March 2017
Volume 91
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Issue 7
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Google grant to bring inspiration to local artists
A Google representative speaks about the new art mural on their new data center, as Council Bluffs Representatives sit behind him. Photo by: David Fringer.
Abigail Edie Reporter On March 15th, Google had the opening of a new art mural at their Data Center. During the opening, Google announced a $50,000 grant to the Council Bluffs Community School District for art education. “Google is giving $50,000 for the purpose of art and the money will be used at all of the schools, Thomas Jefferson being one of them,” Chief Technology Officer David Fringer said. “Oculus Rift (3D glasses) and Google Tilt Brush will be for the high school plan and middle schools will get Stop Animation and use Google Expedition.”
Rise of employment rates
During the New York Stock Exchange, traders are seen working on the floor. Photo provided by: nydailynews.com
Nyamouch Pal Reporter In Trump’s first full month of Presidency, the labor department reported a gain of 235,000 jobs and a healthy wage growth of 6 cents to $26.09, building a strong foundation for the nation’s economy. The unemployment rate decreased from 4.8% to 4.7% in the month prior, exactly where it was in the month of December. However, economists state that it is going to be a challenge for Trump to fulfill his promise to bring back 25 million jobs in the next 10 years. The unemployment rate is already very low and the Baby Boomers have retired or
left the job market. Although, Trump was on the track of fulfilling his promise in the month of February. “The US economy is doing very well at the moment,” said Jeremy Cook, Chief Economist at World First, a foreign exchange firm. Construction companies hired 58,000 new workers in the month of February. Experts have explained that the increase is due to the warmer winter weather in the Northeast and Midwest. Trump has promised to manufacture jobs by getting better trade deals for the United States. The economy is showing signs of strength, while consumer and business confidence is high.
Also in this paper...
Page 2 Budget Cuts Google Grant(continues) Travel ban blocked again Eating Healthy
The Google Tilt Brush is a virtual reality room where you can create 3D paintings. The features will have different brushes, different colors, and you can even change the setting of what the background will look like. You can also view your art after it is all done. This will be available on Vive and Oculus. Students will also be able to put their work on a virtual reality art show, where people from all across the world would have the possibility to look at that student’s work. “Google is trying to beautify their data centers and they want to enhance art in the school district as well,” Fringer said. They also wanted to promote the data centers and the people who worked there, or helped with making the data centers be the best that it can be.
University of Iowa settles lawsuit
Madasyn Davis Reporter Nearly 3,000 students at the University of Iowa were stripped from their promised scholarships, due to the school’s budget cuts. The budget cuts will save the school $4,343,699. This was included by the $8 million in state budget cuts. Wandro & Associates PC and Erbe Law Firm, out of Des Moines, Iowa, are on behalf of plaintiff Benjamin Muller. Many students counted on their scholarships for getting their education, and the recipients of the scholarships that got revoked feel as though they had been betrayed by the system. Many students had declined scholarships from other Universities, so when the scholarship
The University of Iowa table during College Crossroads at TJ. Photo by: Madasyn Davis.
that they had accepted wasn’t available to them any longer, the students panicked. “The University of Iowa several years ago began a scholarship program for certain Iowa residents to boost its numbers of Iowa residents attending the University,” said Grant Woodard, attorney for plaintiff, Benjamin Muller. “Most of these scholarships were automatically renewable as long as the students had maintained certain standards (full time enrollment, acceptable GPA, etc).” Muller and all current or incoming UI students who were offered and accepted the scholarship from the University are filing the lawsuit because
Page 3 Jaime Katzenstein makes All-State Monarchs going extinct Mr. Tee Jay Pageant West Broadway construction
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the scholarship was “revoked by defendant without warning, without due process, and without just compensation.” “In February, the University of Iowa announced that it was pulling these scholarships for all recipients beginning next school year. Many students and parents were upset because they were counting on these scholarships and felt as though the rug was being pulled out from under them. The University of Iowa claimed it was necessary to rescind those scholarships due to state budget cuts,” explains Woodard. After the lawsuit in late February, the University reversed its decision and reinstated the scholarships.
Page 4 Dancing with Tworek Women’s Hockey protests Power Rangers movie Ed Sheeran comes to Omaha
Cuts to Iowa Education
NEWS
THE SIGNAL
Google grant continued
Editor-in-Chief Morgan Barth Copy Editor Cami Wagaman Paginator Morgan Barth Adriana Ibarra Cami Wagaman Staff Abigail Edie Cody Kinney Courtney Jones Madasyn Davis Maxine Mass Nyamouch Pal
Terry Branstad speaking at the podium at the Google data center (top photo). Future employees of Council Bluffs stand in front of the Google data center (bottom photo). Photos by: David Fringer.
Adviser Rob Lindquist Phone: 712-328-6493 Facebook: CBJacketJournalism Twitter:@TJHSJournalism Web: cbjacketjournalism.com Snapchat: tjhsjournalism
Martha Bruckner gives a statement at a school board meeting regarding budget cuts in 2015. Signal file photo.
Shae Wilson Reporter Recently in Iowa, budget cuts have been proposed to the education system. Iowa Area Education Agencies are now being faced with no other option but to either spend more money than they are supposed to, to make up for the cuts, or to increase taxes by a large amount. As of January, Iowa Governor, Terry Branstad, got together with the Iowa House and Senate Republican leaders to attempt to fix the budget cuts that have been made of almost $118 million throughout the year. Iowa Democrats conducted a survey, which came to show that over three quarters of superintendents of the school board have
claimed to need at least a 4% increase in the funds that are going towards education in Iowa. “If that (budget cuts) were to happen,” said School Administrative Manager, Chuck May. “We would need to look at any considerations with the goal of minimizing as much as possible student educational impact.” Schools in Iowa will be receiving $40 million in funding, but many working in the school district are arguing that the funds provided will not be enough for them to work with. “Our goal is always how we can best serve students with what is available to us,” said May. Other cuts have been made as well, such as Iowa’s Cultural Trust Fund, the Department of Corrections, the Judicial Branch, and the Department of Public Safety.
Many artists painted each mural on the data centers. Gary Kelley painted the Mural in Council Bluffs, Jenny Odell painted the mural in Mayes County, Oli B painted the mural in St. Ghislain, and Fuchsia MacAree painted the mural in Dublin. The mural on the wall of the Google data center in Council Bluffs is one of the largest reproductions of a montage print ever made. The large painting had a
Travel ban blocked again
President Donald Trump signed a new executive order on March 6th, making a second attempt to ban immigration from six Muslim countries. During the time it had taken him to put together the executive order a second time, Iraq was dropped from the order. The ban was said to go into affect March 16th, however, the Federal Judge in Hawaii put the ban on hold. The ban was suppose to excuse the legal United States residents, or those who have valid visas to enter the U.S. Citizens of Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen will be blocked from acquiring a visa
for at least 90 days. It will also suspend admission of refugees into the U.S. for at least 120 days. After more than three weeks of delaying the ban, Iraq’s Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi, proceeded to try and convince U.S. officials to remove Iraq from the original seven-state list of banned countries. The State of Departments worked to investigate the removal of Iraq. Since the ban, Trump has taken criticism on Twitter. However, Administration officials explained that the ban does not target a specific religion. Administration lawyers argued that the previous travel ban went into effect immediately to prevent terrorists from getting into the country. Trump
NSPA Member Publication IHSPA Member Publication
Making snack-rifices
The produce section at Hy-vee contains many different choices to help people eat healthier. Photo by: Madasyn Davis.
Protesters in Washington D.C. riot about the Travel ban. Photo provided by: flickr.com.
Morgan Barth Editor-in-chief
meaning behind every detail included. From the conversation between Lewis and Clark and a member of the Otoe tribe during their first council, to the hardware engineers at work inside the data center, explaining the importance of Council Bluffs. Although this is not the first building with art murals, Google will continue showing off wellknown artists in Council Bluffs to bring creativity to the schools and bring back inspiration.
The Signal is a school-sponsored publication of Thomas Jefferson High School 2501 W. Broadway Council Bluffs, Iowa 51501. The Signal’s office is located in room C128. The Signal is printed by OH-K FASTPRINT in Omaha, NE. The Signal is a schoolsponsored-publication and therefore recognizes its responsibility to stay within the boundaries that the school administrator sets. The Signal will therefore inform its readers using a high standard of morals and ethics. The Signal encourages readers to respond in the form of letters to the editor, which can be sent to room C128. The Signal’s editorial staff reserves the right to edit the letters for grammatical errors and to remove any profanity. The editors also reserve the right to exclude letters that are false in their statements or accusations. The Signal will not accept advertisements that promote activities illegal to minors. Advertising rates are available upon request.
stated that he would not give an advanced notice to the country the week before the ban, he believes that would give terrorists a chance to get into the country before the ban went into effect. However, U.S District Judge Theodore D. Chuang in Maryland announced that Trump, “should not, and will not, second-guess the conclusion that national security interests would be served by the travel ban.” Trump promised citizens in Tennessee at a rally that he would fight the Hawaii judge’s ruling. He stated that he would go as far as the Supreme Court, according to townhall.com. Trump boasted that the ban will be passed, that danger is clear, and that the executive order will be clear.
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Madasyn Davis Reporter There are many foods and recipes that people can turn to for a delicious snack or meal, that are healthy, and sticks to diet plans. Fruits and berries are foods you can turn to if you’re looking for something fast. Apples are high in fiber, vitamins and antioxidants. Apples lower the risk of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Cancer and Diabetes. They can also reduce cholesterol, leading to a healthier heart. If you’re looking for more protein, turn to eggs, lean beef, and even peanuts. Large eggs
contain 77 calories, 5 grams of fat, 6 grams of protein and 9 useful amino acids. Just one egg contains 113mg of Choline. Choline is a vitamin, and is essential for the brain. According to authoritynutrition. com, 90% of Americans don’t get enough Choline in their diet. Lean beef is rich in protein and iron. Fatty-meats are a great source of vitamins and nutrients if you are on a low carb diet. Peanuts have many nutrients and antioxidants, and they can also improve heart health and influence weight loss. For recipes on healthy eating, visit http://mdavis052.wixsite. com/davis-thesignal, under the healthy eating tab.
NEWS
Katzenstein makes All-State for Speech Katzenstein about her coaches. “I also think it really helped me to just perform for people too just for practice and a second opinion.” The All-Stater explains that time is the main blockage when she tries to get things done. She explains how it gets in the way and that sometimes it’s hard to find the time. However, she
Speech All-Stater, Jaime Katzenstein smiling for a photo. Photo by: Morgan Barth.
Morgan Barth Editor-in-chief On March 13th, Thomas Jefferson English teacher and Speech coach, Jennifer Ettinger, announced over Twitter that TJ junior, Jaime Katzenstein, made All-State in Speech. Katzenstein explained how hard she practices with Speech Coaches Kristy Harris and Ettinger to better herself. “I stay open to their opinions on what I can change,” said
“My goal now that I have made All-State is to have fun and enjoy this once in a lifetime opportunity.”
-Jamie Katzenstein, ‘18
knows how to get over those obstacles. “There’s only 24 hours in a day,” said Katzenstein. “I make sure that even if it’s just five minutes before I go to sleep I go over my piece.”
Mr. Tee Jay Pageant
She explains how she tries her best to practice outside of school. Katzenstein was told by her coaches to go home and do in the mirror. She learned that instead of wearing her voice out by repeating her speech, she records herself so she can learn from what she has done wrong; recording her piece also helps her memorize it. “I am really excited and happy that I made All-State,” Katzenstein said. She says how this journey has been one of the best she’s had in high school. Katzenstein explains that there are many of her friends and teaches around the school that support her and help her accomplish most obstacles in her life. “My goal now that I have made All-State is to have fun and enjoy this once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Katzenstein. Katzenstein hopes to learn from this years experience, and wants to keep improving her skills. The All-Stater wishes to win the 2018 individual speech contest next year. Katzenstein promised to work hard and continue practicing as hard as she does and that’s how she will achieve her goal.
Monarchs disappearing?
Monarch butterfly in the Butterfly and Insect Pavillion at the Henry Doorly Zoo. Photo by: Morgan Barth.
Courtney Jones Reporter Monarch butterflies have been around for as long a people can remember, and the number of the species have been decreasing very rapidly. According to Journal Scientific Reports, there is an 11-57% chance that in 20 years monarch butterflies will be completely extinct. Monarchs are important for more reasons than we think, just like bees and other insects, they help tremendously as being pollinators for plants.
Although, there is hope for the species, as communities in Des Moines, Iowa are coming together to better a habitat in order to sustain the existence of Monarch butterflies. The Iowa Conservation Consortium unveiled their plans March 1st, 2017. The group is hoping to use farm bill resources to create a monarch breeding habitat, promote the usage of monarch friendly weed managements, and establish monarch way stations with native nectar plants and milkweeds. Their goal in all of their plans is to improve the habitat for Monarch butterflies and decrease the numbers of extinction.
West Broadway construction Madasyn Davis Reporter
Statue of Thomas Jefferson, the OG Mr. Tee Jay. Photo by: Morgan Barth.
Adriana Ibarra Reporter Senior men, Thomas Jefferson is holding a Mr.Tee Jay’s pageant. All male seniors are eligible to compete, but there are requirements you must meet. In order to compete, you must be a senior male, all participants will be required to create a two minute “Welcome to my life” video. Contestants will be categorized in the following sections;
Beauty, talent, a lip sync battle, and a Q&A. Any clothing, music, and props must be provided by the participant and remain school appropriate. To nominate yourself, look out for an email from Mrs. Gray named ‘Mr. Tee Jay’s Pageant.’ All nominees will be required to attend an informational meeting in Mrs. Gray’s room (C216) on April 10th, at 1:30 p.m. The winner will receive a crown, pageant sash, along with a $25 gift card. The pageant will be held on Friday, May 5th at 7pm to announce the winner.
The first segment of the West Broadway reconstruction started on March 13, they will begin working from 36th street to 33rd street. The goal of the reconstruction is to enhance the look and feel of Broadway, not only for drivers but for residents and businesses. As the reconstruction moves along, there will be a focus on drainage improvements, the removal and replacement of pavements, increased pedestrian safety and access, and finally modifications to aesthetics (landscape). City Council voted 3-2 on eliminating medians from the reconstruction master plan on March 13. Broadway will have one lane of traffic open on each side from 36th street to 33rd street. Drivers are recommended
West Broadway rennovations, beginning with 35th and Broadway. Photo by: Madasyn Davis.
to take Second Avenue when heading eastbound and Avenue A when heading westbound. “Changing roadway conditions will affect drivers most,” said Project Manager, Matt Cox. “Through traffic, both east and west, will still be permitted, but drivers should be aware of a reduction to the number of lanes and shifts in the lane locations that will occur during construction. Access to businesses will also be maintained, however the access may be altered during construction.” During the construction, drivers should allow themselves more
time to commute. As the reconstruction moves down broadway, Thomas Jefferson High School will be affected during Segment 3 in 2019. “It is likely that delays will occur during peak traffic hours around the school during Segment 3 construction,” Cox said. “The design and phasing plan will be developed to minimize the impacts as much as possible.” More information on the West Broadway Reconstruction can be found on http://www.wbreconstruction.com/ or on their Facebook page at “West Broadway Reconstruction Project.”
You can only purchase a yearbook in C128! First come first serve! Page 3
Dancing with Tworek
SPORTS
USA Women’s Hockey protests for rights Maxine Mass Reporter
Mr. Tworek with his dance partners, Tatiana Sandoval and Sophie Knauss, holding their first place trophy. Photo by: Cami Wagaman.
Tiana Larsen Reporter On March 10th, 2017, Thomas Jefferson held their very first Dancing With The Stars showcase. Teachers and students had to work hard to learn choreography and put in the effort to be the best. The final contestants, who were called back up to the stage
for a second time. The final five included: Mr. Tworek, Mr. Bullock, Ms. Custer, Mr. Lindquist and Ms. Durheim and Mrs. Jacobs. It came down to a very close ending. 2nd place was Mr. Bullock and his partner, Mackenzie Vrana, and finally the winner of the first annual Dancing with the Stars, Mr. Tworek and his partners Tatiana Sandoval and Sophie Knauss.
Members from the USA Women’s hockey team have agreed as a team to not participate in the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship, during April, in Michigan because of unfair wages. Since the team does not agree with the wages they have, the USA Women’s hockey team decided to not attend. For more than a year the team has negotiated for an increase in wages while also asking for more support from USA Hockey. The U.S. women’s hockey team has won the World Championships for the past three years. They are currently ranked #1 in the world. The 2017 World Championship is to take place from March 31st to April 7th in Plymouth, Michigan. A news release from the Ballard Spahr firm said USA Hockey
United States playing against Canada in the finals of the 2014 Olympics. Picture provided by: New York Times.
provided players with only $1,000 per month during the six month Olympic residency period and “virtually nothing” through the remainder in the four years between Olympic games. For the men’s US hockey team, two thirds of the team is made up of NHL players, and since they already make millions, they don’t need USA Hockey for support. CNN Money reported that USA Hockey pays for transportation for any guests as well as allowing those guests to stay at the same hotel as the players. The women’s team stated that they are not allowed to bring guests and are forced to share their hotel
room with other teammates, as well as flying coach instead of business class that the men travel in. USA Hockey has attempted to recruit players for a replacement team to send to the World Championship instead. Players from the NWHL, colleges, post-colleges, high schools, and even beer leagues, have all turned down the offer to participate for the replacement team. USA Sports reported that the use of a replacement players at the World Championship would “trigger” US NHL players to boycott their World Championship in May.
ENTERTAINMENT Morphin’ into action! Divide tour comes to Omaha Ed Sheeran’s new album, Divide. Photo provided by: Wikipedia.
Morgan Barth Editor-in-chief It’s Morphin’ Time! The Power Rangers will hit the big screens for another movie debut on March 24th, 2017. Directed by Dean Israelite, the film features a majority of the main characters from Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, represented by different cast members. Five teenagers who are brought together by coincidence, stumble upon an unknown force that sets them up to become the newest generation of Power Rangers. Dacre Montgomery, who plays Jason Scott, the Red Ranger, Naomi Scott as Kimberly Hart, the Pink Ranger, RJ Cyler plays Billy Cranston, the Blue Ranger, Becky G plays Trini, the Yellow Ranger and Ludi Lin plays Zack, the Black Ranger. Each character is facing problems with bullies, either at home or at school. They help one another by standing up for each other in the hallways, which brings them closer together. However, one night as they hang
Cami Wagaman Reporter out together, they find themselves entering a restricted area and come across a rock wall that begins to glow several different colors. The police were alerted that there were teens trespassing, and before they arrived, the teens each took a rock displaying different colors. They didn’t understand why the next morning they woke up with superpowers. To understand where their powers came from, the Rangers visited the restricted zone in which they meet Zordon, who was originally the Red Ranger. Zordon mentors the Power Rangers and and introduces them to their powers. He gifts the Rangers with new suits, and combatting skills they will use in the near future. However, with every superhero there is a villain. Trini, the
Yellow Ranger wakes up to former Power Ranger, Rita Repulsa floating above her bed. Repulsa threatens the Ranger and lets her know that she is after something known as the Zeo Crystal and will stop at nothing to get it. The Zeo Crystal produces enormous amounts of energy, and it constantly gets stronger as time goes on. The crystal is what made the Power Rangers, and now Repulsa is after it. With help from Zordon, the Power Rangers must get a hold of the crystal and destroy it before Repulsa. However, they will face Repulsa’s army of stone golems, clay figures brought to life by magic, and a giant golden monster, Goldar. Go, Go see Saban’s Power Rangers takeover the big screens for a reboot of the original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers.
A popular british singer, Ed Sheeran, has recently dropped a new album, called Divide. Sheeran had dropped two singles from the album before releasing all of the tracks. The two songs, Castle on the Hill and Shape of You, rocketed to the top of the charts from the time they were released on January 6th, 2017. As of March 10th, Castle on the Hill has 170,756,717 views on youtube, as Shape of You has 412,409,985. Shape of You held the number one position on the UK charts for eight weeks, and reached No. 1 on the Billboard’s top singles chart. Divide is only the third album that Sheeran has recorded in studio. The album was produced by Asylum records and Atlantic records. In the past three years, Ed Sheeran has come to the midwest region twice. This summer,
Sheeran will finally make a stop in Omaha, Nebraska on his tour. Tickets for the tour went on sale on March 17th via Ticketmaster. Due to Sheeran’s rare appearances in the metro area, tickets are selling fast. James Blunt will be the opening act, as Sheeran revealed via Twitter. Hearts Don’t Break Around Here when Ed Sheeran comes to town. The experience should be Perfect, but What Do I Know? Sheeran has become a New Man. He will make a lot of people Happier as he takes a Dive into the new tour. Maybe even throw him some Supermarket Flowers when he’s on stage. Sheeran will make his debut in Omaha on September 12, 2017 at the CenturyLink center. He will kick off the tour in June, starting in Kansas City, and will stay on the road through October, making 48 stops across North America. The tour will end in Nashville, Tennessee.
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