John F. Kennedy High School
Volume 46, Issue 4
December 21, 2012
the torch
Remembering Drew page 11
CONTENTS Editorial 04
Torch staff members express their views on feminism
News Page 11 Photo by Hanna Krivit
06
Falling off the fiscal cliff
Profile 08
Definition of a Mormon
Feature 11
Just Drew it
Photo 16
Page 16
Photo by Mary Mathis
Santa! I know him!
Arts & Entertainment 18
Top picks: Torch chooses best games, movies, and albums of 2012
Health 20
Focus on the beat
Sports Page 22
Photo by Hanna Krivit
the
torch John F. Kennedy High School 4545 Wenig Rd. NE Cedar Rapids, IA 52402 Volume 46, Issue 4
22 New look starts off successfully 23 Hazed Cover by Tara Mittelberg Cover photo provided by the Wall Family
mission The Torch staff and adviser are committed to producing a top quality student newspaper applying high standards of writing, editing, and production. The Torch seeks to fairly serve the Kennedy High School faculty, students, and staff, showing no favoritism to decisions about content are the responsibility of the individual editors and the Editorial Board.
Letter from the editor No matter what our religion or beliefs are, this time of year is always incredibly busy for many reasons. From decorations, to gifts, to food planning, it always seems like Americans use the whole year to prepare for the holiday season. Speaking from experience as an avid Christmas celebrator, my dad is the type of person to go all out with the Christmas decorations. Every inch of our house, from the inside to the outside, must be covered in lights, trees, or figurines. It takes at least two weeks for everything to be set up just right. Then comes the gift giving. We all stress out making sure that we get the best gifts possible for our friends and family and then we have to make sure that we are personally asking for the right gifts that we want to tear open on Christmas morning. My grandma asked for me to send her my Christmas list at the beginning of November before we had even started to plan Thanksgiving. And don’t forget about the food that needs to be served when all of the family is together. It seems like every family member has a different opinion about what they want to eat. My family’s Christmas serves at least three different kinds of cranberries because no one can agree on just one way to prepare them. Between all of this hustle and bustle I think that many of us forget what the true meaning of this holiday season is all about. Recently we have been reminded how precious life can be from the loss of one of our own, Drew Wall, to the those who lost their lives at Sandy Hook Elementary in the tragic school shooting. Gifts, decorations, and food shouldn’t matter during this time of year. Family is most important to celebrate. Spend time with them, and importantly, be thankful for what we have today, not what we want tomorrow. Each day is a gift, not a given.
Torch Staff: Darcey Altschwager Editor-In-Chief
Mohammad Cheetany Managing Editor Hanna Krivit Photo Editor Tara Mittelberg Feature Editor Spencer Grekoff Business Editor Amy Brause News Editor Alli Nemecek News Editor Steph Mercer Profile Editor Bailey Zaputil Profile Editor Michael Abramson Arts & Entertainment Editor Sam Nordstrom Arts & Entertainment Editor Grace King Health Editor Rachel Langholz Health Editor Norm Althoff Sports Editor Annie Feltes Sports Editor Zack Goodall Copy Editor
Isabel Neff Online Editor Ethan Divis Online Editor Mary Mathis Photographer Hannah Bruns Writer Jason Grobstich Writer Terin Kane Writer Lydia Martin Writer Emma Moss Writer Summer Thompson Writer Xander Riley Writer Maddy Crist Writer Morgan Schwab Writer David Hynek Podcast Jordan Lunsford Podcast Trevor Melsha Podcast Stacy Haynes-Moore Adviser
Editorial
Torch staff members express their views on feminism Feminism a few years behind
Feminists need to settle
The Taliban’s law which banned education for females was tested by an average, 14-year-old, Pakistani girl. Malala Yousafzai decided to promote education among women when she attended school secretly and wrote about her experience in a blog for the BBC. Her secret schooling became public, and she was ambushed outside her home by two members of the Taliban and shot in the head. As I read about Yousafzai, I realized how much freedom females have in the United States. However, we are still being undermined as women, even with all the successes we have shown through history. The fact that girls’ abilities as workers and leaders are still questioned without reason is proof that feminism is a few years behind. Every day, I hear at least one joke that is said in class about women not being as dominant as men. Does anyone notice whom the majority of the laughter comes from? Anyone who is about to tell me that men are superior to women can think again; they’ll lead a lonely life. Then there are derogatory names. Girls are casually called “bitch” by guys and even their female friends. This makes me sick. When someone calls you a bitch, they’re implying that they are above you, and they are so wrong about that. If a girl so much as talks to a guy, she can be labeled a slut. However, if a guy slaps a girl’s butt in the hallway, he’s given a high five by his “bro.” Does anyone else see a problem with this? Girls have so many insecurities as adolescents, and I wonder why. They’re talked down to every day by the males they attend school with, are expected to wear tight clothes to impress others and paint on a new face every morning so that they’re considered pretty. Females, believe you can rise above the stereotypes you were born into. Do not let someone walk all over you and your confidence. Never think that you have to be something you’re not so that you can be accepted. Do not belittle yourself just because you are surrounded by people who would like to think that you’re not good enough for them. Respect the girls you go to school with, the girls you live with and the girls you’re surrounded with, because that will get you a lot farther than asking them to go make you a sandwich in the kitchen. I can’t imagine going to school in fear that I would be killed for doing so. This battle for equality among genders is still being fought everywhere. Yousafzai fought the battle against bullets for women in Pakistan. I may be fighting in a much smaller way, but at least I’m still fighting.
For years, feminists have been campaigning for gender equality and women’s rights. The main targets of these campaigns are men, as they are viewed as the group that is not providing women certain rights. On behalf of all American men is a similar mind set to myself, I politely ask feminists reading this to settle. Sexism in America is a dying practice. Full political rights have been granted to women and a general sense of gender equality has finally been created in America. Gender inequality in the job market can never be completely fixed. Objectively and economically speaking, hiring a woman at an age with a high likelihood of her bearing a child is potentially much less convenient and much less economical than hiring a man at the same age. In many jobs if a woman needs to take maternity-leave an employer cannot just call a temp agency and get a temp. This is especially the case in higher paying jobs, which tend to be more specialized. This causes studies comparing average men’s and women’s pays to be skewed towards men’s pay being higher. Obviously, I’m not going to deny that there are still huge leaps to be taken in women’s reproductive rights; however, men should not be viewed as the “bad guys” in this situation. Reproductive rights are held back by backwards-thinking, conservative, religious fanatics, not men as a whole. If feminists want to criticize anybody they should criticize radicals such as Paul Ryan, not every man on the earth. Feminists, if you don’t want sexism, don’t vote for people like Paul Ryan, keep people like him out of power. The targeting of the general population by feminists is near useless at this point in time. All of the young firmly believe in gender equality and do not need to be persuaded. Rather you should focus your attention on more specific things, such as keeping sexist radicals out of political office. Please just settle down, hearing your complaints is getting old. Many feminists voted for the radical Paul Ryan and his partner Mitt Romney in the presidential election. This is complete hypocrisy. Now we come to feminism at the adolescent level. Men often throw around the term “slut”. This term is used to refer to women that sleep around a lot. Many feminists don’t understand the key difference in male and female culture that makes men immune to this term. Men are highly sex driven and women typically have more self restraint. Guys get made fun of for not having sex, girls the opposite. This difference can be summed up by one simple saying. A lock that can be opened by many keys is a bad lock, but a key that can open many locks is a good key. Although personally I don’t agree with this entirely, it is the general mentality of most men.
Mary Mathis 4
Michael Abramson
Well folks, it’s about that time. Today is Dec. 21 which means the beginning of the end that we’ve all been waiting for is here. Many of us may be feeling sad that the world is about to end, but don’t be! Instead, remember the goods times that we’ve had with planet Earth. If we think about it, we’ve had a pretty great run. If we take away the wars, disease, and famine, our time here has been pretty good. I’m sure everyone has his or her own favorite memory of this great hunk of dirt covered molten lava, but personally, I can’t stop to reminisce about the good old days while the biggest question surrounding the apocalypse is yet to be answered. I can accept that humanity might cease to exist, but not knowing how this whole shindig is going to go down has been driving me insane! We have scientists
12.21.12 David Hynek prophesizing about things ranging from the sun blowing us up, or the north and south pole switching on us, causing everything to be literally turned upside down, all the way to a planet outside our solar system which is inhabited by aliens, who supposedly created the human race, colliding with earth and annihilating us all. It’s madness I tell you,
MADNESS! Personally I’d like a good old-fashioned zombie attack, unless that’s too much to ask for. It’d give us a fighting chance at least, and give me a chance to finally take a class on zombie hunting, one that I can’t believe isn’t offered at our school yet. But I digress. In the end, whether we believe that we’re destined to be incinerated, shifted upside down, or
Editorial
made to disappear due to some freaky cosmic force, just make sure we buckle up for safety because doomsday is here and it’s going to be a bumpy ride regardless of which catastrophe happens. Then again it’s looking likely that nothing is going to happen and life will go on as usual. Who knows, maybe the Mayans were off by a day or two and we’re all in for a Christmas break surprise. But in all likeliness the only worlds that will be shattered will be the worlds of the people that devoted their lives to 2012, and we’ll end up having another earth shattering prophecy before the new year. Either way this guy is just going to sit back and let whatever may happen, happen. I’m just going along for the ride because, ladies and gentlemen, for today at least, it’s the end of the world as we know it. And I feel fine.
Staff editorial: Honoring the life of Drew Wall Drew Wall is a true inspiration to our school and to those of our community. As a young man, Drew faced obstacles in his life that no one should have to face. But Drew never seemed to let cancer get in his way. He stayed positive and was determined to keep living his life to the fullest by playing golf and participating on the speech team. The Torch staff admires Drew’s character and the strength and support that came from his family and friends. Our copy editor, Zack Goodall, is one of Drew’s cousins. Goodall and the Wall family provided us with an immense amount of informa-
tion and stories about Drew’s life. We appreciate their help and openess to allow us to put together a feature that highlights Drew’s life. Our school and community went to great lengths to remember that life that Drew lived. At the Kennedy Washington double header basketball game on Dec. 14, both schools came together to remember Drew. Spectators on both sides of the gym put on their purple to honor Drew and his family. Together we chanted “just Drew it” in place of a moment of silence for Drew. That day more than 2,500 just Drew it shirts were sold throughout Iowa.
Drew touched the lives of so many people. The stories and photos submitted to us are inspirational. We wish that we were able to include everything that we received. Drew will be missed here at Kennedy.
Pages by Darcey Altschwager 5
News
What is the “fiscal cliff”? The fiscal cliff is the name given to the end of the tax cuts initiated during the Bush administration. The tax cuts include the Medicare tax, payroll tax, Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), and the Bush cuts. The tax cuts will expire on Dec. 31, 2012 at midnight unless the current administration and congress can come to a conclusion.
Will there be a solution before the tax cuts expire? Currently the president and Congress are attempting to work on a solution but neither side can necessarily agree to terms with the other. Most likely, a short term option will be put in place before the tax cuts expire on Dec. 31, 2012. Otherwise, if there isn’t a solution before the tax cuts, we could simply go over the fiscal cliff and most Americans could be paying more in taxes.
How will the fiscal cliff affect Americans? If a consensus can’t be reached before the tax cuts expire, the fiscal cliff will affect Americans by: - Raising taxes by 3-4% for most Americans. -Spending cuts in several different government-funded programs. - Relapsed recession. -Unemployment rising by almost a full percent.
What programs will be affected by the fiscal cliff? Payroll taxes will be increased by two percent. $55 billion from defense spending will be cut. $55 billion from domestic programs will be cut. Graphic by Tara Mittelberg 6
Mohammad Cheetany
Falling off the f iscal cliff
g
News
Helping Others Left: Erica Gouchee , fr., wraps her present for the student government adopt a family. Student government provides gifts every year for families in need. photos by Darcey Altschwager
Top: Aren Buresh, fr., passes her wrapped gift to be placed with the other presents. Middle: Presents after they have been wrapped by members of student government are stacked to be delivered.
Kennedy student government adopts families every year to provide gifts for those in need Every year, Kennedy’s student government does several things to help the needy in the community. This year, the student government is “adopting” 25 families for Christmas. They go to families in need who can’t afford Christmas gifts, have them create a wish list, and then go out with a set amount of money and buy as many of the gifts as they can. They then wrap the gifts and either deliver them or arrange to have them picked up. “I think it’s really important because not everyone can have the Christmas they want every year,” Mackenzie Stump, sr., said. “I think it’s a good thing to help those in need.” In addition to Adopt a Family, student government is also buying gifts for 16 kids who live at Four Oaks, which is the main organization that student government goes through for Adopt a Family. The kids give a list of toys to the students, and then the students go out and buy them with their own money. Afterwards the students give the gifts to Four Oaks, and they split
them up evenly to make sure each kid gets some. “In a few cases they are lucky enough that they get to deliver the presents,” Joe Benedict, student government teacher, said. “They get to see their reward in terms of what they’ve done when they see all the presents going in and the excitement on the kids’ faces.” Student government also helps with the Christmas Party for the children of the Kennedy staff and they do bell-ringing for the Salvation Army. “We have the option to go to a Hy-Vee or other local location to bell-ring for an hour,” Mackenzie Crist, sr., said. “This year we reserved two full days, so for two days at the kettles it will be just student government.” Also, student government helps out veterans through benefits like these. This year, 10 of the families being helped out through Adopt a Family are families with veterans. “It’s a way to say, ‘thank you for serv-
ing your country,’ as well as, ‘we’re willing to help brighten your holidays,” Benedict said. Student government raises money to spend on things like this by sponsoring dances like homecoming and WPA, as well as getting money from local businesses. They also accept donations from individuals. “We have a lot of donors,” Morgan Mitchell, sr., said. “This year I know we got more donations than we ever have, so it’s a lot easier t go out and get more families and help them out.” Students an also help out even if they’re not involved in student government. Most organizations, like the Humane Society, will give you things to do to help out on a weekly basis. “You don’t have to be in student government to help those in need,” Stump said. “You just have to go out and find them.” xander Riley
Page by Alli Nemecek & Amy Brause 7
Profile
“We are a Christian Church that believes in the book of Mormon and the Bible to be the word of God testifying of Jesus Christ.” Austin Holzer, jr.
“How I define being Mormon is having high standards and standing up for what you believe in.” Bryant Jasper, fr.
“Following the rules is important because I know if I don’t do those things I will be a lot happier and I won’t feel guilty.” Mallory Schatz, so. 8
In 22 a
Photos by Bailey Zaputil
Profile
definition of a mormon Everyone has his or her definition of religion. But greater the greater question is how religion can define oneself and their future? Three Kennedy students discuss how their religion, Mormonism, affects their lives and how. For example, most students wouldn’t ever have to decide between their faith and education. But Austin Holzer, jr., is postponing his plans to play college football to complete two years of mission work for his religion. For a few Kennedy students, making the two-year trip is just one of the many parts to their Mormon faith. Mormons have the choice to travel to another region to serve a two-year mission in which they teach the gospel. “You start it [mission process] by filling out some papers and sending them into Salt Lake City,” Bryant Jasper, jr., said. “A few weeks later, you get a letter back telling you where you are going and then you go to a missionary training center to learn about where you are going.” Holzer explains Mormonism. “The Name of my Church is the Jesus Christ Church of the Latter-day Saints and we believe that there is God the father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost and they are three separate beings,” Holzer said. “We believe that Joseph Smith, who was the founder of the church, saw God the Father, and Jesus Christ while he was praying about which church to go to. They told him that none of the religions had the entire truth, and that in time the entire true religion would be revealed. Through Revelations and visits he was able to find the truth and translate from golden plates, The Book of Mormon.” Mormons have certain practices and restrictions. For example, Mormons abstain from certain activities. Jasper listed some: “We don’t drink, we don’t smoke, we don’t do drugs, we don’t have pre-marital sex,” he said. “We also don’t date until we’re 16.” Not all of the restrictions are as strongly enforced. Not swearing and having tattoos and piercings are some examples of these rules. “There are some
In Iowa, about 22,569 people are Mormon.
people that do [have piercings and tattoos] and girls can have one [piercing] in each ear,” Mallory Schatz, so., said. “If you’re born in the church, you usually just stay away from that.” Sometimes the strict rules create some hard feelings. “Sometimes [I feel restricted], but when you think about it, everyone has those moments when they feel restricted but eventually it’ll all pay off.” Even with some of these rules, Holzer says that he doesn’t mind. “I never really feel like I miss out. I think that because I have the rules I can experience true happiness,” Holzer said. “Sometimes people go out and drink, and it messes with their head, and some people don’t even remember what they did last night because they drank so much. If you don’t drink you can have experiences that you’ll remember for your whole life.” One of the other ways that these students’ lives are different is that they get up every morning to go to church. “We have seminary every morning at 6 o’clock, which is just basically Bible study, but it’s pretty early,” Jasper said. There is one misconception about Mormons that stands out to all three of these students and one that they would like to clear up. “We don’t practice polygamy,” Holzer said. “It was something that was practiced for a short period of time in our religion and we don’t practice it anymore.” Misconceptions like these, are perhaps easy to carry on when the Momron population is statistically small. According to Pewforum.com, about 1.7 to 2 percent of American adults are Mormon. Of those, about 66 percent tend to be under age 50. Even though Holzer has to temporarily put aside his football career, he says he’s okay with it. “I love the sport, but I love my religion more.”
In the U.S, about 2 percent of all people identify as Mormon.
amy brause Statistics provided by websites’ Deseret News and Pewforum respectively.
Page by Bailey Zaptil & Steph Mercer 9
Graphic by Bailey Zaputil Photos provided by Christine Dimke
Senior spends year as foreign exchange student Senior year. A year filled with creating memories, hanging out with friends, and finishing up teenage years. But for one senior, Christine Dimke, this special year is being spent across the ocean as a foreign exchange student in Spain. The choice wasn’t an easy one when the option came around, but Dimke really wanted to live in a different culture and learn a new language, and she did just that through the Rotary Youth Exchange program. “It was extremely difficult,” Dimke said. “I left my friends, classmates, favorite teachers, and the comfort of home I made at Kennedy.” The first few days after arrival, Dimke was extremely tired from the jet lag and time change, but adapting to the new country was a relatively quick process. “The language was hard at first, but after the first 24 hours you begin to make huge strides.” “The hardest and easiest thing was my family,” Dimke said, referring to her new Spanish host family, the Ramos. “At first I didn’t know anything about them. Trying to integrate into any family is awkward, but they have always been very supportive, and I was very grateful to have such wonderful people to welcome me into such a great country,” Dimke said. Other first impressions for Dimke included the heat, corresponding with the lack of air conditioning, as well as the amount of food consumed throughout the day. The five meals in Spain included breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner, each meal containing a lot of food. “I felt at first like all we
did was eat, and when I explained American meals to my parents they looked at me like I lived in a concentration camp,” Dimke said. As for school, Dimke explains that the system is divided into tracks. In each track, there is a set schedule of classes students will take. The classes do switch, but the people in the track stay the same all year. “There is almost nothing you do with people from other tracks, so you don’t get the opportunity to know very many people at the school.” Dimke also found that the homework isn’t too difficult as she knows a lot of the material from her education in the United States. She says her classes can be effectively studied by taking notes and analyzing concepts. “At first the language was a barrier, but now it just keeps things interesting.” Free time in Spain is similar to the free time here in the United States. “We like to listen to music, go to the movies, play soccer, watch soccer, go the beach and hang out downtown.” The downtown area is a huge place to meet with friends and go shopping. “It is a really important part of the culture, and it is beautiful at Christmas,” Dimke adds. Dimke is recording her experiences through a blog called Christine Sees the World, containing posts about the trip, photos, and videos. Dimke says she started the blog because she didn’t want to forget about all the amazing experiences she was having and also wanted to share it with everyone. Once Dimke finishes up her exciting year in Spain, she will return here to the University of Iowa so she can finish up her language arts and government requirements, as well as taking some other advanced classes. After this, she plans to study Bio-Medical Engineering at Stanford. “I miss Kennedy; it is a great place to grow and learn,” Dimke said. “I am proud I have been able to come show some Cougar spirit here in Spain.” Jason Grobstich
10 Page by Bailey Zaputil & Steph Mercer
photo
To Speak of You. I wish to Speak, but with what words to sound So that they may reflect the man we know To reach the stairs beyond the heavens, bound, Godspeed! brave one, you leave this land you sew You walk the gilded steps unto The Throne With gates of gold, be still, your joyous heart, for There you’ll rest, at best; chance is unknown, for when your kin will cease to live apart. But as the sands of time begin to fall, The black recedes in days of long ago. Yet! In the weary minds, of one, of all, there sleeps the tears of ours that came to show. The life you lived, while short, will be held high. naught but your vassal left, we say goodbye.
May You Sleep Well.
remembering
photo provided by the Wall family
DREW Poem by Zack Goodall
Just Drew it Drew Wall, so., was an avid golfer, speech team member, and a friend to all. At age 11, doctors diagnosed him with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer; nine days later Wall began his first round of chemotherapy. When chemotherapy was unable to eliminate a tumor in his leg, Wall had to decide whether to amputate the lower portion of his right leg. For Wall the decision was easy - amputation meant he would have a prosthetic leg but he would be able to participate in the sports he loved. Since his surgery, Wall continued to participate in activities including golf, martial arts and swimming. Wall, an inspiration to many, spoke at countless conferences and events and was named a “champion” by the Iowa Children’s Miracle Network. In mid-November, however, Wall was hospitalized because his condition began to worsen. On Nov. 26 he asked to go home. Three hours later, he passed away peacefully with his family by his side. Wall’s courage, positive attitude and refusal to let cancer define him was an inspiration to many.
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“Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.” -J.M. Barrie As Drew’s speech coach, AP Human Geography and Personal Law teacher, I can only echo the truths about Drew that all of his other coaches and educators have shared about him. He was a hard worker, never wanted to be treated differently, demanded perfection from himself and pushed others to want the same. He loved intellectual discussions and debates and would often be the one who would instigate an in-depth discussion in the classroom. Drew was competitive and had a desire for learning. When he was a prosecuting attorney in our Mock Trial unit for Personal Law, he wanted to win their side of the case so bad he questioned, probed and exposed holes in the defense’s theory that I almost felt like I was watching a real life court case. Drew always wanted to be challenged and to learn more. When I handed out last year’s
photos by Hanna Krivit
Landon Crippes, sr.
schedule for AP review sessions, Drew raised his hand and asked why there weren’t any Friday sessions. I told him I thought we deserved a day of rest from AP with Saturday review sessions. He repeated himself, “So, why don’t we have Friday review sessions?” If I would’ve provided the forum for learning, he would’ve been there, no matter the circumstances. Every Saturday review session, Drew would be the first to show up and the last one to leave. When the rest of his classmates were sick of writing FRQ’s, Drew would ask to do one more FRQ practice. When I was sick of scoring FRQ’s, Drew would ask to write just one more. The day the AP scores were posted, I scrolled through and was elated to see the 5 out of 5 for Drew. When days were long or tiring, it would always seem that Drew would walk into my classroom and put things in perspective.
He was just happy. He appreciated each day, each moment, and every person he met. Drew was also a member of the speech team and was involved in Ensemble Acting with Jack Green, Isabel Neff, Jason Grobstich and Tyler Rothenberger. Drew was always thinking about others and would actually schedule his surgeries around practices and contest dates. He never wanted to miss out. Drew was an exceptional speaker and storyteller. He was the narrator in the Ensemble Acting group, Peter Pan, where he captivated audiences with his voice and facial expressions. As coaches, we even gave him the award for “The Best Narrator”. His last line he delivered was, “Peter Pan would always be the boy that could never and would never grow up.” Drew will forever be in our hearts and minds.
-Speech Team coach Melissa Osborn
Dailin Williams, Chinese teacher
Shelby Pickering, so.
Becky Stephens, Science Teacher
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Dear Drew, This is Coach Wilden. I wrote this note to thank you for all you have done in being such a huge part of our Kennedy golf team. First, I want to thank you for your sense of humor. Remember that first day you joined our team after getting out of UIHC when recovering from one of your many surgeries? You headed immediately to Ellis Golf Course so you could be included in our team pictures and you proceeded to take your leg off and hold it up for all to see. Second, I would also like to thank you for your perseverance and determination. You weren’t about to let that loose screw in your bionic leg keep you from finishing your qualifying round. You drove in from the golf course and showed me how your leg was swiveling around as if it was about to fall off. Thank goodness the Ellis grounds crew came through with a wrench to tighten your leg so you could finish playing. I bet you still have that wrench in your golf bag. Next, I want to thank you for showing how much it meant for you to be a Cougar golfer. Everyone saw how proud you were to wear your JFK Golf shirt and carry that Kennedy golf bag. I remember Coach Bush being excited after that 9th grade golf meet when you
shot your best score ever. That was a great day. Finally, it goes without saying, Drew, that your contributions to the golf team were many. I especially want to thank you for the courage, spirit, and inspiration you gave the team this fall. You truly were strong and courageous. You were not afraid or discouraged. Your example of keeping a positive attitude and giving extraordinary effort encouraged your teammates to play their best. You underwent so many surgeries and procedures and you had to endure the radiation and chemotherapy and still you refused to allow anyone to think of you as anything but normal. The way you dealt with it all as a member of our team made us understand what real pressure was. As a team we realized that if a double bogey or a shot out of bounds was the worst thing going on in our lives, we had a lot to be thankful for. You moved us to put on purple shirts in your honor. Thank you for making us learn to rely more on each other and on our faith as you inspired us to win a district title and finish 2nd at the state meet, not as the Kennedy golf team, but as “Team Drew”. I promise that we will continue to “Just Drew It”. Love, Coach Wilden
-Golf coach Mark Wilden
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Melissa Osborn, Speech team coach
Mark Wilden, Golf coach
Feature
#teamdrew
Feature
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Fly away. (from left) Doug Wall, Robin Wall, Adam Wall, fr., and Drew Wall return home from the Children’s Miracle Network Champions’ Conference in Washington D.C. Drew died from osteosarcoma on Nov. 26. Photo provided by the Wall family
We first of all want to thank Drew’s peers. Some of you barely knew him - maybe just passed him in the crowded halls and some of you had class with him or were on the team with him (swim team, golf team or speech team). We want to thank you all for your outpouring of love and support. Your cards, letters, Facebook posts and tweets have truly touched us. Drew’s legacy is one of strength, courage, hope, perseverance and gratefulness. He always counted his blessings and was thankful for what he had. He took each day as it came and strived to live strong in all that came his way. Drew had cancer, but cancer couldn’t have Drew. He wore it openly for everyone to see. We all have struggles and challenges
that seem insurmountable, but it’s how we approach them and the attitude we possess that makes a difference. He was able to demonstrate such courage and character, and wanted others to do the same in whatever they may encounter. Just Drew It! We want to also thank all of Drew’s teachers, administrators, and coaches and the rest of the staff at Kennedy. All of you went out of your way to help Drew, to not only keep up, but also excel. You knew he did not want special treatment and you all seemed to understand that and work with him to achieve his goals on his terms. It’s amazing - his goal was just “to be normal”, but because of what he faced, how he faced it and how much he accomplished, he ended up showing every-
one that he was actually not “just normal”, but extraordinary in every way! Also, to the parents of students, specifically golf families, and other community members who followed Drew’s journey and responded with such compassion and giving - thank you from the bottom of our hearts. The fundraiser in Hiawatha, the “Just Drew It” shirts, his visitation gathering and Celebration of Life services, the Purple Out hockey and basketball games - The entire community’s awareness and thoughtfulness has just been aweinspiring. Please keep Drew’s courage and strength alive by striving to live each day to its fullest - JUST DREW IT! Living Strong by Joshua 1:9 for Drew.
-Drew’s parents Doug and Robin and brother Adam Wall 14 Page by Tara Mittelberg
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Page by Spencer Grekoff 15
Photography
Santa! I know him! Cafeteria staff
Nicole Decoste, fr., Abby Krueger, fr.
Hunter Smith, fr. Luke Gibbs, sr.
Arthu Tommy Kaiser, sr.
Alyssa Averhoff, jr., Lauren Meyer, so., Karly Donahue, jr.
!
Photography
Santa made his way to the halls of Kennedy to get Cougars ready for the Christmas season. For two days students had the opportunity to take a picture with Santa and his elves. Jim Muench, Aaron Stecker, Dr. Mary Wilcynski
Arthur Piret, sr.
Instagram Photo of the Month: User:
@bmanning24
Brendon Manning, so. “#JustDrewIt #DrewWall #DoItForDrew this bball season is for you #Drew.�
Want to be the Instagram photo of the month? Use the hashtag #torchphoto.
This basketball season a lot of the basketball players are playing for Drew.
Pages by Hanna Krivit 17 Photos by Mary Mathis and Darcey Altschwager
Arts & Entertainment
Top picks: Torch chooses best game
Game of the year: nominees and winner
Guild Wars 2 was nominated because of its exceptional graphics and is the only successful MMO (massively-multiplayer game) of its style since World of Warcraft. The developers, ArenaNet, are praised for always adding new content and being the first company to release an MMO of this style for a one time fee. It was not chosen in the end because it is only on PC.
Borderlands 2 offers tons of gameplay and is truly something for everyone. It is both a RPG (role-playing game) with a customizable character and a complex, epic loot system, as well as an FPS (first person shooter). Hours upon hours of this content, available on all platforms, The Torch Game of the Year award was awarded to Gearbox for Borderlands 2.
In a large dynasty of Assassin’s Creed games, Assassin’s Creed 3 makes as great of a game as any. Players immerse themselves a relatively open and incredibly interactive world in which one free climbs and assassinates. It was not chosen for game of the year because it is minimally different in gameplay from other games in the series.
In the sea of Xbox 360 releases, Halo 4 stood out for being the most anticipated Xbox 360 game of the year. It has many new game mechanics that make the game faster than previous ones. Unfortunately, it is only on Xbox which forced it to be ruled out from the Game of the Year.
Black Ops 2 was nominated for being multiplatform and one of the most anticipated games of the year. It was not chosen in the end to be Game of the Year because it has minimal changes from previous games in the series.
Movie of the year: nominees and winner
Dark Knight Rises was nominated for excellent visual effects. It is one of the most anticipated movies of the year and is nominated for many awards. It wasn’t given the movie of the year because it wasn’t as rich as the others.
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Life of Pi was nominated for excellent story telling and stunning visuals. The story takes you on a visual and emotional journey. Life of Pi was nearly flawless and everything a movie should be and just as good as the book.
The Avengers was one of the most anticipated comic-based movies of the year. The visuals are great and the action scenes would leave you on the edge of your seat. Despite this, we did not give it Movie of the Year. The story simply isn’t rich enough and when the movie boils down, it is nothing more than compiled fight scenes.
Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom was a masterpiece. He created rich and compelling characters in unconventional ways. Critics rave about the heart-felt story of Moonrise Kingdom. The quirky, comical and heart-grabbing Moonrise Kingdom had to be given the title of Movie of the Year.
Lincoln is an intense political thriller based on reality with fictional aspects revolving around President Abraham Lincoln. Actor Daniel Day-Lewis immerses himself into playing his role as Lincoln. The movie is flooding box offices everywhere and appeals to adults and teenagers alike.
Arts & Entertainment
ames, movies and albums of 2012
Album of the year: nominees and winner
Prior to the 2012 release of Shields, Grizzly Bear was primarily an indie band much known for their song “Two Weeks” which was featured in various commercials and television shows since their last release in 2009. Shields takes a rebuilt sound and puts it among not only one of the best indie releases of the year, but also one of the best albums of the year.
After breakaway hit “We Are Never Getting Back Together” was released in late August, Swift’s forth studio album created large hype among pop fans. Among one of the top selling albums of 2012, Swift’s Red has pop and country fans listening. Although Red may be among many of the top albums of the year, Swift continued with the same lyricism in her last album but with a more mature sound.
In a new era of hiphop, west coast rapper Kendrick Lamar made one of the closest albums to a hip-hop classic this year. Soon after the release of the single “The Recipe”, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, took off and Kendrick Lamar was viewed as a hip-hop heavy weight. With various features including west-coast rapper, Dr. Dre and R&B artist Drake, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City put hip-hop fans in awe. Good Kid, M.A.A.D City is the closest album to a classic in 2012, and goes down as the best hip-hop album of the year.
Odd Future affiliate, R&B singer, Frank Ocean released Channel Orange in late summer with a lot of hype. Frank Ocean took the conventional norm of R&B and made Channel Orange an album to be distinguished in 2012. Although Channel Orange may be an R&B album, Frank Ocean single-handedly has fans of many musical genres in love with Channel Orange. Channel Orange took the conventional and made it brand new which is why it is the 2012 Torch album of the year.
After the official announcement that the White Stripes broke up and without an album since 2007, Jack White took to the alternative scene and created a solo album that puts Blunderbuss among one of the best of 2012. With the same soulful sound distinguished with any of White’s work and some experimental work much like Jack White’s other musical project, The Dead Weather, Blunderbuss is an exceptional debut of a solo album and is one of the top alternativ albums of 2012.
Photos from Wiki Commons
The Recap: Winners and Nominees
Game of the year Movie of the year Album of the year Winner:
Winner:
Winner:
Borderlands 2
Moonrise Kingdom
Channel Orange
Other Nominees: Assassin’s Creed 3 Halo 4 Call of Duty: Black Ops II Guild Wars 2
Other Nominees: Other Nominees: Life of Pi Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City Dark Night Rises Red The Avengers Shields Lincoln Blunderbuss Stories written by MOHAMMAD CHEETANY, MICHAEL ABRAMSON, AND SAM NORDSTROM
Pages by Sam Nordstrom & Michael Abramson 19
Health
Focus on the beat Cedar Rapids School District supplies heart monitors for gym class Students jump up and down, do cardio workouts and constantly check their watches for a heart rate above 140 beats per minute. This term, the Cedar Rapids School District provided heart rate monitors to the schools to increase movement and keep students accountable for their fitness. Physical fitness teacher Brian Annis said that the benefits of using heart monitors are that students are working in their heart rate zone and are more accountable. “The grade is on them instead of subjective,” Annis said. Students are now required to have a full 30 minutes of activity with their heart rate above 140 bpm for maximum points. Instead of grading based on how teachers perceive students’ performance, the grade is based on attendance, productivity, warmup and heart rate minutes. These categories add up to 75 points a day, 60 of those for heart rate minutes. Dressing out for gym also no longer accounts for part of a grade. Matt Orton, a fitness teacher at Jefferson High School, first began using heart monitors for PE classes when he taught at Iowa City West seven years ago. Jefferson received their heart monitors last year, purchased with a grant from Wellmark, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Hy-Vee. “It’s an accurate measurement of intensity level for all students,” Orton said. There are two parts to the heart monitor. The strap goes around the bottom of your rib cage, and has to be in contact with your
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skin in order to properly monitor your heartbeat. The watch records your heart rate zone. Cody Smith, physical fitness student teacher at Kennedy, said, “When I heard this idea I thought 140 [bpm] would be hard, but I think the 140 is a pretty good spot to start.” With the heart rate monitors students have 10 stations to go to that help keep their heart rate up. “The more in shape you are the harder it is [to increase your heart rate],” Smith said. At both Jefferson and Iowa City West, Orton noticed some resistance to the program. “Initially students were apprehensive because they are held accountable [for their fitness],” Orton said. Annis and Smith both agreed that students who were lazy wouldn’t receive as high of a grade in PE. “There’s a change in the kids way of thinking about exercise,” Annis said. Facing mild resistance as students learn to challenge themselves, the teachers say that the heart rate monitors prove to be a good resource. It forces students to take responsibility for their physical health, and teaches them how to exercise and stay fit.
Pump it up: Student checks her watch for a heart beat of 140. Photo by Hanna Krivit
“I think they’re kind of a waste of money, and they feel really awkward.” -Thomas Basemann, fr.
“I don’t like them. They for some reason don’t work for me.” -Megan Lehmann, jr.
“It helps you lose weight.” -Joshua Linnear, fr.
“I like it better than regular gym.” -Cullen Rawson, sr.
Grace King
Health
Staying away from sickness Tips for tricking your winter sickness Graphic by Tara Mittelberg ‘Tis the season for coughs, tissues and cold medicine. Along with providing snow, winter also makes us more susceptible to illness. One of the major reasons why sickness is increased during the winter months is the lack of Vitamin D in our bodies. As the temperature drops, we tend to stay inside despite our immune system’s craving for sunshine. But there are precautions to take to keep an immune system happy and your body healthy. Flu and pneumonia shots are available in many area pharmacies in Cedar Rapids without an appointment for those ages 18 or older. “Vaccines are very important, and if you’re sick stay home,” Lisa Kriegel, Walgreens pharmacy manager, said. Free assessment for shots other than the flu that you may need such as Gardasil and Shingles are also available. If you have a problem with shots, fear not! Target pharmacy has a new “ouchfree” intradermal flu shot with a 90 percent smaller needle.
“The number one way to prevent the spread of disease is hand washing,” Connie Trautman, Kennedy school nurse, said, “Especially before you eat, or put anything in your mouth, touch your mouth, or touch your face. That’s my thing: hand washing.” With a fever, stay at home until body temperature decreases below 100 degrees for 24 hours. PubMed Health Online explains that whooping cough, otherwise known as Pertussis, is also a common illness for winter. Spread through the air, this sickness can cause breathing problems and violent coughing. Whooping cough usually lasts up to six weeks, but if caught early and treated with antibiotics such as erythromycin, recovery time can decrease to half. The Linn County Public Health Department also offers free whooping cough booster shots. Get vaccinated and get outside! Mary Mathis
j Go Sledding. j Vitamin D is what makes our immune system strong, so get outside, and get some sunshine. j Don’t be gross. j Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and refrain from kissing your sick lover. j Bundle up. j When you go outside, make sure to wear warm clothes. Not just for the sake of being warm, but for the sake of staying healthy. j Stay Active. j Exercise boosts your immune system, keeping you strong and in the game.
Torch’s Taste: Mo’s Peppermint Mocha 1 Cup of favorite ground coffee 1 Cup steamed milk 1-2 tablespoon of sweet cocoa powder 3 tablespoons of peppermint syrup (can be bought from most grocery stores) 1 Tablespoon of sugar (optional) Whipped Cream (optional) Chocolate syrup (optional) Crushed peppermint (optional)
1. Brew cup of favorite ground coffee (can also be pre-prepared mocha, which doesn’t require cocoa powder in that case) 2. Use an immersion blender or milk steamer until steamed milk is a good foamy consistency. 3. In cup of coffee mix together the coffee, cocoa powder, peppermint syrup, and sugar until thoroughly mixed.
4. Pour in steamed milk. 5. Add whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and crushed peppermints if desired.
Pages by Rachel Langholz & Grace King 21 25
New look starts off successfully K
ennedy High School girls’ basketball team has welcomed some new faces to the court. Tony Vis took on the role of head coach after the old head coach Dennis Roloff finished his coaching career last year. Along with Coach Vis coming to Kennedy he also brought his two daughters who also play basketball, Bri Vis sr. and Mariah Vis, jr. The Vis family moved here from Harlan, Iowa where the girls attended Harlan Community High School. Another new face you might have noticed on the court is Morgan Martin, jr. Martin moved here from Hamilton, Illinois where she attended Quincy Notre Dame High School. Martin, who plays forward, is planning on getting healthy after an early season injury and hopes to get back to rebounding and playing good defense. Martin feels like the team is really close and they have a lot of fun on and off the court. Martin has also felt very welcomed to Kennedy, “ It’s a
big school but I feel like it’s small in terms of the closeness and how nice people are,” Martin said. Martin along with the rest of the team thinks that the season will have a positive outcome. Bri, who plays point guard, feels like she has more of a leadership role on the team because she has been running her dads system all of her life. “It’s interesting at times, sometimes it’s hard because I know him so well but I also know that he wants the best for me so I like it too,” Bri said. Playing beside her sister and under her dad, Mariah, who plays guard, hopes to get her shot going, help score points, and to play her best when she is on the court. Mariah also sees a successful season ahead for team with a few “rough patches” because of the close games they have had already in the season. Mariah really enjoys playing with the team, “ I get along with the girls well, they are very selfless and
Emma Moss
M. Vis: 6 games played 0.7 points per game 0.7 rebounds per game 2 assists 2-2 2 point field goals
B. Vis: 6 games played 6 starts 60% field goals 3.8 points per game
Martin: 2 games played 2 starts 83.3% field goals 8.0 points per game
share the ball pretty well.” She agrees with her sister that it’s interesting having their dad be their coach. The team really enjoys the new players and thinks that they’re a great addition to the team. “ Hopefully Morgan will be back soon and the Vis girls are also a great addition to the team with Bri playing the point guard and Mariah being a great shooter,” Paige Hendrickson jr. said. Hendrickson doesn’t see a father- daughter relationship on the court and feels like Coach Vis treats them all the same. “The MVC is a pretty tough conference but we have a pretty good team, so once everyone’s healthy again I think we will be one of the better teams out there,” Bri said.
Brianna Vis sr. pointguard
Mariah Vis jr. Wing
graphic by Norm Althoff
Morgan Martin jr. Forward photos by Annie Feltes stats provided by quickstatsiowa.com
ing
J
oining a sports team can be an exciting experience for all athletes. However, some new members of the team may have to go through some sort of initiation. Hazing is defined as any activity expected of someone joining a group. Athletes at Kennedy interviewed here agree that when joining a team, new members should not be forced to do something that makes them feel uncomfortable. New members should be excited to be playing a sport they love with teammates who are friends.
HAZED?
y
Sports
“It’s definitely not bullying just team bonding,” Hannah Botkin, jr., said. “We kidnap the freshmen and anyone else who is new, and we pretend that we have practice and they are late for it, but really we take them to someone’s house and have team bonding,” Botkin said. The team bonding activities that the girls’ swim team takes part in helps to create trust throughout the team. “It’s good to trust your teammates and get to know them on a deeper level,” Botkin said. “It creates a family environment throughout the team.” Hannah Botkin, jr., swimmer
“We don’t do it anymore because our coach doesn’t like it, but years before we just used to make fun of new kids on the team,” Harrison Moore, sr., said. “Hazing is not a problem at Kennedy,” Moore said. He feels that hazing is wrong. “It can hurt people, and actually make them feel bad about themselves because of some things that are said to them.”
Harrison Moore, sr., swimmer
“The seniors are in charge of new members and when they come up with an idea, they talk to the freshmen and if anyone is uncomfortable with it they do not have to do it,” Mac Stump, sr., said. “I don’t think ours is wrong, we don’t do hazing in a bad way like other schools, we make sure they are not uncomfortable with it by asking before hand if it is okay, Hazing can be a problem but I haven’t heard of hazing problems at Kennedy; however, I have heard it could get pretty bad.”
Mac Stump, sr., soccer player
Lydia Martin
Pages by Norm ALthoff & Annie Feltes 23
Upcoming Class Dates: February 4-16
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Family Health Center
9/13/11 12:32 PM