOUS ABOUT SOMETHING BUT YOU WANT TO DO IT, GO AHEAD AND DO IT.” MIRANDA LIVINSTON ‘16

times when his depression is the worst. “It used to really kick in the month before the anniversary of my adoption. I just felt really bad, and I got into this super low point,” he said. “Medicine helped, but I think it was really the counseling. Just the fact that I can trust someone who won’t go spreading around what I’m telling them is nice. I have a really hard time with friends, and making trustworthy friends.” In addition to anxiety and depression, Sam has also suffered from paranoia and claustrophobia, which makes lasting friendships that much harder to find. “I sort of had to tell myself that not everyone is out to get me, or that not everything in life is bad. There are good things too,” he said. “I used to mainly focus on the bad, even though there was probably more good at that time.” Both Livingston and Sam agree that finding a reliable group of friends is the most effective way to recover from any kind of stress or mental disorder. “The main thing is to find people who are willing to support you,” Livingston said. “With me, I used to have friends who would back away immediately if I mentioned my anxiety. They thought it was really weird. Whereas, with the friends I have now, if I mention that I’m stressed out, they are right there for me. It’s really comforting to have people be so willing to help you.” Unfortunately, Sam was not able to attend If You Really Knew Me this year, but he plans on creating a website for the club and joining next fall. He feels that he can provide advice and support to other kids like him. “I know there are people who are exactly like me, but they may not know how to deal with whatever they’re going through,” Sam said. “And I feel like I have a better grasp of that than most people.” Livingston has also been able

May 29, 2015 17

to provide advice based on her experiences. The most important thing she tells people is that they can’t let the anxiety take over their life. “Don’t let the anxiety overrule you. If you’re anxious about something, but you want to do it, go ahead and do it,” she said. “Anxiety might seem like a huge [problem] right now, but in the long run it will be really small.” She hopes that through her club

18 Little Hawk Feature Magazine

kids who have anxiety or depression can enjoy a safe and welcoming environment, and that their peers will be accepting rather than judgemental. Like any other mental disorder, anxiety is not something to be taken lightly. “Anxiety isn’t just fear. It’s sleepless nights, panicking over what can end up being the tiniest things. It’s spending almost every waking moment of your day constantly worrying and trying not to break

down. It’s being unable to force yourself out of bed in the morning and face the world. It can prevent you from doing the things you love and make you happy,” she said. “It can be a major barrier in someone’s life, but the important thing is to acknowledge that the barrier is there and to do what you can to break down that barrier, even if it seems impossible.”

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June 2, 2015 19

underrepresented The ICCSD makes small steps toward diversity in its teaching staff. PHOTO BY CAROLINE BROWN

20 Little Hawk Feature Magazine

ach day, a total of 35.4 percent of students of non-white minority in the Iowa City School District are met at school by a staff of teachers comprised of only 4.33 percent minority members. The district attempted to increase their numbers in the 2013-14 school year, but they failed to reach their goal of five percent. The 2015-2016 school year marks the District’s Equity Committee second attempt at diversifying Iowa City schools. As the district discusses how to further implement the plan by hiring new educators of different races, members of the Iowa City schools are looking towards the perspectives of the current teachers for their feelings on representing the minority. “I think that when we try and represent the population, it helps,” Dolores Silva, City High Spanish teacher, said. “With any job you want the best candidate, but I do feel like there are a lot of awesome candidates that fall under the minority category.” Silva is one of few minority teachers at City High. In the years she has been teaching, Silva has seen that a larger diversity of teachers may influence students who feel disconnected. “Every cultural group has something they can contribute. I think that in those regards, it could provide role models for culturally minority students,” Silva said. “That would enhance the chances of them connecting to the teacher, but that’s not to say that students can’t connect with other teachers.” Larry Holton, a paraeducator, agrees, yet he believes that a teacher’s style has more influence on their connection with students than their race. “You’d think that because I’m black and I’ve got four or five black students, they might relate a little bit more to what I say, but sometimes that is not always true,” Holton said. “I think that the better a teacher understands a class and what they’re there for, they need to get more students involved, and the better prepared that they are as a teacher, then they can pull all students in.” Holton, who grew up in Keokuk, Iowa, had only white teachers until he reached college, but didn’t feel feel particularly inhibited by the lack of diversity in his teachers.

“When you’re in Iowa where everything’s kind of mild mannered, there’s not a lot of tension when you’re growing up,” he said. “So I really don’t feel like there are too many things that I couldn’t do.” While Holton didn’t feel like he was restricted, he would have appreciated seeing more diverse facility, and he hopes to see the ICCSD take more steps to make it a reality for students in the district today. “I think that school boards need to go out and recruit, actively pursue that, finding quality educated people of color and bringing them into the community,” Holton said. “I think that sometimes those institutions need to take a bigger stand, and they need to play a bigger role in bringing in those types of people”. Kingsley Botchway, the ICCSD’s equity director, hopes to do just that in order attain his goal of 15% of teachers being racial or ethnic minorities in 2020. As a part of the new equity plan, Botchway plans to expand the applicant pool and increase the district’s connection with universities. “We’re going to have some of the same problems that other school districts have had,” Botchway said. “So we’re working on a program where we try to recruit any applicants to really boost the interest in teaching, but for minorities in particular.” While closing in the gap between diversity in students and teachers is a nationwide problem, Botchway recognizes that the ICCSD faces a unique set of challenges. “To a certain extent, we’re doing a good job at trying to get our name out there,” Botchway said. “But we’re facing some pretty nice metropolitan areas that are also vying for the same kids, which can be tough with the lack of minorities in the profession as is.” In addition to the ICCSD’s difficulty in competing with salaries offered by larger cities such as Las Vegas or Los Angeles, it is also harder to attract minority teachers to the district due to the lack of larger established communities. “When you start looking at

“A LOT OF US DON’T HAVE THOSE SOCIAL NETWORKS OR CONNECTIONS TO GET OUR FOOT IN THE DOOR. THAT’S ALSO WHAT MAKES IT HARDER FOR US TO BE ACCEPTED AS A BETTER CANDIDATE OR SOMEONE THAT IS KNOWN IN THE COMMUNITY, BECAUSE YOU COME IN FROM THE OUTSIDE.”

specifically minority, it’s harder to come out where there’s less connection to the community and less pay,” Silva said. “I know that I can find larger hispanic populations in neighboring states for more pay.” Silva also believes that minority teachers sometimes lack connections, which can make it more difficult to apply to teaching positions in new areas. “A lot of us don’t have those social networks or connections to get our foot in the door,” she said. “That’s also what makes it harder for us to be accepted as a better candidate or someone that is known in the community, because you come in from the outside.” While the job search and application process is difficult for minority teachers, often the struggle doesn’t end there. Silva, for instance, has dealt with people’s assumptions about the quality of her teaching, based on her race. “I don’t like the idea that people assume that hiring a minority is based on their color,” Silva said. “When we hear that, we’re thinking that people aren’t hiring the most qualified people because they’re not caucasian. It’s kind of misinterpreted in that way.” Although Silva would like to see more diversity in teachers, she believes that hiring has and should go beyond just race. “No one wants to hire anyone because of their skin color or because of anything else, because that’s also insulting and I certainly don’t think that I was hired for the color of my skin or because I speak spanish,” She said. “I have my education and I go beyond just teaching the language in the classroom.” While Silva advocates for increased diversity in the classroom, she hopes that all teachers provide interactive environments to connect with students on a level that isn’t just skin deep. “Hopefully students will also reach out to their teachers, no matter what their background is,” Silva said. “We all can learn more about each other as we become more and more diverse.”

-DOLORES SILVA June 2, 2015 21

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f f a e c i e

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For years, both parents and experts have discussed the negative effects of caffeine consumption. However, a recent article in The New York Times challenged that notion, and indicated that there might be more to the story.

22 Little Hawk Feature Magazine

By Riley Lewers & Rasmus Schlutter Walking into the First Avenue Hy-Vee around 3:30 on any given weekday, the first thing you see is a gaggle of junior high and high school students. They have walked to Starbucks after school and wait not-so-quietly for sugary, caffeinated frappuccinos, mochas, or macchiatos, their after school snacks of choice. According to the National Coffee Association, young people are now the fastest-growing population of coffee drinkers. “I think coffee has become a huge part of our society,” Grace Malkusak ‘16 said. “Starbucks has helped that, as more and more Starbucks are opening all over the country, and it’s becoming more and more popular.” The first Starbucks store opened in Seattle in 1992, and the chain has since become wildly popular worldwide. Over the past ten years, the number of Starbucks stores has more than doubled, from 10,241 stores in 2005 to to 21,536 this year. “I started to drink coffee just because everyone else was and it seemed cool, but then I began to genuinely love the taste of coffee, which is disgusting to some people,” Malkusak said. “It gives me a feeling of being refreshed or re-energized.” Adam Zabner ‘17 also enjoys coffee, but rarely goes to Starbucks. “I really like the taste of coffee, and it often helps me get through the day,” Zabner said. “A lot of my experience with coffee is based off my Venezuelan culture. We will drink coffee together a bunch of times a day at home, after dinner, or near dinner. So the Starbucks coffee culture hasn’t really affected me that much.” Although Zabner enjoys

drinking coffee, and drinks a lot of it, he doesn’t believe that he is dependent on it. “I don’t think I’m addicted,” Zabner said. “I lost my thermos a month ago, and I’m doing fine.” For Malkusak, the need for caffeine is more severe. “I think for a while I was [addicted] because some days when I didn’t have my usual cup of coffee, I would get headaches,” Malkusak said. “That concerned me, so I cut down on my coffee consumption for awhile.” That may have been a good idea for Malkusak. According to coffeehomedirect. com, a 16-ounce Starbucks coffee contains about 320 milligrams of caffeine. To get an equivalent amount of caffeine from Coke, you would need to drink nine 12 ounce cans. Malkusak’s reliance on caffeine has been heightened by easy access to coffee shops. “During this time, if I had just merely walked into a Starbucks or Java House and smelled coffee, I would start craving it so much that I had to buy some,” Malkusak said. Although the Food and Drug Administration doesn’t have specific recommendations for caffeine intake, Dr. Mary Larew of the University of Iowa reports that many experts say teens should consume less than 100 milligrams per day, and children even less. The research of Roland Griffiths, a caffeine expert and professor of psychology and neuroscience at John Hopkins University, suggests that caffeine is known to disrupt teen sleep cycles, which can lead to issues like poor moods, aggression, im-

“DURING [THAT] TIME, IF I HAD JUST MERELY WALKED INTO A STARBUCKS OR JAVA HOUSE AND SMELLED COFFEE, I WOULD START CRAVING IT SO MUCH THAT I HAD TO BUY SOME.” GRACE MALKUSAK ‘16

pulsiveness, and loss of behavioral control. It can also trigger headaches, lethargy, inability to concentrate, irritability, depression, and mood changes. While all of this makes teens’ increasing consumption of coffee sound disastrous, caffeine is not without its benefits. “Some parents like the social aspect of keeping teens focused and out of trouble,” Larew said. “It also may help teens stay alert and re-energize for sports and other events.” For students, drinking a cup of coffee during the day can make a big difference. “If I have time in the morning before school, I go and get coffee, but usually I go during my open hours or right after school,” Malkusak said. “Mornings can be a little rough for me, and school can really wear me down, so I just go get some coffee to help rejuvenate myself.” Along with helping students have the energy to get through the day, coffee may offer some health benefits: According to The New York Times, moderate coffee drinkers may have lower risk of cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer compared to those who do not drink coffee or those who drink large amounts of coffee. Regardless of the health effects of coffee, teens are drinking increasing amounts of it. Statistics from the American Dietetic Association report that the number of teenagers drinking caffeinated beverages has tripled since the 1970s, and growth is expected to continue. “If you go to a bigger city, which I guarantee will have plenty of Starbucks to go to, there will be all kinds of people in there: People going to work, students, tourists, et cetera,” Malkusak said. “I believe that coffee truly is becoming a part of our culture, and it is only going to grow as time goes on.”

June 2, 2015

LITTLE HAWK FEATURE MAGAZINE