The Little Hawk

Iowa City, IA

THE LITTLE HAWK Vol 75

Friday, November 3rd 2017

Issue 2

thelittlehawk.com

City High’s Dance Marathon Club

By Orson Codd

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ABOVE:Temple Hiatt protesting in front of City High PHOTO BY Olivia Lusala

Governor Reynolds’ Initiative for Iowa Schools Visit to Discuss Education Initiative Sparks Protests

By Victor Kalil

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Executive Editor

urrently, only 58% of Iowans have post-secondary education, and research by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce estimates that 68% of jobs in Iowa will require PSEl. Governor Kim Reynolds and the Future Ready Iowa (FRI) Alliance, a group created to devise how to best surpass the 68%, have contrived a plan to reach 70% by 2025 through five recommendations.

“No students today can afford to just have a high school diploma.” said Linda Fandel, Special Assistant for Education. “[FRI] is is the #1 goal and priority of the Governor Reynolds administration.”

Some of these recommendations include

increasing accessibility to vocational education, making schools equitable across Iowa, and a Last-Dollar Scholarship and Grant Program that would be available to people wanting to enroll in post-secondary education and seeking high-demand jobs, whether as an occupational therapist or a wind turbine technician.

“A lot of high-demand jobs right now are jobs employers are having a tough time filling.” said Fandel. “I think it’ll be very effective because it creates more opportunities for more Iowans to have great careers and for employers to be able to hire the skilled workforce they need.”

On October 20th, Governor Reynolds visited the commons of City High for a public discussion about FRI’s recommendations, with a focus on vocational education and improving education for people with disabilities.

The discussion was moderated by David Mitch-

ell, Administrator for Vocational Rehabilitation at the Iowa Department of Education. Three City High alumni who experienced the benefits of vocational education talked about how the training impacted them. One of those alumni, Daniel Meyer, was able to job-shadow through a program called Making the Grade.

“It helped me find the job that I’m working at now at Proctor and Gamble.” Meyer said. “Without Making the Grade I wouldn’t have the job I have today because I wouldn’t know about staff management.”

However, not everybody was supportive of the governor’s visit. A group of protesters made up of members from the movement Iowans for Public Education (I4PE) and City High students held signs near the Statue of Liberty replica.

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Reporter

ance brings joy to everyone, especially if it helps someone in need. Dance Marathon is a student-run nonprofit organization that helps raise awareness for pediatric cancer patients and their families. All of the money they raise goes to help support cancer research funds and financially support families with kids who have cancer.

The University Of Iowa started their Dance Marathon over 24 years ago. Each year it gets bigger and bigger because of how many people are inspired by what the organization is doing. Iowa runs the third largest DM in the country behind Penn State and Indiana.

Four years ago, City High decided to create its own “Dance Marathon Mini” that would also raise money to donate to the UIDM. City’s High’s Dance Marathon club is in the early stages of planning their annual dance which will be on January 20th, 2018. The theme of the dance is neon. The club also made shirts with an original logo that will be sold to students at City HIgh and others in the community.

“City’s Dance Marathon is doing great things this year and I’m unbelievably proud to be a part of it.” said Stella Lindman ‘18. “We are beginning to reach out to the community for events and donations and it’s really an exciting time for the organization.

The community is definitely going to hear about City High’s Dance Marathon.”

The club just had its first fundraiser event—a Halloween party. The event was held by Orson Codd ‘18 and his family. Students from City High’s DM, Regina’s DM and UIDM students all showed up and bonded together over Halloween activities.

More information about Dance Marathon can be found at dancemarathon.org.

Student Retreat Fosters Leadership Sylvia Gidal

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Reporter

amp Wapsie, located in Coggon, Iowa, normally serves as a summer destination for kids and teens throughout Iowa. But on October 12-13, Wapsie invited freshmen and sophomores from City High to participate in a leadership retreat. The purpose of this annual retreat is to teach high school students responsibility and what it takes to be a successful leader.

“Oftentimes students will learn that there are various ways to be a leader,” Jason Schumann, City High history teacher, said. “You may not be the most vocal person, but often leaders are people who can bring a diverse group of people together and help to facilitate the bringing

together of different ideas.”

Staff wanted a wide variety of students to work on achieving these skills. The retreat was advertised on the school announcements for several weeks before students packed up and left for Wapsie on the 12th. They spent the night in the cabins, ate meals all together and got back to City after school the next day.

After going to Camp Wapsie in the summer, Allyson Guyer ‘20 decided to go on this retreat.

She especially enjoyed the teamwork and meeting new people aspect of the retreat. “[The retreat] made us have to talk to people that we hadn’t really talked to,” Guyer said. “It gave you more skills on making new friends or leading a group. We did an escape room where we had to use teamwork and solve problems to try and get out of the room with a time limit.”

Students were expected to use their creativity

ABOVE: Students at Camp Wapsie PHOTO BY Veronica Abreu and critical thinking skills in order to work with others. Veronica Abreu ‘19 was an upperclassman leader on the retreat and enjoyed seeing these skills come out of the students.

“There was one activity where they were put in random groups and were supposed to create a short story based on a movie genre,” Abreu said.

“I really enjoyed seeing the underclassmen work-

ing together and getting creative and compromising. They worked really well together.”

Abreu has been in a leadership role at Wapsie for the past two years. She was first an LIT (leader in training) and is now a CIT (counselor in training). Because of this she held a counselor-like position on the retreat.

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NEWS

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November 3rd, 2017

LH FEATURE

Section

Magazine

Does City Favor Sports Over Academics?

5

4

6 The New Heads of Student Senate

To Take a Knee

A new year means new faces in Student Senate’s top positions

By Reese Hill and Nina Lavezzo-Stecopolous

By Zoë Butler and Mira Bohannan Kumar

By Dylan Ryfe and Landon Clay

11

By Nina Lavezzo-Stecopoulos

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Two students write opposing opinions about gun control after the shooting in Las Vegas

Chromebooks and Privacy

10 De-stressing

By Mina Takahashi

By Noah Bullwinkle

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More Than a Play

By Zoë Miller The cast and crew behind Charlotte’s Web talk about donating to Puerto Rico and taking the play to the next level

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Oriana Ross: City High’s New Concertmaster

By Victor Kalil

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Halloween Food

By Lindy Rublaitus

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS Dearest Readers,

ABOVE: Co-Executive Editors Victor Kalil and Maya Durham after receiving the All Iowa News Team award PHOTO BY ZOË BUTLER

Since our last issue came out, a lot has happened in the world. The Las Vegas shooting and a slew of hurricanes, wildfires, and earthquakes have rocked people’s lives. Here in Iowa City, we saw some of the aftermath, though not nearly as much as other regions of America. “Charlotte’s Web”, the school play, decided to send relief funds to Puerto Rico, and Student Senate has been planning to do the same. In Arts & Entertainment, you’ll find stories about these efforts. In the news section, we’ve got stories about sexual harassment in the ICCSD and a fun little quiz to lighten the mood. In Sports, there are stories about fall and winter sports, including the

end of the football season. When you get to the Opinion section, you’ll find a staff editorial about student free speech and a comic about Harry Potter and the ITEDs. Finally, in the Feature Magazine, we have a story about de-stressing, some Halloween food and fashion, and a story on football kneeling protests.

Take a look at some of these stories! We’re sure you’ll discover a perspective you never thought about before or find out something that’ll make you go, “Whoa!!” We sure did.

Or you can take the quiz. That’s a fun one too.

With love, Maya Durham & Victor Kalil

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM | NOVEMBER 3, 2017

NEWS 3A

Studying: A Key to Success While many students consider it a chore, new research yields techniques to make studying simple and successful

By Reese Hill

ming also isn’t studying: Nate Kornell, an assistant proomework, tests, grades, and time: fessor of psythe four horse- chology at Wilmen of the apoca- liams College, lypse. For many observed that students, the struggle to handle students had assignments, sports, and extracur- a tendency to riculars and still be successful in study in large and school has led to the dismissal of chunks other important parts of student believed that in life. Sleep is neglected, food is for- studying gotten, and studying has become a small amounts was unhelpconcept of legend.

Kornell “What inhibits me from study- ful. theorized othing is probably a mix of anxiety and a lack of organizational skills,” erwise, claimLizzie Carrell ‘18 said. “I don’t like ing that studystudying … I think it adds a lot of ing in small unwanted and unnecessary stress amounts, on a on me. Some people may disagree regular basis, with me here, but I truly believe is much more that our mental health should beneficial than cramming. come before any school work.” “ E f fe c t i ve However, according to psycholostudy habgists like Dr. John M. Grohol, students who do well on tests aren’t its—studying necessarily smarter than students smar ter—can be learned to INFOGRAPHIC BY Olivia Lusala who do poorly.

“The key to effective studying improve your High student Kate Murray ‘19 ofisn’t cramming or studying lon- ability to betfered some personal advice on her ter retain reading material,” Groger, but studying smarter,” Grohol studying habits. wrote in an article about strong hol said. “These habits include “[I study] by reviewing notes I approaching study with the right study habits. have taken or discussing the topContrary to popular belief, do- attitude, choosing the right envi- ics with my friends in the class I’m ronment, ing homeminimiz- studying for,” Murray said. “Usuwork is ing dis- ally I do well on tests, but I definot studytractions, nitely think this method could use ing, besetting a some improvement, as my scores cause it’s r e a l i s t i c are usually only reflective of what less a form schedule, I already knew and the things I did of retainand em- learn I usually forget soon after an ing and p l o y i n g assessment.” analyzing Murray recommends that other memory but rather students discuss class topics with g a m e s , a form of a m o n g peers and read notes aloud when teaching. reviewing. others.”

Kate Murray ‘19 C ra m “Try to find some way to conC i t y Reporter

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“I think that the key to success in school is enjoying what you do.

Remember that your grades don’t define you.”

nect something you’re interested in with the topic, otherwise it’s very difficult to absorb information,” Murray said.

Murray’s methods have been recommended by teachers and researchers in analyzing effective methods of studying.

Both Grohol and Kornell agree some of the strongest ways to study are by joining study groups, reviewing class materials on weekends, and studying with a goal in mind. As a simple example, one might opt to master half of a vocab list one night, and set a goal for the next day to finish the second half. But often students can forget to dedicate time to schedules when other schoolrelated activities take priority.

“I would say my biggest obstacle from studying … is that I have a very heavy homework load from every class I take, as well as many extracurriculars that take up my time and make me choose between sleep and studying, and I usually opt with the former,” Murray said.

According to Grohol, the trick to studying a sufficient amount of time relies on simple planning.

“The frequency isn’t as important as actually studying on a regular basis,” Grohol said. “Even if you just crack open a book once a week for a class, it’s better than waiting until the first exam in a massive cram session … Divide study time into segments that make sense and work for you. If you have to digest a whole textbook chapter, find sections in the chapter and commit to reading and taking notes on one section at a time. Maybe you only do one section in a sitting, maybe you do two. Find the limits that seem to work for you.”

Although the idea of studying appears daunting, in the long run it may provide more benefits than it does bruises. Murray has found that it boosts her confidence, which contributes to her overall performance.

“The difference between studying and not studying for me usually results in my confidence levels taking a test,” Murray said. “When I’m more confident, I tend to do better, even if I don’t know every single thing on the test. Not studying can usually result in me getting an unsatisfactory grade, lowering my GPA and causing me more stress than I would have originally had if I had just studied. I would very much like to change this, but with my workload I am not sure if that is a viable option for me.”

Indeed, workloads are often the biggest burden on high school students. Students’ involvements in extracurriculars and dedication to personal activities can overcloud the basic concept of studying to succeed. While not every tip recommended here is required for students to do well, dedicating a small amount of time to the difficult work a few times a week can provide great steps to success in high school.

Catalan in Crisis

By Paula Mompio

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Reporter

he Catalan Referendum asked if they wanted to be an independent state in a republic form. Over 2 million people answered this question. 90% voted yes. 770,000 votes were not cast due to voting stations being closed according to the Catalan Government (catalangovernment.eu).

Pau Maestro, a sixteen-year-old protestor, sees a better future for Catalan if they separate from Spain.

“I think that this referendum, the only thing that will achieve, will be to see the deficiencies of the Spanish government and create more divisions among Catalans who are in favor and against the independence of Catalo-

nia,” said Maestro.

During the election, which Spain considered illegal and unconstitutional, the Spanish government mobilized 11,000 policemen to Catalonia in the weeks leading up to October 1st, 2017. Policemen started taking away the printers so that the Catalan citizens couldn’t print ballots.

On the Sunday of the referendum thousands of people, including Gemma Sanz, a seventeen year-old from Malgrat de Mar, slept inside a polling station for an entire night during ABOVE: Protestors in Catalan against a police blockade PHOTO BY Paula Mompio the referendum in protest of the Spanish government’s closure of the voting stations. After a couple of a state of siege, had intervened and hacked a dictatorial government that calls itself a dehours the cops began to enter, mostly in Barcewebsites of the Generalitat [Catalan Governmocracy (but that is not really it) because they lona. Policemen attacked the citizens that were ment], and also had transported 11,000 civilian did not want us to express as a nation, without inside and outside the school. Among them guards in Catalonia,” Over the course of the accepting either of the two opinions, neither were adults, teenagers, and the elderly. The election day, 893 people were injured. The yes nor no, based on that that referendum was national police fired rubber bullets at protesters Spanish president, Mariano Rajoy, said nothing being unconstitutional.” and voters and used batons to beat them back. about people injured and only defended the Regardless of their position, people went to “What has happened to Catalonia is intolerpolicemen doing their work correctly. The vote the streets to protest for their right to vote. able, and it is a violation of human rights by the was declared illegal and unilateral, and the “First of all, I don’t want Catalonia to leave Spanish government and the civil guard. When votes have lost all their validation. The cost of Spain, I’m not pro-independent,” Alvaro something happens, the UN should intervene, the malfunctions in educational centers will be Ramirez said, “even though I think that the but they have only given a touch of attention 314,000 € ($367,584).

Spanish government did put in risk the safety to Rajoy and that’s all, and meanwhile there “Honestly, I think that what is happening of their citizens. The day that both sides, prowere more than 850 people in the hospital with right now in Catalonia is a historical moment independence and anti-independence, join and serious injuries,” Sanz said. “By the way, the for many reasons,” Paula Riera said. “Mainly act together, we’ll advance.”

UN and the EU and the whole world obviously from this referendum, one thing have struck knew that this could happen, there was already me: to feel myself as a citizen of a country with

4A NEWS

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM | NOVEMBER 3, 2017

Buzz-In Technology Added to City High

By Noah Bullwinkle Reporter On October 2nd, City High and many other schools across the Iowa City Community school district implemented the buzz in system, which requires students to provide their ID at a certain entry point if they wish to re-enter their school.

“A little while ago after the Sandy Hook tragedy, the district underwent an evaluation of itself on how it stood on safety and security measures,” said Principal John Bacon. “It put a plan together, and one of the aspects of this plan was implementing these entrance systems in all of the schools in the district.”

Since Sandy Hook in 2012, there have been at least seven major school shootings in schools. Students such as Ellis Chen ‘20 believe this program

is beneficial to the safety of schools, but isn’t without its faults.

“I have mixed feelings on it. On one hand, I can understand why people might be frustrated with it, because it makes life a little more complicated if you have an appointment in the morning. But I also can understand the security side of it,” Chen ‘20 said.

“However, In my opinion, we don’t have a problem with security here at [City High],” he added.

While some might question this system’s convenience, City High is making a slight change in its policy during the lunch hour to help students who eat lunch outside the school.

“At this time, we are making the

By Henry Mildenstein

I

decision to reopen the front doors during the lunch hour (4th period) because there is so much traffic coming and going,” Mr. Bacon said. “We

also have pretty good supervision during the lunch hour so there is always a supervisor by those doors.”

Student Senate Recap

By Mira Bohannan Kumar

increase intake and

Opinion Editor

10/18 The meeting began with a review of the student feedback from the listening post last Friday. President Teagan Roeder ’18 and Vice President Patrick McMillan ’18 reported on the listening post and reviewed notes taken by Xeniphilius Tyne ’20.

Class representative elections had previously been postponed because of absences due to PSATs. Penelope Wilkins ’21, Mira Bohannan Kumar ’20, and Maya Durham ’19 were elected class representatives. Wilkins and Bohannan Kumar ran uncontested, and Durham was elected over Eli Anderson ’19.

The Senate reviewed the budget made by Treasurer Gabby McCormick ’18 and brainstormed ideas to

Caribbean. Maya Durham ’19 was named head of a committee to plan for these relief efforts.

Zoë Butler ’19 proposed that for

Donna Saehler from the guidance office then introduced the issue of unused diploma covers and their possible repurposing into photo albums or other new items. McMillan reported on Powderbuff volleyball and the possible changing of the time or date due to scheduling conflicts and miscommunications.

10/25

fundraise for Senate. It determined to send a thousand dollars to hurricane relief in the

Student Senate Listening Post

the winter dance, students choose songs on a playlist as opposed to hiring a DJ to increase student satisfaction with the music.

The Senate formed a dance committee for the Snow Ball.

The meeting began with an update from Vice President Patrick McMillan ’18 about Powderbuff volleyball, which will be moved back to after school on Thursday, November 9.

A member of Senate proposed a debate on music choices for the winter dance, but it was delayed because the initiating member was not present. However, the Senate discussed the concept of changing the method by which songs will be selected and allowing students to directly choose songs that would go into a playlist curated by Senate members.

The Senate separated into committees: Powderbuff volleyball, the winter dance, the can drive, and a committee to make decisions on how to best donate money from Homecoming profits to hurricane relief organizations.

The Senate meets every Wednesday morning in room 3311 at 8:15 am. To learn more, contact Mr.

Reporter

n spring of 2017 Teagan Roeder ‘18 ran for Student Senate president. A major part of his campaign was based on improving the communication between Student Senate and the student body.

He created the idea for a listening post at City High and was elected on that platform.

“The idea of these meetings is to have open time for students to comment on what they want, what their concerns are, and be a representative body,” Roeder said.

Following through on his campaign promise, Roeder held the year’s first listening post during Advisory on October 13th.

“Having an organized time for people to talk, give student senate ideas and bring up student concerns is important for our school. I am hoping to hold two of these listening posts a trimester.” said Roeder.

Roeder also stressed how important it is that students inform the Student Senate of their concerns and ideas.

“When I go to the school board meeting I am representing [the student body],” said Roeder. “And if I don’t know what the students are concerned about I can’t perform my presidential duties.”

Roeder said that this first trimester they are only going to be able to hold one listening post as Student Senate was overwhelmed with Homecoming preparations earlier in the year. The first meeting, which was on Friday, October 13th, in the Little Theater, covered topics ranging from more senior bonding events to live music at dances, but the most discussed topic was the need for committees that cover a large spectrum of things.

Shay McLean ‘18 thought the listening post was a great idea for the school, but he didn’t think the execution was there this time.

“Teagan’s idea was amazing, but there wasn’t much time to develop a conversation. I would have really liked to get to the roots of all the problems.” said McLean.

Roeder commented that having students turn in notecards could be a way to make the meeting have more order.

“It was definitely a first trial run,” Roeder said. “I immediately let the meeting and the crowd get a little unfocused. In the future I hope to have a notecard system.”

McLean also agreed that having a more organized listening post would aid in productivity.

“I think if there was a set agenda at these listening posts, then things might be able to run smoother,” said McLean.

Despite its bumps, Roeder thought that overall, the listening post met its goals.

“We received a lot of good suggestions. We have suggestions of a senior bonfire night, reimagining the committee system, and several other suggestions that could go to making City High a more enjoyable place.” said Roeder.

Finally, Roeder made it clear that more people would always be welcome at listening posts in future; student participation increases the productivity of the Senate.

TheLittleHawk.com

NEWS 5A

November 3rd, 2017

Sports vs. Academics

By Nina Lavezzo-Stecopoulos

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Reporter

ridget Brown ‘18 is a varsity athlete, 4.0 student, and cross country team captain who participates in both track and cross country. She admits to struggle sometimes with balancing her sports and her academics. Both have benefits and hardships.

“I think, honestly, do as much as you can without going crazy because if you try and take on too much you’re going to make yourself miserable and end up going backwards,” Brown said. “Balancing it is kind of tricky, but it can be done without making yourself miserable.”

High school students have many jobs: schoolwork, extracurriculars, taking care of family members or even working. It can be hard to balance all these aspects of students’ lives.

“They’re students first, so that’s the most important aspect of going to high school,” said John Burkle, who teaches AP Government at City.

The United States uses a system of letter grades that add up to a cumulative grade point average to measure students’ academic capabilities. However, other countries instead use numbers to measure students knowledge, or simply rank the test scores of students to show how well they know certain subjects. To motivate students, some countries go as far as to post lists that rank how well specific students did on specific tests or throughout the entire semester.

In the U.S.’s system, students don’t receive these types of motivation but rather are rewarded as they leave high school, in the form of scholarships, becoming valedictorian, or attending elite colleges. Since most of these rewards take place as students graduate from high school, there are not as many rewards that are given to students throughout their high school lives. At City High the only motivation and recognition for students with a high grade point average throughout high school is the honor roll.

“Before college comes into the picture I don’t think it [the honor roll] matters that much to people,” Shelby Keep ‘18 said.

“I just think it’s like, “Ok, good, you get good grades and then maybe you’ll get into a good college,’ and they don’t really give awards or anything,” Carly Weigel ‘20, a 4.0 student, said.

Other student achievements are recognized

by City earlier than graduation. This year Mr. Bacon led an assembly to give students who participated in three or more sports at City a Nike sweatshirt.

Sophie Trom ‘20, who participated in three sports last year, is deciding if she should do two or three this year.

“I love sweatshirts,” said Trom. “The sweat-

INFOGRAPHIC BY OLIVIA LUSALA ‘19 shirts are honestly making my decision a little ics,” Hornbuckle said, “but that’s just life. easier.”

Colleges do it, high schools do it, so it’s not Besides the sweatshirts, there are other incenunusual.” tives for aspiring athletes at City that might The balancing act has been even harder since encourage them to join a team. Sports teams at the new change in school times. Students like City often host team dinners. While athletes are Trom say their sleeping habits haven’t improved playing the sport, they get a Nike sweatshirt and much, but that it can be nice to have more time get to keep a practice shirt, and they may also in the morning. buy apparel and such to show their participa“I get home late and then have all that tion. Games are also homework, but I don’t an attraction for think it...matters friends, families, and because I’m going to “I THINK [SPORTS] TEND TO teachers. And there is stay up late anyways,” BE OVERREPRESENTED, AND always the possibility Trom said.

BY THAT I MEAN THEY GET A of a sports scholarThe time change ship to college. was originally counDISPROPTIONATE AMOUNT OF These aspects tered with petitions OUR ATTENTION AND RESOURCES from athletes against of sports and other factors have led to the idea of getting COMPARED TO OTHER THINGS a huge increase in later. But this THAT STUDENTS ARE INVOLVED IN.” home participation. Last isn’t the only effect of year more students the change; students participated in school miss more classes due ALI BORGER-GERMANN sports than ever to the fact that other before. Great things schools in Iowa still have come from this: get out at 3:00pm. for example, throughout the last 30 years the This results in more make-up work and somegirls cross country team has qualified for State. times missing three or four periods.

More students participating, however, also Ali Borger-Germann, an English teacher at means more uniforms, transportation, and City, feels strongly about students missing class. money necessary for the sports teams at City “It drives me crazy! I mean, golfers in the High. spring, do they ever show up? They leave at secThis year, Terry Coleman, the athletic direcond period, they’re gone for the whole freaking tor at City, estimated that the cost of sports day! I get it, right, but also now that our schedequipment at City amounts to $80,000. This ule has shifted later kids who used to miss part does not include transportation, facilities, or of seventh are missing fifth, sixth, and seventh,” coaches’ salaries. Rising levels of participation said Borger-Germann. “It makes it hard for those mean this money is sometimes not enough. students to feel like during their season they’re Franklin Hornbuckle participates in crossfully engaged in their classes.” country and track.

Coleman is also concerned with the effects of “Sometimes we put sports ahead of academthe schedule change on athletes. He hopes that

the school district will look over any changes in grade point average since the change. Coleman is aware of the concerns that have come with the change that happened a year ago and he realizes that students often take on many activities.

“I would never take it upon myself to say you need to stop doing this or you need to stop doing that or stop doing this,” Coleman said, “because that’s just not my role.”

Coleman believes that it is not his role to ask students to drop extracurricular activities, but that teachers should understand the students’ commitment to their sports and remember that when assigning, checking homework, etc.

He thinks that it is the teacher’s job to keep in mind that students do have other responsibilities besides school.

“I think teachers do a really good job of knowing that if there’s an assignment due tomorrow and somebody has a cross country meet in Dubuque, which happens frequently, they get back at 10:30, they’re gonna give them a little bit of a break on that thing that’s gonna be due tomorrow,” Coleman said.

Some have a different view about the importance of sports in students’ lives.

“I feel like unless you would like to become an athlete in the future, sports will only get you so far,” Mariam Keita ‘20 said, “whereas academia is the foundation of every career you could go into.”

According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, 6% of high-school participants in basketball, football, baseball, and men’s ice hockey and soccer continue with that sport in college. 3.5% continue from college to professional sports. Less than 0.02% of high-school athletes go professional and end up making money from their sport.

“I think [sports] tend to be overrepresented, and by that I mean they get a disproportionate amount of our attention and our resources compared to the other things that students are involved in,” Borger-Germann said, “but they’re also offering students something that they don’t get in other places...we don’t get to use our bodies very much during the average school day and so I think there’s something really healthful and life-giving about that. I just think it gets a little too much weight.”

Brown and Lindsey Parrott ‘18 recently received an award given to those who have a 3.5 or higher GPA and participate in a varsity sport.

Parrott’s words of advice are to choose your battles and do what makes you happy.

“This is high school, not college or a career, so you should choose what makes you happy,” Parrott said. “If that’s cross country or if that’s a harder class or if it’s just an art class, you should choose [that].”

Interact Club Blood Drive

By Phoebe Chapnick-Sorokin

E

News Editor

very two seconds, someone in the United States is in need of blood. A few years ago, Interact Club decided to help contribute to the blood supply. Now Interact Club hosts an annual blood drive at City High where students and teachers can donate blood. The blood donated will help emergency victims along with cancer patients.

The DeGowin Blood Center set up a clinic in the commons from 11:30-4:30 on October 26. Approximately 63 students donated blood. Many City High staff members also contributed to the blood drive. Students and teachers donated about one pint of blood each.

One of the presidents of Interact Club, Addy Smith ‘18, played an active role in organizing the blood drive.

“DeGowin Blood Center contacted us and they pretty much had all the logistics ironed out, but they needed some help from us through Interact,” Smith said. “We compiled our best helpers to help make the blood drive run smoothly.”

On October 26, other members of Interact Club volunteered to help run the clinic.

“It wouldn’t have been possible without the awesome people at [the] Blood Center and our willing helpers through Interact,” Smith said.

Julia Coelho ‘19 is one of many students who chose to participate in the blood drive.

“I chose to do the blood drive because I believe it is one of the easiest acts to help people,” Coelho said. “It is going to such a great place and I know that it will be used.”

A statistic that caught Coelho’s attention is that one in ten

PHOTO: Jonathan Brown ‘19 donates blood on October 26 at the Interact Blood Drive. PHOTO BY Victor Kalil people will need blood at some point in their lives. She says it was worth the physical pain to help people that are in need.

“It definitely hurt but I believe that it’s important for people to donate blood,” Coelho said. “It’s a good way to give back just in case I’ll need it at some point.”

Smith pointed out that this is a particularly relevant time to donate blood, after the attack on October 1 in Las Vegas.

“I think especially recently this is a super timely cause after the attack in Vegas and the biggest thing they needed was blood,”

said Smith.

Like Coelho, Smith believes this is an important and easy gesture to help people in need.

“The blood we collected will touch so many people’s lives that we will never meet,” Smith said. “There’s a quote that says ‘Try and do one thing every day for someone you know will never be able to repay you,’ and today all of those donors were able to do their part.”

TheLittleHawk.com

NEWS 6A

Governor Visit continued from A1

Karen Nichols, an active member of I4PE and head of the protest, was protesting not the governor’s initiative to aid vocational education but rather the voucher system—a system where subsidies are given out to parents to spend on school. The funds for voucher systems often come directly out of the education budget. “[Governor Reynolds] would like to see us institute a voucher program that, though it may sound like a good idea on the surface, when you look at how it actually works out it ends up defunding public education.” Nichols said.

“I think we have a great bunch of schools here in Iowa and I don’t think we want to continue down this road of defunding them and taking on a privatization mission.”

Protester Temple Hiatt agreed with Nichols. “[The government] is underfunding K12 education, which is not what Iowa values represent,” Hiatt said. “I’m an ‘89 graduate of City High and we have always led the way in public education.”

Contrary to Nichols and Hiatt, Fandel believes the governor is trying to make Iowa’s public education higher quality.

“You won’t find anybody more committed to public education than Governor Reynolds,”

Fandel said. “45% of the state’s general budget goes to public schools in Iowa. Last year when Governor Branstad and Lt. Governor Reynolds, along with the state legislature, had major cuts to the state budget, they did not cut K12.”

One of the major reasons for some students’ choice to protest was that the discussion was not widely advertised throughout the school.

“She’s here giving a speech at our school and we’re not even allowed to hear it,” Ellen Fields ‘18 said. “We are going to be the people directly affected by her budget cuts and it’s not okay that we’re not being included in the discussion.”

Teagan Roeder ‘18 was also upset by this lack of communication about the event.

“It angers me that she’s using our school as basically a publicity stunt to give a speech to students, supposedly, but not even having this speech announced to the student body in any way,” Roeder said. “Having it in a closed room just really angers me.”

Fandel helped coordinate the visit and said that since it is on the governor’s schedule, anyone is welcome. Principal Bacon thought differently.

“The way I understood it is that they invited certain people,” said Principal Bacon. “It was

Wapsie Retreat continued from A1 “I was one of the leaders,” Abreu said.

“There was one of each of us in each cabin.

There was a panel with the upperclassmen leaders so the underclassmen could ask questions. We mostly lead activities, got things done, and made sure everything was going well.”

Leading the students are teachers. Their goal is to guide the students in collaboration and thinking outside the box. Schumann was one of the teachers on the retreat. He likes to see students experiencing new things to help them grow as individuals.

ABOVE: Governor Reynolds and panel speak in the City High commons. PHOTO BY Olivia Lusala “What’s happening is the kids are building not designed to be a big open forum on a range relationships and they’re building a network,” of topics. It’s designed to be a targeted panel Governor Reynolds said. “We test them every discussion on a specific theme.”

Nevertheless, Principal Bacon believes this is year and a higher percentage of students are saying they’re more likely to stay in Iowa.” a great experience for students.

Besides Iowa City, the governor has traveled “I think anytime the governor, congressman, or any high level office [visits], that’s a big deal.” to Marshalltown, Des Moines, and Cedar Rapids to get feedback on FRI. said Principal Bacon. “Regardless of political “We’re fleshing a lot of this out.” Governor opinion, regardless of whether we voted for Reynolds said. “It’s not written in stone and that person or not or we all don’t agree with that’s why we’re doing a listening tour. We’re that person, I think it’s a great opportunity to getting a lot of positive feedback.” have the governor of your state come to your Governor Reynolds plans to move the Last high school and give students the opportunity Dollar Scholarship and Grant Program to legisto interact with somebody in that position and lation to get funding. ask questions.”

“My budget will reflect what my priorities Although there is no guarantee students will are,” Governor Reynolds said. “That means stay in Iowa after they have received post-sechelping Iowans get the skills they need to fill ondary education, Governor Reynolds believes the jobs today so I can ultimately grow the there is a trend with students receiving some economy.” vocational education.

Heads of State

“I think Camp Wapsie gives many students an opportunity to go out and spend time outdoors and camp and do something to get outside their comfort zone, do something they’ve never done before,” Schumann said.

The common belief among teachers, and something that Schumann particularly finds important, is how these leadership skills reflect on to City High.

“I’d like to think that students get a moment to reflect on those core values of City High, which is what makes us The School That Leads,” Schumann said.

INFOGRAPHIC BY Mira Bohannan Kumar and Zoë Butler

TheLittleHawk.com

NEWS 7A

November 3rd

Scream Acres: From Hay Bales to Halloween Haunts

allowed people to still come if it was pouring rain out, which really helped the business.”

The addition of the Carnival Chaos haunt in the late 2000’s Dylan Ryfe promoted a different type of Scream Acres. Rather than being a place that Reporter people visit along with Bloomsbury Farms, the theme park became a separate, or 14 years, Scream Acres has been the hotspot for anyone in the more twisted identity.

Halloween spirit. Boasting four haunts, the theme park has been the main “We’re always changing the park each year,” Karen remarked. “I think that’s what makes people target for high school students looking for a night full of scares. come back, they want to be scared in a completely new way, and I love that.”

“The atmosphere is great,” Thomas McMillan ‘20 said. “I go there almost every year.”

Inclusions of the Slaughterhouse and Cell Block Z attractions in 2012 and 2015 propelled the Scream Acres was started in the fall of 2003 by husband and status of Scream Acres immensely. The park became known all over the wife duo Karen and Dave Petersen. Wanting to expand Bloomsbury Farm, state, and in 2016, became the top rated haunt in Iowa.

“IT GOT TO A POINT WHERE the two started a halloween themed hay bale ride as a small hobby. The park “It’s amazing to see how the park is put together,” McMillan said. “There’s was unable to gain large scale popularity for a few years, mostly due to the always something new to find.”

WE WERE TRYING TO GET tornado that shook the farm in 2004, until they added The Haunted CornThe commercial and emotional success of Scream Acres has left many PEOPLE THROUGH AS FAST wondering what’s in store for it’s future. Beginning in November, the theme field attraction.

“It took a few years to market and build up the popularity [Of the park],” park will go on the Legendary Haunt Tour in Pennsylvania, which showAS POSSIBLE TO KEEP UP Karen Peterson said. “It got to a point where we were trying to get people three of the most popular haunts in the country, followed by the the WITH THE PEOPLE WAITING cases through as fast as possible to keep up with the people waiting in line.”

TransWorld Halloween and Attractions Show early next year. As for new IN THE LINE.” The commercial success of The Haunted Cornfield brought three new attractions coming to the park itself, those will most likely be unveiled haunt managers and an immense amount of resources to further expand the sometime next year. park. “[The haunt managers] want to completely flesh out their ideas before KAREN PETERSON “We didn’t build the park to be weather dependent, so we thought about they buy the supplies,” Karen said. “Give them time, and we’ll see what hapcreating some indoor haunts,” Karen said. “The building of Carnival Chaos pens.”

F

Black Cats of City High Lottie Gidal

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News Editor

hen planning out Halloween decorations, there are always a few staples; pumpkins, cobwebs, spiders, and black cats. But how did les chats noir come to be associated with bad luck?

Well actually, for the vast majority of history in non-western cultures, the exact opposite was true. In Ancient Egypt, the goddess Bastet, depicted with the head of a cat, was the protector of the home. Keeping a black cat in the house was considered to be the best way to gain her favour, and in fact, killing them was a capital crime. Japan also associates the felines with good luck, as do the Scottish.

During the Middle Ages, witch hysteria swept across Europe, and black cats became guilty by association. They were thought to be witch’s ‘familiars’, capable of bringing death and bad omens.

Thus the cats became associated with bad luck across much of Eu-

ABOVE: Athena Gidal Photo by Lottie Gidal rope. One famous example of this involves King Charles I. Legend has it that that upon the death of his beloved black cat, he bemoaned that his luck was gone. The very next day he would be arrested and charged with high treason, leading to his infamous beheading on the guillotine.

So when the Puritans landed on Plymouth Rock, they brought

these superstitions with them. In the early colonies, anyone caught with a black cat would be severely punished, as they were associated with Satan, and seen as part demon, part sorcery.

These superstitions have watered down in today’s society, but are still present in the decorations on Halloween, and in animal shelters across the country. Studies have shown that black cats are less likely to be adopted than cats of other colours and more likely to be abandoned. Some shelters even limit the adoption of black cats around Halloween so as to avoid the cats being used as props to be abandoned later.

Regardless of the colour of their fur, black cats have actually no genetic differences with cats of other colours besides their pigmentation. Black fur can be found across many breeds, and have no effect on the cat’s personality.

Despite this, black cats have connotations (be they good or bad) across many societies. For Japan, Scotland, Ireland, and the U.K., they are considered a good omen; if one graces the doorstep of a house, it is a sign of prosperity.

NEWS 8A

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM | NOVEMBER 3, 2017

New Security Measures May Affect Student Privacy With the incorporation of the One-to-One Chromebook program, privacy issues emerge

By Noah Bullwinkle At the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year, every student from grades 9-12 received Chromebooks from the Iowa City Community School District as part of the district’s One-toOne initiative.

“Most schools were going in this direction, so the district realized that this was going to need to happen,” said City High principal John Bacon.

As part of the switch, Principal Bacon says the district underwent a comprehensive infrastructure upgrade, increasing things such as Internet bandwidth (the amount of data an Internet connection can transfer at any given time). They also had to determine what type of security measures to implement so that content would be appropriately filtered on Chromebooks.

“We narrowed our search between two security systems, GoGuardian and Securly,” said Adam Kurth, Director of Technology and Innovation at ICCSD. “We eventually chose Securly for mainly its financial cost, as both systems would achieve the same goal of our district in regards to filtering.”

Securly’s filtering system is based on a large selection of keywords. Some keywords, by federal law, are required to be checked, and some are a matter of district philosophy.

“We talked to the district legal counsel to help us with the legal aspect of filtering in a 1:1 program, and then we decided individually which sites we want to block,” Kurth said.

“Some example of things we chose to block are apps such as Snapchat.”

However, some students have reported that some websites have been blocked that they believe are completely appropriate for school.

“I take a medical class and I’m not able to look up certain terms because they are blocked,” one student answered in a Little Hawk survey “We will share personal information with about the new security measures on Chromecompanies, organizations or individuals outside books. of Google when we have user consent or parents’ “Multiple educational YouTube videos were consent (as applicable),” says G-Suite’s “Informablocked,” another student replied. “I checked tion We Share” section of its privacy policy. them Howon my ever, neither “I TAKE A MEDICAL CLASS AND I’M NOT ABLE TO students phone, and there was LOOK UP CERTAIN TERMS BECAUSE THEY ARE (users) nor nothing parents conBLOCKED.” wrong with sented. Even them– no ANONYMOUS though swearing, CITY HIGH STUDENT minors’ violence, signatures drugs or aren’t [similar binding, parents still weren’t contacted about things].” this agreement. The only signature or agreement Kurth says that incidents like these will be students agreed to was when they created their looked at by the district, but may not be posGoogle account, and students’ accounts were sible to fix because websites are blocked on a created by the district. Regardless of whether keyword basis. students did check the box when their accounts “We are required to be blocking sites with were first accessed, many students feel that a pornography, drugs, gambling, and sites that district-wide shift to the 1:1 program should have hateful messages,” he said. “However, it is warrant another look at the privacy policy. One difficult to address these individual instances example of this is Apple requiring their users because each keyword blocks thousands of to agree to a privacy policy each time the user websites.” wants to install a new software update; the disIn addition to these security measures, trict could do the same with Chromebooks. parents are sent an email every month contain“I think that whenever there is a change in ing websites and keywords their student has systems, a user would be required to agree to a searched or visited. One student who wished to privacy policy that details the new features of stay anonymous felt that high school students the system that might interfere with my privacy,” should be in control of their own safety. said an anonymous student.

“It is Privacy completely has long “IT IS DIFFICULT TO ADDRESS THESE INDIVIDUAL wrong,” been an isthey said.

CIRCUMSTANCES BECAUSE EACH KEYWORD sue with dis“We are tricts who BLOCKS THOUSANDS OF WEBSITES.” high school students ADAM KURTH switched to 1:1 who can DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION AT ICCSD programs. handle In Rhode whatIsland, the ever we see Lower Merion School District was found to online.” have taken over 50,000 photos of their students In addition to the fact that neither students using their school-owned computers’ built-in nor parents explicitly signed up for this service, cameras. An EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundastudents were never notified that their data tion) study found among a study of 1000 school would be collected. This lack of communicasystem members that “45 percent of parents tion is one of Kurth’s biggest regrets about the reported that their schools or districts did not program. provide parents with written disclosure about “Honestly, if I could change one thing about ed tech and data collection”. That same study our 1:1 rule, that would be it,” Kurth said. also found that 57% of parents responding to According to Google for Education, or the study were “completely sure they had not G-Suite’s privacy policy, Google only shares received written disclosure about their school’s information with districts or parent companies ed tech practices.” ICCSD broke this trend, as with user or parental consent.

parents with a child in any district high school were notified about this email before the school year started.

“I believe we were sent an email by Mr. Bacon, and then by the district about these emails,” said Izaskun “IT IS COMPLETELY WRONG. WE ARE HIGH SCHOOL Lejarcegui, STUDENTS WHO CAN HANDLE WHATEVER WE SEE parent of City High ONLINE.” student BiANONYMOUS hotza JamesCITY HIGH STUDENT Lejarcegui ‘18.

Postimplementation, Kurth wishes that the amount of communication between the district and students could’ve been more distinct and frequent.

“I wish we could go back in time and get a descriptive message out by email, as well as through the Technology & Innovation blog and other sources, to students that outlined exactly how the filtering/parent portal would work.”

s o s, d s’ ”

n

TheLittleHawk.com

MAKING THE CUT

By Veronica Abreu and Maya Durham

W

NEWS 9A

November 3rd, 2017

Contributer

hile the hashtag #MeToo is trending globally to raise awareness about sexual assault, Iowa City has been experiencing its own reawakening to the the issue.

Following the release of a list ranking young women by letter grades at West High School, many high school students across the district have been prompted to talk about how sexual harassment and assault impacts them everyday.

A recent local study conducted by two City High juniors shows that 96.8% of surveyed believe that sexual harassment and assault is a prevalent issue in our society. This statistic as well as one that shows 73.6% of responders know someone who has been sexually harassed or abuse and 38.5% of them answering they had experienced harassment or abuse themselves, has been raising the question of why

“I feel like [sexual harassment] is one of those things that people feel too uncomfortable to talk about and it isn’t taken seriously by high school students.”

Lauren Upchruch ‘19 the topic of sexual harassment and abuse isn’t talked about in schools.

“There is such a lack of respect in high school students,” said Lauren Upchurch ‘19, one of the women whose name appeared on the list at West. “I feel like [sexual harassment] is one of those things that people feel too uncomfortable to talk about and it isn’t taken seriously by high school students.”

Upchurch has been objectified and victimized by numerous lists of the same nature in the past.

“I was angry, not at the fact that my name was on it, but because other girls’ names were,” Upchurch said. “This list contained more than 80 girls and it sickened me knowing there are girls on there that were feeling how I used to feel every time this stuff happened and that pushed me to stand up and do what I can for the cause.”

Sexual harassment is more common on high school campuses than often expected. According to RAINN, an organization for provid-

ing support and information on sexual violence, 44 percent of sexual assaults happen before college, and one in five girls reported that they have been assaulted on their school campuses.

“I was assaulted on school grounds,” said Sam*. “I spent the next six months trying to forget what had happened, suppressing all thoughts and feelings. It’s something so horrible that you don’t know how to deal with it and so you just put it aside.”

Sam is currently a junior at City High, although her attack occurred prior to her transferring to City.

In a 2013 study done by the Jama Network, one in ten people between the ages of 14-21 has already committed an act of sexual violence.

Although all teachers are mandatory reporters, the process that occurs after is led by the school’s administration.

According to a John Bacon, City’s principal, the crime would be reported to the police and that the victim is told to report it. I’m sure there is an internal investigation as well.

“We would make sure that [a sexual assault allegation] was handled with the utmost detail and attention,” Bacon said. “The school district provides us with guidelines for how to address situations like this, and consequences could range from a couple days’ suspension to expulsion.”

However, this was not Sam’s experience at the school where her attack took place. While she told her last administration at the time, she says she did not see much follow through.

“I believe that (my last) school probably called him in and they went with his story. less work for them if he claims that he didn’t do it,” Sam said.

After Sam’s assault occurred, she reported the incident to her last school’s administration. She felt the administration’s shortcomings showed her that her last school wasn’t going to help them, she would help themselves.

“I feel like they failed me in fact I actually have a class with my attacker,” she said. “I walked in the first day and thought i was going to pass out, I stayed in the class though, I couldn’t let a sh**** school system and a sh**** person stop my education, sitting in class with my attacker these days sucks but i’ve learn to block him out and look like strong independent hard working women.”

Sam decided against reporting her attack to the local authorities, but finds solace in support groups.

“I’m not the first girl at (my last) school that this guy has attacked so I feel like I have to be strong for all the other girls as well,” she said.

The University of Iowa’s Rape Victims Advocacy Program provides a confidential, free, trauma-informed services for anyone impacted by sexual violence. They also provide a number of educational and prevention programs in hopes to spread awareness and end sexual violence.

In the case of the list at West High, the students that created it were punished with a two day suspension, but in many cases the

perpetrators are not disciplined. Al Jazeera America reported that one in 20 high school girls who have been victims of sexual harassment on campuses switched school due to the harassment and/or abuse.

“I went to the school a week after it had happened they had me write down the name of the student who attacked me but didn’t ever follow up with. I continued to see him around school walking free,” Sam said. “There was never really a formal procedure that they went by, it almost seemed as they didn’t really know what to do, everyone was really nice but no one really helped. I continued to feel alone I had no support team.”

When students of the Iowa City Community School District became more aware of sexual harassment some decided to take action.

Lucy Polyak ‘19 took this opportunity to create a way to empower young women. #EveryonesAnA first appeared on twitter hours after the news of the list broke and continued to inspire other students to encourage unity, inclusiveness, and appreciate all forms of beauty. The hashtag also reached past just the demographic of high school students to college students and adults across the community.

“I saw a lot of people were upset, and of course you’re allowed to do that but I wanted to help, I wanted to know how I could help,” said Polyak. “I was like ‘You know what, I’m just gonna put this out there, and see if anybody likes it and if they wanna do it themselves.’”

Polyak went on to say that she was surprised by the success of the hashtag, which extended well beyond her usual circle of friends.

“Suddenly it turned into girls I have looked

“The school district provides us with guidelines for how to address situations like this, and consequences could range from a couple days’ suspension to expulsion.”

John Bacon up to for years and who I hardly have talked to using it, teachers were using it, my mom’s friends were using it,” she said. “I feel like women who support other women are the best kind of women. And if you don’t stand up for other women in times of crisis like this, what are you doing?”

10A NEWS

TheLittleHawk.com

Novermber 3rd, 2017

CAREERS IN THE MAKING

By Lottie Gidal and Phoebe ChapnickSorokin

News Editors

Most people don’t plan out their future careers until their sophomore year of college, but these five high school students have it all figured out.

“To be honest with you, I’m not narrowing down my interests yet,” said Anna Denniston ‘18. “I have two more years until I have to declare my major so I’m not worried abou that at all.”

The situation is different for Shawna O’Malley ‘19 who has known for years what she will be doing in her professional life.

Although the five featured students have a secure future plan lined up, Denniston isn’t envious.

“I’m not envious of those people who have their whole life figured out,” said Denniston. “Right know I’d rather enjoy life and see where it takes me.”

Mary Liebig ‘18 doesn’t know yet what she wants to do, but unlike Denniston, she wishes that she knew already.

“When I see someone who already knows what they want to do, I’ll be like ‘wow, I’m jealous of that’,” said Liebig. “but at the same time I’m like ‘whoa you’re moving a little quick’ because it’ll probably change.”

For students going into college not knowing what they want to do, many factors can affect their decisions for their future.

“Some schools offer different opportunities and different classes,” said Denniston.

“I think also the relationships you build with professors can make a big difference in the career you choose.”

Denniston is very excited to see where here classmates end up.

“I’m excited to see where people go and what they do. You never know right now, there are so many jobs that don’t exist yet,” said Denniston. “We have so many options right now but with technology developing we’ll have even more options in a few years.”

Liebig is also excited to see what path her classmates end up taking, but she is particularly excited for the class reunion.

“I am very excited to see what people do,” said Liebig. “I just hope everyone shows up to the class reunion.”

No matter where she ends up, Liebig has one final request.

“I really don’t want to be homeless,” said Liebig.

Paul Cornell Cooking

Joe Ring Military

aul Cornell ‘20 pours his heart into his dishes. He can cook anything from quiche, to Moroccan lamb skewers, to pizza.

“What I love most about cooking is eating, and being able to make something that I know I’m going to enjoy,” Cornell said.

For Cornell, cooking is almost therapeutic, it calms him and focuses his energies.

“I definitely think that it’s relaxing when I cook,” Cornell said. “It lets me not think about other stuff. I like that feeling of anticipation when I am cooking, knowing that I’m going to be eating it.”

This kind of anticipation can last a long time, especially if the dish is more complicated. In fact, the last time Cornell made pizza, the suspense had been building for three months. He had just completing construction on a pizza oven in the backyard.

“Well, I’d had wood fired pizza before,” Cornell said. “And I’d noticed the difference in how good it was as supposed to just normal pizza, so I thought it would be a fun summer project.

It turned into more of a summer and fall project, but I enjoyed making the oven more than I thought I would.”

Cornell did not have any professional help, he and his father went to brickyards to buy the brick, mortared it themselves, and built the oven from the ground up.

But this was not the first backyard project that Cornell attempted. In June 2017, he bought three chicks, built a coop for them, and the chickens have recently started to lay eggs.

“Those are definitely more for the pet aspect than the collecting eggs aspect,” Cornell said. “But it is fun to know where those eggs were made when I’m cooking with them. Very locally sourced.”

The chickens are named after the four women to have been names Supreme Court Justices; Sandra Day O’Connor, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, or to Cornell, RGB for short. As for the locally sourced eggs, Cornell says that he is not very picky when it comes to his ingredients, even if he does have some favourites.

“Definitely local food is very cool, but I’m not super picky about that,” Cornell said. “It’s fun to go to new pioneer to see all the different produce that they have. The farmers market it fun too, to see all the different people that made this food.”

Cornell also works as a fry chef in downtown Iowa City at Shorts Restaurant.

“Most time I’m doing the fryer, so the fries and the onions and the tenderloin stuff. But soon hopefully I’ll start doing more of the grilling,” Cornell said.

This hope for bigger fish to fry may come to fruition as Cornell plans to shadow various local chefs around Iowa City by invitation. Though this restaurant experience has made him appreciate how restaurants are able to serve such a large amount of people in so short an amount of time.

“It definitely made me appreciate restaurants, knowing how fast they can get food out and the process that goes into it,” Cornell said. “Especially since I work at a pretty simple idea of a restaurant, you know, it’s just burgers and fries, but if I worked somewhere fancier, with a lot of different dishes, it would just be so much preparation.”

For now though, he is content in his kitchen, at least while he is in control.

“One of my biggest cooking pet peeves is when I’m making dinner and then someone else tries to take over the dinner. That really bothers me. Because I have it all under control and then some new ideas get introduced by other people.”

Cornell doesn’t know where cooking will take him, all he knows is that he wants to continue making food.

ver since he was little, Joe Ring ‘19 has wanted to join the military. His parents were not happy with this decision until he found a program where he can get a college education while enlisting in the Navy.

“I’ve always wanted to enlist into the military, and my parents weren’t exactly happy about that decision,” said Ring. “They wanted to make sure I actually learned something, so I tried to find certain career paths within the military.”

After spending a lot of time researching different ways to be involved with the Navy, Ring found what he wants to do.

“After I graduate high school, I’m going to enlist in the navy, said Ring. “Through the navy, once I pass base training, I’m going to be trained as an electrical technician.”

In the Navy, electrical technicians work on navy aircrafts and air carriers and keep the computer systems running.

Throughout his life, Ring has always participated in sports.

“I’m in a lot of sports and I really like working out,” said Ring. “I think that the atmosphere [of the Navy] would be good for me.”

Ring is planning on using both his physical and mental skills for this job.

“I like working with computers, so I thought engineering would be a good path to head down,” said Ring.

Ring has always known that he does not want to have a job where he sits in a cubicle all day. He wants something more out of his work.

“I don’t like jobs where I just sit down and do nothing,” said Ring. “I like working with my hands.”

P

E

“It’s always been what I’ve be by,” said Boer. “The little w spaces that we live in and the

“You’re all working toward feeling of closeness, wh achieve something, and then just you, it wasn’t just that one

This job will combine his computer skills, along with his physical skills that he has developed through year of wrestling and other sports.

In base training, Ring will have to go through countless physical tests. After only three weeks of rigorous training, he will have to complete his first physical test. He will learn how to use weapons, survive in a smoke filled room, how to march in formation, swim while in distress, and many other important skills.

After completing basic training, Ring will be trained in his special field, electrical technician. He will learn how to apply these skills to the Navy. Being an electrical technician is a very important role to keep the Navy running smoothly because they help keep the computer systems running.

Along with doing his own research, Ring has talked to many people about this career path. He has attended meetings during advisory with representatives from the military, along with talking to people who have done this program.

“One of my friend’s brothers did this,” said Ring. “He finished his service in the navy and he is now working as an electrician and paying his way through college.”

Ring has also talked to people who have done similar programs, but wish they had done this one.

TheLittleHawk.com

NEWS 11A

November 3rd, 2017

ABOVE: Collins as Anne Frank PHOTO BY: Little Vil-

lage Magazine

Shawna O’Malley Orthodontistry

M

any children dread going to the dentist, but as a little kid, Shawna O’Malley ‘19 looked forward to her biannual dental visits.

“When I was little, I really liked [the dentist],” said O’Malley.

“I thought it was really cool how everything worked.”

As she got older, her passion for dental health increased.

O’Malley was always the one middle schooler who brushed her teeth at sleepovers.

“I’m passionate about having good dental health,” said O’Malley. “I always get on [my boyfriend] to floss.”

When she was 14, O’Malley got braces put on. This sparked her interest in a more specialized field of dentistry: orthodontics.

“When I got braces, I thought it was really interesting how everything worked with bone structures,” said O’Malley. “I think the science is really interesting.”

Straighter teeth are proven to be healthier since they are easier to take care of, so this orthodontics combines both her interest in the science and her passion for Hannah Boer oral hygiene.

To become an orthodontist, it requires a high school diploma, a college degree, a dental degree, then a specialized program in orthodontics. Although it takes a long time to become an orthodontist, O’Malley thinks it is worth it.

“It’s a lot of school, but Serena Collins in the end it’ll be worth it,” said O’Malley.

O’Malley’s orthodontist at the University of Iowa was a big inspiration for her interest in orthodontics. “[My orthodontist] was really nice and could relate to how I was feeling because she had braces as a young adult,” said O’Malley.

Along with supporting O’Malley through her treatment with braces, her orthodontist also taught her a lot.

“I always asked my orthodontist to explain what she was doing at my appointments,” said O’Malley. “I discovered that there are some really cool tools that I didn’t even know existed.”

The summer before her junior year, O’Malley did a 45 hour internship with a Hart Family Dentistry in Tiffin, Iowa. Through this internship, O’Malley was able to discover the daily life of working in the dentistry field.

“I thought it was enjoyable,” said O’Malley. “I learned a lot of terminology and about how things work.”

O’Malley found her internship through Workplace Learning Collection.

I found out about it through school and after applying online, I had an interview,” said O’Malley.

O’Malley recommends doing an internship to other high school students.

It can be a good opportunity to try things out before you commit to it,” said O’Malley. “It’s also an opportunity to get a better idea of what you think you’re interested in.”

een interested in and fascinated worlds that are build into actual e impact those spaces can have on people.”

ds a common goal, and just that hen everyone is collaborating to n when you achieve it, it wasn’t actor, everyone came together to make one thing happen”

Hannah Boer Urban Planning

Serena Collins Theatre

When seven year olds are asked what they want to be when they grow up, most don’t say an architect. But for Hannah Boer ‘18, that’s all she can remember.

“I’ve always loved models,” Boer said. “That was probably the first thing that drew me into architecture. When I was probably seven or eight I would lay a bunch of paper out on my living room and tape it all together and draw maps with buildings and fire stations and schools, and little neighborhoods.”

For years, all she’s known is that she wanted to be an architect. But this past summer, at an architecture summer program for high schoolers at USC, that decision changed.

“The more that I learned about architecture the more I realized that I wanted something with more math and logical thinking involved on a bigger scale with more people being affected and more factors to consider,” Boer said.

After talking to professors at USC and doing her own research, Boer realized that she could pursue a career in urban planning instead. By definition, urban planning is technical and political process concerned with the development and use of land, planning permission, protection and use of the environment, public welfare, and the design of the urban environment.

“It’s the design and aesthetic aspect that architecture has mixed with a large scale urban environment perspective,” Boer said. “Most urban planners work for the government just because it’s a lot of policy. But I want to look at it from more of a design perspective.”

Because of this, Boer thinks that she will pursue a degree in architecture before moving on to urban planning. So design and aesthetics are now on the forefront of her mind.

“One of the big mistakes I made was not taking enough art classes,” Boer reflects. This artistic side of the profession is what she is really interested in, something most other STEM careers do not also contain.

“Whenever I told people that I wanted to do something with more math involved they were always like oh, try engineering,” Boer said. “I looked into engineering and it just wasn’t exactly the fit that I wanted.”

But for Boer, urban planning is the perfect combination of math and art. For now though, she is working as the head of Architecture Club on projects throughout City High.

“There is a landscaping project that is gonna start being planned this winter,” Boer said. “It’s going to be outside the music wing. There is a huge budget for that, we have like $10,000 from an alumni class that wants to landscape it. It’s going to be really cool.”

In addition to Architecture Club and the summer program at USC, Boer has gone on two job shadows through the Kirkwood Regional Center that culminated in a 45 hour internship at the Rorbach architecture firm in downtown Iowa City. “[The internship] was really helpful, it gave me an idea of what a normal firm looks like day to day,” Boer said.

This kind of help was critical for Boer, as she feels that it is often harder to find opportunities to work on developing her skills in such a specific career path.

“There aren’t’ a lot of people at least in high school that know they want to do architecture,” said Boer. “And it’s not something that belongs to another group, it’s not a STEM field, so I’ve kind of had to make my own way and learn about it on my own.”

But throughout this journey, Boer has never wavered in what she knows she loves.

“It’s always been what I’ve been interested in and fascinated by,” said Boer. “The little worlds that are build into actual spaces that we live in and the impact those spaces can have on people.”

erena Collins, now a senior at City High, was born for the stage. For her, theatre is the only possible career choice.

“I’m going into this because I have to, it’s the only thing I can do,” Collins said. “I don’t mean that I’m not good at anything else, but I feel as though if I wasn’t involved in [theatre] I wouldn’t be satisfied.”

Collins has spent the last eight years taking every opportunity to act that she could, from plays at her synagogue when she was little, to last year’s City High musical Grease, to the starring role in Anne Frank.

“[Anne Frank] took a lot of prep and emotionally, I had to be ready for it,” Collins said. “It was also really difficult because we never really left the stage, so I had to build up that sort of stamina, to be on the stage for a straight hour and a half instead of going off stage for breaks.”

Collins has an impressive resume when it comes to acting, having been involved in Civil, She Kills Monsters, Anne Frank, George Washington Slept Here, Honk, Urinetown, Our Town, Charlotte’s Web, Gidion’s Knot, the Children’s Hour, Neighborhood Three, August Osage County, Private Lives, the Seussified Christmas Carol, Theophilus North, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Hobbit, Grease, Peter Pan, Sirino, Pericles, and A Fair Maid of the West, to name a few. The reason for this extensive list? Grabbing every opportunity.

“Do it as much as you can, take every opportunity you can,” Collins said. “Every opportunity, there is something you can learn from, even if you have a terrible time.”

Despite this commitment to be involved in as many productions as she can, Collins rarely does the school plays or musicals.

“I don’t get to do City High stuff that often because I’m in XC, so I can never do the fall play,” Collins said. “And musicals, I mean, I like doing them, but I’m not going to do them professionally, so I prefer to do plays.

Collins also used this past summer to spend six weeks in a theatre intensive at Northwestern University in Chicago.

“I’m still processing that whole experience, I learned so much,” Collins said.

She said that the camp changed her perspective towards her future, and she is now considering other aspects of theatre, such as directing or stage management.

In fact, Collins has already ventured into stage management. She was the stage manager for Private Lives in 2014, an experience she remembers quite well.

“It was outdoors, and we did it in this guy’s backyard so we had to build the stage,” Collins said. “The set pieces had to go into this barn every time we were done because it might rain. It was just crazy and because I was the stage manager I had to do that stuff, so I got there early everyday. But that was super important because it taught me about how to deal with unexpected situations, with all the moving parts, how to get everything together.”

“Even though I’m probably gonna go for an acting degree, I’m really interested in learning every aspect of theatre,” Collins said. “It’s a collaborative thing, and there are just so many parts to it.”

This collaboration is one of the things Collins loves most about a production.

“You’re all working towards a common goal, and just that feeling of closeness, when everyone is collaborating to achieve something, and then when you achieve it, it wasn’t just you, it wasn’t just that one actor, everyone came together to make one thing happen,” Collins said.

S

TheLittleHawk.com

NEWS 12A

November 3rd, 2017

Quiz

1. What is your bedtime?

A) No later than 8:30 p.m. or I’m gonna be real cranky the next morning B) 9 p.m., I need my beauty rest C) 10 p.m. sharp and then up again at 4:30 the next morning to get stuff done D) I don’t want people knowing that much about my life E) 1 a.m. at the earliest, once I get going on my homework, I can’t stop F) 2 a.m. ‘cause Canvas keeps me up G) Early to bed, early to rise makes a student healthy, wealthy, and wise 2. What are you most afraid of?

A) Showing emotion B) Nothing C) That I’m actually a Muggle D) A student uprising E) All my PowerPoints have been deleted!

F) My metaphors coming true G) Being the school that drags 3. What is your ideal way to spend your free time?

A) Extreme sports B) Practicing C) Protesting a worthy cause D) Crafting your way to stardom E) Making a bomb PowerPoint F) Sunday morning pancakes and board games G) Sitting at home reading inspirational quotes 4. If you could take a selfie with anyone, it would be: A) Trump, just to say I met him B) I make the picture beautiful enough C) Michelle Obama D) Nova Meurice E) David Coleman, the head of the College Board F) A mole G) Any City High Little Hawk 5. Are you good at keeping secrets?

A) Only the kind that would get someone in legal trouble B) Why, of course I am!

C) What secrets? *wink wink nudge nudge* D) My lips are sealed E) Yes, if it means not hurting one of my friends F) Telling a secret is like being on drugs: it just shouldn’t happen G) Well, let me tell you a story (except not my

Halloween one) ...

Are You?

6. What TV show did you last binge watch?

A) South Park B) I do not watch TV C) Sherlock, because of the hat D) America’s Funniest Home Videos becuase I like to watch people making bad choices E) The latest Ken Burns PBS documentary series F) Bozeman science videos G) Ted-Talks 7. Word most often used to describe you?

A) Way cool B) Beautiful C) Brilliant D) Sassy E) Caring F) Goofy G) It'sagreatdaytobeaCityHighLittleHawk

8. Almost all your students just failed the last test you gave, so as the teacher you...

A) Put the grades in PowerSchool, that’s their problem B) It means I failed as a teacher C) Curve the grade to the best score D) Extra credit is the work of Satan E) Reexamine the way I taught the material, something must have been lost in translation F) They got their bonus already, that’s it G) Let them retake it, we are always reaching for the highest GPA here at #tstl 9. What is one of your best skills?

A) Storytelling B) Being beautiful C) Time management D) Glittering something E) Finding obscure and strangely applicable songs F) The element of surprise G) Giving motivational speeches 10. How would you treat a student not on task?

A) Chromebook purple (the color of their face once I smash it) B) Call them out—without naming names, of course C) Students in MY class will never be off task D) Insult them until they start to cry...then see what happens E) Ignore them and hope they stop, that sounds like too much confrontation F) Only call on them during class time G) Walk in the room and ask to talk to them

Key Mostly A's - John Burkle Mostly B's - McReynolds Mostly Cs - Alina Borger-Germmane Mostly Ds - Tony Balcaen Mostly Es - Jason Schumman Mostly Fs - Tom Schnoeblen Mostly Gs - John Bacon

Which City

Redistricting High Teacher Leads the Way

OPINION A13

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM | NOVEMBER 3, 2017

LH Executive Editors

Maya Durham & Victor Kalil

News Editors Lottie Gidal & Phoebe Chapnick-Sorokin

Opinion Editors Eden Knoop & Mira Bohannan Kumar

Feature Editor Mina Takahashi

Sports Editor Addy Smith

Video and Photo Editor Noah Bullwinkle

A&E Editors Zoë Miller & Theo Prineas

Copy Editors Theo Prineas & Mira Bohannan Kumar

Web Editor Zoë Butler

At the Schoolhouse Gate

Staff

Jack Bacon, Landon Clay, Quincy CoghillBehrends, Sylvia Gidal, Anshul Gowda, Alyse Lacina, Nina Lavezzo-Stecopoulos, Henry Mildenstein, Teagan Roeder, Lindy Rublaitus, Dylan Ryfe, Katherine Geerdes, Reese Hill, Olivia Lusala, Paula MompioMartinez, Samba Traore, Escalade Smith, Robert Tharrington, Olivia Baird, Orson Codd, Alexis DuBrava, Allyson Guyer, Liam McComas, Julia Powers, Gabriel Baird, & Abbott Ruhinda.

ART BY EDEN KNOOP

t can hardly be argued “I that either students or teachers shed their consti-

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.

that they were not allowed to kneel during the anthem, unless they were willing receive a failing grade for that game.

He later walked back those statements after speaking to legal counsel and allowed the band to kneel, on the condition that they did so off-field. In the end, a dozen or so band musicians knelt along the sidelines.

While all students were eventually allowed to exercise their voices as their conscience demanded, they found the administration to be an enemy of that goal, rather than an ally. By their own nature, schools should encourage free speech and student expression, not suppress it. The goal of the public school system is to educate and inform citizens. Part of that education is teaching about our inherent rights and how to use them. Schools have an obligation to foster students into an active generation that participates in our democracy and that shapes America into the nation we want it to be. The greatest salute that the school administration can give to our anthem is to foster and respect the values it represents.

And whether students want to pay respect to the anthem or to ameliorate the society that it honors, the most important thing that they can do is understand the great power and the great privilege that they wield. Without the right to speak freely, we can voice neither concerns about injustice nor a vision of a grander future. Issues of civil rights and national destiny are no more issues of the past than is the right to protest. And what greater disrespect can be shown to those who lost their lives for our rights than throwing away those very freedoms they sought to protect?

In learning the importance of our own voices, perhaps we can learn the importance of others. Then, just maybe, we might be able to listen.

Staff Editorial Poll

tutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.”

This statement was famously made by Justice Abe Fortas in Tinker v.

Des Moines, a landmark Supreme Court case over students’ rights to free speech. Over 48 years ago here in Iowa, a high school disciplined three students for wearing armbands in protest of the government’s actions in the Vietnam War. Those students took the school all the way to the Supreme Court in order to protect their rights. The Supreme Court found in favor of those teenagers decades ago, but the issues raised by the case remain the same: injustice, respect for the armed forces, and students’ rights to protest.

Following Colin Kaepernick’s first public protests, kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality has spread across the nation. This month, the movement reached City High, bringing with it all of the contention of its national counterpart. How do we address racism in our modern society? Is kneeling disrespectful to the troops?

Or, by exposing violations of some of America’s basic tenets, is it a way of honoring the sacrifices they have made to preserve our freedom?

Amidst this controversy, another quietly slipped away, overlooked by many of the people caught up in the debate over kneeling. It is a question perpetually raised by other controversies, separate from and yet entwined with the issues that raise it: How do we define the freedom of speech?

After the student-planned protest at a City football game was announced, Principal John Bacon initially told members of the band

Do you think that schools have an obligation to support student free speech, specifically student protests?

YES: 10

NO: 1

14A OPINION

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM | NOVEMBER 3, 2017

Bye-Partisanship

By Lottie Gidal

I have pretty strong opinions. When it comes to my taste in music, politics, social justice, or just basic decency, I’ll be honest, I usually think that I’m right. I know where I stand on an issue, and if someone tries to tell me about a different perspective, it takes a lot for me to consider it.

And I don’t believe that this is just me. No one ever wants to be the first one to back down, the first to cross the aisle, because at a certain point humans just get stubborn. Being wrong isn’t fun, so why would we open ourselves up to that possibility?

On a national scale, these last couple of years have been especially polarizing.

Political discussion has become weighted, everything has been pushed to the extreme sides of the parties’ respective spectrums, and it’s so hard to feel like you can agree with the other side on anything. But sometimes it’s not even about agreeing with the issue. People

hear “Trump” or “Hillary” or “Obama” and automatically agree or disagree without knowing almost any details.

During the election, we generalized the opposition. They were either ‘racist, homophobic, redneck, Confederate

“IT MAKES BIPARTISANSHIP—OR EVEN BASIC CIVILITY—NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE. AND IN A

GOVERNMENT THAT IS SPLIT ALMOST IN HALF, THAT’S THE ONLY WAY TO GET THINGS DONE.” Republicans’ or ‘socialist, free-range, grass-fed snowflakes’. In fact, according to the Pew Research Center, half of each party say that they are ‘afraid’ of the other one.

A level of polarization this bad is just not healthy. It makes bipartisanship—or even basic civility—nearly impossible. And in a government that is split almost in half, that’s the only way to get things done.

But this isn’t only about governmental effectivity, it’s about political discourse in our day to day lives. If you can see someone else’s perspective, put yourself in their shoes, that’s when productive discussion happens. It’s not about agreeing with the other side, it’s not about making concessions, it’s about finding a way to talk to someone you don’t agree with. That’s when you learn enough to find the middle ground, the place where you both agree to disagree long enough to come together on a path forward.

So really, this isn’t about being wrong or right, and it’s not about who wins or loses. This is a matter of empathy.

By Olivia Lusala High school: with a new school comes a new way of life. You can be whoever you want to be. The past is behind you and now all you have to do is believe in yourself...but what happens when believing in yourself isn’t enough, when rolling with the punches begins to become a beat-down? Quiet and lacking self-confidence, some students feel more or less invisible to their peers. Participation is based off how often students attend school, get to class on time, or even speak in class, and a lack of community can hinder some students from participating.

What happens to high school students when the sense of isolation begins to push their boundaries? And how can we as peers prevent people from feeling this way? Here are just a few ways we can help others feel accepted and safe at school: et’s not be too quick to judge.

L Don’t hold first impressions to such a high standard. Don’t dismiss

someone or their idea early on because you get a bad impression at first. Don’t rely on surface appearances or false stereotypes, rather than in-depth knowledge of others. You’ll miss many opportunities because of that, and your ability to understand people is compromised. Try to give everyone and everything a fair chance. emember that your views might R change. The political views, beliefs, opinions, almost everything you

Better Safe Than Sorry

By Zoë Butler

Nearly 90% of teens who are sexually active used birth control the last time they had sex. However, data shows that the majority of teenagers use condoms and birth control pills as their form of contraception. When not used consistently or effectively, these forms of birth control on their own are not effective enough at preventing pregnancies–and it shows.

More than 273,000 infants were born to teenagers aged 15-19 in the U.S. in 2013, a number which may seem ri-

“IT IS FANTASTIC THAT EVERY YEAR TEEN PREGNANCY RATES GO DOWN. HOWEVER, WITH TEEN PREGNANCY STILL SO HIGH, SHOULDN’T WE BE PUSHING TO DO MORE?” diculous, but is in fact true. In 2013, the U.S. pregnancy rate among 15-19-yearolds was at its lowest point in at least 80 years, according to a report written by the Guttmacher organization. Yes, it is fantastic that every year, pregnancy rates go down due to teens choosing abstinence or safe sex. However, with teen pregnancy still so high, shouldn’t we be pushing to do more?

The next step in reducing today’s

teenage pregnancies is educating today’s youth, parents, providers, and teachers on more effective birth control options for teens. These other options include LARCs, “Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives,” which are over 99% effective in preventing pregnancy. The two most effective LARC options are intrauterine devices (IUDs) and subdermal contraceptive implants.

An IUD is a tiny device inserted in the uterus that can protect from pregnancy for anywhere between 3 and 6 years. IUDs are divided into 2 types: copper IUDs (ParaGard) and hormonal IUDs (Mirena, Kyleena, Liletta, and Skyla).

Subdermal contraceptive implants involve the delivery of a steroid progestin from polymer capsules or rods placed under the skin. The hormone diffuses out slowly at a stable rate, providing effective birth control from anywhere between 1 to 5 years.

However, LARCs don’t protect against STIs, and it is still recommended to use condoms to prevent contracting STIs and further prevent pregnancy.

LARCs provide teenagers with more freedom, with the opportunity to gain even more control of their bodies, with the knowledge that pregnancy is something they don’t have to worry about for years, locking in whatever future they choose to pursue. So why is it that the use of LARCs among teens seeking birth control services was only 7% in

2013?

First, many teens know very little about LARCs. Some mistakenly believe they cannot use LARCs due to age.

Additionally, high up-front costs for supplies are an issue for certain insurance providers, and some have shown misplaced beliefs about the safety and appropriateness of LARCs for teens.

Lastly, some medical care providers may lack training on insertion and removal of intrauterine devices and subdermal contraceptive implants.

Some of the most qualified and reliable medical sources in the nation, including the CDC and the WHO, as well as organizations dealing more specifically in these issues, are saying that LARCs are the most effective and beneficial types of birth control for teens.

In Colorado, teen pregnancy rates have gone down 40% since LARCs became accessible for young people.

Clearly, LARCs are much more effective than more ‘traditional’ methods of birth control–they take less effort, less time to maintain, and have a higher success rate. These methods should be made available to teens at lower prices and with less risk. We need to accept long-acting reversible contraceptives as a safe and appropriate way to prevent unwanted teen pregnancies in today’s society–because that’s what they are.

have now will most likely change as you mature and experience life. So keep in mind that the things you say and think now perhaps won’t be accurate representation of you later. tep in someone else’s shoes. You S may not agree with all the decisions your peers make but that doesn’t mean you have to do with their views. Try to step in their shoes and see why they do they things they do. You may have something to learn from them, look at something from a different perspective.

et involved! Join clubs and activG ities. This is a great way to meet peers that have the same interest that you do. You’ll be sure to make new friends and feel like you belong somewhere.

Don’t miss your opportunities!

eep love, wisdom, and compassion K in mind! Treat others how you’d like to be treated and handle situations with grace. Listen and understand people’s views, think before you speak, and be thoughtful.

on’t get into drama. If the probD lem doesn’t involve you, don’t get involved. Although it may be tempting, try to resolve it right off the bat. It isn’t worth the waste of time, may give you unwanted enemies, and really has no benefits.

In an era marked by anxiety, angst, war, terrorism, and demand for change, it’s our job to make that change by rediscovering wisdom, love, and compassion.

Everyone wants to be accepted and it’s not too hard to open up and let that happen. With just a few tips to start us off, things are sure to change for the better.

OPINION 15A

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM | NOVEMBER 3, 2017

To Have a Choice

By Nina Lavezzo-Stecopoulos

Rewinding Progress: Why We Can’t Censor History

By Reese Hill

We’re going backwards.

Harper Lee’s famous novel To Kill a Mockingbird, one of America’s most culturally significant works of literature, was recently banned from an 8th grade curriculum in a school district in Biloxi, Mississippi. Why? “There is some language in the book that makes people uncomfortable,” Kenny Holloway, the school board vice president, told the Sun Herald.

Makes them uncomfortable? This book is about racism. It’s meant to hurt. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 for how bluntly it addresses the lasting social issues of our past. It has sold over thirty million copies worldwide and has been translated into over 40 different languages, was voted the “greatest book of all time”, and is taught nationwide for its narration on racism, sexual assault, and the Depression-era South. The book is significantly full of certain violent and derogatory language on purpose–to tell the true story of our country.

Considering the recent events of our nation, like the police brutality that has inspired highly controversial protests and the white supremacy marches in Virginia, it seems To Kill a Mockingbird should, now more than ever, be a book we turn to for national reflection and lessons in empathy. Instead, it is banned because sustaining 8th graders’ comfort levels is apparently more important than teaching them how to

dismantle systemic oppression.

I would like to remind the public that just a matter of months ago, Southerners viciously protested the removal of statues and monuments honoring confederate generals. These statues represented slavery, segregation, and the deeply rooted racism that still infests our country, yet people would rather keep these figures around than the book analyzing the effects of the ideologies and influence of those men.

It infuriates and also saddens me that there are still people in this world who would rather plug their ears, point fingers, and live in ignorance than confront our society’s heavy faults dead on.

This is hardly the first time To Kill a Mockingbird has been banned from school curricula. Since its publishing in 1960, it has faced backlash from those who deem the language too adult, obscene, or lately, “uncomfortable.” In 1966, Harper Lee responded via brief letter to the Hanover County School Board in Virginia, where in a similar situation, her novel was unanimously voted to be banned. She included $10 to be used to send the school board back to grade school and remarked, “What I’ve heard makes me wonder if any of its members can read.”

Lee purposefully wrote the novel to be distressing. Real life is incredibly distressing, and if we don’t address the harsh topics as they are, we remain

idle on our path for change. But like the school in Biloxi, those threatened by the idea of taking ownership for the faults of their ancestors constantly find excuses to avoid confrontation–for example, Confederate statues are important because they represent heritage, neo-Nazis marching on college campuses have a right to express their opinion like other groups, and kneeling to protest police brutality against blacks can’t be allowed because it disrespects veterans.

This has to stop. We must take responsibility for our history, own up to it, and grow from it. We can’t have come this far to digress. No more shying away from controversial topics that risk reminding us of the cruelty of our history. No more excuses to avoid discussing the oppression from which so many citizens in our nation still suffer. If To Kill a Mockingbird makes people uncomfortable, it is doing something right. Harper Lee gave us a great gift that highlights humanity’s worst faults, but still recognizes the marvelous ability of our species to learn from its mistakes.

While historical censorship isn’t as much of a problem locally, it still matters that we treat it appropriately.

Discriminatory language and cultures from history can’t be ignored. Without education comes repetition. Like the characters in the novel, only by owning the painful facts can we go forward.

There are things that are are simply facts. One fact is that it’s better to have a choice, rather than having none. Recently, the Trump administration tried to stop an undocumented woman who was held in custody from getting an abortion, which is hideous. My opinion on abortion is that everyone should have a choice. Some people believe that abortions are wrong, and that’s completely fine. But they should not force their opinion onto other people by taking away a choice from them. Sometimes, for some people, abortion is the only option.

Abortion recently came up in a conversation I happened to be having. About half of those involved didn’t believe in Planned Parenthood but agreed that abortion should be an option. One girl, Alea*, didn’t believe in abortion at all. Alea* said she would never, never get an abortion–even if she were raped.

This woman didn’t think that anyone should have an abortion, so I can assume she would like them to be illegal.

I believe that Alea* was incredibly uneducated and needed to learn more about abortion. First off, there are many different types of abortion. One can simply swallow a pill, which will then trigger a miscarriage that will feel natural to the body. This is not an option for long, but if a person has been raped and wants to take immediate action to abort the pregnancy, a pill is all it takes. The fact that there are women in the United States and all around the world not getting an abortion because they don’t understand what it is and what their options are is itself horrifying.

I do believe that everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I want women to realize that abortion is not a bad thing. If a woman is not at a point in her life where she wants to have a child or simply go through with a pregnancy, it should be accepted in our society that she wants to have an abortion. And she deserves to have that option. There were over 100 million babies born already in 2017 according to the world clock. This information should show that there is no shortage of babies in the world and a single person’s decision not to have one is not a crime in the slightest.

There are so many children that have already been born and just need a home. It makes me sad that women have children solely because they’ve gotten pregnant accidentally, feel pressured by society not to, or just feel like they have to go through with it because their family, friends, or significant other wants them to. If I were ever going to have children I already know I would adopt. I don’t feel the need to bring another person into a universe that already has so many people in it.

So sure, people can have a baby when they’re still in high school or college and maybe that will turn out great for them, but everyone should know that they can get an abortion. They can make a choice not to “kill” their unborn child but to wait for the right time or not have a child at all. Everyone should have that choice. There is nothing wrong with another option.

The Effects of Standardized Testing

By Mira Bohannan Kumar and Zoë Butler

16A OPINION

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM | NOVEMBER 3, 2017

By Dylan Ryfe

By Landon Clay

It was a late, cool night on Sunday, October 2nd. The Route 91 Harvest Festival was in full swing, and main act Jason Aldean was partway through his set when shots were fired from the Mandalay Bay Resort. Countless were injured, and this shooting would go down as the worst in U.S History. The only question people are left asking is: will anything change?

Of course not.

Since the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012, there have been more than 1,500 mass shootings in America alone, and the overwhelming response is to simply show your support online with the phrase “Pray for *insert place*.”

The common response after a mass shooting is to buy a gun. This signals that many feel that they can protect themselves if a shooting occurred in their life. Another response is to argue for stricter gun laws, but most of the time the lense shifts after a week or two, leaving these tragedies to fall into the void never to be seen again.

Even if there was a constant overwhelming force pressuring Congress into making new gun laws, the National Rifle Association could simply pay off the legislators to reject bills that would cause them harm. Many Republicans have a history of being in the NRA’s pocket, receiving donations in exchange for their support (Senator John McCain received over seven million dollars in campaign and personal funds.) Being in the pocket of the NRA makes these Senators vote against gun restrictions even if their own opinion think otherwise. If a Senator backed by the NRA votes the other way, they will most certainly lose many millions of dollars in campaign funding, almost assuring they won’t be reelected. This poses a problem. Due to the Republican majority in the House and the Senate, the likelihood of passing a gun bill is small.

There was a segment on 60 Minutes a few years ago where they send a 16 year old boy to go try and purchase cigarettes, alcohol, and lottery tickets. He is turned down for all three, but when they send him to a gun show, he is able to walk out with an automatic rifle and about a hundred rounds of ammunition in less than five minutes. Personally it’s mind boggling to think about how this is possible. We as a country are able to go to extreme lengths to vet incoming immigrants to make sure they aren’t criminals, but can’t vet ourselves?

However, there may be a solution. In the early to late 80s, there was a large push to demonize tobacco; hundreds of commercials, infographics, interviews, news stories, and scientific studies were pumped through the American household. The tobacco companies lobbied and lobbied but the campaign succeeded: U.S consumption of cigarettes has declined by over 100 billion packs in the past decade, and is projected to decrease even more in the future. Although I don’t think demonizing guns is a way to get laws passed, something similar could work. Since the gun industry panders to a large portion of the population, limiting gun purchases to only allow people to buy say one to two per person (after they have had a background check done) could limit shootings to a minimum.

Recently, the main focus of gun regulations have been focused around bump stocks.

These stocks allowed Stephen Paddock’s single shot rifles to turn into automatic weapons. The NRA has come out and said they are open to talks about new regulations regarding bump stocks, which is most definitely a step in the right direction.

There is still much to be done if we want to eliminate mass shootings in our country, and it will take time to get people to change. While I am not opposed to people having guns, stockpiling tens or hundreds of rifles is just plain unnecessary. At this point, we are just waiting for the next shooting to happen, until we have senators who want to achieve action regardless of jobs and dollar signs, all we can do is wait.

Gun control is a heated issue that has yet to be resolved. With both sides constantly going against each other, it can be hard to find what place you belong in in this whole thing.

Being a gun owner myself, I tend to get a lot of negative feedback. You will hear and see a lot of things in mainstream media about things like “mass shootings” and how “assault rifles” cause mass death and destruction. These claims tend to have little to no evidence backing them and exploit fear in people to get them to vote against guns. This tends to lead people to look down on those who are exercising their Second Amendment right to own guns.

The term “mass shooting” is not officially defined, meaning quarrels that consist of more than two people with few to no deaths involved are getting mixed in with incidents like the Las Vegas shooting. This not only represents information inaccurately, but also make it seem like guns do a lot more mass harm than they actually do.

Another thing you’ll hear is that “guns kill people.” This statement is horribly inaccurate. Yes, people use guns to kill other people, but guns themselves cannot kill. It is almost impossible for a gun to discharge without human intervention.

Contrary to popular belief, advocates against gun control have common sense and are willing to listen and compromise. For example, the Las Vegas shooter used a kit to convert his semi-automatic weapon to an almost fully automatic one. I personally am against kits like this and certain other things that are meant to cause harm and wrong-doing. However, taking all guns or a large portion of them isn’t the answer.

In March of 2017, in Oklahoma, three armed teenagers broke into a house. The homeowner’s son was home with his father when the break-in occurred. The son of the homeowner shot and killed all three teenagers with his AR-15. Had that son not had access to a gun, the family would have been left defenseless.

Gun control is not only negative now, but opens up opportunity for future incidents. A good number of mass shootings happen in public areas and “gun-free zones.” It makes sense that a shooter would target an area with little to no resistance, so arming law-abiding citizens reduces the chance of a mass shooting. If people are willing to commit mass murder, they are willing to illegally purchase a gun.

Gun control laws will not help prevent mass shootings. In fact, they will simply make it more difficult for regular citizens to obtain guns and potentially save lives.

A few years ago, an Uber driver with a concealed-carry permit stopped a potential mass shooting. The driver (who wasn’t named for privacy reasons) was sitting in his car when he witnessed a gunman opening fire in a public area. He responded by pulling out a gun and shooting the man repeatedly. He injured no one else. This is just one example of a civilian acting ethically and bravely to stop mass violence, and he was able to do so because he had a weapon provided to him legally. If gun control were more strict, the driver would not have been able to defend himself and other innocent people.

We have the Second Amendment for a reason: to protect our ability to defend ourselves. The right response to outside threats is not to get rid of our defenses. While there are common-sense measures that can be taken, gun control doesn’t solve the problems it tries to address. It only hurts ordinary people. For that reason, I am against gun control.

The New Normal

By Eden Knoop Did you hear that the US voted to allow the use of the death penalty on easily overlooked or buried. If a news story about Trump using $1 in every gay people? $10 of his campaign funds to pay for legal fees for his aides is circulating, In early October, the UN passed a resolution to denounce the use of the death penalty a simple feud with the grieving pregnant widow over whether or not our President disreon LGBT people for being LGBT or for an arbitrary reason linked to being LGBT. And spected her husband should be enough to draw the attention away. Intentionally or not, the US voted against it. They didn’t abstain, they voted no.

Trump’s smaller controversies help him cover up his big ones. We In other news, mid-October was the deadline to have tax returns are giving him passes on issues that any previous leader would have filed. While it is usually an occasion that prompts the sitting Presibeen crucified on.

“WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR dent to release their tax returns, Trump has still yet to release his tax Even as some news is hidden from us, we care less and less about NOT, THIS IS THE WORLD returns for any years. what we do hear. We are becoming desensitized—every shock has less Anyway, thousands of people are still suffering in Houston from impact, every devastating event becomes the new normal.

WE LIVE IN. THERE IS NO the damage that Hurricane Harvey delt. It could take many of them We cannot let this happen.

LOOKING AWAY.” years to recover. And Puerto Rico, whose state of devastation has outWhether we like it or not, this is the world we live in. There is no shone Houston’s and has received far more media attention, has still looking away. As citizens, we have a responsibility to pay attention, yet to receive substantial aid from the federal government. Trump to bring justice to those who need it, to keep our democracy afloat, threw some toilet paper. People are starving. to make sure that no one suffers or dies without witness. Stuffing our fingers in our ears By the way, the House approved a spending bill with more than $1.6 billion set aside and closing our eyes won’t make it go away. to begin the border wall.

Read the news. Share it. Even if you can’t personally do anything, when enough peoThe current news cycle is a tumultuous one. Dominated by natural disaster after ple are aware, there will be someone who can. Hold yourself and other people accountnatural disaster and the ever bubbling swamp of the Russia controversy, other news gets able for their actions or lack thereof. And most importantly, don’t let yourself forget.

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM | NOVEMBER 3, 2017

A&E 17A

Charlotte’s Web: MORE THAN JUST A PLAY

ABOVE: Thomas Brands ‘19 and Claire Green ‘19 perform Act 2. PHOTOS BY ZOE MILLER ‘19

By Zoe Miller

T

he big red barn with white ropes of spiderweb dominates the stage. Below, actors are getting into character, moving and making noises like animals. However this show is about more than just what’s happening on stage, but also helping others–those in Puerto Rico.

The City High Drama Department will be presenting their fall play “Charlotte’s Web” from November 3-5. This year the drama department has decided to adopt a mission and their goal is to raise money for Puerto Rico following the hurricane that wiped out much of the island’s resources, homes and electricity. Stage Manager Lindy Rublaitus ‘19 reflected on what this goal has meant to her.

“I FEEL LIKE I’M DOING SOMETHING WAY BETTER THAN JUST A SHOW. IT”S GIVING ME A PURPOSE.” LINDY RUBLAITUS ‘19 “We have a very well rounded cast here and by knowing what all is happening around the world we thought we should give back,” Rublaitus said. “I feel like I’m doing something way better than just a show. [Raising funds for Puerto Rico] is giving me a purpose and the actors a purpose and it’s making us do this for something so much more.”

The drama department is teaming up with the Hispanic Foundation, which is a relief organization that was created by Lin-Manuel Miranda’s father. Miranda is best known for his Broadway hit “Hamilton.” He has been supporting this relief effort by alerting others to the circumstances in Puerto Rico. The drama department plans to raise at least $1,000 through financial donations, as well as donate a portion of the proceeds.

As well as planning to raise money, the cast of Charlotte’s Web has been hard at work. They have been preparing since September and their rehearsals have been anything but ordinary.

The cast was all part of a movement workshop directed by Paul Kalina, head of acting at the University of Iowa.

“We had a movement workshop where we did things that our animal character would do, like

walk around on all fours,” Thomas Brands ‘19 said. “It was kind of weird but it really helped us get into our animal characters.”

A lot of focus has gone into understanding each person’s part and how they can bring out that character, whether they are human or animal. The movement rehearsals sought to teach each person how to personify their character through the way carried themselves or how that character would think or feel.

Similarly, another new aspect for many members of the cast is the use of the flying system with Flying by Foy. City High Drama hired the Las Vegas-based theatrical fly-rigging company as another way to give each character more dimension and create a stunning visual.

“I’m afraid of heights, but I’d say I’m more excited than nervous,” Claire Green ‘19 said.

Through all of the hours spent in rehearsal and shared experiences the members of the cast have grown close.

“I’ve honestly enjoyed just how much of a family we are, the tech and the actors,” Green said. “Everyone has a good time and was casted so well. Everyone is so talented and fun to work with.”

The play has also welcomed many new faces to the theater department, all of whom bring their own ideas and creativity.

“This has been a great cast because it’s a diverse mix of ages,” Reese Hill ‘20 said. “There are a lot of freshmen and sophomores who are new to theater here and there are also some City High theater veterans and it’s cool to see everyone interact and get along really well.”

As City High Drama continues to work hard in preparation, they hope to wow the audience as well as serve a good purpose through supporting Puerto Rico.

“I think [the audience will] be surprised. We get out and get into the audience for a portion of the show and it’s exciting,” Troy Peters, the director, said. “You never know what’s going to come from the ceiling or the sides of the stage.”

Date: November 3-5 Location: Opstad Auditorium Tickets: $6 for students | $10 for adults

Charlotte Claire Green ‘19

Wilbur Thomas Brands ‘19

Fern Arable Reese Hill ‘20

Templeton Aidan Smith ‘19

18A A&E

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM | NOVEMBER 3, 2017

A Return to the Old Ways: How Literature Is Changing

By Theodore Prineas

K

azuo Ishiguro’s victory in the 2017 Nobel Prize in Literature was a safe, conventional choice from an award that has frequently come under scrutiny for using its power as influence on politics. Bob Dylan won in 2016, during a global political swing to the right, illustrating the Nobel Prize Committee’s anti-globalist agenda by calling back to Bob Dylan’s protest songs in the 60s. But past the politics, Bob Dylan raised a larger question: Is all music literature?

The first step in answering this question is defining literature.

That in itself is a deeply complicated question that warrants an entire article on its own (as seen in the QR code). But loosely, literature is defined as a work whose words speak for a generation’s philosophy and personality, or explore timeless themes of the human psyche from a new perspective.

A less prestigious, yet no less evident example is the Indigo Girls. They are inspired by Plato, Socrates, Galileo, and a range of other philosophers. Their song “Closer to Fine” speaks plainly and obviously about mortality and questions the meaning of life. It’s only a few minutes, but it’s no shallower than “H is for Hawk” by Helen Macdonald. The Indigo Girls’ song “Galileo” is about growing up and overcoming childish fears, no less insightful than The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. Slightly more mainstream is Bruce Springsteen. His signature song “Born to Run” directly addresses a “runaway American dream” as easily as “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

The point still stands though; music is not the same thing as a book. Literature is on paper. Literature has exclusively referred to books for hundreds of years. Leaving the old ways could result in literature losing its meaning.

That’s a logical response. But this idea excludes Shakespeare’s stories and themes--they were were acted out on a stage, and Shakespeare is the undisputed king of literature. Even further back than Shakespeare, ancient bards and storytellers sang stories around low-burning campfires, or in quiet mead halls. No one is disputing whether or not Beowulf is literature, and it was originally told by the Norwegian skalds.

Hinduism, the oldest religion still practiced internationally, originated in Vedic chants from the Brahmin. The Vedas are hymns describing lore, history, and most importantly, telling stories. They were written down later in the Mandalas, books making up the 10-part series known as the Rigveda, around 3,000 years ago. The main text is the Mahabharata, written in the 8th and 9th centuries. It contains some of the most famous stories of Hinduism, like the Ramayana and the story of Hanuman. All of this was and is intended as spoken word, told by the Brahmin.

In Judaism, the Israelites began separating into subgroups during their exile from Egypt and Canaan. There were not enough oral storytellers for each group, and they had to write down their lore so the different groups could carry it with them. This work is now referred to as the Torah. But even today, a big part of the Jewish tradition is chanting at various holidays and festivals—fragments of the original oral storytelling.

After all, what are lyrics if not poetry?

Theo’s Podcast can be found here.

ABOVE: City High band members who were accepted into All-State are recognized in front of the Iowa City Community School Board. PHOTOS BY ZOË MILLER ‘19

30 City High Musicians Accepted Into All-State dence, but it also prepares students for future performances. “[The students] all came out of the [All-State] process as better musicians than when they went in,” Dr. Myron McReynolds, ilence immediately settled over the room as the lists namCity High band director, said. “I’m very proud of the students ing those accepted were carried into the gym. Everyone who were accepted but also for all of those who took the time and flocked to one wall, watching as they were unfurled. The energy to prepare.” air was saturated with tension. Then all the emotions that had Those auditioning for the first time found the day to be been held in were released in waves of responses as students began especially long, but to make it as a freshman shows incredible finding their names. musicianship. Oliver Bostian ‘21 was accepted as a second violin “[Finding out I made All State] was a sense of relief and hapin his first ever All-State audition and he piness because this year I’d put in so much looks forward to the chance to play in work [into it] and it had finally paid off,” [FINDING OUT I MADE ALL this group of people.

Elias Perez ‘19 said. “I was crying a lot.”

“The [orchestra] piece that we’re STATE] WAS A SENSE OF Each year the City High orchestra, band, playing is going to be a great experience and choir travel to Washington, Iowa to RELIEF AND HAPPINESS because it’s one that most professional audition for All-State. The day starts early BECAUSE THIS YEAR I’D PUT orchestras play,” Bostian ‘21 said. “If I and ends late with with the possibilities of ever get to that stage in life I’ll be able to multiple auditions. Making the All-State SO MUCH WORK [INTO IT]. say that I’ve already performed it.”

Music Festival is one of the highest honors Because of the amount of time that high school musicians can achieve.

ELIAS PEREZ ‘19 students spend practicing, they grow in Students spend hours upon hours rehearstheir musical abilities whether they are ing and working for their audition. There accepted or not. are six audition centers all across the state of “The reason why [students] do [All-State] is because they love Iowa. to sing and they want a high level challenge,” James Thompson, “[Being accepted] was exciting, but [auditions] were more head choir director, said. “They want to improve their skills nerve-wracking because since I had gotten in last year I had higher and no matter if they get selected or don’t they are still going to expectations for myself,” Annalise Rummelhart ‘19 said. “It was improve immensely through the process.” nice to get in again.”

For each musician, making All-State means something differThe process is incredibly selective. Only 600 vocalists, 276 ent. However, it usually boils down to pure joy. band members, and 209 orchestra members make up the entire “When I learned I made it, I was super happy and we all had a All-State Festival. City High had 28 students accepted and two huge hug pile,” Laura Friestad ‘21 said. alternates this year. Not only does making All-State boost confi-

S

By Zoë Miller

19A A&E

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM | NOVEMBER 3, 2017

Downtown Iowa City: Staff Favorites NODO

RAD

By Eden Knoop

By Olivia Lusala

My favorite place in Iowa City is the loft at Nodo. Tucked neatly above the restaurant, it is cozy and remote from the bustle of downtown. Most people sit downstairs, so the upstairs is usually mostly empty. You can still have your food delivered to you, despite being apart from the rest of the restaurant.

All of their sandwiches are good, but I personally recommend their fries, which come in a basket of crunchy, crispy heaven.

The room upstairs is small: one large booth, several modest tables, and a condiment bar. The booth is big enough to fit a large group, and curved around so that it is possible to still see everyone.

The walls are covered from floor to ceiling with mirrors, with funky art in the corners. The speakers always play great music to jam out to. In fact, my fondest memory of the loft is an impromptu dance party that my friends and I had after finishing our food. We came for the food, but we stayed for the loft.

I first came to Rad on a random summer day. A man dressed as a giant wolf handed me a flyer and told me to come to their movie premiere there about graffiti gods, as soon as I walked in they let me and my friend tag the wall with a can of pink spray paint.

The walls were filled with art already.

They explained to me that Rad was a space for really any artist. This was was music to my ears, a space in Iowa City for artists, how wonderful.

Since then I’ve worked there selling clothes, attended art shows, dance competitions, listened to music of all different sorts there, went to an event flyover fashion fest had there, admired beautiful rugs! Rad is truly a great creative outlet that Iowa City has to offer! I highly recommend this place to anyone who enjoys art.

WELLNESS CENTER

YOTOPIA

By Olivia Baird

By Alexis DuBrava My favorite place downtown is definitely the frozen yogurt shop: Yotopia. The shop itself is very clean and modern and has very positive vibes.

The employees there are always ready to chat. I can’t help but be happy while I’m there. Since the first time I was able to go downtown by myself it’s always been one of my go to spots.

When I was 12 there was nothing more that I wanted than independence and Yotopia was one of the places I got to pretend that I had it.

During the summer my best friend and I called it our “second home” because we visited almost everyday and were usually there right at opening time. I love that I get to pick my favorite flavors and then whatever weird or normal toppings I want. My favorite topping is definitely the little strawberry beads that pop in your mouth.

I may or may not have an addiction that may be problematic to my health so the only thing I wish is that frozen yogurt was much healthier.

PUBLIC LIBRARY

MERGE

By Olivia Lusala

By Theodore Prineas When I was a kid, my sister and I looked for magic everywhere. The first place we found real magic, though, was in the Iowa City Public Library. The silence in the ICPL is full of the memories and ideas of thousands of writers, scientists, philosophers, mathematicians, musicians, or of anyone you can imagine.

Librarians can locate almost anything you need in the stacks, or even on the internet. They often help organize community events, many of which take place in the library’s meeting rooms. They’re also always willing to talk about their favorite books. There are private study rooms as well, in case you need a particularly quiet and focused environment. My favorite moments at the public library are when I’m working and a total stranger comes up to me to talk books about a series I feel particularly strong about.

My favorite place downtown is Merge. I first came to Merge with my sister for a fashion show. The run throughs and fittings were held there. As I continued to develop a love for graphic design, art, and marketing, I accepted an internship with Born Leaders United.

Merge is a shared workspace where freelance writers and graphic designers, just to name a few, can rent space to work. By working alongside other entrepreneurs and artists in the heart of downtown Iowa City, I fell in love with the place. If it weren’t for Merge I wouldn’t be continuing down the path of design. My favorite thing about Merge is that it is a beautifully designed hub for innovation where my ideas will never be put to rest but instead taken as seriously as any adult.

On the weekend, I always make sure I have time to hit the gym. The University Of Iowa’s Wellness Center is my favorite place to go to work out. In 2013, Best College Reviews ranked the CRWC #3 nationally in a publication outlining the 25 most amazing campus student recreation centers. The facility has a lot to offer. There is an Olympic-sized pool for lane swimming along with a more family style pool and lazy river. Also, members have access to a hot tub, sauna, and steam room to relax after a good workout. There are also Personal Trainers at the Wellness Center.

Although this costs a bit more, it is truly a great investment. I have been working with a personal trainer for about 2 months now and I not only feel stronger, but much more confident in going to the gym.

This massive facility has a great assortment of opportunities hidden within its walls. A plethora of classes are offered at the Wellness Center, multiple times a week, such as Zumba and Yoga. My favorite part of the facility is the CRWC Power Cafe. I look forward getting a smoothie there after working out. My favorite smoothie to get is the Sun Up smoothie. It makes me feel as if I am on a tropical island, even in the middle of winter.

20A A&E

THE LITTLE HAWK | THELITTLEHAWK.COM | NOVEMBER 3, 2017

Q&A WITH NEW CONCERTMASTER

ORIANA ROSS

By Victor Kalil

How do you feel while you’re playing violin?

When I'm playing, I'm in a different world. I can be in any time or place I want to be in. Words cannot accomplish the soul and heart that I put into music. When I play, I don't worry what people think of me, because I am truly being myself.

Do you have any changes you want to make to Orchestra?

I think that our orchestra is a great place for all people. I believe, however, that there should be more cooperation and teambuilding exercises. Orchestra is a team—in my opinion, even more than sports.

Who is your favorite composer and why?

It really depends on the situation.

But Mozart or Bruch if I had to go overall: Mozart because it's fun to play and still has lots of emotional connection, Bruch because it's all about guts, heart, and soul. Not just the good.

Who do you draw inspiration from?

One of my greatest inspirations is Doris Preucil. She is my violin instructor...I don't think I've met a stronger person in my entire life. She knows what she wants.

This is such an admirable quality in a teacher and, for that matter, a person. Another thing about her is she is always put together and elegant no matter what happens. She is there for me when I need her, and that is the best part about her. She is one of a kind.

What do you hope to do with violin after high school?

I plan on pursuing a career in musical performance. I hope to be a soloist or in a great orchestra. Music is my life.

What’s your favorite memory from orchestra?

My favorite memory, I think, was when we played the Dvorak. We were all working so well together, and we were all excited to play a real piece.

Have you had any struggles with playing over the years?

[My hand] burns and it hurts. They thought I had carpal tunnel in the beginning but I don’t. I have a lot of things wrong with my hands right now, so we don’t know what’s going on.

How has this struggle affected you in general?

For four years I have not been able to play as much as I wanted to. I want to be a music major so music is basically my entire career and when somebody tells me I can’t play, that’s not easy.

What has it been like dealing with this for four years now?

It gets progressively more frustrating because I can’t play, I can’t do what I love to do, and [playing] is an emotional vent for me. I guess you might say that it’s hard for me to not be stressed at school and do what I love to do if I can’t play and I can’t vent.