2019-02-22

WEST SI DE STO RY IOWA CITY WEST HIGH SCHOOL

2901 MELROSE AVE.

IOWA CITY, IA 52246

WSSPAPER.COM

VOLUME 51 ISSUE 4

FEBRUARY 22, 2019

IN THE MINORITY

Examining the lack of racial represention in district staff and its impact within the ICCSD community.

P H OTO F E AT U R E KARA WAGENKNECHT Nick Pepin ’20 jumps in the air for an open layup during a fast break.

The boys and girls basketball teams defeated City High on Thursday, Jan. 31. The boys won 69-48 while the girls won in a tight game, 65-51.

BEHIND THE PHOTO A goal of mine is to always stay focused on the game unfolding in front of me.

Though this may seem like a simple task, it is quite hard.

I find it difficult to take photos, especially during a very intense point. I find myself watching the game more than taking photos. I have gotten better over the years on anticipating what plays are about to happen. In the photo to the left, I was watching and saw Pepin steal the ball. I immediately picked up my camera and caught this moment.

FOR MORE COVERAGE, GO TO WSSPAPER.COM

DESIGN BY MADDY EPHRAIM

CONTENTS F E AT U R E

PROFILES

C OV E R

E N T E R TA I N M E N T

S P O RT S

OPINION

04 12 24 32 38 46

LETTER FROM THE

FOLLOW US @WSSPAPER

COVER ART & DESIGN BY SELINA HUA

Happy New Year, dear readers!

Hopefully you have been enjoying your time off from school and staying warm during the polar vortex. Though it may be cold outside, we recently celebrated Valentine’s Day, making almost all of us feel warm and fuzzy again. If you didn’t find your perfect match for the holiday, never fear! Perhaps your mystery soulmate has submitted a missed connection; check out our back cover.

This issue contains a plethora of stories we feel that students should be aware of. It includes news of the ICCSD cutting $5 million out of its budget, our first multilingual article and a story detailing the manner in which stereotypes affect the West High dance team. I am

04 NEWS BRIEFS 0 6 S P I C I N G U P T H E S C H O O L DAY 08 CUT 10 GOING GREEN 12 ABBIE CALLAHAN ‘20 1 4 W H E R E T H E Y A R E N OW 18 FRIEND CRUSH 2 0 A D I F F E R E N T T Y P E O F L A N G U AG E

24 IN THE MINORITY

32 NEW YEAR, NEW ME? 3 4 T E AC H E R S F I N I S H T H E LOV E LY R I C S 3 6 D E F I N E D BY S T Y L E 3 8 R I S I N G S TA R : H U N T E R GA R V I N ‘ 2 2 4 0 PA R E N T P E R S P E C T I V E S 4 2 WA L K I N G I N TO A R E P U TAT I O N 44 FUELED UP 46 AN ABC’S GUIDE 4 7 L E T ’ S F O C U S O N C O M M U N I C AT I N ’ 4 8 E D I TO R I A L : B O R D E R I N G T H E L I N E Interested in submitting a story idea or guest opinion?

Reach out at wsspaper.com/storyideas.

EDITOR sure you will find that this issue has struck a balance between informative and enlivening.

Our cover story focuses on minority faculty members around the district and how having representative teachers can influence not only student learning but also development. The editorial presents two sides to the recently announced school boundary changes throughout the district, which the ICCSD implemented to increase diversity among schools.

We are almost done with second trimester, and that means warmer weather is coming soon!

Happy new year!

Much love,

DENIZ INCE

04

F E AT U R E FEB. 22, 2019

NEWS BRIEFS

BY WILL CONRAD

A lot has happened around West High and the nation since the last WSS issue.

Here’s what you might have missed.

2 2 nd

Portions of the federal government shut down due to disagreements between Congress and President Trump over allocating $5.7 billion of the U.S. budget toward a southern border wall. It affected approximately 400,000 federal workers. The shutdown, which would go on to become the longest in U.S. history, temporarily ended on Jan. 25 with a bill that allocated no funding toward the border wall and reopened the government for three weeks.

s 1 3

DECEMBER S M T W T F S 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 t

Elizabeth Warren became the first major candidate to announce her intent to run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Other current Democratic hopefuls include Julián Castro, Tulsi Gabbard, Amy Klobuchar, Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker, John Delaney, Andrew Yang and Pete Buttigieg. President Trump is the only Students take a step forward during the Privilege Walk, Republican candidate to announce their 2020 bid so far. a session aimed at visually portraying disparities in opportunities and advantages of varying backgrounds.

JANUARY S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

20 th

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West High announced that it will switch to a weighted GPA system for the 2019-20 school year. In this system, students will receive a boost towards their GPAs for taking AP or honors classes. The changes will not apply to courses taken in previous school years. More coverage can be found on wsspaper.com.

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West show choirs competed for the first time this season at the 2019 Waukee Star Struck Show Choir Invitational. West’s varsity group, the Good Time Company, placed 4th, while West’s prep group, Showtime, placed 5th in their respective divisions. The groups will perform for the last time on February 24 at the West Spring Swing Show.

West High hosted its annual Dance Marathon to raise money for pediatric cancer research and treatment. This year, West raised $28,519.22 at the event, which involved multiple musical performances and other festivities throughout the six-hour period.

24 th

11 th The U.S. began moving troops out of Syria at President Trump’s orders. The U.S. has maintained troops in the region since 2014, and the conflict has been going on since 2011. The main combatants are the Syrian government, Syrian rebels, Kurdish separatists and ISIS.

West High hosted its second annual MLK Day celebration. The day included numerous sessions promoting equality and giving back to the community that students could choose from, as well as a mandatory panel called “Voices of West High.” More coverage can be found on wsspaper.com.

J A N U A R Y (cont.)

11 th

Embattled Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro gave U.S. diplomats 72 hours to leave the country after the U.S. announced its backing of Maduro’s challenger, Juan Guaido, who declared himself interim president. This deadline was later extended to 30 days after the U.S. announced it had no intention of adhering to the original time frame.

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31 st

Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan, announced that U.S. and Taliban officials had a draft of an agreement that could end the long-running war in the country.

9 th

West High’s FTC robotics team, Trobotix, competed at the SuperQualifier Tournament hosted at West.

The team placed eighth, was awarded best design and qualified for the state tournament.

LO

West High will host the Kanellis debate tournament. At this event, schools from around the Midwest will bring teams to compete in both speech and debate contests, lasting all day.

The West girls and boys basketball teams faced off against their City High counterparts. The boys won 69-48 and the girls won 65-51. The leading scorer for the boys team was Patrick McCaffery ‘19 with 27 points. The girls team was led by Lauren Zacharias ‘19 with 20 points.

Cailyn Morgan ’19 dribbles the ball away from City High defenders during the final seconds of the game on Thursday, Jan. 31.

17 th

BPA State begins and will be hosted in Des Moines. West High’s BPA will compete in various categories that relate to the modern business world. Students in BPA will be aiming to make nationals at this event.

rd

O

FEB. 22, 2019

Record-setting cold temperatures hit the Midwest. Wind chills often dropped below -50 degrees Fahrenheit, with temperatures hovering around -20 degrees for three days. Unfortunately, this weather led to death tolls in the double digits.

basketball or polar vortex photo

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23

05

F E AT U R E

FEBRUARY

2 6 th

West’s track season begins with the Wartburg Indoor Invitational. The meet, hosted by Wartburg College, will be held at a 200-meter indoor track and feature schools from all around Iowa.

D A E H A KIN GMARCH 2 - Schools from across southeast Iowa will compete in the SEIBA Jazz Festival at West High. The all-day event involves schools playing pieces that they rehearsed over the course of the year and receiving critiques from judges.

MARCH 9 - West High will host its third annual Walk It Out Multicultural Fashion Show. Students representing cultures from around the world will model traditional clothing. There will be food, art and dances from all around the world.

S M T 1 6 7 8 13 14 15 20 21 22 2728 29

W T F S 2 3 4 5 9 10 11 12 16 17 18 19 23 24 2526 30 31

Ivan Badovinac ‘19 carries the robot off the field during the qualifying matches of the FTC State Qualifiers on Feb. 9.

PHOTOS BY SEAN BROWN & KARA WAGENKECHT & ADITI BORDE DESIGN BY VIVIEN HO

06

SPICING UP THE SCHOOL DAY

F E AT U R E FEB. 22, 2019

WSS goes behind the scenes of the Nutritional Department’s process for choosing the ICCSD lunch menu.

BY ANNA BROWN

T

he room is suffocatingly silent. In an atmosphere tense with nervous energy, faces go pale, resulting from the decision that must be made within the next six weeks. With this decision profoundly affecting the entire school district, one cannot take this matter lightly. Several heated weeks later full of debate and disagreement, there is finally a consensus — crispy chicken strips will indeed be on the lunch menu.

The ICCSD Wellness Committee spends an average of six weeks every summer working on recipe development for the upcoming school year. During this time, the administration must follow federal guidelines mandated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in order to guarantee that students get a nutritious, well-balanced meal. However, the district does not limit themselves to only looking at healthy options. In addition to healthiness, potential items are assessed on production, transportation and popularity.

“We try to come up with new items, maybe things we have seen in magazines or trade publications,” said Director of Nutrition Services Alison Demory. “We also look at what’s popular in restaurants, because we try to be competitive with what’s out in the real world.”

One of the ways the Wellness Committee incorporates new products is through student tasters. Cindy Smith, the Purchasing & Procurement Specialist in the ICCSD, periodically does taste testing at schools district wide. She, along with schools’ kitchen managers, set up samples in the cafeteria that students provide feedback on. “[There are] commodity items that we get through the USDA. … From time to time we’ll

try asking students to help us sample and give feedback on those,” Demory said. “I don’t ever mind if kids want to taste something if it’s a new menu item or just a menu item they’re not familiar with. … If [students are] unsure, we work with [them] to make sure it’s something they’re going to like.”

The process of selecting students to participate is completely random, according to West Kitch-

“ TH E GOAL I S VE RY SI M PLE: WE WANT TO F E E D KI DS. ... STU DE NTS LEARN B ETTE R WH E N TH EY HAVE A FU LL STOMACH .”

-ALISON DEMORY, D I R ECTO R O F N UTR ITI O N SE RVI CES

en Manager Julie Peterson. When taste-testing days come, it is the first group of students who enter the cafeteria during lunch hours that are chosen to try samples. West has not held taste testing this year due to the adjustment period needed for the new kitchen.

The opinions’ of student tasters play a critical role in determining new menu items. According to Smith, there must be at least a 70 to 80 percent acceptability of individual products. Yet, these results are often skewed, as students may succumb to peer pressure.

“We try to tell people that it doesn’t matter what your friend likes. This is what you would like, what you would eat,” Smith said. “Your friend’s not eating for you. When we put something on the menu we do try to make sure that it is a majority rule.”

Besides planning menus and preparing meals, the nutritional staff ’s greatest responsibility is the well-being of the student body. According to Demory, one way the committee aspires to achieve this is through being good role models and educating on student health by setting examples of what healthy, balanced meals look like. Demory believes this lesson is important because nutritious food allows the body to feel well enough to perform at high levels.

“The goal is very simple: we want to feed kids,” Demory said. “Students learn better when they have a full stomach. … We need to fuel your mind as well as your body, so our part is to fuel your body so you can learn and fuel your mind.”

Part of ensuring student well-being is through destigmatizing free and reduced-price meals.

One strategy utilized is the enactment of graband-go breakfasts to reduce the stereotype that

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all students who eat breakfast at school are free and reduced students. Furthermore, the ICCSD does not discuss the status of students pertaining to free and reduced-priced meals. “[Privacy] is very important. … It’s a family issue and we’re not allowed to ever even bring that up,” Peterson said. “I can come in [my office] and I can talk to a student privately if I see that their lunch account is going negative, … [but] it’s a subject that is not talked about on the floor.”

Regardless of how many free and reduced students are enrolled, every school in the district has a breakfast program. Due to City High’s cafeteria being in the basement, the district implemented the grab-and-go system there, meaning they installed a kiosk at the front entrance for students to grab items off of the food cart. On the other hand, because West’s cafeteria is already located near the front entrance and there is not a crowding issue, the grab-and-go system has not yet been used. Instead, breakfast works in the same fashion as lunch, where students go through meal lines and purchase items.

“There are just as many paying-full-price kids eating meals as free and reduced. It’s very even,” Peterson said. “[The free and reduced program] is very important for families that do not have the money for lunch and have to save that money for bills. … It’s there to help people.”

Not only does the district strive to guarantee that students from a wide range of economic sta-

“ TH E RE ’S ALWAYS SOM ETH I NG TO H E LP [STU DE NTS] H IT TH E FOOD GROU PS.” -J U LI E PETERSON , WEST KITCH E N MANAG E R

tus are able to have a nutritious meal, but they also provide for students with dietary constrictions. According to Demory, students with diet modifications are required to fill out a form on the district website and get a slip from their doctor that is given to the school nurse. Nutritional services will then order substitutes that students

with restrictions are able to eat.

“We have several kids who are gluten free, and we order gluten free meals for them,” Peterson said. “There’s alway something to help [students with constrictions] hit the food groups. We have lots of variety and different things to offer.”

According to Peterson, for the past two years, the district has invested in a resource called MealViewer that tells students about their allergy menu. This nutritional menu can be downloaded on mobile devices and provides all nutritional information for the ICCSD’s lunch menu, as well as pricing mandated by the federal government.

There are many different aspects and planning that goes into nutritional services. While taste testing, recipe development and destigmatizing free and reduced-priced lunches are only a small portion of the job, they are very important, according to Smith. The nutrition department does not only provide lunch, they play a vital role in the everyday lives of students as well, and department members take pride in the positive impact their jobs have within the district.

“For me, it was important to have a job where I felt like I made a difference,” Demory said. “I remember my husband saying to me that I had an opportunity to essentially affect every student in the Iowa City area, which seemed like a pretty awesome opportunity to have that ability to help that many children in one community.”

BY THE NUMBERS

2

75%

SERVINGS OF EACH FOOD GROUP

ACCEPTABILITY IS REQUIRED FOR NEW MEALS

750

50

IS THE MINIMUM CALORIE COUNT FOR A MEAL

STUDENTS MINIMUM FOR EACH TASTE TEST Source: Cindy Smith, ICCSD Purchasing & Procurement Specialist

PHOTO BY ALLIE SCHMITT-MORRIS ART & DESIGN BY SIMON JONES

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F E AT U R E FEB. 22, 2019

BY NATALIE KATZ

Facing a $5-6 million budget cut in the upcoming school year, the district is making plans to minimize the effect on students, although major changes are inevitable.

A

lot can be done with $6 million. It can provide over 8,500 villages in underdeveloped countries with clean water, give over 700,000 children school supplies, purchase over 1.2 million drinks at Starbucks and even buy everything in your local Target.

Six million dollars is also something schools need to pay teachers, update classrooms and offer students the best education possible.

Unfortunately, the ICCSD will need to function without it in the upcoming school year.

For the last eight out of nine years, Iowa has underfunded public education. While funding per student is increasing annually, it is not keeping pace with the inflation rates or the rising cost of operating schools.

Because of this, the district plans to cut around $6 million from their budget. The school board

is continuing to look into where money can be cut, but there is one area where reductions in funding will be nearly unavoidable.

“Unfortunately, most of the choices involve staff, because about 84 percent of our budget goes to people,” said Superintendent Steve Murley.

Possible reductions in staff will mainly include administrator, teacher, secretary and custodian positions. Even though the decrease in teaching staff will be kept as minimal as possible, it will make a difference to students, as fewer teachers will lead to larger class sizes. According to Murley, as a last resort, “reductions in force” will occur, meaning employees will be laid off.

However, Murley is optimistic that this increase will not be noticeable at the high school level.

“The average [class size districtwide] this year was around 24.2, and the average next year

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might be 24.8. So depending on the class you’re in, you might or might not see it in terms of the increasing class size,” Murley said. “Where kids will notice a difference or their parents will is more likely at the elementary level, because they’re in the same class all day. As those creep up a little bit, people will see that.”

Even though Murley is confident that students will not notice a considerable increase in class size, teachers at West are not so sure that this change will go unnoticed.

“Teachers have been feeling that pressure for a while. We’re used to 35 students in our rooms,” said Megan Johnson, social studies teacher and executive board member of the Iowa City Education Association. “I feel like once it gets to that point where you have 35 students in your room, even just adding a few more can make a big difference in a teacher’s ability to meet the one-on-one needs of students.”

A natural turnover occurs each year in all staff positions, and while these jobs would normally be filled, the district has implemented a hiring freeze this year, resulting in all vacant jobs left unfilled. This, along with the enhanced Early Retirement Program, is designed to help save money. With the upgraded retirement program, staff who choose to retire this year will receive more benefits than in years past.

Because staff members’ salaries increase the longer they have been in the district, it takes an unproportional chunk out of the budget when there are many senior members on staff.

Therefore, the district is aiming to save money by incentivizing early retirement for eligible employees.

“We made it a little bit more attractive for people who might be on the edge and hopefully provide enough of an incentive for them to choose to do that,” Murley said. “It’s kind of a catch-22 for us: we lose a lot of experience and some really wonderful teachers who choose to take that option, but the benefit is that we’re able to retain or hire younger teachers whose cost to the budget is less.”

The district fell short of their goal of 75 retirees, with 41 staff members requesting retirement as of Jan. 31. However, it is likely they will get closer to the desired number after taking into consideration other staff transitions, which occur for reasons such as a spouse getting a job elsewhere or a move.

Because the Early Retirement Program included benefits like health insurance, eligible staff who had not previously considered retirement were faced with a tempting choice.

“I had no plans on retiring this spring until the board offered a once-in-a-lifetime incentive package for early retirement,” said health teacher

Kathy Bresnahan. “To have a full salary next year was nice but having health insurance until Medicare kicks in was too good to pass up. It was unprecedented.”

Bresnahan had planned on teaching for at least another three years before she was informed about the benefits of the new program. She, along with the 128 other eligible staff members throughout the district, found themselves facing the same dilemma.

“AS M UCH AS I WI SH THAT TH I S DI DN ’T HAVE TO HAPPE N , LEGALLY, I F TH E DI STR ICT DI DN ’T DO SOM ETH I NG ABOUT IT NOW, WE WOU LD BE I N A SITUATION I N A YEAR O R TWO WH E R E WE WOU LD BE R U N N I NG A N EGATIVE BALANCE .”

- M EGAN J OH NSON I CEA BU I LDI NG RE PRESE NTATIVE From an outside perspective, the situation may seem less than ideal. However, as unfortunate as it is, the district would be facing exponentially worse changes if action were not taken.

“As much as I wish that this didn’t have to happen, legally, if the district didn’t do something

$

about it now, we would be in a situation in a year or two where we would be running a negative balance,” Johnson said. “And then what happens is the state basically comes in and the school district no longer gets to decide where they’re going to cut money. The state just says, ‘You’re cutting here, and you’re cutting here.’”

By making budget cuts now, course offerings and extracurriculars within the schools are better protected. Aside from the annual process where courses are offered based on student interest, no other cuts are intended to take place. This is a relief to students and teachers who witnessed the elimination of the German language program in the last major budget cut.

Yet, while the intention to keep all classes may look good on paper, there are still doubts that it will work out as planned.

“I’ve always found it really valuable that West High has such diverse course offerings and there’s something for everyone. So I worry about the experiences that we’re going to be able to provide students in a world in which we don’t have the money to provide them,” Johnson said.

With many uncertainties surrounding the issue of the upcoming budget cut, nobody really knows what to expect. Even when the budget is finalized by April 15, it will be difficult to predict what kind of environment students and teachers will be living in during the upcoming school year. Whatever the end result may be, Johnson believes it is important to keep in mind that delayed action may have resulted in a more serious outcome down the road.

“As [bad] as the situation is,” Johnson said, “I’m glad that our school district is being proactive about it and is being collaborative with teachers and trying to figure out how to best deal with it.”

EXPECTED SAVINGS

3,000,000 1,454,562 226,000

TEACHER RETIREMENT

STAFF REDUCTIONS

BUS ROUTE CUTS

Source: ICCSD School Board Meeting, Dec. 4, 2018

PHOTOS BY SEAN BROWN DESIGN BY AMY LIAO

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F E AT U R E FEB. 22, 2019

GOING GREEN WSS takes a look at what West High and the ICCSD as a whole are doing to ensure environmental sustainability in the future.

BY MARTA LEIRA

F

rom new weight rooms to Chromebooks, West High has experienced a multitude of changes over the past few years. However, there is one thing that remains unchanged — the school and district’s carbon footprint.

After researching the successful results of other school districts providing every student with a computer, the ICCSD decided to use Chromebooks, the most affordable technological option that would provide students with the tools they need to succeed. In 2016, the ICCSD created a budget that gave each student at the high school level a Chromebook, which has since been extended to the junior high schools.

Yet, even with the addition of Chromebooks, the amount of money spent on paper has not significantly decreased. The ICCSD purchased 18.9 million sheets of paper during the 2018 school year compared to 19.4 million in 2017, which is less than a 10 percent difference. In addition, individual student paper use has generally remained consistent, averaging just under eight pages per student daily.

Library secretary Marie Wenzlaff manages all paper copies for teachers, and after working in the copy room for the past 13 years, she has seen her fair share of printed paper. Wenzlaff does everything she can to promote recycling within the copy lab by reusing sheets of paper and recycling misprinted pages. “[It] is unlimited,” Wenzlaff said, explaining the number of paper copies that the school can print. “But to say it’s unlimited is more sensationalizing than it is. In reality, it’s self-limiting.

The teachers themselves do a lot to reduce [their paper usage].”

One teacher who has striven to be more environmentally friendly is biology teacher Andrea

Harms. She aspires to keep her class nearly 90 percent paper free. According to Harms, she was very successful last year, but this school year has been more difficult. She noted that teachers can no longer use the “LockDown Browser” app, which prevented students from switching tabs or screenshotting online tests and quizzes, so teachers have switched back to using paper for assessments.

“I would be even more paperless if we had the app,” Harms said. “Before Chromebooks, I used a lot of paper, but the combination of [Chromebooks and the app] allowed me to go mostly paperless.”

Many teachers try their hardest to be sustainable, but some have concerns regarding the effects of going completely paper-free. According to chemistry teacher Michelle Wikner, her class would be difficult and almost impossible at times without the help of printed worksheets.

“In the classroom, learning has to be the most important thing,” Wikner said. “In chemistry, there’s just so many long problem-solving questions. … I don’t think students would want to do it online.”

While Wikner believes that environmental sustainability is important, she says there is more to it than just reducing paper usage. She prefers a plan to train students on how to recycle and compost in the cafeteria to going paper-free.

“Students are pretty good about recycling in the classroom,” Wikner said. “If we get students trained on how to recycle in the cafeteria, … it [would] take a little bit of time, but I think it would be a fairly easy thing to do.”

Recycling in the classroom is nothing new to students. Over 21 years ago, Steve Beisler

“ B E FORE CH ROM E BOOKS, I USE D A LOT OF PAPE R , BUT TH E COM B I NATION OF [CH ROM E - BOOKS AN D TH E APP] ALLOWE D M E TO GO MOSTLY PAPE RLESS.” - AN DREA HARMS SCI E N CE TEACH E R

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F E AT U R E FEB. 22, 2019

Source: J.P. Gasway Co.

M 35 TS EE

TYPICALLY PRINTED PER VISIT 31.9%

HALF SHEETS

85.1% SINGLE SHEETS 27.7% 3 - 5 PAGES 12.8% 6 - 9 PAGES

Source: Teacher Paper-Use Survey

started the recycling project at West and began collecting paper. Special Programs teacher Steve Merkle gradually assumed a leading role on the initiative, turned it into a class and has been in charge ever since. The group goes doorto-door collecting classrooms’ recycling. Before this large-scale recycling plan was in full swing, Merkle remembers there only being a small effort to discard recyclable items in the classroom.

Every day students walk the halls of the floor on their assigned route, pushing a cart and emptying bins of recycling left out by teachers.

“I thought, ‘What the heck, why don’t we take it to the next level and start going around to each classroom?’” Merkle said. “It seemed like every trimester we were picking up about two tons of paper, and we’re probably still in that ballpark. … We do what we can until we reach our limit.”

In addition to recycling efforts, West offers an environmental sustainability course, a yearlong elective where students participate in project-based activities, through Project Lead the Way. “It’s a really important issue that people need to be educated on so that students can go into the workforce and try to think about how to solve the problem,” said Leah Rietz ’20, a student in the class. “It’s so much more than just recycling at home.”

Along with educating students on how to be more green, West is making changes to the

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ETS E SH

WEST’S PAPER USE PER YEAR

WEST P R I N CI PAL

building itself. Starting in March 2019, construction will begin to change the air conditioning system to rely on a geothermal energy source rather than fossil fuels. This is already in place in the ninth-grade center. In addition, LED lights, which require less electricity, will replace the current lighting in renovated parts of the building.

“LED lights save money in two ways: they run on less electricity and they burn out less, so it’s a win-win,” said Principal Gregg Shoultz. “They’re dimmable, so it’s a better lighting solution for learning.”

While the district is implementing new policies to help create a more environmentally friendly learning atmosphere, there is still much that needs to improve.

“I don’t think [environmental sustainability] is our particular strength,” Shoultz said. “I think we have room for improvement, but I’d say that the biggest thing we’re doing right now is transitioning out of fossil fuels and into geothermal heating.”

Beyond the changes the district has implemented, no major policies have been put in place, but the ICCSD has discussed many plans.

Despite sustainability efforts having increased in recent years, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change has warned about the dangers of climate change.

According to the UN website, “At the present rate, greenhouse gas emissions are rising, and the world is on a path to raise the global average temperature by more than three degrees Celsius this century.”

Although sustainability efforts have increased in recent years, until a drastic change takes place, the repercussions for not focusing on sustainability could be monumental moving forward.

8 :: 1.83M SHEET 1 0 S 2 72016 1 201 20 7 2016 :: :: 5 1 2.8 20 3.

05 2 M SH

“ I DON ’T TH I N K [E NVI RON M E NTAL SUSTAI N AB I LITY] I S OU R PARTICU LAR STRE NGTH … I TH I N K WE HAVE ROOM FOR I M PROVE M E NT.” - GREGG SHOU LTZ

4.3% 10+ PAGES PHOTOS BY MADDI SHINALL DESIGN BY SIMON JONES

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ABBIE CALLAHAN In the span of four years, Abbie Callahan ‘20 has grown from a small Instagram cover artist to gracing the stages of TV shows, performing at gigs and producing her own music. Along the way, music has continually shaped her life and how she evolves as a performer.

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BY JENNA WANG

I

t was just four years ago when singer-songwriter Abbie Callahan ’20 picked up her classic black Fender guitar and posted her first singing cover on Instagram, armed with nothing but a big dream and a huge passion for singing.

Since then, the 17-year-old pop artist has accomplished what few could. One of her many feats includes a blind audition on “The Voice” as the second-youngest contestant of the season in 2017. “‘The Voice’ was probably one of my favorite experiences ever in my whole life,” Abbie said.

“Doing these shows, you just immerse yourself in such a different world.”

Her journey culminated with a performance on a big flashing stage in front of renowned celebrities such as Adam Levine, Miley Cyrus, Blake Shelton and Alicia Keys, as well as a cheering audience.

“Looking back on it, it doesn’t even feel like I was there. I can’t even believe that I did that because it’s been such a big dream of mine to even audition for these shows, let alone be on the stage in front of the judges,” Abbie said.

A year later, Abbie received another opportunity to sing on the national level — this time on the set of “American Idol.” After a Skype audition with the show’s executive producers, Abbie was sent to the golden ticket round in Denver, Colorado. There, she sang up-close in front of star judges like Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie for the chance to go to Hollywood.

“ I ’VE N EVE R B E E N N E RVOUS ABOUT SHARI NG M USIC B ECAUSE I F ANYON E ’S GOI NG TO LI STE N , TH EY ’ RE GOI NG TO LI STE N B ECAUSE TH EY LI KE MY M USIC .”

“I kind of expected myself to freak out a little bit. But really, you get there and you sing. That’s the most anxious part, performing and making sure that you do everything you’ve prepared and you do it well,” Abbie said. “Meeting [the judges], you just realize that they’re just people.

I hugged them all, and it’s just like hugging anybody, you know.”

Back home, many of Abbie’s fans have celebrated her success.

“Since I posted about ‘American Idol’ people have started to treat me like somewhat of a celebrity, which I’ve never experienced,” Abbie said. “People were coming up to me, out of breath, scared to meet me. They were almost crying. I’m just in high school and that’s the craziest reaction.”

One of Abbie’s long-time friends, Maia DeGrazia ’20, believes that the reactions are justified.

“Abbie radiates positivity on the stage. She seems so sure of herself and just gets up there and owns it,” DeGrazia said. “When I see her perform I am so proud. It makes me think of how far she’s come from when I first saw her perform in fifth grade. It’s so fun to see her doing what she loves.”

From doing these shows, Abbie gained experiences that have strengthened her passion for music and solidified her decision to become a songwriter and a producer.

However, all of her success began with a simple hobby in sixth grade: posting singing clips on Instagram after being inspired by an “America’s Got Talent” performance.

“On that first cover, my sister and I were counting how many followers I got. In my first day, I had 100 followers and we were freaking out,” Abbie said. “I’ve never been nervous about sharing music because if anyone’s going to listen, they’re going to listen because they like my music.”

With that philosophy guiding her, she eventually took her singing live wherever she went, ranging from the Iowa State Fair to open mic nights at local breweries.

Abbie has started the next step in her career to write her own songs. During the summer, she spent hours honing her craft to write over 100 songs, 10 of which are going to be on her new original album.

“The 10 songs are actually my babies. I’ve worked on them maybe seven months now, and my mom’s heard them on repeat,” Abbie said.

“We’ve spent all of winter break working on them, staying up till three in the morning.”

The songs depict her whirlwind experiences as a teenager in love, pulling her own personal feelings from relationships.

“In my very heightened state of emotions, I wouldn’t even talk to my mom or my friends about it. I would sit down with my guitar and play what I was feeling. Then I realized that other people feel the same too, so I refined it and made it an actual song,” Abbie said. “I can’t force a song. It has to come from a real feeling so that

F E AT U R E

“ I CAN ’T FORCE A SONG. IT HAS TO COM E F ROM A REAL F E E LI NG SO THAT OTH E R PEOPLE CAN REALLY F E E L IT WITH YOU.”

FEB. 22, 2019

other people can really feel it with you.”

Throughout the entire process, Abbie has had her mom, Kate Callahan, by her side to support her through every event.

“I used to be a little nervous for Abbie when she performed. I wasn’t sure she understood that she was working and people had certain expectations from her,” Kate said. “Now, I just enjoy it. Abbie never gets nervous before she performs and is always prepared.”

With a supportive family comes a little pressure to do better as well.

“It’s the craziest thing for someone to have so much faith in you, which is probably the scariest thing on these shows,” Abbie said. “As I get up there, I’m just thinking about my mom because I want to make her proud.”

When it seems as if Abbie’s career is destined for success, she still keeps the same dream she’s had since she was little, with a determined focus on the future.

“The ultimate dream is to have my music on the radio and [have people] listen to it in the shower and jam to it when they’re happy and cry to it when they’re really sad,” Abbie said.

Since the beginning of her career, she’s learned important advice for other aspiring musicians.

“You really have to be very emotional and let yourself in that state of mind. Being original is what makes a good musician. Don’t listen to your brain; listen to your heart because that’s how you get good music. That’s how you perform well.”

LEFT: Abbie Callahan ‘20 performs at the Johnson County Fair talent show in July 2018, placing first and advancing to the Iowa State Fair talent show.

PHOTO BY SEAN BROWN DESIGN BY CRYSTAL KIM

14

PROFILES FEB. 22, 2019

WHERE THEY ARE

NOW West Side Story uncovers the recent success stories of past West High students. Here are a few of the former students that made a name for themselves in the world.

PHOTO BY MADDI SHINALL ART BY FRANCES DAI DESIGN BY JENNA ZENG

15

PROFILES

FEB. 22, 2019

W

ith thousands looking upon them, the ballet dancers gracefully glide across the stage to the mellifluous music.

They have been working their entire lives for this moment, practicing their art for years to reach their dream of performing under the bright lights of New York City. Faces in the audience display a spectrum of emotions, transforming from sadness to joy as the performance progresses, watching keenly as the dancers portray a dramatic, dreamlike story. This is the New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center, and this is where Miriam Miller’s dreams came true.

As a child, Miller was fascinated by the world of dance. Starting at age three, Miller became heavily involved in tap, jazz and ballet. However, she ultimately decided to focus on ballet at the

age of eight.

“I didn’t really see myself dancing jazz or tap professionally. It wasn’t something that I enjoyed as much,” Miller said. “[Ballet] brought out a different emotion in me that all those other types of dancing didn’t necessarily do.”

Miller worked with different ballet groups in Iowa City, dancing at the University of Iowa’s Dance Forum for eight years and then with City Ballet of Iowa for six years. There, she met one of her most influential instructors, Sarah Barragan, a faculty member at City Ballet of Iowa, and discovered her true dream of becoming a professional dancer. “[Barragan] introduced me to this dance world and encouraged me and made me feel like it was possible and that it was something that I could actually attain,” Miller said. “She inspired me a lot as I was getting involved with it.”

As Miller developed her technique and movement, Barragan noticed significant improvement in her dancing and observed her dedication. She realized Miller had the potential to become a professional dancer.

“She was the fastest study that I’ve ever had.

She was able to pick up and apply all the corrections I was asking from her immediately,” Barragan said. “I’m really proud that she’s caught on to the details, because it’s not just learning the correct step or how to recite it; it’s the feeling, the energy, the emotion or the projection you present with your portabra, with your arms and with your fingers.”

However, Miller’s commitment to ballet often prevented her from having a typical high school experience, limiting her time at West to only her freshman year.

“I missed a period during the day to go to ballet class. They allowed for that schedule change, which helped me because I wouldn’t have been able to train for the dancing that I was doing,” Miller said.

After years of training, Miller felt ready to move to the next level. She auditioned for summer courses in Chicago, and later, the School of American Ballet in New York. After a string of successful auditions, Miller found herself closer to her dream, receiving an offer from the prestigious school. At the same time, she enrolled in the Professional Children’s School, a private institution, to study various subjects like any other high schooler. The transition to New York, however, was much different than she expected.

“West was where I felt like I was a normal high school student. I think that if I didn’t have that experience, it definitely would have molded me maybe into a different person,” Miller said. “I’m just very thankful that I had that experience and feeling like a real high schooler and a real teen-

MIRIAM MILLER

BY THOMAS DUONG

ager was important just for my well being. Even getting to go to football games and all of that was nothing that I did in New York.”

Less than three years after attending the School of American Ballet, Miller earned a spot in the New York City Ballet. With rehearsals during the day and shows at night, she eventually found herself in a featured role as Titania in Midsummer Night’s Dream, just four months after beginning to work for the dance company.

Later in her career, she had the opportunity to perform back in Iowa City at Hancher Auditorium during a nationwide tour.

“Being able to share my part of the world and have all of my family get a glimpse of New York City Ballet and to be able to bring that to my hometown and share the art with everyone, it was just really special because not everyone can come out to New York,” Miller said. “[I wanted to] try and inspire younger dancers that might not know what the dance world is about and that it’s nothing beyond anyone’s reach.”

Barragan, in particular, was thrilled to see Miller return to Iowa City.

“It’s amazing to see her grow and mature in her artistry, in her work, and her ability to be versatile to do contemporary ballet and classical ballet,” Barragan said. “Having a young dancer that had the talent like Miriam comes around once in your lifetime. It’s amazing that I got to have that opportunity. It was an honor to work with her.”

For Miller, performing ballet in New York was no longer a dream. Her passion and commitment towards the art was unprecedented, becoming the only ballet dancer in the state of Iowa to dance with the New York City Ballet.

Because she acknowledges that the opportunity to become a professional dancer was quite rare, Miller wants to keep sharing the art that she loves with every performance while it lasts.

“Knowing that all eyes are on me is just something that I could have never imagined for myself, and having that realization in the moment on the stage was pretty special,” Miller said. “Being able to evoke some sort of emotion to them is something that I really enjoy doing.”

16

PROFILES FEB. 22, 2019

DIEGO LASANSKY

BY OWEN AANESTAD & WYLAN GAO, WSS INTERNS

H

aving over 50 prints displayed around the world is what some artists only dream about, but for West alum, Diego Lasansky ’12, it’s a reality. Toying around with pieces of copper as a toddler, Diego was surrounded by printmaking all his life.

“I really started creating art when I was about 11 or 12, and I started creating art in a family setting,” Diego said. “I have so many family members that are artists that my interest in art came from being around that.”

Today, Diego is a respected printmaker in the art world. However, it was only eight years ago that he was in a chair in room 158 listening to art teacher Christian Aanestad in the West High art room.

“When you have talented kids like Diego in class you utilize their talents,” Aanestad said.

“Diego had a background in printmaking, so he helped us as a class make some refinements.”

To pursue his dream as an artist, Diego graduated early. Though he only spent three years at West, he gained an artistic taste by holding an art show in the library and collaborating with his peers.

“Taking classes with Christian was a lot different for me,” Diego said. “It was my first time being with other people my age creating art.”

The Lasanksy family has deep connections at West High: Tomas Lasansky, Diego’s uncle, graduated in the mid-1970s, and Phil Lasansky, Diego’s father, has a close friendship with Jerry Arganbright, former principal of West. As a retirement present for Arganbright, Phil donated Mauricio’s, Diego’s grandfather and art influencer, prints to the school and to Arganbright’s personal collection. These prints can be seen in the main and ninth grade offices.

Phil runs the Lasansky Corporation Gallery, selling prints and sketches of their family’s artwork. The Gallery is located downtown and is connected to the family studio.

“Not being an artist like my brothers or Diego, … all of those [careers] are independently

minded things, you kind of march to your own drummer,” Phil said.

In a household filled with printmakers, Tomas taught Diego as a child to translate his doodles onto an etched piece of copper layered with ink.

This process, known as Intaglio printmaking, originated in Medieval Europe, and the family mastered the technique throughout the 20th and 21st century.

“It’s all done with oil-based inks, and so you print it and you can’t touch it right,” Diego said.

“It needs time for the pores in the oil to dry.”

Diego’s prints can take up to ten days to dry.

Intaglio printmaking requires days of work, forcing Diego to practice his craft in his studio from sunrise to sunset. The process of layering ink and waiting for it to dry is repeated many times until the print is fully colored.

“I sort of feel really guilty … if I go a couple days and haven’t really worked at all,” Diego said.

As a child, Diego collected books, so he could perfect his printmaking. In retrospect, teenage Diego was always at the downtown art studio copying and reading pages of art books.

“What I found that the internet couldn’t give me was … you can’t find all those pieces online,” Diego said.

Books about Van Gogh, Da Vinci, Goya and many other influencers lie in a mammoth of a bookshelf in a spacious art studio, located downtown Iowa City, originally bought by his grandfather in the 20th century.

“He made about 500 to 1000 prints, and the exact number honestly I can never figure out because it’s changing,” Diego said as he walked through his grandfather’s gallery of eclectic prints.

At the age of 21, Diego’s hard work in his studio made a splash in the art world by being featured in Wartburg College to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. The pieces are known as “Martin Luther print edition 1-50.”

His current project featuring Japanese Samurai Sketch attire is slowly coming together on the top floor of the Lasansky Downtown Art Studio.

With only the use of a pen, Diego scratches textures on a large black and white sketch of a Japanese man in his formal attire. He hopes to finish the sketch collection of 16 pieces, which will allow him to tour the artwork around the world.

Diego still lives in Iowa City, and holds a reputation as a respected artist; moving forward, he hopes to spur innovation in the art scene.

“It’s fairly easy to be in a town like Iowa City,” Diego said. “You know that [it] has such great art and culture.”

PHOTO BY OWEN AANESTAD

On Nov. 3, 2018, on the second floor of Diego’s studio sits one of his works-in-progress focusing on the ancient attire of a Japanese samurai.

17

PROFILES

FEB. 22, 2019

TONY CRESS

BY ANNABEL HENDRICKSON

C

oming from a town of around 5000 people, West graduate Tony Cress ’96 never imagined that he would someday be working alongside famous celebrities ranging from talented musicians to nationally-ranked athletes. This all sparked into action following an odd turn of events when Cress entered a reality TV show called Strip Search and danced his way to the top. He participated in various boot camps until he finally won a spot in the final troupe that performed for a live audience in Las Vegas.

After winning the TV show, Cress solidified his career and set his personal training business into motion. Today, he owns and operates his own training facility in Las Vegas called the Tony Cress Training Center.

While other students scrambled and stressed to figure out what they wanted to do, Cress had his mind set on one thing. From the age of 14,

he knew that he wanted to have a career in his lifelong passion: fitness.

“I knew I wanted to be a [fitness] trainer when I was 14. I did not know at 14 to what capacity that could become,” Cress said. “The fact that I’ve worked with my favorite all time musical group [Boyz II Men], Joey Fatone and some NFL players makes me affirm how much I’ve achieved [my goals].”

Cress made it his goal to attain his dreams in any way that he could. Through his participation in basketball for four years at West, Cress found an outlet for his love of exercise.

“I’ve always been obsessed with exercise, and when I found out you could get paid to do it, say no more,” Cress said. “I had blinders on after that.”

While his aspiration for the future has not changed over the years, Cress’s determination to go after what he wants has intensified immensely. During his days at West, he lacked the drive that he has gained in his adult life, and regrets not going after more of the things that he wanted when in school.

“I didn’t always go after what I wanted because I listened to the doubts of other people,” Cress said. “I knew I could do the things I wanted to, but it was other people holding me back from those exact things. I’d just go after more of what

I hadn’t growing up.”

Some of that motivation he eventually acquired to achieve his dreams came from trusted adults at West High. The bonds that Cress formed as a student with teachers and coaches helped him become the person he is today.

“I think for my own agenda, what I learned at West happened outside the perimeter of class time,” Cress said. “It was the conversations I had with teachers and coaches outside my class time with them that made me realize they are there to genuinely help make successful adults and see the promise in everyone.”

One of those adults was Steve Bergman, Cress’s basketball coach for two years while he was at West. Cress was close with Bergman both as a coach and as a person, and Bergman has watched him grow more and more successful over the years.

“I’m really happy for Tony that he went out [of his comfort zone],” Bergman said. “He did the reality show, and it’s turned into something that he really loves to do and he’s really good at.”

Another major influence on Cress throughout high school was social studies teacher Gary Neuzil, one of the announcers at the basketball games that Cress was in. Having taught several of Cress’s family members over the years and witnessed Cress’s confidence firsthand, it came as no surprise to Neuzil that Cress went on to be a successful business owner.

“Tony had a personality that drew people to want to like him,” Neuzil said. “He was just one of those school leaders that you can see has charisma, but also has those natural characteristics that you have to have to be successful.”

From Iowa City to Las Vegas, Cress’s history at West has been a constant in his life.

“I would not change a thing about the education I got at West High, the faculty or the students when I was there,” Cress said. “I really do think that it is one of the best high schools in the nation.”

“ I T WA S T H E CO N V E R SAT I O N S I H A D W I T H T E AC H E R S A N D COAC H E S O U T S I D E M Y C L AS S T I M E W I T H T H E M T H AT M A D E M E R E A L I Z E T H E Y A R E T H E R E TO G E N U I N E LY H E L P M A K E S U CC E S S F U L A D U LT S A N D S E E T H E P R O M I S E I N E V E RYO N E .”

-TONY CRESS ‘ 96

18

PROFILES FEB. 22, 2019

FRIEND FRIEND CRUSH CRUSH

BY DENIZ INCE

In this two-language article, a group of friends share the experiences that led them to West High and fostered a friendship.

En este artĂ­culo en dos idiomas, un grupo de amigos comparte las experiencias que les llevaron a West High y fomentaron una amistad.

ENGLISH

“At least you have your mom.”

“But only my mom.”

“But what more?”

Sophomores Roberto Machado Guzmán (first speaker) and Evelyn Correa Longino (second speaker) spoke on their lives in Iowa after having moved from Honduras and Mexico, respectively. Along with Doroteo Ortiz Cruz ’21, the group met a few weeks into their ninth-grade school year after talking in their shared classes.

“In Mexico I took English classes, too,” Ortiz Cruz said. “So with everything I knew, I started to help my friends. … We helped each other.”

Upon coming to the U.S., the differences in life were evident. For Correa Longino, it was the feeling of diminishing social opportunity.

Ortiz Cruz still reminisces about his family and friends in Mexico. “[Moving] wasn’t as easy as I expected it to be,” Ortiz Cruz said. “There, we had quite a few friends. Where we were from, we trusted lots of our neighbors.”

“Yes, I miss the friendships a lot, the family, but sometimes one needs to assume a life for a better future,” Machado Guzmán said.

The students also encountered new practices regarding administration at West. “[Here] when you don’t go to class, they’ll call your parents, and in Mexico, this wouldn’t happen,” Correa Longino said. “In Mexico, if you didn’t go to class…”

“You would be left outside,” Ortiz Cruz said, finishing her sentence with a laugh. “… your parents wouldn’t be informed,” Correa Longino said.

Machado Guzmán, who moved from Honduras, says that the country’s murder rate, which is the world’s highest, according to BBC News, and delinquency were push factors that ultimately prompted his decision to come live here with his uncle.

“Sometimes I say that it’s better here, sometimes there. For different reasons, you see?”

Machado Guzmán said.

The trio have, with each other, fostered a group in which they can confide and find comfort.

“I don’t like to have friends or friendships that make your life worse or make you have problems,” Ortiz Cruz said. “For as long as I’ve been with Roberto and Evelyn I’ve never had a problem.”

While all of them go their separate ways after school, their time together during the day allows them to hold on to a part of their culture at West. “[The district] sent me a note today that I have to change schools to City High. It’s because of transporting [students] that they’re changing it,” Machado Guzmán said. “We get along so well that I don’t want to switch schools because of it.

Because I have my own friendships, and they’re good ones.”

ESPAÑOL

“ SO WITH EVE RYTH I NG I KN EW, I STARTE D TO H E LP MY F RI E N DS. … WE H E LPE D EACH OTH E R .”

- DOROTEO ORTIZ CRUZ ‘21

“ PU ES CON TODO LO QU E SABÍA E M PECÉ A AYU DAR A M I S AM IGOS. … NOS AYU DAMOS E NTRE NOSOTROS.” - DOROTEO ORTIZ CRUZ ‘21 LEFT: Friends Doroteo Ortiz Cruz ‘21, Evelyn Correa Longino ‘21 and Roberto Machado Guzmán ‘21 pose together in the West High courtyard.

They have been friends since freshman year.

PHOTO BY MADDI SHINALL DESIGN BY LYDIA GUO

19

PROFILES

FEB. 22, 2019

- Por lo menos tú tienes a tu mamá.

- Pero solo a mi mamá.

- Pero ¿qué más [quieres]?

Los estudiantes de segundo año Roberto Machado Guzmán (primer interlocutor) y Evelyn Correa Longino (segundo interlocutor) hablan de su vida en Iowa después de venir de Honduras y México, respectivamente. Junto con Doroteo Ortiz Cruz, el grupo se conoció unas semanas después de que empezara el noveno grado-escolar.

“Yo en México tomaba clases de inglés también”, dijo Ortiz Cruz. “Pues con todo lo que sabía empecé a ayudar a mis amigos. … Nos ayudamos entre nosotros.”

En cuanto llegaron a los Estados Unidos, notaron las diferencias. Para Correa Longino, fue el sentido del decrecimiento de la oportunidad social. Ortiz Cruz todavía rememora su familia y amigos en México. “[Mudarme] no fue tan fácil como yo lo esperaba”, dijo Ortiz Cruz. “Allá tuvimos bastantes amistades y todo. Donde fuéramos, teníamos confianza con muchos vecinos”.

“Sí, se extraña mucho las amistades, la familia, pero en veces tiene que arrogarse una vida para un futuro mejor”, dijo Machado Guzmán.

Los estudiantes encontraron costumbres nuevas con respecto a la administración de West.

“Cuando no entras a clase, llaman a tus papás y en México no pasa eso”, dijo Correa Longino.

“En México si no fuiste a la clase…”

“Te quedas afuera”, dijo Ortiz Cruz, terminando su frase con una risa. “… tus papás no se enteran”, dijo Correa Longino.

Machado Guzmán, quien se mudó de Honduras, dice que la tasa de asesinatos de su país, que es la más elevada del mundo según BBC News, y la delincuencia son las razones por las cuales decidió venir aquí para vivir con su tío.

“A veces digo que es mejor aquí, a veces allá.

Son por ciertas cosas, ¿no?” dijo Machado Guzmán.

Este trío, que se apoya entre sí, ha fomentado un grupo en el cual pueden confiar y encontrarse cómodos.

“No me gusta tener amigos o amistades que te hagan ser mala la vida porque te hagan tener problemas”, dijo Ortiz Cruz. “De todo el tiempo que he estado con Roberto y Evelyn nunca he tenido ningún problema”.

Mientras toman caminos separados después de la escuela, su tiempo juntos durante el día les permite mantener parte de su cultura en West.

“Me mandaron una nota hoy de cambiar de escuela a City High. Es por el transporte [de estudiantes] que lo van a cambiar”, dijo Machado Guzmán. “Nos llevamos muy bien en el aspecto que yo no me quiero cambiar por eso. Porque tengo mis propias amistades y que son buenas amistades”.

20

PROFI LES FEB. 22, 2019

A DIFFERENT TYPE OF

LANGUAGE

BY LUCY POLYAK

When Ty Waters ‘20 transferred to West High at the beginning of the school year, he found opportunities in a world of music that he never could have previously imagined.

E

nglish, Spanish, French and Mandarin are just some of the languages one hears while walking through the hallways of West High. However, Ty Waters ’20 speaks in an entirely different sort of vernacular: jazz.

When he was a fifth-grader at Mid-Prairie East Elementary School, Waters decided to pick up his first band instrument. With a little guidance from his sister, he chose to play the trombone.

His love of band really took off when he started playing in his middle school’s jazz band. However, since Waters belonged to a more rural community, it was difficult for him to find ways to accelerate his musical progress.

“I love the middle school band director that was there at the time, but he wasn’t a jazz player. [At the] high school it was kind of the same thing. They just had one jazz band for the whole school,” Waters said. “Since it was such a small program, I got to play with the high school in seventh and eighth grade, and I ended up being

lead trombone in the high school jazz ensemble.”

During the same period, he also began singing in his school’s choir. However, choir was always a secondary interest to Waters, because he spent so much time with his trombone.

“I got really roped into choir in my eighth grade or freshman year. My choir director at Mid-Prairie didn’t have the same sense of humor as me, so I remember thinking that she was a really great teacher, but that we’d never be friends,” Waters said. “Then my sophomore year on the last day of September I decided to audition for [the] All-State Choir because I hadn’t been preparing on trombone.”

That year, Waters was selected to perform in the 2017 All-State Chorus. He then participated in a number of other honor bands and choirs, including a place within the highly selective marching band organization, Drum Corps International. Performing with these groups helped to solidify the fact that Waters was pro-

“ I ’ LL J UST B E TH I N KI NG BACK TO ... TH E PARKI NG LOT WITH ALL OF TH ESE PEOPLE TALKI NG ABOUT JAZZ .”

-TY WATERS ‘20

21

PROFI LES

FEB. 22, 2019

gressing beyond the few music opportunities he could find at his school.

At the end of his sophomore year, he chose to transfer to a school that would better fit his needs. Thus, Waters found himself at West High at the beginning of the 2018-19 school year. “[During marching band season], I met two people that I already had known and I kind of stuck to them and talked to them,” Waters said.

“I didn’t really meet anyone new until choir AllState prep, and I finally got talking to the choir kids. Then when Jazz Ensemble rehearsals started, I started really getting connected with people and got to start my own little jazz group and have started to get more opportunities to perform and play more music.”

One of the friends that Waters made through Jazz Ensemble is Nick Stilwell ’19. The two bonded over their love of the genre and now play music together as much as possible.

“A lot of the time, we’ll play in [show choir] show band and then we’ll go out to eat afterwards at Pancheros and will sit in the parking

“ THAT ’S TH E SAM E TH I NG WITH LEARN I NG HOW TO I M PROVI SE I N JAZZ; IT ’S LI KE LEARN I NG A N EW LANGUAGE .”

lot and just talk about jazz,” Waters said. “It just makes me think like one of these days, I’m going to go off to college and I’ll just be thinking back to sitting in the parking lot with all of these people talking about jazz.”

Though they come from very different music backgrounds, Stilwell believes that this has allowed them to learn more from each other.

“When we began to play together and talk about jazz on an individual level, we instantly had a strong connection,” Stilwell said. “I continue to admire his effort and creativity while being a great person to be around. He has quickly become a big part of West High life since moving here, and he’s one of my great friends.”

In addition to finding meaningful friends at West, Waters was also on the lookout to build relationships with strong educators. When attending Mid-Prairie, Waters wasn’t able to find a quality trombone teacher, so he began to teach himself the basics of jazz.

“Coming into this, I feel like I approach jazz differently than other people,” Waters said.

“There was a lot of stuff I was doing wrong that I realized when I got to Iowa City and started taking lessons, so I’ve been steamrolling that out of me, but developing language as a jazz musician was something I’d been lacking.”

Since learning to speak this language, Waters began to put strong value in the ability to communicate with other musicians through harmonies and improvisations.

“Coming to West High and hearing all these new ideas was kind of like learning how to talk.

Like you can have a great conversation with a three-year-old but they’re not going to be using a lot of words. Once you’re older, you can really learn how to use verbs and nouns better,” Waters said. “That’s the same thing with learning how to improvise in jazz; it’s like learning a new language.”

This fall, Waters decided to audition for the

-TY WATERS ‘20

All-State Chorus a second year. Through this process, he worked with Julia Fink ’20 who has since become one of his close friends in the choir department.

“I admire that he is so passionate about singing and playing instruments,” Fink said. “At the day of All-State auditions, he brought his trombone with him even though he was auditioning for the choir. Ty always makes me laugh. He’s serious at times, but he’s really fun to be around.”

Choir director Luigi Enriquez was thrilled to find out that Waters would attend West High, as Enriquez had previously been his counselor at the Dorian Music Camp program at Luther College.

“As a musician he excels at what he does,” Enriquez said. “I know he puts in the time, because I’ll walk by the practice rooms and he’s playing trombone or obviously making it into All-State and putting the time in there, so in that way, he really supports his sections in choir a lot. He provides a lot of bass sound and support for the whole group.”

Despite finding strong mentors in Iowa City, Waters’ biggest supporter in his music career has always been his older sister, Gina. She was quite involved in jazz herself while in high school, and being only two years older, she understood firsthand various roadblocks he would meet.

“She’s always the person who’s there for me and pushing me to pursue a performance degree or an education degree or whatever I want,” Waters said. “Whenever things get harder or I want to quit trombone, she’s always there to push me harder and to remind me [why I play].”

Waters hopes to pursue music post-high school. As for whether he would study performance or education is still undecided, but he knows that as long as his future involves music, he’ll be happy. When asked about what advice he would give to himself at this point in time last year he said, “‘You got it, dude.’ That’s it.”

PHOTO BY MOHAMMEDHILAL AL-ANI DESIGN BY THOMAS DUONG

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A DV E R T I S E M E N T S OCT. 4, 2018

A DV E R T I S E M E N T S

FEB. 22, 2019

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IN TH E

MINORITY

BY ANJALI HUYNH & JESSICA MOONJELY

Though student bodies across the district are growing more diverse, teachers are not following this trend.

Students, teachers and administrators highlight why this lack of racial representation is significant and what is being done to combat the issue.

T

eachers. Coaches. Lunchroom staff. Paraeducators. Janitors.

These individuals are integral to shaping student futures and partake in a process that impacts society. While in these positions, each acts as a role model for many generations to come.

As students nationwide obtain their educations, movements have surged across the country. From the Congressional floor to Hollywood screens, encouraging diversity has become a vital part of the 21st century. But in an era in which minority representation has been advocated for in numerous career fields, it begs the question: is proportionate diversity found amongst everyday role models?

According to the 2015 National Center for Education Statistics, the answer is no. Around 51 percent of students nationwide identified as “non-white” in contrast to only 20 percent of teachers.

The ICCSD mirrors this trend, as there are only 82 certified teachers that identify as people of color out of 1,141 total in the district. At some elementary schools, such as Borlaug Elementary, there are no certified teachers of color at all.

Jeremy Tabor, the ICCSD Director of Equity and Employee Relations, believes that minority students can better connect with teachers that look like them, which makes the lack of minority instructors concerning.

“In terms of overall effectiveness, it’s really about having that same life experience to be able to connect with students so that [adults] can empathize with what students are going through,” Tabor said.

The University of Iowa Public Policy Center’s “Student Experiences of School Climate in the ICCSD 2017” survey examined equity within the ICCSD. Key findings in this climate survey included statements like “Black students consistently report the lowest levels of equitable and respectful treatment by teachers” and “Asian students are the least likely to report that class materials and content represent them.”

“I think diversity is important for everyone,” said Chace Ramey, ICCSD Chief Human Resources Officer. “It enriches our education when our schools reflect our broader community. If we’re not taking steps to do that, we’re not providing our students the educational experience that they need and deserve.”

One area that has been scrutinized by the district in an effort to resolve these issues is the hiring process. While the goal is to increase diversity of new staff, Principal Gregg Shoultz has found that there aren’t many minority candidates available.

“Even though for Iowa we’re a diverse town, the pool of people going to college and then becoming teachers is not very diverse,” Shoultz said. “There have been several times where I haven’t had any [minority] candidates.”

West High remains one of many schools in the district that lacks a proportionate amount of minority teachers, with nine percent of teachers

being persons of color compared to approximately 40 percent of students. Addressing this discrepancy, individuals share their thoughts on how the district’s lack of minority teachers impacts student experiences.

Some believe that through having more representation, students obtain a better perspective on diversity in the world around them.

“It’s a very globalized world and if you don’t have an understanding for other people, for other nations, other cultures, ethnicities, languages, races, it’s very hard to make it,” said Diego Rivera ’19, a Mexican-American student. “You don’t have an understanding of other people, or at very least, lack the empathy to really just put yourself in other people’s shoes.”

VOICES FROM WITHIN An Identity Crisis

When English teacher Nate Frese walks into a faculty meeting, he blends into the predominately Caucasian crowd. With a lighter complexion, it is no surprise that he is mistaken as white by students and teachers alike. Many don’t realize, however, that he is one of only seven minority certified teachers at West High.

Identifying as Mexican-American, Frese often questions if discussing his heritage is relevant in a classroom setting.

“I wrestle with this,” Frese said. “It’s not like I’m hiding anything about who I am. … It’s something that I’m proud of and I’m aware of and I own, but at the same time, I’m not trumpeting it.”

Minority teachers may face this internal dilemma, especially if they do not teach a subject involving frequent student discussion.

“I have a lot of pride in being Asian-American, but I don’t think I get to express that very much as a math teacher,” said Tiffany Chou.

“This is something I could work on … to build better relationships. I have had students light up when they hear a little bit about my ethnic background.”

Originally from Southern California, Chou grew up in one of the largest Asian populations in the country. However, this was not mirrored in terms of her teachers, as she cannot recall having “very many” Asian teachers or Asian students in her classes while studying to become a teacher.

Similarly, Frese does not recall having any Hispanic teachers. Because of this, he believes having a teacher he could identify with on an ethnic level would have made school a more enjoyable environment.

“When [I was] younger and trying to formulate my identity, boy wouldn’t it have been a bit more comforting to see a few more Latino males on my teaching staff,” Frese said. “Maybe I never would’ve gone and talked to them, but just to know that they were there, I think, would’ve put me in a better mindset about certain elements about school.”

“ IT ’S A VE RY G LOBALIZ E D WORLD AN D I F YOU DON ’T HAVE AN U N DE RSTAN DI NG FOR OTH E R PEOPLE , FOR OTH E R NATION S, OTH E R CU LTU RES, ETH N ICITI ES, LANGUAG ES, R ACES, IT ’S VE RY HARD TO MAKE IT.”

-DI EGO RIVERA ’19

PHOTOS BY ADITI BORDE ART & DESIGN BY SELINA HUA

Nate Frese, an English teacher, identifies as Mexican-American.

77% High School Students

More than three-fourths of high school students report hearing hurtful comments about race from other students.

Source: University of Iowa Public Policy Center, 2017

Cultivating Connections Asian students often lie under the radar when it comes to racial inequity discussions. However, climate survey data revealed that Asian students are the least likely to report having an adult at their school that they trust and go to for advice.

“If I were to have an Indian teacher, it would be easier to talk about things like a [Bollywood] dance performance coming up the next weekend, or what I would be doing during my upcoming trip to India,” said Niyati Deshpande ’21. “The connection would be better, and there would just be more of an understanding.”

As a teacher, Frese also feels he can better connect with minority students. Throughout both his English teaching and basketball coaching careers, he has conversed with students who felt less alone due to having a minority mentor they can rely on.

“To know that there’s somebody else that went through something pretty similar and to see somebody like that, there’s a kind of calm and a release,” Frese said. “It’s like, ‘Okay, I’m not completely on an island here, and it will be okay.

Here’s somebody that made it through that and [came] out the other side.’”

As one of the few African-American educators at West, science teacher Maureen Head has made personal connections with black students because of certain shared experiences that come

“ I KNOW I WON ’T B E J U ST ANOTH E R DU M B B LACK KI D I N TH E I R EYES, AN AF RICAN -AM E RICAN STU DE NT. TH EY TRU LY WANT TO SE E M E SUCCE E D B ECAU SE TH EY WANT M E TO B E B ETTE R THAN WHAT SOCI ETY SAYS I CAN B E .”

- RO BERT HOO KS ‘20

with growing up black in America.

“I would never claim that there’s a monolithic black experience or monolithic biracial experience, but … there are certain shared experiences that we assume the other person has,” Head said.

“Those shared experiences and those shared traumas [can] lead to a bigger sense of comfort when the students are talking to me.”

African-American students like Ariana Moffett ’19 and Julian Jordan ’21 are just two of the many students who feel more comfortable coming to Head with their problems.

“She understands us,” Moffett said. “And she knows where we’re coming from because she in her life went through the same problems that we did. She can relate to us better than most other teachers could.”

“I felt like I’ve connected with other teachers on a personal level, but with her I feel like us both being biracial [created] a deeper connection,” Jordan said.

Head said that there are times when students come to her about racially insensitive comments made by teachers that the students don’t know how to respond to.

“I think sometimes the kid is venting and they just maybe need a place to process,” Head said.

“Sometimes they’re looking [to tell someone], ‘Hey this was a really big deal, and something needs to be done about it. And what sort of steps do I take to make a difference?’”

Like Head, Northwest Junior High language arts teacher Amari Nasafi has taken personal experiences and translated them into interactions with African-American students and parents.

For example, because he has a brother that was incarcerated multiple times, he’s connected with parents who had similar histories.

“I’ve had several African-American black students who have had situations that come up that I can connect with because we share that kind of background,” Nasafi said. “It’s not that I have any special knowledge, but sometimes when people find that out about me, it opens them up more.

They don’t feel like I’m judging them, and that’s a huge hurdle.”

There are also some minority students who believe that while diversifying teaching staff is important, they have not personally felt disconnected from teachers based on race.

Asian-American student Julie Shian ’20 believes that a teacher’s race is not as important to her as the effectiveness of their teaching.

“What’s most important is that a teacher makes an effort to try to help a student learn in a way that is best for them and makes their room approachable,” Shian said. “As long as teachers make efforts to make their students feel like they are in a comfortable learning environment, the connection is there.”

Suppressing Stereotypes

When a student requires help in school, the first person they traditionally turn to is their instructor. However, for Robert Hooks ’20, this isn’t always the case. As an African-American student, he said he doesn’t want to perpetuate the stereotype regarding black students being “dumb,” so he prefers not to ask Caucasian teachers for assistance.

“I personally find it easier to seek help from a teacher who is African-American, because if I don’t understand something, I know I won’t be just another dumb black kid in their eyes,” Hooks said. “They truly want to see me succeed because they want me to be better than what society says I can be.”

Research done by Johns Hopkins University in 2017 concluded that if low-income black students have at least one black teacher in elementary school, they are significantly more likely to graduate and consider post-secondary education.

Another reason Nasafi can relate to black students is because he understands the stereotypes that they have to overcome and often faced similar ones growing up. According to Nasafi, the stereotype for African-American men is underperformance in school, so he felt that some teachers were taken aback by his interest in

learning.

“It would creep into my mind sometimes whether I was performing really well or if they saw a young black boy who was interested in books, so they were encouraging me by being softer on me. I wanted to do well on my own merits, not because I was a representative of an underrepresented minority. I try to be like that as a teacher, too.”

The district climate survey showed that approximately 65 percent of black and multiracial students report that people at their school acted as if they were not smart. Jordan, who identifies as biracial, feels that this is true with teachers as well as students, as he believed teachers had lower standards for him because of his race.

“I feel like it can come out of good intentions, … like some teachers will go out of their way to help students because they feel like they’re not intelligent enough to get it,” Jordan said. “But I feel like there are some teachers who do have low expectations for minorities.”

There are also students like Moffett who feel that negative stereotypes against African-American students perpetuated by students and teachers discourage students from seeking success.

“It’s kind of hard for someone when everyday you have to be strong and try to fight [stereotypes],” Moffett said. “After a while, everyone has

Less than a quarter of Black, Latino, and Asian students have a race-matched mentor.

92% 22% of white students

7%

of Latino students

of black students

5%

of Asian students

Source: University of Iowa Public Policy Center, 2017

Tiffany Chou, a math teacher, identifies as Asian-American.

WEST MAKEUP: West Students 2017-2018 School Year

10.6% Asian 17% Black 8% Hispanic 4.9% Multiracial 59.5% White

Total of All Students in the District 20172018

6.1% Asian 19.2% Black 11.5% Hispanic 5.2% Multiracial 58% White Source: University of Iowa Public Policy Center, 2017

EQUITY ACTIONS

Maureen Head, a science teacher, identifies as African-American.

a breaking point. So when you meet that breaking point, you want to fall into that stereotype, like, ‘Okay, I’m going to drop out. They expected me to do that anyway.’”

Moffett also cited several instances when teachers directly discriminated against African-American students based off of stereotypes of black students not being as well-behaved.

There were multiple times when she or her friends were stopped in the hallways by teachers and questioned about where they were going, while non-black students did not receive the same treatment.

“Everyday I feel like I’m fighting a battle that I’m not going to win,” Moffett said, “because there are so many stereotypes against me.”

Because of instances like this, Moffett firmly believes that incorporating more minority teachers into the district would improve experiences for African-American students in particular.

“You [would] have more students opening up to teachers, telling them what their problems are and just feeling that there’s someone they can connect with, someone that’s on their side,” she said. “Everyone needs someone in their corner.”

Recruitment and Retention

“ I WANTE D TO DO WE LL O N MY OWN M E RITS, N OT B ECAU SE I WAS A R E PRESE NTATIVE O F AN U N DE R R E PR ESE NTE D M I N O RITY. I TRY TO B E LI K E THAT AS A TEACH E R , TOO.” -AMARI NASAFI , LANGUAGE ARTS TEACH ER

Addressing the lack of minority teachers in the ICCSD is a process that has yet to be completed.

While the most obvious solution is to hire more teachers of color, this is easier said than done, as the district prioritizes hiring teaching staff that come out of Iowa colleges and universities. Because the people graduating from these institutions are primarily white, this is reflected in the teacher candidate pool.

Ramey intends to announce a plan to the ICCSD school board on March 12 regarding how he and his committee plan to increase teacher diversity. This proposal includes components regarding both recruitment and retention.

“It’s one thing to recruit and hire people to come to the school district, but if we can’t offer a rewarding experience inside the schools, people aren’t going to stay in the community,” Ramey said. “[We’re] looking at recruiting differently and in different places, and also … creating pathways for people that are already in the school district.”

One school that has experienced greater success attracting teachers of color is Kirkwood Elementary. They have the most diverse teaching staff in the ICCSD with 24 percent of their teachers being teachers of color. Principal Anita Gerling says this is largely due to word of mouth, reaching out to colleagues and networking.

“A diverse staff means many things,” Gerling said. “It means race, it means gender, it means how much experience you have. You want some new ideas, some new people just out of college, you want some people who have some experience in the classroom, [and] all of those pieces play a part in who I bring to the table to interview.”

Because it is difficult to attract certified teach-

ers of color to the ICCSD, one initiative Nasafi would like to see developed is incorporating more adults of color into the building to mentor or work with students, whether that be paraeducators or other support staff.

“We’ve got more and more of those people in the building, and a lot of them have been really helpful with the kids,” Nasafi said. “If you can’t get certified teachers because there’s a paucity of them, why not get as many other adults to interact in the community as you can?”

Gerling follows the mirrors and windows philosophy. This idea states that children should see individuals that look like them, as well as those who reflect the world around them.

“I think that not only does [having minority teachers] support our students of color, but it also supports our Caucasian students as well, because that’s a window for them,” Gerling said.

According to Nasafi, the mirrors and windows philosophy can also be applied to reading materials. One of his goals when teaching fiction texts is to utilize works that represent the lives of people students can identify with.

“There’s been a big push in language arts to make classrooms as culturally inclusive as possible,” Nasafi said. “Kids are just more likely to get engaged when they’re reading stories that connect with them.”

Teachers of Color at West: 7 Minority Teachers / 92 Teachers Total

Improving the Existing Environment

Due to the current hiring freeze on teachers as a result of budget cuts (see story on pages 8-9), the district temporarily cannot employ more teachers, so Ramey’s plans will be put on hold. In lieu of hiring additional minority teachers, the ICCSD has focused on equity initiatives aiming to improve teacher awareness and student interactions.

Tabor believes that training existing staff to be more approachable to minority students is perhaps more plausible than focusing on finding minority teachers.

“We’re not going to all of a sudden create this flow of minority teachers that will come in,” Tabor said. “That’s not saying that our current teachers are ineffective, but we just have to continue to expand everyone’s skills across the district to make sure that we’re doing the best that

Source: Chris Meade, ICCSD Human Resource Specialist

we can to support our students.”

This mentality has been implemented through implicit bias training for all teachers across the district. Circe Stumbo, founder and president of West Wind Education Policy, is the designer of a three-year training process that worked with the district to train teachers to guard against implicit biases.

“The intention is to better understand why we have racial disproportionality in student experiences and student outcomes,” Stumbo said.

“One of the hypotheses is that implicit racial bias might be playing a role in underlying the disproportionality we see.”

The teachers undergo 10 hours of professional development training over several months.

During this, they talk about race, discuss implicit bias as a cognitive function and work to develop their understandings of personal biases.

“This is a program that’s designed to help us understand the bigger stories and history around race in the United States and how that impacts us today,” Stumbo said. “It really is the work of saying, ‘What do we encounter every day as we live here in the United States, and how does that affect us in ways that we don’t realize?’”

However, students like Moffett are doubtful that items like implicit bias training will produce tangible change. In her opinion, racism is an issue that won’t be solved solely by a required course.

“It’s going to take time and patience,” she said.

“And you have to want to change, whereas some of these teachers, I don’t feel like they want to change.”

Diversification is an ongoing process that, while lacking a clear solution, is becoming more of a priority. Frese believes it is important to note the difference between tolerance and acceptance as the district continues to strive towards equity for students of all races.

“You hear the word tolerance all the time, but it’s not about tolerance. You tolerate a cold. You tolerate things that are an annoyance to you. We should not be working towards tolerance,” Frese said. “We should be working towards understanding, acceptance, empathy. True inclusion is you don’t even recognize the word inclusion because everybody’s part of it.”

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A DV E R T I S E M E N T S

FEB. 22, 2019

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32

E N T E R TA I N M E N T FEB. 22, 2019

NEW YEAR NEW ME? West High students share their New Year’s resolutions for 2019

BY ANNA BROWN

“My New Year’s resolution is to focus on myself and self-care. I haven’t been doing it a lot, and I really think that’s important.”

-Carrie Harper ’19

“My New Year’s resolution is to show people the greatness of conservatism, and Trump is actually a good thing and not a bad thing. [Also to] maybe gain some more weight.”

-Gary Chen ’22

“My New Year’s resolution this year is just a word; it’s adventure. Last year it was commit. I pick a word for the year instead of a resolution because it’s more positive and it’s easier to stick with throughout the year because I can apply it to anything I do. I picked adventure because, especially with going to college, I want to step out of my box and try new things.”

-Hannah Cantrell ’19

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E N T E R TA I N M E N T

FEB. 22, 2019

“Probably to become a lot more organized than I am right now. A lot of my stuff is jumbled around, and I just waste a lot of time trying to find stuff, and I even lose stuff sometimes. Being more organized is going to help save me time and overall just look better with a lot of the stuff I do everyday. There’s been a lot of times that I lose homework because I’m a messy person in general, and I kind of panic and have to do it during passing time if I lose or forget where it was.”

-Bivan Shrestha ’22

“Stop procrastinating because throwing something together last minute is never good and you don’t see the results you would have hoped. Also when we procrastinate we are allowing ourselves short term gratification rather than thinking of what’s best for ourselves in the long run.”

-Ryan Cooper ’19 PHOTOS BY GWEN WATSON ART & DESIGN BY AMY LIAO

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E N T E R TA I N M E N T FEB 22, 2019

TEACHERS COMPLETE

LOVE SONG LYRICS COMPILED BY HARRY WESTERGAARD

WE FOUND LOVE

BY RIHANNA Yellow diamonds in the light And we're standing side by side As your shadow crosses mine .

“You smell like butter.”

-John Cooper, English

THE MIDDLE

BY ZEDD, MAREN MORRIS Looking at you, I can't lie Just pouring out admission Regardless of my objection, oh And it's not about my pride I need you on my skin Just come over, pull me in, just Oh, baby, why don't you, .

“Pass that hand sanitizer.”

-Matthew Harding, Science

PHOTOS USED WITH PERMISSION FROM GREGG SHOULTZ ART & DESIGN BY FRANCES DAI

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E N T E R TA I N M E N T

FEB 22, 2019

HIGHER LOVE

BY STEVE WINWOOD I could light the night up with my soul on fire I could make the sun shine from pure desire Let me feel that love come over me Let me feel how strong it could be .

Bring me “A bunsen burner.”

-Michelle Wikner, Science

LOVE SOMEONE

BY LUKAS GRAHAM 'Cause when you love someone You open up your heart When you love someone You may grow If you love someone And you're not afraid to lose 'em .

You’ll “Never close your wallet.”

-Brendon Aitken, Social Studies

GREATEST LOVE STORY

BY LANCO When I was gonna be your forever You were gonna be my wife But you went off to find better And I was learning all about life But I was what you wanted and you were what I needed And we could meet in between We were gonna be .

“Broke.”

-Molly Zywiec, Foreign Language

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E N T E R TA I N M E N T FEB. 22, 2019

DEFINED BY STYLE

BY LILY MENG

PARAS BASSUK ‘21

C

lean and simple. That’s the look that Paras Bassuk ’21 is known for.

“I try to keep [my style] relatively simple and kind of muted, nothing insane, but also I keep an open mind with what I wear,” Bassuk said. “I like to wear things that you don’t necessarily see other people wearing.”

Bassuk seeks out non-traditional items of clothing.

From shirts with zippers on the side to long tops, he embraces being different from others. Lately, he has been trying a new kind of clothing trend.

“At Target, they have this collection of clothes that are all super long men’s tops,” Bassuk said. “So I’ve been trying that out and it’s an interesting look; it’s definitely more exaggerated than some of the things that I wear.

So I like that there’s lots of things that you can do with [clothing].”

Bassuk also makes a point of not wearing name-brand clothes, saying that he can find conventional items of clothing at Target and Kohl’s.

“I think that it’s really cool that I’m able to not spend crazy amounts of money on stuff and still get shoes that look kind of unique and cool,” Bassuk said. “I think it’s important to know that you can find cool things that are fun to wear pretty much anywhere, which is just awesome.”

Bassuk wears a variety of clothing, but he stresses one thing in particular: confidence.

“For me, the most important part is being able to express being comfortable and also being put together. I think, to me, I feel confident when I wear things that I like,” Bassuk said. “So it’s less about how it objectively looks, and more about how it feels, and it’s nice that it ends up looking good.”

Black skinny jeans American Eagle

Long beige top with zippers on the side Target

“I THOUGHT THAT THE CONTRASTING FLOW OF THE LONG SHIRT WITH THE CLEAN SIMPLE LOOK OF THE PANTS AND BIG, YET SIMPLE LOOKING SHOES WAS INTERESTING.” -PARAS BASSUK ‘21 Faux leather boots Kohl’s

Very thin, mostly plastic watch Skinme Swatch

Some high school students wake up in the morning and throw on the cleanest clothes they can find. However, for Paras Bassuk ’21 and Eliana Cheng ’19, this isn’t the case. These local fashion icons in the West community have caught the eyes of many with their unique styles.

37

E N T E R TA I N M E N T

FEB. 22, 2019

ELIANA CHENG ‘19 Long, feathery, beaded earrings China

P

icking out clothes is something that many people take for granted on a daily basis. However, Eliana Cheng ’19 never got the opportunity to pick her outfits when living in China. Being required to wear school uniforms at her previous school in China, after moving to the United States, she found that her style was a way to express herself.

Now that she has the ability to be creative, she prefers blacks and whites. Although this is the color scheme Cheng favors, she looks to expand her wardrobe for new experiences as well.

“It’s really easy to have [black and white] clothes,

“ I WO U LD SAY B L AC K M ATC H E S A LM OST E V E RY CO LO R . A N D TH E Y E LLOW SW E ATE R I S PR ETT Y PL A I N , SO TH E BOW O N TH E S K I RT [GAV E] SO M E D ETA I L TO IT.” - E LIANA CH E N G ‘19

Yellow ribbed sweater Forever 21

Black skirt E-land

PHOTOS BY ADITI BORDE DESIGN BY BRENDA GAO

Adidas Superstars

which can make you not [look] that bright,” Cheng said. “Because I have so many black and whites, I started looking for some new colors, because for school spirit days, I don’t have any other colors, so it’s kind of awkward.”

One of her signature looks at the moment is a yellow turtleneck sweater paired with jeans or black pants. Her favorite item of clothing to style are sweaters, saying they are easy to pair with other clothes and are also practical for the cold winter months.

Much of Cheng’s inspiration for her clothing comes from Chinese idols because their styles are similar to hers, and she looks up to them as fashionistas. She also finds a lot of her clothes from Forever 21, liking the large variety of clothes available there.

“I just walk in [Forever 21] and go see what I like.

They have all kinds of clothes … and are big, and when I walk in, I can wander around and see all kinds of clothing,” Cheng said.

Cheng has some simple advice for those still trying to find their own personal style.

“Find your uniqueness,” Cheng said, “and when you have a bunch of clothes, you will already have your style.”

38

SPORTS

FEB. 22, 2019

RISING STAR

HUNTER GARVIN ‘22

39

SPORTS

FEB. 22, 2019

From wrestling for the Trojan Wrestling Club as a kindergartener to being a member of the West varsity team as a freshman, Hunter Garvin currently holds the Mississippi Valley Conference champion title at 120 pounds, as well as a top-ranked spot in the state of Iowa.

BY KARA WAGENKNECHT West Side Story: When did you start wrestling?

Why did you keep wrestling at that young of an age?

Hunter Garvin: [I started] when I was in kindergarten, so 10 years ago. It was just really fun, and … the teammates I did it with … are my teammates right now, so it’s always fun to hang out with the guys. Even being [a] little kindergarten kid who doesn’t understand it, you accidentally learn stuff and then [that] makes it more fun when you’re competing.

WSS: Why did you continue your wrestling career as opposed to finding other sports to play?

HG: It’s just really fun, … and not quitting sort of gives you that feeling of pride. I’ve been in this sport for so long. I’m not going to quit. I’m going to continue and see where it will lead me. As you go, you get closer with your coaches and with your teammates, then you just build more. You start traveling more and that gets really fun. …

It’s just really the sport that just keeps you wanting to do it.

WSS: Why do you put your body through all of that, like the intense dieting?

HG: It’s definitely worth it, because not only are you getting tougher in the process … you’re getting healthier as in, you’re getting more in shape and you’re eating better. It’s worth it because it helps your body out too.

WSS: Out of your family members, who has helped you out the most throughout your career?

HG: Probably my dad. He wrestled in high school, not too much, but he knows some things. He knows a lot about diets because he was a bodybuilder when he was younger, so he helps me a lot with my diet. … He’s always there, and he’s traveled with me a whole lot. He took me to Vegas to wrestle and to Utah. … He is one reason why I am who I am today. One reason why I’ve made it this far is because of him.

WSS: Is there a quote or motto that you live by or that helps you throughout the season?

HG: There’s a quote by Tom Brands, [and] it says, “You don’t get what you deserve. You get what you earn.” It’s sort of like once that flashes, “Is what I’m doing here and is what I’m doing in practice enough? Is it going to get me to where I want? Or should I do more?” It’s sort of like a PHOTOS BY KARA WAGENKNECHT DESIGN BY LYDIA GUO

reminder in a way.

WSS: Were you nervous joining the varsity team as a freshman?

HG: No, [the other freshmen and I] weren’t really nervous. It just made us more excited, because it makes us look more into the future and how we’re going to build this team. This team is going to be even greater and greater for the years on.

WSS: What is the difference competing at home and competing away?

HG: At home, you’re in your own place, you’re on your own mat, you get home advantage because [of] the crowd and it’s just really fun. Whenever your teammate wins the match or whenever you do something out there, you can just hear the crowd going nuts, and it’s pretty awesome to hear that. Especially if you get a win at home, it feels really good too. … The atmosphere feels a lot better at home than it does away. At the same time, away it’s pretty awesome when you can shut up the crowd with something. Like when your team does something pretty awesome like when there is a comeback. Whether it’s just one match or whether it’s a slow comeback victory.

WSS: What does it feel like being one of the top wrestlers in the state of Iowa right now?

HG: I don’t care really; it’s just paper. It’s just a number. I really try not to let it affect me. … I don’t want to get my head messed up. I just look at it. It’s just a number, just paper. It doesn’t matter.

WSS: What do you hope for later this season?

HG: Individually, I hope that I can just keep wrestling [well]. Right now, I think I am wrestling pretty solid, and I hope I can keep wrestling better and better and keep critiquing my technique. There’s always something there; there’s also a bolt to tighten up. Whether it’s that I need to stand in my stance lower, … move my feet more or keep my elbows in, little stuff.

WSS: What are your goals for next season?

HG: Team-wise, I know we are going to lose a lot of seniors [this] year, so I hope we can fill those spots up and make our team even better. And keep growing as a team and to continue to have a good relationship among us individually. We have a great relationship as a team right now and to keep getting better competitively and start making more noise on the mats.

60-10 36 15 1

RECORD

PINS

TECHNICAL FALLS

MAJOR DECISION

2019 MVC CHAMPION AT

120

POUNDS

Source: Trackwrestling.com as of Feb. 6, 2018

TOP: Hunter Garvin ‘22 takes down Dubuque Wahlert’s Colton Kisting ‘22. Garvin pinned Kisting in 1:02 on Thursday, Jan. 17.

LEFT: Hunter Garvin ‘22 raises his hand victoriously in the air after defeating Dubuque Wahlert’s Colton Kisting ‘22 on Thursday, Jan. 17.

40

SPORTS

FEB. 22, 2019

PARENT PERS PE CTIVES Athletes attend weekly practices, out of town games and team bonding, but this is only a fraction of what it takes to be an athlete. Behind every athlete is a dedicated support network of parents that are always working to help their kids better their skills.

BY SOPHIE STEPHENS

T

he stands are filled with cheering fans decked out in green, gold and the student section theme for the night. The illuminated scoreboard shows that you are down in the last quarter. It’s hard for you and the team to stay positive when the game isn’t going your way. You look back into the stands and see faces full of support despite the score. Even though you are discouraged, they smile and cheer you on. For a small section of the stands, the most important thing is watching you play.

For Rylee Goodfellow ’21, having her parents attend every volleyball, basketball, softball and golf competition means always having someone supporting her despite her performance.

“Even if I’m having a bad game or I’m not hitting well, I look at them and they always have a smile so they are encouraging me or they’ll just give me weird looks and make me laugh,” Rylee said.

Parents may not be attending two- or three-

hour practices five times a week, but they are still an integral part of the process. Whether it’s traveling to games, taking tickets or simply doing extra loads of laundry, the parents of West athletes are as committed to the process as their children. Raising an athlete doesn’t come without a time commitment of their own.

For Denise Boxwell, having her son Alex Boxwell ’19 on the varsity football team means almost three months of Friday nights spent at the football field, which brings changes to day-today life.

“Your life is kind of on hold,” Denise said. “You don’t really clean your house as thoroughly as you did before because you’re kind of on the go. … You’re doing laundry late at night trying to get his stuff clean for the next morning and it just alters your lifestyle for a good three months. …

First you think, ‘Oh God, ten-to-twelve weeks,’ [but] now you think, ‘Wow, that was fast.’”

With most sports spanning three or four

months, typically with two games per week, the parents become a close-knit community. By watching each other’s kids grow over the years and having shared experiences of tournaments and travels, the parents grow just as close as the children do with their teammates.

“Since these kids have been together for so long, we have such a long history with the families. We traveled a lot with them, so we were in hotels and lobbies and dinners and washing uniforms in laundry rooms at hotels together,” Denise said. “We really just spent more time with them and that’s what was a unique thing about the group. It brought the kids together as well as the parents.”

Beth Hochstedler’s daughter, Kennedy Hochstedler ’19, has been an athlete since she was a kid.

After trying out various sports, Kennedy is now involved in year-round soccer with both West and club teams. For Beth, soccer season means a lot of cheering, traveling and fundraising. She

has also met parents, both of other West athletes and from schools around the district.

“You look forward to the season coming up so that you can see everyone because sometimes you don’t get to see them as much when it’s off season,” Beth said. “It’s a great time to reconnect.”

Mary Goodfellow was always supportive about the time her youngest daughter, Rylee, spent in athletics. Mary’s philosophy is “the busier they are, the better they do in everything.”

Rylee is currently involved in four school sports and plays on a club softball team as well.

This commitment means Rylee is in season for roughly 75 percent of a calendar year. Her mom’s desire to have her stay busy has helped her focus on athletics and improve over the years.

“If they didn’t come to any games or talk about practices after I don’t think I would have stayed involved in all four sports, but them encouraging me to do all four and stay involved has really helped my mentality,” Rylee said. “They like it that I’m in these sports. … They are always like, ‘We don’t want you coming home and sitting on the couch all night.’”

Being the girls golf head coach at West means Mary has to balance her commitment to the golf team with her commitment to Rylee, including playing both mom and coach to Rylee during the golf season. This includes talking to the softball coach for Rylee when softball and golf schedules overlap.

Although a lot of time is spent in athletic environments, Mary loves the competitive setting.

With so much of the family’s time being spent in athletics, it makes it easy for Mary to be involved in Rylee’s growth as an athlete.

“She’ll think she did terrible, and I’m always like ‘No you didn’t, remember that pass? Remember that assist?’” Mary said. “I like to focus on the positives, she kind of still tries to dwell on

the negatives.”

Parents are one of the biggest motivators for an athlete. They are the people who accompany their kids through the changing climates of sports, from Tiny Tots to high school; they motivate their kids to stay in sports and overall help guide athletes to an athletic career they enjoy.

Denise always made sure that no matter what, either her or her husband, Brian, would attend Alex’s practices as he was growing up. They wanted to be there to watch him play, grow and help him if needed. Their constant presence at practice was one way of motivation, but they also made sure to be involved in their kids decisions for choosing which sports they would partake in.

“We told the kids when they were little ‘You are welcome to try anything and everything you want to, but once you start, you will finish.

You’re committed. The team is counting on you.

Even if you are miserable you are going to make the best of it,’” Denise said. “So they knew whatever they started they had to finish. We wouldn’t let them just up and quit mid season and leave their teammates hanging.”

Parents of athletes are often just as dedicated to the athletic program as their children are. For them, the easiest way to support the entire team is by attending games, even if they may be the only ones in the stands.

“The kids always knew what parents were there,” Denise said. “Even up until the last game of the year, Alex always looked up into the stands to see where we were and if we were watching or socializing or not paying attention to him or whatever. I think it meant a lot to him to be there, and we wouldn’t have missed it.”

41 “ I F TH EY DI DN ’T COM E TO ANY GAM ES ... I DON ’T TH I N K I WOU LD HAVE STAYE D I NVOLVE D I N ALL FOU R SPORTS.” SPORTS

FEB. 22, 2019

- RYLEE GOODFELLOW ‘21 PHOTOS USED WITH PERMISSION FROM DENISE BOXWELL DESIGN BY CRYSTAL KIM

“ SI NCE TH ESE KI DS HAVE B E E N TOGETH E R FOR SO LONG, WE HAVE SUCH A LONG H I STORY WITH TH E FAM I LI ES.” - DEN ISE BOXWELL, MOTH ER OF ALEX BOXWELL ‘19

PHOTOS COURTESY OF DENISE BOXWELL DESIGN BY CRYSTAL KIM

42

SPORTS

FEB. 22, 2019

43

SPORTS

FEB. 22, 2019

WALKING INTO A REPUTATION Members of the dance team respond to the labels and generalizations that come with being on the team.

BY FATIMA KAMMONA

S

he was an athlete. She would push her body past its breaking point in hopes of seeking perfection. The stage was her canvas and with her body, she became an artist, painting a picture for all to see. As she grew, the love for what she did grew with her. One day, she found a group who had a passion for dance just like her. However, being part of the group came with a price. No longer would she be her own person, but rather, just a part of the group. She built armor for the hallways. She became accustomed to the stares and the whispers. Instead of a human, she was now an object. She was now labeled a “slut,” a “whore” and a “bitch” because now, she was on poms.

When new head coach Kathleen Fallon and new assistant coach Jenny Gomez began the 2018-19 season, they started by sitting down and talking to the members of the dance team about any concerns that they had.

“Something that they brought up and they really stressed to us [was] that this isn’t a reputation that they themselves created. This is something that they have just been assigned to because of things past girls did or did not do. [It’s] not really for us to say or judge,” Gomez said.

This reputation has been heard by many through rumors — thinking that all the girls on the team do is party, drink and sleep around.

Others have heard that they are stuck-up, privileged, think they are perfect and better than everyone else. That they are all the same: “the poms.”

“We’re not the stereotype, and we never will be.

I feel like people only choose to see the parts of us that kind of fit, and then they make it fit. Like they push us into them,” said Chloe Gretter ’20.

“But in reality, no one knows. I volunteer as a tutor two hours every week. No one pays attention to the fact that me and Anna [Haney ’19] are on Best Buddies, and Sydney [Sherwood ’20] dances every night at Nolte, and Jordan [Forbes ’20] volunteers at the gymnastics center. … If you step back and saw the whole picture, you’d be like, ‘They’re just normal girls.’”

Members of the dance team spend hours to-

“ IT ’S REALLY HARD ... WH E N TH E I R SPI RITS ARE ALWAYS B E I NG B ROKE N DOWN BY TH E I R PE E RS WHO TH EY ’ RE SU PPOSE D TO B E BU I LDI NG U P.” -J EN NY GOM EZ, POMS ASSISTANT COACH gether each week working on perfecting their art.

“Dancers strive for perfection [as] the main goal because it’s a visual art, and the whole purpose of dance team … is to be very uniform, very together,” said Liz Nodia ’19. “Dance is one unit and one person. … That’s the impressive part about it: you’re able to have all these different people with all these different skill levels and talents, but you’re able to make them look like one unit.”

That strive for perfection and unity tends to be what brings the most criticism towards the members on the team, who are sometimes called “cliquey.”

LEFT: Members of the poms dance team stand together for a photo.

“We are very different in so many ways, each and every single one of us, like completely different people. But then people are like, ‘Oh yeah, you’re the poms,’” Haney said. “We have to be close, but that doesn’t mean people can label us as one. That’s one thing that I hate, whenever I hear, ‘the poms,’ I’m like, ‘No, I’m my own person.’”

During the football and basketball seasons, the dance team performs at halftime as a way to entertain the audience and prepare for upcoming competitions. However, performing in front of the school is something that many members on the team do not look forward to.

“They choose not to face the student section.

And when they do, they immediately regret facing the student section,” Fallon said. “I was so disappointed in the culture of the student section at one of the basketball [games]. They were blatantly laughing and pointing and yelling inappropriate things.”

Gomez believes that the treatment the girls face at the games follows them past the halftime performances and into the halls of West High.

“I think it’s a really negative atmosphere. I think that really affects the culture of the team and their sense of pride,” Gomez said. “Their job is a lot like the cheerleaders: build up and raise spirit. It’s really hard to do that when their spirits [are] always being broken down by their peers who they’re supposed to be building up. But how can you when that’s how you feel?”

Through everything the girls on the team deal with, they find that it is worth it because they get to do what they love: dance.

“What I think is important to remember is that all of these girls are a group of girls that love to dance,” said Sarah Gretter, Chloe’s mom. “In other groups at West High, we celebrate the kids. …

They deserve to be celebrated too. Their team should be celebrated. They should be a positive representative of West High and should be treated the same way as the other groups. They work so hard. At heart, they’re such good girls, and I just want them all to feel proud of what they’re doing because it really is amazing.”

PHOTO BY KARA WAGENKNECHT DESIGN BY MADDY EPHRAIM

44

BREAKFAST

SPORTS

FEB. 22, 2019

BREAD EGGS FRUIT, BUT NOT EVERYDAY

LUNCH SCHOOL LUNCH PROTEIN FRUITS OR VEGETABLES CARBOHYDRATES

DINNER SALMON RICE VEGETABLES

YULONG SHAO ‘21

BY NATALIE KATZ

W

ith athletes training for years, dedicating hours every day to perfecting their sport, their commitment off the field becomes just as important as the time they put into their practices. Maintaining a substantial and healthy diet is vital to meeting the demands of their vigorous training. Here’s a look into what three athletes at West eat during the peak time of their athletic seasons.

SOCCER “ I DON ’T REALLY WATCH WHAT I EAT AS CARE F U LLY RI G HT NOW, BUT ONCE H I G H SCHOOL SEASON STARTS, I TRY TO CUT DOWN ON FATTE N I NG FOODS, AN D I TRY TO EAT A LOT MORE H EALTHY.”

CAMDEN ZIRKER ‘22 TRACK AND FIELD

“ I TYPICALLY DRI N K CHOCOLATE M I LK AFTE R I WORKOUT B ECAUSE IT RESTORES M USCLES AN D I LOVE CHOCOLATE ! ”

45

BREAKFAST

SPORTS

FEB. 22, 2019

EGGS GREEK YOGURT TOAST

LUNCH PASTA OR SALAD FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

DINNER CHICKEN RICE VEGETABLES

BREAKFAST COFFEE BANANA

LUNCH SANDWICH SALAD

DINNER WRAP FRUITS CHEEZ-ITS SUNFLOWER SEEDS

PHOTOS BY ALLIE SCHMITT-MORRIS ART & DESIGN BY VIVIEN HO

RYLEIGH MULCAHEY ‘19 SOFTBALL “ DI N N E R TI M E I S MY FAVORITE B ECAUSE IT ’S A TEAM DI N N E R EVE RY GAM E N I G HT, SO WE ALL SIT I N TH E DUGOUT AN D EAT TOG ETH E R .”

46

OPINION FEB. 22, 2019

DISAPPOINTING YOUR PARENTS: AN ABC’S GUIDE

BY JENNA WANG

Y

ou may have heard the term Yuppie before.

It stands for Young Urban Professional – meaning you’re a millennial who’s got a job and is living comfortably. It’s what almost all of us strive for. As a Chinese girl there’s even a more specific term out there for me: a Yappie aka, a Young Asian Professional. But wait— why is there a specific term for Asians?

The key part in both definitions is to have a comfortable lifestyle, with emphasis on the word “comfortable.” Let me explain.

In order to be considered a “Yappie,” you must

“ I ’ M TRU E TO MYSE LF AN D NOT TO SOM EON E ’S EXPECTATION S OF M E . NEVER STOP DOING WHAT YOU LOVE.” strive for a life where everything’s okay – you have a good job, you live in a decent area and you raise a traditional family. It’s about having a comfortable life.

It’s everyone’s goal after they realize they can’t be an idol or the President, and they cope with hard reality. That’s what I’ve been hearing after talking to friends and the Asian community, who want to be the stereotypical doctors and lawyers.

In the Asian bubble, there’s a lot pressure to become a Yappie, especially from parents. In order to get to that comfortable lifestyle, you simply have to be the best. The pressure is so great that there’s a total discrepancy between the Ameri-

can Dream and the Asian-American Dream. It’s an Asian parent’s dream for us to achieve such, because in some cases, as immigrants, they come from poor backgrounds and want to see their children in a better place. They come to America to give us that purpose. Because of that, anything out of the traditional path to become a Yappie is unacceptable.

Since I was little, I’ve always wanted to be a Yappie even before I knew the term. I wanted the best grades, to go to Harvard and I was basically a living stereotype. It was a mindset that I gained living among my Asian community. Because my parents did come from a poor background living in a cold room with barely anything to eat or to keep comfortable, I appreciated the opportunities and the hard work they did to come to America. As an American-born Chinese, there’s no room for fancy dreams or “doing what you love to do.” Because our parents sacrificed everything and being comfortable was their childhood dream, they want that for us too.

However, as I grew up, I realized that I was growing into a very “uncomfortable” lifestyle.

When I initially chose choir over orchestra in high school, many people were shocked, and even more so when I joined show choir and theatre (as an actress?!). They couldn’t believe I was choosing such an unorthodox path for an Asian. Indeed, in these activities, I’m one of the very few East Asians there, whereas in activities like high school orchestra, there are a completely disproportionate portion of Asians.

I completely went unorthodox when I started a YouTube channel to post in-public K-Pop dance covers. When I was in Chicago as a sophomore, I had my sister film me dancing for the first time. I was so nervous; there’s no way to describe the adrenaline that’s pumping when you put a speaker among thousands of random strangers and begin to dance, wondering if you’re going to be judged. What’s even more scary is posting it to YouTube, where all my classmates can see it.

As I danced to more covers in packed locations like a mall on Black Friday, a Kelly Clarkson concert dressed up as a chicken and even in China, I felt vulnerable and exposed. It was totally

way out of my comfort zone.

However, I could never have expected the doors doing these ‘unorthodox’ activities would open up. My videos took off and hundreds of uplifting comments poured in. I joined a dance community and met new people through founding a K-Pop dance club and getting the chance to be on a K-Pop reality TV show in New York City.

Through doing choir, show choir and theatre, I’ve become part of a huge community that I would have never met through orchestra. AllState, honor choirs and getting theatre experiences as an actress would have never happened.

The energy and total happiness I feel when I’m dancing on stage for show choir wouldn’t have been there, and it’s these activities that keep life exciting for me, even though it’s a totally ‘nonAsian’ thing.

I’m done with labels and deeming what are “Asian activities.” I seek to pursue the interests I have, whatever they may lead to. If being a Yappie is the ultimate expectation — to embrace the hard truth of reality and forget your true passions and dreams — then to hell with it. I have no idea what I want to do in the future, but I’m happy and that’s all I can say.

Some of you may find nothing wrong with being comfortable, and that’s totally okay. But for me, you have to seek discomfort no matter what and do what you love at all costs. In life, you always have to have some small level of fear. Comfort never works for long, and living life on the edge is exciting; life is never boring. You never know the opportunities that can hit you. I don’t know what I want to do in the future, and I still get scared every time before an in-public challenge or extra self-conscious when I notice that I’m the only Asian in an activity, but I’m happy.

While others have their lives perfectly planned out already, I have no clue what I’m going to do, and that’s both terrifying and exhilarating.

I may not be “normal” anymore, but at least I’m true to myself and not to someone’s expectations of me.

Never stop doing what you love. Seek discomfort.

47

OPINION

FEB. 22, 2019

GUEST COLUMN: LET’S FOCUS ON COMMUNICATIN’

BY SUMNER WALLACE ‘20

C

ommunication is key. I know, I know.

That sounds totally cliché. It’s the first lesson in Relationships 101; it’s the unsolicited advice your weird relative gives you; it’s much easier said than…said. The most annoying part is, it’s true.

I thought that truly open, honest communication wasn’t possible between strangers, nor was it important. People’s problems were for their therapists and their friends. I thought that understanding people with different points of view was a noble goal but impossible. It wasn’t my counselor or my parents that changed my mind.

Of all people, my French teacher proved me wrong. Madame Juhl, the woman tasked with teaching me a foreign language, simultaneously taught me how to communicate on my own.

She introduced “circle talks” a few weeks back when my class was looking particularly

“ I TRY TO LI STE N WITHOUT J U DGE M E NT AN D SPEAK MY M I N D WITHOUT F EAR OF B E I NG J U DGE D. I ’ M NO LONGE R AF R AI D TO B E HON EST. ”

depressed and lost. She had everyone stand in a circle around the desks and one at a time say what they appreciated most about our class.

Nobody was forced to say anything when it was their turn, but everyone was required to listen.

To my surprise, my class of 35 never interrupted or had side conversations while others were speaking. Equally surprising was the fact that everyone felt comfortable sharing and adding to the conversation. The entire class appreciated what their peers had to say, whether they agreed or not. Everyone left feeling a little less stressed, and most importantly, understood.

We continued these talks, each time asking slightly deeper questions and answering more personally. The topics ranged from our hectic personal lives to the stress of finals week. Each time I learned something new about my classmates, it made them more than just a body in a desk. Each time I watched trust, respect and understanding form between my classmates. With every heartfelt confession, I found a few tears welling in my eyes.

For the most part, I am a reserved and skeptical person. When my teacher proposed this exercise I felt uncomfortable. I didn’t want to be judged. However I soon found that a weight was lifted off my shoulders. When I chose to trust my peers, and they chose to trust me, I found we were more similar than different. We were all just teens dealing with the same angsty feelings.

As a result of these talks, I’ve started making the conscious effort to engage in my conversations. I try to listen without judgement and speak my mind without fear of being judged. I’m no longer afraid to be honest.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt as comfortable making mistakes and sharing my opinions than I have in my French class. Unfortunately, not everyone has that same sense of safety. It seems that people have become increasingly self-absorbed. Out of fear, they disregard anything and everything that competes with their world view.

They surround themselves with people that they believe won’t judge them for their thoughts.

Too often this self-absorption and self-preservation alienates minority opinions, especially in

“ EVE RYON E LE FT F E E LI NG...

LESS STRESSE D AN D [MORE] U N DE RSTOOD.” American politics. Beliefs that are acceptable to the majority are embraced and held up as “correct” while unpopular and minority opinions are shot down without a chance to be explained or understood. The people who hold these minority opinions become more isolated and begin to feel that their contributions to the conversation are unimportant. Like all of us, they are afraid of being judged.

When we isolate these people we are missing out on valuable input. Democracy is about everyone having a say, yet America is excellent at ignoring this. The gridlock and headbutting in our government is in large part due to politicians’ refusal to create understanding. It may not seem important for them to understand and be understood, but without it frustrations build up and fester. The hate and anger that plagues America is entirely of our own making. Debates have become screaming matches, and listening is a foreign concept.

America needs a circle talk.

You may think that it’s hippie-dippie and pointless, but trust me, it works. I know my French class is not the same as America. We don’t fight over verb conjugation the way Americans fight over immigration politics, but by speaking our individual truths, and most importantly listening to others, (some of) the bitterness and hatred can be put to rest. I’m not saying minds will be changed. I’m saying they will be opened, and perhaps some hearts along with them.

PHOTOS BY MADDI SHINALL DESIGN BY RAIN RICHARDS

N

48

HIGH SCHOOL MIDDLE SCHOOL

E D I TO R I A L FEB. 22, 2019

E

W

LIBERTY

S

NORTH CENTRAL

NORTHWEST DISPUTED AREA

CITY WEST SOUTHEAST

EDITORIAL: BORDERING THE LINE In the fall of 2018, the Iowa City school board approved changes to boundary maps that would send some students to schools that are not their closest option. These changes were made in an attempt to decrease racial and economic segregation happening within the ICCSD.

SHOULD THE ICCSD BE REDISTRICTING STUDENTS FURTHER THAN THE SCHOOL CLOSEST TO THEIR PROXIMITY TO INCREASE SOCIOECONOMIC DIVERSITY?

16-9 EDITORIAL STAFF VOTED “NO”

YES

D

iversity should always be one of the first factors considered when deciding school district boundaries. In the ICCSD, black students make up 19.2 percent of the population. At Wickham Elementary, they make up just six percent, whereas at Kirkwood Elementary, this number is 41 percent. Perhaps even more shocking, 80 percent of students at Kirkwood qualify for reduced-price lunch, while only nine percent of Wickham students do. No school district should contain such rampant racial and economic disparities between two schools just

49

E D I TO R I A L

FEB. 22, 2019

over two miles apart. The goal of an educational system should be to shape children into good, educated citizens and prepare them for the world beyond high school. A school district that does not allow children to meet students of other backgrounds is failing its students in both respects. While many do not want to confront the truth, forced busing is a proven way to achieve integration.

One cannot attain a proper education without having one’s viewpoint repeatedly challenged, even from a young age. A student from a wealthy, white family, for example, who learns alongside other students from wealthy, white families is only going to see issues in the world through one lens. How can we expect to produce compassionate, well-rounded people when we refuse to let them interact with students from different backgrounds from the time they are in kindergarten? Once students enter college or the workforce, they will need to be able to relate to people from all walks of life. If our school systems do not equip students with these skills, they are not serving their intended purpose.

The learning benefits of having to empathize with other perspectives in a student’s formative years cannot be overstated. In fact, a 2010 research review by Harvard professor Susan Eaton showed that while higher family income boosts test scores for minority students, this positive impact can be wiped out by racial segregation in schools. An extra 20 minutes spent on a bus is well worth the benefits of increased integration.

When a district allows for boundaries that create school districts which are as sterile and homogeneous as possible, learning dies.

Opponents of forced busing to achieve integration often argue that the cost of transportation would be too much of a burden on school districts. This argument neglects to mention the economic benefits that would come from racial and economic integration. A study by the Century Foundation found that through higher graduation rates, which would produce more tax-paying citizens, we could expect to see a return three to five times larger than our investment if we direct money towards integration.

Once again, the long-term benefits outweigh the short-term costs of this initiative.

Another frequent point of contention is that long commutes would prevent students from participating in extracurricular activities. However, due to poor funding for schools whose students primarily come from low-income families, many low-income students already are not able to participate in extracurricular activities. According to a Pew Research Center study, only 59 percent of families who make less than $30,000 per year report that their children have participated in sports or athletic activities within the past year. This number is dwarfed by 84 percent of families who make more than $75,000 per

year who report their children engaging in similar activities. The same trends apply for music involvement, scout organization involvement and volunteer work. Also, a potential remedy for this issue is the use of an extracurricular bus, which would take students home from school a couple hours after the end of the school day. This would give all students ample time to participate, as well as offer many low-income students their first chance to participate in any extracurricular activity.

Research shows that America’s segregation problem is only becoming worse. A report by the University of California at Los Angeles’s Civil Rights Project showed that students in large districts are becoming increasingly divided by race and income. Even 60 years after Brown v.

Board of Education, which sought to end racial segregation in schools, these issues are still at the forefront of our public education system.

Because of the overwhelming societal benefits of socioeconomic integration, we have to redistrict to attain diversity if we want to help students all across the district.

NO

W

ith the increasing awareness towards diversity, many school districts, including the ICCSD, have taken action through redistricting polices to increase diversity within schools. However, the redistricting has put a burden on low-income families, especially those residing near Kirkwood Elementary. For these students, the additional one-to-two mile distance between the school and the student’s home has led to anguish, as students are prone to isolation and limited to extracurricular participation. The educational system must help students obtain the best education in order to prepare them for the future. It is clear that these policies do not work. Enhancing current schools is the only solution to ensure a successful future for these children.

Although certain schools have more diversity than others, this is because of self-segregation in housing. Because of occupational and demographic differences, racial self-segregation occurs due to the different cultures and wealth families have. Families with more shared characteristics are more likely to live in close proximity with each other. As a result, students build close relationships with one another within these low or high income schools. It is important to share experiences with one another to feel like a part of any community. According to the Australian Council for Educational Research, just 65 percent of students in the lowest socioeconomic quartile agreed with this statement — “I feel like I belong in school.” — compared to 78 percent of students in the highest socioeconomic quartile. Redistricting makes it hard for students to

fit in with others at a different school because low-income students may not find ways to relate with high-income students. It is better for students to be educated about diversity within schools instead of forcing it upon them, which may be detrimental to their future, since they worry more about fitting in than their education. Schools should instead focus on fostering a school community where racial differences do not create divides among the student body.

Today, there is a higher importance on grades and standardized testing in order to build a stronger academic foundation. Because of this, redistricting can hinder the performance of individuals who are moved from a suitable environment into a new situation where it is hard to adjust to. Instead, schools should hire qualified teachers that represent the demographics in the school. According to a study by Johns Hopkins University, black students who had just one black teacher by third grade were 13 percent more likely to enroll in college. Those who had two were 32 percent more likely. Additionally, one black teacher in elementary school reduced a student’s probability of dropping out by 29 percent for low-income black students and 39 percent for very low-income black males. Because the teacher and the students share the same demographic status, it is easier for students to form a connection because they share similar characteristics. Asking for assistance would be much easier, and students would be more inclined to learn. Additionally, this allows for everyone in the school district to obtain a quality education no matter the diversity. The problem is not the lack of diversity; it is how we address diversity.

Students would be educated on diversity-related topics in order to be successful in real life.

Extracurriculars are also an important part of enhancing the educational process. With over 57 percent of children ages 6-17 participating in at least one extracurricular activity, according to the U.S. Census, it is essential for all students to have access to clubs, sports and the arts. Extracurricular activities improve focus in classrooms, enhance self-confidence and obtain greater social skills. By increasing the distance between school and home for redistricted students, it lowers the chance for these students to participate in extracurricular activities because they will not have easily accessible transportation to get back home. How would families without cars get children to school if they missed the bus? How would families pick up their children for their additional involvement in school? How would parents allow their children to participate in extracurriculars if they had no transportation back home? Redistricting is not the solution to creating a better educational system for future generations. We must instead improve existing schools in order to ensure a better future for the students.

DESIGN BY BRENDA GAO

50

WEST SIDE STORY STAFF

S TA F F L I S T DEC. 21, 2018

MohammedHilal Al-Ani Aditi Borde Anna Brown* Sean Brown Alex Carlon* Grace Christopher* Carmela Cohen Suarez Will Conrad* Frances Dai* Jessica Doyle* Natalie Dunlap* Thomas Duong* Maddy Ephraim Aaron Fennell-Chametzky Bess Frerichs Brenda Gao Ting Gao Lydia Guo* Emma Hall Annabel Hendrickson Vivien Ho

Photographer Videographer Photographer Print Copy Co-Editor Reporter Photographer Online Assistant Copy Editor Reporter Broadcast Managing Editor Online Profiles Editor Reporter Assistant Sports Editor Reporter Art Editor Designer Podcast Editor Videographer Feature Editor Reporter Business Editor Designer Designer Freelance Sports Columnist Reporter Artist Designer Reporter Design Co-Editor Artist Reporter Artist

Selina Hua Anjali Huynh* Deniz Ince* Simon Jones Fatima Kammona* Natalie Katz* Edward Keen Sidney Kiersch Crystal Kim* Luke Krchak Noah Krchak Marta Leira Amy Liao Holden Logan Lily Meng* Jessica Moonjely* Lucy Polyak*

Designer Videographer Artist & Designer Print Managing Editor Print Copy Co-Editor Reporter Print Editor-in-Chief Sports Co-Editor Reporter Designer News Editor Reporter Feature Editor Reporter Reporter Graphics Design Co-Editor Reporter Podcaster Reporter Artist Designer Videographer Videographer Podcaster Online Copy Co-Editor Reporter Profiles Editor Reporter Columns Editor Reporter

Ian Prescott* Jillian Prescott* Rain Richards Kristina Rosebrook* Allie Schmitt-Morris* Maddi Shinall* Alyssa Skala Sophie Stephens* Mary Vander Weg* Kara Wagenknecht*

Jenna Wang* Gwen Watson Harry Westergaard* Ken Wilbur Jenna Zeng* Sara Whittaker

Broadcast Editor-in-Chief Broadcast Copy Editor Videographer Graphics Designer Entertainment Editor Producer Videographer Social Media Editor Photo Editor Photographer Online Managing Editor Reporter Graphics Online Editor-in-Chief Sports Co-Editor Photographer Videographer Editorial Editor Reporter Photographer Arts Editor Online Copy Co-Editor Reporter Reporter Entertainment Editor Designer Adviser *editorial board member

EQUITY STATEMENT EDITORIAL POLICY WEST S I D E STORY

W EST S I D E

It is the policy of the Iowa City Community School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, martial status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability, or socioeconomic programs, activities or employment practices. If you believe you have (or your child has) been discriminated against or treated unjustly at your school, please contact the Equity Director, at 509 Dubuque Street, 319-688-1000. Please contact westsidestorypaper@gmail.com for questions or comments.

West Side Story reflects the views of the staff and does not represent the school administration, faculty or student body. Guest articles may be accepted to represent an additional point of view or as a part of a collection of reader contributions. The staff will carefully scrutinize all reader submissions.

All ads are subject to approval by the business staff. Those that are libelous, obscene or plainly offensive may be rejected. West Side Story attempts to publish all letters, which must be signed, to the Editors, but may reject submissions due to space limitations, inaccuracy or poor quality. It is the responsibility of the opinion editor to verify authorship. Editors can make minor edits for the sake of clarity, length and grammatical correctness.

For our full editorial policy, visit: wsspaper.com/policy.

SHARE THE LOVE BY SIDNEY KIERSCH

RISKY TEXTS BY BRENDA GAO

RISKY TEXTS

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

FOR MORE COVERAGE, GO TO WSSPAPER.COM

BEHIND THE PHOTO I follow other teen photographers from around the world on Instagram, and I get a lot of inspiration from them. A photo I saw from one of those photographers inspired me to try to use a mirror as a prop, so I looked for ideas on Pinterest.

Capturing a model with a shard of a mirror caught my eye, and I wanted to try it out. I experimented with different mirrors and took a lot of photos. I’m really happy with how this one turned out.

Thank you to Katya Moeller ’22, the model in this photo, for her patience and for being willing to experiment with me!

CAROLINE BARKER ’22 WSS INTERN

MISSED CONNECTIONS In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, this West Side Story tradition has its readers anonymously share their missed chances of finding love at West High.

To the quiet boy that kinda looks like a lost puppy but also the sweetest person ever, you seem like a gem! I think you would be really cute if you smiled more :) -Your not-so-furry admirer

To the girl who looks like George Washington that sits next to me in world history, you’re gorgeous.

-A forsaken candidate

Dear boy with gorgeous eyes in the English hallway who almost made me get a concussion, I hope you go to jail for stealing my heart…and for making me fall.

-A heartless loser

Hobbit, Apple of my eye, Rambunctious, Radical Yankee: Won’t you be my neighbor?

Every time I see you Smile, though not To me...

Effervescent, Rain, Gallbladder.

Angelic, Apparitional, Return in my Dreams.

To the boy with the red hoodie: Let it be known that you have a secret fanclub at West High School. You are CUTE, a GENTLEMAN and you are also incredibly smart. Though our paths will never intersect, I think you deserve the world.

-The fanclub president

To the hazel-eyes boy from across the choir room: If only I could sit at the piano instead of standing in the front row with my back to you just so I could stare into your eyes.

-Your “best friend”

COMPILED BY LUCY POLYAK

ART BY FRANCES DAI DESIGN BY DENIZ INCE