John F. Kennedy High School
Volume 50, Issue 6
April 28, 2017
the torch 1 in 68 Children are diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder*
*Center for Disease Control
How to Study for AP Exams
Spread the Word to End the Word
Spring Sports in Action
Pg. 6
Pg. 10
Pg. 18
Contents John F. Kennedy High School 4545 Wenig Rd. NE Cedar Rapids, IA, 52402 Volume 50, Issue 6
Opinion 4 National Guard Impacts Kennedy Family Mady Kircher 4 “Nacho” Everyday Restaurant Lizzy Dennis 5 A Tale as Old as Time Anna Reinhart 5 Five Guys Burgers and Fries Olivia Bowden News ed
Mission Statement
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The student staff and adviser are committed to producing top quality student publications, applying high standards of writing, editing, and production. These media seek to fairly serve the Kennedy High School faculty, students, and staff showing no favoritism to any particular interest, individual, or group. Final decisions about content are the responsibility of the individual editors, and the Editorial Board.
atte
Non-Discrimination Policy It is the Torch’s policy not to illegally discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, disability, religion, creed, age (employment only), marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and socioeconomic status (students/program only) in its educational programs and its employment practices.
Ownership The Torch publication, website, official social media, and broadcasts serve as a public forum produced by the students in Journalism-Newspaper. Student editors make content decisions consistent with the Torch Editorial Policy, Iowa Law, and ethics of journalism.
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d et a
t Madylin Kircher
Sophia Jasper and Maddie Long
t e ea ty ta da d Brooke McNeal
Feature ead t e
d Leeanne Mehring-Cruz
e le t
a t
e
edy Olivia Haefner
Culture e a y Re
Kayla Jacobson
e Darby Herridge
Sports tate Claire Fluent ley Re e e H
dl
a
t lete ea
t e
ee Jake Corkery
Hannah Ratzer
Profile elley e
ete a
fide at
e Leeanne Mehring-Cruz
de Kayla Jacobson
Photo t
t
Anafer Millsap
Letter from the Editor There is a thin blue line that separates us from order and chaos, from heartbreak and contentment, from pain and comfort. This thin blue line protects us from the true horrors in the world, shielding us from the dismal reality that we attempt to forget about. Each and every day, the men and women that don their respective uniforms pledge to serve and protect us from the abominations we hope to never encounter. These heroes do it not for applause nor recognition, but rather to honor the covenant to do everything in their power to protect those who ridicule them, even if it means giving up their life. This letter
is an appreciation for that thin blue line. Thank you to the Marion police force, Cedar Rapids police force, Hiawatha police force, and every single man and woman in the United States who vows to protect the citizens of the United States.
The Thin Blue Line
We often take for granted the liberties and freedoms we enjoy as citizens of the United States, but it is important to remember those who make it possible. Thank you to the fallen officers nationwide who have borne the ultimate sacrifice, laying down their lives so that we may enjoy ours. This one is for you, the thin blue line.
Staff Editorial Only a few weeks ago, Kennedy alumnus Sean Wu passed away. He was an important part of our Kennedy community as a part of the class of 2016, and he left behind a network of Kennedy students who knew, loved, and were in awe of him. The Torch would like to commemorate this edition of the Staff Editorial to appreciating Sean’s accomplishments at Kennedy and beyond. At Senior Recognition Night, Sean’s parents donated a $1,000 scholarhip in his name to one student who exemplified excellent character and demonstrated a desire to leave a positive lasting impact at Kennedy and in the community. Sean was a member of Kennedy’s orchestra, represented Kennedy at the national competition in Washington, D.C. for National History Day, and was a frequent host of the morning announcements.
He was a class officer, a regular volunteer at St. Luke’s Hospital with his brother, Austin Wu, and was Kennedy’s resident film guru, possessing a cinematographic affinity that helped him produce countless Kennedy videos such as ‘What Do Teachers Do On Half Days’, the ‘That’s a Do’ Smart Lunch Commercial, and many other student film productions that showcased his creative abilities. Friends of Sean remember him for his funny attitude, teachers remember him for his brilliance, and even those who didn’t know him well knew one thing; He was an entirely unique individual, and he will be missed.
Approved by 9/9 Members of the Editorial Board
Torch Staff Nathan S heeley Editor-in Chief
Brook e M cNeal News Editor
Jak
e C ork ery Sports Editor
Taylor W eiss Culture Editor
Olivia H aef ner Feature Editor
Je nna Anderson Opinion Editor
Anna Reinhart Profile Editor
M adeline Jam rok Photo Editor
Eliz ab eth Barrett Media Manager
D arb y H erridge Writer
Anaf er M illsap Writer
Tyler Blattner Writer
Olivia Bow den Writer
C laire Fluent Writer
Rylee Hatfield Writer
Kayla Jac ob son Writer
M adylin Kircher Writer
L eeanne M ehring- C ruz Writer
Eliz ab eth D ennis Writer
D r. S tacy H aynes- M oore Adviser
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Opinion
National Guard Impacts Kennedy Family
My brother, Michael Kircher is a senior at Kennedy High School and enrolled in the National Guards infantry program at just 17 years old with the signed consent of our parents. The National Guard visits Kennedy and other schools around the Cedar Rapids Community School District to recruit new soldiers and members for other specialized units. My dad had mixed emotions when his son, Mic told him about the opportunities the National Guard was offering, especially because he was going to be a part of the Armed Forces Division. While naively being happy about being the only child for summer, had concerns of my own. Mine on the other hand were not very prevalent, and most of my thoughts had to do with the pride and admiration I held for Mic. To me, he was making the ultimate sacrifice for our country and I could not imagine taking up that responsibility.
“You should never have to bury your own kids,” Chris Kircher said. On the opposing side of his fears were feelings of immense pride that Michael wanted to stand up for our country’s freedom. Mic’s first step in his career was basic training. This training course was preformed in Fort Benning, Georgia over a 10-week period during the summer before his senior year. Not passing the course would have meant having to start all over again in order to make sure only the prepared defended our country. He says most of his worries about basic training were taken care of at the orientation for parents of new soldiers. He says the Guard did a great job of making him feel comfortable and less fearful. Sargent First Class Jeremy Hoyt was Mic’s recruiter. He said his National Guard experience was just as advertised and only had positive things to say.
Most of my family did not feel Sarah Kircher (left), Michael Kircher (Middle), and the same way, and with good Mic said Hoyt was straightforward Mady Kircher (Right) at the graduation ceremony. reason. After all some of my admitting that parts of the experiPhoto provided by Mady Kircher . family had been in past wars ence were going to be challenging and were very firm about not letting my dad join the armed but others would be extremely rewarding. forces when he was Mics age. Overall, I think in my opinion that this was a good experience Ultimately that’s where my dad’s fear steamed, especially befor him. Although, in natural sibling fashion, I was slightly cause like most parents, he was afraid of his son dying before annoyed when he came home, and had better manners than him. me as it meant everyone was fawning over him. He quickly reverted to his old ways much to my amusement. Mady Kircher
“Nacho” Everyday Restaurant
La Cantina is a Mexican restaurant with three locations, two in Cedar Rapids and the other in Marion. I went to the restaurant in Cedar Rapids located off Edgewood Road, which is open from 11 a.m to 10 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 12 p.m. through 9 p.m. on Sundays. I had heard very high remarks about the food, so I had high expectations for my meal. When I arrived, I was seated almost immediately and was brought some chips and salsa. I ordered a cheese quesadilla and for desert, fried ice cream. The quesadilla came out quickly and was very warm.
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After I was done eating, the fried ice cream came. It was a sugar and cinnamon covered shell with fried ice cream, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream. The quesadilla was $5.99 and the fried ice cream was $2.99. I thought that these were very reasonable prices for the portion of food that I got. The food was good and filling, I would go there again. Overall I would rate La Cantina 4/5 stars. Lizzy Dennis
A Tale as Old as Time The tale as old as time hits the big screen once again. The classic story of Beauty and the Beast returns to theaters for the first time since 1991, and people of all ages all around the world have been anticipating it since Disney’s announcement of bringing the story back to life. I loved almost every moment of the 2017 remake of the original masterpiece. Few details were left out and new information left unsaid in the original emerged. Details about Belle’s mother that were left out of the previous movie were a good addition to the new telling of the old tale.
it moved and danced beautifully along with Belle and the Beast. The long process in choosing the right shade of yellow to the actual structure of the dress took a very long time. Many believe it was absolutely worthwhile, as the dress was perfect in all ways. The revival of Beauty and the Beast is a must see that is truly an amazing retelling of an incredible tale.
Emma Watson remains true to nearly all of Belle’s original characteristics. Throughout the movie, Belle’s courage and determination were highlighted as well as her longing to flee her village. Though the movie had a long running time of almost 2 1/2 hours, every minute had me looking back on my childhood. Arriving somewhat early to get good seats in a soon to be packed theater was entirely worth it. It was impossible to keep my eyes off the iconic yellow dress as
Photo provided by Anna Reinhart Anna Reinhart
Five Guys Burgers and Fries which was disappointing.
A girl working at the register said the most popular time is around 8 p.m., “people think they are avoiding the crowd.” The line was about a 15 minute wait until I got to order and another 5-10 minute wait for my food to come out. There were 19 employees cooking the food behind the registers. I ordered a bacon cheeseburger which costs $8.69, a regular sized carton of fries, $4.19 and a “Five Guys Shake” for $4.49. Five Guys restraunt on Collins Road. Photo provided by Olivia Bowden. Five Guys opened on Feb. 27 and has been packed ever since.
I thought the prices for the food I ate was overpriced. However, despite the costs, I thought the food tasted good.
The fast food restaurant is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Five Guys orders their potatoes from Idaho, because Idaho is known for growing the best potatoes. The potatoes were from CBC Farm, in Parker, Idaho. In addition, workers hand cut the fries every day.
I dined at Five Guys on March 2 around 7 p.m. and the line was out of the door. I didn’t really know a lot about the place except that it was a good burger joint.
Another great fact about the food it that there are no fillers or preservatives.
I thought they would have a drive through, but they didn’t
Overall I would give Five Guys 4/5 stars.
Olivia Bowden
Page by Lizzy Dennis | 5
News
Could Trump’s Proposed Budget Cuts Potentially Hurt Underprivileged Kids?
A quick look at how a tighter budget could potentially change the CRCSD On March 16, the Trump Administration proposed massive budget cuts to many departments, including a nearly three billion dollar deduction from the department of education’s annual spending. “When I think of the role of federal government and education, their primary role in my mind is to support equity across the country in educational situations. So as a result of that they have the titles,” CRCSD Superintendent Dr. Brad Buck said. These deductions impact two major titles, Title I and Title II. Title I intends to provide resources to schools.
“If they are talking about some of the reductions they’re describing, it could significantly or at least in some way impact the amount of service we can provide our schools with higher proportions of students that are on free and reduced lunch” Buck said. According to the Department of Education, 45 percent of kids in the CRCSD are assisted with free and reduced lunch.
“We have a significant number of staff members who are provided to our schools through Title I,” Dr. Buck said.
“Especially those [schools] who have higher proportions of children that are in low income families to receive additional support in reading and/or mathematics,” Buck said. In the event these proposed cuts become reality, the support of underprivileged children could potentially dwindle significantly.
As a result, “We have a significant number of staff members who are provided to our schools through title I,” Buck said. Tittle II is money set aside to be used for professional development activities in our schools.
Buck explained that these cuts differentiated significantly compared to the ones made in the Obama administration. In fact, “They expanded funding to the department of education, Buck said, “I like the chances of public schools.” Madylin Kircher
Preparing for AP Exams
College success, saving money, and saving time -- three goals lots of students want. For students at Kennedy, Advanced Placement classes offer an opportunity to get a head start in college, but they’re also advantages that depend on one thing: the passing or failing of the AP exams. For many students, these exams bring stress, success, and satisfaction, but with hard work, they also bring thousands of dollars of savings from classes students won’t have to take in college. Lauren Gifford, a college freshman, saw this success as she began attending Iowa State last fall. “Because of AP classes, I can graduate college a semester early,” Gifford said. “They really allowed me to ease into college life and I still see the advantages from classes I took two or three years ago.” AP Psychology and AP Research teacher Dana Melone says that the best ways for students to prepare for the exams are to “space your studying out” and make a schedule and “stick to it.”
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Melissa Osborn, who teaches AP Human Geography and AP European History, knows a thing or two about lightening up the load and helping students succeed. “Success in an AP class comes when students find two main things, motivation and organization,” Osborn said. “Once students get their stuff together, they can really start to move toward their final goal of passing AP exams.” Osborn believes that organization for AP courses “isn’t all about color coding and highlighting notes perfectly” and that sometimes “It’s as simple knowing where your notes are, or what assignments you need to complete.” Alex Neff, who teaches AP Statistics, noticed that this idea of organization also applies to the exams. His students struggle the most with the written part of the AP exams when they begin to “over explain” their ideas. “And with that over explanation, they essentially erase the perfectly good answer they had already written,” Neff said. To learn more about AP testing and coursework, visit the College Board website or visit with your counselor. Sohpia Jasper and Maddie Long
Shattering the Beauty Standard For years, beauty has been depicted as a body type of tall and skinny on the front of magazines and on the runways of the world’s top brands. This becomes detrimental to the selfesteem for girls as a model body type becomes an aspiration to them.
who is the cofounder of the Iowa Fashion Project and has been helping them with problems that arise along the way. The show will showcase eight models from high schools around the area with different body types. Landree Person, sr., and Taylor Weiss, sr., are amongst these eight.
Girls as young as five years old are starting to succumb to selfesteem issues due to TV programs centered around appearance. Self-esteem issues and bad body image often turn into a dangerous path of eating disorders. Hannah Eckley, a junior at Cedar Rapids Prairie, and her team at Iowa Big aim to crush the idea of one model “body type” with Eckley Line. This clothing line is fit and tailored to each model’s body instead of the model’s body being tailored to the clothes. It will be showcased on May 5 at 7 p.m. at the FlyOver Fashion Fest in Iowa City.
“[Modeling for Eckley Line] has really opened my eyes to genuine confidence and positive body image,” Person said. Each model was selected via e-mail and then asked to be measured to design dresses that fit their bodies exactly. “It’s really nice to see a group of people working together to show off girls with different body types. I was happy to spread positivity and to show other girls that it’s okay to be different in their own way,” Weiss said.
“I thought of the idea of Eckley Line after being on a previous fashion project. My teacher asked me what made me mad and my immediate response was the way the fashion industry only praises one type of body when most of the population doesn’t even naturally acquire,” Eckley said. This team works with real-world partner Amanda Liesmister,
Eckley line has recently been featured in the National Fast Company Magazine, and has created multiple social media platforms for people to keep up with the progress up until the day of the event. “They are breaking all the modeling stereotypes and I am so proud and honored to be a part of something like this,” Person said. Brooke McNeal
Follow The Eckley line: Twitter: @Eckleyline Snapchat: Eckleyline Facebook: Eckleyline
Taylor Weiss model for the Eckley line. Photo provided by Taylor Weiss.
Landree Person model for the Eckley Line. Photo provided by Landree Person.
Pages by Madylin Kircher | 7
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Feature
Spread the Word to End the Word
Replacing the R-word [Retard] with respect. “The R-word lessens people’s self-worth and is disrespectful,” Best Buddies Secretary, Rockey Green, sr., said. The R-word is no longer being used as a medical term, but rather in a negative way. “The word is harmful and everyone needs to stop using it and treat people as people,” Best Buddies President Belle Canney, sr., said. Best Buddies wore blue shirts on March 1 of this year to spread awareness about the negative use of the R-word.
“Best Buddies is about having a best friend to count on so school isn’t so rough to go to,” Green said. Best Buddies held the Friendship Walk on April 22, and will be hosting another event at Camp Courageous on May 8. The Friendship Walk was dedicated to raising awareness and funds for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. “The R-word has evolved from a medical term to something used in a disrespectful way towards people with disabilities,” Green said.
“Taking away the R-word will lift people up instead of making them feel smaller,” Canney said.
The Friendship Walk funds help with not only one-toone friendships but, helps the individuals with disabilities get jobs to support themselves and empowers them to be leaders.
In the foyer, students signed a poster pledging to stop using the R-word and encourage others not to use it. “The R-word has evolved into something disrespectful to put others down and it is not a word we should use anymore,” Green said.
Best Buddies has group activities and one-to-one friendships. These friendships are between a student with a disability and one without a disability.
Best Buddies’ banner signed by Kennedy High School students pledging to not use the R-word. Photo courtesy Mary Leeanne Mehring-Cruz Gibney.
Best Buddies members show gratitude to students and staff who have changed the R-word to Respect. Photo courtesy Mary Gibney.
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Students Signing (Pledge To Show Respect) Banner in foyer. Photo by Leeanne Mehring-Cruz.
The Election Impacts Kennedy Things are changing at Kennedy High School. “I think it’s changed since the election because there’s those students that talk about how people aren’t equal and the overall school is more negative. There’s a lot more judgement from everybody,” Hailey Burbach, so., said. Activism on both sides has increased at Kennedy. “More students are involved in political process and expressing opinions. Every election there’s people that are mad and happy, that’s one of the things we go through in our country,” Kennedy High School Principal Jason Kline said. On November 17, 2016 a walkout occurred including 70 stu-
dents marching and an additional dozen in their cars counter protesting their opinions. “I don’t characterize the negative things we’ve seen more activism on both sides. This is one of the nastiest campaigns I’ve experienced in my life time. There was lots of raw emotion. I don’t think students expressing themselves is a negative thing as long as it doesn’t disrupt the school day,” Kline said. At Kennedy, expressing opinions comes with knowing the limits on being respectful. “As a student you can stand up to the people it happens to. And as a teacher more rules should be put in place when they see stuff or hear about it instead of suspending the kid,” Burbach said. “Sure they’ll be suspended, but that’s not going to change them from doing it again.” Conflicts on both sides can be prevented in many different ways. “Avoid lumping people and things together, focus on common goals. Articulate without emotion that’s really important. Conversations with outcomes proposing are good for all people. Stop labeling people, you don’t get anywhere questioning a person’s integrity,” Kline said. Along with students, Kennedy’s staff plays a role in the school’s atmosphere. Kline thinks what is taught in the classroom can make a big difference. “Having a conversation can prevent things. I think some of these problems are wider and deeper than what Kennedy is experiencing,” Kline said. Burbach thinks the staff could be doing more to prevent these problems. “No one’s going to admit what’s wrong because it’s a school and they want to say that Kennedy is a great place,” Burbach said, “Everyone sees Kennedy as this great academic bully-free zone and people want to come here.” Kline offers advice for the students of Kennedy High School. “Take the opportunity to reach out to people you don’t agree with. Have conversations. You can learn tremendously by listening to other people. I’m not saying change your mind but you can get a better idea of why you believe what you do. It reduces amount of personal attacks. Get to know people,” Kline said. Olivia Haefner
Infographic By Jenna Anderson
Pages by Claire Fluent | 11
Culture
SPRING TIME FUN Consider these near by places to stay busy in spring
1. NEWBO Located downtown Cedar Rapids, Newbo City Market is full of different local businesses and entertainment.
Newbo City Market. Photo by Kayla Jacobson.
2. PALISADES Spend time on the trails walking around Palisades-Kepler State Park here in Mount Vernon as you spot a variety of wildlife. Great American Popcorn Co. Photo by Kayla Jacobson.
3.GREAT AMERICAN POPCORN CO. In the historic New Bohemia district you can find some of the best ice cream and desserts here at Great American Popcorn Co. Kayla Jacobson
Palisades-Kepler State Park. Photo by Kayla Jacobson.
EASY RECIPES Bunny Dirt Cups
Crazy Confetti Bars -1 stick of butter at room temperature
-1 package of chocolate instant pudding mix
-½ Cup of sugar
-Two cups of cold milk
-¼ Cup + 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
-One tub (8 oz.) of Cool Whip
-1 egg at room temperature
-One package of regular Oreos
-1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
-One 12 count package of Peeps
-1½ cups of flour
-One package of mini Cadbury Eggs
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
-1 teaspoon baking powder
1. Beat pudding mix and milk in large bowl with whisk for two minutes.
-1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
2. Put pudding in fridge for 5-10 minutes.
-¼ Teaspoon salt -1¼ cups white chocolate chips separated
Spring Confetti Bars. Photo by Darby Herridge.
-3 cups of miniature marshmallows -¾ Cup of spring M&Ms -3 tablespoons of spring colored sprinkles
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 2. Combine the room temperature butter with the white and brown sugar in a medium sized bowl.
3. Crush all of the Oreos in a large resealable bag with a rolling pin and set aside. 4. Stir in cool whip and one cup of Oreo cookie crumbs. 5. Scoop into ten clear, plastic cups and top with remaining cookie crumbs. 6. Put the ten cups into the fridge for one hour. 7. Top with one Peep and four mini Cadbury Eggs right before serving. Refrigerate any leftovers.
3.Mix the butter and sugars together with hand beaters or in a stand mixer until creamy and fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla and beat until just incorporated. 4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt. Stir together and slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. 5. Mix until combined. 6. With a wooden spoon, stir in one cup of the white chocolate chips. Press the cookie dough into a 9 x 13 pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. 7. Bake the cookie dough for 10-13 minutes (I baked mine for 11 minutes) or until the edges are lightly browned. 8. Remove and immediately top with the miniature marshmallows and M&M’s. Return to the oven for 1-2 minutes or until the marshmallows become puffy. 9. Remove and let cool completely. Then cut with a wet, sharp knife.
Bunny Dirt Cups. Photo by Darby Herridge. Darby Herridge
Pages by Kayla Jacobson | 13
Sports
Pushing For State
After being the JV Men’s Soccer coach at Kennedy for 12 years, Coach Adrian Evans had an opportunity appear. The previous Varsity Men's Soccer head coach stepped down, so Evans stepped up. He is now the head coach of the 2017 Varsity Men's Soccer team and replacing him as JV head coach is Coach Erie. "The opportunity arose and I took it,” Evans said, “I am excited to see how well they do this year." The Varsity team consists of 23 players this season with five of those players being freshman, there are new faces in the Kennedy soccer program. "I feel good about making Varsity soccer this year,” Reed Foster, fr., said. “It will be an unforgettable experience.”
Pre-season training for soccer can start as early as January. With practice starting in early March and the last games happening in late May, the true season lasts about three months all together. “I was excited to make Varsity but I couldn’t dwell on it for too long because the season moves quickly,” Alan Kim, fr., said.
Foley Receives Athlete of the Week Some of Jackson Foley’s first memories of basketball include getting yelled at for dribbling with two hands and not wanting to get the ball. This year as a junior, he lead 4A in three-pointers during the state tournament and won KCRG Athlete of the Week.
Joachim Kikuni dribbles the ball past Iowa City High Defenders during a home game at Kingston Stadium. Photo by Anafer Millsap. Last year, the boys lost to Washington, 3-0, in the sub-state semifinal and didn’t get the chance to go to state. They are hoping for a better outcome this year and pushing for an appearance at state. "I think this will be a good year for Kennedy with a new and highly motivated coach and great leaders," Kim said, “We’re definitely a step up from previous years.” Claire fluent
Jackson Foley gets ready to cross his defender in the Semi Final State Basketball game at Wells Fargo Arena. Photo taken by Tyler Blattner.
Foley was a key piece in a 21 point comeback vs. Hempstead in the first round of the state tournament. That comeback is the largest in IHSAA basketball history.
Foley doesn't have a true off-season but he said it's beneficial because he enters each season already in shape. Each sport "That game is just so surreal because we never felt like it was over. presents its own challenges but Foley feels like cross country is the most intense. It really was a great representation of our season as a whole," Foley said. "In the fall it will be 100 degrees one day and 40 the next so that's always tough. We do a lot of mileage long runs that can be Foley also runs cross country and track for the Cougars. This year he finished 16th at the cross country district meet, needing up to 10 miles," Foley said. only one place higher to qualify for state. Next year he wants to Foley still has a year to make up his mind but he hopes to conqualify with his team. tinue his athletic career in college. "Kennedy hasn't been to state since 2006 so getting back there “Playing in college has been a dream of mine,” Foley said. “ I’m would be a great feeling," Foley said. open to anything, we will see what happens.”
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Jake Corkery
Hurdling Track Season Getting ready to start the season off Anna Klein, jr., was hoping to scratch some seconds off her time from previous years. “I’m excited to see if I can improve,” distance runner Klein said.
“Since a lot of girls opted out, I had to step up to the plate,” Cassidy Johnston, jr., a 200 and 400 meter runner. “I ended up running better than I thought I was going to.” The team is a supportive unit. “I try to create a friendship with every single individual on the team,” Johnston said.
The Kennedy girls track team’s outdoor season started March 28 at Iowa City West, with the Varsity team taking 5th place and the JV team taking 2nd.
“Including everyone is important,” Holmstedt said. “As an upperclassmen I feel like I’m more in control of keeping team spirit up,” Peterson said.
Before the meet, the athletes were optimistic. “Maybe I’ll surprise myself,” Maddy Holmstedt, jr., a 400 runner said. Improvement was also on athletes’ minds.
Alexis Peterson runs in the 400 Meter hurdles at Kingston stadium and finishes with a time of 1:13.81 for her personal record. Photo provided by Craig Peterson.
“It’s my first meet, I want to improve,” hurdle runner Alexis Peterson, jr., said. “There’s work to be done.” The team ran into a bit of a dilemma before the meet with a shortage of athletes (many girls couldn’t make it because of other conflicts), causing a scramble to fill in the lineup, resulting in JV runners being moved up to varsity races.
One of the team’s goals for the season is to avoid injury, something that the team struggled with last year. Johnston, coming off a last season, said one of her personal goals was to be aware of her body and to take care of her aches and pains.
“I’ve modified workouts to do them with my injury.” Holmstedt, who is still struggling with an injury, said. Both the varsity and the JV team practice every day after school to continue to prepare for state at Drake University. “I’m prepared to shave off time on 200 meter splits and contribute to the team as a whole,” Johnston said. Hannah Ratzer
Pages by Tyler Blattner| 15
Profile
Kelley Competes for Confidence Madeline Kelley, jr., competed for Miss Teen Iowa in 2016. Although she didn’t win the crown, she won the confidence and drive to try again. The Miss Teen Iowa competitions are held each year at Newton High School in Newton, Iowa, on the second weekend of October. “I got a thing in the mail to apply and I did it as a joke at first,” Kelley said. Kelley’s biggest inspiration or motivation to run is for her self-confidence. Kelley wasn’t always confident in herself and this experience got her out of her shell. “Mentally preparing myself I have the mind-set that I’m not going to lose and physically I try to eat healthy,” Kelley said. Kelley’s family is pretty supportive, especially her grandma, Amy Buelow who is her biggest supporter and helps out a lot. “I want Madeline to get a strong sense of self-confidence and to figure out where she is going with her life,” Buelow said. “And cool trophies,” Kyle Kelley, Madeline’s father, said. At the competition for interviews you can wear a dress or nice pants and a nice shirt. You also need a one piece for swim wear and for athletics, you wear leggings or compression shorts. “My favorite outfit is the evening gown, which is like a nicer prom dress, because it makes me feel like a princess,” Kelley said. Buelow said that it is an honor for her granddaughter to just compete because about 400 girls apply, but only 30 to 35 girls get chosen to compete. “My most embarrassing moment was in the 2017 competition, during the evening gown, I turned in the circle the wrong way and tried to make it look natural,” Kelley said.
Madeline Kelley, jr., competing to be Miss Teen Iowa in her evening gown. Photo courtesy of Mike Solberg.
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Kelley also cheered for the wrestling team and runs the Young Democrats’ Twitter at Kennedy High School. “I will stop running after the 2018 competition to go to college at UCLA,” Kelley said. Leeanne Mehring-Cruz
Overcoming an Eating Disorder A picture posted on social media by Megan Wagner, sr., drew attention to many students. The photo she tweeted was of her body and the message was to send out the word of body love and national eating disorder awareness. When Wagner decided to post the picture she did not expect all of the positive comments people made of her body image to blossom. The positive comments and support were not what she was going for, but instead she wanted everyone to be aware of the body positivity she was sending.
With eating disorders there come physical and mental effects that can damage your own health, many struggle with emotional and behavioral signs like food/weight concern and denial of hunger. Common physical signs of eating disorders contain: noticeable fluctuations in weight, self-induced vomiting, and fainting from dehydration and malnutrition. “I didn’t want to drink water until I passed out, I didn’t want younger kids to see and think what I was doing, was okay or the norm,” Wagner said. Learning to nourish your body in all of its forms by finding self-confidence in your own body is the way to self-empowerment. It is not the easiest thing to do but finding even a few things that you love about your self will lead to you learning how to accept yourself for who you are.
“I thought if my small message reached even one person struggling, it was worth posting,” Wagner said. An eating disorder develops when one is concerned about his or her body shape or weight characterized by irregular eating habits. There are multiple types of eating disorders that anyone can develop but more importantly, the road to recovery with an eating disorder starts when you become strong enough to admit you have a problem. “When a friend noticed, I was mortified that someone knew and decided that if I continued like this for much longer there were going to be worse long term effects, and that wasn’t how I wanted to live anymore,” Wagner said.
“It’s not easy but it gets better, not all at once, and not in a day, but it will if you allow it to,” Wagner said. If you or anyone you know is going through an eating disorder or is having concerns, The National Eating Disorder Association provides a helpline just a click away to anyone who may be interested in support. Overcoming an eating disorder first takes you to make the first movement to becoming a better you in your own body. “Along with struggling and the physical effects, there were mental effects as well and knowing that I alone overcame something that was so detrimental to my physical health and mental health is the greatest victory,” Wagner said.
Megan Wagner, sr., posing for one of her senior pictures at Newbo. Photo courtesy of Alisabeth Von Presley.
Social media can often play as a huge part leading up to eating disorders, due to the high expectations of body images that are often portrayed. From posts you see on social media of models with the ideal expectation of a perfect body, to people you see every day can have an in-depth effect on one’s health. “I think part of social media that was detrimental to me was that I never got away from it, because it’s with you all the time, constantly reminding you that you don’t look the way you think you should,” Wagner said.
KAYLA JACOBSON
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18 | Jayden Lovell , sr., hurdling at the J-hawk invitational. The girls co-won the Lion Relays with Dubuque Senior both earning 126 points. Photo courtesy Craig Peterson.
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Spring Sports In Action Photo
Rami Hermaiden, jr., playing against Dubuque Senior on Saturday, April 15, 2017. Hermaiden was nominated for KCRG’S Athlete of the Week. Photo by Jake Corkery.
Ryley Mcintyre, so., playing against Iowa City. The tennis girls currently hold a record of 2-3. Photo courtesy Maddie Vestweber.
At left, No. 4 Jesse Price, sr., racing at the indoor meet at Wartburg. Photo courtesy Natalie Mcallister.
Below, Dane Popenhagen, sr., dribbling upfield against Iowa City High at the jamboree. Kennedy tied the undefeated Little Hawks with a score of 0-0. Photo by Anafer Millsap.
Malissa Meis, sr., playing against Iowa City West on April 12. The team is currently ranked in the Top 10 in 3A. Photo courtesy Craig Peterson.
Jenna Hauschild sr. golfing at Ellis Golf Course on April 7, 2017. The team has won the CRANDIC for the second year in a row buy just one stroke. Their score was 389. Photo courtesy Camber Ostwinkle.
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