2016-11-04

WEST SIDE STORY IOWA CITY WEST HIGH SCHOOL

2901 MELROSE AVE.

IOWA CITY, IA 52246

WSSPAPER.COM

VOLUME 49 ISSUE 2

NOVEMBER 4, 2016

OFFICIALS O N T H E WAY

OUT

SARAH LONGMIRE I drove out to the lake with a friend one morning before sunrise. It ended up being a cloudy morning but as we were driving back home the sun started to peek out over the cornfields. Of course, we had to stop to take a picture because nothing says Iowa like a beautiful sunrise over fields of corn.

FALL

P H OTO FEATURE

CONTINUED ON PAGE 51

CONTENTS

08 14 31 42 LETTER NEWS

SNAPCHAT BLOCKED

As the first trimester of the school year comes to a close, students and teachers explore the effectiveness of the Snapchat block around West.

PROFILES

FRIEND CRUSH

When cell phone usage was banned in band, rather than looking to new technology, four friends chose to look to the past to communicate with each other throughout every marching rehearsal..

E N T E RTA I N M E N T

BEHIND THE WATER BOTTLE FLIP The water bottle flip has entered all of our lives whether we like it or not. Here’s why it works.

SPORTS

UNCONVENTIONAL SPORTS

Four students describe their experiences with the uncommon sports in which they have found their passions.

TO MY DEAREST READER,

With first trimester coming to an end, our bodies have become accustomed to working until the crack of dawn, planners have been abandoned in musty corners and those weird callouses have found their way back to our fingers.

Freshmen are finally becoming used to the wild, wild world of high school and sophomores have had their first tastes of the terrifying APs. Juniors have finally knocked out their first of a slew of standardized tests, and seniors, well, we’re just casually trying to

FROM THE

EDITOR

find the meaning behind life and some willpower to keep going.

The November production cycle is always a bit rough with standardized tests, college applications and Iowa Assessments (if you’re into that). Yet, despite the hectic nature of our lives, staffers didn’t lose their ambition and still strived to produce the best content they could. This issue, we thought about covering kindness and whether it has declined over the years. This idea (which coincidentally was covered a couple weeks ago on NPR) grew

into a cover story investigating the reason behind the decline in sports officials. Paired with a variety of graphics and photos, the story delves into the possible causes and provides solutions to stop Officials On the Way Out.

Don’t forget to #FinishStrong Simran Sarin

COVER ART BY ANGELA ZIRBES

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TRISOMY AWARENESS

2

MEET THE DIVERS

Though Maren Rosieland lived a short life of three and a half days, her legacy lives on through the hearts of those around the world.

Meet the divers of the 2016 girls swimming and diving team.

4 WEB TEASER NOVEMBER 2016 WSSPAPER.COM

3

CHOIR FUNDING

4

FACE OF SPORTS

WSS investigates the choir department budget shortfalls.

View the never-before-seen photos of what people actually look like when they run cross country.

NEWS

TIP-TOP TABLES

In both the cafeteria and the Ninth Grade Center, students have been presented with new places to sit. The main cafeteria now has new restaurant-style booths, and both locations added high-top tables to their seating options. The administration hopes that these new seating choices will attract more people to sit in the cafeteria.

“There were many people that sit in the hallways [to eat lunch], and that naturally comes with problems such as litter and difficulties navigating areas where people congregate,” said West High Principal Gregg Shoultz. These new additions have proved to be successful, seeing regular use by students. “[The booths] provide a space for

people to sit who otherwise won’t have a place,” said Ben Caster ’19.

Noah Terwilleger ’19 agrees, saying, “[Ben and I] both ate out in the hallway last year, so these booths are a straight upgrade.”

Taylor Gardner ’20 also appreciates the booths for being a much more attractive seating option than the long cafeteria benches.

“You can have a whole table all to yourself and your friends,” Gardner said. “They give a back [rest], which is way better [than the cafeteria benches].”

Dr. Shoultz agrees, pointing out the many benefits that come with using the high-top tables. “In the Ninth Grade Center, the high-top

Q U I E T S PAC E

IN LIBRARY The library would like to remind students that the Salinger Lab is open before school everyday. “We recognize that people need a place to be in the mornings, and the library is very busy in the mornings. So we always keep the Salinger Lab open as a quiet place for kids to work,” said librarian Jill Hofmockel. “If something is not working out, by all means talk to someone at the front desk and we will help you.”

COMPILED BY GEORGE LIU

ART & DESIGN BY SIMRAN SARIN

COMPILED BY GEORGE LIU

tables have power outlets on top which students can use to charge their devices and work,” said Shoultz. “These tables are useful

before and after school, as well as during the school day.”

These new additions precede an important step in the school’s reno-

vation. The cafeteria and kitchen are to be completely revamped and a new gymnasium is to be added.

“We hope to have round tables in the new [cafeteria] design, as well as moving the a la carte [carts] outside to provide more seating for students,” said Shoultz.

Plans are not definite, but renovations will start next summer. For now, the administration has already made the cafeteria and the Ninth Grade Center more modern and stylish eating environments.

WEST SIDE WORD S K R R T, S K R R T sk-errrt x2 In reference to a squealing car, this phrase is used when you would like to avoid a situation.

Ex: I ran out of 7th period yelling, “Skrrt, skrrt!"

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BY THE NUMBERS

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days left in the

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days until

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WSSPAPER.COM NOVEMBER 2016 NEWS 5

BY ANJALI HUYNH

Issues of racism, police brutality and divisions within the American population have been thrust under the spotlight in recent news, gradually becoming more of a concern on the local level as well.

6 NEWS NOVEMBER 2016 WSSPAPER.COM

HEADLINE ART BY ANGELA ZIRBES GRAPHICS & DESIGN BY OLIVIA READ

F

rom Ferguson to New York for the disproportionate arrests of City to Charlotte, an increas- black people.” ing amount of cities across Additionally, the ACLU reported the country are gaining national at- in 2013 that Iowa ranked the worst tention for events centered around state in the nation overall in terms one common trait: racism. of racial disparity for marijuana ar“Most racism today in the Unit- rests. The study showed that a black ed States is not intentional rac- individual in Iowa is eight times ism,” said Adrien Wing, Director more likely to be arrested for mariof the University of Iowa Center juana use than a white person. for Human Rights. “It’s what we To fight against statistics like call ‘unconscious racthese, the African Amerism.’ You may not delibican community has eserately, overtly intend to tablished multiple camdo something, but your paigns to uphold their actions as a whole may rights. The most widehave a disproportionate ly-known movement, impact on people because Black Lives Matter, has of their race or ethnicity.” JANELLE BEEMON ‘19 received intense critiRacism in modern socicism for giving voice to ety has been a controversial topic many disputing viewpoints over of discussion, as some believe that controversial topics. The movement it exists, while others claim it to be was established in July 2013 followa matter of the past. ing the shooting death of Trayvon According to a Pew Center for Martin, and, per their website, is Research study, approximately 61 officially a “chapter-based national percent of Americans believe that organization working for the validmore changes are needed in order ity of Black life.” to achieve racial equality. Harrison “[Black Lives Matter] is a chance Fairfield ’17 is part of the 30 per- for black lives to raise awareness cent that believe that racism is not for the problems that are in Ameran overarching problem today. ica for us right now,” said Janelle “There will always be individual Beemon ’19. “It’s not saying that racism regardless of where you go,” we’re better, it’s just that we want Fairfield said. “However, institu- [others] to know that [issues] are tional racism is not a problem in happening, and we want [things] the United States. We are far better changed. off in this regard than many naWing agreed, saying, “[Although] tions, [in that] we have had a pres- we are not in literal, legal slavery, ident of African American descent, every social indicator in terms of and there are numerous instances health, employment, education, of African American, Asian and etc. shows [African Americans] are Hispanic men and women being still at the bottom and are still dosuccessful.” ing worse than white peoArguments about racial ple as a group. The Black inequality have only alLives Matter movement leviated rising tensions is a wonderful manifesbetween various groups tation of young people in the United States. For speaking out and proexample, disparities betesting against what is tween white and black SERGEANT TIM VEST happening.” factions continue to exist Those opposing the in areas not previously thought to movement have criticized controcontain large amounts of discrimi- versial requests made, such as the nation, including in local commu- “reparations” for slavery released in nities.

August 2016.

“Racism is a problem every“The idea of reparations for slavwhere,” Wing said. “The American ery is not reasonable,” Fairfield Civil Liberties Union did a study in said. “No one is arguing [slavery] 2013 on marijuana arrests around wasn’t bad, but it didn’t happen to the country, and it found out that modern generations. It wouldn’t be Johnson County was [in the top reparations; it would be [giving] 15 counties] in the whole country money to people for events that did

not affect them.”

Much like the African American community, the American police force is facing backlash from American citizens, as an ongoing “war on police” has ensued. Police officers, even in local communities, are concerned for their safety.

“Earlier this year, when we had the officers ambushed in Texas ... that’s the only time in 30 years that I’ve been in law enforcement that I really felt that my safety and the safety of my family could seriously be in jeopardy because of my job,” said Coralville police officer Tim Vest.

A Gallup poll in 2015 showed that confidence in the police has dropped to 52 percent of the population expressing an adequate amount of confidence in the in-

cers carry video cameras to ensuring the integrity of those paid to protect citizens.

“Locally, I think we do a good job of making sure we don’t let people get out of line,” Vest said. “When I encounter somebody, I take on the face of all of law enforcement, so how I behave is how that person perceives law enforcement as a whole. If we have officers who don’t follow policies or make poor decisions, the law enforcement community here and administrators are not above replacing those people.”

Despite the mistreatment of police in other portions of the United States, the Iowa City, Coralville and North Liberty communities have been more apprehensive before judging local officers.

“Most of our community looks at

“I REALLY FELT THAT MY SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF MY FAMILY COULD SERIOUSLY BE IN JEOPARDY BECAUSE OF MY JOB.” - Sergeant Tim Vest

stitution. Training of police, in particular, has been brought into question.

“I think that police need to be trained better on how to handle situations with black people,” Beemon expressed. “I feel like they’re scared because they’ve [encountered] an African American before that has done something bad, so that’ll cause them to be scared of every other African American they come across.”

In response to growing national distrust of the police, local police departments have taken action to reassure citizens that the law is on their side, from requiring that offi-

a larger picture than what may be first thrown out on social media or a news broadcast,” Vest said. “In law enforcement, you tend to deal with 10 percent of the population 90 percent of the time. The most rewarding part [of my job] is when you get the feeling that you’ve actually made a difference. You run across somebody that you’ve dealt with the past, years ago, and they tell you how things are going now and thank you for being there.

It makes all the crazy hours and working holidays and working nights and going without sleep ... worth it.”

WSSPAPER.COM NOVEMBER 2016 7

BEHIND THE

BLOCK The ICCSD Snapchat block was designed to limit phone usage, but how effective has it actually been?

BY EMMA BRUSTKERN

I

61%

t’s a typical, boring day at For students without un- at school. “My own school. You’re eating lunch limited data, the block personal belief is that when a notification pops up presents a big problem. all social media sites on your phone. It’s a snap from “My data runs out two weeks ear- should be blocked your best friend. You lier now. Luckily, my par- during the day. I of West High students unlock your phone and ents haven’t noticed yet don’t think there are use Snapchat the same open the app. You are because they aren’t check- enough positive and about to open the mesing our data plan regular- purposeful uses in the amount as before SURVEY RESULTS sage, only to find that ly. It’s certainly ruining educational setting it won’t load. Instead, a my life though, that’s for to justify its availmessage flashes across sure,” Gomendoza said. ability for students,” the top of your screen: SEAN GOMENDOZA This news does not come Rosenthal said.

‘19 “Could not refresh.” as a surprise to Overall, Upon returning to school after McNair. “If you block sothe Snapsummer break, many students were cial media, yes, you will chat block have increased their data surprised to find that the popular have that group of students h a s n ’ t usage since the block social media app Snapchat could [that] doesn’t have unlimits o l v e d not be used on the school Wi-Fi. ed data and therefore isn’t much, but In fact, the administrative council using it or is using it very DAVID ROSENTHAL even a met over the summer and decid- very little during the day. SPANISH TEACHER slight deed that the app should be blocked It’s a catch-22,” McNair said. crease in district-wide. While this decision While blocking Snapchat and oth- phone usage excites was meant to lower incidents of er social media websites may slight- most teachers. Stuthink the block is unjustified cyberbullying and inly alleviate the problem, it dents, on class distractions, there doesn’t fix it altogether. the oth279 students surveyed is some debate on whethThe responsibility lies er hand, er the block has manwith the students to use are still not aged to change anything. social media responsibly sold that “People are still usand at appropriate times. the block was ing Snapchat, just “[Students] have to the right decision.

DAVE MCNAIR with their data,” said SPANISH TEACHER decide that learning in “If anything, the Sean Gomendoza ’19. the classroom is more Snapchat block is This seems to be the consensus important than using social me- increasing the time for most students. However, Span- dia in the classroom. It has to that I’m not paying atish teacher Dave McNair claims come from the students, because tention in class because I phone usage has gone down since nothing I do is going to com- have to turn off my Wi-Fi, conthe block was instated. “Has it pletely stop it,” McNair said. nect to my data, check my Snapeliminated [Snapchat] completeSpanish teacher David Rosenthal chats, and then reopen my data PHOTO BY NICK PRYOR ly? Absolutely not. But it’s been thinks that Snapchat and other so- when I’m done,” said GomendoDESIGN BY JENNA ZENG somewhat effective,” McNair said. cial media websites have no place za. “Please, unblock Snapchat.”

52%

64%

8 NEWS NOVEMBER 2016 WSSPAPER.COM

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Each issue, West Side Story interviews one randomly selected student to discover their unique personality, story or passion. Read more about Julia Lassner ’18 and her love for horseback riding below.

BY CHRISTINA DAI

JULIA

LASSNER J

heads to Centaur Stable, a small at the stable I ride at, Tammy and stable about 10 minutes south of Cameron … take great precautions Iowa City, to train with her instruc- to keep us as safe as we can get,” tors Tammy Blair and Kameron Lassner said. “We’re not allowed to Spears. She said that each lesson ride without helmets. They would provides a fresh perspective on her probably kill us if we did and the riding, which keeps her going back lesson horses are very solid and acevery week. tually very safe.”

“There’s always something to talk Horseback riding has also led about, to Lassner to learn, to I’VE HONESTLY ALWAYS develop see because some speLOVED HORSES; I WAS KIND both of my cial relainstructors OF BORN LOVING HORSES. tionships, are really -JULIA LASSNER ’18 specifically interesting,” with some Lassner of the horssaid. es at the However, stable. One going back every week does have horse in particular stands out to its risks, as thousands of people Lassner. are injured from horseback riding “I had a horse – he wasn’t really every year. Even so, Lassner is con- mine, he belonged to my instrucfident in the stable’s horses, noting tor – I was his main rider,” Lassner that “they don’t spook at anything.” said. “His name was Duke and he “Actually, it is one of the most was this big paint gelding and kind dangerous sports in the world, but of old, but he was really smart and 10 PROFILES NOVEMBER 2016 WSSPAPER.COM ulia Lassner ’18 has loved horses since before she could walk.

“Well, I’ve honestly always loved horses, I was kind of born loving horses,” Lassner said. “[The first time I rode a horse] I was just a little kid, probably five or six, and we went over to my dad’s friend’s farm … and one of her daughters put me on top of one of their horses and led me around for a little while.”

From then on, it was love. Finally, after much begging, Lassner’s parents allowed her a single horseback riding lesson. Soon, she was able to work her way up to having weekly lessons.

“My parents decided I had shown enough dedication to wanting to horseback ride that I could have a lesson and kind of go from there, and I loved it,” Lassner said. “Then that was kind of all I talked about for probably a month ... and now I’ve got lessons every week.”

Every Sunday morning, Lassner

he kind of just needed a person, so I became that person.”

Unfortunately, due to old age, Lassner lost both a horse and a friend. “[Duke] passed away a couple years of ago because he was really old, but he and I did really share a special bond,” Lassner said.

Currently, Lassner is riding a gelding named Thor and a mare named Bunny, who used to belong to another rider who graduated and went to college.

In the future, Lassner plans to continue to work with horses, though in a different way.

“In the future I want to be a large animal vet as a career, so [working with horses will] probably be part of it … I’m planning on going to Ames and Iowa State because they actually have one of the best large animal vet schools in the Midwest,” Lassner said.

She sure has a stable life in front of her.

PHOTO BY ALYSON KUENNEN DESIGN BY CRYSTAL KIM

THE MAKEUP OF A

BY ISABELLE ROBLES

F

or many high school seniors, senior photos are an integral part of remembering their year. However, with the large variety of photographers and the styles they possess, choosing a photographer can be overwhelming. This is why senior Maddee Whitehead jumped at the opportunity to be a spokesmodel for Image B earer Photograp h y , a relatively new photography studio in the area.

Last January, Amber Forrostro reached out to Whitehead and other seniors to represent the photography studio by participating in themed promotional shoots every month. Upon Amber’s request, Whitehead started doing the makeup for the senior spokesmodels.

This sparked a business from what was before only a fun hobby.

“I’ve always loved makeup. I decided I could turn it into a little business because I love doing it on my friends as a hobby,” Whitehead said. “The photographer that I took my senior pictures with needed a makeup artist, so I decided [to try] out airbrush makeup.”

Airbrush is a thin lightweight liquid foundation formula that is often used for photography. Unlike liquid or powder foundation, airbrush creates an even, natural coat and prevents a white flash-back look when photographed.

After creating a business proposal and website, Whitehead began working as the makeup artist for Image Bearer in July. Once given a client, Whitehead begins her work FOR MORE COVERAGE, GO TO WSSPAPER.COM

PHOTOS BY OLIVIA DACHTLER DESIGN BY WINGEL XUE

BUSINESS

over text a week before the sitdown consultation. This way, she can prepare an individualized look.

“We go on Pinterest together and send pictures of what they’re thinking so I can bring all the products to specialize their look,” she said.

“Not all people wear the same amount of makeup and are as comfortable in it.”

Whitehead believes t h a t makeup is done b e s t when it fits the character of the person wearing it. “[When I am doing their makeup] I have them check it like ten times throughout to make sure they like it because [senior photos shoots are] a very personal thing and you want to look good for it.”

Whitehead does not plan on going to esthetician school, which students attend in order to get certification to work at a salon, but will continue doing makeup for Image Bearer as she attends the University of Iowa.

“I’d love to keep doing this throughout college. As long as I have t i m e for it a n d [peop l e ] keep d e -

manding it I’ll keep doing it, but it’s not going to be what my job is until the day I die,” Whitehead said.

Either way, Whitehead’s love for makeup is something she can’t help.

“My mom always yells at me when I get [makeup] packages from different websites. She’s like, ‘You have so much!’ But there’s always new stuff. I’m like, ‘I need it all!’”

Whitehead laughed.

Aside from consultations, Whitehead experiments with special effect makeup for fun.

She has created Halloween inspired looks ranging from mermaids to grotesque clowns.

“It’s the only art I’m good at.

I can’t draw or paint or sculpt, but I like doing fun things with makeup and taking lots of selfies,” she said with a laugh.

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minutes to finish makeup for a big event.

minutes to finish makeup for school.

follow Whitehead: @mwhiteheadmua

THE LOTTERY OF A LIFETIME: EMMANUEL MUYAYA’S STORY

BY PRATEEK RAIKWAR

“W

e did it, Emmanuel,” Emmanuel Muyaya’s ’18 father said. “We won the lottery.”

For many people, winning the lottery means acquiring a lot of money - a way to quit your job and do whatever you want. However, this lottery is much different: it’s a way to get a better job, receive a better education and live a safer life. This is the lottery of immigration, also known as the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program.

Immigrants must meet a host of criteria to be considered for the program, which include being permitted to enter the United States from their country of origin and living in a country with a historically low rate of immigration to the United States, among others.

Living in the Democratic Republic of Congo and thus qualifying for the program, Muyaya’s family was

given the opportunity to come to the United States, and took it. However, that’s not to say that the decision was entirely straightforward.

Staying in the Democratic Republic Congo meant that Muyaya and his family were constantly worrying about the dangers of not only gangsters, but also war. The wars didn’t directly affect his family, but they “just wanted to make sure [they] were safe.” On top of that, the security and education in the Democratic Republic of Congo weren’t very good.

On the other hand, moving to the United States meant that Muyaya and his family would have to give up their strong connection with their country’s culture and have to interact with the diversity of the United States. However, the more developed education and security systems acted as an important consideration.

12 PROFILES NOVEMBER 2016 WSSPAPER.COM

Fortunately for Muyaya, he quickly learned that despite having to leave his culture and friends in the Democratic Republic of Congo, he could still bring his love for singing and music to the United States.

“I just really love singing and I can’t live without it,” Muyaya said.

“It’s just a part of my life that defines me as a person.”

Naturally, Muyaya joined West High’s choir and now wishes to eventually become one of the best singers in it, too. To do this, he believes that not only will he have to continue practicing his singing, but also to start soloing. As planned, he’s done just that.

“I felt like if I made a mistake, then everyone was going to laugh at me,” Muyaya said. Luckily, he didn’t make a mistake and the solo went well. “After the solo, people told me ‘you were awesome,’ so I was very happy.”

In fact, these are the same people who he has come to befriend.

“When I was in Congo, … you wouldn’t really expect to meet so many new people,” Muyaya said.

“This changed when I moved [to the United States].”

Not only has singing been an activity that Muyaya uses to remind himself of his life in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but it has also helped him adapt to his new life in the United States. In addition to his aspirations with choir, Muyaya hopes that moving will provide him with a chance to attain one of his biggest goals in life - to become a chemical engineer.

Although he didn’t win the lottery in the traditional sense, the lottery of immigration provided Muyaya and his family a much more valuable opportunity - the opportunity to improve their lives and to attain their dreams.

PHOTO BY OLIVIA DACHTLER DESIGN BY OLIVIA READ

CAPTURING CREATIVITY WITH A CLICK Just a year ago, Kora West '20 discovered her passion for photography. Now, photography is such an important part of her life that she couldn’t imagine her life without it.

BY SELINA HUA, WSS INTERN

T

he wind caresses your cheek as you make your way through the thick brush. As you stroll along the gravel trail, a few butterflies catch your attention.

Gradually, you bring the camera up to your face. Your hand makes its way to the focusing ring, lightly turning it. Looking through the viewfinder, you try to find the perfect moment. As soon as the butterfly takes off, you click on the shutter button, catching the perfect scene.

Though Kora West ’20 got into photography last year, West was first exposed to photography as a toddler while she was on a walk with her mom.

“My mom had the camera in her hand and she was looking through the glass piece while I was like, ‘What the heck are you doing?’”

West said.

Now, she also sees photography as a way to calm down and relieve stress.

“I just feel relaxed, like when you’re at that moment and you’re taking the pictures it’s like nothing else really matters and it's just you and your camera,” West said.

West recalled a time when she got into an argument with her parents.

“I was just over the edge and I was so pissed off … so I packed my bag and I brought water and headphones and a blanket. I also brought my camera thinking, ‘Well I guess I’m gonna run away now,” West said.

West had a great time during that PHOTOS BY TERESA KNECHT & KORA WEST DESIGN BY MEGAN BOLAND

experience. “[Her mood] was much more relaxed and collected,” said Amanda West, West’s mother.

“It was seven or eight at night so it was kinda dark and the sky was really pretty,” West described.

Fortunately for her, this was the optimal time to take some pictures.

“It just puts you in the mindset of you’re gonna be fine, everything will be okay," West said. "I went home after a while and then I was in the best mood ever.”

West says that the moment she takes the picture, all her focus is on her subject and she won't back down until she gets a good picture. “Let’s say the subject is a butterfly and it moves; I’m gonna chase that till I get a good picture,” West said.

Another reason West enjoys spending time outdoors is because of nature. She loves the sound of the whistling trees and the chirping birds.

She also finds pleasure in the feeling of wind blowing in her face. She feels that being in nature just makes the experience more real.

West describes her experience of taking pictures as “calming and fresh.” As a young photographer, she enjoys spending her time outside in nature with her camera.

In the future, West even hopes to make photography a side job.

“I'd like to have a side job for photography [like] taking senior pictures or wedding pictures because I definitely want photography in my life,” she said. “I have considered displaying my work in public because I think that my work is pretty decent.”

Even though West believes that starting her own business would be unique, she is still pondering the idea.

“It would take a while for the process to start … [but] it is a really cool idea,” West said.

WSSPAPER.COM NOVEMBER 2016 PROFILES 13

FRIEND CRUSH

United since junior high, four friends turn to old technology to continue communicating.

BY WILL CONRAD

W

hen cell phone usage was banned in band, rather than looking to new technology, four friends chose to look to the past to communicate with each other during marching band rehearsal. Juniors Andrew Wildes, Devin Nolte, Ethan Goers and Robert Walling have remained friends through five years of funfilled times and were not about to let a small cellphone ban inhibit their communication.

The group began to use a system of walkie-talkies to talk to each other. One day, Goers and Nolte were attempting to communicate via phone call on the marching field. Due to poor phone service, they were forced to yell to one another instead, and their directors were quick to notice their antics. After this, the group spent the next few days brainstorming methods on how to get around this ban. Eventually, they

came up with the perfect solution: walkie-talkies.

“We got together and made a whole list of why [walkie-talkies and phones] weren’t the same,” Nolte said.

Ever since then, the walkie-talkies have become a staple in the group.

Because all the group members live near one another, they are even able to communicate with each other from their homes. Even though it isn’t the most convenient method, the walkie-talkies have become somewhat of an inside joke among the friends, as it stems from a story that they can all laugh about to this day.

The friends first became acquainted in seventh grade at Northwest Junior High. Although Goers, Wildes and Nolte all went to Weber Elementary, they didn’t branch out to one another or meet

14 PROFILES NOVEMBER 2016 WSSPAPER.COM

Walling until they started junior high.

“We didn’t really get close until junior high, but we became friends [because] we sat together in band so we really started talking a lot and hanging out,” Nolte said.

The group describes itself as “relatively introverted” until seventh grade. That year, they were finally able to get to know each other and were surprised by the amount of similarities they shared. From there, the friends shared a wherehave-you-been-all-my-life moment and have not strayed far from each other since.

Despite having hundreds of students in the band program, their friendship was able to attract the attention of band director Rob Medd. “[They’re] obviously very

close, very tight, they do a lot together and they’re very connected,” Medd said.

The four have managed to stick together for half a decade in large part due to mutual participation in a church youth group known as BASIC. “[Because] we have youth group every Tuesday, we really have a lot of [opportunities] to become close and make sure we’re all on good terms,” Wildes said.

Regardless of where the four end up beyond high school, the memories and jokes from their time together are something that they will treasure for years to come.

“I don’t know if [staying together after high school] is the best scenario or the worst scenario,” Walling joked. “I guess we’ll find out.”

PHOTO BY TERESA KNECHT DESIGN BY TYLER THOMASSON

F E AT U R E

ASIAN HOLIDAYS

Celebrations and festivals play crucial roles in defining different societies’ cultures. A key component of these festivities is food. In this edition of the WSS we focus on students with Asian heritage, examining the diversity of West’s population through the lens of holidays. Check back next month to learn more about the holidays other students at West celebrate.

BY SHAWN THACKER

DIWALI HINDU, INDIAN Diwali, or Deepavali, is the Hindu autumn celebration and festival of lights, typically observed by lighting lamps and candles, praying to the Goddess of prosperity, Lakshmi, eating traditional Indian sweets and exchanging gifts among friends and family.

“Diwali [is my favorite holiday] because you get good food and you can do fireworks and usually you get gifts. It’s just [a tradition] that’s been done for generations in my family. We [even] have lamps from my great grandmother that we light.” -Hariram Saravanan ’18 TOP: Jalebi, a traditional fried Indian sweet

MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL CHINESE/TAIWANESE The Mid-Autumn Festival is a holiday of ancient Chinese origin based upon the legend of an archer and his wife. This celebration is observed by gathering with friends and family, giving thanks and eating traditional foods such as mooncake.

“What I like best about the Mid-Autumn Festival is the feeling and spirit of togetherness. The Mid-Autumn Festival is a way to reconnect bonds between friends, family and relatives [and] celebrate our community and what makes us human … This holiday has so much significance [to] me because my parents and my family [have] such a busy schedule [and] this festival reconnects all of us again and makes our family feel more as one.” -Jenna Wang ’20 MIDDLE: Mooncake, a filled Chinese pastry

HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI MUSLIM, MALAYSIAN Hari Raya Aidilfitri is the Malaysian celebration of the Islamic holiday Eid AlFitr. This holy day marks the end of the month of fasting, Ramadan, and is celebrated by wearing traditional clothes called baju kurung, visiting friends and family and feasting on home-cooked traditional delicacies.

“I think [what] I enjoy the most about Hari Raya is the people and the food—it’s so nice to have a day where we all get together and dress in bright colors and enjoy each other’s company [in addition to] the amazing food that’s made … I think it’s an important day since we’re all brought together to celebrate and feel united.” -Amirah Azhari ’17 BOTTOM: Kek Batik, a non-baked popular Malayasian cake

PHOTO BY NICK PRYOR DESIGN BY CATHERINE JU

WSSPAPER.COM NOVEMBER 2016 FEATURE 15

CAMPAIGN

BY SHAWN THACKER

I

n four days, Americans all over the country will head to the polls and vote to decide who will become the next President of the United States. Although this is not a new process for America, this year’s election has proven to consist of some of the most controversial and divisive campaigns in recent history.

Due to the nature of this election cycle, Janice Weiner, mother of Lia Weiner ’18, made the decision to become a full-time field organizer for the Hillary Clinton campaign and to do all she could to help fight for Clinton to become the next president.

“From the beginning, I have worried about the corrosive effect of the language that Trump has used,” Weiner said. “Given the stakes of this election, I would never forgive myself if I did not wake up on Nov. 9 knowing I had done everything in my power to get to what I believe is the right result,” Weiner said.

This year’s bid for the highest executive office has catalyzed engagement in all levels of the Clinton campaign. In fact, this presidential campaign cycle has inspired a partisan involvement among many West’s High students.

Clinton campaign fellow Jillian Baker ’19, for example, was driven

Who will win the election?*

to become politically active because of her reprehension for Trump’s rhetoric. However, Trump’s controversial messages have not been the only reasons why students like Baker have been eager to support the Clinton campaign. Other aspects, such as the historic possibility of having the first woman president, along with Clinton’s policy position, have also been highly influential.

“She’s been an advocate for education for children and I also enjoy the fact that she’s a feminist,” Baker said. “She’s really well prepared. She’s [run] for president in the past and she’s … worked in the White House, so I feel she’s really well-suited to be president.”

However, even in ultra-liberal Iowa City, there are still supporters across the partisan aisle who have just as strong opinions of the candidates and campaigns as their Democratic counterparts. Nonetheless, the demographics of the community have resulted in some Trump supporters feeling unfairly judged.

“Lots of people have the idea that if you support Trump, you must be exactly like him, support every single one of his policies and agree with everything he has ever said,” Hanson said. “[This] isn’t true.”

Just as many Clinton support-

Who will win Iowa?*

How much of the population has each candidate insulted?

SOURCES: U.S. CENSUS BUREAU, PEW RESEARCH CENTER, DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF STATE, ESTIMATE BASED OFF FIVETHIRTYEIGHT.COM AND VOTING AGE POPULATION

Clinton- 86.2% Trump- 13.8%

Clinton- 53.8% Trump- 46.2%

47.6 million Trump supporters

125.9 million women 56.6 million Hispanics *SOURCE: FIVETHIRTYEIGHT.COM

16 FEATURE NOVEMBER 2016 WSSPAPER.COM

3.3 million Muslims 21.9 million veterans

COUNTDOWN ers don’t agree with all the points of her policies, the same goes for those who support Trump.

“I believe some of the things he has said are horrible, but I also believe that actions speak louder than words, and that Hillary Clinton, more than once, has shown that she is unfit to be President of the United States,” Hanson said.

Unlike their Democratic peers who actively engage in Clinton’s ground game in Iowa, Trump supporters at West tend to support the Republican ideals that Trump stands for more than campaigning outright for the nominee himself.

“Other than a yard sign, I do not actively support the Trump cam-

PHOTOS BY SARAH LONGMIRE DESIGN BY WINGEL XUE

paign,” Hanson said. “The only reason I have a yard sign is to voice my opinion in opposition to Secretary Clinton. [However,] at this point in the election, I would help the campaign in order to not get [Clinton] elected.”

Mikail Syed '20, a non-aligned conservative, exemplifies how this unconventional election has caused the growing divide between Democrats and Republicans, leaving many without a clear view of who to support.

“I think [this election] is dividing a lot of people because [is seems like] Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are both more unfavored than favored,” Syed said. “[That’s

why] I’m kind of undecided.”

However polarizing the election has been, it has still brought together both Republican and Democrat students at West High, and has even encouraged open discussion of their differing ideological beliefs.

For instance, on Oct. 13, members from West High’s Democrats Club and Young Republicans Club came together to discuss and debate the developments and policy of the 2016 campaigns.

“I think [the debate] was very amicable and lighthearted [and went] much better than I expected,” said Jaya Blanchard ’17, Clinton campaign fellow and president of the Democrats Club. “I think it’s really

helpful for people to actually meet people with opposing viewpoints, rather than just express disgust towards them over social media.”

Their differences aside, what both sides of West’s political clubs and population share is their openness towards alternative ideas, as well as their combined effort to help better understand each other—a sentiment that will hopefully carry over after the results of Nov. 8.

WSSPAPER.COM NOVEMBER 2016 FEATURE 17

SAVING FACE

BY JUNHEE LEE

Has anyone ever told you that your natural face looks a little angry, offputting or even bitchy?

Don’t worry, having a resting bitch face might not be as big of a deal as you might think.

M

aybe it’s your slight frown that gives people the offputting vibe. Maybe it’s your constantly squinting eyes that make you look filled with contempt. In any case, this phenomenon known as the resting bitch face took the internet by storm and left us asking, “What does my resting face look like?”

Bridget McKenna ’17 asked herself this question in freshman year and discovered that she indeed had a resting bitch face.

“When my face does what it naturally does, I look really angry. People who just meet me think I’m really intimidating because I always look mad,” McKenna said.

Because of this, McKenna frequently gets asked questions such as “What’s wrong?” or “Did something happen?” or “Why are you so upset?” Sometimes, she admits she just feels a little bit hungry.

Other times, she’s avidly listening to someone else’s speech. But when her face relaxes, McKenna’s true emotions get buried under nonverbal cues that indicate sadness or anger.

“I’m always in a pretty good mood even if I look angry,” McKenna said. “[But] people think I’m standoffish or they wouldn’t want to start a conversation with me because they think I’m in some sort of mood.”

More people like McKenna discovered their resting bitch face, even prompting researchers to make facial expression software to scientifically measure the “bitchiness” in a face. Then, the concern was whether other people would be negatively impacted by their natural look. According to Susan WagnerCook, a

University of Iowa professor in their face throughout an interacthe Department of Psychological tion,” Wagner-Cook said. and Brain Sciences, there might McKenna’s personal experinot be a huge impact to having a ences align with the science. Alresting bitch face. though she feels that people are a She first described a 1993 little bit wary of her at first when study in which people were they just see her resting face, given short clips of they learn her real perteachers teaching sonality after maybe (sometimes as one or two inshort as two teractions. Beseconds) cause of this, “AT FIRST and were McKenna a s k e d d o e s n’t IMPRESSION PEOPLE to prespend too JUST THINK THAT I’M dict the much time teacher’s worr ying KIND OF SCARY.” perforabout what -Bridget McKenna ‘17 m a n c e her face evaluation. looks like.

The results “At first imof the study pression people showed that people just think that I’m could accurately deterkind of scary,” McKenna mine the teachers with high persaid. “[But] once I get used to formance evaluations from just talking to people they realize these shorts clips. And the key that it’s just kind of funny that I to this study? Dynamic, highalways look mad.” complexity actions.

Even though she doesn’t feel “Evidence suggests that short that people strongly react to her impressions that matter often resting bitch face, McKenna feels require dynamic presentations. there are times when it’s imporThere’s something in how we tant to look a little bit happier. do things that involves how we For instance, in her public speakmove that’s more predictive,” ing class, McKenna attempts to Wagner-Cook said. look more lively and supporting But when it comes to simple, while listening to others’ speechstatic things such as looking at es, hoping not to discourage someone’s face, short her peers who may alimpressions don’t ready struggle with seem to matter speaking in front as much. So it of others. She seems to be also feels that harder to it’s imporaccurately tant to look j u d g e positive someone when she’s based on leading a facial exgroup or pression when she’s alone. giving orders “The face isn’t to people she just posed in an hasn’t met before. expression and stays “You have to modify there the whole time. In[your face] because if you stead, people are dynamilook really angry, [people] kind cally manipulating of get standoffish and more de-

fensive than if you’re, like, looking happy or understanding to their situation. That’s something you have to work on,” McKenna said.

While McKenna finds it easy and comfortable to shift between an upbeat look and her resting face, others look for more permanent solutions. Plastic surgeons have capitalized on this insecurity by offering minimally-invasive surgeries to pull back loose skin, supposedly lifting and smoothing the face.

While there are certainly times when having a resting bitch face may lead to miscommunications, these unnatural modifications may not be the right way to solve this problem.

As someone who specializes in hand gestures, Wagner-Cook learned through her studies that natural behavior tended to be more effective at communicating emotions and information, and restricting natural gesturing caused more communication issues. So when people make unnatural facial expressions or complete facial modifications to counter their resting bitch face, Wagner-Cook believes that this may exacerbate the problem.

“Spontaneous behaviors that we produce, even ones that we think aren’t functional, often are. If you try to control it too much, you’ll run into trouble,” Wagner-Cook said. “I think that rather than shifting their facial expressions around, they may want to counter it with other behaviors. I can imagine that always trying to shift from your normal resting face would be quite taxing.”

With this natural solution being the most effective, the only thing to do about the resting bitch face may be to embrace it and act normally.

This is a belief that McKenna shares with others with a resting bitch face, as she tells them simply: “Try to not feel self-conscious because if you’re born with a more stern looking face, there’s nothing that you can do about it.”

DESIGN BY CATHERINE JU PHOTO BY NICK PRYOR

WSSPAPER.COM NOVEMBER 2016 FEATURE 19

BY ANJALI HUYNH

O

n Wednesday, Sept. 21, West sophomore Peyton Hayes passed away due to complications from a congenital heart defect, a difficulty he had faced his entire life. Though this was a struggle he endured every day, he never allowed it to defeat his cheerful demeanor.

“He was truly happy-go-lucky all the time,” said Darrin Hayes, Peyton’s father. “He never complained, he always liked to hang around people, he really didn’t value money or, you know, materialistic items.

He just truly liked to be around his family and friends.”

Peyton has left a lasting impact on the West community, as students

and teachers, alike, mourn his passing and reminisce about good times shared with him. Katy Nahra, English teacher, had Peyton as a student during his freshman year.

“I’d say that Peyton is someone we should all strive to be more like,” Nahra said. “Peyton put his whole heart and soul into everything he did and made the best of every day.

He made you feel like you were the most important person in the world. West is a better place because of Peyton, and I’m a better person for having him in my life.”

One of Peyton’s key qualities was his uniqueness and his confidence to be himself without allowing what others thought to determine who he was.

“I think that he taught everyone

20 FEATURE NOVEMBER 2016 WSSPAPER.COM

that being different wasn’t a bad thing, and that you should try to stand out,” said Guinevere Eilderts ’20, a friend of Peyton’s. “He was always shorter [than] anyone, but that didn’t stop him from doing anything. He wasn’t afraid of people judging him, and he made West a better place just by being himself 24/7.”

Shannon Nock, attendance secretary, spent a great deal of time with Peyton as well, as he ran passes for the attendance office every day.

“I remember the very first day I met him,” Nock said. “Amy Kanellis, one of our guidance counselors, had told me about this kid who had the most amazing attitude. She said, ‘He has a heart condition, but you will never once hear him com-

plain.’ I immediately thought that I needed to meet him. From my very first interactions with him, I knew he was not like most kids. I knew that he was something special.”

Hayes will especially be remembered for his animated interactions with others and the little, quirky things he did to brighten another person’s day.

“One day we got into a long discussion about which flavor [of Jolly Ranchers] was the best,” Nock said.

“I have always hated blue candy, [but] Peyton said that the blue candy was his favorite. So from that day on, I would save all the blue Jolly Ranchers just for him. I don’t think I will ever look at another blue Jolly Rancher without thinking of Peyton and remembering his

A golfer. A video gamer. A brother. A son. A friend.

Throughout his life, Peyton Hayes embodied all of these characteristics and more, and his legacy will live on in the hearts and minds of the West community for years to come.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DARRIN HAYES

smile.”

Eilderts also admired Peyton’s charismatic personality and his ability to exude kindness around others, no matter what he was going through personally.

“He was very inspiring and creative,” she said. “I feel like everywhere he went, he just made everyone around him smile. He would always say little things that would make my whole day, stuff like, ‘You look pretty,’ and other little compliments. He probably didn’t even think twice about saying those things but they made me happy … and he always put a smile on my face.”

The Hayes family is still recovering from this heartbreaking loss but has been able to rely on support

DESIGN BY RYO OHASHI

from those close to them to get through these tough times.

“As anybody probably would [cope], there are days that are pretty good and there are days that suck

doing their best to give us support.

We’ve kind of discussed that we’ll never move on, but we’ll move forward.”

In terms of Peyton and his lega-

WE’VE KIND OF DISCUSSED THAT WE’LL NEVER MOVE ON, BUT WE’LL MOVE FORWARD -Darrin Hayes pretty bad,” Darrin said, his voice breaking. “But we’ve got an incredible support network with friends and family, and everybody’s been

cy, the Hayes family hopes for West students to be more considerate of others in order to best honor Peyton.

“Have a little more patience with everybody,” Darrin advised.

“You never know what’s going on in somebody else’s life [so] pay it forward. Somebody gives you a smile, somebody holds the door, they may seem like little things, but those were big things to Peyton. If people at West can continue to do that, maybe make the hallway a little brighter or make your friend’s or teacher’s day a little brighter, then you’ve honored him the best you can.”

FOR VIDEO COVERAGE, GO TO WSSPAPER.COM

WSSPAPER.COM NOVEMBER 2016 FEATURE 21

FILLING IN THE 22 FEATURE NOVEMBER 2016 WSSPAPER.COM

GAP

a student-run organization that educates and helps students to cope with mental illness at West. “. . . The group also works to stop the stigma that is often associated

BY CHARLIE CODE with mental illness and stop some ental health is an issue of the hurtful things that students that holds a clear place in often say without thinking, [like] teens’ lives. According to ‘You are such a psycho’ and ‘What NoBullying.com, 5000 young adults are you, bipolar?’” Kanellis said. take their own lives each year. This Behind the Mask is a resource issue is recognized at West that seeks to educate and High, a community that provide a community to provides many outlets to support any student with help support students with mental health issues. mental health conditions.

“We do activities that The school offers resourcare positive in nature and es such as Behind the we support each other unMask, five counselors, two AMY KANELLIS conditionally. We also try in-school therapists and to educate others on how a visiting psychiatrist. However, common mental illness is and that stigma behind addressing mental if people seek treatment they can illness can cause a lack of commu- feel better,” Kanellis said. nication and education for students While Behind the Mask provides on important issues surrounding a supportive community for those mental health, oftentimes leading suffering from mental illness, to gaps in students’ knowledge on Kanellis believes that in some cases,

M

professionals who are able to diag- treating them. While in many casnose and treat mental health con- es both serve as efficient ways to ditions. treat a patient, there is no set way “One thing that we do in our role to approach a mental health conis refer out to their family practi- dition. One could receive therapy, tioner or psychiatrist. We can help medicine, an alternative treatment with that; a lot of families can do it method or a combination of treaton their own, but if they need sup- ment methods, depending on the port we can refer them to the psy- case. According to Kanellis, howchiatrist that comes to the building ever, not all treatments will necesonce a month, and she’ll see kids sarily work for every person. who don’t have insurance as well as “Treatment is very client-specific. kids who may not be able to get to What works for one person may or a doctor otherwise,” Roarick said. may not work for someone else. It’s Roarick encourages students who important to trust your therapist believe that they are being and to ‘shop around’ until affected by a mental conyou find a person who trudition or illness to seek ly helps you. Bottom line, treatment. you should not feel worse “If anyone is struggling when you leave your therto get over something like apy session,” Kanellis said. a feeling or an event, therWest High offers support DANNY HONG ‘17 apy is something to supto help students no matter port them,” Roarick said. what issue they are going There are various ways to treat through. However, some students mental health conditions; howev- feel that West could do a better er, two of the most prominent are job educating students on mental therapy and medication. health conditions and on the treat“[Therapy] can also help people ment methods that West High ofchange in a positive way, not nec- fers. essarily get over negative stuff, but “In health class we focus more on

“I THINK IT ISN’T AN INDICATOR OF ANY FAILURE TO DO LIFE WELL. WE ALL NEED SUPPORT TO GET THROUGH THIS WORLD, AND THERAPY IS ONE WAY TO GET THAT -John Roarick SUPPORT.” topics like treatment and recovery.

“Mental health is as important as physical health, regardless of an individual’s age. For adolescents many things are changing -- bodies, thinking patterns, social relationships, etc. There are also unbelievable pressures being put on teens these days by parents, educators and society -- rising above the pressures and discovering what your true passions are involves a strong mind and spirit,” said Amy Kanellis, a counselor and staff sponsor of Behind the Mask,

professional treatment is needed. pursue a positive life change. Like, “It can take much more than a ‘Help me, I have goals that I want to positive attitude to combat true de- accomplish but there is something pression. People think you can just that is blocking me from getting listen to nice music or take a walk those goals. Can we come up with a or write in a journal and it will all plan to help me get there?’” be okay. While those are Roarick describes thergood things, more intense apy as a “top-down” aptreatment may be importproach to treat a menant to achieve a healthy tal condition, one that balance,” Kanellis said. changes the way the John Roarick and Jamie patient views the world Schneider, the student JOHN ROARICK and subsequently works family advocates, are here to treat them. Converseat West for that exact reason. Roar- ly, he describes medicine as the ick and Schneider act as mediators “bottom-up” approach, changing between students and the medical the patient chemically, effectively

the extremes, and we only spend a couple of days on common mental illnesses. I think it should be a few weeks talking about all of the different kinds of mental illnesses, because there are a lot of different kinds that we should be getting more information on,” said Danny Hong ’17, an active member of Behind the Mask. “. . . Teachers need to be more aware and need to look out for the signs. [They] should be taking some time to talk about it in class and letting students know that the Student Family Advocates and the counselors are there.”

DESIGN BY RYO OHASHI

WSSPAPER.COM NOVEMBER 2016 FEATURE 23

BY GABBY SKOPEC & DENIZ INCE

DESIGN BY LEAH DUSTERHOFT

icture standing on the field of a football stadium, specifically Kinnick Stadium. Hoards of angry fans yell; curses, boos and screams collide into a wall of sound that hits you. Something else nearly hits you too: a water bottle. This was the case for officials and others on the field on Oct. 1 at the Iowa vs.

Northwestern football game. Fans, angry with calls the referees made, were fed up and began to throw trash onto the field at the officials.

The public address announcer even reminded fans to be courteous.

And it’s not just college athletics.

At every sporting event, the same type of people appear: players, coaches, athletic trainers, spectators

and referees. However, the number of referees in high school sports has been declining over time. In some states the decline has been severe; in New Mexico, according to an article by Athletic Business, there has been a 20 percent decrease in football officials over the past seven years. This loss has caused them to move at least 15 games from Friday night to Saturday morning and cancel some junior varsity and junior high games so far this season. Iowa too has felt the effects; over the past 10 years, registered referees have declined overall by 6 percent, some sports losing up to 26 percent.

has suffered a 20% decrease in football officials in the past seven years.

high school sports associations need more referees. overall decrease in referees in

DATA FROM NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SPORTS OFFICIALS

Behind the loss lingers a multitude of reasons. Lewie Curtis, Iowa High School Athletic Association Director of Officials, credits age and lack of incoming officials as a possible reason for the shortage.

“I think we are not seeing a lot of young officials getting into officiating; we’re not seeing the younger people taking it up and our population age is creeping upward,” Curtis said.

He also cited bad sportsmanship by fans as a potential contributing factor.

“I think that’s been going on forever; for as long as there’s been officials and contests, yelling at the refs has been kind of a normal practice.

But maybe [referees] just don’t want to deal with that anymore,” Curtis said.

Another contributing factor may be lack of pay combined with working hours.

“It’s hard if you are 30 years old and have two children at home PHOTO BY LEAH DUSTERHOFT

with your wife and you’re gone two or three nights a week. Sometimes people make the decision not to do that,” Curtis said.

Referee and Assistant Executive Secretary and Treasurer at the Iowa City Athletic Officials Association Joshua Berka adds that refereeing cannot support a person.

“I would say probably [0.01 percent] of officials are where that is their full time vocation, but the rest of us it is an avocation, something that’s done in addition to our full time jobs.”

An additional cause for the decline may be the specialization of referees, which is now more common.

“You’ll see officials tending to focus on one sport or maybe two whereas in the past it wouldn’t be unusual to have someone officiate three or four different sports,” said John Mathias, Executive Secretary of the Iowa City Athletic Officials Association.

Mathias is also a referee and has faced abuse multiple times throughout his career.

“I have certainly heard abuse and have taken verbal abuse from fans many times over the years. I am fortunate in that I have never been physically assaulted or have any altercations that led to the level of needing to involve the police,” he

said.

Berka brings up a possible cause for the drop off in the past ten years: “There was a brief spike in the number of officials back in the late 2000s during the economic crisis. As people found that it was a way to get involved with the game and make some additional money, and then as the economy improved, I think a lot of those folks realized that they didn’t want to continue with officiating,” Berka said, then noted, “Again, because they didn’t want to take the abuse ... they got out of it.”

Football coach Garrett Hartwig summed the reasons up.

“It’s a tough job, it’s a thankless job and it doesn’t pay very well, if at all. It can be stressful; there’s a lot of things riding on good officiating. Ultimately, is the effort worth the reward in the end? I think that’s what a lot of people are kind of going back to.”

PHOTO BY SARAH LONGMIRE

Although a popular saying in theatre may be ‘the show must go on,’ in athletics, the game cannot go on without officials; it simply cannot be played. From the surface, this doesn’t seem like an issue that comes up often. Officials are always at the game, right? Yes, there are few games canceled due to lack of officials, but sometimes getting officials to work each game can be a difficult task for administrators.

“I can tell you that I had difficulty today,” said West High Athletic Director Craig Huegel. “We had a ninth grade freshman volleyball match [set for this weekend] and up until about two hours ago I was going to cancel it because we could not find officials. So we made some panicked phone calls, basically twisted a few arms, persuaded folks. Either you can help us out, or else we’re going to have to cancel

FOOTBALL

BASKETBALL

the match.”

The need for officials can be seen in every sport.

“They control the game, they enforce the rules, they protect the players first and foremost. They are the ones who are in charge out there, and make sure things are going okay,” Hartwig said.

For Aubrey Sowers ’17, a volleyball player and student actively involved in the student section, the

BASEBALL

WRESTLING

game is important. As an athlete, Sowers and her team put in hours of practicing and preparing for each game, so the mere idea of a game being canceled due to lack of referees is concerning.

“I would be so mad [if we couldn’t play due to a referee shortage] because the team has put so much effort in during practice … Just to not be able to play in it would be upsetting and unfair,” Sowers said.

TRACK & FIELD

SWIMMING

SOCCER

DATA COURTESY OF JOSHUA BERKA

In a study done by the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO), more than 76 percent of survey respondents listed poor sportsmanship by parents as the biggest reason that officials quit.

Berka has noticed an uptick in abusive behavior in the past few years and contributes it to social media, television and a trickle-down effect.

“Everything is magnified from the professional ranks through the collegiate ranks. What’s seen on television and social media in terms of behavior of coaches and players towards officials at the professional level is eventually to be mimicked at the collegiate level.

If it’s happening at the collegiate level, eventually it will be mimicked at the high school level, unfortunately,” Berka said.

At West High, fans acting out may be less of an issue than at other schools.

PHOTO BY NICK PRYOR

“It has not been a problem so far in my experience here. I have had other situations at other schools where that has been a problem,” Huegel said.

Sowers agrees, but does admit to noticing some hostility, although notes it is in the nature of the job.

“I think that sometimes the student section can get too intense and too into the refs’ faces, but for the most part, I think we’re all right,” Sowers said. “I think that the refs need to know going into the job that they are going to get some comments at them, but they just need to do their job.”

The student section, though, is not the only group who acts out toward officials. Parents and coaches are also seen as aggressive at times, although for coaches it is the nature of the job to want to win and fight to win the game.

“I think coaches sometimes [are] a little more hostile to the refs if they are trying to fight for a certain point or play because I think that their job is to obviously protect their players, obviously fight for every point they can,” Sowers said.

Hartwig agrees.

“I get after officials—I like to think that I’m pretty fair and unbiased, but I also advocate for my team first, and sometimes that requires me to get in their ear.”

As for players, Hartwig has the rules clearly laid out for his team.

“We have a pretty straightforward rule that we’ve established and that is you don’t talk to the refs unless they talk to you. Even then they are usually one word answers like ‘yes’ or ‘no’; other than that it is me that is in charge of communication with the team,” Hartwig said.

Despite the efforts of players and coaches to behave hostilely to referees, abuse may not always affect the official’s mindset.

“I think it’s something that weighs on you, but for me personally, I would not consider quitting because of anything I hear from a fan.

I understand fans are very emotional; especially parents can be very emotional when their son or daughter is involved in a contest. I try to separate that as much as possible and understand that they’re just reacting emotionally,” Mathias said.

Berka believes that fans and students should be educated on behavior so the game can be enjoyable and educational. “[We need to] really work on educating coaches and educating fans. ...The way that coaches and fans behave towards officials is sometimes not okay. It’s not part of respectful discourse, it’s not part of what high school athletics should be, which is a part of the educational process.”

Brooke Goodman ’18, a student who officiated for a North Liberty youth baseball league this summer, did not directly experience much abuse, but it was something that worried her.

“It definitely made me nervous because I have experience just from playing sports [that] parents are really involved in kids athletics. So I was a little nervous making calls, especially since I hadn’t done it before,” Goodman said. “I know some of my friends have experienced it before, but I didn’t really experience anything pointed at me.”

States have some legislation protecting officials States consider assault on an official as a crime

No Legislation Some Legislation It is a crime to assault a referee, along with additional legislation.

DATA FROM NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SPORTS OFFICIALS

Thirty-three states currently have legislation in place to protect officials and in 22 states it is considered a crime to assault a referee.

Iowa currently has no legislation in place; a bill aimed to add protection for officials recently stalled in the House.

However, according to student referees, at the local level, leagues informally try to protect their referees, despite the lack of legislation requiring it.

“Usually they try and keep an experienced older umpire behind the plate with you so if there’s any question about a call that you made or if you have a question about something you can just call timeout and the umpire will come help you or kind of back you up,” Goodman said. “If there’s a problem with a parent or a coach, we can tell [the head empire] and he will handle it.”

Ty Bopp ’17, who referees as a part time job with RedZone football academy, has had a similar experience as Goodman. “[If something happens,] they will bring it back to our guy in charge and he goes, ‘Okay, we’ll just email everyone just saying ‘keep it down,'” Bopp said.

Possible legislation is confronted with mixed opinions. “[Officials] are entitled to protec-

tion just because they are a person and it’s illegal to assault somebody.

But, I think it could go a little bit further in that sometimes you are put in those environments where people, for lack of a better term, kind of lose their minds, and I think that makes it a little bit scarier for the referee who has to make that tough call,” Curtis said.

Mathias agrees with Curtis, explaining that “officials are in a unique position because the work we do does make us vulnerable to assault and abuse and I think we would also be deserving of special protection in that case.”

On the other hand, Huegel does not think that adding a law will make much of a difference.

“I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to legislation, but I don’t know that legislation would solve the problem. I’m almost certain that [in] states that do have laws, they probably still have instances of issues regarding officials,” he said.

Bopp agrees with Huegel.

“No, [I don’t think legislation should be in place] because people will always find loopholes for it.”

On a non-legislative level, steps have been taken to protect referees.

For handling protection at West High, Huegel varies actions based on the anticipated intensity of the

event.

“For example, [for a] home football game, I actually have a teacher in our district - I call him our game day host - [meet the official]. He literally takes the officials from their car when they arrive into the locker room to the field and back ... every night we try to have someone specially greet the officials when they arrive,” Huegel said. “I think it’s always important to greet the official and have it start off in a positive atmosphere."

The IHSAA and Huegel also work together to promote good sportsmanship. “[We try] to inundate the schools with ... positive sportsmanship and

how you should conduct yourself."

This is the Character Count's initiative, which focuses on displaying good sportsmanship and character in the community and is pushed by the IHSAA and Curtis.

In addition, the IHSAA holds clinics where officials learn the basics of officiating, as well as how to conduct oneself at an event.

“We want officials to know at the very start how they are going to exit if they need to exit quickly. We try to talk to athletic administrators to make sure that they do the best job that they can do with regard to being nearby the officials so they can help get them out of the facility,” Curtis said.

For an official, the best way to react may be to not react at all.

“The best solution is always to avoid them. Unfortunately, there are situations where it’s not possible to ignore a fan when they become overly abusive,” Mathias said.

The IHSAA encourages high school students and other young college students to consider officiating. Curtis would encourage anyone with an interest in helping with athletics other than competing to consider it.

“There is certainly a need [for officials] and it is also a good way to stay involved in the sport,” Curtis said.

The cost to register for one sport is $20 and more information can be found at the IHSAA website.

“We need to keep building that pipeline of good young officials because a lot of times what will happen is our officials will either retire because they’re old ... or as they’re young officials they get families [and no longer have time to officiate],” Huegel added.

Though Goodman decided that officiating was not a good career choice for her, she is still supportive of youth sports and high school students refereeing.

“I still encourage it ... It just wasn’t really fun for me,” she said.

Mathias is an advocate of adolescents and college students officiating, despite the occasional controversy the referee may be presented with, saying, “More often than not you’ll have a positive experience … It’s a great way to stay involved in the sport you love and meet a bunch of great people and stay active as well.”

The IHSAA and other officiating associations have also tried to amp up recruiting of officials. Berka also noted the importance of keeping referees after they first start out.

"There is a lot of research that’s been done that there’s that tipping

point; if they stay in it past year two, then they stay in it for a long time.” Berka said.

In the end, the responsibility rests in the hands of not one group, but multiple groups working together.

“It’s a shared responsibility among

several groups to not only bring light to it but also reverse the trend [and] provide the necessary support for officials to get into and stay with it. And make it feel like they are part of the game, they have backing, they are supported.” Berka said.

PHOTO BY SARAH LONGMIRE

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矰 䘀爀攀攀 圀椀ⴀ䘀椀 ☀ 倀甀戀氀椀挀 䌀漀洀瀀甀琀攀爀猀 矰 䐀嘀䐀猀 矰 䌀䐀猀 矰 䈀漀漀欀猀 矰 攀䴀攀搀椀愀 矰 匀琀甀搀礀 䜀甀椀搀攀猀Ⰰ 椀渀挀氀甀搀椀渀最 䄀䌀吀Ⰰ 匀䄀吀Ⰰ ☀ 䄀倀

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E N T E RTA I N M E N T

BEHIND THE WATER BOTTLE FLIP

BY NINA ELKADI

I

"

am the one don’t weigh a ton / Don’t need a gun to get respect up on the street.*” If these lyrics mean anything at all to you, there is a good chance that you are familiar with the infamous water bottle flip. If they mean nothing to you, chances are you have seen your peers attempting to flip a plastic water bottle in an effort to stick the landing. It has recently taken social media by storm, and Dominic Audia, physics and engineering teacher, has an explanation for this satisfying phenomenon. Be cautious, it isn’t as simple as it may appear.

Imagine an ice skater spinning in a circle. When they tuck their arms into their chest, it may appear that they are spinning faster -- because they are. Now, think about the water in a plastic bottle. Initially, the water is concentrated at the bottom.

When it spins in the air, it becomes spread out, causing it to slow down.

So, what’s the key to preventing the bottle from stopping in mid-air?

“Part of the trick of doing this is to grab [the bottle] by the top and to generate a high angular velocity as quickly as you can,” Audia said.

“You’re trying to whip it.”

ROTATIONAL INERTIA is a property of any rotating object. Thus, it plays a major role in the water bottle flip.

The RADIUS of the water bottle and the MASS of the water are the two components of rotational inertia.

If you master both components, the flip becomes a piece of cake. Good luck!

There does seem to be a “trick” to the flipping, and Sam Sunderland ’19 is considered a professional water bottle flipper by his friends.

Audia agrees with Sunderland in that the perfect amount of water to incite the perfect flip is about ¼ - ⅓ of the way full.

“The rotational inertia is equal to the radius squared times the mass of the water. Changing the radius [of the water] has a big effect on it, because it’s squared,” Audia said.

“The mass is also another factor, so gravity is acting on the center of the mass. If you adjust the weight correctly, then it should land in the right spot.”

For Sunderland, water bottle flipping is less about the physics and more about the satisfaction he receives from a successful flip.

“I need to stop. It has become too much of a habit,” he said. “My mom, she banned water bottle flipping. She’s sick and tired of the sound.”

From now on, water bottle flippers should always keep in mind how much physics goes behind each flip.

“There’s a physics behind it, but there’s also an art,” Audia said.

*"Ultimate" by Denzel Curry

THREE STEPS TO SUCCESS

Fill up your water bottle 1/4 to 1/3 of the way.

DESIGN BY JUNHEE LEE PHOTOS BY ALLIE SCHMITT-MORRIS

Grab the bottle by the top, and quickly whip the water bottle forward and up to generate a high angular velocity.

Bask in your success and glory.

WSSPAPER.COM NOVEMBER 2016 ENTERTAINMENT 31

BY KATIE FUHRMEISTER

S

ince ancient times, the prac- technology allows us to accurately calculating the days, “NASA has tice of divining has been based measure and explore space. NASA [wrecked] that symmetry,” said Caon the stars. About 3,000 years recently calculated the actual po- sey McClenathan ’17. Not only do ago, the Babylonians worshiped the sition and alignment of the major the signs share an unequal distribution of days, but constellations, as heavens and divided the the earth’s tilt is the moon signs that sky into 12 equal parts corresponded to the under which each madifferent than it was during the original zodiac caljor constellation ruled. endar have changed.

These major constelreign of the Bab“NASA is making ylonians. They lations gave birth to redistributed the it too scientific,” the zodiac symbols we AUDREY ADAMSON ‘17zodiac calendar CASEY MCCLENATHAN ‘17 said McClenathan. know today.

The zodiac signs rule during the in accordance with the current Horoscopes are a fun hobby to look duration when their constellation position of the constellations,and at in your pastime, but has no sciis between Earth and the sun. As- added a 13th symbol, Ophiuchus, entific basis. They can standardize a trologers made predictions for the to the zodiac calendar. Each of the certain population, but cannot prestandard attitude and outlook of signs used to have an even distri- dict the basis of individuals. people based on the position of the bution of days, as the Babylonians “The sign should be a reference [of stars and called these predictions believed that symmetry was im- personality], not define who you horoscopes. In our current time, portant aspect of astrology. By re- are,” said Audrey Adamson ’17.

CAPRICORN

Your ambitions can overtake your sense of time. Be sure to focus on what needs to be done and when you have to complete your work.

Your sensitive nature can lead you to feel unappreciated or abused. Try to think with an open mind that not everyone means what they say.

Your courage may be tested this month. Confront your fears with a clear mind and know you can overcome all obstacles.

ARIES

Capricorn: Jan. 20 to Feb. 16 Aquarius: Feb. 16 to March 11 Pisces: March 11 to April 18 Aries: April 18 to May 13 Taurus: May 13 to June 21 Gemini: June 21 to July 20 Cancer: July 20 to Aug. 10 Leo: Aug. 10 to Sept. 16 Virgo: Sept. 16 to Oct. 30 Libra: Oct. 30 to Nov. 23 Scorpio: Nov. 23 to Nov. 29 Ophiuchus: Nov. 29 to Dec. 17 Sagittarius: Dec. 17 to Jan. 20

Your sense of logic may fail you this month. Make sure to double check with a friend for correct answers for schoolwork.

VIRGO

TAURUS

This month, you may experience trouble communicating with your friends. Make sure you clearly speak your mind and explain details as best as you can to prevent any mishaps AQUARIUS with your friends.

PISCES

You seek satisfaction, but beware. You may cross paths with a fateful enemy who desires to undermine your plans.

NEW HOROSCOPE CALENDAR

You are chatty and charming, yet adventurous. This month, do not try to cross your normal limits, as new situations can be hazardous.

LIBRA

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

You tend to get very emotional.

This month in particular, you will experience a wide variety of moods that may not be good for your health.

Your protective attitude may create trouble for you this month. When protecting others, make sure they truly need the help, because you might be creating unnecessary conflict with others.

SCORPIO

Your passions may lead you to ignore your responsibilities this month. Be sure to complete responsibilities before you pursue your passions.

Your spirited nature may cause you to create conflict with others. Try not to ignore what others believe, and accept all opinions.

OPHIUCHUS

SAGITTARIUS

32 ENTERTAINMENT OCTOBER 2016 WSSPAPER.COM

Be careful this month. You seeking beauty may lead to others becoming jealous of your actions. Try not to be overzealous with your actions.

While at times you may be absent minded, do not daydream in class too often.

An absent mind can lead to trouble later on.

ART BY ANGELA ZIRBES DESIGN BY MADDIE MORIYAMA

MADLIB:EDITION

ELECTION

BY EMMA BRUSTKERN

DIRECTIONS: Fill in each space based

on the directions given in parentheses.

Do NOT read the story until you have the entire page filled out. Don’t worry if your answers don’t make sense - that’s the point! Read, then watch the hilarity ensue.

Have you heard the news? ____________________ has just announced that they will be running for (person in room)

____________________ of the United States. This is a ____________________ turn of events, considering the (job title)

(adjective ending in “ing”)

election will be taking place in a mere ________ days. (number)

This candidate intends to stand out from their competitors. Instead of raising the ____________________ (adjective)

wage or proposing that we build a ____________________ (noun)

between the United States and

____________________ , this candidate has bigger ideas. (place)

“I will not rest until every workplace has a designated area where employees can play with ____________________ for at least one hour a day,” they said. (plural animal)

In addition, this new candidate has pledged to ban ____________________ , because they “think it’s gross.” (food)

Both Trump and Clinton have expressed ____________________ views of this candidate. They both believe (adjective)

that they are a ____________________ to the American government and all that it stands for. News sources are (noun)

declaring that this may be the first thing the two major candidates actually agree on.

How will this affect Election Day? No one knows for sure yet, but one thing is certain: there has never been an election as ____________________ as this one. (adjective)

ART BY ANGELA ZIRBES DESIGN BY LEAH DUSTERHOFT

WSSPAPER.COM NOVEMBER 2016 ENTERTAINMENT 33

POS

JACKSON ELKINS NESHEIM ’18

Bungee cords, closing doors and a trunk that just won’t quit (staying shut that is) are the hallmarks of this month’s P.O.S. Inherited from his older brother, Jackson Elkins Nesheim ’18 enjoys his “super janky car,” a 2001 Jeep Wrangler.

BY MOLLY HOWES

4

3

5 2

6

1

1 4

Due to its age, the sides and edges of the Jeep have started to rust.

The trunk doesn’t stay up by itself and is held up by an old painting pole.

22 55

34 ENTERTAINMENT NOVEMBER 2016 WSSPAPER.COM

The air conditioning doesn’t work, so on particularly warm days, Elkins drives around with all the windows down.

The wires for the speaker system are located in the front doors and are currently broken, so half of the car doesn’t have any sound.

33 66

The passenger side door doesn’t prop itself open and closes shut on whoever tries to exit it without holding it open.

While getting an oil change, the hood popped open and wouldn’t shut, so it is currently bungee corded down.

PHOTOS BY TERESA KNECHT DESIGN BY LEAH DUSTERHOFT

DEFINING DIVERSITY Multiculturalism at West is expressed through West’s numerous culture clubs, through which students are attempting to redefine diversity.

BY ANJALI HUYNH FAR EAST ASIA CLUB FRENCH CLUB SSIKED Though West already consists of For many, when French culture is SSIKED stands for Successful many activities, the clubs that truly Students Inspired Through Knowl- mentioned, diversity is not the first embody the spirit of West High are word that comes to mind.

However, edge, Education and Diversity. the ones established by its students.

Started 11 years ago, the organiza- although West’s French Club began When Yiwen Gao ’17 realized that tion’s mission is to promote aware- as an extension of French class, it there weren’t any clubs that cenhas grown to become much ness of social issues tered around Asian-Americans, more than that. while helping boost stu“We’re trying to teach peo- she decided to start one of her own. dent GPAs. “Last year, there weren’t really ple about French speaking Co-president Antonio any culture clubs for Asian-Amerculture, ” said president AshClipperton ’17 believes ley McMahon ’17. “There icans and so then I was like, ‘Why that SSIKED is an influare a lot of parts in Afri- not just make one if I want to be in ential way to enhance ANTONIO one?’ So I started Far East Club,” diversity at West in areas CLIPPERTON ’17 ca and Canada that speak French, so we’re trying to Gao said. where he feels school adThe club meets Friday mornings show different parts of the world ministration is not succeeding. to analyze Asian-American culture that don’t get a lot of publicity in “In most aspects, [school adminand how it compares to American istration] tries to be supportive today’s media.”

Activities in the club involve in- culture. of diversity, but it’s not always di“In the club, we’ll just troducing French-speaking verse, even though they think it is,” discuss issues and other ELL students to American Clipperton said. “[Diversity] is not aspects of [Asian] pop meeting a quota, it’s that you don’t culture and West students culture, like instead of have to worry about the quota. It’s to French culture. Through just consuming the culthis, the club is determined more like you have equal representure, we’re thinking about tation, and that’s what we’re trying to help students at West why it appeals to us,” Gao broaden their horizons. to [achieve].”

YIWEN GAO ’17 said.

“Understanding a world The group attends conferences New this year, the Far that’s diff erent from yourpromoting knowledge of minority East club also organized groups, such as the Latino History self is the first step to being a more West’s first Walk It Out, a multiculdiverse person, ” McMahon said.

Conference and the Black History tural fashion show. Held on OctoCompetition, and plans events like “In order to understand other people and their culture, you ber 29, the show featured over 60 Diversity Dinner. need to understand the dif- student models and five cultural However, for many, ferences between the Unit- groups, and all proceeds went to SSIKED has become ed States and [other coun- the University of Iowa HIV clinic. more than just a club: Far East’s club main goal is to tries], so that’s what we’re it’s become a community enhance student body knowltrying to teach. ” of those who have develCurrently, the French edge of the Asian-American oped a family-like bond.

ASHLEY Club plans to raise money community.

“A lot of students will “Most of the people in the club MCMAHON ’17 for those affected by natural say that they feel like are Asian-American, but we do disasters in Haiti. this is a second family to “We’re going to make crêpes and have people from other ethnic them,” Clipperton said. “You get a groups,” Gao said. “It just expossense of support and community sell them before school in the comes them to our culture and makes mons and send the proceeds to that you don’t really get at a lot of Haiti,” McMahon explained. “We them see what we’re like.” other places.”

For those who are interested in don’t know when that will be yet, getting involved, SSIKED meets but look for that.”

Fridays after school in Room 32.

PHOTOS BY PAREEN MHATRE DESIGN BY WINGEL XUE

Cele with from Find all the best Asian snacks at

Chong’s Market!

Across from Napa Behind Casey’s vicsautobody.com 905 2nd Street Coralville, IA (319)-337-9596

Koza Family Teen Center

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TEEN CENTER TECH TIMES During staffed hours, teens can check out laptops and iPads for use within the space. Gaming, including PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, will be available.

Check teens.icpl.org for more info.

The staffed hours are:

MONDAY: TUESDAY: WEDNESDAY: THURSDAY: FRIDAY: SATURDAY:

4:30 - 9:00 P.M. 4:30 - 9:00 P.M. 4:30 - 9:00 P.M. 3:30 - 9:00 P.M. 4:30 - 8:00 P.M. 1:00 - 6:00 P.M.

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SPORTS

PRESEASON

PREPARATIONS

BY WILL CONRAD & ETHAN GOERS

A

s trophies are won and banners are raised, the season for many sports draws to a close, sometimes with additional accolades. However, often times an athlete’s performance is not built based on what they do during the season, but rather what they do in the offseason. Without putting in work before the season starts, one cannot hope to achieve their goals.

Sports such as cross country have constant and rigorous offseason training in the summer. This is voluntary practice, and is led by upperclassmen runners. These practices typically consist of light running, occasionally followed by other auxiliary exercises such as weightlifting or core strengthening.

“The summer is two-thirds of the season. Students who don’t train during the summer are missing two-thirds of the season,” said boys head cross country coach Brian Martz.

“When they come out the first part of the actual official season without doing any running or very little running, it takes them about

PHOTO BY SARAH LONGMIRE DESIGN BY GABBY SKOPEC

six to seven weeks to start getting in shape, to where they can actually compete. So they start at a lower level and finish at a lower level. For those athletes who are consistent through the summer, once we get into the official season, they’re able to handle a larger load of work and much more intense work. Their

ners to participate in optional training during the winter. The goal of this training is to skip the grueling process of getting back into shape at the beginning of the season. Because of this, offseason training often tries to mimic what practices will be like in the season.

Stuart also acknowledges this.

“WE REALLY DON’T HAVE MUCH OF AN OFF SEASON; WE KEEP RUNNING DURING THE WINTER AND THE SUMMER.” -Logan Stuart ‘17

chances of being injured are greatly reduced [and] their focus on real goals are much more attainable.”

Many runners have become accustomed to this schedule and embrace it.

“We really don’t have much of an offseason; we keep running during the winter and the summer,” said Logan Stuart ’17.

Martz also encourages his run-

“Training in the off season is pretty much the same as during the normal season; we run everyday,” Stuart said, laughing.

Other sports such as tennis don’t require as much physical exercise to remain in shape, but they require lots of practice to keep their technique. Tennis athletes often play year round to to keep technique sharp and be prepared. This pays

dividends later on in their eyes. Sasha Chackalackal ’19 sums up his typical training.

“I do a mix of training on my own and training with [teammates] and I think it really has a huge impact on my performance,” Chackalackal said.

In addition to independent play, tennis has a fall conditioning program. These practices are voluntary and are student-led. The practices in this program are mainly focused on conditioning and frequently contain a large portion of aerobic exercise, sometimes with weightlifting added in as well. This allows tennis coaches to get a feel for who can play in which roles on the team, as well as make sure everyone has tennis on their minds. There seems to be a direct correlation between who trains extensively in the winter and fall and who makes a major impact on the team. It also tends to show who has passion and dedication for the sport. An athlete who sleeps, eats and trains right even in the offseason is every coach’s dream, and the coaches at West High are continuing to build teams where this is not just a goal, but an expectation.

WSSPAPER.COM NOVEMBER 2016 SPORTS 37

STEPPING IT UP Coming off of a young team last year, the girls basketball team has changed, grown and has a new set of goals for the season.

BY DENIZ INCE

O

pening the season last year, the girls basketball team was unsure of what the season would hold. The team’s starters were two freshmen, two sophomores and one junior, which made many people consider them to be a young team.

With their youth, the girls are still missing strong leadership, which is more easily found on teams driven by upperclassmen.

“We’re looking for kids to step up to that leadership role and

I’m sure eventually we’ll get some the qualities to do it. I think we’re of those to happen as well,” said still in the process of developing a leader, but … once the season Coach BJ Mayer. starts [things will come toLogan Cook ’18 agrees that the team gether].” needs to find a leadThis is drastically different er, but thinks that from the 2014 team with seanyone can step up nior stars.

“This team’s a lot different to this challenge. “[Even as a junior] because when we had DanI’m trying to work Lauren Zacharias ‘19 ielle Craig ’15 and Mikaela to be a better leadMorgan ’15, […], the preser and just be really positive,” sure was always on them and only she said. “I think anyone can be them,” said Maddie Huinker ’17. a leader, it’s just you have to have “It’s completely different because

38 SPORTS NOVEMBER 2016 WSSPAPER.COM

… everyone has a huge responsibility to the game and anyone and everyone can score.”

This year, the girls are gaining confidence in their abilities to be able to make it to the state tournament.

“We always just want to go to state. I think we can actually do [it] this year because we know each other a lot more […] than we did last year,” said starter Lauren Zacharias ’19.

Last year, Zacharias was one of the few freshmen on the varsity

team and was also a starter, along with Emma Koch ’19, Rachael Saunders ’18, Cook and Huinker.

“Coming in as a freshman on the varsity team, it was welcoming. Everybody understood we were a young team and we didn’t have as many seniors as we did in previous years. So I guess we just had to deal with it. We had no other choice but we did really [well],” she said.

Through their training and playing games, the girls have gained a lot more experience,

making them feel more ready for week, as a majority of the playthe season to come. ers play Amateur Athletic Union “We have a lot of younger peo- (AAU) basketball, which is competitive basketball in the offple gaining experience,” Cook said. season. In addition to this, “Every game that many players attend open they play, they’re gym twice a week. getting more com“A lot of us have worked during the offseason,” Cook fortable playing varsity and getting said. “[Playing] gives us exthat varsity expe- Logan Cook ‘18 perience playing games and rience, which is a lot of us have also been great because it working in the weight room, helps us play better together.” so we’re getting a lot stronger.”

The team is improving every Mayer is excited for the new

season to come and has expectations and goals for the girls.

“We want to play good basketball,” he said. “Obviously, we want to get better as the year goes on and hopefully the goal is to always be playing the best basketball we can and at the end of the year potentially we can get to the state tournament.”

PHOTOS BY SARAH LONGMIRE DESIGN BY MEGAN BOLAND

WSSPAPER.COM NOVEMBER 2016 SPORTS 39

CONTINUING THEIR

L E G A C Y

BY GEORGE LIU

Following big changes in lineup and coaching, the boys swimming team remains unshaken and expects to start a strong season on November 7.

F

schools. Their graduation has left ollowing last year’s second of us will still qualify for state.” he will do a great job,” he said. place finish at state, the a big gap in the team, one which Schroeder projects a similar Schroeder agrees, citing Butwill be formidable to the boys swimming hope for regular season ler’s efficient coaching. team’s success this year. team is revving up to bemeets, as the team went “Byron coached me for Orion Staskal ’17 gin a new season. This undefeated last year. most of last year, and he was agrees, but stresses that year will not be without “I think we still have effective at making me and many individuals will its challenges; with the a chance of going unthe other swimmers fastbe solid swimmers. graduation of Aidan Keen defeated [this seaer,” Schroeder said. “He’ll “The team might not ’16, Mark McGlaughson], but there will be be a great head coach.” lin ’16 and Will Scott BEN SCHROEDER ‘18 be quite as strong this tough opponents like ORION STASKAL ‘17 Butler believes that the year, but we still have a ’16, and the departure [CR] Wash,” he said. team will overcome the decent amount of varsiof longtime head coach Another shift that challenges this season by ty swimmers returning,” he said.

Rob “Ski” Miecznikowski, the has raised uncertainties was the working together, and by doing so Nevertheless, Butler has high exteam must adapt and overcome departure of the team’s longtime they will become very competitive. pectations for the team this year. the void left by these absences. head coach, Ski. Butler has realized “We’ll have a bigger team fo“We’ve already got a good deep With last year’s senior team that he has some big shoes to fill. cus this year, and we will all group being one of the fastest and “ S k i have to work together to do the o f most accomplished in school cast a great things that we have been guys history, these departures will l o n g doing,” he said. “If each indiw h o definitely affect the perfors h a d - vidual develops as an athlete w i l l “IF EACH INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPS AS o w , and a person, then the whole mance of this year’s team. g e t AN ATHLETE AND A PERSON, THEN and I team will benefit. If everybody “Overall, we’ve lost the best class of swimmers in Iowa better. p e does their job, then everything THE WHOLE TEAM WILL BENEFIT.” htooemhigh school history,” said I’v e comes together pretty nicely.” also Head Coach Byron Butler. ulate In the end, the team cama- Byron Butler heard He cites the numerous state rew h a t raderie will also be a signifithat cords set by the class and also h e ’ s cant force behind its success. their acceptance into Division I two fast freshmen will be joindone for the team,” he said. “He “I decided to do school swiming the team, and hopefulwon’t be around reinforcing the ming because I’ve heard that it’s ly more will follow,” he said. things he believes in, such as keep- fun and a good atmosphere,” said One of the freshmen, ing focus and discipline.” Hajek. “[I’m looking forward Izaak Hajek ’20, expects The team has been very to] having a good time with the a strong performance supportive of Butler’s team and getting to know them.” from both himself and the new leadership. StasStaskal affirms that swimteam this coming season. kal points out that since ming will be an enjoyable “[My goals include] Bulter is the head coach and rewarding experience. making it to state of the girls team, the “The team usually meshes pretand being a finalist,” IZAAK HAJEK ‘20 change will be smooth. ty well together,” he said. “Nohe said. “I know that “Byron has lots of expe- body is really left out and we many of our seniors graduatrience, both with the team and in do fun things such as going out ed last year, but hopefully many swimming in general, and I believe to eat after Friday practices.”

40 SPORTS NOVEMBER 2016 WSSPAPER.COM

1

PHOTOS BY OLIVIA DACHTLER GRAPHICS & DESIGN BY JENNA ZENG

THE CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON The girls swim team sets their goals high for the postseason and the future.

BY REAGAN HART

B

elow the flags of the certain aspects of a stroke. We sat Coralville Recreation “[Do] all the little things [in a around Center’s pool, the West stroke] correctly, then you see a n d High girls swim team trains and the time drops,” said Byron But- t o l d competes to hopefully ler, the girls swim coach. stories,” achieve one goal: win Another goal they R o s e the meet. To achieve have is keeping a pos- s a i d . this, they have sevitive mindset. Staying As their eral smaller goals. positive is an import- 2016 seaElaina Martz ’17 ant part of being part son comes and Rachel Ding ’19 of the team as younger to a close, ELAINA MARTZ ‘17 Many both agree that a swimmers like Amber the team’s goals of the good goal to have is Rose ’20 view upper- switch from season girls swim to be consistent in their time. classmen as role models. to postseason, and what team will also lift with the boys “It’s kind of like track in [that] “I wasn’t super nervous [for my they call their championship swim team during their seayou’re always trying first meet], because a lot season. This is where they pracson to keep up their strength. to drop time, but you of the upperclassmen tice to compete in the Mississip“[We will] do something inalso want to be conwere really helppi Valley Conference stead of sitting around and sistent,” Ding said. ful,” Rose said.

Championship, (MVC) hibernating,” Martz said.

Martz agrees that it’s The team hosts regionals and state.

As with every high school not good to have sporadmany socials On October 15 the sport, the seniors will ic times since a consissuch as going to girls competbe leaving at the end tent time is an indicator BYRON BUTLER haunted houses or ed in the MVC of the year. Martz is of consistent training. hanging out at the Championship.

COACH very sad to leave, beRACHEL DING ‘19 During their training team members’ They placed cause swimming has their goals include enhancing en- houses to foster the posifirst in their dibeen the best part of durance, strength and pertive attitude. The socials also help vision and third overall. fecting strokes by encouraging the swimIn regionals and state their AMBER ROSE ‘20 her high school career. She believes that by workmers get along better goals are to altogether do i n g and help them feel well by swimming fast and having the goals and training of the girls on more included. their relays place high. After state swim team will be very simi“My favorite many will continue to reach goals lar next year. Rose agrees, but was when and practice in club swimming. the leadership will be different.

“It will be a lot different withwe did a “To be competitive you have to out our seniors there. They b o n f i r e swim year round,” Martz said. at one Butler agrees, and he wants to are great leaders and I’ll miss of the make a push for people to con- them a lot next year,” Rose said.

ABOVE: Melanie Housenga t e a m - tinue to practice in club swim‘18 swims butterfly. m a t e ’ s ming. This will help girls who LEFT: Abby Caylor ‘20 dives h o u s e . are strong to perfect techniques. off the starting blocks.

WSSPAPER.COM NOVEMBER 2016 SPORTS 41

UNCONVENTIONAL

BY ELLIE GRETTER

Many sports offered in the Iowa City area aren’t provided as high school sports. Although not as well-known, these sports have found their roots at West High. Four students describe their experiences with the sports in which they have found their passions.

42 SPORTS NOVEMBER 2016 WSSPAPER.COM

ROWING

Haley Shook ’18 has a lot of experience with many different sports and their difficulty levels. “[Rowing is] the hardest sport I’ve ever done. It is so exhilarating and literally uses every muscle in your body ... It’s a very underestimated sport, for sure, and I hope people get more educated about it,” Shook said.

Shook goes through vigorous practices at least once a day during the week.

“You run about a mile and a half before each practice. You stretch,

FENCING GYMNASTICS After 14 years, you would think that it would be easy to lose your passion for any sport. However, Emma Howes ’19 has stayed committed to gymnastics ever since she was two.

“My parents put me in [gymnastics] because I was really energetic and I was running all around the house,” Howes said.

In 14 years, Howes has moved around to many gyms, which has given her lots of opportunities to work with different coaches.

“I would say my biggest mentor is

probably my coaches. I’ve switched around gyms a lot so I’ve had lots of different mentors,” Howes said.

Although Howes has skipped around to the various gyms, she has had the best memories with the girls she meets at these various gyms. “[My favorite part is] probably just hanging out with the girls everyday.

We’re all super close because we see each other every day of the week and we’re with each other for a very long time,” Howes said.

Earning a gold medal in any regard requires a lot of commitment and talent. Yuhka Niki ’17 has already had experience with becoming a gold medalist in the field portion of ice skating.

“I passed all my moves in the field tests and my last test was last summer.

Once you pass [all four], you’re named a U.S. gold medalist. You have to pass that in order to get your jacket and be official,” Niki said.

Although ice skating is very artistic, it still requires the performer to be very athletic. For Niki, this is the part of the sport that she most enjoys. “[My favorite part] is the way it makes me feel. It includes music but it’s still a sport. It’s about being artistic, like, the jumps we do still have to look elegant and you have to put it all together to make it look good,” Niki said.

For Bernardo Perez ’20, simple curiosity led him to begin a sport that he would continue for the rest of his teenage years and hopefully beyond.

“I started [fencing] about five years ago when I saw the fencing center. I was just passing by it and I wanted to try it,” Perez said.

Through fencing, Perez has been able to learn valuable life lessons that other sports might not provide.

“I think it’s really good to learn how to overcome and solve problems and how to meet and deal with people, because you have to be very conscious towards other

then do an ab circuit and then we get out on the water. Getting out on the water either includes a single, a double, an eight or a quad [group of people in the boat]. I’m usually in a double at practices. We row up to Crandic Park which is about 2,000 meters and then we’ll row back.

Depending on what time it is or the weather, we might go up again halfway and then turn around.”

people and how they feel,” Perez said.

As with any sport, fencing can be challenging at times, and it can become easy to lose your drive.

Perez explains why he continued with fencing even though he was beginning to lose his love for the sport.

“I was thinking about stopping fencing, but I enjoyed [the tournaments] a lot,” Perez said.

“The people there were great and it was a really good tournament.

That’s what really kept me fencing and that’s why I still fence.”

ICE SKATING PHOTOS BY SARAH LONGMIRE DESIGN BY CRYSTAL KIM

WSSPAPER.COM NOVEMBER 2016 SPORTS 43

BACKFLIPS AND MEGAPHONES In Ben Jaeger‘s ’18 fourth year of cheerleading, he became the only male cheerleader on the West High cheer team.

BY REAGAN HART

F

or many people, being the only of anything is hard, and Ben Jaeger ’18 knows just how awkward that can be as the only male cheerleader on West High’s cheer team. In spite of this difference, he has taken to it very well.

“When I first started, it was really weird. It wasn’t necessarily uncomfortable, but it was really different.

But over time, it’s like a normal thing to me now,” Jaeger said.

However, this isn’t his first year of cheering. He started practicing in the summer before his eighth grade year.

He was first introduced to cheerleading by his younger sister and Laura Jaeger, his mother.

“We dragged Ben to all the competitions and events,” said Laura Jaeger.

Then he started watching cheer videos online and helping his sister with cheer stunts. After that he started asking his mom if he could try out cheer.

“It took him about a year to convince us that he should join, because we didn’t want him to start with a team and not finish out the season,” Laura Jaeger said.

After his local cheer gym closed last spring, he decided to try on West cheer.

On West’s team as a male cheerleader, Jaeger doesn’t have to deal with the hair bows and glitter.

There are also some dance moves that he doesn’t do, and instead just stands and waves.

“He doesn’t learn the dances,” said Anna Buckingham ’18, Jaeger’s cheer teammate. “He does more [flips] when we’re cheering.”

Jaeger also doesn’t have poms; instead, he uses a megaphone.

“The megaphone is really awkward, but it’s also cool because you can yell at everybody. People like the megaphone and ask [me] to use it,” Jaeger said.

Jaeger not only uses his megaphone to yell cheers, but also uses it during practice to help make it more fun for his cheer team.

“He likes to sing into the megaphone [during practice],” Buckingham said.

The differences for Jaeger not only extend to physical objects, but also his experiences. Jaeger’s favorite experience as part of the West High cheer team so far has been a result of him being the only male.

“The funniest thing that happened this year is when we got on

44 SPORTS NOVEMBER 2016 WSSPAPER.COM

to the track for the first game, a lot of people didn’t realize that we were going to have a guy this year, so I got a lot of weird looks. Then the very first time we did a cheer, I did a [backflip] at the end and everyone freaked out,” Jaeger said.

Jaeger has felt like people have been very supportive ever since then. This includes one of Jaeger’s friends, Damarius Levi ’18. He sees Jaeger’s accomplishments as brave and outgoing.

“I keep saying this, but I’m very proud of him,” Levi said.

After West, Jaeger hopes to continue his cheer career.

“College cheer is something I’m really interested in. There’s a lot of scholarships for male cheerleaders, especially ones who can tumble like I can,” Jaeger said.

Cheerleading has given an opportunity to do many things that he loves, like performing with his friends and being on stage.

PHOTOS BY ALLIE SCHMITT-MORRIS DESIGN BY MEGAN BOLAND

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OPINION

DANCING QUEEN

BY OLIVIA READ

I

for Friday, not so I can parade to Java House with my friends, but so I can return home right after school to eat mochi in my pajamas and catch up on Korean dramas. When I listen to the underclassmen vigorously debate if he’ll really ask her to homecoming and frantically study for their AP Euro reading quiz next period, I feel a tinge of nostalgia.

Even though my social circle has greatly increased each year, I’m far more closed-off than I was freshman year. Although I do keep a few close friends, most of my relationships consist of memes and shared classes.

However, this was my own doing.

In the last couple of years, I’ve realized I was alarmingly dependent on my “peeps” (an unfortunate word I again discarded after freshman year) for acknowledgment. I often

found myself feeling wronged after I went out of my way for friends far more than they did for me. I felt excluded and resentful when I tapped through Snapchat stories of friends together - without me. Constantly waiting to be invited somewhere or told a secret inevitably led to disappointment. Giving people the benefit of the doubt for so long became exhausting. Even when I began to shut people out due to personal reasons, they didn’t seem to care.

I bided my time, hoping someone would point out how my usual solemn demeanor became even more detached and ask me what the problem was. However, I was left completely and utterly alone.

But, after all this, seventeen isn’t all that bad. It’s because now, my expectations don’t go unmet because I have no expectations at all. I

don’t feel bitter anymore; unrequited efforts are not a special growing pain only I endure, but a simple part of life. I know that everyone feels the same way as I do at some point. I, too, have done unto others every act that before made me feel so lost. Despite thinking I was the most attentive friend, I’ve realized I often can’t decipher others’ feelings just like they can’t mine. Most of all, I’ve come to see that solitude is underrated; without conscious realization, we all ignore, upset, and exclude one another. Wishing for others to understand you is a misunderstanding itself. In the end, no one knows you like you do. Although it’s quite a sad reality, I can still be the dancing queen, young and sweet, having the time of my life - I’ll just have to dance on my own sometimes.

eing Asian American is hon- “Be a doctor! Be a lawyer!” For the estly just weird. We’re differ- record, it’s true), to even just dyent from other minorities. ing my hair, confronting my Asian African Americans have a culture, relatives about my deviations from a history in America. We all know what’s considered “Chinese” always that Latinos and Hispanics are go- made me a bit anxious. I dread the ing to be really influential in the question of what I want to major next 10 to 20 years because of their in college, because I dread the refast-growing population. Because sponse I know they’ll have. “Oh, of these things, African Americans journalism? That’s ... interesting ...” and Latinos in America are part of I feel this disconnect from evthe conversation. But Asian Amer- erything, like I have no cultural icans are mentioned rarely, if at all. identity. It’s been so hard to relate As a result, I’m not really sure what to who I am because honestly, I that means. There has to be more have no clue. But every ethnicity to it than joking about how stereo- needs to be a part of the national typical your Asian parents are and conversation, and if I want it to boba tea. matter I’ve gotta start somewhere.

I’m not really connected to The one thing I do know is that I my Chinese roots either. I never look Asian. I’ve got the baby face, learned the language of my ances- the small eyes and I’m generally a tors and I can’t hold a conversation few inches below everyone else’s with any of my grandparents. I’m eye level. So, yeah Hollywood, I’m not traditional in any way. From going to be mad when you whitemy choice to major in journalism wash. I know what an Asian person (everyone knows the stereotype: is supposed to look like, I’ve got a 46 OPINION NOVEMBER 2016 WSSPAPER.COM

goddamn mirror.

Everyone knows that Hollywood whitewashing has been going on for ages. With every passing year, they have less and less of an excuse to allow it. But it still happens today. As in literally today. Today is the premiere of Marvel’s Dr. Strange, featuring a white Ancient One. Seriously? If we can’t even have the “old Asian master living on a mountain” roles anymore, all we’re left with are psychiatrists and doctors (s/o to B. D. Wong).

It’s too late for movies like Dr. Strange and Ghost in the Shell, an originally Japanese production whose producers announced they’d be testing out CGI software on their white actors to “shift [their] ethnicity.” (In other words? Let’s make our white people Asian instead of just hiring Asian people.

Brilliant.) But there’s still hope for future movies.

Disney announced plans for their

live-action take on Mulan, which they’re currently casting for. It’s been accompanied by countless false rumors, the most recent being that the movie will center around a white male protagonist, reducing Mulan to a love interest/sidekick role. They sound ridiculous, laughable really, out of context, but the sad fact is that they’re almost believable. But maybe it’s the media frenzy blowing these things out of proportion, or my own cynicism.

There’s real pressure on Disney not to whitewash, leading them to announce a global search for the new Mulan.

That being said, I don’t have high hopes. The movie industry has been shown time and time again to be slow to change. But I guess I have to give Hollywood some credit for helping me out with this whole identity crisis thing. With every new movie produced, I’m getting another reminder of what I’m not.

n all honesty, I don’t feel like the dancing queen. I’m young and debatably sweet, only seventeen, but I wonder - am I really having the time of my life?

The past three years of high school were not particularly groundbreaking. Fortunately, I made a few significant discoveries. At fourteen, I got over my hyper-frequent activity on social media, the burning necessity to defend my music tastes, and my delusional infatuation with all items graced by the Aeropostale logo.

In a way, though, it’s been disheartening. At seventeen, I feel far more apathetic than I was as a 13-yearold on that first day at West. As I grew more focused and matured per parental instruction and experience, I also lost a spark along the way. Throughout the week, I wait

PAINT ME PISSED OFF B

BY ELEANOR HO

DESIGN BY ELEANOR HO

JUST LIKE THE REST OF US

BY GEORGE LIU

A

few weeks back, my family and I traveled to the one and only Chicago for the weekend. Though I had been to many other cities before, the Windy City always manages to, well, blow me away! Being surrounded by so much activity, so much excitement, so much life really broadened my perspective in ways that I somehow hadn’t experienced in previous visits. Looking out from my hotel room, I saw the whole city spread out in front of me, and I couldn’t even begin to think of the city’s 2.7 million people living, working and playing under that same piece of sky. But with Earth’s population of 7.4 billion, I thought, are we as special as we are made out to be? Are our qualities all uniquely different, or could we just be easily replaced with someone else?

The short answer is yes. You, reader, are not special. Neither am I, or mostly anyone. Who you are today can be easily replicated by someone who has experienced dif-

ferent things than you. Everyone is merely a speck in this world, and if you look at it that way, chances are that someone who is similar to you in talent, traits, personality, whatever is pretty high. While all of our “high school experiences” are, per se, different, just remember that there are 15 million more of us in the U.S. going through the four year motions right along with ya. You aren’t alone. There will be someone with a life similar to yours, that in a fact is undeniable.

But wait! Hold back your tears! I haven’t gotten to the good part yet!

You probably aren’t special now, but I’d like to remind you that I am not a fortuneteller. I can’t predict my or anybody else’s future. What people can do right now, if they are willing to put in the effort, is set themselves up for success and specialty in the future. Many of us (probably including me, to be honest) won’t even make it past the daydreaming phase, and will end up as boring, average adults. Anyone in this cat-

BARACK OBAMA

SPEAKS TO TIME

egory shouldn’t feel bad for being a victim of a mere force of nature, as it will always happen as long as society exists. More will drop out at the planning phase, and a few during the execution. But all of us have the potential to become the best in whatever we choose; it’s up to you how much you want to mine that potential, and how much you are willing to put up against stress and failure to see your dreams come true.

But even after success, it’s wrong to adopt a holier-than-thou attitude. Everyone alive is a human being and deserves the respect and dignity from all other human beings, as we are all the same at

that level. It has already happened too many times where one human being unfairly belittles another just because some perceived “difference” that somehow sets them apart from others. Remember that by being human, we are all the same, and nobody has the right of way when it comes to the things we all deserve.

One day, we may live in a perfect society where everyone is special in all their little ways. But for now, each one of us is only a face blurred into a gigantic crowd. Even if you rise up and out of the masses below, consider the fact that, in many ways, you are still just like the rest of us.

Obari Gomba teaches Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Port Harcourt in Nigeria. He represented Nigeria at the International Writing Program of the University of Iowa in 2016.

His most recent collection of poems is “Thunder Protocol.”

I sit beside Iowa River, quiet as it flows, Deep as it flows. My eyes on the sky,

I sit beside Iowa River, quiet as it flows, Deep as it flows. My eyes on the sky

Barack speaks his deathless words on The history I share. I am the one that was sold.

Burnt and buried in the follies of might.

As Barack speaks to time. I still see the chains That brought me here. I still feel the lashes And the sores. I know the shallow grave

I am the one that has risen, dressed In the pleats of triumph. I have tears in my eyes, Not of pain only, but also of victory That was, that is now, that is to come.

PHOTOS BY ALLIE SCHMITT-MORRIS

Where my ashes were dumped.

I was sold to death but death could not Hold me down. My victory rings clearly.

I was here, I am here, I shall always be.

WSSPAPER.COM NOVEMBER 2016 OPINION 47

‘MURICA

OUT OF CONTROL S

ince the early 2015, Donald Trump and ple, maybe there is, I don’t know,” according Hillary Clinton have been on the path to CNN. By saying this, Trump essentially from candidate to nominee, and now, for threatened Clinton’s life, and almost encourone of the two, from nominee to president of the aged his supporters to harm her.

United States. For many voters, the very conHowever, Democrats have also caused viocept of either of these people becoming the next lence politically. Right-wing supporters have Commander-in-chief is inconceivable and often especially blamed liberal media for trashing completely inadmissible. Although the race to Trump and the Republican party as a whole. win the White House is normally respectably At this point in American politics, construcfierce, the conduct of the presidential candidates tive and polite debate over relevant topics and voters alike during this election season is rarely exists without consequence or confuabsolutely unacceptable and cannot be con- sion. People refuse to listen to others’ opindoned by any thoughtful and informed citizen. ions that contradict their own. Even Trump The gap between the right himself only allows supporters to come to raland left wing in the presidenlies, too afraid to confront tial race has grown too far, the fact that some voters ARE CANDIDATES leading to unnecessary and might have differing opinAND VOTERS ACTING deeply concerning conflict beions than his own.

APPROPRIATELY THIS tween parties.

While the political specELECTION SEASON? Many rallies of both Demotrum stretching is not crats and Republicans along surprising, it is still not the campaign trail so far have pleasing. Designated poresulted in violence. As many litical parties in the U.S. as 20 people have been atwere originally designed to THE WSS EDITORIAL tacked or injured in some way group people with similar BOARD VOTED NO. as a result of protests or some beliefs together, not to cretype of argument. Most poate two entirely different litical campaigns this intense come with verbal groups of people who will inevitably argue to insults and violence being thrown around, but no end about issues that have been debated this new level of physical violence means the since the beginning of time. This is the primacompetition has gone too far. ry reason behind inappropriate and improper Trump’s threatening words have caused con- behavior in the presidential race. cern for the future of American politics. During As legendary president Abraham Lincoln a rally on August 9, 2016, Trump said, “Hillary once said, “A house divided cannot stand.” In wants to abolish - essentially abolish - the Sec- the end, before we can accomplish anything ond Amendment. By the way, if she gets to pick, as a country, it is absolutely necessary that we if she gets to pick her judge, nothing you can do, reduce the amount of poor and rude behavior folks. Although the Second Amendment peo- in politics.

17 1

QUALITY OF LIFE

INDEX Halloween

Surviving both binge eating candy and scary clowns in one night ain’t a bad deal!

+5

Music Playathon Catered food and Dom Dom strumming his guitar. Enough said.

+4

Leaves changing colors Perfect as subjects for artsy Instagram photos and as excuses for staring out of the window during class.

+2

Raking Leaves

Either the pile is too small for high school kids to jump in or it’s big enough so that you’re exhausted after raking so many of them up.

-4 Election Day This chaotic election cycle has finally come to an end, but not without the price of our beloved political memes.

+1 Finals

For me, the worst part of these two weeks isn’t the late night cramming, nor is it the intense and nerve-wracking tests. It’s that agonizing wait while you pray to the teachers to put the grades into PowerSchool.

Please.

-4

+4 COMPILED BY GEORGE LIU

48 OPINION NOVEMBER 2016 WSSPAPER.COM

WEST SIDE STORY PRINT STAFF

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NATIONAL SELECTION

BY BRAEDYN DOCHTERMAN

DESIGN BY ELEANOR HO

WSSPAPER.COM NOVEMBER 2016 OPINION 49

HUMOR

CLOWN TOWNS, IOWA

Halloween is over, but are you safe from the creepy clowns roaming Iowa? WSS plotted all of Iowa’s clown sightings of October on a map.

Data courtesy of Iowa Clown Sightings on Twitter (@IowaClowns).

Mason City: 2

Sheldon:1

Sioux City: 2

Webster:1

Cherokee: 2 Woodward: 2

Iowa Falls: 2

Decorah:1

Waverly: 2 Fort Dodge:3

Boone:1 Ames: 6

Cedar Falls: 3 Waterloo: 2

Story City:1

Independence: 2 Maquoketa:1 LeClaire:1 Clinton: 5 Camanche:1

Ankeny: 4 Council Bluffs: 2

Altoona:1 Newton: 4 Pleasant Hill:3 Madrid:2 Des Moines: 3

Treynor:1

Fairfield: 2

Norwalk: 4

Cedar Rapids: 3 Liberty:1 Iowa City: 8 Moline:1

Bettendorf: 8 Davenport: 14 Muscatine:1

Ottumwa:1

Burlington: 1

SNAPPY ANSWERS TO STUPID QUESTIONS For any occasion a student sees family members who don’t live with them, they are bombarded with stupid questions they often can’t answer. West High’s underclassmen often haven’t considered any colleges yet, upperclassmen don’t want to think about majors, and now everyone can tell Aunt Kathy, “If I was dating someone and I wanted you to know, you’d know.” Here are some good answers for the stupid questions those pesky relatives ask.

HOW IS SCHOOL WHERE ARE YOU GOING? GOING TO COLLEGE? There are 204 days un-

WHAT’S YOUR MAJOR?

Cannabis cultivation til graduation, but who’s Mars U. It hasn’t tech- with a minor in bakery counting? nically been established science. yet but by the time I OR OR graduate in a few years I’m triple majoring in I wake up everyday with it should be. pre-med, pre-law and the sun and cry with joy OR Latin because I hate at the thought of re- Your mom’s basement. myself. turning.

I’m pursuing a career as a professional upside down smiley face.

DO YOU HAVE A JOB? Yes, but I’m legally not allowed to talk about it, what with government secrets and such.

OR No, I have a severe case of flatulence which prevents me from getting a job.

All responses should be delivered with a smile and no further explanation for the best execution. All other questions can be answered with, “Don’t be rude, grandma/grandpa/aunt/uncle/whatever you call them.”

50 HUMOR NOVEMBER 2016 WSSPAPER.COM

COMPILED BY MOLLY HOWES & GEORGE LIU DESIGN BY ELEANOR HO

FA L L P H OTO F E AT U R E C O N T I N U E D

NICK PRYOR A couple of friends and I woke up at 4 a.m. to drive out to Lake Macbride one morning to take photos at the waterfalls. I had no idea about the pelican migration that was going on, and was very surprised to see that many. Since they were all feeding at the base of the waterfall, I climbed down part of it to get a better view of the pelicans.

DESIGN BY CATHERINE JU

AMBER

YOU WILL SOON BE KNOWN AS MISTA “STEEL” YO GIRL.

STEEL

A TRULY FINE GEM WILL MAKE HIS/HER APPEARANCE IN YOUR LIFE SOON.

PUMPKIN

PIGGY YOUR HARD WORK IS PAYING OFF. YOUR #GAINZ WILL BE APPRECIATED SOON.

A PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE WILL FIND ITS WAY TO YOU.

A SURPRISE AWAITS YOU NEXT AFT.

THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH HAVING ONLY MONSTER COOKIES FOR LUNCH.

BURGUNDY

TORTOISE A GOOD HELPING OF PROTEIN IN THE A.M. WILL MAKE YOUR MATH TEST EASIER.

EARTHY.

EAT AN OLIVE. YOU’LL FEEL

OLIVE

YOLK

by bringing the 4 Fold DIRECTIONS bottom edge to the top edge. Unfold. out the page and cut 1 Rip off this bottom section.

Fold by bringing the left Turn the page around so the 5 edge to the right edge.

2 3

words and colors are facing down.

Fold the paper by bringing the bottom left corner to the top right corner. Unfold.

Fold by bringing the bottom right corner to the top left corner. Unfold.

Unfold.

all four corners 6 Fold to the center. Turn the paper over.

7

Fold all four corners to the center then fold the bottom half to the top.

WSS F O RT U N E TELLER

BY ISABELLE ROBLES DESIGN BY SIMRAN SARIN

HOW TO PLAY

Ask a friend to choose a number. Open and close the fortune teller as many times as the number chosen.

Ask your friend to choose a color. Open and close the fortune teller for each letter of the color.

Ask your friend to choose one more color. Open the flap of that color and read the fortune.