Letter From the Editors

After returning to Kennedy without a hybrid learning schedule, we found numerous changes imposed on staff and students alike. Without the ability to attend at home, everyone was subject to the new regulations.

And people were not shy about voicing their distaste. The daily pledge of allegiance was largely ignored, teachers were frustrated with the loss of their personal appliances and a critical race theory ban sparked a debate between lawmakers and school staff.

Perhaps most controversial of all, a mask mandate was taken down by the Iowa government in May, then reinstated by the Cedar Rapids Community School District in September. Parents and students erupted in opposition and support of the mandate. In late January, the mandate was banned once again. As these changes came one after the other, debates about pre-existing rules also resurfaced among the Torch staff.

Throughout the magazine, we discuss the many mandates surrounding us at Kennedy— the good, the bad and the controversial.