ARROWHEADTHEWaukee High School, 555 SE University Avenue, Waukee, IA 50263 Volume 21 Edition 7 April 2016

WAUKEE FASHION CLUB RAISES more than $3,200 FOR TEENS AGAINST HUMAN Trafficking

see the story on waukeearrowhead.com

MEET NEXT YEAR'S EDITORSAnna Nelson

Kaitlyn REdman

“This year has been a real challenge for me, but Room 602 has been a sort of sanctuary since the very first day. In regards to the challenges I will face next year as Print Editor, and to quote the great SpongeBob, ‘I’m ready.’”

“I am thrilled to take over the Arrowhead website for the 2016/2017 school year. The newspaper has pre-sented new and incredible opportunities for me as a writer and as a leader. I look forward to providing the

school with a quality newspaper alongside the future print editor, Anna Nelson.”

VIVIAN LE ELLIE DREESANALESE HAUBER SAM COX “This year has been monumental for The Arrowhead and myself. I’ve built such strong relationships, and I love my Publications family like no other. I hope that what we’ve built will be able to last for years beyond us.” - Vivian Le, Publisher

“I don’t think words can accurately express how grateful I am for the incredible people, experiences and personal growth that this publication has brought me to. Thank you.” - Analese Hauber, Print Editor

CATCH YOU ON THE FLIP SIDE, WAUKEE

“This class has made me who I am today. If I hadn’t joined it sophomore year, I don’t know where I would be. I love this class, and I am devastated to be saying goodbye, but I know the new editors will carry on and continue making this class great.” - Ellie Drees, Web Editor

“If someone told me at the beginning of the year that I was going to do the chant from “The Wolf of Wall Street” while on a charter bus, hand deliver every phonebook in the state of Iowa and adopt a stuffed parrot, I would’ve found that a little strange. Publications has been a wonderful experience that has provided me with incredible opportunities and many amazing friends. I will miss this class; both the good and the bad.” - Sam Cox, Web Editor

TWEETS OF THE MONTH

Driving across the Midwest, one passes through fields of corn, soy and cattle. But there

is another crop sweeping the midwest: wind turbines. Wind turbines work the opposite way that a ceiling fan works. Instead of using electricity to move air, wind is harnessed to make electricity. Wind turbines come in all shapes and sizes, and are used for many purposes.

Outside of Waukee Middle School, a small wind turbine stands erect. According to the Iowa Wind Energy Association, “These are used for homes, telecommunications dishes or water pumping. Small turbines are sometimes used in connection with diesel generators, batteries and photovoltaic systems.” Waukee High School installed the 90 foot turbine in 2011 with a $50,000 grant from Pepsi.

Even though Waukee High School received this turbine from Pepsi, it only runs part-time. It has a startup speed of 8 MPH, meaning the wind has to be blowing at least 8 MPH to turn the blades. Waukee’s turbine also has a cut speed of 55 MPH. Thus the blade will not blow if winds are stronger than 55 MPH. Director of Operations for Waukee High School Keith Elmquist explained why the turbine only works at specific times.

“[There are] two reasons. One is wind speed; two is mechanical and electrical fail-ures.” Elmquist also commented, “[WHS has made] $0 at this time. We have had two failures that were not covered under warranty. The first, mice chewed on the electrical harness and creat-ed an electrical short; repairs costed $1,616.27. The second incident was a lightning strike in September of 2011. Insurance covered all, but [the] deductible was $2000.” In 2011, Waukee High School students were encouraged to go and vote everyday on the Pep-

si website in order to win the $50,000 wind turbine. Yet, WHS has made no profit in the five years since installment. Some

students are

unsure as to why it even exists.

When asked if the turbine has provid-ed anything beneficial to WHS, Elmquist said, “[The turbine has provided] education and awareness about wind energy.” Several students, when asked about the turbine, dis-agreed with this statement. Victoria Dicks, a junior at WHS, commented, “I do not know how we got the wind turbine and it definitely has not taught me anything about conservation directly.” Fellow junior Brenna Schettler agreed with Dicks’ statement. “Our teachers have never really taught us about

it.” Junior Kellan Pren-dergast commented, “I had no idea the school had, or used turbines. I remember seeing wind turbines from on a road trip but I don’t believe they were moving at

the time. I’ve only seen them move in like videos and such. I was never informed that the school used resources to conserve energy.”

Junior Nicolas Matamoras and senior Logan Lovell disagreed with the critics above. Lovell stated, “I took Environmental Ecology, so I learned a lot about alternative sources of energy, and at one point, we even discussed the school’s turbine.” Matamo-ras stated, “The school has given us the opportunity to learn about energy conser-vation and awareness through classes like Environmental Ecology; but if you do not know and investigate into learning about it, you won’t find it.”

WHS supporters spent time and effort asking the student body to vote for this $50,000 Pepsi grant. Five years later, some students don’t know that the school even

“[WHS has made] $0 at this time. There have have been two failures that

were not covered under warranty.”

has a turbine, let alone how it works. The turbine

has generated no savings, and has not resulted in any energy conservation for the school. Many students are uninformed of energy conser-vation and awareness, unless specifically informed by a

class curriculum. Was the Pep-si challenge worth it, or could the money have been used for a

more efficient cause?

Layout by Kaitlyn Redman and Anna Nelson

Sources from iowawindenergy.orgenergy.govenergybible.com

When windtur-bines are producing

energy, Iowa’s wind power

installations will avoid over 8.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annu-ally. This is equivalent to taking 1,550,000 cars

off the road.

Was Waukee's $50,000 investment Worth it?

Kaitlyn Redman

The Last Piece of the PuzzleGenesis Ramos & Kyndal Lindsay

Piecing up this puzzle is easy, especially when it makes the blue, red, and yellow autism awareness ribbon, the most recognized symbol of the autism community. Autism prevalence is now one in every 68 children in America according to autismssociety.org. Every April 2nd, autism awareness organizations around the world celebrate the day with activities and awareness-raising events. The whole purpose of the day is to spread awareness, but organizers want to go beyond just this. They want to encourage friends, family and others to all become partners in a movement toward acceptance and appreciation.

Characteristic behaviors of autism may be apparent in infancy (18 to 24 months), but they usually become distinctive during early childhood (24 months to six years). In order to sep-arate symptoms from other medical conditions, a differential diagnosis must take place. This separates medical diagnosis and educational determination. A medical diagnosis is made by a physician based on an assessment of symptoms and diagnostic testing. There is no physical testing for autism. They also take into account the person’s developmental history, and their heredity. An educational determination is made by a multidisciplinary evaluation team of various school professionals. The results of the evaluation are then reviewed by the parents and a qualified group of professionals. They then determine if the student qualifies for special education. The process of diagnosing autism varies on the patient. They could be diagnosed right away or it could take several years for a consensus.

Marty Sullivan teaches PAL P.E. at the high school, a class that allows students to bond with students who have disabilities. Sullivan commented on the class’s popularity. “I believe the reason we have such an interest is due to the tremendous compassion and tolerance the stu-dents at Waukee have.” Each term, PAL P.E. has a large amount of students participating in the class. Students are assigned a pal and work with them, bonding over the course of the term.

Many field trips and fun activities are offered, such as trips to the arts center and movie day, making for a busy, yet fun environment in the class. Sullivan also added the importance of students bonding with other students who have disabilities. “It gives them a unique opportu-nity to establish relationships with students with disabilities and gives them an understanding of the challenges some of them face and to experience the beauties of their personalities.” PAL P.E. is more than just a class, it’s a bonding experience to bring together students who are all uniquely different.

April shouldn’t be the only month to take initiative for autism awareness. While there is only one month dedicat-ed to celebrating disabilities, who’s to say students with these quali-ties shouldn’t be celebrated all the time. Being different is special and these students contribute a special piece to the puzzle.

A Knowledge or perception of a situation or fact. Waukee offers a variety of courses and clubs to help bring together students and students with

disabilities, some of these courses involve PAL P.E. and the club Best Buddies.

wareness

A cceptanceThe action of consenting to receive or undertake something offered. Just because someone is different, it doesn’t make them

any less deserving of acceptance or equality. Making simple gestures, such as a smile or small talk, goes a long way.

A ppreciationThe recognition and enjoyment of the good qualities of someone or something.Instead of seeing the difference in students with disabilities, try, instead, to see the simi-

larities. A lot of these students enjoy the things we do, like sports, or music.

A The fact or process of doing something, typically to achieve an aim. Taking initia-tive, going out of the way to talk to these students. If interested, sign up to take PAL

P.E. Every little thing counts.

ction

Layout by Kyndal Lindsay and Genesis Ramos

Every day after school, hard working ath-letes at Waukee High School push themselves as hard as they can through seasons that fly by. There is often great pressure on these students to succeed, and with only four years to achieve their goals, any setback is heartbreaking. Unfortunately, most students athletes are not strangers to the personal trainer, plastic bags of ice and fabric injury braces. They are jolted with fear when their body responds negatively to something their mind so badly wants. Being injured on a team can leave a student missing a lot from their life. Suddenly, what used to raise their spirits or give them pride in their successes, vanishes. Senior Hannah Roethler worked hard to improve at long distance running through Wau-kee cross country and track since 8th grade. This year’s season came to a halt after only two meets. After six years of running without getting injured the remainder of her season was spent in a boot, due to a stress fracture in one of her metatarsals and toes. The injury proved disheartening, because not only did she miss long con- versations on runs, but she

wouldn’t participate in any more school events before graduation. Ro-ethler stated, “I realized

as we were going to places that we have

always run, like Marshall-town, Ames and Valley, ‘I’m never go-ing to be able to run a cross country race here again.’” She recalled,

“Having that in-jury my senior year put everything in

perspective because everyone was like ‘This is the last time we are going to run here.’” Sadly, Roethler wouldn’t get that last ‘goodbye’ race. She felt slightly isolated during homecom-ing week dress up days when the team would run in fun outfits. “I would go dress up and it was super weird in the weight room, on a bike wearing all blue or red, white and blue,” Roether laughed. Often, she was accompanied by fellow injured runners on the bikes, so the team environment prevailed. “I was really proud of everyone for what they were doing, and I really enjoyed being able to go and cheer. I really wanted to [run] too… but it was still good to go to watch them and support them because I feel like through

the years, our coaches have really put a value on what being a teammate is,” she remembered. She expressed immense positivity throughout the season and felt the joy of success through improvement of her friends. She and senior Kaitlyn Cox grew close through years of running, and watching Cox’s prosperous season filled her with pride. Roethler has come away from the season with a new appreciation for the sport, and shared that she is way more grateful for being able to do the sport after having to sit out of it. Now that she is in track, she gets to appreciate running and hard work, and her perspective has changed. “I want to be working on being some-one that other people can talk to, and share their issues with, because that’s still a part of the team, and it’s very important,” she determined.

Junior Connor Rittenhouse underwent surgery during summer of her freshman year, after dislocating her knee in gymnastics. Part of her knee cap broke when it readjusted itself. She wore a boot up until the time of her surgery. Gymnastics had been a part of her life for about 10 years, and at this point in time, she had just begun moving up in her skill level. “I tried going back to gymnastics, but it was hard. I was out for a long time – like six months. It was really hard going back. My knee kept getting hurt, so I had to stop,” she explained. Falling behind after her progress was a difficult concept to grasp emotionally. Watching the practices from the side when injured, she wanted badly to be on the floor, participating in practice. “I still teach gymnastics now, to be a part of it. I still love the sport.” “I liked the feelings during the meets and after the meets. You just get a rush,” she shared. While being a teacher allows her to be involved, it can sting to surround herself with an activity she loved doing. “I miss all the rela-tionships I had with the other gymnasts. I still see them a lot, but when I see how much fun the team girls are having, I really miss it. She also mentioned how she has learned to appreci-ate the things she loves, since one of them is no longer a possibility. Senior Lucas Waage tore the anterior talofib-ular ligament in his ankle, and suffered several

fractures in the same area. He rolled his ankle at a school soccer practice, putting his weight on the ankle while it was bent. He did two to three months of physical therapy, and eventual-ly had exploratory surgery. Playing soccer this season is not an option for Waage. There is too high of a risk of reinjury. After playing since he was four, when he learned that he couldn’t play he was crushed. He explained, “It is my last season of soccer, and I won’t play for club or school again. I came to terms that it is what it is, and that my situation could be much worse.” Quickly losing the sport he cherished left him discouraged but taught him an important lesson. “I’ve learned to appreciate every moment I’m doing something that I’m passionate about. It is im-portant to stop and look at what you’re doing, and how the sport is shaping you.” “I’ve put years into this sport, and now I feel slightly incomplete. Being able to pour time and effort into something was something I really enjoyed,” he admitted. Not being able to show his hard work as an athlete saddened him, but he exerted focus on to School-to-Work and his engineering internship, which has been an important experience, and taken his mind off of soccer. “I’ll miss feeling accomplished at the end of a game or practice. Like, I just went out and gave my all with my friends and teammates,” he concluded. “I don’t have the opportunity to feel what leaving it all on the field feels like again.” Soccer was beyond being a place to prove his hard work, it also brought a certain sense of normality to the rest of his life. “It helped with letting go of stress and forgetting about worries,” he shared. Exercise can be an incredible resource for aiding stress. The endor-phins released can work as natural painkillers, mood lifters and improve the ability to sleep. The students who have suffered sports related injuries share many common feelings. Anyone taking time away from what they love can acknowledge how earnestly they enjoyed it. They learned what hard work means to them, and the importance of being grateful for what they have. It makes an unnoticed but significant impact on the resiliency, mental strength and emotional state of these athletes.

Impact of Sports InjuriesAna Hernandez

Layout by Ana HernandezPhotos provided by Hannah Roethler & Lucus Waage

“I was really proud of everyone for what they were doing, and I really enjoyed being

able to go and cheer. I really wanted to [run] too… but it was still good to go to watch them and support them because I feel like through the years, our coaches have really put a value on what being a

teammate is,”

Life Outside of WaukeeClaire Simmons

Mikala Jagim From the moment she could take two steps, class of 2015 Waukee High School graduate Mikaela Jagim was pirouetted and sashayed her way through life. Starting in the oak floored, mirrored wall studios of West Side Dance Academy, she began her journey from rehearsal to competition work-ing to become the best dancer she could possibly be. Once a young girl with a passion, Jagim’s dreams have recently become reality.

As an official resident of Los Angeles, California, Jagim’s life is anything but typical. While most graduates are running around college campuses with their noses shoved in books, Jagim spends her days in the dance studio. “I am working as a commercial dancer, which means I do many different shows, performances and videos,” Jagim explained. “I take a lot of dance classes, and do a lot of networking to meet other people in the dance industry.”

After working towards her goal for the majority of her life, Jagim is finally at a place where she feels confident. “I have been working towards this goal for a very, very long time. I have devoted so much time and energy into my dancing and have spent most of my life preparing for this opportunity,” Jagim reflected. “It still doesn’t seem real that I am now living my goal.”

Though Jagim is at a place of serendipity, she still struggles with something most face: self doubt. “Anyone that tells you they don’t doubt them-selves is lying in my opinion,” Jagim stated. Working through self doubt is a bump in everyone’s road, but Jagim knows that self confidence is key. “I have to remind myself that judgement doesn’t matter as long as I am being true to myself.”

Though it may seem like all of her goals have been met, she still has more to add. “In the next five years, I hope to be back-up dancing on tour, in a dance based movie, or traveling the world teaching and dancing,” Jagim disclosed. “I also would like to own a dog, or 12.”

As she continues her journey to achieve even more, Jagim has one motiva-tor: God. “I’m going to quote Drew Lienemann when I say that when I die I want to be able to look at God, and tell him I did the best I could with the gifts He gave me.”

Michael Jacobson From dribbling on the floors of the Waukee fieldhouse to dribbling under the lights of Pinnacle Bank Arena, class of 2015 graduate Michael Jacobson is shooting, scoring and winning his way through the craziest four years of his life.

After signing with the Nebraska Cornhuskers to continue his basketball career just more than a year ago, Jacobson’s life has been flipped upside down. “The experiences are unreal,” Jacobson said. “[I love] getting to play on national television, in front of 16,000 people, the atmosphere of college basketball with the fans, and playing in places and against people you’ve seen and watched on television your whole life.”

As a starting power forward for the Huskers, Jacobson has his heart and his eyes set on bringing the Huskers success. “My goal is to make the NCAA tournament, play a lot of minutes, and contribute to my team’s suc-cess,” Jacobson voiced. Though he’s content with collegiate level basketball for now, he focuses on the future. “Personally, I want to make the NBA after college, but that’s a little down the road.”

Between practice, games and travel time, Jacobson had to learn quickly how to balance the time demands of basketball while still maintaining good grades in the classroom. “If you don’t manage your time and cut out some things such as friends, girls, video games, etc., then you won’t be able to take care of your academics and athletics,” Jacobson revealed. “It really takes a lot of preparation and planning to make sure you get everything done.” Unfortunately, trade-offs must be made when there are simply not enough hours in the day to be a Division-1 athlete and live out the ‘normal’ college experience that most freshman strive to achieve. “It’s been a long time dream of mine to play college basketball, so when the opportunity came about, I had no problem giving up the regular experience.”

Through the next four years as a starter for the Huskers, Jacobson will take time to reflect on how he got to where he is, and use it as his motivation. “I learned early on that you can’t have any doubt, worry or fear in your mind and heart,” Jacobson noted. “One of my favorite quotes is ‘Fate loves the fearless.’”

Jacobson encourages all high school athletes looking to further their career to step out in the deep-end and see what’s out there; “If you get the opportunity to do something you’ve always wanted to, go for it.”

“It’s been a long time dream of mine to play college basket-ball, so when the opportunity came about, I had no problem

giving up the regular experience.”

“I have to remind myself that judgement doesn’t matter as long as I am being true to myself.”

Ella Gehrke Graduating from Waukee in 2013, Ella Gehrke had absolutely no idea what her plan was when she became an official student at Iowa State Uni-versity. The unknown slowly came into focus as she signed on to the Global Resource Systems program and partook in the World Food Prize’s Iowa Youth Institute. Now a junior in college, Gehrke has traveled the globe, crafted countless connections and become the cofounder of a company intended to combat world hunger, one impoverished village at a time.

“I am currently working on a startup company that myself and three peers created a year and a half ago called KinoSol,” Gehrke explained. We

have engineered and designed mobile solar dehydrators for subsistence

farmers in the developing world to tackle the issue of food

waste and malnutrition.” Thus far, KinoSol products already reached nations in need including Uganda and El Salvador. “To have validation of your hard work is one thing but to see that you created some-thing that has the potential to help even one person is an extraordinary feeling.”

Facing an uncertain future in the fall of 2013

at ISU, Gehrke began to succeed in an animal science

class. “[The World Food Prize] inspired me to take a

more encompassing look at the world’s resources and the

problems that plague our earth,” Gehrke stated. “It was the perfect

fit for my interests and allowed me to really find my footing in college,

which guided me towards global health.”

Along with her list of plans to fight world hunger, Gehrke is also on the road to med school. “I am on the pre-med path, which requires me to take a number of classes that are heavier in the sciences to meet the pre-med requirements,” Gehrke explained. “In five years, I hope to be finishing up medical school and planning for a residency, but we will see...fingers crossed!”

Gehrke has had the opportunity to hop on a plane and jet off to countries in need to study their culture and seek out possible communities to imple-ment her product, which she finds to be an extreme honor and pleasure. “Through both my majors and my interests, I’ve made a lot of opportunities for myself to travel around the world,” Gehrke gushed. “I have an insatiable thirst for culture and so any time I’ve gotten to see a new way of live, I feel very privileged.”

For more information about Gehrke’s major at Iowa State or her product and company, please visit www.globe.iastate.edu/globe-major and www.getkinosol.com

Conner Boatman After a short first semester at Iowa State University, Waukee alum Con-ner Boatman has officially broken free of Iowa’s borders and traveled West to the Golden Coast to pursue a career in music. Starting as just a dream, Boatman’s aspirations are now reality as he is fully engulfed in LA life.

“I am currently signed to Island Records with a boy band,” Boatman explained. “We are accumulating songs for upcoming music.” Known for his vocals, seen and heard via Instagram and YouTube, Boatman is excited to take his talent to the next level. “Signing a record contract and the whole process leading up to it out here was an awesome experience,” Boatman revealed. “It feels absolutely awesome to be chasing my dreams.”

Though Boatman is loving his new life and doing what he loves, 1,438+ miles from home is quite the distance. “I miss seeing all of the green, all of my friends and family every day, and I also miss the colder weather… at times,” Boatman divulged. “My parents have known I wanted to move out here and sing, but they wanted me to have a plan in place before moving,” Boatman continued. “Moving out here was definitely there right choice for me.”

With a possible future in the spotlight and in the public eye, Boatman has already begun taking steps to fight off the self-doubt and possible criticisms that may surround him. “I do doubt myself sometimes just because there are so many other talented singers out there doing the same thing. It is easy for me to cope with though because I know that I am in great hands,” Boatman stated. “I also make sure to surround myself with positive, like minded people.”

Two months have passed since making the big move and Boatman has already acquainted himself with a list of well known voices on the radio. “I have met some of the other recording artists with Island Records such as Demi Lovato, Shawn Mendes, Nick Jonas and Tove Lo,” Boatman revealed, claiming to have no issues with being star-struck.

With a clear head, profes-sional work ethic and a bright future ahead of him, Boatman is working his hardest with his dreams right in reach.

Layout by Claire SimmonsPhotos provided by graduates

“Signing a record contract and the whole process leading up to it out here was an awesome experi-ence,” Boatman revealed. “It feels absolutely awe-

some to be chasing my dreams.”

Iowa Assessment

Start on the path to higher scores today!

Limited time offer. Call now!

1303 50th StreetWest Des Moines, IA(515) 225-6320

SAVE $100**

Accredited by