January 31, 2016

John F. Kennedy High School

Volume 49, Issue 4

Jan. 22, 2016

the torch

THE LEGACY AWAKENS

Xander Riley//Page 09

Opinion 04 From riches to rubble-Ahmed Azmeh John F. Kennedy High School 4545 Wenig Rd. NE Cedar Rapids, IA, 52402 Volume 49, Issue 4

05 Staff Editorial: Your vote matters News 06 The 20% project-Colby Manley

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.

Non-Discrimination Policy

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.

07 Delay dilemma-Jayden Bisson Culture 08 Star Wars: a history-Naomi Hofferber 09 The legacy awakens-Xander Riley 10 Planned Parenthood-Naomi Hofferber & Gabby Olejniczak Feature 12 Breakdown: the 2016 election-Elianna Novitch Photo 16 New year, new you-Macy Anderson Profile

Xander Riley Editor-in-Chief Elianna Novitch Editor-in-Chief Macy Anderson Photo Editor Abby Donovan Opinion Editor Erica Gouchee News Editor Naomi Hofferber Culture Editor Gabby Olejniczak Sports Editor Jayden Bisson Profile Editor Mary Liscum Ad Manager Colby Manley Staff Writer John Nolan Staff Writer Madeline Jamrok Contributor Ahmed Azmeh Contributor Maddie Vestweber Contributor Olivia Haefner Contributor Stacy Haynes-Moore Adviser

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18 Asthma impacts-Madeline Jamrok 19 Respect everyone, fear no one-Olivia Haefner 19 Passion for music-Maddie Vestweber Sports 22 Curling Cougars-Naomi Hofferber & Elianna Novitch 23 Striking back-Mary Liscum 23 Shooting for state-John Nolan

Letters from the Editors I am now over halfway into my final year at Kennedy and have learned somethings I would like to share.

1: Taking finals after a two week break is not a great idea. The level of stress I experienced this round of finals felt even more pronounced than normal due to both the break and the shorter amount of time I had to prepare for said finals. I’m sure I was not alone in those feelings.

2: It is possible to have civil conversations about your beliefs. During last semester in my government class, many of these types of conversations took place and it was a great learning opportunity. I not only got hear what others believe but, I also became more educated about my own views and was able to evolve them.

3: How fast time really has gone during my time here at Kennedy. After all those years of typing the number ‘16’ in for my school username, the year has finally arrived. As of today there is 127 days till graduation.

4: That Kennedy’s school spirit is unmatched. As a proud member of the senior class, I can truly say that I have seen what school spirit looks like over the past few years with our winning streak. Also how many people can say that their student section got entered into a competition because they are just that loud and have that much spirit?

5: That even though I am excited for my next step into the future, there are still a lot of memories that I have made this year and more memories to come. Some of these memories include homeless night, one acts, and being on the Torch staff. Some things I have to look forward to include speech season, dance marathon, prom, and graduation.

As much as I am looking forward to graduation, I don’t plan to rush through this next semester. Rather, I plan to seize it and finish off this amazing year that I have already started. It may not always be easy to get up and actually get to school, but honestly it’s going to be worth it.

To say that The Force Awakens lived up to and exceeded my expectations would be an understatement. From the opening crawl to the end credits, every moment was entertaining.

I don’t think I was alone in having some apprehension going into this film-trying to revive Star Wars hasn’t always gone well, and the last thing anyone wanted was another Phantom Menace. But this movie had everything that the prequel trilogy didn’t-the things we loved about the original trilogy. The inclusion of fan favorites like Han Solo was what put this film over the top.

Perhaps the greatest strength of The Force Awakens was that it struck a perfect balance between old and new. Having new characters working alongside returning characters created a film that was very faithful to its roots, while still setting itself apart as a Star Wars for our generation.

Even if you’re not a Star Wars fan, see this movie. True, you won’t have the same level of appreciation for it as a full-on nerd, but this movie was a cinematic achievement in its own right, its connection to a legendary franchise notwithstanding. It reminded me of something J.J. Abrams, the director of the film, said about his 2009 movie Star Trek, in which he brought relevancy for our generation into one of the few Science Fiction franchises whose popularity rivals that of Star Wars. He said, “I’m not making a movie for fans of Star Trek, I’m making a movie for fans of movies.”

I don’t know if that was his strategy this time, but he definitely created a movie for fans of movies. And if that really was his approach, then he’s a genius, because that would mean he made a movie that Star Wars fans will love, completely by accident.

The Force Awakens has already broken several box office records, but that was to be expected. Thousands of people going to see the movie for the first time was because of the fact that it said “Star Wars.” But their going to see it again, and again, and again, will be because of the fact that Abrams managed to create a fantastic movie that was both faithful to its franchise and enjoyable to watch.

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Opinion

From riches to rubble One student’s experience in Syria

Photo taken from Ahmed’s balcony in Syria. Photo provided by Ahmed Azmeh.

A man making bread at Ahmed’s favorite restaurant, Mora in Bloudan village . Photo provided by Ahmed Azmeh.

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yria, my father’s birth country, is burning right now. It has been described as hell on earth by its inhabitants. To quote The Atlantic, “The Syrian Civil War is arguably the worst humanitarian crisis since the Second World War, with over a quarter million killed, roughly the same number wounded or missing, and half of Syria’s 22 million population displaced from their homes.”

When I think back on the time I had visited my family in Syria, I was astonished by the amount of beauty that could be found in a single hill. They weren’t like any hills that you would see here in Iowa. The hills were covered in green pastures that were filled with trees upon trees bearing fruit.

Just recently, I looked up some modern-day pictures of the many places that I had visited, and to my dismay, they’ve all been reduced to rubble. The beauty has completely dissipated as a result of the destruction. These are places that made my heart smile and my soul peaceful just by looking at them. Now, they look like they came out of a Call of Duty game, and it’s truly heart breaking.

The Syrian Revolutionary War has been going on for around the past four and half years. Some people have the misconception that it was started by an organized opposition, but it was in fact formed by school boys in a run-down border town with graffiti cans. A group of ten to 15-yearolds, just like any one of us, had graffitied a statement they had seen in the ongoing uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. “We want to topple the regime.” Their intentions were not to

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start a full on revolution by that statement, but they unintentionally and indirectly showed the rest of the world all of the corruption within the Syrian government.

The cousin of President Bashar al-Assad had the local police arrested and interrogated the 15 boys a couple days later. These interrogation rooms are not what any of you are thinking of right now, they are the types of rooms we see in the movies. They are the types of interrogations where they tie your legs above your heads and beat them, the types of rooms that you go into one way and never come back the same. A single incident of brutality by a lawless secret police ignited protests that swept through the country. These protests led to the ongoing revolutionary war that still prevails today.

I started to think about the people that were once living peaceful happy lives, who now are poor and living in tents on the streets. Some are living in refugee camps that are almost uninhabitable due to the lack of basic necessities that we take for granted on a daily basis. Viktor E. Frankl, an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist as well as a Holocaust survivor once said, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” In other words, the most important thing a person has is their freedom, and Bashar Al Assad has taken that away for over 20 million people.

The rich people, who were once living in luxury, are barely getting by with the money they have. They are either living in tents in surrounding countries or have attempted to flee and seek asylum. Prices of everything have skyrocketed, and the majority of people have stopped working due to the extremely dangerous conditions. On the other hand the people that were barely getting by are literally boiling grass and feeding it to themselves and their children. On March 12, 2014, NBC released a story on how a family with six children was living on the side of the road in a box. The only thing that the parents could provide to the kids was boiled weeds.

There is an African proverb that says, “Until the lion has his or her own storyteller, the hunter will always have the best part of the story.” Throughout this Revolutionary War, the media has given refugees the short end of the stick. They associate them with terrorists instead of realizing that they are trekking across the sea to save their families. I guess the hunter still has the best part of the story, even though ironically enough, the word “Assad” is translated as “lion” in the Arabic language.

When someone says the word terrorist, people tend to instantly think of a specific demographic. The majority of the time, it’s a dark skinned bearded man wearing a turban on his head and speaking Arabic. The reason for this is because society has painted an image of what a terrorist is. The media has created a monopoly on a single word, which has its own religion, color, and language. These people have risked their lives to migrate their families to a safe place, taking the risk of drowning in the overfilled boats.

To change your perspective, I want to give an example. The little boy who was sitting at home in Syria watching cartoons and out of nowhere a group of men in uniform with guns break down his front door and barge into his house. They kill his father after they rape and kill his mother. They then slaughter all of his siblings one by one while he is hiding under his bed. Who are the terrorists in that situation? His father who tried to escape with his family from the regime’s wrath?

Or is it Assad’s soldiers who broke into his house and left him completely orphaned? Those fathers are the ones working for a cause, to bring peace to their children’s lives; whereas the soldiers kill him and his entire family because they’re following orders of an oppressive regime.

Labeling refugees as terrorists when they are fleeing for peace and freedom for themselves, their families, and their nation is wrong. The responsibility is on us to educate ourselves on a particular issue before we slap a label on a group of people and move on with our lives. The media tells the story from the victor’s point of view, so when trying to understand a situation we can no longer rely on the media alone. I may sound like a teacher right now, but when given a situation in life, a person must look at all of the different perspectives before judging someone. It opens our eyes by allowing us to empathize and shows us that the true terrorists are not the ones that are fighting for their freedom, family, and health, but the ones stopping them from doing so.

Ahmed Azmeh

Staff editorial: Your vote matters

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ith the November 2016 presidential election, voting is something that crosses the minds of all seniors (and even some juniors) that are still in high school. Voting is important. Each of our votes is our voice as an American citizen living in a democracy. It’s important to be heard and have a say on issues that could arise in our own community. Secondly, it is important because every vote counts. A lot of younger adults choose not to vote because they don’t see it as important. Voting is an “expression of opinion or preference.” More than one in four Americans are not registered to vote. Census data shows that only 133 million people voted in the 2012 presidential election, about 60 percent of Americans. This means that 40 percent of United States citizens don’t think voting is important. We are here to tell you to go out and vote, because your opinion matters. If we don’t participate in elections than we shouldn’t have the right to complain about how our country is ran. Vote. To better our government. Vote to exercise the RIGHT to vote. Vote to be heard. Most importantly, vote to better the way we live as a nation.

Pages by Abby Donovan | 5

News

The 20% project Students are making a change in their community through various projects of their own creation

Halle Rittgers, sr., loves the “twenty percent project” and what it can do for the community.

“I think it’s a really great project because as students we were able to pick up something that is meaningful to us,” Rittgers said.

Halle is doing her project on art in the community and the positive impact it has. She volunteers at the Eastern Iowa Arts Academy and has seen firsthand the benefits it has on the kids in the Cedar Rapids area.

A Perspectives class taught by Steven Tolly is trying a new project that is supposed to have a good impact on the community. It is a project that has been making its way across the country in other Language Arts classes. It is known as the twenty percent time project. It is an activity where you will spend twenty percent of your time in that class for the rest of the year working on something other than your normal everyday work.

It was first introduced by Google when they wanted their employees to spend at least one day a week thinking and being creative about anything they enjoyed. There have been real products made out of this project that people now use every day.

“It’s different from the class norm but it’s cool to use our creativity and have freedom to do our own thing,” Adam Wall, sr., said.

Wall is making how-to tutorial videos for his twenty percent time project.

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Parker Jacobson is doing his project on volunteering at homeless shelters every week. He helps in multiple ways by handing out food or helping them find safe areas to rest.

“It is a good project to students involved in stuff that they usually wouldn’t do in school,” Jacobson said.

“I did it in order to give students an opportunity to be creative and do some research and work towards standards while working towards something they enjoy,” Tolly said.

During a regular school week, Tolly’s class has spent at least one day in the lab writing blogs and making progress on the overall project.

At midterm of this semester Tolly assigned a 60 second commercial to have his students show their progress and what they are planning to achieve by the end of the year. At the end of the year there will be a lengthy video assigned that will represent everything that a group has achieved for the community and how they or others benefit from it.

“I think my expectations are low this year however some of the projects I’ve seen are great and I am really excited to see how they turnout,” Tolly said.

Colby Manley

News

Delay dilemma

Cedar Rapids Schools debate whether to add twohour delays to the normal schedule

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he school district’s quest for the perfect schedule continues, as yet another change has been proposed. In the past, the district has scheduled occasional in-service half days on Wednesdays. The proposed calendar change would involve two-hour delays every Wednesday.

The time that would normally be used for classes would instead be used for professional development. Staff members in the district would meet to discuss upcoming events and problems, and develop improvements to the learning environments at their schools.

Kennedy High School’s principal, Jason Kline, believes that the time spent during these sessions would have a positive impact on the overall quality of learning at Kennedy. However, he also understands that some are opposed to the idea.

“I’ve seen people on both sides of it, mostly community members, some that discuss the benefits and others that are not open to the idea,” Kline said. “I think that the time spent on these days would improve learning for both students and teachers.”

While it may be true that the learning atmosphere in schools would improve overall if teachers were able to meet before school on Wednesdays, there are still some problems associated with the schedule change.

One problem involves students that are driven to school by parents.

“The parents would have to go to work late which would cause them to go home late and not be able to pick up their kid at school,” Sadie Wagemester, fr., said.

Another concern is that some parents will be forced to drop their children off at school early and those students will therefore lack supervision for a few hours.

“I know that there is a plan for elementary students facing that problem.” Kline said. “I do not know if they have come up with a solution for other grade levels yet.”

Some Kennedy students are also concerned about the potential impact on SMART Lunch.

While the Wednesday delay would allow students to sleep in, they would have less time to get help with homework during school. This would limit students’ access to the information that otherwise would have been discussed during their Wednesday tutorials.

“I think it would give students a needed rest in the middle of the week, but by taking away Smart Lunch time it may discourage students from getting their work done,” Erik Pauls, jr., said.

Despite the consequences of the change, students have also considered the benefits.

Kristen Wampole, jr., relies on her parents for transportation and agrees that it is a major downside to the proposition. However, she also sees how the proposed change could be beneficial, especially for students that work late nights or stay up late to finish assignments.

“I would use the extra morning time to study or do homework, Wampole said. “People that are sleep deprived and under tremendous stress could definitely use a few extra hours to rest properly. In my case, both positive and negative impacts would result, but overall I think a late start could be very helpful for many people.”

Jayden Bisson

Pages by Erica Gouchee | 7

Culture

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One of the most popular and successful film franchises of all time entered its third era in December 2015 with the release of The Force Awakens. This movie was the seventh installment in the Star Wars film series.

The movie broke the box office record for highest grossing opening weekend making a total of nearly $248 billion.

For months prior to its release, the internet was abuzz with constant news and rumors regarding the new addition to the myths, and anticipation among fans was high.

Leif Albertson, sr., is a huge fan of Star Wars, and he was among those excited to get more.

“I’d been waiting for the movie for about 10 years, since 2005 when the last one came out,” Albertson said.

However, Albertson explained that he was a little bit disappointed in this new movie, especially in regards to its incorporation of elements from the classic Star Wars films.

“I was really hoping that they would use more of the characters they decided to bring back, whereas I found that it was more about the new characters, which is fine, but if you’re going to do that you should find a happy medium,” Albertson said.

Despite any complaints, though, Albertson said that he will still absolutely be back in the theater for the next installment of the series.

“Now they’re in a position where they’ve gotten all the hard stuff out of the way,” Albertson said. “Now that they’ve set everything up and we have to live with it, they can focus on the stuff we like.”

Nick Hayes, a science teacher at Kennedy, was a junior in high school the last time a movie event similar to this took place. In 1999, the movie The Phantom Menace was released, which marked the beginning of the prequel trilogy of Star Wars films. That movie was the first Star Wars movie to be released in 16 years. It was followed by Attack of the Clones in 2002 and Revenge of the Sith in 2005.

“As somebody who kind of grew up on Star Wars and was a huge fan…there was a lot of excitement,” Hayes said. “We saw the first trailer [for Phantom Menace] and we were like, ‘wow, that’s the most awesome thing ever.’”

The prequel trilogy has largely been judged by history and by fans to be a disappointment in comparison to the originals, but according to Hayes, it wasn’t necessarily that way at the time.

“I remember coming out of the movie thinking ‘that was great,’ because more Star Wars was more Star Wars, which was everything you wanted back then,” Hayes said. “But the more you watched that first episode, you started to realize some of the flaws that existed. It just didn’t feel like what you grew up with, so I think over time it bittered a little bit.”

Having lived through the pre-release hype of both the prequel trilogy and The Force Awakens, Hayes noted a different attitude leading up to the films.

“When the prequels came out, it was mostly a mystery.

All you had was a trailer or two. You had nothing else to go off of, so you went in kind of blind,” Hayes said. “Now you have several trailers, they’re all released on YouTube, you have pictures and behind-the-scenes footage that are leaked, you have everybody’s speculation at your fingertips…I think there’s almost more excitement because more people are able to get their opinion out there and there’s a much more wide discussion.”

As someone who had seen new Star Wars before, Hayes had a slightly different perspective than that of a student when it came to pre-movie anticipation.

“You always worry that things won’t live up to our expectation,” Hayes said. “I just go in optimistic and hope to find some enjoyment in it. I’ve got to say, though, that I was pretty excited for the new one, mostly because, even in the trailers, it looked like and felt like the Star Wars I grew up with. Maybe it was just seeing the Millennium Falcon again, but it looked familiar.”

Deb Aldrich, PhD, a language arts teacher at Kennedy, was able to see the original Star Wars movie in 1977. The release of that movie wasn’t met with nearly the hype of the films that followed, because of course no one knew what Star Wars was.

“I saw it with friends, when one of my friends said, ‘hey, let’s go see this Star Wars movie,’” Aldrich said. “We had no idea it would be such a hit.”

Aldrich has since seen the rest of the Star Wars movies and plans to see the new movie with her son.

The release of The Force Awakens is the first step in the release of several new Star Wars movies. The next is scheduled for release on Mar. 26, 2017.

Xander Riley

THE LEGACY AWAKENS

Culture

Pages by Naomi Hofferber | 9

Culture “Planned Parenthood believes in the fundamental right of each individual, throughout the world, to manage his or her fertility, regardless of the individual’s income, marital status, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, or residence.”

Planned Parenthood’s key mission statement reflects the works they have implemented throughout the nation and abroad, since their origin in 1916.

Amid all the controversies, debates, and frustrations, there is no denying that Planned Parenthood provides vital health services to women who may not have it otherwise.

The nonprofit is responsible for the care of 5,180,000 men and women annually. In 2003, the organization provided 4,470,597 STI tests and treatments, 935,573 cancer screenings and preventative exams, and provided contraception for 2,131,865 women. “ Wo m e n deserve access to safe health care, regardless of their zip code or financial status,” Angie Remington, Planned Parenthood Public Relations manager said.

“Decisions about whether to choose adoption, end a pregnancy, or continue a pregnancy should be a made by a woman with the counsel of her family, her faith, and her health care provider.”

The majority of clients are at or below the poverty line, with 78 percent of all clients having incomes at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level.

The organization came under negative fire this past summer when videos were released by the Center for Medi-

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cal Progress, an anti-abortion group, of Planned Parenthood employees discussing the sale of fetal tissue from abortions.

David Daleiden, the man who released the videos, had admitted to having heavily edited said videos.

Planned Parenthood also made headlines following a mass shooting at a clinic in Colorado Springs; the shooter was known to have said “I am guilty. There is no trial. Protect the babies.”

Abortions make up three percent of all services Planned Parenthood provides, however it is the key reason various politicians are fighting to cut funding for the organization.

This past fall, the government was nearly shut down when a budget decision couldn’t be made on whether to fund Planned Parenthood or not.

“There are misconceptions that federal funds are used for abortion – this is false,” Remington said, “There is a federal law banning the use of federal funds to pay for abortions, with exceptions for when the life of the woman is in danger or when the pregnancy results from rape or incest.”

Several Democratic candidates are promising Americans that they will not allow Planned Parenthood to be defunded.

Hillary Clinton is now being endorsed by the organization, making it the first time in history that the organization has publicly backed a presidential candidate.

“Hillary Clinton holds the strongest record on reproductive rights of all Presidential contenders in not just this election, but in American history,” Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the political arm of the group, said in a statement.

“She doesn’t just support women’s health— she has been a proactive leader on expanding access to women’s health care.”

Bernie Sanders has also made strong statements about his intent to protect funding for the organization, and to allow all women to have access to birth control.

However, the question still remains: how would the defunding of Planned Parenthood truly impact America?

“The populations we serve are disproportionately underprivileged and many are in medically under served, rural communities,” Remington said. “If state or federal funding goes away, we might not be able to continue to provide these services that people truly rely on us to provide.”

Federal funding largely goes to pregnancy prevention, including the Teen Pregnancy and Prevention initiative, which has worked to reduce teen pregnancy rates across the nation, including in Iowa.

A 2014 study done by Eyes Open Iowa, an advocacy group that works with educators to ensure adolescent sexual health, found that 39 percent of sexually active teenagers did not use a condom during their last incident of sexual intercourse and 63 percent did not use birth control pills.

While the debate of whether Planned Parenthood should be funded or not continues to rage on, one thing is for certain; this matter of opinion can have major effects on all of those involved.

Naomi Hofferber And Gabby Olejniczak

Culture

Pages by Naomi Hofferber | 11

Culture

Graphic by Xander Riley

Breakdown: The general election is held on Nov. 8 to determine electoral votes for each candidate, which will in turn decide the next President of the United States.

Both parties hold National Conventions to decide their nominee.

This year, the Republicans are meeting in Columbus, Ohio from July 18-21 and the Democrats are meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from July 25-28.

Caucusing begins in the state of Iowa on Feb. 1 and continues in the rest of the states over the following few months. Voters cast their vote for their party’s nominee.

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Feature

The 2016 election Campaigns, caucuses, and voting; here is what you need to know about the upcoming election.

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he political ads, promising speeches, and big rallies that have been held all over the state will soon be coming to an end as Iowa’s caucus approaches.

A spotlight has been focused on the state since the beginning of election season back in the early summer of 2015.

For many seniors and some juniors, the upcoming election will be the first chance to have a say in who represents them and their beliefs.

“In history class we have learned about how many people have struggled to be able to vote and so I think it is something I should take advantage of,” Linden Runnels, sr., said.

A caucus or primary is the first round of voting that takes place in the election process. However, caucuses and primaries are different methods of getting the same result.

While most states use primaries, a few states, like Iowa, use the method of a caucus to see which candidate each party supports.

Both parties will be holding their caucus on the evening of Monday Feb. 1.

“The Republican caucus is pretty simple. You just come in and vote in a secret ballot vote. The Democratic caucus is very different however,” Austin Wu, sr., said. “In a Democratic caucus, everyone is put in a big room and sides of the room are designated to each candidate. The goal of each campaign is to get as many people onto their side of the room as possible. Everything is fair game. It’s absolutely chaotic and it’s the closest we could probably ever get to peer direct democracy.”

For states that use the primary method, a secret ballot is held and voters cast their votes for the candidate they support.

In preparation for the upcoming caucus, students have been doing their part to get involved in the election process.

Elizabeth Barrett, jr., has gotten involved in the election by volunteering with the Bernie Sanders campaign and by keeping up with the other presidential candidates that are running.

“Even though I can’t vote, I can inspire other people to,” Barrett said. “Getting involved in campaigns can get people to vote for the candidates that I feel will make a better future in America for myself and for others.”

Barrett is not the only student who has gotten involved directly with the campaign and election process. Wu has been elected precinct captain for his local precinct.

Wu’s role as precinct captain includes the task of being the campaign leader of his section during the Democratic caucus.

Other students are just trying to stay informed on the candidates, much like Barrett is.

“I haven’t been that informed lately and I want to get better at that,” Runnels said. “I would like to go hear the candidates talk and I plan to participate in the caucus coming up. I’m really up in the air about who I will vote for right now.”

Having the right to vote at such a young age is a unique freedom in America. For many, it is an important right that they plan to take advantage of.

“People have this idea that our vote doesn’t matter but I think that if we all got involved and took the time to learn about the different candidates and made an educated decision, we could truly make a difference,” Runnels said.

Eighteen-year-olds will have the chance to vote in the general election, which will take place after the primary election. Election Day will take place on Nov. 8.

“Since I was a kid, I have always wanted to vote. I always thought it was neat that the year I turn 18 I would be able to vote,” Wu said. “It’s almost the ultimate expression of our nation’s democracy that we are able to choose our leaders and that it’s the only way our voice can truly be heard.”

“Getting involved in campaigns can get people to vote for the candidates that I feel will make a better future in America for myself and for others.”

-Elizabeth Barrett

Elianna Novitch

Pages by Elianna Novitch | 13

Feature

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There can only be one...

Feature

As the caucus approaches, candidates are pulling out all the stops to try and gain supporters for their campaigns so they can continue on in the Presidential race. Who will you choose?

Graphic by Xander Riley Pages by Elianna Novitch | 15

Photo

New year, Here are some healthy recipes to help you get fit in 2016 Ingredients for the oatmeal:

Ingredients for the topping:

2 teaspoons unsalted butter

1/3 cup sliced almonds

1 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

1/3 cup light brown sugar

Kosher salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 2/3 cups plain unsweetened almond milk 1 tablespoon whole-wheat pastry flour 1 large egg

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

12 ounces frozen mixed berries

ake

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Photo by Xander Riley

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Lunch: Winter turkey wrap Ingredients: 1/2 cup arugula

Directions:

1/4 teaspoon lemon juice

Place arugula in a bowl and toss with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

Salt, to taste Freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 8-inch whole-wheat tortilla 1/4 teaspoon whole-grain mustard 1 tablespoon feta cheese 3 slices roast turkey 1/4 pear, sliced 1 teaspoon dried cranberries

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Take one whole-wheat tortilla and spread with the mustard, then top with the crumbled feta cheese.

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Crea from d r a c Note

Lay roast turkey on top of cheese- and mustardtopped tortilla. Then top with slices of pear.

Cover pear with arugula, sprinkle with dried cranberries, and roll tightly. Secure wrap with a toothpick and slice into two.

Photo by Gabby Olejniczak

Photo

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Photo by Erica Gouchee

Photo by Jenna Anderson

Dinner: Fettuccine with creamy red pepper-feta sauce Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 small onion, chopped 2 to 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped 1 (16-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock or vegetable stock 1 cup crumbled feta cheese or a 6-ounce block 1 pound whole-wheat fettuccine Salt Freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

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Pages by Macy Anderson | 17

Profile

Asthma ImpactsLily Wiese

Wiese rehearsing one of her dance routines. Photo by Erica Gouchee.

“Having an asthma attack is like the scene in Shrek when the guy Lily is heavily involved with dance and doesn’t like how asthma rips the gingerbread man’s legs off and then sits there taunting affects her dancing. With asthma, dancing comes harder for Lily him while the gingerbread man can’t do anything but lay there,” and her breathing cycle.

“Asthma makes It hard for me to keep up with my teammates Lily Wiese, so., said.

Lily has had three major asthma attacks in her life that were life while dancing especially with my pom dance,” Wiese said. threatening. Other than the three major attacks, she experiences Although Lily has troubles dancing with asthma, she wouldn’t several minor attacks.

“Sometimes I think about give up something that makes her happy for “It feels like I’m dying, I can’t get a full breath in giving up but It wouldn’t something she can’t control.

“Sometimes I think about giving up but It and it scares me,” Wiese said.

During Lily’s attacks she uses her inhaler to help be worth it, I just have to wouldn’t be worth it, I just have to learn to learn to live with it.” live with it,” Wiese said. deliver medicine to her lungs.

“This form of usage is called rescue puffs; It is resLily has two sisters, two brothers, a mom -Lily Wiese and dad and out of everyone, Lily along with cuing me,” Wiese said.

Also, you can use an inhaler in a form where it works to prevent her two other sisters and her dad have asthma. They have all had asthma since they were born and believe It will never go away. you from having an asthma attack.

“This form of usage is called preventative puffs, I use this form “It keeps me from doing things normal kids can do, but It doesn’t keep me from being myself,” Wiese said. before doing physical activity,” Wiese said.

Lily has had asthma since she was born and first noticed it in Madeline Jamrok elementary school after she struggled with physical activity.

“As a child I had to do breathing treatments every day which consisted of being hooked up to a tube connected to a machine.

These treatments tasted bad, smelled bad and made my nose run.”

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Profile

Respect everyone, fear no oneTony Vis “Respect everyone, fear no one,” is a quote Tony Vis has lived by his entire life.

Growing up in in a small town called Legrand, Vis played basketball throughout his elementary and middle school years. He went to LDF high school (Legrand, Dunbar, and Ferguson) and played basketball there also. Throughout Vis’ youth he knew he wanted to be a coach after he saw how much coaches impacted athletes.

“I really enjoyed athletics so I thought that would be a good carrier to go into,” Vis said.

After graduating from Iowa and getting a master degree in social studies, he pursed his coaching dream and by 1994 he started coaching at a parochial school in Waterloo. Vis was a high school JV boys coach there and an assistant coach for varsity. Aside from coaching, Vis also taught social studies.

Although Vis started off coaching men’s basketball at Waterloo, he quickly moved on to coaching women’s basketball the next year.

“With girls if you tell them to do something they tend to follow, with boys when you try to teach them something they think it’s beneath them,” Vis said.

Vis was at Harlan community High school when he was offered a job at Kennedy to be the girls’ varsity head coach. He’s been at Kennedy four years now, coaching and teaching social studies.

“It was hard leaving Harlan for Kennedy. I made a lot of strong relationships there with my students, players, and other coaches,” Vis said.

Not only was it hard for Vis to leave Harlan, but his family also had a decisions in whether or not he would accept the job. This was because two of his daughter were currently going to Harlan as junior and seniors, and his third daughter would be going there soon.

The primary thing that made Kennedy the best decision for his family was that Vis’ wife’s parents aren’t in the best of health, so they wanted to get closer to family.

“It was hard to leave, Bri was a senior and Mariah was a junior… it was also supposed to be a really good year for the team,” Ashley Vis, fr., said.

Since Vis started here four years ago he’s notice the bigger amount of players and teams each grade level has at Kennedy.

“I like the fact that we have 50 or so girls out for basketball, that part is good because we have plenty of resources,” said Vis. This season Vis’ goal is to have the girls enjoy the game more and work together as a team. Kennedy will have a lot of experience back, but not a lot of size. Vis thinks this year the team will find its own unique style.

“The goal is for them to work together as a team and to accomplish more than what they think they can…It’s not a wins and losses thing,” Vis said.

Olivia Haefner

Passion for musicDajuan Rivers Dajuan Rivers is a junior at Kennedy High School who loves music, he has been writing songs since he can remember, sitting in class writing them, at home, anywhere, lyrics constantly popping up in his head.

Rivers has a passion, music is something he wants to pursue, in fact he already has a CD / Mixtape that he is selling, along with his music on sound cloud.

Rivers has written 100’s of songs, but he has only recorded 50- 60. and nine are on his mixtape. The reason for this is because he is a perfectionist.

“I doubt myself a lot”,Rivers said.

When doing a song, Rivers often makes an enormous amount of edits to get it right.

“If I like it I feel like you’re going to like it,” Rivers said.

Luckily he has people to support him like his girlfriend, his dad, and his brother.

“They tell me to keep going, ‘you can make it’,” River said.

Through everything Rivers does, from amazing people with his music, to school, to putting a smile on people’s faces every day.

“The most important thing in my life? Happiness. If you’re not happy then nothing really matters,” Rivers said.

Maddie Vestweber

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C

ougars took to the ice to learn how to curl last month at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena.

The presence of curling is still relatively new to the area.

The Cedar Rapids curling team formed back in 2013, when a few individuals who were interested in curling found each other through Facebook and word of mouth.

Through learn-to-curl events, the club has slowly been growing in numbers.

Adrian Evans, a government teacher at Kennedy, has been curling with the team for two years, and taught students and individuals of all ages curling basics last month at the event.

“We go to curling tournaments mostly for fun,” Evans said.

“Last year we were lucky because we hosted the Arena Nationals Group and it was an interesting tournament to watch. Our ladies’ team did really really well.”

Michael Ciabatti, sr., was one Kennedy student in attendance last month.

“I had no clue I’d enjoy it as much as I did,” Ciabatti said. “It was

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Graphic by Elianna Novitch.

Curling Cougars

Sports

a seriously awesome time. So much so that I’m seriously interested in starting a curling team at Kennedy. If more people gave it a chance, they’d feel the same way I do.”

Anna Frerichs, sr., was also at the event, and was instructed by Evans on how to sweep and send stones across the ice.

“It was a lot of fun. I wasn’t expecting it to be as physical as it was, but it was actually really difficult,” Frerichs said.

Some facts that students learned about curling while at the event included what equipment is used, technique, and positions.

The equipment used in curling consists of a stone, which is a 40 pound granite rock that slides down the ice toward a target with the use of a broom. The teams in curling are made up of four players.

Students who are interested in learning how to curl should see Mr. Evans for more details about upcoming events.

Naomi Hofferber & Elianna Novitch

Striking back

Sports

The National Anthem, a couple practice balls and a team cheer. That’s how a typical bowling match starts. Both Kennedy boys and girls have had a rough start to the season, boys with a 3-6 and girls with a 2-6 record, but they are working their hardest to turn it around.

Despite a less than perfect start, the team does have one major strong point.

"Family unity. We’re getting stronger in being supportive of each other," said Head Coach Scott Bader.

Alyssa Wiedemeier, jr., is one of the captains.

She not only bowls on the team, but also bowls for league on Saturday mornings. So far this season, she has gotten a two game series of at least over 270 every match, and her highest was 367. Wiedemeier is looking into bowling for college, but isn’t sure yet if she will or not.

"I think if we all work together and have a good Baileigh Allen, jr., bowls against Xavier at CRBC. Photo by Jayden Bisson. day on the same day we have a pretty good shot," said Wiedemeier. series have been over 390, one of them being a 502.

Although Abbie Haller, jr., has had a few complications this season, it Max Hiatt, so., is the youngest on the varsity boys’ team. His scores has still been a good one. She was out for a week with a thumb injury, but range from 168 to 232, with series up in the 400’s. has made a full recovery. Haller has a high score of 178 so far this season "It’s going pretty good, and it’s gonna go up from here," said Hiatt. and all of her series have been over 230, her highest being 335.

James Jambois, sr., is one of the captains of the boy’s team and has had Mary Liscum a great season so far as well. His high game so far has been 256 and his

Shooting for state

Girls’ basketball works to keep up near-perfect record Number one ranked Kennedy girls’ basketball has their sights set on the state tournament. With only one loss so far in the season, the Cougars are optimistic.

“I’d say we’re confident but not cocky,” Head Coach Tony Vis said.

Jefferson, Cedar Falls, Dubuque Senior, Iowa City West, Washington, and Hempstead stand in Kennedy’s way.

“I’m really excited to take on those teams. We all hope we’ll come out with some big wins,” Ashley Hamilton, Jr., said.

If Kennedy beats all these teams they will go into regionals with a nearly perfect record.

The Cougars’ only loss at time of publication was in their season opener against Waukee, who at the time was ranked number one, but the girls are still confident in their team.

“Going into regionals with a record like that would be amazing,” Hamilton said.

And the team knows what they want to do when they get there.

“We wanted to put ourselves in a position to play [Waukee] a second

time because if we do, we’re obviously in the state tournament,” Vis said.

“I think we would welcome that challenge.”

Hamilton is excited for what the season could lead to.

“Obviously we want to go to state and do well and I think this team has the potential to go really far,” Hamilton said. “We’ve really come together this year, we have great chemistry and we keep improving. Individually and as a team we are getting better.”

The Cougars started off the new year with three MVC wins, defeating the Linn-Mar Lions, the Wahlert Eagles, and the Prairie Hawks. With scores of 60-47, 60-41, and 68-49.

“Not only was [the Linn-Mar] game important because it was a big rivalry, but it will helped us with seeding for sub state and state.” Runnels said.

Regionals for women’s basketball starts on Feb. 17.

For continued coverage, follow kennedytorch.org.

John Nolan

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