Kennedy Torch: April 2012

Cover by Rachel Gilman

mission

the

torch John F. Kennedy High School 4545 Wenig Rd. NE Cedar Rapids, IA 52402 Volume 45, Issue 6

The Torch staff and advisor are committed to producing a top quality student newspaper applying high standards of writing, editing, and production. The Torch seeks to fairly serve the Kennedy High School faculty, students, and staff, showing no favoritism to decisions about content are the responsibility of the individual editors and the Editorial Board.

C

editorial board Editor-In-Chief Rachel Gilman and Riley Galbraith Managing Editor Jessica Rowan Photo Editor Sarah Sickles Feature Editor Allie Sindlinger Online Editor Darcey Altschwager

editors Norm Althoff, Amy Brause, Mo Cheetany, Annie Feltes, Hanna Krivit, Steph Mercer, Tara Mittelberg, Bailey Zaputil

writers

Michael Abramson, Hannah Botkin, Hannah Bruns, Ethan Divis, Zack Goodall, Spencer Grekoff, Terin Kane, Jordan Lunsford, Lydia Martin, Isabel Neff, Davis Sutton, Mackenzie Teare

photographers Sam Nordstrom, Nick Appleget, Ben Feltes, Emmi Hamalainen, James Kern

copy editors Kelsey Rindfleisch, stephanie Wenclawski

adviser Stacy Haynes-Moore

O

CONTENTS Editorial 04 05 06

Letter from the editor What the hell Graduskating

News 07 08

Soaring in the sciences Money & education

Profile 12 13

Anything boys can do...

Making the ultimate sacrifice

Photo 19

Then and now

Arts & Entertainment 23 24 photo provided by the gazette

ON THE COVER 14

The Recovery

Speech: fast acting The hunger games

Health 26 27 28

Bizarre breaks Pre-season yoga Working to gain weight

Sports 30 31

Coaching change Reunited with soccer

Letters from the editors

W Stacy Haynes-Moore as Editor in Chief of The Torch in 1989 As April progresses and we enter the month of May, us seniors come to a time of reflection of our high school careers and celebrating our successes. These achievements are one to be celebrated, for we have worked hard throughout our schooling. But as we celebrate our successes, we should remember to celebrate times in which we didn’t succeed. Times we didn’t win the gold medal, because what inspires drive and motivation other than the times of failure?

The idea of success does not attain its significance until we have had the chance to fail. There is nothing wrong with celebrating a win. We should recognize times in which we worked hard for something and it paid off, not diminish them. But the real importance is in learning how to deal with setbacks and face failure.

At our age in life, many of us have not truly faced devastating failures, but we have had times that we got second place or were disappointed in our performance. This disappointment leads to a drive to better ourselves. Intrinsic motivation, motivation lead by a personal sense of achievement as opposed to outside rewards, is what leads to success.

Many of us have had a time in which we got a D on a test that we thought we could skate by on and receive an A. This D causes us to snap back into reality and deal. We learn to handle the setback by working harder next time. Maybe it wasn’t a poor grade, but something else that we tried for, but fell short. Putting yourself out there, being vulnerable, is a difficult thing, but without doing so there is no chance to succeed. The failure and learning to persevere is what builds character and betters us.

Success and failure are polar to each other. It’s this polarity that allows us to truly appreciate what success and failure are. In order to achieve anything, we must try, we must have drive, and we must put ourselves out there. One must risk it to get the biscuit, no?

So as we are awarded for our success throughout our lives thus far, we should celebrate. But we should also remember to celebrate the times in which we failed.

Nothing seems to change; another month, another Torch issue, another editorial, and another blank screen staring me directly in the face. Things were going just as planned until today.

I now stand with a little less than 5 hours till deadline and the screen hasn’t begun to fill up. It just sits there taunting me like never before.

About three hours has past and I sit with a meager 68 words.

I try the Kelsey Rindfleisch technique and bang my head on the keyboard hoping it will spark something, anything. Uiaddjkalasdfuh. I feel weirdly accomplished at this point. Further than I was a half hour ago, I guess.

I’ve exhausted all of my ideas. My brain is functioning at a level just above a coma. I ask some fellow classmates “any ideas?” while fully knowing they just give the same old generic answer.

“Write about me!”

Well I can’t say I didn’t try. The only thing left to do is accept it.

To finish out the pity party here are the top ten ways I could tell that my editorial was going to suck: 10. I stared at a blank screen for a record 43 minutes before word count hit one.

9. I used the wrong form of your in the last paragraph just to see how many comments I would get (I don’t think your that smart).

8. I did it again.

7. My mom said she liked it (she usually loves it).

6. I switched computers 4 times to try to spark creativity.

5. I Googled ‘Serena Williams’ 7 times during the last hour.

4. I’m already out of ideas (three to go…).

3. I’m preoccupied by the chance that the Easter bunny will not visit now that I’m an adult.

2. Funny thing is, Rachel hasn’t started her’s yet.

1. YOLO mentality has taken over. Let’s graduate already.

What the hell?

What the hell.

These are the words that should be on every American woman’s lips right now. What. The. Hell.

There is the narrowly avoided, dangerous Blunt Amendment, a proposed bill that was killed 51-48 by the Senate. The Blunt Amendment would have allowed insurance companies and employers to refuse critical health services on “religious and moral convictions.”

Then there’s the Arizona Birth Control Bill that forces women to show employers their medical records which makes it easier for them to fire women on moral grounds for attempting to prevent pregnancy—though thankfully has changed as of March 19.

The last time I checked, only I have the right to my body, the only people who should be allowed to make critical decisions about my body are my doctor and me, and that the only person who has the The fact that the majority of this oppression of women’s civil right to decide whether or not I can have birth control is me. liberty of private, individual health care comes from men who Fact: according to the Centers for Disease Control and Preven- do not possess ovaries, ovarian tubes, is angering. Men whose tion, 99 percent of all Americans who have ever had sexual inter- Viagra—which helps them with erectile dysfunction, thus helpcourse have used at least one method of birth control. ing them have more sex—is hypocritically covered by insurance, Birth control does not mean a woman is sexually active. Birth where meanwhile women are being denied life-saving medication control also helps women by: reducing menstrual cramps, de- because a number of men don’t think it’s important enough to creasing acne, maintaining and preventing ovarian cysts, pre- cover, or don’t think women should be having sex. Unless they’re venting cancers, and serious infections in a woman’s reproductive married. Thus that raises the question: why are these men afraid system. of a woman’s sexuality?

Part of the problem is that many The answer is both simple and complicated. The simple of these college-educated, influential answer is that giving a woman the right to choose for her political leaders seem confused at Thus that raises the own body gives her power, a power that people like Limwhat birth control even does. Radio question: why are these baugh think they have the right to oppress. They couch it host Rush Limbaugh demonstrated in terms of “family values” to make it sound like a good this when he degraded Georgetown men afraid of a woman’s thing, but one person’s “family values” may not be ansexuality?”

University’s Sandra Fluke publicly beother’s. The complicated answer is that we live in a socicause she dared to speak out about the ety where both slut shaming and sexual objectification of fact that Georgetown University’s stuwomen coexist, constantly at opposite sides of the polar dent insurance policy does not cover the birth control pill. Along spectrum but yet pushing and pulling against each other. It’s a with calling her a “slut” and a “prostitute”, he claimed that she double standard that victimizes and ostracize a woman no matter was “having so much sex” that she couldn’t afford birth control. what path she chooses to take: if she has sex she’s a slut, and if Mr. Limbaugh, allow me to explain. A woman takes one birth she doesn’t go all the way she’s a prude. control pill a day. She does this whether she is going to have sex So whether you agree with Sandra Fluke’s testimony, a woman one time, twenty times, or not at all that day. You do not have should never be made to feel like an inferior being because she to take a new pill every time you have sex. According to Planned has chosen to take steps to protect herself from disease, discomParenthood, birth control pills may cost anywhere from $15-$50 fort, or a pregnancy before she is ready to become a mother. Mr. dollars a month, a rate that can be costly for anyone.

Limbaugh said that Susan Fluke’s parents should be ashamed of Limbaugh then went even further in his criticism of Fluke: “If her for her testimony. No, Mr. Limbaugh, it is you who should be we are going to pay for your contraceptives, and thus pay for you ashamed. You don’t get to be act the bully and still expect people to have sex, we want something for it. We want you to post the to respect your thoughts and words. videos online so we can all watch.” I can’t tell what’s more repugSo once again, ladies, and all those who support women, it’s nant—what he said or the fact he actually believes this. time to ask: what the hell?

Editorial by Bailey Zaputil

“

Illustration by James Kern

Due to renovations at the U.S. Cellular center, this year Kennedy High School’s graduation ceremony will be held at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena. Graduation will take place at 7:30p.m. Thursday, May 24, 2012. There is no limit on numbers of family and friend graduation attendees. Although space will be tight compared to previous ceremonies, there should be enough space for everyone and anyone is welcome.

news

“SCIENCE!” Lauren Meyer, Bill Nye the Science Guy, Fatima Elsheikh, Abhinaya Gunasekar pose in a photo in Washington D.C. The three freshmen won a contest last year allowing them to meet many influential people.

Photo provided Fatima Elsheikh.

Soaring in the Sciences Students win contest to go to Washington D.C.

Three Kennedy students were chosen to go to the White House other types of science and technologies represented at the fair.

Science Fair early this February. They sat directly behind Presi- Other memorable exhibits included a robot built by a younger dent Obama during one of his speeches and got to meet him af- boy that could move with a remote control and a dissolvable sugterwards. “I didn’t want to let go of his hand,” Fatima Elsheikh, ar packet made by a girl their age, that Starbucks now uses.

“We got to sit directly behind President Obama while he was fr., said.

Elsheikh, Abhinaya Gunasekar, fr., and Lauren Meyer, fr., were giving a 30 minute speech about the importance of science and chosen to go to the annual White House Science Fair due to their math,” Elsheikh said. “He was pushing how we should recognize participation in Future Cities. academic accomplishments as we do for sports Last year, Elsheikh, Gunasekar, and Meyer, Meyer said. They all had “I didn’t want to let accomplishments,” competed in Future Cities at Harding Middle similar feelings when meeting the president. go of his hand,” School. Every year, the city has a theme and last They all described it as an “Am I really here - Fatima Elsheikh, right now?” sort of feeling. year’s theme was ‘health care’. In their future city Throughout the trip they met Bill Nye the project, called Watanobbigoo, they used all recyfr.

Science Guy, Michael Griffin, the head of clable materials to create a cure for Alzheimer’s NASA, Richard C. Levin, the President of Yale, disease. They also wrote an essay saying how their city was able to function and how it incorporated the theme of and Dave Loebsack, a representative of Iowa. They learned about health care. They won first place at State Competition, qualifying their jobs and how important it was to work hard, and to become them for Nationals. They won Best Essay at Nationals represent- leaders.

This trip encouraged all three girls to do more with science and ing Iowa. “[After winning State] we were in magazines, and one day Presi- technology. Gunasekar wants to be a doctor and Elsheikh would dent Obama read one of those and invited us to go to his annual like to do something in the engineering field.

“I learned that if you work really hard, it will pay off somehow, Science Fair,” Elsheikh said. Gunasekar’s interview can be seen on you just don’t know how,” Gunasekar said. “Your hard work will the Kiki Magazine website.

The White House Science fair selected two groups to represent always pay off.” isabel neff Future Cities, and the team of Elsheikh, Gunasekar, and Meyer, was selected along with a group from Detroit. There were many

Page By Bailey zaputil

7

$ News

Money & Education How budget cuts, school closures and a new school system affect everything

graphic by rachel gilman

School closures & budget cuts

B

udget cuts in Iowa have forced school districts to close schools everywhere. The Cedar Rapids Community School District will be closing elementary schools Polk and Monroe because of this cut and the unbalanced number of students attending each school.

The closing of an elementary school should save the school district an estimated $600,000. In total, the closings of the schools should save an estimated one million dollars. The school district’s budget is declining and allowable growth is at a historic low, with 0 percent this year and 2 percent next year. These saved funds can be used for many things such as equipment and employee salaries.

Although the closing will save money, this was not the only reason for closing the schools. “The closure is an efficiency issue that is driven by enrollment,” Superintendent Dr. David Benson said. In Cedar Rapids, there were 11,100 seats for elementary school students but only 7,300 students. By making these changes,

8

the number of seats would go down. Ultimately, this leads to a higher efficiency ratio. Benson recommends an efficiency ratio of about 75 percent. This allows room for other programs such as art and music.

“The efficiency issue leads to the monetary savings,” Benson said.

Colleges in Iowa have also had to close facilities due to cost and efficiency. UNI closed their Malcolm Price Laboratories, an experimental school for students in the education department to learn teaching skills, due to cost. Sarah Collingsworth, a student teacher here at Kennedy, is a student in UNI’s education program. Collingsworth did her second field experience at Price Labs. “It will have an impact on the overall teaching experience just because level-two has always been at Price Labs for all of the students,” Collingsworth said. By cutting the program, level-two students at UNI will have to be sent to surrounding schools. Collingsworth believes this will have an effect but it will not be huge because UNI has two other facilities that

require students to go to other schools.

Redistricting in the Cedar Rapids Community School District is occurring in order to fix the overcrowding and under crowding schools. Schools, such as Harding Middle School and Taft Middle School, have major overcrowding problems, while schools, such as Wilson, are experiencing under crowding.

Benson believes that the quality of education for students will be better after these changes. He believes that these changes will maximize resources for students at formerly overcrowded schools. Students will also have more opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities. “I think at the end of the day we will have a better system or I wouldn’t have made the recommendations that I made,” Benson said.

Michael Abramson

news

The new system after closures

Nixon Elementary, along with Pierce, and Hiawatha will all be receiving a different amount of students. Although not affected as much as some schools, Nixon teachers seem to be taking it well, such as Casey Wood, fifth grade teacher. “I think it was a tough decision that they had to make, and sometimes in life we have to make tough decisions for the greater good, and I think that’s what happened here,” she said.

hannah bruns

With the announcement of these school closures, many people are left with the question about what’s going to happen next. Following these changes will the relining of school boundaries, which was announced on Feb. 7.

Superintendent Dr. David Benson and the School Board came to this agreement on redistricting on the hope of drawing students from the areas that are growing to the areas of the district that have been experiencing a declining population over the past few years.

The state of Iowa declared last year that “The biggest changes are happening at the middle school level.” Benson said. all school districts were to cut funding for Schools like Harding and Taft who have activities by ten percent to save money. come close to overcrowding in the past few The Cedar Rapids School District followed through and was forced years will be affected to acknowledge the for the better. Wilson and Hoover will now “I think it was a tough budget cut.

The district now become an elementary decision they had to gives each high school feeder to Roosevelt. make,” $80,000 per year, which Polk Elementary will Casey Wood, Nixon Kennedy uses strictly close and Wilson eletowards transportateacher mentary students will tion costs. The school now be relocated to spends approximately Grant, which is clos$100,000 in transporing as an early childhood development center and re-opening tation alone, that leaves a $20,000 gap in as an elementary school. Monroe Early which the school has to make up for. KenChildhood Development Center will also nedy makes its money in many different ways such as getting into the games, plays, be closed.

The demographic in the urban commu- concessions, and the support that families nity has been changing for the past few give to the programs.

“Booster club and the FPA [Financial years, urban schools are taking the hardest hit in the loss of numbers. The urban Planning Association] do fundraisers so core population has started to push out, to that they can get money. The booster club areas on the outside of town, causing the raises about $120,000 a year that gets decrease in schools like Polk, to increases contributed towards our athletic program helping to pay for helmets, basketballs, in schools like Viola Gibson.

“School boundaries aren’t always based and volleyballs. Practically all the things that we need,” Aaron Stecker, associate on geographical residence,” Benson said.

Many members of the state took part in principal said. The booster club does three the decision, but the decision rested on main fundraisers including a golf outing, the recommendation of Dr. Benson, and memberships, and benchwarmers. The the final vote of the School Board. Both Financial Planning Association do similar the School Board and Dr. Benson agreed events such as an annual garage sale that help fund the fine arts programs. The years on these changes.

The actions should go into effect by Au- have shown gate receipts and fundraisers gust of 2012-2013 school year. Some of dropping due to the fall of the economy. the redistricting may not fully take place When less money comes in, there is less for the next five years, due to some stu- money to spend and budgets act accorddents open-enrolling at their home school. ingly.

Budget cuts affecting Kennedy activities

Budget breakdown 1. The district will save an estimated $600,000 by closing an elementary school.

2. In Cedar Rapids, there are 11,000 seats for elementary school students but only 7,300 students.

3. The district gives high schools $80,000 per year for activities.

4. Kennedy spends $100,000 a year on transportation alone for activities.

5. The booster club raises $120,000 a year, which is then disseminated among the athletic program for equipment.

6. Closing the elementary schools will save the district an estimated one million dollars.

The budget cut has made Kennedy look for alternatives. “One of the things we try to do is cut transportation costs by taking charters less. We try to take yellow buses as much as possible. We attempt to cut where we can without sacrificing the experience of our students and what they get in our programs,” Stecker said.

The struggling economy has not yet effected the expectations that the school has for its activities programs. However, if money becomes sparser the school may need to look for other sources of income such as grants. “If things don’t turn around and if we don’t have successful fundraisers we may have to dip into the things we need for programs. That’s when we may have to pursue other means of funding like grants,” Stecker said. steph mercer

PageS By Bailey zaputil

9

Mr. Tutor Mobile Tutoring Service

Private Home Tutors

-Quality home tutoring for students in grades K-College in ALL subjects, including Upper Math (Algebra, Trig, & Calculus), Upper Science (Biology, Chemistry, & Physics), SAT/ACT prep, and Driver’s Ed. prep.

-No contracts- we charge by the hour!

To register: www.mobiletutorservice.com Call (319) 721-2225 We bring A’s to your home!

Come  experience  one  of  the  following  events  hosted  by  your  local  organizations May  19,  2012  -­  Student  Leadership  Conference  Unplugged

2:00pm  -­  4:00pm  at  the  Clarion  Hotel,  Cedar  Rapids,  IA. Did  you  attend  last  years’  Student  Leadership  Conference?  Then  you  know  the  force  that  is  Azure  Antoinette.  Well  she’s  back!  Spend  the  afternoon  with  this  world  renown  poet  and  spoken  word  artist  and  enjoy  a  real  dialogue  discussing  issues  surrounding  today’s  youth. Â

October  19,  2012  -­  Student  Leadership  Conference

8:00am  -­  3:00pm  at  Mount  Mercy  University,  Cedar  Rapids,  IA.  Students  and  Educators  in  public,  private  and  home  schools  are  invited  to   “

�.  The  Student  Diversity  Leadership  Conference  will  empower  and  inspire  attendees  to  be  more  understanding  and  accepting  of  all  avenues  of  diversity.  This  years’  conference  will  focus  on  taking  a  stand  for  diversity,  being  proud  of  who  you  are,  accepting  and  helping  others  accept  that  diversity  is  the  key  for  success,  growth,  and  knowledge.  Free  to  attend,  schools/edcuators  should  register  students.

Register  for  all  events  at  www.diversityfocus.org/student

PAGE BY Spencer Grekoff

10

ads

The prettiest fun and unique prom flowers come from Peck’s

Peck’s Flower Shop 3990 Blairs Ferry Rd. NE

393-5565

www.pecksflorist.com Growing with the Cedar Rapids area since 1956.

PAGE BY Spencer Grekoff

11

Profile

Anything boys can do...

Two Kennedy girls show what it’s like to be successful females in a male-dominated sport

Who says girls can’t do what boys can do? Have them meet Clara Gilbert, so., and Maddie Flesner, jr., both who excel in the male-dominated sport of ice hockey since the age of six.

Flesner and Gilbert both play on the St. Louis Lady Blues, an Elite Triple A team based in St. Louis, and for the High School Rough Riders team in Cedar Rapids, a team composed primarily of boys. Flesner plays center, and Gilbert takes forward on the right wing.

They love hockey for each their own reasons: “I like the competition. I like winning, it’s just part of my life so I just like it a lot,” Flesner said. “I think it’s just so different from every other sport, and it’s really exciting to play. The game can change in a split second and there’s just so much to it,” Gilbert said.

When they’re on the ice, there’s nothing else.“I feel happy when I’m out on the ice.

It’s nice to just free your mind from other things going on like school,” Flesner said.“It’s weird. The moment you step on the ice you forget about everything else besides hockey.

Almost like you’re in a different world. It’s a great stress reliever,” Gilbert said.

Even though they’re both successful hockey players, both girls agreed that they are underestimated because of their gender. “Oh, you’re just a girl, can you really play?” Flesner mimicked sardonically, then shrugged. “I’ve been playing

12

Slapshot. On the ice, Maddie Flesner, jr., chases the puck away Photo provided by Maddie Flesner from the other team. just as long as the boys and I compete with them just fine.”

Gilbert said the underestimation made her want to work harder. “You have to prove yourself,” she said. “You work your hardest and you show that just because I’m a girl doesn’t mean I’m any less skilled than a boy.”

In the past year they have

journeyed to New York, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Boston, Washington D.C, and many more cities for competition. Because of their constant travelling and weekly practices, schoolwork can be a struggle. Gilbert said that it’s really hard and that she does her homework after school, but that it’s hard on the weekends to get it done.

“You really have to sit down and just force yourself to do it,” she said. On the other hand, Flesner said that it’s not bad and that she tries to get her homework completed before she leaves to competitions.

Hockey has affected the girls in other ways too, ways of their characters. “It taught me how to work hard and time management. It also keeps me focused on what’s important,” Gilbert said.

“I feel like hockey has given me a good work ethic. Being a girl, it makes me realize you really have to work to prove yourself and there are going to be people who don’t understand or don’t accept it. But you just need to do what you love no matter what,” Flesner said.

As for the future, both Flesner and Gilbert will try for scholarships, but say that hockey scholarships, even for girls, are hard to get. Even though both love hockey, they say that they don’t want to have their whole college life revolve around the sport.

“I’ve already missed a lot of high school so I don’t want my college life to be all hockey,” Gilbert said.

Bailey Zaputil

For more stories like this one, visit our website. kennedytorch.org

Profile

Making the ultimate sacrifice Kennedy student gives up her senior prom for cheer

Scorpion. Cassidy McDowel, sr., doesn’t let a dress get in the way of cheering.

Photo by Jessica Rowan

Senior year, for many students, is filled with many memories before they step out into the real world to begin college. Prom, an all-night extravaganza, is a way for seniors to celebrate together before they graduate high school. Girls can take months to plan their perfect dress, hair, nails, date, dinner, and so on. But one senior has decided to miss out on the prom experience in order to pursue something that she loves.

Cassidy McDowell, sr.,has been involved in cheerleading for the past seven years. She first started cheering for Twisters and then moved on to cheer for Iowa Elite as well as for the cougar football team. McDowell will be attending Boise State University in the fall and wants to try out for their cheerleading squad. However try-outs run from April 27-29; Kennedy’s prom is on the 28.

McDowell began dress shopping a few weeks ago when she found out that prom fell early this year at the end of April. She turned to her Iowa Elite coaches for help in mak“But I would rather ing her decision to either skip prom or give up one night of skip cheer tryouts. In the prom than seven years end she sided with one of her coaches who of cheerleading.” also skipped - Cassidy Mcdowell, sr. her prom in order to go to cheerleading try-outs.

“This is a way for me to meet new people in Boise. Even if I don’t make cheerleading I will have still have met people before I go there,” McDowell said. She is disappointed that she will be missing the last large school event of the year before graduation. McDowell did get to attend prom last year but she was really looking forward to going this year with all of her friends. McDowell is feeling okay about the sacrifice she is making in order to go to cheerleading tryouts. “I don’t want to stop after I have been doing it for so long,” McDowell said.

The tryouts at Boise State University run so that people are cut every day. “So if I go and get cut the first day then it is going to suck because I could have made it to prom because prom is on the 28,” McDowell said. “But I would rather give up one night of prom than seven years of cheerleading just because it is more important to me.” McDowell has participated in many competitions including Nationals where her Iowa Elite team has won two titles. She has sacrificed many other activities before for cheerleading competitions and says that they were all worth it in order to do something that she loves.

McDowell decided to attend Boise State because she has family that lives in Idaho and has traveled out there for a couple of summers. After taking a visit to the college she knew that she wanted to move out west to attend the college. She will be studying general health sciences with the hopes of pursuing a career in the medical field. “I am not exactly sure what I want to do yet but I’ll start there and then figure it out,” McDowell said.

Darcey Altschwager

PAGES Amy Brause 13

ONWARD&

UPWARD In June 2008, devastating floods ravaged through Eastern Iowa destroying neighborhoods, businesses, and homes. Since then, city centers in Cedar Rapids and Palo have been mostly refurbished, and many Eastern Iowans would say their communities have nearly returned to normal. Beyond the sight of the public eye, however, there are many individuals still quietly rebuilding, reshaping, and recovering. Today, four years later, the Torch examines how the Flood of 2008 has shaped the lives of three Kennedy community members.

Photo by Sarah Sickles

Feature

Never to be forgotten

Photo provided by Jessica Rodman Slam Dunk. Post flood, Jessica Rodman discovered the flood carried a step ladder higher than her basketball hoop.

Pulling Together through challenges At 4a.m. on June 11, 2008 Jessica Rodman’s mother woke to examine the state of the impending rain. There seemed to be no threat of flooding – they were outside of 500-year floodplain and the water was far from their home near Harrison Elementary School. However, three hours later the situation had changed drastically. Water was spilling into their alley and the Rodmans realized they had to evacuate. Within one hour, they loaded three vehicles with four people, six pets, and a few essential provisions.

“We didn’t have enough space for everything,” Rodman, jr., said.

“My mom grabbed the mortgage and one picture book. That’s all we took from the downstairs.”

As water flooded Rodman’s basement and first floor, destroying photos, furniture, and Christmas decorations, she and her family fled to Mount Vernon, where they lived for five months after the flood. They eventually returned to their home, but after remodeling things had changed. “All the memories were gone,” Rodman said. “Before it was a home, but when we came back it was different. It wasn’t really a home anymore.”

Over the past four years the Rodmans have mostly repaired the physical damage caused by the flood, but they are still coping with economic hardships that it brought. “Even now we’re still dealing with tax issues,” Rodman said. “The IRS has called us and it’s been really strange trying to work out what was taxed and what wasn’t

16

Whatever floats your boat. Rapids caused Rodmans boat to rise higher Photo provided by Jessica Rodman than her house.

and how much [money] we could get from where.”

As Rodman and her family faced challenges caused by the flood, they found support from their community. “It’s taught me how much a natural disaster can pull us together,” Rodman said. “Before the flood nobody knew their neighbors’ names, but now everybody knows everybody.”

Rodman’s financial situation is looking up as well. “The last thing that could possibly bother us we took care of in our taxes this year,” Rodman said. “We’re nearing the end.”

Finally making the return home Like many individuals affected by the Flood of 2008, Abi Gray, sr., originally could not imagine the possibility of her home filling with water. “We didn’t necessarily think we would be hit because our elevation was really high and we were in the 500-year floodplain,” Gray said. “We didn’t see it coming.” However, by the time the Flood of 2008 had swept through Cedar Rapids, the basement and first floor of Gray’s Ellis Boulevard home were destroyed.

Although Gray’s family managed to save family photos and keepsakes by moving them to the upper floor of their home, they lost furniture and appliances such as their washing machine, dryer, and stove.

Meanwhile, Gray and her family lived with her grandparents

Emerg

Feature

n

Emerged. Flood waters proceed to invade Mays Island, home to the Cedar Rapids Court House and the Cedar Rapids City Hall.

Photo provided by The Gazette Photo by Brian Ray for several weeks before moving into an apartment. After two However, Korf soon realized that her Palo home was in danger. months, they moved to a home near Xavier High School, where She quickly loaded a pick-up truck with essential provisions and fled to her sister-in-law’s house. Although she lived one mile from they have lived for the past four years.

However, Gray and her family have recently decided to return to the river, Korf’s home was greatly affected. “Our house was at a their home near the river. “The neighborhood itself is awesome dead-end and it was the only one on our street to have both floors to me,” Gray said. “I water-ski a lot so I’m a fan of moving back flooded,” Korf said. down there.” Because Gray’s family has been renovating the home Korf lived with her sister-in-law for a short time while she renosince the end of summer 2011, Gray said the home, which con- vated her home. Luckily, Korf’s son-in-law was a plumber, her sists of three small cabins, will be more up-to-date than it was be- husband was an electrician, and her nephew was a builder. This fore the flood. She is looking forward to having the Cedar River in allowed Korf and her family to largely rebuild on their own. her backyard and having one of the three cabins to herself. Gray’s Despite this help, it was still financially difficult to reconstruct family hopes to move in by the end of the summer. their home. “We spent twice as much redoing one level of our Although she is finally returning home, the flood has left a life- house as our whole house cost originally,” Korf said. Her family long impression on Gray. “It happened right before my freshman did not qualify for many aid programs and they missed the deadyear, so it was a big time in my life,” she said. “But it taught me to line for a major grant. “People needed [money] more than we did,” handle things when life is going kind of crazy.”

Korf said. “So we never fought for any extra money or appealed.”

For now, Korf’s house remains without a finished basement until they gather the proper funds, but overall she has been happy with her new home. “It was like moving back into a new house again,” Korf said. “It was nice: it was like I wanted it to be.”

“We never would’ve ever dreamt that this would be one of the Amidst the changes and renovations, memories of the flood come things we would have to face,” Vicki Korf, Kennedy guidance sec- back to Korf whenever it rains. “Last year when the river was risretary, said about the Flood of 2008. In the early stages of the ing we just held our breath,” Korf said. “They say it can’t happen flood, Korf was sandbagging at Palo school. “I was helping every- again, but you can’t always say it won’t.” body else and not worrying about our home,” Korf said. The Corp Tara Mittelberg of Engineers had even told her that she had nothing to worry Pages By Allie Sindlinger 17 about.

Making the difference on their own

Then & now Take a look at how the Kennedy we know today, used to be.

Far Left: Benching it. Taken from a 1989 Kennedy yearbook, “Hallie Burdt, Debi Doluhy, and Heather Hangartner show how much fun taking control can be,” during homecoming week on today’s senior bench.

Left. Say cheese. The womens golf team of 1989 pose in front of the school for their yearbook photo. Members included “Front Row: Kelly Stevenson, Jenny Kuster, Jodi Keonig, Susan Jacobson, Jodi, Benfer. Second Row: Mia Schroeder, Donna Lynch, Stacy Phillip, Amy Vandeventer, Jennifer Dolezal. Third Row: Coach Ann Staub, Kristin Olsen, Kellene Phillip, Jennifer Koenig, Mellisa Hawley.”

Below. Chasing cars. Since the South Lot picture taken in 2001, a fence has been erected, a sidewalk installed and trash cans put in place.

Photos and page by Sarah Sickles For more Then and Now go to our website, kennedytorch.org

Above: Stepping it up. Students on these steps were involved in a business internship in the 1989 yearbook.

“Back row: Trudi Hinkel, Stephanie Kirk, Jamie Quelle, Jennifer Mote, Carrie Siewart. Second Row: Jackie Heisdorffer, Stacie Glasser, Paulette Hansen. Front Row: Melissa Pankey, Jodi Rose.”

Below: Kick the can. “Wondering where his afternoon snack is, junior Stephen Hitchcock takes out his frustrations on the vending machine in the front foyer. After trying his hardest to persuade it to give him a break, he got neither his food nor his money.” The vending machines under the stairs in the foyer were vastly different in 1995. They contained cans of soda and it cost much less.

Photos and page by Sarah Sickles

ads

PROM: April 28. Picutres 3:30-7:00 at Kennedy. Grand March 4:30-6:00 in the Kennedy Auditorium. Dinner at Elmcrest Country Club 6:00-7:45. Dance 8:0011:30 at Elmcrest Country Club. Post Prom 12:00-4:00 at Rockwell Collins Rec. Center. Tickets on sale April 16-20. Information provided by Krista Anderson.

PAGE BY Spencer Grekoff

21

ads

- The future is going to happen.

- Why not be smart about yours?

- Free or low- cost birth control.

Ready for a baby?

Not now.

Get free or low-cost birth control and condoms from St. Luke’s Family Health Center. STD testing and treatment also available. Call today.

319/369-7397 FreeBirthControl.org

KENNEDY HALF PG 2011 8 x 5.indd 1

Family Health Center

10/26/11 3:28 PM

PAGE BY Spencer Grekoff

22

Arts and Entertainment

group of Nielsen, Heskje, and Hanzelka won the all-state banner, the most prestigious award to an improv group in the state of Iowa. Nielsen and Hanzelka have won the banner two straight years, while Heskje who joined the speech program this year was able to bring the title back home after Chase Sullivan, winner of last years all-state banner graduated. “I definitely had the jitters before allstate, I knew Andrew and Shane had won the year before, so I really wanted to make them proud. I wanted to make sure I could secure the banner for them a second year in a row, and I’m really glad we did.” Heskje said. Nielsen who has been apart of the improv program all four years at Kennedy was especially pleased with bringing the all-state victory back for a second year. “It felt good the first time, it felt even better the second time.” Nielsen said.

Behind the award winning Animal. Andrew Hanzelka, jr., brings out his wild side at One Night.

Photo by Sarah Sickles groups, a lot of practice and preparation is put into improv. “In practice we learn to hone a lot of our skills, to see what works and what doesn’t and learnThe crowd roars in laugher, the group the school year as well as performs in One performs something on the spot with very campaign sponsored events. Over the ing different techniques that will help us little or no planning, the performers put course of the year the team becomes re- perform better.” Robinson said. “I like that their head down and the laughs continue ally close of friends. “Being close makes it you can be serious about it but still make it but with applause. Among the audience, easier to play off each other and it makes really funny,” Bennett said. Although the some of the funniest actors in the school practicing more comfortable since we’re practices really help with crafting their art, stand after they perform, they are the im- all close,” Bennett said. The group also has the team still likes to goof around as well. a group of friends, who have been really “One of mine [favorite things] is probably prov team.

Apart of the large speech program at good friends since elementary school as the practices because every time it’s differKennedy, the improv team has gained the well. “Andrew, Alosha, Tanner, Jack and I ent, since its all improv, we have a lot of inside jokes together reputation as some of the funniest kids in have all been pretty the school. Improv, otherwise known as good friends since “I like that you can be seri- too” Nielsen said.

The team has improvisation acting has been apart of the elementary school. ous about it, but still make gained a lot more it really funny.” speech program at Kennedy for years, but Without knowing it popularity over the has grown in popularity over the last two we’ve been improv-Ali Bennett, jr. past two years.They ing pretty much all years. have been incredThe varsity improv team consists of our lives, we just ibly successful at district, state, and alleight juniors and one senior including: have a label for it now,” Heskje said.

Each competition decides whether state performances and with eight of the Shane Nielsen, Sr. Jonah Heskje, Andrew Hanzelka, Henna McCoy, Ali Bennett, Alo- they’ll move onto the next including, dis- nine members returning next year the sha Robinson, Jake Frazier-Flores, Jack tricts, state, and all-state. Of the nine on hopes are as high for the team. The imGreen, and Tanner Boyle. The group also the varsity team, they’re split into groups prov team will be performing at the next has a freshman team who includes George of three in which they perform at the vari- improv night on DATE STILL PENDING. Qi, Fatima Elsheikh, and Derek Ray. Since ous competitions. While performing they The team hopes to keep delivering tons of the improv group is apart of the speech get two minutes to prepare and five min- laughs as well as representing the speech program, it is led by Melissa Osborn, social utes to perform. “The better you plan, the program and Kennedy, as Nielsen puts it “We’re improv-erific!” better you perform,” Heskje said. studies teacher.

All three groups qualified for state, The team practices once a week and performs in various competitions throughout while one group qualified for all-state. The Mohammad Cheetany

Speech: fast acting

PAGE BY Stephanie Mercer 23

Arts and Entertainment

Audiences feed off The Hunger Games Premiere S

hortly after Twilight was first shown in cinemas on Nov.18, “The Hunger Games seems to be geared towards girls and boys, 2008, new, old, and faithful fans began their extreme vampire whereas Twilight seems to be geared towards just girls, so I would craze. The book Twilight was first published in 2005, but when expect The Hunger Games to have a better turnout,” Becky Stethe movie hit the big screen, fans hit a new level of obsession. phens, physics teacher, said.

Many concur, however, that Twilight has begun to be replaced by Stephens has read all three books of The Hunger Games series, a suddenly erupted love for a newer series, and has read the first book of the TwiThe Hunger Games. light series. “Twilight was too mushy.

“The Hunger Games filled the The Hunger Games, a book based around a The Hunger Games filled the Harry PotHarry Potter void....” ter void, where Twilight didn’t, and kill-or-be-killed motive, has hit a home run -Becky Stephens, Physics teacher there was a push for an intriguing new with a large variety of audiences. The movie series like Harry Potter. A good vs. evil, The Hunger Games premiered on March 23, right vs. wrong plot,” Stephens said.

2012. With sold-out midnight showings, The first book in The Hunger Games series was published in The Hunger Games was estimated to have a better outcome of at2008, and since then, has been sold in bookstores around the tendees, compared to the beloved Twilight saga. world. “We have sold well over 100 books in the last month [March],” Bryan Jones, employee at Barns and Noble, said.

Books are sold at 53 dollars for all three hard copies of the series, 18 dollars for each hard copy individually, and nine dollars each for all paperback copies. “Once the movie is in theatres, however, book sales may drop a little,” Jones said.

Katie Bova, LA 10 teacher, assigned her students to read the first book in The Hunger Games series as a school assignment. Ninety-six percent of her students, male and female, that were surveyed, said they planned to see the movie the day it premiered. 2% of those who didn’t plan to see it the day it premiered were unable to purchase a ticket in time. All of those surveyed enjoyed reading the first book so much, that 68% of them have read the second and third book.

Not everyone who reads the book(s) planned to go to the showing of The Hunger Games. Joe Jackson, jr., read The Hunger Games, but didn’t plan to attend the movie. “The books have time to give you detail, and they don’t have to fight to keep your attention like movies do. The movies focus more on the action scenes, but the books focus more on personal relationships and the thoughts and emotions of characters,” Jackson said.

Time will be the ultimate judge of whether love stories attract a larger audience than action plots in the case of Twilight vs. The Hunger Games.

Jessica Rowan

Arts and Entertainment

Think you’re an expert on the book?

Test your judgement and see how long you’d survive!

A.) Hesitate and run for supplies, then head for the forest to seek shelter.

B.) Run as far into the forest as possible without trying to get supplies.

C.) Freeze, pause ten seconds, and run the opposite way than all the other people, you lost your train of thought.

2.)You came across your District’s fellow tribute, you: A.) Instantly kill them, no mental processing necessary.

B.) Try to work together for the sake of your family and friends at home.

C.) Turn around and run the opposite way.

3.) You have just been stung by a trackerjacker, you: A.) Pull out the stinger as soon as possible and quickly find something clean to cover the wound.

A.) Search for as many bugs as possible, start a fire, and eat them all for dinner.

B.) Let the hallucinations set in, and enjoy them as long as possible, only to return back to reality.

B.) Hide in a bush and wait for an animal or something meaty to pass by, and attack them from their blind spot.

C.) Hide, rest and settle down, realize you need to remove the stinger, remove it, and rest until you can see straight again.

C.) Bravely sneak into the goodies of fellow competitors, steal as much food as you can find, and quietly run into your hiding spot.

4.) Fruit surrounds you, and you are starving, and you find berries, but can’t remember if they are poisonous or not, you:

6.)You’re face to face with another Tribute.

They freeze up because they know you’ve got the stronger advantage, your weapon of choice to take them out, if at all, is:

A.) Forget about the fruit, you like your meat and you can wait to find something better.

6-10 Points

A.) Knive B.) Bow and Arrow

B.) Pick through the fruit and eat only what you know is safe to eat.

C.) Take your chances and eat whatever fruit you can get your hands on, others haven’t died from fruit.

You have died within the first two days of the Hunger Games. You lack bravery, common sense, and on the spot creativity. You have poisoned youself wild fruit, and as you are dying, your opponents sneak up behind you and kill you quicker than the poison can set in. You leave your District to deal with your shameful performance.

5.) All of the food that you previously had, you have consumed, and you have nothing left to eat, you:

10-14 Points You have managed to be one of the 12 competitors left in the running to become the next Hunger Games Champion. Although you have made a few smart decisions, in the end, your impulsive thinking got the best of you, and you were defeated.

Despite their loss, you leave your District happy with your performace.

C.) Rope

Quiz by Jessica Rowan

Anwnser A = 1 point Anwnser B = 2 points Anwnser C = 3 points

1.) As soon as The Hunger Games start and you are allowed to step off the platform, you:

14-18 Points Congratulations! You are a Hunger Games champion! You have outsmarted all of your fellow competitors, and you are able to return home to your family and friends.

Your future is bright, and you will forever be loved by your peers. You are bloody brilliant...literally.

PAGES BY Stephanie Mercer 25

Health

Bizarre Breaks Photo Illustration by James Kern

R

iley Fergus, jr., broke his jaw twice within six months.

The first time he broke it was warming up a basketball game and David Hynek ran into him. The second time was during a baseball game. “I was playing catcher and a kid slid into me and a ball hit me in the face,” Fergus said. The healing process for Fergus was a surgery and getting his jaw wired up for six weeks. Smoothies and milkshakes were the only things he could eat. “Don’t ever blend popcorn chicken up… grossest thing ever.”

A majority of teenagers are prone to injuries due to the amount of activities they do each day. The most common bones for teens to break are the bones in the forearm, the clavicle, and the bones around the ankle, says Dr. Pape, Orthopedic Surgeon. Those

26

bones usually take about six weeks to heal.

Katie Bova’s, language arts teacher at Kennedy, has a bent pinky finger on her left hand due to a basketball incident after her freshman year in high school. “I was playing in a game and I happened to go for a deflection of the ball and my finger somehow got in the way,” Bova said.

“What I thought happened to be a jammed finger, was not the case because I couldn’t straighten it out. My bones, had been dislocated and my tendon had been sliced in half. All my cartilage in my bones and in my joints had been torn and I had some bone chips floating around in there.”

Just like Bova, students here at Kennedy have had intense breakings. Austin Winders, so., broke his tibia and his fibula by trying to jump on the back of a golf cart. “I think I snapped the bigger [tibia] bone when I hit it and when I landed on the ground the smaller [fibula] one snapped,” Winders said. The healing process for Winders was four months in a cast and boot, and two months in physical therapy.

Ways to make the healing process go faster is to have a healthy diet, keep the bone covered, follow your doctor’s orders, and to not smoke. “Smoking is bad for the healing,” Pape said.

Bova thinks that there is no way to help prevent breaking bones because if you are too cautious, you’re more timid and not as confident on what is going on. Pape thinks that if you’re out of shape you will have a greater tendency to fall or twist your ankle.

Fergus said “not to be an idiot” and to “not get ran into by David Hynek” will help avoid bone breaks. “It was the worst feeling in the world.”

Hanna Krivit

Pre-season yoga

Health

Yoga to baseball. Parker Fifield. so., morphs from Warrior Two to batting position.

It’s the boy’s turn to put on the yoga came from two other coaches that are inpants. Starting this year, all of the cougar volved in the baseball program at Kenbaseball teams have started incorporating nedy. “Coach Nauman and Coach Winter yoga into their off-season workout routine are big proponents of the P90X program.” as a tool to help improve hip flexibility, Hoyer said.

Players are required to hip mobility, stride length and shoulder “It gets us stretched out and do all of the stretches at stabilization. “It gets hopefully it’ll help us in the every practice they atus stretched out, and tend. “We have yet to long run.” hopefully it’ll help us notice any real signifi-Alex Hayden, sr. in the long run.” Alex cant differences yet as we Hayden, sr., said. have been doing many “We have been doof these stretches since ing various “yoga” stretches since I first ar- 1993.” rived in 1993.” Coach Bret Hoyer said. “We Yoga is looked at as more of an activity have incorporated about three additional than an exercise but the players set the reminutes of stretching by adding four or cord straight. “I liked it at first,” Parker Fifive stretches to our normal program. field, so., said “but then it got really hard.”

Although the cougars are using yoga Yoga poses range from “warrior one”, “warrior two”, “warrior three”, “reverse primarily for baseball, it can be beneficial warrior”, “upward dog”, and “downward for all athletes. According livestrong.com dog”. Many professional teams includ- some of the benefits include flexibility, ing the LA Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs balance, breathing, and relaxation.

Yoga takes basic stretches to a higher have also recently employed yoga as a mechanism for training their players. level. The flexibility that athletes develThe idea for combining baseball and yoga op through yoga help to achieve greater

Photos by Hanna Krivit sport-specific performance. The flexibility also helps prevent rotator cuff injuries as well as injuries to other fragile joints. Yoga corrects imbalances that can affect a player’s body control in specific sports.

It can be difficult for athletes to maintain a constant breathing rate during competition; if the breathing becomes erratic or shallow, it can negatively affect their performance. Yoga teaches breathing skills that can help athletes maintain a constant level of activity.

Although yoga has become part of the player’s workout, it only makes up a small percentage of their training routine. “We hope all of our training methods help our players perform to their potential,” Hoyer said.

The Cougars begin their season on May 21st at home, against Washington. Hoyer said, “I am excited for the season to start and to watch these players carry our Cougar baseball tradition forward.”

Amy Brause

PAGES BY Annie Feltes and hanna krivit

27

Health

Dinner. Alisse Daffinrud recieves her nutrients though a feeding tube.

Photos provided by Alisse Daffinrud

Working to gain weight W

ith the change in season, comes the desire to lose weight. Some people want to shape up for prom. Others want to get fit for summer. But for Alisse Daffinrud, jr., losing weight is detrimental to her health.

Healthy and fit, Daffinrud noticed something was wrong when she started to feel sick when doing her usual day-today activities. “When I eat solid food, it feels uncomfortable, like there’s a lot of pressure,” Daffinrud said. After seeing a specialist, Daffinrud learned she has a rare illness called Gastroparesis, which prevents her stomach from emptying.

Gastroparesis is caused by a virus, so it can come and go.

“I’ve had it since elementary school, and it just started to get really bad this year,” Daffinrud said.

Doctors don’t know very

much about the disease. “There are medications that can help restart your stomach, but I’ve had reactions to all of them,” Daffinrud said. The doctors have found that what seems to work the best is sticking to a liquid diet. Daffinrud was instructed to replace solid food with six to eight nutritional drinks a day.

Without solid food, Daffinrud started to lose a lot of weight. She became thin, pale, and bony-looking, going from around 100 pounds to 82 pounds. “It’s hard to keep my weight up with just eating protein supplements,” Daffinrud said.

With losing weight, comes losing energy. “Being really active, that’s probably the biggest thing it’s affected,” Daffinrud said. “I can’t do very much without feeling weak and dizzy.” Daffinrud has had to give up some of the activities she

loves, like running, tennis, and charity work.

In addition to sports, Daffinrud had missed a significant amount of school due to her Gastroparisis. “I think the beginning of second term was the last time I’ve been to a full day of school,” Daffinrud said. She has been going to half days of school since second term.

Even having missed so much school, Daffinrud has continued to be a successful student.

“I’ve just been trying to stay on top of things. I have organized teachers and they’re really helpful and really nice.”

As for the other activities, Daffinrud has found ways to cope with her illness. “I like to do charity work a lot, so instead of participating in events, I’ve been planning them and thinking about work I want to do this spring and summer,” Daffinrud said.

Sometimes it can take a while

for people to regain energy after losing so much weight, but Daffinrud is anxiously waiting for the doctors to clear her, so she can take up running and tennis again. Most recently, the doctors have been saying it will be about one month until Daffinrud gets her energy and weight back up. “It’s harder to gain weight than you’d think,” Daffinrud said.

When the sun finally comes out after the winter, it’s hard to not be active, but Daffinrud has remained positive. Daffinrud explains that with friends and family it actually hasn’t been too difficult. “Just for anyone who is sick, it’s nice when you have the support of friends,” Daffinrud said. “When I was in the hospital I saw kids with cancer and realized that that’s a lot worse.”

Hannah Botkin

PAGE BY Annie Feltes and hanna krivit

28

ads

Aid to Women is now...

Pregnancy testing Ultrasound

Support

www.BridgehavenCR.org

701 Center Point Rd. NE • Cedar Rapids • 319-364-8967

PAGE BY Spencer Grekoff

29

sports

Coaching change B

rian White looks to do one thing for Kennedy’s track program: help it compete for championships. “Our number one goal is to go out and compete,” White said. White is the new head varsity coach for the Cougar track team for the 2012 season.

White also coaches football at Kennedy. “I had aspirations to be a head [track] coach, and so it was kind of a natural fit,” White said. “I was very happy when I got the job, I’m excited to have a program of my own and run it my own way.”

White looks to change up some things for the program, and it starts with participation. “I want to have a big team.

I have 105 kids on the team right now and I want to keep those types of numbers,” White said. He also is looking to include more modern workouts to help his team perform and to have fun. “We do things in the swimming pool; we do workouts on hills. We’ll play dodgeball or basketball every once and a while after practice,” White said.

Of the 105 kids out for track, there are only 14 seniors out for track this season, but White doesn’t think that will hurt the team too much. “Track’s kind of unique because in track you’re either fast or you’re not, you can either throw and jump far or you can’t, so it doesn’t matter if you’re a ninth grader or a senior if you can get the job done you can get the job done. But you do need some senior leadership, guys who can take control of situations and you need those older kids out there to do so,” White said. White thinks that athletes such as Josh Jahlas, sr., Trevor Oates, sr., and Trent Seubert, sr., could help provide that leadership.

In their first track meet of the season, the Cougar varsity team took over 80 participants to the UNI dome in Cedar Falls. Derek Jacobus, so., broke the sophomore long jump record with a jump of 22 ½ feet, good enough for second place. The shuttle hurdle team of Tommy Kaiser, jr., Famiek Cook, so., Jacobus, and Jahlas finished third. The 4x100 team of Kaiser, Cook, Jacobus and Alex Hillyer, jr., placed sixth.

Moving forward, White wants to start competing for a conference championship on a more consistent basis and then a state championship. “With the youth that we have right now and what I know what is coming up in eighth grade, realistically we need to start competing for championships immediately. That’s why we’re here, to win.”

Ethan Divis

Sprinting. Tommy Kaiser, jr., runs the hurdles at a track meet.

Photo by Sarah Sickles

“I was very happy when I

got the job, I’m excited to have a program of my own and run it my own way.

- Coach Brian White

”

30

PAGE BY Norm Althoff

sports

Leadership. Lauren Boyer, sr., coaching younger players in her first game of her senior season.

Sisters. McKenzie Dickerman, sr., and Kaela Dickerman, so., at halftime. The sisters are playing on a team together for the first time.

Photos by Mohammad Cheetany

Reunited with soccer

For most athletes during their senior year, the ideal thing to do would be to polish off four years of playing their sport.

For two female soccer players, this year is their last chance after continuously being plagued by injuries.

Lauren Boyer, sr. and McKenzie Dickerman, sr. have been part of the soccer program at Kennedy since their freshman year but both girls have been unable to avoid injuries throughout each of their seasons.

Boyer, who played varsity her freshman year and has been part of the team ever since, has had various injuries that have put her out of the game several times. Her first injury came in May of her freshman year. Boyer was able to play part of freshman year, including the state tournament against Ankeny, where the girls took home the state title.

The following season Boyer planned on starting varsity. After playing one preseason game during her sophomore year, she went to a college showcase with her club team and dislocated her left knee. “It was funny because my coach, Homer, said, ‘I swear if you get hurt, I’ll get so mad,’ and I came back on crutches,” Boyer said. Following her unfortunate trend, Boyer dislocated her other knee playing indoor soccer during her junior season and was unable to play. Boyer decided not to have another surgery that season, and sat out the entire

season but still was a part of the team by coming to games and helping out other players.

Dickerman has also had her fair share of injuries during her high school soccer experience. During her freshman year Dickerman tore her ACL and was unable to play the season. Dickerman was successful her sophomore year being able to play and was able to stay healthy the entire season and play JV. Before her junior year season, Dickerman tore her ACL and was unable to play the whole season but stayed a part of the team by helping when she could and being a manager.

Dickerman is more excited to play this season than ever before. This will be the first time that Dickerman will play alongside her sister, Kaela Dickerman, so., other than indoor soccer. “It’ll be different because I’ve never actually been on a team with her aside from indoor soccer earlier this year, so it’ll be interesting to see what we do this spring,” McKenzie said. As for Kaela, she is skeptical to see how the season will play out playing along side her sister. “I don’t know if our personalities will clash together on the field or it’ll help us,” Kaela said.

Boyer is coming into the season with high hopes. “Ideally I’d like to play the whole season this year, especially as a senior it means a lot to me because it’s hard

when you go to state and not being able to play and knowing you could be making a difference or adversely, watching the team win and not being a part of that success,” Boyer said. In January 2012, Boyer had a scope on her knee as a temporary quick fix so she’d be able to play this season.

“It’s not fixing all my problems, it’s fixing it enough that I’ll be able to play this season, but will have more extensive surgeries in the future,” Boyer said. “I decided to opt for something quick so I could play this season.” After being part of a state championship team and a state qualifying team, Boyer hopes that this season they can make a deep run into the state tournament.

Both of the girls have been cleared to play this season and are excited for new leadership behind Coach Andrew McKnight. “I’m just excited to finally play because I haven’t played in so long and since I’m not playing in college it’ll be fun just to play for fun,” Dickerman said. The team this year is only slightly different than last year after only losing a small number of seniors. “I think we have an opportunity to do well, because other teams lost a lot of important seniors, but we have the depth to continue and make a state tournament run,” Boyer said.

Mohammad Cheetany

PAGE BY Mohammad Cheetany

31

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

www.kennedytorch.org kennedytorchmedia@gmail.com