September 2009 - Newton Community School District

Cardinal Chronicle
September 2009
fall sports coverage - homecoming hoopla - album reviews, festival news, bands galore & more
800 East Fourth Street South - Newton, Iowa - 50208
Page 2 - News Cardinal Chronicle
September 2009
Koester is on his way
By Jessica
Sanders
Football moves to class
3a
By Taylor
Soule
Class 4A football has
been a Newton High School
tradition for fans, students,
and staff alike for many
years, but that tradition
is about to undergo a big
change next year, as the
team will be making the
move to Class 3A. NHS
will be presented with new
teams and new challenges
for the upcoming 2010 football season, and although
the switch from playing
teams such as Dowling
and Valley will take some
adjustments, the Cards will
be ready to play their best in
Class 3A.
This change brings about
new teams from schools
with enrollment much
similar to that of NHS, but
will have no effect on the
number of athletes participating in football. NHS has
maintained a steady number
of students in the past few
years, while enrollment
at other schools such as
Waukee has skyrocketed
recently. Also, the NHS
football program eliminated
its sophomore team for the
2009 season, creating one
larger team consisting of
Varsity and Junior Varsity, in
preparation for the anticipated switch to Class 3A.
Some of the teams on next
year’s football schedule will
include Pella, Norwalk, and
Knoxville. One thing is
certain, no matter the class
or the opponent; the Cards
will work hard and strive for
a great football season.
College students are
student teaching all over the
United States. Newton High
school is one of the many
schools that allow teacher
bound college students to
come over and have a feel
of what it’s like to teach;
especially with sometimes
foolish high school students. NHS has the pleasure
of having Jordan Parker
Koester to student teach
with Miss Ward in Psychology and also in Mr. Mills’
U.S. History II class.
Koester is from Caramel,
Indiana, born April 19, 1986
and is about to graduate from Grinnell College
with hopes of becoming a
psychology teacher. Koester
chose Grinnell College because of their soccer team,
and of course he wants a
good education.
He says the reason
behind his desire to teach is,
“I like to teach adolescent
kids because you can make
a difference in their life.”
There may not be any other
members of his family in the
teaching field, but he is going for it full speed ahead.
Koester has two siblings,
a fraternal twin brother,
Justin, who is also a senior
at Grinnell College, and a
younger sister Rachael, who
is a freshman at Grinnell
College.
Koester is also a part
of the men’s soccer team
coaching staff at Grinnell
College.
Even though Koester
doesn’t have a specific
school in mind where he
would like to teach, his goal
is set on a school in either
central Iowa or Indiana.
Look out below!: Two NHS students repel down a temporary rock
wall in P.E. class during the week of September 14. Photo by Aaron
Andrew.
NHS adds time to school
day
By Kayla
Langmaid
Along with coming back
to school after a refreshing
summer vacation, everyone
was at some point informed
that the school schedule had
been changed. The automatic response may be, “What
is the logic behind adding
ten minutes to our school
day?” Jay DeZeeuw said,
“Mr. McDermott decided we
needed more instructional
school time.” Out of the
surrounding schools we had
one of the shortest school
day schedules. Another
factor in the changes was
that the elementary schools
wanted more learning time.
With a little resistance
from faculty members and
students alike the change
was made. Getting out
later can make things less
convenient. For instance,
the time change moves back
practices by fifteen minutes. The change could also
interfere with other things
after school if students have
jobs, etc. There are disadvantages with extending the
school day, but there are
slight advantages, including
being able to add on extra
time to fourth block classes.
This can help students by allowing more time to ak last
minute questions in class,
and they are able to understand their assignments,
which is beneficial.
Although we might dread
staying an extra ten minutes,
students have learned to
adjust to the time and will
soon not notice the longer
length.
September 2009
New exchange
student arrives in Newton
By Kendra
Kendall
2009 class officers Ian Day, Ray Barr, and Taylor Peska.
Photo by Kendra Kendall.
2009 Class Officers
elected
By Brandon
Cook
This year’s class officers
have been elected! They
are as follows: Ray Barr as
president, Ian Day as vice
president, and Taylor Peska
as secretary.
1. Are you excited about
being a class officer?
2. Why did you want the
position that you are?
Taylor Peska1. Yes, it’s exciting and
an honor.
2. I was sitting in the
hallway with some friends
and Jill Gearheart came and
scolded us because no one
had signed up. Also, my
sister was secretary and said
it was fun.
Ian Day
1. Yes, I am.
2. Because it would look
good on my resume, and I
want to be involved in commencement other than just
graduating.
Ray Barr
1. I’m glad I was elected
and happy to represent the
class of 2010.
2. I felt I was well
qualified for the position,
I believe myself to be an
eloquent speaker, and I have
the other leadership abilities
to be a class officer.
News - Page 3
Cardinal Chronicle
Jakub Cech is currently in
a foreign exchange program
here at Newton High School.
Jakub is from the Czech Republic. His normal day in
Czech includes attending
school from 8 a.m. to about
1:30 p.m.
In his free time he enjoys
hanging out with friends. He
is interested in swimming
and biking. Jakub is very
open minded about music.
He mostly enjoys rock and
hip-hop. Some of his favorite bands and singers include
Linkin Park, Pink, and Simple Plan.
In Czech Republic cities,
the housing is like our apartment buildings, split up into
sections for separate families
to occupy. Housing outside
of the cities is like the housing that we see on a daily
basis.
Jakub’s school in Czech
is much smaller than ours.
Their subjects include gym,
art classes, science, history,
and geography. Their classes
are arranged by age.
Obama Delivers
Controversial speech
By Paige Harsha
Barack Obama, President of
the United States, delivered
a controversial speech on
September seven 2009.
The 18 minute speech took
place in Arlington, Virginia
at Wakefield High School,
and was widely publicized.
Tim Spier, a student at
Wakefield, was the one to
introduce President Obama
in front of several video
cameras.
In his speech, Obama told
everyone about his experiences with homeschooling.
He discussed his childhood
in Indonesia, and how his
family had very little money
to send him to public school,
so his mother homeschooled
him for a few years. Of
course, Obama didn’t enjoy
waking up at 4:30 in the
morning to take lessons, so
whenever he complained,
his mothers exact words
were “This is no picnic for
me either, buster.”
Some parents were very
against their children watching the speech on television.
They claimed that Obama
was telling their children
what to do, and putting
wrong ideas in their heads.
Other parents supported
Obama’s ideas.
NHS cafeteria prices raised
By Madeleine
Joy
Many may have noticed
the increase in prices on the
food at NHS. Though some
may think it’s unfair, there
are many reasons behind the
raises. The biggest reason
is simply because the cost
of different food items
has gone up. Therefore,
students have to be charged
more money, otherwise the
school will lose money.
In fact, the school has
been losing money lately.
“The a la carte items have
been bundled into lunches,”
states Christy Croson, food
services supervisor. Croson
then went on to explain how
the new lunches are cheaper
than the a la carte items
used to be, so a la carte isn’t
bringing in as much money
as it used to.
The non-lunch items
have been raised on average by about 5%. “Some
were raised more than this
because they are convenience items, and we needed
to cover our cost on them,”
Croson informs. Though
they may have gone up in
price, they’re still reasonable. When compared to
concession stand prices,
the a la carte items are on
average 50 cents less. So
even though the raises may
seem like a pain in the butt,
they’re a lot better than they
could be.
Some may be wondering
if the prices of lunch and
other food items will keep
going up. Unfortunately, the
answer is yes. Because of
labor and food costs, they
have been going up every
year. “It’s been increasing by about four percent,”
Croson says. Croson also
gives students a heads-up.
“Next year we’re having new requirements and
guidelines with the lunch
program, and that could
cause an increase too.”
So the next time someone
is grumbling about the extra
money they have to dig out
of their pockets to buy that
ice cream sandwich, they
should know that it’s not
the school’s fault, and they
should be thankful that it’s
not as expensive as it could
be.
Page 4 - Features Cardinal Chronicle
September 2009
Buggin’ around
By Jessica
Sanders
Seperated at birth?: Kyle Lockhart (left), 2013, and Tyler Creemens, 2010. What do
you think?
Beating the Monday blues
By Taylor Soule
When the alarm clock
reads 6:00 on a Monday
morning, most students lethargically swat the snooze
button, hoping to drift back
into the weekend routine
of snoozing until noon and
staying up until the wee
hours of the morning. But
a harsh reality waits, as students must yank themselves
out of bed, make an attempt
at proper hygiene, and then
stumble off to school in a
Monday morning daze. Although Mondays catch most
students by surprise, these
tips and tricks can make everyone’s least favorite weekday a little more fun and a lot
more exciting.
*Creating a fun theme
for Mondays can give one
something to look forward
to and make the day a bit
more special. A seemingly
unspectacular Monday can
be transformed from drab to
fab by simply planning a trip
to the local theater to catch a
flick with family or friends.
Having a fun event to look
forward to each Monday
deafens some of the dread
usually paired with that ever-pleasant first day of the
school week.
*It’s amazing what effect
an outfit can have on one’s
mindset for the school day,
and wearing a favorite outfit
on Monday can jump-start
the week with a positive vibe.
Also, Monday is the perfect
day to display the bright colors and vivid patterns found
in one’s closet, as dark, drab
hues make one desire a nap
more than an A on a test.
*Another creative tip to
make Mondays more exciting is to pack a tasty treat
for an after school snack or
a favorite entrée for lunch.
When the clock reads 3:13
and the end of the school day
is finally official, a scrumptious treat is the perfect way
to reward oneself for surviving yet another Monday. Rewards like this create a sense
of accomplishment in the
triumphs and trials of Mondays.
*Jokes are an excellent
mood lifter any day of the
week, but they are especially
effective to bring oneself out
of the dumps on Mondays.
And although a joke may
seem “elementary school” to
many students, a silly rhyme
or crazy riddle can create
laughs for both the joker and
the listeners, lifting all spirits
alike. Making an effort to
learn a new joke for an upcoming week can add a little
fun and laughter to everyone’s Monday routine.
Unfortunately, Mondays
can’t be erased from the
calendar completely, so as
a student, one must learn to
cope with that ever-despised
day of the week. And with
these tricks and ideas, Monday can be transformed from
ordinary to fabulous.
One of the first big
projects of the school year
is on its way! Newton High
School biology classes have
started their annual insect
collection.
For this project students
must collect a minimum of
20 insects and have them
in specific orders in a box
given by the instructor with
labels for each insect. For
any biology teacher to even
consider giving out an “A”
one must have all of these
requirements completed by
the due date on September
29.
There are places for
students other than in the
Children’s Forest to look for
insects. For examples school
nurses around Newton will
gladly donate lice to students. Students don’t have
to look only around trees
or grassy areas, insects are
everywhere. Behind buildings and dumpsters are great
places to hunt for insects.
Some students might not
try to get a good grade on
this project because they
either don’t like to be outside or they would rather be
Above: Student example of a bug collection
indoors watching TV. (But
the students that like nature
and getting outdoors to
enjoy it and try very hard.)
The whole point of doing
an insect project, says Bill
Reed, science, “We do it to
learn, to make a scientific
collection and it’s a good
term project.” Plus, insects
are everywhere and they are
not an endangered species.
So a warning to Spring
biology classes: insects will
be collected no matter what
biology class, what teacherand even though one might
complain and whine about
it, one will have to suck it
up and deal with it.
September 2009
What’s the Deal With PBS Cards
This Year?
By Jessica Jolley
Positive Behavior Support is what the PBS cards
stand for. These cards have
come a long ways since the
starting of
last year. This year,
however, many changes
have occurred dealing with
the prizes, committee, and
where the cards
are to be turned in.
The committee this year
is led by Allison Provin,
foreign language, who is
also helped by many other
members. Some
changes include that
when you get a card you
don’t turn it in every time,
you collect them and when
you get to 10,
you can cash them in.
Another exciting change
is the drawings at the pep
Features - Page 5
Cardinal Chronicle
assemblies to win prizes like
t-shirts,
ice cream, Gatorade, 10
to 20 dollars of chamber
bucks, which are cards with
an amount on them and will
work in
most Newton stores. Special prizes are even thrown
in, like the race tickets that
were recently given out.
Over the first two weeks,
the school gave out over
$140.00. The committee
urges the students to come
to the monthly
meetings every first
Wednesday of the month in
the conference center after
school. “We would love to
have any
feedback or comments
from students, in order to
make the system better, especially since it is for them,”
said Mr. Scott, history.
PostSecret visits Iowa City
By Erin Suttek
& Hope
Simpson
For all of those who do
not know what PostSecret
is, it’s an ongoing community art project where
people send in their secrets
anonymously on one side
of a postcard. On every
coming Sunday, their
web-site (www.postsecret.
com) is updated with more
secrets, which are viewable
to anyone who is interested.
There are also a few books
published; the newest is,
“PostSecret Confessions on
Life, Death, and God.”
On August 25 of this
year, Frank Warren, the man
who created this project,
came to Iowa City to share
a little bit more about it than
what is told on the website
and in books. Nonetheless,
it was a life changing experience. There was laughter
and sorrow. He told attendees a little bit more background and how everything
got started, showed his favorite secrets, and in the end
allowed people in the crowd
to share their secret and ask
questions. Out of the few
hundred people, 15 or so got
the courage to tell their secrets at this giving moment.
A few that were told are “I
don’t remember if I told my
What’s Your Secret?: An example of a student’s secret
mother goodnight the night
before she died.” “I’ve tried
to commit suicide a number
of times and this last time,
I could not be more thankful for living.” “When I’m
walking past people I know,
I pretend to be on my phone
so I won’t have to talk to
them.” “When people make
me mad, I think of the book
I read when I was a kid,
‘Everyone Poops.’”
If ever given the change
to attend one of these
events, do not pass it up.
More than likely anyone
will enjoy it to every extent.
One more secret: this years’
yearbook theme is “Cardinal
Secrets,” so Cardinals, start
unraveling the secrets.
Page 6 - Cover story
Cardinal Chronicle
September 2009
80/35 takes summer by storm in downtown Des Moines
By Jake
McCulley
Des Moines’ 2nd annual
80/35 Music Festival took
place this summer on July
third and fourth. The headliners were diverse, from
hip-hop mainstays Public
Enemy to bluesy indiecountry act Ben Harper and
Relentless7. It also brought
in some of indie rock’s most
well respected acts, including Stephen Malkmus and
Broken Social Scene. Other
acts to hit the main stage
were the orthodox-jewhiphop-reggae Matisyahu,
G. Love and Special Sauce,
southern rock jam-band
New Monsoon, local heroes
Poison Control Center, the
poppy, bright, and weird
Tilly and the Wall, and the
unquestioned highlight of
the festival, Man Man.
I and a number of my
friends from Newton and
Des Moines arrived around
4 P.M. on Friday the third,
leaving us an hour to scope
out the scene before Tilly
and the Wall took the main
stage. There were dozens of
vendors and kiosks, offering a variety of unhealthy
food, unusual activities,
and free pencils, pens, tote
bags, pins, stickers, and the
like. We arrived at the main
stage in time to nab the front
row. Tilly and the Wall was
eccentrically dressed, and
played a peppy, sunshiny
mix of new wave and rock.
Matisyahu followed,
earning the most positive
audience response of the
night. Stephen Malkmus
took the stage next, playing
a short set. Although he
played many fan favorites,
the show felt slightly rushed
and wasn’t particularly
energetic.
Finally, Public Enemy prepared to perform.
Once the openers they had
brought along with them,
Heet Mob, finished, Public
Enemy got onstage. It was
a slightly sad performance,
because Flava Flav, one of
the most important members
of the band, had been hospitalized earlier that day.
The next day, while
Poison Control Center
opened the main stage,
local band Hanwell played
the free stage. Hanwell’s
band members include
Nate Hill, 2009, and Austin
Dunn, 2008, both of Newton Senior High School.
Other free stage highlights
included Maps and Atlases, Cymbals Eat Guitars,
Brother Ali, and The Envy
Corps.
Later in the day, I had
the good fortune to be in the
front row during the Man
One-man band Nevershoutnever! Blink-182 and other bands
take stage at River Riot in Des
releases new EP
Moines
The EP consists of 6
By Madeline Joy
Nevershoutnever! (yes,
the exclamation mark is
part of the name) is a one
man band that has become
popular recently. Christofer
Drew Ingle is the actual
name of the guy behind the
music. He lives in the town
of Joplin, Missouri. Ingle’s
biggest influence for his
music is the Beatles. Those
who enjoy the Beatles or
other bands from that era of
music would probably enjoy
Nevershoutnever!
Ingle’s newest EP, “The
Summer EP”, was released
on June 23.
songs, with another two
songs that aren’t on the
actual disk. There are songs
about love, hurt, and being
the best person you can be.
Some of the songs found on
this album include “Losing
It”, “On the Brightside”,
and Ingle’s previous single,
“Happy”. Ingle’s voice
is quite high pitched and
has a hint of innocence to
it. That, matched with his
upbeat songs can brighten
almost anyone’s day. Ingle
has yet to release any full
length albums, but one is
scheduled to be released
either late this fall or early
winter.
By Kayla
Langmaid
Another summer concert!
Everyone was raving over
the one and only Blink-182,
and how they were actually
in Council Bluffs, Iowa. On
August 16, music enthusiasts gathered at Westfair
Amphitheater anticipating
the arrival of one of the most
well-known
“punk-rock”
bands of the generation.
Hosted by the 89.7 radio station, the bands at the River
Riot included Blink-182,
Fall Out Boy, Panic at the
Disco, and Chester French.
The wait for the gates to
open took what seemed like
an eternity from arriving
at 12:00 p.m. and actually
entering the Amphitheater
at 4:00 p.m. With crowd
surfing and pushy people, I
somehow managed to keep
my front row-spot.
I, and with what was
thought to be at least 30,000
other people, watched in
amazement and listened.
By the time it was all over,
it was 11:30 p.m. or later.
Watching Blink-182 was my
favorite part of the whole
night being there. Seeing
famous musicians play always seems like a privilege
to me and a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Man show, which was easily
the most spirited and unique
show at the festival. It was
easy to see from the crowd’s
reaction that Man Man was
their favorite show. Broken
Social Scene was larger than
life, with as many as fifteen
band members on stage at a
time. Ben Harper closed the
festival, accumulating quite
a large crowd.
80/35 was a very exciting festival, including an
incredible variety of acts.
It is likely to return next
summer, and, at the risk
of editorializing, I highly
recommend it for anyone
who likes live music or a
good time.
The Devil
Wears Prada
amazes with
new CD
By Brandon
Cook
Over the summer, The
Devil Wears Prada came out
with an amazing CD. The
album is called “Root Above
Ground and Branches
Below.” It contains 11 brand
new songs, one of which is
named “Dez Moines.” The
CD contains mainly metal
core music, except “Louder
Than Thunder,” a soft song
with vocals by Jeremy, the
vocalist/guitarist.
The album has songs that
start out with a breakdown
such as “Big Wiggly Style”
or that start out with a guitar
solo like the song “Assistant
to the Regional Manager.”
There is a music video for
the song “Danger: Wildman,” which caused many to
find out that Mike, the lead
singer, has a missing tooth
in the front. The truth is that
he’s never had one, but he
has worn a retainer to cover
it. That retainer was broken
during the Sweet Brag Tour
at the beginning of 2009.
He is still able to create an
amazing scream, and for all
you metal core fans, this is
the CD for you.
September 2009
Cover Story - Page 7
Cardinal Chronicle
Music celebration “515 Alive!” takes place in
Des Moines
By Hope Simpson & Makenzie
Davis
515 Alive! is a musical
festival consisting of good
tunes, good food, and great
friends.
The event started on
August 8, 2009 at 4:00 in
the afternoon and carried on
until 12:30 in the morning.
Grand Ave, in downtown
Des Moines, was packed
full of friendly people there
to enjoy the three stages of
bands. A few of them which
included Heatbox, The
Jungle Brothers, DJ Flash,
Thee-O, and DJ Icey.
Not only was there
music, but there were also
many other things to enjoy.
Dancing was certainly one
of them. Many people, old
and young, could be found
getting their groove on.
There were also blocked
off sections of the street
where people were playing with fire, and flinging
it around their bodies on
strings and hoops. Many
people would form circles
and a lot of inhabitants
to the group would throw
themselves in for a good
break dancing session.
All in all, it was an
amazing celebration, and if
one ever gets the chance to
attend, do so.
One won’t regret it.
The psychos of Ludo release new CD
By Jessica Stout
For anyone who has ever
listened to Ludo before, you
probably know that vocalist
Andrew Volpe could be considered a total goofball or
clinically insane. Examples:
“Good Will Hunting By Myself” from their first record,
Ludo, which could easily be
considered the best break up
song ever written, and “The
Horror Of Our Love” from
last year’s You’re Awful, I
Love You, which is as creepy
as it sounds.
Don’t fear, Ludo-fanatics! The power-pop quartet
is back, with the loss of their
bassist, crazier than ever. On
Broken Bride, out September 29th, more light is shone
on their psychopathic (and
ADD) styles of writing, with
a big ol’ heap of rock-pop on
the side. Delicious.
Five tracks have been
released on their website,
LudoRock.com. Upon first
listen, it doesn’t sound like
Ludo, or the Ludo that I’ve
come to know and love. It
sounds like Volpe signed on
to an Aiden/Friendly Fires
super-group (if you don’t
know either one of those
bands, look them up and
you’ll know what I’m talking about). But once you
really sit down and listen to
Broken, it sounds like Ludo,
just a little crisper around the
edges.
On the title track “Part
I: Broken Bride,” right off
the bat, Volpe proves to fans
how fast he can really talk/
sing (which, for the record,
is really, really freakin’ fast).
Each song proves weirder
than the last, with the exception of “Save Our City,” a
fast-paced song about trying
to fight a system when you
just feel so small (which is
something we can all relate
to, am I right?!). On “Part
II: Tonight’s the Night,” the
band reach back into their
roots of synths, poppy guitar and a hard kick drum.
“Part III: The Lamb and the
Dragon” snap us back into
reality about how psychotic
they can be, with a screaming intro leading strait into a
country-bluegrass lick. Yeah,
it confused me too.
The best part about a
Ludo record is that they always have one or two tracks
that remind us how human,
for lack of a better term, they
really are. “Part IV: Morning
in May” is a piano-led ballad
about a lover leaving once
again, and deciding to go
with them. It could actually
be a really relatable song,
with lyrics like “They try to
console me / but you’re the
only consolation I ever needed.”
It can seem confusing,
how Ludo can take so many
genres, sounds and absolutely anything you could turn
into a lyric, smash them together and pop out a great record. They’ll probably go on
to top it, and by then maybe
half of the band members
will have gotten psychiatric
help.
Let’s hope not.
Panda Bear comes out of
hibernation to release
latest CD
By Nate Hill
From the Gregorian
Chant-like stomp of “Comfy
in Nautica” to the hushed
contemplation of “Ponytail”,
Person Pitch is a record of
childlike optimism. Fresh
off the chaotic, spastic
freak-pop of Animal Collective’s Strawberry Jam,
Panda Bear (Noah Lennox)
has emerged from a period
of musical hibernation, with
a glistening set of hipster
hymns in tow--and they’re
beautifully challenging.
The main melody of opener
“Comfy in Nautica” comfortably surfaces
from the haze of a
textured chorus loop, and
envelops the listener in a Pet
Sounds-like wall of sound;
however, like many of the
tracks on Person Pitch,
‘Nautica’’s extravagance
doesn’t result from complexity. Instead, Lennox
concocts a simple formula:
he implements an obscure
sample (like Cat Stevens’
“I’ve Found a Love”),layers
lulling, singalong vocals,
and progressively ties the
loose parts together. “Bros”
is a prime example of Lennox’s elementary structure:
he introduces The Tornadoes’ “Red Roses and a Sky
of Blue” as a backdrop, and
supplements it with a grade
school round: “I’m not
trying to forget you/I just
like to be alone/come and
give me the space I need/
And you may find that we’re
alright,” he sings. Throughout the sample-laden record,
Lennox never loses sight of
his personal mantras -- in
“Nautica” he finds “Coolness in having courage,” and
in “Ponytail” he realizes that
“When my soul starts growing/never will stop caring.”
As evidenced on Person
Pitch, Lennox is no supreme
wordsmith, philosopher, or
virtuoso by any means; he is
adept, however, at creating
refined, California tunes.
With sunny, euphoric, Beach
Boys-esque vocals, Person
Pitch is everything 60’s
folk-pop aspired to be, and
everything “unique” today’s
hipsters strive for. Just grant
it a few listens, and it’s sure
to reward you.
Page 8 - Opinion
Cardinal Chronicle
September 2009
How formal is too formal?
Newton High School
hosts two important dances
each year, Homecoming
and Prom. Homecoming is
a semi-formal dance, while
Prom is formal. There is
a significant difference
between semi-formal and
formal, but over the years
students have been putting
the two dances together and
creating one. A semi-formal
event, like homecoming, is
one to attend dressed nicely,
as in no jeans and t-shirts,
but not wearing a 400 dollar
dress, or a tuxedo for the
guys. A formal event is one
to attend wearing a “ball
gown”, a longer, more formal dress. Homecoming is
a semi-formal for a reason,
and it should stay that way.
There is no need for two
formal dances each year,
only one, which Prom has
covered. With the economy
the way that it is right now,
girls don’t need to be pressured into buying two pricey
dresses each year, and guys
don’t need to spend money
on tuxedo rentals. There
are plenty of stores students
can shop at to get their
Homecoming dress without
spending more than 40 or 50
dollars.
Every year homecoming
is becoming more and more
formal, and it needs to be
put to an end. It has gone
from nice pants and shirts to
short dinner dresses, to party
dresses, and now moving towards floor length dresses-a
major problem. Things need
to start moving in the other
direction. Homecoming
is meant for shorter party
dresses, so it should be kept
that way.
Drama trauma
Seniors, it’s our last year!
Drop the drama and lose
the lies, soon enough we
won’t even know each other
anymore.
Everyone knows that
high school is all about rumors and dramatic instances. Ever since kindergarten
when hypothetical Billy
peed his pants on the playground, all the way up to
senior year when boyfriends
cheat on girlfriends and exes
become extreme.
Yet, think about it: is any
of your ranting and raving
really necessary? It is just
high school, kids.
We’re about to start the
biggest adventure of our
lives, we’re movin’ out!
College, dorms, exams,
moral decisions; this is
huge!
Maybe our present lives
now seem intense, but when
the Editor in Chief of the
New York Times is breathing down your neck for
your story to meet deadline,
it seems as if that may be
slightly more important
than who did what Saturday
night.
It’s high school-live,
learn, and let it all go.
A dark shade of green
While I can’t speak for
everyone, few of us think
beyond the curb when we
fill those signature cherryred bins with recyclables and
set them out for collection
each week. We might groan
or complain, irritated that
we gave up our place on the
couch to take out the trash.
Others are a little more eager, the “eco-friendly” stance
is a popular one among adolescents, and that’s wonderful. However, there is a dark
side to the “green” phenomenon – a bad economy and a
lack of resources often point
to reductions in spending,
rather than reductions of
our carbon footprint. Upon
investigation, it becomes apparent that the business of
reducing and reusing isn’t a
simple cycle.
The graveyard shift: often
left to factory employees or
late-night stock associates,
it’s less than desirable. Factor
in year-round exposure to the
elements and grueling physical labor, and you’ve got the
work of a recycler. Needless
to say, the occupation isn’t
glamorous, and jobs are continuously in-demand. The
work demands a lifestyle of
little sleep and often little reward – how many of us appreciate or even consider the
person collecting our paper
and plastic? Very few.
It may not be the best
job – but someone’s got to
do it, and those who recycle
often do so with pride. After
a night’s work is complete,
recyclables are thoroughly
sorted, compacted and bailed,
and then…? With larger processing facilities overloaded,
bails of recycled materials
often sit for large periods of
time, dormant.
Because small towns lack
the resources to turn your
stack of newspapers into a
lunch bag, these cube-like
bails must be bought… and
the market isn’t at its best.
It’s a common misconception
that economically responsible businesses are booming
due to recent awareness. In
fact, this conscientiousness
has caused an overwhelming
surplus in many major processing plants, affected much
the same by a poor economy
as anyone else. In the meantime… after that paper, tin,
and cardboard is technically
recycled, it may have a long
time to wait before it is, in
fact, reused -- and the best
idea may be, after all, to simply reduce.
September 2009
Rock the vote, on your own terms
On August 10, 2008, Pete
Wentz released a downloadable mixtape entitled
“Welcome to the New
Administration”, encouraging listeners to vote. The
mixtape included most
bands and artists on Wentz’s
Decaydance record label,
most rooting for senator
Obama (as apparent in the
Hush Sound’s “We Believe
(In Barak Obama)”. Wentz
was also constantly lobbying for Senator Obama (to
the point where I wanted
to slap him with a “Yes We
Can” banner).
Jonathon Cook of the
band Forever the Sickest
Kids posted a blog on the
band’s MySpace criticizing
senator Obama for removing the American flag logo
from his plane, and making
it clear he was a senator
McCain supporter; the blog
became one of the most
visited in the week it was
posted.
And, of course, the infamous Dixie Chicks/President Bush incident in 2003.
Everywhere we turn, musicians and celebrities voice
their opinion, loudly I might
add, about who they support
in absolutely any campaign,
or what they think of scandal after political scandal.
Now, I’m probably like
everyone else when it comes
to political opinions; I’m
a die-hard Democrat and
Obama supporter, that firmly
believes that he can make
a difference in our country,
not just as a black man, but
as a strong, level-headed
Democrat (a refreshing
change to the, uh, leadership
Opinion - Page 9
Cardinal Chronicle
and well thought-out actions
of ex-president George W.
Bush). But while I supported Obama, senator McCain
made some good points
that I agreed with (with the
exception of bobble-head
Sarah Palin as his vice-president choice).
And any political figure
caught in a mistress or drug
scandal is an idiot. But that’s
another story.
When it comes to voicing
our own opinions, we’re
all equal. It’s a little thing
called ‘free speech.’ But
don’t let anyone else’s free
speech take over your own!
Sure, your mind can change
if someone states a logical
way of thinking that would
lead you down another path
of a different decision. But
if you think a certain way
because, oh, say, you wear
their t-shirt, that’s just being
a follower, a drone to trends
and conformities. And no
one wants to be a drone, am
I right? I know I don’t.
Everyone’s opinions
matter and most everyone’s
opinions are heard with
the technological advancements that have been made
over the past ten years, with
blogs, MySpace, Facebook,
Twitter, blah blah blah and
all that glitz and jazz. Some
opinions are just heard louder than others. But being
an empowered individual
means thinking for yourself and making your own
decisions on what you stand
for and believe in. Don’t let
your hero choose what you
believe in for you.
Unless you want to be a
drone. Then by all means!
Author’s Note: I feel a
bit of a need to explain this
article. While it probably
would’ve been better suited
for this time last year, during
the time of the 2008 presidential elections, the fact is
that politics and musicians/
celebrities/figures of power
go hand-in-hand for fans all
of the time. A lot of people
don’t think for themselves.
Thinking for yourself and
deciding your future is probably the strongest thing you
can do for yourself.
Who wears short shorts?
It seems as if every
passing year the dress-code
rules and regulations get a
little more strict, for some
students anyway. “Those
shorts are too short,” or “too
much cleavage is showing.”
What bothers me is getting
sent home for my attire, and
seeing multiple students
wearing something inappropriate; or even worse,
the staff wearing something
with slightly more skin
showing. I also tend to
notice that certain sports
uniforms are a little risqué
and improper. When it’s not
evenly enforced among everyone, outfits aren’t likely
to change.
It’s understandable if it’s
distracting to others and is
taking their minds off of
school, but honestly, we all
see things a lot worse once
we step outside the doors
of Newton High School at
3:13 everyday. If it’s not
fair throughout the whole
student body and staff, then
why have a dress code?
You cannot expect specific
people to change their ways,
when no one else is.
Small-town Iowa High School Journalists: The editors of the Chronicle pose for their
dear photographer, John Wells. From the left, Madeleine Joy 2011, Erin Suttek, 2010,
Jessica Sanders, 2011, Taylor Soule, 2011, Jessica Stout, 2011, Jake McCulley, 2011,
Brandon Cook, 2010, Kendra Kendall, 2011, Lauren McCollum, 2010, and Kayla
Langmaid, 2011. Photo by John Wells.
Contact Info:
807 S. 6th Ave. W.
Newton, IA 50208
(641) 792-5809
Editors:
-Taylor Soule: Editor-in-Chief
-Erin Suttek: Managing Editor
-Jessica Stout: Features Editor
-Jake McCulley: Opinion
Editor
-Kayla Langmaid: News Editor
-Brandon Cook: Sports Editor
-Madeleine Joy: Graphics/
Photo Editor
-Kendra Kendall and Jessica
Sanders: Business/Advertising
Managers
-Lauren McCollum: Co-editorin-Chief/Graphics Editor
Reporters:
-Kelsey Colbert
-Makenzie Davis
-Jessica Jolley
-Hannah Long
-Hope Simpson
-Matt Ventling
-John Wells
Adviser:
-Lisa Calvin
Page 10 - Sports
Cardinal Chronicle
Cardinals defeated, but not
without a fight
By John
Wells
The Cardinal’s first game
they played Council Bluffs
Abraham Lincoln. Devin
Hugen, 2011, had a great
game. Hugen had 99 yards
on just eight attempts, and
had a long run for his only
touchdown of the game.
Ben Schober, 2010, had the
only other touchdown of the
night. Schober, 2010, went
39 yards on eight attempts.
“We just need to regroup
and refocus on what we have
to do to get better. We have
good senior leadership and
these kids won’t quit.”
Then, on September 4,
2009 The Newton Cardinals
played a tough game against
Ottumwa.
Ira Mitchell,
2011, had a solid game with
50 yards for 10 attempts and
two touchdowns. Mitchell
said “The offensive lice did
well opening up holes for me
and that allowed me into get
in the endzone.”
The cardinals were solid
at running the ball with 128
yards total. Devin Hugen,
2011, did well at his passing.
Hugen passed for 59 yards
and had five completions
on nine attempts. The cardinals lost a tough game 42
– 17. On September 25 the
cardinals will play host to
Fort Dodge and look to win
a Homecoming game for the
first time in two years.
September 2009
Girls’ Volleyball showing
improvement
By Kelsey
Colbert
Volleyball season is
back, and the Cardinal
girls are back on the
court. They’re off to
a rocky start, but the
community and the
team itself are all hoping for a strong season
when it’s all said and
done.
Coach Kim Florke
is faithful in her team,
even though they
struggled in their home
game against Nevada.
The final scores of those
games were 25-12, 2519, and 25-18. Overall,
the girls played a decent
game. Coach Florke
says, “We played the toughest part of our schedules and
look forward to the rest of
our conference matches.” Be
sure to go out and support
the Cardinal volleyball girls.
Spike!: Emily Hoboheindrich,
2010, shows who’s the boss.
Photo By Brandon Cook.
The power house: Ira Mitchell,
2011, is handed the ball, determined to make some yardage.
Photo By Brandon Cook.
Move over!: Ben Shober, 2010, plows
over anyone in his way. Photo By Brandon Cook.
And it’s good!: Matt Easley, 2012, is
looking very good at kicker. Photo By
Brandon Cook.
Bump it!: Casey Croson, 2011,
saves the ballfrom hitting the
ground. Photo By Brandon
Cook.
Get out of my face!: Carrington
Mitchell, 2010, spikes the ball to
the other side of the net. Photo
By Brandon Cook.
September 2009
NCMP swimmers off to a great
start
By Hannah
Long
Girl’s swimming and
diving season is here once
again, and as expected the
NCMP Aquagirls are off to
a great start. Coaching the
team again this year is Coach
Sarah Patterson with Coach
Chris Forsyth at her side.
NCMP has a large number
of girls swimming this year,
making this a strong point by
Patterson, “We have 40 girls
out this year which means
we can fill every spot at a
dual meet, which is great!”
she said.
The Aquagirls started the
season out on the right foot,
taking home an invite title
for the first time in 16 years.
“The girls have great work
ethics, attitudes and started
the season out ready to go,”
said Patterson. The Aquagirls battled it out at Dowling but couldn’t get enough
points to put another win on
the board. They had a great
come back at home later that
week though, plowing over
Indianola and Grinnell in
both JV, and Varsity. Sophomore Ellen Colville also reset her own 200 individual
medley school record by
over a second.
After taking a week off
from meets and filling it
with challenging practices,
the Aquagirls battled out the
Dowling Sprint Classic finishing in second out of seven
teams. It came right down to
the last event when the Aquagirls were tied with Dowling for third which was the
goal place to finish in. The
last event was the 25 sprint,
which Lindsey Hook, 2011,
Stephanie Griffith, 2011, and
Taylor Quayle, 2012, were
participating in. Quayle took
first with Hook and Griffith
close behind in fifth and seventh. The Aquagirls ended
with enough points to pull
ahead of both Dowling and
Ankeny, ending the meet on
a strong point.
The girls swimming
season has many weeks to
come, leaving room for improvement. They have high
goals set, hoping to set a
couple more school records,
beat Lincoln, place well at
the Valley Tiger Tanker, and
send as many girls as possible to the State meet. The
Aquagirls have more exciting meets to come, and hope
to get as many fans as possible out to support them.
Let’s take a dive: Swimmer, Lindsey Hook, 2011, dives all out.
Photo By Brandon Cook.
Sports - Page 11
Cardinal Chronicle
Boys
Golf strives to improve in
2009 season
Coming through
By Jessica
Sanders
Look out: Girls’ Cross
Country runners are coming
through. The squad includes
eleven runners who are
focused on being the best.
With all of the talent no one
is worrying about the girls
not making Newton High
School proud.
The top spot for the last
several seasons has been
controlled by Abby Reed,
who is running again this
season in the top spot. With
Katie Ranard running in the
second spot and dropping
her scores each meet, she
could be the next top runner
for Newton High School’s
cross country team. But the
biggest bombshell is freshmen Josie Thurman: Josie
was never a cross country
runner in middle school, but
yet she has taken over the
third spot.
The Girls’ Cross Country
is always looking for more
dedicated runners who enjoy
distance running, according
to Coach Mike Castings.
The biggest fear of Cross
Country running is accepting the personal challenge.
You can control the outcome
by what you did to prepare
for the meet. To attempt to
improve this season there
are two areas that Coach
Castings wants to focus on,
one being mental focus and
the other is goal setting. So
this season get out and go
support our Girls’ Cross
Country team.
By Matt
Ventling
The Newton Boys Golf
team has been working
hard so far this season.
Coached by Pat Riley and
Scott Enyart, the team has
quite a few new faces, all
brimming with talent. The
Varisty team includes Austin
Shores, 2013, Zach Jones,
2012, Brian Rose, 2012,
Jake Dettman, 2011, Cole
Smith, 2012, James Leonard, 2013, Austin Cowman,
2012, and Josh Smith, 2012.
“These guys have a lot of
potential,” said Coach Riley
when asked about the new
members of the team.
So far the team has competed against many of the
toughest opponents in the
state including Valley, Waukee, Ottumwa, and Ankeny.
Though the Cardinals have
struggled this season, Coach
Riley has stated that their
meet results have steadily
been improving as the year
progresses.
Coming up in October:
Boys’ Cross Country season
highlights.
Take it for the team!: Abby
Reed, left, 2011, takes first
for the Cardinals. Photo By
Brandon Cook.
So much enthusiasm!: Colten McDermott, 2010, Mitch Roush,
2011, and Joseph Lothe, 2011, all pose in their own way for the
camera. They are three of the top four runners for the Cardinals.
Photo By Brandon Cook.
Cardinal Chronicle
Junk of the month
Summer 2009 CD releases
By Jessica Stout
Did anyone notice how
much their pile of CD’s
grew over the summer? Or
how one had to delete about
10,000 songs just to make
room for 10,000 more?!
*raises my hand* I did! And
if you didn’t, you probably
live under a rock with one
copy of Abbey Road and a
record player with a broken
needle. In which case
you are a sad, musicallydeprived creature (although
Abbey Road is awesome).
Here’s a list of music
that came out over June,
July and August, including
who it is, what they put out,
and who gobbles up all the
money from the sales (the
record labels). I tried to be
as un-biased as possible
(although it was a bit of a
stretch to put Miley Cyrus
on the list), but if there
were any that I missed, LET
ME KNOW! New music is
coming out all the time, and
even I, the knower of all (I
wish) will miss a few.
JUNE
Beyonce (I Am… Sasha
Fierce, Columbia)
Black Eyed Peas (The
E.N.D., Interscope)
The Cab (The Lady Luck
EP, Decaydance)
Dave Matthews Band
(Big Whiskey and the
GrooGrux King, RCA
Records)
Hit the Lights (Coast to
Coast, Triple Crown)
There for Tomorrow (A
Little Faster, Hopeless)
Taking Back Sunday
(New Again, Victory)
Less Than Jake (GNV
FLA, Sleep It Off)
BrokeNCYDE (I’m Not
a Fan, But the Kids Like It!,
Suburban Noize)
Nevershoutnever! (The
Summer EP, self-released)
Green Day (1997’s Nimrod, Reprise)
Jonas Brothers (Lines,
Vines and Trying Times,
Hollywood)
Wilco (Wilco: The Album, Nonsuch)
JULY
Billy Boy On Poison
(Drama Junkie Queen,
Ironworks)
Kid Cudi (A Kid Named
Cudi, self-released)
Daughtry (Leave This
Town, Sony BMG)
Against Me! (The
Original Cowboy, Fat Wreck
Cords)
NoFX (Coaster, Fat
Wreck Cords)
Poison the Well (Tropic
Riot, Ferret)
Set Your Goals (This
Will Be the Death of Us,
Epitaph)
Green Day (2000’s Warning, Reprise)
AUGUST
Cobra Starship (Hot
Mess, Fueled By Ramen)
Airborne Toxic Event
(Airborne Toxic Event,
Island)
All Time Low (Nothing
Personal, Hopeless)
Between The Trees
(Spain, self-released)
Tail Feathers - Page 12
September 2009
By Kelsey
Colbert
Family Force 5 (Dance
Or Die With A Vengeance,
Tooth And Nail)
Owl City (Ocean Eyes,
Island)
Green Day (2001’s International Superhits!, Reprise)
Miley Cyrus (The Time
Of Our Lives, Hollywood)
We’ve all seen them; the
cars that you can’t believe
even make it out of the
parking lot. I’ve been on
a search for the best of the
worst: the downright ugly.
This month, I came across
the 1991 Chevy Lumina
owned by Michaela Wood,
2011. What makes her car
the front runner in our hunt
for junk? For starters, her
driver side window will not
roll up and is held up by
duct tape, which is not the
most stable way to hold it
up, considering the fact that
it repeatedly falls down with
or without it.
The passenger side door
can only be opened from the
inside of the car. Just when
you think things couldn’t
get any worse, the gas gauge
and speedometer do not
work. It also doesn’t start
sometimes, which makes
getting from point A to point
B a bit difficult at times.
Wood says she’s just glad
because she’s not going
to have it much longer.
Note: Throughout the
course of this year, Green
Day has been releasing their
entire catalog on vinyl, starting with 1990’s 39/Smooth
and 1992’s Kerplunk on
March 24 and ending with
2005’s live set Bullet In
A Bible on November
24. 2009’s 21st Century
Breakdown was released on
vinyl along with its May CD
release.
Thumbs up!: Michaela Wood, 2011, poses next to her hunk ‘o junk in the school
parking lot. Photo by Kelsey Colbert, 2011.
What’s your favorite Homecoming event?
By Jessica
Stout
every challenge must be
conquered by someone!
Two hundred NHS stuTrying to find out what
dents were asked what they
people got most excited
were looking forward to this
about for Homecoming was Homecoming, and these
a little tough. Trying to get are the results. Thanks to
a serious answer out of any everyone who participated
high schooler, especially at and gave a serious answer.
the mention of partying, is a It was greatly appreciated.
bit of a challenge. Most peo- Remember to be safe, have
ple’s answers were somefun, and don’t do anything
thing that can’t be printed
your grandma wouldn’t apin the newspaper. However, prove of.