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Buzzing For More News?

February, 2014

SignalThe

Volume 89, Issue 5

Check out more of our stories and ‘like’ our Facebook page at cbjacketjournalism.com

By Ikran AhmedReporter

So far, social network-ing is a big part of 2014. Students at TJ are af-fected by the internet, but some may not realize that there are consequences of using the web inappro-priately. There are different social media sites that allow people to express themselves on the web. The media not only lets people connect with one another, but discover dif-ferent entertainment. “Some people get ha-rassed on Facebook and Twitter over the dumbest things,” said sophomore

Sam Holz. “A lot of us are always on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It is something we all look forward to, from the start of the day, to the last sight before we go to bed.” It is easy for people to share their thoughts,

feelings and information to the world, but they do not have to know ev-eryone who views your information. Specifically teens, do not realize that posting on the internet requires some responsi-bility. Not only will it affect you, but them. It will al-

ways follow them due to the fact that it will always be on the internet. When applying any valu-able feed to online net-work, people are risking the chance of experienc-ing cyber abuse. They can also risk the chance of some people cyber-

Privacy on the internetBy Megan Carroll

Reporter

stalking. Cyberstalking is a crime in which the attacker harasses a victim using electronic communica-tion. They rely upon the “invisible” advantage of the internet to allow them to stalk someone without being accused or found. It is known as one of the most dangerous out of the three kinds of harass-ment on the Internet. The more that young people know about the dangerous effects, the better. It could possibly save them a trip of bad experience. “They don’t expect the worse to happen to them, they think the consequences aren’t very bad, that they won’t get in trouble,” said Holz.

Ear full of education Music is a big part of students lives here at TJ. Whether it is in a classroom, in the halls, or at lunch. Some teens believe that music helps them concentrate in some classes, others think it could be a huge distraction. When students have their earphones in, teachers think they are

not paying attention in class. It is been proven in an article by Van Thomp-son that people who lis-ten to music during work have a higher productivity than those who do not. In an education article by Demand Media, “Does Listening To Music While Doing Homework Affect Your Grade In School?,” students who listen to music recall information more efficiently while

they are learning. It is the boost from music that im-proves moods and gives motivation when they need to learn. Among the students who are struggling in their studies, listening to music might relieve stress and encourage students to keep on studying. “I listen to music with my headphones in when I study,” said junior Jordan Ault. “It’s easier for me to stay concentrated.” A University of Phoenix study advises that listen-ing to music with lyrics could be a distraction. Students who listen to music with lyrics may have difficulty in concen-trating and may struggle to recall the informa-tion they learned. When reading or writing, trying to process musical lyr-ics and trying to process

words in a text book at the same time could make studying a chal-lenge. You may be familiar with the “Mozart Effect”. It is a belief that listening to classical music could improve the intelligence of oneself. Even though In-strumental music cannot

make you smarter, it is relaxing and less distract-ing than music with lyrics. So the next time you are in class listening to music, experiment! Which music helps you concentrate more? And if the teacher questions your intentions, blame it on science!

Photo by Kelsi Thurman; Sophie Thron jams out to German tunes.

Photo by Kelsi Thurman; Nicholas Mitchell listening to music featuring Erika Woodruff.

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By Isabella MooreCopy Editor

Saint Valentine’s Day

What’s in your future? By Eric Garringer

Reporter

Getting fit at Planet Fitness

By Angela GardnerReporter

Kennedy Lundberg and Samantha Kaczmarek are hosting 2014s Mr. TJ! On Feburary 21, you can sign up in The Beehive during lunch. It is held like a Miss America pagent. 3 rounds: Talent CompetitionQuestionnaire“A Minute To Win It”

M r. TJ ! Seeing your future sounds promising, but it is never that simple. Psy-chics, horoscopes, and fortune cookies all have a place in this area. While most people disregard these as simple novel-ties, there is one tool that seems to be used more than any other, Tarot cards. Tarot cards have been around since fourteenth century Italy and are often seen at fairs, festivals, and parties. More often than not, if someone has Tarot Cards out, there is a crowd waiting for their reading to be done. While there is no rule against Tarot Cards in schools, there are people who do disagree with them being allowed in, or used in, an educational institution.

These cards are protect-ed along with other items that could be considered religious. They are ‘pro-tected’ in the sense that students cannot be asked or told to get rid of them as long as they do not become a distraction to other students and are not used in any harmful

way. The same is said for Bible, crosses, and religious attire. Jon Katzenstein, a se-nior at TJ says, “There’s nothing wrong with them, it’s just a fun thing to do.” Katzenstein has had Tarot readings and goes on to say, “it’s weird how I always pull the Death

card.” The Death card signifies drastic change, nothing harmful or hurtful. While these cards can be dismissed as a parlor trick, or hailed as a way to look into the future, it has become clear they are not going anywhere, anytime soon.

Photo of some of the cards used in Tarot card readings.

On December 31st, 2013 a new gym; Planet Fitness, opened in the Mall of the Buffs. Many students here at TJ are taking advantage of this opportunity. Sophomore, Faith Bar-nard is one of them. “I see a lot of other TJ kids there. I think they come because it's new, there’s a lot of equipment, and it's a great ‘judge-ment free’ environment.” She goes on later to say that memberships are only $10 a month. Planet fitness has 24 hour access. Some of the features are; tan-

ning, massages, tons of workout gear, and you can bring one guest. But thats the premium mem-bership, which is actually $20 a month. But some members only want to use the workout gear. Science teacher, David Kaeding says, “for my family, I pay for two $20 memberships, and for myself a $10 one. I was already a member at a fitness center in Treynor, IA, but Planet Fitness is easier. It’s about one third of the cost and it's on my way home” The Mall of The Bluffs is under new management, so businesses will be opening all around the mall, and Planet Fitness is just the beginning. It might even make the mall your new favorite hangout spot all over again.

February 14th; Saint Valentine’s Day or as we call it, Valentine’s Day. The day to show special someone how much they mean to you. That special someone could be your brother, sister, best friend, significant other, or even your dog. At TJ, Student Council comes up with an idea every year to set the mood and get everyone in spirit for Valentine’s Day. “We are planning to do “Crush for a crush” again this year,” said Payton Werts, the president of the Student Council. “A “Crush for a crush” is when someone buys a Crush can of pop and they are able to send it to their crush during sec-ond period on Valentines Day.” Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and people are still trying to set up dates and prepare for the romantic day. You might notice that if

you walk into your near-est Walmart or Target, all the shelves are filled with candy, flowers, and gifts. The United States is not the only country that celebrates this roman-tic holiday. Valentine’s Day is also celebrated in Canada, Mexico, France, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Valentine’s Day can mean different things to different people. The way you feel about this day depends on a lot of things: if you are single, if

you are in a relationship, where you live, maybe even your religion. “I don’t like Valentine’s Day because I think it’s materialistic,” said senior Kelsi Thurman. “Why des-ignate one day to show your “love” for someone when you have 365 days a year?” February may be the month of romance but, it is only celebrated on one day. One day where you spend money on some-one that you love or not...

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Year of the selfieBy Alejandro Vieyra

Reporter

Council Bluffs’ new Mayor has plans for schools

By Kelsi ThurmanEditor-In-Chief

On January 15, new mayor, Matt Walsh visited TJ journalism students and talked about his future plans for the city of Council Bluffs. He has plans for revital-ization, redevelopment, and restructuring. “Thomas Jefferson has the some of the brightest students in the district,” Walsh said. “Businesses locate by schools that have good educational value. When businesses and schools work hand in hand, it helps the city grow. Schools are vitally important.” Our district’s Strategic Planning Committee sets up our schools’ mission and lays out a plan of action towards accom-plishing goals. This is an important tool for setting priorities, strengthening operations, and making sure everyone is working together. “Me and Superintendent

(Martha) Bruckner have had an increased work-ing relationship over the years,” he said. “Back in the 90s, what started as the Kids and Company morphed into the CBCSD foundation. I, being one of the founders of Kids

and Company, find that working with the school district administrative team benefits both sides.” Walsh plans on recertify-ing levees, redeveloping the appearance of West Broadway, and hiring new city staff in the future. Walsh has been a City Council member for 18

years. Being a 4th gen-eration Council Bluffs resident, and attending Saint Albert High School, he has a lot of knowl-edge about the city and what needs to be done to make it better. “I want to make the neighborhoods of Council Bluffs feel better about their community,” said Walsh about the percep-tion in the city. The new role makes

Walsh a busy man, taking time for many members of the community and media. And in his short term so far, he’s already being compared to for-mer Mayor, and TJ grad, Tom Hanafan. “Former Mayor Hana-fan was a strong figure throughout the district, and he was well con-nected. And now I have a chance to put a stamp on city government.”

Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh talks about the school and the community.

If students are ever on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc, they know that selfies are displayed in numerous places. These photos are so popular that in the year 2013 “selfie” was named the word of the year, and this trend may continue in 2014. Everyone is in the year of the selfie. This year, it is esti-mated that photos will reach up to 1 trillion, due to the selfie explo-sion that took place in 2013. In fact there are “Selfie Olympics” that are happening right now. People from all over the world are tak-ing selfies in the most unique way possible and posting them on

social media. Many teens’ opinions on selfies vary, and their standpoints are critical because they are the majority of the people that post most of these commonly taken self-portraits. “I think the selfie phenomenon is sim-ply a passing fad. It can also be slightly on the vain side as well,” said senior Jackson Newman. “Some of them are hilarious, but many are very point-less and just a little bit ridiculous. Facebook is full of these. I think the whole thing got so popular because it ap-peals to our materialis-tic view of society and of ourselves.”

Selfie of Alejandro Vieyra, FT: Hannah-Grace Northam

Adults often witness and do not take part in the trends that teens often go through, and because their opinions are vastly different, it is interesting to see why and how their views compare to teenagers. “I don’t particularly care for it,” said Coach Mark Puev. “It’s just another way of self identification.” Whether it is over-achieving, or overkill, selfies could be a large chunk of the photos taken in 2014. Along with ‘SWAG,’ ‘YOLO,’ and the ever-present question, ‘Do you even lift, bro?’. These trends will possibly stick with us this coming year. Let us hope ‘twerking’ does not live to see 2015.

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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.

By Hannah-Grace NorthamReporter

Don’t be board Skateboarding is a non-traditional sport that many teens and even adults enjoy. It is an action sport that came to exist in the late 1940s or 1950s when surfers in Califor-nia wanted something to surf when the waves were flat. “I first started skating when I was little be-cause it was something fun that I enjoyed,” said senior Jake Gibson. “Though I stopped eventually and began to skate again my fresh-man year. I learned to skate with my two brothers. It wasn’t scary, but I’ve had some good falls.” People may also skate as a way to get away from school, work, or to be alone and be them-selves.

“I first started skating when I was fourteen. I just needed to get away, find ways I could escape, and clear my head. I taught myself, it's really the best way to learn and you find your own style,” said sopho-more Jennifer Madison. Some people express

their styles through their boards, such as how the board is designed, and become “attached” to their boards. “My board is my best friend I don't know what I’d do without it. My board has been with me through thick and thin, I don’t think I would stop skating ever,” said Madi-son.

Skateboards can cost anywhere from $50 to $160 at shops like All Out and Wake N’ Skate. When boards are ex-pensive, it is important to take care of them so that people do not have to waste money on a new board. “Well I skate pretty much everyday so I’m constantly breaking

boards.,” said senior Jonathan Yopp. “I buy a new one at least once a month, if not more, and they cost about $60 just for the board. I buy new wheels and bearings every couple months and thats another $50-60 for both. All together I probably spend at least $1,000 or more each year on equipment, and that’s not taking into account for shoes and traveling.” Skateboarding has been shaped throughout the years so much that there are now different boarding techniques. For example, longboard-ing is a variant of skate-boarding, it just involves using a longer board which has more stability. Other variants of skate-boarding such are swing boarding, trampboard-ing, and snowboarding.

Miley Cyrus is a modern day Janis Joplin. Younger people may say, who is the latter? While older people will say, how dare you make such a dashed compari-son as that! I understand, just hear me out. The topic of Cyrus is becom-ing monotonous, but only from a disparaging lens, the mainstream media

Miley Cyrus; new Janis JoplinBy Trystan Brock

Expressionistis not discussing Cyrus’ “vulgarity” from a feminist perspective. For the younger crowd, Janis Joplin was a female psychedelic rock singer-songwriter from 1962 to 1970 when her career was cut short due to a drug overdose. Through-out those eight revolution-ary years Janis redefined what it meant to be a woman in the music industry. By taking charge

of her music and image, she was a model for femi-nism. Criticized by the mainstream media, Janis was viewed as an ec-centric. This disposition is expressed in an interview whilst Joplin visited her hometown; wherein the interviewer kept asking about her life during high school and why she was so different. Janis Joplin was oppressed by the media; the same media

that 50 years later came to change their mind with her being inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame. Now, the resemblance might not be quite clear just yet, but it will become apparent soon. Miley is not like Janis in terms of music, by no means does she perform like the queen of psychedelic soul. However, as a post-er child for females in the

music industry Cyrus and Joplin are synonymous. The spotlight on Miley began with her eccen-tric haircut, an act which outside the norms of her traditional background.

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Photo of different types of skate boards.

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