February 28, 2014 by Kennedy Torch

J K W X

John F. Kennedy High School

Volume 47, Issue 4

February 28, 2014

Perspectives on Kennedy

After a district wide â&#x20AC;&#x153;Student Swapâ&#x20AC;?, students discuss experiences, stereotypes, and how one day can change their perspectives.

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the torch

the

torch John F. Kennedy High School 4545 Wenig Rd. NE Cedar Rapids, IA 52402 Volume 47, Issue 3

Mission Statement

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

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

Ownership

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

Letter from the editor In the name of investigative journalism, and also because our Photo Editor has been pushing this story for the past three years straight (love you Amy), the Torch decided to do a “Student Swap”, featuring Xavier, Jefferson, and Washington high school, where students got to spend a day at a different school and see “what the other” side” is like. So, walking into Wash last Valentine’s Day, I had no idea what to expect. I’d heard lots of stereotypes about how the school was, and how the students and teachers were, but none of that prepared me for the day. That’s because my day was anything but the stereotypes that I’d heard passed between schools. Really, it was just a typical high school. People hurried from one class to another and chatted with friends; teachers talked to students in the hallways and greeted them as they came into the classroom. One of the things that surprised me wasn’t how different the schools were, but how similar. Actually, since it was Valentine’s Day, I think the biggest difference was that at Wash they send the soda Crush instead of flowers (Because they have a “crush” on a person, haha, get it?). I’ve heard that our perceptions are only as valid as its limitations, and I think there is some truth to that. If everyone got to do the Student Swap, I think the stereotypes and myths that persist between schools would, if not rendered null, would at least lessen. Hopefully, this story gives some insight about what the average life of a student at a different school is like, and opens up dialogue between these schools. Or at least some insight about what the other schools look like.

Torch Staff:

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

Katie Wolfe Sports Editor Isabel Neff Copy Editor Macy Ripley Copy Editor Alec Mobley Writer Gabby Olejniczak Writer Zayla Mackrell Writer Emma Kieckhaefer Writer Abby Donovan Writer Elianna Novitch Writer Melanie Northland Writer Naomi Hofferber Writer Emily Sass Writer Xander Riley Writer Stacy Haynes-Moore Adviser cover by Bailey Zaputil

Contents Editorial

Photo

10 Same story, different schools

Book inspires want to help environment

News 07

Trimming down

Health 06

A&E

Profile 09

Firefighting for the future

Shingles: Revenge of Chicken Pox

The new name of fame

Feature

Sports

Student swap

Celebrating a legend

Staff editorial: Taking a new perspective on schools teaches you about other people In this issue, our Feature section took a look at different perspectives us students have of other high schools. We had students from Washington, Jefferson, Xavier, and members of our staff switch schools for a day. The purpose for this is to see a different perspective on school, and hopefully learn more about the differences between each school. Talking to the students that switched when they were at Kennedy allowed us to learn more about places some of us might never have stepped inside of, and the same

goes for them. Throughout our lives we will be faced with things that are unfamiliar with, and we would like to thank those students that came to Kennedy for a day instead of participating in your regular school day. Some of us may judge these other schools without really knowing anything about them. We hope that this feature gives insight to all of our readers about the other schools in Cedar Rapids, and hopefully we will get over some of the judgments that might not be accurate.

We as a staff feel that it is important to look into other peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives, and see what differences, if any, they have from us. This is an idea that started four years ago, but has never been executed. We are excited for you to see what we thought of other schools, as well as what they think about Kennedy.

Editorial

SMART Lunch beneficial to time management Being a senior this year is bittersweet. We are lucky because of the six snow days (and counting) that we have had that we don’t have to make up at the end of the year, but we are also leaving Kennedy right as there are huge changes being made to the schedule. SMART lunch will replace the current lunch schedule, which will give students an 80 minute lunch period to spend how they please. I am upset and annoyed about this because I think that it is a great idea and I am jealous that I won’t be here to experience it. This will prepare students for how time management will be in college and later in life. Some people think that 80 minutes is too long for students to be free to do what they want. However, in college and in life students will have free time and the sooner that we figure out how to productively spend that time, the better. For SMART lunch to be a success it will require students to be responsible, which is something that we are all capable of. Students will have to mind the Walk and No

Talk areas around school. I think that at the high school level responsibility is something that we should all have under control. Another thing that I am envious of is the extra time with teachers that students will get to have next year during what will be called, “tutorials.” During the 80 minutes teachers are going to give “tutorials” where they will get to fit in extra instruction that they didn’t have enough time for in class. I know that I could definitely use extra time in some of the AP classes that I am taking. Having that time during the day makes it accessible to students who are involved in activities. The extra time during the school day will give students the opportunity to join different clubs and organizations that would have had to meet after school. After school is a hectic time with practices, meetings and after school jobs, this will alleviate some of that pressure to fit everything in. In my opinion, SMART lunch is a great opportunity to practice some of the life skills that we will need in the future. I am frustrated and upset because I wont be here to

Katie Wolfe experience one of the biggest changes we have had in a long time. (But have fun going to school until the middle of June.)

Commercial shows country’s diversity

Alli Nemecek 4

At the beginning of this month, CocaCola ran an ad during the Super Bowl that had the song “America the Beautiful” sung in a variety of languages. I thought this was a nice commercial, but I was shocked to later see the outrage that multiple languages were used, and I had to wonder why anyone really cares how many, or what languages were used? I saw many complaints that this is America and people should speak English. Well, for starters, the United States doesn’t have an “official” language, so there is no reason that those who don’t speak English shouldn’t be represented as being a part of this country. It makes us seem ignorant to have these complaints. Yes, English is the dominant

language in the United States, but that doesn’t mean we should forget about the history behind every other language that is spoken. Everyday we have the ability to learn new things from other people. The diversity that we have in this country is part of what makes us so great. Finally, those complaining need to realize that it’s just a commercial. If complaining is the only thing we feel passionate about, then there’s a problem we need to worry about. I’m glad that Coca-Cola ran this commercial because it shows us things that we don’t always see from other people.

Editorial

10 things you don’t learn in high school 1) How to talk to a police officer. At some point in your life, you WILL come in contact with a cop for whatever reason. The biggest thing to remember is to be honest; your future is in their hands, so you might want to be nice. 2) Go to concerts and watch Spongebob. But maybe not at the same time. 3) There is no such thing as a perfect life, and the people that act like theirs is perfect are lying. You will be the happiest when you accept that fact and don’t compare yourself to others. 4) One Tree Hill will in fact change your life for the better. I recommend it to everyone. Boys, take notes on how Nathan treats Haley. 5) What are taxes and what do I do with them?! Haven’t taken Grady’s class yet so maybe I will learn eventually but I just received my “W2” and I don’t even know where to start. 6) When deciding a major in college or future job, make sure whatever you choose makes you happy. Think 10 years down the road if you’re still doing the same job, will

you still enjoy it? 7) Don’t let social media take over your life. Twitter and Instagram are addicting, I will admit that, but there is nothing more annoying than hanging out with someone and they’re on their phone the whole time. 8) It’s so much easier said than done, but don’t care so much what people think about you…Especially in high school. My motto is, as Miley would say, “Imma do my thang.” There are always going to be people who have something to say about you. 9) Always have a positive outlook on life; there are so many things to be happy about. Crop tops and pizza exist, I don’t know about you, but that makes me happy enough as it is. And lets be honest, NO ONE enjoys being around people who are always negative. The people who always find the down side in situations won’t make it very far. 10) Don’t stress about things you can’t control, it’s just a waste of time. Worrying and being stressed is hard on the body so if it’s not necessary, eliminate it. Wow, I hope

Morgan Schwab that wasn’t too cliché, but it’s true. Put the energy you would spend worrying into other things, like shopping or eating taco bell with your friends.

Book inspires want to help environment It seems like environmental issues are dominating the news lately, and rightfully so. The human race has been destroying the their in exponential proportions in the last hundred years and something needs to be done. However, while discussing and learning about the environmental problems in APES, I haven’t really found a lot of answers that are easily comprehendible as to what we need to do. That all changed when Mr. Young gave us a project to read an environmental book for second trimester. We could pick from a list he provided, and thankfully I chose one that answered my questions. The book is World On Edge by Lester R. Brown. He takes an in depth look at the environment through an economic lens and provides real money values to what it would take to clean up the environment and provides a course of action. The first thing we need to do is eradicate poverty. Desperate times call for desperate measures and in third world countries they will continue to cut down forests and use resources

until they’re depleted to keep food on the table. It would cost roughly $75 billion to eradicate world poverty. The reduction of carbon emissions would be made possible by investing in other forms of energy like wind, solar, and geothermal. Switching light bulbs to LEDs will save millions of dollars and allow us to allocate electricity to other needs, like electric cars. The key to making all this happen is speed. This movement can’t be something that takes place over the next 50 years. We must act now. My book says “war time speed” is needed in order to save our earth. Just like it took no time at all to destroy the earth, we have not time at all to save it. Don’t be afraid, we can do this. When the US entered World War II the production of materials needed for the war was amazing. President Franklin D. Roosevelt set lofty goals for production of tanks, weapons, uniforms, etc. and the people responded with numbers no thought was imaginable. We can do this. Let’s go save our mother [earth].

Norm Althoff

PAGES BY Alli Nemecek

Health

Shingles: Revenge of Chicken Pox

Student, Annie Feltes was diagnosed with shingles on the right side of her face.

A red, raised rash with irritation all on one side of your body, and a burning pain that refuses to go away. Sounds unpleasant, but these are common symptoms of shingles, an illness caused from a pre-exposure to chicken pox. Last Sunday, Annie Feltes,sr., had a painful irritation in her eye. The next day, she visited an eye doctor, only to get sent home with some eye drops. However, this didn’t fix her problem. The pain in her eye and on her face had gotten worse; doctors thought it might have been an allergic reaction to the drops. “My eye kept getting worse, so they figured out it was shingles, and not an allergic reaction,” Feltes said. The shingles virus can affect anyone of any age, so long as they have already had the chicken pox virus in the past. “We usually see a blistery red rash, it commonly appears on the torso or the chest, and there’s usually some pain with it,” Dr. Steve Runde, from Mercy Care North said, “It can only be on one side of the body,” In the case of Feltes, the shingles virus only affects the upper

1. Prodromal stage (before the rash appears) During this first stage of shingles burning or pain occurs in the area around the affected nerves several days or weeks before a rash appears.

2. Active stage (rash and blisters appear) The rash can appear anywhere on the body, however it will only be on one side of the body, the left or right. The rash heals in about 2 to 4 weeks, although some scars may remain.

Information on stages of shingles provided by WebMD

corner of her head. “It feels like if you were cooking and the oil spilt over and you burn your hand, that’s what it feels like all the time,” Feltes said. Shingles is a virus, so antibiotics of are no help. Instead, an antiviral is prescribed; a pill that is taken three times a day. Once on the antiviral, the shingles rash usually takes around a week to go away. However, the pain itself can take one to two weeks to go away. “I haven’t been able to work or anything, and I’m supposed to be doing a tutoring with Kirkwood, but I can’t obviously be in a classroom with kids right now, so I won’t be able to do that for a while,” Feltes said. Luckily for most teenagers, one must have the chicken pox before they can be afflicted with shingles. “If you have a red, blistering rash with pain, and it’s all on one side of the body, you should come in sooner rather than later,” Runde said. Naomi Hofferber

PAGE BY Elianna Novitch

3. Postherpetic neuralgia (chronic pain stage) Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is the most common complication of shingles. It lasts for at least 30 days and may continue for months or years.

News

Trimming down graphic by Michael Abramson

Kennedy introduces 80 minute SMART lunch An idea that originated on the east coast has now made its way to Kennedy, where it will change the daily schedule of the school. Kennedy will be the first school in the Midwest area to adopt and try the new lunch schedule called SMART lunch. The acronym SMART lunch stands for Students Maximizing Achievement, Relationships and Time. This acronym shows the goals of what the SMART lunch program hopes to achieve. On February 8, in an informational meeting for parents about the new schedule, Principal Jason Kline said that, “with this program we can find a way with the time that students have at school to better meet their individual needs.” With the new SMART lunch schedule, classes will be shortened down to 50 minutes and after fourth hour, lunch will last for 80 minutes. “We were able to make lunch 80 minutes by shortening down classes by five minutes, starting school five minutes earlier at 7:55 a.m., and then getting rid of announcement time,” Kline said. Within these 80 minutes for lunch, students will have many options when deciding what to do with their time. The 80 minutes will be split up into halves.

Within each half of the lunch period, a free period where they can just leave. We Kline explained that sessions called tuto- are building things in to keep the students rials will be offered for students to attend. who need to be at Kennedy here and we Tutorials will be times for students to get are hoping that the other students will extra help, work on certain skills, maybe continue to handle the freedoms they are do an extended activity, or just get some getting wisely,” Neilly said. individual one-onJuniors and seniors will one. “With this program we still be allowed to leave The expectation for lunch but there can find a way with the campus is that students will will be a sign out process attend four tutorials time that students have to leave. The process is still per core class during at school to better meet being decided on for next each term. The goal their individual needs,” year. of these 80 minutes “There are more opportu-Principal Jason Kline nities for students and it’s is to motivate and help students. great that these are being “This program is going to take those stu- offered as a part of their school day,” Kendents who are really involved or need rides nedy parent Kaleen Daniels said. after school and give them help that they Daniels attended an informational can’t get during the day or afterschool,” meeting about the new program earlier teacher Sean Neilly said. Neilly is on the this month. school committee who helped come up “I think it’s a great chance for students to with the schedule. learn how to make their own choices. They The staff is hoping that many of the tu- might make a bad decision that doesn’t torials and activities offered during this work out but they can learn from it. This time will cause students to want to stay program will help with college preparaand take part in the opportunities being tion and just maturing in their decisions offered to them. as they get older,” Daniels said. Elianna Novitch “We are trusting students a great deal by asking them to not look at this time as

PAGE BY Michael Abramson

Profile

A helping hand

Alicia Hayes-Kerr, jr., helps many students with special needs at Kennedy. It was just a typical day of recess for third grader Alicia Hayes-Kerr, jr., who was blissfully unaware that what she was about to witness and what she chose to do about it would impact her whole life. Hayes-Kerr turned around and was instantly disgusted to see her fellow classmates bullying a student with special needs. When this was happeneing HayesKerr decided to take a stand. She yelled at the bullies, demanding them to stop. The next thing she knew her teacher was pulling her inside and asking if she wanted to help out with a special needs students. In particular, a boy named Josh. Since then Hayes-Kerr has been working with special needs kids including Josh, who she has gotten very close with. “My favorite memory was when we were in the fifth grade and Josh came up to me smiling and said ‘Hi, Alicia’,” Hayes-Kerr said. The reason that this is so special to Alicia is because it is extremely rare for Josh to address someone by name, which is why it is such a memorable moment for HayesKerr. Fast-forward eight years. Hayes-Kerr is now a junior in high school still helps out with Josh, and many other students with special needs, working with them one on one to help him with his school work every other day during third hour. It doesn’t stop there: Hayes-Kerr stays after school as an active member of the “Best Buddies” club and spends her summers volunteering at the local ARC. The ARC is a program where special needs kids can go while their parents are at work. “The most rewarding part of what I do is when you see that what you’re doing is making a difference in their lives,” HayesKerr said. Gabby olejniczak

Friends. Stephanie Harris, Harrison Smith, and Alicia Hayes-Kerr smile for the camera. Hayes-Kerr has been helping special needs students since she was in third grade. photo by Lydia Martin

Students reflect on what Alicia has done for them.

Harrison Smith

Stephanie Harris

Q.“What’s your Q: “What’s favorite thing your favorthat you have ite thing done with that you Alicia?” have done A.“I went with Alishopping with cia?” Alicia and I got A.“I like going to the mova new lanyard for my school ies, sometimes we go as just friends and sometimes we go ID.” Q“How has Alicia helped you?” with Best Buddies.” Q.“How has Alicia helped you?” A.“She helped us with carving A.“She comes in a lot around pumpkins, that was fun.” announcements and sometimes we do things with the newspaper with her.”

Profile

Firefighting for the Future Kennedy Students volunteer their time to be apart of the Explorer Program at the Hiawatha Fire Department. It is for high school students who are interested in a future career in firefighting or EMS.

Nic Swartz, sr.

Brady Christensen, jr.

Adam Froehlich, so.

Preparing yourself for your future is what high school is all about and Kennedy students, Nic Swartz, sr., Brady Christensen, jr., and Adam Froehlich so., are doing just that. Swartz, Christiansen, and Froehlich are involved in the Explorer Program at the Hiawatha Fire Department. The Explorer Program is run by Martin Labs, a teacher at Kennedy and a firefighter for the city of Hiawatha. The program allows high school students to learn what it is like to be an emergency responder and prepare them for their future careers. Swartz, Christensen, and Froehlich go to the fire department once a week to shadow the firemen. “A lot of the time I’m there and I study the equipment in the fire truck, I clean the fire truck, I get to go on fire calls, and medical calls and watch what they do,” Christensen said. Swartz, Christensen, and Froehlich all agree that the Explorer Program will help them in the future. “I’m planning on going into the army. Right now I’m waiting to get accepted into West Point Military Academy so a lot of what I’m learning about medical is going to transfer over to there, so it’s going to be kind of cool to already know some of that,” Swartz said. Christensen also is planning on going into the military, and then into firefighting and EMS as a career after the military.

“It’s giving me a base for knowledge, I’m learning a lot now in high school and it will give me added time where it seems acceptable to ask questions and you’re not expected to know everything, whereas when you graduate from college they expect you to know everything,” Christensen said. The Explorer Program is also helping to prepare Froehlich for his future, “I plan to become a doctor. The explorer program is introducing me into the world of emergency medicine before I could get a look at it anywhere else, which will give me an awareness and basic knowledge of some things in the field that I would not otherwise have,” Froehlich said. The Explorer Program not only builds knowledge for emergency response situations,but it also builds relationships between the firefighters and the high school students involved. “My favorite part is probably the comradery you start to build, nobody makes you feel out of place, sometimes they may get frustrated that you ask so many questions, other than that it’s fun,” Christensen said. Swartz and Froehlich both agree that being with the firemen and going on calls is the most exciting part of the job. “My favorite part is just hanging out with the guys, they are all a bunch of characters, it’s a neat experience, and it beats hanging out at home,” Swartz said. Lydia Martin

Pages By Lydia Martin

Photo

s e i r ibra

Same story s e v i t Elec

Photo

Cafet e

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Xavier photos by Katie Wolfe Washington photos by Bailey Zaputil Jefferson photos by Lydia Martin

Different schools Class ro

oms

PAGES BY Amy Brause

Student Swap Feature Feature

Xavier

Uniform. Norm Althoff, Maddy Crist, Gabby Olejniczak, and Katie Wolfe from Kennedy smile as they don Xavier gear. Xavier, the only parochial school in the district, has a strict uniform policy.

One Cougar’s experience as a Xavier Saint

When I volunteered to shadow at Xavier I didn’t really know how it would go. There are always stereotypes like “Xavier is just a bunch of rich kids” or “all Xavier kids are snobby.” I woke up that morning with a mission to make the most of the experience and I’m glad to say I did. To be honest, Xavier isn’t all that different from Kennedy. Many of the students live in the same neighborhoods as us. My friends and I grew up playing against them in baseball and basketball so we’ve gotten to know each other over the years. The people were friendly and respectful to me, just as students are here. One thing that was a little different was the prayer before every class. Each teacher did it a little differently but most would have a student that was assigned to say the prayer each day. Prayers ranged from asking anyone if they had any special intentions to known prayers like the Hail Mary. To me this wasn’t awkward or weird because I go to church with many of them. What I liked most about Xavier is that they kept things real. For instance, in the World Literature class I attended the teacher shared a very personal story about a family problem between her siblings and her mother that happened recently. I felt a sense of community in the classroom and that they trusted each other enough to open up. In the class Why Am I Catholic? They were talking about a rather interesting topic: was Jesus crazy? Their principal had given them a lecture about all the possible psychological disorders he could have had and the students were

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discussing it with the teacher. They also then ventured on the topic: are we crazy for believing Jesus? I really liked that they touched on these topics because a stereotype that I had been think was they only talk about the good things of Catholicism and that everything else is wrong. The teacher even admitted he was atheist in college. The biggest difference between Kennedy and Xavier I noticed was the freedom of the students. At Kennedy we are very fortunate. Upperclassmen can leave the lunchroom, we can wear pretty much whatever we want, and we have access to countless AP classes. At Xavier all students have to eat in the lunchroom, freshman through seniors. Teachers are pretty strict about enforcing the dress code. The student I was following wore a Wyoming Cowboy sweatshirt because he had just signed to play football there the previous day. He forgot to take it off before school started and a teacher was very serious in telling him to take it off. Xavier also doesn’t have a lot of AP classes. By asking around, they have five AP classes. At the end of the day I left Xavier feeling that there aren’t many differences between the schools. It’s nice over there and the building is only about 16 years old so it’s pretty modern. I gained a lot of respect for the school and was very impressed about my visit. However, I’ll always bleed the green and gold. We are all very fortunate to be Cougars. norm althoff

Feature Feature

Students swapped between Kennedy, Xavier, Jefferson, and Washington for a day.

From Xavier:

Q&A Daniel Vega, sr. Q: How do you like it at Kennedy? A: Very interesting. I like Xavier. It’s kinda the same minus the dress code. Q: What other differences have you noticed? A: The classes are a little more laid back. Everything is less strict. Q: If you could take something back to Xavier with you what would it be? A: The dress code, obviously. That or maybe just being able to have your phone out in class and if classes were more laid back at Xavier. Q: Do you feel comfortable in the big school setting? A: It’s all right, definitely something different that’s for sure. I kind of prefer a smaller school just because I basically know everybody in my class. Q: What are the pros and cons of going to a private school? A: Pro: you know everybody and you’re a tight nit group. Con: you are monitored. Everything you do someone is watching. Pro: you get a really good education for what you pay for. Q: If there was something you would change about Kennedy what would it be? A: It’s pretty nice here. I wouldn’t really change anything here to be honest. Q: If you could describe the Xavier experience in three words what you say? A: Fun, frustrating, and awesome. Q: What was it like showing someone around school? A: It was fun. It was just like having a buddy with you. It was nice. norm althoff

Nic Eckland, jr.

Q: What are the pros and cons of being the only private school in the district? A: The pros are that it’s small, you get to know everybody and since it’s a catholic school you get to learn about your faith and the cons are that it’s small and you don’t really get to venture out and meet new people and do new stuff. Q: What are some of the stereotypes of Xavier? A: Mostly snotty rich kids that are in cliques and don’t like to do anything fun but it’s not true, we like to do fun things. Q:What are some of the stereotypes of Kennedy? Some stereotypes are that it can be dirty, and people are quick to judge. Q:Why do think some of these stereotypes exist? A: They exist because they don’t really know the true Xavier or Kennedy. What do you think are the major differences between Xavier and Kennedy? A: The dress codes so different and the teachers are more relaxed at Kennedy and it’s a lot bigger. Maddy crist

“[Stereotypes] exist because they don’t really know the true Xavier or Kennedy.” -Nic Eckland

Thanks to Quinlan Moran and Amy Boe who also contributed to this project. PAGES BY Bailey Zaputil PAGES BY Bailey Zaputil

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Student Swap Feature

Washington From Wash: Before & After

Cameron Williams, sr. Before: The things that I think will be most different from Washington are the schedules, the range of diversity and the amount of space there is in the school. At Washington we only have two lunches and we have slightly different class times than Kennedy. I also think that Kennedy will be less diverse than Washington. Washington has a very wide range of populations, but I don’t think this is very common. I have also heard that Kennedy is very big and I think there will be less people than there are at Washington because we have such a huge student body. I am excited to do the swap and see how much my ideas match up with what Kennedy is actually like. After: While doing the exchange I was really surprised about how much space there was at Kennedy. Most of my classes at pretty big and packed full, so the fact that classes were so small caught me off guard. I was also surprised about how focused and diligent students at Kennedy are. It’s not that Wash students aren’t serious about their education, just that I feel like Wash is way more laid back in the classroom.

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Eric Loeffelholz, sr.

Before spending the day at Kennedy I didn’t quite know what to expect. I knew it wouldn’t be radically different from Washington but as someone who has lived in the same house my entire life I’d never had the experience of being the new kid. I’ve only been inside a few times and because of my limited interaction I see Kennedy as more of a sporting opponent rather than an educational community. I found it really hard to profile the average Kennedy student because demographically it is similar to Wash in that both schools are quite diverse. The best I could come up with is that a lot of white guys have earrings and the colors green and gold are much more prominent. The two schools parallel each other in their social groups, from the jocks to the nerds and the druggies to the preppy. The groups of kids who play Magic and the crazy rumors made me realize the two schools are less different than I imagined. Throughout the day I was impressed by how welcoming the few people I had a chance of meeting acted. I can’t speak for all of Kennedy because I could only make it to a few classes but in the short time I observed I was impressed by the amount of student participation, especially in the early morning classes. This may not be typical but it’s very rare at Wash. Kennedy classrooms themselves are smaller which seemed to promote open discussion and a respectful, but personal student-teacher relationship. A type of setup that only certain teachers at Wash can, or desire to create. It’s hard to judge Kennedy as a whole without going through the daily grind as a student but I found in all aspects it is very similar to Washington. The differences between us hold minor advantages and disadvantages but it’s those differences that feed the rivalry between us.

Feature

Students swapped between Kennedy, Xavier, Jefferson, and Washington for a day.

Macy Ripley, sr. Passion. Carlos Aguayo, sr., shows off one his paintings for his photo. Aguayo is one of the many students of Wash involved in art.

Weights. Washington High School has many murals in the school celebrating school pride.

Washington High School does not have a different culture from Kennedy. After all, we’re only ten minutes away from each other. So I don’t know what I was expecting when I went to Washington High School on February 14. Before that day I knew approximately three things about the school: their mascot is the Warriors, classes there start 15 minutes later than at Kennedy and the sale of baked goods is not considered “competition with the cafeteria” and is still allowed (yeah, I’m bitter). So, basically nothing. But in an attempt to skip my classes for a day and ultimately show people I knew in middle school how much better my hair has gotten, I agreed to shadow Washington student Cameron Williams, sr. The day before, with Williams shadowing me, I heard her exclaim how bright the halls at Kennedy were. She was right. At Washington some parts of the halls are so dim you can barely see the faces of the people you run into. Their classrooms actually have windows though. Like, a whole wall of windows, which considerably lessen the feeling of imminent doom in the school. The halls there maintain more of a rushed feeling during passing time. Probably because there aren’t hoards of students blocking 80 percent of the hallway and snarling at you as you try to get by. There are dozens of little differences between Kennedy and Washington. Overall, though, they’re both regular institutions. They’ve got good people, they’ve got bad people; teachers you love and teachers you hate. Crowded hallways and the usual cafeteria food.But mostly, they’ve got rooms that need better temperature control.

Thanks to Kyle Phillips who also contributed to this project. PAGES BY Bailey Zaputil PAGES BY Bailey Zaputil

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Student Swap Feature

Jefferson From Jeff: Before & After

Sara Eggers, sr. Coming to Kennedy was nerve racking but exciting. I was nervous because it’s like going to a new school, but was exciting because I get to see old friends that I went to middle school and elementary school with. The first thing I realized was the bells are completely different. Kennedy’s sounds like an elevator that just arrived on its floor while at Jefferson it’s just one long annoying ring. Also when I was waiting in the main foyer in the morning, and during passing time I noticed that everybody hangs out there and they stand in cliques. While at Jefferson nobody really hangs out in our foyer, we all just walk to class. But I noticed that Jefferson is a lot more spread out than Kennedy. Kennedy is vertically bigger while Jefferson is lengthier. 4th hour came around and it was time for lunch. Dylan, Dominick and I sat in the lunchroom during lunch and it’s a lot different. At Jefferson we have only have three lunches, instead of long tables all we have is round tables. Also our lunch is more like buffet style. Other than that Jefferson and Kennedy are really similar. It was a good experience and I’d love to do it again!

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Dominick Tamayo, sr. Coming to Kennedy was a thrill of emotions. I remember when I was writing to Mr. Preston (my newspaper teacher) on how much I wanted to go to Kennedy. I was so excited to come, until about 15 minutes before when a wave of nerves came rushing through. Coming to Kennedy I felt as if it was like going to a new world. But when I got here, it was just like Jefferson with a little twist. I walked into my first class and the teacher Mr. Neff, was the math version of the one and only Mr. Stump (our crazy, wacky, fun chemistry teacher). He (Mr. Neff) was great, he knew how to make algebra two fun! Things that were different throughout the day: the bells. The bells freaked me out in the beginning, because I didn’t know what time the classes got out, the kids quickly got their stuff all together, it sounded like a fire drill, and it was all weird until I found out that it was just the bell. The student’s are really outgoing and very nice specially Melissa Ford. The guy Ethan who I was shadowing had a study hall, so Melissa asked me if I would like to shadow her for her next class. All around the Kennedy experience was great. I could honestly see myself going to a place like Kennedy, but I love Jefferson tooo much. I really wish I could do it again because it was an amazing experience.

Feature Feature

Students swapped between Kennedy, Xavier, Jefferson, and Washington for a day.

Ethan Divis, sr.

From Kenn: Before & After

Before I went to Jefferson I didn’t really know what to expect. Around the community you hear things about Jefferson being the dirty school and that kids there don’t take showers and stuff like that. I personally don’t believe in these stereotypes but it’s what you hear around the community. I have a lot of friends that go to Jefferson and they tell me that it’s not that bad, but with the student exchange I had an opportunity to experience it for myself. First, I was surprised by the size of Jefferson. Compared to Kennedy, I feel that Jefferson is a lot bigger in terms of size. When walking throughout the halls I didn’t notice any “dirties”. In terms of the students there it wasn’t any different from being at Kennedy. I feel that some of the things at Jefferson are a little more dated than Kennedy, which is why some people might think the school is dirty. The class sizes at Jefferson seemed to be a lot smaller compared to Kennedy. Overall, my experience at Jefferson was a good one, it was different but I didn’t seem to notice any of the stereotypes that everyone likes to talk about.

“I personally don’t believe in these stereotypes but it’s what you hear around the community.” -Ethan Divis

Lydia Martin, jr.

Going into Jefferson, I had a lot of misconceptions. The stereotype is that Jefferson is the “dirty” school in Cedar Rapids. Even though I have friends at Jefferson, I still went into it thinking that most of the school would be “dirty”. But after spending a day at Jefferson I learned some new things. The school itself is not as well kept as Kennedy. There was some trash and they are doing a lot of construction right now to improve their school. Even though there is a still construction, the new cafeteria that was built this summer is really nice. Though, the building itself wasn’t in that good of shape, the students and teachers were all really nice and excepting of everyone. A lot of the time at Kennedy I feel we forget to think about other people outside of our friends. The teachers at Jefferson seemed a lot more laid back then at Kennedy. Most of the teachers dressed more casually than the teachers at Kennedy. A lot of them also seemed more laid back about kids paying attention and turning in homework and things like that. Another thing I liked about Jefferson was that they have seven class periods in their school day of 7:50-3:00. I think I would’ve liked to have had that though out high school so that I could’ve taken more classes. Overall, I would say Kennedy and Jefferson are pretty similar. And I would no longer consider Jefferson a “dirty” school.

Thanks to Maddy Cobb, Anna Schroeder, Dylan Pady, and Tim Preston, who also contributed to this project. PAGES BY BY Bailey Bailey Zaputil Zaputil PAGES

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Arts and Entertainment

The new name of fa

Jordan Lunsford dances his way to 10k W

hen you look at the number of followers Jordan Lunsford, sr., has on Vine, you may wonder how. How did this Kennedy student get such a large number of followers in the 10,000 range? “The number changes every day. Ever since my dancing get noticed it has gone up in the thousands,” Lunsford said. It all started when Lunsford posted a vine of himself dancing and was noticed by a larger, well-known channel. “They shared my vine with all of their followers by revineing it and a lot of their followers liked it. Since then my vines have been well liked and watched a lot,” Lunsford said. Lunsford started posting his dancing on Vine after he saw others getting good feedback for their dancing. Lunsford also has posted his dancing in longer videos on YouTube. He hopes that as he continues to be noticed on Vine, more people will turn to YouTube and see some of his longer choreographoto provided by: Jordan Lunsford phy. “The app is a really cool way to share my dancing because I actually met other dancers through it and we have a group that texts and just helps each other become better dancers. The app is just a great way to communicate and you get to be a part of the community of all the people doing it,” Lunsford said.

One of the things Lunsford really enjoys about his vines being watched so much is the criticism and feedback he gets. “A lot of it is positive feedback but when it is criticism, if it’s from someone I know, another dancer, or someone I respect I take it to heart and it helps me become a better dancer. It’s always good to hear what people like about my dancing or how I can get better,” Lunsford said. Some people may label Lunsford as Vine famous but he doesn’t quite agree. “Having 10,000 followers is cool and stuff but there are other dancers who have numbers up in the 60,000 range. I still have a way to go before I think I can label myself Vine famous but it is cool to be known,” Lunsford said, “I wouldn’t say I am Vine famous yet but I’m working on it.” Lunsford is also in a Vine dance crew called Rythm Guardians with other members with a combine 230,000 plus followers. Elianna Novitch

Arts and Entertainment

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Insta-gain

Social Media apps strike popularity for students

photo by Katie Beer

photo by Sarah Langholz

very day here at Kennedy, you see the students with their phones, taking pictures of themselves or others and then posting them online. Social networks like Instagram have gained an enormous amount of popularity, even to the point where some people almost seem physically attached to their phones. For a user of Instagram, the popularity of that user’s Instagram account is judged by how many followers he or she has. Some people on Instagram may have only 30 or 40 followers, while others could have hundreds or even thousands. Some students at Kennedy are very popular on Instagram. For example, Shelby Sweeney, jr., has 7,965 followers. She posts a lot of pictures of herself, as well as pictures of things in nature. One effect of having so many followers, according to Sweeney, is an increase in involvement in the many spirit stick competitions at Kennedy’s pep assemblies. “There’s always something to do with Instagram [at pep assemblies],” Sweeney said, “so people would always be telling me to go down to our grades podium.” Sweeney also says that she has since stopped using Instagram because she has other things she has to do that are more important. Another Kennedy student who is fairly popular on Instagram is freshman, Katie Beer. “I post my personal photos and show choir stuff,” Beer said. She sometimes posts the results of show choir competitions as well. Sarah Langholz, jr., has 1,958 Instagram followers. “I post pictures of interesting things that you do, like friends, and more interesting things,” Langholz said. Instagram was created in October 2010, and it grew in popularity quickly. According to what Instagram has told the press, by April 2012 it had 100 million active users. According to the Washington Post, there are an estimated 40 million pictures posted on Instagram every day. And one of the most popular types of post is the selfie. In fact, some social networking sources state that “selfies” are now the most popular type of photography in the world today. The word “selfies,” which only a few years ago did not exist, was Webster’s 2013 Word of the Year. Xander Riley

photo Shelby Sweeney

PAGES BY Hannah Bruns And Morgan Schwab

Celebrating a Sports

legend

Wanting to focus more on strength and conditioning, the all-time winning head coach in Cougar football history, Tim Lewis, made the difficult decision to walk away from it all to focus on the weight room. Lewis oversees the strength and conditioning program here at Kennedy, and that’s something he is very passionate about. “I’ve always been really passionate about the weight room,” Lewis said. “I really wanted to make it a great program all around, and what I found was I spent a lot of time researching that. I was feeling more and more guilty about the fact that I wasn’t researching football. I just got tired of feeling guilty.” Kennedy introduced a Performance P.E. class last year that Lewis oversees. The majority of the schools’ athletes take the class, and Lewis oversees all of them. Even though he doesn’t coach any other sports, Lewis still feels responsible for all the other athletes here at Kennedy. “My first goal is to put student athletes in a position that is going to cut down on the risk of injury,” Lewis said. “Every time an athletic team goes out there and performs, I feel somewhat 22 responsible for their success.”

Taking over the program in 2000, Lewis’ teams earned the reputation as a team you didn’t want to see in the playoffs. “Lewis’ teams developed the reputation over the years as a team you did not want to meet in the post season, the proverbial tough out,” Activities Director Aaron Stecker said in a press release. “They have been known to continually develop and play their best football during the playoffs, a testament to the ability of Coach Lewis and his staff to continually teach the game of football and motivate players to maximize their potential.” Lewis has also built the reputation as being one of the classiest coaches in the MVC, always keeping his composure. Overall, Lewis is happy to focus on the strength and conditioning program, but he will still miss some things about football. “Friday nights in the locker room watching those guys do the Hokey Pokey and celebrate victories knowing how hard we worked is probably going to be the biggest thing I will miss,” Lewis said. Ethan Divis photo by Alli Nemecek

Smash. Freshman, Cathia Lightfoot has been boxing competitively for over a year

photo by Katie Wolfe

A Knock-out choice A look into the life of a boxer Boxing is a knockout choice for Cathia Lightfoot, fr.. The sport very few females choose is precisely the one she loves. “For me, boxing shows that women can do whatever they want and can achieve anything,” Lightfoot said. What first started out as a way for Lightfoot to exercise and get fit turned into a way to relieve stress, have fun, and gain confidence. “Boxing has really done a lot to improve my confidence,” Lightfoot said. “I have lost some weight and it has helped with how I feel about myself.” Lightfoot has been boxing for a little over a year at HardDrive Mixed Martial Arts, training for two to three hours ev-

“For me, boxing shows that women can do whatever they want and can achieve anything,” -Cathia Lightfoot, fr.

photo provided by Cathia Lightfoot ery weekday. “Every day I jump rope to warm-up, then I hit punching bags,” Lightfoot said. “To work on my form I shadow box in the mirror, and then I will typically run sprints and work on mitts to improve my strategies.” Lightfoot, despite her size, 5’3 ½” and 135 pounds, loves boxing, and even when she has to face larger opponents still has a lot of fun. Lightfoot credits the sport for helping her stay out of trouble and maintaining good grades. “I like that in boxing I can hit things without getting into trouble,” Lightfoot said. Lightfoot likes boxing because it allows her to release some of the anger that is discouraged in other sports. “I enjoy boxing for the same reason that other kids enjoy dancing or volleyball; it intrigues me,” Lightfoot said. Lightfoot hopes that boxing continues to get more popular and encourages young women to try it out. GABBY OLEJNICZAK

PAGES BY Maddy Crist and Katie Wolfe

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

“The torch has been passed to a new generation.” - John F. Kennedy www.twitter.com/KennedyTorch www.facebook.com/KennedyTorch