November 20, 2013 by Kennedy Torch

John F. Kennedy High School

Volume 47, Issue 2

November 20, 2013

Animal f a r m

Forget cats and dogs. Torch explores the variety of pets and animals in the community.

page 11

the torch

Contents

the

Editorial

Photo

05 A message to the government

News

Health

PACT reinvigorated

Profile 09

A day in the life of a drug dog

Kennedy takes action

Benefiting diabetics

A&E 16

Musical app revolution

Feature

Sports

Animal farm

The process of hiring a coach

torch John F. Kennedy High School 4545 Wenig Rd. NE Cedar Rapids, IA 52402 Volume 47, Issue 2

Mission Statement

The student staff and adviser are committed to producing top quality student publications, applying high standards of writing, editing, and production. These media seek to fairly serve the Kennedy High School faculty, students, and staff showing no favoritism to any particular interest, individual, or group. Final decisions about content are the responsibility of the individual editors, and the Editorial Board.

Non-Discrimination policy

It is the Torch policy not to illegally discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, disability, religion, creed, age (employment only), marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and socioeconomic status (students/program only) in its educational programs and its employment practices.

Ownership

The Torch publication, website, official social media, and broadcasts serve as a public forum produced by the students in Journalism - Newspaper. Student editors make content decisions consistent with the Torch Editorial Policy, Iowa law and the ethics of journalism.

11 cover by Bailey Zaputil

Letter from the editor Ah, finals. That special time of year where we get to drag ourselves out of bed at 4 a.m. to cram last minute for the tremendous amount of AP tests that students here at Kennedy take. When everyone wears sweats for two weeks straight and both students and teachers scramble to tie up loose ends before fall break. I think it’s safe to say we’re all tired and need a break. Especially seniors, who are pretty much overwhelmed around this time of the year with college and scholarship applications, university visits, and financial aid requests: all of this while balancing school, clubs, sports, friends, and family. The last thing on everyone’s schedule is actually just sleeping. So it always impresses me when, with all of these responsibilities and stresses, people still take time out of their busy schedules to get involved with their community, from volunteering at the hospital or animal shelter to organizing one of the many great causes here at Kennedy, like the ONE campaign, Toothbrush Drive, Homeless Night, and Dance Marathon (Dec. 13, people!!!). The fact that so many people still take time out of their overwhelming lives to contribute to their community is something that deserves recognition, and an act we can all take note from. Obviously, not everyone has the privilege/opportunity to be able to take such initiative. But don’t forget the little stuff: sometimes how a person treats another person can be the best thing they can do that day. Remember, everyone has their own life and issues. We’re all our own main character. When we can remember that other people are going through things similar to us, we can treat them how we wish to be treated. Sometimes that impact on a person’s day is more profound than any number of hours of volunteering we can do in a week---and it’s something we can all do.

Torch Staff:

Bailey Zaputil Editor-In-Chief Alli Nemecek Managing Editor Amy Brause Photo Editor Ethan Divis Online Editor Norm Althoff Business Manager Michael Abramson News Editor Lydia Martin Profile Editor Hannah Bruns Arts & Entertainment Editor Morgan Schwab Arts & Entertainment Editor Xander Riley Health Editor Terin Kane Health Editor Maddy Crist Sports Editor

Katie Wolfe Sports Editor Isabel Neff Copy Editor Alec Mobley Writer Gabby Olejniczak Writer Zayla Mackrell Writer Emma Kieckhaefer Writer Abby Donovan Writer Elianna Novitch Writer Melanie Northland Writer Kendra Burmester Writer Stacy Haynes-Moore Adviser

Editorial

Farewell to an old friend Oh the life of a beard. Quiet, intimidating, luscious; it really has it all. The beard has become quite an important member of my life. From petting it at least three times a day to let it know it’s loved to my once a week conditioning on Sundays, the beard has become a good friend of mine. Sadly, all good things must come to an end and the beard will soon be gone. Even the Boston Red Sox will be clean shaving after their World Series Championship with the playoff beard. The beard [which remains unnamed to keep the mysterious essence of it] would like to thank all who have come to me in the hallway complimented it and wanted to touch it. He also would like to thank the terrific Althoff genetics that allows the growth such a thick, legendary beards [that also has a hint of red]. Finally, he would like to thank Coach Lewis for letting it reach its full potential during the football season. Without all these people, the beard would not be what it is today.

One of the things the beard will miss the most are the compliments on the football field. His favorite was in the Waterloo East game when, after I popped a kid towards the end of the play, stopped, smiled, and said, “Man, you look so cool! I love the beard!” The beard really took that one to heart that, in the midst of everything, for him to say something like that just…just… it made his night to say the least. The referee in the JV game that called him Chewbacca was also a favorite of his. It’s been a long journey that started on August 9 and the beard is very appreciative of all the adventures he’s been on. He’d like everyone to know that he will be back soon, probably in the spring for soccer season so the game day #fearthebeard tradition can continue. Until then, he’d like everyone to notice and appreciate the amazing neck beard of my friend and fellow Torch member, Ethan Divis. Until then, keep clam and ladies: love the beard!

Norm Althoff graphic by Alli Nemecek

Respect others’ space and they will too

Michael Abramson 4

Respect personal space. One thing that annoys me more than anything is when people don’t respect my personal space. Let me be clear, I’m no personal space freak. You can bump into me in the halls, accidentally hit me desk, whatever, but when someone continues to occupy my personal space for no apparent reason that has to do with me, it makes me angry. I’m not sure why people do this. I’m sure it has something to do with disrespect, obliviousness, or stupidity (or some combination of the three). Whatever it is, if you are someone who frequently finds yourself hovering over or on the desks of people who don’t want you there, you should leave. As someone who has fallen subject to numerous desk and airspace invasions, I can tell you it is uncomfortable and annoying.

Put yourself in the shoes of the person whose space you are invading. Imagine if some guy you don’t even know walked up and sat on your desk to talk to the guy next to you. Would you feel unbothered by the situation? No. I’m willing to bet that you wouldn’t find that situation very comfortable either. There is an old saying, “Your body is your temple.” I like to extend this saying to a person’s personal space as well. Imagine if some giant who is the same size as your temple walks over and stands directly above it or sits on its roof. Your temple is in quite the precarious situation now isn’t it? Don’t be that giant who stands above and sits on people’s temples. Respect personal space.

Editorial

A message to the government Dear U.S. Government, talking about you as an individual. First off I would like to establish that I’m Our Founding Fathers didn’t fight tooth not writing this editorial as a Democrat and nail to secure our freedoms so we or a Republican, liberal or conservative, could see who has the bigger ego. We all I’m writing this as a citizen of the United can’t get what we want in life, it’s just a States of America. simple fact. Instead of working out the Second, I love our country. This is the problem you have our government shutgreatest country in the world (if you don’t down, that’s worse than kids fighting over love it leave it, USA #1). But when we turn who should get the last cookie in a jar. into a laughing stock because some Big I cannot comprehend how irresponsible Heads in Washington can’t figure out how this is of you, to shut down our governto work with together it really makes me ment and to make our country look weak upset as an American. in the eyes of the world is absolutely disRecently Congress couldn’t reach an gusting to me, a citizen of the United agreement on certain issues such as the States. Now it’s good and all that you came new Health Care Act which caused our gov- up with a solution but it’s still only a short ernment to shut down. Millions of people term one. were impacted by this as many people Look, we all have to work with people we were put on leave from don’t like, most their jobs and a lot of “I would like to ask everyone who people have to government funded played a part in the government do it every day. things weren’t being But because you shutdown one question: what don’t see eye to funded anymore. I would like to ask would our Founding Fathers eye with another everyone who played think of you for playing a part in person or party a part in the governon a certain isembarrassing our country?” ment shutdown one sue doesn’t mean question: what would our Founding Fa- that you should start playing the blame thers think of you for playing a part in game. Not everybody can win, but taking embarrassing our country? I don’t want a compromise on something is better than to hear “the Republicans” wouldn’t do this shutting down. or “the Democrats” wouldn’t do that, I’m So please, stop playing the blame game

Ethan Divis and when Jan. 15 rolls around show the world that we, America, can actually put our differences aside and actually get our government rolling along because at the end of the day a government that is barley functioning is better than one that doesn’t function at all.

Staff editorial: Online music increases to help students share and listen to music As technology increases, more and more music is shared online. In this issue, our Arts & Entertainment section goes indepth on different music mediums that are becoming more popular for our student body. We take a look at SoundCloud, iTunes Radio, Spotify, and 8tracks. These are important for students to use, not just to listen to music, but share their own music. It is just another way besides Frivolous Fridays in the lunchroom to showcase the talent at Kennedy. SoundCloud was launched in 2008 and is an online way for people to share their own music. Over 200 million people use

SoundCloud, with over 40 million users. It is a great way to get music out there, and we fully encourage and support those that use it. iTunes Radio is the newest of the four mediums discussed, as it was released Sept. 18, 2013. It is a free online radio with ads available to users of Apple devices. iTunes Radio allows people to buy songs as they are listening, which is convenient because you don’t have to remember what songs you want to buy later. Spotify is another way to listen to music, launched in 2008, with over 20 million songs to listen to. There are many ways to search for music. There are different types

of accounts ranging from free to $9.99 per month. Lastly, we take a look at 8tracks, an internet music source that plays playlists with at least eight songs. 8tracks was launched in 2008. Listening to music has never been easier because you can listen to a variety of songs and playlists while on the go, whichever way you prefer. These are important things for many students, and we think it is important to share what each is to help our students use the one that is best for them.

PAGES BY Alli Nemecek

News

PACT reinvigorated Kennedy’s new PACT coordinator steps up to the plate.

Hands On. PACT Coordinator Sydny Richey helps student Marissa Moore (right) and Jenna Iben (bottom left).

This year the Program for Academic and Creative Talent (PACT) welcomes new coordinator, Syndy Richey. Richey has taught for ten years. This year, she is spending half of her time here at Kennedy and the rest at Wilson Middle School as PACT coordinator. The focus of PACT is to prepare students for the future while not taking away from class time. Richey said, “I know that students are busy but I want to offer

anything I can do to help them.” There are a variety of activities that PACT offers students, including debate, mock trial, optimist speech and various field trips that prepare students for their futures. This year there are about 700 students at Kennedy, evenly spread out through all of the grades, qualified for PACT. Students who were in the 90 percentile on the previous year’s Iowa Assessments tests are qualified for PACT, as well as a group of students between 85-89 percentile. This may be a lot of students, but Richey is prepared for the job. One of the things that she is doing this year that is different from previous years is posting a lot of resources for students online with Canvas, the new online school student and teacher website. Richey said, “I am trying to put everything out there so everyone can find

Page By Michael Abramson

photo by Katie Wolfe

what they are looking for.” All students that qualify for PACT are a part of a group on Canvas where they receive announcements, updates and important information about PACT and PACT activities. There is also a PACT website and a scholarship page that students can utilize to their advantage. Along with the addition to the PACT program of all of these features, she is becoming even more focused on college preparation. Richey said, “I’m really focusing on helping students with college and scholarship stuff.” Grace Ridnour, jr., is a long time PACT student who is taking advantage of all of the help Richey is providing. Ridnour said, “Ms. Richey was really nice and helpful in finding scholarships that are attainable for me.” Katie Wolfe

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Profile

One state to the next

Player travels across U.S. for soccer games Kaela Dickerman sr., has a full time commitment to soccer, from her club team to school soccer she stays very busy. She plays for a club team called Sereno and travels all year round and plays soccer for Kennedy. Dickerman verbally committed to play soccer for The University of Louisville since the beginning of her junior year. With all her soccer commitments. Dickerman manages to keep up with school by balancing it all out to make sure she gets good grades and is able to travel for soccer. “I like traveling to different places, because it gives me a chance to meet new people and I get to see a lot of new places,” Dickerman said. The tournaments that Dickerman travels to usually only consist of two or three games, the tournaments only last for two days, Saturday and Sunday. Dickerman has traveled to 11 different states for these tournaments. These states include, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Florida, Kansas, Missouri, Arizona, Nevada, Tennessee, Michigan and Nebraska. She plays outside midfielder and some-

times forward on her club team. Jeanne Archie, Dickerman’s mom, supports her. “All this traveling has given her a chance to realize what it will be like when she is in college and traveling on the weekends,” Archie said. “Kaela loves the game and always has since she was little.” Archie said, “It takes huge commitment and time on her part with school, work, etc., but she always manages to fit soccer into her life.” Traveling and keeping up with school can sometimes be difficult for Dickerman. “If you work hard enough then you can manage to balance it all out,” Dickerman said. “I am a firm believer that children should be involved in activities besides just school work. To me it doesn’t matter what she is involved in as long as she enjoys it,” Archie stated. Dickerman has been playing soccer almost her whole life and has loved the game. She has verbally committed to play for The University of Louisville so she can continue to play the game she loves. Dickerman wasn’t really looking at Louisville initially when she began her college search in her junior year, but she received a letter in the mail so she decided she would take a visit. “I went there and I really loved the school, so I verbally committed two weeks after my visit,” Dickerman said, “The reason I loved Louisville was not only because it was out of state, which was one thing I wanted, but they also focused on athletics as well as academics.” Dickerman is excited to start her new college experience and is happy she chose the University of Louisville, where they will give her the opportunity to excel in both education and soccer. Abby Donovan Traveling. Kaela Dickerman, sr., sends the ball down the field. Dickerman is committed to the University of Louisville. Photo provided by Kaela Dickerman Graphic by Lydia Martin

MISSION: A day in the life of a drug dog The Cedar Rapids Police Department has a special K-9 unit; K-9 Officer Casey Bilden leads this department. Officer Bilden has been a handler for 13 years and the department head for five years. Officer Bilden helps to train all the dogs and make sure they are ready to be out on the streets. “They’re just another police tool that we use,” Officer Bilden said. The Cedar Rapids Police Department has six narcotics dogs or dualpurpose drug dogs. The Cedar Rapids Police Department dogs are originally from Holland, however the Police department buys the dogs from Vohne Liche Kennels in Indiana. “Its pretty expensive, I have saved the department around $40,000 in the last four years by training them here,” Officer Bilden said. The dogs cost around $10,000 plus their training that costs about $8,000-$10,000. However, with the help of Officer Bilden, the Cedar Rapids Police Department saves money. The dogs are trained in bomb detection and drug detection but they also do the other things, such as searching vehicles, hotels, apartments and buildings. This training lasts for about six-eight weeks. “After the six-eight weeks the handler and the new dog go back to Indiana to get a certification paper that the courts require, and then they come back and they start working the street, so during that six to eight weeks, I train the dog and their handler on all the narcotics, how to track people and bite work, its pretty complicated,” Officer Bilden said. The dogs are trained on four substances. “There’s just four basic right now, mari-

Profile

juana, cocaine, meth and heroine,” Officer Bilden said. The dogs work hard on a daily basis to help the Cedar Rapids Police Department keep Cedar Rapids safe. “All of our dogs have really good obedience and listen pretty well,” Officer Bilden said. Officer Bilden has his own partner, Yoeri. Yoeri has worked in the K-9 unit since 2008. “He knows when it’s time to go to work, just like a clock in his head, when I get up at six, he gets up and he eats, he knows when he hears me shaving that it is almost time to go so he starts pacing, he knows when he hears me grab the keys to the car, he moves down to the car,” Officer Bilden said. When the dogs are not at work, they like to play catch and frisbee, and enjoy the relaxation time that they have. “They act like your normal dog would, but when it’s time to go to work they know,” Officer Bilden said. Lydia Martin

K-9 Officer. Above, Officer Casey Bilden sat down with Torch to reflect on what the K-9 unit really does. Photo by Amy Brause Yoeri. Right, Yoeri has been working with the K-9 unit since 2008. Yoeri lives with Officer Bilden. Photo by Amy Brause

Pages By Lydia Martin

Photo

Kennedy Takes Action

Over the past month Kennedy students have participated in making their community a better place through efforts such as the ONE campaign, canned food drive, toothbrush drive and planning for Dance Marathon. On Nov. 1, members of the Kennedy community participated in Homeless Night.

ht g i N s s e l e Hom 1 over r n Novembe o t h ig n t a p Late ered to slee h t a g s t n e d 60 stu ont patio of fr e h t n o s ey in boxe to raise mon r e d r o in y Kenned rs. eless shelte m o h l a c lo for

Photos by Naomi Hofferber

10 Page By Amy Brause

Feature Feature

Behind the scenes When writing the story, the author got the privilege to see exciting animals and take photos. This is one of them. The snake in this photo is a red-tailed boa constrictor named Luna. Luna is three years old, and is described as really sweet, but “you don’t want to be around her when she’s really hungry.” photo by Bailey Zaputil

PAGE PAGE BY BY Bailey Bailey Zaputil Zaputil 23 11

Feature

From farm animals to reptiles, Kennedy students and staff have a variety of pets. Pigs Turtles Siblings C.J., sr., and Kelly, so., Breja help their family raise The Neff family, composed of math teacher Alex, Media crossbred show pigs, which the family sells or enters into competitions, which both siblings have won multiple awards for their showmanship. While they describe it more as a “hobby”, they have become more involved with competitions in the past seven years since they got their first pigs. Unlike regular livestock, show pigs are individually penned and fed, meaning that they can discover the different personalities and habits of the pigs, which is something the showmanship contests look for. “They’re really smart,” Kelly said. “They’re like dogs. The one that I had for the Jackpot series was a Chester and his name was Chet, and he would respond to it.” The normal market for pigs is about five and half to six months. Though this may sound young, the pigs grow fast. A normal diet is two and a half pounds a day, which normally correlates to about a half pound of weight gain a day. Kelly said that they feed them before and after school. C.J. says that while it’s a lot of work, it’s still a lot of fun. “There’s a lot of things that go in behind the scenes that people don’t really realize at the State Fair...or appreciate how much work goes into it,” he said. “I think that it’s a big deal, and it’s a big deal to us. I think we both love it, so that’s why we do it.”

Secretary Lesa, students Isabel, sr., and Dan, so., have a variety of pets, including eight box turtles. The younger three of the eight are called “the babies” in the family, meaning that they’ve only been in the family for about ten years. They’ve had the other five longer, as Alex explains: “We brought most of these with us when we moved here from California,” he said. “We used to sneak them in the hotels at night and let them soak in the tubs. We had a big, 40 gallon rubber maid tote we brought.” The turtles are usually kept outdoors during the spring to fall time, and brought in during the winter. They like to eat crickets, fruits, and vegetables, and even eat off a strawberry plant the family keeps outside. They’re very reclusive, however, and will only come out during the day for an hour or two before burrowing into the dirt. While they’re the family turtles, Lesa is the primary caretaker. Lesa thinks they’re fun, and likes to take videos of them and put them on Instagram. Which may be less hard than it sounds, because: “They are responsive to your voice,” Lesa said. “If I talk to them, they’ll come to the edge of the cage.”

Snakes

Llamas Leah Baethke’s father got her first llama, Annie, about three

Dana Van Hyfte’s family has owned snakes since she was in fourth grade. What started with just a few corn snakes has expanded into an entire business, Bear Creek Herpetological. The Van Hyfte family specializes as a breeder for fine ball pythons, a type of snake that originates from Africa, called so because of their instinct to curl up into a ball when they’re scared or nervous. Dana Van Hyfte, fr., addressed some misconceptions people may have about snakes. “People think that they are really mean, but most of them are actually really nice,” she said “People think they’re slimy, but they’re not.” During breeding season, they usually have about 200 snakes, but because of how many they have sold, they currently only have 70. Most of their ball pythons run about $1,000 each. The snakes are kept in a special room at their house, in a tidy system of racks, where the temperature can be maintained around 75-80 degrees, as the snakes cannot breathe in colder temperatures. They only need to be fed about every other week, preferring frozen mice over live ones. She hopes to continue the family business in the future. “Snakes live about up to 50-60 years and my dad, he’s almost forty, so someone has to take care of them.”

years ago from a petting zoo, where she was getting too old for the shows. They bought their second llama, James, about a year ago, when he was around six months. Even though not two years old yet, he comes up a little under Baethke’s shoulder, and is still not full grown. Both have distinct personalities, with Annie being the “sweet” one of the two, and James being described by Baethke as “So cute, but he sucks sometimes, he’s a little bit aggressive because he’s a boy llama.” A little known fact about llamas is that they don’t like being touched on their faces, and will spit at anyone who does so. There are three different kinds of llama spit: there is the little puff of air at each other when they’re angry at each other, and the spit from their mouth. The third kind, in Baethke’s own words, is “The most disgusting.” The third kind involves stomach acid, which they’ll spit at a person. “After they do that, they only do that when they’re being attacked or something, and then after that they have to keep their mouth open for an hour,” Baethke said, though explained that she has only seen the first kind. bailey zaputil

Top left: The Van Hyfte family keeps their snakes warm and fed in their basement by using a tray cabinet. Top right: C.J. and Kelly Breja pose for a picture with one of their pigs. Middle left: a rather photogenic pig smiles for the camera. Middle right: Leah Baethke and pet llama James, photo courtesy of Baethke. Bottom left: Isabel, Alex, Lesa, and Dan Neff each show off a pet turtle. Bottom right: Lee and daughter Dana Van Hyfte, fr., smile with their snakes Oreo and Domino.

Feature

Pages By Bailey Zaputil

Health

Benefiting Diabetics

Hy-Vee Chef teaches diabetic cooking When diagnosed with diabetes, a diabetic’s lifestyle changes drastically. Say goodbye to sugary foods and hello to diet sodas and watching proportions. It’s not always easy to do. It takes a toll on teens with diabetes. Not a lot of people know much about diabetes, the first words that usually pop out of someone’s mouth is, “Isn’t that where you can’t eat sugar?” which is okay, no one is expected to know everything, especially about some disease that seems to be uncommon, but diabetes is on the rise, both Type 1 and 2, it’s difficult to deal with food, and what they eat, and one man realizes that it’s time to take some action

and help out by giving some health advice. can print out recipes and show them how “The class would be really nice, maybe I’ll to make it, it’s really easy,” Peters said. even learn something new to use,” Jenny Peters plans on having the class a few McDonnell, sr., said. weeks before the holidays, since those are Chef Luke Peters at the Hy-Vee off of some of the most difficult days for diabetics Edgewood Road has recently started a to control their blood sugars. Along with class to teach adolescent “The class would be really teaching diabetics diabetics healthy ways to how to control their cook. Peters gained the idea nice, maybe I’ll even learn proportions and carb after attending a gala hosted something new to use.” in-take, it also is a by Juvenile Diabetes Research great way to just find -Jenny McDonnell, sr. Foundation (JDRF). Peters easy snacks to make think this class will be helpful because kids after school. This class would help them understand don’t always know what to eat. “I don’t necessarily want a hands on class, but I do how to figure out proportions, so they want to show the kids how to make it, so I could give themselves enough insulin to

Health

Beneficial. Nick Bast,sr., and Jenny McDonnell,sr., both feel they would benefit from the class. compensate for the meal. Insulin is a liquid that is secreted by your pancreas. It helps you eat food without suffering from the effects that people with diabetes see before they are diagnosed. The American Diabetes Association lists the symptoms as loss of weight, being thirsty, always feeling hungry, always needing to go to the bathroom, looking pale, feeling lethargic, slow healing injuries and eventually throwing up. Diabetics administer this liquid, insulin, manually. Insulin is injected through pens, shots and pumps. Giving insulin helps keep a persons’ blood sugar down, the usual blood sugar being 90-180. Most

people freak out when they see a diabetic check their blood sugar, which is the concentration of glucose, or sugar, in the blood, but what people don’t know is that it is necessary to a diabetic’s lifestyle. Most people have at least one diabetic that is a part of their lives. Usually, Diabetics that are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes got it at birth, or even later in their adolescent years. In some rare cases, they get it even if it doesn’t even run in their families. Peters’s intentions are to help new diabetics, or even people looking for new tricks to learn. He wants them to be able to trick themselves into healthy eating, watching their sugar intake and be self reliant. There are also other resources for people looking for information on diabetic places. Local places, like the Tanager Place, Park Place, and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation are all places with more information. “I want people to understand that I’m not the only resource, there are many more out there” Peters also said that if anyone had questions, they are welcome to e-mail him at 1064chef@hyvee.com. Emma Kiekahaefer Measuring. Diabetics draw blood in order to measure their blood sugar. photos and graphic by Emma Kiekahaefer

Diabetic Friendly Recipe: Maple-Walnut Roasted Apples Ingredients: 1/3 cup maple syrup 3 tablespoons apple cider or apple juice 2 teaspoons unsalted butter 2 large apples, halved 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts 1 cup reduced-fat ice cream or low-fat yogurt

Preparation: 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat an 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick spray. 2. Combine the maple syrup, apple cider, and butter in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring. Remove from the heat. 3. Wash and dry the apple halves (leave the skin on) and remove cores. Place the apples cut side up in the baking dish. Pour the maple syrup mixture over apples. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. 4. Baste the apples with the maple syrup mixture. Sprinkle with the walnuts. Return to the oven and bake, uncovered, until the apples are tender and glazed, 10 to 20 minutes, basting once or twice. Let cool slightly. Place an apple half on each dessert dish and drizzle with syrup. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt. recipe and photo from www.rd.com

PAGES BY Xander Riley and Terin Kane

Musical App Revol

Arts and Entertainment

Share your musical talents: Soundcloud M usic is universal, and there is such a wide variety of ways to listen to music today, including using different music apps. One app used by students is SoundCloud. SoundCloud is an audio app that allows users to upload, record, and share their music. Kaleb Horak, jr., or better known on SoundCloud as Deejay Sl!imm, uploads and creates music using SoundCloud because, “It’s free and a lot of people use it. I also knew how to do it and it was easy.” Other students like Mary Mathis, sr., also make their own music and upload to SoundCloud. “It’s become a hobby and something I like to do,” Mathis said. Mathis does not use any other music apps besides SoundCloud and her own iTunes account to listen to music. “It’s a great way to share your music and you can find some really cool people from SoundCloud,” Mathis said. ELIANNA NOVITCH

16 18

iTunes expands I

Tunes Radio is an internet radio that lets you create stations and stream music on all Apple devices. Ellie Klein, so., likes that on iTunes Radio she can listen to music that is fairly new and non-repetitive, but doesn’t like how the app will sometimes close on her or freeze up. “I really only use it when I run out of skips on Pandora or when Pandora isn’t hitting the spot,” Klein said. Linden Runels, so., recommends the app to those who don’t have Pandora, but thinks that they do have it, should continue to use that instead. “You have to have Wi-Fi to access it and if you don’t have Wi-Fi, it uses up phone data and drains the battery, which is a pain,” Runels said. Runels also recommends the app to anyone that is looking for new music because “you can hear new music in the genre you like on ITunes Radio.” GABBY OLEJNICZAK

lution Spotify discovers S potify users can easily find a song that conveys what they feel, and listen to similar songs and new artists based on that choice. Some music apps only have the “radio” option, where they select the next track based on an artist or song chosen. On Spotify, users have the choice to listen to their own playlists, entire albums, or even other people’s playlists. Khadidja Elkeurti, so., takes advantage of the freedom of Spotify. “I love being able to listen to anything I want and discover new artists based on artists you’re already interested in.” Spotify utilizes their pop-up player by having a mix of Facebook and Twitter within their own community. Once a song is played, it shows up saying that you listened to it on the users “activity” to the right of the screen. Users can type a comment on the song from the player or on the artist’s page, and it would show to all of their followers. Despite the many options that Spotify has, it has an organized layout, which Jordan Lunsford, sr., enjoys. “I like how it’s easy to find the music I’m looking for. All of the albums for an artist are in the same place.” ZAYLA MACKRELL

Arts and Entertainment

The playlist app: 8tracks

or those days when you want a playlist to fit the mood, 8tracks is an ad-free music app that allows users to create and enjoy mixes of many different types of music. 8tracks is on the rise in popularity as more people join and create mixes to share. Enya Savchenko, jr., likes to use 8tracks because, “When I don’t want to buy music I can listen to it on there and they have really good playlist on it that I like.” 8tracks has a wide variety of music that everyone can enjoy. “I like alternative music and they offer a lot of that on there, which is nice because it’s harder to find that music on YouTube,” Savchenko said. Whether you create, search, or listen to music, 8tracks is a wide ranged app that appeals to many. “A lot of my friends use it and share music with me,” Savchenko said. ELIANNA NOVITCH

Graphic by Hannah Bruns Pages By Hannah Bruns And Morgan Schwab

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Sports

Shake up: The process Boys’ basketball

Jon McKowen, Boys basketball coach.

The boys’ basketball team will be opening the 2013-2014 season with a new coach. Jon McKowen was hired last school year on April 9. “My goal this year is to do better than what people think we are going to do and exceed expectations,” McKowen said. Workouts and open gyms have already begun for the team and will continue until the start of the season. “We are going to work hard everyday through practices and games and try to get better everyday,” McKowen said. Aaron Stecker, Athletic Director, explained the process of hiring the basketball coach. “The process for boy’s basketball went very smoothly with all of the media coverage. Publicity helps move along the hiring stages.”

Head coaching jobs for high school sports have become big commitments. More sports are becoming year-round with off-season training. John Bardsley, a senior on the team, said “I hope he [McKowen] brings a new set of ideas and a new presence in the program, like a restart button.” Last year the boys’ team ended the season with a record of 11-10. Zach Daniels, jr., is also excited about the change. “I hope the change helps the team, and I’m excited to see the different coaching style.” McKowen is excited to start the new season at Kennedy. “For a school of this size, school spirit is unbelievable. I hope we can bring all of that into the gym this winter,” McKowen said. Maddy Crist

Girls’ basketball Tony Vis is going into this season with a year of experience coaching the girls’ basketball team at Kennedy. “Sometimes it takes a while to get used to the change and a new atmosphere because coaches are different, no matter how they run their program,” Paige Hendrickson, sr., said. The players know the work ethic and expectations required to be successful from experience with last year’s season. “Vis is interactive and more direct about what he wants. it’s not always the nicest, but it really help us as players,” Stephanie Botkin, jr., said. “With Vis as a coach we know exactly what we need to do all the time and he’s very direct in his coaching style.” The team has made plans to prepare for the upcoming season. Players participated in summer

leagues, there were consistent practice times during the week in the summer, playing in fall leagues, and having regular open gyms. “Whenever we ask if we can shoot, Vis goes and gets us a ball, and we just practice whenever we can,” Jordan Holmes, sr., said. Last season the team ended with a record of 15-8. They ended on a strong note and with a winning record. “I had to be flexible, but overall it was a successful season,” Vis said. This year they have the same goals; to be successful. “Overall, in the end, we will hopefully be able to win the championship,” Hendrickson said. Maddy Crist Stephanie Bptkin, jr.

Sports

of hiring a new coach Girls’ tennis

Ananya Munjal, sr.

The girls’ tennis team is in the beginning stages of hiring a new coach for the 2013-2014 season. The time span of the hiring process varies from sport to sport due to the publicity that the job gets. “Some sports will take longer because they aren’t as public,” Aaron Stecker, Athletic Director, said. It is very important to choose the right candidate for the position because they are going to determine what kind of experience the players have throughout the season. “We are looking for someone that can demonstrate that they know the sport, they have a high level of capacity and potential to teach the game and take our teams to a higher level on the field or on the court,” Stecker said. There is not only the transition to a new coach for the girls’ tennis team,

but also with all of the seniors that graduated last year. “I am excited to see how the team works together because we lost a lot of seniors last year,” Maddi Hennessey, sr., said. There is a lot of excitement and nervousness among the tennis players to find out who the new coach will be and how they will affect the team. “I hope that the new coach believes in team bonding and I hope they not only work with our team as a whole, but on an individual level as well,” Ananya Munjal, sr., said. As they continue with the hiring process including interviews, “We are looking for an educator with a whistle,” Stecker, said. Katie Wolfe

Softball Kennedy’s softball team welcomes Dan Gratz to the team as the new head coach. Gratz coached at all levels of softball for the last six years and is excited to start implementing some of the skills he has acquired over the years. This will be Gratz’ first time being in the head coach position. “I hope we can have a winning season this year and that the new coach can bring structure and organization,” Ashley Hamilton, Fr., said. Preparation already began for the upcoming season. There was a meet and greet with the team where everyone involved with the program got to know more about Gratz and see what his plans are for the season. There are also scheduled open field days where players can start training. “I want to be sure there is not a wasted day in our season,” Gratz, said. As with any team that has to go

through a change in coaching, the players will have to adjust to new coaching styles. “I’m excited to see how we do under a new coaching staff,” Lauren Kubovec, sr. said. There is a lot of excitement and hope for this season to be a successful one among some of the players. “I’m excited to try new things, and hopefully our coach can pull our team together.” Tianna Drahn, so. said. One of the goals for this season is to create an environment of consistency in all aspects of the game. “Our main points of emphasis will be effort and energy; if we can give 100 percent effort and keep our energy level at a high level daily, it will be a season to remember,” Gratz said. Katie Wolfe Ashley Hamilton, fr.

Pages By Maddy Crist and Katie Wolfe

John F. Kennedy High School 4545 Wenig Rd. NE Cedar Rapids, IA 52402

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