T iger hi-lineTHE

1015 Division St. Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613

Volume 50 Issue 7Oct. 27, 2009

CFHS students are taking their parts in making the school a more welcoming, inclusive and diverse environment where students feel ac-cepted tonight at the high school.

Harmony is a group that works to educate the population of Cedar Falls High School about issues relat-ing to diversity and equality.

Led by guidance counselor Susan

Langan, the group is open to and welcomes all students.

Tonight’s kickoff is scheduled to start at 6 p.m., with walking tacos served around 7 p.m.

Already, the program has had a relatively good turnout this year.

“We have about 90 students planning on attending the kickoff,” Langan said.

Student panels will speak at the kickoff, talking about the program’s goals for the year and collecting

Donald HalbmaierStaff Writer

News Briefs

Attention sophomores. Trick or treating for cans of food is on Thursday, Oct. 29 from 7-8:30 p.m. Meet at the high school afterward to turn in cans, collect prizes and enjoy refreshments.

There will be a pancake breakfast in the cafeteria on Wednesday, Oct. 28, from 7-8:30 a.m. There is no charge for the breakfast, but a free-will offering will be collected with all proceeds to benefit the food drive. Students, staff, parents and community members are all welcome to attend.

There will be another pan-cake breakfast from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31. Proceeds will go toward band activities.

Thursday, Oct. 29 is the end of the first quarter of this school year.

Tammy Frahm’s class will be selling craft items that they have made and that were do-nated at a variety of high school events. Please come to room 13 for a presale event on Wednes-day, Oct. 28, during 4th period. They will be adding new crafts each month.

Sophomore Leadership will be taking orders for CFHS Kicks Can! T-shirts all this week. See a sample picture in the activities office, where you may place your order and pay for your shirt with activities secretary Jane Carter.

Sophomore Leadership will be selling hot chocolate in the concession by the gym entrance this week on Tuesday-Thursday for $1 per cup.

On Wednesday, Oct. 28, whipped cream pies will be available during lunch to throw at teacher volunteers for $1 per pie.

An impressive 29 students from the CFHS choir, band and orchestra were selected for the Iowa All-State Music Festival. Auditions were held at Hampton High School on Saturday, Oct. 24. The festival will be held in Ames, from Thursday to Saturday, Nov. 19-21. It ends with a performance at the Hilton Coliseum on Saturday.

There were 10 choir students selected, including Megan Pattee, Ashley Mason, Sarah Welter and Carly Naaktgeboren for soprano; Ebony Kunkle, Samantha Takes and Kassy Salmon for alto; Carter Allen and Eric Neill for tenor, and Ben Fagersten for bass.

Choral director Kendra Wohlert was pleased with the results. “I am very proud of all my students and the hard work they put into this audi-tion,” she said.

Although auditions can be very nerve-racking, some of the anxiety was lessened for choir students because they tried out in groups. “Ms. Wohlert puts groups of two, three or four together based on how well the singers sound together, how they blend and how they compliment each other,” senior All-Stater Kassy Salmon said. “I was basically sick

to my stomach with nerves, but my group was really awesome, and I had a good time during the auditions. It was the waiting after that got to me.”

Nine band students qualified, two of whom were selected to play in the orchestra. The students in the All-State band include Nick Carlo on clarinet; Reed Bowden on trumpet;

Jason Geisler on horn; Chris Kempf on bass trombone; Karl Sadkowski on bassoon; Ian Abbott on baritone saxophone; and Alexandra Red-fern on percussion. Bassoon player Chelsea Hall and trombone player Paul Strike were selected to play in the orchestra.

Four band students were also chosen as alternates, including Monica Clark and Rhydian Talbot on flute, Louis Redfern on tenor saxophone and Justin Marshall on bassoon. Being selected as an alter-nate means, as band director Gerald Ramsey explained, “They were deemed to be All-State caliber, and if openings exist (if another district did not fill all of their spots, or if a

selected student should be unable to participate), these alternates could be invited to fill them.”

After all the preparation for All-State, students who made it were very happy. Junior All-Stater Chris Kempf summed it up well.

“It feels good,” he said simply. The 10 orchestra students chosen

were Hannah Howland, Riley Martin, Amelia Sutton, Alexandra Bow-man, Erik Olsen and Julia Liu on violin; Elizabeth Bailey and Gwen Farber on viola; Dan Harter on violoncello, and Ann Fie-

nup on harp. Three alternates were also selected, including Vanessa Horstman on violin, Jakob Stoner on string bass and Aaron Jepsen on cello.

Students have many reasons to be eager to be a part of All-State. First year All-Stater and freshman Ann Fienup said, “I’m way excited because I get to go play with a bunch of other really amazing musicians and make fabulous music.”

Orchestra director Scott Hall said he feels very proud to see the students’ hard work pay off. “The students selected now have the opportunity to work even more and prepare to play music at a high level and continue to develop their musi-

cal skills,” he said. “All the students that worked for these auditions become a better musician and human being.”

According to band director Kyle Engelhardt, only 1.7 percent of all students that tried out across the state were accepted. But, all the music directors agree that it is not only the students who make All-State who benefit from this experience.

“We’re very proud of all the stu-dents that made All-State this year, as well as those that tried out but didn’t make it in,” Engelhardt said. “It’s all about getting better through the process of trying out – everyone learns and gets better through this experience.”

Likewise, Wohlert said, “Those who make it have worked hard, are talented and deserve to be there. At the same time, many who have worked just as hard and are just as talented are not accepted. With the subjective nature of this competition, I most firmly believe in the ‘process’ as the most valuable and educational aspect.”

Some students have even been practicing since the beginning of Au-gust. “These students can play. They have truly worked and persevered and have honed their skills to a level where this honor is truly deserved,” Hall said.

other ideas for the year as well.Besides the kickoff, Harmony in-

tends on attending race conferences and other conventions this upcoming year.

“We have a race conference we are planning to attend on the 12th of November, but that is when the high school is giving the ITEDs, so we are hoping we have enough seniors to attend,” Langan said.

This is just another sign that even though the program has gone

Ellen GustavsonStaff Writer

Diversity group to kick off for year

“It’s all about getting better through the process of trying out – everyone learns and gets better

through this experience.”—Kyle Engelhardt

CFHS Band Director

through multiple changes throughout the recent years, it still strong and active as ever.

The program used to have student lead all school dialogues and activities.

“There were good, bad and in the middle reactions to the activities, but we had to stop them,” Langan noted.

Harmony also has a Thanksgiv-ing party planned for the residents of Country View in late November. The date is still pending.

All-State: Choir, band, orchestra students excel at state-wide music contest

Contact the Tiger Hi-LineThe Tiger Hi-Line is a weekly publication of the journalism classes of Cedar Falls High

School, 1015 Division St., Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613. The Hi-Line is distributed to CFHS students on Tuesdays to read in their DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) classes.

Columns and letters do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Hi-Line or Cedar Falls Schools. The Hi-Line editorial staff view is presented weekly in the editorial labeled as Our View.

Reader opinions on any topic are welcome and should be sent to the Tiger Hi-Line staff or delivered to room 208. All letters must be signed. Letters must be submitted by 3 p.m. on Thursday for publication the following Tuesday. Letters may not exceed 300 words and may be edited to meet space limitations. Include address and phone number for verification.

Editorial StaffEditors-in-Chief: Maggie Devine and Vincent Stigliani

News Editors: Vincent Stigliani and Ben SadkowskiOpinion Editor: Monica Clark

Sports Editor: Ben OlsonFeature Editor: Aubrey Caruso

On-Line Editors: Vincent Stigliani and Maggie DevineEntertainment Editor: Maggie Devine

Senior Writer: Alex EntzPhoto Editor: Ben Sadkowski

o vu eir w

THE

tiger hi-lineopinion2Oct. 27, 2009

ALPHA students shoved aside for new computer lab

Alex EntzSenior Writer

“The administration needs to take a note:

pushing the smart kids off in a corner is completely counter-

intuitve. —Alex Entz

Senior Writer

Last year, the ALPHA room was the place to be. Every day, no matter what hour you walked by, the room was teeming with people of all ages. The ALPHA students crowded around the long middle table, playing games, doing homework and work-ing on their independent projects.

Then, the ALPHA room got moved.

Today, the tiny stor-age closet now serving as an ALPHA “class-room” (though perhaps cupboard would be the more appropriate term) wouldn’t come close to fitting the central table that adorned the old ALPHA room. Today, that little room has been so cramped by all of the comforts from the old ALPHA room (from the ubiquitous cabinet to the infamous quote board) that it’s hard to turn around without knocking into another person. The room for the “talented and gifted program” … moved? For what?

For a computer lab that typically houses anywhere from three to a whopping seven students. Seven students! As opposed to the 20 AL-PHA students that used to occupy the room, it’s utterly incomprehensible.

The "Learning Lab" has a singu-lar stated use. "It's a help center for math, where students can also get help with online curriculum," school principal Dr. Powers said. "The Learning Lab helps kids graduate on time." While I'm not saying that I'm against graduation rates, shouldn't the school place more emphasis on the development of the top of the class? Colleges often tell high schools that their incoming freshmen aren't ready for college; perhaps part of this conundrum stems from the overemphasis on those struggling to graduate and a lack of emphasis on the college-bound.

Perhaps this whole situation came into being partly because this school has an unexplainable penchant for turning existing rooms into yet

another computer lab. The school added roughly 70 computers last year, "forcing" the tiny Learning Lab to be moved from its original position adjacent to the library to its current location. After adding 70 computers, why does the school still need such a pitifully, abysmally small lab? It would be a common line of thinking that, after adding 70

computers, a school could cut down on

its extraneous and outdated computer usage.

"Teachers struggle with computer needs and facilities," Powers noted. If a teacher cannot find a lab after going through the existing labs plus an extra 70 computers, it seems un-reasonable that an additional seven computers could help them out. Classes cannot use the room because the small number of computers would leave most of the class with-out one, and for study hall students, the library is already open for use replete with computers of its own. A seemingly simpler idea would be to outfit the new ALPHA closet with three or four of those computers, instead of relocating the institution that ALPHA has become.

"We needed to create more com-puter access," Powers said. While I certainly agree that computer usage is hugely important in a modern society, it again seems odd that uprooting a fabled part of CFHS lore to make way for such a goal would have much to do to contribute to that end.

The administration needs to take a note: pushing the smart kids off to a corner is completely counter-

intuitive. Why hide the best at the school in a small area that obviously cannot hold nearly what it could hold last year? Schools are supposed to encourage the development of bright students, not sweep them under the rug in a tiny room while a few com-puters occupy an otherwise blank room. Couple this with the sudden and inexplicable termination of the Renaissance program, which was de-signed to reward high-achieving stu-

dents, and a pattern seems to emerge. The talented are be-ing slowly stripped of their rewards, with no explanation given.

In a school being dramatically changed by new policies addressing

everything from release to nutrition, the administration has managed to do nothing about the things that overachievers care about. In fact, policies, as seen in the above two examples, are hurting those students, the ones that the school should be promoting.

Not that it is all bad. Dr. Powers has been hard at work ensuring that the new room retains as many of the comforts of the old room as possible, even going so far as to purchase a large-screen television for the room, and looking hard at the situation to figure out an alternative. And while the ALPHA room experience may have faded, it's important to note that the location was compromised to keep it on the first floor, allowing students to keep their all-important cubbies while still being centrally located.

Dr. Powers acknowledges that there will be winners and losers no matter what course of action he takes, largely because our school is so cramped for space. "It's not a rest-ing place, it's a Band-Aid," Powers said of the situation.

Call it my opinion, but I think a bigger Band-Aid might be needed.

As the coming winter months collide with contentious climate change debates, it is more than likely that on bitter cold days, you will hear the one-liner, “So much for global warming!” However, anyone aware of the science of climate change understands the difference be-tween one cold day in one spot of the globe and the worldwide warm-ing trend that has been occurring over the last two decades. Scientists refer to short-term local phenomena as “weather,” and long-term global patterns as “climate.”

One does not predict a baseball team’s postseason prospects based on the results of one game or a president’s approval rating by polling a single town. Likewise, the statistics modelers apply in climate models are taken from extensive time series of aver-age temperatures collected from around the world. In the process, outliers exhibited as weather extremities get aver-aged out.

Anyone who doubts the globe is warming needs to take an objective look at the facts. Global temperatures have been directly measured since 1880, and the 10 warmest years since then have all occurred since 1997. Satellite images of the North Pole show that summer sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has shrunk 40 percent in the last 30 years, and the ocean will be completely ice-free in summer by 2030. And what about the cold Iowa summer we just experienced? If you check the NASA database, you will find that globally the summer of 2009 matched 2005 as the warmest summer ever recorded.

Making generalizations about overall climate trends from one cold winter morning in Iowa would be laughable were climate change not such a serious and threatening issue. We hope that people will research current climate trends and speak up and challenge ill-informed, igno-rant remarks that try to diminish its seriousness.

Despite recent cool Iowa temps,Global Warming issue remains

Making generalizations about overall climate trends from one cold

winter morning in Iowa would be laughable were climate change

not such a serious and threatening issue.

THE

tiger hi-line opinionOct. 27, 2009

3The thing that I love most about

Cedar Falls does not reside within its appearance, and certainly not with the people that reside here. What makes me fall in love with this town is the existence of a vibrant hardcore music scene that provides a frus-trated young male with an outlet for all the frustrations that life brings.

A visitor to this town or this state would not conceive the idea a large, underground hardcore music scene would thrive within its borders, and yet there it is. The name for this entity is Iowa Hardcore, and it provides a community of hardcore music lovers and musicians to come together.

The actual phenomenon of Iowa Hardcore has spanned back for years, with its brightest star most commonly being labeled as the band Modern Life Is War, which unfortu-nately disbanded in 2008.

In its most bare-bones descrip-tion, Iowa Hardcore is a DIY (do it yourself) network of venues across the state of Iowa, manned by a wide range of teenagers and young adults that not only form their own bands and attend shows, but work to bring

in bands from other states to come play alongside their own bands. Through this, new relationships constantly flourish and connections

with play in Iowa.I view Iowa Hardcore as a cul-

tural phenomenon. Through sheer love of music people work to keep the genre of hardcore flowing not only within, but through the state of Iowa. People surrender their houses and garages to become venues be-cause of a lack of official spaces and provide traveling bands with places

to stay, even if it can’t be more than the floors of their living rooms. Traveling bands pool their money to-gether to simply get on the road and perform as much as possible, often earning little or no money at the ven-ues that they play at. I ask myself what can possibly keep something like this together, and the only sensible conclusion that I come up with is that it is nothing but a love of the energy that surrounds travel and music. I know the wonderful feeling that accompanies escaping Cedar Falls and the dread that accompanies my return, but the pain is dulled if I know that I did not waste my time while I was away. A band that did all it could on the road will have far fewer qualms about coming back to the monotony of life at home than one that didn’t. If life is lived to the fullest while one’s away, then the hell that comes from the monotonies of working at a nine to five job for minimum wage is a lot less painful than it would be otherwise.

What actually occurs at shows is something I suggest that you experi-ence, rather than having me explain it to you. In my own experiences I leave the venue covered in both

my own sweat and that of others and at times a bruise or two to commemorate that beautiful night. Moshing occurs without fail, but don’t confuse it with senseless violence, if for violence at all because rarely do people get hurt. Taking a sterile view at it, it appears that I am attacking invisible assailants with fervor, but the reward that comes with it is indescribable. Of course I may get hit and hurt, but I can say that there is a primeval reward in the sensation of getting kicked or punched that stretches back to my caveman days. What’s funny is that no one intends to hurt me, I just happened to be in the way, and the same applies to anyone that I hit. Forgiveness is nearly immediate.

Iowa Hardcore can be labeled as a mere social community, but it is one that I identify with the most strongly and one I can say supports me as I support it, how-ever small my role may be. I can’t possibly disagree with the statement that “modern life is war,” but what I have been given to combat that is more than I could ever ask for.

Ben SadkowskiNews/Photo Editor

Photo by Ben Sadkowski

Iowa Hardcore allows those who love harcore music and its musi-cans to come together and enjoy the sounds.

Iowa Hardcore provides more than good music

Want to investigate things that go bump in the night? Get your cameras and tape recorders, because I'm going tell you about many places in Iowa and around the Cedar Falls area that the spirits of the dead are said to have stuck around.

Now, normal trespassing laws still apply, so be careful when check-ing these places out.

And remember, always investi-gate at night, it's a lot more fun. Our first place of activity is in Fort Dodge. Here at the "Terror Bridge" a creepy woman who threw her four children off of the bridge is said to haunt the bridge and the house where she later hung herself.

The next place is in Vinton at the Evergreen Cemetery. There is a statue in the unknown soldier section of the graveyard. It is said that the statue loses its right eye at night. It is also said that the unknown soldiers

still wander part of the grave-yard years after their deaths.

Are you guys ready for a creepy one? Tara Bridge located in Webster County is a very similar haunting to that of Fort Dodge. The mother threw her two children off the bridge then jumped to her own death. What's different about this haunting is the creature that is also reported to lurk around the bridge. Many have reported it as a wild dog

that growls at you then scampers away. Others say that they've seen a werewolf! Now, when I first read of this, I thought that maybe it was just a bunch of drunk college kids, and let's face it, you really can't count on a drunk person to be right about something they've seen. On the contrary, many locals have given this werewolf a name. It's a bit obvious but the wolf has been named Tara. So if you go to Tara Bridge, try calling out her name, and maybe you'll find yourself with a new pet, or possibly running for your life.

In Charles City you'll find a cemetery called Riverside Cemetery. This place is throbbing with activity. First off, locals say if you really want to see something you should hang around the mausoleum. Locals also warn that many people have reported being attacked by one or more fig-ures at once. Figures have been seen

standing over graves and wandering aimlessly around the graveyard, but what do you expect them to do? They've been dead for 50 or more years.

Now, before continuing on, I want to make sure everyone realizes that before going to these places or before setting up an investigation, you must get permission from local authorities. If you don't, this is tres-passing and that can carry a pretty hefty fine. If you don't get caught, consider yourself lucky.

Now that we have that settled, I'm going to tell you about the scari-est haunt in Iowa: The Villisca Axe Murder House.The story says that a man snuck into the house while the family was away and hid in a closet up stairs, and when the family went to sleep he snuck out with an axe that he had brought with him and killed the family. Legend has it that

this family was really never keen on leaving their house, and that they still linger here. The Villisca Axe Murder House is known today as one of the most haunted houses in the Midwest. This is one of the places you don't actually need permission to visit, because you can get daytime tours or the more expensive night-time tours.

The Villisca Murder House is definitely the place I recommend the most if you really want to experience something.

To see more places of real, authentic horror, go to the Shadow-lands website I encourage everyone to check the out the website and try and set up a date with friends or fam-ily to check out one some of these spots. Just remember to be careful and bring a friend along — things can get pretty scary. You never know what or who you'll see.

Dustin PeverillStaff Writer

Eastern Iowa Haunts: creepy and worthwhile

THE

tiger hi-linefeature4Oct. 27, 2009

feature 5THE

tiger hi-lineOCt. 27, 2009

“Have a voice and let it reflect you. Include your genuine personality and characteristics. Stand out. Find some quality that makes you different.

Write about something that you’re passionate about, something that is very important to you. Don’t write about typical topics. Write about something that had an impact on your life and be personal.

Don’t be too informal. Do not use slang. Don’t rush. Think about what you will write, and once you’ve decided on something, stick with it. Answer all questions fully.

Grammar and mechanics are very important. Show them that you are ‘college material.’”

Write your Ticket

Judy Timmins

Ryan Flaherty

Rachel Connelly

From the day I first started kindergarten, my teachers always wrote on my report cards: “Does not play well with others.” It wasn’t as if I chose to be mean to everyone; I just could never figure out what they were thinking. I had a few close friends who put up with me all the way through elementary, junior high, and, now, high school. I was ever thankful for them, but I couldn’t figure out why they stuck by me. My best friend was Chris Brummer, a smart, fairly popular, and athletic teen boy.

On the third day of our junior year, Chris picked me up for school in his light blue Mustang, as al-ways. He pulled into the driveway, honked the horn three short blasts, and waited patiently for me to come running out.

“Good morning!” I exclaimed as I slid into the passenger seat.

He glanced over at me. “Good morning… I guess you’re in a good mood because it’s Friday, huh, Liz?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “Sure, I guess. I’m looking forward to the weekend.”

“Try to tailor your essay to the college you’re applying to. If it is a college that specializes in a certain area, em-phasize that subject. Try to relate the essay to your major.When you write, highlight things that set you apart or make you unique and special.Do not seem too conceited or boastful in your paper. Don’t paint yourself as perfect; let them know that you are ready for college. Mechanics and grammar are very important when writing your essay.”

Counselor

English Teacher

Senior Rachel Connelly would agree that her love for com-munication has brought her many new opportunities, including being one of just four Iowa students to recently receive the NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) award.

She was one of 30 students nominated by CFHS English teachers to represent the high school in the national competi-tion.

The students submitted their best works, comprised of up to 10 pages of what they chose. Then they all wrote impromptu essays on one of two choices: writing about whether the United States is declining on the world stage or choosing a piece of clothing to help them assume a different personality and tell a story from that point of view. All students had two hours to write about the topic they chose.

After this, three CFHS students were chosen to take part in the national competition: Connelly, Alex Entz and Bailey Pons. These students then submitted more of their work and wrote another impromptu essay at the national competition.

“Writing is an outlet for emotions. It’s great because I know if I’m having a bad day, I have a good way to express myself. I don’t have to share everything I write with anyone. It can be something that is just for myself, but I also can share it, if I want to,” Connelly said.

The writers that are chosen for this award have a specific style that sets them apart from the rest.

“I really think that each writer is unique in his/her own way. Each person has different experiences that shape his/her writing and makes it unique. My life experiences, my beliefs and my personality is what makes my writing uniquely mine. That doesn’t mean that any one writer is better than another because there is no standard to compare them to—they’re all good,” Connelly said.

Awards like this help these students to receive scholar-ships, when added to their list of accomplishments and activi-ties. Each student has to begin somewhere like Connelly has; it is not a task that is learned overnight.

Connelly said, “I think that anyone who wants to write or improve writing needs to do two things: read and practice writing. Reading gives you new ideas and shows you ways that others write; practicing makes perfect. The more you write, the better you get. Have others read and give you feedback about your writ-ing. They can give you ideas and tell you what you’re not doing too well. And take creative writing, the class at CFHS. It was a great class and taught me a lot. It forced me to write and find time in my busy schedule to write.”

This award opens even more doors for students in the long run.

“When I write something, I become so involved in that I can’t be objective about it, so I find it hard to tell if what I’m writing is good or not. This award has let me know that others do like my writing. I’ve always loved to write. The last few years, it’s been one of my dreams to publish a novel, and now I know that this is plausible,” Connelly said.

SupportStudent Press

The list of businesses and individuals included here are backers of the real world educational opportunities made possible by all the publication and broadcast-ing programs at Cedar Falls High School. Without their assistance, the weekly Tiger Hi-Line newspaper, the broadcast podcasts and news stories, the yearbook and this website would not be possible. Please be sure to show how much you appreciate their contributions to our work and education by telling them thanks and giving them your business. Check out their links at our website: http://www.cedar-falls.k12.ia.us/buildings/cfhs/journalism/index.html

Gold Star Sponsors ($250)•Cedar Falls Community Credit Union•Element Portraits and Design•National Dance Academy Cedar Falls•Sandee’s•The Shirt Shack•Together for Youth at Allen Women’s Clinic

To find out how you can be a Journalism Backer, call 553-2590 or email hiline.devine@gmail.com or hiline.stigliani@gmail.com.

Silver Star Sponsors ($180)•Gary and Margaret ClarkBronze Star Sponsors ($100)•Raymond and Judith Burfeind•Jiva Salon Spa•Larry and Judy Timmins

Aubrey CarusoFeature Editor

“Oh, aren’t we all?” He grinned his usually lop-sided grin at me.

We pulled into the school parking lot a couple min-utes later, blasting Rihanna’s latest hit, “Shut Up and Drive.” Other kids smiled and waved to Chris in his famous convert-ible. We jumped out of the car and slowly trudged to the school, not exactly eager to start what was sure to be a very long day. We had the annual fall ball that night, a tradition to help welcome the new freshmen to the school. I smiled at people as they passed, but most of them were more excited to see Chris than me. However, there were a few exceptions. One of those exceptions was Nate Creeley. He was one of those laid-back, guitar playing, song writing musician types – the kind that’s irresistible to girls like me.

“Hey, Nate,” I said coyly, as I passed him sitting by the door.

“Good morning, Elizabeth,” he responded, his voice formal. “Do you need a real man to walk you to class

instead of this jock?”Chris tensed up. I knew he hated

being called a jock. I spoke quickly, so Chris couldn’t have a chance to speak first. “Sure, thanks, Nate.” I smiled at him and turned to Chris. “I know, I know. I’m sorry, but I’ll see you later, k?” I said in a low voice.

Chris sighed and rolled his eyes, but nodded to me.

Nate grabbed my backpack from me and carried it, ignoring my pro-tests. “A real man can carry a lady’s bag for her, Elizabeth.”

“Use your own voice and be genuine. I can tell the difference between the voice of a 40-year-old and a high school senior.

Consider a mundane topic. Sometimes it’s the simple things in life that make the best essays. Some of my favorites have included essays that reflect on the daily subway ride to school, or what the family goldfish ob-served from the fishbowl perched on the family kitchen

Dean of AdmissionsConnecticut College

Martha C. Merrill

Senior wins writing award

Writing opens doors to many opportunities

Editor’s Note: This is an ex-cerpt from Rachel Connelly’s winning NCTE impromptu essay entitled How to Put on a Tuxedo Jacket.

table. It doesn’t have to be a life-changing event to be interesting and informative.

Don’t rely on ‘how to’ books. Use them to get your creative juices flowing, but don’t adhere too rigidly to their formulas, and definitely don’t use their example topics. While there are always exceptions, the ‘what my room says about me’ essay is way overdone.

Share your opinions, but avoid anything too risky or controversial. Your essay will be read by a diverse group of individuals from a wide range of back-grounds, so try to appeal to the broadest audience possible.

Tell a good story. Show me why you are compas-sionate; don’t tell me you are. Show me that you have overcome great difficulty; don’t start your essay with ‘I have overcome great difficulties.’”

from nytimes.com

A+

A+ A+

Discover Lifewith host

Andy WeldThis show profiles teenagers and

their unique hobbies.

Oct. 21/Episode 4

This week senior Joey Sevcik shares how running has turned into one of

his daily passions, rain or shine,

This week’s feature podcast as well as eight others that are updated

every other week can be found on The Tiger Hi-Line Online (http://

www.hiline.co.nr) by following the podcast links. Internet Explorer does not work for viewing this site. Use Safari, Firefox or Opera for best

results. The website is also linked off the high school’s website.

THE

tiger hi-line entertainment 6Oct 27, 2009

New Releases

Feature Podcast

Music:

Movies:

-Creed Full Circle-Michael Jackson This is it-R.E.M.Live at the Olympia-StingIf on a Winter’s Night-Tegan and SaraSainthood-WeezerRaditude

-Michael Jackson’s This is it-The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day

Roux Orleans provides elegant eveningMaggie Devine

Editor-in-Chief

A night downtown. Dining in the historical Black’s building. A nice meal. Incredible ambiance. That’s exactly what you get dining at the most recent addition to Cedar Valley restaurants and Barmuda establish-ments, Roux Orleans.

Roux Orleans is basically the Waterloo edition of Bourbon Street in downtown Cedar Falls, but being in the Black’s building just gives it a certain aura. It is definitely a unique experience.

Myself and my companions arrived at about 8:30 on a Saturday night. Finding a parking place was easy, but I was still concerned that, given the restaurant’s newness, we would have a hard time get-ting seated. Fortunately, it was not the case, and we were immediately greeted by the hostesses and taken up to our table on the second floor, to the dining area. On the first entrance floor is the Bourre Lounge, which was lively the entire night with fairly loud mostly New Orleans-style music. Because of its open ceiling, we could look down to the lounge from upstairs.

Our table was small, and in what seemed a more dimly lit section. However, the lighting was nice and did not hinder anyone’s eyesight. In

addition, the tables had LED candles in cute candle holders. As we learned throughout the course of the night, the floor upstairs translates move-ment near tables easily and shakes them slightly. We were brought lovely menus and, in addition, a wine list, which our hostess was very worried about us receiving. Our waitress soon arrived to take our drink orders and brought them out just as quickly. The Shirley Temples we ordered were fine, but seemed a little heavy on the Sprite/7-Up and a little low on the grenadine.

Even though we had previewed the menu online, it took us quite awhile to decide on our orders, but our waitress kept coming up and politely asking if we were ready yet. When we were, she arrived back at our table very quickly.

Our salads were brought out within five minutes of ordering. A nice plus and an unusual surprise was that our dressing, on the side, was served in real, washable cups instead of plastic ones. Upon eating the salads, we were disappointed with the quality of the lettuce, which was less than fresh and not very crisp. There was a lack of croutons and cheese as well.

Soon our bright-faced waitress appeared again with refills for our only half-empty drinks. It seemed only a few moments later and we

were given our meals, which were covered until they were set in front of us.

When we took our silverware out of our napkins, we noticed that everyone’s knives looked very dirty. It appeared to only be water stained, but it was slightly unsettling. None of us had to use the knives, luckily.

My chicken fettuccini alfredo was served with an average piece of garlic bread, but the dish was amazing. The noodles had a light quality about them, and the sauce was simply delectable. I thought that, although they were grilled to perfection, there could have been more bits of chicken. On the other hand, the similar shrimp fetuccini alfredo ordered by one of my com-panions had plenty of shrimp that

were cooked without error. In any case, both of our meals were plenty of food and worth the $15.99 and $16.99 price tags.

The house creme brulee was excellent and not burnt on the top at all. It was a decent-sized helping as well.

Frequently, our server checked on us. When we were ready, she took our food and boxed it up herself in stylish black boxes.

My visit to Roux Orleans was incredibly pleasant and refreshing from normal dining experiences. The prices were more than I normally pay for dinner, but I believe they were worth it. The entire evening ran smoothly, with great service and food. It was a refreshing and quite delightful excursion.

Maggie Devine photoRoux Orleans recently opened in the Black’s buildling.

Ali Miller and Maggie DevineStaff Writer and Editor-in-Chief

Some people find it difficult to master just one instrument. For se-nior Andy Weld, this is not an issue. It’s more of a talent. Since junior high, Weld has been writing, playing and recording his own instrumental music.

Weld’s band, Rovan, has recently released a recording on iTunes. Rovan is only instrumental – no vocals.This is his second album, Make Believe; The first came out in fall of 2007.

“[I named it Make Believe] be-cause it doesn’t have any lyrics and you can make believe anything you

want when you listen to it. It’s great background music,” Weld said.

Weld said instrumental music is easier to write in his opinion. He re-corded all the guitars in his basement and the others at a local recording studio on a farm on the outskirts of Cedar Falls.

Weld said he believes that creat-ing two albums already is a huge accomplishment for him.

“Anybody can get on iTunes nowadays, but to have two albums takes a lot of time, and it’s more of a personal accomplishment for me,” Weld said.

However, prides that his music can be sold online.

“I like it because I can tell people

bought it, and it’s a great feeling with a new territory to experience,” Weld said.

The process to get there takes a long time. A main source of Rovan’s promotion came online from MyS-pace. Weld first put his music up there, and people just started listen-ing. Soon enough, Friend Of Mine Records contacted him and asked if it’d be alright to distribute his CD in Japan, where the label is located.

“I guess I must be more famous in Japan than I am here,” Weld joked.

Some of his inspirations come from bands such as This Will Destroy You, Sigur Ros and Unwed Sailor.

“If you listen to my music, you will here similar sounds between those bands and mine. It’s not main-stream instrumental. Since there are no lyrics, you have to make it more interesting to appeal to the human ear,” Weld said.

Weld said producing everything costs a lot, so after paying that off, there will be some profit.

He also gets paid for doing live shows sometimes, but because he’s a one-man band, it is hard to perform multiple instruments live. Junior Jarek Bakken, Weld’s best friend and drummer plays if need be.

Songs are 99 cents on iTunes under the Alternative genre and will be distributed in Japan.

Senior’s music distributed on iTunes

THE

tiger hi-line SPORTS 7Oct. 27, 2009

FootballBeat Dubuque SeniorUp next 10/28 @ substate playoffsWomen’s Swimming10/29 Regionals (Diving) @ 6 pm10/31 Regionals (Swimming) @ noonVolleyball10/29 Regionals M&W Cross Country10/31 State Meet @ Fort DodgeCheerleading10/31 Tiger Invite @ Home, 8 am-5 pm

1. What are your team goals for districts and state this upcoming week?We want to win districts and place in the top two at state.2. What factors contributed the most to the team going undefeated this season?The guys put in a lot of mileage and and hard work over the summer. Also, we race in a pack which helps us perform well on a team.3.What will it take to do well at state?Everyone will have to race well and place within the top 20.4.How does it feel to be named all-conference this season? How much work did you have put in to obtain that honor?It feels really good considering I only made second team last year. A lot of running and in-season training put me where I needed to be.5. What are your individual goals for the end of the season?I would like a strong performance at districts and to make the top five at state.

Tigersin

Action

Athleteof

the Week

Jacob TayloeCross Country

Senior

Alex EntzSenior Writer

So it’s come to this: after an inning where the bunt proved to be the unlikely downfall of the Angels, the New York Yankees won the AL Pennant, and the matchup now sits as the defending champions in the Philadelphia Phillies versus the always-dreaded Yankees. Breaking out of baseball’s age of parity comes this matchup, where the Yankees are seeking to prove that $450 million spent in the offseason can buy a championship.

And let me be honest: the Yan-kees will win this World Series; their streak of championship-less years will stop at eight.

The edge in starting pitching ap-pears to go to the Yankees. Their ace, CC Sabathia, has been a dominant force in the postseason, throwing up a 1.19 ERA while seeming down-right unhittable at times. Behind him comes the erratic yet effective Burnett (owner of one of the game’s best curveballs) and then Pettite, a big-game pitcher who kicks it up an

extra notch in the postseason. Pettite has in particular been a postseason force; he owns the record for most postseason wins and also sports an ERA just a shade over 2 for this 2009 ALDS and ALCS. I saw Pettite pitch and blow the wind out of Twins fans, his calculating dominance doing just as much as the “foul” call on that infamous Joe Mauer fly to knock the season upside-down for the Twins. Truly the unheralded ace up the Yankees’ sleeve, he kept the Metrodome uncharacteristically silent.

Not that the Phillies have a rota-tion to scoff at. Cliff Lee (0.74 ERA) has been the best in the postseason so far, and he will take the ball in Game One at Yankee Stadium. Fol-lowing him will be Pedro Martinez, which will undoubtedly bring spon-taneous recollections of his violent feuds with the Yankees in years past. Older but still fiesty and unafraid to pitch inside, Pedro could poten-tially follow Lee with a shutdown

performance of his own. But beyond that, it gets hazy — Cole Hamels has been weak and the Phillies haven’t yet tipped their hands as to whether phenom J.A. Happ or Joe Blanton will get the call — or if Lee will work on short rest.

The Phillies showed they can slug with the best of them when they absolutely punished the hapless Dodgers pitchers in the NLCS. In that five-game affair, nearly the en-tire Phillies lineup was hitting, espe-cially Ryan Howard, the huge lefty. The lineup, simply put, has no holes; pitching around the bottom can come back to hurt when the steady salvo of the middle of the order comes up.

Nonetheless, the Yankees pos-sess the firepower and the moxie to put away the Phillies. While the Yankees can be shut down given good pitching, the sudden emergence of A-Rod as a legitimate postseason hitter should generate enough RBIs and RBI opportunities to give the Bronx Bombers a legitimate top of the order. And while the Phillies are matched up with good starting pitch-ing, the Yankees will be seeing good front-line starters but then a mix of

a suspect bullpen and weak starters serving in clean up roles. This lack of continuity in pitching will doom the Phillies.

The Yankees middle relief has been quite hittable; Joba Cham-berlain has lost eight mph off his heater since his days of lore, and Phil Hughes seems to have lost steam. Nevertheless, with the un-hittable Mariano Rivera capable of two innings and starters with enough stamina to go seven, games get increasingly shortened. Thus, the Yankees just need to scrape an inning or two (barring extras) from their middle guys to get by, and that is quite doable.

Both teams match up quite well. Both teams have this experience under their belts; the Phillies having been here last year while the Yan-kees’ core still remembers the days of their dynasty.

Nevertheless, the Derek Jeters of the Yankee world just have too much of that indubitable, inherent “it” quality to lose this one. Yankees in six.

And for the small market fans out there: just five months to April.

Cross country, football ready for postseason play

Heidi Dornbusch photo Amelia Sutton Photo

Junior Marshall Hill makes a run while avoiding a pile-up during the game vs. Cedar Rapids Prairie on Friday, Oct. 16.

Senior Joey Sevcik, sophomore Adam Streicher, sophomore Andrew Halloran, senior Jacob Tayloe, junior Tanner Reyhons and junior Jakob Stoner break out of the starting line on Thursday, Oct. 15.

Yankees’ talent will trump Phillies second title shot

Steinbrenner cashes in

Sports Opinion

THE

tiger hi-lineOCt. 27, 2009

8Captured5

1 34 1. Seniors Michael Rosenberg, Colin

Ashwood, Brian Hughes, Tim Curtis and Brendan Wood celebrate during the food drive kickball game. 2. Sophomore Jamie Farley receives praise from fellow CF volleyball team-mates at last Tuesday’s home match against Linn-Mar.3. Senior Laura Johnson goes for a spike over the net. The Tigers lost this meet against Linn-Mar in three sets.4. Science teacher Brad Baker pitches the ball during the CF food drive kick-ball game on Sunday, Oct. 19.

Darby Sheehan and Brian Hughes Photos

Sweet moments