2 T H E

tiger hi-lineVOLUME 51 ISSUE 27

1015 Division St. Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613

Maya AmjadiStaff Writer

Robert Schmidt’s fifth hour government class is studying citizenship and is working hard to follow the lesson with action.

“I really think citizenship is very important, not only to my students, but should be emphasized in any govern-ment class. It is important to not only learn about it but practice [having good citizenship],” Schmidt said. He has done similar projects with his classes in the past for the same unit, including a toy drive and mitten drive last school year.

Through brainstorming and discussion, the class this year decided on a project it hopes will make a real dif-ference. The class is hosting

bake sales every morning until the end of the school year in the lobby to raise money for the victims of the tornado in Alabama that caused so much destruction.

Schmidt said civic ac-tions like this help erase the stereotype on young people in the community. “It shows them and the school in a really positive light. There are a lot of people in Alabama we will never see, but from us selling cupcakes and a few T-shirts, we might be buying a family a new swing-set.”

Another thing he said he values about the project is that the motivation is simply doing the right thing, there are no prizes for raising the funds.

At 7:30 a.m., goodies such as cookies, muffins and brownies will be available for the unbeatable price of 50

cents. In addition, the group is

selling crimson T-shirts with the Alabama “A” on them that say “Aid for Alabama” and have a tornado on them, for $10 a shirt. More than half of the T-shirt money will go to Alabama through the Red Cross, and the other $4 will go to Shirt Shack to cover shirt printing expenses.

All of the money raised through the bake sale will go to Alabama too, because the organization is a non-profit one. The class has so far raised over $700 from the efforts of the bake and T-shirt sale combined.

“I think we should help be-cause it’s the right thing to do. Everyone helped out during Parkersburg and so we should show the same respect,” said sophomore Emma Hahn, who

has helped the publicity com-mittee by making posters.

Sophomore Emma Hu-some said that by going through the Red Cross, the class can be sure the money raised will be used in the way that it is most needed. “I feel as though by doing this it has brought us closer as a class. It shows a bunch of teenagers really can make a difference. After personally speaking with a Red Cross representative in Alabama, they were surprised that a group of random 15 and 16 year-olds wanted to help them, especially from Iowa. We are giving a good name to Cedar Falls High School, the city of Cedar Falls and Iowa as a whole.”

“Alabama needs our help, and I’m glad to do any and everything to help those

victims in their time of need,” said sophomore Dallas Carter, who is helping on the T-shirt committee.

“Mr. Schmidt’s goal for the class is to raise $1,000 for Alabama aid,” sophomore Jenna Starbeck said, who has headed up the T-shirt com-mittee.

Schmidt gave his class the basic framework of the proj-ect, but ultimately it was up to them. “The students deserve all the credit,” Schmidt said. “My fifth hour group has a lot of energy and enthusiasm. It will turn out as successful as the students want it to be.”

Those who wish to help can join in the efforts by participating in the fund rais-ing and also by joining the facebook page entitled “Aid for Alabama,” created by sophomore Jackson Nichols.

Sandra Omari-BoatengStaff Writer

Next year there will be a lot of new changes to the school including the new gym floors, the late starts on Tuesdays and new class-rooms too.

The offices down from the library computer labs will now turn into some classrooms for next year. Currently the District Media is using this space, and next year they will be moving into a new building on Cedar Heights across from AEA 267.

This move will allow the space for classes. So far nothing has been deter-mined for which teachers

or departments will be using those classrooms, though the rooms will not be avail-able for use until the second semester of next year.

Construction for the new classrooms begins sometime this summer. This project is part of a district-wide plan for next year.

Other changes that have been made that are part of the new project are the purchase of a new building that will house the District Media Center, Alternative School, and our new Educa-tion Behavior Center.

Because all the projects are tied together, the budget isn’t just for the renovation of the current District Media Center rooms.

Students in Action Schmidt’s government class mobilizes for tornado relief

Returning for a second year, the Quidditch finals wrapped up in intramurals last week, and the drumline team claimed the second place title.

Ali MIller PhotoSnitch Snatchers

Media Center move creates classrooms

What is the last book you read that wasn’t required for

school? If you can’t answer this question right away, don’t feel too bad, because for many students this question is more difficult to answer than it should be. But it is also understandable; students today seem to have no time to enjoy a good book because of work, extracurricular activi-ties and hours of homework. Plus the only time of our days that allows for this is D.E.A.R. However, let’s face it, many of us work on homework, sleep or talk during this time, making it in fact a study hall rather than time to catch up on a good book.

That’s why students and staff decided that it was time to say good bye to D.E.A.R. From now on, D.E.A.R. time will be considered a study hall. Students during this time may get help from teachers, finish assignments, read or make up any work for other classes such as labs, tests or quizzes. The time, however, will not be used to socialize, text or play on computers.

While this decision is beneficial and helpful for stu-dents, it, however, gives up part of the effort to attack the lack of reading among teenagers.

Reading has numerous benefits such as helping with concentration, improving vocabulary, improving creativ-ity and improving memory. And that is just the beginning. Reading can also help to boost those comprehension scores on tests like the ACT or SAT that so many of us dread.

School isn’t the only place the lack of reading affects. The workplace is also a key contender. The National Endowment for the Arts reported that nearly two-thirds of employers ranked reading comprehension “very impor-tant” for high school graduates, yet 38 percent consider most high school graduates deficient in these skills.

With today’s economy and the competitiveness in the job market, students cannot afford to lack these essential skills, so while it is nice to have the time to make up work and finish homework, it should also still be considered a chance for reading.

As Oscar Wilde puts it, “It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.”

And in high school, indeed, it truly does.

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. Our website is www.hiline.co.nr. 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 follow-ing 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: Sara Gabriele and Ellen Gustavson

News Editor: Ben Olson and Sara GabrieleOpinion Editor: Meg Lane and Kaylee MicuSports Editor: Ben Olson and Allyson Vuong

Feature Editors: Ellen GustavsonEntertainment Editors: Meg Lane and Kaylee Micu

Photo Editor: Tracy Lukasiewicz

T H E

tiger hi-lineJune 1, 2011

2 opinionour view

D.E.A.R. no more Karl SadkowskiStaff Writer

Often pushed to the back pages of major news publica-tions, the increasing global crisis in food supply deserves far greater attention than what it gets.

There are currently 1 billion chronically hungry people in the world, and the number is continually rising. A combination of climate change and the skyrocketing human population are major contributors to the crisis, as well as overfarming, overfish-ing and the growing popular-ity of biofuels. According to the World Bank, elevated food costs have driven some 44 million people in the Global South into extreme poverty since last June; according to a Des Moines Register story, with another 10 percent increase in costs, 10 million more people could fall into this category. Elevated food costs were in fact the case that aided in causing the recent re-volts in the Middle East, such as in Egypt and Tunisia.

As an agricultural power-house in the United States and a major exporter of corn, Iowa plays a significant role in food supply. In 2010, it produced 16.9 percent of the United States’ total corn production, at 2.1 billion bushels. Accord-ing to the U.S. Agriculture Department, it also exported nearly two million bushels to other countries.

However, Iowa faces uncertainties in the near future with draught or excessive flooding being likely pos-sibilities that could affect crop yields. Iowa’s last draught occurred 23 years ago; however, major draughts tend to average every 16 years, putting Iowa roughly seven years overdue. Conversely, although the threat of flood-ing is not as great in com-parison to the floods in 2008, excessive rainfall during the planting season may also pose difficulties as farmers work to begin growing crops. This too

would put production behind schedule and reduce corn yields. Climate change, an inescapable reality, is a factor in food production that cannot be controlled. However, it should not be blamed entirely for the crisis in food supply; it is humanity’s responsibility to fight global hunger.

The amount of crops used for livestock is almost unfathomable. Last year, more than five million bushels of Iowa corn were used to feed livestock, in comparison to the 1.4 million used by con-sumers. The USDA predicts that by the end of the summer before the new harvest, an end surplus of 675 million bushels of corn will remain. Not only would this be the smallest sur-plus in 15 years, the Register reported it would also only be capable of feeding about 10 percent of U.S. livestock. If this prediction falls true, will cultural pastimes such as beef and pork come at higher costs to enjoy? Will “Meatless Mondays” become a regular part of school diets? Accord-ing to David Pimentel, profes-sor of ecology at Cornell University, nearly 800 million people could be fed if all the grain consumed by livestock were instead directed at people. It is far too inefficient to use so much farmland and crops for the sake of livestock. In this growing world, more productive means of growing food must be developed.

Ethanol, the biofuel many claim will help wean the U.S. off its addiction to foreign oil, offshore drilling and tar sands, still has its own negatives in relation to food development. Ethanol has an insatiable appetite for corn and other plants. In 2010, nearly five million bushels of corn were consumed for ethanol produc-tion, according to the National Corn Growers Association. However, the corn required to fill one fuel tank with ethanol could instead feed one person for an entire year. In this per-spective, producing ethanol

as a cleaner form of energy is certainly not worth the ef-fort. But instead of resorting to fossil fuels once again, more efficient—albeit less powerful—car fuels should be sought after, such as electri-cal and solar power. Although “alternative energy” seems an excellent solution to the fuel crisis, it should not defeat its own purpose by amplifying other global issues.

It will not be a long wait for the human population to reach 7 billion. In emerging markets such as India, the price of food is increasing parallel to its population. There, people spend a great deal of their incomes on food and are buying less of it. India recently lifted an export ban on onions in February, which had doubled in price to more than 40 rupees per kilogram. In China, soaring inflation on food prices has caused politi-cal tension, especially in its poorer regions, as people can-not buy even the most basic cooking essentials. Overpopu-lation is one culprit in causing food deficiencies, a sad truth spreading to other countries as well. Finding an effective way to curb this conflict, however, may foster social outrage in heavily populated areas. For example, laws limiting birth rates may become far more common around the world. Another possibility may be that nothing will change, and the rising world population will eventually collide with an extreme global food shortage that affects all of humanity. Whatever be the case, only so much food can be grown on this earth; the human popula-tion cannot continue at this rate forever.

The global food crisis is very real. While it may not be apparent at the doorsteps of many people, it will eventu-ally reach a point at which it cannot be ignored. If the race to feed humanity cannot be won soon, then what will be its condition when the race is lost?

Spiking world population, pending food problems demand global focus

T H E

tiger hi-lineJunie 1, 2011

3opinion

Internet no substitution for real worldLucas Hamiliton

Staff WriterHave you ever heard your

parents talk about how all the things done nowadays are so much different then how they used to be? With the birth of the World Wide Web and widespread use of cell phones, everything technological has taken off. Social networking sites, in particular, have seen a massive spike in user num-bers. Sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Tumblr and YouTube have all grown incredibly popular within the last three years.

For better or for worse, these sites are helping shape a new generation.

Allowing people to share personal information about themselves, social network-ing provides a connection to friends when they aren’t right next door. Unfortu-nately, these sites have their

downfalls. People who find it perfectly acceptable to start flame wars and bash other people behind the safety of their computers are all over cyberspace. Not to mention the people who post things just to see people’s reactions.

These sites were never meant to gauge popularity, so why do people use it this way? The number of follow-ers or friends should not be what helps people sleep at night. The connections made in the real world really matter.

The wonderful world of the Web can be great for get-ting information out to friends and sharing pictures with people, but when does our time with technology separate from our time with actual people? An important part of growing up is interacting with other people and developing social skills. When people are deprived of social interac-

tion, their growth is hindered. When all they know is how 2 tlk lke dis, something is clearly wrong.

As easily the most recog-nizable and widely used social networking site, Facebook, boasts of its over 640 million users. We all know better than to judge people based on ap-pearances, yet we can’t resist judging someone by their profile pictures. My Facebook profile picture is a picture of me around the age of 6 with my fingers up my nose. Now without knowing me on a more personal level, how would you react? Yes, I know it may seem a little foolish for me to have that picture be the first thing someone sees about me, but in all actuality, first impressions shouldn’t matter. There is always something more than what you can see through the pixels on the screen or the ink on the paper.

Kaylee MicuOpinion Editor

And there it lies, the bible of scholarships. It haunts ev-ery junior coming close to se-nior year. It is also a reminder that high school is coming to a close, but next year’s seniors can stop their fretting now because the school counseling office highlights hundreds of scholarships that can be avail-able for anyone, and the pro-cess can be viturally painless if you follow the right steps.

Some advice the coun-selors have offered is simply check out the counseling websites where scholarship information can be found in abundance. Students will find what scholarships are due when as well as the “scholar-ship” book that is full of even more scholarships along with grants too.

“It’s a process. Start it sooner. That way you give yourself time, the kids that take the time, it’s a payoff for

them,” counselor Susan Lan-gan said. “Also be organized. I see many kids who don’t plan ahead, and they get ex-tremely stressed and frustrated with the whole process.”

Another key part of the process is asking teachers for recommendations, and many teachers are more than willing to help out, whether it’s for letters of recommendation or just some helpful tips on the application process.

“I like the way it allows me to relive the experiences I’ve had with students, from plays they’ve been involved in to the writing or assign-ments that they’ve turned in.” English teacher Michelle Rathe said.

Also, if you want your fa-vorite teacher to send a letter of recommendation, it’s best to ask them at least two weeks before so that they have time to get it to you or mail it themselves. If you would like them to mail it, be sure to include postage.

Some final tips, remember to check out the websites of the colleges you’re thinking of attending; many offer scholar-ships for freshmen students to help to relieve finanical burdens. Also, build up your resume. If you keep yourself organized now, it will help in the long run. Keep track of awards, honors and activities you’ve done throughout high school. It could help earn you more scholarships. Plus, check to see if your parent or guardians’ place of employ-ment offers any. Furthermore, during those senior meetings next year, remember to pay at-tention because the counselors will go over the process of applying with you.

But perhaps the most important about scholarships is take it one step at a time. The process is long but worth it. College isn’t getting any cheaper and student loans can add up, so be smart and take the time to apply for any scholarships or even grants.

Reality Check

Start now for college application success

What I’ll always remember is ...

Seniors Say Good bye

... I just love being around so many wonder-ful people, and I’m going to miss it a lot.

—Chris Kempf ('11)

... football games because of the unity in our school.

—Kristin Morris ('11)

... the times in class that we went off track but talked about good times.

—Brandan Leyh ('11)

... a lot of the goofy times at the lunch table.—Krista Lee ('11)

... being on the swim team because we always had a lot of fun at swim meets.

—Anne Raecker ('11)

... I’m not sure I’m going to miss much.—Ben Nevitt ('11)

... my friends the most and even the teachers. I will also miss cadet teaching quite a bit, as it gave me many ample opportunities.

—Rachel Lyman ('11)

... flagging with the color guard family.—Carrie Traetow ('11)

... choir and art were two of my favorite things, and I’m really going to miss them, as well as my friends.

—Eve Willett ('11)

T H E

tiger hi-lineJune 1, 2011

4 Opinion

Options abound for those new to CF Allyson VuongSports EditorWhen picking

up and settling in a new town, it could be very difficult. When life gives you lemons you make lemonade right? But the steps to making lemonade can be just as difficult as moving.

In the last two years, Cedar Falls has gotten at least 50 new students coming from all sorts of places, big or small. The first step to moving is being informed.

Junior Megan Lane, who moved here at the beginning of the ‘09-’10 school year said, “Well, since I lived in Georgia, I thought the last time I was in Iowa, all I saw was corn. Great, I hate corn and now I’m going to live in the corn state. I thought there would be a ton of farms everywhere. It turns out it’s just a small college town. It was a bit of a culture shock because it reminds me so much of Savannah except for the ocean and the beaches everywhere. I wasn’t necessarily scared to move. I’ve moved nine times so it was normal. I was upset because I wanted to finish high school there but moving has helped make my high school experience better. I’ve met so many people and I couldn’t image not moving now.”

Sometimes weather can affect people’s emotions.

“I was sad that I moved because Georgia was a nice place. However, at the same time, I was pretty happy be-cause the climate over there in Georgia was too hot compared to Iowa,” Senior Philip Tran said.

But that’s just the begin-ning. The struggles and fears begin to pile up.

“I was extremely ner-vous about making friends. I

moved over the summer and didn’t meet anyone, so it

was tough starting in the fall with no one to talk to,” said Lane. “It’s high school.

Everyone by this

time has their best friends and people they enjoy being around, but if you introduce yourself and make the effort, I believe any-

one could be

friends.”Getting lost

in a new town is normal, but

it can

also be a huge fear.

“The scariest thing about CF was figuring out where everything was at the school,” Junior Hali Weimerskirch said.

Other things that make new students nervous could be the teachers. The way the teachers teach could be very different than what they are used to. Sometimes, moving in the middle of the year could be difficult because not every school has the same classes. Even if you could be put in the same class, there’s still the chance that the class might be ahead or behind of what you were learn-ing. For example, at North Garland High School down in Garland, Texas, you can take anatomy and physiology as a sophomore but at Cedar Falls, you take it as a junior or se-nior. Another difference is that

anatomy is a full year course there while here the class is one semester long. Some students actually move during the middle of the year, and it makes it hard on our coun-selors to find the right class for them. At times, they can’t recreate a student’s schedule because Cedar Falls doesn’t

offer the course. But they do try their hardest

to fulfill a student’s wishes. Entering a class in the middle of the semester can

be pretty difficult on students as well as

teachers. Math Teacher Em-

ily Wheeler said, “The most challenging part is figuring out what they already know (or don’t know) and finding time to get him or her caught up on any important missing concepts. Keeping in mind

that at the same time the student needs to stay on top of what we are currently doing.”

Some students may think that teachers don’t under-stand the

strug-gle, but

they truly are there to help.“To help the

students make this transition, I try to

make these stu-dents feel as

com-fortable as possible. I let them know that I’m willing to work with them and am flex-ible. I can only imagine how overwhelmed these students

would be feeling about their new situation, a new teacher, a new environment, new peers, new procedures, new expecta-tions, etc.,” Wheeler said.

“I think leaving their friends behind can be heartbreaking for most. The nice thing is that there are wonderful new people to meet wherever we go!” English teacher Teresa Martin said.

At times, the challenges students face are the same as any other new student.

“The most challenging part for the student is adapting to a new school. The adaptation process would include all of the following: school diver-sity, school policy, the size of the school, the size of the community, social customs, teaching styles, and academic expectations.” English teacher Troy Slater said.

Teachers try their hardest It’s a lot easier moving

when the school year first starts because each year

before school actu-ally starts,

Cedar Falls counselors throw a new student

party where they can interact

with other new students and current

Cedar Falls students. At this party, there’s pizza and

ice breaker games. Current students give the new student tours which shows them the key points of the school: for example, the MRC, ERC, library, and the counselor’s office. Current students are welcomed to come and help.

“The new student party

helped me because you got to talk to other CF students

which helped you become more familiar with more things.” Weimerskirch said.

What’s the final step in making this journey? The an-swer is simple. Get involved.

“I met [my struggles] by starting a job and getting involved with groups. It’s the best way to really interact with people. Especially out-side of school.” Lane said.

“It got easier for me when I started CF Cheer because it got me involved and I met a lot of new people.” Weim-erskirch said.

When picking up and mov-ing to a completely different place, things can be pretty hectic, but always remember to get involved. It helps.

“Well, it sounds cliche, i’m sure, but really get involved. At first I didn’t want to get involved -- I wanted to be a hermit. That was not good, in fact, it made me really depressed, but as soon as I got my first job and joined different groups at school like Harmony, leadership teams and Big House, I started to enjoy CF much more. People aren’t going to come to you, you have to get up and intro-duce yourself.” Lane said.

“Some advice for new students in the future would be to get involved in school activities and don’t be afraid to speak up and talk to oth-ers.” Weimerskirch said.

“Get to know people as soon as they have transferred and get involved in activi-ties whether it’s academic or athletic.” said Tran.

The thing you have to remember when moving is it may be tough at first,

but just give it some time.

You’ll get used to it, and soon,

it’ll become your home.

T H E

tiger hi-lineJune 1, 2011

5feature

Chandal GeerdesStaff Writer

We have come a long way since the typical PowerPoint or poster.

Because of the Internet and online sources, there are a multitude of ways to make a topic or presentation come to life. This not only benefits the audience, but the presenter as well.

With new online sources, one can create a wide variety of topics and make them come to life. When students are able to make something come to life, it can give the audience a better understanding of a topic

It’s also nice to be able to be interactive within a pre-sentation. Through new fades and applications online, the interactions are endless.

Two of the new fads online happen to be Prezi and Glogster. Out with the old PowerPoint or typical poster; there are now online ways to make a presentation come to life.

Prezi lets users bring their ideas into one space and see how they relate, helping presenters and the audience connect. Zoom out to see the big picture and zoom in to see details. This online

website where students can create their own presenta-tions through a multitude of creative steps is a bit like web-based maps. Prezi was founded in 2009 by Adam Somlai-Fischer.

“It provides the user and audience a much more interactive application than PowerPoint,” health and PE teacher Van Hardy said.

Hardy highly recommends Prezi for his students.

“[Prezi] is an online ap-plication. It’s accessible, free, easy and intuitive,” Hardy said.

While using Prezi, users come up with theirr topics and use their creativity with the help of Prezi to make their presentations come to life. They can make each text and topic of their presentations as large or small as they’d like and also create frames and different theme layouts. They can also add pictures and create paths to make the presentation flow just as

they’d like. “Prezi is more interactive

[than Glogster] and has more room for creativity,” sopho-more Hanno Fenech said.

Glogster is a social network that allows users to create free interactive posters, or glogs, which is short for graphical blog. The glog, is an interactive multimedia image. It looks like a poster, but readers can interact with the content on the presenta-tion. Glogster was founded in 2007. Currently this social network has hundreds of thou-sands of registered users. The targeted audience for Glogster users are teenagers.

Glogster provides an envi-ronment to design interactive posters. The users insert text, images, photos, audio (MP3), videos, special effects and other elements into their glogs

VSTwo websites take PowerPoint presentations to the next level

to generate a multimedia on-line creation. Each poster can be shared with other people. Glogs can also be exported and saved to computer-com-patible formats.

“[Glogsters] offer students all that’s good about posters and PowerPoints into a use-able saveable genere,” English teacher Courtney Lubs said.

Lubs recommends Glog-ster to her students as an out-let to express ideas. She said that posters serve their needs, but through Glogster, they can incorporate the computer and Internet, which students today are more accustomed to.

“It allows students to be creative but still articulate ideas,” Lubs said.

Glogster also supports Glogster EDU. This is an education program that works similar to Glogster.

Glogster EDU is a web 2.0 platform which enables users to create virtual posters. While original Glogster targets teenagers, Glogster EDU is intended mainly for teachers.

Currently Glogster EDU is used by 7.5 million students and teachers. Teachers can create projects with their stu-dents across other schools.

2oth Century 2001 2011

tiger hi-lineJune 1, 2011

6 featureT H E

Megan LaneOpinion Editor

Normal. For senior Chelsea Larsen, normal has a special meaning.

Larsen’s dad was diag-nosed with Lyme disease when she was just 11 years old, and after that, she made a discovery of her own. “My dad had many complications, and we were unsure of the causes. Finally, after about three years of searching for a diagnosis for him, he was diagnosed with Lyme disease and began treatment. He finally started responding to that treatment. They figured that he had the disease for decades before he was diag-nosed, so just to be careful, my sister and I were tested, and we were both coinciden-tally diagnosed with Lyme as well. It’s possible that we got Lyme when we camped and mushroom hunted a lot.”

Lyme disease is rare disease in which the bacte-ria, Borrelia burgdorferi, is spread by deer ticks. It is not contagious between people, and, because it generally is transmitted from the bite of deer ticks, it is more prevalent in wooded or grassland areas.

Lyme can be distinguish into two different types, first is infection. If the infection goes undetected then weeks or years later it will progress and become chronic Lyme disease. Dr. Jeffrey Piccirillo, a Lyme disease specialist and former orthopedic surgeon who is located in Chicago and Grinnell, treats Chelsea Lar-sen and other central Iowans explains, “ You can think of Lyme disease as having three categories: acute, early disseminated, and chronic. The sooner treatment is begun after the start of the infection, the higher the success rate. However, since it is easiest to cure early disease, this category of must be taken VERY seriously. Undertreated infections will inevitably resurface, usually as chronic Lyme, with its tremendous

problems of morbidity, dif-ficulty with diagnosis and treatment.” Dr. Piccirillo also caution however that, “The infection called Lyme Disease is only the tip of the iceberg. There are six other bacteria tha can transferred by a tick bite. So the illness is very multi-factorial.”

Symptoms of Lyme range from the beginning stages of a rash at the bite site and flu-like symptoms to more advanced stage symptoms like irregular heartbeat and neuro-logical problems like memory loss or temporary paralysis of the body. Larsen has experi-enced many of these symp-toms, and they have taken quite the toll on her. “I’ve been through a lot psychologi-cally. Through the depression, insomnia, anxiety, extreme fatigue, troubles concentrat-ing, memory problems and some joint and heart issues, school is really hard,” Larsen said. “Before things got really bad, I was always at the top of my class. School came really easy for me. With Lyme, now I have to work very hard to keep my grades up. I forget things easily. I lose track in everyday conversations. I have troubles finding words in conversations. I can’t sleep. On top of it, I’m tired even if I do get good sleep. Most days I don’t know how I’m going to feel. But, life goes on.”

But Larsen said the biggest struggle was getting diag-

nosed. “Sometimes it can be hard to diagnose because it can be mistaken for Fibromy-algia, MS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Lupus and even a mental disorder, but it’s real. Lyme disease is a fairly new disease, so common fam-ily doctors are not always educated on the disease. It’s a good idea to go to a special-ist,” Larsen said.

That is why Larsen chose Dr. Piccirillo. Dr. Piccirillo has helped Larsen along with many other patients to find new and innovative ways to fight the disease.

In fact, this summer Larsen will begin treatments in Chicago to help kill the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. “Since Lyme is such a slow evolving disease, it also dies slowly. Because of that, I have to take very large and long doses of strong antibiotics. I bet I’ve taken nearly every antibiotic out there, just to see if it’ll kill more bacteria,” Larsen said. “For the late stages of Lyme, like what I have, it can take years and years of antibiotics to kill most of the bacteria, and even then it can come back. This summer I will be using this machine called a Rife machine that emits high frequency sound waves to penetrate the bacteria.

She will also use “hyper-baric oxygen chambers that blast very high concentrations of oxygen to kill the anaerobic

bacteria; and many herbal treatments for the periods of time when antibiotics start harming my body.”

What has helped Larsen the most is her family. Both her sister, Abby, and father, have Lyme disease, which creates very stressful times.

“This disease has made a hefty toll on my family. Because my dad’s case is so extreme, we never really know what the future holds. In the beginning of his diagno-sis, he woke up paralyzed for a few hours, had to wear a mask wherever he went, and even lived in our basement for months because he was so sensitive to everything. As you may expect, he had to stop working so my mom picked up all responsibil-ity financially. This whole situation has taught us to take life’s curve balls and make the best out of them. Ten years after the first diagnosis, my family still struggles with the unknown future every day,” Larsen said.

And it has also brought them together as a family. “We’ve had times when ev-erything seems like it’s look-ing up again, but it always turns out to be yet another roller coaster ride. Also, the disease itself has made my dad, my sister and I have many personality changes. It’s just a fact of the disease,” Larsen said. “And because of that, my family has learned

to laugh at the ‘Lymie’ days when our brains are moving so slowly that we can’t keep up with conversations, or we can’t find words to get across what we’re trying to say, or we get such bad ‘Lyme rage’ that everything trips our trig-gers and we go off into a tan-trum or our brains are so dead that all we can do is sit and stare off into space. Though this disease sure gives us enough trouble, we’ve learned that everyone has to laugh at what life brings because it can be so unpredictable.”

And this has also given the attitude that keeps Larsen motivated to still fight this disease. Larsen said, “For some reason, I’ve been one who doesn’t like to show oth-ers that I struggle with a lot of things, but, I’ve learned to be transparent and let people know that life isn’t easy for me. That makes me just like everyone else. I’ve also had a lot of times in my life where I just have lost all hope and nothing seems to be worth it. I’m normally a vibrant person, but I’ve been humbled a lot with this disease. I’ve learned to keep a positive attitude because life still happens, no matter what your attitude is, so you can be miserable or keep pushing on and channel that energy into something better.”

Larsen also noted one of the ways she channels her energy is through dance, but with Lyme disease this is also another struggle for her. “Dance is pretty much all memory, so that has forced me to work through my memory problems. Dance is also very exhausting, so with the fatigue that comes with Lyme, I’ve learned to work through it because I just wanna dance, man. Fatigue isn’t gonna stop me.”

All in all Larsen says, “Lyme hasn’t been a reason for me to stop doing what I love. In fact, it’s been a reason to keep pushing and enjoying life, in spite of the struggles I face. It’s all worth it.”

Student maintains optimism as she wrestles with Lyme diseaseFacing It

Having Lyme disease has been a roller coaster ride for Larsen and her health. Every day brings new challenges to face.

T H E

tiger hi-lineJune 1, 2011

7sports

Baseball6/8, vs. Charles City @ Robinson Dresser Sports Complex6/10, vs. Thomas Jefferson @ Robinson Dresser Sports Complex6/13, vs. IC High, 5 p.m.Softball6/7, vs. Waterloo West, 5:30 p.m.6/8, vs Ames, 5 p.m.6/9, vs. Thomas Jefferson @ Robinson Dresser Sports Complex

Tigersin Action

Athleteof

the Week

1. How did you get started with baseball? “I got started by getting involved in T-ball when I was 6 years old.”2. What would be the perfect moment this season?“A perfect moment for me would definitely be winning State.”3. What are you looking forward to this year?“I am really looking forward to trying to repeat the success of last year’s team.” 4. How does the team prepare?“We get prepared with extra batting practice and a lot of fielding. This is an extremely hard working team, and we love to get better.”

Sandra Omari- BoatengStaff Writer

The high school is in the middle of installing new floors for the gym because the current floors are generations old and school staff saw for an update.

The original plan was to put in new floors five years ago, but that was delayed until this spring.

“The current gym floor is almost 40 years old, and you can only sand and re-finish it so many times,” Associate Principal Troy Becker said.

According to Becker, there isn’t a total dollar amount for this project, but the money is being taken care of by the central administration.

Aug. 1 is the expected completion date for the new gym, and right now, con-struction is slightly ahead of schedule.

The project has been contracted out to a variety of construction crews who each focus on a special area of the project. The north gym floors were installed and painted at the end of last week.

Now workers have moved the bleachers to that side and are focusing on the main south gym. The rubber gym is being replaced with new wooden floors because the coaches and PE teachers prefer to have a wood floor for safety and ease of use.

“We felt like a wood floor on both sides would do the best job of meeting our needs,” Becker said.

“[An upside to gaining a wooden floor] is the safety because there is a lot more spring in the floor, and there will no longer be holes in it. There is no [downside to losing the rubber gym]. The only thing that will have to be modified is floor hockey just so that we don’t scratch

the floors. I am in favor of [the new floors], especially the replacement of the rubber gym floor. It had holes in it, gum stuck to it and was just run down,” PE department chair Jamie Smith said.

Overall, there won’t be too much of a change to the PE classes at the end of the year because of the new construc-tion.

“[The curriculum] hasn’t changed too much because in the spring we always plan to do games outside. However, we just don’t have the gym as an option if it rains. We [gym classes] either have to be in the cardio room or the weight room, which gets a little tedious,” Smith said. “Right now, with the work that’s being done in the gym, it’s way too loud to be in the cardio room or weight room and have it be a comfortable learning environment. We’re making it work though. Hats off to the kids currently in P.E. They are being awesome.”

There will be some shift in

summer plans, too.“[The only changes are

that we] just won’t be able to use the gym the rest of this year or this summer. All of our camps need to be moved to Holmes,” Becker said.

During the whole process of deciding to redo the gym floors, there has been some question about whether the money for the floors would be better spent helping the school in more important ways.

“As with any facility, you are going to have maintenance costs to keep it safe and us-able. It would be irresponsible to not keep our facilities updated, because eventually they would get to the point where we couldn’t use them. We already waited five more years than recommended by our architects. The north gym was horrible and absolutely had to be done. The south gym was also in need. It just makes sense to do them both together, which makes the overall cost of the project less, and you only have to close

your gym for one summer instead of two,” Becker said.

“Speaking directly from P.E., we could have had [the gyms] go longer. However, for competition sports, it needed an update. There were quite a few boards loose or warped, and the caps for the volleyball standards were not safe since they stuck out of the floor,” Smith said.

There will be a few ad-ditional perks to this new remodel of the gyms.

“I don’t think we will lose anything. We are getting a wireless sound system, which will be nice for all events and physical education. Com-petitions and practices that are held in the rubber gym will be greatly improved. It is overall more safe and cosmetically appealing,” Smith said. “Overall, the remodel will be beneficial to the school. It will bring in more district and com-munity events and be a huge improvement for P.E. and our athletic teams.”

Crews make progress on gym floor renovation

Starting two weeks ago with the rubber gym in the top photo, the new wooden floors are beginning to shape up in the high school. At left, the old wooden slats had to be torn torn out, and then the construction crew spent three days with jackhammers removing the old concen-trate base below the floor before it will be replaced with new, and, if all goes to plan, it will be ready for action next August.

Andy KloosBaseballJunior

T H E

tiger hi-lineJune, 1 2011

8 Captured

Partied OutSeniors celebrate last daysat special high school gala

From watermelon eating to gelatin fights to bean bag tosses to Frisbee tosses to leaving a mark on the side of the school, seniors turned out for fun, games and food at the Senior Leadership-sponsored party on Sun-day, May 22. Starting with the shot in the upper left corner and working clockwise, those pictured include Ashley Brown, Sam Doyle, Cassie Crotty, Kryie Dailey, Jon Martin-son and Tracy Lukasiewicz.

Photos by Darby Sheehan

What is the last book you read that wasn’t required for

school? If you can’t answer this question right away, don’t feel too bad, because for many students this question is more difficult to answer than it should be. But it is also understandable; students today seem to have no time to enjoy a good book because of work, extracurricular activi-ties and hours of homework. Plus the only time of our days that allows for this is D.E.A.R. However, let’s face it, many of us work on homework, sleep or talk during this time, making it in fact a study hall rather than time to catch up on a good book.

That’s why students and staff decided that it was time to say good bye to D.E.A.R. From now on, D.E.A.R. time will be considered a study hall. Students during this time may get help from teachers, finish assignments, read or make up any work for other classes such as labs, tests or quizzes. The time, however, will not be used to socialize, text or play on computers.

While this decision is beneficial and helpful for stu-dents, it, however, gives up part of the effort to attack the lack of reading among teenagers.

Reading has numerous benefits such as helping with concentration, improving vocabulary, improving creativ-ity and improving memory. And that is just the beginning. Reading can also help to boost those comprehension scores on tests like the ACT or SAT that so many of us dread.

School isn’t the only place the lack of reading affects. The workplace is also a key contender. The National Endowment for the Arts reported that nearly two-thirds of employers ranked reading comprehension “very impor-tant” for high school graduates, yet 38 percent consider most high school graduates deficient in these skills.

With today’s economy and the competitiveness in the job market, students cannot afford to lack these essential skills, so while it is nice to have the time to make up work and finish homework, it should also still be considered a chance for reading.

As Oscar Wilde puts it, “It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.”

And in high school, indeed, it truly does.

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. Our website is www.hiline.co.nr. 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 follow-ing 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: Sara Gabriele and Ellen Gustavson

News Editor: Ben Olson and Sara GabrieleOpinion Editor: Meg Lane and Kaylee MicuSports Editor: Ben Olson and Allyson Vuong

Feature Editors: Ellen GustavsonEntertainment Editors: Meg Lane and Kaylee Micu

Photo Editor: Tracy Lukasiewicz

T H E

tiger hi-lineJune 1, 2011

2 opinionour view

D.E.A.R. no more Karl SadkowskiStaff Writer

Often pushed to the back pages of major news publica-tions, the increasing global crisis in food supply deserves far greater attention than what it gets.

There are currently 1 billion chronically hungry people in the world, and the number is continually rising. A combination of climate change and the skyrocketing human population are major contributors to the crisis, as well as overfarming, overfish-ing and the growing popular-ity of biofuels. According to the World Bank, elevated food costs have driven some 44 million people in the Global South into extreme poverty since last June; according to a Des Moines Register story, with another 10 percent increase in costs, 10 million more people could fall into this category. Elevated food costs were in fact the case that aided in causing the recent re-volts in the Middle East, such as in Egypt and Tunisia.

As an agricultural power-house in the United States and a major exporter of corn, Iowa plays a significant role in food supply. In 2010, it produced 16.9 percent of the United States’ total corn production, at 2.1 billion bushels. Accord-ing to the U.S. Agriculture Department, it also exported nearly two million bushels to other countries.

However, Iowa faces uncertainties in the near future with draught or excessive flooding being likely pos-sibilities that could affect crop yields. Iowa’s last draught occurred 23 years ago; however, major draughts tend to average every 16 years, putting Iowa roughly seven years overdue. Conversely, although the threat of flood-ing is not as great in com-parison to the floods in 2008, excessive rainfall during the planting season may also pose difficulties as farmers work to begin growing crops. This too

would put production behind schedule and reduce corn yields. Climate change, an inescapable reality, is a factor in food production that cannot be controlled. However, it should not be blamed entirely for the crisis in food supply; it is humanity’s responsibility to fight global hunger.

The amount of crops used for livestock is almost unfathomable. Last year, more than five million bushels of Iowa corn were used to feed livestock, in comparison to the 1.4 million used by con-sumers. The USDA predicts that by the end of the summer before the new harvest, an end surplus of 675 million bushels of corn will remain. Not only would this be the smallest sur-plus in 15 years, the Register reported it would also only be capable of feeding about 10 percent of U.S. livestock. If this prediction falls true, will cultural pastimes such as beef and pork come at higher costs to enjoy? Will “Meatless Mondays” become a regular part of school diets? Accord-ing to David Pimentel, profes-sor of ecology at Cornell University, nearly 800 million people could be fed if all the grain consumed by livestock were instead directed at people. It is far too inefficient to use so much farmland and crops for the sake of livestock. In this growing world, more productive means of growing food must be developed.

Ethanol, the biofuel many claim will help wean the U.S. off its addiction to foreign oil, offshore drilling and tar sands, still has its own negatives in relation to food development. Ethanol has an insatiable appetite for corn and other plants. In 2010, nearly five million bushels of corn were consumed for ethanol produc-tion, according to the National Corn Growers Association. However, the corn required to fill one fuel tank with ethanol could instead feed one person for an entire year. In this per-spective, producing ethanol

as a cleaner form of energy is certainly not worth the ef-fort. But instead of resorting to fossil fuels once again, more efficient—albeit less powerful—car fuels should be sought after, such as electri-cal and solar power. Although “alternative energy” seems an excellent solution to the fuel crisis, it should not defeat its own purpose by amplifying other global issues.

It will not be a long wait for the human population to reach 7 billion. In emerging markets such as India, the price of food is increasing parallel to its population. There, people spend a great deal of their incomes on food and are buying less of it. India recently lifted an export ban on onions in February, which had doubled in price to more than 40 rupees per kilogram. In China, soaring inflation on food prices has caused politi-cal tension, especially in its poorer regions, as people can-not buy even the most basic cooking essentials. Overpopu-lation is one culprit in causing food deficiencies, a sad truth spreading to other countries as well. Finding an effective way to curb this conflict, however, may foster social outrage in heavily populated areas. For example, laws limiting birth rates may become far more common around the world. Another possibility may be that nothing will change, and the rising world population will eventually collide with an extreme global food shortage that affects all of humanity. Whatever be the case, only so much food can be grown on this earth; the human popula-tion cannot continue at this rate forever.

The global food crisis is very real. While it may not be apparent at the doorsteps of many people, it will eventu-ally reach a point at which it cannot be ignored. If the race to feed humanity cannot be won soon, then what will be its condition when the race is lost?

Spiking world population, pending food problems demand global focus

T H E

tiger hi-lineJunie 1, 2011

3opinion

Internet no substitution for real worldLucas Hamiliton

Staff WriterHave you ever heard your

parents talk about how all the things done nowadays are so much different then how they used to be? With the birth of the World Wide Web and widespread use of cell phones, everything technological has taken off. Social networking sites, in particular, have seen a massive spike in user num-bers. Sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Tumblr and YouTube have all grown incredibly popular within the last three years.

For better or for worse, these sites are helping shape a new generation.

Allowing people to share personal information about themselves, social network-ing provides a connection to friends when they aren’t right next door. Unfortu-nately, these sites have their

downfalls. People who find it perfectly acceptable to start flame wars and bash other people behind the safety of their computers are all over cyberspace. Not to mention the people who post things just to see people’s reactions.

These sites were never meant to gauge popularity, so why do people use it this way? The number of follow-ers or friends should not be what helps people sleep at night. The connections made in the real world really matter.

The wonderful world of the Web can be great for get-ting information out to friends and sharing pictures with people, but when does our time with technology separate from our time with actual people? An important part of growing up is interacting with other people and developing social skills. When people are deprived of social interac-

tion, their growth is hindered. When all they know is how 2 tlk lke dis, something is clearly wrong.

As easily the most recog-nizable and widely used social networking site, Facebook, boasts of its over 640 million users. We all know better than to judge people based on ap-pearances, yet we can’t resist judging someone by their profile pictures. My Facebook profile picture is a picture of me around the age of 6 with my fingers up my nose. Now without knowing me on a more personal level, how would you react? Yes, I know it may seem a little foolish for me to have that picture be the first thing someone sees about me, but in all actuality, first impressions shouldn’t matter. There is always something more than what you can see through the pixels on the screen or the ink on the paper.

Kaylee MicuOpinion Editor

And there it lies, the bible of scholarships. It haunts ev-ery junior coming close to se-nior year. It is also a reminder that high school is coming to a close, but next year’s seniors can stop their fretting now because the school counseling office highlights hundreds of scholarships that can be avail-able for anyone, and the pro-cess can be viturally painless if you follow the right steps.

Some advice the coun-selors have offered is simply check out the counseling websites where scholarship information can be found in abundance. Students will find what scholarships are due when as well as the “scholar-ship” book that is full of even more scholarships along with grants too.

“It’s a process. Start it sooner. That way you give yourself time, the kids that take the time, it’s a payoff for

them,” counselor Susan Lan-gan said. “Also be organized. I see many kids who don’t plan ahead, and they get ex-tremely stressed and frustrated with the whole process.”

Another key part of the process is asking teachers for recommendations, and many teachers are more than willing to help out, whether it’s for letters of recommendation or just some helpful tips on the application process.

“I like the way it allows me to relive the experiences I’ve had with students, from plays they’ve been involved in to the writing or assign-ments that they’ve turned in.” English teacher Michelle Rathe said.

Also, if you want your fa-vorite teacher to send a letter of recommendation, it’s best to ask them at least two weeks before so that they have time to get it to you or mail it themselves. If you would like them to mail it, be sure to include postage.

Some final tips, remember to check out the websites of the colleges you’re thinking of attending; many offer scholar-ships for freshmen students to help to relieve finanical burdens. Also, build up your resume. If you keep yourself organized now, it will help in the long run. Keep track of awards, honors and activities you’ve done throughout high school. It could help earn you more scholarships. Plus, check to see if your parent or guardians’ place of employ-ment offers any. Furthermore, during those senior meetings next year, remember to pay at-tention because the counselors will go over the process of applying with you.

But perhaps the most important about scholarships is take it one step at a time. The process is long but worth it. College isn’t getting any cheaper and student loans can add up, so be smart and take the time to apply for any scholarships or even grants.

Reality Check

Start now for college application success

What I’ll always remember is ...

Seniors Say Good bye

... I just love being around so many wonder-ful people, and I’m going to miss it a lot.

—Chris Kempf ('11)

... football games because of the unity in our school.

—Kristin Morris ('11)

... the times in class that we went off track but talked about good times.

—Brandan Leyh ('11)

... a lot of the goofy times at the lunch table.—Krista Lee ('11)

... being on the swim team because we always had a lot of fun at swim meets.

—Anne Raecker ('11)

... I’m not sure I’m going to miss much.—Ben Nevitt ('11)

... my friends the most and even the teachers. I will also miss cadet teaching quite a bit, as it gave me many ample opportunities.

—Rachel Lyman ('11)

... flagging with the color guard family.—Carrie Traetow ('11)

... choir and art were two of my favorite things, and I’m really going to miss them, as well as my friends.

—Eve Willett ('11)

T H E

tiger hi-lineJune 1, 2011

4 Opinion

Options abound for those new to CF Allyson VuongSports EditorWhen picking

up and settling in a new town, it could be very difficult. When life gives you lemons you make lemonade right? But the steps to making lemonade can be just as difficult as moving.

In the last two years, Cedar Falls has gotten at least 50 new students coming from all sorts of places, big or small. The first step to moving is being informed.

Junior Megan Lane, who moved here at the beginning of the ‘09-’10 school year said, “Well, since I lived in Georgia, I thought the last time I was in Iowa, all I saw was corn. Great, I hate corn and now I’m going to live in the corn state. I thought there would be a ton of farms everywhere. It turns out it’s just a small college town. It was a bit of a culture shock because it reminds me so much of Savannah except for the ocean and the beaches everywhere. I wasn’t necessarily scared to move. I’ve moved nine times so it was normal. I was upset because I wanted to finish high school there but moving has helped make my high school experience better. I’ve met so many people and I couldn’t image not moving now.”

Sometimes weather can affect people’s emotions.

“I was sad that I moved because Georgia was a nice place. However, at the same time, I was pretty happy be-cause the climate over there in Georgia was too hot compared to Iowa,” Senior Philip Tran said.

But that’s just the begin-ning. The struggles and fears begin to pile up.

“I was extremely ner-vous about making friends. I

moved over the summer and didn’t meet anyone, so it

was tough starting in the fall with no one to talk to,” said Lane. “It’s high school.

Everyone by this

time has their best friends and people they enjoy being around, but if you introduce yourself and make the effort, I believe any-

one could be

friends.”Getting lost

in a new town is normal, but

it can

also be a huge fear.

“The scariest thing about CF was figuring out where everything was at the school,” Junior Hali Weimerskirch said.

Other things that make new students nervous could be the teachers. The way the teachers teach could be very different than what they are used to. Sometimes, moving in the middle of the year could be difficult because not every school has the same classes. Even if you could be put in the same class, there’s still the chance that the class might be ahead or behind of what you were learn-ing. For example, at North Garland High School down in Garland, Texas, you can take anatomy and physiology as a sophomore but at Cedar Falls, you take it as a junior or se-nior. Another difference is that

anatomy is a full year course there while here the class is one semester long. Some students actually move during the middle of the year, and it makes it hard on our coun-selors to find the right class for them. At times, they can’t recreate a student’s schedule because Cedar Falls doesn’t

offer the course. But they do try their hardest

to fulfill a student’s wishes. Entering a class in the middle of the semester can

be pretty difficult on students as well as

teachers. Math Teacher Em-

ily Wheeler said, “The most challenging part is figuring out what they already know (or don’t know) and finding time to get him or her caught up on any important missing concepts. Keeping in mind

that at the same time the student needs to stay on top of what we are currently doing.”

Some students may think that teachers don’t under-stand the

strug-gle, but

they truly are there to help.“To help the

students make this transition, I try to

make these stu-dents feel as

com-fortable as possible. I let them know that I’m willing to work with them and am flex-ible. I can only imagine how overwhelmed these students

would be feeling about their new situation, a new teacher, a new environment, new peers, new procedures, new expecta-tions, etc.,” Wheeler said.

“I think leaving their friends behind can be heartbreaking for most. The nice thing is that there are wonderful new people to meet wherever we go!” English teacher Teresa Martin said.

At times, the challenges students face are the same as any other new student.

“The most challenging part for the student is adapting to a new school. The adaptation process would include all of the following: school diver-sity, school policy, the size of the school, the size of the community, social customs, teaching styles, and academic expectations.” English teacher Troy Slater said.

Teachers try their hardest It’s a lot easier moving

when the school year first starts because each year

before school actu-ally starts,

Cedar Falls counselors throw a new student

party where they can interact

with other new students and current

Cedar Falls students. At this party, there’s pizza and

ice breaker games. Current students give the new student tours which shows them the key points of the school: for example, the MRC, ERC, library, and the counselor’s office. Current students are welcomed to come and help.

“The new student party

helped me because you got to talk to other CF students

which helped you become more familiar with more things.” Weimerskirch said.

What’s the final step in making this journey? The an-swer is simple. Get involved.

“I met [my struggles] by starting a job and getting involved with groups. It’s the best way to really interact with people. Especially out-side of school.” Lane said.

“It got easier for me when I started CF Cheer because it got me involved and I met a lot of new people.” Weim-erskirch said.

When picking up and mov-ing to a completely different place, things can be pretty hectic, but always remember to get involved. It helps.

“Well, it sounds cliche, i’m sure, but really get involved. At first I didn’t want to get involved -- I wanted to be a hermit. That was not good, in fact, it made me really depressed, but as soon as I got my first job and joined different groups at school like Harmony, leadership teams and Big House, I started to enjoy CF much more. People aren’t going to come to you, you have to get up and intro-duce yourself.” Lane said.

“Some advice for new students in the future would be to get involved in school activities and don’t be afraid to speak up and talk to oth-ers.” Weimerskirch said.

“Get to know people as soon as they have transferred and get involved in activi-ties whether it’s academic or athletic.” said Tran.

The thing you have to remember when moving is it may be tough at first,

but just give it some time.

You’ll get used to it, and soon,

it’ll become your home.

T H E

tiger hi-lineJune 1, 2011

5feature

Chandal GeerdesStaff Writer

We have come a long way since the typical PowerPoint or poster.

Because of the Internet and online sources, there are a multitude of ways to make a topic or presentation come to life. This not only benefits the audience, but the presenter as well.

With new online sources, one can create a wide variety of topics and make them come to life. When students are able to make something come to life, it can give the audience a better understanding of a topic

It’s also nice to be able to be interactive within a pre-sentation. Through new fades and applications online, the interactions are endless.

Two of the new fads online happen to be Prezi and Glogster. Out with the old PowerPoint or typical poster; there are now online ways to make a presentation come to life.

Prezi lets users bring their ideas into one space and see how they relate, helping presenters and the audience connect. Zoom out to see the big picture and zoom in to see details. This online

website where students can create their own presenta-tions through a multitude of creative steps is a bit like web-based maps. Prezi was founded in 2009 by Adam Somlai-Fischer.

“It provides the user and audience a much more interactive application than PowerPoint,” health and PE teacher Van Hardy said.

Hardy highly recommends Prezi for his students.

“[Prezi] is an online ap-plication. It’s accessible, free, easy and intuitive,” Hardy said.

While using Prezi, users come up with theirr topics and use their creativity with the help of Prezi to make their presentations come to life. They can make each text and topic of their presentations as large or small as they’d like and also create frames and different theme layouts. They can also add pictures and create paths to make the presentation flow just as

they’d like. “Prezi is more interactive

[than Glogster] and has more room for creativity,” sopho-more Hanno Fenech said.

Glogster is a social network that allows users to create free interactive posters, or glogs, which is short for graphical blog. The glog, is an interactive multimedia image. It looks like a poster, but readers can interact with the content on the presenta-tion. Glogster was founded in 2007. Currently this social network has hundreds of thou-sands of registered users. The targeted audience for Glogster users are teenagers.

Glogster provides an envi-ronment to design interactive posters. The users insert text, images, photos, audio (MP3), videos, special effects and other elements into their glogs

VSTwo websites take PowerPoint presentations to the next level

to generate a multimedia on-line creation. Each poster can be shared with other people. Glogs can also be exported and saved to computer-com-patible formats.

“[Glogsters] offer students all that’s good about posters and PowerPoints into a use-able saveable genere,” English teacher Courtney Lubs said.

Lubs recommends Glog-ster to her students as an out-let to express ideas. She said that posters serve their needs, but through Glogster, they can incorporate the computer and Internet, which students today are more accustomed to.

“It allows students to be creative but still articulate ideas,” Lubs said.

Glogster also supports Glogster EDU. This is an education program that works similar to Glogster.

Glogster EDU is a web 2.0 platform which enables users to create virtual posters. While original Glogster targets teenagers, Glogster EDU is intended mainly for teachers.

Currently Glogster EDU is used by 7.5 million students and teachers. Teachers can create projects with their stu-dents across other schools.

2oth Century 2001 2011

tiger hi-lineJune 1, 2011

6 featureT H E

Megan LaneOpinion Editor

Normal. For senior Chelsea Larsen, normal has a special meaning.

Larsen’s dad was diag-nosed with Lyme disease when she was just 11 years old, and after that, she made a discovery of her own. “My dad had many complications, and we were unsure of the causes. Finally, after about three years of searching for a diagnosis for him, he was diagnosed with Lyme disease and began treatment. He finally started responding to that treatment. They figured that he had the disease for decades before he was diag-nosed, so just to be careful, my sister and I were tested, and we were both coinciden-tally diagnosed with Lyme as well. It’s possible that we got Lyme when we camped and mushroom hunted a lot.”

Lyme disease is rare disease in which the bacte-ria, Borrelia burgdorferi, is spread by deer ticks. It is not contagious between people, and, because it generally is transmitted from the bite of deer ticks, it is more prevalent in wooded or grassland areas.

Lyme can be distinguish into two different types, first is infection. If the infection goes undetected then weeks or years later it will progress and become chronic Lyme disease. Dr. Jeffrey Piccirillo, a Lyme disease specialist and former orthopedic surgeon who is located in Chicago and Grinnell, treats Chelsea Lar-sen and other central Iowans explains, “ You can think of Lyme disease as having three categories: acute, early disseminated, and chronic. The sooner treatment is begun after the start of the infection, the higher the success rate. However, since it is easiest to cure early disease, this category of must be taken VERY seriously. Undertreated infections will inevitably resurface, usually as chronic Lyme, with its tremendous

problems of morbidity, dif-ficulty with diagnosis and treatment.” Dr. Piccirillo also caution however that, “The infection called Lyme Disease is only the tip of the iceberg. There are six other bacteria tha can transferred by a tick bite. So the illness is very multi-factorial.”

Symptoms of Lyme range from the beginning stages of a rash at the bite site and flu-like symptoms to more advanced stage symptoms like irregular heartbeat and neuro-logical problems like memory loss or temporary paralysis of the body. Larsen has experi-enced many of these symp-toms, and they have taken quite the toll on her. “I’ve been through a lot psychologi-cally. Through the depression, insomnia, anxiety, extreme fatigue, troubles concentrat-ing, memory problems and some joint and heart issues, school is really hard,” Larsen said. “Before things got really bad, I was always at the top of my class. School came really easy for me. With Lyme, now I have to work very hard to keep my grades up. I forget things easily. I lose track in everyday conversations. I have troubles finding words in conversations. I can’t sleep. On top of it, I’m tired even if I do get good sleep. Most days I don’t know how I’m going to feel. But, life goes on.”

But Larsen said the biggest struggle was getting diag-

nosed. “Sometimes it can be hard to diagnose because it can be mistaken for Fibromy-algia, MS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Lupus and even a mental disorder, but it’s real. Lyme disease is a fairly new disease, so common fam-ily doctors are not always educated on the disease. It’s a good idea to go to a special-ist,” Larsen said.

That is why Larsen chose Dr. Piccirillo. Dr. Piccirillo has helped Larsen along with many other patients to find new and innovative ways to fight the disease.

In fact, this summer Larsen will begin treatments in Chicago to help kill the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. “Since Lyme is such a slow evolving disease, it also dies slowly. Because of that, I have to take very large and long doses of strong antibiotics. I bet I’ve taken nearly every antibiotic out there, just to see if it’ll kill more bacteria,” Larsen said. “For the late stages of Lyme, like what I have, it can take years and years of antibiotics to kill most of the bacteria, and even then it can come back. This summer I will be using this machine called a Rife machine that emits high frequency sound waves to penetrate the bacteria.

She will also use “hyper-baric oxygen chambers that blast very high concentrations of oxygen to kill the anaerobic

bacteria; and many herbal treatments for the periods of time when antibiotics start harming my body.”

What has helped Larsen the most is her family. Both her sister, Abby, and father, have Lyme disease, which creates very stressful times.

“This disease has made a hefty toll on my family. Because my dad’s case is so extreme, we never really know what the future holds. In the beginning of his diagno-sis, he woke up paralyzed for a few hours, had to wear a mask wherever he went, and even lived in our basement for months because he was so sensitive to everything. As you may expect, he had to stop working so my mom picked up all responsibil-ity financially. This whole situation has taught us to take life’s curve balls and make the best out of them. Ten years after the first diagnosis, my family still struggles with the unknown future every day,” Larsen said.

And it has also brought them together as a family. “We’ve had times when ev-erything seems like it’s look-ing up again, but it always turns out to be yet another roller coaster ride. Also, the disease itself has made my dad, my sister and I have many personality changes. It’s just a fact of the disease,” Larsen said. “And because of that, my family has learned

to laugh at the ‘Lymie’ days when our brains are moving so slowly that we can’t keep up with conversations, or we can’t find words to get across what we’re trying to say, or we get such bad ‘Lyme rage’ that everything trips our trig-gers and we go off into a tan-trum or our brains are so dead that all we can do is sit and stare off into space. Though this disease sure gives us enough trouble, we’ve learned that everyone has to laugh at what life brings because it can be so unpredictable.”

And this has also given the attitude that keeps Larsen motivated to still fight this disease. Larsen said, “For some reason, I’ve been one who doesn’t like to show oth-ers that I struggle with a lot of things, but, I’ve learned to be transparent and let people know that life isn’t easy for me. That makes me just like everyone else. I’ve also had a lot of times in my life where I just have lost all hope and nothing seems to be worth it. I’m normally a vibrant person, but I’ve been humbled a lot with this disease. I’ve learned to keep a positive attitude because life still happens, no matter what your attitude is, so you can be miserable or keep pushing on and channel that energy into something better.”

Larsen also noted one of the ways she channels her energy is through dance, but with Lyme disease this is also another struggle for her. “Dance is pretty much all memory, so that has forced me to work through my memory problems. Dance is also very exhausting, so with the fatigue that comes with Lyme, I’ve learned to work through it because I just wanna dance, man. Fatigue isn’t gonna stop me.”

All in all Larsen says, “Lyme hasn’t been a reason for me to stop doing what I love. In fact, it’s been a reason to keep pushing and enjoying life, in spite of the struggles I face. It’s all worth it.”

Student maintains optimism as she wrestles with Lyme diseaseFacing It

Having Lyme disease has been a roller coaster ride for Larsen and her health. Every day brings new challenges to face.

T H E

tiger hi-lineJune 1, 2011

7sports

Baseball6/8, vs. Charles City @ Robinson Dresser Sports Complex6/10, vs. Thomas Jefferson @ Robinson Dresser Sports Complex6/13, vs. IC High, 5 p.m.Softball6/7, vs. Waterloo West, 5:30 p.m.6/8, vs Ames, 5 p.m.6/9, vs. Thomas Jefferson @ Robinson Dresser Sports Complex

Tigersin Action

Athleteof

the Week

1. How did you get started with baseball? “I got started by getting involved in T-ball when I was 6 years old.”2. What would be the perfect moment this season?“A perfect moment for me would definitely be winning State.”3. What are you looking forward to this year?“I am really looking forward to trying to repeat the success of last year’s team.” 4. How does the team prepare?“We get prepared with extra batting practice and a lot of fielding. This is an extremely hard working team, and we love to get better.”

Sandra Omari- BoatengStaff Writer

The high school is in the middle of installing new floors for the gym because the current floors are generations old and school staff saw for an update.

The original plan was to put in new floors five years ago, but that was delayed until this spring.

“The current gym floor is almost 40 years old, and you can only sand and re-finish it so many times,” Associate Principal Troy Becker said.

According to Becker, there isn’t a total dollar amount for this project, but the money is being taken care of by the central administration.

Aug. 1 is the expected completion date for the new gym, and right now, con-struction is slightly ahead of schedule.

The project has been contracted out to a variety of construction crews who each focus on a special area of the project. The north gym floors were installed and painted at the end of last week.

Now workers have moved the bleachers to that side and are focusing on the main south gym. The rubber gym is being replaced with new wooden floors because the coaches and PE teachers prefer to have a wood floor for safety and ease of use.

“We felt like a wood floor on both sides would do the best job of meeting our needs,” Becker said.

“[An upside to gaining a wooden floor] is the safety because there is a lot more spring in the floor, and there will no longer be holes in it. There is no [downside to losing the rubber gym]. The only thing that will have to be modified is floor hockey just so that we don’t scratch

the floors. I am in favor of [the new floors], especially the replacement of the rubber gym floor. It had holes in it, gum stuck to it and was just run down,” PE department chair Jamie Smith said.

Overall, there won’t be too much of a change to the PE classes at the end of the year because of the new construc-tion.

“[The curriculum] hasn’t changed too much because in the spring we always plan to do games outside. However, we just don’t have the gym as an option if it rains. We [gym classes] either have to be in the cardio room or the weight room, which gets a little tedious,” Smith said. “Right now, with the work that’s being done in the gym, it’s way too loud to be in the cardio room or weight room and have it be a comfortable learning environment. We’re making it work though. Hats off to the kids currently in P.E. They are being awesome.”

There will be some shift in

summer plans, too.“[The only changes are

that we] just won’t be able to use the gym the rest of this year or this summer. All of our camps need to be moved to Holmes,” Becker said.

During the whole process of deciding to redo the gym floors, there has been some question about whether the money for the floors would be better spent helping the school in more important ways.

“As with any facility, you are going to have maintenance costs to keep it safe and us-able. It would be irresponsible to not keep our facilities updated, because eventually they would get to the point where we couldn’t use them. We already waited five more years than recommended by our architects. The north gym was horrible and absolutely had to be done. The south gym was also in need. It just makes sense to do them both together, which makes the overall cost of the project less, and you only have to close

your gym for one summer instead of two,” Becker said.

“Speaking directly from P.E., we could have had [the gyms] go longer. However, for competition sports, it needed an update. There were quite a few boards loose or warped, and the caps for the volleyball standards were not safe since they stuck out of the floor,” Smith said.

There will be a few ad-ditional perks to this new remodel of the gyms.

“I don’t think we will lose anything. We are getting a wireless sound system, which will be nice for all events and physical education. Com-petitions and practices that are held in the rubber gym will be greatly improved. It is overall more safe and cosmetically appealing,” Smith said. “Overall, the remodel will be beneficial to the school. It will bring in more district and com-munity events and be a huge improvement for P.E. and our athletic teams.”

Crews make progress on gym floor renovation

Starting two weeks ago with the rubber gym in the top photo, the new wooden floors are beginning to shape up in the high school. At left, the old wooden slats had to be torn torn out, and then the construction crew spent three days with jackhammers removing the old concen-trate base below the floor before it will be replaced with new, and, if all goes to plan, it will be ready for action next August.

Andy KloosBaseballJunior

T H E

tiger hi-lineJune, 1 2011

8 Captured

Partied OutSeniors celebrate last daysat special high school gala

From watermelon eating to gelatin fights to bean bag tosses to Frisbee tosses to leaving a mark on the side of the school, seniors turned out for fun, games and food at the Senior Leadership-sponsored party on Sun-day, May 22. Starting with the shot in the upper left corner and working clockwise, those pictured include Ashley Brown, Sam Doyle, Cassie Crotty, Kryie Dailey, Jon Martin-son and Tracy Lukasiewicz.

Photos by Darby Sheehan