The Little Hawk by The Little Hawk

THE LITTLE HAWK Iowa City, IA

Vol. 76

Friday, September 28, 2018

Issue 1

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Reaching new heights New construction of rental properties in Iowa City opens up old homes to families–and controversy By Lottie Gidal

P ABOVE: TJ Murphy ‘19 fills out a voter registration form PHOTO BY OLIVIA LUSALA

Ready, set, vote City High students worked with members of local organization NextGen, including a City alumna, to register voters in classrooms, the library, and around the school By Ellis Chen

ith clipboards in hand, volunteers Naomi Meurice ‘19 and Lottie Gidal ‘19 sought voting-eligible students to register. The duo spent their Monday morning circulating the library to make sure that they had covered each student. “I want to get as many people possible registered to vote, particularly high school students. There are a lot of high school students that aren’t registered that could be and could vote,” Meurice said. “There’s also a huge college population here and they can all vote in Iowa as long as they don’t vote in another state.” As the November election looms, the two have worked with NextGen, an organization focused on bolstering the youth vote. Although originally focused on preventing climate change through voter mobilization, NextGen has expanded to a wider scope of issues commonly supported by youth, from immigration to health care reform. “Young people haven’t always vot-

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ed [in] as high of rates as their older ages of 18 and 34 voting. Despite this, counterparts. A lot of campaigns and members of the organization remain organizations, as optimistic about a result, haven’t the youth vote. figured that focus“I want people “I WANT TO GET AS MANY ing on investing to know that votPEOPLE REGISTERED TO ing is power, alin young people VOTE, PARTICULARLY is worth it. [They though it might believe] it’s a lost HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. seem like a small cause because thing. People say, THERE ARE A LOT OF HIGH ‘Oh, I’m one perthey’re not going to vote anyway,” SCHOOL STUDENTS THAT son, it’s only one Emmet Sandberg, but that one AREN’T REGISTERED AND vote,’ Iowa City’s Nextvote could change COULD BE AND COULD Gen organizer, things,” NextGen said. “We’re really media fellow VOTE.” focused on meetShayna Jaskolka ing young people ‘18 said. “[There NAOMI MEURICE ‘19 where they’re at, are] all these sinhearing out in gle people who the issues that say, ‘My one vote they care about, and then working to may not matter,’ but it does when you get them out to vote, which is such an add them all up. So teaching people important thing.” the importance of actually going out NextGen could be fighting an and voting and having your voice be uphill battle, however. According to heard is one of my biggest goals.” the Census Bureau, the last midterm Jaskolka spent the summer volelection cycle experienced low voterunteering and doing door-to-door turnout among young people, with canvassing to register youth voters. just 23.1 percent of people between the Additionally, Jaskolka and other vol-

unteers distributed “Pledge to Vote” cards, which remind people who have already registered to vote in the midterm elections. “I think NextGen is super important for young people because a lot of them are very passionate and fired up about politics right now,” Jaskolka said. So far, NextGen has attempted to boost the youth vote and replicate progressive victories in other states by registering hundreds of voters, including around 1600 of the students coming to the University of Iowa campus for the first time. “We just saw a primary election in Florida and [Andrew Gillum] is a NextGen-endorsed candidate who very few people thought could win. He ended up winning largely because of unprecedented levels of youth voter turnout around the colleges and universities that we were organizing in,” Sandberg said. “So we know that what we’re doing works. We saw it in Virginia in 2017, where we’ve dramatically changed the landscape of politics in the states, and that’s what we’re trying to do here and all over the country come November.”

Rowing

National Merit

The Iowa River is one of the most pollutted in the country, but Mae Crooks ‘19 doesn’t care. For two hours every day, she is gliding on top, taking in the feel of the water beneath her oars. A16

Four City High students will advance to become semi-finalists for the National Merit Scholarship competition in 2018. Liza Sarsfield, Lillian Prybil, Jack Bacon, and Quinn Kopelman are among 16,000 students nationwide to achieve this honor. A4

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roposals are underway to build yet another building over 10 stories in the downtown, following the Chauncey. These structures have created controversy among citizens, who debate over issues ranging from rent control, to affordable housing, to pure aesthetics. The four-building, 15-story Pentacrest Garden Complex plans to house upwards of 800 new living units downtown. The plans were proposed at a community City Council meeting where residents were invited to share their views. Resident Emily Legel described the complex as a key step towards preventing college students from driving families out of single-family homes being used as rentals. Over the course of the past year, the city has taken steps to diversify the ages of homeowners in some of Iowa City’s longstanding neighborhoods. A cap was placed on the number of rental permits available in what the city has qualified as “historic neighborhoods.” However, this was in direct contradiction to a state law passed just over a year ago. Iowa City had previously disallowed more than three unrelated people living in a house together without a rental permit, but House File 134 banned this practice. The move was supported by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in a statement from Rita Bettis, the legal director. “City restrictions can no longer severely harm moderate-income homeowners who rely on sharing their homes with unrelated renters to meet their monthly mortgage payments,” Bettis said. “They have operated as highly restrictive planning devices that sweep too broadly in an attempt to solve student rental problems in predominantly single-family neighborhoods.” Some of these problems include disruption for neighbors and a lack of upkeep in historic homes being used as rentals. continued on A7

Table Talk: When is the N-word ok?

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2A NEWS

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM | MAY 4, 2018

CONTENTS NE

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W -9 A8 HER S AC ILE TE OF PR

: AD IE HE LL TO MO B3 AD NG HE SSI TTS MI BE TIB

A SS D T IN O G H B MO EA 3 TIB D: L BE LIE TT S

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B8 W SA HO Y O TH UG EN H -W T TO O RD

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A5 F O H NS IG MA Y H HU CIT

Dear readers, Welcome to the first issue of the year! We are incredibly, incredibly proud of this issue and hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed making it! Inside, there are so many incredible stories — our News section features profiles of the Homecoming Court, new teachers, and the Humans of City High; Sports brings you a stunning profile of student rowers; Opinion dives into the topic of politicizing Mollie Tibbetts’ death and what 2018 has really been like from a woman’s point of view. In A&E, we get to meet the cast members of our fall one-act comedies, and in a huge addition to our publication, our Cultures section looks at the nuances of the N-word and who can (or cannot) say it. So enjoy! Let us know what you think, and we can’t wait to see you next issue! XOXO, Maya Durham & Phoebe Chapnick-Sorokin

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM |SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

NEWS 3A

Homecoming Court 2018

TOP TO BOTTOM: Olivier Shabani, Ingrid Streitz, Jonathan Brown, Josh Fletcher, Lottie Gidal, Charlie Maxwell, Naomi Meurice, Zoe Miller, Virginia Muturi, Bubba Perez, Younes Rouabhi, Veronica Abreu, Ruby Anderson, and Tommy Brands PHOTOS BY LOTTIE GIDAL

Advice for the class of 2022 By Wayne Joseph

Seniors sat down with the Little Hawk on September 13, 2018 for a Q&A session about their experiences during their freshman year at City High. As the high school era comes to an close for the class of ‘19, it is only just the beginning for the class of ‘22. With three years of experience at City High, some seniors have knowledge that they would like to pass down to freshmen and new students. They talked about what they did during freshman year and what they wish they had done, as well as a final word for the class of ‘22 Q: What activities were you involved in as a freshman?

Q: What do you wish you could have told yourself as a freshman?

Q: What advice do you have for the class of 2022?

“Activities? Well, I went to homecoming and the snowball.” -Olivier Shabani

“Keep on top of your time, spend it wisely, and spend it well” -Josh Fletcher

“Take more risks. It’s okay to make mistakes.” -Josh Fletcher

“Rather than focusing on social status, focus on your personal interests.” -Emme Kraus

“Don’t be afraid to be yourself, and be weird.” -Izzy Jones “Try to get involved in clubs and stuff like that.” -Olivier Shabani

“I did a lot of Pathfinder club.” -Josh Fletcher

“So much music: I did wind ensemble and jazz band.” -Rocio Stejskal “I was majorly involved in band, concert band, volleyball, and Interact.” -Emme Kraus

“BE PART OF A TEAM. Don’t half-ass it and recognize that you are a part of something bigger than yourself .” -Rocio Stejskal

“Step outside of your comfort zone socially. Having a close group of friends is nice sometimes, but only staying with what you know inhibits you from developing as a person.” -Rocio Stejskal

4A NEWS

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM | SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

Best Buddies holds ice cream social Best Buddies Club kicked off the year with an ice cream social where prospective members could sign up and interview to be a peer buddy

ICCSD announces new fee waiver for AP tests By Mariam Keita

ABOVE: City High students dance at the annual Best Buddies ice cream social PHOTO BY ELLIS CHEN

By Ellis Chen

est Buddies marked the start of the 2018-2019 school year with its ice cream social on August 29. The award-winning club attracted upwards of one hundred students to City High’s cafeteria. “It’s really just a nice kick off to the year,” Yasar Hassan ‘19, associate officer, said. “I think it’s just to get the rollercoaster started, the rollercoaster of fun as I like to call it.” The social started in the cafeteria at 6 p.m. Hundreds of students sat with their Chromebooks to register with the Best Buddies organization as officers and club president Beatrice Kearns ‘19 circulated to assist them.

“This year, we wanted to get more cafeteria. people involved in Best Buddies. We This year, the club is looking to wanted to get people signed up, and increase male involvement in the club. we did,” Kearns said. “We had 143 “Male involvement in our club is people register, so really important, we just wanted to especially for our “WE HAD 143 PEOPLE spread our mesmale students in sage to the whole special education. REGISTER, SO WE JUST school.” having WANTED TO SPREAD OUR Because Best Buddies that guy friend is is a global moveMESSAGE TO THE WHOLE really important ment that aims to and really changSCHOOL.” create a more ines their life,” Keclusive society for arns said. “My people with intelbrother Leo was BEATRICE KEARNS ‘19 lectual and depaired with Sam velopmental disBloom last year abilities through and Sam changed one-to-one friendships and leadership his life in 10 months. There’s no way opportunities. At City High, it hosts around that.” monthly events in the commons and The event was the first event un-

der the direction of Kearns, who succeeds Molly Brennan ‘18 as president. Kearns has been involved in the club since her freshman year. “I have two siblings with disabilities. Watching their struggles and difficulties feeling included socially has been a huge part of my life, and watching how it impacts my buddy is really important to me,” Kearns says. “So, developing friendships with people who are different than me and finding out how they are similar to me has always been a huge part of my life.” As students enjoyed ice cream, officers began conducting interviews to help in the process of matching. The event came to a finale as students started dancing throughout the cafeteria. “Best Buddies made me have a really good friendship last

2018 National Merit Semifinalists announced

By Lottie Gidal

ive City High students will advance to become semifinalists for the National Merit Scholarship competition in 2018. Liza Sarsfield ‘19, Lillian Prybil ‘19, Jack Bacon ‘19, and Quinn Kopelman ‘19 are now among the 16,000 students in the nation to achieve this honor, which is determined by how they scored on the PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) when they took it as juniors at City High in the fall of 2017. “I’m certainly proud of the kids, but honestly, everybody has their strengths and that National Merit comes down to a performance on the past exam,” John Bacon, the principal of City High, said. “So if you are a great test-taker, that’s great for you, but hopefully all of our City High kids find what they love to do and do it the best they can. That’s all that really matters to me.” Each student will now have to complete a detailed and rigorous scholarship application, which includes essays and information about their extracurricular involvements, leadership positions, and other activities outside school. In order to obtain these subsequent scholarships and honors, semifinalists must have an outstanding academic record, be endorsed and recommended by

ABOVE: City High’s National Merit Semifinalists pose outside the school PHOTO BY LOTTIE GIDAL a school official, and earn SAT scores that confirm their qualifying test performance. “I feel really honored and lucky,” Kopelman said. “I have incredible amounts of respect for all the other semi-finalists and commended students and I feel really honored to be amongst them.”

While West High School has 21 semifinalists, five times as many as at City High, Kopelman is confident that City is still a community based in excellence in other ways. “We truly have a great group of students here at the school that leads,” Kopelman said.

018 has been a year full of changes for the Advanced Placement program. The College Board, the company which runs the AP program and all of its exams, announced last school year that it would be moving its registration window for AP testing up from March to November, as well as discontinuing its fee reimbursement for those students who change their mind about being assessed after registration. After hearing concerns that these policy changes might disproportionately affect low-income enrollment in the Advanced Placement program, the Iowa City Community School District has made an effort to help alleviate the financial burden. Diane Schumacher, Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment in the ICCSD, relayed details on the district’s actions in an email correspondence with Little Hawk staff. “Yesterday we communicated the following to our AP teachers, counselors and administrators: AP Teachers, In support of the Equal Opportunities Schools initiative to enroll more underrepresented students in our honors and AP courses, the district is committed to removing AP testing financial barriers for students who meet the requirements for free and reduced lunch. Students who meet the requirements for free and reduced lunch, are taking AP courses, and wish to take the AP exam for that course will now be eligible for a 100% waiver of all testing fees. The College Board will continue to provide a partial fee reduction, and the district will provide funding for the remaining test fee. Eligible students and parents will be asked to sign a document stating that if the student does not take the exam, the student will be responsible to reimburse the district for the cost of the exam. Students will work with their AP teacher(s) and counselor to ensure that they are appropriately signed up for the exam. Counselors will collect and maintain the signed documents, and will provide necessary information to the district office to access the district funding source.” Mami Selemani ‘20 of West High is one student who will now qualify to take the AP exams free of cost. “I’m currently taking two AP classes and that would be around $200– or $50 each [for me] if I had gotten the previous fee reduction. Now that I don’t pay for that I have more money for stuff that comes up like bills for the house,” said Selemani. “Some people don’t have jobs and they have to ask their parents and that’s a burden on their parents, especially if they have more stuff to pay for. I remember when I asked my mom for that $50 last year, that was a lot of money for her to take out at once and there’s other things she has to pay for.” Selemani believes that the actions taken by the ICCSD will have a positive impact on minority student enrollment. “I think that AP participation for [low-income] minority students is going to go up because they don’t have to worry about paying for the test at the end. I feel like now that they don’t have to pay for that, it will encourage them to take the test.”

NEWS 5A

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM | SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

H U M A N S O F C I T Y H I G H

“I would really appreciate it if everyone would just stop showing PDA. I don’t mind it but it makes me uncomfortable when I walk right past it. You holding hands is fine and you hugging is cute but hugging like it is going to be the last time y’all see each other is not. Kissing all up on each other is awkward as hell. It’s like, ‘Do I look? Do I not look?’” “Initially I thought coming to City High as a sophomore was going to be weird, but because this is such a welcoming community, I had no need to be worried at all. Coming from a school of 500 people, here you don’t know everyone, it seems like every day I’m running into someone that I’ve never met before and it’s exciting.”

By Cecile Bendera and Mariam Keita

“I am an immigrant. I came here to the United States when I was six and I have been here for 10 years. I am just trying to achieve the American Dream. I am trying to do all these things to make my parents happy and myself happy. I am trying to have people view immigrants in a different way and to change the definition of immigrants.”

“I’m a Hispanic guy, and mostly everyone thinks that we’re all Mexican, but I’m not Mexican. My mom is from Nicaragua and my dad is from Guatemala and so I take pride in that. I enjoy doing crafts, which is not really that common with guys. I enjoy using my mind and using my hands to create something nice. I recently finished redoing my room. A lot of the decor and things are DIY. I took this frame and I put marble contact paper on it so I could put polaroids on it, I thought that was cool.”

“I feel like people should really learn about different cultures. I never realized how big culture was until I took Spanish class, although I’m African and culture is a big thing. I was born in here in Iowa, but all my family’s Kenyan, so I’m Kenyan. But really when I took Spanish class and learned about a different culture, it just really opened my eyes. Even going to airports and seeing different people, different cultures, different religions, just seeing how big the world is is just so cool.”

Innovating in the classroom After an increase in the ICCSD’s focus on technology in schools, extra assistance will be provided to ensure that the electronics are being used to their full potential By Noah Bullwinkle

n the last two years, educational technology has become widespread across the Iowa City Community School District. Between 2017 and 2018, students from seventh to twelfth grades were all provided with a personal Chromebook. The Iowa City Community School District’s Instructional Design Strategist team, or IDS, is working to streamline this increase in technology in regards to teaching. “We try and partner with teachers to try and create a positive impact on student achievement by building reflective practices,” said Evan Hartley, a full-time member of the ICCSD’s IDS team and a former English and Language Arts teacher at South East Junior High. IDS works with teachers on an individual basis and teaches them how to improve their instruction through the implementation of innovation and technology. “The real use of the technology is to bolster student communication or collaboration or creativity and critical thinking,” Hartley said. “For example, I’m working [with] a math teacher across town who wants to focus on the reflection her students do after doing math and to transform it to build a metacognitive relationship with math where students are focusing more on what they’re doing solving problems.” Nationwide, teaching through technology has been on the rise. According to a 2017 Front Row Education study, 50% of teachers utilize a one-to-one device ratio with their students. “I feel like a lot of technology tools have allowed me as a teacher to spend more time on the aspects I feel are more important,” said Hartley. “These tools have made me more efficient as a teacher, as I’m not spending as much time in a lecture relationship, treating students like sponges who absorb information.” Students also benefit from the greater exposure to technology inside and outside the classroom. “It’s made life better, not having to take home textbooks every day,” said Anthony Murphy ‘20.

Raw Bacon Robotics hopes to engineer a successful season Armed with a new mentor and a better approach to practice, the members of City High’s Raw Bacon Robotics (RBR) are optimistic for the upcoming year By Henry Mildenstein

olan Vibhakar, a returning member of the robotics team, is pleased to see the introduction of a new leader. “Mr. Crawford is joining the team as a mentor, and he will hopefully be able to offer a fresh perspective on the team. In addition to a new mentor, they are also implementing a lot of student leadership positions. We now have an official team leader and more sub teams, like coding, building, etc. That all have their own leaders. All of this I think, and hope, will help make the team more productive,” Vibhakar said. RBR consists of several returning members, as well as many newcomers. Adam Holmes ‘21, a new member of the robotics team, is excited for the upcoming season. “I decided to join robotics because I really en-

joy engineering, building things, and a lot of my friends are in it,” Holmes said. Of the various activities that RBR participates in Holmes is excited for their competition this year. “I know this year they have some sort of ‘space’ theme, so it’ll be interesting to build a robot based on the challenges that they reveal. I’m also excited to learn new skills, specifically some programming, which I don’t know a ton about,” Holmes said. The returning members of the robotics team are looking to make practices more streamlined this year. “Last year our team had some organizational challenges, and while we managed to get a working robot that did pretty well, there were a lot of times I felt we could have been more productive,” Vibhakar said.

ABOVE: RBR at the unveiling of this year’s challenge PHOTO BY NOLAN VIBHAKAR This year’s theme for the robotics competitions is “Rover Ruckus.” “We have to detach ourselves from the moon lander and pick up various minerals [blocks scattered on the field], and put them into our moon lander. In the end the goal is to do these tasks and than reattach our robot to the moon lander,” Vibhakar said. Currently, RBR is working on making sure the team is ready to have a successful season. “We have done a little bit of work on our ro-

bot however, most of work has been making sure we’re organized. After a project we have a lot of screws, gears, and miscellaneous objects lying around so we just to make sure we know how much we have of all of that,” said Vibhakar. With homecoming approaching, the club is also focused on preparing for the parade. “We are planning on having a trailer with a cardboard robot on the back and people throwing candy out the back,” Vibhakar said. “We may even have some people wear bacon suits.”

6A NEWS

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM | SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

ALFA meetings kick off

Let America Vote meets with students at the Iowa Memorial Union The organization, led by Jason Kander, strives to eliminate voter suppression by getting out the vote among targeted populations, like minorities and young people, one door at a time By Mira Bohannan Kumar

et America Vote founder Jason Kander, alongside officials and interns with the program, visited the Iowa Memorial Union on August 24. “Our mission is to create political consequences for voter suppression,” Kander told students. “If you’re going to do anything in politics right now in this state, I think this is one of the best things...you can do for you and also for making a difference.” Let America Vote formed to fight back against what Deputy Field Organizer Alex Salisbury, an intern with Let America Vote, called “an epidemic of Republicans trying to suppress the votes of regular, everyday, hardworking Americans.” “The voter suppression playbook that the Republicans run nationally has three steps to it,” Kander said. “Step one is they undermine faith in American democracy. They do things like saying there were three to five million illegal voters in the 2016 election when there clearly were not. Step two is they create obstacles to voting, and then step three is they create obstacles to the obstacles. For example, here [in Iowa] they put in a law saying you have to have a certain kind of identification in order to vote. They’ve said that they’re going to shorten the time you actually have to vote. They’re closing over 80 DMVs in Texas, so that’s an obstacle to the obstacle: ‘You have to have this kind of ID in order to vote; by the way, we’re going to make it... harder to get that kind of ID.’” Kander views the issue of voter suppression as a campaign strategy, allowing for selective access to voting rights and control of elections by elected officials. “Whether it is...college students, or working people, low-income folks,

ABOVE: Jason Kander speaks to students PHOTO BY MIRA BOHANNAN KUMAR communities of color, disabled folks, women, older Americans--all these groups have a bad habit, in their mind, of not voting Republican very often,” Kander said. “So as a result, rather than reach out to them and try and convince them to vote for them, or rather than change their policies to try and accommodate what it is they want, they’ve decided to try and eliminate from democracy those groups.” The strategy Let America Vote takes is to campaign against elected officials who perpetuate voter suppression, creating a disincentive to implement policies that restrict voting rights for certain populations. “In Virginia, in 2017, we knocked 194,100 doors, made about 30,000 phone calls...and we were able to help flip seven seats in their legislature from red to blue. That helped us prove the business model, and then we said, ‘Okay, let’s pick out five states for 2018, where there’s been recent voter suppression activity...let’s go over there, let’s create a political consequence by winning elections.’ Iowa was one of

those states,” Kander said. “[Deirdre DeJear] is running a great campaign for secretary of state and we’re helping her. We’re also helping a bunch of state legislative races, the state auditor’s race, the governor’s race.” Kander encouraged students to take up internships with Let America Vote, which would allow them to experience firsthand the inner workings of campaigning. “The best part is that you’re not just going to learn about how to do fieldwork. You’re going to learn about the entire 360 degrees of campaigning. Staff have done a great job creating resources that allow you to understand how campaigns are financed, how to raise money, how to do communications, how to do strategy and messaging,” Kander said. “That’s why we’ve had so many of our people come out of the program and either start working with us or working with other campaigns across the country, because they’re really prepared to do it.” After Kander finished speaking, students asked questions on subjects

including canvassing, the 2020 presidential race, and the best ways to work with a community. Zack Davis, the Iowa state director for Let America Vote, discussed logistics of campaigning and gave advice on how to “connect with people on a human level” while canvassing. “My wife and I door-knock at night in our neighborhood and I typically take my daughters out. I don’t know what my House candidate’s script is, or really what his lit[erature] says,” Davis said. “I’m just like, ‘Here’s why I’m here: I have two little girls, and I feel like the state of Iowa and the policies being put forth right now are letting them know that they don’t value them and their opinions, and so I would like you to support Kenan Judge,’ and my wife goes out and knocks for Kenan Judge and does the exact same thing, but she says, ‘I’m a teacher, I teach three sections of Algebra II that have 33 kids in them each. I think my class sizes are a little too big and education isn’t really funded.’ We try to cast as big a net as possible and just go talk to Iowans and have Iowa issues.” An overarching claim in Let America Vote’s rhetoric is the necessity of voting rights and the cementing of the status of voting rights as civil rights that are essential for all people in order for democracy to function. As the event drew to a close, Kander told the audience that voting is fundamental. “People talk about the civil rights movement like it’s just a piece of our history, something you read in textbooks,” Kander aid. “The civil rights movement never ended. People, when they were marching across the bridge in Selma, facing down dogs and batons and hoses, they were doing it for the right to register to vote. It’s a shame, it is sad, it is too bad that it never ended, but if there is any small, tiny silver lining to that, it is that we all get to be a part of it.”

By Emmelene Perencevich

he freshman class filed in to Opstad Theater and took their seats. Ambassadors wearing their signature red blazers took the stage and kicked off the first Ambassador Led Freshman Assembly (ALFA). Veronica Abreu ‘19, along with several of her fellow ambassadors, lead the assembly. “September fourth was the first meeting this year, but we did meetings of the same nature last year,” Abreu said. It was the first opportunity for the ambassadors to meet the new freshman class. “It’s interesting to see how the new freshmen function as a group,” Abreu said. “They seemed pretty enthusiastic about the activity, which was ‘Jeopardy,’ and pretty excited about cheering on their classmates.” Abreu was also an ambassador last year and helped to lead the FAM meetings. “Being an ambassador is fun! It’s a little bit of a time commitment,” Abreu said. “But it’s fun to get the opportunity to meet the freshmen and help teachers.” Azzurra Sartini-Rideout ‘20 helped direct the freshmen at the assembly. This is her first year as an ambassador. “Ever since I was a freshman I thought that would be a cool thing to [become an ambassador],” SartiniRideout said. “I wanted to help out around the school, help people, and do something that I thought I might enjoy.” Emma Holmes-Wanlass ‘22 attended the first ALFA. “I thought [the assembly] was funny,” said Holmes-Wanlass. “It was cool that it was more interactive than listening to someone talk the entire time.” Monday, September 10, was the second ALFA meeting. The ambassadors talked to the freshmen about time management. “They played a bunch of ‘Minute to Win It’-type games,” Abreu said. “[The freshmen] were super into it. They used student volunteers again and the freshmen responded well, cheering on their friends.”

Photo gallery: LatinXchange Students identifying as Latina, Afro-Latina, and women of color met on September 13 to discuss their experiences, learn about one another, and form connections

Alyssa Rodriguez from the Healthy Kids Clinic visited City High alongside other guests. The visitors facilitated conversation and led icebreakers, as well as providing snacks PHOTOS BY ELLIS CHEN

NEWS 7A

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM | September 28, 2018

G! World returns G! World club is getting back into the swing of things with some changes for the new school year LEFT: G! World students listen to guest speaker Dr. Bruce PHOTO BY CECILE BENDERA AND MARIAM KEITA

ART BY OLIVIA LUSALA

Student Senate meets every Wednesday morning at 8:15 in room 3311 By Mira Bohannan Kumar

September 12

he Student Senate meeting on Wednesday, September 12 began with President Lottie Gidal breaking those assembled into committees. “Things are coming up fast, and I know everyone is doing a lot of good work in their committees,” Gidal said. We’ll break off into groups for about 15 minutes, and then we’ll come back together as a group and talk about what we need from the whole group.” The committees reported on progress and decisions made. “We’re going to sell tickets on the 21 during lunch and the next week during lunch and after school,” Treasurer Rachel Volkman ’19 said. “Red and white [decorations].” The Powderpuff football game, which will take place after the parade, is also underway. The committee is looking for one student announcer and referees. “Mrs. Watson and Mrs. Kenuckie have always done the announcing in the past and they’ll do it again,” Melanie Gibbens, faculty adviser, said. The Homecoming Court voting will proceed on Google Forms to preempt possible hacking attempts. “We found a way to make Google Forms work,” Gidal said. “Now [adults] just have to put in all the names.”

September 19

he Student Senate meeting on Wednesday, September 19 began with an announcement that Superintendent Steve Murley would be visiting the Senate during the meeting. President Lottie Gidal ’19 and Vice President Naomi Meurice ’19 discussed final preparations for Homecoming week. “We still need referees for the Powderpuff game, and people to post fliers,” Meurice said. Faculty Adviser Steve Tygrett helped reacquaint the Senate with the process of ticket selling. “We’re doing after school in the main foyer,” Tygrett said, “and in the cafeteria area by the Best Buddies mural.” Faculty Adviser Judith Dickson discussed the decorations purchased for the dance. “Because I’m 48 years old and not in high school, I don’t really care,” Dickson said. “I’ve never watched High School Musical…but I’ve divided [decorations] into categories. We need to all take down after the dance.” The Senate parade committee, led by Faculty Adviser Chip Hardesty, presented on the parade and the special activities at the beginning of the parade festivities. “The art club is going to be doing face painting at the playground at the start of the parade,” Hardesty said. “There will also be voter registration.”

By Cecile Bendera & Mariam Keita

!World, a girls’ group in the Iowa City area geared toward young women of color, held its first meeting of the new school year in September. There were new faces in the program, such as freshmen who participated in the organization at South East Junior High, facilitators,

and coordinators who will mentor and assist participating students. “There [are] more people. Having more people is better because other black girls will get inspired, and there are activities to do. Since there are more people, there are more things to do,” said Sha’Mia Ansley ‘22. The program has introduced some changes in organization for the 2018-2019 school year. This year the upper- and lower-classman girls

will be separated. In addition, this year’s meetings will be held in different locations other than the school. “I am both happy and sad about the new changes. I am happy because the 11th-graders and 12th -graders will be talking about college applications, which freshmen do not really talk about,” Everline Bwayo ‘20 said. “The sad part is that I will not have the chance to meet the new girls that join the program.”

Reaching new heights continued from A1

he city cited research showing that neighborhood districts with the highest percentages of home and duplex rentals also had the highest number of nuisance and noise complaints. Kevin Boyd is the chair of the Historic Preservation Society (HPS), a city-appointed commission responsible for ensuring that many of the oldest edifices in Iowa City are protected from activity that might damage their historic integrity. “There’s a lot of character in these houses. You walk through a historic neighborhood and you get a certain feel for it that you don’t necessarily get in other newer places,” Boyd said. “Not that those are good or bad, they’re just different, and I happen to

personally like the historic ones more than I like the others. But that’s why we have a variety of places for folks to choose to live.” Within the community, HPS is mainly responsible for ensuring that any renovations undertaken on homes that the city has previously tagged as historic buildings do not take away from the historic character of the house. “There are a handful of property owners who view these houses as just an income generator and not necessarily part of the Iowa City community,” Boyd said. “I live in the northside neighborhood and there are a handful of properties that we know of as ‘man I wish there was somebody working on that house’, you can see that the

character is not being maintained.” Boyd is hopeful that with the increase in rental units downtown, landlords will have even more incentive to not let these old homes fall into disrepair. “It will have a positive impact on some of these neighborhoods,” Boyd said. “As there is more competition for where students may want to live, for the property owners who view it as an investment, it all kind of makes the market work. It forces the handful of property owners who are using these properties entirely as income properties, if folks are being more selective about where they want to live, they may be incentivized to improve their properties to make more people want to rent it.”

TheLittleHawk.com

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM | SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

8A NEWS

New Additions to C

ABOVE: Tyler Hagy PHOTO BY KATE KEUTER

Tyler Hagy Choir

When he was a kid, Mr. Hagy was interested in being a banker; then, as he got older, it was history and economics. After just one day of orientation at Luther College, Mr. Hagy’s plans changed. He is now a choir teacher with degrees in choral conducting, teaching, and dance performance from three different colleges. By Kate Kueter

“He is very knowledgeable and advanced in his techniques, both his teaching techniques yler Hagy originally planned to be a his- and conducting techniques,” said Dr. Grove. tory teacher, but his plans changed and “I think he’s going to be a great fit for the he became City’s new choir teacher this program.” year. Teaching anything to a bunch of wild high “I went to orientation day at Luther [Col- schoolers is not an easy task, and usually the lege] and I thought, ‘Well, the history meeting arts requires advanced skills. But Mr. Hagy sounds kind of boring. I[‘m] also thinking said singing is different. about studying economics, but the economics “You don’t need any formal training to meeting sounds kind of boring. So I’ll just go sing,” Hagy said. “Anyone can do it.” to the music one,’” Hagy said. “And I changed Everyone has pet peeves, some people’s pet my whole plan that day.” peeves are slow walkers, the word “moist,” and With four degrees in choral conducting, clicking pens. Mr. Hagy is teaching, and dance perforno different. “MUSIC CAN mance from Luthor Col“One pet peeve is when lege, the University of Campeople are on their phones CONNECT PEOPLE bridge, and the University of when people are speakOF ALL DIFFERENT Cincinnati, he has studied ing–when I am speaking or for years to be able to push BACKGROUNDS AND when others are speaking... our choir to new heights. He the lack of respect,” Hagy CULTURES.” teaches City High’s Concert said. Choir, 11-12 Mixed Concert, While other people have and the Treble Choir. favorite songs that are pop TYLER HAGY As a child, he wanted to songs or maybe classic rock, be a banker and then later Mr. Hagy does not have a become a teacher. favorite song but a favorite composer: Ralph ”Becoming a teacher was the end goal, but Vaughan Williams, an English composer from I wouldn’t have to worry about the money of a the 1900s. teacher,” Hagy said. Mr. Hagy has already started to work with It all started when he went to orientation other teachers in the music department on his day at Luther. Ever since then, Mr. Hagy has lessons. had a job in the arts one way or the other. For “We bounce ideas off each other almost evthe past seven years he has worked at a summer ery day,” said Dr. Grove. music camp. Coming to work at City was an When asked about his hopes, Mr. Hagy reeasy decision for Mr. Hagy. sponded with several ideas. “I knew of the reputation,” Hagy said. “[I hope to] break down the barri“Knowing about Dr. Grove and the strong ers between people and experience emotradition of music at City High, it was a no- tion in a safe place,” Hagy said. “Mubrainer.” sic can connect people of all different Dr. Grove told The Little Hawk that he is backgrounds and cultures, belief systems.” very impressed with Hagy’s teaching so far.

ABOVE: Evan Risk PHOTO BY HENRY MILDENSTEIN

Evan Risk ELL

When Mr. Risk graduated from City High in 2011, he already had teaching on his radar. During college, he coached cross country and track at Southeast Junior High, before spending two years teaching and coaching in Ottumwa. Fast forward seven years, Mr. Risk has come back to his City High roots where he is teaching ELL students and currently coaching cross-country. “For part of the day, I’m supporting [ELL students’] content-area classes and teaching t has been seven years since Evan Risk gradu- their content, and the other part is teaching them ated from City High. He is now excited to their English development,” Risk said “I end up return to The School That Leads in a differ- with a pretty nice variety of things over the day.” ent role: as a teacher. Over the course of his first few months, Risk Risk has taught at Ottumwa High School for said that he has been happy seeing his students’ the last two years. progress. “I graduated in 2011 “For ELL, it’s really cool and thought [City High] “I LIKE TO TEACH to see the student’s English was a great place to be at. I skills mature over the course BECAUSE I GET TO SEE always thought it would be a couple [of] months, THE STUDENTS IMPROVE of a great place to come back whether it be in their speakto,” Risk said. AND GET BETTER OVER ing, reading, or writing,” During his senior year Risk said. THE COURSE OF A YEAR... of high school, Risk discovRisk also has a backFOR ELL, IT’S REALLY ered his desire to become a ground in athletics. He was a teacher after his yearbook COOL TO SEE THE cross-country coach at South professor mentioned that East Junior High, where he STUDENT’S ENGLISH he might be good at it. several seventh- and SKILLS MATURE OVER THE coached “I’ve always got[ten] eighth-grade students curalong with people and I COURSE OF A COUPLE rently enrolled at City High, really enjoyed coaching [OF] MONTHS, WHETHER before he began his time during college so it made and coaching at IT BE IN THEIR SPEAKING, teaching sense,” Risk said. Ottumwa. To Risk, one of the READING, OR WRITING.” “I am currently coachgreat rewards of teaching is ing cross-country, planning meeting new students at the on coaching track, and was EVAN RISK beginning of the year and involved with baseball the being able to watch them last two years at Ottumwa,” grow. Risk said. “I like to teach because I get to see the stuRisk said that he hasalways had coming back dents improve and get better over the course of to City in his sights. a year,” Risk said. “It’s a great school to be at. I was away for Risk is currently teaching one ELL (English a couple of years and I always thought I’d Language Learners) development class and co- come back,” Risk said. “Then the opportuteaching with other instructors in two other nity arose to do so and I couldn’t say no.” ELL classrooms.

By Henry Mildenstein

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM | SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

NEWS 9A

City High’s Faculty

ABOVE: Jay Welp PHOTO BY RHYS HOLMAN

Jay Welp Chemistry

After teaching in Mondamin, Iowa for four years, Mr. Welp is excited to be part of the City High family. He is passionate about both chemistry and running, which serves him well for his jobs as chemistry teacher and cross country coach. He already has an immense amount of City High spirit, which he shows on Fridays when he wears red in one of his favorite City High traditions. By Rhys Holman

not only academically, but athletically as well, as an assistant coach for the boys cross-couneeing Jay Welp running around Iowa try team. City for more than an hour every day “I really enjoy being around the team. The on a quest to run 70 miles a week, one team is huge and it’s a really quality group wouldn’t expect that he returns home to grade of guys,” Welp said. “We’re really young this stoichiometry assignments late into the night year, so we’ll just see how it goes, but we while planning the next should be pretty good.” day’s lessons. Welp isn’t just excited “I expect to have a “I WANTED TO TEACH about the school, but also great year,” Welp said. “[I about the people there HERE BECAUSE I THINK want] to get to know City what they add to City CITY HIGH IS ONE OF THE and High and its students betHigh. ter and to grow as a teacher BEST SCHOOLS IN THE “I’ve noticed that the surrounded by a fantastic administration and staff STATE. I ENJOY MAKING staff.” have a positive culture, Jay Welp has been A POSITIVE IMPACT ON and an atmosphere of colteaching for four years, but laboration here that I reSTUDENTS AND I CAN’T this will be his first teachally enjoy,” Welp said. WAIT TO DO THAT THIS ing at City. This year, he But that doesn’t mean is starting teaching both SCHOOL YEAR.” that the transition has Chemistry and Honors been without issues. His Chemistry. old school in Mondamin, “I really like the math JAY WELP Iowa, had far fewer stupart of [chemistry] and dents, which has led to how you can apply math differences in teaching. to more real world things,” Welp said. “Math “I believe that having positive relationis usually pretty abstract, but when you can ships with my students is the most important take that and apply it to things like atoms and part of teaching,” Welp said. “And City High elements and chemical equations it’s really en- has way more students than my old school, joyable.” so that makes it more difficult and will take Even though this is his first year teaching at some getting used to.” city, Welp is already excited to become part of Despite this, Welp is excited to become City High traditions and events. part of the City High family and to make a “I look forward to wearing red on Fridays, difference in his new position. as well as cheering on the Little Hawks against “I wanted to teach here because I think West High and other teams in sports,” Welp that City High is one of the best schools said. in the state,” Welp said. “I enjoy makEven after the final bell has rung, Welp has ing a positive impact on students and I responsibilities as he works to help City High can’t wait to do that this school year.”

ABOVE: Mary Peterson PHOTO BY VICTORIA WECKMANN

Mary Peterson Guidance

Mrs. Peterson graduated from City High in 1999, and has worked a variety of jobs since then, including managing a horse barn. She is excited to return to City High where she can help students as a guidance counselor. cus on three things: social and emotional wellbeing, academics, and career,” Peterson said. “How do we help students be better at academnce a student at City High, now a ics? How can we help students find what they guidance counselor changing sched- want to do for a career after college? Addressing ules left and right, Mary Peterson ‘99 those things is going to be the next step.” Peterson tackles her current job with a pasis quickly adjusting to her new role. She is thinking about taking a survey or pulling in sion to help, a confidence she achieved with her groups of students to ask them questions, in- time as a City High student, and past experiences from many different cluding some about City fields. High. “I WAS LOOKING FOR “What it was that made “[I’ll] ask students A JOB THAT WASN’T me want to go into edaucawhat they think would tion was actually being a be a good way to better SERVING COFFEE TO paraeducator at South East. City. [I’d like to] figure PEOPLE AND I JUST LOVED I was looking for a job that out what the kids think or wasn’t serving coffee to how they view City High,” BEING IN A SCHOOL, and I just loved bePeterson said. BUT I KNEW I WAS NOT A peopleing in a school, but I knew I She wants to get startTEACHER.” was not a teacher,” Peterson ed on this project right later said. “Another influaway. Now that schedule encer of just being a school changes are over, she has MARY PETERSON counselor was actually my the time to start working school counselor at City on her plan to make City High, Sarah Hollander. She an environment where stuwas amazing, super easy to talk to, and always dents can make the changes they envision. “[The first few days] have been rapid-fire,” available. And so I thought, ‘I would love to be Peterson said. “It’s a steep learning curve, but that as well.’” As Peterson has adjusted to being a guidance I think I’ve got the hang of it and now that schedule changes are officially done, I’m ex- counselor, she has worked to help students with anything that they need. cited to do the real work.” “I don’t want to presume to know what’s Mrs. Peterson has previously had a wide variety of work. Some of these jobs include being best for the student,” Peterson said, “I love to a Maracore worker for a year in Des Moines, talk to students and see what they like. You guys a Java House waitress, and a paraeducator at know better than I could even begin to know. I South East Junior High. She was then a school think always making sure there are open doors counselor in a middle school until transition- and adults to talk to [is important]. We have ing to become a horse barn manager, fulfilling tons of opportunities; just keep[ing] those available to all students, not just certain students [is one of her lifelong dreams. “I can’t tell other people to follow [their] crucial].” According to her students, she is doing a dreams if I can’t follow my own,” Peterson great job. When going in for a schedule change, said. Five years after becoming a horse barn Paris Fuller ‘21 loved the kindness and openmanager, Peterson decided that the hard labor ness that Peterson is bringing to her new job. “I really like her. I think she was so nice of such a job was too much and switched to education. She became a paraeducator at City and she really took into consideration what and when she saw the opportunity, applied to I wanted,” Fuller said. “I really liked her smile. [It] really brightened up the room and become a guidance counselor. “[Guidance counselors] are supposed to fo- I think that she could definitely hear me and what I had to say. She is a good listener.”

By Victoria Weckmann and Julianne Berry-Stoelzle

10A NEWS

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM | SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM |SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

SPORTS 11A

SUMMER REWIND

SOFTBALL AND BASEBALL Oct. BOYS GOLF 2 DISTRICT MEET IHSSA Districts 9 a.m.

GIRLS AND Oct. BOYS CROSS 4 COUNTRY

MVC Super Meet @ Noelridge 3:30 p.m.

Oct. FOOTBALL City v. Pleasant Valley and 5 Senior Night @ Bates Field 5:00 p.m.

Oct. GIRLS 9 SWIMMING/ DIVING

City v. Waterloo @ Central Middle High School 6:00 p.m. ABOVE: Number 22 Ella Cook ‘21 prepares to hit against Prairie, a batter in a team that took City High to the state tournament for the first time since 2001 MIDDLE: Ry ThrelkeldWiegand ‘19 pitches in a game against Dubuque Wahlert at Mercer PHOTOS BY JULIA COELHO

Oct. VOLLEYBALL City v. Cedar Rapids Prairie 5 and Senior Night @ City 5:30 p.m.

L E T T E R F RO M T H E E D I T O R

hy, hello there. So you’ve gotten to the sports section...I’m impressed. I hope you enjoy perusing all the photos of really sweaty people (be glad you can’t smell them, though if you yourself are an athlete, I’m sure you can imagine). A whole lot of people had to work really hard and look really in pain in their respective sports so we could get these photos; on behalf of The Little Hawk, I want you to know we appreciate your efforts. If you’re still reading this, props to you, that probably means you plan on reading some of the other articles as well. I’d love to point you in the direction of a few choice pieces: “Eating Like An Athlete”...well, hopefully you can guess what that’s about. I really wanted to highlight an aspect of being active that isn’t always stressed in high school sports, so to all of you who want to start paying a tad more attention to how you fuel your bodies, check out the recipes at the bottom of the story and see our website for even more!

The Little Hawk talked to each of the fall sports, just to check in on where they are at in the middle of their seasons, not to mention their hopes and dreams and fears. Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone made it to their respective state tournaments? Ah, well. But either way, it was really inspiring listening to all of these athletes, many of whom are seniors, talk about how much their sports mean to them, the lessons they have learned, the friendships they have made, and all the silly wonderful memories along the way. Finally, be sure to read the athlete profile about Mae Crooks, a superhuman who is out rowing on the Iowa River for two hours every day. In the words of the immortal Tom Mittman, she is a beast. I’m very glad this issue came together so well, we have some amazing reporters on staff, not to mention the fabulous and extremely energetic editors. As for me, I’m trying really hard to fill the size 78 shoes of Addy Smith, Jim Geerdes, and JONATHAN

FREAKING HOUSE, the most prolific reporter in 2109’s history. I love telling the stories of those of you who do the weird, non-school-related sports. If you or any of your pals do gymkhana, or ice-fish, or play competitive pingpong, I’d love to know about it! And that’s all for today, ladies and gents and those somewhere in between! Never stop lifting weights, hitting balls of different sizes, running that extra mile, or eating kale when you really don’t want to. See you next issue! Best Wishes,

Lottie Gidal

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM | SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

EATING By Lottie Gidal

very Sunday night at 10 p.m., Naomi Meurice ‘19 is in her kitchen, meal-prepping for the week. From burrito bowls to salads to fruit, she packs it into tupperware, ready to be grabbed early the next morning. “In school lunches I didn’t really get everything that I wanted or needed,” Meurice said. “So that’s progressed and now I bring my lunch every single day, pre-planned. Meal prep is much better for me personally, it makes me think about what I’m eating and putting into my body.” As a two-sport athlete (cross-country and soccer), Meurice knows the importance of fueling herself for practice and competition. “Everyone’s diets are super different; everyone likes different types of foods, but having healthy food in front of people is always a really good thing,” Meurice said. “I think some sports lack that. During cross-country season some people will go home and eat a bag of candy and some chips, and maybe their bodies are okay with that, but I ultimately want to fuel my body right.” Making nutrition a priority is something the cross-country team is attempting to do better. Assistant coach Jess Hodge has had in-depth conversations with Meurice and the team on how to view food as an important resource. “I love using coaching as the avenue to talk about nutrition,” Hodge said. “Coaching crosscountry is not just about focusing on the run. There’s factors you can control, like your sleep, your hydration, your mental self talk, your nutrition. I really didn’t get it in high school. Oh my goodness, if would have known what I know now I could have been a stronger athlete and just a stronger, healthier young woman.” Hodge recognizes that eating healthy can take some extra effort, that between practice and homework athletes can struggle to find the time to pay attention to what they are eating. But she sees the Sunday night meal preps Meurice does every week as a perfect example of simple, healthy habits. “I’m human, there’s days where I don’t have the time to cook, I really don’t, so that’s when you have to give yourself some grace,” Hodge said. “There has to be moments of doing what you need to do to be less stressed. So my advice would be to make it simple. Meal prep does not have to be complicated. It’s easy to get caught up in what people on Instagram are doing, with all

LH Recipe: A Jess Hodge favourite, this ten minute, easy to make snack will give you the energy you need to start your day.

these recipes that look beautiful. But honestly, you could go to the grocery store, get a frozen bag of vegetables, some ground chicken, make some quick minute rice, and right there you have a veggie, a protein, and a carb for the next couple days.” Nicole White is the sports nutrition director for the University of Iowa, a job created specifically to advise all of the collegiate teams on how to make healthy eating choices for their sports. Even so, she understands the importance of the role coaches play in their athletes’ eating habits. “If the coach does not support the message and readdresses it and reaffirms it, they aren’t going to be very productive,” White said. “The coach is the person who has the most time in front of the athletes; they recruited them, they spent all those years drilling them, so they have the most influence.” Hodge has taken this role very seriously. But she is mindful of how easily conversations about nutrition can turn down the wrong path. “Balance is so important,” Hodge said. “Even to this day, it’s hard. There’s a lot of different avenues you can go down with nutrition, and it can get scary and ugly with restricting and not eating enough, or what is called orthorexia, which is where you care too much about eating perfectly. That’s not healthy. That’s not balance. Learn to

SPORTS 12A

LIKE AN ATHLETE

listen to your hunger cues, listen to what your body really wants and honor that. Know that you will do good and get better when you eat better fore,” Hodge said. “Why are we just now thinking food, but your heart and your brain need some of this? We don’t want to cross a line where we’re good food too. And if that has to do with cup- feeling too pushy and say that you should be eatcakes or celebrating after a run with friends and ing this. We know how dangerous it can get, too, a big stack of pancakes, that is also really healthy especially with women. So we’re trying to figure out that line is and I think we’re doing a good to do.” In so-called ‘aesthetic sports’ such as running, job so far.” Having large conversations with the team is swimming, and wrestling, where athletes tend to wear the least amount of clothing, oftentimes just the first step. Meurice has bought snacks to hand out after practice, in body image dysmorphia the window of time an athis found to be more preva“LEARN TO LISTEN TO lete’s muscles are in need of lent. This is an issue White has spent years researching, WHAT YOUR BODY WANTS calories, and Hodge has utithe team Instagram to and has seen some of the AND HONOR THAT. KNOW lized post race-day meal and snack unhealthy trends that goes THAT YOU WILL GET ideas such as peanut butter along with it. protein balls. “The biggest thing I see BETTER WHEN YOU EAT High school athletes are is people unconsciously BETTER FOOD, BUT YOUR at a time in their lives where underfueling,” White said. “In high school that’s what HEART AND BRAIN NEED what they eat is especially formative for how they conthey did and that’s what SOME GOOD FOOD TOO. tinue to grow into their bodthey’re used to. Our bodAND IF THAT HAS TO ies as adults. ies can get used to running “People say, ‘Oh, it on a certain amount of fuel DO WITH CUPCAKES OR doesn’t matter, it’s just for for a long time, because our CELBRATING AFTER A four years right now,’” White bodies are amazing like that, but we don’t know our full RUN WITH YOUR FRIENDS said. “Well, four years at this point when you’re growing potential until we get all the AND A BIG STACK OF and developing can have calories we need.” PANCAKES, THAT IS ALSO a big impact on the rest of Another misconception White often faces is the idea A REALLY HEALTHY THING your life. And in sports it’s a competitive edge, it’s an that missing your period TO DO” extra bonus, just like going during bouts of intense exerto your athletic trainer. I feel cise is ordinary. like nutrition is the most “If you are a female athJESS HODGE underutilized performance lete, it is not normal to not have a period, and if a doctor is telling you that, edge out there. You’re able to see the results and unless you have some kind of disease, it should they usually are a big motivator. To see somebody when they understand a carb or see their times not be happening,” White said. Amenorrhea, or the absence of menstruation, come down or they are able to have energy in is often associated with extremely athletic people, practice and not feel lightheaded is a massive gain or as a consequence of adapting to higher levels of and very rewarding.” Hodge sees her platform as a coach in a very exercise. But in reality, the body is shutting down as a result of a lack of food. Exercise itself doesn’t similar way. “Nutrition is such a learning experience, and cause menstruation to stop. It’s the mismatch between energy consumed and energy used, result- I’ve learned how good it can make me feel, not only physically, but when I’m eating healthy, I ing in what’s called low energy availability. For Hodge, this is just another reason why feel mentally sharp, I feel happy, I feel like I have making sure her athletes are being smart when it more energy, I’m just in a better mood,” Hodge said. “I’m very passionate about continuing to comes to nutrition is so important. “We care about it, and we are realizing that live that way, and letting others know about it.” this really hasn’t been brought up on the team be-

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM | SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

SPORTS 13A

Hungry for more Despite the challenges of a change in leadership and injured players, coaches and athletes alike are looking to make what for many will be their last season count

By Lottie Gidal

he annual ‘Battle for the spike’ between City and West’s volleyball teams was one of the first major tests of the season. City was looking to start theirs off with a bang, but with a 3-2 finish to West High, the spike will be spending the next year across town. For new head coach Tricia Carty, this loss was not going to get her down. She believes the varsity team has the potential it needs to do great things. “I love the group of players that we have,” Carty said. “Some of them have been on the varsity level for three and four years. It’s been really exciting for me as a coach to see how they’ve grown in our program. We as a staff have been challenging them to accept some new rules and step out of their comfort zones, and push themselves as players and as people. It’s great to see that start to develop in the early part of the season, so I’m excited to see where that can continue to carry through the rest of October and November.” One of the challenges the team has already faced is the loss of their long time head coach. After 16 years in the position, Craig Pitcher stepped down earlier this year after an investigation into off-season training. Pitcher brought the team to seven state tournaments during his tenure, and was a driving force behind the team. Carty says one of her main goals this year was to make the transition as smooth as possible. “I think for everyone, it was a pretty unexpected change, myself included,” Carty said. “It helped that I’d been with the program for so long, so a lot of things we could just keep consistent which helped make the transition a little easier for myself

and for players and for parents.” Carty has been an assistant coach at City since 2003, so she has seen the sport evolve over time. “There’s things about the game that have changed,” Carty said. “The speed and tempo of volleyball now is just so much faster. A lot of our players are playing a lot more in the off season, so they’re getting more reps in, so the level of playing across the state has just elevated. That’s exciting, I think it makes the game better for everyone overall.” While for the most part keeping things the same, Carty has been putting more focus on fundamental skills such as passing and footwork. She believes these are the building blocks to a successful season. “We’ve been working a lot on our passing form and technique. It is seemingly the most basic skill in volleyball, but it can be really challenging. Your technique makes a big difference: it’s the initial contact for every play, every volley, when the ball comes back to

your side. And then also a lot with transition footwork, and getting to where we need to be on the court quickly. Those two things can make a really big difference in your ability to run your offense in volleyball,” Carty said. Senior Ellie Evans has embraced these changes, and knows that with all the seniors on the team, athletes are anxious for some success in their final year. “This season we are definitely hungry,” Evans said. “We really want to win this year. It also helps that we have almost every single player returning from last year, so that really helps build our connection.” Team-building has been the other aspect of the game Carty has tried to emphasize this year. “She does do things a bit differently than how Pitch[er] did; she has been focusing a lot on the mental aspect of the game, how the team works together not only on the court but off the court,” Evans said. “She really emphasizes trust and connections, and how we get along with each other and how that affects our playing. I think that a lot of the things she’s doing, while not super different, are definitely positive changes.” Evans has already surpassed her kill total for all of last season, only three or four weeks into the competition. “That’s one example of where we’re really pushing our boundaries and our expectations of ourselves to achieve more,” Carty said. “There’s always challenges along the way, just as there are in any athletic season. So we have to ask ourselves, can we still be confident enough to go out and execute, even though there may be some adversity ahead of us?” *To read more about the team, visit thelittlehawk.com

ABOVE: Players Mackenzie Murphy ‘19, Ellie Evans ‘19, Brooke Bormann ‘19, Kate Swenning ‘19, and head coach Tricia Carty battle for the spike against West High PHOTOS BY LOTTIE GIDAL

Broken bleachers By Emme Perencevich and Victoria Weckmann

he first football game to kick off the 2018-19 season was August 31. The Little Hawks were fighting hard against the Liberty Bolts, but this game, more than just the players were at risk of injury. As the game heated up, so did the crowd–until one of the bleachers collapsed, injuring some of City High’s own. “I would like it to be safe for students to stand on [the bleachers],” an injured student, Rachel Meehan ‘21, said. “I don’t want people to not be able to stand on benches at all during football games, but I want it to be safe enough that they can and we don’t have to worry about it falling or breaking.” Bleacher benches collapsing is becoming a common theme among football games. According to Scott Jespersen, one of City High’s vice principals, the bleachers that have broken in the past might not have been accidents. “In the course of the last two years, the students intentionally broke the benches in the first couple of rows,” Jesperson said. “They saw that they were starting to break, so they thought it would be funny to take them all the way.” Meehan wasn’t the only one injured by the bleachers. Sierra Josephson ‘21 now sports bruises on her back and legs due to the bench collapse. “We stood up like everyone else and the game started,” Josephson said. “As we cheered and jumped and danced, the bench swayed under us, but I didn’t think anything of it.” Josephson said that she is not worried about her injuries nearly as much as the fact that someone else could get hurt without warn-

ing. “It’s very concerning to me that no one is trying to replace the problematic bench, just put it back into place and wait for the next people to break it again,” Josephson said. “There were no warnings or marks on the bench to warn me that it was susceptible to breaking off. Not one of us on the bench knew that [they] could break and that we could be injured at any mo- ABOVE: The City High student section cheers at the game against Ames PHOTO BY GABE BAIRD ment.” benches,” Jespersen said. “Typically, [the problematic area is] the first These two injuries are not the only to have happened in the couple of rows, so the district has reinforced [the] benches in the first Red Zone of the bleachers. In the past couple of years, students three or four rows.” have been injuring themselves from bleacher collapses to jumping The district has also been reviewing other options that to improve from mosh pits and landing on their heads. The string of injuries the safety of the Red Zone. that have occurred at football games in forcing the administration “We’ve thought about actually taking out the benches in the stuto reevaluate the security of the bleachers and how they are built. dent section because most of the students don’t sit down, except at “The way the benches are constructed, there is a little bracket halftime and before the game,” Mr. Jespersen said. that slides into another bracket, and occasionally those become Jespersen and the school district are working together to prevent loosened from the students walking on them,” Jespersen said. future accidents from happening and making sure that everyone is Jespersen has been working to try to find a solution to this prob- focused on the safety of the students. lem and prevent accidents like this from happening again. “Are we worried about it happening again?” Mr. Jespersen asked. “We’ve been working with the school district to modify the “Yes, of course! We don’t want anyone getting hurt.”

14A SPORTS

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM | SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

BOYS GOLF

Q&A with senior Nick Cronk By Lottie Gidal

Q: Why did you originally go out for golf? I’ve been playing golf since I was four with my grandma. It’s always just been something I’ve wanted to do. Actually, my dad told me that he did golf in high school too, so that made me a little interested, and it’s just something that I’ve always enjoyed doing. Q: Was it intimidating to join as a freshman? Yeah, a little bit, because we had our meeting in eighth grade, so I didn’t know anything that was going on, and everyone else seemed generally comfortable. Freshman year I was on practice squad, so I didn’t have a whole lot of involvement with the older kids. So I suppose it wasn’t that I was intimidated, I just wasn’t around them as much. Q: Talk me through your progression in the sport over the last four years. Freshman year I was on practice squad, that was fun. We hadn’t really worked on our actual skills because we weren’t able to really refine, make that productive yet. Sophomore year I played in a couple meets, the last spot in a few meets. Junior year I went to every meet, but I wasn’t great, I was pretty low on our roster. This year I play varsity. Me and Alex usually switch off meets, mostly honestly to not have to miss much class. Q: Will you continue to play after high school? Yes, I’m going to play golf for the rest of my life. But I doubt I’ll make it a priority, more of just a leisure activity. Q: What about golf makes you love it so much? It’s just peaceful. When you go out you don’t really have to worry about anything other than playing. It’s a good way to spend time with people. It’s really relaxing and nice to just be outside too. Q: What makes this season different than your other ones? We haven’t had a steady coach for my whole time playing. Sophomore and junior year we had really good coaching and everybody was always really positive and we were looking up for the next few years. But then our head coach moved to Texas, and we got our new head coach this year, and it’s honestly kind of more like we’re running it. All the seniors, we lead practice because our coach will just tell us to do work. It’s pretty fun, not always super productive, but we have a good time. Q: What would you say to the misconception that golf does not require a lot of skill? Golf is all technique. No golfer has to be super strong or built or really athletic or anytingn. Basically, if you have a solid swing, even if you’re not hitting the ball very far, and you can control where you’re shooting, you’re gonna be a pretty good golfer. Q: What are some goals you have for this season? Personally, I would like to shoot under a 40 this year. Well, under an 80–that’s the number of swings, by the way. Par for 18 is usually 72, and I’m shooting in the low 90s, I just want to drop that down. Q: Who are some of the powerhouses you would like to beat? Washington and Cedar Falls are insanely good. There’s kids that are shooting under par for those teams, becuase they have huge numbers of kids that are going out, and it’s just way more competitive. We only have 15 kids out. They have 40 guys on the team, so getting up to a program that strong would be really cool, but that’s something that takes time.

ABOVE: Wide receiver Malik Kimber ‘19 runs to daylight against the Liberty Bolts PHOTO BY GABE BAIRD

The breakdown By Jack Bacon

Going into the 2018 season, City High football knew it was going to need a total offensive reboot. With the losses of quarterback Bryce Hunger, runningback Davonte Foster, and star receiver Zach Jones, the makeover on offense has required both returning players and new faces alike to fill the void. As City approaches the midpoint of the regular season, it’s time to break down the Little Hawk offense.

Offensive Line

ne of the biggest turnarounds for the City High offense this season has been the development of the offensive line. The Little Hawks started four juniors on the line last year, which meant the undersized unit took its lumps. The group was able to hold its own in a system that favored quick passes and short plays to the outside, but their disadvantages in size and experience often prevented City from employing their typical ground-and-pound philosophy. This year, however, the line appears to be a strength. In their first three games, the Little Hawk offense has been nearly entirely run-focused, including a 403 rushing yard performance against Liberty to start the season. Featuring a rotation of four seniors and three juniors, left guard Jacob Murry ‘19 says the group’s strength comes from its cohesion and experience. “We’re more of a unit this year,” said Murry. “And I think that experience helps us as well. Having the skills, training, and knowledge...to do the things that make those holes bigger for the runningback.”

Quarterback

ne of the key areas going into 2018 was the quarterback position. The Little Hawks started Quincy Wells ‘19 in week one, and he performed well as a game manager for the Little Hawks in their 38-21 victory over Liberty. Still, the Little Hawks completed zero passes against the Lightning and in week two Wells split reps with Raphael Hamilton ‘21. Hamilton became the starting QB in week three as Wells transitioned to defense. Hamilton said that starting at quarterback as a sophomore has been an adjustment, but that he’s gained confidence as the season has gone on. “I think the pace of game and the size of players has been the biggest adjustment from sophomore to varsity,” said Hamilton. “My teammates and coaches have really helped me with the change and I feel like I’m gaining more and more confidence each week.” Hamilton had a breakout week against Hempstead in week four that included a deep bomb to Malik Kimber ‘19 for a touchdown and 184 passing yards on the night. Hamilton also showed off his athleticism with a first-down run in the fourth quarter. Coming into the Hempstead matchup, the Little Hawks had struggled in the passing game, including interceptions and not yet throwing for 100 yards in a game. Hamilton and the passing game certainly took a step forward in week four, and he hopes to continue that with better consistency moving forward. “We have a lot of threats at receiver...we just need to work on consistency,” said Hamilton. “That starts with me being accurate on every throw and making good decisions and the receivers running sharp, consistent routes. If we’re able to do that, then the passing game will definitely pick up.”

Wide Receiver

peaking of highlight reels, receiver Malik Kimber ‘19 is collecting some tape of his own. Kimber had a 91-yard touchdown run out of the Wildcat in week one and two long bomb catches against Hempstead. He had 110 receiving yards in that game and has developed into a key piece of City’s offense both as receiver and as the Wildcat QB. Jacob Murry agrees. “Malik brings another level of explosiveness and firepower to the offense,” said Murry. Other Little Hawk receivers include Riley Moore ‘19 and Jacob Means ‘21. Both play on both sides of the ball and provide solid alternatives to Kimber. Hamilton specifically points out Means as a player to watch moving forward. “Means started the season on [the sophomore team] and then got moved up to varsity and had a week to learn all the plays,” said Hamilton. “He’s done a great job for us being a consistent and reliable target and I think he’s someone who could be a big playmaker as the season goes on.” Another target to watch is Liam McComas, who started the season at left tackle and moved to tight end in week four. He picked up a critical first down on City’s final scoring drive and adds another weapon to the offensive line.

Runningback

amilton had high praise for the Little Hawks’ ground game so far this season. “The run game has really been a bright spot on the offense this year. Tonka and Max have been outstanding running the ball and Malik has added a lot to the run game as well.” If the offensive line tees City High up for success, runningbacks Max DePrenger ‘19 and Tonka Hickman ‘20 knock the ball out of the park. Both players bring speed and power to the City High backfield, and where Hickman’s larger build packs an added punch on contact, DePrenger brings a crucial element of elusiveness. “Max is quick, he’s a quick guy,” said Hickman. “He pats me on the back everytime, I pat him on the back. We got that little one-two step going.” Both backs ran effectively against Hempstead in a just-under 100 yard rushing effort. DePrenger made the decisive play of the night with some help from the offensive line as the Little Hawks pushed him forward for a 10 yard go-ahead score. Hickman was the leading rusher with 56 yards. “Tonka Hickman is definitely a guy who is really dangerous at runningback and has the ability to break tackles and make people miss in the secondary,” said Hamilton. “Max DePrenger has had to learn multiple positions and has been a threat at whatever position he’s playing.”

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM | SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

SPORTS 15A

ABOVE: From left to right; Kyden Hotka ‘20, Lilly Reynolds ‘21, Mitchell Wilkes ‘20, Jae Dancer ‘21, Charlie Maxwell ‘19, and Anna Lindower ‘19 PHOTOS BY LOTTIE GIDAL

Feeling the Heat After an unprecedented four canceled meets due to bad weather, the cross-country teams are adapting to compete

By Lottie Gidal

ross-country runners at the 2018 Heartland Classic pushed past more than just their competitors on Saturday; the 98-degree heat index forced many athletes past their point of endurance. “I was expecting better,” Cece Kelly-Harvey ‘21 said. “People started cutting me off but I just tried to keep going. I could not complete the race; I dropped out at mile two from dehydration.” At least five athletes in the varsity boys race alone were taken to the emergency room after their race, and the meet saw at least 15 others faint from the heat. Kelly-Harvey was competing in her first ever varsity race, and was positioned fifth on the team when she dropped out. “I’m over it. I didn’t finish and I can’t take it back, so I’m just looking forward to next week,” Kelly-Harvey said. In an unprecedented season in which four of the six scheduled meets so far have been canceled, many athletes are itching to compete. “It’s really frustrating not being able to race, just because it’s our senior year and everyone wants to improve and enjoy the meet one last time,” Ella Hennager ‘19 said. For seniors, the cancellation of meets means not being able to revisit courses at which they have spent years racing. “The course I will definitely miss the most is Noelridge,” Hennager said. “Every year everyone looks forward to it and it’s a PR course, so it’s so

great to see everybody be happy with their times and racing fast, so I’ll definitely miss that experience.” The Heartland Classic was the first meet of the season for most runners, so frustration was high when less than ideal racing conditions did not allow for a satisfactory first race. Despite this, runners found a way to look on the bright side. “For a lot of us this was our first meet, so we did get back into the groove of how to run a race,” Yasar Hassan ‘19 said. “The heat really did help us push ourselves in a way where we are now more comfortable pushing our limits. Every time you push your limits, you can push yourself a little further every time. I think that was definitely true for this meet and I think we will be able to show our guts next time.” Hassan’s positive attitude towards the race was one shared by many of the other students on the teams. “I just put myself in the mindset where I tried to be positive no matter what happened,” Mary Bounds ‘20 said. “It was really hot out so it was easy to put yourself in a negative mindset about the race but I just tried my hardest to stay positive and look on the bright side of things.” The varsity girls placed 12th in a field of 30 other teams, with the JV girls finishing third overall. Varsity boys placed 23rd, and JV left with a 10th place finish. The girls team is looking to improve their spot in the rankings. “I think at the varsity level once we put the

pieces together and get everyone feeling good on me even happier.” the right day, we’re going to move on up the rankThe boys are also experiencing a number of ings even further,” Ryan Ahlers, co-head coach, freshmen and sophomore athletes making their said. mark on varsity. Freshmen Parker Max, Sullivan Leading the varsity is freshman Rowan Boul- Hall, and Elliot Dunwald have each been racing ter, who broke the record for the fastest time in at a varsity level this season. City High history in her very first 5K race at time “I want the underclassmen to work hard, and trials. have fun, and do better,” captain Josh Fletcher ‘19 “I was so happy. I was just said. “The freshmen on “EVERY TIME YOU PUSH really surprised at first, I just varsity show a lot of great had no clue that was going to promise for three or four YOUR LIMITS, YOU CAN happen,” Boulter said. “Honyears from now when they estly, when I finished, I just PUSH YOURSELF A LITTLE will be able to run this assumed that I was pretty norteam as seniors. I’m exFURTHER. I THINK THAT mal.” cited to see what they can Boulter admits to being a WAS DEFINITELY TRUE FOR do the rest of this season.” little intimidated coming into With only four opporTHIS MEET AND THAT WE tunities the sport as a freshman athlete, to compete left in WILL BE ABLE TO SHOW but said that the team environthe season for most runment has made up for it. ners, the coaches are exOUR GUTS NEXT TIME.” “Definitely right away I felt cited to see what they can like there was all this pressure push themselves through. since I got first for the team, “I’m very proud of YASAR HASSAN ‘19 I felt like I was going to have everyone that started and to get first every race,” Boulter finished their races tosaid. “I don’t really feel as much pressure after day, especially in those conditions,” Ahlers said. talking to coaches and other runners. Everybody “There’s not a lot of people who can do that, and is just so positive; [they say,] ‘You’ll do great no maintain a good positive mental attitude about matter your time or what your place is,’ so I don’t it. That’s why this team is awesome, and it’s what feel as much pressure anymore which is nice. Just we’re going to keep doing, no matter the weather, overall, I love the season. Running just makes me no matter the course, no matter whatever it is, we so happy. Having such an amazing team, it makes gotta keep doing it and it will be fun to watch.”

Diving right in With the addition of some new athletes, the swim team hopes to improve with 6th place or better finish at State By Julianne Berry-Stoelzle

bonding sleepover with Mario Kart, a shaving party before the Little n her very first meet of the 2018 swim season, Olivia Masterson Hawk Invite, and birthday swims where, if the birthday girl gets a cer‘20 broke the oldest swim record at City. She swam the 200 Indi- tain time, the whole team gets to leave practice an hour early. There vidual Medley in 2:11.13, breaking the previous record of 2:13.89 is also a tradition that lasts the whole season called Secret Swimmer, where each girl on the teams is assigned another girl for whom they set by Erica Wockenfuss in 1980. “Everyone was like, “What the heck?’” Masterson said. “Even I make encouraging locker signs and to whom they reveal their identity with a small gift at their last meet. was not expecting to break it the first meet. That This year, the coaches are also doing a is something I will always remember.” Question of the Day. They ask a question at Masterson is a junior, but new to City High, “EVEN I WAS NOT the beginning of practice and let the swimas she moved to Iowa from Virginia last sumEXPECTING TO BREAK THE mers think about and try to answer it. Kate mer. Already, she is becoming a leader on the City High swim team. Just last week, she won RECORD THIS MEET. THAT Wilson ‘19, one of this year’s team captains, described it as being similar to trivia. Athlete of the Week from the Des Moines RegIS SOMETHING I WILL “The questions are really all over the ister, which considers athletes from all around place,” Wilson said. “One was, ‘What presiIowa, with an overwhelming majority vote of 89 ALWAYS REMEMBER.” dent was also a justice on the Supreme Court?’ percent. [Another was,] ‘What album has the most reShe explained that the girls on the swim team are very supportive and made her feel welOLIVIA MASTERSON ‘20 cords sold?’ which just got beaten by Thriller. Some girls on our team actually knew that come right away. The swim season is earlier on one, for some reason.” in the year than in Virginia, but Masterson said While fun is an important aspect to the swim team, there is also she is adjusting quickly to the way the team works. “I really like the meets. They go really late but I like the energy a very serious side. At the beginning of the season, the team wrote they have,” Masterson said. “Everyone is cheering you on and sup- down their goals and are constantly working to achieve them. “[Our goals include] keep going strong, keep giving our best in porting each other. It is just a nice atmosphere.” Besides being supportive, another thing that adds to the City practice and in meets, beat West, work hard, and have more girls to High swim team is its long list of traditions. These include a team break 30 seconds in the 50 free than the boys team had last winter,”

said Wilson. So far this season, the girls swim team has won three out of their five one-on-one meets, losing against Linn-Mar and West, and got fifth in the Little Hawk Invite. However, for the team of 32 swimmers and three divers, the season is only half over. “It is pretty early on in the season so it is hard to say what the team is going accomplish,” head coach Zane Hugo said. “Right now what they are doing very well is getting together as a group every single practice and working towards the goals that they have set for themselves. They are really chasing them every day.” Maggie Cremers ‘19 had her first varsity win in the 100 breaststroke. Carly Weigel ‘20 has swum a 1:00.50 in her 100 back and Masterson is currently ranked third in the state for her 100 breast. Their coach has high hopes for these swimmers separately and together as a team. “What I am looking for is individuals that step up and race and go for conference titles,” Hugo said. “We have not had a conference team championship since 2001 and they have not had a trophy at the state meet since 1968. It has been 50 years, and I think that would be something really cool.” There are many goals and hopes riding on this year’s swim season. Many girls have made big advancements towards their goals. “I have seen a lot of good racing and a lot of improvements out of everybody even though we are only halfway through the season,” Hugo said. “We have a lot of meets coming up still and I am excited to see those further improvements.”

Sports

September 28, 2018

By Lottie Gidal

T ABOVE: Mae Crooks ‘19 out on the Iowa River with her team. The juniors practice five times a week from the Iowa Boathouse, located on North Dubuque Street. The University of Iowa sponsors both team and community rowing, the former of which Crooks is a member PHOTOS BY LINDY RUBLAITUS

he Iowa River is one of the most polluted in the country, but Mae Crooks ‘19 doesn’t care. For two hours every day, she is gliding on top, taking in the feel of the water beneath her oars. “During the spring and summer it goes from dark to light and it’s really pretty to see the sunrise,” Crooks said. “There’s really no way to describe it. I love those moments.” As a member of the University of Iowa juniors rowing team, Crooks practices five times a week year-round in the early hours of the morning, with 10 other students from other Iowa City high schools. Until just a few years ago, the team was made up of those aged 14-76. But with more support from the University of Iowa, a ‘juniors’ team was created separate from those with adults. Now Crooks rows with exclusively high school students, including some others from City High, such as seniors Beatrice Kearns, Sidney Wilson, and Kate Wilson. “To be on the juniors team you have to be a little weird, you can’t just be normal,” Crooks said. “You have to be this great combination of fun and serious that makes us all mash together really well. You get really close because it is such a small team and you’re spending so much time with them when you’re looking your absolute worst or when you’re feeling your absolute worst.” When Crooks first began rowing in eighth grade, she was surrounded by high-school students and adults, and remembers feeling a little intimidated. “You always have new people coming in, and it’s so hard when you’re a new person, to guide your way through and have them accept you. But honestly, that’s one of our biggest goals, is that when someone walks into our boat bay you want them to feel welcome and part of this club and part of this team,” Crooks said. After such a positive experience with the sport in high school, Crooks knows she would like to continue rowing in college. Even so, she doesn’t see it as her main focus. “For college, I am hoping to go to the University of Minnesota, which does have a rowing team, so I would probably be a walk-on to their novice, and then try to get up to varsity,” Crooks said. “The main reason I chose them is because of a major they have. For some people, they only want to go to a college that has a really good rowing team because they want to be able to go beyond the collegiate level, which I don’t really see myself doing.” In a sport that is largely dominated by women at the collegiate level, rowing has become a magnet for schools looking to balance their sports funding after the passage of Title IX, the 1972 legislation that mandates gender equity in educational programs receiving federal funding. “The novice team at Iowa is huge, it’s a really easy way to offset the scholarships you give your football team,” Crooks said. “[On my team] it’s mainly a female sport. We used to have three guys and now we have two.” Crooks said that because everyone on the team has different ambitions for themselves, it can sometimes be hard to balance people’s goals. “It’s hard when you have one person in the boat who’s doing this more as a fun thing and then the rest of your boat is pushing themselves

as hard as they can every single day. It’s difficult to take those two groups and mash them together and hope everyone’s happy, because the person next to me might be rowing more for fun, and I’m doing it as a way to prep for college to get faster and stronger. And I’m not saying they aren’t, but I’m pushing myself every day to get better.” Crooks credits her coach, Danelle Stipes, with helping her learn to work around this. “She just comes in and she’s just like, ‘If you are a very competitive person, you need to push yourself but in a way that’s friendly, so it’s not yelling at each other, it’s not trying to outpull someone else, it’s just you focusing on yourself and seeing how you’re affecting your boat. If it’s going bad, sometimes you can’t go hard all the time, you have to pick and choose,’” Crooks said. Because the juniors team isn’t an official sport of the University of Iowa, at times the group has to work hard to receive the right amount of funding or support for their practice and competition needs. Crooks says Stipes is immensely helpful in this regard. “There’s a lot of situations where sometimes the university doesn’t treat us as a team, they treat us as a club, but there are people who are working really hard so it’s hard to be taken in a not serious way,” Crooks said. “So she does a really good job of making sure that everyone feels like they are taken seriously.” Even without other high schools to compete against, the juniors team is still able to compete. “We are in charge of our own setup and getting out to regattas. The university just supplies us with a truck,” Crooks said. Throughout the fall the team has what they call ‘head races,’ which are long distances such as five and six kilometers. The placings are based on time, not a photo finish, so the rowers race against the clock and not the other boats on the water. But the weather does not always permit the athletes to be out on the open water, so during the winter they use the indoor rowing machines at the field house, in addition to a year round core routine. “It’s been fun to see how your muscles change and get bigger because I used to be really skinny, I’ve gained a lot of muscle weight,” Crooks said. “It’s fun to see how your body changes when you’re doing something you really like to do.” Other member of the team often run or swim in addition to rowing, but Crooks has a history of joint problems that can make it difficult to participate in high impact sports such as running, volleyball, softball, or basketball. So in a sport that most high schools don’t or simply lack the resources to offer, Crooks has had to go out of her way to find the thing she loves to do. “It’s made a huge difference in my life. The people that you meet there, you don’t meet people like that every single day,” Crooks said. “You learn from the adults and from the other people on the team what you need to be like to thrive in this sport, and once you learn that you never let it go.” After rowing for over five years, Crooks has truly found herself at home in the sport. “When I think about rowing and our team it makes me happy,” Crooks said. “If you’re doing something and it doesn’t make you happy, then why are you doing it? That’s why I row, that’s the real reason. Not to get a scholarship to college, I do it because it’s fun and it makes me happy.”

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM |SEPTEMBER 28th, 2018

OPINION 1B

The year of the woman:

empowerment and decimation

2018 has seemingly been full of successes for women, but it has also been full of horrors. “The Little Hawk” editors investigate this dynamic

Executive Editors

Maya Durham & Phoebe Chapnick-Sorokin

Opinion Editor Estella Brady

Features Editors

Zoë Miller & Nina Lavezzo-Stecopoulos

News and Sports Editor Lottie Gidal

Photo and Video Editors Lindy Rublaitus & Alison Kenaston

A&E Editor Lindy Rublaitus

Copy Editors Phoebe Chapnick-Sorokin & Mira Bohannan Kumar

Web Editor Mira Bohannan Kumar

Graphics and Social Media Editors Zoë Butler and Olivia Lusala

Staff

Jack Bacon, Gabe Baird, Julianne Berry-Stoelzle, Noah Bullwinkle, Shelby Caldwell, Ellis Chen, Kate Goodvin, Rhys Holman, Marin Irvine, Wayne Joseph, Kate Kueter, Virginia Muturi, Quincy Ott, Emme Perencevich, Ethan Snee, Owen Sorenson, & Victoria Weckmann.

O Mission Statement The Little Hawk, the student newspaper of City High School, aims to inform, educate and entertain readers; to provide an educational opportunity for the students who produce it; and to provide a medium for commercial advertising.

Equity Statements It is the policy of the Iowa City Community School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability, or socioeconomic status in its educational programs, activities, or employment practices. If you believe you have (or your child has) been discriminated against or treated unjustly at school, please contact the Equity Director, Ross Wilburn, at 509 S. Dubuque Street, 319-688-1000.

n January 21, 2017, an estimated four million Americans protested the beginning of the Trump presidency in what was known as the Women’s March. Over a year and a half later, the momentum from that day is still being carried on in every aspect of American life, from national politics to City High. Many battles have been won, but the war for women’s rights isn’t over yet. Beginning in the fall of 2017, the #MeToo movement reset what was and was not acceptable behavior in the workplace. Following accusation after accusation, hundreds of people guilty of sexual misconduct lost their jobs or the respect many had for them. The truth was finally being revealed about abusers, from co-founder of entertainment company Miramax Harvey Weinstein, to former CBS CEO Les Moonves. The tolerance for those with power abusing it for pleasure and intimidation no longer exists in our society, and this societal reckoning has allowed those who used to be kept from power to rise to the top on national, record-breaking levels. The midterms of 2018 are reinforcing the sentiment that 2018 is the Year of the Woman with groundbreaking nominations in record-breaking numbers. 256 women have been nominated for the elections in November so far: 234 for the House and 22 for the Senate. That total of 256 is made up of 197 Democrats and 59 Republicans. 234 women as nominees for the House is almost double the previous record of 120 in 2016, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers. Those nominees are not only hitting new milestones in gender-oriented numbers, but they’re also breaking barriers in many other aspects of identity. Former Democratic member of the Michigan House of Representatives Rashida Tlaib is running unopposed to become the first Muslim woman ever elected to Congress. Also running to become

ART BY MAYA DURHAM the first Muslim woman ever elected to Congress is Minnesota state representative Ilhan Omar, who became the first Somali-American Muslim elected to office in 2016. Beyond race and religion, Gina Ortiz Jones is running to become the first woman to represent the 23rd Congressional District of Texas—the first Filipina-American elected from the district, and the first openly lesbian member of the House. Even outside of those 256 candidates for Congress, history is being made. Stacey Abrams, former minority leader of the Georgia House, is running to become the first African-American woman governor in American history. In the offices, industries, and government within the United States, change is upon us. Even our own room 2109 is not immune to this change: this year, the editorial board of The Little Hawk is completely made up of female students. But in other ways, equality isn’t coming so easily. In the past two months, two young women have been murdered in Iowa, garnering intense media attention. Mollie Tibbetts’ disappearance and murder became a nationwide tragedy, calling attention in every corner of the country, from missing posters in Iowa City businesses to a video made by President Trump. Celia Barquin Arozamena, a golf star at Iowa State University, was murdered on a golf course, and her death caused outrage in Iowa, as well as immense grief to those who knew her at ISU and in her native Spain. (It should be noted that the death of Arozamena, who was allegedly killed by a white American citizen, was not close to as publicized as that of Tibbetts, allegedly murdered by an undocumented immigrant with Mexican citizenship, around which fact President Trump’s video mourning her death centered.) The deaths of these young women, and the circumstances surrounding them, remind us of a

sobering truth: progress drags its heels. Those editors in room 2109 have been told to carry pepper spray, have been followed, have been harassed and catcalled and made frightened and angry, made to feel lesser. In the Year of the Woman, our world has shifted in big ways, but in the small ones it feels disappointingly similar. Around the world, violence against women is still a very real problem. In conflicts such as those over religious divides, like the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar, many women are molested and killed. Even in times of peace, domestic violence affects predominantly women in vast numbers; according to the World Health Organization, 35% of women worldwide have experienced domestic violence. Women everywhere are still being harassed and catcalled and made frightened and angry, made to feel lesser. These problems won’t disappear immediately when we elect a record numbers of congresswomen; these problems won’t disappear at all if we do not continue to take action. There is every reason to be hopeful. Domestic violence against women is going down (72% from 1994 to 2011, according to CNN); women’s rights in the workplace and in society are being brought to attention and advanced; the representation gap in politics is slowly being closed. But these divides, these systems of oppression still exist in our world today, and complacency will not solve them; only a concerted and passionate collective effort for change will help us achieve equality. The Year of the Woman is the year that women excel in politics, indeed, but it can also be the year we make things better for all women, everywhere. It can also be the year we rise once more and fight. We must put women on cabinets and benches and seats in government, and we must put women on equal footing. The Year of the Woman is our year: to win, to celebrate, but also to continue the work this world needs.

2B OPINION

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM | SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

By Olivia Lusala

By Rhys Holman

n the wake of the August 26 Jacksonville Madden shooting, which left three dead, there has been a renewed discussion about what caused this shooting and others like it. There are still the proponents of the views that the main cause is access to guns or mental health, but the location of the shooting has led to a new factor being blamed…video games. Many news outlets have said that the shooter playing violent video games predisposed him to violence and contributed to the cause of the shooting. But this isn’t the first time video games have been blamed for the ills of the world. In 2003, Jack Thompson tried to have violent video games legislated after a shooting occurred that he blamed on violent video games. However, not then nor now does any evidence of this exist. In fact, a 2018 study from the University of New York showed that violent video games don’t “prime” those that play them for violent actions at all. Thus, even if the shooter did play violent video games, it makes more sense that a violent person sought out violent video games, not the other way around. This diversion seeks to create a scapegoat that will distract Washington from finding real solutions to the gun problem in America. Legislating violent video games completely misses the mark of what will actually help in preventing tragedies like this in the future. Only through adopting policies of countries who have succeeded in vastly reducing gun violence will we be able to help the problem in America as well. In 2017, nearly 16,000 people in America were killed by guns (excluding suicides). That’s about 3.85 gun deaths per 100,000 people in America. A country like Japan, on the other hand, has 0.04 gun deaths per

AV ER Y BY AR T

A case of misplaced blame

SH RA DE R

100,000 people. That means gun deaths are nearly 100x more likely in America than Japan. So the question is, what is Japan doing that the US isn’t? One factor is cultural, but the role of Japanese gun regulation cannot be understated. In Japan and other countries with low rates of shooting deaths there are usually more extensive background checks, mental health checks, written test, and safety courses in order to gain access to any firearm, let alone any sort of assault weapon. Obviously none of these solutions, individually or together, will completely solve gun violence or reduce gun deaths to the same number as countries like Japan, but that doesn’t mean that looking into them has no value or that enacting them is pointless. And even if some of those solutions don’t work out, what’s important is that we’re focusing on solutions that are likely to be helpful in reducing gun violence and are adding to a broader conversation about gun violence and gun control legislation. By not letting the conversation be hijacked by right-wing pundits blaming anything but guns for these tragedies, it holds them accountable and forces them to either embrace change or reveal their true ideology for all the world to see. Blaming the Santa Fe school shooting on doors or this shooting on video games shows that truth is not what is important to those who scapegoat in this manner in order to stop progressive legislation. But it’s important to always bring the discussion back to substantive solutions and to not let them get away with scapegoating in hopes of stopping gun reform, for if the people don’t force change, change will never come.

Crazy middle-class Asians “Crazy Rich Asians” may not have portrayed characters to whom every viewer could relate socioeconomically, but its representation broke boundaries...and the box office By Emmelene Perencevich and Alison Kenaston

where families prefer only people from their ethnicity to marry into their family. The movie also addresses views on masculinity within relationships, specifior most people, it’s hard to relate to the extravagant lifestyle of the multically when the woman makes more money than the man does. This is shown in billionaires of Asia. The lavish houses and soap opera-like family drama the relationship between Astrid and Michael, as she is a household name and comes with a price, to say the least. Regardless, it’s easy to connect with he is not. Astrid feels inclined to hide the expensive things she buys from her the funny and likeable characters in one of the highest ranking films of the year: husband. This escalates later on in the movie, when Michael, feeling insecure with a 93-percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, “Crazy Rich Asians” is set to make about not wearing the “pants in the relationship,” decides to have an affair with its mark on Hollywood. another woman. After finding out about this, Astrid confronts Michael: “It was An all-Asian cast is much needed in today’s very diverse world, especially never my job to make you feel like a man. I can’t make you something you’re from the perspective of an Asian or Asian-American. It’s a not.” With those words she is implying that it shouldn’t be refreshing change after the sometimes endless stream of acwoman’s job to make her partner feel like a man, only he “THERE ARE MORE DIVERSE acan. tors from anywhere but the Eastern hemisphere. Not only This highlights how toxic the definition of masculinCASTS NOW THAN EVER does “Crazy Rich Asians” have a majority-Asian cast, it ity is; for example, boys are told when they are very young includes people from all over the world. The main male BEFORE, WHICH ADDS THE that they have to be the providers and take care of their lead Henry Golding, who plays Nick, is from Malaysia, partners. They feel like they are responsible for making all PERSPECTIVES OF MANY while his co-stars come from London, the US, Costa Rica, the money in the relationship, even though none of these NOT OFTEN SHOWCASED China, Singapore, and more. Not only are people of dithings make them any more masculine. verse backgrounds showcased, but Singapore’s beautiful Representation of minorities in Hollywood is under IN US MEDIA...THAT 99 landmarks and architecture add to the experience. 30 percent, with Latinos having the least amount of repPERCENT OF THE WORLD The film accurately depicts the relationships between resentation in Hollywood. In 2016, statistics showed that generations separated by wars and the rapid development NEVER GETS TO SEE.” there was only 3.1 percent representation of Latinos in Holof Asian countries. This dynamic is highlighted by how lywood. “Crazy Rich Asians” isn’t just a win for the Asian different the views of Nick’s grandmother, his mother community, but for every minority group. More movies (Eleanor), and Rachel are. Nick is the son of Eleanor and Phillip Young and in 2018 have been wins for minorities too, with blockbusters like “To All the is a professor at New York University, as well as set Nick is set to inherit his Boys I’ve Loved Before” and “Black Panther.” There are more diverse casts now family’s $200 million estate. On the other hand, Rachel is a highly regarded than ever before, which adds the perspectives of many not often showcased in economics professor– also at New York University–, who comes from an average US media. “Crazy Rich Asians” also adds a new perspective, one that 99 permiddle class family. Their views differ on social status and how “Asian” Asiancent of the world never gets to see. The billion-dollar venues and the estates of Americans are. While Eleanor believes that Nick should marry into a respectable Singapore are rarely seen by anyone but the old- and new-money families of family, Rachel and Nick have more liberal views on how money and class should East Asia. This fantasy land of palaces and McMansions takes us out of our affect their relationship. Rachel is also viewed as an outsider by Nick’s family reality and puts us right next to the wealthiest one percent, but whether you because she was born and raised in the US. This plays into the Asian prejudice can relate to their billions or not, crazy rich Asians always throw a good party.

elcome back to yet another issue of The Little Hawk newspaper with Life With Liv, an advice column here to guide you through your high school experience with life advice centered around being true to yourself, being proactive, and living more consciously every day. After all, these are the best years of our lives and we should be living to our absolute fullest. I’m here to tell you exactly how to do that. Focus on right now. Everyone worries at some point. We worry about where we’re going to be in a few years, we worry about what college we are going to end up at, what could have happened if we would’ve have done something differently. We worry about things that have already happened or haven’t even happened yet, wasting our time thinking about something that we can’t change or might not even happen. But these worries waste our present day. No one can control what will happen in the future or what has happened in the past. The worries of tomorrow shall be dealt with tomorrow and what happened in the past is staying in the past; these things shouldn’t be wasted on today. Tackling only your present-day worries will allow you to see how much happier your life really is. Surround yourself with good people. When you have conversation that uplifts you and surround yourself with people who are supportive, loving, and interested in your betterment, it fast-tracks you on your road to success. If you hang out with someone who doesn’t tend to make you feel great afterwards, seek out some new friendships! Who knows the type of person you’ll come across? Sure, talking to new people is scary sometimes, but take it from someone who didn’t find their best friends until senior year: your people are out there and they are probably just as ready as you are to have a ball together. Once you find those relationships that increase your happiness, hold on to those people and let them know you love them. Find peace of mind. Being happy isn’t about being completely untroubled and crazy joyful. With all highs there is a low, and we eventually come down. Don’t focus on the highs, find peace of mind. This is so important for your well-being and beginning this practice now will help carry you throughout life even during your toughest moments. Finding peace of mind may be different for everyone. I’ve taught myself to find peace of mind through accepting things for how they are and forgiving. This isn’t always something we do for others, it’s something we do for ourselves. Forget and move on: holding in pent-up anger only weighs us down, and when we forgive and accept things for the way they are, only then can we truly move on and look forward. Engage in creativity. A little art therapy is good for the soul. Write, sing, take a walk and photograph things that make you feel peaceful, dance and sing to your favorite songs–do whatever sparks your creativity! Try spending some time alone, schedule a date with yourself, and let yourself simply be. Become your own best friend and be honest with yourself and everyone around you, catch your critical thoughts, and think of ways you can change and tackle whatever challenge you are going through. What can you do to seek the change you wish to see? Ask yourself. Stay in touch with yourself. Set peace of mind as your highest goal and organize the way you live around it.

OPINION 3B

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM | SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

HEAD to HEAD:

MISSING MOLLIE TIBBETTS

By Ryan Carter

YES

By Zoë Butler

he moment I saw the words “illegal immigrant” next to Mollie Tibbetts’ name when they found her body, I hoped nobody would have to say this. I hoped that our country would simply grieve the loss of the woman we had been searching for for weeks in a search that had united us all. I wanted to have faith that the politicians and citizens of our nation would recognize that one group of people was not responsible for the death of Mollie Tibbetts. Mollie Tibbetts was a 20-year-old University of Iowa student. On July 18, she went missing while on her evening run. From the moment Tibbetts went missing, the news of her disappearance spread nationally. Living in Iowa City, the college town where she was studying, posters of her smiling face at a Hawkeyes football game were all over social media, on trucks, and in buildings. Everyone knew the name Mollie Tibbetts. Everyone wanted her to return home safely. Tibbetts’ body was found a little over a month later, on August 21, in a field covered in corn stalks. The suspect in her murder became known to the authorities after an investigation begun when a neighbor turned in surveillance video from home cameras. The suspect was an undocumented immigrant. I remember waiting for our president and the politicians in office to use Mollie’s death to push immigration reform and, once again, point a finger at immigrants, blame them for the issues in our nation. Suddenly, it wasn’t about grieving for the Tibbetts family, or mourning together as a country. It wasn’t about what a tragedy Tibbetts’ death was. It was about immigration in our country. This is where we failed. Now, I understand where people are coming from when they justify the politicization of Tibbetts’ death, because they argue that Democrats did the same thing after the Parkland shooting. What’s different about these two cases, though, is that with the Parkland shooting, it was the survivors and parents of victims who were advocating for gun control. In the murder of Mollie Tibbetts, politicians and citizens were blaming immigration for Tibbetts’ death, while the people who knew and loved her knew she did not hold these beliefs. In an op-ed for the Des Moines Register, Tibbetts’ father wrote, “I encourage the debate on immigration; there is great merit in its reasonable outcome, but do not appropriate Mollie’s soul in advancing views she believed were profoundly racist.” On August 21, Trump released a video statement about Tibbetts’ death. Trump began this video by saying, “Mollie Tibbetts -- an incredible young woman, is now permanently separated from her family. A person came in, from Mexico, illegally, and killed her.” This article isn’t about family separation, but I find it extremely relevant to point out that our president would dare to speak about Tibbetts being permanently separated from her family, when as of two weeks ago, there are still 12,500 children being held in detention camps, separated from their families. Trump later continued by saying, “We need the wall. We need our immigration laws changed. We need our border laws changed...this is one instance of many. We have tremendous crime trying to come through the borders. We have the worst laws anywhere in the world. Nobody has laws like the United States. They are strictly pathetic.” The Tibbetts family continued to push for Mollie’s name to not be used to blame a group of people for the murder. Tibbetts’ father continued in his op-ed by stating, “She may not be able to speak for herself, but I can and will. Please leave us out of your debate. Allow us to grieve in privacy and with dignity. At long last, show some decency. On behalf of my family and Mollie’s memory, I’m imploring you to stop.” There’s a difference between shooting survivors politicizing shootings to prevent gun crimes and a woman getting murdered by an undocumented immigrant and that death being politicized to “build the wall,” even though her family is begging for it to stop. There is a line between what is moral and what is not. Like the Tibbetts family said, “Evil comes in EVERY color.”

n August 21, 2018, the body of Mollie Tibbetts was found in a corn field near the town of Brooklyn, Iowa. A day later, President Donald Trump created a video trying to connect the dots between the murder and a lack of quality immigration policy. Many reactions to this article were that now is not the time to be bringing up the murder case and trying to use this murder to push a right-wing political agenda. Some said that immigration was not the main cause, but more a culture of toxic masculinity that drove the murder, but failed to bring any potential solutions to the table for solving our society’s toxic masculinity problems. When first hearing these, there is a certain déjà vu you experience. Not the specific examples, but the template for each of the arguments of which these are just a few. Last February 14, you will recall the Parkland High School shooting in Florida. Similarly, you remember the days afterwards, watching the news, hearing the same gun control debate we are all used to hearing by now. Not unlike the reactions to Tibbetts’ murder, there were leftwing politicians saying that now is when we need to be taking action, and many right wing politicians repeating that “now should be a time of mourning” and that “the shooting shouldn’t be politicized.” Or an argument many have heard, “It is not a problem with gun control, it is a problem with the mental health care system,” then failing to provide an inkling of a solution to that issue. Now, before I go on, to make the thought processes easier to understand, I am going to simplify the political spectrum into just Democrats and Republicans. I realize that even within the parties, there is a spectrum of what those politicians believe and support. You should take this into account as well as that the generalizations made are in no way encompassing all of either group. This is simply to make the general argument I am making easier to articulate. Likewise, the reactions and requests taken by the victims in both these instances are not the focus of this article. Rather, my subject is the reactions and arguments used by a vast majority of politicians. In the Mollie Tibbetts case, the Democrats are using the same argument templates used by Republicans after the Parkland shooting. It shows a general inconsistency with politicians’ reactions and their policy on what is appropriate to do after these tragedies. With this view, the statements made by both parties seem very hypocritical and counterproductive. This partially stems from the growing idea within the government, Congress especially, that the view on a issue and its resolution you hold is always the best solution solely because it is your idea, and therefore everyone else has to be wrong. However, the problem isn’t the arguments being used. All of the examples of politicians’ reactions I used are logically sound for an argument, regardless of whether you agree or disagree with their political ideology. The issue is the hypocritical view taken after using one argument or the other. A person in this case calls an argument used by another invalid, yet they are using the same argument for their own purposes. This finger-pointing game that has developed leads to an unending cycle of hypocrisy. After the murder of Tibbetts, many Democrats declared that this should be a time of mourning for the family and community. In like manner, Republicans in the press coverage after the Parkland shooting used the same statement. However, from a Republican perspective, they could use the argument that Democrats are trying to sidestep the real issue of illegal immigration into the United States and are not dealing with it. This argument is also being used by Democrats, who say Republicans are sidestepping the issue of gun control. This double standard for the opposing party is just one of many reasons why any reasonable discussion about real issues in our society is becoming scarce in the government--or the media, for that matter. When analyzing the issue of when it is appropriate to politicize an event, if at all, it becomes clear that the real issue at hand is the inconsistency of politicians as a whole. As a result of the complexity of this problem, there is not a clear or concise solution to it. The fact is that there may never be a solution to the problem. But even acknowledging that a problem exists makes progress toward its resolution. It is this acknowledgement that has to be the first step if politicians are going to begin to fix their inconsistent normalities.

Is it OK to politicize Mollie Tibbetts’ death?

4B A&E

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM |SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

Comedy comes to Opstad

ABOVE: Cast members (from left to right) Shoshanna Hemley ‘21, Aidan Smith ‘19, Virginia Muturi ‘19, Sophia Wagner ‘22, Kiva Meeks-Mosely ‘22, Samba Traore ‘19, and Ruth Meehan ‘22 PHOTOS BY LINDY RUBLAITUS

By Lindy Rublaitus

t the end of every school year, students who are a part of the City High drama department anticipate the announcement of what the next season’s fall play and spring musical will be. For the 2018-19 season, the adults of the department chose to change up things by, instead of having one play, having seven plays mashed together into “An Evening of Comedy.” Troy Peters, the head director of the drama department, thought that it was time to get more people on stage compared to past years, when only a small group of actors would be selected for the fall play. There will be an expected 30 students participating in theater this fall. The goal of providing more students with more roles is to expand the department and to bring in a more diverse and large

group of students into the theater to build on. “I hope we draw in our upperclassmen but I think it’s a good opportunity for young ones,” said Peters. “There’s a lot of roles and some just have one line so I think, in that way, we’ll give opportunities to young actors.” Along with seven plays and more than 30 actors, there will be multiple directors for these shows including Troy Peters, Havilah Peters, Lauren Darby, and Doug Lestina. Stage management positions will be spread out between Kate Murray ‘19 and Lily VanderLinden ‘21, who are both returning technical crew members. This new format is a difficult yet progressive change for the department. “[These shows range] all the way from bizarre hilarity to touching and pretty emotional scenes, especially in the play ‘The Audition,’ and I think it’ll surprise our audience,” said Peters. “I hope

we build an audience through the comedy aspect and get a lot of students in the seats.” The seven one-acts this year include “Rosa’s Eulogy,” “Ties That Bind,” “The Audition,” “Controlling Interest,” “Heritage, Her-i-tage, & Hair-i-tage,” “Check, Please,” and “The Universal Language.” “The Audition” will not only be performed in Opstad but will make an appearance at the 2018 Iowa Thespian Festival. “I would guarantee [students who see the show] a good time. It’s going to be a performance that is going to be a lot of fun to watch and be a part of. It’s going to be a riot,” said Peters. The show performances will be held in Opstad Auditorium on October 26 at 7:30 pm, October 27 at 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm, and October 28 at 2:00 pm.

Q&A with All-Staters By Phoebe Chapnick-Sorokin

Little Hawk: How many years have you auditioned for All-State? Quinn Kopelman: Since freshman year. Annie Rummelhart: Two years, and I’m going to audition this year. Lillian Prybil: This is my first year auditioning.

through the audition. AR: I don’t know, I just kind of know that I’ve done it before and whatever happens, happens. Just gotta go full send into the audition.

LH: What is difficult about auditioning for AllState? QK: I mean, the music is certainly not easy to learn, and in addition to that, I think getting over the nerves is one of the hardest parts. AR: Being stressed out about it, because it’s a little scary.

LH: Why do you do All-State? AR: It’s good to get a chance to get to work with a new conductor and all new people in the orchestra, and get a bigger orchestra experience and play actual symphonies.

LH: What do you like about All-State? QK: I think it is really cool to have so many people LH: How many years have you gotten in? that are so devoted to music kind of gathered all QK: Freshman year, I was an alternate, and I made it together. in my sophomore and junior year. AR: Being in a full orchestra, because here it’s AR: Twice. mainly just strings and we have a few rehearsals with band, but at All-State you have a full all of the band LH: What do you like about the audition process? and it’s really cool. AR: It is cool to see how hard the excerpts are in the beginning, then actually be able to play them by the LH: What is your least favorite part about All-State? audition. QK: The long rehearsals. LP: I like that the process really motivates people to AR: It’s a lot of sitting there and...not playing bebetter themselves as individual musicians. cause there are so many different instruments.

PHOTOS BY PHOEBE CHAPNICK-SOROKIN and LINDY RUBLAITUS

LH: What do you do to get over your nerves? QK: I just kind of ignore everybody. I just close my eyes and pretend they’re not there, then I go into a fake-it-till-you-make-it mentality and try to smile

LH: What’s your favorite memory of All-State? AR: Andrew Usachev [‘18] finishing his ginormous burger no problem and JP [Rethwisch ‘18] and Jimmy [Momberg ‘18] almost vomiting trying to finish it.

A&E 5B

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM |SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

Iowa City

17 amazing things in “Sweetener”

The best bits of Ariana Grande’s new album release By Mira Bohannan Kumar By Phoebe Chapnick-Sorokin

ll summer, there have been construction projects going on in downtown Iowa City, in particular throughout the pedestrian mall. With all that noise and disruption, Steve Cook, a local sound technician, felt this was blocking the culture of downtown, and decided to start a new concert series called Iowa City Unplugged. “I felt something needed to be done to help create a better atmosphere, to give people a reason to come downtown or give pedestrians passing a reason to stop, so I decided to act,” Cook said. The concert series has featured not only local artists, but those traveling in from out of town. “We have had the honor of catching some of my Nashville friends traveling on their tour. Plus, we are showcasing artists that normally don’t play downtown,” Cook said. Even some City High students have been able to perform. Ingrid Streitz ‘19 has now played in the series twice. “James Tutson suggested me for the Harvest Music Festival, who gave my contact information to the sound guy in charge of the festival as well as Iowa City Unplugged,” Streitz said. “I chose to participate because I always enjoy playing gigs in Downtown Iowa City and I like having new experiences.” Streitz enjoys the atmosphere of playing downtown, along with the different audience it provides. “I really enjoy playing for different ages, and downtown you get a good variety,” Streitz said. “You have the college students, but also the people who live here in Iowa City who ABOVE: Ingrid Streitz performing for IC Unplugged are just enjoying their time downtown.” The concerts are held on the stage outside of The Saloon PHOTO BY JEFF STREITZ on the college street portion of the pedestrian mall. This gives in her vocal phrasing that’s very pleasant,” Cook said. “Add the dinner crowd and passersby, in addition to people who in her professional yet fun communication skills, I was so imcame specifically for the concert series, an opportunity to pressed with everything about her that I hired her for three gigs watch the performances. before I’d even met her.” “I look and see the patios of The Saloon and Graze filled, The series has become known around Iowa City, and there and all the bands comment on how fun the show is,” Cook are people who look forward to the performances every week. said. “I get people during the week asking me, ‘Who’s the artStreitz is one of those who has commented on how fun ist this week?’ There’s been a bunch of regulars who swing by the series is. Her goal with music is to make a difference in every week and the downtown district has been 100% supportpeople’s lives, and she feels that playing for Iowa City Unive,” Cook said. plugged has done that. Cook is very satisfied with what the se“When I was singing ‘Make You Feel ries has become. He is hoping to continue “I’M GRATEFUL THAT I’M My Love,’ I saw a man singing along with it next year, and has high hopes for expanme to his wife and it was meaningful to IN A POSITION IN LIFE sion. Plans are underway for the 2019 seme that it made them happy,” Streitz WHERE I CAN GIVE BACK ries, including using the new stage being said. built on the pedestrian mall and bringing TO THE COMMUNITY I Cook has been very impressed with in traveling artists once a month. Streitz’s performances. LOVE.” “I’m grateful that I’m in a position in “I can’t leave out the joy of working life where I can give back to the commuwith the wonderful Ingrid Streitz. [She nity I love,” Cook said. has a] smooth vocal tone, plus a maturity STEVE COOK

Show choir: new season, new style Show choir brings in new storytelling element to the 2018-19 season By Kate Kueter

tages around Iowa have been lit up with brightly-colored lights bouncing off of bright sequin dresses by City High’s show choirs, but this year, 4th Avenue Jazz Company is doing something different. In past years, their performances have been upbeat dances with a set of popular songs to create highintensity shows. This year, new choir director Tyler Hagy decided that they are going to tell a story. “Themes have become more evident in the show choir community,” said Hagy. “We are focusing on this technical storytelling aspect of the show.” The focus of the show will be based around sicknesses and family, referencing the famous Wave as a main focus to pay tribute to these sad events. While it doesn’t hold a happy theme, the show is supposed to recognize the hardships families go through

every day, while sending audience members off with positive messages. “It’s not going to be so much popular song[s],” said Marisa Rude ‘19. “It’s going to be telling a story on the stage, instead of just a series of dance moves.” The set list for 4th Ave will include songs “Opening Up” from the musical “Waitress,” “Clap Your Hands” by Leo Soul, “The Cure” by Lady Gaga, “Tears of an Angel” by RyanDan, “Warriors” by The Strike, and “Make a Wave” by Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas. Both the director and the students are striving to tell the story in the most truthful way they can. Hagy said their goal is to get the message across and to tell the story together. “We get on stage every time to tell a story, that[‘s] our job,” said Hagy. “The people walk away and understand our story, they see the people.”

1. All, all, all of the vocal work in “raindrops (an angel cried).” I’m talking the runs, the vibrato, the way her voice catches on the c in the first “cried” (an an-gel c-ried), and, of course, the blast of a high note at the end. 2. The fact that (and this is true) the loop of the man’s voice in “the light is coming” is actually an angry constituent yelling at Sen. Arlen Specter. 3. “Now you benched, aww, your bum knee / Now I’m the bad guy, call me Chun-Li”--this verse is the peak of human existence. We’ve reached it, we’ve mounted it, and now we’re looking down from it, trying to understand how we got here (Nicki Minaj) and where we’re going (also Nicki Minaj). 4. The brief pause between “That’s the bottom line” and the first “know-it-all.” 5. The rhyme schemes of “throw/know/glow i/at all.” 6. You can absolutely tell that a lot of the backing tracks in “R.E.M” were intended for a Beyonce song, and hearing Ari sing material written for Beyonce is unexpected and fantastic. 7. “Before you speak, don’t move, ‘cause I don’t wanna--” leading into the chorus has a stunning melody. 8. The choir-esque backing at the final chorus of “God is a woman.” 9. “I’m so successful” chipping itself in behind the main chorus of “successful.” 10. “It’s like something out of Shakespeare / because I’m really not here when you’re not there” in “everytime” has the kind of phrasing and rhythm that makes the line hit like the Bard gave it his blessing. Excuse me while I Google whether this song is written in iambic pentameter…

Mira Bohannan Kumar

11. The vibrato and high breathiness in “breathin” makes the whole song, really, about Ariana’s respiration. I don’t know whether this was intentional, but its effects are massively potent, connecting the song’s metaphorical subject matter with its style. It unifies the piece. 12. The first “yuh” in “no tears left to cry,” because while it’s not the first “yuh” in the album, “no tears left to cry” was the first single off “Sweetener,” so it’s the first time I ever heard that iconic sound. *presses hands to heart* 13. “Steering clear of any headaches to start / and if we’re being honest” and later, “I never let him know too much / hate getting too emotional” sing a lullaby of resignation that boosts “better off” through its melancholy, bittersweet harmonies and quiet, dignified phrasing. 14. Every melody in “goodnight ‘n’ go,” especially the end with its monumental resolution. 15. “Pete Davidson” is brazen, and perfectly encapsulates the ridiculous--and miraculous, or so it seems--temerity of her relationship with its eponymous comedian. 16. The bells, and the vocal runs, in “get well soon,” which is simultaneously an uplifting, uplifted “hug musically,” to quote Ariana herself, and a testimonial where Ariana opens up with her grief over the shooting at her concert last year. 17. The harmonies in the final song, the backing tracks--just Ari’s voice layered over and over again--with their “woo!”s and easy blending, the way that those voices lie peaceful under one another, sounds like a bridge built with every note, stretching out to you through time and space, like Ariana’s hand when she plays God at the end of the “God is a woman” music video, reaching to every listener, fingers nearly brushing. She’s naming us all her treasured Eve.

6B A&E

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM | SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

ABOVE: Iowa Golden Girl Kylene Spanbauer runs on Bates Field during halftime PHOTO BY ALISON KENASTON GRAPHIC DESIGN BY LINDY RUBLAITUS

By Lindy Rublaitus

fter weeks of marching in 90-degree weather, the City High band shared the field with the Hawkeye Marching Band (HMB) to perform the Hawkeye on September 7th. With hopes in bringing in a collegiate marching band to perform with the Little Hawks, Dr. McReynolds connected with the HMB Director, Dr. Eric Bush, to plan a “Little Cy-Hawk” performance, making the idea a reality. “The City High marching band started off the festivities with their pregame routine and then the eighth-grade band from South East Junior High, under the direction of their new band director, Mike Kowbel, joined the City High marching band on the field for the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner,” Mr. Ottmar, City High’s assistant band director, said. “During halftime, the HMB played a part of their pregame routine in addition to part of a halftime show that they are working on.” Directors hoped the opportunity to see marching band at a collegiate level would inspire the students to continue the activity after high school. The Hawkeye performance was to show how far students can go beyond the high school level. “I grew up a Hawkeye fan and loved watching the HMB, graduated from City High, and now I’m teaching at City High with an opportunity to see the HMB perform with the City High marching band of which I’m honored to be a part of again. However, what

ABOVE: Analisa Iole talking to drum majors Katherine Introna and Quinn Kopelman PHOTO BY DAVID SCRIVNER I’m excited for more than anything else is for my students to have this unique and special experience that they will remember for the rest of their life,” said Ottmar. Katherine Introna ‘20 and Quinn Kopelman ‘19 are drum majors for the city marching band and have a special connection to the band. During their training to earn their positions in the band, they were able to work with the Iowa drum major, Analisa Iole.

Iole is the first female drum major for the University of Iowa whom the drum majors call their role model. “The first time I spoke to her, she complimented me on my Iowa Hawkeye shirt I was wearing and that’s how I discovered who she was,” said Introna. “It was then Quinn who brought up that we would see her again during the marching season on our field.” Iole and the Hawkeye Marching Band performed their classic set of Hawkeye fight songs and their pre-game show. A piece of their halftime show was performed as well with the theme of 20th-Century Fox. The overwhelming sounds of brass and the drum line also played songs from “The Greatest Showman” and “The Incredibles.” Finishing off the night for all the bands, Aidan Smith ‘19 led both the City High and UI drumline in the Iowa Cadence for the student section. Smith and the rest of the drum line had practiced for over a month on the song they collaborated on, only to play it for the one performance. “It was super cool be able to play with such a quality drumline and it was definitely our best performance,” said Smith. “To be told by a City High graduate, who was in my position three years ago, that I could start a massive drumline off was more or less crazy.” “I loved getting to see such a well-polished and dynamic force take to our field,” said Kopelman. “I hope that our band will be able to look to their example and be able to improve our sound and marching technique.”

English teachers’ fave summer reads 2018 By Owen Sorenson

“I think my favorite book was ‘Kindred’ by Octavia Butler. I had heard a lot about her beforehand and she is an awesome sci-fi writer. ‘Kindred’ was just wild; it had a time travel element that wasn’t really explained, which I liked. She is an African-American writer and she writes about this main character, who is transported from California to somewhere in Maryland during the time of slavery. I’m not going to say much more because I think everybody who is interested in sci-fi at all should read it. ‘Kindred’ was one of those from three pages in I knew I wasn’t going to put it down.”

“Over the summer I reread ‘The Name of the Wind’ and ‘The Wise Man’s Fear’ and they’re just really good fantasy. The basic plot is that the main character is magic and he is learning it, but there are hints that something went really wrong, there’s like a bunch of flashbacks; I just really can’t wait for the third one to come out. I just really felt like I was living as the character and it was an overall good read.”

MRS. HILL

DR. AYERS BOOK COVERS COURTESY OF DOUBLEDAY PUBLISHING

COURTESY OF DAW BOOKS PUBLISHING

“I read so many that I am not going to be able to choose just one, so I will just tell you my favorite nonfiction and fiction. My favorite nonfiction was called ‘Educated’ by Terra Westover. It’s about a Mormon survivalist family in Idaho, who raised her in homeschooling–which meant not schooling-–and then she ended up graduating from Cambridge and know has a Ph.D., so her journey through the difficulties of her family to her present life was really cool, so that was my favorite nonfiction.”

MRS. BORGER-GERMANN COURTESY OF RANDOMHOUSE PUBLISHING

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM | SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

Discussions with DiverCity

ABOVE: Founders of DiverCity Patrick Bui '19 and artist Douglas Tran '19 PHOTO BY KATE GOODVIN

By Kate Goodvin & Ethan Snee

iverCity is trying to redefine what it means to be a highschool rap group. The Group was founded by young artists Patrick Bui ‘19 and Liam Nicholson ‘18 in the basement of Nicholson’s parents’ house. The Little Hawk sat down with Bui and Douglas Tran ‘19 to talk about their up-andcoming rap collective out of Iowa City: DiverCity. Other members include City High student Andrew Tribbey ‘19, former Little Hawk Quinton Runge ‘19, and City alumnus Liam Nicholson ’18. The group’s frontman, Bui, recalls when the group began. “It was the end of sophomore year, we were in Liam’s basement, and we decided to start something. The original members were me, Liam, and Quinton,” Bui said. This led to their first EP, “Latemix,” which included four tracks that strung over 12 minutes long. Bui cites the group’s inspiration as a variety of different hip-hop artists, although his personal favorites are rappers Skizzy Mars and G-Eazy, who he says were introduced to him via his brother. Tran cites the Weeknd as his major inspiration. They credit mainly these artists for how they choose their beats and production.

Tran feels an important part of their group is the core theme of their music. “It's more of what the diverse group represents,” Tran said. “People of all different backgrounds coming together to make some different music.” This theme is emphasized by their group name, DiverCity, to highlight how diverse their members are in both race and background. Tran also touched on how they plan to stand out in a competitive Soundcloud rap scene and make their original sound heard. “We’re trying to represent everyone. Trying to have a deeper meaning, and to actually be able to listen to the messages we’re trying to get across,” Tran said. Regarding the group’s future, they’ve recently moved onto more solo material, but say a new project could soon be in the works. Now that the group has grown, they’ve also raised their production value and hope to participate in a live event. However, as of now, they don’t have plans to continue DiverCity after they graduate. “I think DiverCity will just be a high-school thing. We’re just planning to do solo stuff after high school,” Bui said. Their music can be found on Soundcloud, Apple Music, and Spotify.

ABOVE: DiverCity's first EP, Latemix

LH movie review: "The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society"

By Maya Durham

ately, it seems like Netflix has been mass-producing originals — from hits like "To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before" and "Orange is the New Black" to flops like "Insatiable," they’re trying to check every genre off their list. A latest release that delves into another century is "The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society," a touching film about an author who finds her home on a small island with a misfit book club. In it, Juliet Ashton, a writer in post-World War II London, receives a letter from a man on the island of Guernsey, telling her he found an old book of hers. He tells her all about his life—a book

club started during the Nazi occupation of his island. They go back and forth for a while, learning more and more about each other. Eventually, Juliet goes to Guernsey and falls in love with the island, the people, and the history. She deals with the turmoil of leaving her life and loves at home in London for this new adventure, while learning of the deep, dark secrets this society holds. It’s the perfect balance of drama, comedy, history, and modernity. While the situations themselves could really only apply to someone living directly post-war, the emotions and relationships that follow are relatable for anybody. It’s a beautiful story about overcoming adversity, found families, and truly going after what you want (instead of what’s comfortable and familiar).

PHOTO COURTESY OF NETFLIX

A&E B7

8B CULTURE

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM | SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

ART BY OLIVIA LUSALA

For the Culture Pour la culture Kwa utamaduni Dia kultury As a public high school student, this is most likely the only time in your life that you will be in a controlled environment surrounded by people from classes, races, identities, and life stories that are vastly different from your own. Here in Culture, we believe in the power of storytelling. We promise to actively pursue the stories that don’t always get told, as well as exploring in news the ones that we have all heard time and time again. We hope to discover the parts of the world that we may never see. Join us on our quest to find more personal truths and create dialogue here at City High. In this issue (the first to include a Culture section!) you will find out about the history and cultural impacts of the N-word. At the end of the day, you all, the readers, shape the culture. We’re just here for the ride. All that we ask is that you agree to come along.

Stay woke,

Mariam and Cecile

Who ought to use the N-word By Mariam Keita

here is no situation in which non- forms of legalized segregation, housing Black people should feel comfort- discrimination, lynchings, the racially able using the N-word. While I am targeted war on drugs campaign, and the not here to tell Black people how they N-word, amongst others. The N-word should interpret a word that they may was continually and is still (though now have a complicated relationship with, I less publicly) used to remind Black peowill say with conviction that non-Black ple that they are inferior to their white people should not be saying it. counterparts, and that they will never be Firstly, I would like to revisit (though fully human. In fact, while the United I am sure it is one States was still in that we are well its youth in 1787, ‘THOUGH INSTITUTIONAL- each Black indiaware of) the history of the N-word. IZED AFRICAN CHATTEL vidual was constiAccording to declared SLAVERY WAS ABOLISHED tutionally CNN, the English to be a mere 3/5 of word nigger, often OVER 150 YEARS AGO, ITS a (white) human used disparagingly, This policy, LEGACY WAS ABLE TO PER- being. and now considformally known SIST IN THE FORM OF LE- as the Three-Fifths ered to be a racialized slur, stems Compromise, GALIZED SEGREGATION.“ from its Latin root would not be reniger, simply meanscinded until 1868, ing black. As a rewith the passage of sult of the African slave trade, the word the 14th Amendment. It was not until a went on to be used in reference to any full three years after the end of the Civil dark-skinned person perceived to be of War that institutionally supported chatAfrican descent. The N-word was used to tel slavery was stopped. The government distinguish Blacks, particularly enslaved greenlighted the idea that Black people Blacks, as subhuman creatures, inherent- were not fully human and the N-word ly lesser than their white superiors. This was, at its core, a word symbolizing that mentality further enabled the treatment toxic ideology. As you might expect, of Blacks as property, who had no agency Black people did not have a say in any of over how they moved through the world, these decisions. what they would be referred to as, or even Knowing what I know, it doesn’t what happened to their own bodies. make sense to me that a non-Black perDespite the seemingly rising belief that son who is familiar with the history the N-word is just a word, when you take of the word and the many ways it has into consideration its history and origin, been used to control and degrade Black the degrees of separation between the op- communities would consciously use it pressive name and its modern-day coun- (my one exception being whilst teachterparts become considerably smaller. ing young non-Black children about the Though institutionalized African chat- word’s history and why they should keep tel slavery was abolished over 150 years it out of their mouths). It’s hurtful and ago, its legacy was able to persist in the frustrating that there are people who

haven’t had their human rights system- happened at all. At the end of the day, I atically finessed for centuries, and still know that I can’t trust you. choose to use the N-word. Not gonna I used to say that that the N-word lie, it’s also pretty wild to me that there had been reclaimed. My understanding are non-Black people of color who feel of the concept of reclamation is that by bold enough to use this word knowing dropping the hard-R sound at the end of damn well that they could easily satirize the word and slipping it into Black mutheir own racialized epithets. Even wild- sic and casual conversation, Black people er, there are people out there that really, have successfully taken the sting out of actually, wake up every single day, get the N-word. However while some Black out of bed, breathe the same air that I people may have reclaimed the N-word, breathe, and seem to have convinced not all Black people are the same. There themselves that the word has no deeper are many Blacks out there who are still meaning. disgusted and quite shook when ANYWhen people who aren’t Black, ONE uses it, let alone a non-Black perand don’t know what it means to have son. Unless the Black community unanyour Blackness be used as a measure of imously decides to reclaim use of the your character, are bold enough to use word, such as the LGBT community has the N-word in my presence, I automat- with the word “queer,’ then reclamation ically feel unsafe. I automatically know doesn’t work and I don’t see that happenthat these people are not my friends. ing any time soon. That’s because when you aren’t Black One PBS feature aims to help eduand you use the N-word around Black cators teach Mark Twain’s Huckleberry people who have Finn, which notably not expressed a deincludes the N-word “WHILE SOME BLACK sire for you to do a total of 219 times. PEOPLE MAY HAVE so, you are usually This piece does one of two things: RECLAIMED THE N-WORD, an excellent job of ignorant, or hateful. summarizing the NOT ALL BLACK PEOPLE I don’t automaticalcurrent “controverly assume the worst sy” surrounding ARE THE SAME.” in people, but if you the N-word. One use the N-word and excerpt from the you aren’t Black there are things that I column includes a quote from Langston will know to be true about you. Because Hughes, famous author and activist of why else do y’all want to use the N-word the Harlem Renaissance era, in which he so bad? Maybe it’s because you believe states, “Used rightly or wrongly, ironicalthat your right to freedom of speech is ly or seriously, of necessity for the sake more important than my right to the of realism, or impishly for the sake of pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. comedy, it doesn’t matter. Negroes do You could possibly believe that a word not like it in any book or play whatsothat was used to tear the culture and ever...The word nigger, you see, sums identity out of my ancestors is “just a up for us who are colored all the bitter word.” Maybe you just don’t care that it years of insult and struggle in America.”