The Signal September 2017

September 2017

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Volume 92

Issue 1

Murillo named in lawsuit

Get blasted back in time with the Thomas Jefferson hall of history Website! Jordan McAlpine gives a breakdown of the abilities of the webpage in Webpage provides glimpse into Jacket history.

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Follow #TJPride Check out more of our stories and ‘like’ our Facebook page at cbjacketjournalism.com Or follow us on twitter @TJHSJournalism

Dr. Vickie Murillo was named in a lawsuit after being voted superintendent in June.

Photo provided by: the Daily Nonpariel

Page 2 Thomas Jefferson celebrates homecoming week during the 18th22nd. Ending the week with a football game, as well as the homecoming dance. Read Peace, Love, and Homecoming! written by Courtney Jones.

Page 3 Thomas Jefferson has added a new way to get students involved during the school year.

Students have the opportunity to win prizes when they get involved.

Read CBTJ Activities App, written by Adriana Ibarra Page 3 Recently, President Donald Trump made moves to end DACA, a program that allows children of illegal immigrants to come to America and recieve opportunities that they would otherwise not have the chance to get.

Read more about this topic in #DefendDACA, written by Alondra Ibarra.

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Cami Wagaman Editor-in-Chief The Kansas City Star reported that new Council Bluffs Superintendent, Dr. Vicki Murillo, is named in a lawsuit along with her former district and two other individuals.

District Spokesperson, Diane Ostrowski, provided that Dr. Murillo was accused of misusing district funds and discriminating against the principal of one of the schools within the district in her role as the district’s former chief

of academic and accountability officer.

In total, three claims were made by a former Kansas City Public School District employee against the KCPSD as well as two individuals. The petition against them was filed with the Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri at Kansas City.

In a statement to students and staff addressing the lawsuit, Murillo denies the accusations.

“I want the Bluffs Community School District’s students, faculty, parents and residents to know that the allegations being made

against me are not true,” Murillo states.

Murillo explains how the Kansas City Public School District had hired a third party law firm to investigate the allegations.

After a thorough investigation by the district two years ago, there was no evidence of any misconduct.

These allegations are now being brought up in a civil lawsuit.

“My job is to stay focused on all of the good work that is being done here in the Council Bluffs Schools, and I will not let these false allegations distract from our

work here on behalf of students and their success,” stated Murillo.

During the spring of 2017, the members of the CBCSD School Board hired Dr. Vickie Murillo without naming the finalists for the position. She worked during the summer and into the fall to connect with and support the district through Listen and Learning sessions.

As this story progresses, there will be more information, so make sure to check online at the Jacket Journalism website (bit. ly/SignalNews), as well as on SwarmTV.

TJ senior studies abroad Senior Alissa Garcia Cruz chooses to study abroad in Germany for her last year of high school.

Photo provided by: Alissa Garcia Cruz

Alondra Ibarra Reporter Every year, Thomas Jefferson gets new foreign exchange students from different countries all around the world. This year, Thomas Jefferson’s very own, Alissa Garcia Cruz gets the honor of being a foreign exchange student.

The TJ senior’s first choice was Italy. However, as she was fill-

ing out her application, she was informed that she was too old for the program in Italy. Because she was too old to study in Italy, they offered her an opportunity to study in Germany, which she accepted.

Cruz will be studying in Andernach, Germany. The school that she will be studying at has not yet been decided. One thing that has inspired her was the other foreign exchange students that walk the halls of Thomas

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Jefferson. She had the idea of being a foreign exchange student towards the end of the school year last year. She quickly jumped into action and raised the money to help her get to Germany.

One thing that Alissa wants to learn most about from this is the history of Germany. The things that Alissa will the miss most are her family and dog. She hopes that studying in a harder education system such as Germany’s will prepare her for college when

she comes back home and gets ready for college.

When asked what she’s most excited about, she says, “I’m mostly excited about living in a culture rather than touring it.

I feel like I’ll learn more about the language, history and people while living with them like I’m one of them rather than viewing them like a tourist.”

From Council Bluffs, Iowa, to Andernach, Germany, We wish you the best of luck Alissa!

SPORTS

THE SIGNAL

Webpage glimpses into Jacket history Jordan McAlpine Reporter Throughout the years, Thomas Jefferson high school has been home to multiple state championships in several sports, both team and individual, and

which can be found here: http:// www.cb-schools.org/schools/ thomas-jefferson/athletics/hallof-history/ highlights both team and individual accomplishments by students while here at TJ and beyond at the next level.

The school has seen 16 team championships from four differ-

tory. These championships are represented by 10 sports: Long Jump, High Jump, Vault, Floor exercise, pentathlon, the 100 yard dash, 100 and 220 yard dash, 110 meter high hurdle and wrestling, a sport that has produced the school’s most recent championships in 2016 and 2017 by Colton

The success has not just stopped at TJ though and stems well beyond high school as the school has seen 28 alums either earn a letter in NCAA Division I athletics or become a Division II all american. Along with the collegiate success, the school has produced 11 Major League

Editor-in-Chief Cami Wagaman Copy Editor Adriana Ibarra Paginator Adriana Ibarra Cami Wagaman

Staff Madasyn Davis Emily Eikenberry Alondra Ibarra Morgan Jacobson Courtney Jones Jordan McAlpine Adviser Rob Lindquist Phone: 712-328-6493 Facebook: CBJacketJournalism Twitter:@TJHSJournalism Web: cbjacketjournalism.com Snapchat: tjhsjournalism

The new webpage allows former and present students of TJ to look back on the sports history of TJ. Photo by: Cami Wagaman has seen many of those student athletes go on to play at the next level in their respective sport.

Now, with the TJ hall of history webpage, current TJ students, as well as alumni, have an easy way to go back and look through some of TJ’s greats and learn about Jacket athletics history.

The Hall of History webpage,

ent programs, most recently from the baseball program in 1993 which has nine, pentathlon with five and both bowling and boys gymnastics have claimed one to round them out.

In addition to the team titles, 24 different Jackets have been crowned state champions throughout the school’s his-

Clingenpeel and McGwire Midkiff respectively.

Along with these 24 individual honors, the school has also had it’s fair share of success on the track as five individuals and one relay team have won championships at the Drake Relay’s, one of the highest honors for an Iowa High school track athlete.

Baseball draft picks and two undrafted free agent signings, a big part of the school’s past baseball success.

Make sure to check out the TJ Hall of History when you get a chance and view some of this school’s individual great accomplishments and team athletic success.

Jackets fall to Rams

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.

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Jackets go head to head with the Glenwood Rams Photo by: Emily Eikenberry

Jordan McAlpine Reporter Thomas Jefferson came out of the gates firing on all cylinders and put together a very impressive first half effort. The Jackets worked their way down field on their first drive and found their way into the endzone early as Colton Kinney hit Cameron Baker for a nine yard touchdown pass. Cameron Lukavsky’s two point conversion attempt was

good and the Jackets went ahead by eight, just 5:41 into the game.

After trading scoreless drives over the course of roughly the next 15 minutes, the Jackets got the big play and momentum they needed, as turnovers would prove to be the story of this game. With 3:07 left in the first half, Cameron Baker recovered a fumble and took off 73 yards to the house to extend the lead to 14, a lead they would carry into halftime.

The Jackets would start off the second half with a couple strong drives, but were unable

to capitalize and put points on the board. With the TJ offense starting to stall and turnovers becoming an issue, the Rams took advantage and started to find their groove.

With 3:02 remaining in the third quarter, running back Noah Carter capped off a strong Glenwood drive as he pushed his way into the end zone from a yard out. With the successful two point attempt the TJ lead was trimmed to six at 14-8. The momentum kept building though, as just a minute later the Jackets would give the ball right back.

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This time with a fumble on their own 44 yard line and TJ would head into the final quarter clinging to a six point lead.

Glenwood would capitalize on the Jackets mistake and with 7:46 to go in the final frame the Rams would go in front for good.

Cooper Silvius scored a 20 yard touchdown run followed by the successful two point conversion attempt would put Glenwood ahead by two, 16-14. Just over 2:30 later, yet another big turnover would prove costly for TJ as Glenwood would recover another fumble, this one at their own

39 yard line with just over five minutes to go.

The Rams once again gained on the mistake as quarterback Andrew Blum went up the middle from three yards out, adding six more onto the lead with just 1:30 left. Blum would carry the ball across the goal line again on the two point attempt, moving the score to 24-14. The Jackets would have one final chance at a miracle, but turnovers proved to be the story of this game once again as TJ fumbled on their 37 yard line and would fall to the Rams by ten, 24-14.

Peace, Love, and Homecoming!

Homecoming court poses for a photo during the pep rally homecoming week.

Photo provided by: Michaela Patterson

Courtney Jones Reporter The Homecoming theme for the year 2017 was announced, and it has been decided that the dance will have a hippie theme.

The dance will occur on Saturday the 23rd from 7-10 p.m.

The events following up to the 23rd include spirit week, the annual dodgeball tournament, followed by a bonfire the same night. The homecoming parade

will be followed by the football game against Des Moines North on Friday. The parade will be starting at 5 p.m. During the halftime show, the dance team will show off what they have been working on.

Spirit week themes this year are Movie Star Monday, Twin day Tuesday, Western Wednesday, Tropical Thursday, and Spirit day Friday.

Show your school pride by getting involved! Happy Homecoming TJ!

NEWS

New faces added to school board

On the Left; Kyle McGlade, a new school board member, poses for a photo with his mother, Mary McGlade, a teacher at TJ. On the right; John Minshall poses for a photo before the election.

Photos by: Morgan Jacobson

Morgan Jacobson Reporter On the 12th of September, the Council Bluffs School Board held an election for new school board members. Three new members were elected, Kyle McGlade, John Minshall, and Jill Ogg-Gress.

The newest members of the school board are very excited to

Dr. Vickie Murillo visits AL and TJ

Vickie Murillo talks with members of the community on her first stop on the listening tour.

Photo provided by: The Daily Nonpareil

Cami Wagaman Editor-in-Chief The new superintendent of Council Bluffs Community School District, Dr. Vickie Murillo, has been making her rounds in the community recently.

On Thursday, August 10th, Dr. Murillo held a meeting open to the public, where students, parents, and staff met to discuss important topics they feel the district needs to address more

often during Murillo’s term.

Murillo took the backseat in the discussion this time, as she felt that the community needed to know they were being heard, rather than hearing a stranger tell them what they want to hear.

Former TJ principal Steve Hardiman said he has seen the school improve in many ways throughout the years he has been out of the district. From the way it looks, to the graduation rates.

“One thing the school has improved on is the incentive they

give the children… They now offer a fifth year of high school, and they help kids out more and they care more about seeing them graduate,” said Hardiman.

CBCSD has improved very much throughout the years, thanks to the administrators and school board members, and we hope to see it improve much more.

We would like to offer Dr. Vickie Murillo a warm welcome into our community, and hope she provides more opportunities.

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get to work. New board member, Kyle McGlade, is the youngest member (23) of the school board right now. McGlade was previously a substitute teacher for CBCSD, as well as a Thomas Jefferson graduate. McGlade won the election with 770 votes and was the highest voted member of the election by 286 votes.

Jill Ogg-Gress was also reelected for her fourth consecutive year with 484 votes. Ogg- Gress was very happy to be re-elected

and is prepared to bring even more to the table than before.

John Minshall, a bright new face to the school district will be on for a four year term to help out as much as he can while his daughter goes to school in the district. He surpassed Susan Riley with 36 votes, making it a slim margin to win.

The new elected officials will be starting soon, working hard towards making/keeping CBCSD a great place to learn and work at.

CBTJ Activities app

The view of the new CBTJ app Photo provided by: Jeremy Stukenholtz

Adriana Ibarra Reporter Starting off the 2017-2018 school year, Thomas Jefferson activities director, Jeremy Stukenholtz, has announced that TJ now has their very own points/ rewards app.

Students earn points by attending school activities. Students had the option to receive 50 points if they took part in the August CBTJ Activities

Challenge. In order to get those points, the students had to attend the first varsity volleyball game, first varsity football game, first cross country meet, and the band parents car show.

The students that attended all activities earned an adidas backpack.

Make sure to download the app for your Apple or Android device in order to participate in the upcoming challenges. Search CBTJ Activities in the app store, or in the play store.

Airlines cap prices

JetBlue airlines have capped their prices, due to the hurricanes and natural disasters that have taken place.

Photo by: wikimedia

Adriana Ibarra Reporter Since the tragic news about another hurricane striking, people are taking action and are trying to evacuate Florida.

Irma is a category 5 Hurricane, and is expected to leave just as much damage as Hurricane Harvey did in Texas, if not more.

After American Airlines had upped their prices, JetBlue re-

sponded by capping their prices at $99 for direct flights and have also waived certain fees.

Following JetBlue, American Airlines announced that they would also be capping their prices at $99. The seats for American Airlines are coach seats. Delta also capped their prices at $399 for impacted areas.

Many people have not been able to board their flights, due to cancellations, or the flight being booked full.

NEWS

I-29 renovations

Road signs directing drivers going into Council Bluffs via I-29.

Photo provided by: www.interstate-guide.com

Courtney Jones Reporter Renovations to Council Bluffs’ interstate systems are under way, but in order to expand the interstates, 34 families will be losing their homes.

Interstate I-29 from Union Pacific Railroad Bridge to the south to 35th street will be worked on.

The renovations will also include interstate I-40 from I-20 all the way to the Missouri River.

Due to all of the work some

alterations will need to be done on the 13th and 14th holes at the Dodge Riverside golf course.

The 34 homes that will need to be demolished are along 35th street. Some residents expressed their anger, because not all the homes received a notice as the city is only buying a select number of houses.

Prior to the renovations on 35th and G, some residents had moved there because their homes were being destroyed by the construction. Now due to the construction on ave G, some

families have to move yet again.

Iowa state officials held a public meeting on August 15th to unveil the concept for the Council Bluffs system improvement program at the Mall of the Bluffs. State officials have made it clear to those whose houses are being bought that they will help with the moving process, as it will be hard on some to find homes to relocate to. The project is still in the concept phase and the number of homes that could be demolished could possibly change.

ANNOUNCMENTS

#DefendDACA

Grade checks for atheletes participating in fall sports are on October 4th.

Conferences will be held on October 17th in the commons.

DACA dreamers protest the ending of the DACA program.

Photo provided by: wikipedia

Alondra Ibarra Reporter Just after five years of being in act, President Trump is moving towards putting an end to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. DACA was founded in 2012 by the Obama administration.

DACA allows certain illegal immigrants that came to the United States as minors to further their education after graduating high school if they choose to do so. The program also allows these students to get a renewable work permit.

Since January 2015, out of 720,000 applicants, close to 640,000 have been accepted into the DACA program.

Trump gave congress six months to find a way to turn the decision around and somehow find a loop to keep DACA. Obama made a statement on September 5th regarding President Trump’s decision to end DACA. Obama was against the decision that was made by Trump.

For Thomas Jefferson’s very own senior Jose Soria, the next six months will be terrifying.

He will be waiting anxiously to see if congress came up with a loop to keep the program. Jose hopes that those who are apart of DACA and others who support it, do not stop fighting.

“Like most people have said, unless they’re coming to our doors, dragging us out, we’re not going to stop,” said Jose.

If worse comes to worse for Jose, he plans to use the money that he gets from the scholarship to study nursing in Mexico.

While Jose has other resources like his scholarship, not everyone is as lucky as he is. For some, the DACA program is all they have and the only assistance they have or will get through school, and work.

What some people fail to realize about those in DACA is that they were brought here as little kids and this is the only home that they know. If deported, they could be sent back to a country that they have never known, to a language that they don’t speak, and possibly with no family or plan. They will have to start all over yet again.

Picture Retakes will be on Monday, October 16th, from 7:3010:00 in the commons.

Make sure to Vote for Coach Manz for U.S. Cellulars’ most valuable coach contest, at www. themostvaluablecoach.com.

Order your yearbook soon at www.jostensyearbook.com!

Even more stories online!

Visit bit.ly/SignalNews Page 4