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“ T h e to r c h h a s b e e n pa s s e d to a n e w g e n e r at i o n � - J o hn F. K enne dy
John F. Kennedy High School 4545 Wenig Rd. NE Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
graphic by Craig Aucutt
A panel of judges devoured their way through the best cuisine that the Cedar Rapids area has to offer. The top picks for the best places to eat in the community on PAGE 11
02news Southern discomfort J F K TO R C H , F E B R U A RY 2 6 , 2 0 1 0
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Incident involving a Kennedy student, Confederate flags brings about much controversy in and out of school setting Tensions were on the rise the day Taylor Delperdang took down C o n n o r “My main point was the N i c h o l a s ’s Confederate fact that I liked the flags f l a g s . and they made it easier C l a s h i n g on to find my truck in the ideas what the parking lot when I have Confederate a hard time seeing my flags mean truck. I wasn’t necessar- was a cause this ily making any negative for disruption. statements to anybody; In mid I just like the flags.” J a n u a r y , - Connor Nicholas, jr. Nicholas, jr., hung two Confederate flags on his truck. Nicholas hung
the flags in order to help him find his truck in the parking lot. “My main point was the fact that I liked the flags and they made it easier to find my truck in the parking lot when I have a hard time seeing my truck. I wasn’t necessarily making any negative statements to anybody; I just like the flags,” Nicholas said. Shortly after Nicholas hung his flags and began driving his truck to school, Principal Mary Wilcynski became aware of the issue involving the flags and the possible disruption that it could potentially cause. “I figured out who the truck belonged to and talked to the student [Nicholas]. I discussed
with him his perspective on it and the perspective from the general populus that the Confederate flag tends to be perceived as a pretty racist symbol, and that that’s just something that we can’t allow. His perception, I’m sure, was that that’s not how he sees it at all. He’s not in any way a racist,” Wilcynski said. “Dr. W. approached me last week. I told her that it’s my freedom of speech and that I can do what I want and say what I want, and she has no right to take them [the flags] down. She highly suggested that I take them down,” Nicholas said. Just days after Nicholas decided to keep the flags on his car,
Faux-book friends
Fake facebook account created by students causes problems, bothers fellow users Surfing the Web. McKenna Feltes, sr., surfs her facebook account. Feltes rarely uses her Facebook and only gets on to check friend requests and see if she has gotten any notices. The average Facebooker spends over seven hours logged in each month. Some people have even reported being addicted to their Facebook. Cyber bullying is becoming a rising issue for the social networking site. In Facebook’s terms and conditions, it is stated that no one is allowed to create a fake profile. Four Kennedy students decided to test this rule by creating a fake profile and then killing ‘him’ off in a fake car crash. ‘Jake Gold’ was originally created to be a joke among the creators’ friends. Although none of the original creators would comment, Maureen Nolan, fr., did. Nolan had access to the account and logged on as ‘Jake’ many times. “I would only talk to my close friends, and I never stayed on as ‘Jake’ very long,” Nolan said. ‘Jake’ was removed from Facebook by one of the original creator for fear that they would get in trouble after a letter was sent in to Facebook. After ‘Jake’s profile was removed, a group titled “Jake Gold: He Will Be
Delperdang, jr., saw the flags and decided to take matters into his own hands. During lunch Delperdang went out into the parking lot and took Nicholas’s Confederate flags off the truck. “It was kind of a spontaneous plan. I wasn’t planning it for a long time. I saw them [the flags] and was like, ‘Hey, I think I’m gonna do this,’ and maybe about a half hour later, I actually did it,” Delperdang said. After discovering that his truck had been vandalized, Nicholas felt the urge to take action. “He wrote a text to a bunch of kids suggesting that the school had broken the flags off and suggesting that they should get their Confederate flags and make this into a big deal. At that point we discussed the kind of issues related to trying to incite some kind of action like that,” Wilcynski said. The administration tried to resolve the situation by instilling a just punishment for Delperdang while also to resolving any disruptions that could potentially occur. The result was a two-day suspension for Delperdang. “I got sent home early, and it counts as a two-day suspension because I couldn’t come back to school on the half day,” Delperdang said. In addition to Delperdang’s suspension, the administration called Nicholas’ parents to discuss his safety at Kennedy. “It was suggested I not come to school last Friday. The principal feared for my safety. The school associates contacted my parents and they told me that I might as well stay home. I wasn’t gonna
Connor Nicholas, jr. disagree with that because I got to sleep in,” Nicholas said. Since the incident, Connor has decided not to put any more Confederate flags on his truck. Connor’s opinions about the flags has remained the same. “I think they [the Confederate flags] symbolize the south’s pride and what they mean is just pride for the United States, only it doesn’t have to be the American flag. It was the American flag way back when, but it’s just a different flag and it’s my pride. The Ku Klux Klan used it as a racist symbol, but they also use the burning of the cross as a racist symbol too. So if you hold a cross up in church does that mean everybody’s racist then? I don’t think so,” Nicholas said. As for Delperdang, he recognizes his own mistakes and says he wouldn’t handle the situation like that again. “My parents think that even though it [the Confederate flag] is a wrong thing, that I went about it the wrong way and shouldn’t have vandalized the dude’s stuff,” Delperdang said. B r i t ta n i S h e r z e r & Michael Nordstrom
Missed” was created saying that ‘Jake’ was killed in a car crash. The creator of the group did not want to have her name listed but she did comment about the group. The group was created just for fun because many people already knew that he was fake. People would leave comments like “I am really sad that he is gone” or “I am really going to miss him”. Henna McCoy, fr., left a comment on the group wall saying that Jake is fake and did not really die. McCoy was contacted by ‘Jake’ through a text message. “He said that we had met before at a show choir competition,” McCoy said. Later on McCoy and ‘Jake’ became friends on Facebook. At that time she was not aware that ‘Jake’ was fake, but gradually over time she figured it out. Tanner Boyle, fr., was also not aware that ‘Jake’ was fake until
photo by Elise Krivit McCoy posted on the group wall that he was. Boyle’s dad passed away last year and was angry that someone would fake a death. “Even if it was just for fun you shouldn’t fake someone’s death. It triggered a lot of anger for me,” Boyle said. Although Boyle does not know who the original creators of Jake are, he feels that they should not be punished for creating a fake profile. Boyle and McCoy both feel that the creators should think about what they have done. When Nolan was asked at the end of the interview if she would like to say anything else she added: “My bad.” D a r c e y A lt s c h wa g e r
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briefly After school study hall Starting at 2:55, some students head down to an after-school study hall and students still in the building after three are being asked to go to the study hall or leave campus. Dr. Wilcynski said that the purpose was for the kids that ride the city bus, which comes to Kennedy at 3:40, and they are stuck at school for a while. “In addition, there are kids that just hang around and socialize,” said Wilcynski. Kennedy started with two teachers per day and is planning to start having one teacher per day because attendance is lower than expected. On average there are about eight to ten kids that attend the study hall per day. “There are some kids that do go on a daily basis, but there are some kids that decide to leave campus because their social hour is over,” Wilcynski said. Cory Hutchinson, fr., believes that it will help improve some students’ grades because they will get their homework done or will have time to study for tests. “I think, though, that students should be able to hang out with their friends as long as they are not loud,” said Hutchinson. “Students just shouldn’t be running around the school.” C a h l e Co r r e l l
State budget cuts Money is tight these days and recently the state has cut big chunks of money out of the school districts’ funding around Iowa, causing the districts to tighten their belts when it comes to spending. Principal Mary Wilcynski said, “The state isn’t getting as much money in as they’re spending and that’s causing them to tighten their belt with their spending, which includes the school districts. So they will be doing things to cut back on the money spent by reducing funding for the schools.” The lost money won’t affect Kennedy activities as much as it does the staff and class sizes. Wilcynski said, “I think that our district will be eliminating 50 or more jobs in trying to address the budget cuts.” Next year classes will also be slightly bigger with an average teacher to student ratio of about 1:25. Wilcynski thinks that Kennedy will be the school least affected by the cuts in our area. “In my opinion, we have one of the best school districts in Iowa. We have much more money in our bank account than Iowa City and Dubuque have and that cushions most of our expenses. Since they don’t have that money, they will have to find other ways to come up with the money to cover the cost of running schools.” This year the state budget cuts were mostly cushioned with the cash reserve. Wilcynski said, “Now it’s just a matter of preparing for what will come next year.” S a r a h S ick l e s
Money raised for Hati Penny Wars and the One Campaign raised over $10,000 for the Kids Against Hunger campaign over the past few weeks. Kennedy began Penny Wars 3 years ago. Kathleen Riffe, World Language teacher, is in charge of Penny Wars. “The One Campaign and Penny Wars teamed up to fight against kids’ world hunger. Our goal was to raise $10,000, and we did it. The students really stepped up to achieve our goal,” Riffe said. Katherine North, fr., participated in Penny Wars by donating $50 in pennies to Mr. Bunch’s room. “Even though our classroom didn’t win, I am still happy we helped children in Haiti by donating about $400,” North said. Mr. Ferrante’s second hour class won Penny Wars. His class donated $560 in pennies, and won doughnuts. Mr. Benedict’s class got second place, and Mrs. Bark’s class got third place. “I hope Penny Wars continues, because the school and students donated so much to the Kids Against Hunger campaign. Using the $10,000, we will be feeding 40,000 meals to starving children,” Riffe said. Penny Wars is a once a year fundraiser, and other schools in Iowa and other states have done Penny Wars. “Xavier, Washington, and other middle schools are participating in Penny Wars, which is great,” Riffe said. S a m No r dst r om
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Minor flooding predicted for the summer of 2010 Unless Iowa wants to start being known for its aquatic life, we need to hope that a monstrous flood the size of the June 2008’s doesn’t occur again anytime soon…but are the conditions already lined up to have it happen again soon? This summer? As a community we have lived it, we’ve heard the stories, and seen the pictures. The scenes that covered the televisions and newspapers like an uncontrolled cancer still stalk our minds as spring and summer grow nearer.
Future Possability
Current news has shown the concern of future flooding. The Federal Emergency Management Agency declared they are to release new flood maps on April 5. The renovated maps change the floodrisk status of about 1,900 parcels of property. The outcome of what this means is to be determined. As of Friday, city officials lowered Coralville Reservoir four feet. However, not to be too caught up in this fact, we need to be worried about the Cedar River and not the Mississippi. Yet this goes to show that the anticipation of rising water is growing especially with the release of the Hydrologic Outlook that was released on Feb. 19 by the National Weather Service. The scary part of this was how significantly the numbers increased since last month’s outlook. Three weeks prior, the spring flood risk for the city of Cedar Rapids was at 33 percent greater than normal; it’s now at 69 percent. If on March 5, when the new outlook comes out, we have another 36 percent jump, that leaves us at over a 100 percent chance of greater than normal flooding. The National Weather Service also predicts a 90 percent greater than normal chance of minor flooding, a 70 percent than normal chance of moderate flooding and a 41 percent greater than normal chance of major flooding. Now major flooding, according to the NWS, means a 16 foot crest on top of the 12 foot flood stage for the Cedar River. Justin Gehrts, meteorologist for KCRGTV9, said, “The 2008 crest was above 31 feet. If we crested at 16 feet this year, right at major flood stage, we wouldn’t even be close to the Top 10 highest crests in Cedar Rapids.”
Flood of 2008
The day the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Avenue bridges went under was
photo provided by Torch archives A city underwater. Check out this view of May’s Island underwater during the Cedar Rapids flood of 2008. a sight that will never be erased. The image of the vanished bridges spanned across the globe. June 13, 2008, the Cedar River crested at 31.12 feet. This topped the previous set record by more than 11 feet. In 1929 and again in 1951, the Cedar River crested at 20 feet, which seemed more like minor flooding compared to 08’s colossal water levels. A flood that size doesn’t just happen. Certain events at certain times and certain places must occur to even ensue the possibility of having such a disaster. “Typically, a wet fall can be part of the problem. Fall 2007 was weird in that October was very rainy in Cedar Rapids, but November was pretty bone-dry… but just the same, a wet fall can be one of the early signs of spring flooding,” says Gehrts. “Secondly, a deep and long-living snowpack would be another step toward flooding. If the snow keeps piling up, then more and more water is just sitting there.” According to the NWS the soil moisture conditions in the area have remained “much above normal” and was this way going into the winter season. “As the ground fills up with water from rain and melting snow the chances already begin to increase for flooding,” says Robert Young, AP Environmental Science teacher here at Kennedy High School.
photo provided by Torch archives A hospital underwater. The Mercy Medical Center was flooded durring the flood of 2008
“Something else we have to think about is that we can’t just look at the conditions in Cedar Rapids to figure out if there’ll be flooding. We have to look upstream. The Cedar River forms in Northern Iowa, and there is deep snow there as well. So, other parts of Iowa– mainly to our North–can impact flooding here,” says Gehrts. Near Mason City the Shell Rock River flows directly into the Cedar River that flows down to us. Something alarming to take notice of is how much snow that area has gotten this year. Already Mason City is at 43.2 inches of snow this winter, which is nearly 57 percent more snow than what they had during the winter of 07-08. Three times as much snow has remained on the ground when comparing it back to Feb. 15, 2008. Mason City isn’t the only city showing identical, if not worse, winter weather than the 07-08 winter. “This year probably has more snowpack moisture than 2008 and ’93 did,” says Harry Hillaker, state climatologist. Although our winter seems to be consistent and/or more severe than the winter of 07-08, it takes a combination of other weather patterns to get the detrimental flooding like we had before. “In 2008, the flooding actually became extreme during the summertime, which goes to show that it wasn’t simply a bunch of snow that caused the flooding. In the first 15 days of June, much of Iowa received over 8” of rain with some places of 12,” says Gehrts. Between May 29 and June 12 there was a statewide average of 9.03 inches of rain, when the normal is just under 2.5 inches. “The first half of 2008 was the wettest January to June period on record in Iowa and followed the second wettest August to December period of record 2007,” says Young “That just doesn’t happen every year.” According to NWS statistics, June 2008 ranked second wettest June among all 136 years of state records (behind June 1947). “The
heavy rainfall added to river levels that were already high. As I recall, there was also flash flooding that occurred during the major part of the flooding, and all of that water had to go into the rivers,” Gehrts said.
Predictions for ’10
So is there another ‘08 flood in the making? “Whenever there is a natural disaster in recent memory people are going to be sensitive to the subject,” said Young. “Vegas would put money on the fact that we are going to get at least some flooding. 90% chance doesn't leave much to chance. However, we get minor flooding almost every year. A 70% chance for moderate flooding is above average. Now it’s getting close to 50-50% that there will be major flooding. I think it will flood this spring, but how much? Anything near 2008? NO.” The meteorologist from KCRG-TV9 agrees with Young saying, “My opinion is that yes, flooding appears pretty likely. It also looks to be a pretty good bet that we’ll make it above just minor flooding. Will we see anything nearly as bad as 2008? I don’t know, but probably not – it would take some pretty bad luck for that to happen again. IF all the snow melted at once, and IF we had a bunch of heavy rain, and IF it fell in the right places, and IF it fell at the right times, then it’s plausible. But all those IF’s coming together is very unlikely.” As the snow begins to thaw and the temperature warms and spring becomes closer, more predictions will arrive and hopefully there is an absence of even higher percentages of greater than normal flooding. For now it’s a waiting game to see what spring has in store. For this city’s sake, the rebuilding process continues and our past experience with the floods of ‘08 just remain a memory and not become yet another nightmare that would haunt Cedar Rapids a second time over. And so we wait Morgan Guge
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06editorial Finding purpose
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the
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F R I D A Y , f e b r u ary 2 6 , 2 0 1 0 John F. Kennedy High School 4545 Wenig Rd. NE Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402
There is one question that has been asked throughout the ages. One question that is unavoidable, yet unconceivable. No one can tell you the answer, but some have found it. The question is…What is the meaning of life? This question is thrown around a lot during “life” discussions and during “serious” talks, but has anyone really found an answer? After all these years of
PA G E B Y E M M A L E H M A N N
being on Earth, have we humans never really found an answer? Scientists will tell you, from a biological standpoint at least, that the goal of life is to spread your genes and continue the human race (in other words, making babies). A noble cause indeed, but that doesn’t quite do it for me. To even think about answering this question, we need to clarify what is meant by the
“meaning of life”. It is the way you live your life, your goals, to get what you want from life. It’s your meaning. It’s your purpose. I honestly do not think there is only one “meaning of life.” Not everyone can lead the same life, and not everyone can have the same meaning of life. For some people, all they want is to be happy. They want to squeeze out every possible ounce of joy from life. Others want to change the world. Their goal is to make a positive impact on the people they meet and on the world they live on. Others have a specific career they want to excel in, such as becoming a doctor, and
that is their main purpose. Some people have no idea what they want out of life. They really haven’t found a specific thing they want to accomplish or way of life they want to lead. Maybe that is their purpose: to find their purpose. And the remaining few? Well they just want to get out of this world alive. In a
nutshell There is no universal meaning to life; students should find their own calling.
Staffer finds fault in winter days’ lethargy With the shorter days, long nights of homework, and a seemingly endless winter, it’s no wonder why every one is complaining. Some people have real issues, but it seems like more than ever people are beginning to complain just to complain.
I get it; you have a lot of homework and it’s cold when you walk outside. All of this is part of the winter. But for now, instead of complaining about things that are meaningless and unchangeable please focus your energy towards something
actually productive. Go sledding while you still can, take your dog for a walk, go volunteer, or buy yourself a pair of TOMS shoes. There’s plenty of stuff you can do! The world has bigger problems right now so consider yourself lucky. You may have four hours of homework tonight, but at least you have a home to go to. So in conclusion, instead of whining about stupid things that you can’t change actually
do something or shut up. I’m getting annoyed… And that says a lot when it’s coming from the mouth of Michael Nordstrom. In a
nutshell
With the shorter winter days, it is important for students to find a purposeful, philanthropic way to spend their time, instead of complaining.
Torch Staff Editorial:
Need for parental input in sexual education, without being gross In the February issue of the Torch, we explored the issue of teen motherhood...and to be honest, it was really scary. To put it in perspective, here’s a few facts for you: just under one-third of all girls in the United States will get pregnant in their teenage years; this averages out to around 750,000 per year. Unmarried teenagers having children, nationally, account for 24 percent of all unmarried
expectant mothers. Of these ladies, more than two-thirds of all teenagers who have a baby will not graduate from high school. We are all still kids; very few of us are truly ready to be responsible for the life of someone else. The situation in America today, it’s just not okay. Something has to change. And so, to parents around the country (or at least in our
immediate reading area,) the Torch would like to make one simple plea: don’t be dumb when it comes to sexual education. Don’t be afraid to talk to your kids. It’s awkward, we get it, but the only way we will know that you don’t want us to end up on MTV’s 16 and Pregnant is to tell us! Furthermore, if we ask questions, don’t freak out. Don’t assume that your kids
are engaging in promiscuous activities because they are curious, but rather encourage healthy dialogue. Finally, parents, don’t (and we know this will be the hardest of all) preach abstinence only. It doesn’t work. Rather, give us options: make abstinence one of them but don’t limit it to that. Just, do your job as a parent...without becoming gross.
Target employee deals with rudeness A woman comes down my aisle at Target. She's completely average looking: brown hair, soccer mom style, sweatshirt, jeans. No one would notice anything out of the ordinary while looking at her. So, of course, I greet her like I would any guest. “Hi! How are you Customers who doing today?” Instead of start conversations with me truly make responding with a polite, “Fine, thanks, things a little better. and how are you?” She ignores me. She hears me, I know that, because her eyes flicker over in my direction, and yet she doesn't even feel that it's necessary to acknowledge my existence. So I proceed to check out her items, like I
would with any other customer. When I'm done, I decide to give her the benefit of the doubt and try offering her a chance to redeem herself. I say to her as warmly as I can while handing her the receipt, “You have a great day, ma'am!” This time, however, she doesn't even bother with a glance. She takes her receipt without even looking at me, and leaves. No ‘Thanks! You too!’; no goodbye, no NOTHING because I’m just a cashier and therefore not worth it. And all this is really nothing out of the ordinary for me. I’ve had customers who give me death glares for no reason other than to glare. I’ve had customers
yell at me. I’ve had customers insult me. I’ve had customers make fun of me. I’ve even had a customer who asked me on a date. I tell you, eight dollars an hour is not enough to deal with all they manage to throw at us. So if you’re ever on the other side of the check out aisle, please, extend a little sympathy. Chances are, we’re under-paid, overworked, and just tired. Customers who start conversations with me truly make things a little better. It gives us a break from the monotony and that annoying, headache-inducing, beep of items being scanned. Even simple, genuine thank yous are appreciated more than anybody probably realizes. In a
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Friendly customers brighten the days of retail workers.
photo by Elise Krivit Target. Ethan Tanner, sr., also works at Target. When the Torch interviewed him, he was working as a cart attendant. He is often also disrespected by customers. “I have a pretty small load of carts right now, but if I have a bigger load and people are trying to drive in the parking lot, they get really frustrated that I’m trying to come through. They’ll honk their horns at me and try to make me drive faster…It makes me feel frustrated. I’m just trying to do my job and they’re just trying to leave,” Tanner said.
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07editorial
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Cheating on the planet It’s only been a few weeks since Valentine’s Day and you’ve already slipped up. You were tempted and you couldn’t resist. You went off and cheated on your girlfriend or boyfriend. How will you break the news to them? Don’t worry, there’s a great new website made for the unfaithful. Its called cheatneutral.com. Cheatneutral.com is a British website that was created to help cheaters sleep guilt free at night. If you cheat on your special someone, you can pay this website £2.50 which will in turn give that money to someone to be faithful, neutralizing the affect
of your cheating in the world. So now you can cheat as much as you want without hurting anyone. Oh, and there’s one more thing, this website isn’t serious. I know, big surprise right? It’s a stupid idea, just like carbon offsetting, and it’s been created to make fun of it. Here’s the idea behind carbon offsetting: carbon offsetting is a ‘service’ offered by companies like carbonneutral.com. You give these companies information about your daily routine: how far you drive, what kind of car you drive, and how much electricity you use. They use that information to calculate your carbon
footprint. So the bigger your carbon footprint, the more you have to pay to offset it. So let’s say you drive your car one mile everyday. According to carbonneutral.com, you can offset this for $3.10. They’ll use your money to build wind turbines in Tamil Nadu, India. So because you pollute Cedar Rapids by driving your car, you can have wind turbines built in Tamil Nadu. Perfect, now everything’s all better and you can go back to polluting with a guilty-free conscience. The idea of carbon offsetting makes no sense whatsoever. No matter how you twist it, driving in Iowa and wind turbines in India are two completely unrelated events; you’re still polluting. Being environmentally conscious is a great thing, and the world would be a better place
if more people were. But there are better ways than carbon offsetting to make your lifestyle more environmentally friendly. Here are some things you can do that actually reduce your carbon footprint: Follow the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Learn the facts: Vote for politicians who support green energy and global caps on carbon emissions. Just chill out: Turn down the AC during the summer time when your family isn’t home. Just a few degrees can make a big difference. The same applies for the furnace during the winter. By changing the thermostat just two degrees, you decrease your carbon footprint by 2000 lbs. a year. Power down: Unplug electronic devices when you
aren’t using them. Some electronic devices, especially cell phone chargers, have a stand-by mode that continues to use energy even when you aren’t using them. Use the buddy system: Car pool whenever you can. Whether you’re going to school, the movies, or just out to eat, find friends who live close and take turns driving. Don’t get bottled up: Quit drinking bottled water. Bottled water production requires 17 million barrels of oil every year. Instead of drinking bottle water, invest in a reusable water bottle. It will save you money while saving the planet. And the best part is that most of these steps save you money too. They’re good for the planet and your wallet. It’s a win-win situation. Cheating on the planet In a is as wrong as cheating on your girlfriend.
nutshell
Skipping school to go green Now, we can all pretend like we know what we’re talking about when it comes to global warming. Carbon somethingor-others, eco-thermo-weathero mumbo-jumbo, glacial melting whatnot; yeah, they all make perfect sense to everyone…or at least they probably would have if more than two people had ever stayed awake through biology class. No, the real inconvenient truth is that none of us really understand what’s happening to our planet…and worse: none of us really care. However, after researching the climate situation a bit, I came up with an idea: to make a In a
nutshell
Nobody understands global warming, but everyone can use it to their advantage.
list of real ways for going green; a list that the 97 percent of us that slept through Al Gore’s documentary (and newsflash, teachers, that’s what we’re really doing) could actually follow. And so, without further ado, the idiot’s guide to going green at Kennedy: 1. The first step in achieving school-wide greenification begins in the Language Arts department. Books? Notes? Bibliographies? All of these are contributing directly to the Amazon’s deforestation. But it’s an easy problem to fix: first, substitute reading books for browsing the paper-free Sparknotes; second, scrap the idea wasting notebook paper on “taking notes” all together (half of us are just drawing giraffes all over that page anyway); and finally, stop requiring work cited pages, simply
assume we got all the information from Wikipedia. 2. The next step in making Kennedy a green environment is to conduct classes in pure darkness, therefore cutting down on the amount of electricity used by our school. And teachers, don’t mind any rogue snoring during class, generally that means students are learning. 3. The third step is to allow (or possibly promote) the use of cell phones in classrooms. After all, it is far more ecologically responsible to let students cheat by texting the answers to one another than by copying them down on the Post-it note next to them. 4. Finally, a schoolwide class skipping promotion is essential. After all, the science is simple: the less you have to drive to school, the less gas you waste! (And as an added bonus, I bet this would cut down on the parking problem too!)
Embracing senior year Isn’t it ironic how February is the shortest month yet is also simultaneously the longest month? Every student (especially us seniors) and every faculty member (don’t deny it) has found him or herself wading in a cesspool of ennui and wanderlust as the temperatures rise at a torturously slow rate. May is close, but it ain’t that close, and the wait can feel unbearable. So, guys; what are we going to do with the next 12 weeks of our lives? More specifically,
what are the seniors gonna do? Every weekday morning when the alarm clock screams in our ears, it’s a little more difficult to resist hurling it against the wall in a fit of exhaustion-induced rage (an act of violence committed a number of times at the Sheehy household, growing at an exponential incidence rate as the year progresses). And every day it seems that much more impossible to focus or stay motivated in and out of school. The mantra in any senior’s mind at this
point is: May 28th…May 28th… Well, here’s a crazy idea. What if we stopped bitching and started appreciating the very small amount of high school we have left? Now before you roll your eyes, crumple this newspaper into a ball, and hurl it at my cranium in the hallway, just hear this out. Our older siblings and friends tell us that now’s the time to start taking advantage of our youth and dependence, and although they may seem clinically insane, they’re right. School will only be what you make of it, and if you make it a bothersome bore, you’re going to be miserable. So, get involved. Have fun.
Work hard (or at least put forth some effort). Finish strong. Twelve weeks really isn’t a very long time and it will fly by even faster if we learn how to enjoy ourselves. Put your focus on the future, but don’t lose your grip on everything you have now. It won’t be easy to have such a positive attitude, but when we’re up on that stage on May 28, celebrating all of our accomplishments from these past 13 years of schooling, it’ll be well worth it. In a
nutshell
Seniors should stop whining and embrace their last year.
cartoon by Mackenzie Sheehy
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08 editorial
Letter to the editor:
Open-air note to social texters Dear Texters, Texting. I’ll be the first to admit that I use it excessively, and often when it’s unnecessary: in class, doing homework, at the store. Almost everywhere. It’s a habit that’s become so popular it’s almost impossible to break. You will not however find me continuously texting while I’m with friends or my boyfriend, out to dinner, or at the movies. There are times when it’s absolutely rude to be on your phone. Why spend time with a person to just be on the phone and find that you have no idea what that person is saying to you? People don’t ask to hang out to watch you have a seemingly much more interesting conversation that they apparently can’t provide for you. It’s a blatant disregard for that person’s feelings. From experience I can say that it makes you wonder, what it possibly so important that what we’re doing right now doesn’t matter? Is a phone really that much more interesting than I am? Its troubling to think that you can’t hold a person’s attention for five minutes without them checking their phone. It’s equally if not more rude to use your phone in public while out with somebody. It’s absolutely shocking to me that people actually answer their phone or text while at a movie. Really? If anything, take it out to the hall. The amount of disrespect that shows to everyone around you is amazing. Now the emergency text to whoever about where you are or what you’re doing is understandable, but the continued
Solution: pass health care reform in Congress
photo by Elise Krivit Senior staffer demonstrates what Butler calls rude: texting while holding a conversation. conversation with some one else is not. Why would a person want hang out with you if all you do while you’re there is text another person who is apparently more important? Put your phone away, show the person you’re with that you actually care about the time you have with them and what they’re saying to you. There’s a time and place for the phone, and it’s not while you’re with the people that want to have a conversation with you, not watch you have one with some one else. -Jasmine Butler
Free speech ‘rights’ of the webpage, his profile picture. It was an illustration of a Ku Klux Klan member holding a noose in front of, what else, but a Confederate flag. I don’t know if this was his feeble attempt at humor or if he was genuinely broadcasting his racist views. Frankly, I don’t care. Either way it’s offensive and menacing. Viewing this image totally settled it. Stimpy wasn’t flying these flags to show support for The South. By posting this vile picture, Stimpy was aiming to provoke (perhaps even threaten) people. On one hand I totally respect Stimpy’s right to free speech. If he wants to fly the flag on his truck that is his prerogative. But according to our Bill of Rights, our rights are limited to the point where they don’t compromise the rights of others. Students have the right to feel safe at school. When we have volatile school climate where a student will deck someone just because he was accidentally hit by a carrot or when a girl will drive all the way across town to fight, we do not need people doing things just to fan the flames of hostility. The magnitude of the issue hit home when I was talking about it with a faculty member and a couple of friends (one of whom was Black). “I just hate seeing those things, they scare me,” said the White teacher, to which my Black friend replied, “Yeah, well those things scare ME.” The right to free speech comes with the assumption that it will be used with responsibility and good judgment. When Stimpy put up those two flags on his bad-ass red truck he was exercising neither. Flying the Confederate flag is no different than wearing a swastika armband: even if you don’t mean it to be offensive, it still sure as hell is. -Lars F.K. Lee
Setting goals, helping others In the wake of a natural disaster, we are able to really see what the human race is capable of. We have seen the incredible force of Mother Nature, and the trail of devastation she leaves behind. She has most recently shown her face in the fatal earthquake that hit Haiti last month. Although a tragedy, it brought people from all nations together as one for a common goal.
Locally, Kennedy raised over $10,000 in aid to send to the impoverished nation, with hopes to help the recovery effort. Many countries around the world have done their best to go the lengths to help save the country and it’s people. At the beginning of the Penny Wars fundraiser, our school set a goal to raise $10,000. Although we were unable to reach this
mini-torials: Columnists offer small solutions for problems facing the Obama administration
Letter to the editor:
Dear Torch, February 4, 2010, a student was sent home for tearing the Confederate flags off a student’s truck. Apparently the owner of the truck (let’s call him Stimpy) was personally asked by Dr. Wilcynski to remove the flags. Stimpy refused. That must have been when the other student (let’s call him Ren) decided to remove the flags and tear them up. Ren was later sent home for “vandalism”. First let me say that this editorial isn’t about if the actual design on the flag is in itself racist. Its stars and stripes technically represent values no different than our own “Old Glory”. But the fact is no matter how you spin it, the Confederate flag conjures up images of injustice, lynchings, and brutal hatred. On one hand I see the Confederate flag as a symbol of our nation’s despicable past. A sign that shows old prejudices and intolerance are still alive and well. But on the other, just because I disagree with it doesn’t give me the right to censor it. I decided to give Stimpy the benefit of the doubt. He was probably just a confused high schooler trying to find something to identify with and for him, that “something” happened to be the Confederate flag. When I went home, I decided to check out Stimpy’s Facebook page. Upon first glance, his information fitted the stereotype of the type of person who would fly a Confederate flag. His favorite music: Country. Favorite movies: “anything with Larry the Cable Guy”. His religious view: “Why would you want to be brain wash on this crap?” (yes, bad grammar and all). In his “about me” it said “im really nice most of the time” and “I have a bad side to me that never shows”. Which brings me to the most striking aspect
PA G E B Y E M M A L E H M A N N
goal alone, we did not give up. Principal Mary Wilcynski reached out and asked for help to reach the goal, and was successful in the end. Another local attempt to motivate people is the 3/50 Project, which asks people to spend $50 at three locally owned businesses per month to rejuvenate the downtown district of Cedar Rapids. Since the flood of ’08, business has been lacking downtown. The 3/50 Project hopes to turn this around by setting an easily attainable goal. It isn’t asking much from each person, but if everyone follows
the goal, we could end up saving our local businesses that make our downtown unique. It’s a cool feeling to know that you were a part of something so important, and all you had to do was set a goal. It is important to set goals in your life. It doesn’t have to be something as far reaching as saving a country in need. Setting personal goals is just as important; they give you something to try to live up to, and keep you from getting lost in the shuffle.
Health care costs have risen by 131 percent during the last decade. Currently, seventeen cents of every dollar in the United States economy is spent on health care and 47 million Americans are uninsured. Americans who have insurance are more at risk now of losing their insurance than ever before because of abusive insurance practices. The Obama Administration and Congress need to work together to make health care more accessible and affordable. It’s wrong that there are families who can’t get the care they need. In addition, the large number of uninsured people threatens our country’s economy. People who are uninsured have no choice but to receive health care in hospital emergency rooms; these costly services are passed onto the government. To help push health care reform forward, take five minutes to call Senator Tom Harkin at (202)2243254, Senator Chuck Grassley at (202)224-3744 and Representative Dave Loebsack at (202)225-6576. A n dr e a N e m e c e k
Solution: eliminate health care for elderly It is a fact: 22.8 percent of all American 18 to 44-year-olds lack health insurance (CDC.gov). So how can we fix this most serious of situation? By taxing the people and nationalizing health care? No, that is costly and would take years of reorganization. I have a better solution. We stoop covering everyone who retires and extend Medicare and Social Security to the working citizens. By giving health care to the elderly, we are unable to protect the well-being of the people who work day in and day out trying to better the world around them. Where is the logic in taking care of the elderly before the people who actually contribute to society? This is America, a land where one earns his keep, and no communist is going to make us treat everyone equally. S P EN C E R A N D E R S O N
Solution: reduce the role of government There are many problems facing today’s government, from the daunting heath care reform to the war in Iraq. Our government is becoming a more imminent presence in our daily lives. The major banks are making bets on the market without fear due to the government continuously bailing them out. Moral hazard is lost along the way; the government is preventing those who take risks on the market to lose. We the people are making up for the banks failures and gambles. Those who make the wrong choice should be the ones to pay. The government is just furthering our countries deep debt. Instead of interjecting into the falling economy and market, we should just let it take its natural course. The government should withdraw themselves from their influence on the market and let the market take its toll. If we do not size down now, our centralized government will escalate we must go back to the ways of our founding fathers. RACHEL GILMAN
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PA G E B Y M A C K E N Z I E S H E E H Y
The Torch talked to Destyney Postel last year about her pregnancy as a ninth grader. Now she’s a sophomore - and a mother. A look at what it’s really like to have a baby while still in high school As Destyney Postel sat in her living room, reading to her son, it was the quintesential picture of motherhood...except one thing. Postel is 15. The Torch first interviewed Postel, so., last year for the story Premature parents: teen pregnancy changes the lives of everyone involvedwhen she was 15 and pregnant. It has been ten months since that initial interview, and a lot has changed. “When I told my mom, she said that I was going to have an abortion…[then] we [my boyfriend and I] were going to give it up for adoption…I didn’t know what to do,” Postel recalled in her last Torch interview. But Postel is almost 16 now, and no longer pregnant; she has a son, Kyle, who is almost nine months old. “In the first few months I seriously considered [giving the baby up for adoption],” Postel confessed, “but then I got closer to him and I couldn’t do it.” So life changed, drastically. “Life’s different because I gotta think of someone else before me now,” Postel said. It’s a new concept, she admits, one that she will have to continually work at. But not everything is different. Postel is still with the baby’s
father, Derrick Meyer, so. He takes care of Kyle every other day, with the help of his parents. “[Kyle] has kinda made us closer, but pushed us apart at the same time,” Postel said. “…It’s made us closer because we have to do something as a team now, but it’s pushed us apart because we fight a lot, because of our different living styles.” And it’s been like this since Kyle was born last May. In fact, Postel and Meyer have been together for nearly three years. When he was interviewed last April, Meyer’s outlook was good. “I think it [the pregnancy] has brought us closer,” Meyer said. “We’ve been together for almost two years. After she has the baby, we’re probably going to move in with each other during the summer and we’ve even talked about marriage.” Things didn’t move that fast for the couple; they still live at their respective parents’ houses, and they are both still unmarried. But the couple is doing well, considering the circumstances. Unlike the majority of teen coupleslet alone those with infants Postel and Meyer have been together through the pregnancy and the birth of their son. By doing this, they have beaten the statistics showing that a majority of teenage fathers bolt from the relationship, soon after hearing the news of the baby’s appearance. But this is not the only area in
Busy baby. Destyney Postel, so., spends time with her nearly 9-month-old son, Kyle. Postel became pregnant with Kyle as a freshman, and is balancing school with her responsibilities as a mom. which the couple has challenged the odds. Statistics show that one-third of all American girls will get pregnant in their teenage yearsthat’s a sobering 750,000 annually. Of these, more than two-thirds of all teenagers who have a baby will not graduate from high school. However, Postel seems certain of her academic future. “[Both my boyfriend and I] are still in school,” Postel said. “I don’t know what he [Meyer] wants to be, but I’m trying to become a doctor. I’m not letting my dream go down because I had a baby.” Though her expected 2012 graduation date is still quite far away, Postel already has eventual plans of attending Kirkwood Community College, to become a Family. Postel enjoys a moment with Kyle. She and Kyle’s father, Derrick Meyer, so., coordinate their responsibilities for taking care of him. Even though life as a full-time mom and student can be difficult to manage, Postel still wants to attend college and become a doctor someday. All photos by Asmaa Elkeurti
doctor. This is how she hopes to one day care for her son. But for now, she has to settle for a part-time job, to provide for Kyle. “This year I’m going to be 16, and so I’m gonna get a job at my mom’s work. And so, that’s how I’m gonna support him [Kyle],” Postel said. Today, watching Postel help her son crawl, or cuddle Winnie the Pooh, it’s hard to tell what’s running through her mind. She could be contemplating her undoubtedly difficult future, thinking of times before his birth, or simply remembering his birtha possible blessing in disguise. “Maybe Kyle being born is kind of a blessing, you know?” she told the Torch. “I mean, you have to grow up and think about someone
else before yourself when you have a baby, and not be immature. And if I didn’t have a baby right now, I’d probably be failing school and doing other stuff, and my boyfriend, probably, would try drugs and all that. We could be normal teenagers, and we can’t do that now because we have a baby.” There’s not doubting that Postel’s past, and future, have been, and will be, hard. But as she gazes into Kyle’s eyesa motherly look towards her sonthere is the faintest glimmer that, as she said, “Maybe, I don’t knowmaybe it’ll all be alright.” EMMA LEHMANN
- The percentage of 15-to-19-year-old American girls who became pregnant increased by 3% from 2005 to 2006. This was the first increase in the teen pregnancy rate since 1995. - One-third of teen mothers will receive their high school diploma, and 1.5% have a college degree by age 30. - $1.5 billion has been spent to fund sexual education promoting abstinence. Information provided by washingtonpost.org
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PA G E B Y E L I S E K R I V I T
photo by Asmaa Elkeurti Passionate. Mackenzie Thompson, jr., Zach Kremenak, sr., and Emily Flesner, sr., sing and dance along with the rest of the show choir at the Supernova Competition at Linn Mar on Sat., Jan. 16. They received third place at this competition.
Happiness Inc. places high in different competitions all over Iowa
photo by Asmaa Elkeurti Dolled Up. Mackenzie Thompson, jr., helps Katina Rohr, sr., get ready to perform. The surrounding Happiness girls touch up their makeup before competing at the photo by Elise Krivit Supernova Competition. Singin’ with soul. Hannah Plagman, sr., (below) SCARED! Happiness Inc. members woo the audience with their dance sings during the Mon., Feb, 22 practice. moves during the Sat., Jan. 16, at the Supernova Competition.
photo provided by Cathy Thompson Belt it Out. Aubrey Heller, sr., sings her solo during the Great River Competition in Davenport on Sat. Feb. 20. Happiness placed second in the competition.
photo by Asmaa Elkeurti
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PA G E B Y M A C K E N Z I E S H E E H Y
The Torch’s First Annual A panel of sophisticated Torch palates surveyed the Cedar Rapids area for the best places to stuff their faces. Here are their picks for the most awesome eateries in the community
Riley Galbraith, so. Loves Stalks Serena Williams
Best Italian
RG: Biaggi’s. This is by far the best place to go when you want to get a good salad, soup, or pasta dish. Plus there’s no need to dress up, there’s take out! EL: Biaggi’s isn’t really as pretentious as it looks on the outside. I mean, it’s really dark on the inside and they have good food there…what else could you ask for in a restaurant? MH: Olive Garden. Can’t beat the free breadsticks, and the service is very friendly and accomodating. MS: Biaggi’s. The lasagna Bolognese? Bravissimo. The lobster bisque? Delicioso. Both together? The Situation and Snooki couldn’t make a more ridiculously awesome ItalianAmerican couple. Fist pump.
Best Mexican
RG: El Perico is the place to go when you’re craving some
Emma Lehmann, sr. Legitimate Czech princess
good ole Mexican food. Although it might look scary at first, it is the best in the town. EL: El Super Burrito is less terrifying once you step inside the door. The food isn’t greasy or mushy, and it isn’t too authentically Mexican. MH: El Super Burrito. It’s authentic Mexican food with a great cultural atmosphere. MS: Carlos O’Kelly’s. You just can’t go wrong with enchiladas cheesier than a Nicholas Sparks weepie novel.
Best Chinese
RG: Egg Roll House; it’s quick and it has the best egg rolls, and crab meat ragoons. EL: The most positive aspect of Pei’s is the absolute lack of dog meat in their cuisine. It’s a clean, nice place—and well worth the drive. MH: Hy-Vee Chinese, you
El Super Burrito
Mike Hoefer, jr. Writes computer programs for fun
can also shop for groceries while eating amazing food! MS: Pei’s has consistently awesome noms. Snow pea chicken, y’all.
Best American/Bar & Grill
RG: Starlite Room; it may look modest, but the food is always top quality. EL: Often times, when you pull up to Starlite Room, there is some sort of rape van sitting in the parking lot. However, when you get past that, they have great burgers and other American cuisine. MH: Starlite Room. They have free popcorn and amazing burgers. MS: Granite City has a fab atmosphere and delish, savory menu choices (ex. the dope-ashell waffle fries).
Zoey’s
Best Quick Fix
RG: Panchero’s; it’s quick, it’s easy, it’s cheap, and it fulfills all of your Mexican cravings. EL: NutriSmoothie is a great new “quick fix”. It is tasty and clean, and the smoothie wenches don’t bug you after you order! MH: Panchero’s. More pricey than other fast food places, but it’s actually good good. MS: Panchero’s, without question. Quick, quality, and ridiculously delicious.
Best Pizza
RG: Zoey’s; although it takes a bit of a drive to get there, the pizza is amazing. Especially the cheese on top! EL: If you’re willing to make the drive to Marion, Zoey’s is a must. You get a lot of pizza for your money and the inside is cute. MH: Tomaso’s. Familyfriendly atmosphere with
Panchero’s
Mackenzie Sheehy, sr. Fist pumping enthusiast
amazing deep-dish pizza. MS: Zoey’s. Dude. Do I even need to elaborate?
Best Coffee Shop/Café
RG: Java Creek; it has the best coffee, and you can’t go wrong with any of their wraps. Everything on the menu is just good. EL: Brewed Awakenings is by far the best café in the area. The tea (and I suppose, coffee) is good, as are their pastries. MH: Brewed Awakenings has a comfy atmosphere, you can just chill on couches and drink coffee. MS: The ubercozy Java Creek is the coffee-shop equivalent of a warm blanket. Mmm. Judges’ votes were counted, tiebreakers were deliberated with coin tosses, and arguments got personal as judges fiercely defended their favorite digs...
The Best of the Rest Japanese: Sushi House Indian: Taj Mahal Greek: Vernon Inn French: Croissant du Jour Bakery: Sykora Ice Cream: Parlor City
Pei’s
All photos by Emma Lehmann
Biaggi’s
Starlite Room
Brewed Awakenings
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PA G E B Y J O N AT H A N C H A D I C K
A passion for art
Student decribes what art means to her and what the future holds
photo provided by Corey Williams Caring. Corey Williams, jr., cares for one of the foster children that his family has taken into their home. The Williams family has adopted many children in from troubled families. They have had around 24 in the past.
Giving back
Student’s family opens home to foster children
At the home of Corey Williams, something is always happening. After school, Williams and his family take care of many foster kids at one time. “We mostly take care of babies. I have had some right out of the hospital. Others have been around one year [old]. They normally stay at my house for around six months at a time. I have a strong bond with many of them by the end of their time at my house. It is hard to say goodbye,” Williams, jr., said. Over 500,000 children in the U.S. currently reside in some form of foster care. Placements in foster care have dramatically increased over the past ten years. Despite the increasing numbers, children in foster care and foster parents are sometimes invisible in communities and often lack many needed supports and resources. In situations of abuse and neglect, children may be removed from their parents’ home by a child welfare agency and placed in foster care. Other reasons for foster placement include severe behavioral problems with the child and/or a variety of parental problems, such as abandonment,
illness (physical or emotional), incarceration, AIDS, alcohol/substance abuse, or death. “African-American children make up approximately two thirds of the foster care population and remain in care longer. Two out of three children who enter foster care are reunited with their birth parents within two years. A significant number, however, can spend long periods of time in care awaiting adoption or other permanent arrangement,” Williams said. Making decisions about the future for a child in foster care is called permanency planning. Options include: returning the child to his/her birth parents; termination of parental rights (a formal legal procedure) to be followed, hopefully, by adoption; or long-term care with foster parents or relatives. “Most states encourage efforts to provide the birth parents with support and needed services (e.g. mental health or drug/alcohol treatment, parent skills, training and assistance with child care and/or adequate housing) so their child can be returned to them. When parental rights have been terminated by the court,
most states will try to place children with relatives, which may lead to adoption by the relative,” Williams said. Being removed from their home and placed in foster care is a difficult and stressful experience for any child. Many of these children have suffered some form of serious abuse or neglect. About 30 percent of children in foster care have severe emotional, behavioral, or developmental problems. Physical health problems are also common. Most children, however, show remarkable resiliency and determination to go on with their lives. Williams said, “ I really enjoy doing this. It is something my family can come together and do to help others. Our family hopes we can get others to help. These children need care, and their existing situations are bad enough that they have to be taken out of them. That is where foster families come in. It is not really foster parents because these kids affect the whole family, that is why I am proud to call my family a foster family.” J o n at h a n C h a d i c k
With a paintbrush in one hand and a camera around her neck, Sam Yorgensen is not your average high school student. A self-described artist, Yorgensen, sr., has taken nearly all the art classes Kennedy has to offer and plans to continue her art career in college. Yorgensen got an early start in art when she was just 12. “I took some art classes at Barbs Fine Art in Marion and after that she just opened me up to exploring art,” Yorgensen said. Seven years later, Yorgensen won Kennedy’s Showcase of the Stars with a painting that she entered. As for types of art, Yorgensen likes almost all forms. “Photography is my favorite form of art and I’d have to say painting is a close second,” Yorgensen said. Yorgensen has completed every single art class Kennedy has to offer, except for ceramics; currently she is taking AP Art. “In AP art we put together an art portfolio for the end of the year and we just work on that throughout the whole year. We maybe do some power points on artists too,” Yorgensen said Yorgensen’s favorite artist is a painter named Thomas Kinkade. Kinkade is perhaps one of the most famous American artists still
alive today. It is estimated that one of every 20 homes in America has some form of Kinkade’s art. “Thomas Kinkade is one of my favorite artists. He had an art gallery in Lindale Mall I and I walked through there a lot,” Yorgensen “In AP art we put said. With so together an art much talent, it portfolio for the may be an easy end of the year and to assume that Yorgensen’s par- we just work on ents are both art- that throughout ists, but that’s the whole year. We not exactly true. “My dad did art in maybe do some high school and I power points on artthink that’s where ists too.” I must have got -Sam Yorgensen, sr. my passion from,” Yorgensen said. Although her parents aren’t artists they both support her art. “They [Yorgensen’s parents] always cheer me on and give me constructive criticism on my pieces,” Yorgensen said. Yorgensen plans to go to the University of Northern Iowa for photography and graphic design. “Someday I hope to open my own photography studio,” Yorgensen said. Michael Nordstrom Painting. Sam Yoergenson, Sr., paints in her A.P. Art class. Her parents support her art. She plans on going to the University of Northern Iowa to pursue photography and design. In the futue, she wants to have her own photography studio. She has taken almost all of the art s classes offered here. photo by Asmaa Elkheurti
Studying, experiencing foreign cultures
Torch Archive Photo Playing. Sage Sattlerfield, a former Kennedy student, plays guitar. Grant Helle and Satterfield were selected to receive the Rotary Scholarship. Satterfield chose to study in Chile, while Helle chose to study in Germany.
Each year, students from around the world join Kennedy’s junior class for an exchange year. Sage Satterfield and Grant Helle, who graduated from Kennedy in 2008, are enjoying the same opportunity this year in Chile and Germany, respectively, through Rotary International’s Youth Exchange program. Satterfield and Helle first heard about the Rotary Youth Exchange program during their respective world language classes. In order to receive the sponsorship of a local Rotary Club, they had to complete an extensive application and go through a series of interviews. After spending six months abroad, Satterfield and Helle have each adjusted to a new culture, mastered a second language, become more independent, grown as individuals and made lifelong memories. Satterfield decided to apply to
the program for the chance to apply his Spanish skills and grow as a person. “I wanted this to be one of the first rites of passages in my life,” Satterfield said. “I wanted to prove something to myself - put myself through some spit and fire and open up my own eyes.” Satterfield chose to go to study in South America because, he “wanted to know the other half of America, our brothers and sisters to the south”, and so far he hasn’t been disappointed with the experience. “I’m not the same person who I was when I got here,” Satterfield said. “...I guess I just handle myself a lot better....A mountain of things have changed about me and how I see the world. I am proud to say I feel I have been enlightened.” Ever since first arriving in Chile, Satterfield writes and reads in Spanish only. He has also started to dream and think in Spanish.
“It actually is hard now to speak in english aloud,” he said. Helle lives in Bargteheide, Germany, which is about a 30 minute drive from Hamburg. After taking German for four years and hosting a German exchange student last year, Helle didn’t have a lot of trouble adjusting to the German language and culture. “The main difference between the United States and Germany, I think, is the view on alcohol,” Helle said. “In Germany, the drinking age for beer is 16, and 18 for hard liquor. Parents are perfectly fine with their kids going to clubs
“I’m not the same person I was when I got here. A mountain of things have changed about me” -Sage Satterfield, Former Kennedy Student
and getting drunk, just as long as they don’t overdo it.” During his time in Germany, Helle has enjoyed going to soccer games, becoming more independent and learning about politics. “I like the freedom that I have here the most,” he said. “In the US, parents are a lot more protective of their kids. Here, you see 10 year olds with friends in Hamburg and all over. But my freedom has a lot to do with the fact that I’m almost 19. I’m treated more as an adult than in the US. I can make my own decisions, but I’m also held accountable for them.” Next year, Helle plans to attend UNI or a German university to study international affairs, and Satterfield plans to attend Kirkwood while applying his Spanish skills to a job with GoDaddy.com. Andrea Nemecek
13profile Brotherly love at school PA G E B Y J O N AT H A N C H A D I C K
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Identical quadruplets share insight into time together at school, home What do you think it would be like to be one of four identical quadruplets? “It is a hard question to answer because we don’t know what it’s like not being quadruplets,” Paul Bradford, so., said. Paul, James, John, and David Bradford are all sophomore students here, which can make encounters with one or all of them a little tricky. “When people see all four of us it goes something like this: “there are four of you? Holy cow, that’s a lot,” David said. “Some don’t believe us at first, they are like “No? Really?” Paul said. Having four look-a-likes around causes some confusion when it comes to telling them apart. “It happens all the time. It can get really annoying, especially if you know the person well,” James said. All of the Bradfords agreed that being mistaken for their brothers can become annoying after a while, but they laughed it off. “Hey it happens. We will correct you,” John said.
“They aren’t identical, they have their own interestingly different personalities and quirks.” - Mari Waldschmidt, Language Arts Teacher The Bradfords are involved in multiple extracurricular activities together, including sports, band, drum line, and their church youth group. This can make telling them apart a challenge to their coaches and conductors. “They [coaches] have their ways of telling us apart, ”David said. They presented perhaps the biggest challenge to one of their teachers Mari Waldschmidt. She recently had all four of the Bradfords in her LA-10 class during fall term and currently has three in one of her classes now. Waldschmidt has never had a case like this in her four years of teaching. During fall term, having all four of them in her class seemed like an overwhelming job.
“Distinguishing them from one another seemed like a daunting task,” Waldschmidt said. Although all of the Bradfords are identical quadruplets, Waldschmidt thinks that it isn’t as hard as it seems. “They aren’t identical,” Waldschmidt said, “they have their own interestingly different personalities and quirks.” Chris Cronbaugh, counselor, has the duty of helping students with last names A-E, tenth through 12th grade, which includes the Bradford boys. This presented a tough question for Cronbaugh. “What do I treat them the same in, and what do I treat differently [in]?” Cronbaugh asked. “They are all polite, thoughtful, and quiet, which makes it even more difficult to tell who is who.” The Bradford boys had few complaints to make about being one of four. As for the positive side they all agree when they say, “You always have someone to hang out with and talk to.” K at e ly n B e lt r a m e a
photo by Elise Krivit Together. James, John, and Paul Bradford read a story in their LA 10 class. Three of the four Bradford boys are currently in Mari Waldschmidt’s Language Arts class. Earlier in the year, all four shared a common class.
Newest teacher here, Bullers, takes over and makes an impact Starting out in the middle of the second trimester, teacher Regan Bullers faces challenges as the newest teacher at Kennedy High School. As our newest faculty member, Bullers has taken over the position of Sarah Riley, a 9th and 10th grade Language Arts teacher who left Kennedy in January. This position opened up on January 19th when Riley moved to Portland, Oregon with her husband. Riley’s sudden departure came about as a result of a new career opportunity for her husband. Regan Bullers comes to Kennedy from a suburb in the Twin Cities where she had been teaching Language Arts at Anoka
High School. With a month under her belt at Kennedy, Bullers has had time to form an opinion of her new high school. “I really like the spirit of the school and the pride that the students take in being Kennedy Cougars,” Bullers said. Bullers also said that she believes Kennedy teaches you how to understand people better. She believes the transition in the middle of the year is hard not only for her, but for her students as well. Bullers said her new students are used to their former instructor’s teaching style. It just takes time for students to get accustomed to her as a teacher and to get used to her style of teaching.
Prior to her teaching positions, Bullers’ career took her to Nambia for a two year commitment with the Peace Corps. Nambia is an African country, located west of South Africa. The Peace Corps, established by President Kennedy, is a government program made up of volunteers that live and work in developing countries. While
“I really like the spirit of the school and the pride that the students take in being Kennedy Cougars,” -Regan Bullers, Language Arts Teacher
living in Nambia, she taught 8th grade math and 9th grade English. For most of her students, English was a 3rd or 4th language. A typical school day involved getting up at 5:00 AM with school starting at 6:45 AM. Because of the heat, school was over by 12:45 PM. This was followed by a three hour resting time. As one can imagine, this was a very impactful experience for her. The Peace Corps provided a firm foundation for teaching back home in the United States. With a solid first month under her belt, the future of Bullers and her classes looks promising. Allie Sindlinger
photo by Emma Lehmann Interacting. Regan Bullers, Language Arts Teacher, talks to Emily O’Brien, so., in her LA 10 class. Bullers took over for Sarah Riley last month.
U.S. Government teacher uses Canadian experiences in his teaching at Kennedy Teaching. Adrian Evans, United States Government teacher, stands in front of his class . Evans is from Canada and thinks that it is beneficial for a Canadian to teach U.S. government. He thinks it gives the students another viewpoint they would not normally get from an American. photo by Emma Lehmann
The United States governmentthe vessel at the center of the very country we live inis one of the single most highly debated topics in America. Adrian Evansa native Canadianteaches this controversial subject to Kennedy students. And because of his nationality, one can’t help but think of the situation as a little out of the ordinary. However, when asked about the situation he simply said, “It’s defiantly a talking point.” After completing courses for his history and English degrees in Scotland, he moved to the
U.S. in ’02 and started teaching at Kennedy later that same year. Four years later Mr. Evans had to make a choice teach geography to freshman or United States government to seniors. He chose U.S. Government and is still
“I feel that no matter where I’m from, the teens of this country need to know the facts and I want to be the one to teach them the facts,” -Adrian Evans, U.S. Government Teacher
teaching it today. Evans said, “I think my teaching this class helps my students see a different angle of the government…since I’m not a United States citizen, but a permanent resident. We talk a lot about the rights a citizen has that a non-citizen who lives here doesn’t have.” The other main concept that he likes to focus on in class is taxation without representation, because it so highly debated and he is directly involved with it. The population of the United States is so widely diverse now that Evans sees no problem in having a non-citizen teaching
a class about U.S. government. “I feel that no matter where I’m from the teens of this county need to know the facts and I want to be the one to teach them the facts,” Evans said. Evans then quoted a statistic taken many years ago that read as follows: “Thirty-three percent of teens surveyed thought it was as important to vote for American Idol as it was to vote on government issues.” Over the years Evans hopes that the number of voters will increase and that he had helped change them through his teaching. Spencer Grekoff
The new JT
Best Picture * Mackenzie ‘Shark Attack Mack’ Sheehy, sr.
Eclectic cool Torch: Where is your favorite place to find a good bargain? SB: Probably Revival in Iowa City. They bring in new clothes. They also, like, take in clothes from people and re-do them and make them look really cool. They have a little black cat running around the store, and I like cats, so I like it a lot. I guess you could describe it as a hip Goodwill. They will add stuff on to the clothes that wasn’t there before.
T: How would you define your style? JM: I would define it as very different. I take pieces from a bunch of different styles and put them together for my own mystery style. So I would say a little bit of everything, from preppy, to rock star, to a little gangster in me; just a bunch of different styles mixed into one.
T: What can’t you leave home without? SB: My purse. I got a lot of stuff, and I don’t like to shove it in my pockets. My wallet, my phone, my keys, maybe a water bottle. Sometimes make-up if I need to look cute. Maybe a book if I wanna read.
T: What is your favorite accessory or piece of clothing? JM: I love v-necks. They would be my favorite piece of clothing. I also have a lot of shoes. I have 43 pairs. I used to work at Journey’s, so I got good deals.
$ Alex ‘Vanilla Temptation’ Busbee, jr.
∞ Abby ‘Gail’ Gilman, sr.
Animated Feature Film
Torch: Who do you look to for inspiration? JM: There are two. My favorite musical artist, Justin Timberlake. I like the way he dresses a lot. I like his music, therefore I like the stuff he does and the way he dresses. I love David Beckham a lot. I dress more European, if you will.
T: What is your favorite piece of clothing? SB: Skinny jeans. I haven’t worn flare jeans since, like, eighth grade. T: What do you splurge on the most? SB: Shoes, defnintely shoes. Probably boots, I’d have to say.
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Morgan Freeman (Invictus)
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Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds)
Mo’Nique (Precious)
Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)
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$ Maggie Gyllenhaal (Crazy Heart)
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Colin Firth (A Single Man)
George Clooney (Up In The Air)
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Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)
∞ Matt Damon (Invictus)
∞ Mo’Nique (Precious)
Morgan Freeman (Invictus)
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ж Elise ‘Sunshine’ Krivit, sr.
Visual Effects
T: What is the most unique thing about your style? JM: I love the fact that no one can predict what I am going to wear. It is a little different every day. That is one of the most unique things about [my style], that I can wear two completely different outfits in two days. I love how people can’t put a finger on my style.
Actor in a Leading Role
Sto r i e s a n d p h oto s b y A b b y G i l m a n
PA G E B Y A B B Y G I L M A N
Torch staffers choose their most likely picks to win all
Actress in a Leading Role
Torch sat down to talk with four students about their unique style, favorite shops, and what they cannot leave home without. Here is what they had to say.
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And the Oscar goes to... J F K TO R C H , F E B R U A RY 2 6 , 2 0 1 0
Actress in a Actor in a Supporting Supporting Role Role
PA G E B Y A B B Y G I L M A N
™ Morgan ‘Lady’ Guge, sr.
Music (Original Score)
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Avatar graphic by Craig Aucutt
Shelby Bearrows, sr.
Operation: addiction
Presentably classic
Jake Misener, jr.
Timelessly feminine
Kennedy student becomes addicted with release of new game
Torch: What inspires your style? EO: My brother, because he kind of dresses like I do. I like how presentable he seems.
Torch: What can’t you leave home without? KT: My purse.
T: Where is your favorite place to find a bargain? EO: I’d say online shopping because there are always sales going on online and I never have to go anywhere.
T: What do you throw in there? KT: My cell phone, MP3, sunglasses, and money.
T: What stores? EO: Probably Urban Outfitters.
T: What is your favorite accessory or piece of clothing? KT: One of my dresses probably, but there are like five of them. I also like earrings a lot. I usually get them from Forever 21.
T: What is your favorite item of clothing? EO: Cardigans. T: How would you define your style? EO: Well, for me it’s about just looking nice and presentable without looking pretentious or preppy.
T: What do you splurge on the most? KT: Definitely clothes; probably mostly tops. T: What is the most unique thing about your style? KT: I can mix and match a lot of different things. Keara Turkington, jr.
T: What is the most unique thing about your style? EO: I guess like that I don’t just wake up and throw on clothes, I actually think about it before I go to school in the morning.
Evan O’Brien, sr.
With video games drawing more fans with realistic graphics and smooth game play, Brody Litts, fr., finds himself wondering how he can cope without picking up that controller. Video game addictions seem to be even more extreme entering the 21st century. Now many people lose their social life, day by day, while gaining experience online, hour by hour. Symptoms of video game addiction can be noticed much like that of an excessive gambler. They will become stressed if not in front of their game of choice, and will go to extreme measures to play. Players may play many hours per day, causing massive weight gains or even weight losses, although no weight changes have occurred in Litts. Normally, an ‘addict’ will let the game disrupt their sleep pattern. One of the greatest signs, though, can be someone who regularly lies about their playing time.
Many know of the game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and a majority here have played it like Litts. The game is a first-person and third-person shooter game developed by Infinity Ward where many play online against other people, trying to achieve a goal. Certain game types online can be as simple as team death match, where the team with the most kills wins, to as complex as demolition, when your team must successfully detonate two bombs within a certain time period. Most also know that it has become very popular among players of every age since it hit the shelves Nov. 10 of last year. Among setting records, this game generated over $550 million in just five days, and sold 4.4 million copies in 24 hours within North America. One Cougar seems to have fallen into the midst of the Call of Duty addiction. Litts bought the game just like many others. What separates
him from everyone else, though, is that he spent hours waiting in line to purchase it. Litts was even the first person in Cedar Rapids to have the game in his hands. Soon after playing it, he quickly became addicted and found himself crawling back to the game. “It’s the game play being different each game that really makes it addicting,” Litts said. Although he doesn’t fully consider himself an addict, he does realize he plays it too much. Litts has even claimed to be made fun of by his friends for being on for such long periods of time. He has currently played for nearly the equivalent of 19 days out of the 96 that it has been out. If you add in school, sleep, and sports, those 19 days make up a majority of his free time. In Call of Duty, you gain experience from level one until you have reached level 70. Once you’ve obtained this, you have the opportunity to start back
over at level one, and go through the process again. This process is called entering prestige, and you are able to do this to a max of ten times. With tenth prestige in sight, Litts currently sits at low ninth prestige where he will quickly be moving up from. Within just two weeks, he was able to enter another prestige, which can take months for others to achieve. Although the game seems to have been ‘hacked’ by a tenth prestige glitch, Litts will become one of the few legitimate tenth prestige players. Although it may be more than a hobby, he thinks the greatest part is the kids he plays with. “The best part of playing has to be talking [crap] to other players, especially ones that try to do it back. It’s really what makes the game so fun,” Litts said. Cameron Milks photo by Laura Pochobradsky Double kill. A Kennedy student hones his skills on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 after school.
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PA G E B Y A L L I S O N K I N D I G
Students, teacher learn from regrets, share advice on disorder to help others
W
hen life started to become too much for Megan Oleson, jr., she turned to alcohol, marijuana and prescription drugs for comfort. Oleson knew that she was depressed – she felt extremely irritable, sad and upset – but didn’t tell anyone because she thought the bad feelings would pass. Unfortunately, they never did. Oleson came very close to committing suicide last year; if one of her friends hadn’t intervened, she wouldn’t be here today.
“There is still a stigma attached to depression, which is unfortunate because depression is a very treatable disease and sometimes the longer it goes on, the harder it is to treat.” -Dr. Allyson Wheaton Unknown but common
Depression affects millions of teenagers like Oleson. At any given time, approximately one in eight teenagers suffer from major depressive disorder, or clinical depression. However, we hardly ever talk about depression and most people don’t understand it. “There is still a stigma attached to depression,” Allyson Wheaton, a psychiatrist at the Cedar Centre, said, “which is unfortunate because depression is a very treatable disease and sometimes the longer it goes on, the harder it is to treat.” Dustin Reese, a psychologist
Kathy Klein for the Grant Wood Area Education Association, agrees. “People think that people who are depressed just don’t have control of their feelings, but it’s much more serious than that,” he said.
In her genes
Special education teacher Kathy Klein has struggled with depression for almost her entire life. There have been several cases of mental illness in her family. Klein first noticed that something set her apart from other kids when she was eight years old. “I remember being out at recess, stepping away from my friends and almost feeling like I was outside of the circle, even though I was playing with them,” she said. “I felt unconnected.” During the coming years, it became clear that depression was the cause of Klein’s sense of disconnection. Klein went through periods of self-injury, alcohol abuse and anorexia. She didn’t share her feelings with anyone until she was 16, which is now her biggest regret. “I basically robbed myself of my youth because I spent so much of my time worrying and feeling useless and thinking everything was my fault,” Klein said. People who have a family history of depression are more likely to suffer from depression, but it can affect anyone.
Sudden onset
Janelle Sneid, sr., suffered from depression during her sophomore and junior years of high school. No one in her family had ever been affected by mental illness before.
“It really came out of nowhere,” Sneid said. “I thought that I was just going through a rough patch from being burnt out, but when we studied depression in biology, I knew something else was wrong with me.” Sneid began to take antidepressants and see a therapist at the end of her sophomore year. “I’m doing much better now,” she said. “The big difference is that I can see things a lot more clearly. Before, when I felt worthless, or like a loser, or sad for no reason, I didn’t do anything. Now, I challenge these bad feelings and eventually am able to see that they’re not true.”
Treatment
Depression is usually treated with cognitive behavioral therapy and anti-depressants. The goal of cognitive behavioral therapy is to help a depressed person look at their thought patterns and try to change them. Anti-depressants work to fix the imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain that have been proven to cause depression. Oleson, who’s been seeing a therapist off and on for the past year and half, thinks that therapy helped her gain control of her depression. “My therapist helped me pick things apart and learn to deal with them,” she said. “I go out and half fun now. It doesn’t control my life anymore.”
wvw 18 million
Americans are affected by depression annually
1 in 8
teens suffer from clinical depression
Information compiled by Allison Kindig
80%
of depressed people don’t seek necessary treatment
2 times
more females are affected by depression than males
15%
of patients hospitalized for depression commit suicide
2nd
largest killer after heart disease by the year 2020
100%
of the human race will be affected by depression either directly or indirectly at some point Information compiled by Allison Kindig graphics by Craig Aucutt
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Symptoms -depressed mood or loss of interest and five of the following: excessive weight gain or loss, change in sleep, agitation, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness, indecisiveness, preoccupation with death, irritability -symptoms must last two weeks or longer to be considered a depressive episode Causes -A combination of biological, psychological and environmental factors -Teenagers are vulnerable to depression because of the hormonal changes, increased independence, and increased social isolation that they must deal with. Treatment -Cognitive behavioral therapy and antidepressants -Talk to an adult you trust or your family doctor, and then you will be referred to a mental health professional -The longer depression goes undiagnosed and untreated, the harder it is to treat Information provided by Psychologist Dustin Reese and Dr. Allyson Wheaton
“I go out and half fun now. It doesn’t control my life anymore.” -Megan Oleson, jr. Their advice
When asked what advice they would give to someone who is struggling with depression, Reese, Wheaton, Oleson, Sneid and Klein all said to tell someone you trust. “If that person can’t help you, then tell someone else, and then tell someone else,” Klein said. “Sometimes the first person you tell might not be able to help you and that’s okay. Keep telling people; you will find someone who can help.” *Editor’s note: The names Megan Oleson and Janelle Sneid were used in place of the students’ real names to protect their identities. A n drea Nemece k
Teenagers are affected by depression more than any other age group. However, studies show that only 30 percent of teens that suffer from depression are treated. This is usually because of the embarrassment and uncertainty that comes with depression. Many teens are uncomfortable asking for help, so they wait for someone else to notice that they are going through a rough time. If someone you know seems
unusually irritable, sad, hopeless, uninterested, fatigued, restless or agitated, or preoccupied with death, you could make all the difference by offering that person your support. “If you notice that someone is having these problems, sit down with them to see how they’re feeling and encourage them to get help,” Dustin Reeves, a school psychologist for the Grant Wood AEA, said. A n drea n emece k
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PA G E B Y A L E X B U S B E E & R I L E Y G A L B R A I T H
Rugby missionary Uruguayan missionary brings love of rugby to the Kennedy hallways
These players don’t wear pads, don’t wear helmets, but play with all the physicality of football players. Some people might even say that these players are tougher than football players. These are rugby players.
“When I was young it was a friend that introduced me to Rugby and I just kind of kept on with the sport...” -Patricio Rabellino, jr. Patricio Rabellino, jr., is a rugby player from the South American country of Uruguay. Rabellino has been playing rugby since he was four, and would have made the national rugby team in Uruguay, but he and his family decided to move to the United States to work as missionaries. However, in June, Rabellino is planning to try out for the United States national rugby team. Rabellino now plays rugby for the Cedar Rapids Headhunters. The headhunters are a men’s rugby team that began 30 years ago. The Headhunters practice spring through fall at Noelridge Park. “When I was young it was a friend that introduced me to Rugby and I just kind of kept on with the sport, but also my Grandpa was encouraging me to keep playing rugby,” Rabellino said.
briefly
Cougars sink at state
Michael Rusch, sr., and fellow Kennedy boys swimmers gave their all this past weekend at the state swimming meet in Marshalltown, but unfortunately, they didn’t score any points. This year being his last, Rusch gave it his all. Though his nerves got the best of him a few times, he managed to take a few seconds off his personal best swimming times in two of his events, as well as maintained his speedy times in two of his other events. Though he wishes he would have done better, he is proud of himself and knows he did his best. “I’m a little upset and I wanted to do better than I did, but I am still happy with how I swam,” Rusch said. Though our boys did not score at state, the incredible speeds that the Kennedy boys swam at were near to record breaking times. JESSICA ROWAN To read the full version of this story, or about other Kennedy sports, go to www.kennedytorch.org
Olympic Medal Count photo provided by Patricio Rabellino Photo shoot. Patricio Rabellino shows off his rugby uniform. Rugby is a mix between soccer and football. Rabellino said that his parents love to have him play rugby and his family is very supportive of him. “I didn’t used to like playing when I first started, but my Grandpa encouraged me to keep playing,” Rabellino said. He is trying out for the U.S. National team in June. “I might have to move but I’m not really sure. But I would have to travel a lot.” Rabellino said. He is not planning to move back to Uruguay to play on their national rugby team but would like to go back to visit. Rugby is a mix between soccer and football. There are about
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20 games in a rugby season and it lasts until winter starts. Rugby begins in the spring and ends at the beginning of winter. In rugby you cannot pass the ball forward but you can kick it forward. You can pass it backwards or sideways and tackles have to be from the armpit down. Rugby, unlike football, is a constant sport; there are no huddles during the game. On the other hand, rugby is like football because there is a kick-off at the start of the game. C a h l e Corre l l an d S am N or d strom
Rugby terms
Touch- Out of bounds Mark- Place of infringement Call for the mark- Similar to a fair catch in American football Lineout- the method to resume play after the ball has gone into touch Scrum- method to restart play after a minor penalty Drop kick- A kick for goal taking during open play. Worth 3 points Blood bin- If a player is bleeding, that player may be temporarily substituted
medal count as of February 23
7
S
B
9 10 USA
7
9
7 GER
6
5
6 NOR
3
4 3
6 RUS
6
4
1 CAN
G
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PA G E B Y A L E X B U S B E E & R I L E Y G A L B R A I T H
Box Out. Christian French, jr., boxes out during the Kennedy vs. Washington game. French, along with being a great football player, is an outstanding basketball player as well. French uses basketball to help him stay busy as well as in shape for football. French has been offered a full ride football scholarship to the University of Iowa, and Iowa State for his freshman year of college. He does not yet know which school he will attend after he graduates from Kennedy.
photos by Abby Gilman Sprinting. Christian French, jr., runs down the field during a varsity football game this past season. The Cougars went 5-5 in the fall.
Choices to be made Cougar football player chooses between full ride scholarship offers from Iowa and Iowa State Christian French is the envy of all college bound juniors and seniors at Kennedy High School. This is because not one, but two colleges have already offered him full ride athletic scholarships. A talented football player, French, jr., has been offered a full ride athletic scholar“When each coach ship to the made me their University offer, I was very of Iowa. A free safety happy and excit- and a tight ed. This will open end at 6’6” a lot of doors for and 216 he is me.” lbs., already -Christian French, jr. the size of many Division I players who play that position. He has a bit of a dilemma, however, as he also has been offered a full ride athletic scholarship to
Iowa State University; it’s a nice problem to have. A full ride scholarship means that all tuition and fees are paid for the entire nine-month academic year. In addition, room and board is paid in full. Also, the cost of books is usually included in a full ride scholarship. “When each coach made me their offer, I was very happy and excited. This will open up a lot of doors for me,” French said. Both his parents are equally thrilled and proud of his accomplishments resulting in his scholarship offers. With the Hawkeyes’ recent great successes under their head coach Kirk Ferentz, it’s hard for French not to take notice of the Iowa Hawkeye football program. When deciding whether to become a Hawkeye or a Cyclone, one of French’s determining factors is the coaching staff. “Coach Ferentz told me what
the Hawkeye program has to offer me, and what I have to offer them,” French said. The other half of French’s decision involves Iowa State University and the Cyclone program. French also speaks highly of ISU head coach Paul Rhoads. “Coach Rhoads is very informative and supportive, and is also a good person,” French said. So what does French do now that he has received these two offers? He has attended both Hawkeye and Cyclone football games since then; he has also been to Junior Days on both campuses. French likes what both schools have to offer, and really enjoys each school’s campus. Another plus for French is having both schools so close to home. That will enable his family and friends to attend games and follow him through his college career. It will also give him the opportunity to return home
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during the off-season and during school breaks. Despite the two offers French has received, he is still keeping his eyes and options open. Other schools that have expressed an interest in French, and that he is considering, are the University of Northern Iowa, Drake University, the University of Wisconsin and Bradley University. Because juniors do not make a formal commitment to the school of their choice until next February, who knows what other schools might provide French with other college options. Meanwhile, while all of this recruiting is going on, French is playing basketball for the Cougars. While that commitment keeps him busy, he still finds time to work out at the YMCA on the weekends. He also continues to lift weights, but on a reduced schedule until basketball season is over. Then he can dedicate
Christian French, jr. himself to getting ready for his senior year of football, which he is really looking forward to. It is clear that this Cougar athlete has been dedicated and worked hard to give himself these great college opportunities. The Kennedy community is excited for him, and will be following him through his senior career and beyond. Allie Sindlinger
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PA G E B Y A L E X B U S B E E & R I L E Y G A L B R A I T H
photos by Abby Gilman Relaxing. Chuck Patton calmly watches on during a Kennedy boys varsity game. Patton has watched Kennedy athletics for around 30 years.
Number one fan
Former Kennedy parent attends games, supports current cougar athletes He is the man you always see said. Patton’s connection with in the crowd. The man who is always smiling, happily watch- Kennedy began all the way back ing every game. Supporting the in 1978, when his first child Cougars through good years and started their freshman year at Kennedy high school. It is then bad. He is Chuck Patton. Chuck Patton, 77, could be that he joined the booster club classified as Kennedy’s number and became very involved in the one fan. He has regularly gone to school and athletic department. boy’s and girl’s high school sport- Patton had three other kids that ing events for around 30 years. also went through Kennedy with However, although Patton never the last graduating in 1987. But played sports when he was in even since the graduation of his high school, he always supported last child, he has for worked on helping the Kennedy community all of the teams. “I just like being around the by serving over 20 years on the youth,” Patton said. “I like to booster club, and has also works watch them play and get to know at all of the football games. Patton also frequently goes to some of them.” And he will go through the show choir competitions, which elements to support them. he enjoys just as much as sports Although Patton owns a car, events. Patton often goes to these he often walks to the Kennedy sporting events through rough events to support the kids who he has gotten to know from his winter storms. “He is just a very kind per- church and the lunch which is son, and is very supportive of provided there for Kennedy stueverything. He always tries to do dents on Tuesdays. He is the best fan an athlete the right thing in all situations,” could hope to have. Cheering Stephanie Wenclawski, so., said. Although his favorite sports through good, and supporting to watch include football, basket- through bad, Kennedy is glad to ball, and tennis, you can find him have Chuck Patton. R i l e y Ga l b r a i t h at just about any sporting event. “If you go to just about any home sporting event you will see him there. He even gets there 15 minutes before to watch warm ups. He also always makes it for the full sophomore game, which not Observing. Chuck patton watches during the Kena lot of people nedy boys’ varsity game vs Burlington. The Cougars do,”Wenclawski won the game 66 to 41.
photos by Laura Pochobradsky
Pumping Iron. Nick Seedorff, sr., lifts weights during his daily workout. Seedorff has a lot more time on his hands after being forced to quit due to his wrist injury. This was Seedorff’s first year on the Cougar wrestling team. Seedorff is also involved in varsity football and varsity soccer at Kennedy in addition to varsity wrestling. Seedorff is one of three seniors that quit wrestling near the end of their season. Two wrestlers were forced to quit due to injuries, and one quit due to the hard process of constatnly cutting weight.
Strains of the season affect three senior wrestlers those reasons apply to wrestling or not. “Sometimes I regret quitting, but in the end I am happy about my choice,” McVey said. His wrestling career jump started in third grade, and followed him all throughout high school. Not wrestling is a weird feeling for McVey, and so is being away from his wrestling buddies. Despite no longer being a part of the team. McVey still has ties with all his John McVey, sr. This year’s varsity wrestling wrestling pals, one being Sam team started the season with Hunter, sr., whom remained on high hopes. Within the first few the varsity team. When it comes to Hunter’s weeks of practice though, those hopes disappeared as numerous feelings towards the several top wrestlers quitall citing dif- senior wrestlers quitting, he doesn’t hold any grudges. He ferent reasons. Those wrestlers include John feels as though the seniors that McVey, sr., Drew Johnson, sr., did quit had legitimate reasons to and he fully understands and Nick Seedorff, sr. For McVey, it was more of a where his fellow teammates are choice to quit wrestling than any- coming from. “It upsets me to see some of thing else. McVey decided quitthem quit, like John [McVey]. ting was the best choice for him Him and I always wrestled for in order to avoid trying to cut the varsity spot. It’s understandweight and all of the other stress that follows wrestlerswhether able why he quit though,” Hunter said. But not all wrestlers quit by choice, some quit upon injury. Johnson, due to numerous concussions, was forced to quit wrestling. With just three weeks until districts, Johnson was let go from the team. Though the doctor had given him the okay to keep wrestling, the coaches did not agree. Johnson felt that his coaches didn’t think he was in “wrestling shape” because he had been Pumping Iron. Drew Johnson, sr., lifts out for so long, so weights during his workout. Johnson quit the wrestling team during his senior season. they let him go. “I
was shocked that they wouldn’t let me wrestle,” Johnson said. Ultimately, though, wrestling all four years and having to quit as a senior year doesn’t make Johnson feel any different; he does not miss wrestling at all. Another wrestler forced to quit due to injury was Seedorff. After breaking his hand during a wrestling meet, his wrestling future disappeared. Seedorff had originally gone out for wrestling just to try something new. He had wrestled previously in middle school, but didn’t think anything would come of it. He had not gone out for wrestling in his “Sometimes I regret past high school years, so he fig- quitting, but in the ured it would be end I am happy about a nice opportu- my choice,” nity to try it out. Seedorff liked -John McVey the idea of playing a sport that only focused on individuals and their accomplishments, not by focusing on a team as a whole. Hoping to make it to state, Seedorff was really mad that he could no longer wrestle after his injury. “I wish I could have stayed out. I thought I had a shot at making it to state. It is my senior year, I wanted to do something cool,” Seedorff said. The ’09-’10 wrestling year has definitely been a little bit out of the ordinary. However, the cougars were able to maintain their high hopes, leading numerous boys onto stateeven without several key wrestlers. But, as for the seniors, they only did what was best for them. J e ss i c a R o wa n
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PA G E B Y A L E X B U S B E E & R I L E Y G A L B R A I T H
Girls’ State Basketball Bracket Breakdown The Torch takes a look at the upcoming matches and predicts the results in the girls’ 4A state basketball tournament Dowling Catholic
Kennedy
Region 7
Quarterfinal
Sioux City North
Region 1
Champion Linn-Mar
Des Moines East
Des Moines East
Linn-Mar
Region 4
Kennedy
Semifinal 12:00 p.m., Fri., March 5
Region 3 Kennedy
Semifinal
Pleasant Valley
Championship Match
11:30 a.m., Wed., March 3
Region 6
1:30 p.m., Fri., March 5
Des Moines East
Kennedy
Quarterfinal
Quarterfinal
1:00 p.m., Wed., March 3
10:00 a.m., Wed., March 3
Region 5 Waukee
8:00 p.m., Fri., March 6
Quarterfinal 5:00 p.m., Wed., March 3
Waukee
Ankeny
Region 8
Region 2
Juke. Courtney Strait, so., tries to lose a Washington player
Rebound. Jade Rogers, sr., tries to grab the ball against an opponent
Girl’s basketball 4A rankings
1. Linn-Mar 18-0 2. Des Moines East 17-0 3. Waukee 17-1 4. Ankeny 17-1 5. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 15-2 6. Pleasant Valley 15-2 7. Sioux City North 13-4 8. Dowling Catholic 14-4 9. Cedar Rapids Washington 11-6 10. Iowa City West 14-4 Elevate. Mariah Duke, sr., attempts a jump shot against rivals Washington
photos by Gail Gilman