2020-02-21 by West Side Story

WEST SI DE STO RY IOWA CITY WEST HIGH SCHOOL

2901 MELROSE AVE.

IOWA CITY, IA 52246

DISCONNECTED. Investigating the underlying racial disparities within the Iowa City community.

WSSPAPER.COM

VOLUME 52 ISSUE 4

FEBRUARY 21, 2020

PHOTO FEATURE OWEN AANESTAD Trojan Bolts swim coach Byron Butler coaches from the edge of the pool against City at the Mercer Park Aquatic Center on Jan. 21. The boys swim team finished the dual season undefeated after taking down the Little Hawks by a team score of 11753. FOR MORE COVERAGE, GO TO WSSPAPER.COM

Hello! It’s been exactly two months and one day since you last got your hands on a coveted West Side Story, and a lot has happened since then. (Check out News Briefs on pages 4-5 to get all caught up). Although it certainly isn’t as cold and there sadly haven’t been nearly as many snow days as last year, we are indeed in the midst of winter — a time that leaves many feeling down. But have no fear, to fill you with a warm and happy feeling during this month of love, we have once again asked readers to share their missed connections. Who knows, maybe a secret admirer of yours wrote you one on the back cover. This issue’s cover story focuses on the race-related struggles students and teachers face in our district, and the related editorial discusses how a white-washed curriculum affects our learning. With Black History Month coming to an end, we felt there was no better time to bring to light these issues. Whatever you decide to read (of course you should read it all), find something to take your mind off of the looming end of second tri and all the tests that come with it. See you in the spring!

NATALIE KATZ

CONTENTS

NEWS

NEWS BRIEFS 4 CALLING THE SHOTS 6

FEATURE MORE THAN A MONTH 8 TRADING UP 10

PROFILES

REGROWING CONFIDENCE 12 FRIEND CRUSH 14

COVER

DISCONNECTED . 17

ENTERTAINMENT

ASK WSS 24 THE RADISH 26

SPORTS

NIFTY NICKNAMES 28 TRANSFERABLE 29

OPINION

ARE SCHOOL PRIORITIES SKEWED? 32 COLORFUL? 34

STAFF LIST Owen Aanestad Fareeha Ahmad Abdul Ahmed Caroline Barker Sara Baroncini Paras Bassuk Aditi Borde Kiley Butcher Sarah Callanan Misha Canin Alex Carlon Caroline Chandler Carmela Cohen Suarez Alexis Dick Natalie Dunlap Maddy Ephraim Bess Frerichs Brenda Gao

Kailey Gee Asst. Online Sports Editor Photographer Joe Goodman Reporter Renee Gould Yearbook Copy Editor Yearbook Editor-in-chief Emma Hall Photographer Photographer Jack Harris Yearbook People Editor Annabel Hendrickson Photographer Videographer Vivien Ho Cymry Hieronymus Photo Editor Selina Hua Social Media Editor Natalie Katz Photographer Edward Keen Yearbook People Editor Reporter Mariam Keita Hanah Kitamoto Yearbook Staff Tosh Klever Online Managing Editor Luke Krchak Online News Editor Asst. Sports Editor Youjoo Lee Online Copy Editor Marta Leira Online Entertainment Editor Amy Liao Online Reporter Online Editor-in-chief Abby McKeone Reporter Alice Meng Business Editor Jessica Moonjely Yearbook Business Editor Online Feature Editor Entertainment Editor Jillian Prescott

Designer Reporter Sports Editor Online Reporter Book Critic Artist Online Reporter Film Critic Copy Editor Feature Editor Photographer Art Editor Print Editor-in-chief Arts Editor and Critic Online Reporter Reporter Videographer Online reporter Columnist Designer News Editor Design Editor Online Graphics Editor Online Reporter Reporter Managing Editor Profiles Editor Broadcast Editor-in-chief

Cameron Reimers Ella Rosenthal Alyssa Skala

Maddy Smith Nicole Trout Sumner Wallace Jenna Wang Gwen Watson Sam Westergaard Ken Wilbur Sydney Wildes Isaac Young Xiaoyi Zhu Sara Whittaker

Artist Yearbook Clubs/ Academics Editor Designer Humans of West High Coordinator Photographer Yearbook Managing Editor Photographer Yearbook Student Life Editor Yearbook Editor-in-chief Columns Editor Copy Editor Editorial Editor Photographer Photographer Podcaster Videographer Podcast Editor Photographer Videographer Reporter Podcaster Designer Yearbook Staff WSS Advisor

NEWS BRIEFS BY CAROLINE CHANDLER

JAN.

U.S. - Iran Tensions

FALL 2019 Starting in late

Australian Bush Fire

September, this devastating fire season across Australia has led to the death of more than one billion animals and 28 civilians. Firefighters across the country are rescuing the thousands that have been displaced due to the fires.

On Jan. 3, Iran’s top security and intelligence commander, Qassim Suleimani, was killed after a drone strike—authorized by President Trump—hit the Baghdad International Airport. In response, the Iranian government deserted the Iran nuclear deal that was reached in 2015.

JAN.

WHSDM Big Event

The West High School Dance Marathon hosted the Big Event from 12-6 p.m. in the West High cafeteria. Students raised $20,894.22 with all of the proceeds from the event going to the oncology patients at the Stead Family Children’s Hospital. PHOTO BY CAROLINE BARKER

JAN.

“Megxit”

NEWS

FEB. 21, 2020

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle decided to step away as senior members of the royal family and aim to become “ﬁnancially independent.” The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have decided to divide their time between the United Kingdom and Canada.

JAN.

Girls State Wrestling

The state wrestling meet was held in Waverly, Iowa with the Women of Troy wrestling team taking ﬁfth place. Salima Omari ’20 was the state champion in the heaviest weight class and Mami Selemani ’20 placed second in the 145 weight class.

JAN.

Course Fair

PHOTO BY MADDY SMITH

This year marked the ﬁrst annual course fair, occurring over an extended lunch period. The fair included booths from a variety of departments such as business, family consumer sciences and art. Students were able to learn about classes they might be interested in for the upcoming school year. PHOTO BY ALYSSA SKALA

JAN.

Coronavirus

With the outbreak starting in Wuhan, China, more than 1,000 have died and more than 43,000 conﬁrmed cases were found in China. Closing schools and screening passengers at airports are steps being taken to contain the virus. Conﬁrmed cases have now been found in countries such as the United States, Japan, Germany and Vietnam.

JAN.

MVC Championship

JAN.

MLK Celebration

Over 140 different sessions were available to students to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Many of the sessions offered were presented by community members and students. The sessions were based around the themes of equity, inclusion, social justice and community service. Sessions such as Habitats for Humanity were community serviceoriented. PHOTO BY ADITI BORDE

FEB.

Iowa Caucus

The boys swim team won the MVC championship for the second year in a row, with the Trojans getting wins in seven out of the 11 events that they competed in. Coach Butler and his coaching staff were awarded the Missouri Valley Conference coaching staff of the year.

People discussed and voted on who they want to be their presidential nominee. Results were delayed due to reporting issues with the electronic app used to track results. Former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg was awarded 26.2% of state delegates, winning the caucus, while Sen. Bernie Sanders took the popular vote. PHOTO BY GWEN WATSON

Have your ﬁngers been too cold to scroll through your news feed? Here’s what you might have missed.

PHOTO BY OWEN AANESTAD

DESIGN BY XIAOYI ZHU

NEWS

FEB. 21, 2020

CALLING THE

BY ANNABEL HENDRICKSON & MARTA LEIRA

Following the passage of stricter immunization laws at the state level, the ICCSD has cracked down on the enforcement of vaccination policies throughout the district.

ONE THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-FIVE STUDENTS.

All with different backgrounds, and most importantly, different germs. With 1485 opportunities for disease, the school can provide a breeding ground for bacteria. This is the reality that West is hoping to avoid with increased enforcement of Iowa’s vaccination policies. When the school year began, there were 440 West students without a complete vaccination certificate. Their families were notified and school nurses and student family advocates worked with families to ensure students received the proper vaccinations. Thirty two of these students had to be removed from class. As of now, every student at West has the required immunizations. According to Iowa law, it is the responsibility of the districts across the state to ensure that all

NEWS

FEB. 21, 2020

registered students have the proper immunization certificates. These certificates don’t necessarily mean that students have all of their vac-

“WE ARE GOING TO FOLLOW ALL STATE AND NATIONAL LAWS REGARDING IMMUNIZATIONS IN ORDER TO ATTEND SCHOOL.” -GREGG SHOU LTZ, PRI NCI PAL cines, but rather that they have all the vaccines they are not exempt from. The district exempts

students for a variety of reasons ranging from medical to religious, but they must be officially cited in a student’s vaccination certificate. In order to ensure that school districts across the state are following the law, schools are examined yearly by a county auditor. This effort is overseen by Sharon Richardson, the Iowa school audit coordinator. However, the state cannot be certain that every school is doing what is required by law on a daily basis, so it is still the duty of individual school districts to follow proper immunization enforcement policies. “All students, according to the immunization law, upon enrollment are to submit their immunization records meeting the requirements for whatever grade they’re in,” Richardson said. “[The county auditors] don’t [ensure the district is following the law], and it’s not really their responsibility.”

Although the law has not changed in recent years, the penalty for breaking it has. If a school district fails to send kids without proper immunization certificates home, the principal of the school in question will be arrested and charged with a misdemeanor. Because this process is so time-consuming and can result in students missing school, West hadn’t made it a top priority to enforce the policies in the past. According to Principal Gregg Shoultz, West began to be more strict in its enforcement of the policy after finding out about the increased penalty. “We are going to follow all state and national laws regarding immunizations in order to attend school,” Shoultz said. “In the past, we have not been as diligent about it as stated by law.” However, the task of ensuring that every single student has the necessary immunization records is easier said than done. Because West has a diverse population, it is difficult for the administration to keep track of students from all different backgrounds. “First of all, it’s a daunting task to make sure that all 1485 students today have that certificate because they come from all nations, they have different languages, they have different ways of doing the shots and they have different shot requirements,” Shoultz said. “The U.S. way of doing things is not necessarily the Ethiopian way of doing things or the Sudanese way of doing things.” Since the administration began cracking down on immunization enforcement, the number of students without complete immunization certificates has shrunk from 440 to zero in just a

matter of weeks. “For the last two months [the administration] has been working with parents and offering immunization clinics as much as they can, though they have to stay within a lot of rules and regulations with health care,” Shoultz said. “They’ve been using all the resources in our community to get students to get to their primary care doctor and get their immunizations.” While the topic of immunization enforcement

“IT ONLY TAKES A VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION [TO GET SICK] BEFORE YOU START SEEING THE INFECTIONS BREAK THROUGH.”

- LUCKAS WEI N ER , DI RECTO R O F PE DIATRI C ANTI M I CRO B IAL STEWARDSH I P has only recently surfaced in the district, groups like Informed Choices Iowa have been lobbying this issue on a state level for years. Shaunda Burke, a current board member and former president of the organization, believes that students and parents should be given more of an option when it comes to their immunization records. “Medical records are medical records; they should be personal information that the school doesn’t have access to,” Burke said. “We should definitely have a philosophical exemption as well.”

Iowa does not currently allow exemptions for personal beliefs. A philosophical exception would allow students to opt out of vaccines for personal beliefs rather than religious or medical reasons. Burke believes that this would allow students to have greater control in regards to the decisions they make about their bodies. “Everyone should have the right to know their body and what they put in their body and what’s taken out of their body,” Burke said. “It’s body autonomy, it’s great freedom, personal liberty [and] people should always have a right in saying what is going in their body and what’s being done to them.” From a different perspective, Luckas Weiner, Director of Pediatric Antimicrobial Stewardship at the University of Iowa, believes that vaccines are vital for the public health of the community. “It only takes a very small percentage of the population [to get sick] before you start seeing the infections break through,” Weiner said. “When you’re in a school environment and in such close contact, you could potentially be transmitting the infection to your friends, neighbors and colleagues.” Weiner is especially concerned for students with compromised immune systems. This is why he believes that it’s necessary for vaccine laws to be enforced in schools. “I think the laws emphasize the importance of vaccines and how they can protect children and the population in general,” Weiner said. “I think that people shouldn’t be afraid of vaccines—that’s the most important thing.”

BY THE

NUMBERS

185 OF 1481

STUDENTS

AT WEST DID NOT MEET VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS IN THE 2018-2019 SCHOOL YEAR Source: KCRG News

IN IOWA DID NOT HAVE THE REQUIRED VACCINATION RECORDS Source: Iowa Department of Public Health

Source: The Daily Iowan

OF THE ICCSD STUDENT POPULATION HAD VACCINATION EXEMPTION DURING THE 2017-2018 SCHOOL YEAR

NEWS

FEB. 21, 2020

While it is well known that Black History Month is celebrated during February, few people are aware of how this holiday came to be and the controversy that surrounds its celebration today. BY NATALIE KATZ

ART & DESIGN BY ELLA ROSENTHAL

he origins of Black History Month date back to over a century ago, when Carter G. Woodson, a writer and American historian, along with tens of thousands of others flocked to Chicago to celebrate the 50th anniversary of emancipation. The celebration, consisting of exhibits highlighting the progress since the abolition of slavery, inspired young Woodson to do something more. That fall, he created what is today known as the Association for the Study of AfricanAmerican Life and History.

FEATURE FEB. 21, 2020

fter promoting the importance of learning the history of AfricanAmericans for 10 years, Woodson realized he wanted to make an even larger impact. That year, the ASALH launched what was then known as Negro History Week. Celebrated during the second week of February, the timing was no coincidence. Encompassing both Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays, Woodson’s goal was to not only build on the tradition of commemorating history, but to rebuild the study of African-American history from studying only specific individuals to celebrating the race as a whole. Woodson believed that the focus should be on the thousands of people who had contributed to the progress, rather than the elite few.

CARTER G. WOODSON

y the late 1960s, Black History Week had evolved into Black History Month on many college campuses, and in 1976, Gerald Ford was the first president to officially recognize Black History Month as a national holiday.

ince acknowledging Black History Month as a national holiday in 1976, every president has endorsed a theme each year chosen by the ASALH. This year, the theme is “African Americans and the Vote,” commemorating the 150th anniversary of the 15th Amendment, which gave black men the right to vote and the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, granting women’s suffrage.

GERALD FORD

LAURA GRAY

ne of the most commonly asked questions from critics of celebrating the month is, “Is this event even necessary?” The two main reasons this question is asked encompasses both sides of the controversy; some argue either that the event is hindering progress as black history should be incorporated into our daily lives and not just celebrated for a fraction of the year, while others argue that the gains made in racial relations prove that the U.S. doesn’t need to carve out an entire month devoted to honoring black history. Although Black History Month isn’t celebrated in a formal sense in the ICCSD, many students believe that it is important to honor the month regardless. “I think it’s really important to celebrate, but people just don’t realize that because they think it’s almost unnecessary,” said Razan Hamza ’21, a member of the Black History Game Show club at West. “But

lowly, celebrations honoring events in black history have become more prevalent, with Juneteenth, a national celebration commemorating the emancipation of slavery in Texas, and Martin Luther King Jr. Day being honored on a larger scale. However, despite the rise in numbers of people participating in such celebrations, the end goal for many is to not need a month dedicated to learning black history. “If teachers start talking about it enough, then it’ll become less of a subject that people don’t really want to touch on, and people will be more open to talking about it,” Hamza said. “So over time, it would be more widely accepted to just talk about it rather than just be like, ‘Hey, it’s a special

when you take Black History Month and dive into issues concerning black people then it actually becomes a more important and more relevant month.” Despite the district as a whole not mandating its celebration through it being integrated into the curriculum during the month, Director of Diversity and Cultural Responsiveness at the ICCSD Laura Gray said that it is still expected that schools honor the holiday. “I think that we could definitely say that the expectation is that all schools celebrate Black History Month, but here’s where it gets controversial,” Gray said. “Black History is every day and to reduce it to one month kind of plays into the thought that you can shrink it into this smaller thing of one point in time where it needs to be celebrated, but black history is everywhere, and really should be acknowledged every day.” Raising, once again, the question of

month. Let’s just talk about it this month, and then forget about it for the rest of the year.’” This same dilemma surrounds all similar month-long celebrations, but Gray remains hopeful that someday it’ll be celebrated year long. The hope is that there will no longer need to be a holiday to recognize the significance and with the loss of that will also go the importance of her job, something she is well aware of. “I’m optimistic that one day it will get there. To not have that hope or expectation would be harmful for people. You have to dream that it will take place, you have to hope that it will happen,” Gray said. “The hope is that one day, those jobs [like mine] don’t necessarily have to exist because everyone will embrace equity.”

whether the month is even necessary, all it takes is one look at Iowa to see the answer appears to be yes. Iowa is one of the five states that, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, doesn’t even include civil rights education in state curriculum standard. These five states stand alongside 20 other states that failed the SPLC’s test of civil rights education adequacy. “I think that [the curriculum] can always be more diverse,” Gray said. “I feel like we still have a ways to go in regards to making sure that it’s inclusive in all areas and when I say all areas, diversity is not just about race. It’s about gender identity, it’s about religion, ability level.”

RAZAN HAMZA FEATURE FEB. 21, 2020

TRADING Post-secondary school plans are often confined to universities, but alternative options, such as trade school, have proven viable. BY ISAAC YOUNG

s many students approach the end of their high school careers, they are repeatedly met with the same question from parents, teachers, counselors and even friends: “What are your plans for college?” When it comes time for graduation, most students are only presented with one clear option for after high school: obtaining a college education. In actuality, students have several options to further their education and gain valuable skills that can be applied in various occupations. Trade school is an opportunity for students who want to pursue a profession which utilizes knowledge not found in conventional university programs and gain hands-on experience in their respective field. For trade school students, it is a great segue from secondary education to a rewarding and well-compensated career. In Iowa, unemployment falls around 2.9 percent according to the Wall Street Journal. As 69 percent of students choose to enroll in college straight out of high school according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, many jobs are going unfilled. Seventy percent of contractors nationwide are having difficulty filling their teams with

FEATURE FEB. 21, 2020

“ RIGHT NOW, TH E RE ’S A LOT OF DE MAN D F ROM E M PLOYE RS.” - DAN MARTI N , DEAN OF I N DUSTRIAL TECH NOLOGI ES AT KI RKWOOD

well-qualified workers according to the Associated General Contractors of America. “Right now, there’s a lot of demand from employers,” said Dan Martin, Dean of Industrial Technologies at Kirkwood Community College. Martin hopes to inform people that they have options other than university to help fill the employment gap. Shortages of workers and promises of high wages have attracted high school students like Carlo Tran ’23 to investigate their options more completely. “[Trade school is] really cheap, and I like being outside,” Tran said. These factors have encouraged Tran to investigate a career in HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) or welding. According to Russ Johnson, Career Center Facilitator, trade school can serve as a great option for those who do not thrive in a typical classroom setting. “Some of the reasons I talk to [kids interested in trade school] are because maybe they don’t love school already because they haven’t identified something they really enjoy,” Johnson said. “Or they haven’t been able to take enough classes in areas that they enjoy.”

A large part of Johnson’s job entails finding trade opportunities students can move on to after their time at West. “In the last three to four years, maybe more than that, we’ve done a much better job of trying to expose kids to programs such as Kirkwood,” Johnson said. Johnson, Martin and others in the trade industry are not blind to the stigma surrounding trade school. Johnson believes educating students on their options more completely will help to stop trade education from being seen as less than traditional college. “Trade school maybe gets the rap for being not as academic,” Johnson said. Students hopeful to find a career in a trade profession turn to Kirkwood Community College. Kirkwood offers trade school programs in three main areas of study: manufacturing, design-build construction and automotive technologies. According to Martin, all of these areas have a high demand for workers. “Right now [industries that require trade workers] are struggling to find employees, so it’s a really good market for someone who comes here,” Martin said. Another benefit to entering into trade school is the far less expensive cost of tuition in comparison to private universities, which average about $34,000 per year in tuition according to the College Board. A year of tuition for any program at Kirkwood is about $4,000, and trade programs are often only one or two years. For courses like plumbing and HVAC, classes only run for about nine months. After this brief introduction to the job, students go on to get an apprenticeship where they learn their trade and earn money at the same time. Some students can even avoid tuition costs all together through the Future Ready Iowa Last-Dollar Scholarship. Some select students, in programs with a lot of unfilled jobs in the state, can be given scholarships which fill any

unpaid tuition for trade education. Some of these areas of study include auto care, dental hygiene, and construction related fields, along with many others. For students interested in pursuing a trade profession, it is important to begin preparing while still in high school. According to Martin, it is vital that incoming students have a good understanding of math and physics, which are both

“ TR ADE SCHOOL MAYB E GETS TH E R AP FOR B E I NG NOT AS ACADE M IC ,” - RUSS JOH NSON , CAREE R CENTE R FACI LITATO R important for jobs which are centered around manufacturing and construction. “Pay attention to [math and physics courses] and make good grades, then whenever you get [to trade school] you’ll be more prepared to start quickly and be very successful,” Martin said. Many consider trade school a lesser alternative to universities, but both can provide students with valuable knowledge and a bright future. In communities all across America, trade professionals are needed to fill vital jobs, and this process begins with a new generation of trade school students.

ALARY TATS

$53,910 median salary of

plumbers

$3 9,2 90 median salary of

welders

$93,370 median salary of

construction managers Source: US News

ART & DESIGN BY AMY LIAO

FEATURE FEB. 21, 2020

REGROWING

CONFIDENCE El l i e Garcia ’ 2 1 sh a re s h er ex p eri enc e wi th a lop ecia are ata a nd h ow i t h a s sh ap ed h er s i nce th e b eg i n n i ng of h ig h sc hool . BY FAREEHA AHMAD PHOTOS BY CYMRY HIERONYMUS DESIGN BY BRENDA GAO

ike any typical teenager, Ellie Garcia ’21 loves sweet treats and spending time with friends. On one hot summer day in Maryland before her freshman year, she decided to go out and get ice cream with a group of friends. As she devoured her ice cream, a friend decided to braid Garcia’s hair, but while they went along the strands, they soon came upon a bald spot. Garcia told her mother about the incident, and they decided to visit the doctor. Initially, the two were told that there was nothing to worry about. She was given an ointment, her vitamins were checked and she was sent on her way. However, as more of her hair started to fall out, the family visited another doctor. That was when Garcia was diagnosed with alopecia areata. Alopecia areata is defined as an autoimmune disorder that is mainly known for affecting the hair on the body. According to Dr. Ali Jabbari, a dermatologist at the University of Iowa, the immune system targets the hair follicles on an individual with alopecia, presuming that they are dangerous, which causes their hair to fall out.

“It’s si mpl e, but it just messed up my self-esteem.” - Ell ie Garcia ‘21 “The immune system is the part of the body that fights off bacteria and viruses and foreign invaders,” Jabbari said. “Sometimes it gets its wires crossed, so to speak, and it starts attacking the person it’s supposed to be defending.” Many questions soon flooded Garcia’s thoughts, as this was a condition that she had never heard of before. Her condition only became worse after she was prescribed medication and had to deal with constant injections on the scalp to treat her alopecia. Once school started up again, Garcia walked down the halls daily with hoodies, hats or her hair strategically tied back in order to cover up her bald spots.

WHAT IS A L OPE CIA ?

ALOPECIA AREATA

is an autoimm un e dis or der t h at c aus e s h ai r lo ss.

Th e m o st c o mm on t yp e i s p a t chy a lo p e c i a a reat a on t h e s c a l p.

Caus e s of alo peci a ar e unc le a r a s i t is random , tho ugh g e net ic s can i ncrease it s lik e lihood.

The c h ance of deve lo p i ng alo p e c ia ar e at a i s

PROFILES FEB. 21, 2020

Source: Ali Jabbari, dermatologist at the University of Iowa

to improve as one certain individual supported Garcia throughout her experiences. Garcia met Kathryn Herbert ’21 during her freshman year, and the pair grew very close by sophomore year. Garcia started to wear wigs, but one of her personal victories was going out with Herbert without her wig on. “She was one of the people that helped me just be more comfortable because she’s a very outgoing person who’s super social,” Garcia said. “Her confidence helped me just be like, ‘Whatever, it doesn’t really matter.’” Garcia was with Herbert for many of the steps along the journey, such as Garcia telling others about her condition, so when she went out without her wig on, it was an incredible moment. “I was so proud to be her best friend when she first went out without her wig on,” Herbert said. “She started ditching the wig when our friends got together.” Herbert also mentioned how nervous Garcia was while they were going out, but during that first experience, everything seemed to fall into place.

“I’m thankful for how it hel ped me grow.” - Ell ie Garcia ‘21 “I was just kind of tired of it because I felt like I didn’t really want to express myself in any way. I felt ashamed,” Garcia said. “There was also the frustration. Nothing was working, and I was just getting put on more steroids, more needles, more this and that … I was just like, ‘This is stupid. I just want hair.’ I feel like that was the main thing. It’s simple, but it just messed up my self-esteem.” As Garcia progressed through freshman year, she started to notice some stares and began hearing whispers of gossip and assumptions. However, she realizes now that she found herself worrying about people criticizing her lack of hair more than those scenarios actually occurred. “I feel like it’s not a thing where people are going to be like ‘Ugh, she’s bald,’ unless someone’s really mean, but most people are going to be nice when they learn about it,” Garcia said. “It’s just more of an internal thing, where I got to get to a point where I accept myself.” Because of these fears, Garcia held back on many activities and quit karate for the fear of being noticed. When invited to a swimming pool or on a canoeing trip with her friends, Garcia would usually decline, worried that she would

fall into the water and reveal her bald spots. At one point, she wanted to join theater but didn’t want to risk her scalp being seen by an audience. “I would avoid any possible situation where people would see my bald spots in, which is not good because it became a routine or the same day over and over and over again. I didn’t want to do anything that would possibly end with that,” Garcia said. “I just limited myself.” At first, Garcia found it possible to cover up her bald spots, but it became increasingly difficult as her hair kept falling out. One of the major shifting points in Garcia’s journey with alopecia happened during the end of freshman year, when she was almost completely bald. This was the moment she picked up the scissors and cut off the remaining strands of hair. “I guess it feels weird because it’s so out of your control, but once you start being able to take control in small ways, it feels better, and that kind of helps overall,” Garcia said. “I spent most of freshman year trying to cling on to what I had left. Then sophomore year it was already all gone, so I just had to focus on the regrowth metaphorically and physically.” After that moment, there were still hardships, but dealing with alopecia slowly started

“She looked so pretty, and she looked really confident and happy walking around just being herself,” Herbert said. Although Garcia continues to wear wigs in public, she realizes that the main change in her mindset is the fact that she is more open about her condition today. “I guess I was just so paranoid freshman year, I thought people wouldn’t like me because of my alopecia, which is kind of dumb looking back because if they don’t like me for being bald then they’re probably not a good person to begin with,” Garcia said. “Now I don’t really care as much if people find out because what are [they] going to do about it?” As Garcia continues to regrow her confidence, she aims to participate more in sports such as golf and is planning on taking tap dancing classes. She is proud of herself for overcoming her doubts and learning to accept herself. “I used to be really mad that I had [alopecia], it just didn’t seem fair, but now I’m kind of not mad,” Garcia said. “It helped me not take things for granted as much … You are forced to start loving yourself when you don’t like what’s going on with your outer self. So, I’m thankful for how it helped me grow.” PROFILES FEB. 21, 2020

FRIEND CRUSH A behind the scenes look into the friendship of Theatre West directors Katy Nahra, Ann Rocarek and Christian Aanestad.

T H E AT R E W E S T FEATURING....

Christian Aanestad Technical Director

Kathy Nahra Director

Ann Rocarek Director

PROFILES FEB. 21, 2020

BY MISHA CANIN & NATALIE DUNLAP

n the morning, the three meet for coffee ahead of their busy days. At lunch, they are gathered around the dining table in Room 102, definitely not gossiping about their students. In the evenings, they can be found in the auditorium blocking scenes, building set pieces and planning for the upcoming production. This is just an average day for the iconic trio of Theatre West directors made up of art teacher Christian Aanestad and English teachers Katy Nahra and Ann Rocarek. In the summer of 2018, just months out from the upcoming production of “Miracle on 34th Street,” Theatre West was in dire need of a technical director. Sitting at Bluebird Diner discussing the issue, Rocarek asked Nahra who she would choose to fill the empty position if she could pick anybody. Enter stage left: Aanestad. He was the perfect match for the position, whether he knew it yet or not. “I didn’t feel like I was qualified,” Aanestad said. “I’m still not actually, technically qualified. I didn’t know how to run a lightboard. I didn’t know how to run a soundboard. I didn’t know how any of it worked.” He agreed to take the position with the understanding that it would be a temporary arrangement and that he would do the job while they looked for someone else. After all, Aanestad had never worked in the theater before. He called auditions “tryouts,” rehearsals “practices” and intermission “half-time.” However, Nahra’s unexpected pitch came to Aanestad at an opportune time for him. “In hindsight, I think I was looking for a new creative outlet artistically, and I didn’t realize that this could be it,” Aanestad said. And so the first act began, three teachers at West High would soon become the best of friends, each of them playing a vital role in the other two’s lives, in and outside of the theater. Nahra and Rocarek’s families are close in both a literal and figurative sense. They live near each other, and sometimes people even think they live together because they refer to their area as where “we live” and their children as “our kids.” The pair have supported each other as colleagues and fellow parents by

balancing their workload among each other. “It got to the point where we said if we’re going to keep doing this, we can’t burn out … So, Ro was kind enough to offer to do a show when I was on maternity leave with [my son] Charley. It went really well,” Nahra said. “And then I think she got the bug for [directing] too and was like, ‘Actually I really enjoy the creative process and doing all this.’ So we said, ‘Well why don’t we each take a show, but instead of one of us always doing a musical or something we just flip flop every year?’” Besides Rocarek taking the directing role in

“TH E R E’S ALWAYS ON E OF US THAT I S STABLE . WE’ R E ALWAYS ALLOWE D TO HAVE FR EAK OUTS, BUT OUT OF TH E TH R E E OF US SOM E BODY HAS TO BE STABLE . AN D IT’S FU N NY HOW IT CHANG ES.” - KATY NAH RA , ENGLISH TEACH ER

“West Side Story’’ during Nahra’s maternity leave, the two started their alternating director plan in 2018 for the fall play. When one of them is directing the actors, the other is the production director. Meanwhile, Aanestad keeps track of all the crews working behind the scenes as technical director. They all balance the stress and responsibility of putting on shows with each other. “There’s always one of us that is stable. We’re always allowed to have freak outs, but out of the three of us somebody has to be stable. And it’s funny how it changes,” Nahra said. “If a run is stressful, I can’t relax until I figure out why. I think the best thing about our team is that we don’t stop until it is done right,” Rocarek said. “We just keep making changes until it runs smoothly.” Throughout the course of a show, there can be many stressful situations, especially as the show nears with tech weeks and set build days making for long amounts of time spent in the auditorium. In order to prepare for big days like these, the group tries to find a way to spend some time relaxing together. “Meeting for coffee in the morning has become a tradition for us. It’s a nice way to gear up for what are usually very chaotic and challenging days, especially when we are in the middle of a show,” Rocarek said. If there ever are instances where it becomes too stressful or one of the three cannot be around for any number of reasons, the other two take everything into their hands, no questions asked. Being able to work with friends like that is one of their favorite parts of the job. “You can just walk away and know that it’ll

“OU R KI DS TALK A LOT ABOUT TH EATR E WEST BE I NG A FAM I LY AN D AS CH E ESY AS IT SOU N DS, IT I S TR U E FOR TH E DI R ECTORS AS WE LL .” - AN N ROCAREK, ENGLISH TEACH ER be taken care of and know that there’s no hard feelings about it,” Aanestad said. They support each other in the important moments — both the devastating times and the joyful ones. “When my mom was sick and I had to just get out of here for a couple months, Ro took everything over,” Nahra said. “I [didn’t] have to worry about anything. And when she [had] her baby or when I had my baby, you know, you just take care of each other.”

The support they share for each other and everyone involved is essential to each show and the only way for it to run smoothly. Additionally, Aanestad believes the three of them being teachers makes them better directors. This component of teaching is something all three try very hard to implement in the theater program. Aanestad is looking forward to seeing students he had on crews as freshmen taking on leadership roles and sharing the skills he taught them. “The key is to get it passed down. That’s one of my goals,” Aanestad said. The sense of community and learning that Theatre West exemplifies is one reason many students feel welcome and comfortable in the program. “Our kids talk a lot about Theatre West being a family and as cheesy as it sounds, it is true for the directors as well,” Rocarek said. “There are times during a production that I am at school more than I am at home, so I don’t think I would keep doing this job if I didn’t love working with these people.” Nahra and Rocarek are both only children, but have become sisters to each other. Now they have found a brother in Aanestad. They joke like siblings too, with Aanestad teasing that he is still just filling in while they look for someone else to take the job. “I think we’re still on that temporary status. I think we’re still looking,” he said. Nahra refuted, “No, we’re not.” PHOTOS BY CAROLINE BARKER DESIGN BY XIAOYI ZHU PROFILES FEB. 21, 2020

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DISCONNECTED Investigating the underlying racial disparities within the Iowa City community.

lieves that her previous friend was not the latter. “It’s hard for me to just say, ‘People are racist,’ because we don’t really talk too much about racism,” Walker-Garcia said. “I can’t be mad at white people or anyone else because they’ve never really understood or felt what it is like to be a minority.” On the other hand, Walker-Garcia believes she still has been racially profiled at West within the classroom and targeted specifically by one of her teachers. She first noticed racial profiling when, due to her testing anxiety, she was able to take tests outside of class while being monitored by other teachers. As her academic performance in this class improved, her teacher intervened. “I started doing so good [on tests], like A’s and B’s. But once, when I took a test, [my teacher] wrote an email to one of the teacher [monitors]

“ I TH I N K TH E SADDEST BY ALICE MENG & JENNA WANG It’s a new day at school and you walk into the building with a pair of new shoes and a fresh haircut, a bounce of confidence with every step you take. Suddenly, someone makes fun of you, and you feel hurt — maybe for a few minutes, or even a whole day. The next school day, you vow not to wear those shoes again, and you set up another hair appointment. You’re able to change, so you won’t be targeted or hurt again. But what about skin color? What about a native language, or something that is essential to who you are? For minorities in the U.S., their race, ethnicity and culture is often a target for racism and bias, yet something they are never able to change. The WSS investigates just how prevalent the cultural and societal implications of racism still are across the ICCSD community and in modern society.

Racial Profiling As social studies teacher Amira Nash walked down the hallway, nothing was out of the ordinary. On the way to her classroom, she didn’t expect that seconds later, her African-American ethnicity would suddenly be brought to attention. Being surrounded by other white students, she never thought that as a teacher she’d be the one accused of cutting class. “I was walking down the hallway. A teacher who obviously didn’t know me yelled at me and said, ‘Can you walk any slower to class?’ It was just directed at me and not to the other students,” Nash said. “I think the saddest thing was that when I approached the teacher later and introduced myself, they didn’t understand that they made a mistake.”

TH I NG WAS THAT What Nash had just experienced is a term called racial profiling, which is defined as the act of targeting a person of a certain race on basis of assumed characteristics of a racial group instead of on individual suspicion. Rather than outright prejudice, Nash believes that the majority of racial profiling comes from a sense of ignorance. “I think everyone’s at a different level. There’s a lot of people that will understand that [what happened to me] was an issue, and there will be a lot of people that don’t understand why that’s an issue,” Nash said. Ahjiana Walker-Garcia ’20, a black student, has experienced the same sense of ignorance — only this time, coming from someone she’s close with. During her freshman year, one of Walker-Garcia’s friends at the time, who is white, casually said the N-word. Understanding that the word carried a deep-rooted history of her race, Walker-Garcia fell into an uncomfortable situation. “This was disappointing because it’s not a great word, but she’s also my friend,” Walker-Garcia said. “She’s like, ‘Oh my god Ahji. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to. My brothers say it all the time.’ But even if you didn’t mean to, you still fixed your mouth to say so.” What further disappointed Walker-Garcia was her friend’s lack of willingness to learn what she had done wrong. As a result, Walker-Garcia broke off their friendship. “It gets kind of hard if you’re not going to be open-minded. If you were like, ‘Why do you feel this way?’ and sparked a conversation and tried to learn instead of being so defensive, then that would be okay,” Walker-Garcia said. However, Walker-Garcia finds a clear distinction between being ignorant and racist, and be-

WH E N I APPROACH E D TH E TEACH E R LATE R AN D I NTRODUCE D MYSE LF, TH EY DI DN ’T U N DE RSTAN D THAT TH EY MADE A M I STAKE .” -AM I RA NASH , SOCIAL STU DI ES TEACH ER and she’s like, ‘You guys are helping her too much with the test. She’s doing too well now,’” Walker-Garcia said. “But I hadn’t been getting help on the test. I’ve been paying attention in class and getting the stuff done. I didn’t talk to a teacher, not one time.” In frustration, Walker-Garcia had a meeting to discuss the incident with the teacher, her mother and the counselor, which led to discussion about Walker-Garcia’s behavior in class. “[The teacher] was like, ‘Yeah I’ll be honest, she’s on her phone this many times, but I’m not watching her.’ I was like, ‘So did you make a log? Did you see how many other people were on their phones?’ And she was like, ‘Nope, just you.’ Oh, so just me,” Walker-Garcia said. Under the same teacher, Walker-Garcia noticed just how much it benefited another student to be white in the class. With only a few more days left in the trimester and one more test left,

the white girl was failing the class. “There was no possible way that she was going to be able to pass the class. No way possible. But the next year, I see her in my class. I passed the class and moved up, but how did she?” Walker-Garcia said. “I asked her and she was like, ‘Oh, they just let me.’ And the same teacher just thought I was cheating on my test?” As Walker-Garcia completes senior year and moves beyond high school, she knows racial profiling won’t just be a one-time situation. However, she is determined to rise beyond the challenge. “I’m definitely used to [racial profiling], but do I let it get me down? No, I’m better than that. This is just how it is here, and I gotta make the best out of it,” Walker-Garcia said. “I’m not just going to get all depressed because people don’t like me because of my skin color. I just gotta keep doing me.”

Stereotypes

Imagine walking into a room ready to learn, but subtly noticing there’s one thing about you that makes you different from the rest. Your skin color. Living in Iowa, which has been deemed the sixth whitest state in the U.S. according to the World Population Review, this has been an all too common situation for a number of people of color in the community. In an effort to try to fit in, with an unconscious need to look more ‘white,’ many have discovered that combating deeply-rooted stereotypes has been the heart of the problem. “There were a lot of times when I was going through the teacher programs where I had a lot of people say to me, ‘You might not want to be

58%

of Americans believe race relations in the U.S. are generally bad

too black in that space,’” Nash said. “It was mostly a hair issue. ‘You won’t get the job if that’s what you’re going to look like; you need to straighten your hair,’ just so as not to be perceived as too black.” With a negative connotation formed about one’s culture, which increasingly more students of color are encouraged to hide, Nash believes that this societal norm can easily lead to the stereotype threat for many students. Defined as the risk of confirming negative stereotypes about an individual’s racial, ethnic, gender or cultural group, the stereotype threat is what Nash believes has limited the potential of many students. “We have a really big push right now to get more students of color into upper level classes. Even though [students of color] get there, a lot of students are still feeling like, ‘This still isn’t my space, and I don’t belong here,’” Nash said. Isabella Hoeger-Pinto ’20, a Costa Rican student, has noticed this impact her first day of freshman year. “You already notice that it’s separated — minorities are in these classes, white students are in these classes, and it starts right from the beginning,” Hoeger-Pinto said. “What’s really sad about that is in elementary you go into a class and it’s literally a rainbow. Now [at West], it’s just a couple shades here, a couple shades there, and that’s disheartening.” Noticing a trend of mostly white and Asian students in upper level classes and more black and Latino students in regular level classes, Latina student Fernanda Perez ’21 remembers how isolating and revealing it was at first to be an AP student. “I realized I was the only Latina, and mostly all my peers were white and Asian. I just felt like,

‘Wow, not a lot of Latinos push themselves to take hard classes,”’ Perez said. Both students have witnessed the same situations outside of the classroom, such as in extracurriculars. “If you ever go to a football or basketball game … there’s only white and some black, but I don’t see a lot of Latinos or Asians doing that,” Perez said. To combat this issue and increase representation, Perez agrees with Nash that it’s necessary to have students of color challenge the stereotypes that exist, not reaffirm them. “While a lot of students don’t have the same opportunities that maybe other white kids or other races may have, I feel like people of color are so scared, and they think, ‘Oh, I’m gonna do really terrible at this class, only smart people can do it,’” Perez said. “I feel like that is totally wrong because I’m not that smart, but hey, I’ve passed

“ I F EVE RYDAY AT TH E BEG I N N I NG OF CLASS I TOLD MY STU DE NTS, ‘A BLACK U NAR M E D MAN WAS SHOT TODAY,’ WH ICH I S PROBABLY TR U E — I F I TOLD MY STU DE NTS THAT EVE RY DAY, WHAT I M PACT WOU LD

78%

of blacks believe the U.S. hasn’t done enough to give them equal rights compared to whites

THAT HAVE? ” -AM I RA NASH , SOCIAL STU DI ES TEACH ER my classes being one of the only people of color in my classes.” In the face of isolation, Perez encourages other people of color to face the stereotype threat head-on and follow the footsteps of her journey for guidance. “At first, I felt isolated from everyone else, but then I was just like, ‘No, I’m not gonna just discourage myself because I’m the only one. I’m going to prove that I can do it,’” Perez said.

Ignorance & Bias

When thinking of racism, many times explic-

it racism comes to mind rather than structural racism, a system that provides benefits for certain individuals while putting others at a disadvantage. While it is one of the most prevalent forms of racism, it is often more covert. According to social studies teacher Travis Henderson, it primarily exists in institutions such as education and housing. He believes that structural racism poses a large threat in society and should be receiving more attention. “The fact that there aren’t that many teachers of color is evidence of structural bias. The fact that more of our students with privilege who are white take our more advanced classes like AP classes, PSEO classes, is evidence of structural racism,” Henderson said. “It’s not to say that anyone explicitly sat down and said, ‘I’m going to make a racist decision to not let these kids into these classes.’ It’s not as explicit as that ... but you could see evidence of it if you just basically take half a second to look around.” Harmful consequences result from institutional bias, like achievement gaps at schools. According to the National Center for Educational

“ I FE E L LI KE I F WE

50%

of blacks believe that they will eventually have equal rights

TALKE D ABOUT CE LE B R ATION MOR E , TH E N WE’ D ALL BE MOR E WI LLI NG TO E NGAG E I N A CONVE RSATION .” - ISABELLA HOEGER- PI NTO ‘20 Statistics, the white-black reading gap for eighth graders in 2017 was 25 points on tests. Though the gap has been slowly closing in some states, others have seen little progress or even an increase. Implicit bias also carries over to other situations, such as racial profiling. At schools, this can mean a higher suspension rate for black students or teachers keeping an extra eye on them. According to the ACLU, black students nationally make up 15% of the student population, but contribute to 45% of all school days lost due to suspension. “[Teachers] implicitly may hold those stereotypes not even realizing it,” Henderson said. “If you spend more time looking at those groups of people for the behaviors that you think are

problematic, then you’re going to find those behaviors.” An increase in awareness of racial disparities can help bring about action to lessen not only the prevalence and consequences of structural racism, but of other biases as well. Nash believes there is misinformation in the news that causes desensitization to issues. “I don’t think people are taking the time to figure out and understand the implications of what’s happening,” Nash said. “If everyday at the beginning of class I told my students, ‘A black unarmed man was shot today,’ which is probably true — what impact would that have?” One way that West has facilitated race-based discussions is through MLK Day sessions, but attendance during that event is lower than average school days. The sessions present an opportunity for students to discuss and gain insight about many perspectives surrounding race. However, when they choose to skip school that day, they miss out on becoming more educated about racial bias and privileges. Additionally, their absence can show a lack of support and caring to peers. During these discussions, however, many students like Kevin Yang ’20 have noticed that certain parts of history are often glazed over or skipped altogether. “For example, the U.S. passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which we never talked about [in American Studies]. It’s a very important part of our history because the Asian population is a big part of the United States,” Yang said. “When I did the MLK session, we talked about it, and virtually nobody knew about it.”

While discussing the difficulties that people of color have faced in the history of the U.S. is crucial, Hoeger-Pinto wishes more conversations would be centered around celebration of different cultures. “Whenever we talk about [race], it’s like, ‘black — okay, we have [to talk about] ghettos and how they’ve been mistreated, or Latinos — we have to [talk about] gangs and immigration, but black people also have created jazz, and Latinos also have amazing festivals and dresses,” Hoeger-Pinto said. “I feel like if we talked about celebration more, then we’d all be more willing to engage in a conversation.”

Self-Segregation

When you walk into the cafeteria during lunch, you may find a group of Asian students huddled together in one corner, while some white students gather at a different table. This phenomenon, known as self-segregation, involves individuals’ preferences to be with others of similar backgrounds. “Students want to be in a social group in which they feel the most comfortable,” Nash said. “Often that’s a racial group, because then you also share a cultural background.” Hoeger-Pinto agrees, noting that she finds the most comfort being with other Spanish-speaking individuals. “I do find myself wanting to hang out with people who speak Spanish. Maybe that’s just because it’s like we already have something built in that’s really cool to be able to rely on,” Hoeger-Pinto said. “It’s this unique little thing ... and it’s just really fun to be like, ‘Oh, you speak Spanish too.’”

Another factor that influences students’ environments is the extracurricular activities they participate in. Some individuals don’t have the opportunity to take part in any due to money or time barriers, which can make it difficult for them to interact with students with similar interests. Lower income levels disproportionately affect black individuals, as shown by a study from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average household income was $70,448, while for blacks it was $48,871. A survey conducted by Pew Social Trends found that for children in families with an income of $75,000 and up, 84 percent participated in athletic activities, while families with incomes of $30,000 to $74,999 had a participation rate of 69 percent. This leads to de facto segregation, segregation that results due to a difference in opportunities. “To what degree can you stay after school for a long time? Do you have to catch a bus to get home?” Henderson said. “If you take the bus, you can’t stay for play practice, and you can’t stay for additional practice time for music or you can’t stay for art club.” As a result, this contributes to racial disparities among the activities and friendships from them, worsening self-segregation. While self-segregation allows students to connect to others with similarities, it can limit the diversity of the environment they choose to place themselves into. “Our default is familiarity. We may be missing out on some stuff if we always default to that,” Hoeger-Pinto said. A study by Society for Research in Child Development found that students who frequently interacted with others of different backgrounds had less racial prejudice than those who mainly spent time with individuals of similar backgrounds. This subconscious occurrence is often reinforced, as race isn’t usually discussed in classes beyond social studies. However, Perez still feels that people of color aren’t mentioned in the curriculum beyond the oppression that white individuals caused them. This can lead to individuals feeling uncomfortable when discussing race, and avoiding stepping out of their comfort zone. “I don’t think we have done a very good job both as a society and also as a school about thinking about and talking about how to have conversations across [racial] differences,” Henderson said. “And how to have them respectfully and meaningfully, and how to have them in a way that we can lean into the discomfort. We can feel the discomfort but also not let the discomfort overtake us or shut us down.” However, Nash believes that the responsibility of diversifying areas often goes to students of color. Since white individuals make up the majority of the population nationally, minorities are the ones that have to spread out. “If we’re trying to stop self-segregation, we’re effectively asking students of color to leave the comfort they find in their peers. So for white

people, all day, every day they have that comfort,” Nash said. “What we’re doing when we look at self-segregation is asking the students of color to leave the one time of day or the few times a day that they’re with people of their color.”

Efforts Within West

The administration has been making strides to help combat racial bias in the school. A new trimester elective course, Ethnic Studies/Social Justice, will be offered next year and will help facilitate discussions covering many components about race. “Students can figure out where we are, where we come from, where are we in this space, how identity privilege impacts ourselves in the world and at West,” Nash said. “So if a student is wondering, why is saying the N-word a big deal, or why do people think it’s a big deal? That would be the class to explore that.” Having discussions about race during class encourages students to feel more comfortable about addressing their differences. Henderson believes that while some individuals are resistant to these conversations, most of them are open to it but don’t have to face it on a day-to-day basis. “I think the majority of our population probably is just going through their day and they have the privilege of not having to think about it, [but] when confronted with it, they’re happy to talk about it,” Henderson said. Additionally, the district conducts a student climate survey annually where students can share their reflections with administration to help guide training for teachers. Instructional rounds also provide a deeper insight into how the school can improve by allowing teachers and students to observe classes and develop strate-

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gies to become more inclusive. Through the instructional rounds, concerns like the difference in diversity in general education classes versus more advanced classes can be noticed. “We’ve contracted with an organization called Equal Opportunity Schools and we brought them in to try to help us identify students who have been overlooked and then to actively recruit them and support them in our AP, honors, Kirkwood and PSEO classes,” Henderson said. Dijon Genus ’21, an African-American student who participated in the rounds, noticed many trends like self-segregation. “One of the main things students and teachers said [was] that they were sometimes afraid to approach or interact with students and teachers of different races,” Genus said. Although the school administration has made an effort to ensure teachers are working to create a more inclusive environment, student-to-student interactions haven’t been addressed as much. As a result, a program called Mentors in Violence Prevention is being created this year that focuses on bystander intervention. Students in the program will be educated about how to create a safer school environment. “We’re also trying to build up the capacity of our students to address some of the concerns that we’ve seen because it can’t just be teachers and it can’t just be the administration,” Henderson said. “We are ultimately a very small percentage of the people who are in this building every day, [so] it’s got to come from the students as well.”

of blacks and Asians say they have experienced racial discrimination

Source: Pew Research Center PHOTOS BY ADITI BORDE ART & DESIGN BY SELINA HUA

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veryone needs a little advice now and again. Whether you’re having relationship troubles or just can’t figure out how to open the peanut butter jar (those twist-tops can be pesky), West Side Story is here for you. Righty tighty, lefty loosey. Socks first, then shoes. The meaning of life is 42.

How hard is it to talk to girls? It’s alright talking to them when they start a conversation, but I’m always scared to start a conversation with a girl because I’m not sure how they’d react. Although, I find that texting them is easier. In elementary school, the idea of “cooties” makes it quite difficult to have conversations across binary gender lines, and by high school, many of us feel unequipped to handle interactions with the opposite sex. In theory, it is not hard to talk to girls. They don’t bite (usually) and most are decent human beings who would be more than willing to talk to you. As you progress in your high school years and with the “cooties” stigma even further behind you, you’ll probably find that talking to new people (including girls) becomes easier. For now however, you don’t necessarily have

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??? Why is it that at a school of over 1000, many of us still feel lonely? Being surrounded by people is not the same as feeling a connection with people. Although there are 1485 of us, West High can often feel like multiple different schools with no real sense of community. The best thing you can do is get involved. Join one of the many sports, clubs or other groups to start making your own community. Research reported in the Journal of Happiness Studies has shown that there is a strong correlation between a sense of belonging and a sense of happiness. To feel like you belong you must put yourself out there and build relationships with your peers even if it’s a little scary.

much of that life experience under your belt to boost your confidence. It is always easier to let someone else start a conversation or text someone. It removes you from the path of potential rejection or judgment that keeps many of us afraid of social interaction, but life would be pretty lonely if we didn’t push past that fear. Unfortunately, the only way to talk to girls is to talk to them, so don’t be scared of starting a conversation. The worst that can happen — rejection — is really not that bad. If someone doesn’t want to talk to you, then they’re the one missing out, and I guarantee you will move on from the experience and find someone better who enjoys your conversation.

What should you do if you have something stolen at West?

Before reporting your item stolen, look in your classrooms or check in the lost and found. There is a lost and found in both the Main and West Wing offices. If you don’t find your item there, go to the Main Office and pick up a missing property report to fill out. Once you’ve filled it out and returned it to the office, Assistant Principal Luke DeVries will look it over and try to help you find your item. Don’t fret if you can’t find it, however; it’s rumored that all lost and stolen items are compensated for with a jar of DeVries’ spicy pickles.

s ws

What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?

After careful consideration, unsuccessful attempts to learn the formulas and notation necessary for proper calculation and a long meditation, it can be concluded that the airspeed velocity of an unladen European swallow is 11 meters per second. However, if you want to know if that same swallow could carry a coconut, the answer is no. It’s a simple matter of weight-ratios.

What should I name my duck??? First off, congratulations on the new duck! That is very exciting. Here are some name suggestions courtesy of the West Side Story staff: 17. Daddy 1. Clyde 18. Mr. /Mrs. Cheese 2. Bill n’ Quackers 3. Sir Bubbles 19. George Clooney 4. Goose 20. Elton 5. Arnold 6. Chuck the Duck 21. Angelina Jolie 22. Judge Judy 7. Harold 23. Geronimo Stilton 8. Leonard 24. Bertha 9. Kevin 25. Waddles 10. Ignacious 26. Stephen F. Murley 11. Edith 27. Cat 12. Gladys 28. Ben Afflack 13. Stupid Face 29. Barnacle Boy 14. Mr. Roboto 30. Krampus 15. Daffy 31. Geico 16. Donald

Dear WSS, I really like this basketball player in my fifth period class. He talks to me all the time but how do I go about romanticizing our friendship in a chill way? -Crushing on a Friend The only way to find out if he is crushing on you too is to ask. It’s a little nerve-wracking, yes, but if you are friends, having an open and honest conversation about it won’t damage your relationship. Tell him you have a crush, and ask if he feels the same. Before you ask, however, make sure you know how you’ll feel about continuing a friendship if he doesn’t feel the same. Life is too short to waste it thinking about “what ifs.” Shoot your shot, and it might just be a slam dunk. ;-)

I’ve never been in a relationship, and I have no idea what it’s like. This person has asked me out, but I don’t know how to react. Please help! There’s only one way to find out what a relationship is like, and that’s to be in one. It’s important to keep in mind, however, that just going out on a date is not the same as being in a relationship. If you’re interested in this person and you like spending time with them, then it might be worth one date to see if you want to start something with them. Depending on how close you are to this person already, it might be a good idea to have an honest conversation with them about your concerns as well.

If the value of (x-5)+24.5*3 45 is 23, who the heck cares?

I expect that many mathematicians, math teachers and math enthusiasts care. It is, after all, quite a classic algebra problem. I imagine that the X cares as well. Without knowing the value of the equation, the X might have an identity crisis. Indeed, there would be no way to find X. It would be lost forever, and then how would we spell xylophone??

Dear WSS... Would you rather have all traffic lights turn green when you approach them or never stand in line again? The West Side Story staff is unable to reach a consensus at this time. There are of course pros and cons to both. If all the lights turned green when you approached them, it would seriously reduce travel time and allow some of us late risers to get to first period on time. On the other hand, it could be a real blow to traffic safety. Never having to stand in line would make the DMV and the pizza line in the cafeteria more tolerable, but it could create a false sense of entitlement and make you quite irritatingly impatient in other situations.

D i d n’ t s e e yo u r q u e s t i o n answered? N ev e r fe a r ! G o to w s s p a p e r. c o m to f i n d m o r e questions and their answers.

ENTERTAINMENT

FEB. 21, 2020

THE RADISH BY JOE GOODMAN & ISAAC YOUNG

The second installment of the WSS satire series. (Yes, this is satire, so please don’t write to the editor).

HUGGING IT OUT F

or the first time in Iowa high school wrestling history, a match ended without a loser. With the team score tied in a pivotal dual meet against Liberty High School, both wrestlers decided they would rather embrace in a six-minute-long hug in the center of the mat than wrestle each other. “I really just didn’t want to hurt my opponent’s feelings by making them feel bad about themselves if they lost,” one wrestler said. “It was better this way.” Throughout the match, the Trojan and Bolt fans were electric as they celebrated the bravery and compassion displayed by two of the city’s finest athletes. Even the toughest of wrestlers could not help but shed a tear at such an emotional and heartwarming moment. “I’m just so proud of my son for making sure his opponent stayed safe and uninjured,” said the dedicated father of the West High wrestler. “I would make sure he gave out 100 hugs every day growing up, so it’s really rewarding to see that hard work pay off.” Despite the warm feelings circulating throughout the West High gymnasium, there was one participant who felt particularly disturbed by the event. The match’s official appeared visibly uncomfortable declaring both athletes as the winner and has vowed to never return to officiating again. “Those kids were weird,” said the referee. “Back in my day, I could have beat them both at the same time. Kids these days just don’t have what it takes to win.”

ENTERTAINMENT FEB. 21 2020

WORKING FOR BREAK T

he days after snow days hold some of the best memories for ICCSD Superintendent Stephen Murley’s son, Alec Murley ’20. High fives and fist bumps are not uncommon for Murley after students return from a well-deserved day off. “After a snow day my freshman year, a bunch of seniors picked me up and paraded me through the halls. Everyone was calling me the man; I had like ten girls ask for my number,” Murley said. “It’s pretty much one of the greatest feelings in the world.” Being the superintendent’s son is not always glamorous, however. On days when students feel classes should have been canceled or delayed, Murley receives constant harassment throughout the day by students and teachers alike. “If we have to come to school when the weather’s bad I make sure not to be seen with Alec,” said long-time friend Julian Fender ’20. “Sometimes I join in on the harassment just so people don’t get suspicious of me.”

After a couple of physical altercations with a group of upperclassmen known as The Blizzard Bunch, Murley knew something had to change. With an improved work ethic and a little bit of persuasion, Murley was able to appease his peers while also keeping himself out of harm’s way. “I started bargaining with my dad last winter saying that if I took the trash out or actually cleaned my room instead of just shoving everything under the bed, he should have to cancel school,” Murley said. “I’m surprised it actually worked.” Since last year, Murley has been working feverishly around the house for more delays and cancellations. He even has a major project in the works for the upcoming weeks. “Last year we got like three days in a row off from school because I cleared out our entire attic,” Murley said. “Now I’m trying to get us an extra week of spring break by remodeling our basement, but we will see how that goes.”

WORLD WAR III:THE DRAFT A

midst tension between the United States and Iran, the Department of Defense announced its plan to seek out males aged 18-25 who excel in first-person shooting games for the upcoming draft. “We are looking for experienced gamers who can use the skills they’ve learned while playing games like Call of Duty and Fortnite,” said Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper. “We need our most fit-for-duty men on the front lines, and gamers fill that role perfectly.” Members of the video game community have cited the Department of Defense’s decision as unfair to gamers. “We don’t want to go to Iran, or do any other service for that matter,” said one avid Battlefield player and student. “I like computerized violence, but that doesn’t mean I want to go kill people. Plus, I bet the snack situation isn’t great over there.”

The Department of Defense also caused quite a ruckus by announcing that women will not be required to serve in the upcoming war. In fear of being drafted, women all over the internet and beyond were fully prepared to revert back to a time before the 19th Amendment if it meant they could avoid compulsory military service. “We’ve made lots of strides for women’s rights in the past 100 years,” said one female student. “I just really don’t want to fight, so I don’t really need to vote.” Some have even gone as far as to say they would be willing to exclusively take on the responsibilities of the typical 19th century woman: cooking, cleaning and caring for children. Women all over the country were fully prepared to give up basic rights if it meant protection from the draft. “I think women should be treated equally,” said one feminist activist. “But maybe not in this one case.”

ART & DESIGN BY KAILEY GEE

ENTERTAINMENT

FEB. 21 2020

Most athletes are only identified by their real name when they are in the classroom, but some have another as soon as they put on their Trojan uniform. Here are some of the nicknames from sports teams at West High. PHOTOS BY SARA BARONCINI AND KILEY BUTCHER DESIGN BY MADDY EPHRAIM

BY HANAH KITAMOTO

“FUZZ”

IZZY PAULSEN ‘21

aulsen has been called ‘Fuzz’ ever since she could remember, but the reason for it is still unknown. “Ever since I can remember, my dad has called me ‘Fuzz’. Neither of us know the reason, that’s just what he calls me. When my parents cheer for me while I’m playing they call me ‘Fuzz’, which then spread to my teammates and their parents,” Paulsen said. “It’s less used now, coach Scott calls me ‘Iz’, but my club teammates, coach Panther and a few people at West will always know me as ‘Fuzz.’”

“RICO”

JOSEPH BARTOSZCZYK ‘20

t all started when Bartoszczyk was an unknown face to a teammate during his first year on the swim team. “When I was a freshman, Jeff Garbutt ’18 didn’t know my name, so he just looked at me and called me ‘Rico Suave’ [a song from 1992],” Bartoszczyk said. “And ever since then it just stuck. [It’s] pretty much my first [name].”

SPORTS FEB. 21, 2020

“GREMLIN”

GRANT O’DELL ‘22

’Dell made a state wrestling tournament appearance last season. During the state tournament, assistant coach Kody Pudil was joking around and compared O’Dell to the creatures in the movie “Gremlins.” “Pudil just came up with it last year and he said that I looked like the [Gremlin from] the movie, so then he went with it,” O’Dell said. “It was pretty cool and I just kind of went along with it because I wasn’t gonna get anyone to stop saying [it]. It’s just a joke that Pudil made up. Now it’s not even a joke, it’s just my name.”

“LOOSH”

ALI ALWAHDANI ‘20

lwahdani may have played nose tackle for the Trojan football team, but the nickname ‘Loosh’ originates from his elementary days playing travel basketball for the IC Ballers. “My parents have always called me ‘Loosh’ because of some song [from the 1970s] my name was in. They would call me by the name during my old travel basketball games and my teammates just started calling me ‘Loosh’ since,” Alwahdani said.

“PEACHES”

RYLEE GOODFELLOW ‘21

hat seemed like a simple nickname quickly became popular amongst her teammates during Goodfellow’s freshman year of high school. “I’ve been called ‘Peaches’ since I was little because my hair looked like peach fuzz [and] someone heard my parents call me that and then everyone just kind of started [calling me it],” Goodfellow said. “I just think it’s kind of funny, I hated it and then people started to calling me it again and so I kind of just learned to live with it.”

“BAMBI”

AUDREY KOCH ‘21

och has been part of the girls varsity basketball squad since her freshman year. Her long legs and the way she ran contributed to the creation of her nickname, ‘Bambi.’ “My nickname was an inside joke from my teammates about the way I ran when I was a freshman because I did not have the best running form or the best coordination,” Koch said. “It was [because of] how long my legs were and that I didn’t have the best control when I ran.”

TRANSFERABLE A recent increase in student-athletes transferring from Liberty to West has warranted a deeper look into the complex reasons and logistics for athletes transferring schools across the state of Iowa.

BY JOE GOODMAN ART & DESIGN BY YOUJOO LEE PHOTOS BY OWEN AANESTAD

t’s almost an unspeakable word in Iowa high school sports: transfer. Whenever a student-athlete transfers to a new school, particularly without changing their residence, rumors and speculations inevitably begin to circulate. The word “transfer” itself conjures up accusations of recruiting and misconduct that can blemish the reputation of an athlete seeking a better opportunity at a once-rival school. More often than not, however, a student athlete’s decision to transfer schools is the result of multiple factors. Coaching styles, college development or simply wanting a fresh start are all reasons for high school athletes to transfer to a new school. Like most states in the US, the Iowa High School Athletic Association and the Iowa High School Girls Athletic Union do not grant immediate athletic eligibility for every student that transfers depending on their circumstances. There are three main types of transfer student-athletes West High encounters, each with their own nuances and regulations.

RELOCATION

West has always been an attractive school for out-of-state and in-state transfers looking to better their academic and athletic careers. The recent success of West High’s athletic programs coupled with the high-achieving academic performance of its students has drawn athletes like varsity defensive end and wrestler Anu Dokun ’20 to wear the green and gold. “We looked at the schools [in the ICCSD] and started touring a couple of them,” said Dokun, who is originally from Memphis. “For my thing, it was who had the best football team, and West [had] been to the playoffs the last few years.” For these students, transferring into West is a simple process. As long as the student’s family

physically moves and relocates into the West attendance area and can complete the required eligibility checklist proving their residence, the student is immediately eligible for varsity athletics.

“TO US TH EY AR E STU DE NTS FI RST, THAT’S TH E MOST I M PO RTANT PART. I F TH EY AR E OUT LOO KI NG FO R A SCHOOL , WE E NCOU R AG E THAT IT SHOU LD BE FO R ACADE M IC R EASON S.” -TODD THARP, ASSISTANT IAHSAA DIRECTOR This rule also applies to students already living in Iowa. If a student moves into the West attendance area, even if they previously lived as close as North Liberty or Solon, they are immediately eligible as long as they can prove their family is “physically present in the district for the purpose of making a home and not solely for school or athletic purposes” as outlined in the IAHSAA’s General Transfer Rule. In order to prove this, the family must provide documents such as new

driver’s licenses and utility bills to substantiate their new place of residence.

OPEN ENROLLMENT

For students wishing to attend West High without changing their place of residence, things can become a little more complicated. Open enrollment is defined by the Iowa Department of Education as “a cost-free option by which parents/guardians residing in an Iowa district may enroll their children into another Iowa school district.” Students who wish to open enroll must fill out an application detailing reasons for leaving the school district, which is sent to both the resident and receiving district’s superintendent. If a student is approved to transfer without changing their place of residence, they are still ineligible for varsity athletic competition during the first 90 school days of enrollment at their new school, unless there are extenuating circumstances. Assistant IAHSAA director Todd Tharp stresses the state’s prioritization of student’s education over athletics as reason for this restriction. “To us they are students first — that’s the most important part,” Tharp said. “If they are out looking for a school, we encourage that it should be for academic reasons.” The ineligibility requirement also deters athletes from transferring on a whim, insuring that any student transferring has a legitimate reason that outweighs the punishment of sitting for 90 days. There is, however, a well-known loophole to this rule. For many athletes, avoiding the 90 day ineligibility period simply means transferring SPORTS FEB. 21, 2020

more than 90 days before the start of their athletic season. Basketball player Even Brauns ’20 open enrolled at West in the spring of 2018 in order to be eligible for the start of the basketball season in the fall of 2018. “[My parents] didn’t even know there was a rule about sitting out or anything. They called the athletic department, and then I had to transfer in like two days,” Brauns said. “We weren’t planning to transfer until after my sophomore year was over and then we found out and I literally had two days to leave and get enrolled here.” Brauns, a recent University of Belmont commit, feels his decision to transfer to West from Regina is helping better prepare him for his college basketball career in the form of tougher competition and better talent development. “I just felt like I wasn’t improving [at Regina] the way I felt I should,” Brauns said. “My parents just felt like kids on my [club basketball] team were getting better during the high school season, and I was kind of staying the same.” With the open enrollment system in Iowa, athletes, especially highly-touted prospects like Brauns, can be recruited to play for any program in the state. While outcries from parents and coaches have been directed at the IAHSAA regarding high school athletic recruitment, there is nothing stopping schools from recruiting stu-

SPORTS

FEB. 21, 2020

dent-athletes as outlined in the Iowa state code. “There’s schools here in North Central Iowa that put great, big huge billboards in other school [districts] to say ‘Hey, come to our school.’ That happens all the time,” Tharp said. “Any high school in the state of Iowa can recruit.” While there are no restrictions against recruiting, there are major penalties for any athletic programs found giving undue influence to student-athletes from other schools. “[Undue influence is] more along the lines of saying … we’ll make sure we’ll get your parents both jobs, we’ll guarantee that you’re going to start for us,” Tharp said. “[Our focus] is not necessarily recruitment but more on undue influence.” Tharp is fully aware of the apparent loophole within the open enrollment system, and personally calls for an extension of the ineligibility period to 180 school days, forcing athletes to sit out entire seasons before becoming eligible the following year. “If it was a whole calendar year then [athletes] would have to sit out all of those sports, and you would see how serious and really bad it is for these transfers,” Tharp said. “I know there are some athletic directors around the state that have that sentiment, and I think they feel that would stop a lot of issues.”

“ I J UST FE LT LI KE I WASN ’T I M PROVI NG [AT R EG I NA] TH E WAY I FE LT I SHOU LD. MY PAR E NTS J UST FE LT LI KE KI DS ON MY [CLU B BASKETBALL] TEAM WE R E G ETTI NG BETTE R DU R I NG TH E H IG H SCHOOL SEASON , AN D I WAS KI N D OF STAYI NG TH E SAM E .” - EVEN BRAU NS ‘20

INTRADISTRICT TRANSFERS

While the state sets rules for athletes who transfer across school districts, those with multiple high schools are given the flexibility to adopt their own policy. As outlined in the IAHSAA’s General Transfer Rule, “A school district that has more than one high school in its district shall set its own eligibility policies regarding intradistrict transfers.” Up until 2018, the ICCSD enacted harsher transfer policies than the state by requiring students who transferred between ICCSD high schools to sit out 180 days before competing in varsity athletics. Assistant ICCSD Superintendent Matt Denger and the rest of the secretary administrative team modified the rules last year to match the state’s policy of 90 days, unless there are extenuating circumstances, after recognizing the disadvantage for students transferring within the ICCSD. “We just felt like that was a safer ground for us to be in,” Denger said. “In theory you would be punishing students in your own district a little bit more than kids coming from say Solon or West Branch. That didn’t feel right.” While the state does not influence districts’ decisions on intradistrict transfer rules, most districts around the state adopt the 90 day policy to stay consistent when dealing with open enrollment. “[The IAHSAA] gives them the local control to decide how they want to determine how student-athletes can move from school to school,” Tharp said. “I think it’s pretty consistent that all of [the districts] follow the same rules of the state for the 90-day ineligibility requirement.” West has been the primary recipient of most of the ICCSD’s intradistrict transfers this year, with

“ WE CAN ’T DO ANYTH I NG ABOUT TH E POLICY WH ETH E R WE LI KE IT O R DI SLI KE IT, BUT WE TRY TO PROVI DE TH E MOST POSITIVE EXPE R I E NCE POSSI BLE FO R [OU R ATH LETES].” -CRAIG H U EGEL, WEST HIGH ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

2019-2020

INTRAINTRADISTRICT DISTRICT TRANSFERS TRANSFERS *Liberty High School does not accept voluntary transfer students or students wishing to open enroll for the class of 2021 or younger.

117 38 23

eight varsity athletes across five different sports transferring to West from Liberty. The volleyball team experienced a revolving door of transfers this year as they added Kearsten Lenth ’22 and Rylie Baldes ’21 from Liberty while also losing last year’s starting setter Rylee Fay ’20 to the Lightning. While Lenth led the Women of Troy with 2.22 assists per set this season, Baldes was unable to compete due to the district’s policy regarding intradistrict transfers. For Fay, the decision to leave West High was not an easy one. Leaving friends and teammates behind was hard, but perhaps the biggest deterrent was the stigma that came with being labeled a ‘transfer.’ “I’ve seen the hate others had gotten for transferring and I was scared that would happen to me,” Fay said. Aside from Liberty’s successful volleyball program, Fay also cited smaller class sizes and a familiarity with the Lighting’s head coach Randy Dolson, who coached her as a freshman at West, as reasons she made the switch. “For those who didn’t know the real reasons and just assumed it was just for volleyball, there were many reasons why I [transferred],” Fay said. “Liberty was just a better fit for me.” In the spring, boys soccer fans can expect a fresh face playing up top for the Trojans as Liberty transfer Kolby Godbolt ’21 works his way into the star-studded West lineup. Godbolt led the Lightning in goals scored and assists last season, but decided to transfer to West this year to better develop his skills in the hopes of playing collegiately in the future. Godbolt initially intended to transfer during the middle of his sophomore year, but decided to wait until his junior year after realizing he would be forced to sit out for over half of the soccer season due to the district’s 90 day ineligibility requirement. Similar to Fay, Godbolt felt some hostility from

students transferred to West. students transferred to Liberty. students transferred to

City.

former teammates but feels this decision is best for both his soccer career and overall well-being. “I think I just did what’s best for me,” Godbolt said. “Their opinion doesn’t really matter; I just wanted to be happy. I felt like West was a good fit for me, and I enjoyed being here.”

IN THE FUTURE

West has certainly benefited from transfer athletes in the past, and with growing knowledge of the process, more student-athletes could be coming to play for the Trojans in the years to come. “Nowadays people live in this information age where people know more. They know the policy and they know about individual schools and individual coaches,” West High athletic director Craig Huegel said. “We can’t do anything about the policy whether we like it or dislike it, but we try to provide the most positive experience possible for [our athletes].” As more information about coaches and programs become available, parents seeking to find the best path to athletic success will inevitably begin scrambling for transfer requests to put their child in the best position possible. While transferring for athletic purposes is nearly always permitted, and oftentimes warranted, Denger still feels the integrity of high school athletics would be better kept if students remained at their home schools unless absolutely necessary. “Anytime you have a policy, there’s a spirit behind the policy. We don’t want the primary driver to change campuses to be around athletics,” Denger said. “We have full-slated athletic programs at every building, we have all kinds of extracurricular activities that we feel like if you’re changing campuses there should be a more compelling reason than just an athletic program.” SPORTS FEB 21, 2020

ARE

SCHO OL P

RIOR

ITIES

WSS staffer Mariam Keita ‘22 shares an insight into the struggle and challenges that public education has faced in recent years. BY MARIAM KEITA

merica’s government does not prioritize its money and time on public education. Education around the world has been a luxury that privileged people have had for decades. The United States government, however, has granted public education for all those, regardless of income level, from the age of five until the age of 18. Ideally, we expect children to transition from learning ABCs to mastering calculus problems in a safe and encouraging environment, but those expectations haven’t been met. Nonetheless, with numerous laws such as the No Child Left Behind and Every Student Succeeds Act which were created to help students achieve in the education system, the United States’ public education priorities are skewed in the wrong direction. Children across the nation do not receive the same opportunities to achieve their full educational potential. Whether it is from lack of federal funding in their schools or from teachers who don’t have enough support from the government to teach efficiently, the public education system has failed many kids who need education in their lives. Education is a necessity for children who live in poverty because they need to escape the recurring cycle that keeps them from advancing in life. Government support does not deliver enough opportunity to children living in low-income communities and it largely affects how these kids see their futures. Children who grow up without education are left to work low-level jobs and are vulnerable to being incar-

cerated, especially minority children. The message that we send to adolescents by underfunding schools is that their development in schools is not valued. Children that experience poverty need to be able to come to school excited about the possibility of their future. They need an escape into education that would distract them from financial and family problems they may face in their lives. Knowledge is a tool that gives communities and families the power to dream of a better life and help the disadvantaged find a way to escape the cycle of poverty. Public education deserves more funding, yet more and more states are punishing young children by not investing in their education and futures. Teachers play a large part in how schools are run as they are the backbone of the education system. Even throughout all the changes they face, with sufficient education funding, low salary pay and shaping the minds of young individuals, teachers find a way to stay dedicated and mold students to become successful. However, when discussing the failing education system, such as low test scores, dropout rates and lack of diversity, lawmakers and politicians neglect to mention that teachers don’t get paid enough. On average, according to The Education Market Association, teachers spend $500 out of their own pockets on classroom supplies each school year. Government funding does not give enough to states or schools to support teachers. According to the American Psychological Association, research has shown that quality teachers inspire

quality students. Teachers have the ability to change a student’s achievement level and motivate success and change in their students. However, government officials and politicians have neglected teachers’ — who may be the most significant factor in the way the youth of America are educated — needs. Classroom sizes have been booming in the past few decades and some classes are now filled with 26-40 students or more. This means more noise, more smells and more students who need help with the material. This is causing many teachers to leave the profession and discouraging others from joining. With their peers abandoning ship it has been a burden for the teachers who remain behind to deal with large classes and the struggles that come with them. The public education controversy has been a topic politicians and lawmakers have used to push their political agendas for years, but education for children is not a political move. It should not be used to try and persuade and convince people who actually believe a change might be possible in their lives. Education has the possibility to change lives and shape futures and these matters should not be taken lightly. We don’t want the future minds of America denied an education or any advantages that come with it because we don’t prioritize the right things. The government needs to give children the tools they need to succeed and be great. It’s time to engage in the right things to better our future and the future of our nation. DESIGN BY YOUJOO LEE

OPINION

FEB. 21, 2020

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OPINION FEB. 21 2020

DESIGN BY YOUJOO LEE

The WSS Editorial Board takes a stance on the diversity of the West curriculum.

ituated in Iowa, which has been deemed the sixth whitest state in the US according to the World Population Review, West is a school that is becoming a near majority-minority school. To increase awareness and education in relation to minorities, racism and inclusion, the ICCSD has made significant efforts with accordance to Iowa Code 256.11 in that “global perspectives shall be incorporated into all levels of the educational program,” from implementing the MLK Day event to the recent inclusion of a trimester-long Social Justice and Ethnicity course. In addition to improving the educational experiences for all students through a culturally-inclusive school environment, the West faculty has made efforts to follow the Multicultural/ Gender Fair Education Program, a state-mandated program which encourages the curriculum to include the contributions and perspectives of different cultural groups in order to prepare students to live in an interconnected and diverse world. To carry out the goals, the MCGF plan also requires that teachers submit their lesson plans every month to Maria Martin, who is dean of students, to be reviewed and kept accountable. Lesson plans do not have to be focused on diversity, but ideally have connections to contributions from other cultures. However, despite the ICCSD’s work so far towards helping students of color in regards to education, self-segregation, racial profiling and confrontation with ignorance and bias, is the district doing enough to enforce a diverse curriculum? The Editorial Board votes 20-1 that the district is not doing enough to enforce a diverse curriculum. The Editorial Board recognizes that while many teachers are fighting everyday for educational inclusion, not all teachers do so equally across the board. Without a strict enforcement that teachers follow MCGF rationale and goals, it’s too easy to fall back on decades-old curriculum that does not feature multicultural representation.

OPINION FEB. 21 2020

PHOTO BY PARAS BASSUK ART & DESIGN BY KAILEY GEE

The ICCSD should intervene to make sure that all teachers recognize the MCGF Education Program as a priority and take it seriously, but also do its own part to ensure that enough resources exist for teachers who are often tasked to research on their own. When the ability for students of different cultures to interact and co-exist in understanding is in development, the district and all teachers must be held accountable in contributing to a diverse academic environment, for implications extend far beyond one subject alone. Having students see and learn about their cultural background not only correlates to higher achievement, but also increases their emotional

IS THE ICCSD DOING ENOUGH TO ENFORCE A DIVERSE CURRICULUM?

1-20 THE WSS EDITORIAL BOARD VOTED NO self-esteem and empathy for each other. Without every teacher actively involved in the program, the current curriculum successfully prepares students for college and career, but it does not fully prepare students to become global citizens in an increasingly polarized world. The problem is not just a West or ICCSD problem alone, but one of an American education system that the ICCSD has the opportunity to change at the local level. The implications that this has affects peer interaction from an individual to a societal level — far more than what Romeo and Juliet can teach us. Being diverse in numbers is no longer a true sign of progress. Without an enforcement of

the MCGF program in schools, many students of color end up learning about a purely Eurocentric history without much knowledge about their own cultural and ethnic backgrounds. A white-washed curriculum unconsciously erodes away students’ cultural and ethnic identity. Beyond just adding diversity to the curriculum alone through MCGF, the ICCSD should make certain high school classes available to underclassmen instead of just upperclassmen to foster diversity development, interaction and identity at an early age. Currently, World History and World Literature are offered to students starting in tenth and eleventh grade respectively. Those classes should be made available to students as soon as freshman year, rather than having American Studies as the only option to the many students who choose to not pursue AP coursework. The Editorial Board believes that the ICCSD and West faculty as a whole are making steps forward in creating inclusive learning environments for students of color, but feel that a stricter enforcement can be done to ensure all faculty takes these steps. While the MLK Day activities are invaluable, having a one-day event that many students inevitably skip doesn’t create enough awareness and change in the school. The Board recommends that the activities be integrated within MCGF goals and incrementally added to the curriculum. The new Social Justice and Ethnicity class is also a great improvement, but the board does not believe that the class alone is enough to solve the issue, along with the potential that the students who register to take the class are not going to represent the racial diversity of the school. The mission of the ICCSD is to ensure that “all students become responsible, independent learners capable of making informed decisions in a democratic society as well as in the dynamic global community.” As a result, it’s imperative that the ICCSD enforce the mission to educate future generations.

FOR MORE COVERAGE, GO TO WSSPAPER.COM

PHOTO FEATURE

CAROLINE MASCARDO ‘22, FOJ STUDENT On an unusually sunny day in January, my friend Soomin Koh ‘22 and I went to the Iowa River Power Restaurant to take photos for our FOJ project. We were in awe at the scene we found; hundreds of geese and ducks swam in the river while bald eagles sat perched in the nearby trees, occasionally swooping down upon the water to feed. I loved the way the river was rippling, so I snapped this photo of a few geese perched upon a floating snow cap in the rolling waters.

In celebration of Valentine’s Day, this West Side Story tradition allows its readers to anonymously share their missed chances at finding their soulmate at West High. COMPILED BY JESSICA MOONJELY

“To the dark haired beauty that sits next to me in AP Lit: I love our flirtatious laughs that echo across the room. I’ve always wanted us to end up together ... but I don’t think you see me in that way. Please give me a shot?”

“To the amazing dude with three g’s in his name, you are the best person ever and everyone loves you.” “To the girl I had English with: I wish we had chemistry instead, because you’re Copper Tellurium (CuTe). From: some guy.”

“To the girl with the pet ferret, you’re kind of a hottie. It was love at first sight: 41 days less than the gestation period of the beloved ferret.”

“To the average stature girl with brown hair who sits next to me in two of my classes: I love looking into your beautiful hazel eyes because they remind me of semi-burnt cookies, which I love.”

“Dear Tall Red Head, Your family loves me and your sister wants us to date. Everyone else knows that we would be perfect. Why are you so dumb? Love, Polka Dot Girl”

“To the freckled faced cutie I saw in the science hallway, roses are red, my face is too, but that only happens when I’m around you <3.” “To the girl who’s really really good at ultimate tic-tac-toe: You didn’t just take the victories, you also took my heart. From: The X to your O.”

“To the girl with lemon hair and bright eyes: It’s as if someone bottled up the sun and turned it into a honey-colored girl with a marigold smile, created to roam the earth and be the reason that the bees buzz on golden summer days and the birds sing during dewy spring mornings. Yellow has never looked so sweet. Sincerely, someone who appreciates your existence.” DESIGN BY ELLA ROSENTHAL PHOTO BY GWEN WATSON