LH September '16

THE

LITTLE HAWK Iowa City, IA

Vol 74

Friday, September 30th 2016

Issue 1

thelittlehawk.com

‘66 Alumni Thomas Cech a Leader in Cancer Research

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By Victor Kalil

rom a young age, Thomas Cech had a deep passion for geology, investigating rocks, and minerals. As he went through high school, he still pursued this interest, frequently chatting with geology professors at the University of Iowa. Despite his childhood interest in science, Cech developed interests in varying subjects in college, discovering a passion for literature much like his passion for physical chemistry.

As he began research he quickly found out that traditional chemistry was not the subject he wanted to explore for the rest of his life. Cech was searching for a different lab to work in and he eventually met John Hearst, a chemistry professor at the University of California, Berkeley, studying chromosomes. “[John Hearst] was sort of bouncing off the walls with excitement about chromosomes,” Cech said. “And I didn’t know much about chromosomes but I thought, ‘Wow! This is really interesting!’”

Cech continued researching chromosomes and later set off to the University of Colorado Boulder, where he began his Nobel Prize winning research on RNA and its functions as an enzyme.

Today, Cech continues his research, investigating certain part of the structures of our DNA and RNA. Now, Cech and his lab at he University of Colorado at Boulder are researching telomeres. Telomeres are located on the ends of chromosomes, and carry important hereditary information. Over time, the telomeres get shorter and shorter, ultimately leading to mutations. These changes in chromosome size have been linked to several age-related diseases, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Additionally, tumors can grow due to the reactivation of telomerase, an enzyme that can add nucleotides and eventually lead to urothelial cancer - a common cancer that affects the urinary system.

“Tumors have to stumble on some way to reactivate this process [of cell division] so they grow continuously. Those cells that don’t find some mechanism to reactivate telomerase aren’t able to continue growing,” explains Cech. “That process is one that we would like to in-

hibit, and it would be broadly applicable to all human beings.”

Kevin Koepnick, City High Biology and AP Biology teacher, is very interested in this area of Cech’s research, and acknowledges its importance.

“We may have approached what we can do therapeutically to make quality of life last longer,” Koepnick said. “We’ve improved nutrition, we’ve improved vaccination. We’ve eliminated infectious disease to a large extent. Now we’re working on people’s heart healthiness [and] gotten rid of poisons in the air.

We’re doing pretty good there - what’s the next step? Well, [Cech’s research] is the next step.”

Ever since he started working with rocks in elementary school, Cech’s drive of curiosity has not changed. He strives to always be inquisitive, and Koepnick agrees.

“Just because we understand something to be true and correct, it doesn’t

ABOVE: Thomas Cech '66 answers students' questions in Opstad Auditorium on September 1st, 2016.

LEFT: City, West, and Regina students gather to hear Dr. Cech speak.

PHOTOS BY MOLLY LIU

mean that it is,” Koepnick said. “It means that in science, it’s our best understanding.”

Cech believes that the reason for his unquenchable thirst for new discover-

ies is his engrossment in this area of research.

“I think [genetic engineering] is exciting, and I think it continues to be exciting,” said Cech.

New Boundaries Emphasize Diversity

By Madeline Deninger and Bella Pittman

T

he appearance of the Iowa City School District is rapidly changing. With the addition of a new high school, set to open in 2017, there comes the question of who will attend the $75 million dollar school. The debate regarding school boundaries can be brought down to geography and socioeconomic diversity in schools.

ABOVE: The current elementary to high school “The geography divides us up, and that’s why everyone looks at West High as the ‘rich’ sequence for Alexander and Kirkwood Elementary.

INFOGRAPHIC BY MADELINE DENINGER school and city as the ‘ghetto’ school. Most people who don’t have as much money get Socioeconomic diversity in the case of the viewed badly as poor,” Amelia Gordon ‘17 school district is defined by the levels of stusaid. “I think they need to make more locadents in the free and reduced lunch program. tions out by West High for people who don’t In order to get students from low-income have as much.” neighborhoods to schools throughout the

district, promoting such diversity, busing accommodations will have to be made.

“Everyone performs better when there’s diversity regarding socioeconomic status. These students will be going to universities and jobs in a couple years where they’re going to be working with people of all kinds of diversities.

To not teach them life skills as far as working with people from all backgrounds would really be doing our kids a disservice,” English teacher Robin Fields said.

Two of the elementary schools at the center of the socioeconomic diversity debate are Alexander and Kirkwood as they have among the highest levels of FRL students in the district. In May 2015, the Iowa City Community School Board decided on district map 5F. 5F had students from Kirkwood being fed into North Central Junior High and Liberty High

School, while Alexander would go to Northwest Junior High and West High. Supporters of these boundaries said they aimed to try to even out the levels of FRL students among the three high schools.

“I’m in favor of the boundaries the school board passed in 2015 because what that did was recognize the importance of diversity, diversity not only based on race but also socioeconomically,” Fields said.

Board members opposed to the bill cited crowding at North Central as a concern as well as issues with transportation. This controversy led to the boundaries being back up for debate again in May 2016. A new proposal put on the table had Kirkwood students going to Northwest Junior High and West High.

Continued on A6

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NEWS September 30th, 2016 Section A

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Seniors win Youth Salute awards

The LH Feature Magazine

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By Lucy McGehee The newly established cafe is now serving up extra spanish practice and culture

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Head to Head

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Iowa’s Role in the November Election

By Sofie Lie

Iowa voters tough decisions in the upcoming congressional and presidential elections

By Danielle Tang

Series of fashionable monochromatic looks taken at Hancher and the Voxman music building.

By Jim Geerdes and Max Meyer

In the Middle: a Refugee’s Journey from Congo to Iowa

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Two students write opposing opinions on Colin Kaepernick’s recent protests during the nation anthem

By Molly Liu & Lucy McGehee

Monochrome

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Spanish Cafe Opens at City

By Molly Liu & Nova Meurice The Little Hawk

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feature

Hancher Sets the Stage

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By Addie Bass & Rasmus Lillios Schlutter The Hancher Auditorium opened Septermber 9th, usehering a new era of performing arts in Iowa City

Monochrome Series of fashionable monochromatics looks taken at Hancher and the Voxman music building.

Millennials share their reasons for choosing to distance themselves from the term ‘feminist’

page 6 Bruschetta

As a final toast to a summer gone by, we prepared an assortment of bruschette, both classic and punk, in an attempt to capture the freedom of August in an open-faced appetizer

page 12

page 14 Refugees in Iowa Aimeé Nyamadorari ‘17 and her family were forced to leave their home country, Congo, for life in a Burundian refugee camp due to a civil war

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A FEMINIST BY ANY OTHER NAME

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A Feminist By Any other Name

By Sarah Smith and Lucy Wagner

Millennials share their reasons for choosing to distance themselves from the term ‘feminist’

A Letter From Your Editors Cherished readers,

By Sofie Lie, Nova Meurice & Sarah Smith

It’s hard to believe that one year ago, we were mere web trolls isolated from the rest of the world, touched only by the light of our computer monitors. This fall, we bade farewell to our beloved former executive trifecta and were thrust into the role ourselves.

Now ruling the newslab, we’ve made some new changes. Hopefully, all of our most dedicated readers noticed our new logo and change in design. We have more changes in the works - keep an eye out for them in our next issues.

In this issue we bring you coverage of the congressional and presidential elections, a feature on City High alumni and Nobel laureate Thomas Cech, and a tour of the newly opened Hancher. Little Hawk reporters also covered the debate over the term ‘feminism’, monochromatic fashion, and a student’s experience as a refugee in the magazine.

Lucy Wagner, in addition to garnering every award possible, is now promoted to online executive editor. In her developed troll-

like guidance, the staff has posted articles and media like the monthly Tampon Tuesday drive and the Minority Report podcast.

We’d like to extend a late welcome to all of our new reporters who greatly contributed to both the website and the print edition (hang in there guys). Additionally, we’d like to give an appreciative shout out to the janitors, we’re really sorry for the late nights and weird crumbs.

With love,

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NEWS September 30th, 2016

New Bell Schedule Is Met With Mixed Reactions Developed by a community task force, the Iowa City Community School District started this school year with a new elementary and secondary schedule.

By Madeline Deninger and Madeline Pugh

City High Library: Revamped After a summer of remodeling, the City High library staff and the City High Architecture Club unveiled their collaborative redesign of the library.

By Corbin Nguyen and Anna Roemerman If you’ve been in the library this year, you’ve probably noticed it looking a bit different. Jeff Morris, one of City High’s librarians, teamed up with the City High Architecture Club to help make the library a more welcoming space for creating.

“Libraries aren’t exclusively for books anymore. They are places where people come to study and to create,” Morris said. “New spaces were added to cater more towards what students really need.”

Morris’ main focus for the remodel was to bring in more chairs and tables for seating and get rid of the empty shelves that were left after old textbooks were discarded. By moving the shelves down to the old rifle range, the library was left with more space by the north classroom.

Morris then included Architecture Club to help with the remodel and get student input.

“We came up with a ton of ideas for the layout and talked to people about what they wanted to see in the new library,” Hannah Boer ‘18, a member of Architecture Club, said. “We did research and looked through catalogs of furniture and

had meetings with the student senate and other administration members.”

Architecture Club focused on allowing natural light into the library.

“LIBRARIES AREN’T EXCLUSIVELY FOR BOOKS ANYMORE. THEY ARE PLACES WHERE PEOPLE COME TO STUDY AND CREATE.” JEFF MORRIS, CITY HIGH LIBRARIAN

They then designed the area with new whiteboard tables, a space which is mostly natural lit from the window.

The whiteboard tables were added to accommodate the larger groups that like to spend time in the library, and having these large groups behind the remaining bookshelves and towards the corner of the library further cuts down on the noise.

“It’s definitely more open and welcoming. I really like the added seating and how you can be at a larger table for bigger groups of people,” Mikayla Lacey ‘17 said.

Extra chairs were also added towards the center of the library for students to read in. Along-side these are magazine shelves moved here to be more accessible to students. Morris chose to relocate the shelves in hopes that students would be more willing to read the magazines since they are now more centrally located.

“Overall, I think students have really been liking the space. I think the library has also been quieter since the larger groups are more towards the walls rather than in the middle [of the library],” Morris said.

These changes have gotten very positive feedback from students and has shown a more practical application of the library since they are now more for work than reading.

“Now that it’s all set up, it’s great to walk through the library and see what we had all talked about last year right there,” Boer said.

The 2016-2017 school year began with students arriving to school almost an hour later than the previous year after a decision made by the school board moved the junior high and high school start time to 8:50. At the high school level, one of the biggest arguments for a later start time came from concern over teenage sleep patterns.

“At the secondary level affirmative responses have included benefits of allowing students to sleep later, better reflecting their hanging sleep patterns,” superintendent Steve Murley said via email.

Rasmus Schlutter ‘17 was involved with a task force, which included teachers, students, and other district employees, to change the bell schedule in the district. The final consensus was not made without pushback, however.

“There’s a lot of benefits [to high school starting later],” Schlutter said. “There’s a massive cultural block with the understanding of how school should be structured, and that’s what’s been particularly frustrating.”

Schlutter believes that some of the controversy surrounding the decision is due to cultural norms concerning what school should or shouldn’t be.

“It’s not difficult to see that the current education system is built to prepare people for a life of working in time constraints and a life of working in an eight to five job. So when you say ‘Maybe this isn’t the best thing’ you’re challenging so much more than just start times.

You’re challenging a way of living,” he said.

A later dismissal time has forced some extra-curricular activities such as clubs and sports to change meeting times. Having less time after school is a concern for some students, especially those with after-

school activities or commitments.

“At the secondary level concerned responses have included challenges with extra-curricular participation and the need for some families to have older children serve as caregivers for younger children after school,” Murley wrote.

Drew Damhorst ‘19, a cross country runner, says she is now getting less sleep since the new bell schedule has been implemented.

“I get to bed later because I get home from practice later and still have to do homework,” she said.

Aside from potentially allowing high school students extra time to sleep, the decision was made with the elementary schools in mind. Last year, elementary schools started at 8:45. Lucy Wagner ‘17 was also a part of the task force that pushed for later high school start times.

“The one concern [the school board] kept hearing was not from high school students but from elementary parents that have to be at their jobs at eight o’clock,” Wagner said. “If you’re in kindergarten and you don’t have any older siblings, how are you supposed to get on the bus at 8:45, or are you supposed to walk to school? It didn’t make any sense and the parents were really worried” Wagner helped to conduct polls to gather student option and spoke at school board meetings. The final consensus had elementary starting at 7:55 and ending at 2:55. The 55 minute gap between start times for elementary and secondary schools is a result of bus scheduling. A shorter gap in start times raises prices for the district dramatically.

“In terms of the options presented, this is for sure the most cost effective one,” Schlutter said.

Students Receive Youth

Salute Awards and Scholarships

By Molly Liu 300 students’ pictures were ex- arship and an invitation to Washinghibited under the flashing lights of ton University to attend the National the Englert Theatre for the annual Council on Youth Leadership. Nine Hills Bank Youth Salute ceremony finalists, who were selected through on Sunday, two rounds of in“I’VE ALWAYS REALLY LIKED terviews, September 11. were Out of the pool candidates for the HELPING PEOPLE. IT’S of Iowa high award, including school seniors, NICE TO KNOW THAT THE Nova Meurice, Lucy Wagner WORK I’M DOING ISN’T Adam Zabner, and ‘17 was one of Esme Rummelhart. two students GOING UNNOTICED AND “I knew the I’M ACTUALLY MAKING A people that also selected for the highest honor: made the second DIFFERENCE.” Outstanding interview, and Youth Leader. those people are “It was reamazing,” Wagner ally exciting,” said. “In terms of Wagner said. “It everything that was absolutely they’ve done, incredible to have that support, [es- they’re just all wonderful people.” pecially from Mr. Bacon].”

Other awards were given to six Along with the recognition, other City High students that night.

Wagner also received a $500 schol- Nova Meurice and Adam Zabner

LUCY WAGNER ‘17

Youth Salute students line up on stage after receiving their awards.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MOLLY LIU

were recognized as Outstanding Youth Leader Runner Ups, receiving $250 scholarships; Sasha Chapnick Sorokin, Molly Liu, Esme Rummelhart, and Daniel Zirtzman were given local leadership awards, receiving

$100 scholarships.

Although Wagner acknowledges her incredible experience in receiving the prestigious award, she plans to continue her work in community service.

“I’ve always really liked helping people,” Wagner said. “It’s nice to know that the work I’m doing isn’t going unnoticed and is actually making a difference. That was probably the biggest thing that I realized.”

NEWS September 30th, 2016

EpiPen Prices Soar A recent spike in cost outrages the public.

Snapchat Banned at City An uproar has followed the district’s decision to ban the popular app.

By Maya Chadwick and Lucy McGehee Over the past several years, the cost of two EpiPens in the U.S. has gone from $100 to over $600. Just in the past several months, the price has gone up $100. The price spike has outraged parents and users. Franz Stolpen ‘20, an EpiPen user with life threatening allergies, was especially affected by the shift in prices. He carries one EpiPen with him. City High has another, in case of a sudden allergic reaction.

“I found out about the price raise from my parents,” Stolpen said. “They weren’t happy about it at all.”

EpiPen is an injection containing epinephrine, a chemical that narrows blood vessels and opens airways in the lungs. EpiPens expire after a year, so they have to be bought annually.

Some allergic reactions can be so severe that two EpiPens are required to treat the reaction.

If that’s the case, two EpiPens would be required at school or work, and two to be carried with the user. For kids with such severe allergic reactions, the cost of their medication could be at least $1,200 a year. Dr. Tess Judge-Ellis is a nurse practitioner and Associate Clinical Professor at the University of Iowa College of Nursing and sees the daily challenges that come from the rising price of medications in general. “[The rising price] is such a challenge. I see my practice as a partnership with patients,” Judge-Ellis said. “This sort of situation would be a problem to solve, just as partnering with someone on the care of a medical illness such as diabetes. Working with patients to find a workable solution is part of being a health care provider. Frankly, affording medications for any illness can be a real challenge, not just for EpiPen.” Mylan, the company manufacturing the EpiPens, announced that there would be $300 co-pay cards for insured patients, as well as authorized generic versions made costing $300

A4

By Corbin Nguyen and Anna Roemerman

for a pack of two.

Franz’s father David Stoltz had an EpiPen in the past but no longer carries one. He said that when he did carry one, he paid less than $10 for an EpiPen. “Regardless of whether or not the co-pay changes, the overall cost is being absorbed by society,” Stoltz said.

Over the past decade, the price of the EpiPen has raised 500 percent. In 2004, the EpiPens were priced at just $50, but over the years Mylan has been raising the price considerably. Since 2009, the cost of EpiPens has raised over $500. Mylan has had the freedom to do so due to the lack of a generic version.

“I was shocked that there was such a large increase in price,” said Stoltz. “I was also outraged to read that over the past 5 years among U.S drug and biotechnology companies, Mylan’s executives had the second-highest compensation yet they have a much smaller market compared to other companies.”

A single EpiPen injects one dose of epinephrine costing just $1, but Mylan’s marketing

technique, which utilized fear of child allergies, increased the demand for EpiPens, resulting in a price increase. Some parents have even been resorting to buying syringes filled with epinephrine from their doctors. Although this option can save parents over $1,000, it can pose numerous dangers. The risk for error increases if medically inexperienced customers try to administer the drug with the syringe. The syringe needle could become contaminated easily, or the epinephrine could be accidentally injected intravenously. The EpiPen’s auto-injector syringe is filled with a pre-measured amount of epinephrine, and can be administered within seconds - seconds that can determine whether or not the patient survives.

“Almost anyone can use an EpiPen, and in the heat of the moment, it doesn’t require much thinking beyond the decision to use it,” JudgeEllis said. “Plus, most allergic reactions do not happen close to the hospital, and because of the fast nature of this type of allergic reaction, quick action is required.”

Class Sizes Rise

City High classrooms are aiming for a higher productivity level compared to previous years. With the start of this new school year, many things have been changed, some for the better and some for the worst. Students were surprised to see that the widely used app “Snapchat” was blocked on the school internet and only the website is accessible, in order to cut back on the use of cellphones in class. The reaction from students came in almost completely negative.

“I don’t see a point to having Snapchat blocked,” Mikayla Lacey ‘17 said. “People are just going to use their data or download a VPN to get around it.”

Annoyed at the new block, students searched for ways around the problem. Soon students learned of VPNs, which stands for Virtual Private Network. They allow for the

“MORE KIDS ARE ATTENTIVE, MORE KIDS PUT [THEIR PHONES] AWAY AND KEEP THEM AWAY.” JOHN BURKLE

By Lucy McGehee Teachers carrying cumbersome desks through the hallway became a common sight the first week of school. Spanish 3 honors and Spanish 4 teacher Dolores Silva has faced the effects of the growing City High population full on. Her largest class has 37 students.

“I think the challenge is that some kids are struggling already in the environment, and sometimes there’s a huge contrast in ability,” Silva said. “So when half of the kids get a concept rather quickly and are trying to move on while students are struggling, it’s hard to give those kids one on one time.”

Silva has never taught a class of this size before. The level of Spanish adds is an additional factor in the challenges that she faces in terms of class sizes.

“In the lower levels there tends to be more classroom management stress,” Silva said. “In the upper levels it’s more of getting the information in, and also just the workload, because we do assess more in depth and there is more writing, and the tests are longer.”

City High’s student population raised 4.3% from the 2014-15 school year to 2015-2016 school year, and it’s at the highest it has ever been this year: approximately 1,740 students.

This leaves guidance counselors with a tetris grid of classes and students.

“We have more students and the same amount of space. There are only so many classes available to take. As always, the master schedule always depends on flukes,” guidance counselor Ben Fraga said. “Sometimes students get the classes that they choose, and some classes always just end up bigger than others. We have disparities in different periods of the day and those classes are messing up the master schedule. Some years it works out a little differently than others. The

combination of different factors like that affect the size of classes.”

The Center for Public Education issued numerous studies that focused on the effect of large class sizes in school districts across the country in the early 2000’s and came to an “inconclusive analysis” that it put any student’s learning in jeopardy.With that being said, they did acknowledge that many variables, such as qualifications of teachers, could skew the results of the studies. They did conclude, however, that kindergarten through third grade is a crucial time to have a small teacher to student ratio, given that in this time period students are learning vital skills such as writing and reading.

The cost for a smaller student to teacher ratio would lie in the salaries of new teachers needed to create the smaller classes. Shannon James ‘17 is currently taking the popular elective Bible as Literature. The class of approximately 37 students could not fit into Mrs. Borger-Germann’s room, so a necessary change of scenery to the Little Theater was made to accommodate the size of the class.

“It was weird [going to class in the Little Theater] at first, but now I sort of like it just because I think we’re all used to it,” James said.

James also appreciates the many accessible perspectives that develop into fruitful class conversations.

“Being in a big class like Bible as Lit is really helpful in situations where we have large group discussions,” James said. “There never really seems to be a time when there is nobody participating, and I feel like we get a lot accomplished that way.”

The addition of advisory has helped students that need or desire the one-on-one interactions with teachers. However, Silva has

observed that the effect of large classes have seeped through to this free time as well.

“Advisory can help, but I think that that’s not the only class with a lot of kids so they have a lot of the same problems in other classes [of not being heard],” Silva said. “The other thing too is that my advisory class is a large class. That was the other fear; if I need to help them here plus having others [come in for help].”

James sees advisory as an opportunity to make up for the lack of one-to-one teaching in larger classes.

“I know I’ve had some problems [in large classes], but advisory really helps to ease a lot of that now,” James said.

To make up for the lost one-on-one time, Silva has adjusted her teaching plan so it can cater to the top students of the class as well as the ones struggling. She makes supplemental worksheets and materials as well.

“One time they couldn’t hear me because they were so engaged in the assignment and activity that they didn’t realize that I was talking,” Silva said. “There are changes in the big group setting and types of activities, and I am be able to change some of the pacing.”

Each subject also tends to have its own specific challenges for both for students and teachers, but the general struggle of managing the large class is the same from room to room, and subject to subject.

“I think subject wise languages are their own beasts, because we teach different content and then we teach language skills also,” Silva said. “I think that the dynamic is a little bit different, but I think the challenges that we face as teachers compared with other classes are the same.”

use of the Internet as if you were present at the VPN’s location, which has some benefits if you’re using public Wi-Fi or want to access geo-blocked websites. Some students didn’t even bother to get a VPN, because they didn’t want to pay money for the VPN, or simply used their data to use Snapchat instead of using the school wifi.

“I don’t want to use my data at school, so I usually don’t even use Snapchat when I’m at school, plus with the new phone policy, I put my phone away during class and use it during my opens,” Fischer Kimm ‘17 said.

Though the block proved to be semi effective because of the students that didn’t want to use their data or the VPNs trials ended, A new policy followed with the block, phones were to be stowed away during class time, unless told otherwise. This new policy so far this year has been shown rather effective, and according to City High teacher John Burkle, it has so far shown improvement compared to previous years.

“In the past, phones have been a big problem. You get kids who are on them all the time, and the communication can be a problem, taking pictures of assignments and sharing them, and just the integrity of your class can come into question,” Burkle said.

With the combination of Snapchat being blocked and the new phone policy occurring this year, it is apparent that cell phone usage is being cracked down on in classrooms.

“More kids are attentive, more kids put them away and keep them away,” Burkle said.

NEWS September 30th, 2016

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NEWS September 30th, 2016

Spanish Café Opens at City

Tuesday lunches in room 1114 are serving up Spanish practice and culture

ABOVE: Native Spanish speakers Estephanie Garcia-Rojas ‘17 and Beatriz Germartino ‘17 converse with Biology teacher Tina Koepnick

By Lucy McGehee What started simply as hot sauce stored in a drawer in Success Center teacher Ann Schaefer’s drawer has grown to an entire lunch period of Spanish emersion.

“Last year, students approached me wanting a place to call their own,” Schaefer said. “I already had the hot sauce so more and more students starting coming in to hang out.”

The Spanish Café takes place during all lunches on Tuesdays in Schaefer’s room, 1114.

Students and faculty can sit down at desks arranged into groups of four, complete with “Valentina” hot sauce and flashcards with conversation starters. Beatriz Gemartino ‘17 routinely eats lunch in Schaefer’s room, and also is a native Spanish speaker.

“I have to practice my spanish too, so this is a good opportunity. I actually met knew people, so it’s a good way to meet new friends as well,” Gemartino said. “We’re helping the non-native speakers, and they’re helping us too.”

Sadie Hobbs ‘17 also eats lunch frequently in Schaefer’s room and has participated in the past two Spanish Cafés.

“I think it’s a really good idea because it brings us together. It’s a way to practice Spanish and get to know other Spanish speakers,” Hobbs said. “You can learn about other people’s cultures that got to City High that speak Spanish at home. It’s a really good thing to participate in.”

Although the café on the outside seems to be a workshop for those still learning Spanish, it also has many advantages to fluent speakers.

“[The native speakers] will be able to share their strengths with others. They will be able to connect with community numbers to see where those skills have taken them,” Schaefer said. “Hopefully they’ll be able to have more ideas of what they can do with their language skills in their future and at the same time feel like they are the ones in the classroom that feel like leaders, and are in charge of the whole environment.

Teachers with the desire to learn Spanish or already know it also make an appearance during the lunch hour to conversate with students.

“So many of the teachers have skills that students don’t know,” Schaefer said. “The other students can see their teachers use their skills and even learn or understand that they’re learning too. It gives them that want and drive to want to learn too.”

Along with faculty, Schaefer plans on bringing in bilingual community leaders.

“The ultimate goal is to get students to feel honored and respected that they are bilingual, and to see where their use of strengths can get them in the future,” Schaefer said. “That’s why bringing in community members, that use their language and are part of businesses promotes diversity, while teaching is used to help them feel comfortable and proud that they have that skill.”

The Café allows students to incorporate the practice of Spanish in a the familiar lunch setting. Cyan Vanderhoef ‘17 is a student in AP Spanish IV/V and acknowledges the benefits of the immersive environment.

“I think it’s good to normalize spanish conversation. We never really go out of our way to do it,” Vanderhoef said. “It forces us into a situ-

ation that we’re not used to but eventually it’ll become normal for us and will help us improve our skills outside of the classroom.”

Spanish 2 Honors and AP Spanish IV/V teacher Danielle Eivins worked with Schaefer with the creation of the Café.

“I like it a lot. I met new students and they were very nice,” Eivins said in Spanish. “I like it because it is not like a class; it is calmer. We do need more people, though.”

Food ultimately binds both cultures together over the lunch hour. Mexican flavor twists like the “Valentina” hot sauce and “Tajin” seasoning reside on tables for the optional flavor adventure. The “Tajin” seasoning is traditionally put on fruit for a salty and sweet sensation, and the hot sauce is put on anything edible.

Estephanie Garcia-Rojas ‘17 was one of the first students to make use of the original hot sauce drawer that led to the all lunch period affair.

“Valentina” is my life. I can’t eat without it.

It is delicious,” Garcia-Rojas said. “There’s a whole bunch of food that [non-native speakers] would love.”

Hispanic culture is taught in many different forms in Spanish classes. Textbooks, worksheets, and videos among others are used to engage the students in the vivacious life styles of other Spanish speaking countries. However, much of that culture is just a few steps outside of the classroom door.

“I think what’s different here rather than in Spanish class, where they teach you some of the culture and stuff about Mexico, is here you get to see it and hear it, and see how an individual is,” Gemartino said. “Like Estephanie said, she puts hot sauce on everything. It’s those little things.”

New Cell Phone Locker System Begins at City

By Maya Chadwick The soft glow illuminating faces, students with their heads down, and a constant buzzing of cell phones used to be things commonly found in a City High classroom, but this year a new policy of cell phone lockers or “jails” in the main office hopes to curb the problem.

Staff, such as Secretary Ms. Renée Tonning, believe the new policy will benefit the students and their learning.

“I think it is a positive change,” said Tonning.

“Especially because all teachers are on the same page as far as what the expectations are. Now phones are secured in one place and students have the opportunity to hold a key [to the phone cabinet] if they want.”

At the beginning of class students are reminded to secure their phones, at which time students should turn them off and put them

into a backpack or pocket. If a student has their phone out during class, they’ll be reminded to put it away. If they don’t put it away, a hall monitor is called to come get the phone and take it to be locked into a cabinet in Mr. Wilcox’s office.

“Consistency in the rules or procedures is always nice,” said Tonning. “I also think that students need to learn when it is appropriate to use their phones and when it is not, just as they will be expected to out in the ‘real world.’”

Students have different point of views on the subject. Cameron Hornbeck ‘20, a student at City High, has not seen a difference in cell phone usage this year.

“The cell phone jail didn’t really affect me, I usually don’t use my phone in class.” Hornbeck said. “I haven’t really noticed a change in cell phone use. I’ve still seen several people using their phones during class.”

Although cell phones are used widely by teens, a number of studies have shown that cell phones can interfere with learning. Tonning says that she’s even witnessed students get anxiety from their phones being taken away.

“I think for some students [cell phones] are a big problem. Almost every time I am out walking in the halls, I have to dodge back and forth to avoid students who are walking around with their heads down, paying no attention to what’s happening around them,” said Tonning.

“I also have experienced students practically having a breakdown when their phones are taken from them – peak anxiety levels reached.

I hesitate to use the ‘back in my day’ card, but I think a lot of people could benefit from putting their phones down every once in awhile, and communicating with the people that are right in front of us.”

Redistricting Continued from A1 The school board voted in favor of this new proposal. Following the decision, Tom Yates, who voted in favor of the revised map, stepped down. The board announced no further discussion regarding boundaries would be made until the seat was filled.

Over the summer, the school board opted to hold a special election to fill the vacant seat. Paul Roesler, a community outreach leader at Scheels, was elected in July 2016. According to Roesler, diversity must be kept in mind when considering boundaries.

“I think it’s really important that we’re getting kids to experience other kids that aren’t like them,” he said.

On September 13th, the board voted on a secondary boundary plan that closely resembles the plan set forth in 2015 with Kirkwood going to North Central and Liberty and Alexander going to Northwest and West. Several community members spoke in favor of voluntary transfer to high schools at the meeting. A vote to allow voluntary transfer for Kirkwood students to West and Alexander students to City failed with a vote of 3-3 with one abstention.

“I am definitely in favor of diverse schools in our district,” Roesler said before the vote. “I think our schools should be reflective of the real world.

According to Roesler, having students of different economic backgrounds in a classroom challenges stereotypes they might have about one another.

“We have a lot of people from our schools that have came from Africa in the past few years. Even if we get students from around Florida to come up here it’s interesting learning what their lives are like. We have like every race at our school, which I honestly appreciate or else I wouldn’t understand certain things the way I do,” Gordon said. at Welcome!, believes the only issue of the club stems from the language barrier.

“I speak English and Spanish, and a lot of the [members of Welcome!] speak French,” Dodge said. “Communication can be difficult, but we make it work.”

The club is almost completely run by high school students, an aspect that connects the City High students with different generations as well as different cultures.

“I just really love being around all the immigrants that are really trying to learn English and being around all the volunteers in high school who are willing to do this,” James-Lejarcegui said. “I think it’s really cool seeing a bunch of teenagers getting involved with adults that don’t speak their language. That doesn’t normally happen.”

A7

NEWS September 30th, 2016 SAMEER ALI

ADDIE BASS

“Been a baddie since day one.”

ESTIE DILLARD

“Scrive for essellence.” -Gucci Mane

MIKAYLA LACEY “Cowabunga dudes.”

MOLLY LIU

“Molly Liu is dangerous.”

-Jim McMillan

LUCY MCGEHEE “Meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow.

MEOW!”

ESME RUMMELHART “I love cats. Almost as much as Lucy McGehee.”

LUCY WAGNER “Another day, another slay.”

C O U R T 2016

“I like the thought of walruses in theory, however, I feel that the execution is lacking.”

ISAAC BUATTI

“Fishing is the only way I want it for the day I can go back and then go to sleep.”

MATT DODGE “The boy who runs.”

JIM MCMILLAN “TRIGGERED!”

COLE NICHOLSON “Follow my intermix.”

NYSIO POULAKOS “Put. The Fork. Down.”

RASMUS SCHLUTTER “Sameer Ali is a natural-born citizen.”

A8

NEWS September 30th, 2016

Iowa’s Role in No

Iowans of the second congressional district will see tw vember: Senator Chuck Grassley and Congressman D ever, is the presidential race,

By So

I

n the four day GOTV (get out the vote) period leading up to the November 8th election, Riley Lewers ‘16 will prioritize work over sleep and school. Lewers’ objective during these days will be to push her preferred presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, and the Democrats further down the ballot, towards victory in Iowa.

“I’m trying to get more involved,” Lewers said. “I see getting more involved, rather than dissociating yourself, as a better way to fix the issues in our country right now.”

Lewers first started working for the Hillary Clinton campaign last fall, prior to the Iowa caucuses.

Then, the work was informal; Lewers would stop by the office when she could to make phone calls or go door-to-door, and gage the level of interest of potential voters. This summer, she upped her commitment by assuming the role of volunteer organizer for NextGen Climate, a nonpartisan political organization that works to elect politicians with clean energy policies. Now, Lewers has yet again assumed a different role: she is a fellow for the Johnson County Democrats, and is held accountable for reaching quantified goals and working around 15 hours per week.

“I really care about elections,” Lewers said. “In the current climate, a lot of people feel alienated from the political establishment and from politics in general. I get a lot of people who tell me that they don’t like politics, and they don’t care about politics, and that’s really not me; I really care.”

On November 8th, two incumbent Congress members from Iowa will go up for reelection: Senator Chuck Grassley and Congressman Dave Loebsack of Iowa’s second district. The focus, however, is on the continually-shifting race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, according to Lewers.

“When I’m clipboarding and making phone calls, it’s more about Hillary. I think part of the thinking is presidential coattails, so if we can get Hillary elected then the chances of taking back the Senate are better,” she said. “However, I do actually think we could do more with [the Senate and Congressional races] as a campaign.”

Lewers also explains that, poll-wise, the presidential election is the closest right now, which, for her, merits more support for Hillary over other Democratic candidates.

“The [senatorial] race isn’t as close as we would want,” Lewers said. “I think right now while the presidential race is so tight in Iowa, that’s our bigger focus.”

While Lewers is not paid for her work, she isn’t tempted by more lucrative jobs, at least until before the election winds down.

“I think that this election especially is really important,” Lewers said. “I really don’t like Trump, and it’s really scary, because if Trump wins, that means that we’re going to have a Republican control of Congress, and he’ll be able to pick that crucial Supreme Court seat, so there really won’t be a check on what Congress can do and what Trump can do, and that’s really scary, to have four years of that.”

But her work does not come easily. Lewers often encounters hostility and political dissociation firsthand when she is clipboarding--standing in a public area to engage voters by asking that they commit to vote for a certain candidate--around the University of Iowa campus.

“It can be a really demoralizing job because a lot of people don’t like Hillary Clinton,” Lewers said. “Right now, things are really polarized and a lot of people don’t want to talk to you and they

don’t want to be stopped on the st lives and they walk fast; they don’ to music; but you have to go up to person you approach is one more someone to say yes to you, and th But Lewers can’t waver. She mu order to meet the weekly goals set campaign.

“Basically, your instinct is to cur bu sai In ver rac tha avi ov un “W al lim tha all Le G agr gap sen presidential race, and vote downw However, he asserts that this is th incumbent Grassley has been in w “[Grassley] is not as popular as h Burkle said.

Recent polling supports this not of several polls gives Grassley an 1 pared to his ultimate 30 point edg over opponent Roxanne Conlin in 2010. Despite this, Grassley is sti expected to win the reelection.

In the weeks leading to the election, Judge describes her strategy as aiming to energize prospective young voters. In order to do this, she is focusing on issues close to home in regards to first-time voters.

“I’ve been talking a lot about education and about the high cos of a college education, and I really believe that we need to find some ways to make certain that future college graduates don’t take on the high debt that recent graduates have had to take on, because it makes it very difficult for them to enter the workforce,” Judge said during a visit to Iowa City on September 24th.

Judge advocates for the type of grassroots efforts that Lewers, and other young voters, are involved in.

“I think it’s critically important the political process],” Judge said. high school get involved and und state and nationally.”

However, even Lewers, a fellow

“I SEE GETTING MORE INVOLVED, RATHER THAN DISSOCIATING YOURSELF, AS A BETTER WAY TO FIX THE ISSUES IN OUR COUNTRY RIGHT NOW.” RILEY LEWERS ‘16

ABOVE: Riley Lewers ‘16 clipboards in the pedmall on September 19th. Her pins signify the political organizations she has campaigned for in the past. BELOW: CNN Legal Analyst and New Yorker Columnist Jeffrey Toobin signs copies of his novel American Heiress on September 15th after his lecture concerning the history and current role of the Supreme Court in American politics. PHOTOS BY SOFIE LIE

A9

NEWS September 30th, 2016

vember Election

wo of its Congress members up for reelection this NoDave Loebsack. In the foreground of the election, howwhich is continually shifting.

ofie Lie

treet. They are going about their n’t look friendly; they’re listening o them anyways because every e chance that you’re going to get hat’s really important.” ust go against her instinct in t by strategists higher-up in the

rl up and not approach people, ut you can’t act like that,” Lewers id. n campaigning, Lewers’ work is ry calculated. She described the ce as one against time, and, rather an spending time trying to win id Trump or Grassley supporters ver, she focuses on those who are ndecided.

We only have so much time, and limited amount of fellows and a mited amount of money and time at we can dedicate to it, so we rely have to put it where it counts,” ewers said.

Government Teacher John Burkle rees that, given the the larger p in the senatorial race, it makes nse for the public to focus on the ward on the ballot accordingly. he closest that any opponent of winning the election. he was in 2010 when he last ran,”

tion. A RealClearPolitics average 11 point edge over Judge, comge n ill

-

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st y e

n

d

about the state of the grassroots campaigns for the Senatorial election.

“I do actually think we could do more with [the Senate and Congressional races] as a campaign,” she said.

Ultimately, though, Burkle contends that having an edge in the Senate race is dependent upon which presidential candidate has the most support at the time of the election because of down-ballot voting, meaning one votes entirely for one party on a single ballot.

A recent FiveThirtyEight poll gives presidential candidates Clinton and Trump a 35 and 65 percent chance, respectively, of winning Iowa’s six electoral votes. However, this poll has shown dramatic shifts in a matter of days. In early September, the polling numbers were virtually switched, giving Clinton the upper hand. Now, the numbers are in Trump’s favor.

“You can track down-ballot voting by whoever’s leading the presidential race, so that gives Grassley a bit of an edge [right now],” Burkle said.

One aspect of the Senate election that is vastly different from Grassley’s previous runs is his current role, as the head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, in blocking the Supreme Court nomination to fill the empty seat left by Justice Scalia. However, Burkle doesn’t think this will be a defining aspect of the election.

“I don’t think it’s going to cause anything to happen because there are just as many Republicans on his side as Democrats who think that it’s wrong,” Burkle said. “I think more people are upset outside of the state, but he doesn’t have to worry about them because they’re not voting for him.”

This issue is one that Jeffrey Toobin, a CNN Legal Analyst and New Yorker Columnist, knows a lot about.

“The question was, will the voters rise up out of outrage about [Grassley’s blocking of the Supreme Court nominee]?” Toobin asked in his hour-long Levitt Lecture at the University of Iowa Law School on September 15th. “I think the answer to that is clearly no.”

In his lecture, Toobin compared the Supreme Court to the state of Iowa, given both of their swinging natures (the Supreme Court being at an ideological divide after the death of the ninth, and tie-breaking judge, and Iowa as a whole tending to swing ideologically from left to right). Although Toobin acknowledges the leverage that Judge has in pointing out Grassley’s blocking, he thinks that she could’ve done more with it.

“Judge has not used this issue effectively,” Toobin said. “The people who care a lot about the Supreme Court are already strong partisans of one party or another. The people that elections are aimed at are the swing voters that don’t take much care about it.”

However, ultimately, Toobin believes that the Supreme Court vacancy will not be filled until the next president is elected.

“We can talk about the future of the Supreme Court, but when it comes down to it, there is only one thing that matters in determining what the future of the Supreme Court is, and that is who wins the presidential elections,” Toobin said. “That’s it; that’s the only thing that matters. The justices will follow in line with the results.”

“WE CAN TALK ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE SUPREME COURT, BUT WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO IT, THERE IS ONLY ONE THING THAT MATTERS IN DETERMINING WHAT THE FUTURE OF THE SUPREME COURT IS, AND THAT IS WHO WINS THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS.” JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST

[that younger people are part of . “It’s important that people in derstand what’s going on--in the for the Democrats, is skeptical

ABOVE: Patty Judge speaks with a supporter at an event in Iowa City on September 24th. BELOW: After filling out commit-to-vote cards, supporters of Hillary Clinton converse with Riley Lewers. PHOTOS BY SOFIE LIE

OPINION

A10

September 30th, 2016

staff editorial:

Our Cellphones, our Cells

LH Executive Editors

nova meurice, sofie lie & sarah smith

News Editors

lucy mcgehee & molly liu

Opinions Editor maya durham

Sports Editors

jim geerdes & jonathan house

Photos Editor miles morrow

A&E Editors

rasmus schlutter & addie bass

Copy Editor

madeline deninger

Online Editor lucy wagner

Media Editors brady vanlo & estie dillard

Staff

emi bergman-corbet, mina takahashi, maia janssen, zoë miller, lottie gidal, addy smith, noah mueller, courtney hoang, stephanie betinez, olivia lusala, sam naylor, michael minietti, maureen fesenmeyer, lizzi ayers, eden knoop, greg jones, corbin nguyen, callie danielson, patrick mcmillan, antonio lopez, sameer ali, theo prineas, madeline pugh, a.j. boulund, victor kalil, phinny brady

mission statement

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

Equity Statements

It is the policy of the Iowa City Community School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability, or socioeconomic status in its educational programs, activities, or employment practices.

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

As reported by Little Hawk Reporter Maya Chadwick, City High has started the new “secure your phone” system. This policy was created over the summer in response to overwhelming cellphone use during classes. Students will be reminded at the beginning of every class to “secure their phones,” and will receive one warning if they don’t — after that reminder, a hall monitor will be called, and they will lock the cell phone in the new cell phone lockers.

The Little Hawk staff is split on this issue, with eight votes for the policy and eight against. Proponents of the policy believe that cellphone use in class is not only distracting for the students on the phone, but it disturbs other students as well.

“I think our generation is facing an addiction to these technologies, and I think it’s largely disruptive to always have a distraction at your fingertips,” says Nova Meurice ‘17. “I don’t think there should be such an uproar about not using cellphones in school.”

Many people agree with Meurice — cellphones are a huge distraction in the classroom. In fact, according

Should cell phone USE be banned in schoolS?

yes: 8 to a 2015 study at Harvard University, “92% of [students] use their phones to send text messages during class.” That same study stated that students who were sitting near a classmate that was texting or multitasking scored worse on assignments and exams than those who weren’t distracted by a peer.

In addition to limiting distractions, banning or regulating cell phone use can improve academic performance, particularly among at-risk students. In an article by TIME Magazine, it was found that “exam scores climbed by as much as 6% in schools that imposed strict

NO: 8 bans on cell phones.” In the article, it was stated that there was little to no difference noticed in high scoring students, but there was significant gain among “underachieving and disadvantaged students.”

On the other hand, some Little Hawk staff members believe that cellphones aid them in the classroom. A number of teachers have started teaching their classes through technology — either through Google Classroom or other educational apps or tools — and the English department at City High has one-to-one Chromebooks in every classroom.

Madeline Deninger ‘17 says that

she doesn’t see the advantage of banning cellphones in class.

“There are a lot of things you can do with phones,” Deninger says. “[They’re] a really good resource.

There’s so much information you have in your hand, and you can use that to do productive things.”

Using technology in classrooms, or “blended learning,” has many benefits — it can make seemingly boring lessons more interactive, with videos or games, make students more excited for learning, and, according to the National Science and Math Initiative, it prepares “both students and teachers for the 21st century.”

Over all, City’s policy is pretty effective — it limits cell phone use without banning them completely, doesn’t immediately punish students for using their phones, and provides a safe and secure place for cell phones by holding them in a “cell phone locker.” Although other districts have taken much harsher measures, ours creates a neutral way to curb distractions and enhance the learning environment.

ART BY A.J. BOULUND

A11

OPINION September 30th, 2016

Head to Head colin kaepernick

By Jim Geerdes It is all over the news. It has never been done before. A professional football player showing freedom of expression? Absurd.

Colin Kaepernick has changed the game - or at least the pregame. His refusal to rise for the National Anthem the discrimination against people of color, specifically black people of color, in the United States has sparked an outrage.

In the third week of the National Football League preseason, Colin Kaepernick decided to stand up, or sit down, against discrimination. Is freedom of expression wrong? Many are saying his act disrespects the military but the servicemen and women fight to maintain the freedoms that Kaepernick is exemplifying. His refusal is purely motivated by the discrimination in our country.

“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick said in a press release this August.

Most professional athletes have stood on the political sideline until recently. Inspired by the increasing number of hate crimes and Kaepernick’s bravery, many public figures are finally starting to stand up against racial discrimination. Professional basketball players Steph Curry, Lebron James, and Carmelo Anthony have all worn “Black Lives Matter” shirts during pregame warmups.

The entire Seahawks football team, following Kaepernick’s example, locked arms during the National Anthem to show unity against the oppression.

Kaepernick has distinguished himself by directly protesting the National Anthem.

His act has started a new conversation.

The millions of Americans who tune into the National Football League every weekend are seeing more than just football. They are seeing men stand up for what they believe in. They are standing up for what is right.

I admire the men and women who have the courage to risk their lives overseas to protect the freedoms we have in the United States. Opposers of Kaepernick’s stance say he tarnishes what the military stands for and that he does not show pride in his country. People have the right to believe whatever they think, but Kaepernick is only exercising his freedom in order to spread awareness and protest the real racial discrimination happening at home.

Racial discrimination is very real in the United States. There is no argument there. If racism had been eradicated there would not be so many unarmed African Americans being shot by police officers. Names like Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and Walter Scott would all be unrecognizable.

And it does not end there. Even the justice system is flawed. These racist acts are going unpunished because “unbiased” prosecutors are seeing police officers needlessly defend themselves against the unarmed. If racism was non-existent, there would not be so many police officers exonerated for these killings.

If the justice system acted in a fair and balanced way, Colin Kaepernick would not be kneeling during the anthem. But, sadly, time and time again the racist perpetrators receive no criminal sentence. Prosecutors routinely rule against the minority victim.

So many people are in denial of these racists actions because, quite frankly, we were all promised it was getting better. Slavery turned into Jim Crow laws. Then came “separate but equal,” followed by integration. Granted, each phase had their many hardships, they all led to better circumstances. Our generation was always told we would be better than the last, but sadly, that doesn’t ring true. Kaepernick sees the direction this country is heading and has made the decision to do something about it.

Professional figures are in the prime position to spread awareness of this discrimination. Social media has exploded as a result of Kaepernick’s protest. News outlets have followed his story since his first kneeling in August. Kaepernick is giving a voice to the voiceless. His $19 million a year contract hardly permits him to say he is oppressed, yet he still stands up for the people who are.

“This stand wasn’t for me. This stand wasn’t because I feel like I’m being put down in any kind of way,” Kaepernick said in a press conference on August 28th. “This is because I’m seeing things happen to people that don’t have a voice, people that don’t have a platform to talk and have their voices heard, and effect change.”

Kaepernick is taking a risk. As a diminishing player in a demanding league, he could easily be dropped from the 49ers organization. But with great risk comes great reward. Instead of going down in the history books as a slightly above average quarterback, he will be known as the man who changed football. By kneeling silently, Kaepernick is using his platform to create a conversation, to create something bigger than just football.

ART AND PHOTOS BY MAYA DURHAM

By Max Meyer I fully support and respect Colin Kaepernick’s right to sit during the national anthem. I would die to maintain the rights that I believe are so crucial to the survival of a free society such as ours. His right to stand up, or sit down, in this case, for what he believes in is his constitutional right. What Kaepernick doesn’t seem to appreciate is that thousands of people, black and white, have died so that he can speak his mind.

This is a man being paid 19 million dollars a year to throw a ball, and he uses his pedestal of privilege to trounce upon the very country that allows him to live his lavish lifestyle. If I thought that his behavior and lifestyle were even remotely in line with what he says are his values, I would take him seriously. This is not the case. He is so unserious and one sided that he has even worn socks depicting pigs in police uniforms.

The national anthem is a time when we all put away our differences and come together in a gesture of mutual respect. We respect the players, respect the fans, and thank the people who have paid with their life so that we can live in freedom, so that we have the liberty to play a good game of football. Kaepernick’s actions are nothing less than divisive. Personally, I’ve had enough divisiveness during 2016 and this election for a lifetime.

Many people have correctly said that Kaepernick’s protest has started a national conversation, though I question whether the character of this conversation is actually conducive to progress on the issues about which he claims to care. People simply don’t listen to one another these days. Social media as a platform for discussion is nothing short of catastrophic. People seldom engage with people of the opposing opinion; one says only what one can squeeze into 140 characters. If Kaepernick wants to use his platform to start a coherent exchange of ideas, excellent. He has not made even a slight attempt to do this. What he has said lacks substance; it’s nothing more than a string of broad and nonspecific talking points from a very rich man. Sounds like someone we all know…

In MLK’s famous Letter from Birmingham Jail, he asserts that the “white moderate” is the biggest hurdle in the Civil Rights movement; in other words, people who say “I agree with what you are saying, just not with how you are saying it.” Respecting this theory, I offer my thoughts on what Kaepernick purports to be saying: He said, at a press conference, “I will not stand to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people.”

He later clarifies that he is referring to police brutality.

According to the Washington Post, shootings involving a white officer and an an unarmed black male- the combination that has sparked so much controversy- made up 4% of all fatal police shootings in 2015. We hear a lot about these incidents, and they can be cases of clear injustice and potentially racism, like the South Carolina shooting of Walter Scott. That officer was clearly not just in his actions and has been indicted on a murder charge.

There is no doubt still injustice for black Americans in this country. Our prison system and failed war on drugs disproportionately affect blacks, and this is where a national effort is needed. More black Americans have been murdered in Chicago alone during 2016 than were killed by police all of last year. I understand that it is dangerous to compare this type of crime; the shooting of a black man by a white police officer carries a powerful historical connotation, and a visceral response is completely warranted.

But here is what I see: Black Lives Matter activists shame what they see as ignorance of a large systemic problem by many people and then turn a blind eye themselves to other types of violence that are negatively affecting the black community. Don’t the solutions to these problems go hand in hand? There is no doubt a long and strained relationship between the black community and the police. In identifying the reasons for mistrust on both sides of this historical relationship, can’t we begin to move forward in correcting police related culture?

Individuals, black and white, have biases; I contend that it is lack of open communication about these biases that creates tension. This raises the question of why there is such a communication gap. Unfortunately, most of the discussion as yet has taken place on the street with fists, riot shields, and voices raised. While there are obviously exceptions to this, our media doesn’t exactly report on “community dialogues.” They would rather cover rioting and teargas.

The police need to be the hosts of real conversation and reach out to their constituents; in turn, constituents needs to reach back. The Citizen’s Police Academy in Iowa City is a great example of the basis for an effective mutual discussion about community policing needs going forward.

Local conversations are and will always be far more effective than a national shouting contest. You cannot compare New York City and Iowa City. This is the problem with taking this discussion to a national level, like Kaepernick’s national TV protest has done. If Kaepernick is serious whatsoever, he should become a local advocate. He could easily start by aligning himself with the SFPD and setting an example of how police-community interaction should work. Should he want to speak out nationally, how about he calls out the prison system? The war on drugs?

While I happen to disagree with Kaepernick’s medium of protest, what troubles me more is his actions’ lack of efficacy. His apparent fix to a divisive issue is dividing us up along the one thing that we share: our country. So can we please stop talking about him and actually get down to business while he sits around and whines?

“If you want a symbolic gesture, don’t burn the flag; wash it.” - Norman Thomas

A12

OPINION September 30th, 2016

Why I Don’t Walk Alone

by GENEVIEVE WISDOM

I check out in the grocery store at 10:30 at night (I felt like a late night ice cream binge) feeling completely at ease.

That is, until I take a step outside. That’s when I realize my situation- a young woman, outside, alone, late at night. It’s not long before I’m clutching my keys like a weapon and jogging to my car.

This may seem like an overreaction; we live in a safe town and there are lots of people just inside the store. But in a world where one out of every six women are victims of rape, I’m not going to take any chances.

Recently it was announced that Brock Turner, the infamous “Stanford Rapist,” would be released from jail three months early, serving only half of his original sentence. The original sentence was controversial enough, seeing as he was charged with three felony convictions for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman and was only sentenced to six months in jail with probation. The prosecution was initially asking for a six year sentence, but Turner’s father asked Judge Aaron Persky to have mercy, since Turner hadn’t been a trouble maker before this, and said it was just twenty minutes of bad judgement out of his twenty year life.

Judge Persky said, “A prison sentence would have a severe impact on him.” He decided that jail would have too much of a long-term, negative impact on him. However, they failed to realize that he would simply have the same punishment as he gave his victim. This young woman he assaulted will be haunted by that night for the rest of her life, and she will never be the same, all because of him. In my opinion, he should be in jail for decades, or at least treated the same as every other rapist, despite how much “potential” he showed.

Unfortunately, this sentence seemed to have started a trend of giving privileged white men incredibly light sentences for being convicted of rape and sexual assault. 22 year old Austin Wilkerson was convicted of sexual assault and was sentenced to only two years in prison (with work/school release) with 20 years of probation. This seems like a much more appropriate sentence until you learn that the average prison time for rape is eight to nine years. That makes John Enoch’s case seem even more extreme, since he was charged with two counts of rape and spent only a singular day in jail with one year of probation. These men are committing heinous crimes and getting away with such little punishment that it’s telling other young white men that they can rape women without consequence.

I’m not saying it’s encouraging anyone, but that’s certainly the message it’s sending. These judges are also telling the victims that the pain they’re feeling and the fear that consumes them isn’t as bad as eight years in jail would be for

these men.

94% of women who are raped experienced symptoms of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) in the two weeks following the rape, according to RAINN, the leading authority on sexual violence, and 30% have PTSD nine months after the rape. A third of the women who are raped contemplate suicide, and 13% attempt it. This makes sense, since 70% of victims have moderate to severe distress, which is a larger rate than any other violent crime. The victim of the Wilkerson attack said, “when I’m not having nightmares about the rape, retaliation or a retrial gone awry, I’m having panic attacks. Some days I can’t even get out of bed.” The fact that these judges think the attackers deserve light sentences despite the damage that they’ve caused seems incredulous to me. These men do not deserve mercy. In the words of Wilkerson’s victim, “Have as much mercy for the rapist as he did for me that night.”

Not only do these cases demonstrate extreme sexism in rape culture, it’s also a huge example of white privilege. Corey Batey, a former football player at Vanderbilt, was charged with three felony counts for aggravated rape and aggravated sexual assault. There was lots of evidence, and he was sentenced with 15 to 25 years in prison. Turner, similarly, had multiple felony rape charged with eyewitness evidence, but was only sentenced to six months in a local jail, serving only three for good behavior. However, Turner, unlike Batey, is white. It seems like if the attacker is white, he “shows a lot of potential,” but that doesn’t matter if they’re a person of color. This is one of the most dangerous demonstrations of white privilege. Of course, I’m not saying Batey should have a lighter sentences- quite on the contrary. I believe all rapists should be sentenced to 15 to 25 years in prison like Batey.

These men are inflicting extreme damage onto their victims, who will suffer for the rest of their lives, and it’s being forgiven. These men are being let off with far too few consequences, which will just increase the number of rapes that occur. These judges should be recalled, and these men should spend the rest of their youth in prison. Our society needs to start taking rape much more seriously, since it is one of the most dangerous and common crimes in the US. According to the FBI, a rape is reported about every five minutes, and only 16% of rapes get reported. This needs to be stopped, so women don’t have to live in fear of being the one out of every six women to be a victim.

Winning the Boot HONORING HARAMBE FRENCH POP MUSIC Night in the swamp

Guest Opinion: The Need for a Gender-Neutral Bathroom

by ELIAS LENZ AND CHARLIE ESCORCIA A gender-neutral bathroom should be made available at City High. Using the wrong gendered bathroom is both degrading and potentially dangerous to transgender students. Many transgender students feel that using either bathroom puts them at risk of being physically harmed or assaulted, and we believe this is a reasonable worry, especially considering previous encounters.

Centrally located bathrooms have become a necessity.

For anyone transitioning from female to male, going into a men’s bathroom can involve verbal harassment, threats, and physical altercations. These students are told they aren’t “real men”. Multiple transgender male students confess that using the men’s bathroom “feels like I’m asking for a bad situation to happen” and they “don’t feel safe using the men’s [bathroom].” One student admitted to being physically assaulted because someone in the men’s bathroom perceived him as a woman.

However, someone transitioning from female to male can’t safely use the women’s bathroom either - he can face verbal and emotional harassment. For example, one student said, “It is humiliating and stressful.” For another student, using the women’s bathroom results in “at least one person asking if I’m a boy and why I’m in the girl’s room.” But that’s not even the worst part. A student confessed, “Multiple girls scream bloody murder upon seeing me in a women’s bathroom. They accused me of being a pervert. One time a girl threatened to report me for sexual harassment.” Just for using the

bathroom. Women tend to see transgender men as men, but men tend to see transgender men as women, so neither bathroom is safe.

Other transgender students who need gender-neutral bathrooms are nonbinary and genderqueer students, especially if their gender expression is nonconforming to either binary gender. With androgynous gender expression, a person’s gender can be ambiguous, which exposes us to the emotional disturbance and lack of personal safety as someone who is transitioning from female to male, or vice-versa.

The administration always emphasizes how a school should be a safe environment for all students. This includes bathrooms.

As of now, the safest bathroom is located in the Fine Arts wing, more commonly known as “the dungeon.” It is a single women’s bathroom in the back corner of the floor. This location is in the far reaches of City High and is extremely inconvenient. It’s not accessible to all students, as some don’t even know of the bathroom, or the location.

It is critical to our safety that a well-maintained and appropriate unisex/gender-neutral bathroom be provided, preferably one with stalls. We realize people are worried that separate bathrooms will seclude transgender students rather than including them; however, none of the students we talked to felt this way. On the contrary, being provided a safe bathroom is a small but incredibly significant step towards inclusion.

SNAPCHAT BLOCKED HARAMBE’S DEATH “SECURE YOUR PHONES” homecoming group chats

A13

OPINION September 30th, 2016

RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT “Being happy as a teacher is an art.”

- Mr. Rogers

“It’s getting hot in here.

There’s, like, abs galore.”

The Homework Overload

by ZOË MILLER

Most kids look forward to their high school years —full of sports, the arts, pep rallies, and so many other things that make school fun. How could those four years be anything but awesome? However, with the start of school comes homework. Students’ lives have become busy to a point where young adults are becoming overwhelmed — most commonly by homework.

A study done by US News found that high school students have an average of 3.5 hours of school work each night. This is a large leap from the guideline that was endorsed by the The National Education Association, which allotted 10 minutes for first grade and an additional 10 minutes for each grade, eventually leading to a maximum of two hours for high school seniors. A level of interest and readiness to learn is an important part of school, which can be overshadowed by students dreading the amount of homework they will be taking home.

High school students should learn how to live a balanced life, and too much time spent on homework cuts into other needs such as sleep and the chance to try extracurriculars. The emotional reactions of students should be taken into consideration, as well. A study published in the Journal of Experimental Education states that 56% of the students who participated in the study named homework as their main stressor. In high school, students should be focused on learning about the different subjects they are interested

“HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS SHOULD LEARN HOW TO LIVE A WELL BALANCED LIFE, AND TOO MUCH TIME SPENT ON HOMEWORK CUTS INTO THEIR NEEDS.”

The Race to Change TV: Diverse Shows Matter

by MAYA DURHAM

- Mr. Schumann

“Maybe she’s into Furries.”

in and figuring out what they want to try. They should be able to participate in extracurriculars so they have a chance to be a part of a team or showcase their creativity. Students should not be having anxiety issues because of the overwhelming workload they are carrying.

Beyond the amount of time that homework takes is also the fact that the quality of homework has gone down. Too much homework seems to be borderline busy work and less focused on the learning. The point of homework should be to take some time out of class to focus on the parts of that class that are challenging for each student. The reality is that more students are focused on getting it done to keep their grade up as opposed to really learning. Another part is that students are doing their homework in the car on the way home from a practice or trying to get through it late at night when they are exhausted. Limited time leads to lower quality work.

Homework can be an important tool if it provides students with the specific practice they need to better understand the class. This means maybe five of the same problems that they can do well instead of 20 that will just make them weary. Students should not be crashing and burning because of the amount of homework they have. The crucial part of these high school years is that students can learn to have a balanced life and will approach their learning with excite

ment.

New York City. It’s one of the most diverse cities in the world, yet the cast of Friends seemed to live in an all white world. Friends is typical of mainstream television programs, which rarely feature people of color. According to a video by Buzzfeed, which analyzed a “brief history of television,” the most popular shows over the past 60 years have featured 45 Caucasian people, and two people of color.

This lack of diverse representation has a detrimental impact on our society.

For people of color, this erasure of their presence in popular media has led to feelings of invisibility and marginalization. Growing up, young girls of color see, almost exclusively, images of porcelain-skinned, blue eyed, and usually blonde-haired women as the ideals of beauty — ideals girls of color can never achieve. At the age of four, I stood in front of the mirror, pulling my ring-

let curls as straight as they would go. All I wanted was to look like Hannah Montana.

This lack of representation not only creates a dysphoria between girls of color and their appearances, but it also implies that their unique beauty is not valued. According to the makeup of the United States, over 30% of the population is made up of people of color. Based on those statistics, modern television shows should have more diverse main casts, in order to reflect the reality of our society and validate people of color as viable citizens.

Since television’s early years, people of color have had to deal with issues of misrepresentation; for the most part they were invisible, but when they were shown, they were stereotyped and degraded. Women of color appeared on screen as maids and mammies, while men of color were either clowns or criminals. These stereotypes persist today. On television, black and Latino men are often seen as drug dealers and felons, or else they are comical figures.

Latino women still show up as maids, while black women are portrayed as welfare recipients — or else in tiny background roles. The range of occupations, interests, and activities of people of color go unrecognized on TV. It would be easy to argue that because the majority population in the US is white, television doesn’t need to diversify. However, given the history of race in this country, and the problems of racism that we’re still trying to solve, television could take a role in supporting a multicultural society. Media messages are powerful, and could be agents of change. In states like Iowa, which has a 98% white population, some people’s only impression of people of color may come from television. Actors and entertainers are role models, so the creators of television shows have an obligation to support diversity.

Story originally published at affinitymagazine.com

- M. Balcaen

Book Review: California Bones

by THEO PRINEAS

“It’s not gross — it’s just sexual!”

- Mrs. Borger-Germann

California Bones by Greg van Eekhout is an upper YA/adult novel that follows an osteomancer, Daniel Blackland, through the dystopian kingdom of Southern California, ruled by a dictator known as the Hierarch. The world-building is fabulous, from the idea of the country of Southern California to the very word ‘osteomancer’. A new word and completely unique magic system, an osteomancer is a wizard who must consume magic-imbued bones and fossils to gain magic. Despite the amount of information, Greg van Eekhout avoids information dumps and excessive exposition. Greg van Eekhout was inspired by “growing up in LA near the La Brea Tar Pits,” natural deposits of tar and asphalt in California. “Animals get unwittingly stuck in the tar and die, and this has been going on for at least 38,000 years,” he said. “For my book, I imagined what it would be like if there were also the bones of dragons and unicorns and griffins in the pits.”

“I like when the characters joke around with each other. They’re friends, and they insult each other the way I’ve always done with my friends,” said van Eekhout. They were funny, diverse, and easy to get along with. But if I had one complaint, they were sometimes a little transparent; something

terrible would happen, and the character wouldn’t have any sort of trauma afterwards. For example, the Hierarch, also an osteomancer, devours Daniel’s father to steal his magic. This moves Daniel into thievery on the streets but has no bearing on his character, while real children would be disturbed if they “heard the Hierarch’s molars grind his father’s rib cage.” Also, I really would have wanted to see some of the relationships developed a little more. Specifically, his relationship with another thief, Cassandra. They pull heists together, and it’s hinted that they used to be a couple. However, I felt like I barely saw them together in California Bones.

On the whole, I give California Bones a 4.5/5. The action was fabulous, and the world beyond brilliant-but the characters were not so realistic. I would recommend California Bones to teenagers who want a fast, funny, action packed read. There are two sequels, Pacific Fire and Dragon Coast, for those who enjoy it.

It is available at the ICPL, Prairie Lights, and other local bookstores. Keep an eye out for Greg van Eekhout’s next book. “I just finished a middle-grade novel about dogs in space that my agent is currently trying to sell.

It’s less violent than my adult stuff and doesn’t have any profanity.”

“THE WORLD BUILDING IS FABULOUS, FROM THE IDEA OF THE COUNTRY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TO THE VERY WORD ‘OSTEOMANCER.’”

A14

September 30, 2016 A&E

&

ARTS ENTERTAINMENT

PHOTOS BY ADDIE BASS

Hancher Sets the Stage

The Hancher Auditorium opened September 9th, ushering in a new era of performing arts in Iowa City.

By Addie Bass & Rasmus Schlutter

R

ob Cline, the Director of Marketing and Communication at Hancher Auditorium, strolls along the terrace of his new completed workplace and points to a flattened field adjacent to the Iowa River.

“We’re looking out over what we call the ‘Hancher Green,’” Cline said.

After the Iowa River flooded in 2008, Hancher and the surrounding areas were devastated. The building that had once held the graduations of both City and West High students and hosted performers from across the world was rendered unusable, partially submerged under the waters of a 500 year flood. Now, after 8 years of demolition and reconstruction, the newly opened auditorium is a completely redesigned space, but one still tied to the history of the organization.

“I personally love that what you’re looking is the old site [of Hancher]. There’s a little bit of a connection there,” Cline explained.

For Cline, who has worked at Hancher since November of 2001, that connection to the auditorium’s past was an important one, agreed upon by both the architect and the staff.

“That tree is our memorial tree for the three workers who were killed in the construction of the original building. We were very clear that we would be saving that tree,” Cline said. “I know in my mind exactly where that tree in relation to where that the old building was.”

The old Hancher was one of the central parts of the University’s performing arts scene for over 40 years. The

original building was designed by architect Max Abramovitz, a well known architect of the time, and remained a major venue until the flood. For the design of the new building, the Hancher staff wanted to maintain the recognizability of the former building and the focus it had on the University of Iowa campus surrounding it. Architecture firm Pelli Clarke Pelli was selected to head the new Hancher project and worked to develop a new harmony between Hancher and its once destroyer: the Iowa River.

“Despite what it did to us, we love the river and the way this building responds to the river,” Cline said. “And those of us who are old timers love the connection to the old place. There are a lot of things to love about this building.”

Just as the building maintains connections with its past, effort has been put into restoring Hancher’s connection with the community. On September 11th, Hancher held an open house, drawing in students and admirers of the arts from all over Iowa. One of these students was senior Cassidy Slater-Scott, who attended the open house with Little Hawk reporter Danielle Tang ‘17.

“They had living representations of the building,” Slater-Scott said, “[Hancher] had all these people coming in on stilts and people dressed in other outfits from a working company.”

The open house introduced Hancher to the general public with food, drink, and information about the upcoming season.

“It’s beautiful. It’s so nice and really light inside,” SlaterScott said. “They have a cafe, and at every level they have a bar where you can order all kinds of drinks.”

Micah Ariel James, Hancher’s education manager, es-

pecially admires the reintroduction of the students matinee series. This season’s matinee series includes Circus Oz, Step Africa, and The Man Who Planted Trees.

“I think there’s something special about the shared experience of seeing art as students and being able to take that into your classroom and discuss it,” James said.

This learning exposure is better exemplified by The Migration, the newest show from Step Afrika!, a personal favorite for James. The show follows the movement of African-Americans from the southern United States up to the northern states and will show at Hancher on October 20th.

High profile performers are staying loyal to Hancher, even after the 600 seat reduction from the old building. Now holding 1,800 audience members, Hancher has downsized to increase the quality of their acoustics, a trade-off that is becoming more and more popular in modern auditoriums. This downsizing has not dissuaded the Broadway shows from performing in Hancher, as Book Of Mormon is showing from October 11 through October 16th.

However, the decrease in seats hinders rumors of City High’s senior commencement taking place in Hancher.

When asked about the possible location change, Cline joked, “We would love to have those commencements back. Would all the grandmothers and grandfathers of the world be able to come? I don’t know.”

Another effort to appeal to students is the return of the $10 tickets. $10 tickets have been offered for years, but now Hancher has opened the opportunity up to K-12 students.

story continued at the bottom of A15

A16

September 30, 2016 A&E

PHOTO BY CALLIE DANIELSON

Student Profile: Nick Shymansky

By Callie Danielson

ART BY AJ BOULUND

THE CURTAIN FALLS ON A WILD LEGACY After actor and University of Iowa alumnus Gene Wilder’s passed away late last month, students and faculty reflect on his legacy.

By Greg Jones Eccentric candy man, delusional scientist, or drunken gunfighter, Gene Wilder lived many lives throughout his 50 years on the silver screen.

Gene Wilder, born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1933 as Jerry Silberman, was an actor famous for his roles in Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory, Young Frankenstein, and Blazing Saddles. Wilder passed away on August 29th, 2016 at the age of 83 due to complications in his battle with Alzheimer’s.

“When my mom told me he died, at first I didn’t have much of a reaction,” Aidan Comstock ‘20 said. “In commemoration we watched Young Frankenstein, and after it was over I realized how big of a loss he was.”

Wilder played the titular character in Willy Wonka, a popular children’s movie of the time, and as such was thought of as a childhood figure by some.

“His passing really affected me,” AJ Boulund ’17 stated. “It was kind of like finding out that Santa died.”

The majority of Wilder’s films were released in the 1970s, so millennials may not be familiar with his work. One of Wilder’s more popular movies, released 1968, was the comedy The Producers. The film was directed

by Mel Brooks, a director who collaborated often with Wilder.

“My favorite role of all time would be his role in The Producers,” Edie Knoop ‘18 said. “It’s one of the best movies I’ve ever seen, comedies at least.”

The film in question was Gene Wilder’s first lead role in

a major motion picture. Gene played Leopold Bloom, an accountant who finds out that through fraud, a play that flops can bring in more money than a successful one, and he sets out to try and create a horrible play.

In his most successful roles, like Jim in Blazing Saddles and Dr Frankenstein in Young Frankenstein, Wilder portrayed high energy and quick release characters.

“He did really well with physical humor,” Knoop said. “He was good at portraying a sort of manic twitchiness that many of his characters had.”

Troy Peters, one of the teacher organizers of the City High Drama Department, agrees with Knoop.

“I think of his ability to go completely over the top and pull it back,” Peters said. “His range as an actor was amazing.”

Even after his death, Gene Wilder continues to be an inspiration.

“The fact that he went to the U of I was always inspiring,” Peters said. “I was always thinking ‘Cool, A Hawkeye can make it big’.”

In 1978, Wilder was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role of Willy Wonka in the classic movie Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. Often regarded as his most famous role, Wilder became the face of fantasy and the unknown for many children.

“He was Willy Wonka,” Boulund said. “Every kid at some point dreamt of finding a golden ticket because of just how perfectly he captured the magic of the role.”

“HIS PASSING REALLY AFFECTED ME. IT WAS KIND OF LIKE FINDING OUT THAT SANTA DIED.” AJ BOULUND ‘17

Hancher Continued From A14 “That’s cheaper than seeing City Circle shows at CCPA,” Slater-Scott ‘17 said. “They’re like 20 dollars.”

Cline predicts that the return of the $10 tickets will increase the accessibility of the arts for young people.

“What you should really be looking at in [Hancher’s] brochure are the people you’ve never heard of who you can pay $10 to come see”, Cline said. “Because they will blow your flippin’ mind, we promise.”

James and Cline hope Hancher’s campus will continue to grow in its inclusiveness with the University campus across the river. A big step in this process was ensuring the visibil-

ity of the capitol building, now apart of the view from Hancher’s south facing balcony. With greater visual connection to both the community and Hancher’s own history, the auditorium and its staff are hoping to usher in a new era of Iowa City performing arts.

“In the interim between the two buildings there [were] two generations of University of Iowa students who didn’t have access to a performing arts center where they are,” James said. “It will be something special for arts students to be able to have something like this in their own campus in their own community.”

Since freshman year, Nick Shymanksy ‘17 has been composing. Producing music has become Shymansky’s way of artistic expression, and he’s never limited himself to one mode of production. Currently, he makes music on his computer through programs like FL Studio. FL Studio allows you to load instruments electronically but also manually record external sounds to add into tracks. Shymansky prefers to make his music in his basement or bedroom because those places provide an enclosed, quiet, comfortable environment that allows him to focus on his music.

“Sometimes I make music with some of my friends which usually ends up being pretty hype,” he said.

Shymansky’s music making process starts with him choosing whatever he wants, usually a melody or beat, and he continually builds on it until he is happy with the track.

He generally works with FL studio to make electronic music, but on occasion he will record other instruments or vocals to add to tracks.

“One time I recorded myself playing guitar to add,” Shymansky said, “And that was pretty cool.”

But typically, Shymansky does not put recordings in because he does not have a microphone of his own. He only has about 100 followers on SoundCloud, which is where he posts his songs. SoundCloud is a website for aspiring artists to post their music for the public to hear. You can make playlists or different albums to group tracks together. His name on SoundCloud is Shaman, and all of his original tracks and reposted songs can be found here. He also reposts tracks of other artists he likes on his SoundCloud, which is in the same electronic genre as the music he makes.

“My music is obviously electronic, but I would rather not confine myself to one genre,” Shymansky said.

Shymansky listens to some electronic music on SoundCloud, which gives him inspiration, he but really enjoys classic rock. He doesn’t like all rock but prefers The Grateful Dead specifically. He also likes The Beatles as a classic group to listen to. From SoundCloud he likes Sam Gellaitry, Josh Pan, and Oshea, who are all in the electronic genre.

“The favorite song of mine was like a bunch of songs in one, kind of like a classical piece where [the artists] have movements. It’s about 13 minutes long. It was really cool how the music changed throughout the song,” he said.

Shymansky has made over 100 songs but has only uploaded somewhere between 30 and 40. Sometimes, Shymansky can make a song in three hours if he’s really focused and determined, but most times it takes him collectively 10 hours to make one song over the span of a few days.

“I like playing instruments a lot because you can feel the music in your body while you play and get into it more,” he said.

Shymansky plays guitar, piano and sometimes sings or raps. He first started to learn how to play piano and guitar when he was in eighth grade but he continues to builds his knowledge and skills. He wants to continue making his music but would never pursue it as a single career.

“I don’t know why I chose to make music; I guess it was just my selected medium of art.”

PHOTOS BY ADDIE BASS

A16

Q&A :

September 30, 2016 A&E

MICHAEL BERG

Michael Berg ‘17 has had a musical career spanning the last 14 years. Now, the three year AllStater and National Honors Orchestra performer reflects on his past years playing the cello and what the future might hold.

LH: How long have you been playing cello?

LH: What is your favorite musical memory?

MB: 14 years.

MB: “Playing in chamber groups in the California Idyllwild Summer Music Festival.”

LH: Why did you start playing cello?

MB: “My parents decided it would be a good idea for me to play an instrument, and somehow cello was decided. I wasn’t happy with it at the time but over time I’ve become happy with it.”

LH: Are you looking to further your cello career after high school?

MB: “I haven’t completely decided yet. I’m looking at schools that have strong music programs and strong academics so I won’t be restricted.”

LH: What’s your favorite part about playing cello?

MB: “It’s a fun instrument to play because it’s less stressful than being a violinist, but you get less hate than being a viola.”

LH: Why do you like music?

MB: “It’s beautiful. However, I never listen to myself play cello.”

LH: Who’s your favorite composer?

MB: “Elgar is my favorite cello composer but I also really like Dvorak.”

LH: How often and how long do you practice?

MB: “I try for a hour a day, two is a good goal, depending on cross country and school. Convincing myself to practice is one of the biggest challenges because practicing is no fun.”

LH: Have you ever composed any music?

MB: “No, I’m not terribly interested in it.”

LH: Do you enjoy playing solo or in groups?

MB: “I prefer playing solo in chamber groups more than playing in orchestra.

In orchestra you have to put your head down and play what everybody else is playing, but in chamber groups and solo, you can interpret the music yourself.”

LH: With whom do you take lessons?

MB: “I currently study with Tony Arnone, but I started out with Kate Dykstra Voss at the Preucil School of Music. My musical education technically started at Preucil Preschool.”

LH: How to do you express yourself in the music you are given?

MB: The composer gives you the notes, but it’s up to you to make them into music. If you have something to say, it becomes musical.

LH: What’s your favorite venue to play at?

MB: “Wilson Auditorium at the Preucil School of Music. It’s ugly but it sounds good.”

LH: Have you ever wanted to switch to a different instrument?

MB: “I did play trombone for a brief stint in fifth grade. After that I decided I preferred to play one instrument well instead of two instruments OK-ish.”

LH: What do you think the cello sounds like?

MB: “Some may say it sounds like the human voice because it’s in the same frequency range.”

To hear Michael Berg in musical action, visit the online story on the Little Hawk site.

SPORTS

September 30th, 2016

LEAVING A LEGACY Page B3

TOM WARD / twardphoto.com

B2

SPORTS September 30th, 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS Boys Cross Country:

Upcoming Events Football

B4

September 30th @ Davenport Central October 7th vs. Muscatine October 14th vs. Bettendorf October 21st @ Davenport North

Depth a Key to Success

Volleyball October 4th vs. Cedar Falls October 8th @ Bettendorf Invitational October 11th @ Dubuque Senior October 15th MVC Tournament @ Cedar Rapids Xavier High School

Boys Cross Country

Playmaker Profiles:

October 6th MVC Supermeet @ Seminole Valley Park-Cedar Rapids October 13th Valley Divisional @Dubuque Soccer Complex October 20th District Meet Location TBD

B6

Jared Taylor and Nate Wieland

Volleyball: Finding Their Rhythm

Girls Cross Country

October 6th MVC Supermeet @ Seminole Valley Park-Cedar Rapids October 8th Sterling Invitational Woodlawn Academy-Sterling, IL October 13th Valley Divisional @ Dubuque Soccer Complex October 20th District Meet Location TBD

Girls Swimming and Diving

B8

October 4th @ Cedar Rapids Kennedy October 10th vs. Cedar Rapids Jefferson October 13th MVC Diving Championships @ Coralville Recreation Center October 15th MVC Championships @ U of I Recreation Center

Boys Golf October 4th District Meet @ Pheasant Ridge Golf Course-Cedar Falls October 7th-8th State Meet Location TBD

A Letter From Your Editors The summer has come and gone. With fall comes football, volleyball, and the first issue of the Little Hawk. We’re proud to present you with the Little Hawk sports section, back by popular demand. The sports magazine was a fun experiment, but we decided that the traditional LH sports section that many of you know and love was just an easy option for us, as well as a more cost effective one. We hope that you’ll enjoy the section in its new, old format.

Within the following pages, we have a lot of interesting stories that we hope you’ll enjoy.

From the cover story on the JC Meardon foundation to the ranked football team and the playmaker profile of its two different quarterbacks, as well as the story on the senior leaders of the

volleyball team, as well as the cross country double truck, which you can find on pages B4-5.

While the paper itself is great, there’s so much more to read on the web. For game updates, be sure that you follow @littlehawksport and @jhousereporter on Twitter. You can also find everything from recaps to sports opinions to stories and previews on thelittlehawk.com We also encourage you to come to a City High sporting event yourself. After all, we can’t have a student section without the students.

They’re a lot of fun and chances are, you might even run into one of us. If you don’t know which one to go to, just look up and you can find a list of dates and locations for many events from every single fall sport.

We hope that the September issue of the Little Hawk is the best first issue that we’ve been a part of, and we hope that you’ll agree.

Enjoy the issue,

B3

SPORTS September 30th, 2016

JC Meardon’s Legacy Continues

ABOVE LEFT: Meardon takes a header in traffic against Xavier. ABOVE RIGHT: Meardon passes the ball against Xavier. PHOTOS BY TOM WARD / twardphoto.com

O

By Lucy Wagner

n July 11th, Jackson Charles (JC) Meardon, a former Little Hawk, was fatally struck by a car. Following his death, Iowa City united with a candlelight vigil honoring his life. Hundreds of family members, friends, and community members gathered to share their stories of JC. The Iowa City and City High community remember JC Meardon for his love and dedication to soccer, City High, and many other things.

City High and the Iowa Soccer Club (ISC) are partnering up to launch a foundation in Meardon’s memory. The JC Meardon Soccer Foundation, an idea conceptualized by Meardon’s parents, Kristi and Chuck, Karen

Meyer, Julie Dancer, City High soccer coach Jose Fajardo, ISC coach Jon Cook, and JC’s best friends, will benefit the students and facilities of City High soccer.

“The goal of the foundation is to keep JC close to us,” Jose Fajardo, the City High boys soccer head coach, said. “Every time that we walk and look at something on the soccer field, it reminds us of him. The money raised with the foundation will be destined to help kids in need to continue playing club soccer with the Iowa Soccer Club and also to improve our soccer facilities with bleachers, lights, new benches, and other needs. Our dream is to have a facility that is only for soccer.”

The foundation will be funded by donations

of businesses and individuals, according to Fajardo. “[The foundation] will benefit many kids who can’t afford to play club,” Fajardo said.

“These kids, in the future, will have the opportunity to go to college and get scholarships so they can afford an education beyond high school. At City High, [the foundation] will help us getting the best soccer facility in the state where JC loved to play.”

ISC, the soccer club Meardon played for, is also working towards turning this dream into reality.

“JC is, and always will be, someone incredibly special to me and someone who I loved to coach,” Jon Cook, the ISC coaching director,

said.

Those wishing to support or learn more about the foundation may do so through the website of the Win4Weasel project. The name was inspired by JC’s childhood nickname, Weasel. The group was started by a few close friends of JC, and all proceeds go to the JC Meardon Soccer Foundation.

The legacy JC is leaving at City is already evident. Following his death, the soccer program permanently retired his number 12.

Win4Weasel shirts and wristbands can be spotted at City on any given day. The foundation has already raised more than $3,000. Some of JC’s closest friends have started a soccer team, where everyone’s number is 12, showing unity with JC.

Girls swimming

New Coaches, Experienced Swimmers

By Sam Naylor and Eden Knoop

W

ith the new wave of freshman, the City High swim team has started the swim season strong, losing against Cedar Rapids Washington, but coming back for crushing victories against Williamsburg and Dubuque Hempstead.

“We’ve started to actually win.” captain Devan O’Rourke ‘17 said. “I’m very happy that so many of these girls have begun to participate.”

The latest stats stack in favor of City. The girls have won two out of three of the meets that they have competed at.

With returning varsity letter winners such as O’Rourke, Beatrice Kearns ‘19, and Laura Lorenger ‘18, as well as new freshmen who have also swam well for the Little Hawks. Carly Weigel ‘20 and Trinity Sadecky ‘20 are both positive additions to the varsity team. The JV team has also been expanded with seven new freshman this year, bringing the team up to 28 girls, making them one of the largest teams in the district.

“Swimming is not always about how fast you go,” O’Rourke said. “It really all depends on how many people you have. If you win first you only get three points and if you’re the only one in the race the other team will score all the other points.”

With two years of head coaching experience, Coach Zane Hugo has taken a quantitative approach with the program. Since his debut of coaching, the amount of girls that have participated in swimming has nearly

quadrupled.

“The girls swim team has had blemishes throughout the last two years but I think this year is going to be different.” Coach Hugo said.

“Zane is focusing on everybody,” O’Rourke said. “Instead of focusing on only the varsity swimmers, like some coaches do, he spends time with [the] JV squad trying to help them to become better.”

The girls showed potential against rival West High in their meet on September 20th.

City swam side by side with West, a powerhouse in swimming. The Trojans were able to finish the night with strong swims in the 500 yard freestyle and 50 free.

Weigel won the 100 yard backstroke and 100 yard free.

They are joined by new coach Allie Orvis. Orvis, a recent graduate of the University of Iowa, swam for the Hawkeyes, one of the best swimming teams in the nation.

“I’ve only been here for a couple of weeks” Orvis said when asked how she liked working for the team. “Sometimes it’s a bit of a struggle with balancing coaching and my job but I enjoy it.”

“She’s a great coach,” O’Rourke said. “She just started, and we already enjoy having her as a coach.”

Stephen Cimaglia, a math teacher at City High, also began volunteering as a coach for the girls.

“He’s always urging us forward,” Clara Froeschner ‘18 said. “He’s a good coach, and we’d ABOVE: Devan O’Rourke dives off the block during a meet against Linn-Mar on September 13 at Mercer like to thank him for helping us this season.”

“SWIMMING IS NOT ALWAYS ABOUT HOW FAST YOU GO. IT REALLY DEPENDS ON HOW MANY PEOPLE YOU HAVE.” DEVAN O’ROURKE ‘17

Park Aquatic Center. PHOTO BY JIM GEERDES

B4

SPORTS September 30th, 2016

SPORTS September 30th, 2016

B5

Girls Cross country

The Girls Cross Country team has combined a large team and different coaching styles to propell itself to a top five ranking.

T

he City High girls cross country team is ranked number two in the state, and is off to an impressive start to the season. It has placed very highly in all of the meets that the Little Hawks have raced in so far, and have one of the most prospective fields of varsity and capable of varsity runners that the team has seen in some time.

“From what I’ve heard, from past years the team’s been struggling a little bit,” Phoebe Chapnick Sorokin ‘19 said. “But now we have so many people fighting for the first spot that are so capable of being great. In JV there are so many people getting on varsity and beating each other. It’s so amazing and everyone is really supportive towards that.”

Competition is a driving factor for the girls cross country team.

“For the first time, in the past few years… we are ranked very high and the whole team is really putting in an effort so that we can come out on top.” Amelia Morrow ‘18, one of the foremost runners on the team, said. “I think that’s different than in the past years. This year we are being really serious and believe it or not it’s still a lot of fun!”

The team this year has over 70 members, one of the largest turnouts in the state. The coaches make an effort to encourage people to come out for the team, something carried on by its current members.

“Don’t worry about whether you think you can run or not,” Emily Bywater ‘17 said. “If you come out you’re going to have such a nice group of friends and you are going to have a lot of fun. That’s what’s important.”

Emily is the team’s third runner and Amelia runs varsity quite often, but not everyone on the team is a first class athlete. Most seem to go to practice six times a week because of the love for the team.

ABOVE: Matt Dodge '17 runs at the Heartland Classic in Ames. PHOTO BY EMI BERGMAN-CORBET

boys Cross COuntry Depth a key for success for the boys.

By Lottie Gidal This love rings true for runner Irene Samuelson ‘19. After a promising start to her first cross country season, a stress fracture in her foot placed her in a boot and with crutches indefinitely. She is out for the rest of the season, yet continues to go to practice every single day.

“First, what kept me coming to practice was the satisfaction of doing something and actually doing it, especially because I think, a lot of things I don’t do very well. This is something you can’t cheat at. You know, like you run it, you have your time, and then it’s all about your self betterment. And I think that there’s not very many things in life like that. Like in school you can kind of do some things that, make it a little easier, but with this you have the satisfaction of doing something very honest and hard,” Samuelson said. “Then I think I keep on coming back even though I can’t work because it’s a good atmosphere and a good team, and it feels nice to be a part of something like that. I think I will remember [this team] when I’m older.”

The team also has a large cast of coaches, the head being Tom Mittman. He is accompanied by Lynn and Ryan Ahlers as well as Thos Trefz.

After the first meet of the season, Tom Mittman remarked on the remainder of the season which finishes at the very end of October.

“It's nice to get one under our belts and give people a chance to gain experience and confidence as we prepare to go into meets with a lot more competition,” Mittman said.

When asked about the team’s rankings for this year, Coach Trefz said, “The important thing is that we focus not on being a better team than those in the state, but on being a better team than the day before.”

Estie Brady '20 musters up a time of 21:20 at the Heartland Classic. PHOTO BY MAYA DURHAM

By Jim Geerdes

F

ollowing a 12th place finish in state last year, the boys cross country team hopes to bounce back.

Front runner and senior varsity captain Matthew Dodge is leading the charge for the Little Hawks. Dodge, a four year varsity letter winner, has big plans for his run at state.

“I want to get top five in the state,” Dodge said.

“A top five finish my senior year would make me incredibly happy.”

The team started off its pursuit to state unranked in the preseason.

The Little Hawks have climbed to 8th amongst the top programs in Iowa. Strong times from Michael Berg ‘17, Michael Taylor ‘17, and Dodge have led the team to its success.

Coach Jayme Skay is at the forefront of the 98 man boys cross country roster for his seventeenth season as head coach. This year’s varsity team lost runners Tom McDowell, Russell Martin, and Grant Meardon to graduation, leaving three varsity spots to fill.

The current top seven on the team are Dodge, Berg, Taylor, Quenton Max ‘18, Caden Turnbough ‘20, Lucas Firmstone ‘18, and Oliver Shabani ‘19.

Young runners Turnbough and Shabani have both stepped up for the Little Hawks.

Following a summer loaded with offseason training, the team came into the year as prepared as possible. But with this preparation comes loss to injury. Caleb Morgan ‘17, a potential varsity runner, suffered a torn tendon in his left foot during

the first race of the season. He still finds ways to help the team.

“It’s mostly moral support,” Morgan said. “If one person is struggling I can hopefully help them out by pushing them harder.”

This camaraderie along with fast runners has pushed the team to early success in their season.

The loss of Morgan does not necessarily damage the team. Skay’s team is loaded with potential varsity athletes.

“Our biggest strength is definitely our depth," Dodge said. “We have a lot of guys who can run well.”

Another front runner, Michael Berg ‘17, admires the team’s competitive spirit.

“We all want to beat the next guy,” Berg said. “I am most excited for beating [Matthew] Dodge at upcoming meets.”

The 98 person roster makes the boys cross country team one of the most populous in the state.

“The sheer size of this team is a big strength,” Berg said. “98 people creates a lot of potential for great runners.”

The cross country team still has the potential to improve. Many of the front runners achieved personal records in the 5k at the Heartland Classic in Ames.

“We’ve had an average season so far,” Dodge said. “With confidence we can really excel in the state runs.”

The state meet is in Fort Dodge on Saturday, October 29th.

"WITH CONFIDENCE WE CAN REALLY EXCEL AT STATE." MATTHEW DODGE ‘17

ABOVE: Matt Dodge '17 runs at the Heartland Classic in Ames. PHOTO BY EMI BERGMAN-CORBET

ABOVE: Mary Arch '17 runs at the Heartland Classic in Ames. City finished in 6th place. PHOTO BY MAYA DURHAM

B6

SPORTS September 30th, 2016

City Takes the boot

By Jonathan House Fans across town had waited for it all week. The City vs. West “Battle for the Boot” always draws the attention of many fans across Iowa City. This year was no different. Fans came from the east side of town, the west side of town, and even a few North Dakota State Bison fans, who were in town for the NDSU game against the Hawkeyes on September 17th, combined to pack both sides of Trojan field. After a slow start and a lot of first half turnovers, the Little Hawks were able to shut down the Trojans, holding them to just seven points. City kept the boot for the second straight year, winning 20-7.

“IT’S A BRAGGING RIGHTS GAME. IT’S MEMORIES THAT THEY’LL HAVE FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIFE.”

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR JOE WILCOX

LEFT: Nate Wieland ‘17 gets the play from offensive coordinator Wilcox. RIGHT: Jared Taylor ‘17 walks off the field after a turnover. PHOTOS BY BELLA PITTMAN

Two quarterbacks Different Styles

Nate Wieland ‘17 and Jared Taylor ‘17 find new ways to help the team in their last season.

T

By Bella Pittman

he return of senior three-year starting quarterback Nate Wieland gives hope to the Little Hawk offense after his junior year was plagued by injuries. Following his injury, the Northern Illinois commit trained harder than ever for his final high school season.

“Being back, I just feel stronger and faster than I did last year,” Wieland said about his return. “I am more prepared and ready for each game.”

While Nate was injured last year, second string quarterback and first year varsity player Jared Taylor had to step in as a starter for the majority of the season. With a little help from Wieland, Taylor was able to help lead the team to an 8-4 season. With Wieland returning, Taylor’s position has shifted from starting quarterback to tight end.

“Nate helped me out a lot last year because he had lots of experience since it was my first year [on varsity] as a starter,” Taylor said. “A lot of it was with pre-game preparation that he had gone through his sophomore year.”

Although Wieland is the starting QB over Taylor this year, Taylor still is helping Wieland prepare for games this season.

“Not only has Jared taught me how to be leader on the team, but he helps me prepare myself and the team for the season,” Wieland said.

In comparison, the two say that they are very similar through leadership and throwing capability. Both have been captains for games. While the two are similar, Nate has earned the starting position through individual athleticism.

“I think it’s been established that Nate is a better runner than I am. He is more of a dual threat quarterback and I am

more of a passing type quarterback. As for our accuracies, I think my short game throws are a little bit better and consistent than Nate’s,” Taylor said.

Throughout the season, they both stay positive leaders and help guide one another through games and practices.

“I think it’s just give and take. There’s things that I see and he doesn’t, and there’s things that he sees that I don’t. We just try to help each other the best that we can be and help our team win,” Taylor said.

As for now, Wieland plans to contribute offensively and defensively by playing quarterback and strong safety.

“Offensively I can help rush, pass the ball, and create opportunities for the team to score touchdowns,” Wieland said about being the starting quarterback. “As for defensively, I plan stopping the other team from scoring and getting first downs.”

Taylor and Wieland both agree that there is and always will be work to be done. Now with Taylor’s other position as tight end, he has to also focus on blocking for Nate.

“I block for Nate a lot more as tight end,” Taylor said. “[Playing] tight end is more isolated thinking than quarterback.”

Even if Nate is getting most of the snaps, Taylor still gets some reps at quarterback. To succeed in the future, they both say that they are willing to be put to the test and do what the coach tells them, no matter the position.

“We are just prepared for whatever role we have in each game, if that’s playing quarterback or tight end or whatever it may be, but we will play to the best of our ability,” Taylor said on his and Wieland’s future games.

“We just try to help each other the best that we can be and help our team win.”

Jared Taylor ‘17

“It’s a bragging rights game. It’s memories that they’ll have for their entire life, and that’s what makes this game special,” Offensive Coordinator Joe Wilcox said after the game.

After two early fumbles that killed drives for both teams, the Little Hawks were able to string together a drive and take the lead on a touchdown run by Bryce Frantz ’17 at the end of the first quarter.

Frantz’s touchdown was the only scoring play of the first half. West had a chance to get on the board but failed to capitalize after West High kicker Lucas Karwal ’18 missed a field goal. The two teams combined for six first half turnovers and only seven points. City had three fumbles, while West had two interceptions and a fumble that killed a drive in the first quarter. City had another chance to score at the end of the half. Naeem Smith ’17 caught a pass and was hit hard at the ten on what the City High bench believed to be a targeting penalty. He wouldn’t return for the second half. Smith fumbled in the redzone, stalling another Little Hawk drive right before the half.

“I think our kids responded very well to that. I don’t know for sure what happened; it didn’t look good from what we saw. It’s a tough thing for the officials,” Head Coach Dan Sabers said.

City got the ball to start the second half and wasted no time on expanding its lead. Zach Jones ’18 took the second half kickoff to the West High 40. On the next play, quarterback Nate Wieland ’17 found Jones down the sideline for 34 yards. A few plays later, Wieland would punch it in for the score.

“When we came out [of the locker room], we knew our main focus was keeping control, because we didn’t have trouble moving the ball, we had trouble putting points on the board,” Wieland said.

The Little Hawks would add to their lead on Bryce Frantz’s second touchdown of the night later in the quarter. West was able to score once on a well drawn up screen play, but the Little Hawks were able to shut down the Trojans and their star receiver Oliver Martin ’17 for most of the game.

“We were able to get pressure on the quarterback, we tackled pretty well and our secondary was outstanding,” Sabers said, praising his defense.

This is the first time the Little Hawks won the boot in back to back years since they winning it in six consecutive seasons from 2005-2011.

Nate Wieland ‘17 (#15) breaks through a tackle against West High School . PHOTO BY BELLA PITTMAN

B7

SPORTS September 30th, 2016

Quarterback Nate Wieland ‘17 jukes past a Linn-Mar defender on August 26th. City won the game 26-6. PHOTO BY MARY OLESBERG

Football

Little Hawks Prepare for Playoff Push After going 3-1 out of district play, the Little Hawks, led by their defense, prepare for one of the toughest districts in class 4A.

A

By Jonathan House

fter a 2-0 start, including wins over Linn-Mar at home and a ranked Pleasant Valley team on the road, the Little Hawks had a setback in the Little Cy-Hawk game, losing in overtime to Ames High, 30-27. However, the loss didn’t come without a learning experience for the coaches.

“We just had too many mistakes [against Ames], and we now realize that we know our team better as coaches,” head coach Dan Sabers said.

After the defeat against Ames, in which the Little Hawks struggled to execute, they came back to hold the Trojans to only one touchdown and win the boot for the second consecutive year, beating West High 20-7. The Little Hawks have been led in part by their defense. City High’s defense on average has only given up 17.6 points per game thus far.

“Our defense has done a good job at preparing for some tough offenses to give our offense a lot of opportunities,” Linebacker and team-leading tackler Brock Hunger ‘17 said. “We haven’t scored a lot in the first half this season, so it helps when our defense can come out and set the tone.”

City is 4-1 and ranked sixth after beating Clinton to begin district play.

City’s district includes three teams that are currently ranked in the Iowa Associated Press poll. Muscatine is 3-2 and currently ranked seventh.

Bettendorf is 3-2 and ranked eighth.

“We knew when the district assignments came out that the way our district was that there was going to be one or two good football teams that were not going to be in the playoffs,” Sabers said.

The Little Hawks have been helped this year by having Northern Illinois commit, Nate Wieland ‘17, back at quarterback. Wieland missed most of last season with knee and shoulder injuries.

“Obviously it’s a huge mental barrier (being injured) to overcome, and I just feel stronger and faster this year than I did last year and more prepared for each game,” Wieland said.

Wieland has 727 passing yards, as well as another 436 yards rushing. He has seven rushing touchdowns but has only thrown for two. This year, Wieland lacks his top target from last year, Jason Jones ‘16, who had 1,153 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns last year.

“All of our receivers have a lot of talent, so it’s hard to single any of them out,” Wieland said. “There’s no doubt we have all the weapons to have a strong passing game. I really think the passing game will take off these next couple of games.”

Bryce Frantz ‘17 also leads the Little Hawks with 527 rushing yards this season as well as nine rushing touchdowns.

“We named him a captain last week so we’re happy with a lot of things that he’s doing,” Sabers said.

“I think there’s a two fold effect there.

One, Bryce runs hard and sees things well like he always does, and the offensive line is just getting better every week and that’s really exciting.”

The Little Hawks beat Clinton on the road to start 1-0 in the district. The Little Hawks play on the road at Davenport Central on September 30. Their next home game is on October 7 against Muscatine.

Naeem Smith ‘17 catches a pass during warm-ups before City’s game against Pleasant Valley on September 2nd. City won 19-17. PHOTO

BY BELLA PITTMAN

B8

SPORTS September 30th, 2016

ALEXA

M

INGRA

N E DIXO C A R G ELLIE

JAMES N O N SHAN

STAMP N O N SHAN

m h t y h R r i e h t g n i d Fin ICHAEL M y b s Photo

TTI

MENIE

Retracing last years steps to the playoffs seems to be a harder task than imagined.

By Jim Geerdes

E

xperience runs through Little Hawk volleyball team like a river. The team is on the backs of seniors such as Alexa Ingram, Shannon James, Shannon Stamp, and Ellie Grace Dixon. Two of which are committed college athletes. Ingram and James have also both been four year varsity letter winners.

Experience does not win volleyball games.

The City girls have not found the same success as last year, despite only losing one athlete, Ashley Smith, to college. Other losses for the Little Hawks include Kendra Cave, who moved to Maquoketa, and Cyan Vanderhoef, who hung up her volleyball shoes in the offseason. The team is currently 5-8.

“Ashley brought a lot of energy and a positive attitude,” Ingram said with longing for her old teammate.

“To fill the void she left, us seniors need to step up and be loud on the court and lead by example.” James said.

A major highlight for the girls this season was a crushing victory against Cedar Rapids Prairie.

THELITTLEHAWK.COM

“It shifted momentum,” Anna Roemerman ‘17 said.

“We started to play as a team and I think we showed a lot of potential for success.“ The annual Battle for the Spike against rival West High resulted in a 3-1 loss by City.

Hundreds of fans packed West High’s bleachers and buckled up for what would be an emotional and physical roller coaster. Following a back and forth match, many tears were shed along the Little Hawk bench, while the heat easily pushed out disappointed City fans as the final kill was made.

Even if the season is not going their way, two seniors are destined for college volleyball.

WE STARTED TO PLAY AS A TEAM AND SHOWED A LOT OF POTENTIAL FOR SUCCESS ANNA ROEMERMAN ‘17

Seniors Alexa Ingram and Shannon Stamp have both committed to colleges to continue their volleyball careers.

Ingram, a commit to Drake University, is excited for her college career.

“I’m excited for getting out of Iowa City and playing volleyball at a higher level,” Ingram said.

Stamp committed to Concordia University of Chicago in August.

“It’s a huge step up. I will be playing with a new intensity,” Stamp said.

The college commitment process is not an easy one for volleyball players.

“It started my sophomore year,” Stamp said. “Usually you get in contact with college coaches. I looked at colleges

depending on the division and I met the Concordia coach. I really clicked with him.”

Future college athletes aren’t necessarily carrying the squad.

Young talent such as Ellie Evans ‘19 and Mackenzie Murphy ‘19 have both had positive impacts on the team.

“It’s kind of fun being the young one on the team,” Evans said. “People underestimate the young people on the team and it is fun to show them up.”

Evans is third on the team in kills, with 52 on the year, while Murphy has had 108 serves with a 0.861 success rate.

Following the success of last season might be a daunting task, but the team is prepared for it. As the postseason approaches, the unranked team is taking new approach.

“We are practicing a lot for state,” Ingram said. “Our mentality is a lot different after the losses we experienced in the beginning of the season.”

The first game of state is November 8th.