Torch Volume 53, Issue II

Table of Contents 01

Letter from the Editors

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Class of COVID-19

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Teens on the Front Lines

06

Paperless Advanced Placement

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Awakened by Gunshots

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A Student’s Point of View

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A Movement, Not a Moment

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Staff

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Mission Statement

Letter from the Editors As high school students, we undergo change every day.

From switching schedules to new activities, little of our life remains static. However, the 2020 school year set a new precedent for variation.

Insanity is our new normal, as we look to the news and see deadly pandemics, school cancellations and protests across the nation. Almost everything we had once considered stable and reliable has proven to be the opposite.

Yet, in these times of uncertainty, rather than wasting hours thinking about what could have been, focus on the growth that we have undergone.

While scary, change is essential to human life. It is happening now. It will happen again. Learn from these situations and adapt, and make the most out of these trying times.

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Class of COVID-19 S

enior year has always seemed to have an air of magic around it.

It’s in nearly every teen coming-of-age book or movie: the romance of prom night, walking across the stage to hold the diploma that took four years to earn and tearful goodbyes shared between students and parents as adulthood looms on the horizon.

No one imagines being stuck in quarantine for the end of their senior year.

It all happened in a flash. Spring break came and went. School was still out of session. March and April passed.

Governor Kim Reynolds declared that the 2019-2020 school year was over.

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Some students felt relieved, as they wouldn’t have to stress over future tests and assignments. Others, most notably the graduating class of 2020, weren’t thrilled upon learning that they would not be finishing their senior year.

“I’m the most upset about not being able to properly say goodbye to my friends and thank all of my teachers,” Lindsey Hill, sr., said.

With the year cut short, the class of 2020 is missing out on many celebratory events that mark the end of their high school career. Senior recognition night, traditional graduation and spring sports and activities were canceled for

the safety of the students.

“I wish we would have been able to perform the spring musical,” Hill said.

“We all put so much dedication and love into it. It would have also been a great way to say goodbye for the seniors involved.”

“I’m the most upset about not being able to properly say goodbye to my friends and thank all of my teachers.”

the hard work of the Kennedy community continues to shine. These timehonored traditions are held near and dear to the hearts of many, so the Cougars will keep working to lessen the consequences brought

by COVID-19.

Jami Martin-Trainor

While it seems that most of the senior year traditions have been long forgotten, Kennedy High School staff and students are doing everything they can to provide a hint of normalcy in these unprecedented times. Dana Melone, teacher at Kennedy and the main organizer of prom, has been working to give the class of 2020 memories that they won’t forget.

“With the governor’s decision to close school for the year, it was really important to myself, administration and the senior class officers to try to give seniors many of the rights of passage for their senior year, including prom,” Melone said.

As of now, prom is scheduled to take place on July 10, provided that the government-issued restrictions are lifted.

Although many staples of senior year are not possible for the class of 2020, 03

Teens on the S

ince the COVID-19 pandemic began, people have been panic buying items from toilet paper to hand sanitizer. Amid the craze, few have acknowledged the essential workers who stock everyone’s basic necessities.

Casie Meyer, jr., started working at Fareway July of 2018. To say that her workload increased due to the pandemic would be an understatement.

Before the virus, Meyer worked a maximum of 25 hours a week, as the cashier. Now, her work hours range from 30 to over 40, sometimes with three double shifts a week. In addition to checking customers out, she bags groceries, counts the money in the drawers and handles the safe and bank deposit at night.

Meyer’s hectic work schedule is due to the high demand for everyday products. Cleaning supplies have been flying

off the shelves especially fast. Everyone is trying to stay sanitary to keep the virus away.

“Cleaning products have not been in full stock since the end of March and probably will not be again until fall,” Meyer said.

Fareway employees have also taken measures to be more sanitary for the safety of the customers.

“We clean every cart and basket after one use, and we are required to wear masks and work socially distanced from each other,” Meyer said.

All the employees work hard to maintain a safe environment, but many customers do not show their appreciation. Instead, they have become increasingly negative toward the workers.

“I have gotten yelled at for many things that aren’t my decision or fault like prices not matching and not using

“Be nice to grocery workers right now.

They’re just trying to go with the flow.”

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e Front Lines reusable bags,” Meyer said. “I worked at the door as fast and easily as possible,” Fareway for a year and a half without a Meyer said. “Be nice to grocery workers single customer complaint, but since the right now. They’re just trying to go with pandemic started, I got the flow and not perthree in one week.” sonally trying to make Although Meyer has your life harder.” endured many hardships from both misunClaire Beaman derstanding customers and difficult work hours, she and her coworkers have continued to serve their customers.

Meyer has kept a positive attitude throughout the pandemic. The staff has been on edge due to stress but manages to grow closer together in their effort to continue working.

“We’re just trying to help customers and get them in and out

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Paperless Advan he coronavirus pandemic put a hold on T most regular events, including the closure of all Iowa schools until the end of the school year. Despite this, Advanced Placement, or AP exams were still scheduled for their original dates.

March 13 was the last day Cedar Rapids students had a typical school day. Students and administration were uncertain on whether they would return to school after Spring Break.

School was canceled for the remainder of March, followed by April, and finally the rest of the school year. During this time, AP students were left unsure about what their AP testing would look like. The idea of testing from home brought up concerns from teachers and students. Some of the most common concerns included whether or not students were ad-

equately and fairly prepared for the exams, as well as wondering if at-home testing allowed for cheating or unfair evaluations.

“I have mixed feelings about AP Testing at home. I am glad students have the opportunity to attempt to get college credit for the courses they have worked in all year,” Dana Melone, AP teacher at Kennedy High School, said. “I worry about technical issues and preparing students for a different exam than they expected during the year.”

The switch to at-home testing resulted in the formats of certain AP exams being changed.

All exams chose to cut out multiple-choice sections in an attempt to reduce cheating and simplify the test submission process to the College Board.

The exam time was also decreased due to a

“I worry about technical issues and preparing students for a different exam than they expected during the year.”

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anced Placement shorter testing format. To compensate for the change, the College Board made the decision to restructure the exam rubrics and grading scale for the 2020 exams. “One thing the College Board is doing differently this year is not standardizing scores.

In theory, this should mean that every student that does college-level work according to the course-specific rubric will score a 3, 4 or 5,�

Melone said.

Though some AP classes had almost finished covering their content, others were further away from completion. The College Board in turn offered an opportunity for students to

withdraw from their tests and receive a refund.

The College Board had been working with teachers to communicate with test-takers and prepare them for what to expect during the 2020 AP exams. Concerns aside, students still wanted a chance to gain the AP credit they have worked for since the beginning of the school year.

Maggie Talbott-Malone

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C

edar Rapids has an ever-growing problem with gun violence. The community’s lack of desire for change has further escalated the issue. We must break out of the rut that has led us to this point.

wounds. 19 more have been injured.

Comparatively, there were only 24 gunrelated incidents at this point in 2019.

Three people had been killed and 12 others injured. That’s about 31% less gun-related incidents than the same period in 2020.

Jan. 1. Shots fired near Kennedy High 2018 had a lower count still. By May 21, School’s Performing Arts Center. No one there had been only 15 gun-related inciwas injured. dents that resulted in three deaths and 10 injured.

Jan. 27. A Kennedy student was robbed This trend continues when looking at at gunpoint in the school’s south park2017. In the same time period, there were ing lot. The student’s phone was stolen.

14 gun-related incidents. Not a single perThe perpetrator was caught and arrested. son had been killed, and only four were There were no casualties. injured.

This data shows a clear pattern. The Jan. 28. A 22-year-old man was shot and gun violence in Cedar Rapids is increasing killed near Ashton Place. yearly.

We in Cedar Rapids have grown acApril 22. A 16-year-old was shot and customed to hearing about shootings, so killed on 15th Street. much so that it has become a cycle. Investigations are conducted, arrests are made, May 1. Two women were shot on 30th walkouts are arranged — yet, after only a Street. There was one casualty. few days, little of that uproar is still visible.

The community returns to normal. The horAccording to the Gun Violence Archive, ror of the shooting fades in the minds of

by May 21 in 2020, Cedar Rapids reached the people. a total of 35 violent, gun-related inciThe problem isn’t that Cedar Rapids has dents. Less than halfway through the year an inherent struggle with guns. Neither is and four people have died from gunshot it that we need to make sweeping, nation08

wide gun law changes. The problem is that the Cedar Rapids community hasn’t made a strong attempt to change the way things are.

We aren’t even to a point where we can debate which actions need to be taken to curb gun violence. The community seems unwilling to take major action at all. In theory, many are advocates for change, but in reality, we remain stagnant.

The reason that nothing has changed is simple: Real change takes time. We have not been able to sustain the feeling that drastic action must be taken for a long enough time to take that action. Social media and news have already moved on to the next story.

What can we do to lower gun violence?

There is no all-encompassing solution. The best start, however, is convincing others that something must be done. That begins by sharing the statistics and revealing the scale of the problem to the community.

Show that incidents, injuries and deaths have been going up year after year.

The community alone cannot make changes. We need to demand change from our local government. Petitions, walkouts and protests are avenues for these requests. It also helps to be politically active in elections. Find what candidates are advocates for gun law reform.

While unable to vote, minors can still attend protests and walkouts, sign petitions, start online movements and more. After the Jan. 27 robbery, Kennedy students held a school-wide walkout unprompted by adults. These students are already working to change their futures. They will be the ones that make real changes, provided they continue to be active in adulthood.

We, the Cedar Rapids community, cannot allow this violence to continue. Without change, this situation will never improve.

Shootings will keep happening. People will keep dying. To end this, we must be steadfast in our devotion to change.

Joel Dillman

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A Student’s Point of View S

tudents are on the front lines of our futures. They form opinions about changes they believe need to be made. They voice their opinions through student-led marches, assemblies and more. These acts can invoke much-needed change in society.

Kennedy High School students speak out through a variety of school clubs such as the Black Student Union, or BSU, and Cougar Advisory. These clubs help principal Jason Kline promote change at Kennedy.

“A lot of the key ideas that we end up being able to implement are studentdriven ideas,” Kline said.

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The clubs also allow students to share their perspectives. Teachers, parents and students often have differing opinions. Allowing students to express their points of view can provide crucial information about the school environment.

Without students’ opinions, administrative decisions would not be able to fully accommodate their needs.

“To see the other perspectives that exist out there is the only way you can really run an operation as large as ours,” Kline said.

Issues such as race or gun laws will have major ramifications on the futures of students. Because students will expe-

rience the consequences of complacency, they should be listened to when it comes to these issues.

“Society is always changing and students are quite literally on the front lines of it, allowing them to vividly see the changes that must be made,” Rahma Elsheikh, jr., said.

Students voicing their opinions can bring awareness to problems at school. Raafa Elsheikh, jr., believes that when students voice their concerns, changes are made.

“It definitely sparks some vital conversations about important issues that are not talked about often, but are way too important not to talk about,” Raafa Elsheikh said.

While student concerns can result in positive changes, differences in opinions can cause conflict. On occasion, students and adults are unable to recognize the cause of the discrepancies and ignore what is being said by others.

“So many people are too quick to jump to conclusions about someone’s

opinion without taking the actual time to listen to what they have to say,” Rahma Elsheikh said. “It truly has created a toxic environment at Kennedy that has left many people, including myself, feeling unwelcome.”

Students must feel welcome to voice their concerns to maintain a safe school environment. However, expressing opinions is only one of the necessary facets of healthy communication. Listening to the opinions of others is just as important as those opinions being expressed in the first place. These are the views that will help shape the world the youth will lead someday.

“It’s simple,” Raafa Elsheikh said. “We are the future. We are the next leaders.

The next business owners, principals and presidents.”

“We are the future. We are the next leaders. The next business owners, principals and presidents.”

Anabel Bradley

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lack lives matter. Three words sparkB ing change across the nation. Three words written on posters, uploaded to

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Many who say ‘All Lives Matter’ do not have ill intentions, but believe that the Black Lives Matter movement is saying that social media sites and chanted in nations other lives do not, which is not true. throughout the globe. Three words that The Black Lives Matter movement atare a plea for the right to live. tempts to highlight injustices that the Black “The Black Lives Matter movement is community faces. ‘All Lives Matter’ may at a worldwide movement to expose the first glance seem to be a more inclusive injustice, racism and inequality that POC version of the aforementioned cam[People of Color], more specifically Black paign, but in reality, it is taking people endure daily,” Donovan Jagnow, attention away from the Black so., said. people who are suffering.

Since the murder of George Floyd, “The ‘All Lives Matter’ the support of this movement has grown campaign is 100% valid immensely. Protests are being held, petibecause all lives do tions are being signed and money has matter,” Jagnow said. been donated. Cedar Rapids has had sev- “But, put it in retroeral protests in support of the Black Lives spect. Imagine a Matter movement. neighborhood with “As of right now, June 11, 2020, there only one house have been three marching protests in var- on fire. Yes, all the ious parts of the city,” Jagnow said. “Each houses matter, have been peaceful and all have included but not all of the people of all races.” houses are on fire.

While many are speaking in favor of the Just like how not all Black Lives Matter campaign, some indicommunities are opviduals have refused to acknowledge the pressed like the Black injustices that Black people in America community.” face. Instead, the individuals choose to There are an abunsupport the All Lives Matter movement. dance of ways to support

the Black Lives Matter movement. This issue is not that of Black against white. It is a fight for human rights. A fight that has shown itself time and time again, the only request being for equality.

“Having more Caucasians and such at protests helps POC feel more safe and feel more helped,” Jagnow said. “Seeing a white person holding up a ‘Black Lives Matter’ sign helps us understand that they are with us. That we’re not alone.”

White people have an undeniable position of privilege in America merely due to the color of their skin. Instead of denying the existence of this systemic advantage, white people can leverage it to help those who face oppression. “[White people present at protests]

make police less likely to use force against the protesters,” Jagnow said. “No matter how much you try to fight it, the police are corrupt and the judicial system is broken.

It was made to put POC either in prison or six feet deep.”

Protests are only one of the numerous ways to be active in this fight. There are petitions to sign, organizations to donate to, businesses to support, politicians to call — the list is endless.

“Another crucial way to get involved is to simply inform yourself. Educate yourself on the long-standing oppression of Black people,” Rahma Elsheikh, jr., said. “Only then can your solidarity for the BLM movement truly be sincere.”

This is not a trend. It’s not just a hashtag or a black square on social media. It’s a movement: a movement for change; a movement to protect the lives of the hundreds of thousands of Black people living in America.

Jami Martin-Trainor

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Spring Staff Editors: Jami Martin-Trainor Olivia Riley-Schmelzer Photo Editors: Haylee Brewer Elise Hrabik Section Leaders: Joel Dillman Maggie Talbott-Malone Social Media: Gaby DuPont Alyssa Friedley Media Editors: Samuel Miranda Ashton Nanke

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Advertisement Manager: Mathew WorthingtonBarnes Staff: Claire Beaman Jackson Berry Zaidin Boehmke Anabel Bradley Arya Forbes Jasmine Hite Ashley Hohneke Nezaar Igram Lindsey Matus Emily Reed Kaylia Richards Natalia Semaan Adam Sullivan

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