Hayley Seymour, A&E Writer
November 16, 2018
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
Thanksgiving morning; the day many wake up to the smell of a feast and turn on the TV to watch the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade with friends and family. On November 22, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade will grace the New York City streets for the 92nd time and 50 million Americans will tune in from the comfort of their homes.
“My family and I watch the parade every year while making food for our dinner. My favorite balloon is Spongebob,” junior Olivia Dopp said.
The...
Christine Hilario, A&E Writer
October 29, 2018
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
“Nothing worth doing is ever easy,” is a phrase often said to band students by band director Ms. Kelli Swehla. This sentiment is especially true for young musicians who auditioned for the Iowa All-State Music Festival. This festival is an annual regional representation of the best high school musicians in Iowa. Juniors Emma Stadelmann and Juliana Karl auditioned for the first time while senior Callie Fay auditioned for the third time.
Stadelmann auditioned for the...
Will Christianson, A&E Writer
October 29, 2018
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
The wait is finally over. On September 28, Lil Wayne finally dropped his highly anticipated album Tha Carter V. People have been waiting for another installment of Tha Carter since 2011, after the fan favorite Tha Carter IV was released.
This album has 23 songs, none of which were singles. Lil Wayne features many great artists on this project which includes XXXTENTACION, Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, Kendrick Lamar, Sosamann, Reginae Carter, Snoop Dogg, Ashanti, Mack Maine ...
Derrick Voss, A&E Writer
October 29, 2018
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
One of today’s most popular rappers seems to be one of the most hated. When it comes to veteran hip-hop artist Russ, people usually either hate him or adore him. From what I have noticed, it appears that females are more in support of him than males. That is most likely due to a major flaw in his character: the need to critique the lifestyles of other rappers and hip-hop artists. This is widely disliked by many prominent figures in the hip-hop community.
Russ’s character...
Lauren Ulveling, A&E Writer
October 29, 2018
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
Many people perceive Cedar Rapids as pretty boring, but if you are looking for the perfect date night or a fun thing to do with friends, support local theaters. For a relatively low cost, you can support local artists and go to live theatere here in Cedar Rapids. The Cedar Rapids area has many community theaters. Here are just a few of the shows that will be showing at Theatre Cedar Rapids in the upcoming months.
Elf the Musical :
November 16- December 16, 2018
...
Abigail Todd, A&E writer
October 29, 2018
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
With their fifth consecutive Division I rating and a high score of 77.4 at the State Large Group Festival, the Xavier Marching Band wrapped up their competitive season with a bang. As the season winds down, members of the band, including senior drum major Callie Fay, reminisce on this year’s season.
“When I leave Xavier, I will remember, most, all the little things that I appreciate about marching band. For example, I’ll always remember the fun we had on the bus...
Abigail Todd, A&E Writer
October 10, 2018
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
Many students enrolled in Xavier High School are involved in different extracurricular activities throughout the year. A student could be playing volleyball one semester, and singing in show choir the next or playing football and then acting in the spring play. But imagine how difficult and challenging it must be to do two activities at the same time?
Junior Mary Ferden is one example of how dedication pays off as she takes on the task of participating in both marching...
Derrick Voss, A&E Writer
October 10, 2018
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
As one of the most celebrated musicians of all time and a member of arguably the greatest rock band of all time, Paul McCartney has been a mainstay in the music industry for years. Despite having turned 76 this past June, he is still performing and even releasing new projects through 2018. On September 7, McCartney released his 24th studio album (17th solo and seventh with The Wings), Egypt Station.
McCartney has been able to win over most of the younger generation, mainly...
Christine Hilario, A&E Writer
October 10, 2018
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
Mr. Michael Cervantes was Washington High School’s drama director for 22 years. He decided to retire from Washington in 2007. However, he didn’t stay retired. That same year, he started directing for Xavier. After eight years of working at Xavier, Mr. Cervantes attempted to retire again, but he couldn’t find a suitable replacement. He stayed on for another year and retired officially in 2015 when Ms. Sarah Hayes replaced him. When Ms. Hayes stepped down last year, Mr....
Hayley Seymour, A&E writer
October 10, 2018
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
Millions of people all over the world have been affected greatly by musicians’ deaths in the past year: Mac Miller, XXXTentacion, Aretha Franklin, and many more are a few we have lost in the past year. On June 18, 2018 Jahseh Onfroy, otherwise known as XXXTentacion, was shot and killed while he was in his car. This event sparked major controversy due to the abruptness of the murder. To this day, investigators are still trying to find out exactly what happened on that...
William Christianson, A&E Writer
September 14, 2018
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
Houston rapper Travis Scott released his third studio album, Astroworld, and it is Scott’s best album to date. The title, Astroworld, refers to the now closed Six Flags Astroworld theme park, in Houston. He chose this theme to refer to his childhood and to pay tribute to his hometown.
This is Scott’s best album because of everything it has to offer for a fan. First of all, it has many different moods so you can listen to it in almost every situation. From the chill...
Derrick Voss, A&E Writer
September 14, 2018
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
Travis Scott did not deliver this time. When an established artist generates the type of hype that Scott’s Astroworld did, they need to produce an album that, at the very least, matches the quality of their previous album. The arguably most anticipated album of 2018, Astroworld, did not have the flair and creativity that his 2016 project Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight (and even his 2015 debut album Rodeo) had.
The first thing I listened for is the quality of the biggest...
