Issue 3 22 December 2014Volume 58

THESURVEYOR

“ THE ALTERNATIVE HIGH SCHOOL”

2 Nicole Rizer Meet the Staff

MEET THE STAFF

editors Bridget Williams, Editor-in-ChiefNicole Rizer, Photo EditorCourtney Squires, News EditorAndi Lawrence, Opinions EditorChristian Petersen, Business ManagerLauren Barber, Arts and Entertainment Editor Avery Novak, Profiles EditorBrandon Cullen, Sports EditorBetsy Smith, WebmasterBraxton Leonord, Broadcasting Editor

adviserKyle Phillips, CJE

Happy (Holla)days from the Surveyor Staff

holla at whatever you celebrate

3What’s Inside Bridget Williams

What’s Inside//5 NewsAmnesty: Write for Rights, ISIS, Warriors Travel the Globe, Fear in Ferguson

8 OpinionsSales Going Up on a Thursday, Stuck in the Jock Lot Forever, Wake Me Up When December Ends, Roses and Thorns

12 FeatureMetro High School: The Alternative High School

15 ProfIlesFBI Job Shadow, Freshman Bachelorette, Tale of Two Jareds

17 A&EPam Slam: New Time Rhyme, Return to Super Skate, Makeup and Music, Pam Slam

20 SportsDifferent kind of athletes, Mens’ Winter Sports Previews

24 backpageNicole’s Life as a Warrior

mission The Surveyor is established as a school-sponsored designated forum dedicated to informing and entertaining its readers. The staff will report as fairly and well-balanced as possible. All activities and news will be covered to the best of the staff’s ability. The Surveyor accepts the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics as the basis for good journalism. Readers are encouraged to express their viewpoints through guest editorials. The Surveyor also welcomes letters to the editor, with these guidelines: it is not libelous or obscene, it explains the material clearly, it is not longer than 500 words, and that it is signed.

non-discrimination policy It is the policy of the Cedar Rapids Community School District not to illegally discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age (employment only), marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and socioeconomic status (students/program only) in its educational programs and its employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. District employees with questions or a grievance related to this policy should contact Jill Cirivello, Director of Human Resources, 319-558-2421; jcirivello@cr.k12.ia.us. Students and others should contact Rhoda Shepherd, Director of Student Services, 319-558-2964; rshepherd@cr.k12.ia.us. The District mailing address is 2500 Edgewood Rd NW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52405-1015.

affiliations Iowa High School Press Association, National Scholastic Press Association, Journalism Eduaction Association, Quill and Scroll

Matthew AnderslandAaron BissellGunnar Bosking Emily BurkeReece ChadimaEverett DeVauxJack FoardeAustin GregoryMolly HunterRielle Jones-Teske

Madeline KnutsonEmily LaGrangeKate NashBraden Offerman-Mims Anna RizerAddi WestphelingClaire McKinstry Micah O’NealJonathan Melander

staff members

4 Courtney Squires News

Amnesty: Write for Rights Emily BurkeStaff Writer

This month Washington’s very own Amnesty Club is joining with Amnesty International and other participants all over the world in a mass effort toward freeing prisoners of conscience. This event, Write for Rights, is an annual event held by Amnesty International beginning on December 1 and ending on December 17. Within that time frame, people all over the world that are involved in Amnesty write letters to government offices and government officials to help free people who have been punished and jailed for their political, religious or other conscientiously-held beliefs. By limiting this event to a seventeen-day time period, Amnesty

members can “flood” the offices of government officials, allowing their message to be heard. “Our Wash group is going to have our very own write-a-thon on December 10, 2014, which is also Human Rights Day. We are going to write letters and then send them to places all over the world that will make the greatest impact. We’re also going to have petitions that our members will carry around to their classes and have people sign towards the end of that week that we will send in addition to the letters,” explains Laurel Dusek ’15, president of Washington’s Amnesty group. “The point in hand writing each individual letter besides just

emailing it and copying it, is that a hand-written letter is still one of the most powerful tools that activists can use. Usually the more effort you put into it, the better the result is.” Amnesty’s previous efforts have liberated many people that are held in prison and tortured because of their beliefs. Last year alone the Write for Rights movement freed three prisoners of conscience. “Because it’s a big international event held by Amnesty every year and since Wash’s Amnesty club is a registered student group, I thought we should join the movement,” voices Dusek ’15, “its super easy yet super helpful!”

isis In December of 2011, U.S.- led coalition forces left Iraq after invading the country in 2003. They had invaded so that they could topple Saddam Hussein’s regime and wipe out a terrorist group called al- Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). The coalition was successful in their goals and finally decided to pull out of the country after helping to establish a more Democratic form of government. Leaving the country proved to be a mistake due to the fact that a new radical Islamic groug, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), has recently wreaked havoc on the area. Now Americans are wondering if they should be scared. ISIS began in 1999, when Jordanian terrorist, Abu Musab al- Zarqawi, started AQI. The group would conduct attacks such as suicide and car bombs on the Iraqi cities and

their civilians. The U.S. and Britain eventually killed al- Zarqawi in a bombing of his house. The death of their leader led the AQI to go dormant for years. The group remerged out of rebels who have been fighting the Syrian government in a civil war that has been going on since 2011. They swiftly and quietly started to take over small towns and villages in Syria and eventually moved into Iraq. They imposed harsh brutality on anyone who would dare to resist. U.S. General Ray Odierno said to the Associated Press, “ISIS has transformed from a small group that was somewhat brutal into a full- fledged organization that is capable of full war.” When the group first started to take power, people in the U.S. didn’t really pay much attention, probably thinking that it would blow over

quickly, but when the video showing the beheading of captured freelance journalist, James Foley, surfaced in August, Americans started to take ISIS seriously. More beheadings of journalists and aid workers from both the U.S. and England soon followed and both governments began to take action. In September, the U.S. government decided that ISIS had gone too far and started to bomb key targets in Iraq. So far, the bombings have been successful in slowing the advances of the terrorists. President Obama said that his main goal was to “annihilate the cancer that is ISIS.” . “I really don’t see much of an end to the situation,” said Pete Clancy of the situation, “it’s going to be a long conflict and has been for thousands of years.”

Gunnar BoskingStaff Writer

5News Courtney Squires

Matthew AnderslandStaff Writer

Travel, a desire

that many people have, but

simply can’t afford or convince family

members to participate in at this current stage of

life. Some people will just decide they will do it when

they are older, or study abroad. Well, many students here at

Washington are deciding to travel now. There are many different opportunities to travel at our school, including service trips, or trips solely in the interest of learning. During the second half of this school year, many students will participate in some such trips. Three of these are an art class trip to Europe, a Spanish

trip to Guatemala, and a trip to Hawaii.

The art trip to Europe, includes visits to Paris,

Carcassonne, Provence and Barcelona.

The trip is going to be led by

Elizabeth

Schmelzer. While they are in Europe

they will visit many unique points of interest throughout the continent, including the Louvre, the Picasso Museum, and many other destinations to view famous pieces of art. Cat Berg, ’17, a student in Digital Design, Painting, AP Art History, Design and Art, and Sculpture will be going on the trip following the end of the 2014-15 school year. “France and Provence have lots of interesting art and have set a standard for the world.” said Berg about the trip.” The trip to Guatemala has a slightly different tone to it. In addition to interesting learning experiences, students also have the opportunity to help many people. The trip goes through the program Imagine Guatemala, a foundation run by Guatemalans to help build homes for the lower class citizens of the country. The trip goes over the course of spring break and has many different points to it. They build 12x14 houses for families that are in bad situations for part of the trip, they can usually build four homes in four days but it changes more or less depending on the number of students on the trip. They visit orphanages, give out lunches,

distribute clothes, enjoy the

area, live with families in the city and see many parts of the culture of the area over the one week.“It’s a good opportunity to use the spanish they have learned in a real world environment,” said James Burke, a spanish teacher at Wash sponsoring the Guatemala trip. Hannah Madsen ’16 attended the trip last year and will be going again this spring. “It was a life changing experience and was a lot of fun,” said Madsen. The third trip that will be happening is to Hawaii. The teacher leading the trip is Dr. Amy Jones an AP U.S. History and AP Psychology teacher here at Wash. The group will be investigating historical and cultural aspects of the area including the Pearl Harbor monument polynesian culture, Pearl Harbor museum and natural sites.

Photos CC from pixa-bay.com

6 Courtney Squires News

ear in FergusonMolly HunterStaff Writer

Earlier this year in August, high racial tensions in Ferguson, Missouri snapped. In a confrontation with white police officer Darren Wilson, black eighteen-year old Michael Brown was shot and killed. The incident set off months of protest.News of the conflict spread like wildfire thanks to modern media, and has garnered huge national attention. Many argue that the spotlight aimed at Ferguson has only served to exacerbate things. When the St. Louis county grand jury decided not to indict Wilson for Brown’s death, the situation went from bad to worse. Another grand jury also recently announced that it would not indict a white police officer in New York City accused of needlessly choking a black man named Eric Garner. This news has only added to the fire.All across the country, people have come out in waves to protest, and Iowa is no exception. “Luckily,” says Washington policer officer Thaddeus Paisar, “we haven’t had to deal with any type of non-peaceful protests or any type of arson… I know that leading up to the [St. Louis county] grand jury decision…our department leaders were in contact with community leaders… So there were already some things in place to make sure that, if people were going to protest, they could do it in an area where they were allowed to do it, and so that we could keep working to uphold the Constitution and people’s right to free

speech.”Many of these protesters have been addressing the use of excessive force by police officers.“I work on the premise that I do what I need to do within the constraints of the law, and abide by the law, so that I can go home to my wife and two kids every night,” says Officer Paisar. “You have to live with killing somebody, and we’re prepared to do so under the correct circumstances—to protect life, our lives, the lives of innocent people—but…no officer that I could ever think of could fathom wanting to go to work and having to kill somebody… Maybe there is out there, but I don’t see it.”In addition, protesters have been working to bring attention to white privilege, and how differently our society treats black people and white people. This, of course, begs the question—does this disparity exist? It clearly does in Ferguson. As of the 2010 Census, Ferguson’s population was 65% black, and only 29% white. And yet, only one member of the Ferguson city council is black—the others are all white.The state of Ferguson’s city council doesn’t reflect that of Congress, however. The 113th Congress is the most diverse one yet, with 42 black members in the House of Representatives, and one in the Senate. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent population estimates, 13% of the nation’s people

are black, and 78% are white. With a record high 8% African American contribution, the 113th Congress is closer than ever before to an accurate representation of the United States’ racial makeup. Although our government is steadily improving, racial disparity remains prevalent in our society.In the United States, one third of those living below the poverty line are black, one third of all people arrested in 2010 were black, and in 2013, over a third of our state and federal prisoners were black. Disparity exists. If it didn’t, these statistics would be proportionate to the African American percentage of our population. But they aren’t. There is a disproportionately high black representation in criminal data reports, and disproportionately low representation in our government. Such a severe disproportionality is indicative of serious racial disparity—and many people are saying that we should be worried. Meanwhile, many people, including members of Michael Brown’s family, have recently begun calling for body cameras to be installed on police officers. “I think it’s a great way for us to do our police work better—not that we’re doing it badly, but everyone can always improve. I think it’s a great way to get compliance with whoever we come into contact with…and also it protects us against false allegations… [However,] the camera doesn’t see everything,” says Paisar.

Photo CC from pixabay.com

7Opinions Andi Lawrence

Sales Going Up on a Thursday

It seems as if Black Friday itself has become extinct. No longer are stores opening on the stroke

of midnight after spending

the (sometimes, painfully long) Thanksgiving day with their families and loved ones. Vanished is the aggregation Black Friday shoppers possess as they yearn for their beds and keep themselves awake for as long as humanly possible. In fact, staying up until the wee hours of the morning to score the best prices is so two years ago. Stores are seemingly swinging open their doors earlier and earlier every year. “Last year we opened at 7 PM on Thanksgiving,” said Micah Butterfield, ’15, a Sales Associate or Sellebrity at Old Navy who worked from 7 PM to 4 AM. This year, Old Navy opened its doors at 4 PM on Thanksgiving evening. It seems as if people have stopped celebrating the time away from things that matter least. After all, when discussing what you’re most thankful for, the percent off you’re going to get at Best Buy probably doesn’t come up. Thanksgiving is a day that you spend with people you’re thankful for and to take a step back and appreciate everything you have, not a day to spend with overly aggressive shoppers or get elbowed repeatedly. Often, it’s forgotten why Black Friday ever even started on a Friday. “I don’t think it impedes on the aspect of Thanksgiving because the stores are

open after you’re done hanging out with family,” said Clayton Brecht ’16, a Sales Associate at American Eagle who worked from 10 AM to 9 PM. But Thanksgiving has never been based on a grab-and-go meal. It isn’t often that you’re able to get all of your family together in one place, so intruding on this time with something that’s already so prevalent in everyday lives, as shopping is, is a shame. And what about the workers? Sure, time-and-a-half pay is nice, but it doesn’t make up for the lost time that could’ve been spent with loved ones. “It’s the most sales we’ve made on Black Friday, but it’s exhausting for workers,” said Butterfield. After all, the reason people have stayed up as late as they do in the past is to make sure they get the things they want before a horde of other shoppers do, and sometimes when your heart is set on something, you just cannot watch it get taken by someone less worthy than yourself. “We ran out of sweaters and certain styles of jeans because we didn’t have as many as we should have,” said Brecht. The endless lines of people, gifts in hand, can still be counted on on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Opening stores earlier didn’t do a thing for the lines. “They were still definitely really long during the day,” said Butterfield. The stores will always be there at the end of the day. Spending time with your family and the people you’re thankful for while they’re still around is more important than any sale and maybe Cyber Monday will become the newest go-to.

Emily LaGrangeStaff Writer

Sales at a Glance:

- Online sales are up 23% from last year

- Stores with top sales: Kohls, Apple, Samsung, Microsoft,

- Online top sales: Amazon, Etsy, Motorola, EA

- Ages 25-34 did the most talking about Black Friday on social media

Info from CNBC and Forbes

8 Andi Lawrence Opinions

STUCK IN THE JOCK LOT... FOREVER

The jock lot. To many, it’s the superior parking lot at Wash, much better than the pot l- er, South Lot. But there’s an issue I’m sure we’ve all seen after school in the

jock lot. The mayhem that is every single car trying to pull out of the lot at the exact same time. I have a few solutions to this problem.

Worst Parking Jobs by Washington Students:

Option 1: We could steal all the underclassmen’s cars and sell them and use the money to take out the hill next to the lot and make the parking lot larger.

Option 2: Sacrifice all freshman with cars in order to lighten the load of cars needing to park in the lot (best option).

Option 3: Somehow convert the planet’s physics in order to be like Minecraft and take out the hill block by block and make the lot larger.

Option 4: Stop complaining about it and join the swim team so you get to school at 5 AM and have the choice of any spot in the lot. (I’m joking, don’t join swimming, it’s a trap).

Option 5: We could be eco-friendly and have everyone carpool or take a bus or walk or ride a bike or use some other form of transportation… wait that’s a stupid idea who cares about the Earth anyways!!!!

These are a lot of solid options in my opinion. All of which are pretty easy to do if you just put your mind to it. In order for this to work we have to band together as a school. Winter is coming and it’s risky

to walk too far from the back of the lot in the cold weather; the only option on cold days if I can’t get a spot in the front row is to just skip the whole day. Oh, well. Maybe the jock lot issue isn’t so bad after all...

Photos courtesy of @iklopf, @truemper_jake, @ohh_LaurD, & Chris Harrington

Jack FoardeStaff Writer

9Opinions Andi Lawrence

Roses

Andi LawrenceOpinions Edtior

The best words any high schooler can hear in the mornings

are ‘there’s a two hour

delay.’ While we all could use this time for studying, cleaning, or catching up on homework, my guess is that most of us just go back to sleep. Teens’ bodies just seem to work differently because, at least in my case, I could sleep an entire day and still be tired. I could always use a nap, or two, or three, but when it comes time to lay down at 10 or 11 p.m. I feel wide awake. Now the sleep problems of this generation because of electronics or stress are another story, but something many teens can agree about is that school starts too early. From surveying students at

Washington, I found that the students surveyed on average slept two hours more on weekends than school nights. It’s no surprise that students sleep less on school nights but it is scary the effects of so little sleep on school nights can have on teen’s bodies. The American Academy of Pediatrics Adolescent Sleep Working Group did a study and found that getting less than eight and a half hours of sleep a night can contribute to things like obesity, diabetes, mood changes, reliance on substances, and behavior problems. They also found that with puberty changes the clock inside teens that tells the body when it’s time to go to sleep and wake up so it’s really not our faults. (Also no, none of you have insomnia, so stop calling it that). This study said that on average teens have trouble falling asleep before 11 p.m., which, in my mind, could also be related to the amount of activities and

homework that push us to stay up that late. The recommended fix for these problems seems obvious, start school later. The study from the Academy of Pediatrics says starting school at 8:30 a.m. or later is the best fix and I agree. At Washington, we helped fix this problem by moving the start time from 8:00 to 8:15 but I think moving back to 9:00 would be even better. It seems silly that elementary aged students in Cedar Rapids start at 9:00 when they aren’t the ones battling their bodies to wake up every morning. High school students have a different circadian rhythm than other age groups and we need to adjust our schedule so our bodies are getting the right amount of sleep. More sleep for students means better focus, more learning, less sleeping in class, and overall better health.

“Shady XV”Pam Slam 2014Not Freezing TempsAssembliesPuppiesBREAKFrenchNasty War #BossNastyNew CODSims

HACAP“Gone Girl”Good CopsPopePoshmarkBasketball Season“Uptown Funk”Half Days in DecemberCo-op Open in CRInvention of Wheel

Ferguson ProblemsEric Garner VerdictBad CopsEarly WinterNo Snow DaysSurveyor FinalHeartless PeopleCIA Torture ReportXmas Music

Winter ClothesGym FinalCollege Apps/ EssaysGym WaiversSpeeding TicketsParking TicketsWaking Up in DarknessSchool Until 23rdPaying for Gas

Thorns

CC by Rose Braverman, grace_kat,

10 Christian Petersen Ads

www.witsendcoffeehouse.com

Stop. Sit. Savor.Begin again.

630 10th Street573-2277

Mon 7 am to noonTues-Sat 7 am to 2 pm

Excellent espresso (and homemade pastries)in an eclectic environment.

Remember to submit your films for The Surveyor Film Festival.

Films are due January 23rd, and will be aired February 27th in the Little Theater at 7 P.M.

11Feature Bridget Williams

Photos by Bridget Williams

Bridget WilliamsEditor-in-Chief

Metro High School: Part of this Community

THEALTERNATIVEHIGHSCHOOL

I’m about to walk into the school when the building’s side door opens. In the frame of the door is a security guard-like figure talking to two male students, his hand pushing the door open for them as they walk out into the parking lot. They’re both holding cigarettes in their hands, and continue to walk, flicking their lighters toward their mouths. Before their first puff of smoke, I’m already at the main door, under the large white lettering that reads ‘Metro High School.’ I’m greeted by Dan Walsh, whose title is Lead Teacher, but after asking around nobody seemed to know what he officially does. He asked if I was here for orientation. Before I even started to say no, he said, “Oh you’re here for the tag along.” (The fact that I was wearing a backpack was probably the giveaway). I waited in the Attendance Office for the student I’d be shadowing. First

names were tossed around the office, not just from faculty to faculty, but from student to faculty. Four students lined the wall across from me, three of them wearing hats over the same style of haircut, whom I later found out were here for orientation. Dan Walsh came back and introduced me to Rayvin. We both looked familiar to each other, whether through past mutual schools or ‘friend of a friend’s’ profile pictures, probably both. I followed her out the door and we walked to our first class, Drivers Ed. The room was set up in trapezoid tables clustered around the smart board. We sat down at a table next to another where two girls were already sitting. “Do students call teachers by their first names?” I asked. Rayvin and the girl to my left, Hannah, both said yes. “Like at

Kennedy, you call teachers by their last names, but here we’re on a first name basis, to you know, to get to know them…Like I don’t know you, but I wouldn’t call you Ms. Blah blah blah, you know, it just doesn’t make sense,” said Hannah. In the spirit of Metro’s first name basis attitude, this story will be told in first names only. Hannah passed Rayvin and me a package of “Surf Sweets: Organic Fruity Bears.” She and Rayvin told me about Metro. Students have advisers, whom they meet with on a regular basis to talk about what classes they want to take, to troubles at home. Advisers are not equivalent to conventional high school counselors. “At Jefferson or Wash, the teachers…you know, you walk in, they know your name, but they don’t really know much about you. My adviser could tell you my favorite

12 Bridget Williams Feature

color, my adviser could tell you my birthday,” said Hannah. The class resembled a community, not a standard, structured classroom. The typical classroom set up, systematic lines of desk after desk, makes it easy for faces to blend into the crowd and opt out of participation. In this class, the teacher asked questions freely and the students answered freely. When the teacher asked for colors of street signs and what they indicate; red, yellow, orange, stop, caution, construction; and so on, bounced around the room until the class answered the question as a whole. Classes are based on credits, not grades. The entire Metro-classroom experience relies on participation, which might actually be more effective. “I feel like I didn’t do schoolwork [before Metro], I would sit there and just look at my paperwork and be like ‘oh she’s going to talk about it in front of the class’ and so I just didn’t work at all…I realized participation at Metro is everything. Like that makes me want to be here. That makes me want to achieve in life,” said Hannah. Our next class was the Learning Center run by Staci, Rayvin’s adviser. We walked through a weird array of rooms, from a small cafeteria with large displays of art on the walls, to an even smaller weight room, to a wood workshop, up the stairs, to a short hallway heavy with plants, to the Learning Center. It’s a class where students teach themselves through independent study. Rayvin

pulled out a U.S. History textbook, the same textbook in any other high school U.S. History

class, and went to work. A little of the ways in she asked if I wanted to go with her to ‘Shannon’s room’ for a cup of coffee. While we waited for a new pot of coffee to brew, Rayvin led me over to a box of chocolate bars, which they not only sell, but actually make (if Wash students remember the year when the senior class sold Wash-branded chocolate bars, Metro made those).

Shannon knows his stuff. He does a lot of work with the University of Iowa and the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center, and he knows this community. His classes are a mix of helping students figure what they want to do, teaching them how to get there, and teaching them the inner workings of a business. His opening line: networking. “So at the colleges and universities, who have you met there?...When we go over there, and they meet you face to face and they talk to you, it’s like oh yeah I remember, and yeah we should see what we can do to help you or get you in. And it’s the same with a business too. People want to do business with people that they know and people that they like,” said Shannon. He goes on, sifting through ‘‘vacuum formed sealers,” explaining universal lasers and heating up plastics. “We’ve done a number of companies…Right after the flood,

we started this company, it’s a vanilla candle. Check that out, smell that…we’d sell these all over the city for six dollars, two dollars is what it costs us to make these…We donated to an organization here in town called “Flood them with Love” and it bought furniture and…students they owned the company,” said Shannon. Being here in the building, the public perception of Metro sounds pretty ridiculous: bad kids, bad school. These ‘bad kids’ are learning in a new way, learning things a conventional high school couldn’t teach them. This ‘bad school’ is a school where the teachers care. It’s not that standard high school teachers don’t care, but it’s different here. Teachers are enthusiastic and interested, and they make the students care. Shannon’s talking about CNC machines and wooden plugs, and I care, because he cares. He’s talking about soda holders Metro produced for the Great American Popcorn Co. in Newbo, and Rayvin’s talking about them too, because she was a part of that. She’s knowledgeable about what it meant to make them and sell them, and she cares. This is Metro High School. Next was Geometry. There were a lot of familiar faces. People I went to middle school with and who I thought had followed me to high school, and were still there sitting in a Wash classroom, while I, in someone else’s geometry class. People that really did go to my high school. People from my elementary school. People, two people, from my summer day care from first to fourth grade. People who’d washed in and out of the conventional school system without tripping off any alarms. Geometry consisted of four or five students. They made cylinders

People who’d washed in and out of the conventional school system without tripping off any alarms.\\

13Feature Bridget Williams

using pieces of paper, a ruler, and a calculator; and worked on a worksheet. I didn’t get to the worksheet (It took me the entire class period to make the cylinder), and I was asking a lot of questions. When it became obvious I didn’t go to Metro, “Good for you…because usually if you’re here it means you did something bad,” said a student in the class. It wasn’t spiteful. Her expression was half-joking. It was just said sort of obviously; reciting the stereotype.

“Why do you go to Metro?” I asked Rayvin. “Well I had really low credits and I was like well I don’t want to graduate in four more years. So I actually took the initiative, emailed one of the teachers here without anyone telling me to, and I asked, and I was like I might as well do this because I was just going to drop out of high school completely, but then I started talking to some of the teachers here, and then I got close to Staci, and Shannon. And I was like man, I don’t want to leave,” said Rayvin. This is Metro High School, where “usually if you’re here it means you did something bad.” “Everyone always has that input. Metro is “for the bad kids,’ Metro is ‘where the guns go,’ Metro is ‘where all the fighting is,’ but really if you look at it, Metro has a non-violence

policy. Metro will not let a fight happen in this school, you will get expelled…You get a second chance here if you mess up in school, that’s the only way you get a second chance here,” said Hannah.

Our next class was Robotics. Actual robotics. An actual, competitive robotics team. Students going upstairs to drive a robot. Students taking robots apart.This is Metro High School. “We’re more like a family than a school,” said Robotics student Athena, “Metro also still has an Outdoor Ed Program, so they have canoe trips, hiking trips, stuff like that…they have more opportunities to earn credits and do stuff...teachers here are more willing and able to help you, it’s a simple fact. Classes are so small…You get more help from teachers.” Rayvin comes over. “I got really close to T, and Chuck, and Shannon, and Mary [on the canoe trip]…I think the canoe trip got me to actually want to stay, because no other school can do that…We learned how to set up a tent, cook our own food…” Rayvin took me upstairs where a couple students took a robot to drive. Walking out of the room we passed this archaic arcade-style Nintendo machine. “We made it,” said Rayvin, out of wiring they did themselves and a junkyard T.V.

This is Metro High School, the alternative high school. “People say we’re an alternative high school, but I look at us as a real high school…We have a lot of freedom here,” said student Kenan, putting a robot on a ramp. Fourth period ended, but we had Robotics fifth period too, so we left everything as it was and went downstairs. We walked outside and across the street for a smoke break. There were around twenty kids, flicking lighters, exhaling smoke, clutching packs of cigarettes.

*A conversation that took place later that day* “Our principal’s way better now,” said Kenan.

14 Bridget Williams Feature

“He has that one policy where he wants to get rid of the smoking thing,” said a student in the room. “Yeah he wants to get it so kids can’t go across the street and smoke,” said Hannah “I wouldn’t want to see people smoke because I’ve had family that died from it, so I don’t want to see people build up a bad habit,” said the student. “But half the students really cannot go a whole day without smoking,” said Hannah “If I could lend the biggest helping hand in the world, I would because I don’t want to see younger people die. It’s hard to see people you know die around you,” said the student. The student’s family member died a year ago. “And now family’s the one thing I have left,” said the student. “Metro showed me what family was. Metro showed me caring, Metro showed me love, Metro showed me what family did not,” said Hannah. “Metro gave me opportunities that I would never have had. Metro showed me things that I would never have saw. I realized my father is everything. I don’t know, Metro opened up so many opportunities for me, you can only put yourself in those opportunities, it’s your actions, your everything, but Metro pushes people to get there, makes it so you want to succeed,” said Hannah. “Metro cares about you no matter what. You could sing and you could be like a flat walrus and they’d still care,” said Hannah “A flat walrus?” asked Kenan. “Yeah they can’t sing,” said Hannah.

At lunch we ate at a full table. A mix of people, Rayvin and Kenan, boys and girls, a baby. “Is this your baby?” I asked the student to my right with the baby in his lap. “No, it’s hers,” he said, pointing to his right. People at the table were talking to the baby, sitting with the baby. It was a family. Except only the mom and her kid were related. This is Metro High School, a family.

“How many is too many?” The class is laughing. The last class I went to with Rayvin was U.S. Humanities. “How many is too many?” This is Ben, the U.S. Humanities teacher, referring to asking students to put their phones away. He’s interactive, bouncing around the room, a caffeinated lecturer. He’s fun. He knows what he’s talking about. He’s blending dialogue with hand gestures with student lingo with definitions. He doesn’t let up when he asks a question, waits for the student to figure out the answer. This is Metro High School. “I started teaching at Metro because I needed the job quite honestly…I subbed for a guy from Washington, his wife was the secretary here, they had a sudden vacancy, my name was on the short list, they called me up, I interviewed and I got the long term sub. That’s why I started. I stayed here because of what it allowed me to do, both with content, subject matter, and then working with young people who need a little extra help or a little extra support. When I was starting out

teaching I didn’t know this building existed, I didn’t know alternative high school existed,” said Ben. There’s this outside perception of bad kids, bad school, but on the inside, there’s this connection that doesn’t exist in standard high schools. “In my [high school] experience there was usually three or four really good kids, three or four really raging jack-wads who got a lot of the other attention, and then a whole lot of creamy middle. Well if you’re a creamy middle kid, and aren’t content to coast along it’s easy to feel like you’re getting swept up by the crowd,” said Ben, “You know the misconceptions…we’ve got some rough kids, but so does every school, more than anything else we’ve got kids whose paths to diplomas didn’t fit the Wash/Jeff/Kenn/Linn Mar/whatever. That’s always going to be a misconception, and whatever, I mean it doesn’t take long before someone’s in the building before they realize that that’s just not the case.” This is Metro High School, the alternative high school. Cedar Rapids is proud of their downtown web, of their Brewhemia beat and their artisan’s Cherry Building, but beyond Newbo Market and beyond the library is a school on 7th Street, the alternative high school. A school where students are learning in a new way, in an alternative way. A school where the teachers are making real connections, and connecting the students with the community. A school a part of this community. A school a part of our downtown network. Our Newbo Market, our Brewhemia, our bookstore, our Cherry Building, our library, and our school on 7th street, our city.

If you are a guy who is funny, kind, and likes to hang out and talk, you and Emma Parker might make a perfect match. When she’s not hang-ing out at Brewhemia doing homework or chilling at home watching Netflix, you might find her jamming out to Nir-vana, Maroon 5, Echosmith, Birdy, or Sam Smith. She says her perfect date would be, “Going to a restaurant, wher-ever the guy likes, and just talking and having a good time.”

If you want to make a good first impression with Emma, you might start off with talking about one of

her two favorite TV shows, Re-venge and the Walking Dead. Also, while you should be sure to turn on the charm and show her that you’ve got a sense of humor, she also likes when guys show they’ve got a sensitive side. In fact, she really appreciates when guys have goals for themselves, “Whether it’s in school, a

sport, or anything really.” If this sounds like you, find Emma in the halls and break the ice with this funny, cheery bachelorette.

One of high school’s goals is to help you think towards the future and what it is you want to do with your life. Which as a teenager can be a scary decision to make. So what can you do to help you get an idea of possible career choices? For Laurel Dusek, ’15, and Vanessa Daoud, ’17, they had the opportunity to participate in an FBI job shadow. “An agent came in and talked to us about the training process and what they do in different scenarios and the different things that he has had to deal with in the past,” said Dusek. Job shadows can be a huge factor when deciding between different career areas or seeing

if what you thought you wanted to do, is in fact something you’re interested in. “I basically just did it to see if I liked it or not and I’ve been trying different types of job shadows to see what field I like better,” said Daoud. These are great ways to get insight to what you might want to do for the rest of your life, so when faced with the chance to do a job shadow, everyone should jump to the occasion.“ [It’s] a great way to find out if something you think you want to do is what you actually want to do, cause you might do it or go to a job shadow and realize that you don’t like it or that you really do.” said Dusek.

15Profiles Avery Novak

FBI Agents in Training?Anna RizerStaff Writer

Rielle Jones- TeskeStaff Writer

Q&A: What surprised you about it? L: It was a lot about the training process which was really intense and less about what you do when you’re actually in the FBI V: How much running that you have to do What was your favorite part? L: Talking to somebody who was actually in the FBI and the different things he’s done V: Learning all the weird techniques that you use to arrest a person. How did you come across this opportunity/job shadow? L: When the people came and presented to Wash V: Talking to my counselorPhoto Courtesy of

creativecommons.org

Photo by Rielle Jones- Teske

16 Avery Novak Profiles

A Tale of two jareds

Everett DeVauxStaff Writer

Jared Thornson, ’15, is a returning athlete to the washington swimmers, he has been doing swimming all through high school and middle school. “I’ve been doing swimming since I was 11 years old,” said Thornson. Although he’s been doing it for a long time, there has been moments of hesitation when he said, “The first day of swimming I wanted to quit but my mom made me do it.” The future is unknown for Thornsons swimming career but he hopes swimming is included in it. “I dont know if I’m gonna swim in college but I want to,” said Thornson. Swimming is a tough sport to perform and every person needs encouragement, Thornson thanks Couch Lewis for keeping him in the sport. “ Couch Lewis always keeps me encouraged to keep swimming,” said Thornson.

Thornson sees more pros than cons when it comes to swimming. “My favorite thing about swimming is the parties on the weekends,” said Thornson. It may not interfere with your school work but Thornson shows some concerns when he said, “You have to wake up really early in the morning and that can make you really tired.”

Jared Printy, ’16, is also a returning athlete but to the washington basketball team. Basketball is a big thing for Printy. “I’ve been playing basketball for as I can remember,” said Printy. Printy has had one big role model in his life that has influenced him to do basketball. “My dad played basketball in college and he played it here. Maybe he introduced it to me or maybe I’ve always had an interest,” said Printy. He has overcome a few challenges in his life to become the good player he is. “Through my entire life I’ve been smaller and weaker than everybody else,” said Printy. He has high hopes for his future and hopes his skill with basketball will take him far, “I hope to play college basketball someday. That’s what I’m for, get my education paid through scholarship,” said Printy.Printy may have his challenges and basketball may get boring but there’s always one man who helps him overcome that. “My dad always helps me with it as far as five questions about what’s going on or he’ll tell me new moves or new

things to look at,” said Printy. Everybody has their favorite thing about the activities they love to do. “My favorite thing is just the thrill when you run on the floor with your team going against Kennedy, Linn-Mar, or Jefferson with your group of guys from your school.” said Printy.Speaking of playing with his teammates Printy had to say, “The friendships you build and all the time you spend with them, and the time in the locker room, on the bus, and before the game is just fun and an amazing experience.”Basketball and School come together just fine, it’s just social life that’s hard to put into the mix. “With two to two and a half hour practices everyday after school just makes your time crunched a lot.” said Printy.

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17A&E Lauren Barber

New Time Rhyme(Pam Slam Edition)Addi WestphelingStaff Writer

Kate Lawrence ’17

What topic do you enjoy writing about?I mainly write about controversial things and worldwide issues like Ferguson. Also, I write from life experiences that are more emotional. Have you ever competed in a poetry slam before?I’ve read my poems to audiences, but never for competition.Who is your favorite poet?T.S. Eliot What motivated you to compete in Pam Slam?I’ve always attended Pam Slam. It’s a great event where I love to hear peoples’ writing.What are your feelings on competing for the first time?I’m really nervous, but really excited at the same time.

Jake Truemper ’16

What made you decided to start writing?I remember reading a book and thinking to myself “Hey I can do this in like five minutes”.What is your favorite thing to write about?I love to write humor like about common teenage problems, you’ll definitely hear that in one of my poems at Pam Slam. Who is your favorite poet?Edgar Allan PoeWhy did you decide to compete in Pam Slam?Pam Slam is just a really cool and fun experience. It’s an inspiring opportunity to hear others read their writing, also with the excitement of competition mixed in.

Ellie Bechler ’15

What kind of poetry, art or music activities are you involved in?I recently got involved into art last year. I took drawing and now I’m in sculpting. I write on my free time just about things I see around.What influenced you to sign up for Pam Slam?Being a senior I just want to try and do everything. People have told me that it’s a really good idea. Pam Slam is also just very enthusiastic about getting people to sign up and it’s such an inspiring event to be apart of.When did your love for writing start?Last year when I was taking drawing I was surrounded by such creative people. It really opened my eyes to all the different possibilities and influenced me to expand my interests.Who would you consider to be your favorite poet?Definitely Charles Dickens or Emily Dickinson, they are both so great.

18 Lauren Barber A&E

Looking for something to do on a Friday or Saturday night? Look no further. I recently had a look at

what many teens in Cedar Rapids would have once considered a favorite childhood hang-out: Super Skate. Contrary to the rumors that circulate about Super Skate’s current reputation, the rink is alive and well. Walking into Super Skate was like taking a time machine back to elementary school birthday parties—nothing had changed whatssoever. Immediately to your right, skates rest in cubbies waiting to be rented and to the left picnic tables scatter an elevated floor still covered in the rink’s original carpet. The same cheerful, shaggy-haired owner runs the show and the dj still

spins the tunes from his corner of the rink. Much to my surprise, Saturday night at Super Skate was a popular place to be. People ranging in ages from six to mid-50s whizzed around the large skating rink to the timeless tunes of Barbie Girl and YMCA. The same large bulbs are suspended from the ceiling and a disco ball still claims the center of rink. The physical appearance, of the rink, however, isn’t the only thing that flooded my mind with memories of my childhood. Each skating session is the same today as it was back in elementary school. Couple’s skate is still just as awkward, and girls and boys each have their own designated two songs to dance to. To my surprise and enjoyment, Taylor Swift’s

“Shake it Off” blared through the rink when it was the ladies’ turn to skate. Each session also includes a round of four corners and limbo and concludes with the cha-cha slide. As the session I attended came to a close, it’s safe to say I had broken a sweat and made some unexpected memories. Despite dreary, concrete appearance of the outside of the rink, inside is a world of fun. Given the opportunity to go back again next week I’d go in a heartbeat. Venues like Super Skate are the perfect way for teenagers in Cedar Rapids to spend their weekend evenings. Although the ten dollar admittance fee may turn some away, I’ll be the first to say the experience is worth it.

Courtney SquiresNews Editor

PAM SLAM PHOTOSAaron Bissell, ‘15 Pam Slam winner, performing his piece

Olivia Long, ‘15 runner-up performing her piece

Wyatt Forester, ‘15, performing his song

Photos By Nicole Rizer

19A&E Lauren Barber

M(akeup)&M(usic)

Aaron BissellStaff Writer

Folic acid. An important vitamin for females of child birthing age. Also the words you’ll hear chanted before a set from Phox. A young indie pop band from Madison Wisconsin that has quickly taken off. After putting out their 7-song EP confetti in 2013 the band exploded playing at South by Southwest, a successful set at Lollapalooza, and opening for countless acts like The Lumineers at Apple’s ITunes Festival. Phox is currently touring their new self-titled album. They will be playing at CSPS on January 15. You can get tickets at legionarts.org

Jarle Bernhoft Bernhoft, a Norwegian retro soul musician, hitting 7.3 million views on YouTube. He describes his music as “being dragged out of a swamp with tastes of chocolate being dragged through gravel.” Known for his looping ability, he made an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show playing his song “C’mon Talk” in 2011. He also was a musical guest on Conan. Since 2011 he has performed in the U.S. at events like South by Southwest. His most recent album, Islander, came out in June of this year. Though his North American tour was cancelled, he will soon be making big waves in the States.

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Phox

Glossy packaging and revealing shades oh so appealing to the eye you have to admit the products that work to make us more beautiful have a beauty of their own. Sorting through the hundreds of brands, trying to find that perfect lipstick to match your skin tone or the eyeliner that actually will stay all day, can be overwhelming. Scratch that- it is overwhelming! I have a few products that I think you should check out!

This is my favorite kind of matte lipstick. It’s the first I’ve tried that doesn’t dry out my lips as soon as I apply it, nor does it flake off throughout the day. It goes on completely smooth and is easier than a normal lipstick tube to apply.

Tarte: Lipsurgence Matte Lip Tint

Urban Decay: Naked Basics Palette

Avery NovakProfiles Editor

NovakKnows

The entire Naked Palette line has amazing quality and gorgeous shades, but for someone who doesn’t like shimmer, or who doesn’t need twelve eye shadows, this palette is perfect. Each color is matte, so it gives a softer look, and with the quality of these shadows, they glide on to your eye like butter.

Photo Courtesy Of: https://openclipart.org

Jarle Bernhoft performing

20 Brandon Cullen Sports

The BoxerReece Chadima Staff Writer

Boxing is one of the hardest sports in the world. You train for months at a time just to get knocked around a ring for a couple minutes. And while other kids are playing basketball and swim-ming, Robert Bolden ’17 is tying up his boxing gloves and getting ready for a few of those glorious minutes. Bolden is one of the few people who box at wash and he thinks he knows why. “It takes a lot of training, conditioning and stamina. It can be

really demanding on the body.” says Bolden. He often hits the Rodriguez box-ing ring with fellow sophomore Nate Vasquez to prepare for his upcoming fights and tournaments. The Rodri-guez boxing ring is where he puts in most of his work and where his first experience as a boxer came. Bolden and Vasquez spar, condition and occasionally face off against each other while preparing for the big

events. “My favorite part of boxing is the competition. We train for about six months and then enter different tournaments to see how we match up against other boxers. It’s one of the most fun things in sports.” Bolden says. Keep an eye out for Bolde through-out the year. When he’s not in the boxing ring, Bolden is leaving oppo-nents in the dust on the football field and on the track.

The car racerStaff WriterClaire McKinstry

Competing against drivers who’ve been racing longer than he’s been alive, finishing as the second high-est rookie (point-wise) this season, and travelling nationwide to race, is Christopher Scank, ’15, a talented racecar driver. Scank started racing when he was just six years old after being influ-enced by his dad. He began by racing quarter midgets, a smaller type of racecar, and has worked his way up

to racing 305 sprint cars that can reach speeds of 130-140 mph. Scank described the cars as “barebone,” saying, “You’re sitting inches behind the engine. They’re loud and they’re really fast.” The Knoxville Raceway, in Knox-ville, Iowa, is where Scank does most of his racing. It’s one of the oldest and most prestigious race tracks in the world. Cars are raced on a half mile long dirt racetrack.

This was Scank’s rookie season as a professional racecar driver. He had a successful season, aside from a minor injury at the beginning. Com-peting at various raceways in many different states has made him consider making a career out of racecars, or motor sports in general. After being told he has the talent but needs the experience, “I’m working my way up towards NASCAR,” said Scank.

The Horse RacerStaff WriterJonathan Melander

Here at Washington High School we’re anything but ordinary, so sure, we have the regular sports you’d find at an average high school like football, baseball, and golf. However, in addition to that we have a world class english style horse rider walking among us. Lynze Moon has been riding horse

ever since she was five years old, with her grandparents getting her into the sport, she has won numerous awards including state champion multiple times as well as becoming a top five world champion. Moon rides english style, meaning that riders have to keep both of their hands on the reins and often the rider

rises up out of the saddle to do whats called a “posting trot” which means riding and sitting in rhythm with each stride of the horse. “My favorite part about the sport is probably the competitions, and the feeling of success you get when you do something well,” Moon said.

21Sports Brandon Cullen

Wrestling PreviewBrandon Cullen Sports Editor

The Washington wrestling team is going into their season with only 20 guys on their team and hoping for the best, but some players’ hopes are higher than others. “20 people, [our chances are] quite [bad],” said Matt Ackerman, ’16. “The team has a lot of heart and that you can tell that you can tell that they want to be there,” said Ackerman’s teammate, Jordan Henderson, ’16. Henderson’s goals for this season is for placement in state. “I love to wrestle,” said Henderson. Matt Hatcher, the wrestling coach

and P.E. teacher here at Washington High School hopes to work the JV kids into the Varsity lineup due to the scarce amount of wrestlers this season. Hatcher coaches wrestling because he started wrestling at the age of four and he wrestled in high school and always dreamed of wrestling and teaching p.e. Hatcher’s favorite part about wrestling is the competition, and that it’s one on one and that there are no excuses for losing. “I like my team a lot and there are a lot of freshmen, but they are good kids,” said Hatcher. “I think we have a lot more kids in

the school with the skill to wrestle, even though it is a tough sport, I think there should be more to tryout for the sport,” said Hatcher.

Mens Swimming PreviewAnna Rizer

With winter term up and running, the mens swimming team is back in action. The pressure is on for both freshmen and returning swimmers due to a reputation that they have been able to uphold for quite some time, whether or not that is the focus for this year is up in the air. Almost everybody at Washington knows of the current 51 year district title streak that the team has established, but Coach Cruise commented on how it wasn’t their top focus this year. “Right now we are trying to take every week as an opportunity to find some kids to fill the holes that we have from last years seniors; we had a great senior class

in terms of the depth they provided to our program, so we are working on what we can find by the end of the season so they can help us out at the championship meets,” said Cruise. The mens swim team here at Wash try more to praise themselves more on what they accomplish at the MarshallTown meet, because that is ultimately what they will remember at the end of the season; how well you performed at state. And yet, the district streak has become so well known throughout the school.“Sometimes we haven’t had the necessary tools or it hasn’t been in the cards for us to do well at

[state], so then we place a little bit higher priority on the next best thing, which is keeping that streak alive,” said Cruise. No matter what the focus is this year for the team, they hope to go on to do great things.

Staff Writer

Matt Ackerman, ’16, is wrestling in an early season meet.Photo by Scott McWherter

Photo by Nicole Rizer

A Warrior swimmer in an early season meet.

22 Brandon Cullen Sports

Mens Basketball PreviewKate Nash Staff Writer

Improvement, that’s the common goal between most sports teams. For the Warriors 2014- 2015 mens basketball team, that’s what they’re trying to do. The Warriors were 6-17 during the 2013-2014 season and current players are hoping to change that. “We’re improving on our team chemistry from last year”, said Steven Kramer ’15. “We need to get better defensively and be more focused during practice,” added his teammate, Drew Hoeger ’15. Kramer and Hoeger are two starters and will be major contributors to the team. The Warriors won 60-56 against Bettendorf during the first game of the season. This was a major improvement, considering the Warriors lost to Bettendorf in last

season’s opening game 35-67. Another thing is on the teams’ minds as well. “We want to make it to the state tournament,” said Hoeger. But, before that can happen, there needs to be a lot of changes. The team is doing different things to make these changes happen both inside and outside of practice. “We’re working hard during practice, studying our scouting reports and film, and coming together as a team”, Kramer added. “The players put in a lot of work during summer,” said Coach Adam Sanchez. The players are also working on playing with each other in general. “We need to come together as a team,” Sanchez said. “We lost some key leaders from

last year,” said Hoeger. Because of this, certain players will need to step up this year as leaders. “Jared Printy and Maurice Arrington were our top scorers from last year. Along with those two, bring seniors, Drew Hoeger, Steven Kramer, and Keegan Moore need to step up as well.” While several seniors were lost, a majority of this year’s varsity team is returning. Besides Kramer and Hoeger, a lot of other players have varsity playing time experience. This includes Maurice Arrington, ’15, Keegan Moore, ’15, Julian Good-Jones, ’15, Reid Snitker, ’15, Anthony Rodriguez- Bleakley, ’15 and Jared Printy, ’16. Although some players are on varsity for the first time, every player is needed in a different way. “Everybody on

the team is important and contributes each game,” said Kramer. After last season, the Warriors are hoping to improve their record overall. “We want to be in the top part of the conference and try to win all home games along with all the games against metro teams,” said Sanchez. With the returning varsity members and the determination of the team wanting to work together, it looks to be a very promising season for the Warrior Men’s basketball team.Mens basketball team take the court in an early season game.

Photo by Cole Cooper

23Photos Nicole Rizer

Swim Photos

Photos by Nicole Rizer

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