SurveyorThe Washington

2205 Forest Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52403Volume 52, Number 4December 22, 2008

Success for Dance Marathon

2008 in Review: Look back on the

year’s best and worst moments. From po-litical controversy to a pregnant man, this year contained sur-prises around every corner that will long

be remembered. (pages8-9)

Stem cellsMajor developments in stem cell research have been made in

Spain, where a wom-an received a fully functioning trachea

derived from her own cells. The cells were taken from her hip

and windpipe.(page 3)

Friday evening was the first ever Dance Marathon at Wash-ington High School for the Uni-versity of Iowa Children’s Hos-pitals. Despite a slow start, the night was a success, with the school raising about $5500 profit.

The leading committee members were Lauren Sines, ‘11, Natalie Neppl, ‘11, Sam Claassen, ‘11, and Max McGee, ‘11. Claassen made the most personal donations and was presented with the grand prize for the top contributor, a limo ride to and from a pre-paid lunch for four at the Irish Demo-crat. Pat McGrath Chevyland donated the limo and the Irish Democrat donated the lunch.

Students dance through the evening to raise money

for the University of Iowa Children’s Hospitals.

Photos by Melanie Phelan

Students that organized the fundraiser gather on the stage to address the crowd.

News2 12-22-2008

Trevor Polk/Surveyor

Dec. 14, Baghdad, IraqJournalist Muntadar al-Zaidi throws his shoes at President George W. Bush- a great insult in Middle Eastern countries- during a media session that is part of a farewell tour by the president. The size 10s missed the president.

Just so you

know

Dec. 9, Springfield, IllinoisIllinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is indicted on charges of conspiracy and soliciting bribes. He illegally attempted to “sell the open Ill. US Senate (previously held by Barack Obama) to the highest bidder.”

Dec. 12, Washington D.C.Following his rejection of a bill to carry out a federal bailout of the U.S. auto industry (Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler) on Dec. 11, President Bush works to ana-lyze the issue further and bring about a stronger plan to aid the industry.

Nov. 26-29, Mumbai, IndiaThe terrorist group Lashkar-e-Toiba, a Pakistan-based terrorist organization, carried out coordi-nated attacks aimed at Westerners. These occurred at multiple locations across the city, killing an estimated 173 people and injuring 308.

Tyler HublerCo-News Editor

Nearly seven years ago, on Jan. 23, 2001, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was signed into law by President George W. Bush. The legislation was a product of a bipartisan team of legislators, most notably including Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Judd Gregg (R-NH), with the goal of standards-based educational reform and improving the performance of the United States’ public schools.

NCLB was founded upon basic tenants such as increasing the standards and account-ability of states, school districts, and schools, especially in the math and reading core of school curriculum. NCLB also required each state to set up an assessment testing the proficiency of their schools in math and reading, and to set standards determining the proficiency of students in these areas. The bill also added that a non-proficient school would be required to bus students who opted to go to a proficient school. Another aspect of the legislation that drew some controversy was that (high) schools must release stu-dents’ names to military recruiters, or lose some federal funding.

A common opinion of educators has been that while NCLB was founded on solid principles, it has actually hurt young Americans’ education. Some believe that too high of standards were set for public schools and that there was an improper allocation of fund-ing for the bill.

In viewing the positive aspects of the bill, Eric Thompson, US History teacher, said “(NCLB) has forced public schools that have never concentrated on actually making sure each kid gets taught, to do so and be accountable for their students.” In making these schools accountable, NCLB originally required that 100% of students should be proficient in math and reading by 2014, and that non-proficient schools would not see any increase (and possibly lose some) in federal funding. In the past few years, The US Department of Education has developed more relaxed paths to proficiency by allowing schools to show they are able to make adequate yearly progress (part of an AYP program), and has since slightly reduced the 100% proficiency goal, to allow for special education students that would never realistically be able to become proficient.

Critics of NCLB cite that a 100% proficiency goal will fail to be met because some students will never be able to achieve these standards. They also say that due to many state legislatures cutting funding for education, federal funding for public schools should increase, especially ones with low performing students, not decrease. A long-standing criticism has also centered on some schools and states lowering their testing standards to become proficient. This often forces teachers to be less creative and “teach to the test,” and in turn causing some students (at high or low proficiency achievement) to still be left behind. Such actions have consequently led to a reduction in instruction in the areas of

science, art, and social science.In response to reduction of time in the arts as well as other subject areas, former Cedar

Rapids Community School District teacher Mary Campbell said, “Authentic learning is meaningful.” Campbell believes that beyond drilling math and reading skills, a student’s participation in research-related art projects, or exploring the areas of science and history can become outlets for a child to learn, grow, and succeed in other areas as well. While Campbell believed that some standardized testing was necessary in America’s schools, she criticized the way that NCLB expects all students’ scores at a certain grade level to im-prove year after year, saying “Comparing one year of 4th graders to another is like comparing apples to orang-es,” adding, “You can’t standardize learning, students learn in different ways and at dif- ferent times.” Campbell believes that if NCLB is to succeed in the future, it must as-sess the growth of a student over time instead of assessing a school’s success based on one year’s test scores.

This point is be- ing tested under a growth model in some states by the US Dept. of Education. Many states are interested in assessing their students through this method. Me-lissa Kiliper-Ernst, President of the CRCSD School Board said, “Iowa is talking about going to a growth model, using the long time data from the Iowa Testing Service, which would more accurately depict the progress each student is making in their classroom.”

NCLB has provoked many controversies over the correct method through which as-sessments of America’s public schools and students should be carried out. However, it is likely that standards based testing will not go away, even under the impending presidency of Barack Obama. Through more innovative solutions of assessment however, such as that of the growth model, America may see an education system that will return to high ranking among developed nations, while continuing to provide the broad range of core subjects that has expanded the learning and achievement of students for decades.

The Future of America’s Education

News 312-22-2008

Rachel OwensStaff Writer

Stem cell research has been ground-breaking once again. In Spain, doctors managed to perform the first-ever whole organ transplant with a patient’s own stem cells. With help from researchers in Britain and Italy, Spanish doc-tors were able to replace Claudia Castillo’s deteriorated left bronchus using a donor trachea. To eliminate the need for anti-rejection drugs, the trachea was washed of its donor cells. Castillo’s doctors then took bone marrow from her hip and cells from her windpipe, all of which then grew and populated over the donor trachea. Because Castillo’s own cells covered the new organ, there were multiple advantages to the stem cell surgery. The procedure left ethics out of the equation since the stem cells used in the transplant were her own. Also, her body did not reject the new windpipe for the same reason. Five months after the surgery, Castillo now reports she is living a healthy life. She previously had contracted tuberculosis, which ruined her left bronchus. Without the replacement surgery, her left lung would have needed to be removed. She suffered serious breathing issues, and walk-ing up stairs left her breathless at the top. It was difficult for her to go to work and take care of her children. Thanks to the doctors in Spain, Britain, and Italy, Castillo has been able to return to a more normal lifestyle. After this ground-breaking surgery, doctors are hopeful for the future of stem cell research. They predict that similar organ transplant surgeries will become the norm, and that they are not far from prevalence. Scientists and researchers in the United States have recently been successful in growing bladder patches in laboratories for patients with bladder disease. With these medical advances, organ engineering and transplant surgeries may be open to about half of larynx cancer sufferers after clinical studies and trials begin in about five years. With this great breakthrough, the future of stem cell research looks bright.

Stem Cell Procedure Anticipates Future Cures

Rachel OwensStaff Writer

Due to the efforts of local high school students, Cedar Rapids is expanding its HIV/AIDS prevention education for youth. The Rapids AIDS Project (RAP), a Red Cross af-filiate, provides local high school students the oppor-tunity to teach area middle school students about HIV/AIDS effects and methods of prevention. RAP members meet the first Monday of the month for about an hour at the Red Cross Center. In addition, RAP presenters give several lectures during the middle school day about HIV/AIDS. Each RAP member must only give one presentation per month with a co-pre-senter. Currently RAP student members talk to middle school students with an adult team member. Alyssa Hamilton, ‘10, one of the Washington High School student presenters, feels that the RAP presentations benefit younger students. “People don’t talk about [AIDS], so [kids] don’t know about it. We make kids aware of AIDS so we can prevent it,” said Hamilton. Beyond increasing middle school HIV/AIDS education, the RAP team also organizes several other venues to promote STI awareness. The RAP team is currently in the process of setting up a Rapids AIDS Project concert at Washington in December. Cedar Rapids youth are gaining a heightened awareness of the dangerous effects of HIV/AIDS thanks to the efforts of RAP educators. The increased education will help students avoid the contraction of detrimental diseases.

Washington RAP educators address a classroom of middle school students.

Megan Barnes/Surveyor

Washington RAP Presenters Educate Peers

IYC Prepares ResolutionsShayma ElsheikhStaff Writer

Six Washington High School students, who were previously selected as Iowa Youth Congress (IYC) representatives, have helped draft bills that will be considered by state lawmakers in January.

Washington IYC representatives Marion Epperson, ’10, Nia Epperson, ’10, Anab Abdi, ’10, Alia Amer, ’10, Adrienne Shav-ers, ’10, and Tosha Harrison, ’09, attended the third annual youth congressional ses-sion on Nov. 14 in Des Moines. Wash-ington High School was one of 39 Iowa high schools from 17 counties that had the opportunity to send representatives to the 100-member Youth Congress. Participation in IYC is granted to each school based on its enrollment of minority students.

To optimize the discussion of important youth-based issues, IYC representatives convened in regional meetings prior to the IYC general session in Des Moines. Five regional meetings were held in October to choose issues and concerns to discuss dur-ing the statewide youth congressional ses-sion. Among the 15 issues brought to the chamber floors by regional representatives, three were chosen during the IYC general session by a majority vote. IYC members then drafted bills regarding these three issues that they will present to the Iowa Legislature during the General Assembly on Jan. 12.

The first issue deals with suicide preven-tion. Realizing that the suicide rate for teenagers has been increasing every year, IYC representatives created the Cop-ing, Awareness, and Prevention Initiative (CAP). The purpose of CAP would be to

teach students how to deal with death, depression, and suicide.

The second issue that IYC representa-tives chose to examine was the high school dropout age. Recently, the dropout age was raised to 18, making it mandatory for most individuals to graduate from high school. However, last year the state legislature did not create an appealing incentive that would keep students in high school after they turn 18. Youth congressional lead-ers decided that establishing a penalty for dropping out of school before graduation – more specifically, the revocation of a student’s driver’s license – would encourage students to obtain a high school diploma.

The final bill compiled by IYC rep-resentatives was the Dream Act, which would provide undocumented students the opportunity to further their education. Currently, undocumented individuals are required to pay the international tuition rate for an Iowa college or university. The Dream Act would allow individuals who have completed high school in Iowa, have above a 3.0 GPA, and are ranked in the top 50 percent of their class to qualify for out-of-state tuition.

Student representatives will lobby for these three issues in January in hopes of en-couraging passage of the bills. Although the IYC program provides the Iowa Legislature the benefit of obtaining youth perspectives on important issues, IYC student represen-tatives receive some of the greatest rewards.

“The Iowa Youth Congress was an expe-rience that I will never forget,” said Marion Epperson. “What we are trying to do for Iowa…is a rare opportunity that most high school students will never be able to receive.”

News4 12-22-2008

How clean is our school?

“Our school is clean for the most part, but we still have some things to work on. Even bugs and rodents show up here!”

-Krystal Hoff, ‘10.

“Washington seems fairly clean, but there are cockroaches, which I know we can’t really help. The bathrooms still need work.”

-Meg Wenndt, ‘10.

Taylor DoseStaff Writer

California court challenges homeschooling

Making centsMax ErnstCo-News Editor

The School Cents Program allows Washington High School students to shop and engage in scholastic fundraising at the same time. When Washington students patronize their favorite Lindale Mall stores, their purchases can generate points that are redeemable for donations to the Washington PTA general fund.

Washington has been participating in the School Cents Program for several years among 14 other local schools. When students of participating high schools turn in their receipts from mall stores and neighboring HyVee to the Lin-dale Service Desk, employees add up student spending figures and calculate the amount of points the schools earn. Shopping expenditure records for every school are then compared to its “spend-ing ability,” which is determined by the size of each school’s student popula-tion. Annually, Lindale Mall, Mix 96.5, KWWL Channel 7, and the Gazette donate a total of $25,000 to area schools based their performance in the program.

School Cents commenced in August, and at that point participating schools were required to turn in school popula-tion data. Since then, Lindale Service Desk employees have tabulated the amount of points generated for each school on a weekly basis. Generally, one point is earned for a student’s school for each dollar spent in mall stores, but in special instances students can garner higher quantities of points. For purchases in the Food Court of the mall, 10 points are earned for every dollar students spend. On select “Triple Points Weekends,” each dollar counts for three points. If students turn in their grade reports, they can earn up to 50 points. Schools can also receive points for engaging in program advertising and special activities.

Washington PTA members hold high expectations for the program. Last year, School Cents provided the school with $450, and PTA members hope to meet or exceed that level of revenue this year.

“My goal would have been to get $500, but really it is to get the most out the program and have fun,” said PTA President Lisa Thirnbeck. “[This program] is an easy way to get some extra money for the school.”

Recently, Washington PTA representatives attended the School Cents Program’s Midway Ceremony to find out the point total generated for Washington thus far and to see how the school compared to other participant schools. Washington was ranked seventh among the 15 schools, and had thus far generated $250. However, students can continue earning points for Washington until Dec. 31.

The money earned for Washington High School will be used by the PTA to fund academic incentive programs. Regardless of how much money Washington students generate through the School Cents Program, the donation money will effectively re-turn to the students through programs that directly benefit the student population.

A ruling from the Second District Court of Appeals in California has challenged the current system of education that serves 166,000 home school students throughout the state. Although the court decision originated from a case of child abuse, it has ended up contesting widespread educa-tional traditions.

The ruling regarded a case involving Philip and Mary Long, parents of eight homeschooled children who reside in Lynwood, California. The Long couple was repeatedly re-ferred to the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services for various allegations, including claims of physical abuse.

Mary Long, the primary teacher for the eight Long chil-dren, has no teaching credentials, but she spent six hours each day instructing her children in English, writing, math, science, health, physical education, Bible studies, and social sciences. The children were also enrolled in an independent study program through Sunland Christian School, a private religious academy.

Prior to the appellate court ruling, a juvenile court found that the Long children’s home school education was inadequate upon examining a case of child abuse brought against Philip Long by one of the Long children. The judge, however, declined to compel two of the children to enroll in a full-time school and affirmed that California parents have a legal right to educate their children at home.

The California Department of Education previously al-lowed homeschooling as long as parents established a small private school for their children through an application program. Parents were also required to hire credentialed tu-tors or enroll their children in independent study programs run by private or public schools. The appellate panel of the Second District Court, however, restricted homeschooling

by ruling that the Longs’ home school education program was insufficient to qualify as a private school experience.

“Parents do not have a constitutional right to home school their children,” Justice H. Walter Croskey wrote in the ruling issued on Feb. 28. “Parents who fail to [comply with school enrollment laws] may be subject to a criminal complaint against them, found guilty of an infraction, and subject to imposition of fines or an order to complete a par-ent education and counseling program.”

Philip Long told the Los Angeles Times that he believes the ruling stems from hostility toward Christians, and he vowed to appeal to the California Supreme Court. Croskey, however, stated in his ruling that all children need a public school education to guarantee their educational experience is high-quality and that the students learn civic values.

“A primary purpose of the educational system is to train school children in good citizenship, patriotism and loyalty to the state and nation as a means of protecting the public welfare,” said Croskey in his decision.

Although the ruling has eliminated the ambiguity associ-ated with ensuring quality education for home school chil-dren, disagreement still exists regarding the effectiveness of home school programs. Although proponents of the Second District Court decision believe that the ruling will prevent educational deficiencies among home school students, op-ponents assert that homeschooling is a highly personalized and effective method of education.

Toby Ziemer, ’11, was homeschooled from kindergarten to fifth grade. Ziemer’s mother is a certified teacher that works with the Cedar Rapids Home School Assistance Program, and thus he believed his educational experience as a home school student was valuable. Although he favors homeschooling because it is a personalized educational experience, Ziemer supports the court’s decision to limit

homeschooling.“Today’s world of high education and specialized skills is

no place for undereducated students,” said Ziemer. “Cali-fornia is scared because they don’t know how educated the [homeschooling] parents of California are. Kids can only learn as much as their master.”

Other students believe the California court ruling infringes on parental rights. Krista Johnson, ’10, is enrolled part-time at Washington High School and has been other-wise homeschooled for six years. She opposes the decision to limit homeschooling because she believes that it is the best method of education.

“In regular school, a lot of time is wasted on proce-dures,” said Johnson. “The amount of time [it takes] a teacher to [explain] the material doesn’t really fit any of the students very well. Some get bored and some are still confused when [the teacher] is finished; homeschooling is much more personalized.”

Johnson believes that both the abundance of educational resources available for home school students along with the individualized attention that is central to homeschooling dispel any concerns that home school students are not get-ting a good education.

“No one understands a child better than the child’s own parent,” said Johnson. “And there are tons of materials out there nowadays to help parents with homeschooling their kids.”

The Second District Court ruling has commenced a complex legal controversy. Despite the uncertainty regard-ing the future direction of home school programs in Cali-fornia, it is definite that home school students and parents in the state face unanticipated changes in their education system.

Shayma ElsheikhStaff Writer

Isabella Hamby, ‘10, deposits a re-ceipt at Lindale.

Megan Barnes/Surveyor

Opinions 512-22-2008

Surveyor Editorial Policy

Surveyor is established as a school-spon-sored open forum dedicated to informing and entertaining its readers. It is published nine times each school year by students enrolled in the Journalism News class at Washington High School. The staff will report as fairly and well-balanced as possible. All activities and news will be covered to the best of the staffʼs ability. Surveyor accepts the Society of Professional Journalists ̓Code of Ethics as the basis for good journalistic ethics. Editorials and the reviews that appear under a byline are the opinion of the writer, not neces-sarily the staff. Unsigned editorials represent the majority of the Editorial Board. The opin-ions section is designed to provide a forum for the opinions of the Surveyor staff and the Washington High School Community. Readers are encouraged to express their viewpoints through guest editorials. Surveyor also welcomes letters to the editor, with these guidelines: 1. It is not libelous or obscene. 2. It explains the material clearly. 3. It is not longer than 300 words. 4. It is signed.

Megan BarnesPhoto editor

Maddy HalyardEditor-in-chief

Anne BrennemanCo-sports editor

Sam SeyferCo-sports editor

Maddy BeckerCo-sports editor

Keile WahleCo-focus editor

Dan WilliamsCo-opinions editor

Alex TaylorA&E editor

Tiffany WestromCo-opinions editor

Lauren GlantzCo-focus editor

Max ErnstCo-news editor

Tyler HublerCo-news editor

Molly JamesCo-profiles editor

Lana GodlewskiCo-profiles editor

Writers Patrick AnderlNatalee BirchanskyMaggie BridgesMolly BrownCicely DeatonTaylor DoseJoe Eken

Shayma ElsheikhBrittany FickenAnna FisherAlex FullerLily GaswayAlexis GuessMegan HartmanNick Heins

Rachel OwensCharlie ParksJack SheyLauren SinesAbby VarnMallory Williams

Photo/GraphicsAlexandra Bergman Lauren JohnsonLauren HothCarter OswoodMelanie PhelanSky SmithJessica Wohlers

Trevor PolkGraphics Editor

Mackenzie HepkerAllie JohnsonLauren KellyBrian KopecAndy MarshallAunna McDowellNatalie NepplConnor OʼNeil

Picture this: a small child waits in line with the anticipation of seeing Santa to

anxiously tell him what she wants for Christ-mas. This child doesn’t know any better even though she can see the stubble behind Santa’s fake beard. The thought that this imposter is in fact an imposter, doesn’t cross her mind. Tragi-cally, in four years she will realize that she has been lied to.

I was in 3rd grade when my father told me Santa wasn’t real; I was crushed. I relapsed to my old habits such as sniffing glue and drink-ing too much apple juice from a sippy cup. The point is, after I found out my whole life was a lie, it seemed as if the world was against me.

Every year since, when I walk past the FAKE Santa in the mall, a tear comes to my eye. I see a little brown-haired girl walk up to Santa, and think of myself as a child -innocent, naive and all too trusting. I see her journey, past the elves that are taller than I am and then to the Santa

that seems to have lost his coat as well as his dignity.

Last year, I decided to give the whole Santa thing another shot. I was with a friend and there was no one in the Santa line (surprise? I think not). I was hesitant to approach him, but she really wanted to get a picture with him for the Myspace middle school trend.

My fingers trembled and my stomach flipped as I walked towards the Santa I knew was not. This winter scene may have brought me happiness in my younger days, but at that moment all it seemed to bring was a hint of my lunch. I sat on Santa’s right knee while my friend took her place on his left. The tall girl in the elf outfit said, “Smile” and snapped the picture. I promptly leapt off of his knee and was in shock.

We paid, then left the ‘North Pole.’ I ran while my friend chased after me. He didn’t even ask me what I wanted for Christmas. It was a Barbie dream house, for your information!

It’s Saturday night and I’m at my house preparing for a night on the town when all of a sudden I take one final look in the mirror and gasp! There’s a giant red dot in the middle of my forehead. The pulsating pimple looks uncannily like the Great Red Spot on Jupiter and spells instant disaster for my

hopes of impressing that chick from French class tonight.

I frantically scramble my army of acne fighting weapons and prepare for battle. The first wave of treatment consists of a simple anti-bacterial face wash which may or may not do anything. After a good rinse down with the wash the acne, unsurprisingly, still persists. At this point I’m still cool, calm and collected. There’s no reason to panic; I’ve only begun my attack.

The second assault is a bit more vigorous; it begins with a cleanser, which contains beads that are supposed to exfoli-ate your face as well as a viscous Benzoyl-Peroxide solu-tion. The back of this particular bottle says it’s supposed to “penetrate your pores and heal blemishes fast.” I can’t even

read it without chuckling to myself (I know, I’m a sixth grader at heart).

After the exfoliation is complete, I use an oil-controlling astringent (I have no idea what that means) which burns my skin upon impact. The burning might be attributed to the 45% alcohol content of the liquid (the bottle also contains the warning “Flammable- Keep away from flame or open fire”). In my mind I imagine the “acnes” shriveling up and dying because that’s certainly what my face is doing at this point.

To allow my skin a chance to recover after the hopeful final battle, I take a break from the war and watch some of Being John Malkovich for about half an hour. When I re-turn I expect at least a diminishment in the acne, a minute improvement at the very least, but alas, the acne remains in its most potent form ever. I’m pretty much at DEFCON 1 right now and I’m ready to unleash “the bomb”: a last ditch effort which will hopefully eradicate the enemy, but will unfortunately cause damage myself as well.

This last ditch effort is the infamous “popping of the pimple” technique; a painful procedure which can improve the look of the acne for a short period of time, while actu-ally spreading the bacterial infection over the long term, causing great distress in a few days. However, given the

situation at hand, I am willing to face the repercussions. I’ll leave the gooey details out but I’ll tell you that it wasn’t pretty. This experience is commonplace for many, if not most teens today. The ongoing war against acne wages on through our lives with no regard for our personal schedules or the social ramifications of such blemishes. Many turn to medications such as Neutrogena, Proactiv, Clearasil and Arm & Hammer toothpaste for help. Others are blessed by God, Allah, or-whomever-you-worship in having spotless features. There is nothing that can describe how much I envy you people.

These days, words such as “complexion”, “exfoliating”, “Salicylic acid” and “Benzoyl-Peroxide” have become com-monplace in conversations, with talk of acne and its various treatments an ordinary conversation topic among those close to you. But no matter what we do, the dreaded zits of destruction will return without fail, always seeming to appear just before an important date or party. I salute you, my fellow Washington students, and urge you to keep on fighting this battle against acne, and though it may seem futile, I promise you someday, one glorious day, we will emerge victorious.

Ho ho hoax!Molly BrownGuest Columnist

A treatise on the woes of acne

Daniel WilliamsCo-editor

Opinions6 12-22-2008

In my third and final article of the Mr. Movies saga, I would like to announce my resigna-tion from the clerk post at Mr. Movies #1077. It has

been a long year full of great memo-ries, but after careful thought and consideration, I found it necessary to leave my position of work at the rental store.

My decision to quit was influ-enced mostlyby my growing dislike of the store’s hours and regulations (Mostly enforced by Nicole, the store’s Manager). Under Nicole’s “Reign of Terror,” I was forced to work every Saturday, most of which were 2 hour shifts that completely wasted my night. In addition, I was put “On Call” for my other weekend nights as if I were an ER Surgeon.

Mr. Movies experienced some of its worst days under the dynasty of Nicole. Nicknamed “The Tyrant”, Nicole often times made her own rules about how to run the store. An example of her regulations was her ju-dicial review over who got to take the “Dark Knight” movie poster home. After close examination of the case, (Carlin, Curt, and I had our fingers crossed) she ruled in favor of herself saying that she would in fact keep the poster because it would “build character” for the rest of us. Another example was when she refused our right to rent horror movies during Halloween because they were for customers only. In the note she left me, Nicole spelled two words wrong:

Currently and explain. Along with these strict rules, she also raised tariffs on imported goods and implemented a tax on smoking breaks, but those regulations affected me little.

Of course I’m not trying to point any fingers, but even with my severe case of chronic colorblindness I was able to see the flaws of Nicole’s plan. I will admit that at times Nicole was nice to me and on occassion would buy donuts for our store meetings. Yet, even with her sincerity, I realized it was time for me to bid farewell and leave the store. I am sorry to all those who counted on me to check their movies out and return them. Who knows, maybe someday I’ll return to Mr. Movies with a college degree, and take on the tough responsibilities of being head CEO. Whether I’m up to it or not only the future can tell. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see.

As I wander up and down the frozen foods aisle at Hy-Vee, aimlessly looking for something amusing as my mother spends twenty minutes comparing frozen pizza prices, I come across a box of frozen burgers. Now these aren’t the typical burgers that one might eat at a baseball game or buy from a fast food restaurant; these are vegetarian burgers. Why, I wonder to myself, would someone who spends a good majority of their time trying to avoid meat, want to eat something that looks and feels like a hamburger? (Granted, these are usually made out or soy and/or tofu which taste a little different than hamburger. However, in my opinion. these fail in comparison to the deliciousness of the real thing.)

Vegetarianism has been an increasingly growing trend in the United States since around the 1960s. Today it seems more wildly popular than ever, with more and more people “going green” everyday, trying to live lifestyles that better benefit their environment and themselves. But do these people really understand the detriment of swearing off pepperoni pizza for the rest of their lives? (Or at least until it is “all-the-rage” to eat meat again.)

Many people justify becoming a vegetarian or a vegan based upon animal rights or in protestation against animal cruelty, which is permissible. However, others such as the majority of teens who write the editorials for vegetarianteen.com, have some very strange reasons of their own. One argues that if humans were born to eat meat, we would be able to eat it raw, like other animals, but we can’t because our intestinal tracts are too long and we would get sick. Another editor states, “Last time I checked, nature didn’t make frying

pans-we did,” claiming that since we have to cook meat and can’t eat it in its natural state, we shouldn’t be eating meat at all.

Ok, so we may not have been blessed with Mother Nature’s gifts of frying pans, but if it wasn’t for meat, those people wouldn’t even be here to argue their claims. For the millions of years that mankind has been an inhabitant on this Earth, we have eaten meat. Our ancestors survived on meat, used furs for clothing, bones as weapons and even ani-mal brains as methods to improve their lives. People have survived for millions of years on meat , so I don’t understand the increasing need to not only not eat meat, but to disguise tofu as burgers and bacon. You don’t see the carnivorous population walking around try-ing to disguise our steaks as carrots, now do you?

Yes, the ethical treatment of animals is important. However, so is the need to balance your diet by eating meat. Many vegetarians don’t realize that they must eat healthy sub-stitutes if and when choosing not to eat meat. One mother on vegetarianteen.com states, “My teenager rarely eats nutritious food and seems to replace meat products with bread and chips.” Meat is not a “bad” thing; it’s a healthy and necessary part of the human diet.

I’m just asking that before throwing our diet, and our health to the wind to be “green” and “healthy”, we should consider the risks and benefits to help us understand that maybe meat isn’t so bad after all. Bon appetite!

---www.vegetarianteen.com

Things we heard in the Washington halls and stalls... “The sound of my voice makes her urinate, I don’t know why?”...

“Sneezing is by far my least favorite activity.”... “Sometimes I wonder what people think of me when they hear me i out of context in the hallway.” “I have a next door neighbor w

ho is a cat-lady, like a hybrid”... ...“I just found out that my boyfriend has tw

o other girlfriends”... “I exploded in my backpack!”... “I live at GAP Body! W

hat am I gonna do?”...

The final saga...

Jack SheyStaff Writer

Along with these strict rules, she also raised tar-iffs on imported goods and implemented a tax on smoking breaks, but those regulations affect-ed me little.Ok, so we may not have been blessed with Mother Na-

ture’s gifts of frying pans, but if it wasn’t for meat, those people wouldn’t even be here to argue their claims.

Death of a cow, or death of a race?

Thorns

-Student Senate lights in the hallway

-to everyone who helped with the dance marathon

-Dance team placing at the state meet for the first time in Warrior history

-ice fishing-graduation in almost

5 months-classes with Mr.

Rieck-classic...winter break-President Bush ‘s cat-

like reflexes

-misspelled graffiti on bathroom stalls

-no Chinese food -college applications...

January 1st!-school the day before

Christmas Eve-scraping ice and snow

off of windows daily

-being at school before it is light and

staying until after its dark

-political correctness

“Is it bet-ter to give or to receive?” This is the gift of the season, and if you would have asked me ten years ago I would have said, “Bring on the video games,” but my opinion has changed since

then. I’m currently going through the

confirmation process in my church and there are a lot required projects to be confirmed. When I looked at all that needed to be accomplished before Febru-ary, it seemed ridiculous to make the people that are in school or have a job go through all of this when they are so busy anyways, even though I did find it kind of rewarding.

Our group project took a lot of organizing. We planned a spaghetti dinner to raise money for the families in our parish that had lost everything in the floods. We wrote letters to grocery stores and restaurants, in the hope that they would donate food and supplies for the actual meal. Next came the event itself, we served so many people within the first hour of dinner, that we had to call Zio Johno’s for more spaghetti and bread. The local pasta supplier was great and came through for us again, allowing us to serve the rest of the people. When all was said and done, we had earned twice the amount of money that we were hoping for. It felt really good knowing that the money that such a small group earned would go to the families in flood affected areas and perhaps make a financial differ-ence for them. This hopefully made them rest a little easier.

Individually, I have visited Winslow Care Center to visit the elderly that live there. I had a great time and walked away a little wiser. The Salvation Army needed help sorting through toys for their distribution, so I spent a small

amount of my time helping out there too. I also got the task of helping them sort shoes and find matching pairs. This wasn’t the most exciting thing to do, but it needed to be done.

My point is there are so many people that are in need of our time and our ef-forts, especially this time of the year. It may sound like an “un-cool” thing to do because we’re teenagers and don’t want to be seen helping other people, but truly it is a good feeling to know that I helped those who really need it.

Nick HeinsStaff Writer

Roses

Roll up your

sleeves

It felt really good knowing that the money that such a small group earned would go to the families in flood affected areas and perhaps make a financial difference for them.

Allie JohnsonStaff Writer

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Profi les 712-22-2008

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We are all fully licensed by the Iowa Department of Education and the Iowa Department of Transportation.

Aunna McDowellStaff Writer

On Th anksgiving Day, three and a half million people stood along the Macy’s Th anksgiving Day Parade route while 50 million tuned in to watch from their home televi-sion sets. For Washington’s color guard this was an especial-ly exciting event because guard members Karen Schmidt, ’09, and Kestrel Henry, ’10, performed in the parade.

Wash’s color guard inspector, Julie Yanda, was contacted and asked to nominate some of her guard members to per-form in the parade along with other guard members across the nation. Yanda nominated Schmidt and Henry. Both had to send in video auditions and were chosen to be in the parade.

Schmidt and Henry headed off for training on Novem-ber 22 and returned the day after Th anksgiving. Th is left them with fi ve full days in New York City. Th e guard mem-bers had three days of intense practicing with their choreog-rapher. Th ey learned their routine and the parade route.

On Th anksgiving Day, Schmidt and Henry had a 3:00 a.m. rehearsal with NBC to fi gure out shooting angles.

Henry said, “It was really cool because it was pitch black,

and the camera lights refl ected off the buildings.” After practicing with NBC, the girls had to wait two

hours until starting time. Th ey wore only halters and small shrugs and huddled together with the band for warmth.

Neither Schmidt nor Henry found the actual perfor-mance frightening, even though it was very diff erent from

their typical competitions and half-time shows during football season.

Schmidt said, “I thought I would be really, really ner-vous, but it was so exciting. Th ere was really nothing to be nervous about.”

Henry agreed saying, “It wasn’t scary. It was really exhila-rating. It was like you were the center of the universe.”

Th e color guard members were the last to come in before Santa Claus. When the parade was over, random spectators began sharing their hand warmers with the freezing guard members.

Schmidt and Henry didn’t get to see the entire parade, but they still got to enjoy the big balloon fl oats. Henry loved the Shrek balloon, while Schmidt’s favorite was Hor-ton the Elephant.

After the parade, the girls headed back to their hotel. Th e typically 45 minute trip took three hours because of all the traffi c from the parade.

Both Schmidt and Henry enjoyed getting to know the other guard members from across the nation, especially their two other roommates.

Schmidt and Henry agree that this was an incredible ex-perience, and both the girls would happily participate again.

Warriors represent Iowa in Macy’s parade

Natalie NepplStaff Writer

Daniel Luethke is a student at Coe College and a student teacher for Trudy Johansen. Luethke is interested in Spanish because he really struggled with it as a student. He wants to be a teacher because he really enjoys being around the learning environ-ment and feels he is not done learning.

Luethke says it is diffi cult balancing college life and studies with his professional life.

His future plans include moving back home to Colorado, work-ing with the human rights program through the school system in Denver and spending more time with family.

Luethke loves Washington and says he has never had an opportunity to be involved with “such a great diverse background and meet students from all walks of life.”

Sarah Mollman is embracing the last two weeks before

receiving her English degree to become a teacher and has been student teaching for Akwi Nji- Dawson.

Mollman feels passionate about English and wants her students to feel the same way. She believes she can make a diff erence and help impact the lives of others by teaching.

“I thought the transition between being a student and a teacher would be the most diffi cult. I cut and dyed my hair because I felt I would be treated and respected like a teacher.” Mollman has learned to never give up on a student through her student teaching

experience. “I have learned to see the potential in each and every student,” Mollman said. She plans to substitute for the rest of the school year and then search for a full time teaching job in the area.

Student teachers embrace Wash experience

BHD Club strives to make a differenceLauren SinesStaff Writer

Chloe Kohl ‘12 is a freshman who is already striving to make a diff erence. Along with the help of her older sister, Koryssa Loftus ‘10, she started a new club and philanthropic opportunity at Wash.

One night while sisters were hanging out, they decided they wanted to do something to help. Th e annual Jamnesty even at Wash inspired the pair to start a club that benefi ts St. Jude’s Hospital in Memphis, TN. Kohl chose this

Boulevard of Hopeful Dreams, commonly known on the announcements as BHD, meets Tues-days after school until 4:00 p.m. Th ey are always looking for new members to join the group. Th e only qualifi cation is a willingness to help kids struggling from cancer.

Kohl says the basic goal of the club is to raise money. Th us far they have raised about $100 dollars for the hospital. However they have much bigger plans for the future. “We are hoping to raise between $1500 and $2000 by the end of the year,” Kohl explained. Kohl and the other ten members of the club are working hard to accomplish just what there slogan says, “Beating up cancer one kid at a time.”

Daniel Luethke Sarah Mollman

BHD Club members discuss upcoming events at one of their weekly meetings.Photo by Lauren Johnson

Schmidt, ‘09, Henry, ‘10, and fellow color-guards tour New York during their stay in the city.

Photo Courtesy of Karen Schmidt

Natalie NepplStaff Writer

Daniel Luethke is a student at Coe College and a student teacher for Trudy Johansen. Luethke is interested in Spanish because he really struggled with it as a student. He wants to be a teacher because he really enjoys being around the learning environ-ment and feels he is not done learning.

Luethke says it is diffi cult balancing college life and studies with his professional life.

His future plans include moving back home to Colorado, work-ing with the human rights program through the school system in Denver and spending more time with family.

Luethke loves Washington and says he has never had an opportunity to be involved with “such a great diverse background and meet students from all walks of life.”

Sarah Mollman is embracing the last two weeks before receiving her English degree to become a teacher and has been student teaching for Akwi Nji- Dawson. Mollman feels passionate about English and wants her students to feel the same way. She believes she can make a diff erence and help impact the lives of others by teaching. “I thought the transition between being a student and a teacher would be the most diffi cult. I cut and dyed my hair because I felt I would be treated and respected like a teacher.” Mollman has learned to never give up on a student through her student teaching

experience. “I have learned to see the potential in each and every student,” Mollman said. She plans to substitute for the rest of the school year and then search for a full time teaching job in the area.

Student teachers embrace Wash experienceDaniel Luethke

Student teachers embrace Wash experienceDaniel Luethke

Student teachers embrace Wash experienceSarah Mollman

Student teachers embrace Wash experienceSarah Mollman

Student teachers embrace Wash experience

Focus8 12-22-2008Focus 912-22-2008

For many, the low gas prices have been a huge highlight of the past year. Down from a high of $4.00 over the summer, many Americans are enjoying the low prices. The economic re-cession and the low price of gas have been found to be linked. During low economic times, people demand less energy. The price for a barrel of oil has gone from $144 to ap-

proximately $50 per barrel.

The year of the flood

The United States gets down to earth

Economic troubles

Wii crazy

Throughout the past three hundred and sixty five days history has been made and records have been broken. From the first pregnant man to super human Michael Phelp’s eight gold medals in a single olympic game.

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Oil roller coaster

Sports spotlight

The economic crisis has impacted many during the past few years. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the United States econo-my fell into a reces- sion during December of 2007. The crisis is reported to be the worst recession since the 1921 Great Depression stock market crash. The recession has caused the loss of 1.2 mil- lion jobs during 2008.

The New York Giants beat the New Eng-land Patriots at the 2008 Super Bowl XLII 17 to 14.The Philadel- phia Phillies beat the Tam-pa Bay Rays at the 2008 World Series four games to one game. The Boston Celtics are the 2008 NBA Champions beating the Los Angeles Lakers 131-92.

2008 in review One of the issues that has been on the mind of many for the past year is “going green.” People have dreamed up many ways to help the environment including the idea of using solar energy. Ac- cording to an article published on October 24, 2008, recent research has shown that nitrogen trifluoride is almost 17,000 times more potent to the atmo-sphere than carbon dioxide.

The 2008 presidential campaign would have made history no matter what the outcome. If Barack Obama was elected, he would be the first African American president. If McCain had won, the United States’ would have had its first female vice president. On the night of Tues- day Nov. 4, 2008, Barack Obama was elected the United States’ 44th president as well as the first Af- rican American president. Though he has less than six months before he is able to fully transition into the role of president, Obama has already begun to take action with the country’s economic crisis. As he stated on the night of his elec-tion, “Change has come to America.”

Thomas Beatie made history by being the first man to give birth to a child on June 29, 2008. Beatie, formally a woman, became a man after feeling he was not meant to be a female. Beatie married his current wife Nancy a few years back. Nancy was unable to conceive a child, therefore the couple turned to Thom-as’s remaining female reproductive organs. After article insemination, Thomas successfully conceived a child. The fetus grew within Thomas’s womb until giving birth to a baby girl on June 29th. The Beaties recently revealed that Thomas is once again pregnant with their second child.

Stephenie Meyer released her fourth novel of the Twilight series this year. An already popular series selling 8.5 million cop- ies worldwide, the new novel, Breaking Dawn, was expected to follow the trend. Cedar Rapid’s local Barnes and Noble received 800 copies of the novel. Six hundred were pre-reserved. Starting at midnight on August 2nd, the buying and selling began. By the end of the night, an estimated 1.3 mil- lion copies of the novel were sold. The 768-page book was a continuation of a series about vampires, werewolves, and teenagers’ star crossed love.

Selling 300,000 million copies in the first day, Coldplay’s newest album, Viva La Vida or Death And All Of His Friends, is the best selling album of the year. Hits off the album include, “Viva la Vida” and “Violet Hill.” The album was released in June.

Beginning on Aug. 4, the 2008 Olympics had excitement stirring all over the coun- try. The opening ceremony of the summer Olympics took place in the Beijing National stadium with lots of dancing, drumming, spectacular lights, and fireworks. The following weeks were filled with compe-titions ranging from swim- ming to trampoline gymnastics. Shawn Johnson, from Des Moines, Iowa came away with three silver medals as well as one gold from her performance on the balance beam. Michael Phelps became the first Olym-pic competitor since 1980 to win eight gold medals during one Olympics. The Olympic competitions held many other highlights in addition to these throughout the weeks and ended on August 24 with the U.S. holding 110 medals, China with 100 and Russia holding 72.

The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan, is the highest grossing movie of 2008. It brought in 530,258,989 dollars, far ahead of the first runner up, Iron Man with 318,298,180 dollars. The Dark Knight stared Christian Bale as Batman and the very publicized, Heath Ledger, who died shortly be-fore the film was released, playing the Joker.

Video game sales have increased since last year. The most frequently purchased console in 2008 was the Wii. Grand T h e f t Auto IV has been the best s e l l i n g game with 6,293,000 sales. Su- per Smash B r o s . B r a w l comes in second with 5,433,000 sales. Mario Kart Wii sold 4,697,00 games. Wii Fit sold 3,604,000 and Guitar Hero III sold 3,475,000 this year.

On June 13, 2008 the Cedar River overflowed its banks and began to flood the city, eventually cresting at 31.1 feet. This was about 12 feet higher than the record set in 1929. By June 14, approximately 20,000 people had been evacuated from their homes. The waters began to recede one week later, however thousands remained homeless. Volunteers from around the com-munity immediately began to help rebuild and continue to do so today.

Batman is back

Reccord breaking games

Coldplay conquers the charts

First pregnant man

Twilight takes over

Profi les10 12-22-2008

Becoming BriggieIsaac BehrensGuest Writer

“Beep Beep SMASH”: A normal morning in the Briggie household begins. “What time is it?” moans Kathy Briggie ‘10, after she turns off the alarm with her handy dandy sledgehammer. “-90 cosine tangent π.” Erin Briggie ‘10 murmurs back, obviously wide awake and ready to seize the day. Th en the Briggie twins, Erin and Kathy (yes, they really have fi rst names), roll out of their little Brig-gie beds, wash their little Briggie faces, and brush their little Briggie teeth like good Briggie children. Th ey proceed to hop off to school, earn 5.6 GPAs and get full ride scholarships to Oxford College.

Not so simple, a top Briggie expert recently discovered. Th ough not obvious to the casual observer of Briggie behavior, the species Briggus superincrediblintelligensius’s actually has very complex behavioral patterns, identical to those found in humans with a much broader purpose in life than the #1 rank in the 2010 class. Let’s take a gander through this new door that careful scientifi c observation has opened into the Briggie world.

But really, when interviewed in person, the two sisters, both agree with Erin’s statement that they are “so diff erent (pause), SO diff erent (pause), SOOOO diff erent.”

Th e convenient and seemingly harmless Briggie stereotype sometimes gets on their nerves. “I don’t think that some people have ever called me by my fi rst name,” remarked Erin.

Looking closely, Erin and Kathy Briggie seem to break their own stereotype more often than live with it. Both agree that they are not inherently smart, with Kathy receiving a 30 composite on her third grade ITBS tests, and Erin once thinking it would be a cool idea to sled backwards down a for-ested hill. Th ey do hold two of the highest GPA’s in human history, but Kathy stated very maturely, “I don’t pride myself on my GPA, but on the determination it took to earn it,” and added, “It proves to me I work hard.” Erin and Kathy are also staunch republicans, with Kathy against creating a GPA welfare system, and not for giving any GPA handouts, or public GPA care. Kathy and Erin are very proud of their own work.

For all you die hard Briggie fans, following in the path of Erin and Kathy would be much more challenging than obtaining straight A’s. It’s their determination, studying 6 hours a night, and foresight into the value of school that makes them unique and dedicated individuals indeed. And was it mentioned that Kathy has an Abraham Lincoln shaped birthmark on her right calf? Remarkable!

Perfect ACT attracts attentionLily GaswayStaff Writer

Earning a perfect score on the ACT opens a lot of doors and attracts quite a bit of mail from colleges. Nikhil Shah, ‘09, would know. He studied hard for his fl awless score and hopes to go on to study engineering at Stanford University, Rice University, Washington University in St. Louis or Iowa State University. Despite Shah’s tremendous academic suc-cess, he claims to lack good study habits.

“I’m actually more of a procrastinator,” said Shah. Shah spends an average of one to two hours on

homework each night. He does a lot of this study-ing with Maddy Halyard, ‘09. Along with his schedule of all AP classes, AP Physics being his favorite, Shah also takes an after-school weight lifting class and plays tennis in the spring.

Although they don’t study together, Dylan Shah, ‘12, looks up to his older brother and is interested in engineering as well.

“Nikhil is a great brother and he sets good examples,” said Shah.

Erin and Kathy Briggie, both ‘10, hit the books before an intense Spanish quiz. Although they are known to many as overacheivers, they pride themselves in their determination to do well in school.

Photo by Lauren Hoth

College crash course: Q&A with Wash counselorsMallory WilliamsStaff Writer

Dean BlanchardQ: How have students been successful at getting into really good schools in the past?A: Th ey have maintained good grades throughout their 4 years of high school, have been active in school activities and community service and have taken on leadership roles when they have been able to.Q: Do you believe college representatives that come to Wash are benefi cial to students?A: Yes. Students can learn a lot from the representatives. It is also a good opportunity to get your ques-tions answered about that college.Q: What advice do you give to students who don’t know what they would like to major in?A: It is very normal to be undecided about a major when entering college. I would suggest a student take an interest inventory such as the Iowa Choices program to start seeing where their interests fall and what kind of majors they may relate to those interests.

Sue McDermottQ: What is one aspect of being a counselor at Wash that you really enjoy?A: I love the enjoyment and pride you see in students and their families at graduation. Counselors see one success story after another as seniors cross the stage and it is a rewarding experience.Q: What would you say is the most important aspect of applying for college?A: Th e most important thing is being realistic about your options. Your work ethic as a student has a lot to do with what is realistic as a post secondary choice.Q; Do you believe college representatives that come to Wash are benefi cial to students?A: Yes, it is an easy way to shop schools. It is an opportunity in most cases to meet the person who will be doing the fi rst screening of the application and hopefully make a good impression upon them.

Jennifer ByersQ: What would you say is the best or you favorite part of your job?A: Every day is diff erent! I love having such varied work to do, no two days are the same so it’s never bor-ing.Q: What would you say are the most important aspects of applying for college?A: Visit schools you are interested in so you see fi rst-hand what they are all about. Narrow down your choices to about fi ve or six- putting in 20 applications is time consuming and not necessary. Pay attention to deadlines! You can have the best application in the world but if it’s late that doesn’t refl ect well on you.Q: What parts of college essays written by Wash students that have stood out the most to you?A: I like it when students talk about a small life even that had a big impact on them. Anyone can write about how they want to change the world or run for President someday, but it takes extra work to look at a seemingly small life event and think about how it aff ected the way you think and act.

Christina Scharmer, ‘10, and her parents meet with counselor, Sue McDermott to discuss post high school endeavors.

Photo by Sky Smith

A&E 1112-22-2008

Alex FullerStaff Writer

I am disheartened to report that the recent remake of “The Day the Earth Stood Still” has been bombarded by critics since the mo-ment of its arrival in theaters. After viewing the movie, I read through a number of online reviews, all of which preach a similar message - “It’s not the same as the 1951 movie! They changed it!” I must warn you now - unbe-lievable, the, in the 57 years since the making of the classic movie, the Earth has, in fact, changed. People have, in fact, changed.

Those of you who do not expect to see the exact same “The Day the Earth Stood Still” that was released in black-and-white in 1951 are in luck -you won’t. I say this not because of the movie’s impressive CGI sequences, or because of the change in cast - I say this because they have (God forbid) changed the script. The result of Director Scott Derrickson’s new direction for the film is, natu-rally, awe-inspiring.

Keanu Reeves (“The Matrix”) is well cast

as the alien “invader” Klaatu, a being who has crossed unfathomable distances to reach the planet Earth, with the intention of saving it from destruction, no matter what. Unfortu-nately for the human race, we are the cause for the Earth’s inevitable destruction. As Klaatu explains, Earth is one of the few planets capable of sustaining intelligent life, and must be al-lowed to survive.

Many other critics have carried this theme to unreasonable lengths, claiming that “it involves too many environmental issues”, but making a statement about what specifically we are doing to destroy the planet can be done in opinion only. A few other elements of the original film have been

carried over, the main thing being GORT, Klaatu’s mechanical bodyguard.

Despite a few other minor plot holes, the film is quite impressive; well worth the price of a ticket. All things taken into account, I feel that Derrickson’s version, while significantly flashier than the original film, attempts to make similar points about human violence reaching obscene levels, as well as carrying the sci-fi clas-sic into a new era.

Megan HartmanStaff Writer

Holiday feasts are a big part of the holiday season, but these large meals can be health hazards.

A recent study by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development found that on average, people gain one pound over the six week period between Thanksgiving and New Years Day. Although a pound may not seem like a substantial amount, the pound gained isn’t usually lost during the rest of the year. The biggest concern is that these holiday pounds add up over the years, and cause obe-sity and dangerous diseases that come with being overweight.

The average American consumes between 5000-6000 calories in a holiday meal. The most fattening foods in average holiday meals are pies, cheesecakes, mashed potatoes and gravy, dinner rolls with butter, and cranberry sauce.

There’s no way to avoid unhealthy foods during holiday meals. Instead, take smaller portions of the most fattening foods, load up on vegetables, and avoid putting butter and salt on everything; both add extra calories and unhealthy sodium to the meal. Try to avoid

going hungry to gatherings where there is going to be lots of high calorie food. Eat some-thing small before going to avoid overeating at the party.

Most holiday meals have a wide variety of creamy and sugary desserts, so when choos-ing desserts take small portions and don’t try everything; pick only one or two. Pumpkin pie is one of the lowest calorie desserts, contain-ing around 200 calories less than most pies. Calories also can be saved by not eating or preparing the pie crust.

Another cause for holiday weight gain is the weather. Since winter keeps everyone cooped up indoors, many Americans aren’t ac-tive during the winter months, which is another large con-tributor to the weight

gained during the holiday months. Exercising or doing fun winter activities such as skiing or sledding can reduce the risk of gaining weight during the holidays. You can burn over 400 calories in one hour of sledding.

So this holiday season when filling up your plate or staying indoors, remember the danger-ous effects it can have on your health in the long run.

...The average Amer-ican consumes be-tween 5000 to 6000 calories in a holiday meal...

Tradition AlternativeEggnog Apple Cider

Apple Pie Angel Food Cake

Duck Turkey

Serving: 1 cupCalories: 343Fat: 19 grams

Carbs: 34 grams

Serving: 1 cupCalories: 120Fat: 0 grams

Carbs: 29 grams

Serving: 1 sliceCalories: 411Fat: 19 grams

Carbs: 58 grams

Serving: 1 slice + 1 oz. Frzn SrwbrysCalories: 156Fat: 0 grams

Carbs: 36.8 grams

Serving: 150 gramsCalories: 472Fat: 40 grams

Carbs: 0 grams

Serving: 150 gramsCalories: 150Fat: 4 grams

Carbs: 0 grams

I’m dreaming of an skinny Christmas

Director: Scott DerricksonActors: Keanu Reeves, Jennifer

Connelly, Kathy BatesRelease Date: Dec. 15, 2008

Classic 1950s sci-fi film gets a flashy makeover

Top: Space invader Kaatu descends from the tongue of his space saucer in the original 1951 “The Day the Earth Stood Still”. Bottom: Keanu Reeves loses the metallic threads in favor of a trendy blazer and slacks for his role as Kaatu in the 2008 remake of “The Day the Earth Stood Still”.

Great gifts under $30 for the thrifty, eleventh-hour shopper

A subscription to the Cedar Rapids Gazette is a great way to show your classy, socially conscious friends and relatives that you care about them. They can keep up on local and national news, sports, and entertainment, and it will only set you back $24.99 for a twelve week subscription. Go to http://www.subscription.com/cedar-rapids-gazette to subscribe, print out and box up the receipt, and set it under the tree.

The Logitech Apple iPod Dock is a great gift for the music lover on the go.The sound quality is middling, but it makes up for that in portability. Set it on the bathroom counter and rock out in the shower, then stuff it in your back pack and share your tunes with your friends at school. The Logi-tech iPod dock is available for $29.99 at Best Buy.

Most kids have nightmares about getting socks for Christmas (what could be worse??), but teenagers and adults will always appreciate a stylish pair of foot sleeves and Old Navy’s are some of the best. They have a wide va-riety: striped, crosshatched, spotted socks in every hue and length. Many pairs run as low as $2 and who wouldn’t want a drawer full of those bad boys?

Here’s what NOT to buy: gift cards. Major retailers are folding left and right as a result of this financial crisis. Gift cards are a great, simple gift, but you could be putting yourself at risk: if you purchase a gift card from a company that goes bankrupt between the time the card is purchased and spent, it could become worthless. How embarrassing to give a worthless gift. If your still not sold on buying finished products, it may be safer to gift actual money (preferably in euros). ~Alex Taylor / A&E Editor

oldnavy.combestbuy.com

bobmitchellinthe21stcentury.wordpress.com

blog.kir.com

A&E12 12-22-2008

We all know of the diff erent reality TV shows that are out today. Some are less entertaining then the others. So how can we tell which shows are worth our time? Here’s a few suggestions to point you in the right direction.

One show that you might have heard of is “Dancing With The Stars” on ABC. Although this season has ended, it’s one you might want to consider getting into. At the beginning of the season, the names of the celebrities are announced in alphabetical order on “Good Morning America”. Th is season, there were 13 celebrities that were paired up with professional dancers. Just to name a few of the stars there were; Lance Bass (of N’sync), Cody Linley (From the Disney channel show Hannah Montana), and the winner of this season, Brooke Burke. Each couple has to learn a dance or two for each show. Th ey are scored by the judges, but ultimately it’s up to the audience and viewers to vote and decide the celebrity that wins in the end.

If your not into dancing, then maybe “Dancing With Th e Stars” isn’t for you. Maybe your more interested in a show that contains sweat, competition, and losing. Th e “Biggest Loser” airs on NBC, and is a show that is all about working hard to lose weight. Th is season there are teams of two, and each team goes through physical and mental tasks to drop pounds. Th ey are pushed to their limits to win a grand prize of not only loosing the weight they’ve always wanted gone, but a total of $250,000. Th e last “Biggest Loser” was Ali who lost 112lbs in a sixteen week pe-riod. For those of who you aren’t math majors, thats 13lbs a week.

Th ere many shows out there that are fi lled with drama, and “Th e Biggest Loser” is defi antly one of them. However, there is another show that takes it to a whole new level. Th at is “Amer-ica’s Next Top Model” , one the WB. If you live in a shell and don’t know anything about this show, it’s a competition to be the world’s next top supermodel. Girls come from all over the world and audition to be coached by the world famous Tyra Banks. Every week, the girls compete in a challenge that relates to what they would be put through if they were professional models. Th ese challenges are designed to see of the girls really can make it as a model. Th e backstabbing, the tears, and the yelling all lead up to one girl being named “America’s Next Model.”

Some people prefer a little diff erent kind of drama. Th at drama would be the pressure of being a teenager and trying to fi t in at a high school that doesn’t accept you. For those people, there is “MTV’s Made.” In this show, you will fi nd teens picking some-thing out of the ordinary to do (breakdancing, rapping, singing) so they can be accepted by the people around them. Each teen is assigned a “Made” coach that helps them complete their task. Tears are shed and friendships are broken. It’s hard to be accepted by your friends and the people you want to impress. In the end, each teen fulfi lls their desire of becoming someone new, but they still keep a little part of their old selves.

MTV’s Made

America’s Next Top Model

Dancing w/ the Stars

The Biggest Loser

Reality bites, these shows don’t

il.ioff erphoto.com

thequestforit.com

fl ickr.com

By Maggie Bridges, Staff Writer

S U D O K U

Instructions: Place the numbrs one (1) through nine (9) in each three by three box, and in each column and row. Sound Easy? Prove it. Answers below.

SUDOKUSOLUTION

For the fi rst time ever, the CRW Varsity Dance Team placed at the State High School Dance Competition in Des Moines. Th e 11 member team prepared a “Jazz” routine and a “Pom” routine over the course of several months with the help of coaches L.D. Kidd and Megan Witte. Th e team placed 4th in the 4-A Pom competition on Dec. 5th and put them selves on the map as one of the best high-school dance squads in Cedar Rapids and in Iowa. Above: Members of the CRW Dance team proudly display thier 4th place trophy. Left to right: Emily Kratovil, ‘10, Caitlin Th irnbeck ,‘10, Mariah Althoff , ‘10.

Washington Dance Team puts itself on the map

Courtesy of Beth Tessier

file:///Volumes/LaCie/NEWSPAPER/December/PUBLISH/WHS-Dec-p12.txt

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file:///Volumes/LaCie/NEWSPAPER/December/PUBLISH/WHS-Dec-p12.txt4/3/09 1:58 PM

Sports 1312-22-2008

New basketball team revamps game planJoe EkenStaff Writer

It is a memory that makes ever Wash fan cringe. With less than two seconds left in the 2007 class 4A state championship game, Iowa City High freshman Virginia Johnson caught a half court lob and sank a game winning lay-up, handing the Warriors a 48-46 loss and forcing the Washington girls to take home the second place trophy for the third time in the last four years.

“That loss was the most heart-breaking out of all of them. The seniors had gotten so close before, and to lose so dramatically at the end, it was and emotionally taxing defeat,” said coach Frank Howell.

With all of last year’s seniors gone, this year’s team will look to match last year’s success (a 22-3 record and the second place finish at state) in a different way.

Howell mentioned last year the team relied on small, quick perim-eter play, but this year they will focus on the inside game, work-ing the ball down low to Camille Marie-Lidd and Tia Dawson, both of whom stand at six foot two.

“We have to win in a different way. We are going to try to estab-lish an inside game first, which is not like the last couple of years.

This year’s team has different sets of strengths,” said Howell.

As different as the 2008-2009 squad may be from past seasons, Howell says every year the team starts out with the same five goals. First, get better today. Second, win the next game. Third, try to win a conference championship. Fourth, try to become regional champ (which would get the team into the state tournament). And last, the final and ultimate goal, try to win the state championship.

The road to glory will not be easy though, as there is an array of talented teams in the area alone. Linn-Mar and Kennedy are both ranked in the top five with several college recruits on their rosters.

Howell knows that getting past these tough foes is going to take hard work, dedication, and most of all, practice.

The girls have two-hour prac-tices six days a week, where they work on ball handling, passing, defense, rebounding, conditioning and shooting.

No matter where they finish, Howell wants the girls to enjoy playing. As he told the team after last year’s championship game loss, “Remember how important the people you went through this with are. Remember the journey you took.”

Anna FisherStaff Writer

1. What is your proudest sport moment? “Making it to the semi-finals during football.”2. What are your personal goals for this wres-

tling season?“To win state.”3. What are your team goals for this season? “Have no one quit and win a duel meet.”4. What is your favorite thing about the wres-

tling season? “My teammates.”5. Do you have any pre-meet rituals? “Break dancing in the wrestling room and pick-

ing my fro.”6. What do you eat the morning of a meet? “Oatmeal.”7. What is your most embarrassing sport mo-

ment? “Forgetting my wrestling shoes for a meet.”8. What is the last song you listened to on

your iPod?“‘Triumph’ by Wu Tang Clan.”9. Do you plan on wrestling in college? “Yes.”10. Where do you want to go to college? “A small private college, like Central or Simpson.”

Warrior spotlight: Brandon Burrell

Members of the Varsity womenʼs basketball team huddle up and listen to Coach Howell during practice in the new gym in early December.

Season RecordNov. 28

Warriors beat Maquoketa Valley 69-44Dec. 2

Warriors beat Prairie 73-56Dec. 5

Warriors beat Waterloo West 70-56

Returning Seniors

Renesa Smith-Taylor, GuardCamille Marie-Lidd, CenterAshley Armstrong, ForwardGloria Munyakazi, Forward

Shai Beard, Forward

Brandon Burrell ‘09Sport: Wrestling

Heavyweight

Warrior Numbers1Number of points by which the Varsity men’s basketball team lost by to Waterloo East on December 12th

1:43.63Men’s swimming 200-medley relay time, ranked number one in the area

393Point improvement by the women’s bowling team, who defeated Xavier on December 12th

4Ranking of the Warrior wrestling team in the Mississippi Valley Divi-sion

72, 79Days until the women and men’s state basketball tournaments in Des Moines, respectively

Carter Oswood/Surveyor

Sports14 12-22-2008

Athletes refl ect on the fall season...“We had a great year, I’m really going to miss the seniors next year.”

Sami Puk, ‘10Varsity swimmer

“I’m going to miss foot-ball, being with all my friends and the coaches. I set some personal goals a while back with

passing yards and touchdowns. Be-ing able to accomplish those has been an amazing experience.”

Wyatt Suess, ‘09 Varsity football

“Cross country was great this year, and just want next season to be here already.”

Meg Zmolek, ‘10 Varsity cross country

Bowling on the rise at WashingtonAbby VarnStaff Writer

Th ough somewhat under the radar, bowling is an upcoming sport for Washington High School. Every Monday, Tuesday, and Th ursday since November 10th, 68 Warriors have met at either May City or Lancer Lanes bowling alleys to practice together.

Tracy Mooney, a Spanish teacher at Washington, is in her third year as Women’s head coach. 35 of the bowlers are on the women’s team, while the other 33 are on the men’s team. Angie Brown is the men’s head coach and Monica Reeves serves as her assistant coach.

Th e Warrior bowling teams compete in eleven dif-ferent meets throughout the season, plus a regional and state meet. Th e fi nal meet will be at the end of February for the women’s team, and the fi rst week in March for the men’s. With such large teams, not everyone is able to compete. Only 24 select athletes out of the total 68 compete in these meets. Th ere are six on each men’s and women’s varsity teams, and six on each JV team.

Competing schools include Waterloo West, Ken-nedy, Xavier, Waterloo East, Dubuque Wahlert, Prairie, Iowa City High, Jeff erson, Linn-Mar, Cedar Falls and Dubuque Senior. “We have a lot of new bowlers this

year. My goal is for each of them to learn how to bowl, if they didn’t know how to already, but of course I would like to see a few wins. We are already off to a good start,” said Coach Mooney.

“During practice, students bowl one to three regular games. Sometimes they do other drills that focus on picking up spares or other game formats,” said Mooney. “I point out what they are doing wrong if they are strug-gling, and show them how to improve. At the end of each game, I record their scores.”

One of the main goals throughout this season is to improve the skills of those who have bowled before, and build on the beginner’s skills. “Th e students that returned from last year’s team have really improved their averages and taken on leadership roles,” said Mooney. “Many of the new students that had very little experience, if any, have really improved in just the last few weeks as well.”

Team unity is also a goal, like most sports. “Bowling is a team sport. Th ey have to help keep each other moti-vated so that they can hit more pins and win the game,” said Mooney. “I am pleased by the amount of team spirit the team has this year. Th ey give each other pointers on how to pick up certain pins and congratulate each other when they do well. It is great to see them grow together and succeed.”

Patrick AnderlStaff Writer

Walking past the cafeteria after school, one hears the sound of ping-pong balls careening off tables that fi ll the halls. A fl urry of volleys and fi nisher shots bounce back and forth across tables with insane speed. Shot after shot, the intense players never lose concentration as their paddles rarely miss the ball.

In previous years, ping-pong has had its place at Wash, but this year Ben Matsuda, ‘11, and friends are taking a new approach to this casual sport. “We use a system of mythical creatures to develop rank-ings. It’s like you start off as a non-mythical creature and the better you get, you evolve into a more complicated mythical creature,” said Matsuda. He says he is currently a hippopotagriff apus, but there are even higher levels to strive for.

Although the Table Tennis Club is a crazy group of people, they are very dedicated and gifted at ping-pong. Th ey practice after school multiple times a week to enhance their skills and to try out new tech-niques. Even with all their hard work, entertainment is a major factor in why they play. As Matsuda puts it, “My favorite part of Table Tennis Club is hitting balls really hard and just having a lot of fun.”

So, if you’re really good at ping-pong, looking for something laid-back to do this winter, or just want to be a mythical creature, join Table Tennis Club! Th e group is always looking for new members to add to the craziness.

A ping-pong player prepares to hit the ball back to his opponent at a recent game in the cafeteria.

Upcoming Warrior Athletic Events

December 22nd-- JV women’s basketball at home

against Iowa City High -- Freshmen women’s basketball

at Xavier

December 23rd-- Varsity men’s basketball at home

against Newton

January 1st-- Varsity men’s basketball at home

against Dubuque Wahlert

January 6th-- Men’s swimming at Waterloo West

January 9th-- Bowling against Dubuque Wahlert

at Bowl & Beyond

Ping-pong players practice pleasant pastime

Lauren Hoth/Surveyor

Trevor Polk/Surveyor

Quotes compiled by Brian Kopec

Upcoming Warrior Athletic Events

December 22nd-- JV women’s basketball at home

against Iowa City High -- Freshmen women’s basketball

at Xavier

December 23rd-- Varsity men’s basketball at home

against Newton

January 1st-- Varsity men’s basketball at home

against Dubuque Wahlert

January 6th-- Men’s swimming at Waterloo West

January 9th-- Bowling against Dubuque Wahlert

at Bowl & Beyond

Sports 1512-22-2008

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Alexis GuessStaff Writer

From August until the end of February, Heather Adams, AP Psychology and chemistry teacher, dons her Cedar Rapids Mustangs jersey and puts up her posters. Adams is a fan of the Cedar Rapids Mustangs, a local hockey team six Washington student, Logan Brown ‘10, Lee Goodlove ‘10, Tim Kigin ‘10, Joe Eken ‘11 and Sam Kacena ‘11, play on.

Students from several area schools come together on Tuesdays and Thurs-days at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena. They pay on the ice for an hour and a half and spend 30 minutes conditioning off the ice.

The Mustangs play 36 games per season on the weekends. A typical game lasts for one hour to an hour and a half with three 15-minute periods and time allotted for an intermission and stop-time. During the game, only six players are allowed on the ice at once: five players and one goalie.

Brown, Goodlove, and Kigin all play on JV and say that most of their games can be characterized as aggressive and fast-paced. This can be chal-lenging for the Mustangs, a younger, less-experienced team.

“We’re a very young organization with lots of potential,” said Goodlove.Despite the team’s underdog status, they still hope to make it to the

Midwest divisional finals. Led by head coach Jerry Moon, a professor at the University of Iowa,

and assistant coaches Jay Hildedr and Maury Burnett, the Mustangs have been transitioning from a laid-back to a more serious team. The coaches and the play-ers have bonded and improved in their five years of playing together.

The Mustangs would enjoy more support from the community for the rest of the season. The games technically cost money, but according to Kigin, if you run past the ticket master, you can get in for free.

Warrior men take it to the ice

2008 Mustang FactsHead Coach:

Professor Jerry Moon

Midwest League Rank: 16th

Season Points: 5

Home Rink: Cedar Rapids Ice Arena

Team Colors:Green, white, and black

Upcoming Hockey Games

December 22ndMustangs v. Waterloo

6pm in Waterloo

January 3rdMustangs v. Omaha

4:15pm in Sidner

January 4thMustangs v. Omaha10:30am in Sidner

January 8thMustangs v. Waterloo

7:45pm at Home

January 22ndMustangs v. Dubuque

7:45 at Home

January 23rdMustangs v. Des Moines

8pm at the Metro Ice Rink

January 31stMustangs v. Dubuque

2pm at the Flags Center

Lee Goodlove, ‘10, battles an opponent on the ice at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena, the Mustang’s home rink, in a game in early December.

Courtesy of Mrs. Adams

Back Page16 12-22-2008

Karly AbelCaitlin.AllenReginald AndersonMegan BarnesSheldon BazzellMadeline BeckerIsaac BehrensKatharine BottAllyson BrawnerAnne BrennemanErin Briggie

Katherine BriggieHannah ColtonTracey CookMatthew DaughteryStephanie DavenportShayma ElsheiknJulia EmeryMaxwell ErnstGabriel FranaJoseph GalletMadeleine Halyard

Roland HartMackenzie HartmanKestrel HenryTayler HinesTyler HublerKrista JohnsonJacob JohnsonSharon KannWesley KeeneEmily KratovilRebecca Krewer

Chase LehrmanCameron LoushinEmily LowerEileen MarshallSean MatthewsElizabeth MatusLillian McBrideColin McLaughlinMorgan McVayMarci NovakCassandra Novick

Connor O’NeilShondra OlsonZachary PatzwaldGabriella PerezDaniel PetersonBrittany QuaidLuke ReynoldsAbigail RingsChristina ScharmerDylan SchulteSamuel Seyfer

Nikhil ShahKathryn SiebelsRegan SieckAusten SmithElizabeth SmithCaitlin SoleJeffrey St. ClairMartin StrobelAlexander TaylorDylan TharpCaitlin Thirnbeck

Jennifer TitusKollin TrevallionJaron UlrichMeredith Van WoertKeile WahleBrett WarnerMaria WelchTiffany WestromDaniel WilliamsMadeline YoungMeg Zmolek

THE PTA WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE ALL 2008-2009 AP SCHOLARS

Cocoa and Carols

Photos by Melanie Phelan