torch
John F. Kennedy High School 4545 Wenig Rd. NE Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
the
F R I D AY, N O V E M B E R 1 3 , 2 0 0 9 “The torch has been passed to a new generation” - John F. Kennedy
As students are involved in more and more car accidents each day, the dangers of reckless driving become increasingly evident. The Torch takes a look at the sometimes tragic, always risky combination of teenagers and cars.
A
ccording to many, internet stalkers and Mom’s medicine cabinet are the biggest threats to a teen’s safety, but what they don’t realize is that the piece of “freedom” sitting in the drive way consisting of metal, rubber, and a steering wheel is what they should be really worried about. Fatal teen car accidents are reaching a level of epidemic proportions. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported that the leading cause of death for U.S. teens was fatal car accidents; not suicide, not drug overdoses, and not alcohol poisoning. In fact more teens are killed as a result of traffic accidents than any of those two combined. As
of 2007, eleven teens between the ages of sixteen and nineteen died every day due to injuries sustained in car accidents, new data shows that those numbers could have only increased. Statistics provided by Allstate Insurance show that nearly 5,000 young people die every year and almost half a million are treated for injuries suffered in car accidents. Everyone knows someone who has been in an accident, whether it be minor or more serious. Connor Steele, sr., met his match when he was rear ended and lost control of his car after school on 42nd St. October 19. “I was about to turn left on to Glenn Elm and I was rear-ended and then bumped into my friend’s car which was in front of me,” says
Steele. “I couldn’t move my car so I got out. Then a cop drove by and saw that there had been an accident and asked everyone Nearly 5,000 young people die evif they were alright. I called my parents and they came and we had to ery year and almost half a million call a tow truck to take my car away.” are treated for injuries suffered Steele recalled that he could see in car accidents. Everyone knows the car behind him in his mirror besomeone who has been in an accifore the car even made contact with his. Even preparation for an accident dent, whether it be minor or more doesn’t make it any less dangerous. serious. CO N T I N U E D O N PAG E 2
IN THI S ISSUE
Schoolwide support of the ONE campaign flourishes p. 3
graphic by Craig Aucutt
Volume 4 3 , Issue 3
Student undergoes recovery from rare knee surgery p. 7
Speeding past the stereotypes in motocross p. 12
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02news
PA G E B Y M I C H A E L N O R D S T RO M
graphic by Craig Aucutt
CO N T I N U E D PAG E 1
FROM
An ambulance was called to assure that Elizabeth Steele, fr., Steele’s younger sister, escaped injury. Traffic accidents on 42nd St. are becoming a common occurrence. Only months before Steele’s accident did Steph Lindo, sr., have an accident of her own. Kelsey Kiwala, sr., was in the passenger seat, not wearing a seat belt. “Me and Kelsey were trying to get home and I was driving fast and wasn’t paying attention and I ran a red light. I basically got T-boned but it was my fault. But the guy that hit me was actually caught for drunk driving...but I still was at fault for the accident.” More serious injuries were sustained in this collision. “Kelsey had a lot of glass in her neck from the blow. She also wasn’t wearing her seat belt so she had some cuts on her head,” says Lindo. “I got a black eye and some sore ribs. I was just really sore.” However, not always does the driver walk aware with just soreness. On a Friday afternoon four
years ago, Jacob Giles, a freshman at Xavier High School, was driving home from a basketball practice when he was hit head on. His car collided with a pick up truck. Giles was transported to Iowa City to University Hospitals, where he later died from injuries sustained in the accident. Although happening almost half a decade ago, it is still very fresh in the mind of Zach Pape, sr. “My parents told me about it late at night and at first I didn’t believe what they were saying,” says Pape. “It really hit me when I went down to Iowa City to the hospital and saw him myself, then I knew he wasn’t coming back for real. It was really hard seeing him like that, and it really made me start to remember all of the good times we had together since we were little kids.” Lives are cut short every day due to fatal automobile accidents. We are all aware that 42nd St. becomes somewhat of a highway at 2:45. “That area (42nd St.) isn’t really patrolled well by the police so people pretty much drive as
fast as they want,” says Steele. “I learned that I don’t really have control over as many things when I’m driving as I though I did because I can’t control what other drivers do.” The most anyone can do though is take responsibility for their own driving. Tips provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tell drivers to do a walk around of the car before driving to ensure that there are no fluid leaks and that the lights are all working properly. They also say to check that all tires are properly inflated, adjust all mirrors accordingly, and always wear a seat belt. There is an old saying that goes, “If the roads are wet, then drive like it’s snowing. If the roads have snow, then drive like they’re icy. If the roads are icy, then don’t drive at all.” Learning from experience is often advice given to teens about almost everything. However, let’s hope car accidents aren’t included. M or g a n G u g e
Damage in the KPL
The surrounding pictures are of damaged cars in the Kennedy parking lot. The license plates are blurred to protect the identity of those car owners.
pictures by Michael Nordstrom
Teen killed in hunting accident
18-year-old accidently shot and killed by friend during target practice
Hunting is a very popular sport in America, but it can also be very dangerous. It is estimated that around 10 people are killed every year in hunting related accidents. Just one of these was Ronnie Lawson, who attended Kennedy in 2007. Katherine Wheeler, jr., a friend of Lawson’s, described the accident. “It was a complete freak accident,” she said. “Something on his friend’s gun wasn’t adjusted correctly while target practicing. Ronnie was standing out by their truck. When his friend shot the gun, it missed the target and hit Ronnie. The bullet went into his back and came out through his heart.
He died instantly.” Lawson who attended Kennedy, his sophomore year, but later moved to Manchester. He was a senior at West Delaware, and lost his life at the age of 18. Wheeler met Lawson at her old school through her friend Kayla Robertson, who is also Ronnie’s cousin. “She was very close to him,” Wheeler said. “I remember her saying something about his death being so unreal, that it feels like she’s in a dream and he’s still alive.” Many students here enjoy hunting, like Zach Lewis, sr., who has been hunting since his dad took him out when he was five years old. “The first animal I ever killed was a squirrel,” Lewis said. Lewis goes out hunting with friends every weekend in the fall. He knows a lot about gun safety, and how to stay out of danger when hunting. “My dad taught me everything I know,” he said. “Some basic things are to make sure you know exactly what you are shooting at, and to make sure that your gun is unloaded when you are not hunting.”
Lewis also says that when you are hunting it is important to be at least 200 yards away from any occupied vehicle or building, and that it is better to not hunt on your own. “It is a lot safer to be with a group of people in case someone gets injured. Then you always know that in case that does happen, you will have someone there to call for help.” It seems that Lawson lost his life by complete mistake. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Although there may be some things that could have been done differently to prevent the accident, there is no way for him to get his life back. Being safe while hunting is a very important thing to keep in mind, so that no one does end up getting hurt or worse, losing something as precious as a life. “Be smart in what you do, know where you are legal and know where you are at, that’s important to stay out of danger.” ALLIE DEVORE
Announcement: Senior pictures for year book are due by December 1. Go to: www.kenn.cr.k12. ia.us for more details. Corrections: 1. In the previous issue the credits for the marijuana graphic and Face book graphic were missing. Both were made by Craig Aucutt. 2. It should be noted that from the last issue’s ‘Yearbook staff works onward despite delays’ that the Profile delays were not the fault of Jostens, but rather a culmination of deadline and technical problems by the yearbook staff.
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03news ONE Campaign supporters PA G E B Y M I C H A E L N O R D S T RO M
help to fight world hunger
photo by Elise Krivit Homeless for a night. Students lounge near the horseshoe on the Homeless Night, Nov. 5.
Homeless night Hundreds of people around our city, and thousands of people around the world, are homeless and in need of shelter and everyday necessities. Ten years ago students and staff came up with an idea to try and help those in need by raising money and awareness for the less fortunate. Homeless Night is sponsored by Kennedy’s student government. On the night of Thurs., Nov. 5, nearly 130 students arrived at Kennedy between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. with their boxes and blankets of all shapes and sizes. They chose a spot in the Kennedy horseshoe to ‘camp out’ and experience homelessness for the night. Once students felt they found a cozy spot, they set up their boxes and bundled up, preparing themselves for the 40 degree night ahead of them. Each student paid a small donation of $10 to camp out. Some of the participants even paid a $15 donation and gained a free homeless night tee-shirt from student government. All the money donated, which was estimated to be around $1700, was given to local homeless shelters and others in need to provide for the cost of blankets, food, and other needed goods.
Student Government participant Feyisa Tilahun, so., said, “The students showing up and donating shows empathy from the student body. The money really helps people that are in need around the world.” Though the nights chosen for homeless night tend to be cold, most students don’t seem to mind it. Students feel the cold helps them realize what homeless people actually go through. Bailey Textor, so., said, “I feel good participating in Homeless Night despite the cold because it is a fun and easy way to support the homeless and give back.” “Homeless Night probably won’t stop for a long time. As long as students continue to participate and as long as we can find chaperones it will continue. It may be a bit difficult, though, to find adult chaperones that are willing to do this and that can manage to stay up the whole night,” Joe Benedict, the head honcho of homeless night, said. Throughout the years that Homeless Night has been a Kennedy tradition, the amount of money raised and the number of participants grows and grows. J e s s i c a R o wa n
Quick Facts Homeless Night 2009 Date: Nov. 5 and Nov. 6 Attendees: 150 students Raised: Over $2,000 Average Air Temp.: 42 degrees Location: JFK Horseshoe Duration: 9 hours, from 9 p.m. on Nov. 5 to 6 a.m. on Nov. 6 Collected: Over 1,100 cans of food
Corbett wins race for mayor in Cedar Rapids 2009 Mayoral Election Results Corbett: 62.3 percent Fagan: 35.7 percent
Cedar Rapid’s mayoral election is over. Ron Corbett is the new mayor of Cedar Rapids. He will begin serving this coming January. “I believe that Cedar Rapids’ best days are ahead of us,” Corbett said after election. While realistic about the challenges facing Cedar Rapids, he is optimistic about the future of the city. After receiving 62 percent of the vote in the Nov. 3’s election, Mayor elect Corbett is eager to put his plan into action for the City of Cedar Rapids. When asked what his first official actions as Mayor will be, Corbett said, “to fulfill my
photo by Jess Mora
campaign promises as to flood recovery and creating new jobs.” Corbett said that his top priority is people; he wants the people of Cedar Rapids to know that the city government hears them. Having spent 13 years in the Iowa Legislature, the last five as Speaker of the House, Corbett has a background about state government that will serve him well as Cedar Rapids next mayor. His experience as President of the local Chamber of Commerce for six years, combined with his most recent position in private industry as a Vice President of CRST, will also help him as the leader of Cedar Rapids. Corbett has been campaigning for Mayor since March, and raised over $100,000 in campaign contributions. He received broad support both from individuals, businesses and labor unions. A llie Si n dli n g er
For the past two years, Kennedy has taken part in something much bigger than us, the ONE Campaign. The Kennedy student body is helping families worldwide, to wipe out poverty. The ONE Campaign is a global campaign to eliminate poverty around the world. “If we as a nation, provide basic needs like education, health care, and clean water and food for the world’s poorest countries, we can transform the future,” Patty Walsh, art and photography teacher, said. The ONE campaign here at Kennedy was started by Patty Walsh in 2007. “Here, at Kennedy, we believe that it is our responsibility to be citizens of the world and help the less fortunate,” said Walsh. “Our goal this year is to raise awareness as we raise money for the cause…last year $10,000 was raised and we packaged 40,000 meals for families in Haiti; we hope to do the same this year.” Kennedy has already raised about $2,000 through the sales of the ONE shirt, ONE night at the football game, and Improv night. Lars Lee, sr., and Sam Krause, jr., have also gone to a few Rotary Clubs to perform an improv skit to raise funds. There’s still more to come. ONE night at a basketball game and another ONE concert, featuring student talent, is in the plans to raise funds this year. The ONE shirt’s will be for sale all year long. See Walsh if you would like to purchase one. The money raised goes towards the Kids Against Hunger activity that we plan near the end of the school year. Students package meals during the school day that are sent to families in Haiti, whose health greatly improves because of it. Walsh first got involved with the ONE Campaign in 2006 after reading Bono’s address to the world religions leaders. “He talked about the ONE Campaign: a growing movement of two and a half million people unites in one belief “that where you live should not determine whether you live’,” said Walsh, “I was inspired by my grandson who was adopted from
photo by Abby Gilman ONE. Lars Lee, sr., sells ONE shirts during Channel 1. Ethiopia, where he was born in extreme poverty.” Josi, Walsh’s grandson, was delivered in a mud hut by his grandfather. There was no running water and two of his older brothers had already died due to the conditions they lived in. In the past years Kennedy has done some of the same activities to raise money. The school raised $3,000 last year. So far we are two thirds of the way there and it’s only the first trimester. “If every student at Kennedy would buy a ONE shirt, we would raise $10,000 easily,” Walsh said. The more students involved with the ONE campaign, the better. Lee and Krause are very active in the campaign. Walsh said, “They have sold shirts, organized the ONE at the Improv’ and have performed at two Rotary Clubs.” Not every student has to be this involved, but every little bit counts. Kennedy High School is helping the ONE campaign eliminate poverty around the world. Sarah Si c kle s
04profile Both a passion and job J F K TO R C H , N O V E M B E R 1 3 , 2 0 0 9
The alarm clock screamed at a time when most are asleep. Its numbers boldly pronounced 4:52, and so began the shift clock for two student outdoorsmen and entrepreneurs. The familiar American rumble of the Silverado truck of Spencer Fontana, sr., could be heard nearing closer to my driveway where I was sitting on a bucket full of traps and lures. Having thrown my wader boots and bucket into the back of the truck I stepped in to be greeted by my trapping partner. Not “I set my own hours of much was said work, and I am one of between us as a few students that are we drove down Blairsferr y self-employed doing a Road to Palo. The road job that I thoroughly was seemingly enjoy.” abandoned - Spencer Fontana, sr. in the morning dark, as no headlights were seen in the distance; just another pitch black trapping adventure. The monotonous drone of an old rap song was the only thing that kept us company. We took a turn off Blairsferry Rd., down a gravel road littered with cornstalks and lost grain, the remnants of a successful fall harvest. As we pulled into a picked cornfield adjacent to an Iowa creek, our hopes rose to the possibility
PA G E B Y J O N AT H A N C H A D I C K
photo by Ryan Dahm Trapping. Spencer Fontana, sr., sets a trap out by Palo Creek last week. Trapping at Palo Creek is both a passion and a job for this senior. of a good day’s catch in the traps. We quickly slipped on our boots, and brought the supplies necessary to check our traps: a spade, .22 caliber rifle and the bucket full of traps and lures. Fontana and I got in the creek, just as the dawn’s light streaked across the horizon, to check the twenty-two traps we had carefully set they day before. The intended targets: fur bearing animals such as raccoons, mink, muskrats and beavers. In our first trap, under a field
tile, we found a large boar raccoon growling at us. Fontana dispatched the raccoon with his rifle, as I reset the spot for another possible catch. We continued trudging through three feet of water, fighting the mud, cold and the weight of our catch. “Today is a money-maker,” Fontana said while we reload the truck with our trapping supplies and our harvest of raccoons, muskrats, and a mink. On successful days, like this
one, we take a detour to the Palo Mini-Mart to combat our empty stomachs filling up on greasy breakfast pizza and Dr. Pepper. We parted ways to get ready for a full day of school, with our work already done. After school I skinned our catch and Fontana washed the hides to later freeze. “I set my own hours of work, and I am one of a few students that are self-employed doing a job that I thoroughly enjoy,” Fontana said. Our pay is determined by our
success, and the amount of work that we put into trapping. The furs from a season of trapping are sold to the Northeast Iowa Fur Exchange in Rowley, Iowa. However, it is never known the exact size of the paycheck until the day that the hides. Market forecasts range on average from eight dollar raccoon fur prices, four dollar muskrats, $14 minks, to $22 beavers. commentary by R ya n D a h m
A Kirkwood experience after high school classes
photo by Laura Pochobradsky Studying. McKenna Feltes, sr., sits in her EMT course at Kirkwood Community College. Feltes and four other seniors here leave after fourth hour to take college courses.
When fourth hour gets out, McKenna Feltes, sr., goes to her car and leaves Kennedy. She is on her way to Kirkwood for fifth hour. Taking classes at Krikwood Community College offers extended opportunities to students who have exhausted all other scheduling options. There are five Kennedy students currently enrolled at Kirkwood; they are Feltes, Amanda Golding, sr., Hannah Rohling, sr., Victor Rodriguez, sr., Aubrey Hauskins, sr. “Most of the students that go to Kirkwood take math classes. Most students who take advanced algebra two as a freshman, precalculus as a sophomore, and advanced placement calculus as a junior have the option of taking classes that Kennedy doesn’t
have at Kirkwood,” Deb Snook, Kennedy P.A.C.T. counselor, said. There are other classes offered at Kirkwood though. Senior McKenna Feltes takes a basic EMT (emergency medical technitions) course at Kirkwood. “The courses are a lot like advanced placement courses here; they have similar homework loads and pace, but you have to drive across town to take them,” Feltes said. Kennedy students who do attend Kirkwood earn high school and college credit for their classes. “I recommend these classes to people who don’t have the opportunity to take a class that they want,” Feltes said. “The only negative aspect of this is the cost of gas.” In general, these courses have
two to three chapters a week as homework. Many of them provide a jumpstart to further education. Generally, the students that go to Kirkwood from Kennedy have had success in passing these courses. “The grades are different person by person, but there have not been any problems that have been reported. The commute takes some time, but these students would not be able to extend their learning without Kirkwood allowing them to take these classes,” Snook said. These students have a unique opportunity to start their college careers and work towards their future occupations. Although there are trade-offs, every year students go to Kirkwood and take classes. J o n C h a d i ck
From Kennedy to Postville As the school year kicked off, new faces were noticed. One was Robert Johnson, the new associate principle here. When staff leave or retire, we have to get used to new faces. Yet, students remember those that they no longer see on a daily basis. Johnson was the replacement for former vice principal Ottie Maxey. He has since moved to the Postville Community School District to work as the superintendent. In a recent interview, Maxey
referenced how different, yet similar, Postville and Kennedy truly are. The first topic he commented on was the size of classes. “Being at Kennedy where the graduating class size is 400 is very different from Postville. We are only graduating 45 here,” Maxey said. Compounding the differences, most classes at Postville have 11 or 12 kids, but some classes have as few as three. These aren’t the only differences between Postville and Kennedy;
the athletics are very different as well. The high school sports teams are made up of all four grades. The Postville football team had 42 kids, and the golf team had ten boys and 12 girls. There were 22 girls out for the volleyball team. “All the athletes that we have are the kind that play every sport and are also in the marching band. They are also involved in school plays. During halftime of the football games, many of the performers have pads and football jerseys on. That is just how it is here,”
Maxey said. However, although there are many differences, Kennedy and Postville are quite alike. “Postville parents are just like the Kennedy parents because they both really care about their children and want them to succeed,” Maxey said. But, whether he is a Postville Pirate or a Kennedy Cougar, Maxey always enjoys and loves his job. Morgan Guge
Torch Archive Photo Interacting with students. Former Vice Principal Ottie Maxey, who is currently the superintendent of Postville Community School District talks to a student in his office.
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graphic by Craig Aucutt photos and information compiled by Asmaa Elkeurti
Egg Nog: 350 calories/cup Instead try: milk nog
Buster #2
Big Buster
Buster #3
The Holidays
Peanuts: 828 calories/cup Instead try: unsalted walnuts
Trail Mix: 700 calories/cup Instead try: dry cereal
Buster #4
Also rated by staff members based on a 5 star taste scale
Calorie-friendly Thanksgiving recipes:
Ingredients 4 lbs pumpkin peeled & cut; 4 apples cut; 1/4 cup EVOO 1 1/4 tsp. salt; 1/4 tsp. ground pepper; 1 Tbsp. sage 6 cups chicken broth; 1/3 cup hazelnuts; 2 Tbsp. hazelnut oil Preparation Preheat oven to 450°F. Mix pumpkin, apples, oil, salt & pepper in bowl. Spread in dish and roast 30 min. Add sage. Roast 15 min. more. Puree 1/3 mixture and broth in blender. Transfer to a Dutch oven. Repeat twice more. Heat 6 minutes. Serve each portion topped with hazelnuts and a drizzle of hazelnut oil. 180 calories per serving.
Maple-Roasted Sweet Potatoes Ingredients 2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut; 1/3 cup pure maple syrup; 2 Tbsp. butter, melted 1 Tbsp. lemon juice; 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper Preparation Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange sweet potatoes in a 9x13’’ glass dish. Mix syrup, butter, juice, salt & pepper in bowl. Pour mix over potatoes. Bake covered 15 min. Cook uncovered 45 minutes stirring every 15 min. Serve. 96 calories & 230% DV Vitamin A per serving.
Frozen Pumpkin Mousse Pie Ingredients 30 gingersnap cookies; 2 Tbsp. raisins; 1 Tbsp. canola oil 1 cup pumpkin; 1/3 cup brown sugar; 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon; 1/4 tsp. ground ginger & nutmeg; 4 cups soft low-fat vanilla ice cream Preparation Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 9” pie pan. Crust: blend gingersnaps, raisins & oil in food processor. Press evenly into pan and bake 10 min. Filling: mix pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, ginger & nutmeg in bowl. Stir in ice cream. Pour filling into pie crust. Freeze until firm. Serve cold. 25% less calories than traditonal pumpkin pie.
photos by Abby Gilman
It’s easy to do: pig out and gorge over all the other traditional holiday trimmings. As the holiday season quickly approaches, diet and exercise can help you to stay healthy, fit, and slim. “We have seen that a person can gain up to five to seven pounds during the holiday season,” dietitian Christy Frese said. “The problem with gaining this one extra pound is that it won’t be lost after the holiday season is over, and after so many years, pounds will accumulate and remain from previous Christmas’s, Thanksgiving’s, and other holiday events.” Excercise can help to keep fit during the holidays. “It’s important to keep active. Take a walk around the mall, or go to the gym with some friends, anything that will you keep you going,” Frese said. With all of the temptations of holiday foods, it is also important to keep calorie intake in mind during the holidays. Nibbling on snacks throughout the day, such as a handful of mixed nuts here and a few cookies there, might not seem unhealthy, but the calories from these snacks do add up. A simple solution to this problem is to set out healthier options for snacks to choose from, such as a veggie platter or some crackers and low-fat dip. Holiday drinks, such as hot
Wheeling through the halls sporting a purple cast, Amber Jungjohann, sr., spent October recovering from a rare surgery on her left leg. “I originally tore all of my tendons and ligaments four years ago, and I had a surgery then, but it just didn’t hold,” Jungjohann said. “So when I had a new surgery this year, doctors had to reconstruct my whole ankle.” On October 1, Jungjohann underwent a three-hour surgery to fix this problem. Not only did she have five cadaver tendons and four screws inserted in her leg, but her entire Achilles tendon had to be reconstructed. Jungjohann’s operation, a currently unnamed procedure, is
extremely rare, and was therefore a nerve-racking feat for her two surgeons. “The surgery I had three years ago usually fixes leg problems for people; they go in and reattach the ligaments, but since my first surgery didn’t hold, doctors had to go in and replace my ligaments with cadavers,” Jungjohann said. “And I had to have two surgeons because neither of them had ever done of these surgeries before, because people usually don’t have to get to the second step in this surgery process.” Although Jungjohann had the option of traveling out of state for the procedure to a doctor who had previously performed the operation multiple times, she decided to stay at St. Luke’s Hospital. “My doctors said that they could work together to try and have a plan to fix my leg, so I just trusted them and went with it,” Jungjohann said. “And although I was nervous about the surgery, I figured I wouldn’t get to play my sports if I didn’t get it done, so I just figured it was
“I figured I wouldn’t get to play my sports if I didn’t get it [the surgery] done, so I just figured it was worth the risk.” -Amber Jungjohann, sr. worth the risk.” Ultimately, Jungjohann’s recovery time was set at six to 12 months from her surgery date. For the first month, she was held up in a wheelchair and a purple cast, but the second month has shown progress as she makes her way through school on crutches. She hopes to soon, with the help of physical therapy, be walking without assistance. “I’m hoping to be up and going by softball season,” Jungjohann said. “So my doctors are kind of starting to try physical therapy sooner just to get my leg moving around and strengthened and hopefully get to the six month recovery point relatively soon.” Emma Lehmann
Bagel and spread: 400 calories Instead try: buttered toast
The truth exposed: How to stay slim through the holiday season Roasted Pumpkin-Apple Soup
PA G E B Y A L L I S O N K I N D I G
One rare surgery Senior recovers after rare leg surgery last month
Buster #1
07health
chocolate or egg nog, also account for some of the calories that can begin to add up on the holidays. Try substituting every other cup of your favorite holiday beverage with water, tea, or something with fewer calories as a healthier alternative. And then, there are the holiday dinners. The main thing to remember is not to deprive yourself of your favorites, but to make sure to limit the proportions. “We have Substitute those ex- seen that a tra rolls with a helpperson can ing of green bean casserole or sweet gain up to potatoes. five to seven When it comes to pounds durturkey, there is some hype about whether ing the holiwhite meat or dark day season.” meat is healthier. - Christy Frese It is true that white meat is leaner and contains less fat than dark meat, but dark meat contains only a few more calories, so it does not make much of a difference what type of meat you choose. Just keep in mind that moderation is the key. As the holiday season comes closer and closer, it is important to remember to stay active and maintain a healthy diet. Variety, balance and moderation: it’s that simple. B r i t ta n i S h e r z e r
Messaging magic. One month after surgery, Jungjohann takes her boot off for a theraputic message from the trainer.
Walk on. Jungjohann walks down the stairs with aid of crutches. photos by Elise Krivit
Fattening Finals
Stress now culprit for weight gain photo by Jessica Mora Smart shopper. Hy-Vee shopper selects meat based on the NuVal score listed in the upper left corner of label.
NuVal Scoring hits the shelves HyVee adopts scoring system to rate food products by their nutritional value Not all foods are created equal, and a new nutritional scoring system at Hy-Vee will make these inequalities much more apparent to customers. In Jan., the Edgewood Rd. HyVee began the process of assigning a nutritional ranking to every item in the store. The NuVal Nutritional Scoring System, which is a food scoring system that was developed by a team of independent medical and nutritional experts in partnership with Yale University, provides the scores. NuVal uses 30 nutritional components to rate food and beverages on a scale from one to 100. “The higher the score, the higher the nutritional value of the food,” Christy Frese, Hy-Vee dietician, said. “Things like vitamins,
minerals and fiber push the number up and things like fat, saturated fat, sugar and sodium push the number down. In the produce department, every item has a very high number, but when we move into the aisles, the numbers drop.” About half the products at Hy-Vee currently have a score. All products will eventually be scored. “It’s a slow roll-out,” Frese said, “Every couple of weeks they update with new scores.” Frese thinks NuVal has changed customers’ shopping and will continue to impact buyers as more learn about it. “Hy-Vee’s committed to their customers, making their lives easier, happier and healthier,” Frese
Sample Scores 100=Best Score Possible
Processed foods: Cap’n Crunch Cereal: 10 Cheerios: 44 Cheetos: 5 Chips Ahoy Cookies: 2 Cool Ranch Doritos: 23 Quaker Granola Bars: 26 Haagen Dazs Sorbet: 1 Natural foods: Blueberries: 100 Pineapple: 99 Shrimp: 75 Chicken: 39 Turkey: 48
said, “and this is one more way to make it easier to chose nutritional foods instead of having to look at every single label.” Andrea Nemecek
With finals right around the corner, students are dealing with a considerable amount of stress. Although seemingly harmless, stress can lead to health issues down the road. Human bodies are programmed to deal with stress using the “fight or flight” response. When this mode sets in, chemical processes take place to prepare the body for it’s next move. “All chemical processes are there to protect [the body] from danger,” Judy Fitzgibbons, physical dietitian for Hy-Vee, said. “[There is] tension of muscles, and an increase in heart rate and hormones. When stress is emotional and not physical, the brain doesn’t know the difference, so [the process] still happens.” This confusion between physical and mental stress can lead to inflammation and weight gain. “Blood sugar increases [to prepare the body] to run, but when we don’t run, it is converted to body fat,” Fitzgibbons said. This addition of central body fat can be harmful, but there are ways to prevent it from happening. Spreading meals evenly throughout the day can have a major impact. “If you eat when you first get up, a reasonable amount of food throughout the day will keep your blood sugar level,” Fitzgibbons said. In addition, sleep is important. “You definitely need to get some sleep,” Trisha Hinke, sr., said. “Also, managing your time is very important.” That and her years of experience have Hinke confident for finals. “I don’t get as stressed as much now as I did when I was a freshman,” Hinke said. “I know which classes are hard and how to manage my time. When I was a freshman I didn’t know what to expect. [Freshman] should plan ahead; know what nights you need to do stuff and don’t procrastinate.” Furthermore, avoid coffee/doughnut runs. “Caffeine is a stimulant,” Fitzgibbons said. “You are energized [by it], but you don’t think well. Eating healthy is that important.” A bb y G i l m a n
cartoon by Mackenzie Sheehy
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Kennedy’s show choir premier concert hits a high note The show choir had their fall premier performance on Nov. 10. Happiness, Protégé, and Chanteurs all performed in the main auditorium with great success. The premier concert serves as an intermediate goal to prepare the show choirs for the near dozen concerts and competitions that are planned for this winter and spring. The songs that were performed at the concert were those that are ready for later competition dates; each group sang three songs. The first performance this year is planned in January and a major highlight for the Happiness and Protégé groups is the FAME National Cup during the March spring break in Chicago, Ill. Kennedy’s Happiness is in the top four show choir groups in the state, according to Storm Ziegler, the vocal and show choir teacher. In the last fifteen years, Happiness has only missed one finals round, and in regards to this much is expected of these extremely talented groups. As Happiness, Protégé and Chanteurs are deep in tradition of performing well and having success in many of its competitions throughout the last decade. Ryan Dahm
Select students head to Ames for the All-State Music Festival Select singers, string players, and band members will meet next weekend in Ames at the All-State Music Festival. These select singers are AJ Aisenbrey, sr., Alex Green, sr., Evan Troendle, sr., Keenan Wilson, jr., Nick Arceo, jr., James Odegaard, jr., and Caitlin Magee, sr. These students went through an extensive audition process and were selected as premier music students. Students from around the state that went through a similar audition process will work with our select students from Nov. 19-21.They will work to create a performance at the end of this three-day event. “This is a great opportunity for kids with serious talent in the music field to interact with other that are as serious as they are. This is a fun atmosphere, yet it is serious because they have a concert at the end of this event,” Storm Ziegler, choir director, said. Of the 14 students that will represent Kennedy this year in Ames, seven are singers. “This is a typical year for us. Fourteen is around the average number of students representing us. These students are the best in their respective music field in our state,” Ziegler said. The students that were selected as the premier music students in the state have a unique opportunity to meet others like them while working together to make a concert. “This is a state championship of singing,” Ziegler said. Jonathan Chadick
Face-Off hip-hop dance crew no longer school-sanctioned In the last issue of the Torch, Face-Off, Kennedy’s hip-hop crew, was featured as an alive and thriving group. Now, much has changed. Mary Wilcynski, principal, has decided that Face-Off is now no longer a school-sanctioned group. This means the group can no longer practice or perform at school events. The reason given was that the group members were goofing off too much during practice time and the members needed a better attitude. “Yeah we goofed off, but we always got done what needed to be done,” Face Off member Dane Reynolds, jr., said. “I will miss the practice times. All of us got along with each other, and we always had a good time at our practices.” The group had been practicing on Wednesdays after school in teacher Stephanie Hendryx’s room. Now those days are over, but Anthony Lesain, so., hopes the group can be reinstated by the time Kennedy basketball season starts. He said the group was surprised when Face-Off was shut down. They had no advance warning. Lesain is confident, if the group can start over, that the members will show up on time for practices and try to be more respectful of rules and authority. The group gives members a reason to be at school after classes are over for the day. Kennedy students who have seen Face-Off perform in the past know how they can thrill a crowd. Allie Sindlinger
In the spirit of Friday the 13th, students reveal their crazy, quirky superstitions and taboos Step on a crack break your mother’s back. Shatter a mirror, and you’ve got seven years of bad luck. Black cats, luck, Friday the 13th, karma. All things that many students right here at Kennedy hold at heart. Things they’re absolutely sure can take a toll on the positives and negatives of everyday life. Unwritten laws they abide by. Superstitions. “Last year at the beginning of baseball season my hitting wasn’t so great. Then I switched bats and all of a sudden I got hot once I switched bats,” Griffin Michael, jr., said, describing his run with superstition. “After that I considered it my lucky bat.” “I think that superstitions are a little more applicable to sports because you gain confidence when you’re wearing your lucky socks or using your lucky bat or you’re wearing your lucky underwear,” Jake Manning, jr., said. “I think the sport where most players are superstitious would definitely have to be baseball.” Most people who are superstitious, however, are more apt to do well or to focus on the positives of their day if they honestly believe that they’ve got a run of good luck going for them. “Most superstitions and the feeling of luck are based behind confidence and the comfort of believing that you’re using your lucky pen,” Manning said, “If you think that this pen’s going to make you do well on this test, then you’re more likely to do well.” “I don’t drink milk an hour before a performance because I feel like it clogs my throat,” Stephanie Lindo, sr., said. “It’s not good anyways, but I’m not able to because I get a weird feeling that it may not be good for my singing or my performance.” “A lot of the girls on the swim team will go without shaving the whole season, and then shave the night before a competition,”
Valerie Ross, jr., said. “I’m in basketball, swimming, and track and swimming is definitely the most superstitious sport that I’m in.” The girls go all season without shaving, under the impression that their leg and arm hair create drag. “That little bit of hair doesn’t really create that much drag through the water, it’s really barely anything,” Ross said. The night before a certain meet, the swim team gets together and has a shave party. “We had a count down through the season until we got to shave,” Ross said. “It’s really hard to forget about when everybody talks about it so often. I think the main reasoning behind it is not because we actually think that it’s the hair itself that improves our times, but the whole mental reasoning. If we think that because we shaved we’ll go faster, we’re more likely to go faster. We think it’ll make us luckier.” Many people correlate the catastrophic Flood of ’08 with Friday the 13th. The major flooding occurred Friday, June 13. There were some who were confident that the cause of the flood was the falling of that particular Friday. “My first day to drive of driver’s ed was Friday the 13th,” Amanda Brause, jr., said. “It wasn’t snowing until it was my turn to drive. I blame it all on Friday the 13th.” There are also others who take the notion of karma to heart, such as Jasmine Butler, jr. “I strongly believe in karma,” Butler said. “Every time I do something bad, I believe that something bad will happen to me. Same if I do something good. Just the other week I skipped school. I had this big presentation and I had saved flashcards on my computer to help me. They were deleted and I had to do them all over again. I honestly think that it was because of what I had done.” A smaa E lke u rti
Lucky hit. Griffin Michael, jr., demonstrates using his lucky baseball bat and batting gloves.
photos by Abby Gilman Got milk? Stephanie Lindo, sr., drinks milk in her kitchen, despite her superstition.
Ho-Ho-Holiday Shopping tips for keeping it fun and affordable!
No matter the size of your holiday shopping list, it’s easy to over-spend...which can lead to post-holiday stress when your credit card bill arrives. To avoid the stress, exercise some selfcontrol and follow these simple rules:
1. Make a list of all the people you want to buy for, assign an afford able dollar limit to each person and stick to it! After all, it really should be the thought that counts. 2. Shop early! You’re more likely to search for the best deal and less likely to impulse buy.
Torch staff wins at competition The Torch came back with three awards from the Iowa High School Press Association in Iowa City on Oct. 23. These awards were received from the judging of last year’s competition by the IHSPA. The Torch received the first place sweepstakes award in photography, the second place award in graphics, and last year’s senior, Cassie Milks, was named the Iowa Hawkeye Photographer of the Year. Several members of the Torch staff are currently in Washington D.C. at the Journalism Education Association Fall Convention. They will attend seminars there on improving journalism and see the sights of the nation’s capital. The five members will return tomorrow from their trip. Emma Lehmann
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3. Pay close attention to shipping charges when you buy something online. 4. Avoid charging on credit unless you can pay off the full amount within 30 days.
2009 holiday 5. Start saving for 2009’s expenses this January. Determine what you need to save based on Everything is online this year’s expenditures and save a & on YOUR little each month. Cash-in-hand time at makes shopping even more fun! www.MetcoCU.org
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PA G E B Y E M M A L E H M A N N
Changing the world in small steps Through typical high school hallway experience, junior Torch staffer realizes the benefits of being selfless, helping others in the community to succeed
I was walking down the hall one day, and saw someone with their backpack unzipped. All the books, folders, and papers started to fall out. “BOOM!” went the AP Psych book. “CRASH!” went the folders. “Slithery paper sound!” went all the lose papers.
Expecting people to rush over to help, I was unpleasantly surprised. Of the people witnessing the classic spill, the majority did nothing. Nobody stopped to help out. Nobody came over to lend a hand. Nobody seemed to care. Witnessing this sad event
flipped a switch in my brain, and I was inspired. For the rest of that day, I decided to be supernice-man. Whenever someone dropped a pencil, I would pick it up. When I saw someone looking a little bit sad, I complimented them on their handwriting (Hey, it was excellent!). Whenever someone asked me how I was, I would reply with a friendly “Not too bad, how about you?” When a girl asked me for gum, I gave her a piece (it was
the last piece of the pack). And finally, in the parking lot, I let someone drive out in front of me. After the day was over, I thought about what I had done. I thought about all the small ways I helped out others, how I made their lives a little bit easier. Needless to say, it felt good! That girl with the last piece of gum probably impressed a potential boyfriend with her stellar breath. That boy in the corner with good handwriting probably gained
some confidence, and the student in the parking lot most definitely made it to work on time. You don’t need to build a leadership school in Africa, or discover a cure for cancer to have a Make a promise to positive impact. yourself; do a good It can be simple. deed every day. Make a promise to yourself; do a good deed every day. Be selfless, and you can make the world a better place.
Admitting a fault allows senior to ‘catch’ a break Some people live with humiliating secrets for their entire lives - or at least a good portion of them. There are the bed-wetters, the sleepwalkers, and those with inverted nipples. And in the recently released film Precious, the girl who has made it through the ninth grade despite being secretly illiterate. Well, folks, I too am one who has lived among the shadows for far too long. The time has come for me to formally admit my secret.
I can’t catch anything. Not a ball, a Frisbee...nothing. I couldn’t catch swine flu. I guess, like most developmental abnormalities, I can trace this back to my childhood. I was exposed to a lot of things as a kid, but catching just wasn’t one of them. I played on a T-ball team but somehow managed to miss every game. I enjoyed soccer, and I was very good at it, but that’s because when I was kicking other nine-year-old girls in the shins, I did not have to worry about
objects flying at my face which I was supposed to stop and hold with my tiny, fallible hands. And I was never interested in having a catch with Dad, or any of those other family-oriented activities that involved the c-word. Things were just handed to me as a child. Quite literally. It wasn’t until middle school gym that my elaborate plan to hide my catching handicap was foiled. I dreaded dodgeball days the most; while my classmates cheered for this American pastime, I would stand in the back of the Teen Spirit Stick-smeared artillery lineup, silently praying that no one would see me and consequently lob a white orb of pain and embarrassment my way.
Because I would be expected to catch it. And I couldn’t. When I failed (and I always did), I would sit on the ‘Out’ Line of Shame and stare enviously at all of the kids who could catch dodgeballs with perfect ease and grace. Why couldn’t I do that? I racked my brain. What do they have that I don’t? Once in the sixth grade, while playing the equally terrible indoor kickball, I was standing in the outfield when a ball came soaring over my head. I jumped up and threw my hands in the air with fierceness that would shame Tyra Banks. I ended up smacking a girl in the face...and not catching the ball. My gym teacher stopped the game - actually
stopped the game - to stomp over to me and criticize my inability to catch in front of the entire class. “Can you catch a ball?” she yelled. “No, Ms. _____,” I said. “I can’t.” She thought I was being a smartass. I I can’t catch anything. wasn’t. I was telling the Not a ball, a Frisbee... truth. Enraged, nothing. I couldn’t she picked catch swine flu. up a ball and launched it straight at my face. I spasmed and grasped it with pathetic pasta fingers and it slid out of my hands like it was being pulled on a string, and the whole class laughed, including me.
mechanics, and maybe galactic domination. We’ve had our disagreements, but somehow they always come to the same place. There is no one correct view on serious topics. Everything is about moderation. Take a look at our political
situation in this country. We have a two-party system, and each side argues that they are the undoubtable choice in our next election. But each side has its downside. Republicans believe the government should be less involved, but that leads to less people being helped, and they try to force their morals into law, which is against my morals. Democrats feel like they are obligated to help those who are less fortunate, but that leads to the more fortunate having to pay hefty taxes. Where
is the middle ground? Not the Green party, that’s for sure...they are crazy. And how about religion? If God really created us and loves us all, then why would he send us to Hell? He is a God; he should be free of all of the human race’s negative attributes. So why does he even care if we worship him? I mean, if a convict says, ‘Sorry I raped and murdered five, threeyear-old girls, I accept you as my God’ then he gets into Heaven. But Gandhi, the most peaceful
man to ever live, is now in Hell because he didn’t accept god into his life. That There is no one correct doesn’t seem right view on serious topics. to me. Everything is about By the moderation. way, we’ve decided the only way to conquer the universe is by using the sun as a mace, and threatening to swing it into other planets if they didn’t obey us.
Serious topics, in moderation My friends and I often get into discussion about some pretty serious things. Sure, 90 percent of the time it is about girls, video games, or countless other random topics, but the other ten percent of the time we are talking about topics such as religion, politics, girls, quantum
Torch Staff Editorial:
Positive individual driving decisions needed to promote the greater good
photo by Abby Gilman Safe driving. Michael Rosenthal, sr., practices some of the safe driving habits, which the Torch is resoundingly in support of, on a recent drive through the city.
Nearly everyone has been in a car accident or come close, whether you’ve been driving for four months or four years, whether the accident was caused by speeding, carelessness, texting, or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This is why, when you really think about it, it’s not surprising that the number one cause of teenage death in the United States is car accidents. Thankfully no one from the Kennedy community has been involved in a fatal car accident in recent years, but this isn’t true across the country, or Iowa or even Cedar Rapids. Each
year, according to the Allstate Corporation, the lives of 5,000 teenagers are ended by car accidents. The Torch sees this fact as reason enough for all of us to improve our driving habits in order to prevent accidents. It’s long been said that you cannot control how other people drive, and this is true, but not often enough is it said that only you control how you drive. If you use your phone while driving, speed, commit moving violations, let yourself get distracted by friends, don’t make sure all of your passengers are wearing their seat belts, you not only endanger yourself, but
everyone around you. Accidents are caused by a combination of poor choices and carelessness. To keep accidents from happening, especially those involv- Each year, ing young people, we according to must acknowledge the Allstate our actions and take responsibility for them, Corporation, instead of blaming the lives of our misfortune on bad 5,000 teenagluck, road conditions or other drivers. ers are ended After all, our indiby car accividual choices contribute to our safety more dents. than anything else. Only you control how you drive.
the ✓ote The majority opinion of the Torch editors.
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Inhumanity in hunting torch Before I begin, let me say that I have no problem with hunting at all. In fact, my grandparents and cousins all hunt. It’s completely fine with me. They are humanly killing an animal and eating it. It’s no different than buying meat at a grocery store except for that it’s a lot cheaper, leaner, and healthier. I have no
problem with hunters in general except for one specific type. What I think is very despicable and low are the type of hunters who go out, take down a bear, a moose, or the more exotic zebra just to pay thousands of dollars and hang on their wall like it’s something to be proud of. It doesn’t show how manly
or powerful you are, it shows how disrespectful and how much time you have on your hands to waste. There is big difference between hunting to survive and meaningless killing of animals. Sure, maybe you gave the meat to someone else or tried a little bit of the animal yourself, but was your motive really to get meat or to hang something on your wall? I can’t get it through my head why some people travel half way across the world to the African savannah, arctic, or south American jungle just to
come back with a rotting animal? They spend an ungodly amount of money on guns, permits, and plane tickets just to march onto a fenced in reserve and to shoot such a magnificent animal that dies in vein. This type of hunting needs to stop. People, did you know that hunters can purchase a permit and take down a polar bear still today? I think that this is 2009 and people should realize how much of a negative impact this has on the environment.
and trick-or-treating was childish, I retained my immaturity, and went as a ghost Charlie Brown would have been proud of. At the age of seventeen, this year was no different. I grabbed the three essential components of a good Halloween: a friend, a pillowcase, and a box of random costumes, too small to fit. After picking through and selecting the desired pieces - fishnet
armbands, a raunchy, tangled wig, and kitty ears - we did our makeup and decided we were rock stars...what else could we be with those outfits? As we walked the streets, looking for the houses giving the best candy, we noticed something. There were hardly any children patrolling the neighborhoods. The holiday, created for children, allowing them to become Superheroes and Princesses, was lacking the most important element: children. I’ve heard the horror stories of people having an increasing amount of left over candy, or
having their children hand out candy instead of getting their own, but I never believed they were true. With no children to trick-or-treat, what will happen to my most cherished of all holidays? My friends, we are witnessing the death of Halloween. So I beg you, rebel against the societal conventions of Halloween being only for those with light-up shoes and eight o’ clock bedtimes. Grab your tattered pillowcase, don your dingy, white sheet, and celebrate Halloween, the one holiday that lets us be kids again.
the
F R I D AY, N o v e m b e r 1 3 , 2 0 0 9 John F. Kennedy High School 4545 Wenig Rd. NE Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402
Beloved holiday of Halloween dies Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. Before the age of one, I was out in the frigid cold of an October night, sportin’ a fuzzy bunny suit and gripping an orange, plastic pumpkin. When other kids became too cool for Halloween, I stuck with the friends who were just as committed to getting candy as I was. And when people decided that Halloween parties were adult,
The un-SMART side of education To so many people throughout the United States, the fall of 2009 was all about rebuilding and climbing out of a nationwide recession. For those of Kennedy High School, it was more about the grand arrival of the 73 new SMART Boards. Yes, in these trying times Kennedy found it within its budget to spend $292,000 on a bunch of electronic white boards. But what is the point? Are these
boards really worth that much to my education or could Kennedy have spent this money in a better way? One prime example of how useless these boards really are is the Advanced Pre-Calculus class of Mr. Herkelman. Since the first year of Kennedy’s existence, Mr. Herkelman has been teaching with a piece of chalk and a chalkboard. He has never needed any visual aids or fancy electronic
markers; the board doesn’t teach the student, the teacher does. I can honestly say that in some of my classes I have never seen my teacher use, or even turn on their SMART Board. It is just $4,000 sitting on a wall, collecting dust. I just don’t see how our administration can justify spending $292,000 on electronic white boards in such a rough economy. These boards are not a necessity and I cannot see them being that much of a help to justify their investment. Students learn from good teachers, not from their equipment. And in this circumstance, I am embarrassed for the Kennedy administration because
of their frivolous spending. I understand that a large amount of this money came from educational grants that are supposed to “enhance the learning of students” and “make class more interactive”, but I do not feel that these tools are helping. I have learned just as much from overhead projectors and white boards as I have from SMART Boards. If anyone reading this has a different opinion please let me know and my views may change, but I like to think that if geniuses like Albert Einstein can learn from chalk boards, why do we need anything more?
Supporting other students Torch staffer experiences the joys of involving himself in volleyball, fine arts
Last week, I attended two Kennedy post-season games. On Monday, And for the rest of us, I went to who wait to study until Kingston Stadium to the morning before watch our a test, don’t waste all football team your after school time face crossrivals watching TV. Instead, town Washington just TiVo Tool Academy High School in 2 and use that free the state playKingston time to be a fan. off. was packed with parents, students, teachers and others who
came out to support the team. The Kennedy student section was a mob of more than 100 crazy kids dressed from head to toe in black. The following night, I watched our volleyball team face Waterloo East High School in the conference finals. The gym was fairly full, with the fan section consisting primarily of players’ family members. About thirty of us made up the student section, a far cry from the more than a 100 kids we had at the football game. This is unacceptable. We students need to take more pride
in our school and show that pride by going to a greater number, and a wider variety of games, and screaming until we have no voice the next day. It is our responsibility as fans to remind the other team’s players of things like they got swatted, that they can’t do that, and that we’ve got more spirit. During announcements each day, Dr. Wilcynski tells us about all the activities happening and encourages us to attend them to support our peers. I use athletics as my example, but sports aren’t the only events that need student support. Our fine arts programs showcase many other talented students here at Kennedy, and I know the kids involved would love to see students come out and support
them. I’m ashamed to admit that I’d never been to a volleyball game before my sophomore year. At my first game, I fell in love with it. It’s fast paced, action packed and nothing is quite as entertaining as seeing someone on the other team take a volleyball straight to the face. They rarely take breaks, and the noise is incredible inside the small gyms; the energy is electrifying. But I never would’ve found out how exciting volleyball was if I’d never gone to that first game. This winter, keep supporting the basketball team, but take time to experience some of the other options Kennedy offers. Boys’ swimming, Playtime Poppy, and girls’ basketball are just a few of the activities happening
this winter. Pay attention to announcements to learn about everything else. You never know, you might fall in love with one of them. We’re all busy, especially now with studying for finals week. But, plan ahead so you can give yourself a much-deserved study break and go support our teams. And for the rest of us, who wait to study until the morning before a test, don’t waste all your after school time watching TV. Instead, just TiVo Tool Academy 2 and use that free time to be a fan. I can’t wait to see you at the next game. I’ll be the fan decked out in green and gold, who is rocking the boat, but not tipping it over.
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Flipping. Savanah Schott flips through the air during the girls diving state meet. Schott placed second in the diving event on Friday November seventh in Marshalltown. This was her first year in diving.
Shining. Savannah Schott, sr., (middle) shines a smile while receiving her award for her second place finish in the diving state meet. Schott also earned second place honors at the in the Regional meet also. First place went to Kasey Williams, jr., from Southeast Polk High School, and third place went to Dahlia Gordon, jr., from Johnston High School.
Swim team finishes 14th
photos by Laura Pochobradsky
The Kennedy girls’ swimming and diving team finished 14th overall at the state meet last Friday and Saturday in Marshalltown. Two divers, Savanah Schott, sr., and Liz Hayes, jr., competed in the Friday night diving meet, placing second and 12th, respectively. Six other Kennedy students Carmen McCoy, jr., Ashley Harris, sr., Lexi Scharmer, so., Kylee VonAhsen, jr., Brooke Prouty, sr., and Val Ross, jr., - also competed in nine events in Saturday’s meet. “I was really nervous at regionals, just because that determines where you go; it decides whether you will even get to go to state or not,” McCoy said. “But state was pretty nerve-racking as well, because it was so important and I
wanted to do well.” But, the Cougars are no strangers to doing well; during their regular season, the team earned a record of 6-2 in the regular season, only losing to eighth-ranked Iowa City West and third-ranked Cedar Falls They were ranked number nine before the state meet and held their Divisional Mississippi Valley Conference Championship for the fourth year in a row last month. Rounding off their success, they earned a total of 62 points in last week’s meet - enough to beat all of the surrounding regional area schools. The team has had a great season,” John Ross, head coach of the Kennedy girls’ swimming and diving team for the past six years,
said. “Considering the talent we’ve had graduate over the past few years, the ladies have come together as a team and surprised not only themselves but many a competitor this season.” “Hopefully we’ll be And as for next season, all the just as good, if not swimmers sur- better [next year].” veyed were hopeful -Carmen McCoy, jr. to sustain, if not improve upon this year’s triumphs. “Hopefully we’ll be just as good, if not better [next year],” McCoy said. “I mean, we don’t really know about the freshmen that will be coming in, but hopefully we will have some new talent and continue to do well.” E m m a L eh m a n n
Former students test skills at University of Iowa For most, it’s just a dream. Putting on the black and gold to represent the beloved Iowa Hawkeyes will only be lived in their dizziest daydreams. But for two Kennedy students the dream has become a reality. Last year, soccer stars Jade Grimm, ‘09, and Katherine Lewis, ‘09, were able to lead the cougars to the coveted state title that had eluted them for so long. The Cougars were finally able to capture their state championship after three straight losses in the championship game the years before. “Winning it felt like a weight was lifted off our shoulders. We conquered something we had worked for, for four years,” Katherine Lewis. During Lewis’s junior year she earned the honors of first team all state, first team all metro, and first team all conference. During her senior year she won first team all conference
Reaching. Katherine Lewis, ‘09, stretches for the ball during a University of Iowa soccer practice. and first team all metro both for the second time. Grimm has also enjoyed a large amount of success during high school soccer. She was named Kennedy female athlete of
the year in 2009, was Iowa high school player of the year in 2007 and 2009, she holds the school record in goals and assists, was on the elite all state team from 2007-2009, was Missouri valley conference player of the year from 2007-2009, made Mississippi valley first team all conference all four years at Kennedy, was all metro player of the year in 2008, made 2009, and also received the Gatorade Player of the year in 2009. After all the success that Grimm and Lewis had during their four years at Kennedy they headed off to college at Iowa to test their skills against some of the best competition in the Midwest. Grimm received a full ride soccer scholarship, and is currently starting at right defender, and making a major impact. Lewis who walked onto the team is also getting a good amount of playing time at center midfield.
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“I think the main difference is that everyone is so good. There is not a big difference between the top players and the bottom players, unlike high school soccer,” Grimm said. It’s no doubt the differences are enormous from high school to college, and while playing a sport it could be hard to adjust, but having each other has made the transition much easier. “Having people there has just made it a lot more comfortable, to have someone you know there before I actually went just made it a lot easier,” Lewis said. Although the season hasn’t been the greatest from the talented Iowa team, they are still optimistic about their future. “We’ve been doing okay. There have been a lot of close games that could have gone either way. Next year we’re just hoping for better outcomes. RILEY GALBRAITH
photos by Laura Pochobradsky Striking. Jade Grimm, ‘09, Kicks the ball during her practice at the University of Iowa. Grimm graduated in 2009, and was also named Kennedy Female Athlete of the Year. She received a full ride to Iowa.
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photos used with permission of thedephotography.com Riding dirty. Hailee McDonald, jr. (189), races ahead of her competitors during a 500cc motocross race. McDonald’s inspirations are her father and professional motocross rider Ricky Carmichael.
Hailee McDonald, jr., spends her free time racing motocross bikes When a girl’s favorite magazine is Transworld and her favorite movie happens to be Supercross, you know this isn’t your everyday girl next door. Hailee Rose Hailee McDonald, jr. McDonald, jr., hopped on her first dirt bike at the age of three and has been racing since her first race on June 9, 2007. “I never wanted to race until April of 2007, so when I decided I wanted to, I rode my old 1980 around my yard to get a feel for shifting,” McDonald said. In preparation for racing, she bought a 125cc motocross bike and went to tracks that some of the better riders raced at and studied their movements. McDonald now races a 2007 Yamaha YZ250F and loves it. She is the only one in her family that has anything to do with dirt bikes. It started as a common interest and became
something much bigger. Being a girl in a male dominated sport where scrapes, scratches, and broken bones are common, it’s expected that a father would have some issues. “My dad supports me one hundred percent,” McDonald said. “He wanted to race when he was younger but never got the chance to.” She is fulfilling her father’s dream and more, by being ranked second in the state of Iowa. She comments that the best part about racing is knowing there are younger kids in the stands watching, wishing they were her and getting inspired. “It’s all about you and the bike,” McDonald said. McDonald gets her inspiration from rider Ivan Tedesco. Tedesco, who is originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, has been riding professionally since 1999. Last year, McDonald picked up sponsors like McGrath Powersports, Bricklayers Union, Stewarts Tattoos, Drew Plumbing, Wilson Ranch Racing, and Monster. She commented that having sponsors is nice
Flying. Hailee McDonald, jr., leaps off a jump during a motocross race. She has been racing since June of 2007, and is usually the only girl in her races. She is sponsored by McGrath Powersports and others. because you get discounts and get noticed at a higher level. When it’s go time for this up and coming rider, she tends to be the only girl. The intimidation factor will always be there, but it doesn’t bother McDonald, and it doesn’t stop her from winning either.
Another long-term goal includes participating in Arenacross and racing in Las Vegas. Not being scared of anything is going to push this girl to the limit, and earn her a national ranking in the future. “I want to be the first girl in the Supercross Pro Series,” McDonald said. Morgan Guge