issue 3 2007
DESCRIPTION
Issue 3 of the Challenger in 2007TRANSCRIPT
hoover high school publications. 4800 aurora avenue .des moines. ia. 50310.
515.242.7313. 10.26.07 v41.i3
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging
the freedom of speech, or of the press; or of the right of the people to peaceably assemble and to petition
the government for a redress of grievances.
Going green p.2Environmental club strives to beautify the school through tree planting
Rise and shine p.3Marching band early birds want respect
School violence p.4Staff members speak out on youth violence
Volley ‘ballin’ p.5The senior-less Huskies are nearing the end of their two-win season. The team is led by the underclassmen
Psychedelic radio waves p.6Radio Moscow mixture of rock blues and a taste of punk make for a refreshing music recipe
Don’t shush me p.7Free speech is essential for an informed public
Inside:
Twelve members of Students Beyond War (SBW) held a political sit-in at Senator Charles Grassley’s offi ce Sept. 21. The students wanted Grassley to promise to stop funding the war. The outcome of the sit-in resulted in the arrest of two Hoover students, seniors Aaron Glynn and Amanda Hicks along with Dowling senior Abby Olson and Roosevelt freshman Reetzi Hughes. SBW is made up of many people and not limited to high school students. The group meets every Thursday and discusses world issues such as war and peace. “We plan activities and talk about issues in the world and how we as students and citizens can make the world a better place and get our voices heard,” Glynn said. “The sit-in was our fi rst major event.” Glynn and Hicks said that their goal for the sit-in was to convince Grassley to stop funding the war in Iraq. “Grassley needs to represent Iowa better, he shouldn’t just favor his party affi liations,” Glynn said. “We wanted publicity. We wanted him to talk to us.” “Our goal for the sit in was to talk to Grassley and see if we could come up with a conclusion with the whole issue. Our goal was not to get arrested but if we had to stay to be heard we were going to stay,” Hicks said. “Security threatened to arrest us fi rst but we refused to leave. The police then came and arrested
me and Aaron along with other high school students,” Hicks said. “I was put in a paddy wagon with the other girls; it was disgusting. Both Glynn and Hicks said that despite the arrest, they were treated kindly by the offi cers. “When we got there, the police offi cers were really nice to us. They had lots of jokes and laughed with us a lot,” Hicks said. “The police were really nice and funny,” Glynn said. “One told me he was proud of us because we took a stand in what we believed in.” The students were proud they stuck up for what they believed in and took a stand. “We ended up having a press conference with Grassley. I was not able to attend the meeting so I am not quite sure what was said or done about the whole issue,” Glynn said. Hicks suffered consequences at home in addition to getting arrested. “My parents were upset and I am not aloud to talk to some of the group members, such as Frank Calderon who organized the silent protest,” Hicks said. Glynn said that although his parents weren’t happy with the arrest, they were proud of him for sticking up for his beliefs. “My mom was worried, but both my mom and dad were very proud of me for taking a stand. They also said I could’ve avoided getting arrested by
leaving with the other members the fi rst time they asked us to leave,” Glynn said. “I’m glad I stayed though.” Glynn had a message for Grassley. “The only thing I have to say to Grassley is that you need to promise us that you will stop funding the war. It was wrong for U.S. soldiers to go there in the fi rst place. We are just targets now, its wrong for us to stay there,” Glynn said. Neither Glynn nor Hicks have regrets, and neither would change a thing about the whole ordeal. The only thing that disappointed them was that they didn’t get a chance to speak to Grassley. The students went to court Oct. 5 to discuss the punishment of the sit in. “The group just got a series of fi nes, but none of us are paying because it’s a group thing and we were representing the group,” Glynn said. The students are not mad about the group being arrested, but they are disappointed they weren’t heard and didn’t get the chance to voice out. “Stand up for what you believe in and don’t be afraid to take risks,” Glynn said. “What we did is becoming more uncommon in the United States. People get bullied, they don’t say anything back, they don’t stand up and take risks. I did and I am proud of myself and what I did.”
You have theRIGHTto remainsilentPayton Quinn
features editorSeniors Aaron Glynn and Amanda Hicks participated in a sit-in at Senator Charles
Grassley’s offi ce
KYKER PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
HUSKY BRIEFS
GUS
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10.26.07.v41.i3news 2
Orchestra
Drama
Debate
Environ-mentalClub
Band
Student Council
Drama’s Halloween costume party is Oct. 27. Auditions for the Iowa High School Speech Association large group speech contest are Nov. 3 at 9 a.m. and Nov. 5 at 3 p.m. Masterpiece Theatre will be presented Nov. 6 at 7.30 followed by the thespian auction.
The debate team will be competing against East Nov. 2-3. They will also be competing at IHSFL Fall in Marshalltown Nov. 9-10.
STUCO is putting together checklists for homecoming next year. They are also looking into doing a student council exchange. STUCO is putting on Entertainment Tonight Nov. 9 at 7 p.m.
The band is practicing for their upcoming chair-placement test.
The orchestra is having their fall party at Lisa Fried’s house from 6:30-10 p.m. There will be food and a costume contest.
Environmental club will be coming to homerooms to discuss their projects for the year and to recruit new members. Prospective projects include a wind turbine and a bottle recycling program.
Junior Chris Wilkerson thinks he might have an idea why there aren’t many more than a dozen members of the Environmental Club. But according to him, a lot more is going on in math teacher Maribeth Newman’s room every Wednesday after school than people think. “Maybe people think it’s just a bunch of weird kids sitting around talking about trees,” Wilkerson said. “It’s not, though.” In fact, the club is planning an Oct. 27 tree planting of 55 new trees from
9 to 12 a.m. The money came from the club’s receiving of a $6300 Lillian Swartzell Perennial Planting Program grant from the Metro Waste Authority last spring. Any student who wishes to participate is encouraged to come at 8:30 for doughnuts and can earn Silver Cord hours for time spent planting. Principal Doug Wheeler said he thinks more trees will affect how the community and other schools view Hoover. “The way our school looks refl ects on how we feel about our school,” Wheeler said. “When the facilities look junky, people assume the school is junky.” Wilkerson and Newman had similar thoughts about the effect of a school’s appearance. “I think it’ll be more welcoming [after the trees are planted] for kids and adults as well,” Wilkerson said. Faculty sponsor Newman said that when she fi rst began applying for grants to beautify the school ten years ago, “it was all about public relations.” She recalled a visitor to Hoover reacting to the state of the grounds. “He said, ‘My God, it looks like nobody’s home!’” Newman said. The reasons for planting trees go beyond appearance, though. Newman also spoke about the importance of being environmentally conscious. “In today’s world, it’s so imperative that we act now,” she said. Wheeler also expressed the urgency of current environmental issues. “From a historical standpoint, we’ve really used and abused this planet for the last fi fty years,” he said. He and Newman both talked about the possibility of further exploring ways to make Hoover “greener,” such as installing a wind turbine to power the school with wind energy. “One of the things I’d like to see us do as a school is be on the cutting edge of these movements,” Wheeler said. He sees a clear role for himself in the school’s efforts to become more energy effi cient. “My goal as principal is to create as many unique things about Hoover that students, parents, and the community can be proud of,” Wheeler said. Wilkerson said he joined the Environmental Club because “it just seems like a really good way to give back to the environment and to the community,” he said. He and Wheeler both mentioned trying to be environmentally conscious for the sake of future generations. “I want it to be as pretty as it is now for my kids,” Wilkerson said. Wheeler expressed a similar concern. “Someday I’ll have kids, and they’ll inherit this planet,” Wheeler said. “I have to be responsible for that.” Wheeler also believes a greener and more beautiful school can benefi t Hoover’s reputation. He mentioned that the publicity a school gets is unfortunately not always positive. “One person can cast a shadow on 1100 kids who are working very hard,” Wheeler said. He thinks the tree planting will help, though. “That’s going to bring positive press to Hoover,” he said. Newman said she believes environmental awareness is essential for today’s citizens. “I think it’s more important than anything,” she said. Wilkerson agreed. “A cleaner place is a happier place,” he said. Wheeler found yet another reason to be enthused. “The exciting part about it is it’s not just adults,” he said. “It’s students.”
Educate Yourself: rock your vote and make yourself countThese are the locations of many presidential candidates with offi ces located in Iowa. You can volunteer at these locations to help your candidate win.
For more information on a candidate log on to their website listed or www.rockthevote.com
GATES COLUMN
Hilary Clinton 715 E 2nd St Des Moines, IA 50309 www.hilaryclinton.com
Joe Biden 8033 University Ave, Suite C Clive, IA 50325 www.joebiden.com
Chris Dodd 1115 Grand Ave Des Moines, IA 50309 www.chrisdodd.com
John Edwards 712 E 2nd St Des Moines, IA 50309 www.johnedwards.com
Barack Obama 323 E Locust Des Moines, IA 50309 www.barackobama.com
Bill Richardson 601 SW 9th St, Suite K Des Moines, IA 50309 www.richardsonforpresi-dent.com
Sam Brownback 2700 University Ave, Suite 206 West Des Moines, IA 50266 www.brownback.com
John Cox 815 Offi ce Park Road West Des Moines, IA 50265 www.cox2008.com
John McCain 2335 70th St Urbandale, IA 50322 www.johnmccain.com
Mitt Romney 3590 109th St Urbandale, IA 50323 www.mittromney.com
Tom Tancredo 271 Welch Ave, Suite 102 Ames, IA 50014 www.teamtancredo.com
PHOTOS FROM WASHINGTONPOST.COM
Going green
Environmetal club strives to beautify the school through tree planting
Bea Rendonopinion editor
The new landscape plan involves 55 trees which will be planted along with mile-long neighborhood walking path between the two new athletic fi elds. It was designed by booster club treasurer and landscape architect Greg Jones. Environmental club member junior Chris Wilkerson said, “I think it’ll be a more welcoming place for kids and adults as well.”
payton quinn page design
10.26.07 v41.i03features 3
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At 6:00 a.m. senior Adam Stearns wakes up to the sound of his alarm, the smell of breakfast, and the thought that one hour from now he will be at
school, marching in the bitter cold. Since fi fth grade, Stearns has had a huge interest in music. “It’s one of my favorite things to do,” Stearns said. Other band members strongly dislike marching rehearsals, which start at 7:00 a.m. Flag girl Mallory Stites has danced for many years, and enjoys being a fl ag girl rain or shine. “The only thing I hate about marching is the time I have to get up. 6:00 a.m. on a good day, 6:30
Rise and shine Marching band early birds want respect
Tanner Buckleystaff writer
on a bad one.” Stites said. Band director Randy Hoepker says that the kids are enjoying band for the most part. “We have a very enthusiastic group of kids this year,” Hoepker said. Hoepker is also enjoying Hoover’s new assistant band director, who has been teaching/playing music for several years. After rehearsing all week for 90 minutes a day, game day fi nally comes. During half-time, Hoover band members and fl ag girls get out on the fi eld to show Hoover fans and students what they’ve got. Some students think the band members have been disrespected during games. Hoepker disagreed. “I think that the Hoover student body comes to the game to have a good time, and what may seem like disrespect may actually be a display of energy that has been missing at games in the past few years,” Hoepker said. Senior Anthony Olson is the drum major of the marching band. “I rehearse and teach fi ve times a week, and its not as easy as it looks” Olson said. Olson plans to major in music education when he gets out of high school. “Conducting the band right now is a great way to practice for my future” Olson said. Some beleive marching band doesn’t always get the recognition they deserve. “Many people of the Hoover student body don’t realize how much we go through.” Hoepker said that the lack of attention hasn’t left members upset. “If there are students who are blatantly being disrespectful, the band is quite professional and can easily ignore them,” Hoepker said. With a new band director, students, and drills, Hoepker said he has high hopes.
Marching band is performing at half time at a varsity football game Sept. 28. Hoover played Lincoln that night. Marching band performed at state and got a one rating.
The crack of dawn
The schedule for high school marching band
1. Members arrive at school before 7 a.m. every day throughout marching season.
2. Hoover’s band is made up of 80 students
3. Band Director Randy Hoepker is directing for his fi fth year at Hoover
4. Band members have concerts throughout the school year
5. Rehearse over 80 minutes a day
6. Marching band practices fi ve days a week or even more.
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10.26.07 v41.i03Features 4
TRAGEDY STRIKES
On Sept. 29, William Thompson, 16, was stabbed three times in West Des Moines by Saqueliah Cowell, a freshman from
Hoover. Thompson was transferred to the Mercy Medical Center where he later died. 16 young people between the ages of 10-24 died today because of violence according to www.cdc.gov. Despite this statistic, violence among youths has been decreasing across the nation and Principal Doug Wheeler believes that the same is happening at Hoover. “I think the violence at Hoover has actually been decreasing,” Wheeler said. “The first year I was here there were a lot of tensions—that would’ve been in 2001. There was a lot of diversity coming in, but it wasn’t really being focused or addressed at the time.” Before Wheeler was a principal or even a vice-principal, he was a psychology teacher at Hoover. “From my years of being a psychology teacher, when people reach a point where they’re going to commit violence, there’s still a lot that’s not understood about what goes into that decision,” Wheeler said. Wheeler believes that the biggest kind of violence in today’s world and at Hoover is emotional violence in the form of bullying, especially with technology. “One of my goals is to really address some
bullying issues that are going on here at Hoover. Luckily, this year, I think the bullying has improved from last year,” Wheeler said. “Part of that is because we’ve got four great classes that are really behind Hoover.” Wheeler believes that one of the ways to decrease the amount of violence at Hoover is to provide students with options—options other than violence. “It’d be nice if we could create classrooms that were so engaging that students wouldn’t think about violence or bullying at school,” Wheeler said. When a student dies, or tragedy occurs, the district allows Hoover to activate a crisis team made up of social workers and counselors from around the district. “We didn’t (need) to activate the crisis team here on Monday (the week after the Cowell incident),” Wheeler said, “however I wanted to activate it because I knew that a lot of students here were going to be affected and I wanted to give them the opportunity to work through those issues with professionals.” A HELPING HAND
Steve Ballou is the psychologist at Meredith and Merrill Middle Schools. He is also on call as a psychologist for Hoover and
Roosevelt. Ballou believes that there are many at Hoover who are willing to help students that have conflicts which may result in violence. “In general, I think schools, teachers and administrators are very tuned into helping kids with problems that they have,” Ballou said. “But sometimes kids don’t see the need or in some cases, have the courage, to ask for help.” Parents, teachers, counselors and the VP’s at Hoover are among the people that students should talk to in case that they have any problems with another student, their families, or anything in general according to Wheeler, Ballou and Barb Petersen, the school social service worker.
School violenceStaff members speak out on youth violence
Edward Rodriguezentertainment editor
Petersen believes that violence among youths has to do with students not knowing how to cope with anger. “Anger is a normal feeling to have,” Petersen said. “It’s just making appropriate choices when you’re feeling angry; having good coping skills.” Petersen wishes that there was another way that students could deal with problems other than fighting or violence. She also says that students should consider the long-term possibilities of their actions. Ballou, Petersen and Wheeler all agree. “Violent acts can lead to tragic consequences,” Ballou said.SCHOOLS ARE SAFE
Despite some of the violence at Hoover, Wheeler believes that it is a safe school. “Schools are becoming safer even though
the general media would want you to think that they’re not,” Wheeler said. “Our schools in Iowa, specifically in Des Moines, are very safe. “It’s because we’ve got a staff with a great deal of situational awareness. They’re not oblivious to things that are happening; they’re very aware of them.” According to Wheeler, the cameras, staff members and regulations at Hoover all contribute to making Hoover a safe place for students to be. Wheeler believes that equipment such as metal detectors, wands and new security features are unnecessary to keep Hoover safe. “Prisons have all those things and there are still violent acts in prisons,” Wheeler said. “I would rather spend the money on trying to improve education, and get students engaged, than spend it on metal detectors.” Wheeler said that students have also been contributing to making Hoover a safer place. “I think students feel safe here,” Wheeler said. “I think students feel safe taking charge and realizing that this is their school and that if there’s something going on, they need to report it.”
theVIOLENTtruth
♦Q: How does violence among youths affect the community? A: It increases the cost of health care, reduces productivity, decreases property value, and disrupts social services.
♦Q: Money wise, what is the cost of youth violence? A: Violence among youths exceeds $158 billion a year.
♦Q: Who do most violent acts at school occur? A: Most acts of violence occurred during transition times such as the start or the end of the school day, or during the lunch period.
♦Q: How much does bullying really contribute to violence? A: Among the students who committed a school-associated homicide, 20% were known to have been victims of bullying.
Jakob Powley is a Junior at Hoover who used to race motocross, until an accident left him in a wheelchair.
“The doctors are stupid. They thought I was dead,” Powley said. Powley’s mother, Tracy Allen-Powley, was told that if he survived the accident, he’d be a vegetable. After the accident, Powley was life flighted to Blank hospital. “They told us that he wouldn’t even live through the night,” Allen-Powley said. When the accident occurred Powley was practicing on a track in Indianola. He was riding on the smallest of 3 dirt bike classes. “I slid out of the dirt bike and got landed on,” Powley said. Powley was already in a coma when he was immediately rushed to the hospital. He spent the next six and a half weeks in a coma. “It was three and a half months that we lived there. We did not leave. We were there 24/7,”
Allen-Powley said. From this point, Powley had to re-learn everything again, as if he was an infant. Yet physically, there was nothing wrong with him or his spinal cord. “You know that part of the brain that tells you to work? Mine doesn’t work,” Powley said. “Nothing seems to work for me, it just doesn’t click.” In the beginning, Powley suffered from short and long-term memory loss. Now he seems to have more short-term memory loss problems. “His brain just doesn’t fire properly to send the signals he needs,” Allen-Powley said. Powley notices that people look at him differently now that he is in a wheelchair. Still, this doesn’t have any emotional effect on him. “I’m no different from them, I’m just sitting down!” Powley said. Before the accident, Powley enjoyed winning many first place trophies racing on motocross track around the States. He’d begun racing when he was just four years old. “My first concussion was down by the airport on a dirt bike track,” Powley said. Powley was also the track champ at the Iowa State Fair Pavilion for 2 years in a row. “And let me tell you what sucks,” Powley said. He explained that after winning a race, you ride around the track backwards and hold out the checkered flag so that the fans can touch it.
“It gets you dizzy!” Powley said. Since the accident, Powley has changed quite a bit. He has become more of a “comedian” now, as has mother explains. Things have also changed for Allen-Powley. She now has to help Powley in completing everyday tasks like getting in and out of bed, the shower, and the car. They get by just fine and his mom doesn’t mind having these new responsibilities. “It’s definitely changed our lives, but we’re just glad he’s alive!” Allen-Powley said.
It definitely changed our lives Junior reveals true feelings about a motocross accident Junior Jake Powelly
was injured in a motocross accident resulting him being paralyze.GATES PHOTO
Joanna Welterinformation editor
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BIO FUTURE
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There is a new face to the football team and Hoover this year. This is senior Troy Stewart’s fi rst year at Hoover and his fi rst chance to be on the husky football team.
He has played football for ten years. “It’s a legal activity were you can hit somebody else,” Stewart said.
Stewart is also the recipient of many honors. Last year he was All Metro Conference Linebacker. He was also MVP for three years of high school.
ATHLETEofTHEiss
ue Age: 17Weight: 190Height: 5’11”Year: SeniorSport: Football
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After high school he plans to go to study criminal law and play football wherever he ends up going. “I want to go to ASU or Iowa State and play football there.”
Boys Basketball
Cross Country
Cheer-leading
Football
Girls Swimming
Boys and girls cross country teams participated in the conference meet on Oct. 9 and the regional meet Oct. 18. They are fi nishing off the season with the state meet at Fort Dodge Saturday, Oct. 27.
On Oct. 26, the cheerleaders will be cheering at their last football game at Drake against Roosevelt. State competition will be held Nov. 3. Practices continue on Mondays from 6 to 8 and Wednesdays from 3:30 to 5:30. Tomorrow they will have practice 9 to 11:30 a.m.
Saturday, Oct. 27, varsity and JV have a regional meet. The location is yet to be determined. Varsity has state Saturday, Nov. 3.
Boys basketball will be lifting weights Monday-Thursday after school. They are also running as well. Regular practice will start Nov. 12.
Tonight is the teams last game against their rivals, the Roosevelt Rough Riders. The varsity game is at 7:30 at the Drake Stadium.
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The volleyball team started off the season with only one senior, but will be fi nishing with all underclassman. The varsity team captains are Anna Moody and Abby Van Der Beek, both juniors. Van Der Beek is out for the season due to a broken fi nger. The team has improved its record by two wins this season. Junior Katie Zenz, hasn’t played volleyball before this year, she is on varsity. “We’ve won two games which is an improvement because I guess they haven’t won any games since I was a freshman,” Zenz said. Captain Anna Moody has been playing volleyball since sixth grade. “(The season) is going better than last year, we’ve won more games,” Moody said. Freshman, Hannah Bixby has also been playing volleyball since sixth grade. Bixby plays on varsity. “Our record isn’t good, but I’ve heard we’ve improved a lot this year. I think we’ll get better and be more competitive next year since we’re so young,” Bixby said. The Huskies lost their only senior this year. “Seniors know how good players from other teams are, we don’t have that,” Moody said. “I don’t think (not having seniors) really matters
Sophomore Victoria Jones goes to serve the ball at Lincoln Sept. 25. The Huskies have won two games this season. Both wins were in tournament play.
because we have Anna and Abby and they pretty much are the team leaders,” Bixby said. “Everyone is a leader at one point or another,” Zenz said. “We play more as a team this year, but we need to talk more. We lost two really good players. I feel we will be even better next year,” Moody said. Jon Rubino is the new head volleyball coach this year. Melissa Brinkman and Jessica Montag are the assistant coaches. “I think (Rubino) is a really good coach. We’re serious but we still have fun. He’s great for our team,” Zenz said. “Rubino is very helpful, I think everyone likes him,” Moody said. Few girls on the team this year have played varsity or even played at the high school level. “The rules are different from (middle school) and the positions,” Bixby said, “The girls are defi nitely more fun (this year).” “(Volleyball) is really fun, it’s different from other sports. I’ve meet a lot more people and gotten closer with other friends,” Zenz said. “Most people are new to the varsity fl oor this year,” Moody said. The young team hopes to fi nish off the season strong with sub state coming up. “We have Roosevelt for sub state, that will be very hard, but we can still compete with them,” Zenz said.
The senior-less Huskies are nearing the end of their two-win season
Sami Rickesports editor
Principal Doug Wheeler said school spirit has highly increased over the years. “School spirit has steadily increased, but this year has been an incredible increase,” Wheeler said. At the homecoming assembly, students were coming down off the bleachers to win the spirit stick. Even freshman rushed the fl oor. “I think it’s great. I’ve seen seniors excited but never the rest of the classes,” Wheeler said, “But that’s good because it’s good competition.” Senior Brianna Landis thinks having school spirit is great, especially when most of the school is getting involved. “I’m glad school spirit has went up, I’ve always been big on school spirit,” Landis Said, “It get’s me so pumped up.” Many students believe that when students get more involved, it encourages sports players to try harder.
“I hate it when people don’t participate, but when they do, it makes a huge difference,” Landis Said. “Hoover is a good school no matter, what anyone says.” According to Wheeler, there are more students supporting sports and the players. There have been more students going to games to cheer on the Huskies. “We have high rankings in sportsmanship,” Wheeler said. Many teachers and parents think the way students show sportsmanship and school spirit is classy. “Mrs. Cook and I have always had comments of how classy our students and parents are,” Wheeler said. Wheeler thinks teachers can see that all the classes are starting to be proud of the other classes. The seniors aren’t just excited for themselves, they are also proud of underclassmen. “The kids realize that it’s about the whole school, not just themselves.” Wheeler said. Some students think that the process of getting higher school spirit is incredible. They think the changes have just gotten better. “To see such a signifi cant process is great.” Wheeler said, “I just hope that we can see it continue to increase next year also.”
For the green and goldHusky pride encourages sports teams and student body Alyssa Vogel
staff writer
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10.26.07 v41.i03entertainment 6
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radio wavesRadio Moscow’s mixture of rock, blues and a taste of punk make for a refreshing music recipe
Rachael sternco-editor in chief
Garage grunge meets funk punk; this combination can only be a hit or miss. Ames-based blues band Radio Moscow hits the nail on the head with their self-titled debut album. Touring with a sound that feels like a renewed 1970’s psychedelic rock, Radio Moscow is sure to blow away music scenes around the country. Recorded by the independent label Alive Records with former bassist Luke McDuff, the albums brilliance should nearly entirely be credited to founder and singer/songwriter/guitarist Parker Griggs. Griggs lyrics are simple and honest, and in this case, simplicity is beauty. Lines like “Packed our bags, hit the road, told our friends good-bye” in Mistreating Queen and “Your apology, it’s meaning less to me” in Timebomb are just tidbits of Griggs’ purely straightforward melodies. Although Radio Moscow’s lyrics are catchy, the instrumentals are what make the songs ingenious. Track two on the album titled Frustrating Sound captures a feel that brings one word to mind; groovy. A sexy bass intro leading into Griggs’ bluesy guitar riffs set up a short and to the point arrangement of lyrics. The song then continues to a jamming guitar solo intertwined with a rumbling bass and riveting drum lines. The sound feels spontaneous and smoothly unforced. Track three brings back a taste of Radio Moscow’s roots. Stemming from Griggs’ work with the band Duck and Cover, Radio Moscow retains some punk sound, as does this song titled Lucky Dutch. It has a raw, raunchy rock feel while still bringing out the seductive jazz sound heard in Frustrating Sound. This song is also largely instrumental, and shows off Griggs’ amazing talent on the guitar. A wailing solo is not only a sound wave orgasm, but also a convincing indication that Griggs’ is destined to become a guitar prodigy. Slowing down to an almost blue grass melody is the eighth track fi ttingly
called Deep Blue Sea. With a sharp twang of acoustic slide guitar and a steady beat throughout, this song speaks true blue gloom. Griggs’ simple lyrics come into play and add to this songs cloudy feel with lines like “She don’t give a damn, not a damn for me.” With diffi culty keeping a consistent line up of band members, Griggs struggled to keep Radio Moscow alive. Now, with a tight new set of band mates, bassist Zach Anderson and drummer Paul Marrone, Radio Moscow is thriving with a year long tour from their hometown to the Big Apple. With a sound that somewhat is reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix, Radio Moscow is a freshly unique blend of psychedelic blues rock. Beautifully and refreshingly original, this band is exploding full force into the radio waves.
Singer/songwriter/guitarist of Radio Moscow, Parker Griggs plays his guitar. Radio Moscow is a band from Ames that stemmed from Griggs’ work with the band Duck and Cover. The group combines elements from blues, rock and punk styles of music for a unique sound. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION COURTESY OF RADIO MOSCOW
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Radio Moscow uses rockin’ guitar solos and a jazzy blues feel for a sound that is reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix.
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The CHALLENGER is published by the newspaper staff of Herbert Hoover High School, and exists to serve as an open forum for the students, faculty, staff, administration and community. All state and federal laws regarding the publication of student materials shall apply, and the CHALLENGER will not publish materials which also fall under the guidelines established by the Des Moines Public School system, and are deemed libelous, obscene or a material and substantial disruption to normal classroom activities. The views expressed are not those of Des Moines Public Schools, faculty, staff or administration. All articles are researched, written, edited and designed by the staff, and are the result of editorial decisions made by the entire staff. Any student, faculty, staff, or community member wishing to contribute materials will need to submit copy within deadline restrictions; however, final publication is at the discretion of staff. Letters to the editor are encouraged, and must be 250 words or less in length and signed; letters may be edited for length, grammar, spelling, etc. Every attempt will be made to verify the authenticity of the author, and no anonymous letters will be published. Advertising will be accepted for all products or services that are legal for minors to possess or utilize. Advertisers wishing to reserve publication space should call 242-7313 and leave a message.
10.26.07.v41.i3
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co-editorsChristine AtteyRachael SternfeaturesPayton QuinnopinionBea RendoninformationJoanna WelterentertainmentEdward RodriguezsportsSam RickedesignSam KykerillustratorAaron Gottlchief photographerLaura Gatesnew media Emily Towstaff writersTanner Buckley, Alyssa VogeladviserTimm Pilcher, [email protected]. Doug WheelerprinterWilcox Printing
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The public school system has to improve
ChristineAttey
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All forms of communication should be free and open.
The Challenger staff voted 13-0
for this editorial
From politicians on Myspace to activist text messages, communication has evolved incredibly within the last decade. However, with technology comes consequence. With the increased use of the internet and other new technologies for campaigning, fundraising and simple communication for and between organizations, freedom of speech has reached a new frontier. Censorship and freedom of speech have always been red button issues in the U.S. From the black listings of the 50s and the anti-establishment 60s to the Tipper Gore music ratings of the 80s, censorship and freedom of speech have always come hand in hand. Censorship: Verizon recently denied a pro-choice group the ability to send text messages to their own members. Verizon claimed they were protecting their customers from “unsavory” issues. Freedom of speech: After tons of complaints, Verizon changed their policy and allowed the group to send texts. Censorship: Tipper Gore, Al Gore’s wife, started a campaign in the 80s to put parental advisory labels on records. Obviously, this succeeded, but Tipper’s plan included even further labeling of offending music. Many stores still refuse to carry albums with so-called “Tipper Stickers.” Freedom of speech: Musicians across the country united to prevent the banning of their records. Dee Snider, John Denver and Frank Zappa were extremely vocal opponents of the plan, eventually testifying before a Senate committee. For every argument for censorship, there is an
incredibly vocal population that strikes it down.With the advent of the internet, the anti-censorship community has found their mecca. The freedom of expression available on the net is unrivaled in any other media, and users are fierce in their protection of freedom of speech. Network Neutrality, or Net Neutrality, is a hot topic among free speech advocates. While the first amendment states that the
government can’t abridge the freedom of speech, the rule doesn’t apply to private companies.Basically, according to SaveTheInternet.com, “The nation’s largest telephone and cable companies — including AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and Time Warner — want to be Internet gatekeepers, deciding which Web sites go fast or slow and which won’t load at all. They want to tax
content providers to guarantee speedy delivery of their data. They want to discriminate in favor of their own search engines, Internet phone services, and streaming video — while slowing down or blocking their competitors.” Small businesses wouldn’t be able to afford the fees, and certainly individuals wouldn’t be able to start their own websites, leaving people wondering just how far this will go. If a company decided that they don’t approve of a candidate or a certain issue, could they block
With an increase of home schooling and students going into private schools the question that comes up is: Why is the public education failing students? For the United States to be richest country in the world and really behind in education is sad. You would think we would have great education, not in just parts of the country but as a whole. When I heard America ranks 32nd in the world in education it’s almost embarrassing. Especially since we have almost everything to our disposal. One reason is money; not having enough money to run schools how they should be run. Today we live in a very technology-based world, and when you see schools without technology,
it’s demoralizing. You can walk down the halls of Hoover and see very few teachers use even the limited technology they have. For example, not using PowerPoint and using overheads instead. Other teachers have to write grants just go get a smart board in the classroom. SMART boards and PowerPoint are things that you can use in classrooms and they can help students better understand. People say that kids are our future. Wouldn’t you want to spend money on educating us since we will run America some day? Don’t they want the future of America to be well-educated? Without having enough money, you limit resources for students. With suburbs offering a wide selection of courses while the Des Moines district offers only the basics to get your science and math credit its pathetic. Students should be given a fair chance to survive. Why should where you live dictate on what kind of education you receive? Why should you have one teacher teach who only teaches two sections of a subject? Why would you have only one teacher teach any subject that is required for all students to graduate? That seems ridiculous. That is too much for one teacher. Why not split that class load between two or three teachers, especially since the class sizes for each grade are getting bigger? A better way to run schools than they’re being run now would to run them like the business world. For example, when someone isn’t on top of their
game or doesn’t know the latest thing in their field, they get reprimanded and placed on mandatory improvement plans. Why shouldn’t that be the same for teachers? Teaching students is probably one of the most important jobs to do. They should know the latest technology that helps kids learn. See our kids today learn differently than when our parents were in school. When our parents were in school, they took notes and listened to lectures. While our kids learn from doing what they are being taught or from visual aids. Kids are used to being active and seeing things fast because of playing video games. Our parents could sit through a lecture more easily than we can because they weren’t used to seeing things so fast. Another issue for the education system is to better identify individual students’ learning abilities and styles. We are busy testing kids, but we are testing them on the wrong things. Some simple tests very early and later on can tell if a kid has a learning disability. If you catch it early enough you can teach them ways to adopt and survive in learning instead of letting them fall behind more and more. We only worry about test scores being average or above. You need to challenge every kid, not just the ones who are really smart. Students won’t grow as much if they are not challenged. You can’t just let some kids fall between the cracks like some do. Hopefully the public education system will get better and not just get worse and worse.
Don’t shush meFree speech is essential for an informed public
information on the subject? In 2006, Congress considered a bill in favor of communication companies. Despite corporation’s lobbying, fake grassroots groups and campaign donations, the bill was not passed because of over a million citizens protesting against the downfall of Net Neutrality. As the American public becomes more and more dependent on the internet for news, entertainment and pure information, the neutrality and freedom of the web have to be maintained. If big corporations are able to choose what sites can be viewed, how can curious people make informed decisions? And without an informed people, our system cannot exist and will not continue.Freedom of speech does not mean shouting “Fire!” in a crowded theater. It means not being condemned for what you believe, and it means having the ability to say what you think without fear of persecution. All forms of communication should be free and open. The internet is the most powerful research source the world has ever seen, but without freedom of information, it would become just a tool of those with money and power looking to further their point of view. People can’t function in the real world if they’re denied access to information about it. Racism happens. Corruption happens. Rape and torture and murder happen. In a perfect world, they wouldn’t. But in reality, to make good choices, people must have good information. And in order to accomplish that, we have to be able to have opinions, to have thoughts and to be able to express what we think without fear.
HUSKY BRIEFS
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joanna welter page designinformation 8 10.26.07.v41.i3
Freshman Hannah Bixby
Sophomore Lizzie Thomas
Junior Kristin Hukill
Senior Aaron Glynn
Student Sound���What do you think are the limitations on free speech?
HALL PHOTOS
Concert
Expo Art Displays
Breastival
Band and Stand-Up
Hall-o-fun
From Friday, Nov. 2-Sunday, Nov. 4, the Metro Arts Two River Expo Showcase displays the works of 150 local and regional artists. Attendees will see artwork, live music and a hands-on workshop for kids.
Friday, Nov. The House of Bricks is holding an annual “Breastival” benefi t event for breast cancer. Bands begin playing at 5 p.m.
On Oct. 26-28, join the workers at Living History Farms in a family-friendly Halloween event. Enjoy a horse-drawn wagon ride, story telling, marshmallow roast and free food and drinks.
The Rascal Flatts will be having a concert at the Wells Fargo Arena on Oct. 26 starting at 8 p.m.
The Brix Big Band will be playing at The House of Bricks Wednesday, Oct. 31. Cover charge is $5. The show starts at 6:30 p.m. and immediately following will be a free comedy open mic session.
BandsMinutes Too Far, Hero Pattern, The Send and Vienna will be playing at The House of Bricks Thursday, Nov. 1. Ages 16 and older with ID, cover charge is $7.
“Anything that could potentially harm people.”
“As long as it does not harm or offend someone else you should be able to say what you want.”
“Don’t say stuff that will hurt someone to their face.”
“You have the freedom of speech when your speech agrees with your senators.”
Challenger Wordsearch 3Joanna Welter
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Students from publication classes from central Iowa high schools participated in the Iowa High School Press Association conference at Drake University Monday, Oct. 15. Top left: Senior co-editor in chief of the yearbook Stephanie Mulstay laughs after sitting in on classes at the seminar. Above: Senior co-editor in chief of the Challenger Rachael Stern returns to her seat at the award ceremony after receiving a First Place in the on-the-spot news writing contest. Left: Yearbook staffers sophomores Ashley Lawrence, Morgan Heintz and Marisol Meza chat after a class.
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