2014 2nd Edition

WEST SIDE

Boys Basketball 2013/2014 p. 12

STORIES

May 2014 • Wauwatosa West High School • 11400 W Center Street, Wauwatosa WI • Volume 18, Issue 2

Students Manage Stress

Adeeb Taujoo • Staff Writer With the stressful end of the semester in sight and the promise of final grades going on high school transcripts, some students are finding these months very stressful.

In a survey of Wauwatosa West students, more than 90% percent said they felt stressed.

“I’m stressed because I don’t have enough time to accomplish everything I want to in one day,” said junior Allen Witkowski, “Its just an impossible task.”

Many students find themselves juggling school work, extracurriculars, and jobs into a 24 hour day. When asked what the most stressful part of their agenda was, over 50% of students replied that homework causes the most anxiety.

Senior Jon Weithaus said that he often has too much to do outside of school.

“I’m taking 6 classes this semester and I have a bunch of homework,” said Weithaus. “It would be difficult to accomplish everything if I didn’t have a study hall.”

Wauwatosa West social worker Sue Walczak agreed with the notion that students have very packed schedules.

• See Stress on page 7

District Combats School Illness There is a whooping cough outbreak in Tosa, and although there have not been any cases at West, as district nurse Sally Roepe said, “that doesn’t mean that there won’t be.”

According to Roepe, whooping cough, or pertussis, cycles through communities about every five years, and is supposed to last about a year. Tosa is in year number three.

Roepe explains that rumors that East High School almost shut down due to the outbreak are untrue, however.

“I know there were some rumors going around that we were going to close the school down and I think it was wishful thinking, but no, no. There are no plans to do that,” she said. “... With something like this, we don’t have any rules or limitations on anything.” This is due to the length of the incubation period of the illness. The time between being exposed to whooping cough and actually getting it can be up to three weeks.

“That’s a very long period of time,” Roepe said, “... you could go for quite a while and not have kids with it and all of a sudden you’ve got a few more kids who have it. In the meantime, everybody else who did have it is taking their medicine, they’re better, they’re back at school already.”

Whooping cough isn’t the only concern, however. There is a wide range of illnesses going around.

West’s administrative assistant Betty Marks said she sees the most illness going around during December and January. According to Marks, 30 students on average call in sick every day. Official data was not available.

Dr. Heather Ho, family care physician at the Glendale clinic, explained that the reason for this is up for debate.

“Some of the theories are that we’re all inside a little bit more, so we don’t get out and get fresh air. We recirculate the air in the rooms and the buildings and that may cause more illness. Another theory is that when we go outside, the cold weather is a little bit more harsh on our mucous membranes, or the inside of our nose and our mouth, and that puts us at increased risk for getting a viral or bacterial infection because the mucous membrane has been damaged by the cold,” she said.

Winter weather is not the only factor that’s playing into students getting sick.

“Well, it’s quite common for diseases to spread easily in schools,” Ho said. Nicole Stevens, medical assistant at the Glendale Clinic, agreed, saying: “Schools have a lot of people in small spaces.”

• See Illness on page 3

Photo by Juli Johnson

Aleksandra Zielonka • Broadcast Editor

KEEPING IN TOUCH - During her 5th period study hall in the Trojan Room, Senior Jade Braggs checks the scripture of the day on her Bible App. “I think there are so many positive ways to use technology and the internet. It is unfortunate we misuse such an amazing tool to spread negativity.” Braggs estimates teachers use the BYOD “tech go” policy about once or twice a day on average.

Rise of the Cyberbully Zoe Stack • Staff Writer At one point or another everyone has had something hurtful said to them. Even if you’re one of the most famous teens on the planet like Justin Bieber, you aren’t safe from these comments. The pop star says that the media has been throwing jabs at his personal life, which are, “no [different] than bullying that goes on in school.”

But what sort of bullying does happen in school these days? The digital age has definitely given rise to a bullying 2.0. However, opinions vary as to how serious a problem cyberbullying is.

For those that have gone through cyberbullying, there is no question of how important, painful or life changing it can be.

“So many people are hurting because of what people say to them and they don’t really realize

that your words can kill someone.” Says one victim of cyberbullying. She has been both physically and cyber bullied and the cyberbullying has continued to this day.

She knows only too well the hardships one can endure after hurtful comments have been made. She has recently been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, and has had eating disorders, all in response to the bullying she has undergone.

She is not alone, however, in her struggles against online attackers. One student moved here in August to get away from the cyberbullying that she underwent at her former school.

She says that her family would never have moved here if it wasn’t for what happened to her at school.

• See Cyberbullying on page 9

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NEWS WEST SIDE STORIES

May, 2014

West Installs Raptor vSoft

Photo by Juli Johnson

Tyus Stoltenburg • Photographer Wauwatosa West High School has employed a new system that stops every visitor at the door and requires the presentation of a valid state identification card to gain entry.

“Raptor identifies every person who comes through the door,” said Dale Weiss, Wauwatosa School District School Safety Coordinator. “It makes staff aware of who is in the building.”

Raptor accepts state issued driver’s licenses or a state identification card.

It scans the ID-holder’s personal information against a nationwide database of over 700,000 registered sex offenders. For non-sex offenders, Raptor prints out a pass showing the name, date, time, and destination of the visitor.

Other than the things previously listed, Raptor does not look for anything else, such as a criminal background. It denies entry only to registered sex offenders and those on the school’s custom blacklist. Raptor has no access to criminal records.

If a visitor does not have state issued identification, the school district has the ability to issue District Visitor Approval Identification Cards for those individuals.

The visitor will need to show proof of name and date of birth to obtain a District issued card.

School administrators have discretion over visitor building entry but all visitors’ identification must be verified for the system to operate as intended.

The visitor screening management

CHECKING IN - Susan Clarke, mother of Senior Brett Clarke, uses her ID to gain entry to the school. “I approve of more security,” she says. Raptor vSoft checks the criminal background history of all visitors using a government-issued ID. The system has been implemented in all 16 Tosa Schools. system was installed on Tuesday, December 10th, 2013 to improve the school’s overall security and safety.

“Raptor vSoft has the ability to quickly provide alerts to school safety personnel about attempts to enter the school by people that the system deems may jeopardize the safety of the school and its occupants,” said

Wauwatosa School District Superintendent Dr. Phil Ertl.

Senior Emily Schaefer said she felt Raptor would have little effect on the safety of students in West.

“It’s unnecessary because it doesn’t affect me. I didn’t feel unsafe before,” said Schaefer.

Senior Grace Gabriel said Raptor

could help keep dangerous people out of Tosa West.

“It makes me feel safer that there won’t be anymore sketchy people in our school,” Gabriel said.

English teacher Julie Manders said that past incidents highlight Raptor’s potential usefulness to West.

• See Raptor on page 3

A Future in the Military Brandon Thao • Staff Writer

With more students looking to join the Armed Forces, the military has a more prominent role with schools and students around the nation.

Students have choices joining the military. America’s military consists of five main branches: Air Force, Marines, Army, Navy, and Coast Guard, and the Army has 3 main types of personnel which are the regular Army, the National Guard, and the Army Reserve.

The National Guard is the reserve division of the Army which was founded on December 13, 1636. The Guard becomes active when called for by territorial or state governors during emergencies such as natural disasters and civil disorder.

Wauwatosa West Students join the Guard for a variety of reasons ranging from the many benefits such as the college tuition coverage to the unique experience. In 2013, ten students from Wauwatosa West High School are in the Guard or are in the process of joining.

Wauwatosa West senior and guard member, Cole Baltz, joined the Guard hoping to eventually become a pilot.

Baltz has been enlisted for the past six months, has achieved the rank of Private First Class, and is satisfied with his experience. He says, “It’s been good. Everything my recruiter has told me has been true.”

The Guard recruiter for Wauwatosa

West, Staff Sergeant Andrew Whelan, is very reputable. He won the title of Recruiter of the Year according to Baltz and “they haven’t lied about anything.”

According to Baltz on the benefits of being a member, all members are eligible for college tuition coverage which pays up to the price of UW-Madison, healthcare, competitive pay, opportunities, and it helps on applications such as job applications.

“Joining the Guard doesn’t mean you’re going to be sent to die” Baltz says, “without the Guard, I would’ve ended up in a much different place than I’m in now.”

The National Guard is like a part time job. You can serve a minimum of one weekend a month, more if desired, while living at home. You can also attend college and hold a job whilst serving and getting paid for your service and holding all the benefits.

Barbara Lauenstein, Career Center Coordinator for West, says “More students and schools should look into the military. It is a way to pay for school and get job training, but it isn’t for everyone.” Lauenstein says that some people are naive when it comes to enlisting because they do not know what they’re getting into.

Some people join with unrealistic hopes of obtaining jobs that are difficult to obtain. Many people attempt to join the Air Force to become a pilot

without the knowledge that a small percentage of Air Force members are pilots. Recruiters and others, such as Lauenstein, are available to answer questions and set prospecting students in the right direction.

“We treat military visits like college visits,” says Lauenstein.

Before, recruiters would set up stations and stand around, but students would just approach the recruiters for the free lanyards and pens. Now, you have to sign a sheet to get out of class for a visit.

This is beneficial to the recruiters because they are working with students who are seriously considering the military.

What sets the Guard apart from other branches of the military is the opportunity to serve the nation while carrying on with a normal lifestyle.

The fact that you can attend college and have it paid for is very beneficial to students all over the nation.

Baltz says,”I recommend the Guard for anyone planning to go to college and needs help with tuition and people looking for adventure or excitement.”

Another thing that sets the Guard apart is that members receive their uniforms the day they enlist and can get their military IDs shortly after.

Members must attend a Recruit Sustainment Program (RSP) after enlisting to learn basic commands, military culture, and to get in shape before

and after basic training. Guard members get paid to attend these monthly drills and learn good values and discipline. Once individual training for the job you enlist for is completed, you serve once a month or more for the remainder of your service.

The guard may be questioned because they don’t go overseas to fight, but they are held to the same standards as soldiers on active duty, and they have less time to stay on an equal level.

The entire purpose of the Guard is to be available in event of an emergency within the nation.

The basic demographic of those that join cannot be predicted. People from all backgrounds and in many situations join. Eight percent of the class of 2013, about thirteen students, joined the military and that number has remained constant, according to Brian Hoffman, school counselor at Wauwatosa West.

The military and National Guard may have the reputation of being a last resort option, but it is a feasible option for those who do not wish to live with debt from college. It may also appeal to those who want some adventure in their lives. Students should explore all available options and do what they feel is best for their future.

NEWS

WEST SIDE STORIES

3 May, 2014

Illness • Continued from page 1

In order to prevent the spread of diseases, Ho said schools should have alcohol hand sanitizer available, communicate with students about any illnesses going around, and keep the school clean. However, Ho acknowledged that that is no easy task.

“Keeping the school clean ... is probably the hardest thing to do because we can’t really sanitize all of the surfaces that everybody touches or sneezes near or coughs near,” she said.

Despite the challenging task, Assistant Principal Clint Grochowski said West is doing just that.

“We pride ourselves in keeping a clean building,” he said. Grochowski also explained several other ways the school prevents illness.

“Initially, we have some prevention techniques such as requiring students to get their shots and vaccinations…

We have the hand sanitizers installed in every classroom, brand new soap dispensers in our science rooms. And then after that, just continued education, you know, we have science classes and our health classes educate students on ... illness and how to stop the spread of illness as much as possible.”

West’s policy for exemptions accounts for sickness, allowing students to exempt classes with up to five excused absences.

“We feel that five is a pretty fair number and that in most cases most students that … have the grades that would qualify them for an exemption are gonna have less than five absences,” Grochowski said.

“That’s helpful because a lot of people know that they just have a cold and they’re able to stay home and get better”, Ho said when asked to evaluate this school policy. “As long as the school is flexible when people have more serious illnesses and need to be out a little bit longer, that should be a sufficient policy for most students.”

Preventative health measures are taken on the district level as well.

According to Roepe, to prevent the spread of illness at school, the district depends on parents and the health department for information. Lab results obtained by the health department are communicated to the school, and parents who call in to say their child

Illustration by Patricia Bermema

is sick are asked what they’re ill with.

Staff working in attendance offices in the district, such as Marks, have list of communicable diseases each year.

“That’s like your chicken pox, whooping cough, head lice, and all of those things that could be passed on from one to another very easily,” explained Marks.

The district looks to see not only how many cases of a disease there are, but also their location. When 10% of a school’s population is out, they call Roepe, who works to figure out why everyone is sick.

“It gives us a general idea as to what’s going on and what we might need to follow or take a look at,” Roepe

said. When 10% of a school population is out, the health department is notified as well.

Often, prevention techniques taken by the school and district are not enough, however. There are many things health professionals advise to do on an individual basis.

“It is so important to wash your hands. Hand sanitizer - keep it with you. Every time you use the bathroom or you notice … there’s a lot of colds or illness going around, you definitely want to wash your hands,” Stevens said. She also mentioned that it was important to sneeze and cough into your elbow to lessen the spread of germs.

“People can protect themselves from illness as individuals by maintaining a healthy lifestyle: getting enough exercise, eating right, getting enough water during the day, and also making sure that you have all your immunizations up to date,” Ho said.

“We recommend that everybody gets the flu vaccine, … that can be helpful.”

“If you’re really sick, stay home; don’t bring it in and share it with everybody else because then they give it to someone else and they give it to someone else and it just keeps right on going,” Roepe said. “Get better, come back, and see us later.”

not allowed to go past my office,” said Marks.

Officer Farris Griffin, Wauwatosa West’s Student Resource Officer, says that in the past Marks would write a pass to every visitor who entered the building, and then send their names Griffin.

“Instead of having [just] a list of names, I now have a face to go with that name,” said Griffin. This helps him more easily identify who he is looking for if he needs to find a visitor.

Raptor was developed by Raptor vSoft, located in Houston Texas. Raptor Vsoft designed and build a visitor

management system to screen K-12 school visitors’ sexual predator history in a nationwide federal database of registered sex offenders.

“Any added security is good,”said Sara Looker, student supervisor. But Looker thought that Raptor may not significantly improve security in the building. “[Raptor] does not make me feel safer because it is not looking for the right thing,” said Looker. “It should look for people wanted in Wisconsin, or people involved in custodies, crimes, or battles.”

If Raptor was in place, and search-

ing for what Looker suggested, it could have prevented past violence in Wauwatosa West.

“It’s high time that something like this should be installed, considering someone died here before,” said Manders, referring to the 1993 murder of Associate Principal Dale Breitlow inside Tosa West.

With Raptor in place, the district hopes to help defend its students against sexual predators.

So far, Raptor has performed it’s job.

Raptor • Continued from page 2 West Principal Frank Calarco hopes Raptor will help keep the school safe in the future. “[Raptor] was installed help make school safer than ever before,” said Calarco. “It’s there to make sure people who shouldn’t be next to students are not here.”

“If a person has history as a sexual predator, or if it is a student, who is not allowed on district grounds, it red flags them,” said Betty Marks, Administrative Assistant at West.

Once someone is red flagged, “[Raptor] sends out an email and text message to staff, and [the individual is]

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OPINIONS WEST SIDE STORIES

May, 2014

Reflecting on Locks of Love Alina Baig • Staff Writer

Photo by Juli Johnson

On February 7th, 2014 a hair donation event called Locks of Love was held at Wauwatosa West High School.

I donated my hair, which I never planned to do, and there’s a small story behind it.

2 weeks prior to the event, they were making announcements about Locks of Love.

I didn’t know what it was, so I asked my host mom about it and she told me it’s a non-profit organization which accepts hair donations for children with cancer which usually asks for 10 inches of your hair.

At that time I was thinking there’s no way I am going to cut 10 inches of my hair because I love my hair more than anything.

The next week I joined the Journalism group and we had to cover this event.

I had to take pictures with Julie. As we were taking pictures, they showed us a video about the people who have or have had cancer.

In the end of that video there was a part about a little girl who is about 3 years old. She has brain tumor.

When the video ended they brought that little girl on stage and they showed hair cutting of people who volunteered.

After some pictures, Julie asked me to go on stage so we could take pictures more closely.

On my way to the stage, that same girl was there on the corner of stage in her father’s arms. As I was passing her, I saw her face and for 2 seconds I stopped there.

QUICK CUT - After talking to her friends during the ceremony about the value of donating hair, Junior Kaitlyn Johannes decided to participate in Locks of Love. “My hair was still wet from the morning,” she said. “I guess I realized that donating my hair was more important than having a fun hairstyle for one night at prom. You don’t see the importance of your hair until you lose it.” She feels “the sacrifice of donating your hair is small when you know you can grow it back.” Around 20 girls participated in the 8th annual ceremony.

She was so adorable. Her smile was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.

And at that time I had this sudden thought in my head: “Alina, your hair will grow again but this time will nev-

er come again!”

Then I decided to donate my hair. As they were cutting my hair I was crying and they thought I was crying for my hair, but then I explained to them that

I was crying because that was the first time I was doing something meaningful for someone. I was so happy and I was very proud of my gift.

West Side

STORIES

West Side Stories (WSS) believes that it is essential to preserve the freedom of the press in order to preserve a free society. Therefore, WSS will resist all attempts at censorship and will serve the best interests of the students.

WSS will be guided in publication by a concern for the truth, will strive to provide a comprehensive account of events in the school/community, will strive to be a leader of student opinion through its editorials, and will be an open forum of the exchange of comment and criticism.

WSS’s editorial page will take stands on important issues, will help protect the rights of students, will support groups seeking the betterment of the community, will support candidates for school office, and will serve as a constructive critic. Columns and reviews will be signed unless there is a consensus of opinion among

the WSS editors. Copies of the complete WSS editorial policy are available in Room 267 at West High School.

Letters to the Editor: Letters are accepted from all readers. Editors have the right to edit for length and obscenity, but will not alter the original meaning of the materials. All submitted letters must be signed.

Subscription information: For a subscription, please send $20.00 payable to Wauwatosa West High School. Send to West Side Stories, c/o Wauwatosa West High School, 11400 W. Center St. Wauwaotsa, WI 53226 Awards: Wisconsin Newspaper Associations awarded West Side Stories a second place in 2007-2008, a first place 20082009 in the General Excellence category. West Side

Stories has also received a Bronze Medalist ranking from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. A number of students have also placed individually in state and national writing competitions.

Editors: Deanna Ross- Editor-In-Chief Rick Sear-Layout and Design Gabby Verette-Social Media Chloe Pepke-Social Media Nick Moroder: Photography Photographers: Leah Karrels Tyus Stoltenburg Tyler Frieseke Rachel Campise John Brent Anthony Moroder Juli Johnson Jessica Llanas Maya Shiek Isabella Knutsen

Kim Mai Staff Writers: Zoë Stack Sarah Schuster Jon Weithaus Adeeb Taujoo Emily Chiesa Jarrett Biefield Michael Miklosh Abi Simons Brandon Thao Matt Miller Michaela Francour Aarcil Harper Jacob McKissick Jackie Hagen Alex Fernhaber Viviette Smith Deon Ellis Andy Gates Tommy Vang Clara Diogo Joe Zander Aleksandra Zielonka Alina Baig Mark Salamone Abigail Simons Ben Maklouf

OPINIONS WEST SIDE STORIES

5 May, 2014

4-Point Scale

Mark Salamone • Web Editor

Wauwatosa School District’s middle and high schools have begun piloting the implementation of a four point scale grading system. The new grading system, selectively implemented throughout the schools, measures students’ performance out of a scale of one through four, rather than the traditional system of A through F. The program is still in its pilot, and despite some glitches, the program looks promising for the district.

One of the primary purposes of the new scale is to help teachers measure and improve students’ skills related to the subject, according to science teacher Bill Lund, who is using the four point scale in his freshman biology class. Ordinarily, a student’s grades would reflect primarily his comprehension of the subject material.

According to English teacher Kelly Hetzel, Powerschool now shows teachers their students’ progress in developing key skills alongside their scores on tests and assignments.

“Seeing this information has focused my teaching on helping students develop skills, rather than just memorize the textbook,” said Hetzel.

The system, implemented in Hetzel’s AP Literature class didn’t give out failing grades to students, because a one on the four point scale isn’t equivalent to an F. However, the system also cut the number of As given out. Near the end of the semester, none of the students in Hetzels’ three AP Lit classes had As. Hetzel then bumped all the A minuses up to As. Hetzel also worked with the administration to prevent this problem from occurring in the future.

According to Principal Frank Calarco, one of the goals of the new scale is to allow teachers to exercise their own judgement in the class.

“Teachers need to have discretion in running their own classes,” said Calarco.

While Calarco is correct in stating that teachers need the power to exercise discretion in their classes, Hetzel’s strategy of simply changing students’ grades wasn’t ideal. But the four point scale is still in the pilot, and it’s unavoidable for some small errors to occur.

The district is moving in the correct direction by promoting the development of learning skills in students.

Too often, classes of every subject serve students only by fostering memorization of new material. These classes succeed at teaching students particular sets of facts, but they don’t necessarily encourage the students to build skills that can be applied beyond the particular course. Even if students forget the particular details of a subject, the analytical skills they learn in that subject will serve them throughout their lives.

Because, as the poet William Butler Yeats said, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”

Photo by Juli Johnson

PROFANITY WITH A PURPOSE - During a break in class, students discussed the appropriateness of swearing. Junior Alec Kirtley felt that “there’s a time and place for everything, even ... swearing.” A fellow classmate, Junior Brenna Blaney, said that “if it’s used the right way I guess I’m ok with it.” According to the Wauwatosa School District Code of Conduct, a student may be removed from class for “use of vulgar...language.”

What the F! Abigail Simons • Staff Writer From clothes and music to video games and hobbies, each generation has its own idea of what’s “in” and what’s not, and language is no exception.

“Shoot”, “Dang”, “Darn”, “Fudge”... are the socially acceptable versions of the colorful words that fill the halls of Wauwatosa West High School and other high schools around the country daily.

While profanity doesn’t seem to bother people from our generation like freshman Leah Karrels who says, “[Profanity] doesn’t really bug me, it’s just a word. A lot of people do it”, and junior Ryne Radske, who says, “Profanity makes me happy”, individuals from older generations, especially that of our grandparents, aren’t desensitized to the vulgarity and rawness of the language that today’s youth consider acceptable.

Victoria Mullins, a senior at North Mesquite High School in Mesquite Texas experienced first hand the way some people feel about profanity when she received a $340 disorderly conduct ticket for dropping the “s” word in class because it offended a teacher.

Mullins’ case may seem a bit extreme, but reality is that not everyone finds profanity as cool and colorful as others. Students at Wauwatosa West High School expressed their opinions on profanity, and it turns out that crude language doesn’t just offend the elderly, it offends some students, too.

For some students, swearing in school really depends on the context and the particular situation. Junior Aleksandra Zielonka expresses her feelings towards profanity saying that, “It really depends on the situ-

ation. There are some places where [profanity] is completely inappropriate and some places where it shouldn’t matter,” Zielonka continues on to say that, “If the profanity happens during class it should be reported immediately. Using profanity is a completely inappropriate way to conduct yourself at school and work.”

Meanwhile, senior Jackie Hagen says, “[Profanity] only bothers me if it is intended to be hurtful”, Hagen later says, “If profanity hurts someone it should be reported ASAP”, and freshman Sarah Schuster talks about profanity saying, “Wow, that’s embarrassing if a teacher hears you”.

It is apparent that some students find profanity in the classroom inappropriate but what about other situations? Senior Gabby Verette says, “Profanity is more common in sports” and a survey involving a group of Wauwatosa West students revealed that two thirds of students feel that there is a difference between swearing in class versus in the hallways.

The same survey also revealed that over half of the students surveyed hear between five and ten profane words in their short walk to seventh hour each day. To put that into perspective, that is two “bad” words per minute.

With these statistics in mind and opinions on profanity varying from downright inappropriate to embarrassing, many students are left asking themselves three questions: What’s the big deal with profanity? Do we have rules about it? Are there consequences to these rules?

According to Associate Principal Clint Grochowski, “We have rules on profanity… it’s not allowed. As with

any violation of something in the student handbook, there is a process for handling incidents when rules are broken”. The Wauwatosa West student handbook reads, “the use of vulgar, abusive, or inflammatory language” can be a means for removal from class.

Grochowski also brought up the idea of “career and college readiness”, a major focus in education today. Grochowski explained that it is the job of teachers and administrators to prepare students for college and careers after high school. So while academics are certainly important, it is also necessary that students learn what behaviors are acceptable in a professional setting. Sending students out into the world with the idea that it is acceptable to walk around dropping fbombs would be a major disservice to the students and our society.

Grochowski also says “[he] tells students it is important to think about what the perception of others might be. Not everyone is desensitized to profanity and regardless of your intentions, people will judge you.” Grochowski continues to say that he likes to “tell the student that profanity makes you sound less intelligent, and the use of profanity could potentially cost you an opportunity”.

The moral of the story is, while profanity is becoming a prominent piece of our culture, not everyone is desensitized to it and students need to keep that in mind. Just like Grochowski tells students, “profanity makes you sound less intelligent, and the use of profanity could potentially cost you an opportunity”.

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FEATURES WEST SIDE STORIES

May, 2014

Zoe Stack • Staff Writer Grease is clearly visible, seeping through the bag as the girl hurries out the door of the teachers’ lounge, turns left, right, left, down another hall, up the stairs, and finally arrives at the door of her destination.

From here, the bag is handed over with a shy nod at the floor, and then she’s gone, barely leaving enough time to register the look of happiness on the recipient’s face.

His daily popcorn dose had arrived.

Popcorn deliveries are a regular activity for freshmen Drew Follansbee, and Calvin Cao, juniors Isaac Hamilton, and Sophia Cao, and senior Aric Abplanalb.

Any teacher who wants to can sign up to have the students bring popcorn in a little bag to them.

The students and staff member hold a friendly conversation, and then the student moves onto the next delivery.

Students also make deliveries of coffee in the morning to some teachers.

“We intermingle life skills with academics,” said Lisa Tachka, one of the two teacher’s aides, on why they have the students do these deliveries.

The deliveries do exactly what Tachka hopes. They teach students life skills such as how to communicate with other people.

“They get to interact with teachers throughout the school that they otherwise would have no contact with,” said Amy Holmer, former long-term substitute teacher for room 134.

The teachers take the deliveries as an opportunity to try to get to know the students better.

“I let them know that there’s a friendly face they can hopefully associate with being able to talk to,” Chad Mateske, a West social studies teacher, said about his daily interactions with the students, both through the popcorn deliveries, and throughout the school day.

Other staff members try to let the students know that they are there if needed. Farris Griffin, West’s Student Resource Officer, said that he tries to make sure that the students know that if anything should go wrong during the day, they could come talk to him about it.

In addition to getting to know the students better, teachers feel that the popcorn program is a great learning experience for the students.

“It teaches them many skills. Not only how to make the popcorn, but also how to interact socially when they deliver the popcorn,” said theatre director Adam Steffan.

Throughout the day, students go to separate regular education classes.

During third period, all the students participate in the gym class held by Matt Good. He said that the class is important because it is giving the kids chances they don’t normally have.

“They have more reward when they accomplish something...a better feelings of self worth once they do it,” said Good.

It’s not only good for the students to interact with other kids throughout the day. Others feel that it has also helped the people they interact with.

“I find that other students in class take on the role of ‘leader’ to help these students so they are successful in class,” Steffan said.

Photo by Juli Johnson

Learning Through Life Skills

HELPING OUT - Freshman Drew Follansbee uses the Identifying Shapes app on his iPad. He and other special education students perform tasks around the school as part of their curriculum. According to Special Education Assistant Kathy Kallie, “There is a purpose for the work students do around the school. They are learning life skills that will help them be competitive in the job market. If we can get them trained to do a good job, they are going to be the best employees ever.” Kallie added that she often mixes up student jobs so they learn how to switch easily between different tasks.

“They are not afraid to take risks.

I think that is inspiring to the other kids,” art teacher Selena Marris said about having several of the special needs students in her painting class.

The classes are a great way for the students to interact with regular education students, but there are other ways for them to socialize.

Best Buddies is one of the best programs for socialization. The program cultivates friendships between regular education and special needs students.

College freshman and West class of 2013 Amanda Holmer, the founder of Best Buddies at West, feels this is very important, and would like to see more participation in these critical relationships, which have benefits to all participants.

Amanda Holmer, who is currently studying to get a degree in special education, fell in love with working with special education students when she came to help her mother, Amy Holmer.

“When I started coming in here my sophomore year, everything just kinda clicked,” Holmer said. “It just feels right here.”

Former Teaching Assistant, senior Brittany Perkins, helps during seventh hour through taking the students on their deliveries and with various tasks the students do in the class-

room, among other things. She said that working with the special ed students has helped her grow.

“It’s been a very good learning experience,” said Perkins. “You get patience doing this.”

Some students have voiced concern that the special needs kids are spending too little time in classes with regular education students, and too much time doing chores.

The teachers in room 134 all feel that what their kids are doing is quite the opposite of “servant’s work,” saying that because of their students’ different needs, their schooling will be different. They are going to do different things in school, and later in life.

“Our students will be working at Culvers. We have to teach them to be the best that they can be,” Tachka said in response to the idea of servant’s work, giving an example of the contrast of paid jobs that special and and regular education students will be holding later in life. She goes on to say that her students learn their math through cooking, that one cup of flour and a fourth cup of sugar is what they need for a recipe. They learn, just in a different way.

“The mission is to give them all the skills they need to compete in the workforce,” Kathy Kallie, another

teacher’s assistant, said. The students will be competing against regular education kids for jobs, and they need to be able to thrive, Kallie said.

The students take joy in doing the deliveries, Holmer said.

“They like that, cause it makes them feel really important and responsible.”

“My job is popcorn and my job is coffee. I might do the toilet paper in the bathroom.” Isaac Hamilton, a student in room 134, proudly said, adding that “delivery is nice.”

Hamilton and the rest of room 134 just finished training for the Job Olympics, a competition held at Arrowhead, where students with special needs go for a day of competing in jobs such as folding towels, assembling newspapers, and setting out place settings. All of these jobs are ones that the students could be take out into their lives once they leave West. They placed ninth at the competition this year.

Many hope that these students are gaining what they need for school. And will be able to go out in the world.

“I would like to see them graduate and be able to live independent lives as much as they can,” said Kosta Zervas, co-advisor for the Best Buddies program.

FEATURES WEST SIDE STORIES

7 May, 2014

Sarah Schuster • Staff Writer “Where did you get that shirt? I love your shoes!” students at Wauwatosa West often ask each other about their clothing. West students place a high value on sporting the latest fashions.

“Looking good is important to me, keeping up with the latest looks helps me stay in the fashion loop,” says 9th grade fast fashion shopper, Ellen Smith.

These fashionable students may not know it, but many of them are participating in the latest business trend to hit clothing retailers - fast fashion.

“Fast fashion” refers to a growing number of clothing retailers - H & M, Forever 21, Zara, Old Navy and even the Gap - work to capture current fashion trends and sell them for low costs.

“These are some of my favorite stores and the clothing I have gotten from there have racked up a lot of compliments,” says Smith.

These stores still manage to make a lot of money selling $10 dollar shirts because of the large volume sold.

“The products are very, very cheap,” says Elizabeth Cline, author of ‘Overdressed: The Shockingly high Cost of Cheap Fashion.’ “The design is pretty attractive. And if you walk into the store, I think, for a lot of consumers, it’s virtually impossible to walk out empty-handed.

A store like H&M produces hundreds of millions of garments per year. They put a small markup on the clothes and earn their profit out of selling an ocean of clothing.

H&M has 2,800 stores in 48 markets and it’s growing fast, especially in China and the United States. H&M has an outlet in Brookfield Square as well as Bayshore Mall.

“Looking fashionable and put together every day is my goal, and that is what stores like H&M help me do,” says senior Jackie Hagen.

There are three criteria that fast fashion has to accommodate: having new clothing quickly, having fair prices, and having trendy styles.

Freshman Grace Lenz says, “Not only do I like fashion but I love to look fashionable, stores like H&M are inexpensive and you can find almost every-

thing you need in there.”

Is it getting the new styles sooner, lower prices, or the recent styles that makes fast fashion such a hit?

Stores like Forever 21 and H&M are a few of the major attractions for the deals and styles.

Former Wauwatosa West student, Kyle Carcamo Curran, said, “they are stores that are direct and up to date from designers in New York and other high end fashion spots to where I can find what is in this season, but also for a cheaper price.”

Consumers are able to have multiple collections available rather than the three or four collections that “slow style” stores have throughout one year.

“How can they make so much money only selling low cost clothing?

Mostly because of volume,” stated npr. org. Consumers are able to get more for their money and to the customers it is more so quantity over quality.

Producing hundreds of millions of garments per year not only takes the quality out of the clothing but the clothing item will probably not withstand too many washings. When manufacturing in low wage countries such as China it also means cheap materials like synthetics. Synthetics are a textile fiber used in many cheap clothing items. These days many are looking more at the price tag rather than what kind of material the item is made with.

Smith said, “My clothes from H&M are some of my favorites in my closet but they aren’t lasting as long as I wish they could have.”

Forever 21 or H&M produce many different collections throughout the year and participate in the fast fashion market.

“I can always count on finding cute outfits for any occasion at H&M without breaking my piggy bank,” said Smith.

Hagen states, “H&M is a great place to shop because you are able to purchase affordable clothing while still looking stylish.” Being able to acquire affordable clothing is a major factor when teens as well as adults are out shopping.

“It’s very popular and trendy but

Illustration by Patricia Bermema

Fast Fashion: What’s the Big Hype?

doesn’t look cheap,” says Hagen.

These clothes simply make you look good, without these stores many of us would be lost for a place to shop. “I like to look polished and I am not afraid to say that I love my clothes and my style,” said Lenz.

Having such an enormous fashion market it is often hard to keep up with the latest trends and other retailers. Fast fashion helps people stay on budget by not breaking the bank on clothes and also look trendy at the same time. Also, having more collections being sold every year gives the customers more to choose from when they are planning an outfit. Custom-

ers purchase more because the price is lower and for the same or lesser value to a $100 Ralph Lauren sweater, they can purchase a whole outfit including a $15 skirt, $40 sweater and $20 shirt.

Quantity over quality also plays in again as people are shopping; in their eyes it is all about how much they can get for the money they have.

With all things considered, fast fashion retailers do have very trendy clothing, great prices and a large amount of goods offered to the customers. But, it does all depend on what kind of quality clothing you are looking for and how long you want it to last.

During the end of the semester, when grades were closing and exams were looming, it’s only natural that stress levels rose. In an effort to curb academic anxiety, Walczak has some tips to alleviate the stress.

First tip : Organization. Get into a regular schedule and don’t procrastinate! Understand that you only have 24 hours in a day and you have to organize your time.

Second tip: Try many stress reduction techniques. These can vary from muscle relaxation, to physical exercise, to just closing your eyes and clearing your mind. Its important to try multiple approaches because you

will have a greater chance of succeeding at overcoming your stress.

Third tip: Focus on creating a solution to your problems. Make a list of goals and once you accomplish one, jump to the next. By following a plan and achieving your targets, you ensure steady progress.

High school students face a lot of stress, but Senior Brandon Thao maintains an optimistic attitude saying, “No doubt the stress gets to all of us sometimes, but its important to keep your head up and stay positive.”

Stress

• Continued from page 1

“Most kids are stressed due to time constraints in classes and lack of time management skills,” says Walczak, “It’s in the nature of high school students to procrastinate.”

Overall, Walczak concludes that the senior class is the most stressed.

“Between filling out college applications, taking the ACT, finding scholarships, and maintaining your GPA [grade point average], the stress can really build up,” says Walczak. “Its important that students deal with that in an appropriate manner.”

Walczak regularly works with students who have trouble coping with stress, and she recommends that stu-

dents evaluate their situation, decide what factors they have control over and what may be out of their control.

Nowadays, stress has a very negative connotation, but there are forms of stress that may be beneficial.

According to the medical help site WebMD.com, acute stress can help you get motivated and increase performance. Stress only becomes harmful when it interferes with normal activities and causes a person physical ailments.

“I'm not a good test taker, so whenever I take my exams, I’m very anxious. Sometimes I even feel sick,” said senior Tommy Vang.

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FEATURES WEST SIDE STORIES

May, 2014

Basketball-Bombarded ay ly affect the w “It doesn’t real es im et m e, but so I use my phon ” s own it vibrates on it n ck -Javaree Ja so

Anthony Moroder • Staff Writer School’s over, and you’re ready to go back to your life. You reach into your pocket to grab your cell phone when suddenly someone accidentally bumps you and your life is turned upside down. Your cell phone thuds to the tile floor….. and the screen cracks.

Today, some students here at West are living with a cracked cell phone screen. Sarah McOlash, a senior, cracked her screen when she dropped her phone 5-6 months ago, on her 18th birthday. “It was tragic for me”, she said. When asked how it affects the way she uses her phone she said, “Sometimes when I use it, I would easily get distracted by looking at it. It has a sharp edge on the corner of the screen. One time, I cut my finger from touching it.” Sarah plans to keep her phone “until it completely dies”.

Some students broke their screen during sport events. Javaree Jackson, a freshman, dropped his phone at basketball practice over a month ago. Javaree “ordered a new screen on Amazon a week ago”. Jake Brophey, a sophomore, broke his screen two times. The first time he broke his screen over the summer.

Brett Clarke, a senior, may have experienced the worst accident of all. “I threw mine at a wall after a break up about a week ago”, he explained. Brett still uses his phone after the incident. “Although it’s hard to watch Netflix on it, I still use it as a phone.”

Double Whammy Carlton Ndon, a senior, is one of the people with cracks on the back and the front of his “It was in baseball seas phone. He’s one of the many kids that are aiming for an iPhone 6. on, and it was during batting Cell phones are an important part of our everyday lives. A broken cell phone screen isn’t going to stop the owner from using the phone in the ways that are important to them. practice...The second

ed

mp o t S

“ The cra ck on th eb happen ed when ack of my phon e I ste crack on the fron pped on it. The t happe I droppe ned d iPhone 6 it... I’ll keep it u when nt comes o ut. That’s il the when I’ll replace this” -Carlton Ndon

time, my hand got caught with my dog and I accidently droppe d it.

It doesn’t have any effec t on how I use it. I keep it in a case; otherwise, it stops worki ng and the back falls out” -Jake Brophey

Hollow Earth Zoe Stack • Staff Writer

Photo by Juli Johnson

The Wauwatosa All City Read chose to focus on books that “center on the themes of using imagination, cleverness and hard work to make extraordinary things happen,” Wauwatosa resident Barrowman wasn’t surprised that her book was chosen.

“Its a good family book, a good adventure story, it appeals to cross sections of audiences,” Barrowman said.

Following the imagination theme, her book was centered on William Blake’s quote, “In the universe, there are things that are known, and things that are unknown, and in between, there are doors.” Imagination was one of those doors that Blake speaks of. To the Barrowman children, who both grew up in an environment that nurtured their imaginations, Carole Barrowman wishes more people used their imaginations later in life.

“I think its too bad that as kids, something happens to us and we don’t practice it, and use it enough when we get older.”

Barrowman says that Hollow Earth was originally inspired by a painting that the siblings saw when they were around 10, called Escaping Criticism, drawn by Pere Borrell del Cas in 1874.

RARING TO READ - Carole Barrowman visited Eisenhower Elementary on Feb. 19 The painting is of a boy climbing out to talk about her book Hollow Earth. It was chosen as the young readers book from a dark backgrounded picture for the All City Read. “I love it when they are enthusiastic, and well behaved,” frame.

“How would you describe the exBarrowman said on the students at Eisenhower at the conclusion of her talk. pression on this young boys face?”

As the month long All City Read childhood growing up in Scotland.

Barrowman asked the students at event wound down, author Carole “If you have that ability do you Eisenhower, holding up a poster of EsBarrowman hit several more elemen- think people would want to capture caping Criticism. tary schools to talk about her book, you or find you? Why?” asked Barrow“Surprised, curious, excited, scared, Hollow Earth. man during her recent visit to Eisen- shocked, relieved, confused,” the stu“The kids just impress me with hower Elementary. dents chanted the final list of adjectheir knowledge and their really smart “You could draw, they’d capture you, tives they came up with back at Barquestions,” said Barrowman. and they could make you draw stuff rowman.

Hollow Earth is about a set of twins that they would want, like money,” reBarrowman used many other visuthat have the ability to both go into sponded one child in the audience. als to help her in her presentation, inand bring paintings alive. Their speThe All City Read is a city wide cluding other posters of paintings that cial powers bring about a whole new reading program in which a communi- she and her brother were inspired by life in their hideout Scotland, along ty reads and engages in conversation to create their book. with many adventures. about a single book. The two books “It was pretty kind of creative how Together with her, brother, John chosen for the first All City Read were the book was inspired by paintings.”

Barrowman, Carole Barrowman wrote Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam and Fourth grader Payton responded after the book based on their collective idea, Hollow Earth by Carole and John Bar- the presentation was over. and drawn experiences from their rowman.

Other students not only thought

that it was clever she was inspired by a painting, they also liked that she showed all the pictures, because, as one student put it, it allowed them to “understand it more.”

When the students were asked whether they had read Hollow Earth, quite a few of the students said they had.

“I like how it builds suspense,” fourth grader Phatanoune responds to Hollow Earth.

The others, who hadn’t already read her book, now can’t wait to.

“I kinda want a copy of her book now,” says fourth grader Ryann.

Barrowman left the students of Eisenhower with a challenge that they could partake in.

“In the middle ages, they had books called beastearies. What is this beast.”

Barrowman began explaining the challenge.

“A griffin,” a student responded.

“Are you ready for my challenge now? I know this is a dragon. But do you know what’s different about this dragon?” Barrowman continued.

“It has two sets of wings,” a student answered.

“Here’s my challenge. I do lots of these school presentations, I talk to lots of children, and one of the things that we like to do, John and I, is to gather your drawings of beasts.” Barrowman explains. Saying that the beasts the students can draw has to be made up of at least three different animals.

Back in their rooms, the students began drawing their mythical creatures. Three fourth grade girls, Vashti, Ryann and Gabby began creating their beast, the Uniagolf.

“Its half pig, half unicorn, and half wolf,” they explained.

All in all the students, teachers, and Barrowman all enjoyed the presentation.

“What a great learning opportunity.

The kids loved it.” Ryan Heffner, the fourth grade teacher in room 114 concludes.

FEATURES WEST SIDE STORIES

9 May, 2014

Cyberbullying • Continued from page 1 “It would get a hundred comments and fifty likes about people bashing me.” The student says about her experiences through facebook.

Another student spoke of her online nightmare, saying that she had no idea how her attacker got all the information used to threaten her.

“It haunts you. You don’t know how to take it” says the student.

Cyberbullying has one major differing quality from traditional bullying.

Thus, it’s not surprising that cyberbullying haunts people.

“Kids can hide behind the screen.”

Kosta Zervas, student supervisor, said about this major factor.

“In my age it was just at school … [now] it’s just possible to be bullied your whole waking life.” Guidance counselor Nick Becker said on the differences between the two types of bullying.

It isn’t always clear however if people are fully aware that what they are doing can be hurtful or offensive to anybody.

“The student thought it was funny.

It was done to provide a laugh, they were not laughing at me.” Dwight Osmon, a biology teacher here at West, said about his own bullying incident.

In a previous year while teaching a lesson on mitosis he was unknowingly filmed and the video was placed online. However, Osmon says that the student and him get along quite well now, and there has been no lasting im-

pact.

Others share the idea that cyberbullying is not always done with harmful intentions.

“We have to look at these kids as growing up, and these are learning experiences for them. That they understand between right and wrong and why we don’t do these type of thing.”

Don Devine, a Guidance counselor at Whitman middle school said about his students and cyberbullying intentions.

Devine also said that he didn’t think that cyberbullying is nearly that big of an issue.

“Society, or schools and the public of parents have caught up to what’s going on, and to be more on top of things compared to 10 years ago, or 5 years ago. It’s addressed right away.” Devine says.

Devine isn’t saying that cyberbullying can’t have a lasting effort, or isn’t in existence but is merely in disagreement as to the quantity that cyberbullying is accuring. This could possibly be due to the fact that the school has created a program for the middle schoolers to go through as 7th graders in which they focus on cyberbullying.

Not everyone fully disagrees with Devine’s idea that cyberbullying isn’t happening that much. Shannon Enloe, a Guidance counselor at West, hopes that its not that big of an issue. She believes it to be a small percentage of students that are being cyberbullied, but its hard for her to tell if it is, since

only a select few students come to tell the guidance office.

“It’s happening enough that we need to make sure people are aware, so that they aren’t unintentionally doing, or saying something online.”

Enloe is hoping to bring in Dr. Justin Patchin, a head of the cyberbullying research center to talk to students at Wauwatosa West as a follow up to the 2 homerooms that have been dedicated to this subject.

She hopes that the students can learn to just pause before they post something. Because, as Brian Hoffman, another Guidance counselor at West sums up.

“Your digital footprint is going to follow you the rest of your life.”

Others however feel that it may not just be the label of cyberbullying that is the problem.

“The misuse of social media is a problem.” Officer Farris Griffin says.

Cyberbullying is something that everyone has to watch for when posting on social media. Even if just talking with a friend, it’s possible to word something badly and unintentionally hurt them.

“When you read something in writing, you can’t tell how they are actually saying it. The expression that goes with how we speak you can’t read, so that, a lot of times is lost in translation online as well.” Enloe says.

However, all the students that spoke about their bullies said that

they know that their attackers knew that what they were doing was hurtful, and were trying for that affect.

That’s the part that they don’t really understand.

“I didn’t do anything to any of them, and it’s kinda like still in my head like, ‘what did I do’ ” one of the students says in confusion.

For the students that were cyberbullied, it will take a long time to recover from the episode, and they aren’t over it yet.

“It worries me that he might come back,” a victim says.

For those that have been caught cyberbullying, the district policy has made it clear that cyberbullying is not to be tolerated.

Each time it is a case by case basis; however, cyberbullying is in the same category as traditional bullying.

Punishments can include verbal or written reprimands, suspension, or even expulsion.

According to Associate Principal Matt Byers, these punishments have been enforced.

“What the state has tried to do is two pronged. They want school districts to come down on the bullies, manage the bullies. And then they want to educate student populations to be able to do two things, inform on bullies...and then know that you’re not alone, and there’s support for you.”

Becker concludes.

Behind the Scenes at Tosa West Tyus Stoltenburg • Photographer Wauwatosa School District buildings and grounds is a topic is a great unknown, but plays a major role in district upkeep.

Without the people that clean, fix, and maintain the district buildings, every school would not be safe, nor would it be a comfortable place to learn.

Students may overlook the little things that could be big problems if they were not taken care of such as an overflowing toilet, or a broken heater in a classroom.

The district has support staff to ensure a safe learning environment for their students and staff, and without them the Wauwatosa School district would come grinding to a halt.

Tom Kulczewski is the Wauwatosa School District Building and Grounds coordinator, the boss of all the support staff in the district.

He has 90 employees working for him, and the vast majority of those workers are custodians. He also has eight maintenance guys, as well as two electricians.

Dennis Vanderschaegen, the head custodian at Wauwatosa West, works under Mr. Kulczewski. He has been a custodian for 35 years, and has been working at West since July of 2002.

“My job is to make sure the school has a nice apperance, is functional, and clean,” said Vanderschaegen.

“A clean school can create a positive attitude” said Vanderschaegen.

Students see Vanderschaegen every day, but don’t pay much attention to him or his work. He is an unsung hero of West.

However, Vanderschaegen does get some appreciation every now and

then.

“I have gotten thank you’s from students before.” said Vanderschaegen.

“It’s nice to know somebody cares” Maintaining a structure of any kind takes money, and a lot of it.

There is more than one budget that is dedicated to district buildings. The most common is the $1,500,000 capital projects budget, which goes towards large projects such as remodeling Tosa West’s gym, or Breitlow Field.

Another smaller $300,000 budget is used in general maintenance such as fixing a water fountain.

Mr. Kulczewski, who was hired about a year and a half ago, has made several changes to improve the district buildings so that “[he] can better help school staff to do their jobs.”

One such change is the system teachers use to report a problem with their classrooms.

Prior to Kulczewski’s arrival, in order to have something repaired in a teacher’s classroom, the teacher would have to fill out a full written report.

“It would be a week before [the report] got to maintenance guys desk” said Kulczewski.

Now, staff members use a website called Schooldo.com.

Instead of having to write out a report, staff members now do it electronically, and it is on the appropriate maintenance person’s desk within 24 hours. The system is much more efficient.

Kulczewski also meets a lot with the principals of the district to see if they feel that a building related change is necessary, such as the carpet in learning center for example.

If principal Calarco feels it is time

MAKING CONNECTIONS - Custodian Dennis Vanderschaegen sees his job as being more than a person who cleans up after lunch. “I like working in a school department. The kids and the staff are very wonderful. I learn something new everyday. I try to offer some of my wisdom to the kids on school and growing up. I just enjoy being here very much.” Dennis Vaderschaegen has been working at Tosa West since 2002. to change the carpet he can go talk to Kulczewski about it, and he says the first step is to “go look at it”.

If the carpet appears to be in rough shape, but however is no real danger to the students it may not get replaced.

“I could spend millions of dollars in every building” said Kulczewski.

“It’s tricky with two high schools.

One always seems to be [in better shape] than the other, so it is hard to balance the work out.”

“We are here to do whatever you need, to help you do the job that you do” said Kulczewski.

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FEATURES WEST SIDE STORIES

Console Cage Match

Illustration by Colin Ek

May, 2014

Joe Zander • Staff Writer Despite the popularity of fighting games, The biggest war going on in the video game world isn't happening on the screen. The two largest makers of video game systems, or "consoles," have been fighting to control the video game market. Sony, maker of the Playstation, and Microsoft, maker of the Xbox, dominate the market.

“The people that get in the niche of the console war generally play Xbox and Playstation,” said junior Charlie Koepp.

Ever since Atari's Pong entertained hundreds of thousands in their own homes, the market for video games and consoles has grown enormously.

The industry’s expansion has included the introduction of new brands onto the market, with Nintendo joining the home gaming circuit in 1983, Sony with the Playstation One in 1995, and Microsoft with the Xbox in 2001.

In recent years, Microsoft and Playstation have emerged at the top of the market, exceeding sales of Wii. As a result, the most recent “console war” has been fought primarily between Microsoft and Playstation, leaving the Wii behind.

“The Nintendo Wii was in the right place at the right time,” said Koepp.

In a survey involving 44 out of just over 1,000 Tosa West students, 30% say that they favor the Xbox while 18% favor Playstation. The majority of the students surveyed preferred neither of the two brands. 27% favored the Wii, 16% said PC, and 9% said they preferred a different form of gaming.

Junior Nathan Restyanszki said he prefered the Wii because he enjoys the classic games such as Mario and Don-

key Kong.

Juniors Caleb Bolt and Dusty Hartl said they preferred the Playstation 3 to the Xbox because of the PS3’s free internet access.

“Why pay for something when you can get it for free?” Hartl said.

Playstation and Xbox both have lineups of exclusive games, which can only be played on the featured system.

Restyanszki, who prefers the Wii, also has an Xbox 360 and says that he enjoys playing on the Xbox because his friends also have them.

The console war leaves out one important area of the video gaming market -- PC gaming.

Junior Ben Herring said the PC was a more cost-effective option for video gaming.

“You can upgrade your PC,” said Herring. “And [the PC] has better graphics.”

Yet each console has downsides.

Both the Wii and the PC sometimes run a smaller or much different selection of games than their competitors.

The PS3 experienced significant security breaches in 2011 and 2013. To play online multiplayer with the Xbox requires Xbox Live payments.

The newest generation of Microsoft and Playstation consoles is being termed next-gen.

The new Playstation 4 was released on November 15th, 2013. As of December 3rd, 2013, the Playstation 4 sold over 2.1 million units worldwide, according to Sony president and CEO Andrew House.

The new Xbox One was released on November 22nd, 2013 and sold one million units within its first day of release.

Many of Tosa West’s students aren’t choosing sides in the console war. Of the 44 students surveyed, 52% expressed no preference, 7% planned to buy a new PC for gaming, and 2% planned to buy a Wii. 25% of the people surveyed planned to buy the PS4, while 14% planned to buy the Xbox One. It appears that the PS4 is on top of the console war, at least for now. But no matter which console wins, according to Restyanszki, “everyone’s a winner.”

15000000

2012 Sales

12000000 9000000 6000000 3000000 0

PS3

Xbox 360

Wii + Wii U

Statistics by statista.com Research 2008-2012 Illustration by Rick Sear

SPORTS WEST SIDE STORIES

May, 2014

Evolution of IBA Jarrett Biefeld • Staff Writer During IBA season, 19 teams of Wauwatosa West students and one Wauwatosa West staff team compete every Thursday night in organized and scheduled basketball games, as part of the Intramural Basketball Association, or IBA. The games serve as a way to socialize, have fun, and be competitive.

Since 2002, IBA has evolved from an experiment allowing non-varsity people to play basketball, to having a place in Wauwatosa West’s culture.

Four teachers at Wauwatosa West were the founders and are responsible for getting IBA started.

Math teacher Ken Krause, Technology Specialist Jim Binney, Business Education teacher Brad Schuster, and English teacher Tom Norstrem pioneered the program.

“When Mr. Schuster and I moved on from Tosa West, my hope was that it would continue as it was a great outlet for the students, and it would be a huge loss for the students if it went away,” said Binney.

“I knew some kids wanted to play ball, who would not make the Tosa West Varsity program,” said Norstrem.

“It was also a fun way to interact with students outside the classroom.”

Wauwatosa West senior, Ian Blagrave said, “I choose to play IBA over the school team because I know there’s favoritism towards players that have been on the team for consecutive years.”

Like other students interviewed, he also wanted to have a job, and a position on the varsity squad would make that impossible.

Now some time has passed and Norstrem still is in charge of IBA, but with assistance from Sara Looker, Student Supervisor, and Nick Koepke English Teacher.

11

With the new help and the experience of trial and error there has been a number of visible changes that have improved the atmosphere.

Three years ago, IBA had 14 student teams, including one teacher team. Over half of the participants were seniors. With the current IBA season, this number has grown to 20 teams including the teacher team.

Higher numbers of underclassmen are getting involved in the program .

“IBA participation has increased dramatically,” said Norstrem. “Additionally, many more girls teams are involved than we used to see.” Looker said, “IBA is very popular, the kids love the program.”

Wauwatosa West Senior Gabby Verette said, “We chose to play because it seemed like a fun activity to be a part of and to keep us in shape.”

IBA has changed to serve multiple purposes for different people. “Some people use it as a competitive outlet, some make it very social. It serves many purposes,” said Norstrem.

Due to this, IBA has attracted larger groups of students in recent years.

With the increase of teams participating Norstrem noticed that different teams had different mentalities. Some teams were there for purely fun and to hang out while others were competitive and wanted to win. All the commissioners noticed that these two mentalities clashed so they decided to make a change to IBA. “This year we asked students to check recreational or competitive,” said Norstrem. This would mean that competitive teams would mainly play competitive teams and the same for recreational. Only a few games will cross leagues.

Wauwatosa West Senior Andy Gates likes the rules, but said “it does have some flaws.” “With the two leagues

not that many are in competitive so teams would have to play each other multiple times rather than a different team each week,” said Gates Wauwatosa West Senior Donald Jewell likes the new recreational and competitive teams, “I like the idea that you can play another competitive team more than once to really see which team is better and to get a win back if you lost to them the first time,” said Jewell.

This is only a test to see how it works. The commissioners will be playing close attention to the feedback of students. “We will see how this plays out,” said Norstrem.

With the growth of IBA participation, the suspense and excitement of the games has grown as well. With this people have been interested in watching the games, but unfortunately that privilege has been taken away.

“Fans had been allowed in the past but all of the extra bodies created chaos at times,” Norstrem said. It was students of all ages that caused trouble for IBA players and supervisors.

Looker says, “Not allowing students who are not IBA players has cut down on the number of “incidents” we have to deal with. When you have another 70 kids in the two gyms it can get not only crowded but hectic.”

Norstrem said, “It is unfortunate that we had to do that, but managing teams and giving the contests the attention they need has become much more manageable since.”

Education still comes first during the IBA season. If students have more than two failing or incomplete grades, they cannot play IBA. “We follow the same grade requirements as school sports,” said Looker.

“Attendance and grading rules have shaped our membership over the

years,” said Norstrem. “[This] has motivated some students to work harder in the classroom in order to play on Thursday night.”

“I check grades four times a season and if we have kids that are on the edge of poor grades I try to meet with them once every two weeks and go over grades and what we can do to improve them,” said Looker.

“The policy makes sense,” said Wauwatosa West Senior Eddie Galindo. “If someone doesn’t have the grades they shouldn’t be allowed to play. Allowing two F’s or I’s is even a little lenient,” said Galindo.

According to Social Studies teacher Chris Lazarski, the IBA grading rules have been a positive motivator. “I remember when the grading policy was first introduced a few years ago. I had a number of students who became very motivated in class and worked to maintain their grades. I see this same reaction today. It is excellent.”

“I am very proud that Mr. Norstrem has continued what we started many years ago, he is a great leader and friend. The same goes for Mrs. Looker, who was an integral part of IBA for many years getting student workers signed up for the games,” said Binney.

“I look back and as much as I do miss IBA, it is in good hands with Mr. Norstrem and Mr. Koepke, and I know they will continue IBA withe same purpose that we had many years ago,” said Binney “Evolution is a great word to describe the program,” said Norstrem.

IBA will continue to change and evolve and grow. To learn more about the program, visit their web page at wauwatosawestiba.weebly.com.

Competitive Team Jungle Boys Cookies and Kareem Smog 2 Trainz Trailer Park Boys Loiter Squad

Wins 10 9 9 7 2 2

Losses 1 3 3 4 9 11

Ties 1 0 0 1 1 0

Win Percentage 0.883 0.750 0.750 0.633 0.217 0.154

Recreational Team Humpty Dunkers Dos Bullet Bills Flame Squad Pretty Boy Swag XC Ballers $w@g Hounds

Wins 10 7 5 3 3 1

Losses 2 5 6 9 10 11

Ties 0 1 1 0 0 0

Win Percentage 0.833 0.588 0.466 0.250 0.231 0.083

12

SPORTS WEST SIDE STORIES

May, 2014 Ben Maklouf • Staff Writer

BOYS BASKETBALL GAINS

MOMENTUM

Trojan basketball 2013/2014 has been a year that has changed the sport at west for years to come.

Seniors Reggie Cason, Blake Harvey and Cole Harvey, along with the rest of the squad, usher in a new era of expectations for what it means to be a Tosa West basketball player.

It was a season destined to be something special from the start. After a somewhat disappointing season last year, the team was set on making a statement in 2014. With returning faces of Cason and the Harvey brothers, the skill level of the team was quickly on the rise. Adding new and rising talent such as Juniors Rashad Moore, Zach Viet, and Andre Carroll, the caliber of the boys Trojan basketball team rivaled the squads in the past decade. The stage was set for a breakout year for a rebuilding program at Wauwatosa West.

The season began as it had been expected to. As the Trojans found new footing, they quickly made their presence known as a Woodland Conference competitor and won 8 out of their first 10 games. As team chemistry grew, the defense became noticeably more daunting and the Trojan offense had little problem putting up points on any given Tuesday or Friday.

After winning a number of less challenging games, the true tests of the team’s growth would come in the form of perennial woodland powerhouses including Pius, Greendale, Pewaukee, and the oh-so-coveted New Berlin Eisenhower. Despite valiant efforts by every member of the team, the Trojans dropped a number of key games to these conference rivals.

But rather than giving up, the boys basketball team did what they knew best, stuck their foot in the ground and kept pressing forward towards their goal.

New Berlin West and St. Francis earned the Trojans wins, and a hard fought game against an undefeated Brown Deer displayed the best in the team’s power and perseverance. Key players began to develope their signature styles in games as Cason was known to knock down threes from the corner and Junior Stephen brown continued to dazzle the crowd with acrobatic scores in the paint. Zach Veit emerged as a key clutch player, and Andre Carroll never failed to show up with his signature powerful breakaway score.

The defense was tightening, the scoring was hardly a problem, and the boys basketball team was looking better than ever going 8-2 into a key stretch of rematches versus Pewaukee ,Pius, Greendale, and perhaps most importantly, New Berlin Eisenhower. As the popes, panthers, and pirates invaded Tosa West’s gym, the team made one message very clear ; “Not again; not in our house” Displaying top notch discipline, ball handling, and basketball smarts, the Trojans worked week-by-week and brought home the “W” versus some of the best competition in the area. After wins over all three other Woodland Conference powerhouses, their record improved to 12 and 4, with New Berlin

Eisenhower looming on the schedule.

It was a hardfought, pedal-to-themedal game that involved excellent displays of skill by all of the seniors as well as Juniors such as Moore, Carroll, and Viet. After questionable officiating, the Trojans left Eisenhower without the victory they coveted.

Only the next day, the team had to pick themselves up and turn their focus to their cross town rivals- the Tosa East Raiders. The stands were packed, the crowd was loud, and the competition was ready, and the Trojans jumped out with a lead early in a key game and a last chance for Cason and the Harvey brothers to prove West-Side dominance. A few 3 pointers away, and the Trojans were forced to swallow the reality of an unfortunate loss after a spectacular effort in front of an eager and supportive crowd.

To finish of the season, the Trojans left something to be said with a win over New Berlin West, heading into the postseason with a fourth seed and everything to prove.

Bringing Your Sports to College Alex Fernhaber • Staff Writer It’s the time of the year when seniors have been accepted into to colleges and are attempting chose where they will spend their next four years.

A lot of students are looking at colleges and deciding based on different academic programs they offer but some are looking at colleges based on the sports offered Student athletes attending high school and playing varsity sports are more likely to go to college for sports.

If the athletes are lucky they will be given an opportunity to receive a scholarship from a college. It could be full-ride or a partial-scholarship.

Receiving a full-ride scholarship is an honor that many students may not receive. Being accepted to a college is a big step in a teenager’s life, especially financially. Getting a scholarship will help them to ease these financial troubles.

To receive a sport’s scholarship you have to be amazing at a sport, but along with that you have to market yourself to grab the attention of the

higher colleges, including the ones that you want to attend.

Students have to get themselves out there by talking to the coach of the school, and doing something to show interest in the school.

Students may not always get their first choice, but keeping their options open to all sorts of schools can only benefit them.

Senior Develyn Ferguson received a full ride scholarship to a college for football. He said that it is a great opportunity for him because now he does not have to pay for college and also gets to do the thing he loves: playing football.

After college he hopes to get into the Canadian Football League, if not the NFL, using his college experience as a stepping stone.

Senior Reginald Cason acquired a full-ride scholarship to a college out in California. He said he is happy to go back to California and be able to play basketball in college.

For students that haven’t received

scholarships, some are able to be a walk on player, although this is not ability many people have. There are sometimes circumstances in which players get overlooked by a different superstar, prompting them to be a walk-on.

A walk on player is defined by someone who would show up to a tryout without a college recruiting them.

Walk-ons are much rarer and opportunities to succeed are much lower, despite how the media displays them.

Occasionally, a student who has walked onto a team in college, is able to receive a scholarship.

When it comes to college sports, there are different divisions, DI, DII, DIII. The best and most recognizable would be DI. Playing a DI team would almost guarantee an athlete a spot in the next level, provided that they are good enough.

When it comes to the other divisions they are easier to get into due to the fact that they do not require the

same skill standards as a DI college.

When it comes to a walk on the other two divisions tend to be easier to try out for and actually make the team.

There are certain students who will pick a college strictly based on the sports program and whether or not they get a scholarship to that college.

This can be a good or bad thing because you are not guaranteed to move in to the next level of play just because you get a scholarship, so the academic programs should also have an influence on the player or student Ferguson said, “I didn’t pick the college solely based on the scholarship.”

This college was his first choice in colleges, and he is very proud and happy to be able to attend one of his favorites.

A scholarship for any amount can make a big difference, but a full-ride scholarship to a top-pick college to play the sport is an amazing feat for anyone.