The Signal May 2016

6
May 2016 Volume 91 Issue 9 Buzzing For More News? Check out more of our stories and ‘like’ our Facebook page at cbjacketjournalism. Follow #TJPride Or follow us on Twitter @TJHSJournalism Bell schedule changes finalized for next year Adriana Ibarra Reporter Page 1 Morgan Barth Reporter Also in this paper... omas Jefferson’s Environmental Club has made plans to add in a new greenhouse and aquaponic system to their campus. Sophomore Jaden Dofner, had an idea for his TAG Seminar class to create a garden so students can learn how to make their own food. ere was a discussion between science teachers David Kaeding and Adam Moon to build a greenhouse with an additional aquaponic system. “Mr. Moon found an organization in Omaha, Whispering Roots,” said English Enviromental club introduced, will include greenhouse next year Superintendent Dr. Martha Bruckner and the CBCSD School Board came to the conclusion that changing the start and end times for schools would help save the district money as soon as next school year. Starting this fall, the TJ and AL school day will start at 8:10 a.m. and end at 3:10 p.m. for Tuesday through Friday classes. According to an email Dr. Bruckner sent to the CBCSD staff, this is the most efficient way to save just over $400,000. Changing the times will result in using fewer buses. By doing this, each bus can be used the greenhouse. Also, despite it being for the students who are involved in chemistry and science classes, all students will be allowed to come and see the Greenhouse also. ere was a meeting held at 3:00, Wednesday May 3rd, in room C 313 for any students who wanted to learn more about the installation of the Greenhouse and Aquaponic System. Although the greenhouse location has not been decided, Busch believes it will be built on the West side of the school next to the tennis courts. With the plans of building it on the West Side, it will allow the Greenhouse to take in more sunlight, and that will lower costs for the school. “We do have plans to install a solar panel at some point, which we hope will allow us to keep the greenhouse up and running for a longer chunk of time each year.” Busch said. Students from the Environmental Club will be held accountable for taking care of Page 3: Division I ratings for TJ music departments Unsafe school precautions Secret life of an American teacher Page 2: New after school program coming to TJ New CB city image reveal Mrs. Hoag wins CBCSD honor teacher, Elizabeth Busch. “ey will come in and install the aquaponics system in our school’s greenhouse when built and will help with creating the program.” Busch, had explained that there will be an aquaponic system installed in Mr. Moon’s room so the teachers can learn how it works and how to use it. Eventually, the same system will be installed in the greenhouse as well. “It will be in Mr. Moon’s room. at way kids can maintain it and see how it works, and we can get our greenhouse built.” said Busch. for three routes instead of two. is also decreases the need to employ the number of bus drivers and lease as many buses. “It shouldn’t change a whole a lot how we operate as a high school. It will probably help out Zero Hour classes a lot just with the 20 minute difference,” said omas Jefferson principal Todd Barnett. In addition to the high school bell schedule change, elementary schools will now go from 8:55 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., and middle schools will go from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dr. Bruckner concluded in her address to staff that there was an attempt to find cost-saving measures that do not impact class size or student opportunities. e school board upheld the decision on the May 24th meeting. “We do have plans to install a solar panel at some point, which we hope will allow us to keep the greenhouse up and running for a longer chunk of time each year.” -Mrs. Elizabeth Busch A clock in the C-wing will show a different time to start first hour come next fall. Derrick Johnson/The Signal Page 4: ’Views’ review Captain America: Civil War review Remembering Prince Page 5: Baseball and softball season preview Summer sports schedules Tennis recap Page 6: Tradition of cap and gowns Political race update Ms. Ettinger’s bullying lessons Senior key calendar dates

description

The Signal is the student-published newspaper for Thomas Jefferson High School in Council Bluffs, IA.

Transcript of The Signal May 2016

Page 1: The Signal May 2016

May 2016 Volume 91 Issue 9Buzzing For

More News?

Check out more of our stories and ‘like’ our

Facebook page at cbjacketjournalism.

Follow #TJPride

Or follow us on Twitter @TJHSJournalism

Bell schedule changes finalized for next yearAdriana Ibarra

Reporter

Page 1

Morgan BarthReporter

Also in this paper...

Thomas Jefferson’s Environmental Club has made plans to add in a new greenhouse and aquaponic system to their campus.

Sophomore Jaden Dofner, had an idea for his TAG Seminar class to create a garden so students can learn how to make their own food. There was a discussion between science teachers David Kaeding and Adam Moon to build a greenhouse with an additional aquaponic system.

“Mr. Moon found an organization in Omaha, Whispering Roots,” said English

Enviromental club introduced, will include greenhouse next year

Superintendent Dr. Martha Bruckner and the CBCSD School Board came to the conclusion that changing the start and end times for schools would help save the district money as soon as next school year. Starting this fall, the TJ and AL school day will start at 8:10 a.m. and end at 3:10 p.m. for Tuesday through Friday classes.

According to an email Dr. Bruckner sent to the CBCSD staff, this is the most efficient way to save just over $400,000.

Changing the times will result in using fewer buses. By doing this, each bus can be used

the greenhouse. Also, despite it being for the students who are involved in chemistry and science classes, all students will be allowed to come and see the Greenhouse also.

There was a meeting held at 3:00, Wednesday May 3rd, in room C 313 for any students who wanted to learn more about the installation of the Greenhouse and Aquaponic System.

Although the greenhouse location has not been decided, Busch believes it will be built on the West side of the school next to the tennis courts. With the plans of building it on the West Side, it will allow the Greenhouse to take in more sunlight, and that will lower costs for the school.

“We do have plans to install a solar panel at some point, which we hope will allow us to keep the greenhouse up and running for a longer chunk of time each year.” Busch said.

Students from the Environmental Club will be held accountable for taking care of

Page 3:Division I ratings for TJ music departmentsUnsafe school precautionsSecret life of an American teacher

Page 2:New after school program coming to TJNew CB city image revealMrs. Hoag wins CBCSD honor

teacher, Elizabeth Busch. “They will come in and install the aquaponics system in our school’s greenhouse when built and will help with creating the program.”

Busch, had explained that there will be an aquaponic system installed in Mr. Moon’s room so the teachers can learn how it works and how to use it. Eventually, the same system will be installed in the greenhouse as well.

“It will be in Mr. Moon’s room. That way kids can maintain it and see how it works, and we can get our greenhouse built.” said Busch.

for three routes instead of two. This also decreases the need to employ the number of bus drivers and lease as many buses.

“It shouldn’t change a whole a lot how we operate as a high school. It will probably help out Zero Hour classes a lot just with the 20 minute difference,” said Thomas Jefferson principal Todd Barnett.

In addition to the high school bell schedule change, elementary schools will now go from 8:55 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., and middle schools will go from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Dr. Bruckner concluded in her address to staff that there was an attempt to find cost-saving measures that do not impact class size or student opportunities.

The school board upheld the decision on the May 24th meeting.

“We do have plans to install a solar panel at some point, which we hope will allow us to keep the greenhouse up and running for a longer chunk of time each year.”

-Mrs. Elizabeth Busch

A clock in the C-wing will show a different time to start first hour come next fall.Derrick Johnson/The Signal

Page 4:’Views’ reviewCaptain America: Civil War reviewRemembering Prince

Page 5:Baseball and softball season previewSummer sports schedulesTennis recap

Page 6:Tradition of cap and gownsPolitical race updateMs. Ettinger’s bullying lessonsSenior key calendar dates

Page 2: The Signal May 2016

Page 2

Adriana IbarraReporter

Council Bluffs used to be know as Iowa’s leading edge. However, not many students would know that. It’s always been the little city across the river from Omaha, Nebraska. Now things are changing as we are embrace our UN.

“Unlike anywhere else on purpose” is the new image for Council Bluffs. Unleash your “UN” has been chosen for the celebrate CB theme.

This campaign has been talked about amongst core team members since 2015. The core team members are community members including the mayor and other city representatives.

“Sometimes to find out who you are, you have to find out who you are not,” is part of the message brought by the campaign. Core team member and journalism advisor Rob Lindquist says “This campaign is really for the kids as much as anybody else. This is theirs to carry on and to own. Hopefully, people embrace this and be

proud of where they are from.”The launch was on May

13th at Stir Cove. The theme continued to Saturday throughout the parade. You will continue to see it throughout the

city. Now that Council Bluffs has

it’s own brand it is time to show that we are proud to be here, and embrace our UN.

TJ’s Mrs. Hoag wins CBCSD Teacher of the Year

21st Century Grant funds new after school program

Derrick Johnson Editor-in-Chief

Starting next fall, TJ and AL will be having a new after school program that will help kids gain access to career information while also being involved in extracurricular activities. The $300,000 21st century community learning center grant will give all high school students the opportunity to job shadow, train on site, and learn from professionals in various career fields.

Some of the suggested services include drug and violence prevention programs, counseling programs, art, music, and recreation programs, technology education programs, and even more.

Both the middle schools and elementary schools have already received grants which have proven to be successful. Bringing the idea to older students with the help of IWCC is thought to jumpstart their futures.

“We do have two ideas already on the books for the summer, the first is at IWCC for juniors and seniors and we’re looking at 4 of the 16 career paths,” said the 21st century grant program director,

Sandra Day. Each career path will have problem solving workshops, followed by lunch and job shadowing.

Along with the program, TJ will receive a in-school advisor that will help maintain the program with the help of teachers who choose to volunteer. Also, AL and TJ will most likely mesh in some areas in order to keep the students around as many peers who share similar interests as possible.

The program will help bring trade school aspects to CBCSD, as well as help improve the odds that all students can be ready for college or the workforce after they graduate.

“The coolest thing about this is that the grant requires that you guys [students] are the ‘drivers’,” said Day. “We ask the students and their parents to see what they’re interested in.”

A student leadership committee will actually take

place eventually in partnership with the new program so that students can constantly add their input and make the services better fit their tastes.

Funding for the program will start July 1st, and additional money will be put into it as time goes on.

If you are interested, contact Sandra Day at [email protected] or speak with Principal Mr. Barnett.

New Council Bluffs city image is UNlike anywhere else

Editor-in-ChiefDerrick Johnson

Copy EditorAna Aguilar

PaginatorAngela Gardner

PhotographersAndrew Cameron

Nick Mitchell

StaffMorgan BarthMegan Carroll

Morgan HanslipDylan HaroldAdriana IbarraCody KinneyTiana Larsen

Jordon McAlpineCami Wagaman

AdviserRob Lindquist

Phone: 712-328-6493Facebook: CBJacketJournalism

Twitter:@TJHSJournalismWeb: cbjacketjournalism.com

Snapchat: tjhsjournalism

THE SIGNAL

The Signal is a school-sponsored publication of Thomas Jefferson High School 2501 W. Broadway Council Bluffs, Iowa 51501. The Signal’s office is located in room C128. The Signal is printed by OH-K FASTPRINT in Omaha, NE. The Signal is a school-sponsored-publication and therefore recognizes its responsibility to stay within the boundaries that the school administrator sets. The Signal will therefore inform its readers using a high standard of morals and ethics. The Signal encourages readers to respond in the form of letters to the editor, which can be sent to room C128. The Signal’s editorial staff reserves the right to edit the letters for grammatical errors and to remove any profanity. The editors also reserve the right to exclude letters that are false in their statements or accusations. The Signal will not accept advertisements that promote activities illegal to minors. Advertising rates are available upon request.

NSPA Member Publication

IHSPA Member Publication

NEWS

New logo and tagline for the rebranded Council Bluffs image.Provided by unleashcb.com

Photo provided by 21st century learning grant program.

On May 19th, Mrs. Denise Hoag received the district’s Teacher of the Year award. Hoag teaches computer graphics as well as sponsors the Robotics team. Her hard work and dedication to the craft of teaching makes her irreplacable in the eyes of TJ students.

Congratulations!

I am fortunate to work in a district that understands and supports the need for a computer science program and I am inspired and motivated daily by my students. The staff members at TJ are incredible and I share this award with all of them. -Denise Hoag

Derrick JohnsonReporter

Mrs. Hoag

Page 3: The Signal May 2016

ACTIVITIES

Page 3

Cami WagamanReporter

The secret life of the American teacher

Marching band and concert choir both recieve Division I ratings at IHSMA festival

Tiana Larsen Reporter

On Saturday, May 7th, the TJ marching band and concert choir both earned division 1 ratings at the Iowa High School Music Association festival.

“To be successful you must work hard at being the best you can at your chosen activity whether it’s singing, playing the trumpet, or shooting a basketball. It takes practice,” said band director Stephen Moore.

Both instructors had worked hard with their students to make sure winning was a number one priority.

“ Most of our students started learning how to play in sixth grade and have been working every year to get better and better. This year we began practicing our three contest pieces in February,” stated Moore.

Concert choir had also put a lot of dedication into making sure they were ready for large group festival. They had practiced in the mornings twice a week.

“It took a lot of morning practices. Show choir season has finished up so we used the show choir class which they are

Being so involved with his students and their success, Walker doesn’t have much time to participate in things such as this musical himself. Putting themselves first is a luxury that the teachers do not always have.

“This was my first experience, but Chanticleer in Council Bluffs is so welcoming,” said Custer. “I think that anybody, high school, college, adult, whatever should give themselves this opportunity.”

If you are interested in being a part of community theatre and reaching outside of the high school walls, you can visit the Chanticleer theatre website at http://www.chanticleertheatre.com for more information on auditions for upcoming shows.

Even more stories online!Visit cbjacketjournalism.com and click “The Signal” in the menu.

required to be in part of our early morning rehearsals for the treble clef and bass clef choirs,” stated Walker.

TJ has won many division I ratings in the past, but in the last 12 years this is the first were TJ had received a division 1 rating in concert band.

“ Since this is my last year at TJ, it felt very satisfying knowing that I will be leaving the band in good shape. Both the marching band and the concert band received Division I superior ratings at their respective state festivals. It makes me proud to be a Jacket,” expressed Moore.

As well as marching band, Walker is pleased with his students winning Division I as well.

“We only receive a superior rating once during those first five years. The past 5 years we have been more consistent in receiving superior ratings. We also started having bass Clef and treble clef choirs participate in this competition,” said Walker.

With this being their last competitionongratulations to Moore and Walker, sides of his students as they accomplish their goals.

Here at TJ, there’s talent everywhere you look. While TJ students are getting recognized for their great performances or the shows that they performed in, teachers have their own hobbies, also.

Miss Custer, the drama teacher, had a role in the production Sweeney Todd, in March. Custer participated in this piece, while also holding rehearsals for a show she was directing here at TJ, called Almost, Maine. She acted, directed, and taught all at the same time.

“Being a part of this show was absolutely wonderful,” said Custer. “It was my first show that I had done since college, it was my first community theatre show, so I was just so excited, I was just so grateful to be a part of it... It was such a great experience, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

During their performances in these shows, the teachers have been supported by some of their biggest fans, the students. The students have supported teachers in the past for productions like these, and they will continue to do so in any way they possibly can.

Mr. Walker, the Thomas Jefferson choir teacher, recently landed a role in the upcoming musical, Mary Poppins. He will appear in this show, while teaching and directing choir.

“I have been doing theatre basically my whole teenage and adult life,” stated Walker. “I have a strong passion for musical theatre and I love being a part of it either directing, acting, or the music.”

Band director Stephen Moore holding his Division I rat-Photo provided by Mr. Moore.

“I think that anybody, high school, college, adult, whatever should give themselves this opportunity.”

-Ms. Abby Custer

School safety percautions need more work

OPINION

Morgan HanslipReporter

On April 13th, 2016, the Council Bluffs and Sioux City school districts received non-credible phone calls at 8:00 a.m saying there were bombs planted in the schools.

While it’s safe to make sure that it’s a legitimate threat, there needs to be extra precautions taken. One study by SchoolSecurity.org showed that only 30% of 800 schools had evacuated due to a bomb threat or school shooting.

While schools are trying to find out if a threat is really from a credible source, class goes on almost normal. There aren’t lockdowns or any safety measures specific to bomb threats.

TJ’s safety precautions are not good enough. What we need to

do is focus more on getting as many people out of the building as possible. If the threat were real many lives would be lost.

At TJ, the school was put on a hold, and although the students were contained, they weren’t necessarily put in a place away from danger. Getting under the desks or other sturdy furniture and staying away from windows, is a safety precaution that students are supposed to be taking.

Having a fire drill is also a great way to get the students out of the school without causing unnecessary panic.

Overall, additional safety precautions should definitely be enforced in the event of a bomb threat and these threats should be taken very seriously.

Page 4: The Signal May 2016

ENTERTAINMENT

Page 4

Derrick JohnsonEditor-in-Chief

After months of anticipation from fans and multiple pushbacks, Drake’s seventh project ‘Views’ finally dropped on iTunes and Apple Music on April 28th, and it is amazing.

Although a few singles such as Hotline Bling, Controlla, One Dance, and Pop Style were released before the album debuted, the 16 other songs shocked fans with their flows and wordplay.

The album starts off with Keep the Family Close and 9 setting a slow pace as he recalls a few of his past relationships, his connection with Toronto, and his status in the rap game. It then continues on with my three personal favorites: U With Me?, Feel No Ways, and Hype. They not only increase the tempo, but have some of the best punchlines on the album that will leave you impressed even after hearing them for the tenth time.

Then, Weston Road Flows, Redemption, Views and With You showcase Drake’s lyrical knowledge when mixed with an R&B beat to back it up. All four songs encourage the audience

Captain America: Civil War arguably becomes best Marvel movie to date

to actually listen to the lyrics, and maybe even look some up in order to fully understand the message he is conveying.

On this album, Drake does a great job of covering multiple sub-genres of music, while still keeping his core fanbase happy. Controlla, and One Dance give off chill, island vibes while Grammys, Still Here and Pop Style have a more familiar rap feel, all of which can still be enjoyed no matter which version of Drake you like most.

Other songs such as Fire & Desire, and Faithful, while not my favorite, still help round out the album by adding music that can be related to during any time of day or night.

The features also add great depth to the album with artists like Rihanna, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Future and more adding verses. Rihanna and Drake on Too Good deliver just what fans want, as the duo continually produces jams with great harmonies. Plus, the Future collaboration led to another banger, reminiscent of their mixtape, What a Time to be Alive.

Similar to his past projects, people can easily relate with Drake’s emotions and vibe with

his upbeat personality, so much so that it went gold on its first night. An estimated 600,000 copies we sold in less than 24 hours after its release, not counting the thousands of illegal downloads.

Even with the instant success it already received, most believe it is due to break records held by other prominent musicians.

With that being said, the album is definitely a favorite of mine and will be for a while. The

Steve Rogers played by Chris Evans, refuses to sign over to the government, he wants to remain a free act.

Meanwhile, the Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes, who was played by Sebastian Stan was still a wanted man due to his brainwashed actions that were controlled by Hydra. Barnes was known as the villain in the movie, but Captain America attempts to protect him due to their longstanding friendship.

The argument over the Sokovia Accords as well as the Winter Soldier is what tears the Avengers apart and eventually causes the Civil War between them.

In the movie, new characters are introduced and some such as Vision and Scarlet Witch show serious character development.

Actor Tom Holland plays Spider-Man and has a big role

‘Views’ is everything you’d look for in a Drake album

range it covers with the amount of songs on it not only keeps fans content, but makes them instantly want more, earning it 5 out of 5 buzzes.

Morgan BarthReporter

Picking sides is hard to do. However, Captain America: Civil War made Marvel fans do just that as they watched Captain America and Iron Man square off when they couldn’t put their differences aside.

It all starts when Thaddeus Ross, the U.S Secretary of the State informs the Avengers that the United Nations is ready to pass the Sokovia Accords. The Sokovia Accords establishes an international governing ruling to control the Avengers.

Tony Stark played by Robert Downey Jr, agrees on passing the Sokovia Accords because he feels responsible for the problems and deaths that have happened in Sokovia. On the other hand,

once he’s introduced in the movie and the same can be said for Chadwick Boseman, who plays Black Panther.

With an uprising box office gross of $366.5 million, there is no doubt that Captain America: Civil War is one of the greatest superhero movies that I have seen. There wasn’t a moment that I wasn’t engaged with the story line.

Coming into the theater, I knew whose side I was on, Captain America’s. Never was never a doubt in my mind that he was who I wanted to win.

For me, Captain America: Civil War receives five out five buzzes. This film has set high standards for upcoming superhero movies. I’ve never been disappointed by any films Marvel has created, and I definitely wasn’t disappointed by this one.

Sudden death leads Prince fans to remember his legacy

Cami WagamanReporter

The year of 2016 has brought many tragedies to the music industry, including the death of music legend, Prince. Prince died on April 21st, 2016, from a suspected drug overdose.

Prince Rogers Nelson was born on June 7th, 1958, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Music was always in his blood considering Prince’s father was a pianist and a songwriter, and his mother was a Jazz singer.

During his career, Prince won a total of seven Grammy Awards, sold 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best selling artists of all time, and in 2004, he was inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame. Prince also won an Academy Award for Best Original Score for his performance in Purple Rain in 1985.

In the fall of 1992, Prince signed a record of a 100 million dollar deal with Warner Bros,

which was considered the largest recording and music publishing contract in history.

Prince’s abilities were not limited to just his angelic voice, though. Prince also played guitar, bass guitar, drums, keyboard, and was one of the few popular artists that wrote his own music. He was also a record producer, actor, and film director.

In the short years before he died, Prince still had not stopped playing music. He often performed at awards shows, and in November of 2006, he was inducted into the UK hall of fame.

Showing people how to be themselves is surely one thing that Prince knew how to do. He was the artist that planted the love of music in many people who are still playing music today.

Prince has definitely left his artistic footprint on the earth, and many people have been influenced by him, no matter which generation they come from. Prince was an inspiration for many people, and he will not be forgotten.

‘Views’ album cover.Provided by genius.com

Captain America: Civil War movie logoProvided by thewrap.com

Page 5: The Signal May 2016

SPORTS

Dylan HaroldReporter

Baseball and softball seasons are optimistic for young Jacket squads

Summertime is just around the corner, and while for most students it means freedom, others get ready for the start of a new season for baseball and softball here at TJ.

With their first games approaching fast for both teams they each look to improve on their records from last year. Baseball finished with a 8-27 record, while softball finished with a 4-21 record.

Both teams open up their seasons this year on May 26th, against crosstown rival Abraham Lincoln. Baseball will be going to AL for a doubleheader, and softball opens up their season against them at home.

The Jackets look to build off of the positives from last year, and have a successful season at the varsity level. Thomas Jefferson returns multiple starters, but lost three key seniors (Dylan

Cody Kinney & Jordan McAlpine Reporters

Hard fought tennis seasons come to an end

Although tennis has come to an end, the players worked hard to bring many positives to the season.

Senior’s Sydney Clark and Beth Olson went to regionals together for doubles tennis and

won 1 of their 2 matches. They won the first round but lost the second against Urbandale. The final record for girls tennis was 3-8-1.

Boys tennis finished 5th at Districts their doubles went

1-2 and singles went 0-2. The regular season record was 3-7 their 3 wins coming from Sioux City West, Sioux City east, and Audubon. They had a total of 43 match wins this season.

Summer Sports Schedules

Page 5

Varsity BaseballMay 26th @ ALMay 27th vs. GlenwoodMay 28th vs. Missouri ValleyMay 31st @ Sergeant Bluff-LutonJune 4th vs. St. Albert

Varsity SoftballMay 26th vs. ALMay 27th vs. Atlantic CSDMay 28th Tournament @ Southeast Warren May 30th @ Sioux City EastJune 4th @ Missouri Valley

Montgomery, Tanner Clawson and Brandon Schneider) from last season. After losing the three

and John Poldberg.Thomas Jefferson comes into

this season with another young

starters, this season the Jackets will turn to new senior leadership from Jacob Jones, Ricky Adams

team and a lot of depth at the varsity level, which will provide many opportunities for playing time throughout a long season.

The Jackets softball team is also young at the Varsity level this year, but has a bunch of young talent on the way. The softball team is hoping to turn to their four seniors for leadership in this upcoming season along with their underclassmen.

After only losing one senior from last year, they will look toward Megan Carroll, Kelsey Botton, Lacce Walker and Sydney Clark for guidance as the young team tries to improve.

Both teams have been practicing for about 3 weeks so far and during this time both teams have looked well prepared and are ready for the games to begin. With games just under a week away both teams are kicking it into overdrive to prepare themselves for a long season.

Juniors Cecelia Yale and Teayanna Leytham during last season.Nick Mitchell/Yearbook

Seniors Sydney Clark and Beth Olson playing doubles tennis.Nick Mitchell/Yearbook

Page 6: The Signal May 2016

Megan CarrollReporter

Graduation has been a traditional ceremony dated back in the 12th century. Wearing the cap and gown is apart of the traditional ceremony, and represents the academic achievement that students have made. Over time the history of the cap and gown has evolved in various ways.

In today’s culture, there are several requirements as to how the cap and gown are worn. For

example the cap is suppose to be parallel to the floor, completely flat on the head. It should be centered on the forehead by the point of the cap. The length of the gown should/will lay within midway of the knee and ankle. Men are recommended to wear a dress top and dress pants and the women are recommended to wear light skirts/dresses that do not go further than the gown.

“I’m sure when the tradition started it had a different meaning, but to me it’s a rite of passage. Said Senior Lacce Walker. The caps and gowns make us look as prideful and

glorified as well” Medieval Universities

started the idea of dressing for this academic success, due to the relations thru religion/church. In order to resemble higher intelligence the gown of graduation once had hoods, but then the idea of a cap came into

the picture. Students and teachers typically

wore office like clothing during graduation. In today’s society, the cap and gown is not to resemble any kind of church or religion, but to represent professionalism. Graduation is a time to celebrate the success within a student’s

academic life. With graduation approaching

in a few weeks it is important to know the history behind it. Make sure to support the TJ seniors as they make their way across the graduation stage on June 5th.

Trump wraps up Republican nominee, Hillary poses biggest threat to his election

Even though Sanders has won three of the last four Democratic primaries because of democratic rules even with just one win of Kentucky, Clinton slowly gets closer to getting the nominee. So for Sanders to be able to catch up with her, he needs to get about 90% of the remaining delegates.

On the other hand, now that Trump does not have to race with any candidate from his own party, his attention now is towards the republican party on building stronger alliances with its important leaders.

Now that both Trump and Clinton are seen as the unofficial nominees there is questions on future political debates between the two.

On May 3rd, the Indiana primary the results showed what Ted Cruz feared, Donald Trump coming on top getting all the 51 delegates. It was not much later that Cruz declared that he was dropping out of the race because of lack of support from the voters. Without Cruz in the race, Trump now has no opponents to run against, leaving the path to the nomination as clear as ever.

However, now Trump has a new target to aim for and that is Hillary Clinton. Due to the amount of delegates that she now has, 2,293, which 2,383 are needed to gain the nomination, This makes it impossible for Bernie Sanders with 1,533 delegates to catch up to her.

NEWS

Tradition of cap and gowns stays alive

Page 6

SENIOR KEY CALENDAR DATES

Ana AguilarPoltical Reporter

EDITOR’S NOTE:This story will end The Signal’s political coverage for the year. Make sure to continue following the poltical race in order to see who has the best chance of becoming our next president.

“I’m sure when the tradition started it had a different meaning, but to me it’s a rite of passage.” -Lacce Walker

Ms. Ettinger takes bullying education into her own hands

Morgan BarthReporter

English teacher, Jen Ettinger, has been teaching her sophomore START class effective ways to stand up to bullying without getting physical.

There have been many incidents where students within the classroom have been dealing with students around the school. The students’ first instincts are to get aggressive, however, Ettinger’s goal is to teach students that there are other ways to deal with being bullied.

“My plan isn’t to solve bullying in these kids lives, the goal right now is just exposure,” said Ettinger.

According to StopBullying.gov, Iowa has their own Anti- Bullying laws set in place. The Iowa Legislature, requires all schools districts including non-public schools in Iowa to have a anti-harassment/ anti-bullying

The thing is, students are not aware that conflict is different than bullying. If two peers are willingly fighting it would not be considered as bullying. Also, because Iowa does not have self defense laws, this would cause both students attributing to the fight to get in trouble with higher authorities, like the police.

Ettinger has continually stressed to her students that fighting is not necessarily bullying, and verbal abuse should be considered bullying despite there not being any physical conflict.

She also believes that students should stick up for themselves, yet is teaching them how to without being bullies themselves or feeling like a “snitch”

“If the kids learn nothing else from these lessons, I hope they learn that they as students are valuable and deserve to be treated with respect.”

environment . There are complaint

forms available for victims or bystanders to fill out. If one of these forms are completed, teachers will have to follow the law of reporting the situations to higher authorities or investigating the situation to solve the problems students are having.

However, students believe that teachers are not helping those who are being bullied. The sophomores had admitted that they have seeing incidents of harassment in the hallways, and sometimes teachers do not pay attention, or will believe it’s rough-housing with friends.

“Bullying is any electronic, written, verbal or physical act or conduct toward a student which is based on any actual or perceived trait or characteristics of the student which creates a hostile school environment,” states StopBullying.gov.

Ms. Ettinger helping her student with classwork.Adrianna Ibarra/The Signal

Senior’s last day: June 1st

Senior Checkout: June 2nd

Graduation Practice/Checkout deadline: June 3rd

Graduation: June 5th