The Little Hawk

LITTLE HAWK THE

By Lily Rantanen

Environmental Club reintroduces recycling

Student volunteers will soon be able to sign up to take out the recycling and earn Silver Cord hours and snacks

For most of this year, there was no recycling at City High. Now, Environmental Club is bringing it back.

In prior years, recycling was run by the special education program. Due to administrative changes and transitions, the teachers who previously ran the recycling program are no longer at City.

“On a certain day, [teachers] would put out their recycling,” Ms. Lestina, the sponsor of Environmental Club and AP Environmental teacher at City, explained the process from last year. “And then special education students would walk around with a para, and they would then pick up the bins and dump them into the main, central bin, and then take them out back.”

Since there hasn’t been a major group working on recycling since last year, everything thrown in recycling bins around the building has gone directly into the trash, unless teachers have their own individual plans. Now, the Environmental Club has a plan for reintroducing recycling.

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S1 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians

A review on Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ return to screens in television series form

By Ramatou Diallo

From a book series to movie adaptations to Disney+, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief in 2005, Riordan saw exponential growth moving towards the rest of novel series: The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan’s Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian. Percy Jackson and the Olympians is an eight-episode series that follows the story of how twelve-year old Percy Jackson discovers he’s the son of

the Greek God Poseidon, while figuring out his true identity and where he fits into the world.

A few years after the publication of The Lightning Thief, 1492 Pictures took the initiative to create movie adaptations of the PJO book series. 1492 Pictures would go on to produce two adaptations for Book 1 and 2 and for both movies, the lead cast consisted of pretty prominent actors during the time including Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson), Alexandra Daddario (Annabeth Chase), and Brandon T. Jackson (Grover Underwood). Because of

the casting choices, many fans anticipated for the adaptations to do well, though the fallout of the movies says otherwise. A few controversies include misrepresentation of key characters in the books like Ares and Clarisse that were mentioned quite briefly and in quite a rushed way. Another cause of backlash was while the casted lead actors were extremely talented, they were simply past their age to be playing young demigods, which confused new fans as well as aggravated faithful book readers...

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West Kauper debates the Constitution

By Lily Rantanen

On August 30th, West Kauper ‘25 opened her inbox to find an email titled ‘An interesting opportunity for your debate students.’ She was instantly curious. One of only two female-presenting debaters on her team, Kauper was intrigued by the message, which offered a chance to audition for a play called What the Constitution Means to Me.

What the Constitution Means to Me is an autobiographical play about the playwright, Heidi Schreck, who grew up traveling around the country to American Legion locations, where she competed in an oratorical contest about the constitution. The play is a (mostly) one-woman show with three characters: Heidi herself, her ‘positive male support,’ and a local debater.

As part of the high school constitutional contest, the competitors would debate eachother. The final section of the play mirrors...

STAFF EDITORIAL

RESTRICTING I.V.F. HARMS FAMILIES

By Tai Caputo and Isabella Young

In June of 2022, the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a stunning step backwards in the fight for reproductive rights. Immediately after this, states such as Alabama and Texas began to ban abortion.

Abortion laws in Iowa state that if you are fewer than or exactly 21 weeks, 6 days pregnant, you are legally allowed to get an abortion in Iowa. However, if you are past this date, unless you qualify for an exception, you may need to travel out of Iowa to get an abortion.

Exceptions are limited, and are granted only in the following cases: when the pregnant person’s life is at risk, there is a serious risk to the pregnant person’s physical health, the fetus....

PHOTO BY KATE MEIS

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

Hello Little Hawks!

Welcome to one of our last print issues of the year! In this issue you will find big news, like the reintroduction of City’s recycling program and pictures of the 2024 CULTURE DAY. You can also jump to A&E to read Performer Profiles, to Culture to read Album reviews, and Opinion to read a story on reproductive rights. Make sure to stop by Sports too and check out Kaitlyn’s Unbreakable work!

SENIORS, make sure to look out for the Senior Magazine (our lovely Senior Salute) coming out at the end of May.

Thank you for supporting our little publication,

From your executives, Have a happy last month of school!

PHOTO COLLECTION BY MEGAN SWARTZENDRUBER

All around the world: Culture Day

A look into International Club, Latino Hawks, and MESU’s second annual Culture Day show

PHOTO STORY

Kimberly Gonzalez, Stevie Aguirre-Connely, Maria and Alondra Filerio, and Ariana Lagunas-Baltazar in quinceanera dresses, all representing Mexico. PHOTO BY KATE MEIS

Yomi Hemley, Layla Lovan, and Poi Bordchardt all form a heart.

PHOTO BY MEGAN SWARTZENDRUBER

Ania and Eviva Naso walk for the runway Poland. PHOTO BY MEGAN SWARTZENDRUBER

Yosephina Abwe, Justine Abwe, and Eve Theresa Okoubi Avent hold the national flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

PHOTO BY KATE MEIS

City and West High students come together to dance Folklórico. PHOTO BY KATE MEIS

New locked doors policy introduced

Information regarding the new locked door policy at City High

By Greta Hayek

Walking around the City High halls, students can see that classroom doors are locked and closed. As a new policy, there has been confusion surrounding the origins of this new implementation.

“We don’t have a member of our team at City that serves on the district safety committee, but my understanding is that the district safety committee considered just recommendations of experts for schools from a school safety standpoint,” Principal John Bacon said, “and my understanding is that the recommendation was made because of an analysis of you know, heavy topic, but of school shooter situations, active shooter situations. Apparently [that analysis] has shown that, in many cases, when doors have been shut and locked, the offender simply keeps going, because their objective is to do as much damage as possible in as short of time as possible because they know that the clock is ticking. So what the research shows is that, if a door is shut and locked when they get to it, more likely than not, they will simply keep going as opposed to trying to bust through that door… You know, based upon that research, the district safety committee is recommending that when class is in session that doors be shut and locked.”

Principal Bacon explained how the policy is open to suggestions because regulating a comfortable temperature in classrooms has been a problem, but it is still required by the district safety committee.

“I think at any time people can provide feedback for sure. I think, in this case, you know, I would probably need to funnel any feedback that comes my way to the district safety committee to see if they want to because really,

we need to be in line. I will tell you, [that] I don’t think we’ve reached 100% implementation of this initiative yet. We have a few limiting factors that we’ve been wrestling with, including like we have a few classrooms where we’re still battling some temperature control issues. And teachers feel that when the door gets shut, it becomes just stifling and it’s not working,” Principal Bacon said. “So until some of those things are addressed. I’m not trying to, you know, demand 100% Because nobody wants to see kids roasting in a classroom.”

Bacon expresses concerns regarding the inconvenience of not being able to easily slip in and out of classrooms during random check-ins.

“I think there are definite drawbacks. As an administrator, it’s very important to me to try to get into classrooms and spend time just doing walkthroughs and checking in with kids and teachers, and seeing what’s going on in the classroom. It’s a very important part, I think of the job. You know, I really strive to do that. I’m sure I should do it more, and I try but I will say I don’t love the locked doors for that reason, because it’s frankly like I, of course, have the key, but it’s awkward. I feel like I’m interrupting more so than when I can just discreetly slip into a classroom,” Bacon said.

“I don’t love it myself, but I also understand the recommendation and I think it’s pretty hard to argue with. Just as much as I love

the convenience of not having to mess with it, it’s hard for me to say that that is more important than a research-based safety thing. I feel like it’s an inconvenience that, until somebody presents more compelling data, I’d feel pretty bad if we did not have that step implemented just because of a convenience reason. You want to make sure you’re doing the little things to make sure everyone is as safe as possible. I’ve accepted the recommendation and I’m trusting that people [that] are making the recommendation have the best interest of kids and everybody’s safety in mind.”

Assistant Principal Phillip Hansen explains what the district is trying to achieve, “What we are trying to achieve is the safest

environment. I, myself, and Mr. Bacon, we’re not experts when it comes to safety. We rely on collaboration with our facilities, team collaboration with local law enforcement, and again, based on their advice right now it is best practice to have those doors locked,” Hansen said.

Assistant Principal Hansen also talks about how the policy will affect procedures during emergencies.

“Classroom doors being locked actually, firms up some of those [safety procedures]. For example, when we do have a fire alarm or something and we are leaving the building, classroom doors are supposed to be shut just to help prevent the spread of the fire,” Hansen said. “And with our new tardy policy, it lines up nicely that the door is shut and locked so students must get a pass as opposed to just walking in without one. So there isn’t necessarily a safety concern in terms of it having it [the new policy].”

Principal Bacon describes future implementations that may be coming to City High.

“My understanding is that at some point here, we’re going to get an additional kind of a little construction project that will put the double sets of doors in at our entrance points. So if you go to Liberty, for example, which is a newer facility, and I think this work is now underway at West as well,” Bacon said. “Unwanted people entering the school is difficult to prevent 100%, so I think the double door system would be a big step in the right direction and I think we’re just in the plans. So I think in relatively short order, it would be our turn to have to have that type of entrance created [following West and Liberty]. I think that will be a big step in the right direction.”

City High implements a new tardy policy

By Claire Hartwig

With the start of the third trimester, City High announced a new tardy policy for all students to follow. This change came from the district, as Liberty and West High had already implemented similar policies. They have been focusing on keeping consistent with all three high schools. The original tardy policy allowed the attendance office to handle tardies. But after teachers voiced their dislikes for the old policy, the new policy has given teachers more involvement.

“The tardy procedure is to encourage and reinforce the idea of being to class on time. When the bell rings, teachers should shut their doors. Before a student can enter, they will need a tardy pass.”

Students must get a pass before teachers let them into class

Ms. Scudder said.

Tardy pass stations are for the first floor in the main foyer, while second and third floor classes must go to the library’s main entrance to get one. To get a pass, it’s important to have your ID.

“With the new policy, we are really helped by bringing teachers in and making it everybody’s responsibility. That way, we’re making sure that kids are being held accountable for when they are checking in with us and then going to class.” Ms. Wilson said. Once a student reaches four tardies, they are directed to speak with Ms. Wilson, the attendance secretary, to come up with a plan together to reduce their tardiness.

Although the policy seems unpopular among students, Teo, a hall monitor,

agrees with students. “I think it is very interesting. I think it started up too late in the season. I think if it was started in the first trimester, there probably would have been better results, but coming too late into the year, you guys kind of already got it in your minds.” Teo said. But it seems the policy is working as more students are showing up on time for class. “I have found that a lot of students that I used to see all the time. I don’t see them as often anymore. And I also think a lot of kids are really annoyed by the door locking, just like not being able to get in and out of class whenever. So out of spite and frustration. They are honestly getting to class on time more and also staying in class more often.”

Policy sign posted

students.. PHOTO BY CLAIRE HARTWIG

GRAPHIC BY GRETA HAYEK

Environmental Club reintroduces recycling

Student volunteers will soon be able to sign up to take out the recycling and earn Silver Cord hours and snacks.

By Lily Rantanen

There’s no recycling at the school that leads. At least, not right now.

In prior years, recycling was run by the special education program. But because of administrative changes and transitions, the teachers who previously ran the recycling program are no longer at City.

“On a certain day, [teachers] would put out their recycling,” Ms. Lestina, the sponsor of Environmental Club and AP Environmental teacher at City, explained the process from last year. “And then special education students would walk around with a para, and they would then pick up the bins and dump them into the main, central bin, and then take them out back.”

Because there hasn’t been a major group working on the recycling since last year, everything thrown in recycling bins around the building has gone directly into the trash, unless teachers have their own individual plans.

Now, Environmental Club has a plan for reintroducing recycling. Environmental Club is an organization at City that focuses on, well, the environment. Last year, their projects included a compost-

ing project and Earth Day event. This year, they have continued to expand their composting initiative by taking it district-wide and talking to elementary school students about composting. Their newest project is to revamp the recycling problem.

Siena Brown, co-president of Environmental Club, explained what the recycling program will

look like.

“We’re going to have students come take out the recycling, and they’re going to be getting Silver Cord hours for that,” Brown said. “It does take longer than the composting, which takes about 15 minutes. This will take 15 to 30 minutes.”

Like when the special education program ran the recycling program,

teachers will put out their recycling bins once or twice a week. Pairs of volunteers will be assigned one floor to walk around and collect the recycling. Afterwards, they will dump them in the large recycling dumpster behind the school. Students who help out will get snacks and hot chocolate.

“It took us a while to get people to start volunteering [to take out

the compost]. But now we kind of know what kids want [in exchange] for volunteering,” Brown said. When Environmental Club started offering food for volunteers, they had a massive influx of students signing up to take out the compost.

“Hopefully, kids are going to be enticed by the idea of getting some Silver Cord hours, having free snacks if they want it, and just kind of doing their part of their school community.” Brown said.

The special education program, which used to run the recycling program before transitions in leadership, will continue to partner up with Environmental Club and student volunteers to work with the recycling.

“There was no major group that was in charge of the recycling,” Ms. Lestina said. “So now, hopefully, we’ll have a program that will be in place within the next couple of weeks.”

Soon, Environmental Club will be sending out a sign-up sheet to the entire school for volunteering to take out the recycling. Anyone can sign up, and you earn an hour of Silver Cord hours for less than an hour’s worth of work.

Motioning to questions: Model United Nations

Three City High delegates took awards for either outstanding paper or outstanding delegate

By Kate Meis

Since work began this past winter, those participating in Model United Nations have been working on choosing committees, researching, and writing position papers in preparation for the annual conference hosted at the University of Northern Iowa. This conference, hosted by UNI’s Model United Nations Club, brings together schools from across the state and one from Wisconsin.

“Model UN is a simulation of the real UN. Students and schools are assigned countries to research and represent at our MUN conference, where we discuss current issues facing the real UN from the perspective of our assigned country,” Natalie Michelson ‘25 said.

Each school taking part in the conference usually gets one or two assigned countries, and then all schools get students to represent those countries in specific committees at the conference. Some committees include political and security, humanitarian, and a legal council. Within committees, students work in pairs, each addressing one of the two issues assigned to them.

“I really enjoyed the conference this year. This was my first year doing Model UN, so I really had no idea what to expect. I had already

United Nations participants at

done my research and written my paper on my assigned topic, so I generally knew what we would be going over, but I wasn’t familiar with the format of the conference or what would happen. So after the first few minutes of meeting with my committee and not really knowing what was going on, I began to feel a little more comfortable with the proceedings and the structure of the meetings,” Michelson said.

At this year’s conference, three City High students won awards. Tobiah Collins ‘26 won an award for his work at the conference, speaking and acting as a delegate in his committee. Both Natalie Michelson and Chauncey Parker ‘25 won awards for their position papers, the two papers scoring well on the rubric of the Model United Nations Club and UNI.

“I won an award for Outstanding Position Paper. It felt really

good to win, I really was not expecting it at all. Seeing as I had never written a position paper before or done Model UN at all, my expectations for this year were really low. So it was a nice shock to hear that I won an award for my paper,” Michelson said.

While Model United Nations is over for the 2023–24 school year, students looking to join next year can talk to club advisor Jenna Eastman in room 2305.

“I would encourage [students] to join Model UN. It really is enjoyable; it’s pretty low commitment during the school year, there aren’t too many meetings; and you are only working on the paper, which really isn’t challenging at all to write. The UNI website and Ms. Eastman offered great guidance and resources on the whole process. Plus, the conference is pretty engaging and fun.” Michelson said.

Model

UNI. PHOTO COURTESY OF JENNA EASTMAN

Environmental Club leaders Siena Brown ‘26 and Althea Downing-Sherer ‘24 at a club meeting.

PHOTO BY OF KATE MEIS

PERFORMER PROFILE

Tai Caputo

ABy Martha Willard

s Tai Caputo ’25 stepped up onto the conductor’s podium to tune the AllState Orchestra for the first time, she was amazed by the size of the ensemble. Over 200 musicians from across Iowa were looking back at her.

“There’s a never-ending amount of stuff that I could work on, elements that I could improve. And I think that’s really inspiring,” Caputo said.

Caputo has been playing violin for 10 years, and her attitude is one of continual improvement. Caputo was recently rewarded for this effort by being made concertmaster at the Iowa All-State orchestra. This means she is the best high school violinist in the state of Iowa.

“I really wasn’t sure what would happen, because auditions are very unpredictable. I was elated,” Caputo said.

A violinist at her level also needs an inspiring teacher, and Caputo regularly travels the more than two-hour commute to Decorah, Iowa for her lessons with Dr. Joseph Kromholz, a professor at Luther College.

“[My teacher] is one of the

most amazing people I’ve ever met. I’m so grateful that he exists in my life,” Caputo said.

As well as her inspiring teacher, Caputo’s dedication to violin has helped her get where she is with violin now. She tries to practice for more than two hours every day.

“I think consistency is probably the most important thing when practicing because otherwise, it’s just hard, and a lot of musicians, they dread practicing,” Caputo said. “I find it reassuring that I always am at least making small improvements.”

As well as being a high-level violinist, Caputo is also the Opinion Co-Editor of City High’s student publication, The Little Hawk. One article she wrote, Goals Should Be Impossible, talks more about violin and what inspires her to keep improving. In her free time she loves listening to classical music. Currently, her favorite violin soloist is Anne-Sophie Mutter.

“I love Anne-Sophie Mutter because her tone is very rich and full, and she is super expressive, uses a lot of glissando, and sometimes manipulates intonation to create phrasal tension,” Caputo said. “She is a unique player whose tone is easily recognizable and whose interpretations stand out.”

Right now, her favorite composer to play is Johann Sebastian Bach. And recently, when Caputo won the Music Teachers National Association Senior Strings Division Competition in Iowa, she performed a Bach Fugue.

“There is something about Bach’s pieces, especially the

Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin–which I’m currently working on–that makes them seem harmonically and structurally perfect. I sometimes find myself getting tired of other pieces, but I rarely get tired of Bach. His works are profound; they are larger than life,” Caputo said.

Beyond high school and college, Caputo isn’t completely sure what she’ll do. However, there is one thing she is certain of.

“I want to continue violin in college. And beyond that I’m not really certain, but right now I know that I definitely want to [keep improving],” Caputo said.

Student artist Liam Murphy’s creative process

By Rosangel Flores Rubio

Q: Which mediums do you frequent?

A: I’m almost always working with clay through pottery or ceramic sculpture but recently I’ve been doing stuff with glass and that’s been challenging but fun.

Q: What draws you to sculpture / 3d art?

A: I like how there’s no real

limit to what you can do with sculpture. It also feels very rewarding to start with a piece of clay and end up with something I can hold in my hands and recognize as a physical object like a vase or some other vessel.

Q: Where do you get your inspiration?

A: My pieces that have intense details come from these vivid dreams I have. Surface design inspiration for my pottery comes

from my childhood art like I fingerpaint on some things and use crayons and I like to make it sloppy so it really looks like a kid did it. I also get a lot of inspiration from reading poetry, particularly Richard Siken’s.

Q: What piece (yours or another artist’s) has stuck with you the longest?

A: In kindergarten my teacher had us recreate one of Monet’s Haystack paintings so I find my-

self thinking about that series of paintings frequently.

Q: What’s your favorite piece of art you’ve created?

A: When I was really little I drew a stick figure portrait of me and my dad on a sticky note

Q: Which art classes have you taken at City High?

A: I’ve taken ceramics twice before ceramics 2 was offered, sculpture, glass, graphic design, ceramics 2, and AP Art.

Q: Any advice for young artists?

A: Art can be difficult and frustrating sometimes, especially when the image you have in your mind and what you’re doing with your hands isn’t lining up, but keep at it and eventually your thoughts and your actions will coincide with each other. Also don’t compare your art to other peoples’. Art is a personal thing.

Tai Caputo ‘25 plays her violin in the orchestra room at City. Caputo is the Concertmaster of Symphony Orchestra.

PHOTO BY MARTHA WILLARD

L TO R: Liam Murphy ‘24 works on a new sculpture. Murphy shows off a finished piece. Murphy proudly holds a completed teapot. PHOTO BY ROSANGEL FLORES RUBIO

PERFORMER PROFILE

West Kauper Debates the Constitution

By Lily Rantanen

On August 30th, West Kauper ‘25 opened her inbox to find an email titled ‘An interesting opportunity for your debate students.’ She was instantly curious. One of only two female-presenting debaters on her team, Kauper was intrigued by the message, which offered a chance to audition for a play called What the Constitution Means to Me

What the Constitution Means to Me is an autobiographical play about the playwright, Heidi Schreck, who grew up traveling around the country to American Legion locations, where she competed in an oratorical contest about the constitution. The play is a (mostly) one-woman show with three characters: Heidi herself, her ‘positive male support,’ and a local debater.

As part of the high school constitutional contest, the competitors would debate each other. The final section of the play mirrors this, with a pre-scripted debate in an altered form of parliamentary debate.

Crooked Path Theater, the local non-profit theater group programming the Iowa premiere of the play, held to the original

playwright’s wishes of casting a local, female-presenting debater. That’s where Kauper came in.

Since third grade, Kauper has wanted to do debate. Hearing other people talk about the club had especially inspired her, and she knew that she wanted to join it when she was older.

“I heard a kid talking about his big brother, who always wanted to argue after he got home from debate practice,” Kauper said. “And I was like, ‘that sounds really cool–to just argue for fun for an entire club.’”

So, freshman year, the second she heard about the debate team over the intercom, she bolted straight to the first meeting. Kauper hasn’t looked back since.

There are a few types of debate common for high school debate teams, but the format that Kauper and the rest of the City High Debate Team competes in is called policy debate. This form of debate is a partner activity where each partner takes two of eight speeches and either argues the affirmative–the side in favor of the yearly topic (called the ‘resolution’)–or the negative–the side against the resolution.

Kauper stressed the importance of teamwork in debate. As an activity, it is crucial to work with your team members and partners to get as much research and preparation done as possible.

“During the summer, people at debate camps across the country are making all these files for their arguments for the year, and then, throughout the year, people are talking cross-country to each other about finding evidence,” she said. “It requires a lot of collaboration among all people and, of course, within your team as well as with your partner during rounds.”

But in What the Constitution Means to Me, Kauper was on her own. And unlike a real debate, the round that Heidi (played by Robyn Calhoun) and Kauper argued was prescripted. The sides that each person debated were decided by a coin flip backstage.

“At the end of the show, she brings in me to emphasize the debate that she used to do when she was in high school and why she really liked it,” Kauper said. “We do a debate over whether or not we should abolish the Constitution, which is one of the topics that she had discussed over the play.”

Kauper has learned a lot through this experience. She’s turned from a novice debater who had never tried acting before to a varsity debater with acting experience under her belt within the past year.

“It’s pretty eye opening stuff. It’s helped me realize that our political world isn’t just something that our Gov teachers teach us,” she said. “It’s something very real that affects our day-to-day lives.”

And beyond that, Kauper has learned a lot about acting–something she has never really thought about before.

“I really love it,” she said. “I’ve always been around [acting], but I’ve never participated [in it].”

She attributes the things she has learned to the older actors in the play, Robin Calhoun and Matthew James.

“Robin and Matthew are the sweetest people you could possibly meet,” she said. “I got to learn a lot just watching them act. I copied a lot of the things they did and how they performed. I learned a lot just by following their examples.”

West Kauper’s acting career is just starting, but she is already making it count.

West Kauper and Robin Calhoun, who plays Heidi Schreck in the Iowa premiere of ‘What the Constitution Means to Me’, act out a scene. PHOTO COURTESY OF WEST KAUPER

‘Singin’ in the Rain’ takes the stage

Scenes from City’s 2024 spring musical

Jillian Leman ‘26 dances as she sings in the rain with Deeluw. PHOTOS BY MEGAN SWAARTZENDRUBER

Yomi Hemley ‘25 plays Lina Lamont in ‘Singin’ in the Rain’

Brady Gluba ‘25 performs in spring musical

Avery Provorse ‘24 wears her yellow raincoat

Ian Deeluw ‘24 dances with his umbrella under the rain in opstad

Brendan Lestina and Leo Partridge 25 Avery Provorse ‘24 sings to Ian Deeluw ‘24

The Little Hawk

Little Hawk Journalism Staff

Executive Editors

Rosangel Flores Rubio

Wisdom Konu

Esther Puderbaugh

News Editor

Kate Meis

Sports Editors

Ahmed Basheir

Kaitlyn Brown

Jack Rogers

Opinion Editors

Tai Caputo

Isabella Young

A&E Editor

Esther Puderbaugh

Culture Editors

Wisdom Konu

Sadie Bodzin

Broadcast Editor Grace Kirschling

Feature Editors

Yomi Hemley

Tai Caputo

Yearbook Editors

Lili Moessner

Megan Swartzendruber

Assitant Design Editor

Greta Hayek

Assistant Editors

Amelie Donovan, Claire Hartwig, Estelle Hartz, Molly Savage

Staff

Bobby Bacon, Josh B-G, Kaitlyn Brown, Helena Echa, Summer Eland, Zsigmond Ford, Lily Rantanen, Catalina Armstrong, Ramatou Diallo, Gabe Egeland, Samuel Keuter, Diego Loria-Evans, Rito Perez, Hattie Conover

Advisor

Jonathan Rogers

Mission Statement

The Little Hawk, student journalism newspaper and website of City High School, aims to inform, educate and entertain readers. LH journalists follow the code of the journalist by seeking truth, doing no harm, being independent, and working toward balance in all news stories.

All student voices are enouraged to be part of a LH journalism class. To join the class, talk to your guidance counselor today.

Letters to the editor may be submitted to: LittleHawkPage@gmail.com

ICCSD Equity Statement

It is the policy of the ICCSD 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 educationall programs, activities, or employment practices.

If you believe you (or your child) have been discriminated against or treated unjustly at school, please contact the Equity Director at: 509 S. Dubuque Street (319) 688-1000

Restricting I.V.F. harms families

Reproductive rights are once again called into question in Iowa

In June of 2022, the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a stunning step backwards in the fight for reproductive rights. Immediately after this, states such as Alabama and Texas began to ban abortion.

Abortion laws in Iowa state that if you are fewer than or exactly 21 weeks, six days pregnant, you are legally allowed to get an abortion in Iowa. However, if you are past this date, unless you qualify for an exception, you will need to travel out of Iowa to get an abortion.

Exceptions are limited, and are granted only in the following cases: when the pregnant person’s life is at risk, there is a serious risk to the pregnant person’s physical health, the fetus is not expected to survive the pregnancy, and if the pregnancy is a result of incest and/or rape. Although this may sound good on paper, individuals who fall into these categories often have trouble being granted exceptions in real life, according to The New York Times.

Even in the rare cases when an exception is granted, some states require a waiting period before the abortion can be given. Additionally, some doctors feel that the ambiguity of the laws and threat of both civil and criminal charges make them reluctant to test these boundaries by performing an abortion.

In February 2024, adding to the fervent discourse, the Alabama Supreme Court made a controversial decision when it ruled that fertilized, frozen, embroys will now legally count as children, endowed with all the rights of any real-life child in America. The idea of “fetal personhood” actually dates back before Roe v. Wade, to the 1960s, when Catholic groups were opposing the relaxation of abortion restrictions.

Because its origins and arguments are rooted in religion, some believe fetal personhood raises concerns with the First Amendment. The First Amendment proclaims that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” Using religion to perpetuate policies and laws such as this is in direct violation with the established separation of church and state, and should be done away with.

Banning abortion was a terrible step backward in the history of human rights. Fetal personhood goes even further: it claims that not just fetuses, but embryos, are people, and deserve exactly the same rights as people. Those who argue for fetal personhood often root their arguments in the 14th Amendment, which states that U.S. citizens will be protected under the law. They

STAFF EDITORIAL LEAD WRITERS

Tai Caputo

Isabella Young

argue that fetuses and embryos deserve to be protected in the same ways that people are.

The 14th Amendment states, “All persons born or naturalized* in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

The plantiff’s case in the Alabama ruling cited the Wrongful Death of a Minor Act, which dates back to 1872. At the time the law was introduced, I.V.F. did not exist.

The Act states, “When a child dies because of another person or party’s negligence or wrongdoing, the law enables the parents and family members to seek justice by holding that person accountable.”

After the Alabama ruling, several I.V.F. clinics all over Alabama ceased treatment, citing concerns of civil and criminal liability. Since I.V.F. involves the storage, transportation, and sometimes destruction of embryos, the idea of fetal personhood directly contradicts the practice. This concerns people who will, and are currently going through I.V.F., because it puts another roadblock in their journey of having children and starting a family.

According to the Mayo Clinic, I.V.F. (in-vitro fertilization) is a medical procedure that allows a couple to have biological children by fertilizing several eggs in a test-tube. It is often used as a solution to infertility or as a way of bypassing specific genes, such as hereditary diseases, that parents don’t want to pass on to their children.

According to the National Library of Medicine, over 10 million babies have been born worldwide through the use of I.V.F.

Both conservative and liberal politicians agree that banning I.V.F. will not benefit anybody. Furthermore, the majority of Americans, 86%, believe that I.V.F. should be a protected right, according to a poll from CBS News/YouGov.

As the national debate over abortion has extended to include I.V.F., these new and concerning laws promise nothing but harm. The policies that come with are not only extremely harmful to those wanting to start a family, but society at large as well. Although we as a society have developed technological tools such as I.V.F. to help others, we are ultimately still at the mercy of the whims of a small and selfish minority.

GRAPHIC BY ROSANGEL FLORES RUBIO

Liverpool will win the Premier League

Coach Jurgen Klopp’s departure sparks a new fire in Liverpool players

By Floris Roorda

Liverpool FC will win the premier league in soccer for a variety of reasons, including the world class players they have that can step up to make a difference, like Mohammed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk, and all of the young players stepping up while the team are in an injury crisis, like Conor Bradley and Jayden Danns. In general, the team has high motivation to win because coach and Liverpool legend Jurgen Klopp announced he is leaving at the end of the season. This departure seems to have lit a fire for Liverpool players, and they seem more motivated to win than ever.

Mohammed Salah has always been Liverpool’s most reliable player for consistency, and he has shown that with his 24 goals and 13 assists this season. The Liverpool attacking players are plentiful, like Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo, and Diogo Jota, who can score a lot of goals effectively. The midfield has been completely revamped, and it has worked immediately, with Klopp bringing in Dominik Szoboszlai, Alex Mac Allister, Wataru Endo, and Ryan Gravenberch, who have all rotated this season effectively. The defense is also working well, so even with injuries to defensive starters like Van Dijk, Konate, Trent-Alexander Arnold, and Robertson, others like Conor Bradley, Quansah, and Tsimikas can step up to do a job. Most recently, Liverpool played a Carabao Cup final against Chelsea FC. Despite Chelsea being horrendous this season and

showing no character, Liverpool winning was still an achievement because of the amount of injuries they had, as they had to play multiple kids out on the field. Gary Neville famously called this, “Klopp’s kids vs the blue billion pound bottlejobs.” This win gave Liverpool momentum to continue to win in the premier league as they seek to win the cup.

The 1-0 win was finished off by Captain Virgil Van Dijk scoring the header to win it in extra time. This seemed to instill a belief

in Liverpool players and this momentum could carry them on to lift the premier league trophy. Despite being knocked out in FA cup by Man United 4-3 recently, They still continued to try and win in the Europa league as well as they advanced to the quarter finals where they will play against Atalanta after demolishing Sparta Prague 11-2 over 2 games, as they now look among the favorites to win that competition as well.

With now 9 premier league games remaining in the season, Liverpool sits in a

good position being 1st, 2 points ahead of Arsenal and 3 ahead of Manchester City. They also have some of the easiest remaining games, giving them a good chance of winning, with the tougher games remaining for them being the Manchester United game and the Aston Villa game. All of these reasons, including the team’s motivation to win, the strength of their team, and the position they currently sit in is why Liverpool will win the Premier league.

Finals cause unnecessary stress

PROS

By Floris Roorda

Before finals, there were already tests at the end of the tri, but finals are a better way of checking students’ knowledge. Students know exactly what to expect. While the tests before were given at teacher’s leisure, students know for sure that they will have one at the end of the trimester. This also makes it easier for students to prepare for finals, knowing that there’s a set date and time.

Some other pros of finals are that it allows teachers to see how their students learned, and if they understand all the stuff from the trimester. Finals are also a good preparation for when students may have to take bigger tests like these later, like in college. Students will be more prepared for higher education, should they choose to undergo it, where they will have to take harder tests that mean more.

These finals also help get students in the habit of having to study more seriously for important tests, which is an important skill for bigger tests like AP tests and ACT/SATs. These tests are critical to college application most of the time, so if you are better at preparing for big tests you will perform better on SATs and ACTs, which will help a lot

with getting into colleges. This can also help students in the future be more hardworking.

Another pro of finals is that it helps students remember everything they have learned in the trimester/year, as many teachers give finals that sum up everything they have learned from the past tri or so. This can help students remember information longer, information like important math formulas that can help them in the future on other tests like the SAT. Also, giving finals can help prepare students that are in AP classes to prepare for the AP test. If teachers give a cumulative final that goes over everything from the year, it will help them prepare AP tests in whatever class they are in, considering that the AP tests are very similar to one big final test.

CONS

By Floris Roorda

Ever since finals have arrived at City High, the stress surrounding having them at the end of the trimester can prove too much for some students. Now, everyone has to study for all their classes at once now since every class has a final, which is already tough. However, this is even harder when you consider the other things people have going on in their lives, like sports or music.

For example, James Caster ‘26, directly said, “Finals can be stressful when you also have other stuff like sports going on at the same time, then you have to spend time studying and also practicing for your sport.”

With the pressure of getting grades up,

if they were struggling with those, and making up tests/turning in missing work before the tri ends, the end of the trimester has always been a stressful time for students. Now what was already a stressful period of time has been made worse by the fact every class has a final at the end of the trimester, although some students have less finals than others, so this depends on the student.

These tests should be retakeable as well, because finals have the ability to totally plummet someone’s grade. For example, if someone had a lower A in a class, then failed the final, their grades could drop sharply with them left unable to do anything about it. This leads to an increase of test anxiety.

Finals make test anxiety worse than it would already be because they’re so important and aren’t retakeable. This increase of test anxiety is damaging towards students’ mental health and well-being. While there are resources that are set up to help students, like the NESTT, which can be a good resource to help students, it should be encouraged more by teachers and staff. The NESTT isn’t promoted as much as it should be, although that is something that can be easily fixed.

GRAPHIC BY ISABELLA YOUNG

Racebending: what it is and who’s the problem

How those who are against racebending for the purpose of diversity are rooted in racism

By Wisdom Konu

Looking at the history of film and television, there has always been an urgent need for diversity and representation of people of color.

The discussion around the topic of diversity is often backed by the opinion that there ought to be more. A method that has been used to be a solution to the lack of Hollywood’s diversity is “racebending.” In recent years, this method has been utilized most often to racebend white fantasy characters to characters of color, with the reason being to have more representation and diversity in current film and television culture. As more characters are racebended, the discussion of racebending has gained even more significance, but with the arguments against the method of racebending with non-people of color characters to characters of color, it is very evident how those arguments are nothing but unsustainable disagreements that are rooted in extreme racism and white supremacy.

In order to label the arguments that are against racebending of non-people of color characters to characters of color racist, we must look at the history of the term. The term “racebending,” according to Wikipedia, originated during protests over whitewashing in the 2010 film, The Last Airbender –a remake of the TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender, which featured characters of East Asian appearance. The Racebending.com website also defines “racebending” as “situations where a media content creator (movie studio, publisher, etc.) has changed the race or ethnicity of a character. Racebending in the past, otherwise known as whitewashing, is a historically discriminative practice that has been used against people of color to deny

them jobs. Racebending is also often used interchangeably with the term whitewashing. Specifically, the practice of “racebending” in the past was giving white actors the role of people of color. In the past, blackface and yellowface were strategies that were used to deny actors of color jobs. Actors of color were left unable to play white characters as well as characters of their own corresponding race. In comparison to the way “racebending” has been used now, its historical usage is much worse and much more racist. To compare the erasure of characters of color, who are already underrepresented enough, to the racebending of white characters to characters of color, for the reason of more representation for underrepresented groups, is already an unbelievable conversation that I cannot fathom is being had.

obstacle for independent filmmakers striving to produce content that diverges from the prevailing norms.

The power that is wielded by film studios and distributors further exists within the society that we live in that in itself is patriarchal and favors whiteness, which is the major reason why people of color are not represented or acknowledged at all. That is why altering the race of a single white character to increase representation does not harm the societal perception of white people, as there are countless other depictions of them available – ranging from thousands to tens of thousands.

“ALTHOUGH IT MAY SEEM THAT IN RECENT YEARS, REPRESENTATION IN MEDIA HAS BEEN GETTING BETTER, PEOPLE OF COLOR, SPECIFICALLY BLACK PEOPLE, ARE NOWHERE NEAR BEING REPRESENTED AS MUCH AS WHITE PEOPLE ARE IN FILM AND TELEVISION.”

One argument that is made against recent racebending is: why don’t people just create new original stories and characters instead of racebending white characters. But there is one key component that we have to acknowledge which is that mainstream media is overwhelming in the hands of white people, specifically white men. White men are the ones who make all the decisions about what gets made and what doesn’t. Including what stories are adapted and who gets cast and who doesn’t. These established frameworks serve as the primary

Wisdom Konu

Along with the racebending of characters, the racism that is displayed is also extremely prevalent in regards to the actors taking on these newly adapted characters that have been met with horrific waves of racist comments and backlash.

In June of 2019, African-American R&B singer-songwriter and actress, Halle Bailey was announced as the role of Princess Ariel for Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid. Following the announcement, the singer was met with horrific hate trains of racist comments due to the fact that Ariel’s bright red hair had turned to ginger locs. Those against the casting argued that the casting was a commercial tool and that most racebending casting choices

are profit-driven strategies for large corporations. While it is true that diversification has become somewhat of a profit-driven strategy for major film companies, I would also argue that all representation matters. It is extremely crucial that young Black girls encounter positive and imaginative portrayals of themselves, including iconic Disney princesses and similar characters. Ariel as well as other portrayals can embody the same beloved qualities – beautiful, humorous, and charming – while also being Black.

But the reality behind the casting of Halle as Ariel was because of her raw talent. Rob Marshall, director of The Little Mermaid (2023), said he cast her as Ariel because she had an “otherworldly sensibility” of the red-headed mermaid and that she showed all of those wonderful colors that Ariel needs. Despite these truths, even confirmed by the directors of these movies where the characters are racebended and actors are cast, not for diversity points, but because of pure talent, people still argue against the casting due to the racism they contain, not because of how they actually care of keeping characters as they are traditionally.

Racebending is one of the first but still many steps towards having more diversity in Hollywood. Although it may seem that in recent years, representation in media has been getting better, people of color, specifically Black people, are nowhere near being represented as much as white people are in film and television. Those who share the ideology that racebending for more representation is just as damaging as whitewashing are those who are ignorantly choosing not to acknowledge the historical and societal foundations against people of color and further contain the ideals of white supremacy and racism.

GRAPHIC BY WISDOM KONU

Romantic comedies: The best movie genre and why

Examining the popular Romantic Comedy movie genre and what qualities give it the title of the best movie genre

By Sadie Bodzin

It’s a cold November night. I’m 10 years old. I’m snuggled up in a blanket on the couch, ready to start a movie with my mom. She’s still wary that I’m too young to watch the film but I insist that my 10-year-old self is about as mature as it can get - I’m not too young for anything. As the light from the screen falls on my face, I’m mesmerized. As the time passes, I’m entranced by the fall hues, the wittiness of the characters, and ultimately, the enchanting love story that is When Harry Met Sally. Before I know it the credit scenes begin to roll, and I’m convinced. This is the perfect movie. Romantic comedies have always been my favorite genre of movie. The action genre is too fast paced and violent for me while the horror genre heightens my anxiety too much. I’ve always loved the easygoing and fun elements that the genre brings. It doesn’t matter whether or not I deem the movie as a good one because I know I’ll always be able to enjoy myself while watching. But these movies don’t only provide for a good time, they’re also able to give insightful and moving dialogue and performances. These two things coexist in movies like Always Be My Maybe and Love, Rosie. The rom-com genre can have me laughing hysterically and the next, crying my eyes out - but I’m always happy to have experienced it in the end.

One major criticism of the genre is that it doesn’t portray realistic love stories. This criticism doesn’t make much sense to a romcom enthusiast such as myself. If somebody wanted to watch a realistic movie, I would turn them towards a documentary for example, not a movie that’s in the fiction genre. Furthermore, if every rom-com ended in the couple splitting up, that would be entirely too depressing. I’m not shy to admit that I can predict the outcome of most rom-coms. Normally, the couple gets together, they’re happy for a while, then they get into a big

conflict, they realize they’re meant for eachother, and in the end they end up together. There are obviously many different variations to this pattern, but I would argue that this adds to the fun of the genre.

Expanding on that criticism, however, there are a plethora of great romantic comedies that delve into the complexities of relationships. In fact, in almost every movie, there is typically a conflict that occurs in rom-coms to ensure that the relationship doesn’t remain stagnant throughout the film. But even beyond the typical rom-com, it’s very easy to find a movie in the genre that shows a love story without the typical happy ending element in most rom-coms. Mov ies like these, however sad they may be, are crucial in helping viewers understand how challenging it can be to be in a romantic re lationship. While I prefer the typical kind of rom-com which isn’t incredibly dishearten ing, these types of movies are important and provide realness and honesty to the genre. There are many great movies that portray a complicated love story: La La Land, Celeste & Jesse Forever, and 500 Days of Summer great examples of this.

Aside from that, there are other valid crit icisms of the genre. A very important one being the lack of representation of people of color. The film industry has a wide and long history of a heavy lack of diversity and representation in the work they pro duce in the rom-com genre especially. More specifically, it’s common that if there are any people of color present in the film, they’re side characters and don’t get their own love story. Everyone deserves to be able to see themselves represented in every movie genre, and not only in a side character role or alongside white actors.

Aside from the great plots and dialogues that many romantic comedies provide, one of my favorite elements of the movies is the fashion. For me, the best fashion is shown in late 80’s-early 2000’s romantic comedies. To give an example, Reese Witherspoon

in Sweet Home Alabama is who I reference when deciding for new clothes. Another example I’ll reference is Kate Hudson in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. While I do actually enjoy this movie and will cite it as one of the funniest rom-coms I’ve watched, the fashion in the movie makes it all the more enjoyable. This isn’t to say that there isn’t great style depicted in other movie genres - but the romantic comedies of that era can easily get you enthralled in not just the plot or characters, but also the fashion.

Expanding more on why romantic comedies are the best movies, I’ll reference my

of another part of the genre that makes it so good: the chemistry between actors. This is a crucial element to the genre and when done right it makes the movie ten times better. The playful banter and undeniable chemistry between the main protagonists elevates the movie to the next level and this type of chemistry is something you only really see in movies of this genre. When the actors and writing is good, and the chemistry is there, even people who don’t like romance movies will be captivated.

Moreover, romantic comedies have a universal appeal that transcends any barriers.

GRAPHIC BY WISDOM KONU

TV SHOW REVIEW

PERCY’S MONUMENTAL RETURN

A review on Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ return to screens in television series form.

By Ramatou Diallo

From a book series to movie adaptations to Disney+, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief in 2005, Riordan saw exponential growth moving towards the rest of novel series: The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan’s Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian. Percy Jackson and the Olympians is an eight-episode series that follows the story of how twelve-year old Percy Jackson discovers he’s the son of the Greek God Poseidon, while figuring out his true identity and where he fits into the world.

A few years after the publication of The Lightning Thief, 1492 Pictures took the initiative to create movie adaptations of the PJO book series. 1492 Pictures would go on to produce two adaptations for Book 1 and 2 and for both movies, the lead cast consisted of pretty prominent actors during the time including Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson), Alexandra Daddario (Annabeth Chase), and Brandon T. Jackson (Grover Underwood). Because of the casting choices, many fans anticipated for the adaptations to do well, though the fallout of the movies says otherwise. A few controversies include misrepresentation of key characters in the books like Ares and Clarisse that were mentioned quite briefly and in quite a rushed way. Another cause of backlash was while the casted lead actors were extremely talented, they were simply past their age to be playing young demigods, which confused new fans as well as aggravated faithful book readers.

Recognizing the destruction of the previous adaptation, Riordan took it upon himself to reshape the way PJO books were perceived by book fans specifically, officially announcing the Percy Jackson television series development in May of 2020. His announcement was, of course, received extremely well by fans of the original series, especially because the author himself had full say in what was to be produced as well as being able to watch a possible redemption from the adaptation attempt.

In the new Percy Jackson series, the lead trio consists of up and coming young teen actors, Walker Scobell who plays Percy Jackson, Leah Sava Jeffries who plays Annabeth Chase, and Aryan Simhadri as Grover Underwood. Though the actors may not physically look similar to the characters in the book, Scobell, Jeffries, and Simhadri truly embody the role through their surreal acting. Riordan specifically solely focused on looking for actors who could bring the book characters to life and states that’s exactly what he saw in our new infamous trio.

The rest of the casting fit perfectly for such especially characters Luke Castellan (Charlie Bushnell), Clarisse La Rue (Dior Goodjohn), Ares, played by the one and only WWE wrestler Edge or Adam Copeland, and finally Hermes, played by another extremely well-known actor, Lin Manuel Miranda.

Unfortunately, since the casting choices were announced, the backlash towards almost all of the lead casting choices have been evident and hurtful regarding the comparison physicality wise from book to show. One of the main controversies

stem from Percy not having his notorious jet-black hair and sea green eyes. Luckily, many fans got over this small difference quickly, though which directed most of its hate towards Jeffries & her vast differences physicality wise.

In the original novel series, Annabeth is described as blond haired, gray-eyed and white while Jeffries is the complete opposite, a brown-eyed, black girl. Internet trolls as well as “loyal fans” that were upset due to casting turned to being incredibly racist towards the 12-year old. The backlash towards her got so bad to the point where she got banned from her social media accounts multiple times from trolls repeatedly reporting, specifically Jeffries’ TikTok accounts. Fortunately, Rior dan and many others such as Alexandra Daddario, the first cinematic portrayal for Annabeth, called out the malicious racism and expressed great support towards Jeffries. Despite the backlash, the young trio were able to, again, draw the audience with quality action-packed as well as emotional scenes at such young ages.

Riordan’s team decided to start off the first season with eight episodes all being 40 or less minutes long. Starting straight off the bat, Percy’s attitude to being introduced to the world of gods was anything but positive. He literal ly starts off the book and show with “Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood.” For the rest of the show, the series perfectly exemplifies Percy’s shock and feelings of unreality extremely well, making Percy a relatable character in addition his many hardships and conditions.

Riordan mentioned one reason for why it appeals to young children specifically is because many readers throughout the series acknowledge the represen tation of ADHD, dyslexia, and family issues. This repre sentation of learning disabilities helps young readers worldwide realize they are not alone, and on top of that learn how to embrace such disabilities just as Percy Jackson does.

The pacing for the overall show was alright, though to better improve the pac ing, the series could have given characters who are more notable in the future more of a developed background story such as Annabeth, Luke, and even Percy’s mother Sally, (Virginia Kull). The series already had hinted at these developments that would better help the audience understand the true reasons for each prominent character’s motives but they lacked the quality for an actual story.

Altogether, I’d rate S1 of Percy Jackson and The Olympians a nine out of ten. From the casting to the production, the series seemed to have put their all into the up-and-coming show. Season 2 of Percy Jackson and The Olympians has just been announced just a month ago and it’s currently looking like the show will have a very promising future.

GRAPHIC COURTESY OF PERCY JACKSON MEDIA KIT

WHAT WE’RE LISTENING TO THIS SPRING

Super Real Me

A look at new girl group, ILLIT and their debut extended play

COWBOY CARTER BY BEYONCÉ BRIGHT FUTURE BY ADRIANNE LENKER HOW? BY

By Wisdom Konu

From competing to debut as a girl group member to finally performing on the big stage as a group of 5, Belift Lab’s newest girl group, ILLIT has debuted with their extended play, “SUPER REAL ME.”

It was June 1, 2023, when Korean television network, JTBC and entertainment company under HYBE Corporation, BELIFT LAB announced that they have begun filming for the new survival program R U Next?, which aims to create the agency’s next global girl group. R U Next? premiered on June 30, 2023 with the live finale being on September 1st. On September 1st, 2023, the final members were chosen: Yunah, Minju, Moka, Wonhee, Iroha, and Youngseo, forming the group, ILLIT. The group’s name, ILLIT, derives from the phrase “I will be it.” Originally, the group was supposed to debut as a 6-member group, but Youngseo, who was a pre-debut member, left the group before their debut in January of 2024 after coming to a mutual agreement to terminate her contract with BELIFT LAB.

On February 13, 2024, BELIFT LAB confirmed that ILLIT would be debuting in March and on February 21, it was confirmed that

the group’s debut date would be on March 25 with the mini album “SUPER REAL ME.”

The extended play consists of 4 songs: My World, Magnetic, Midnight Fiction, and Lucky Girl Syndrome. The album first opens with My World, an upbeat pop song with bubbly underwater background noises and chanty lyrics as the 5 members repeatedly sing, “This is my world.”

Magnetic, the group’s debut title track song, is a combination

of the house and pluggnb genre, making the track one of the first songs in K-Pop with this genre. The song explores the sensation of being drawn to someone you have feelings for like a magnet, “My heart feels like a giant magnet, Everything about you sticks to my heart, boy, We’re magnetized, I admit it.” The lyrics capture the excitement of irresistibly falling in love with someone. The mixture of the house and pluggnb make for a sugary, sweet track, making...

Youth

NCT Member, Doyoung, releases his first solo album.

Read the rest of the story at TheLittleHawk.Com.

By Claire Hartwig

With excited anticipation from fans, member of NCT, Doyoung has released his first solo album. Youth holds 10 songs and was released on April 22nd. Although he isn’t the first member of NCT to have a solo album he’s surely taken a different approach with his. Best known for his insane vocals, this album holds a lyrical ballad style.

The title track of the album is ‘Little Light’, this song immediately starts off with addictive instrumentals. A mix of synth and rock guitar surprisingly create the perfect background for this upbeat ballad. The lyrics themselves hold a deeper meaning, ‘Once I pour out all my light, my breath / Would that my little moon / Become just like that star’ This song talks about giving all of your love to someone and how they shine in your eyes. Using a metaphor of a firefly as the person you’ve been chasing, like a child chasing after the light they shine.

He goes on to sing about how when they are together they shine brighter and how when he is alone his light is dim. The music video further enforces this metaphor by showing Doyoung chasing after a firefly throughout the song. Both the song and music video include many metaphors and symbolism which is very thought provoking for the listeners.

One of the other most anticipated songs is, ‘Time Machine’. This song features fellow member of NCT, Mark, and member of Girl’s Generation, Taeyeon. All three artists are under the entertainment company SM. When the preview was first released it was clear that these three were going to create a song with perfect harmonies. Which came to be true as the two features took turns harmonizing with Doyoung. The mix of the vocals is heavenly, especially during Taeyeon’s part. It’s always cool to see how close artists under SM Entertainment are and how they can make great music together.

As for the rest of the songs, they all share a very similar low fi vibe. The highlights of the rest of the songs have to be ‘Serenade’ a jazz style song, with captivating vocals and an upbeat piano. ‘From Little Wave’ has the most instrumental difference by having electric guitar and drums in the background. The riff’s in this song are mesmerizing because of how easy he makes them sound. ‘Rewind’ really shows Doyoung’s strong raw vocals, and honestly is very emotional. ‘Warmth’ is straight out of a movie soundtrack with the way the instrumentals are so powerful. Mixing in Doyoung’s strong vocals makes this such a profound song. ‘Lost in California’ is the most pop music sounding with the hint of electronic instrumentals used. The chorus is addictive and definitely a must listen for when you go to California!

Overall this album really proves Doyoung’s talent as an artist and a singer. His vocals are no joke and that’s shown song after song. This is one of the best solo debuts I’ve seen!

FINE HO, STAY BY FLO MILLI

GRAPHIC BY CLAIRE HARTWIG

GRAPHIC BY CLAIRE HARTWIG

Who’s that doll? It’s Barbie!

An analysis on the most prominent doll brand there is: Barbie

By Wisdom Konu

Fashionable, hyper-feminine, and overall, the doll blueprint. The blonde doll with her signature ponytail was introduced to us on March 9, 1954. Barbie (full name being Barbara Millicent Roberts) was brought to life by Ruth Handler and Mattel Inc. Inspired by the glamor of 1950s stars Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe, the iconic doll and its brand has evolved so much from then into what we know it as today. But one question remains: what exactly has happened to the influential blond-headed fashion doll?

Barbie has 2 origin stories that are considered the beginning of her long-lasting brand. The first beginning is that creator Ruth Handler was inspired by watching her child play make-believe with paper dolls and having them be adult women. Handler realized there was an unfilled gap in the toy industry and wanted to create a doll that was a woman and resembled an adult body. The other origin story being that Barbie’s physical appearance was modeled on the German Bild Lilli doll, a doll that was originally a gag gift for men but later became popular with children. Ruth went on to redesign the Lilli doll and on March 9th, 1959 at the American Toy Fair in New York City Barbie, named after Handler’s daughter, made her debut. Barbie was available in two versions: one with blonde hair and one with brunette, both sporting a ponytail with curly bangs. She wore a black-and-white striped, strapless swimsuit, a set of gold hoops and black heels.

Within its first year, 300,000 Barbies were sold, and Barbie had a massive and successful debut. Since then, Barbie has seen even more growth and prosperity, as well as its fair share of controversy. It was in 1960 when people were introduced to Barbie’s consumer demanded “accessory,” her male counterpart and boyfriend, Ken (oddly named after the Handler’s son). By the 1960s, Barbie was caught in controversy for being seen as a “sex symbol” due to her “adult” figure. To counteract this, Mattel went on to release another doll, marketed as Barbie’s sister, “Skipper,” (originally a child and now sold as a teenager). But it was in 1968 when Mattel decided to release their most groundbreaking doll.

In 1968, we were introduced to the first black “Barbie.” Christie, marketed as Barbie’s best friend, was Mattel’s first African American doll. This debut was historical because of the importance of racial representation in dolls and marked a significant milestone for the toy industry. Prior to Christie’s release, black dolls were a rarity and representation for black girls was slim to none. But with her release, black girls at the time finally had a doll that looked like them. Her introduction to the doll industry marked a significant breakthrough that broke down long-standing barriers. It was 1980 when Mattel introduced an African American doll that was marketed as a black Barbie. The doll featured a red disco jumpsuit along with a signature afro and came with the tagline:

“She’s Black! She’s beautiful! She’s dynamite!” Since then Mattel has introduced even more Barbies of color, stick ing to the diversity of their doll brand they first intro duced in 1968.

bie’s image as a brand began to evolve as well. With Bar bie being seen as a “sex symbol” in her early years, the controversy around her image as a female doll did not disappear. Barbie was criticized for being too ‘sexy,’ and the feminist move ment was heavily against the doll in the 1960s and 1970s. Barbie was seen as an anti-fem inist role model; a doll created as a male, not a fe male, fantasy. But in reality, Barbie was meant to be a role mod el. To highlight this, Mattel took the steps to showcase that fact with the dolls cre ated after her 1959 debut. Just one year after her inception, in 1960, she was working as a fashion designer. As the years went on, she took on three more jobs: an air stewardess, a nurse (complete with diploma) and a ballerina. Since then, ac cording to Mattel, it is said that Barbie has had over 250 careers. In Ruth Handler’s 1994 mem oir, she went on to say: “My whole philosophy of Barbie was that through the doll, the little girl could be anything she wanted to be. Barbie always represented the fact that a woman has choices.”

Since her 1959 debut, Barbie has grown immensely as a brand and remains one of the most promi nent, if not the most prominent, doll brands. In 2023, Barbie made it to the big screen in a film direct ed by three-time Academy Award nominee Greta Gerwig, starring Margot Robbie in the title role and Ryan Gosling as Ken. The movie went on to win multiple awards also garnering a total of 1.45 billion U.S. dollars worldwide, instantly becoming the biggest debut ever for a film directed by a woman. The brand has also stuck to its embracement of diversity. Mattel intro duced Barbie Fashionistas in 2016, with the dolls coming in four body types, seven skin tones, 22 eye colors and 24 hairstyles. Barbie is not just a doll or a brand — but a staple in this decade, both socially and culturally. This is Barbie’s world and we’re all just living in it.

Movies with Molly!

Here are some non-Oscar nominated movies that are still worth the watch

By Molly Savage

There’s a lot of movies that came out in 2023, and not all of them can be nominated for big awards, but that doesn’t make them any less good. Here are a few 2023 movies that weren’t nominated but are still movies that everyone should watch!

BOTTOMS (2023)

Bottoms was one of my favorite movies of 2023. After 3 watches in theaters, and 2 watches at home, I can certainly say that it’s one of the funniest movies i’ve seen. With every rewatch, you can find even more details in the background that make it even more funny. It’s based around 2 lesbian girls starting a fight club to get their crushes to notice them. The movie has incredible performances from Ayo Edebiri and Rachel Sennot, both of which add so much to the movie. Marshawn Lynch is probably the funniest actor in this movie, and his improved jokes are so good. The movie has an interesting plot and it’s made perfectly hilarious by all of the actors.

ASTEROID CITY (2023)

With a director who is well known for his style, it’s very expected with how this movie looks. Asteroid City

is probably the most exaggerated Wes Anderson’s style has been. Bright colors, symmetrical frames, and a whirlwind of a plot. The only downside of this movie is the slightly confusing order of events. It’s a TV recording of a play within a movie, making it hard to keep track of what is real or not. But that confusion between reality and television is almost the point, with the play dragging you into the story behind the play, which is just as interesting. The set design and movement, while not huge or grand, are still interesting and keeps you engaged. The use of color is also engaging, with teal skies and orange deserts clashing against each other. The acting is also great, with a star studded cast and Wes Anderson’s usual leading actors, it’s no surprise that they gave a good performance. With their performances, they’re actors, playing actors, who are playing people, which makes a confusing chain of events and I can imagine that’s the reason why the incredibly well-made Asteroid City missed out on nominations.

THEATER CAMP

(2023)

Theater Camp is a fun, high energy mockumentary about a theater summer camp trying to survive being shut down. The characters are funny, and slightly stereotypical theater kids, but it’s hilarious. Molly Gordon directs and stars in it, alongside Broadway star Ben Platt. The youth actors are also incredible, making it an extremely fun movie from 2024.

Read the rest of the story at TheLittleHawk.Com.

PHOTO BY WISDOM KONU

ART BY GRETA HAYEK

BOYS TENNIS PROFILE

GAME, SET, MATCH.

By Jack Rogers

Since he was a kid Abhay Anil ‘25 idolized Roger Federer and would spend hours watching professional tennis on television with his father.

“When my dad was younger, he loved watching the sport of tennis but never had the opportunity to play. His passion grew

try going to camps and other tournaments to make sure he is the best possible player he can be.

“Oftentimes people think that it might be a burden for me to go out and practice every day but that’s not the case. I’ve always had a passion for the game and every time I step on the court, I do it to enjoy myself

and have a fun time,” Anil said.

Throughout the year Anil is constantly working with different coaches and playing in the Hawkeye Tennis Elite Academy and playing in USTA tournaments against other players his age.

“This past winter I placed 2nd in the Boys 18’s at the HTRC Klotz tournament. During spring break

Abhay Anil ‘25 goes into the 2024 high school tennis season, ranked 10th in the state. PHOTO BY JACK ROGERS

New Assets for Boys Track

The City High Track season is upon us, and with that many new tools for the team to utilize

By Rito Perez

Following the previous track season, City High Boys Track lost a national and state record breaking relay time, multiple collegiate level throwers, and some of the best sprinters and jumpers the school has had in years. With the loss, many new people have stepped up and with big holes to fill, have done a solid job.

With the deprivation of a state-recording-breaking elite 4x800 relay team, many distance runners have had to step up. One of those runners is Linus McRoberts ‘26. McRoberts has stepped up from last year, making a jump from the Freshman/ Sophomore and JV Teams to being one of the varsity’s top distance runners. With a great 10:04 3200 meter run time, Linus is doing quite well for his debut season as a varsity track runner.

“There’s definitely been a little pressure to perform well since the distance squad last year was so amazing, but it’s also been fun for the team to make a name for ourselves with them being gone,” Linus McRoberts ‘26 said.

success it inspired me.” Raphael Etuma ‘26 said.

With both these sophomores striding fourth against their competition, a new senior who transferred in this year, Miles Parlet ‘24 excelled at football and now, track. And is also committed to play football at The University of Chicago. Miles in his first part of the season has been preeminent at long jump and 100 meter dash. His best 100 meter dash time being 11.16 seconds, being top 25 in the state. And being number six in the state for long jump, with his best jump being ‘21 “10.5. Not only is he doing well in those events, he is also succeeding at the 200 meter and 400 meter dash races.

“There’s definitely been a little pressure to perform well since the distance squad last year was so amazing, but it’s also been fun for the team to make a name for ourselves with them being gone”

-

Another big weapon that City High has picked up is Raphael Etuma ‘26. This year, Etuma is one of the best shot put and discus throwers in the state, with his top discus throw being ‘129 “5, and his best shot put being ‘41 “2. Raphael’s older brother, Michael Etuma, who graduated from City High last year, recently earned All-American JuCo collegiate honors. There are a few other notable seniors who departed from city high, this left a gap in the roster that Raphael filled.

Linus McRoberts ‘26

“The slow progress is tough, you just want to rush to the end and be the best you can, but you gotta take it slow. I’m looking forward to state and the rest of the season. With Michael’s

Another great tool that the track team has obtained this year is Bernard Grant ‘25. Bernard, this year is doing the high jump, with his personal record this season being six feet flat, and running the 110 meter hurdles. This greatly helps with the loss of a weapon in Matt Schaekenbach who graduated from City High last year, who also broke state, school, and national records. Schaekenbach now runs track at Cedarville University. Bernard is a great step in gaining back the lost points from the graduating class of last year, and gives City High much better hopes at the Drake Blue Oval.

“Out of 79 points from the seniors we only got 4 and a half points back, so I feel like the coaches and kids are answering that challenge well. But our jumpers, sprinters, and hurdlers like Miles Parlet running all the sprints and jumping for us. Also with Phillip Kaplan stepped up to try and fill some of those gaps. We usually get better as the season progresses, and we’re hoping to be best in May. Let the cards fall as they may, and I think we are going to be surprised at how well we do, because the kids are ready to keep working at that challenge that’s in front of them,” Coach Mike Moore said.

Bernard Grant ‘25, Raphael Etuma ‘26, and Linus McRoberts ‘26 particpating and preparing for there events during the 2024 track season.

Women’s Soccer 2024 Captains

Q&A with Senior Captains Aoife Boulter, Ava Bell, Claire Loria, Kaitlyn Brown and Maclayne Menzel.

By Amelie Donovan

Who’s your biggest motivator?

Aoife Boulter ‘24: My biggest motivator is my teammates. Because they push me to be the best person I can be. I feel very motivated to work hard for them when I don’t feel motivated to work for myself.

Ava Bell ‘24: My mom, because she pushes me to be the best person I can be on and off the field. She is super strong. She’s always been there for me and she supports me through everything.

Claire Loria ‘24: My dad, he texts me before every game and talks me out of my own head, he’s always supported me and my sports.

What drives you to work hard for your team?

Claire Loria ‘24: Knowing that I won’t be able to play with my teammates after this year and that I’ve known the people I play with for many years, and after this year I won’t be able to play with them again. I just want to take advantage of the time that we have left.

Maclayne Menzel ‘24: Our senior class is so amazing, we all love each other, so playing for all of them is something that drives me.

Aoife Boulter ‘24: My biggest drive has always come from being apart of the team. I try and get better as a player so it helps the team as a whole. We lose as a team and we win as a team.

What are you excited about for the season?

Aoife Boulter ‘24: I’m excited to build connections with our team while we’re on the field and off. We’ve got some fun stuff planned, like team dinners. City High women’s soccer team dinners are the best.

I’m also very excited for team dinners. We go to people’s houses and will often do Easter egg hunts with our

I’m excited to have a good time. I love all of our seniors and just

getting to play with them for this last year is exciting.

What are your expectations for yourself for this season?

Ava Bell ‘24: I expect that when I can’t give 100% physically, I have to give 100% mentally. I want to be there for my teammates on and off the field when they need me, and in general, I’m just trying to be the best leader I can be.

Maclayne Menzel ‘24: I want to beat West.

Kaitlyn Brown ‘24: I expect myself to show up every day for the rest of my team, you know, because we all have bad days and sometimes I’m not great at hiding my bad days when I go to soccer practice. So I think keeping my mindset high and keeping the expectations for myself high so that I can have those expectations for the team.

What will you miss the most about playing for city?

Claire Loria ‘24: Being able to play with the same people I’ve been playing with for years on end. We’ve all been playing with each other since we were little and we built this good environment together.

Kaitlyn Brown ‘24: The thing I’m gonna miss the most about the team is probably the seniors. We’ve grown up through clubs together. I’m also going to miss my coach who has a farm and two pigs. I’m going to miss hearing about her pigs and her vegetables every day. The thing I’m going to miss the most is being a role model for younger players because I think that’s one of the biggest advantages of being like an upperclassman and a senior this year is that I get to see my impact on other younger players.

Ava Bell ‘24: The people. I’ve been playing with them almost my entire life. Also, the environment at City High. It’s much different than a club. We’re able to have fun and not be as stressed. High school soccer season is the best part of playing year-round, it brings the passion back and when you start to lose interest it brings it right back up. It also helps build confidence.

PHOTO ABOVE BY LILIANA MOESSNER: City High Women’s Soccer’s starting lineup huddles before a game against Davenport Central on April 4th, 2024.

PHOTOS ABOVE COURTESY OF JAIMY ELLIS

SPRINTING FOR POWER

By Bobby Bacon and Charlie Firmstone

Jeremiah Madlock ‘24 is a senior who is currently committed to play football at Quincy University. This spring he is now preparing for his final season of track.

“My mom ran track at Loras [College] so being around the sport my whole life has always been important to me and her,” Madlock said.

Madlock began his senior season with a victory in the high jump at the Dickinson Relays Indoor State Track Meet in Cedar Falls where he managed to outdo himself jumping a personal best of 1.2 meters. And last year Madlock ran in three events at the State Tournament where City High placed second as a team.

“He is going to be an important piece for us in the 4x200 and 4x400 relays this year,” Track Head Coach Mike Moore said about Madlock. “He should without a doubt be one of the top performers in MVC and state.”

Though City did not win the State Meet last year as a team, they did place in the top three and set record times in multiple events at the meet. This year the Little Hawks hope to place even higher at State and finish what they started even with the significant losses of some important seniors.

“We came up short last year which was disappointing because of how talented we were but now that this is my last go I don’t want to relive that moment,” Madlock said.

However, Madlock is confident that the Little Hawks can kick their State woes.

“We don’t plan on coming up short again,” Madlock said.

As a senior, Madlock is looked to for leadership and stability on the team during this year’s season.

“Jeremiah is one of our veterans who scored points in last year’s State Meet. He has a contagious personality and has truly grown as leader of this team over the span of his career here at City High,” said Coach Moore.

As big of a piece as Madlock is on the track team, he is equally as productive on the gridiron where he racked up 34 catches for 755 receiving yards and six touchdowns. He averaged 22.6 yards per catch which was the top distance in the state of Iowa. He was a key part of the Little Hawk’s football season this year and is looking to replicate his success at the college level. Madlock made the transition to fully starting on offense his senior season which saw him stop playing Defensive Back and focus all in on the offensive side of the ball.

“Jeremiah is the kind of kid who can excel at anything he focuses and puts his mind on,” City High Football Head Coach Mitch Moore said when asked about how he felt Madlock balanced both football and track this year.

When asked the question of which sport Madlock wanted to play collegiately Jeremiah was keen on keeping his options open when looking for his next step, as he is passionate about both sports he plays. It was just a matter of who reached out first.

“I love track and football,” Madlock said of his process choosing what sport to play in college, “I was just fortunate to get a better opportunity and offer to play football.”

Jeremiah Madlock ‘24 is a senior who is currently committed to play football at Quincy University. This spring he is now preparing for his final season of track.

Madlock stands on the podium after placing first at Cedar Falls. PHOTO COURTESY OF AJ REISETTER

Jeremiah Madlock ‘24 starts the season off strong, contributing in 4x200 and 4x400

Jeremiah digs deep during his leg in a home meet in the 4x400. PHOTO COURTESY OF AJ REISETTER

What does it mean to be “Unbreakable”?

Jaecee Hall, founder of UFA, discusses the message behind her brand and the community it creates.

By Kaitlyn Brown

In March 2022, Jaecee Hall, a rower at the University of Iowa, “just wanted a t-shirt.” She never expected the business that came with her designs. Realizing there was space in a growing market, Hall took the opportunity to start up her brand Unbreakable Female Athlete. UFA sells apparel for women in sports and their supporters, and donates proceeds to funds to support youth and grassroots organizations. UFA brings together female athletes of all ages and types to build a community that gives back.

As the brand has expanded over the past two years, collaborations and TikTok videos have boosted the support for Hall’s apparel.

“My big goal is to expand and grow the business. I foresee UFA being like Nike someday but for women. I want to connect women with this brand and get in as many stores as I can. The more stores I can get in, the more I can give back,” shared Hall.

Her website has sold to over ten countries and raised thousands of dollars for the UFA Fund.

Donating and giving back has been an integral part of UFA’s message. Hall shared many of her smaller goals for the monetary support she provides grassroots programs, including the ability to provide pre- and post-game meals to boost nutrition education, and supplying sports bras to younger female athletes. Her goals changed quickly from making money to finding new ways to expand and reach more female athletes to create conversations. Having  grown up as a female athlete, Hall had dreams of a community of female athletes and what that would’ve meant for her at the time. These dreams have given her the motivation to continue to give back to these young athletes.

“Let’s get [younger athletes] the proper equip ment, let’s get them sports bras. A sports bra is a nec essary item to compete, but they’re very expensive. If I can donate money to provide sports bras to female athletes and keep them in sports, that’s integral to me,” Hall shared regarding the smaller goals she has been setting for her brand and the necessary steps to achieve them.

The steps being taken towards lifting female athletes have become more and more prominent, but a lot of the issues surrounding women in

when the comparison between athletes can be blinding.

While sharing the information behind UFA, Hall’s big answers revolved around the question what can this brand do to invest in female athletes? Being such an important topic in athletics today, the support from a monetary standpoint is vital, and something that many female athletes haven’t gotten. It stems from having female coaches, peer support, and just someone to give back to the young athletes.

Margalit Frank ‘24, a student at City High has revolved her AP Research project on the difference between male and female athletes’ confidence. Frank shared some facts she was able to take away from her project.

“When you look at media coverage of sports, there is a lot less of it for women. 5.4% of all media coverage for sports is of women’s sports and regardless of the participation of women in sports doubling since Title Nine, the coverage has only increased by 0.4%,” Frank shared.

The support that this brand provides allows for more and more people to connect under one message, and also give back to the younger generations in many different ways. With media coverage being one of the bigger hurdles to provide for these young girls, many easily recognizable names bring attention back to women in sports.

“It makes me feel really emotional [to watch women’s sports grow],” Frank said. “It gives me a lot of hope, because I feel like Title Nine has been around for 50 years, and in that amount of time while we’ve made progress toward equalizing sports and the funding for sports, we still have a lot of work to do on how we as a society perceive female sports. The way that female athletes, like Caitlin Clark right now, are changing how women’s sports are viewed on a national level gives me a lot of hope for the future.”

Recently, Hall signed a contract with Scheels as a “soft launch” for her brand and apparel. As she continues to achieve significant success toward her ultimate goal of expanding, Hall frequently thinks back to the importance of the brand itself. Growing up as a female athlete comes with many hurdles and setbacks, including the lack of support compared to male peers and a small community with little connection. As the realm of female sports grows, with phenomena like Iowa City superstar Caitlin Clark becoming idols for young athletes, the supportive community has grown with it. But the growth is not stopping anytime soon.

“There have been generations of men who have been supported for years, and we’re just trying to catch up. That’s what UFA is for. Trying to create a community of empowered women,” Hall said. “Growing up, I wanted the crowds to come to my games, I wanted my peers to watch, and I wanted the same support my male peers got. To be able to do that with this brand, knowing that you can see someone with the apparel and identify with the same thing as them. It’s all about a bunch of bad*** women supporting each other.”

On Hall’s website, someone could find the UFA Fund and what it means, but Hall wanted to take the donations further and reach more people as she goes. The launching of the UFA Coaches Fund provides more opportunities for women to coach female athletes.

PHOTO ABOVE COURTESY OF JAECEE HALL

PHOTOS BY KAITLYN BROWN: (Left) Wearing the shirt from a UFAxCityHigh collab, Halle Larew ‘26 poses for a picture. (Center) Margalit Frank ‘24 for a photo in her unbreakable gear. (Right) Grace Kirschling ‘24 wears her UFA shirt for a photo.

4-9 10-11 12-13 14-15 16-17 18 19 20-21 22-23

SLEEP DEPRIVATION

SMALL BUSINESS: CRYSTAL SHOP

SMALL BUSINESS: BLACK OWNED PROFILES

TRAINING IN RAMADAM: INSIDE THE LIVES OF MUSLIM ATHLETES

GOOD FRIDAY

INTERVIEW WITH JAMES PATTERSON

PROFILE: MIRA CUNNING

PROFILE: BRAD KELLY

GAMES

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

CHello Little Hawk readers!

We hope you are enjoying the beginning of spring! To welcome you into this new season, we have been working hard to put out a new magazine!

It’s Tai Caputo and Yomi Hemley, your Feature Co-Editors! The LH magazine is back with lots of great articles, including: an in-depth article about sleep deprivation, profiles of athletes during Ramadan, and profiles of influential community members. Not to mention, super fun games at the back! We’ve had a great time writing, editing, and designing this magazine, and we truly hope you enjoy reading it!

Cheers,

,

PHOTO BY ROSANGEL FLORES-RUBIO

A LOOK INTO SLEEP DEPRIVATION

SBy Tai Caputo

SEBASTIAN SAUDER ‘24

was ready to go to bed when the glow of his smartphone’s screen distracted him. Just a click away were all of his grades, various to-do lists, his bank account, and his entire calendar–not to mention the whole internet, TikTok, Instagram, and Tumblr.

When he was in 6th grade, Sauder became the first member of his family to own a smartphone. Now, as a senior, his phone has been fully integrated into his life in ways that are sometimes disruptive.

“[My phone’s] ability to make work so present, when it’s time to sleep, is always difficult for me, because I end up doing my schoolwork and other work and life organization at night,” Sauder said.

Sauder’s sleep schedule is inconsistent; he sleeps approximately nine hours during “good weeks” and five hours during “bad weeks.” He uses a number of sleep aids on his phone such as music and timers. Sauder, who has struggled his whole life with insomnia, chooses not to look at the number of hours he spends on his phone per day.

“I’m kind of addicted to my phone, but I’m self-aware about it,” he said.

Sauder is a strong academic student and has taken courses at the University of Iowa. Nonetheless, he often struggles to focus in school because he doesn’t feel well-slept.

“When I’m this tired, I’m not trying to learn. I’m just trying to get through the day so that I can go home and take a nap,” Sauder said at nine AM.

Sauder uses his phone in lieu of an alarm clock and often struggles to wake up in the morning.

“I can’t name a single day that I’ve felt fully awake the whole time,” Sauder said.

Sebastian Sauder is by no means the only student at City afflicted by the ever-luring effects of a glowing phone. In fact, many students report getting even worse sleep. A survey sent out to all students at City High yielded the following results: Of the 132 respondents, only 39 students (29.5%) regularly get the advised eight or more hours of sleep each night (per CDC recommendations). The majority, 70.5%, get fewer than eight hours of sleep per night.

“Sleep deprivation is one of the primary barriers to academic success,” Ali Borger-Germann, English Language Arts teacher, said.

According to the National Institute of Health, the reason that electronic devices are so detrimental for sleep is primarily because the blue light exuded from screens,

which has the effect of reducing humans’ melatonin, a sleep hormone. This causes smart phone users to stay up later at night. And the effects of the usage of devices extend well beyond waking hours: they have also been shown to reduce rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the most important and restorative period of the sleep cycle.

Megan Stucky-Swanson, City’s Orchestra Director, cited exorbitant phone usage as a serious issue in the lives of teenagers and adults alike.

“It’s a distraction that we’re all used to at this point. There are lots of differ-

ent types of social media. It’s how you read articles and sometimes how you read books. And that strain on your eyes [is harmful], especially when you’re trying to wind down before bed,” Stucky said.

Stucky encourages those in her first period class, Symphony Orchestra, to arrive early so that they are able to get their instruments unpacked and ready to rehearse. Despite this, students occasionally arrive late.

“It’s hard, sometimes, to get the early morning classes awake and engaged and their brains ready to go if they’re not feeling refreshed,” Stucky said. “Students clearly don’t get enough sleep. I think that students are on their phones too much, especially right before they go to sleep, which is one of the causes of insomnia.”

Guidance counselor Mary Peterson said that many of her students appear to be underslept during the day.

“Often, when I talk to students, and I ask what time they go to bed, they smile. And then they’re like, ‘Uh. . . two. One.’ And I’m like, ‘Agh, what are you doing?’ And they’re like, ‘Well, I was on my phone.’”

In the survey of City High students, 31.8% reported being “very often tired” at school, while 51.5% reported feeling tired “somewhat often” and the last group, 16.7%, “rarely tired.” Peterson believes that this lack of sleep greatly affects students’ daily lives.

“If you don’t get enough sleep, you’re too tired, and you can’t focus, you can’t concentrate. You don’t want to be engaging in learning,” Peterson said.

Peterson believes that students aren’t learning to build healthy habits with technology, and that this negatively affects their learning.

“There are times when the phone or the computer or the TV needs to be away,” Peterson said. “You shouldn’t do anything else in your bed except for sleep.”

According to the survey, 75% keep their phone in their bedroom at night.

“I’m always curious to see students’ screen time,” Peterson said. “A coupe of years ago, I had a student show me theirs, which was already eight or nine hours, but it was only noon! So most of that usage was probably at night–which is totally crazy!”

When she was a freshman, Noe Richman ‘25 fell asleep in her Earth and Space Science class after staying awake for five consecutive nights. This past year, her circadian schedule has improved slightly: she has been getting approximately four hours of sleep per night. She spends the early hours of the morning working on homework.

“I’m so groggy in the morning and I just dread every day, so it’s harder to get out of bed,” Richman said. “I get less sleep than I would otherwise because I need time to rejuvenate in the morning, because I’m so exhausted.”

Some students are figuring out how to more effectively regulate their sleep. As a sophomore, Olive Jackson ‘25 struggled maintain a consistent sleep schedule, and would often go to bed past midnight, only to wake up in the middle of the night. At the beginning of her junior year, Jackson decided to regain control over her schedule.

“[I realized that] it’s all about what you do before you go to sleep,” Jackson said. “Like, not doing things. I try to not eat, exercise, work, or look at screens, [starting at specific times] in the afternoon and evening.”

PHOTO AND INFOGRAPHIC BY TAI CAPUTO

After experimenting with several strategies and reflecting on whether they worked for her, Jackson’s schedule improved significantly. This year she has been going to bed at nine PM and waking up at five AM every single day.

“Winding down and going to bed at the same time every day has helped me. When I don’t do the routine, I feel worse, and I don’t feel well-rested,” Jackson said.

Jackson keeps her phone in her room at night and uses it as an alarm clock, but she doesn’t look at it for an hour before bed. She reads paper books before going to sleep.

“Blue light dries out my eyes, and it doesn’t make me tired the way that reading a book does,” Jackson said.

The increase in technological ubiquity in the U.S. was significantly accelerated by the pandemic, according to the National Health Institute. During this time, sudden quarantines and restricted access to normal life led to an unprecedented shift towards electronics. Many of the systems encouraging the usage of devices over more traditional methods have remained in place.

During the pandemic, Adrian Bostian ‘23, a former City High student, found himself spending hours scrolling TikTok, to the detriment of other aspects of his life, including his sleep schedule. He decided to delete the app.

“For me, [TikTok] was a really insidious addiction,” Bostian said. “I’ve observed so many people, myself in-

cluded, naturally gravitate towards that short-form content. You just need it to be faster, you need it to be more stimulating.”

"WHEN I'M THIS TIRED, I'M NOT TRYING TO LEARN. I'M JUST TRYING TO GET THROUGH THE DAY SO THAT I CAN GO HOME AND TAKE A NAP."

Bostian has observed the detrimental effects of extreme phone usage on his peers, and has tried to be mindful of his own.

“When I’ve spent too much time on my phone, I feel an increased sensation of apathy,” Bostian said. “Because I’ve spent however many hours of my day doing an activity that is manufactured. It’s manufactured to be the most stimulating thing you could imagine, and the most infinite form of stimulation. And so unfortunately, other activities that you can do in a day don’t always rival the instant reward of the phone. . .”

According to the National Library of Medicine, use of devices is directly correlated with a decrease in mental health. Symptoms range from anxiety to clinical depression. These symptoms often cause or exacerbate insomnia.

- Sebastian Sauder '24

"I’M SO GROGGY IN THE MORNING AND I JUST DREAD EVERY DAY, SO IT’S HARDER TO GET OUT OF BED [BECAUSE] I’M SO EXHAUSTED.”

- Noe Richman ‘25

When he was in 6th grade, Sauder became the first member of his family to own a smartphone. PHOTO BY TAI CAPUTO

Bostian tries to avoid spending extended periods of time on his phone. He described the experience of sitting in class during breaks or dull moments and noticing that all the other students were on their phones. He finds this phenomenon to be "dystopian."

“[It seems like] everybody is content to endlessly consume media,” Bostian said. “I think there is more of a general disinterest for the type of studying learning that you do in school. And that’s really sad because I think being educated and learning is extremely important, and that the media takes away from that.”

“[LEARNING TO BALANCE PHONE USAGE] IS SOMETHING THAT TODAY’S TEENAGERS ARE GOING TO STRUGGLE WITH FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.”

- Megan Stucky-Swanson

In the student survey, only 25.4% of students felt that electronics were the main cause of their sleep dysregulation. The largest category of students, 40%, cited homework as the main issue.

Orchestra Director Stucky believes that members of Generation Z feel more pressured than previous generations to take on a large workload of rigorous classes and extracurricular activities, such as sports and clubs. This combination of schoolwork and activities often requires significant time commitment.

“When you have all of that in a mixing pot, it doesn’t lend itself well to students feeling rested and awake,” Stucky said. “Sometimes, the only free time you have all day is that hour before you go to bed, and sometimes what you want to do is watch TV or scroll some Facebook.”

The long-term effects of phone usage on teenagers have yet to be fully documented.

“I think [learning to balance phone usage] is something that today’s teenagers are going to struggle with for the rest of their lives,” Stucky said. When she was a freshman, Noe Richman ‘25 fell asleep in her

TIPS TO GET BETTER SLEEP

• Keep a consistent schedule

• Have a winddown routine

• Don’t look at your phone 30-60 minutes before bed

• Leave your phone outside your room

• Use a real alarm clock instead of your phone

• Put your phone in grayscale

HEIM CRYSTALS

Story and photos by Yomi Hemley

Amethyst - Amethyst is another incredibly popular and well known crystal. It’s associated with the Third Eye chakra and the Crown chakra. It enhances spiritual awareness and balances emotions.

Blue Howlite - This crystal helps communication. Blue Howlite is not naturally blue and is in fact a dyed version of white howlite. Blue is associated with the throat chakra which is why it helps communication. Blue Howlite will make you more positive by reducing anxiety and anger.

Moonstone - This crystal has both healing properties and protection properties. It stabilizes emotions while acting as a protective shield against negativity. It is also said to open the heart, Third Eye, and Crown chakra.

Rose Quartz - This is an incredibly popular crystal due to its relation to love. Rose Quartz helps relationships by healing problems in relationships. Rose Quartz has been used for centuries by women in 7000 B.C. for skin care reasons. They thought it would prevent wrinkles and clear their skin.

Cinnabar - Cinnabar is known to be an emotional healing stone. It increases happiness and strength while deterring anxiety and stress. It is made of mercury sulfide and heating up the stone results in a mercury vapor which is toxic.

Selenite - This crystal is made out of Gypsum. It is thought to be a healing crystal and is also used to cleanse your surroundings of negative energy. It is also thought to enhance manifestation.

Black excellence in business form

WBy Lily Rantanen

ith Black excellence coming in every shape and form, here are some black student owned business profiles.

Can you tell us about your business and what inspired you to start it while still in high school?

When I first started it, it was meant for awareness to kids who felt like they were the words, “damaged” or “messed up.” So when I first started the brand, the original name was Damaged Souls. I made clothes with the contents on them going off of things like that. The motivation to do it while in high school is because I feel like I have more access to people my age, which is the people that wanted to see my clothes. But I just recently changed the name to UNELIMINAL, only because I feel like the name just sounds better.

What products or services does your business offer, and how do you manage it alongside school?

I mostly create outerwear and shirts like shirts, jackets, and pullovers. I also do pants but just clothes in general. When it comes to managing it alongside school, I put my schoolwork first but right after, that’s my next priority. I make sure my schoolwork and performance are right and then I get to working so I can get somewhere with my business.

What challenges have you faced as a young entrepreneur, particularly as a person of color, and how have you overcome them?

With having school, sometimes you lose the motivation for your business. Sometimes you lose motivation for school, depending on how stressful it is. And either way, you have to juggle both. For being of color though, I’ll have my business but I won’t attract the attention of people because they’ll be intimidated.

Where do you get your design inspiration from?

ANTONIO JOHNSON UNELIMINAL

With some shirts, it’ll be some quotes but the remainder are things I get from my head, something I think of. Some of my designs come from what’s inside of me.

DOMINIQUE JACKSON STITCHES_BY_DEEDEE

Can you tell us about your business and what inspired you to start it while still in high school?

I have a crocheting business. I make animals, hats, gloves, and bags. When I started my passion of crocheting and other people saw me make things, a lot of people encouraged me to start my own crocheting business and my first client was actually here at City.

What’s your favorite thing you’ve made and why? How do you balance making art with school and other stuff?

My favorite thing I’ve made would be my bucket hats. I like to crochet during class to keep my hands occupied and when I’m at home, instead of scrolling on social media for hours, I just crochet and listen to calming music.

Have you had any problems being a black creative? What do you want to do with your art after high school? Also, what’s the most enjoyable part of running your own business as a high school student?

So far, I haven’t faced any problems with being a black creative. I hope to learn how to grow my business and my creativity. It also makes me really happy when people see my art and tells me it looks really good.

JUJU TERTULIEN

PLATINUMSTYLEZ_

Can you tell us about your business and what inspired you to start it while still in high school?

My business is doing hair. I do like multiple styles like wigs, knotless, etc. What inspired me is [basically] the economy. Things are not cheap at all. So I was [like] “You know what. Let’s make some bread.” I first started learning to do my hair first and then I realized that this is a good way to make money. So, I might as well start practicing on myself and then on others and then I decide to make a page.

What challenges have you faced as a young entrepreneur?

I think the challenge for me, personally, is the physical labor. Standing for hours, it’s really hard because you have to balance that with going to work for eight hours, and then I also have to clean the house, etc. I tried to like exercise to make it work and to get used to it.

Do you plan to continue your business after high school, and if so, how do you envision its growth or evolution?

I’m planning to go to PCI Academy, which is in Iowa City. I plan to go for 2 years, which is about the average to get my license as a hairstylist. I also plan to start a store with my best friend. We have this big vision to have this big store, where she does nails and I do hair and our business would grow to the point where we create more businesses, like a corporation basically.

Dominique Jackson '24 poses with one of their crotchet bucket hats. PHOTO BY MEGAN SWARTZENDRUBER

Juju Tertulien '24 poses for photo. PHOTO BY MEGAN SWARTZENDRUBER

Inside the Lives of Muslimah Athletes

Q&A with City High students Amal Eltayib ‘26 , Kadyja Bah ‘25, and Hassanatou Diallo ‘24 about their day-to-day life while practicing Ramadan

By Ramatou Diallo

Q :Do you recall the first time you’ve ever fasted? When and how was your experience?

Amal: I remember my first time fasting in 5th grade, but only for the school day. It was super challenging at first, but I learned to have a lot of self-control and fun as the day went on. P.E. was definitely the hardest part of the day because everyone was very energetic in elementary school.

Kadyja: The first time I attempted fast, I was maybe eight or nine years old. I was doing just fine until I went to my cousins and drank water.

Hassanatou: The first time I fasted was when I was around eight or nine. I would fast for a few days out of the thirty days and enjoyed it because I didn’t feel left out when my parents and older brother were fasting. I don’t recall my exact first experience but it was challenging.

Q: How were you first exposed to others’ views regarding the idea of Ramadan?

Amal: I was first exposed to others’ views regarding the idea of Ramadan when my 3rd grade teacher asked me and a couple of other Muslim students to make a presentation on the month. Everyone was asking questions and seemed very curious about the month — it was definitely nice to see how open everyone was, despite Ramadan being atypical for them.

Kadyja: People at the time didn’t understand the true reason for why I was fasting, and truly though I was doing it for attention or pity.

Hassanatou: Growing up in a diverse area in Chicago and being surrounded by Muslims, it was very communal and festive. However, as I got older and started using social media, I noticed that people had many assumptions about Ramadan and made it out to be something negative. I think there are many misconceptions about Ramadan and sometimes people are reluctant to learn more so they just stick to what they are familiar with.

Hassanatou Diallo ’24 has her senior pictures took at the City tennis courts. PHOTO COURTESY OF SOPHIE BRENTON

Q: Describe Ramadan in your own words.

Amal: Ramadan, to me, is a time of self reflection. It’s that one reminder for Muslims to take a step back and remember why they worship Allah and how they can make themselves better. It’s the month where we can set goals on how to become closer to Allah, and catch any part of their life where they are lacking.

Kadyja: I would describe it as peaceful, productive, and soulful.

Hassantou: For me, Ramadan is all about self-improvement and discipline. It’s a month of self-reflection and charity. It’s not about perfection but establishing good habits that you can keep even after Ramadan. I enjoy learning more about Islam because it’s an interesting and complex religion.

Q: Describe how Ramadan is observed in your household & community.

Amal: My entire family gathers before sunrise and we eat dates and get lots of fluid in. Dates are a very popular fruit to eat before fasting. At sunset, we all eat a big feast together and celebrate another day of Ramadan.

Hassantou: In my family, we wake up at dawn to eat a meal. It’s usually me and my parents and occasionally my younger siblings. To break our fast, my mom (and sometimes me) prepares many cultural dishes for our family. We also make meals to give out to others. In my community, we attend prayer at night called Taraweeh. It’s nice to be surrounded by many people who share the same religion as you.

Q: How do you conserve your energy & determination throughout your day-to-day?

Amal: I’ve learned that proper nutrition the night and morning before practice is an absolute must. I make sure to get both enough food and water so I don’t feel queasy or unenergetic the next day. This is especially important during track, when we’re doing lots of heavy cardio and energy-taxing work.

Kadyja: What works for me is having a light suhoor and taking my morning slow and calm.

Hassanatou: I wake up to eat a meal at dawn, usually something nutritious and filling. As for my determination, it’s knowing that I have goals I want to accomplish and at the end of the day, I want to go to bed knowing that I tried my best. It isn’t always like that and sometimes I procrastinate, but I try to push myself.

Q: What has your experience been at City fasting while playing a sport?

Amal: It was definitely a change from what practice had been like before. Since I do track and field, most of the work is very taxing on the body and it took some time to get used to. Luckily, I have amazing coaches who understand and respect Ramadan and are able

to do what’s best for me.

Kadyja: It’s been a journey because I feel different every practice. I could be more tired or more hungry, or some days I feel like Naomi Osaka. On days that I struggle, I feel very nauseous and weak which makes practice harder and longer.

Hassantou: It’s challenging, especially when the days get warmer and I get thirsty. But overall, the environment in Tennis is friendly, and playing with my friends makes it really fun.

Read the rest of the story on at TheLittleHawk.Com.

Amal Eltayib ’26 gets in some extra practice in on the track. PHOTO BY SADIE BODZIN

GOOD FRIDAY

PHOTO BY ROSANGEL FLORES-RUBIO

GBy Yomi Hemley

GOOD FRIDAY IS A Catholic holiday observed during the Holy week, two days before Easter.

“We strongly believe that our Lord died for us in order for God to forgive our sins. We use the holy week to commemorate what Christ did for us by abstaining from eating meat on Fridays, attending church and other special events like the Stations of the Cross. The Stations of the Cross walks us through what Jesus Christ endured before he gave his life for us,” Mrs. McTaggart said.

Good Friday is the day people observe the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Although this is a Catholic holiday, it is celebrated by many different branches of Christianity.

“I grew up Catholic and my parents instilled the beliefs and values of being born Catholic.and with this religion we acknowledge the death and crucifixion of our Lord, Jesus Christ,” Mrs. McTaggart said.

Despite the cultural significance, the day had not been taken off the calendar. Thanks to Mrs. McTaggart, next year will be the first year where students will be able to take the school day off for Good Friday.

“If the Iowa City School District has added other religious holidays, then the district needs to honor the Catholic religion as well. I spoke with Mr. Degner, our superintendent, and the school committee has added it to next year’s calendar,” Mrs. McTaggart said.

& Q A J

WITH THE WORLD'S BESTSELLING AUTHOR JAMES PATTERSON

By Tai Caputo

James Patterson is the world’s bestselling author. He holds the Guinness Book of World Record for the most New York Times bestselling titles, with over 260. He is also a fervent believer in the importance of literacy. To that end, he has given millions of dollars to support universities, teachers’ colleges, bookstores, and libraries. He also supports scholarships for college students. He is the recipient of the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation for “a lifetime achievement in expanding the audience for books and reading.” Recently, he has joined a group of prominent authors who have raised more than $3 million for PEN America, a writers’ organization that supports freedom of expression.

Q: Your books have sold almost half a

billion copies. You have more than 260 bestselling novels. What do you think makes a good story?

A: I’ll give you my sum-up on what I do. I try to pretend there’s one person sitting across from me, and I don’t want them to get up until I’m finished. I have this monster imagination; I could write about anything.

There are so many different ways to tell stories. I almost never give advice to people. I try not to, anyway. But the one thing I always say to people is: What you’re nodding your head at, ignore that, because you already do it. The stuff that you shake your head ‘No’ at, that’s what you should think about, that’s what you’re not doing, and if you don’t change, you probably won’t get any better.

Q: I’m reading your life story, James Patterson by James Patterson, and it’s

an exciting book. One thing I’ve noticed is that you value struggle and tough times. For example, you remember with respect the experiences you had in a competitive environment with tough kids when you attended Manhattan College and you think this prepared you for the world. Do you think books help prepare high school kids for the world?

A: Sure. Absolutely. Books are great at this. TV and movies are getting better, but books—it’s really important that through reading, we can see different ways of living, different ways of looking at the world, and different ways of getting through life.

Read the rest of the story at TheLittleHawk.Com.

James Patterson has sold over 425 million copies of his novels. PHOTO COURTESY OF JAMES PATTERSON

Mr. Bacon Day

By Lily Rantanen

W

When Mira Cunning ‘26 made the first edits of Mr. Bacon in Photoshop, she had no idea how far it would go. After sending her image–a graphic of Mr. Bacon in sunglasses with the caption ‘It’s a great day to be a Little Hawk’–to a friend, Elizabeth Gugliuzza ‘26, she continued to create more and more Mr. Bacon themed designs.

Then, everything took off like a rocket ship off a launchpad.

“We were like, ‘oh my gosh, this could be a business,’” Cunning said. “We made an Instagram account and it got super popular.”

Presently, the Mr. Bacon Day Instagram account sits at a cool 176 followers–not too shabby for something created from a fleeting thought.

Cunning–as well as a few other friends, including Gugliuzza–are the brains behind Mr. Bacon Day, a holiday on April 23rd celebrating the day Mr. Bacon became principal more than ten years ago. Part tongue-in-cheek, part dead serious, Mr. Bacon Day is everything that it needs to be.

“Mr. Bacon is infamous throughout our school for being kind of a goofball,” Cunning explained her reasoning behind the holiday. “But he’s very passionate about school spirit.”

With Mr. Bacon Day, Cunning decided to lean into this personification of the principal. On the Mr. Bacon Day Instagram account, you can order shirts, pins, and posters with designs like the one that spurred Cunning’s original idea behind the celebration.

Of course, because Mr. Bacon

Day is technically a business, there have been some struggles that Cunning and the rest of the Mr. Bacon Day team has had to grapple with. Cunning admitted that when they first started selling t-shirts, they underpriced them, which led to financial problems later on when they had to order the shirts from a printing company.

“Originally, when we were looking at the prices, we didn‘t take into account that we had five different designs and all of those designs would cost different amounts based on how much we had to order,” Cunning said. Since the Mr. Bacon Day team priced them at $15 originally and they cost around $20 to print, they actually ended up with a financial loss instead of a profit, which came out of

Cunning’s ingenious creation has, in fact, been approved by City High administration. Earlier this year, Mr. Bacon Day team member Grey Linley was posted on the Iowa City High School Instagram account wearing one of the six designs sold, this one featuring a headshot of Mr. Bacon with bacon strips raining down around him.

“We were worried Mr. Bacon would be opposed to the holiday, but overall, he seems fairly positive about it,” Cunning said. “We talked to him and he was pretty ‘go get ‘em.’ He even suggested posing it to the school Senate for funding which we did not end up

Mr. Bacon Day is officially celebrated on April 23rd–the anniversary of Mr. Bacon’s first day as principal in 2010–and you can find more about the holiday on

“We‘re appreciating Mr. Bacon and all he‘s done for the school, but at the same time, we‘re just having fun with

Mira Cunning '26 poses with one of her Mr. Bacon Day designs. PHOTO BY LILY RANTANEN

“Look Past the Hurt”

Restorative Justice Coordinator Brad Kelly Helps Students Overcome Differences

TBy Tai Caputo

THE BELL RINGS, signaling the end of third period at City High. As students rush into the first-floor hallway, many recognize the familiar figure of Brad Kelly, six feet, seven inches tall, substantial in the crowd. They rush toward Kelly, surrounding him, eager to say hello and reminisce about their junior high school years.

Kelly is the one and only Restorative Justice Coordinator in the Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD). After being a Student Advisory Coordinator at South East Junior High School for years, he took on the role of

Restorative Justice Coordinator in 2021.

Kelly describes his job as requiring him to be “a person who is charged with creating spaces for community when community doesn’t want to be in community."

In a large and diverse public school, such as City High, misunderstandings and conflicts can arise. “Sometimes, when people are hurt or fear others, they don’t want to even sit down at the same lunch table because of the fear,” Kelly said. Through work with restorative circles, Kelly brings the parties together in an understanding. Restorative circles give all participants the opportunity to speak openly about their perspectives and listen to one another in order to reach a

mutual acceptance. “I’m hoping that I am a catalyst to bring different pockets of community, or different communities, together, to [help them] see their similarities, move through their differences, and look past the hurt,” Kelly said. Kelly’s vision of restoration goes beyond working through conflicts when they occur. He believes it is essential to create a strong and respectful community in order to prevent many issues from arising. He has worked to put place groups in which students work together. During his time at South East Junior High School, Kelly formed the Outreach Leadership Team, a diverse group of 7th and 8th graders dedicated to creating community, discussing diversity

Brad Kelly took on the role of Restorative Justice Coordinator in 2021. PHOTOS BY TAI CAPUTO

and inclusion programs, and welcoming incoming 6th graders into the school.

“I look at practices that the District holds valuable and true to what it means to educate all kids, and make for certain that they are allowing all kids to have the same opportunities. . . so that all kids [at City] receive that same ultimate goal of an Iowa City High School Diploma,” Kelly said.

City High Principal John Bacon said he feels privileged to know and to work with Kelly.

“I’ve learned a lot from Mr. Kelly about how to treat people," Bacon said. "I really look up to him as a role model when it comes to building positive relationships, treating people with genuine respect, seeing the best in people, believing in people, not judging people. . . . He is leading the way with helping our school district embrace restorative practices, and I think that is very important work.”

RESTORATIVE STORIES FROM THE JIM CROW SOUTH

that connection and understanding have placed in my spirit a sense of belonging to a community of people who care about the success of others.”

As a student, Kelly participated in his community through athletics and other activities. During high school, he played basketball, football, and tennis, and ran crosscountry. He was also a member of orchestra, band, and choir.

During this time, Kelly learned a great deal about the value of restoration and community from listening to his elders share stories of the Jim Crow South. “These people I speak of would be 84 to 135 years old if they were still alive,” he said. “I have been blessed to hold conversations with relatives who were born in 1885 into a society that did not want or welcome them for the value they possessed.” But despite their lives of hardship and adversity, Kelly's relatives told stories of community, support, and forgiveness. “And if my relatives [had not had] a community of restoration for each other–a community where they saw the best in each other, challenged one another, corrected one another, forgave one another, found solutions to obstacles, and offered hope when it felt hopeless–there would be no Mr. Kelly to interview," he said.

and deserve a place called community.”

In the stories of Kelly’s childhood, time and patience were required to restore community after historical injustice. For this reason, he continues some restorative circles long after open conflict or hard feelings among students have passed. He is still meeting with City High students about differences from their South East days.

“I’M HOPING THAT I AM A CATALYST TO BRING DIFFERENT POCKETS OF COMMUNITY, OR DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES, TOGETHER, TO [HELP THEM] SEE THEIR SIMILARITIES, MOVE THROUGH THEIR DIFFERENCES, AND LOOK PAST THE HURT.”

- Brad Kelly

“So my childhood and life today are based on having a restorative lens and on how I should move through this life offering restoration, community, purpose, and forgiveness to those who desire

LEARNING TO LISTEN

Liz

Degner ‘26 first met Mr. Kelly when she was in 7th grade at South East. She was a member of the Outreach Leadership Team and has participated in a number of restorative circles.

Degner praised Kelly’s ability to listen to different points of view with empathy and validate each.

“I think that’s a very important part of restorative justice circles–active listening–and he was really good at it. If somebody did something wrong, instead of being immediately like, ‘This is terrible, you’re in so much trouble,’ he helped you understand why you were feeling the way you needed to do that,” Degner said.

Degner said that she learned from Kelly to be patient and to give others the benefit of a doubt.

“You never know what somebody’s going through. So listening to everybody and not thinking about what you’re going to say next, thinking about what they’re saying in that moment,” Degner said. “I think these were very valuable lessons to learn.”

Jude Geerdes ‘24 and other students met with Kelly every week at South East to discuss problems in the school and how to fix them.