WEST SIDE STORY
With election season underway, WSS explores facets of presidential campaigns, the importance of political involvement and impacts on teens.
Campaign Countd own
PHOTO FEATURE
After scoring a touchdown in their season-opening game against Liberty,
shouts in celebration.
Jack Wallace ’25
PHOTO BY JOSIE SCHWARTZ
LETTER FROM THE EDITORS
Hello Trojans!
We hope the start of the school year has treated you well. Since we last saw you in June, we have a lot to catch up on, so let’s get right to it. As the primary election looms ahead, there is much information to unravel. From highlighting candidates’ policies to discussing West students’ perspectives and voter registration information, WSS breaks down the facts. We encourage you to participate in the 2024 general election; flip to page 16 to learn more.
In the past few years, America has seen a decrease in literacy rates among our generation. On page six, WSS analyzes the causes of this trend, and the impacts on teens.
Expecting to start the season without a head coach, the West girls volleyball team is back with a new motto: “One Way.” Flip to page 20 to read how new Head Coach Ben Bahr has implemented his new “One Way” culture.
We hope you enjoy the first of many great publications in 2024-25 school year! Happy reading!
SINCERELY,
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CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS
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EDITORIAL POLICY
The Editorial Board will select editorial topics. These editorials will not be signed by the writer, but will reflect the opinion of the majority of the Editorial Board. The Board takes full responsibility for all editorials. Any person with an interest in the Iowa City community who has an opinion to be voiced is encouraged to submit letters to the editor or guest columns, and they must be signed. For our full editorial policy, visit: wsspaper.com/policy.
EQUITY STATEMENT
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STAFF LIST
*Editorial Board Member
Minna Abdalla* Sports Editor
Lea Abou Alaiwa* News Co-Editor/Assistant Photo Editor
Grace Bartlett* Profiles Co-Editor
Sophie Bergman* News Co-Editor/Assistant Video Editor
Jake Beneke* Assistant Copy Editor
Kavya Bhatt Designer
Ashlyn Brady* Online Editor-In-Chief
Ella Ciliberto* Assistant Design Editor
Maddy Cook* Profiles Co-Editor
Lydia Cruce Reporter
Waad Dafalla Reporter
Lila Eastvold Photographer/Reporter
Haneen Eltyeb* Video Co-Editor
Anna Greenlee* Designer/Entertainment/Opinion Editor
Abby Guo* Podcast/Tech Editor/Video Co-Editor
Carter-Birch Houchins-Witt* Entertainment Editor
Ahmed Ibrahim Designer
Evelyn Kraber* Managing/Feature Editor
Jessie Li* Copy Editor
Gianna Liu* Print Co-Editor-In-Chief
Keith Moody* Assistant Sports Editor
Maya Mueller* Social Media Editor
Josie Nabhan-Warren Photographer
Maddux Neukirch Designer/Photographer
Nili Olalde Photographer
Mrudani Ramkumar* Managing Editor
Celia Sadewasser* Sports Editor
Shanza Sami* Feature Editor
Josie Schwartz* Photo Editor
Yeju Seol Artist
Tyler Shane* Assistant Design Editor
Jordan Smith Staff
Anna Song* Design Editor
Marie Stier* Print Co-Editor-In-Chief
Jack Sun Artist/Designer
Vera Tanas* Art/Copy editor
Henry Timmer-Hackert* Opinion Editor
Ashleigh Topp Designer
Kaleshna Udas Reporter
Colin Wehrle* Photo Editor
Sara Whittaker Adviser
Vivian Williams Artist/Podcaster
GIANNA LIU (she/her)
FRONT COVER DESIGN BY ANNA SONG
MARIE STIER (she/her)
NEWS BRIEFS
FOOTBALL
BY COLIN WEHRLE
DESIGN BY TYLER SHANE
The football team has experienced ups and downs throughout the start of their season, currently standing with a 2-2 record as of Sept. 20. Their first game was held on Aug. 30, where they fell short against Liberty. However, West made a comeback over the next two weeks, winning against Urbandale and Muscatine, improving their record to 2-1. Unfortunately, West lost a hard-fought battle against City on Sept. 20, bringing their record to 2-2.
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
After adding the Homecoming Parade last year, Student Government has been preparing for the second Homecoming Parade, Spirit Week and the Homecoming Dance. Student Government President Moustafa Tiea ’25 plans to improve many aspects muddled after the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’re working on the Homecoming season to be its best since the past four years were impacted by COVID. We’re upgrading music, refreshments, photography and much more,” Tiea said. Homecoming will take place on Oct. 5, finishing off Spirit Week after the Homecoming Parade and Trojan Games.
CLUB FAIR
Students gathered in the cafeteria for the club fair on Sept. 11 to interact with over 50 clubs that they can participate in throughout the year. This year, the fair featured a diverse range of clubs, from Pickleball to Science Olympiad, and included new clubs, such as the Community Connect Club, Knitting Club and Gardening Club. Many clubs incentivized sign-ups using candy and interactive activities.
PHOTOS BY MINNA ABDALLA
PHOTOS BY COLIN WEHRLE
PHOTOS BY LEA ABOU ALAIWA
As fall arrives and the school year begins, take a look at what the Trojans have been up to.
Over the summer, West has seen significant advancements in its ongoing construction. West is currently in Phase 3 of construction, which has been divided into three parts. The first part of Phase 3 was completed in mid-July, which added a new main entrance, commons space and offices. The second part is scheduled for completion over winter break; it focuses on the music wing, adding new offices, storage in the orchestra rooms and larger ensemble rooms. The third and final part, set to commence in the summer of 2025, will see renovations to the library and technology center.
GIRLS SWIM & DIVE
CONSTRUCTION
The girls swim team has had a very successful start to the year. As of Sept. 21, the Trojan Bolts have competed in five meets, winning all of them. Noteworthy individual performances include sophomore Hannah Geng’s outstanding showings in the 100-yard freestyle and 200-yard freestyle, where she auto-qualified for state in both events with a time of 54.33 and 1:56.57, respectively. The Trojan Bolts will conclude their season with the MVC Diving Championship and MVC Swimming Championship later this month.
West High’s orchestras and bands have started fundraising for upcoming trips. Members of the Symphony Strings orchestra have begun raising money for their trip to Carnegie Hall in 2025 by working concession stands at Kinnick Stadium and Xtream Arena. The marching band, who will be traveling to Orlando, Florida in 2026, hosted their annual mattress sale on Sept. 29 in the North band room. The band will also do a fruit sale during October for students to raise additional money.
BY SHANZA SAMI
MUSIC FUNDRAISING
PHOTOS
PHOTOS BY MARIE STIER
PHOTOS BY COLIN WEHRLE
READING SLU MP
BY CARTER BIRCH HOUCHINS-WITT & WAAD DAFALLA
Concerns regarding student literacy become more prominent as the number of students actively engaged in reading decreases.
Walking through the West Library, it’s more common to see students scrolling through their phones than flipping through books. The West Library reports that in the 2023-24 school year, students checked out 800 less books than they did the year before and 2150 books fewer than in the 2021-22 school year. This trend exists outside the walls of West as well; according to a poll from 2022, the average American read 12.6 books that year, a drop from 15.6 in 2016.
Luke Reimer ’27 has noticed similar trends in the past three years as a volunteer at the Coralville Public Library.
“We don’t get a lot of high school kids [coming to the library]. We get a lot of junior high kids,” Reimer said.
“I have some friends who [are in the] banned book club, and I went up to them at the club fair, and they [said that] no one likes reading anymore.”
Rudy dela Rosa is an AP English Literature and Composition teacher with the highest AP scores in America.
After 24 years of instructing students, he was asked by the AP College Board to help revamp the program in 2016. He describes his work as “teach[ing] the AP College Board how to teach others.’” When asked about the significance of reading, dela Rosa emphasized different aspects of the skill.
“[Reading] gives us
HERE’S THE THING:
WRITERS ARE READERS. READERS
ARE WRITERS. EVERY BOOK YOU’VE EVER GONE TO PICK UP, THAT WRITER WAS A READER.
- RUDY DELA ROSE, AP ENGLISH LITERATURE TEACHER
a chance to explore different avenues. [It] allows us to see different perspectives. It’s important for kids to be able to experience that, because it makes us more empathetic, more human and [more] relatable,” dela Rosa said.
The importance of reading not only lies in mastering comprehension and grammar; several educators, including dela Rosa,
believe a student’s reading habits directly affect their writing ability.
“Here’s the thing: writers are readers. Readers are writers. Every book you’ve ever gone to pick up, that writer was a reader,” dela Rosa said.
John Cooper, West English teacher and instructor of Secondary Reading at the University of Iowa, has noticed correlating trends among students’ reading habits and their writing abilities.
“If you don’t read critically, the information you read might present clearly false claim[s] that are not founded in good research, which can then put an individual in the position of not being able to decipher meaning, because they don’t actually have all the information,” Cooper said.
Dela Rosa agrees and notices a similar relationship between student success and AP exam scores.
“[With] AP test responses, the kids who normally score the fours and the fives use works that are more complex and more nuanced,” dela Rosa said. “For example, Harry Potter or Hunger Games. They’re both very fun. They’re both very enjoyable. They’re good reads. The problem is, there’s really no meat on the bones. Everything is handed to you because those novels are written for a younger age. You really can’t write about [the]
WE NEED TO CREATE A LITERARY ENVIRONMENT FOR [STUDENTS] IN THEIR HOMES
E N G LISH TEACHER -JOHN COOPER,
subtlety and nuance of a character or plot progression when everything is given to you.”
Given the prevalence of this concern, dela Rosa explains how to best avoid this issue.
“The students who get something with more meat on it, something more complex, something that is more subtle in the way it presents, they’re going to score higher because it allows them to explore concepts and characters that an easier work won’t allow them to do,” dela Rosa said.
However, in order to develop more advanced writing skills, Cooper emphasizes reading nonfiction and fiction in conjunction.
“Stories guide our understand-
I DON’T KNOW
IF I’D BE THE SAME PERSON I AM IF I HADN’T READ SO MANY BOOKS WHEN I WAS A KID. - LUKE REIMER ‘27
ing of who we are as people. Narrative is how we explain our history. Narrative is how we remember what works and doesn’t work,” Cooper said. “On the flip side, you have informational reading, which is supposed to be taught most often in history courses. But [frequently, history teachers are] so busy going in depth on [the] history [that] critical reading falls back on the shoulders of an English teacher.”
With reading affecting more than one aspect of students’ lives, educators are on a mission to curb any downward trends in reading skills. Cooper views the solution through a lens of socio- economics.
“We need to create a literary environment for [students] in their home. [My] research when I was an undergrad [found that] the best indicator of a high ACT score for a kid is how many books are in their home. We can’t suggest causation, but we can see a correlation between the number of books in your house and your potential to get a 36 [on the ACT],” Cooper said.
Reimer agrees that being surrounded by a literary environment from a young age has benefited his life.
“My parents always told me to read a book [and] not to [watch] TV or be on my phone, especially when I was a little kid. I’ve learned a lot of good lessons from it. I don’t know if I’d be the same person I am if I hadn’t read so many books when I was a kid,” Reimer said.
Yet, Reimer understands reading can be an expensive hobby and may not be suitable for everyone.
“Books are expensive, especially in recent years. It used to be [about] $15 for a paperback,
[but] now it’s like $20 for just a paperback of a book; a regular book is like $30,” Reimer said.
Though money can restrict some people’s access to books, Cooper believes society, especially teachers, has an important role in bringing the books to students.
“[I heard this metaphor where] these two boys, clearly from wealthy households, asked this African immigrant boy [if he] likes golf. And [the boy] goes, ‘Well, I’ve never played it.’ And that’s [the same for] books. Maybe this African boy would love golf. [But] do you know how much it costs to be into golf? Clubs cost thousands of dollars. It’s an access point,” Cooper said. “And for books, that’s where my heart really breaks. The best thing we can do is make more literature accessible … and that’s potentially the best way to democratize access to literature.”
Libby is an app that has books, magazines and audiobooks galore.
Check out recent posts on the WSS website and socials.
Breaking down the new attendance policy
ICCSD has changed its attendance policy to comply with the Iowa Department of Education’s new requirements. Here’s everything you need to know about the new policy.
Three teens charged with first degree burglary after entering West High last month after school hours
The teens, who are not West High students, kicked, punched and used a knife in their attack on a West High student, but the victim didn’t require medical attention.
Page to screen: “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder”
Popular young adult mystery novel, “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” was adapted into a Netflix series this summer. Get two WSS staffers’ guide to what stayed the same, what changed and whether the book was done justice.
Download the Student News Source app to opt in for notifications and to stay up to date.
NOT UP FOR DEBATE
BY EVELYN KRABER
John Cooper ended his six-year tenure as Speech and Debate head coach. Announced in late August, West High alum Langston Bailey-Murray ’14 will take over for the team this school year.
“There are so many different paths I wish to walk in my life, and I most certainly regret that Speech and Debate can no longer be part of that journey,” West English teacher John Cooper wrote in an email announcing his resignation as West High’s Speech and Debate head coach on July 18. Although he loves debate, it isn’t a commitment he has time for anymore. Starting in August, Langston Bailey-Murray ’14 took over for the team.
In Cooper’s six years as Head Coach, West won four consecutive state titles — sending Bashir Eltyeb ’25 and Ben Kleiman ’24 to the 2024 Tournament of Champions, a prestigious debate tournament, where they made it to the semifinals. It’s safe to say Bailey-Murray inherited a strong team.
attended the University of Iowa as a political science major and judged debate tournaments, an experience that provided a new perspective on debate.
“Once you start judging, you reframe a lot of the skills you learned in debate. When you’re debating, your focus is on winning…whereas
some things were more complicated than for people without a disability, including debate.
“On a purely structural level, a lot of things weren’t made with people like me in mind. For example, when I started debating, we debated on paper…this meant that debaters were lugging around stacks and stacks of paper in giant tubs,” Bailey-Murray said. Due to his disability, this was an unexpected obstacle. “Paper, in any real quantity, is not light, which meant these tubs got really heavy, really quickly. That was something I had to find a workaround [for] because I loved debate too much to let barriers like that keep me from debating.”
THERE’S A GREAT SENSE OF COMMUNITY THAT I’M EXCITED [TO HELP] DEBATERS HERE FOSTER WITH OTHER SCHOOLS. - LANGSTON BAILEY-MURRAY
Bailey-Murray grew up in Iowa City, and during his time at West, participated in the Speech and Debate team, which fostered his interest in law. When Bailey-Murray was on the team, it was much smaller, but that didn’t stop him from making deep connections. To Bailey-Murray, his experience with West High debate wasn’t defined by success but by the friendships he made.
”There was one tournament in 2012 where, after the first day, we were all hanging out at the hotel afterwards and my debate partner at the time made a fun little stick figure drawing of all of the team members as a family in a large house. She brought in copies of that drawing for all of us on Monday. I still have that copy of the pic ture after 12 years,” Bailey-Murray said.
After graduating from West, Bailey-Murray
when you’re judging, the question is not, ‘How do I win?’ it’s, ‘How do I evaluate this round?’,” Bailey-Murray said. “Being able to tease out what is actually important and what gets evaluated is a key skill for coaching because it doesn’t matter if you have the best argument in your head if that doesn’t come across to the judge.”
After graduation, Bailey-Murray attended law school, hoping his work as an attorney would combat employment discrimination, an interest stemming from his experiences as
Experiences like these give Bailey-Murray a unique perspective to bring to West’s Speech and Debate team.
“[Bailey-Murray] speaks from a perspective I could never have spoken from. That intersectionality [defines] who we are and how we are able to lead from different posi - tionalities; [it] really empowers kids,” Cooper said. “It gives kids the opportunity to say, ‘Hey, I’m seeing faces and hearing voices that perhaps are not our standard patriarchal, Eurocentric voices.’”
One of the ways Bailey-Murray hopes to make his mark is by creating connections with debaters outside the West community. He plans to take the team to more out-of-state tournaments, such as the John Edie Holiday Invitational in Minneapolis.
“There’s a lot of people you meet in the debate community, not [just] from this school,” Bailey-Murray said. “There’s a great sense of community that I’m excited [to help] debaters here foster with other schools.”
DESIGN BY ANNA GREENLEE
PHOTO BY EVELYN KRABER
Langston Bailey-Murray is excited to coach the upcoming season.
TAKING $TOCK
BY JESSIE LI, SOPHIE SINGH & MARIE STIER
Whether it’s counting piggy bank coins or depositing cash into a bank account, you might wonder… How do teens manage their money? There are typically three options: spend, save or invest. While approximately 87% of teens consider saving money a priority, only 42% have savings accounts, with the majority relying on cash for both saving and spending. Similarly, while 75% of teens agree that investing is important, fewer than 23% actively invest. This dichotomy between words and actions presents a concern: many teens lack the financial savviness necessary for adulthood.
Emily Hudachek ’16, West’s Personal Finance teacher, displays an “adulting is hard” poster in her classroom. Her poster, describing a broad statement of the challenges of adulthood, also represents a pillar of her teaching philosophy. Hudachek — believing personal finance is where students “learn to adult” — strives to create an accessible financial literacy curriculum.
“I’m a believer in Personal Finance [because] it gets students off on the right foot. Every single thing we talk about in Personal
point in your life,” Hudachek said. “I always tell [students on] the first day in Personal Finance: ‘I’ve never found a legal way to get out of paying taxes, but I have found strategies to make paying taxes less difficult.’”
For many teens, finance seems like something only considered in adulthood. However, with a recent influx of social media coverage, investing has piqued the interest of many teenagers. Yet, schools in ICCSD no longer require Personal Finance, a class where many first encounter financial literacy instruction.
Despite personal finance’s focus on valuable life skills, like filing taxes and managing budgets, Iowa legislators passed Senate File 391 in May of 2023, removing financial literacy instruction requirements to support rural schools and schools with fewer resources.
In accordance with the bill, the ICCSD no longer requires high school students to take a trimester-long Personal Finance course as of the 2023-24 school year.
To Hudachek, this policy change takes away an opportunity to financially guide students early on. However, she emphasizes students can still learn about financial management outside of Personal Finance.
“My door is always open, even if a student isn’t taking one of my classes. That’s why [I’m here]: to coach high school students and speak to them about their financial goals,” Hudachek said. “I encourage everybody to still take the class. Just because it’s not a requirement doesn’t mean [students] don’t need to take it.”
In addition to preparing students to pay taxes or to make financial transactions, Personal Finance also offers students the chance to explore new subjects.
“Students interested in business came into the class because their counselor said, ‘Hey, you’ve got to take this required class for graduation.’ [But] by the time they left, they were thinking of their financial path, and that was the goal,” Hudachek said.
However, there are many other ways to get into finance without taking Personal Finance. Junze Sun ’25, the founder of Investment Club, highlights the importance of investing early on.
“High schoolers [are] starting to earn money, and they want to be able to make smart decisions with money beyond just spending it all the time,” Sun said. “[Investing] provides them with an alternative.”
DESIGN BY AHMED IBRAHIM
DEFINE...
Hudachek agrees and notes the benefits of an individualized path.
Buying something with the hope that it increases in value or generates income.
STOCKS
Shares of ownership in a company. Buying shares entitles you to a portion of things like profits.
BONDS
A loan given to a business or government by investors. In return, the investors recieve interest on their investments.
INVESTING DIVIDENDS
The percentage of a company’s earnings that is paid to its shareholders.
“Investing impacts us in a variety of different ways in our lifetime; it allows you to reach your goals at your [own] pace,” Hudachek said. “At one point in your life, you might want to buy a house, and through your investments, you’ll be able to make that down payment.”
Though social media has increased interest in investing, the same apps can spread misconceptions and false information.
“The biggest setbacks can be if you’re not doing it wisely, if you are going in [with] the wrong mindset. [We] live in a culture where instant gratification is what we desire. We want results. We want them right away,” Hudachek said. “Investing is not a game. Investing is not gambling. I know some young adults using it that way, thinking ‘how can I get rich quick,’ [but] investing is supposed to be a long-term plan for financial success.”
Similar to social media’s own algorithms, other online services often stress short-term benefits without offering complete information, causing teens to expect instant results.
“The get-rich-quick mindset works for one percent of people. There are people who can make it work, but if we look at it for the long term, are they still successful?” Hudachek said. “I always believe hard work, knowing what resources are out there and having a proper knowledge base is going to be the best route to getting rich.”
Sun agrees, focusing on informed and purposeful long-term investing rather than fast-paced exchanges.
“I don’t really [actively invest] very often because the spirit of investing is not to do these high risk actions, like trading, every day, every minute, every second,” Sun said. “That’s not the goal. But I do
FIDELITY YOUTH ACCOUNTS:
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• Ages 13-17
actively check on my investments. I follow news to see what might impact my portfolio to get a general trend and stay up-to-date with how the economy’s doing and how the world’s doing. Global events, no matter how big or how small, affect your investments and the entire financial world.”
Without proper information, students may make impulsive decisions, deterring them from a successful financial future. For instance, content creators may prey upon novice investors on apps like TikTok, advertising their investing courses to profit off users. Hudachek notes that this misinformation can discourage young people from investing.
“When you have high risk investments, you have the potential for high losses, and when you have those losses at a young age, they can set you back and steer you away from investing,” Hudachek said.
However, not all losses stop people from investing; while failures can diminish self-confidence, they also provide room for growth. Sun believes making smart decisions boosts confidence over time.
“Beyond just the numbers [adding up] is growing confidence as an investor,” Sun said. “[It makes you ask yourself] how much are you willing to invest and just improve and learn more about the subject? How has it impacted your future? How do you think it would impact your career?”
Although it can be unsuccessful at times, investing at an early age provides students a clear pathway to navigating the financial world.
“As long as they’re doing it the correct way, I love seeing [young people investing] because the younger you start, the less work you’ll have to put in later in your lifetime and the greater rewards you’re going to see,” Hudachek said.
STRIVE FOR SUCCESS
BY MADDY COOK & LYDIA CRUCE
DESIGN BY TYLER SHANE
Layan Ahmed ’25 shares her journey to becoming Business Professionals of America (BPA) National President and how it has shaped her to be a more driven student, leader and qualified member of the business community.
When business teacher Diane Fickel asked her class “Who likes public speaking?”, only Layan Ahmed ’25 raised her hand. Little did she know, this was just the beginning of her BPA journey.
“Being a seasoned teacher, I can identify certain strengths in students just by having them in class,” Fickel said. “I had Layan in entrepreneurship class, and I noticed that she was very innovative and very willing to step outside of her comfort zone. We actually really hit it off her freshman year, so I said, ‘Hey, I’ve got this really great club. I think you’d be wonderful in BPA.’ She believed in me [and] gave it a shot.”
After a successful first year of BPA, qualifying for nationals and placing second in the nation for Presentation Management Individual, Ahmed aimed even higher during her sophomore year by applying for West BPA’s Executive Board.
“Through [the executive board], I got the opportunity to run as a state officer, and I became the [Vice President] of Marketing for Iowa,” Ahmed said. “After that, I realized I really wanted to give the ultimate gift back to the organization, so I decided to run for national office.”
Jack Twait ’25, Ahmed’s campaign manager during her run for national presidency, commented on how excited he was to see Ahmed take such a big step in her BPA journey.
“She had originally reached out with the opportunity [to be campaign manager], and I was immediately on board with it because I knew that she’s someone who’s super passionate,” Twait said. “I wanted to help her in any way possible.”
In her junior year, Ahmed spent countless hours preparing her campaign. According to Ahmed, running for National President was a long process of caucusing and interviews. To become a candidate for national office, a student must fill out an extensive application featuring various prompts and questions. After, the student is required to take a rigorous test with BPA
knowledge questions. If the student scores above 70 percent, they are put on a ballot along with 12 other candidates.
After passing the test, Ahmed began advertising her campaign both on social media and in person.
“At Nationals, you give a speech to the entire membership base that votes, and then you also run a little campaign rally,” Ahmed said. “I talked to different voters about who I am, what my vision is and what I think I can contribute to the organization. My slogan was ‘Dream, Drive, Discover,’ and I think that originated [from] the fact that I’m so ambitious and I’m a big dreamer. I feel like in everything you do, it’s so important that people take initiative in their lives. It’s one thing to have a dream about something, but to put in an effort to do it is so much more important than anything else.”
Once she started her campaign, the caucusing process began. Twait notes the lasting impression Ahmed left on the BPA officials.
“Every single state in BPA would have a different room, and usually their state officers or some high-ranking officials would be asking Layan a bunch of random questions,” Twait said. “It was so cool to see how she would immediately have a crazy good answer to some crazy questions I would never have been able to come up with [an] answer to… [It] absolutely blew me away.”
On May 13, the day of the nationwide general election, Ahmed and nine other candidates were selected to move on to the next step of the process. This round of interviews was conducted with the CEO and the Leadership Specialist of BPA and was the deciding factor in Ahmed’s placement — whether she would become National President, Vice President or take on another position.
“That day, when they were announcing the roles, it kept leading up to president, [and] I was like, ‘Okay, it’s all or nothing now. It’s either me or it’s not,’” Ahmed said. “And then my name was said, and it was just a shock.”
Having spent time guiding her through this journey, Fickel agrees that election day was one of her most memorable moments with Ahmed.
“She was the youngest one running, and they [called] her name, and West went wild,” Fickel said. “All of West crowded around her, hugging. It was just a special moment, one that she will never forget.”
Although the process was rewarding, Ahmed found that the role of BPA national president is a time-consuming job.
“It’s definitely going to be a busy year as a national officer and a member of the [Executive] Board. I’ve been doing a lot of traveling; I’m going to be in Washington, D.C., for a student leadership summit later this [September],” Ahmed said.
Traveling is just one of the many responsibilities of the BPA national president. One of Ahmed’s biggest duties is overseeing the national team, a group that manages the resources provided to all BPA members. She is also on the
PHOTOS COURTESY OF LAYAN AHMED
Layan Ahmed ‘25 poses for a photo.
Board of Trustees, a group of individuals who make all major decisions for the organization.
“As President, I make sure that our team works to the best of its ability to ensure that members are receiving the programs they need and the guidance they need,” Ahmed said. “I get a say in exactly what happens in BPA, whether that means funding and budgeting, the strategic and long-range planning of the organization, and even finances.”
Although Ahmed has been successful with BPA over the years, there are still obstacles to overcome.
“Advocating for myself and my voice has been a little hard not only at the national level [but at] the state and the local level,” Ahmed said. “Trying to fight for the student perspective has definitely been a challenge. I also think that being in this position from such an underrepresented place, in business and in BPA as a whole, I don’t see a lot of people that look like me. That served as a challenge for me, because it’s hard to step into something when you don’t see anyone like you doing it.”
FIGHT YOUR FEARS AND DO IT. YOU ARE ALWAYS GOING TO REGRET NOT DOING SOMETHING, BUT YOU’RE NEVER GOING TO REGRET JUST GOING FOR IT AND BEING AMBITIOUS. -LAYAN AHMED ‘25
mind to it, you can do anything.”
Even in times of despondency, Ahmed stays motivated by recalling why she loves BPA and why she’s stuck with it for so long.
“There would be points, even during nationals, where I questioned why I was doing it all, but it ultimately led to the realization that the purpose of the organization and everything it stands for resonates so well with who I am. Through being a representative and a member, I’m able to empower people who look like myself to get involved in BPA,” Ahmed said.
Despite the challenging aspects of BPA, Ahmed shares her enthusiasm for the year ahead.
“I’m really excited to be at the forefront of advocating for students, and I plan to use my voice in ways that I haven’t before,” Ahmed said. “[I want] to get student perspectives heard not only in BPA but also in school or in other clubs.”
Outside of BPA, Ahmed finds joy by devoting time to other extracurricular activities such as orchestra and March for Our Lives, a nonprofit organization focused on gun violence prevention. She believes BPA has helped her grow in both business and her personal life. In the future, Ahmed wants to run her own practice in the medical field or medical policy.
“BPA gave me the confidence to want to explore bigger things and be ambitious within the business and advocacy fields,” Ahmed said. “BPA has really taught me that if you put your
Aside from Ahmed’s impact on BPA at West and across the nation, she’s also left a lasting personal connection with her peers and teachers.
“[Layan] is a shining star in my life. She’s like a daughter to me, and we believe in each other [and] we trust each other,” Fickel said. “She comes in for advice all the time, and I admire her so much. I would do anything for Layan.”
Twait agrees, believing that because of Ahmed’s supportive nature, she has positively impacted his BPA journey.
“When she has a vision for something, she really goes for it and she gets it,” Twait said. “She’s someone who’s super well-spoken and can connect a group of people, and I think that’s really special.”
Ahmed would never have begun her BPA journey if she hadn’t taken a risk and stepped outside of her comfort zone. She encourages others to accomplish their goals, no matter how unreachable they may seem in the beginning.
“Fight your fears and do it. You are always going to regret not doing something, but you’re never going to regret just going for it and being ambitious,” Ahmed said. “If you’re passionate enough about something, you can do it, because at the end of the day, everything comes down to passion — finding the drive to want to do these things — and striving for success.”
Layan Ahmed ‘25 shows off awards from a BPA conference.
Campaign Countd own
BY JAKE BENEKE, MRUDANI RAMKUMAR, SHANZA SAMI & KALESHNA UDAS
ART & DESIGN BY ANNA SONG
Aclick of a button, and viewers file through a plethora of news channels within seconds; while some question former President Donald Trump’s immunity case, others debate current Vice President Kamala Harris’s past as an attorney general. Caught in a crossfire, novice voters receive an overwhelming amount of information regarding the upcoming presidential election.
The 2024 United States’ presidential election proves to be a tight race, with primaries revealing Trump as the Republican Party candidate and Harris as the Democratic Party candidate.
The Republican Party featured nominees Trump, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy during primaries — elections held by political parties to select candidates for the general election — with Trump winning the Republican presidential nomination. Later, he selected Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate. Meanwhile, Biden dropped out of the race on July 21, leaving Harris as the Democratic candidate, who chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. In their first debate, Trump emphasized his priorities surrounding economic issues, while Harris displayed her beliefs about social programs.
The presidential election will be held on Nov. 5. Individual ballots will be sent to the state electoral college, where designated electors cast their votes to elect the president. Then, the president will be inaugurated, developing legislative strategies and policy implementation post-election.
WSS investigates the coming presidential election, exploring how campaigns, media and youth turnout will affect the remainder of the election and the nation.
Rep. David Jacoby, an Iowa legislator representing Johnson County, believes the significance of this presidential election lies in the policies and perspectives of each candidate. Jacoby, a Democrat, explains that Harris’s background as a biracial woman enables her to mobilize youth voters and other marginalized demographics.
“It's a new energy, and it brings new discussion on policies. I'm excited for [Harris] because of what she brings to the table; I know she's going to fight to keep our country safe [given] her experience as a senator and Vice President,” Jacoby said. “I trust her with leadership in the Middle East, immigration issues and, although the polling doesn't show it yet, economic issues.”
Leading up to the later stages of the presidential election, Iowa plays a significant role on the national level, kicking off the GOP presidential caucuses on Jan. 15. This poses major political implications for Republican nominee hopefuls, leading to an active campaign race around Iowa, ultimately leading to a Trump win with 51% of votes.
Dr. Timothy Hagle is an associate professor of political science at the University of Iowa who
ON THE BALLOT
Read the 2024 Democratic and Republican nominee bios here.
Kamala Harris
Age: 59
Party: Democratic
Born: Oakland, CA
Past Experience: Current vice president under Biden; previously served as a U.S. Senator, California Attorney General and San Francisco District Attorney.
Donald TRump
Age: 78 Party: Republican Born: Queens, NY
Past Experience: Former president of the U.S; Previous real estate developer, businessman and reality TV show host.
Key Policy Issues: Harris supports many of Biden’s key policies, like providing tax credits to low-income families and lowering drug costs. She also is a staunch advocate for reproductive rights and supports access to abortion. Additionally, climate change mitigation and the housing shortage remain central to Harris’ campaign.
Source:BBC,CNN,APNews
specializes in American politics. Hagle explains Iowa’s significance in national politics, specifically Iowa caucuses.
“In years past, Iowa has been considered one of the swing states. We only have six electoral votes, but as a swing state, that could make a difference. … A lot of people outside of Iowa characterize us as a red state, meaning that we're more of a Republican state, and the expectation is they'll probably win here again,” Hagle said. “We had plenty of attention for the Republican [caucuses], and we'll see how that works out going forward.”
Additionally, Jacoby explains that the presidential election and caucuses could have an impact on bills brought to the Iowa legislature.
“There are a lot of bills we deal with that are actually nationalist bills. We dealt with one that made sure illegal immigrants didn't get college financial aid, and they aren't eligible for it right now,” Jacoby said. “The discussions we have about [bills for] students in the dreamer population [and] for book banning are bills affect us at the state and local level, but they're national bills — these aren't ones handwritten by Iowa
Key Policy Issues: Trump proposes more tax cuts, while increasing tariffs on foreign goods to promote domestic manufacturing. He also plans to increase restrictions on undocumented immigrants and decrease environmental regulations passed under the Biden administration and advocates for the expansion of energy production. Additionally, Trump believes that abortion should be decided by the states.
legislators. These are bills that are plagiarized by our state-level Republicans on a national basis.”
With news outlets circulating media ranging from policy proposals to insights on voter preference, recent trends reveal an uptake in ideological political polarization about candidates. Consequently, voters commonly feel as though they are subject to one extreme or another, with a study by the Public Religion Research Institute revealing that an estimated 90% of Americans believe the U.S. is divided over politics.
Although Americans maintain this negative outlook, statistics indicate the majority of voters remain moderate toward policy preferences. West government teacher Stacey Noble echoes this idea, noting a widespread misconception American voters hold regarding political moderacy.
“For a lot of people, even people who are getting elected, they feel like [Americans] are really far to the left or really far to the right,” Noble said. “A two-party system pushes us into one [side] or the other, [although] a lot of people are more in the middle.”
However, social media challenges moderacy
and heightens political polarization, with American voters finding themselves emotionally conflicted between candidates. This phenomenon, also referred to as affective polarization, occurs when voters begin harboring strong negative feelings toward an alternative political party candidate. Hagle believes rapid digitalization has changed the way people perceive political issues.
“It's different in our age, partly because of media in general [and] the internet age,” Hagle said. “These days, information goes [around] so quickly that [when] people look at it, they believe it and react accordingly, and then find out later that maybe it's not true, or maybe there's some context to this. [Regardless], people have this immediate, visceral reaction.”
Polarized voters — including younger demographics who use apps such as TikTok and X, formerly known as Twitter — often immerse themselves in political echo chambers, surrounding themselves with other like-minded individuals. Praneel Rastogi ’26, who self-identifies as moderately conservative, discusses the holistic factors involved when developing politi-
cal ideas — also known as political socialization.
“Your family is the first factor of political socialization. Then, you start to get tuned into your school [environment], even though most of your school isn't directly talking about politics,” Rastogi said. “In general, you start to take on the ideas that people around you have, especially if that's considered the norm there.”
While a common misconception about youth voters is that they remain apathetic or politically disengaged, the opposite frequently rings true; young voters are often politically active. However, there are several barriers preventing voters
visually and hearing impaired [voters]. … All polling places in the county must meet our standards, which are mostly derived from the ADA, or American Disabilities Act. Ramps [and] doors can be opened by all,” Shane said. “We're not having a polling place unless people can access it.”
However, voting obstacles extend beyond physical barriers. One of the primary obstacles for youth voters lies in remaining uninformed about voter registration, which involves submitting legal information to verify voting eligibility. Although there are advance and day-of registra-
"In my lifetime, this will be the year that the youth vote makes a huge difference."
- David Jacoby, Iowa Representative
from casting their ballot, ranging from inadequate transportation to lacking accommodations for disabilities.
Poll workers and organizers place their efforts in combating such issues. Interim Johnson County Auditor Erin Shane highlights how her office has been flexible with accommodating different needs.
“At every polling place, we have what's called an ExpressVote machine, which is for [the]
JULY 13: Trump survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally at Butler, Pennsylvania.
tion options available, the lack of registration information decreases voter turnout.
Carrie Chen, a college mentor for New Voters — an organization mobilizing youth by providing resources and guidance to organize voting drives at a local level — hopes to increase youth voter turnout. Chen explains how there is often confusion amongst youth voters regarding voter registration.
“A lot of people don't know the voter registration laws in their state. They don't know they need a driver's license [and] a social security number,” Chen said. “A lot of people aren't necessarily informed, [which] sometimes seems su-
JULY 15-18: Republican National Convention was held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and J.D. Vance was announced as Trump’s running mate.
JULY 21: President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race.
per overwhelming.”
To lessen confusion surrounding voting registration and simplify the process, New Voters employs strategies alongside their student voting drives.
“[New Voters] has a teen voter [registration form] we send out to our schools, and it is pretty concise. You put in your state and whatever information you need to register. It takes a couple of minutes of your time,” Chen said. “We have a lot of these resources that take this super ambiguous, overwhelming idea of voter registration and put it in a little form.”
Additionally, Chen illustrates how New Voters is conducting scientific research to analyze voter trends and behavior.
“The New Voters Research Network does a lot of research into political behavior of high schoolers, and it's another way for [young adults] to engage with each other and see what is important,” Chen said. “Some core issues that [youth voters are] concerned with include climate change, safety in schools and democracy. By researching those topics, we're able to connect better with voters, and hopefully that's a motivator for them to go out and engage.”
Furthermore, Noble explains how youth voters play a significant role in the greater scope of the voter-eligible population and emphasizes that youth can advocate for certain policies by showing up to the polls.
“There are so many ways to be involved, and if your age group were to actually show up at the polls, the numbers of eligible voters in the 18 to 29-year-old bracket would force the political world to listen to them,” Noble said.
Avanley Jones ’25, Gianna Liu ’25 and Anna Song ’25 held a voter registration drive Sept. 2327 at West under Chen’s guidance at New Voters, as well as the League of Women Voters.
JULY 27: Vice President Kamala Harris officially declared her candidacy for president.
AUG. 19-22: Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago, Illinois.
2024 presidential election timeline
"A two-party system pushes us into one [side] or the other, [although] a lot of people are more in the middle."
With youth-led initiatives to increase voter registration, a greater movement is emerging, highlighting the importance of civic engagement. Opportunities such as the State of Iowa Youth Advisory Council offer youth more insight into the political sphere through immersive discussions.
While voting is important, staying informed is also essential for youth voters. Hagle explains the importance of having access to accurate information and being involved in the community.
“If you're 18, you want to participate in the process and take your civic responsibility seriously,” Hagle said. “It means doing the research, so you're engaged as part of the community and the political body.”
Similar to Hagle’s perspective, a recent Tufts study forecasts greater youth involvement in the 2024 election, indicating that youth are beginning to spearhead political impact. Rastogi is one such example, following social media and news outlets to remain informed.
“[Staying informed] is important, but this is my first election that I've greatly paid attention to,” Rastogi said. “Different sources, free sources, left and right, everything in the middle — I try
- Stacey Noble, government teacher
to get a wide variety of information.”
However, technology advances have tampered with information, leading to the emergence of false AI-generated depictions of political figures. This uptake in election interference from abroad warrants concerns regarding weaponized AI blurring reality. Consequently, Hagle believes it is essential for the public to remain cautious about their sources of information.
“You have to find ways to search for the truth, and the truth is an unknown quantity in some instances. Some people will say, ‘Each person has [their] own truth’ — that's not really true,” Hagle said. “You certainly have your own viewpoints and beliefs, but there are going to be some things that are objectively true or false, and you can't reject that, but sometimes you can't find it either.”
To learn more about ideologies, youth may immerse themselves in interest groups, which unite people whose interests align, to engage with one another. Noble believes there are a multitude of opportunities for youth to become more politically active.
“[Students] are impacted by what's going on, and a lot of times, you don't have agency in why it's going on,” Noble said. “Even before you can
vote, there are interest groups [and] veins of po litical parties, and you can be involved in campaigns and issues to make your voice heard.”
Joining such groups may alter attitudes toward certain candidates. Jacoby elaborates on changes in voter sentiment following Harris’ entrance into the race.
“The biggest shift we've seen is an excitement from people. That's key, because in 2022, there were 92,000 registered Democrats that did not even vote. They weren't excited [or] involved enough, [and] didn't feel like their vote counted, so they didn't go to the polls in 2022,” Jacoby said. “The first level [of voter sentiment] is a nationwide excitement to vote. In my lifetime, this will be the year that the youth vote makes a huge difference.”
While voter sentiment may vary across individuals, Noble stresses the importance of all citizens remaining civically engaged.
“If we're going to have a democracy and a democratic republic, we are the ones with the power,” Noble said. “If we won't exercise that power [while] there are people who are willing to take that power, then the question becomes, ‘Are we a democracy?’”
AUG. 23: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dropped out of the presidential race.
SEPT. 10: A debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris held by ABC.
SEPT. 15: Trump survived another assassination attempt at his golf course in West Palm Beach, FL. NOV. 5, 2024
OCT. 1: A debate between the vice presidential nominees Ohio GOP Senator JD Vance and Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz held by CBS.
Here’s a timeline of the events leading up to the 2024 presidential election.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
NE WAY
Hired one week before the start of the season, Ben Bahr enters the West volleyball program with a new system, high expectations and one dream.
BY GRACE BARTLETT & CELIA SADEWASSER
At West, volleyball is one of the longest-lasting programs to date. Since 2021, Head Coach Keeley Arnold has run the program, but she resigned at the beginning of the summer to focus on her family; the team faced a troubling issue: they needed a head coach to guide them through the preseason. However, new Head Coach Ben Bahr offers a clear path to prepare the team for a rewarding season, guided by his newly implemented training method.
This new philosophy has been important to the whole team, holding them to a new standard: “One way, the right way, the first time.”
Bahr, who started playing intramural volleyball in high school and then continued in college, discovered his passion for coaching after an injury. His knowledge as a statistical analyst helped get him involved in Iowa's Division I volleyball program and later the Olympic Sand Volleyball team. Bahr also coached volleyball at Baylor University in Waco, Texas from 20202022 and, more recently, traveled to China
with the USA Beach Volleyball National Team Development Program. Bahr’s coaching led to notable team accomplishments, specifically, at the U19 World Beach Championships in 2024, where Team USA won gold. Bahr believes these experiences played an essential role in developing his team values and inspiring his “One Way” slogan.
“If we're going to have people who come in here and work hard, make sacrifices and do the tough things, we want to reward them. That's really the big thing, and there's a lot of joy when you do that, creating an environment where they can be real human beings,” Bahr said. “They're not robots, we’re trying to build the culture so they have the best experience possible. That's the standard of what we're trying to do.”
Similarly, Paola Jaramillo Guayara ’11, the varsity volleyball team's assistant coach of six years, believes having the right guidance is crucial to bringing out the best in each player on and off the court.
“It connects back to this idea we have about making sure that kids are pursuing their dreams and being the best version of themselves off the court and on the court. This ‘One Way’ philosophy means you do the right thing at the right time, no matter what you're doing,” Guayara said. “It puts ownership on the players and the coaches. We know the right way, and we have to make that choice to make the right decision.”
Although he values team performance and upholding West volleyball’s legacy, Bahr emphasizes building trust as a crucial pillar of building a strong team dynamic.
“We had to figure out who's who on our team, what makes us tick, get some trust and outline some of those cultural things,” Bahr said. “Frankly, volleyball was [much] further down the list. I
Sophia Austen ’27 poses for media day.
THIS
‘ONE WAY’ PHILOSOPHY MEANS YOU DO THE RIGHT THING, AT THE RIGHT TIME, NO MATTER WHAT YOU’RE DOING.
-PAOLA JARAMILLO 'GUAYARA '11
wouldn't even call it top 10.”
Because the team was without a head coach for the pre-season, Bahr joined a team that had largely become self-sufficient, with assistant coaches and players rising to the occasion. Assistant Coaches Guayara and Taylor Serovy have both been assets to the team during the summer, stepping up in the absence of a head coach. Team member Elle Barnett ’25 notes their help in overcoming challenges she and her teammates faced during this summer.
“We didn't lose practice time, but we were
Khaiyana Washington ’25 and Lindsey McKane ’25 pose for media day.
DESIGN BY GRACE BARTLETT
Photos courtesy of Owen Aanestad
nervous and unintentional with things because we were scared of the unknown, and we didn't know if we were going to have a coach or not, or what our season would look like. Especially as seniors, that was really hard,” Barnett said. “When Keeley resigned, we had our two assistants, PJ and Taylor, helping us. We love them, [and] we are so grateful they were able to stay.”
Even with the assistant coaches’ help, taking charge of the team was not easy. Nonetheless, Guayara believes what matters the most is the effort both the staff and players put in.
“It was a hard situation. We're very invested in the girls as human beings, and something that is always important is creating stability, especially as we're going into the preseason…It's built up their ability to lean on each other when things get hard. We did our best to show up for them, and they did their best to show up for us,” Guayara said.
With the combined hard work of the players and assistant coaches, lacking a head coach did not discourage the team. Rather, it fostered stronger bonds that brought them closer. Members, including Sophia Austen ’27, realized they had to collectively rely more on themselves to keep the team running smoothly.
“It caused a lot of us to step up and help others in the assistant coaches' lead,” Austen said. “Since we didn't have a coach, we played for each other, and that's what kept us there. Even though we really had no coach, we're just here because we like to play.”
Similar to Austen and the athletes who play for their own love of volleyball, Bahr’s coaching philosophy emphasizes choosing joy and passion for sports.
“[‘One Way’ is] an overarching thing of trying to say [and] do things the right way,” Bahr said “I try to take that within my personal life, and I
WE’RE NOT WORRIED ABOUT GOOD PLAY, BAD PLAY. WE’RE WORRIED ABOUT THE NEXT PLAY. - BEN BAHR
try to take it to the job here, my professional life. The other part is we really want to choose joy.”
plans for the season.
From left to right, Rebekah Liska’25, Sophia Austen’26, and Gianna Liu’25 pose for media
Bahr’s experience in the professional volleyball league brings plays and strategies the team hasn’t seen before. Following his philosophy, West volleyball players and coaching staff have greatly appreciated his unique approach and fast-paced coaching style.
“Our coaching staff is very thankful and grateful for him. He's been really great at helping integrate us into his system and his coaching approach. He's really great to work with and great to get along with, so it makes spending those long hours together much more fun and worthwhile,” Guayara said.
The players have offered similar statements about their excitement for the upcoming season and the knowledge Bahr brings to practices. Ava Bruxvoort ’25, a member of the varsity team, respects Bahr’s directness.
“I really do admire his confidence; it doesn't come off as being cocky. He knows he's good at what he does, and he definitely knows his stuff. It's really enlightening,” Bruxvoort said.
Bahr’s strong leadership has not only lifted the team, but also inspired them to look forward to new heights. After working with the team, Bahr and the coaching staff have confidence in his
“He's been here for a really short amount of time, but he's really jumped in headfirst and taken the lead with a lot of things, and the kids are responding really well to him. Our coaching staff is super lucky to have him and are very excited to be learning from him. We are excited to see where he can take this group of kids,” Guayara said.
The players and assistant coaches alike hope having new leadership this season will help them get them back on track after the unexpected events this past summer.
“This is such an incredible group of kids, skillwise and talent-wise, and they're hungry to win. I'm really excited to see how far that takes us and that takes them,” Guayara said.
To Bahr, following through and having resilience is important, especially within a team.
“We're not worried about good play, bad play. We're worried about the next play,” Bahr said.
“I hope when people come watch our team and watch our program, they see us pursuing [excellence] and they're invested in our ability to pursue excellence, not holding us to the standard that we will be excellent all the time [because] we set that standard ourselves. We're really excited for that.”
Rebekah Liska ’25 and Gianna Liu ’25 pose for media day.
BY HENRY TIMMER-HACKERT ART & DESIGN BY JACK SUN
ADVANCING ATHLETICS
West’s most recent news surrounds a move towards being more sports-focused starting next fall. Due to recent underwhelming athletic performances, West has decided to recreate the conditions of their more successful years. “It’s great that we’re returning to our earlier years,” Athletic Director Nostal Jic said. “I’m hoping we can do some remodeling on our building to take down some of the newer classrooms, while we’re at it.” West is also bringing in older athletes to take the place of younger athletes on the team. These so-called “super-duper-seniors” will go undercover as regular high school students. “Personally, I think we should give these older players a shot,” Diss Gized ’93 said. “I think they can really just bring the team together again.” Additionally, West will rebrand its school motto to “ W here athl E tic S are impor T ant,” standing for WEST. However, parents have expressed their dislike for this shift towards athletics. “West used to be about getting perfect grades, now I only hear about pickleball!” Rees O’Nable, a concerned parent, said. Still, the district plans to continue to implement policies that will encourage students’ success. The district recently introduced a new policy requiring students to use hardback textbooks to force them to build more muscle. “Just trust me, this will get us back to state champions. I promise,” Athletic Secretary Dess Perit said.
RESOLUTIONS RESOLVING THE RADISH
A recent school-wide poll showed another year of low follow-through rates after teacher announcements. According to the poll, approximately 95% of teachers gave up weekly planned activities due to time constraints. “It’s hard to manage weekly free readings while fitting 23.5 plays in the curriculum,” English teacher Ovah Wooked said. Additionally, more than half of foreign language teachers spoke more English in class than planned at the start of the year. “Yeah, the only thing I remember from last year was gracias, and maybe one of the past tenses,” Bea Hind ’25 said. Likewise, in the math department, most classes are an average of 1.5 chapters behind, and the gap is only expected to grow exponentially. “We are barely learning any calculus in my class,” Worr Reed ’25 said. “I don’t think it’s integral to my success.” From the out-of-class results, the survey revealed that students who planned to study regularly this year continued studying for a shocking average of four days, an all-time high. This may be correlated with students planning to exercise regularly but only stepping into the gym two times on average. Overall, West seems to be headed for another mediocre year, with a small increase in these statistics expected after New Year’s.
WARNING: The contents of these pages are entirely satirical. These stories should not be taken seriously as they bear a faint resemblance to reality. Unless…
BURGEONING BRAINROT
As a new generation of freshmen enter high school, a wave of “brainrot” has struck West. Brainrot symptoms include incoherent speech, strange repeating behaviors and a return from the dead. “It’s really concerning, you know? I’ve heard they’ve even started biting other students,” Jess Fine ’28 said. This new trend has also caused problems for teachers. “I just feel like they’re never paying attention in class,” English teacher Ann Oidd said. “All they do is stare at each other and say ‘What the sigma?’” The district released a response meant to support students, including emergency rations and instructions for creating homemade weaponry. Many younger students seem to think these measures are extreme. “What the Ohio fanum tax on our skibidi baby gronkmaxxing,” Toufar Gone ’28 said. Parents concerned with their child’s safety also criticized the district’s response. “I don’t feel good about having my daughter carry a homemade machete,” Con Cerned said. “Last week, a student tried to attack her for her ‘Skibidi rizz,’ and I don’t think this will help.” Despite this pushback, the district has insisted its new apocalypse training program will sufficiently teach staff to defend students during emergencies or sudden brainrot attacks.
POLLING PROBLEMS
West, one of Iowa City’s polling stations, has been preparing for the upcoming election in many ways; however, one thing many students weren’t prepared for was the increased election security for the polls. Students and voters alike will contend with a physical obstacle course, testing voters to ensure they’re “fit” to vote. The new obstacles have created problems for teachers who find students are often distracted by the new rock-climbing wall in the hallway. In addition, the voter influx allowed candidates to put up last-second signage near the school. These signs plan to convince voters with messaging such as, “I’ll fix all the problems fast, trust me bro!” and “Please vote for me. Please, please!” These additions have drawn some criticism from staff. “School isn’t the place for these new distractions,” Kiel Joy said. “They need to set these up somewhere more reasonable, like a hospital.” Teachers are also concerned that the archery section of the obstacles may cause some security concerns in the building. “I don’t know that I feel safe with these new constructions,” Jen Unine said. Despite this, the state has said the new installations will actually make schools safer overall. The added longbows are designed to stop “bad people with crossbows” in addition to testing voters. These changes are expected to continue until election day when West can start working on returning to normal.
SEOUL SERIES:
Effort can take you far, even 6,500 miles to the other side of the world.
BY GIANNA
Iwas butt-to-butt with another man. I tried to turn around to look at him, but more people clambered on, pushing me back. The subway train sang a little jingle, and the doors began to shut… except they couldn’t. People kept squeezing in the box, and the train started moving. Personal space was nonexistent on this train; my body was sandwiched between a lady with rollers in her hair and a man in a suit. Nevertheless, I was the happiest girl in the world.
One year ago, I never thought I would be on an airplane to Seoul, South Korea. I would have laughed in your face if you had told me the United States government would pay for my airplane ticket and a fully-funded seven-week trip to South Korea. It all sounds too good to be true, right?
But it wasn’t a scam. I spent seven weeks in Seoul as a part of the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y), fully im-
mersing myself in Korean culture, food, people and language. This program sponsors trips in hopes of “Increasing the number of young Americans with the language skills necessary to advance international dialogue, promote economic prosperity and innovation worldwide, and contribute to national security and global stability by building understanding across cultures.” I studied how to write, read and converse with natives in “Hangukeo” (Korean). I shopped, cafe-hopped and snacked on turtle chips, peely gummies and flavored almonds. I indulged in traditional delights like kimchi, bibimbap, bulgogi, chap chae and galbi tang.
Iowa Youth Congress, another government-funded program, sent me an email detailing the program; however, not everyone participates in these programs, making opportunities like NSLI-Y very hard to find. Also, the application process for NSLI-Y wasn’t easy. Although
only two essay questions were required, they prompted extensive thinking. I spent weeks on my application, incorporating hours of NSLI-Y research into my essays. After passing the first round, I dedicated another week in preparation for the interview.
The art of effort is experiencing a life-changing moment; effort can bring beautiful opportunities.
Even with all of this work behind me, I still could’ve been rejected after my second round. The program didn’t have the highest acceptance rate, but I didn’t let that stop me from trying.
Thus, I urge you to search Google for programs and events that interest you. Many websites detail scholarship opportunities for teenagers. Take time to put your best effort into these applications, and don’t agonize over one rejection; keep trying, and who knows? Maybe I’ll see you in Korea one day.
DESIGN BY GIANNA LIU
PHOTOS BY GIANNA LIU
Public transportation is highly developed in Seoul and is the most preferred way to commute.
The Han River is a popular spot in Seoul for families and friends to get together.
Two men sit together enjoying the view from Namsam Mountain.
LIU
(DIS)
CONNECTED
BY WEST SIDE STORY EDITORIAL BOARD DESIGN BY KAVYA BHATT
The West Side Story Editorial Board believes ICCSD teachers should collect phones at the beginning of each class to mitigate phone usage in school.
Phone use in school has been proven to be a double-edged sword; while some thrive with easy access to the entire internet in their palm, others may be distracted by the beeps and buzzes coming from their pocket. A 2016 study found a positive correlation between school-related engagement on devices and motivation to learn supplementary content outside of school. However, a 2022 study reveals that phone use in school directly relates to a drop in GPA, which creates concerns for teachers and staff given that 95% of high school students bring cell phones to class.
Phones have become a huge source of distraction in the post-COVID-19 era, with 60% of students receiving over 200 daily notifications. As of 2022, YouTube, social media and gaming account for 75% of phone use during school. However, for students who use devices responsibly, phones are associated with better academic performance; they allow students access to the internet anywhere, letting them utilize information, complete assignments and instantly read and respond to emails related to school.
Despite the importance of an effective cell phone policy, West’s current approach is tedious and difficult to follow. Teachers often do not want to reach out to parents after only two infractions since it’s difficult to enforce for all students, and the Infinite Campus Behavior Referral is difficult to fill out. This is why, according to an anonymous teacher survey, only half of West’s teachers say they ‘mostly’ follow the policy or they follow the policy ‘to a tee’, and 10% of teachers have their own policy for students to follow. Because of this, West needs a new policy for all teachers and staff to follow consistently
There doesn’t seem to be a single solution that completely solves the problem, but the Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD) is attempting to diminish the issue by resolving portions of the problem.
What is the current West High phone policy?
1 : Verbal warning.
2: A phone call to parents and an “Infinite Campus Behavior Referral” filed.
3: A phone call to parents, an “Infinite Campus Behavior Referral” filed and phone is collected for the entirety of the next day.
4+: An “Infinite Campus Behavior Referral” filed, phone collected immediately and a meeting is scheduled with the parents/guardians to determine additional consequences.
One possible solution suggested by the school board is a bell-to-bell, no-phones-allowed policy. To enforce this policy, teachers would either take phones at the beginning of the day, or, alter
because after phones are taken away, students cannot easily contact or be contacted by family or guardians during emergencies. Also, the staffing required to collect phones exceeds what West can provide. Another proposed solution is to commit to our current system with stricter enforcement. Phones may be taken away after one warning instead of two. However, this still doesn’t solve the issue of low teacher enforcement.
The West Side Story Editorial Board believes the best method is to leave enforcement to individual teachers. Each teacher could choose to take phones at the beginning of class and put them in numbered pocket charts, or big boards with labeled compartments for each phone to go into. Teachers could also use phone boards for attendance, marking a student absent if their phone isn’t in the designated spot. This solution not only lessens distractions but also provides fast emergency contact to a parent or guardian, allowing students to easily grab their phones during class if needed.
The phone policy has to change. It needs to be modified to ensure students are focused in class while still having flexible access. West’s current policy is too difficult to follow, and phones are too distracting. There are plenty of methods that can be created, but most are either too hard to enforce or don’t answer the other issues presented by phones, such as communication in case of emergencies. The best solution to these issues is a policy allowing teachers to take phones at the start of class if they feel the need. To offer the best support for teachers, staff and students, the school board must utilize a policy that is both
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