torchtheJohn F. Kennedy High School4545 Wenig Rd. NECedar Rapids, IA 52402

T h e To r c h h a s b e e n pa s s e d To a n e w g e n e r aT i o n - J o H N F. K E N N E dy

A panel of judges devoured their way through the best cuisine that the Cedar Rapids area has to offer. The top picks for the best places to eat in the community on PAGE 11

graphic by Craig Aucutt

news02 PAG E B Y M I C H A E L N O R D S T RO M J F K TO R C H , F E B RUA RY 2 6 , 2 0 1 0

Tensions were on the rise the day Taylor Delperdang took down

C o n n o r N i c h o l a s s Confederate f l a g s . C l a s h i n g ideas on what the Confederate flags mean was a cause for this disruption.

In mid J a n u a r y , Nicholas, jr., hung two Confederate

flags on his truck. Nicholas hung

the flags in order to help him find his truck in the parking lot.

My main point was the fact that I liked the flags and they made it easier to find my truck in the parking lot when I have a hard time seeing my truck. I wasnt necessarily making any negative statements to anybody; I just like the flags, Nicholas said.

Shortly after Nicholas hung his flags and began driving his truck to school, Principal Mary Wilcynski became aware of the issue involving the flags and the possible disruption that it could potentially cause.

I figured out who the truck belonged to and talked to the student [Nicholas]. I discussed

with him his perspective on it and the perspective from the general populus that the Confederate flag tends to be perceived as a pretty racist symbol, and that thats just something that we cant al-low. His perception, Im sure, was that thats not how he sees it at all. Hes not in any way a racist, Wilcynski said.

Dr. W. approached me last week. I told her that its my free-dom of speech and that I can do what I want and say what I want, and she has no right to take them [the flags] down. She highly sug-gested that I take them down, Nicholas said.

Just days after Nicholas de-cided to keep the flags on his car,

Southern discomfort

My main point was the fact that I liked the flags and they made it easier

to find my truck in the parking lot when I have

a hard time seeing my truck. I wasnt necessar-ily making any negative statements to anybody;

I just like the flags. - Connor Nicholas, jr.

Delperdang, jr., saw the flags and decided to take matters into his own hands. During lunch Delperdang went out into the parking lot and took Nicholass Confederate flags off the truck.

It was kind of a spontaneous plan. I wasnt planning it for a long time. I saw them [the flags] and was like, Hey, I think Im gonna do this, and maybe about a half hour later, I actually did it, Delperdang said.

After discovering that his truck had been vandalized, Nicholas felt the urge to take action.

He wrote a text to a bunch of kids suggesting that the school had broken the flags off and sug-gesting that they should get their Confederate flags and make this into a big deal. At that point we discussed the kind of issues relat-ed to trying to incite some kind of action like that, Wilcynski said.

The administration tried to resolve the situation by instilling a just punishment for Delperdang while also to resolving any disrup-tions that could potentially occur. The result was a two-day suspen-sion for Delperdang.

I got sent home early, and it counts as a two-day suspen-sion because I couldnt come back to school on the half day, Delperdang said.

In addition to Delperdangs suspension, the administration called Nicholas parents to discuss his safety at Kennedy.

It was suggested I not come to school last Friday. The principal feared for my safety. The school associates contacted my parents and they told me that I might as well stay home. I wasnt gonna

Incident involving a Kennedy student, Confederate flags brings about much controversy in and out of school setting

Faux-book friendsFake facebook account created by students causes problems, bothers fellow users

In Facebooks terms and con-ditions, it is stated that no one is allowed to create a fake profile. Four Kennedy students decided to test this rule by creating a fake profile and then killing him off in a fake car crash.

Jake Gold was originally created to be a joke among the creators friends. Although none of the original creators would comment, Maureen Nolan, fr., did. Nolan had access to the ac-count and logged on as Jake many times.

I would only talk to my close friends, and I never stayed on as Jake very long, Nolan said. Jake was removed from Facebook by one of the original creator for fear that they would get in trouble after a letter was sent in to Facebook. After Jakes profile was removed, a group titled Jake Gold: He Will Be

Missed was created saying that Jake was killed in a car crash.

The creator of the group did not want to have her name listed but she did comment about the group. The group was created just for fun because many people already knew that he was fake. People would leave comments like I am really sad that he is gone or I am really going to miss him.

Henna McCoy, fr., left a com-ment on the group wall saying that Jake is fake and did not re-ally die. McCoy was contacted by Jake through a text message.

He said that we had met be-fore at a show choir competition, McCoy said. Later on McCoy and Jake became friends on Facebook. At that time she was not aware that Jake was fake, but gradually over time she figured it out.

Tanner Boyle, fr., was also not aware that Jake was fake until

McCoy posted on the group wall that he was. Boyles dad passed away last year and was angry that someone would fake a death.

Even if it was just for fun you shouldnt fake someones death. It triggered a lot of an-ger for me, Boyle said.

Although Boyle does not know who the original creators of Jake are, he feels that they should not be punished for cre-ating a fake profile. Boyle and McCoy both feel that the cre-ators should think about what they have done.

When Nolan was asked at the end of the interview if she would like to say anything else she added:

My bad. Da r c e y a lt s c h wag e r

disagree with that because I got to sleep in, Nicholas said.

Since the incident, Connor has decided not to put any more Confederate flags on his truck. Connors opinions about the flags has remained the same.

I think they [the Confederate flags] symbolize the souths pride and what they mean is just pride for the United States, only it doesnt have to be the American flag. It was the American flag way back when, but its just a different flag and its my pride. The Ku Klux Klan used it as a racist symbol, but they also use the burning of the cross as a racist symbol too. So if you hold a cross up in church does that mean everybodys racist then? I dont think so, Nicholas said.

As for Delperdang, he recog-nizes his own mistakes and says he wouldnt handle the situation like that again.

My parents think that even though it [the Confederate flag] is a wrong thing, that I went about it the wrong way and shouldnt have vandalized the dudes stuff, Delperdang said.

B r i t ta n i s h e r z e r & M i c h a e l n o r D s t r o M

Connor Nicholas, jr.

Surfing the Web. McKenna Feltes, sr., surfs her facebook account. Feltes rarely uses her Facebook and only gets on to check friend requests and see if she has gotten any notices. The average Face-booker spends over seven hours logged in each month. Some people have even reported being addicted to their Facebook. Cyber bullying is becoming a rising issue for the social net-working site. photo by Elise Krivit

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news04 PAG E B Y M I C H A E L N O R D S T RO MJ F K TO R C H , F E B RUA RY 2 6 , 2 0 1 0briefly

Starting at 2:55, some students head down to an after-school study hall and students still in the building after three are being asked to go to the study hall or leave campus. Dr. Wilcynski said that the purpose was for the kids that ride the city bus, which comes to Kennedy at 3:40, and they are stuck at school for a while. In addition, there are kids that just hang around and socialize, said Wilcynski. Kennedy started with two teachers per day and is planning to start having one teacher per day because attendance is lower than expected. On average there are about eight to ten kids that attend the study hall per day. There are some kids that do go on a daily basis, but there are some kids that decide to leave campus because their social hour is over, Wilcynski said. Cory Hutchinson, fr., believes that it will help im-prove some students grades because they will get their homework done or will have time to study for tests. I think, though, that students should be able to hang out with their friends as long as they are not loud, said Hutchinson. Students just shouldnt be running around the school.

C a H l e CO r r e l l

Unless Iowa wants to start be-ing known for its aquatic life, we need to hope that a monstrous flood the size of the June 2008s doesnt occur again anytime soonbut are the conditions al-ready lined up to have it happen again soon? This summer? As a community we have lived it, weve heard the stories, and seen the pictures. The scenes that covered the televisions and newspapers like an uncontrolled cancer still stalk our minds as spring and summer grow nearer.

Future PossabilityCurrent news has shown the

concern of future flooding. The Federal Emergency Management Agency declared they are to release new flood maps on April 5. The renovated maps change the flood-risk status of about 1,900 parcels of property. The outcome of what this means is to be determined. As of Friday, city officials lowered Coralville Reservoir four feet. However, not to be too caught up in this fact, we need to be worried about the Cedar River and not the Mississippi. Yet this goes to show that the anticipation of rising wa-ter is growing especially with the release of the Hydrologic Outlook that was released on Feb. 19 by the National Weather Service. The scary part of this was how sig-nificantly the numbers increased since last months outlook. Three weeks prior, the spring flood risk for the city of Cedar Rapids was at 33 percent greater than normal; its now at 69 percent. If on March 5, when the new outlook comes out, we have another 36 percent jump, that leaves us at over a 100 percent chance of greater than normal flooding.

The National Weather Service also predicts a 90 percent greater than normal chance of minor flooding, a 70 percent than nor-mal chance of moderate flooding and a 41 percent greater than normal chance of major flood-ing. Now major flooding, accord-ing to the NWS, means a 16 foot crest on top of the 12 foot flood stage for the Cedar River. Justin Gehrts, meteorologist for KCRG-TV9, said, The 2008 crest was above 31 feet. If we crested at 16 feet this year, right at major flood stage, we wouldnt even be close to the Top 10 highest crests in Cedar Rapids.

Flood of 2008The day the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd

Avenue bridges went under was

a sight that will never be erased. The image of the vanished bridges spanned across the globe. June 13, 2008, the Cedar River crested at 31.12 feet. This topped the previous set record by more than 11 feet. In 1929 and again in 1951, the Cedar River crested at 20 feet, which seemed more like minor flooding compared to 08s colossal water levels. A flood that size doesnt just happen. Certain events at certain times and cer-tain places must occur to even en-sue the possibility of having such a disaster.

Typically, a wet fall can be part of the problem. Fall 2007 was weird in that October was very rainy in Cedar Rapids, but November was pretty bone-drybut just the same, a wet fall can be one of the early signs of spring flooding, says Gehrts. Secondly, a deep and long-living snowpack would be another step toward flooding. If the snow keeps piling up, then more and more water is just sitting there. According to the NWS the soil moisture condi-tions in the area have remained much above normal and was this way going into the winter season. As the ground fills up with water from rain and melting snow the chances already begin to increase for flooding, says Robert Young, AP Environmental Science teach-er here at Kennedy High School.

Something else we have to think about is that we cant just look at the conditions in Cedar Rapids to figure out if therell be flooding. We have to look upstream. The Cedar River forms in Northern Iowa, and there is deep snow there as well. So, other parts of Iowamainly to our Northcan impact flooding here, says Gehrts. Near Mason City the Shell Rock River flows directly into the Cedar River that flows down to us. Something alarming to take notice of is how much snow that area has gotten this year. Already Mason City is at 43.2 inches of snow this winter, which is nearly 57 percent more snow than what they had during the winter of 07-08. Three times as much snow has remained on the ground when comparing it back to Feb. 15, 2008.

Mason City isnt the only city showing identical, if not worse, winter weather than the 07-08 winter. This year probably has more snowpack moisture than 2008 and 93 did, says Harry Hillaker, state climatologist. Although our winter seems to be consistent and/or more severe than the winter of 07-08, it takes a combination of other weather patterns to get the detrimental flooding like we had before. In 2008, the flooding actually be-came extreme during the sum-mertime, which goes to show that it wasnt simply a bunch of snow that caused the flooding. In the first 15 days of June, much of Iowa received over 8 of rain with some places of 12, says Gehrts. Between May 29 and June 12 there was a statewide average of 9.03 inches of rain, when the nor-mal is just under 2.5 inches. The first half of 2008 was the wettest January to June period on record in Iowa and followed the second wettest August to December pe-riod of record 2007, says Young That just doesnt happen every year.

According to NWS statistics, June 2008 ranked second wettest June among all 136 years of state records (behind June 1947). The

heavy rainfall added to river levels that were already high. As I recall, there was also flash flooding that occurred during the major part of the flooding, and all of that water had to go into the rivers, Gehrts said.

Predictions for 10 So is there another 08 flood in

the making? Whenever there is a natural disaster in recent mem-ory people are going to be sensi-tive to the subject, said Young. Vegas would put money on the fact that we are going to get at least some flooding. 90% chance doesn't leave much to chance. However, we get minor flooding almost every year. A 70% chance for moderate flooding is above average. Now its getting close to 50-50% that there will be major flooding. I think it will flood this spring, but how much? Anything near 2008? NO. The meteorolo-gist from KCRG-TV9 agrees with Young saying, My opinion is that yes, flooding appears pretty likely. It also looks to be a pretty good bet that well make it above just minor flooding. Will we see anything nearly as bad as 2008? I dont know, but probably not it would take some pretty bad luck for that to happen again. IF all the snow melted at once, and IF we had a bunch of heavy rain, and IF it fell in the right places, and IF it fell at the right times, then its plausible. But all those IFs com-ing together is very unlikely.

As the snow begins to thaw and the temperature warms and spring becomes closer, more pre-dictions will arrive and hopefully there is an absence of even high-er percentages of greater than normal flooding. For now its a waiting game to see what spring has in store. For this citys sake, the rebuilding process continues and our past experience with the floods of 08 just remain a mem-ory and not become yet another nightmare that would haunt Cedar Rapids a second time over. And so we wait

M O r g a n g u g e

Minor flooding predicted for the summer of 2010

Money is tight these days and recently the state has cut big chunks of money out of the school districts funding around Iowa, causing the districts to tighten their belts when it comes to spending. Principal Mary Wilcynski said, The state isnt getting as much money in as theyre spending and thats causing them to tighten their belt with their spending, which includes the school districts. So they will be doing things to cut back on the money spent by reducing funding for the schools. The lost money wont affect Kennedy activities as much as it does the staff and class sizes. Wilcyn-ski said, I think that our district will be eliminating 50 or more jobs in trying to address the budget cuts. next year classes will also be slightly bigger with an average teacher to student ratio of about 1:25. Wilcynski thinks that Kennedy will be the school least affected by the cuts in our area. In my opinion, we have one of the best school districts in Iowa. We have much more money in our bank ac-count than Iowa City and Dubuque have and that cushions most of our expenses. Since they dont have that money, they will have to find other ways to come up with the money to cover the cost of running schools. This year the state budget cuts were mostly cushioned with the cash reserve. Wilcynski said, now its just a matter of preparing for what will come next year.

S a r a H S I C K l e S

After school study hall

State budget cuts

photo provided by Torch archives

A city underwater. Check out this view of Mays Island underwater during the Cedar Rapids flood of 2008.

photo provided by Torch archivesA hospital underwater. The Mercy Medical Center was flooded durring the flood of 2008

Penny Wars and the One Campaign raised over $10,000 for the Kids against Hunger campaign over the past few weeks.

Kennedy began Penny Wars 3 years ago. Kathleen riffe, World language teacher, is in charge of Penny Wars. The One Campaign and Penny Wars teamed up to fight against kids world hunger. Our goal was to raise $10,000, and we did it. The students really stepped up to achieve our goal, riffe said.

Katherine north, fr., participated in Penny Wars by donating $50 in pennies to Mr. Bunchs room. even though our classroom didnt win, I am still happy we helped children in Haiti by donating about $400, north said.

Mr. Ferrantes second hour class won Penny Wars. His class donated $560 in pennies, and won doughnuts. Mr. Benedicts class got second place, and Mrs. Barks class got third place.

I hope Penny Wars continues, because the school and students donated so much to the Kids against Hunger campaign. using the $10,000, we will be feeding 40,000 meals to starving children, riffe said.

Penny Wars is a once a year fundraiser, and other schools in Iowa and other states have done Penny Wars. Xavier, Washington, and other middle schools are participating in Penny Wars, which is great, riffe said.

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editorial06 PAG E B Y E M M A L E H M A N NJ F K TO R C H , F E B RUA RY 2 6 , 2 0 1 0 PAG E B Y E M M A L E H M A N N editorial07 PAG E B Y E M M A L E H M A N NJ F K TO R C H , F E B RUA RY 2 6 , 2 0 1 0thetorch

F R I D A Y , F e b R u A R Y 2 6 , 2 0 1 0John F. Kennedy High School

4545 Wenig Rd. NeCedar Rapids, Iowa 52402

Target employee deals with rudeness

Need for parental input in sexual education, without being gross

Torch Staff Editorial:

Finding purposeThere is one question that

has been asked throughout the ages. One question that is unavoidable, yet unconceivable. No one can tell you the answer, but some have found it. The question isWhat is the mean-ing of life?

This question is thrown around a lot during life discus-sions and during serious talks, but has anyone really found an answer? After all these years of

being on Earth, have we humans never really found an answer?

Scientists will tell you, from a biological standpoint at least, that the goal of life is to spread your genes and continue the human race (in other words, making babies). A noble cause indeed, but that doesnt quite do it for me.

To even think about answer-ing this question, we need to clarify what is meant by the

meaning of life. It is the way you live your life, your goals, to get what you want from life. Its your meaning. Its your purpose.

I honestly do not think there is only one meaning of life. Not everyone can lead the same life, and not everyone can have the same meaning of life. For some people, all they want is to be happy. They want to squeeze out every possible ounce of joy from life. Others want to change the world. Their goal is to make a positive impact on the people they meet and on the world they live on. Others have a specific career they want to excel in, such as becoming a doctor, and

that is their main purpose.Some people have no idea

what they want out of life. They really havent found a specific thing they want to accomplish or way of life they want to lead. Maybe that is their purpose: to find their purpose. And the remaining few? Well they just want to get out of this world alive.

Staffer finds fault in winter days lethargy

With the shorter days, long nights of homework, and a seemingly endless winter, its no wonder why every one is com-plaining. Some people have real issues, but it seems like more than ever people are beginning to complain just to complain.

I get it; you have a lot of homework and its cold when you walk outside. All of this is part of the winter. But for now, instead of complaining about things that are meaningless and unchangeable please focus your energy towards something

actually productive. Go sledding while you still

can, take your dog for a walk, go volunteer, or buy yourself a pair of TOMS shoes. Theres plenty of stuff you can do! The world has bigger problems right now so consider yourself lucky. You may have four hours of homework tonight, but at least you have a home to go to.

So in conclusion, instead of whining about stupid things that you cant change actually

do something or shut up. Im getting annoyed And that says a lot when its coming from the mouth of Michael Nordstrom.

Isnt it ironic how February is the shortest month yet is also simultaneously the longest month? Every student (especial-ly us seniors) and every faculty member (dont deny it) has found him or herself wading in a cesspool of ennui and wander-lust as the temperatures rise at a torturously slow rate. May is close, but it aint that close, and the wait can feel unbearable.

So, guys; what are we going to do with the next 12 weeks of our lives? More specifically,

Embracing senior yearwhat are the seniors gonna do? Every weekday morning when the alarm clock screams in our ears, its a little more difficult to resist hurling it against the wall in a fit of exhaustion-induced rage (an act of violence commit-ted a number of times at the Sheehy household, growing at an exponential incidence rate as the year progresses). And every day it seems that much more impos-sible to focus or stay motivated in and out of school. The mantra in any seniors mind at this

point is: May 28thMay 28th Well, heres a crazy idea.

What if we stopped bitching and started appreciating the very small amount of high school we have left?

Now before you roll your eyes, crumple this newspaper into a ball, and hurl it at my cranium in the hallway, just hear this out. Our older siblings and friends tell us that nows the time to start taking advantage of our youth and dependence, and although they may seem clinically insane, theyre right. School will only be what you make of it, and if you make it a bothersome bore, youre going to be miserable.

So, get involved. Have fun.

Work hard (or at least put forth some effort). Finish strong. Twelve weeks really isnt a very long time and it will fly by even faster if we learn how to enjoy ourselves. Put your focus on the future, but dont lose your grip on everything you have now. It wont be easy to have such a positive attitude, but when were up on that stage on May 28, celebrating all of our accom-plishments from these past 13 years of schooling, itll be well worth it.

A woman comes down my aisle at Target. She's completely average looking: brown hair, soc-cer mom style, sweatshirt, jeans. No one would notice anything out of the ordinary while looking at her. So, of course, I greet her

like I would any guest. Hi! How are you

doing today?Instead of

responding with a polite, Fine, thanks, and how are you? She ignores me. She

hears me, I know that, because her eyes flicker over in my direc-tion, and yet she doesn't even feel that it's necessary to acknowl-edge my existence. So I proceed to check out her items, like I

would with any other customer.When I'm done, I decide to

give her the benefit of the doubt and try offering her a chance to redeem herself. I say to her as warmly as I can while handing her the receipt, You have a great day, ma'am!

This time, however, she doesn't even bother with a glance. She takes her receipt without even looking at me, and leaves. No Thanks! You too!; no goodbye, no NOTHING because Im just a cashier and therefore not worth it.

And all this is really noth-ing out of the ordinary for me. Ive had customers who give me death glares for no reason other than to glare. Ive had customers

yell at me. Ive had customers insult me. Ive had customers make fun of me. Ive even had a customer who asked me on a date. I tell you, eight dollars an hour is not enough to deal with all they manage to throw at us.

So if youre ever on the other side of the check out aisle, please, extend a little sympathy. Chances are, were under-paid, overworked, and just tired. Customers who start conversa-tions with me truly make things a little better. It gives us a break from the monotony and that an-noying, headache-inducing, beep of items being scanned. Even simple, genuine thank yous are appreciated more than anybody probably realizes.

Customers who start conversations with me truly make things a little better.

Target. Ethan Tanner, sr., also works at Target. When the Torch inter-viewed him, he was working as a cart attendant. He is often also disre-spected by customers. I have a pretty small load of carts right now, but if I have a bigger load and people are trying to drive in the parking lot, they get really frustrated that Im trying to come through. Theyll honk their horns at me and try to make me drive fasterIt makes me feel frustrated. Im just trying to do my job and theyre just trying to leave, Tanner said.

photo by Elise Krivit

Now, we can all pretend like we know what were talking about when it comes to global warming. Carbon something-or-others, eco-thermo-weathero mumbo-jumbo, glacial melting whatnot; yeah, they all make perfect sense to everyoneor at least they probably would have if more than two people had ever stayed awake through biology class.

No, the real inconvenient truth is that none of us really understand whats happening to our planetand worse: none of us really care.

However, after researching the climate situation a bit, I came up with an idea: to make a

Its only been a few weeks since Valentines Day and youve already slipped up. You were tempted and you couldnt resist. You went off and cheated on your girlfriend or boyfriend. How will you break the news to them? Dont worry, theres a great new website made for the unfaithful. Its called cheatneu-tral.com.

Cheatneutral.com is a British website that was created to help cheaters sleep guilt free at night. If you cheat on your special someone, you can pay this web-site 2.50 which will in turn give that money to someone to be faithful, neutralizing the affect

of your cheating in the world. So now you can cheat as much as you want without hurting any-one. Oh, and theres one more thing, this website isnt serious. I know, big surprise right? Its a stupid idea, just like carbon offsetting, and its been created to make fun of it.

Heres the idea behind carbon offsetting: carbon offsetting is a service offered by companies like carbonneutral.com. You give these companies information about your daily routine: how far you drive, what kind of car you drive, and how much electricity you use. They use that informa-tion to calculate your carbon

footprint. So the bigger your carbon footprint, the more you have to pay to offset it.

So lets say you drive your car one mile everyday. According to carbonneutral.com, you can offset this for $3.10. Theyll use your money to build wind tur-bines in Tamil Nadu, India.

So because you pollute Cedar Rapids by driving your car, you can have wind turbines built in Tamil Nadu. Perfect, now everythings all better and you can go back to polluting with a guilty-free conscience.

The idea of carbon offsetting makes no sense whatsoever. No matter how you twist it, driv-ing in Iowa and wind turbines in India are two completely unrelated events; youre still pol-luting. Being environmentally conscious is a great thing, and the world would be a better place

if more people were. But there are better ways than carbon offsetting to make your lifestyle more environmentally friendly. Here are some things you can do that actually reduce your carbon footprint:

Follow the three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Learn the facts: Vote for politicians who support green energy and global caps on car-bon emissions.

Just chill out: Turn down the AC during the summer time when your family isnt home. Just a few degrees can make a big difference. The same applies for the furnace during the win-ter. By changing the thermostat just two degrees, you decrease your carbon footprint by 2000 lbs. a year.

Power down: Unplug electronic devices when you

arent using them. Some electronic devices, especially cell phone char-gers, have a stand-by mode that continues to use energy even when you arent using them.

Use the buddy system: Car pool whenever you can. Whether youre going to school, the movies, or just out to eat, find friends who live close and take turns driving.

Dont get bottled up: Quit drinking bottled water. Bottled wa-ter production requires 17 million barrels of oil every year. Instead of drinking bottle water, invest in a reusable water bottle. It will save you money while saving the planet.

And the best part is that most of these steps save you money too. Theyre good for the planet and your wallet. Its a win-win situation.

list of real ways for going green; a list that the 97 percent of us that slept through Al Gores documentary (and newsflash, teachers, thats what were really doing) could actually follow. And so, without further ado, the idiots guide to going green at Kennedy:

1. The first step in achiev-ing school-wide greenification begins in the Language Arts department. Books? Notes? Bibliographies? All of these are contributing directly to the Amazons deforestation. But its an easy problem to fix: first, substitute reading books for browsing the paper-free Sparknotes; second, scrap the idea wasting notebook paper on taking notes all together (half of us are just drawing giraffes all over that page anyway); and finally, stop requiring work cited pages, simply

assume we got all the informa-tion from Wikipedia.

2. The next step in making Kennedy a green environment is to conduct classes in pure darkness, therefore cutting down on the amount of electric-ity used by our school. And teachers, dont mind any rogue snoring during class, gener-ally that means students are learning.

3. The third step is to allow (or possibly promote) the use of cell phones in classrooms. After all, it is far more ecologically responsible to let students cheat by texting the answers to one another than by copying them down on the Post-it note next to them.

4. Finally, a school-wide class skipping pro-motion is essential. After all, the science is simple: the less you have to drive to school, the less gas you waste! (And as an added bonus, I bet this would cut down on the parking problem too!)

Cheating on the planet

Skipping school to go green

There is no universal meaning to life; students

should find their own calling.

In anutshell

With the shorter winter days, it is important

for students to find a purposeful, philanthropic way to spend their time, instead of complaining.

In anutshell

Friendly customers brighten the days of retail workers.

In anutshell

Seniors should stop whining and embrace their last year.

In anutshell

Nobody understands global warming, but everyone can use

it to their advantage.

In anutshell

Cheating on the planet is as wrong as cheating

on your girlfriend.

In anutshell

In the February issue of the Torch, we explored the issue of teen motherhood...and to be honest, it was really scary.

To put it in perspective, heres a few facts for you: just under one-third of all girls in the United States will get pregnant in their teenage years; this aver-ages out to around 750,000 per year. Unmarried teenagers hav-ing children, nationally, account for 24 percent of all unmarried

expectant mothers.Of these ladies, more than

two-thirds of all teenagers who have a baby will not graduate from high school.

We are all still kids; very few of us are truly ready to be re-sponsible for the life of someone else. The situation in America today, its just not okay.

Something has to change.And so, to parents around

the country (or at least in our

immediate reading area,) the Torch would like to make one simple plea: dont be dumb when it comes to sexual education.

Dont be afraid to talk to your kids. Its awkward, we get it, but the only way we will know that you dont want us to end up on MTVs 16 and Pregnant is to tell us!

Furthermore, if we ask questions, dont freak out. Dont assume that your kids

are engaging in promiscuous activities because they are curious, but rather encourage healthy dialogue.

Finally, parents, dont (and we know this will be the hard-est of all) preach abstinence only. It doesnt work.

Rather, give us options: make abstinence one of them but dont limit it to that.

Just, do your job as a par-ent...without becoming gross.

cartoon by Mackenzie Sheehy

editorial08 PAG E B Y E M M A L E H M A N NJ F K TO R C H , F E B RUA RY 2 6 , 2 0 1 0mini-torials:Columnists offer small solutions for problems facing the ObamaadministrationSolution: pass health care reform in Congress

Health care costs have risen by 131 percent dur-ing the last decade. Currently, seventeen cents of every dollar in the United States economy is spent on health care and 47 million Americans are unin-sured. Americans who have insurance are more at risk now of losing their insurance than ever before because of abusive insurance practices.

The Obama Administration and Congress need to work together to make health care more accessi-ble and affordable. Its wrong that there are families who cant get the care they need. In addition, the large number of uninsured people threatens our countrys economy. People who are uninsured have no choice but to receive health care in hospital emergency rooms; these costly services are passed onto the government.

To help push health care reform forward, take five minutes to call Senator Tom Harkin at (202)224-3254, Senator Chuck Grassley at (202)224-3744 and Representative Dave Loebsack at (202)225-6576.

A n D R e A n e m e C e k

Solution: eliminate health care for elderly

It is a fact: 22.8 percent of all American 18 to 44-year-olds lack health insurance (CDC.gov). So how can we fix this most serious of situation? By taxing the people and nationalizing health care? no, that is costly and would take years of reorgani-zation. I have a better solution.

We stoop covering everyone who retires and extend medicare and Social Security to the working citizens. By giving health care to the elderly, we are unable to protect the well-being of the people who work day in and day out trying to better the world around them.

Where is the logic in taking care of the elderly before the people who actually contribute to society? This is America, a land where one earns his keep, and no communist is going to make us treat everyone equally.

S P e n C e R A n D e R S O n

Solution: reduce the role of government

There are many problems facing todays govern-ment, from the daunting heath care reform to the war in Iraq.

Our government is becoming a more imminent presence in our daily lives. The major banks are making bets on the market without fear due to the government continuously bailing them out. moral hazard is lost along the way; the government is preventing those who take risks on the market to lose. We the people are making up for the banks failures and gambles.

Those who make the wrong choice should be the ones to pay. The government is just furthering our countries deep debt. Instead of interjecting into the falling economy and market, we should just let it take its natural course. The government should withdraw themselves from their influence on the market and let the market take its toll.

If we do not size down now, our centralized gov-ernment will escalate we must go back to the ways of our founding fathers.

R AC H e L G I L m A n

Open-air note to social texters

Letter to the editor:

Dear Texters,Texting. Ill be the first to admit that I use it excessively, and

often when its unnecessary: in class, doing homework, at the store. Almost everywhere. Its a habit thats become so popular its almost impossible to break.

You will not however find me continuously texting while Im with friends or my boyfriend, out to dinner, or at the movies. There are times when its absolutely rude to be on your phone.

Why spend time with a person to just be on the phone and find that you have no idea what that person is saying to you?

People dont ask to hang out to watch you have a seemingly much more interesting conversation that they apparently cant provide for you. Its a blatant disregard for that persons feelings.

From experience I can say that it makes you wonder, what it possibly so important that what were doing right now doesnt matter? Is a phone really that much more interesting than I am? Its troubling to think that you cant hold a persons attention for five minutes without them checking their phone. Its equally if not more rude to use your phone in public while out with somebody.

Its absolutely shocking to me that people actually answer their phone or text while at a movie. Really? If anything, take it out to the hall. The amount of disrespect that shows to everyone around you is amazing. Now the emergency text to whoever about where you are or what youre doing is understandable, but the continued

conversation with some one else is not. Why would a person want hang out with you if all you do while youre there is text another person who is apparently more important?

Put your phone away, show the person youre with that you actu-ally care about the time you have with them and what theyre saying to you. Theres a time and place for the phone, and its not while youre with the people that want to have a conversation with you, not watch you have one with some one else.

-Jasmine Butler

Free speech rightsLetter to the editor:

Dear Torch,February 4, 2010, a student was sent home for tearing the

Confederate flags off a students truck. Apparently the owner of the truck (lets call him Stimpy) was personally asked by Dr. Wilcynski to remove the flags. Stimpy refused. That must have been when the other student (lets call him Ren) decided to remove the flags and tear them up. Ren was later sent home for vandalism.

First let me say that this editorial isnt about if the actual de-sign on the flag is in itself racist. Its stars and stripes technically represent values no different than our own Old Glory. But the fact is no matter how you spin it, the Confederate flag conjures up images of injustice, lynchings, and brutal hatred.

On one hand I see the Confederate flag as a symbol of our nations despicable past. A sign that shows old prejudices and intolerance are still alive and well. But on the other, just because I disagree with it doesnt give me the right to censor it. I decided to give Stimpy the benefit of the doubt. He was probably just a confused high schooler trying to find something to identify with and for him, that something happened to be the Confederate flag.

When I went home, I decided to check out Stimpys Facebook page. Upon first glance, his information fitted the stereotype of the type of person who would fly a Confederate flag. His favorite music: Country. Favorite movies: anything with Larry the Cable Guy. His religious view: Why would you want to be brain wash on this crap? (yes, bad grammar and all). In his about me it said im really nice most of the time and I have a bad side to me that never shows. Which brings me to the most striking aspect

of the webpage, his profile picture. It was an illustration of a Ku Klux Klan member holding a noose in front of, what else, but a Confederate flag. I dont know if this was his feeble attempt at humor or if he was genuinely broadcasting his racist views. Frankly, I dont care. Either way its offensive and menacing. Viewing this image totally settled it. Stimpy wasnt flying these flags to show support for The South. By posting this vile picture, Stimpy was aiming to provoke (perhaps even threaten) people.

On one hand I totally respect Stimpys right to free speech. If he wants to fly the flag on his truck that is his prerogative. But according to our Bill of Rights, our rights are limited to the point where they dont compromise the rights of others. Students have the right to feel safe at school. When we have volatile school climate where a student will deck someone just because he was accidentally hit by a carrot or when a girl will drive all the way across town to fight, we do not need people doing things just to fan the flames of hostility.

The magnitude of the issue hit home when I was talking about it with a faculty member and a couple of friends (one of whom was Black). I just hate seeing those things, they scare me, said the White teacher, to which my Black friend replied, Yeah, well those things scare ME.

The right to free speech comes with the assumption that it will be used with responsibility and good judgment. When Stimpy put up those two flags on his bad-ass red truck he was exercising neither. Flying the Confederate flag is no different than wearing a swastika armband: even if you dont mean it to be offensive, it still sure as hell is.

-Lars F.K. Lee

In the wake of a natural disas-ter, we are able to really see what the human race is capable of. We have seen the incredible force of Mother Nature, and the trail of devastation she leaves behind. She has most recently shown her face in the fatal earthquake that hit Haiti last month. Although a tragedy, it brought people from all nations together as one for a common goal.

Locally, Kennedy raised over $10,000 in aid to send to the impoverished nation, with hopes to help the recovery effort. Many countries around the world have done their best to go the lengths to help save the country and its people.

At the beginning of the Penny Wars fundraiser, our school set a goal to raise $10,000. Although we were unable to reach this

goal alone, we did not give up. Principal Mary Wilcynski reached out and asked for help to reach the goal, and was successful in the end.

Another local attempt to mo-tivate people is the 3/50 Project, which asks people to spend $50 at three locally owned busi-nesses per month to rejuvenate the downtown district of Cedar Rapids. Since the flood of 08, business has been lacking down-town. The 3/50 Project hopes to turn this around by setting an easily attainable goal.

It isnt asking much from each person, but if everyone follows

the goal, we could end up saving our local businesses that make our downtown unique. Its a cool feeling to know that you were a part of something so important, and all you had to do was set a goal.

It is important to set goals in your life. It doesnt have to be something as far reaching as saving a country in need. Setting personal goals is just as impor-tant; they give you something to try to live up to, and keep you from getting lost in the shuffle.

Setting goals, helping others

photo by Elise KrivitSenior staffer demonstrates what Butler calls rude: texting while hold-ing a conversation.

The Torch talked to Destyney Postel last year about her pregnancy as a ninth grader. Now shes a sophomore - and a mother. A look at what its really like to have a baby while still in high school

Busy baby. Destyney Postel, so., spends time with her nearly 9-month-old son, Kyle. Postel became pregnant with Kyle as a freshman, and is balancing school with her responsibilities as a mom.

PAG E B Y M AC K E N Z I E S H E E H YJ F K TO R C H , F E B RUA RY 2 6 , 2 0 1 0

As Destyney Postel sat in her living room, reading to her son, it was the quintesential picture of motherhood...except one thing. Postel is 15.

The Torch first interviewed Postel, so., last year for the story Premature parents: teen preg-nancy changes the lives of everyone involvedwhen she was 15 and pregnant. It has been ten months since that initial interview, and a lot has changed.

When I told my mom, she said that I was going to have an abor-

tion[then] we [my boyfriend and I] were go-ing to give it up for adoptionI didnt know what to do, Postel recalled in her last Torch interview. But Postel is al-most 16 now, and no longer

pregnant; she has a son, Kyle, who is almost nine months old.

In the first few months I seri-ously considered [giving the baby up for adoption], Postel con-fessed, but then I got closer to him and I couldnt do it.

So life changed, drastically.Lifes different because I gotta

think of someone else before me now, Postel said. Its a new con-cept, she admits, one that she will have to continually work at.

But not everything is differ-ent. Postel is still with the babys

father, Derrick Meyer, so. He takes care of Kyle every other day, with the help of his parents. [Kyle] has kinda made us closer, but pushed us apart at the same time, Postel said. Its made us closer because we have to do something as a team now, but its pushed us apart because we fight a lot, because of our different liv-ing styles.

And its been like this since Kyle was born last May. In fact, Postel and Meyer have been to-gether for nearly three years.

When he was interviewed last April, Meyers outlook was good. I think it [the pregnancy] has brought us closer, Meyer said. Weve been together for almost two years. After she has the baby, were probably going to move in with each other during the sum-mer and weve even talked about marriage.

Things didnt move that fast for the couple; they still live at their respective parents houses, and they are both still unmarried. But the couple is doing well, con-sidering the circumstances.

Unlike the majority of teen coupleslet alone those with infants Postel and Meyer have been together through the preg-nancy and the birth of their son. By doing this, they have beaten the statistics showing that a majority of teenage fathers bolt from the relationship, soon after hearing the news of the babys appearance.

But this is not the only area in

which the couple has challenged the odds.

Statistics show that one-third of all American girls will get preg-nant in their teenage yearsthats a sobering 750,000 annually. Of these, more than two-thirds of all teenagers who have a baby will not graduate from high school. However, Postel seems certain of her academic future.

[Both my boyfriend and I] are still in school, Postel said. I dont know what he [Meyer] wants to be, but Im trying to become a doctor. Im not letting my dream go down because I had a baby.

Though her expected 2012 graduation date is still quite far away, Postel already has even-tual plans of attending Kirkwood Community College, to become a

doctor. This is how she hopes to one day care for her son.

But for now, she has to settle for a part-time job, to provide for Kyle. This year Im going to be 16, and so Im gonna get a job at my moms work. And so, thats how Im gonna support him [Kyle], Postel said.

Today, watching Postel help her son crawl, or cuddle Winnie the Pooh, its hard to tell whats running through her mind. She could be contemplating her un-doubtedly difficult future, think-ing of times before his birth, or simply remembering his birtha possible blessing in disguise.

Maybe Kyle being born is kind of a blessing, you know? she told the Torch. I mean, you have to grow up and think about someone

- The percentage of 15-to-19-year-old American girls who became pregnant increased by 3% from 2005 to 2006. This was the first increase in the teen pregnancy rate since 1995.- One-third of teen mothers will receive their high school diploma, and 1.5% have a college degree by age 30. - $1.5 billion has been spent to fund sexual edu-cation promoting abstinence.Information provided by washingtonpost.org

else before yourself when you have a baby, and not be immature. And if I didnt have a baby right now, Id probably be failing school and doing other stuff, and my boy-friend, probably, would try drugs and all that. We could be normal teenagers, and we cant do that now because we have a baby.

Theres not doubting that Postels past, and future, have been, and will be, hard. But as she gazes into Kyles eyesa motherly look towards her sonthere is the faintest glimmer that, as she said, Maybe, I dont knowmaybe itll all be alright.

E M M A L E H M A N N

Family. Postel enjoys a mo-ment with Kyle. She and Kyles father, Derrick Meyer, so., co-ordinate their responsibilities for taking care of him. Even though life as a full-time mom and student can be difficult to manage, Postel still wants to attend college and become a doctor some-day. All photos by Asmaa Elkeurti

photo10 PAG E B Y E L I S E K R I V I TJ F K TO R C H , F E B RUA RY 2 6 , 2 0 1 0

Passionate. Mackenzie Thompson, jr., Zach Kremenak, sr., and Emily Flesner, sr., sing and dance along with the rest of the show choir at the Supernova Competition at Linn Mar on Sat., Jan. 16. They received third place at this competition.

photo by Asmaa Elkeurti

photo by Asmaa ElkeurtiDolled Up. Mackenzie Thompson, jr., helps Katina Rohr, sr., get ready to perform. The surrounding Happiness girls touch up their makeup before competing at the Supernova Competition. photo by Elise Krivit

Singin with soul. Hannah Plagman, sr., sings during the Mon., Feb, 22 practice.

photo provided by Cathy ThompsonBelt it Out. Aubrey Heller, sr., sings her solo during the Great River Competition in Davenport on Sat. Feb. 20. Happiness placed second in the competition.

Happiness Inc. places high in different competitions all over Iowa

(below) SCARED! Happiness Inc. members woo the audience with their dance moves during the Sat., Jan. 16, at the Supernova Competition.

photo by Asmaa Elkeurti

11 PAG E B Y M AC K E N Z I E S H E E H YJ F K TO R C H , F E B RUA RY 2 6 , 2 0 1 0 reviewThe Torchs First Annual

Riley Galbraith, so.Loves Stalks Serena Williams

Mike Hoefer, jr.Writes computer programs for fun

Emma Lehmann, sr.Legitimate Czech princess

Mackenzie Sheehy, sr.Fist pumping enthusiast

Best ItalianRG: Biaggis. This is by far the

best place to go when you want to get a good salad, soup, or pasta dish. Plus theres no need to dress up, theres take out!

EL: Biaggis isnt really as pretentious as it looks on the outside. I mean, its really dark on the inside and they have good food therewhat else could you ask for in a restaurant?

MH: Olive Garden. Cant beat the free breadsticks, and the service is very friendly and accomodating.

MS: Biaggis. The lasagna Bolognese? Bravissimo. The lobster bisque? Delicioso. Both together? The Situation and Snooki couldnt make a more ridiculously awesome Italian-American couple. Fist pump.

Best Mexican RG: El Perico is the place to

go when youre craving some

good ole Mexican food. Although it might look scary at first, it is the best in the town.

EL: El Super Burrito is less terrifying once you step inside the door. The food isnt greasy or mushy, and it isnt too authenti-cally Mexican.

MH: El Super Burrito. Its authentic Mexican food with a great cultural atmosphere.

MS: Carlos OKellys. You just cant go wrong with enchiladas cheesier than a Nicholas Sparks weepie novel.

Best ChineseRG: Egg Roll House; its quick

and it has the best egg rolls, and crab meat ragoons.

EL: The most positive aspect of Peis is the absolute lack of dog meat in their cuisine. Its a clean, nice placeand well worth the drive.

MH: Hy-Vee Chinese, you

can also shop for groceries while eating amazing food!

MS: Peis has consistently awesome noms. Snow pea chicken, yall.

Best American/Bar & GrillRG: Starlite Room; it may

look modest, but the food is always top quality.

EL: Often times, when you pull up to Starlite Room, there is some sort of rape van sitting in the parking lot. However, when you get past that, they have great burgers and other American cuisine.

MH: Starlite Room. They have free popcorn and amazing burgers.

MS: Granite City has a fab atmosphere and delish, savory menu choices (ex. the dope-as-hell waffle fries).

Best Quick Fix

RG: Pancheros; its quick, its easy, its cheap, and it fulfills all of your Mexican cravings.

EL: NutriSmoothie is a great new quick fix. It is tasty and clean, and the smoothie wenches dont bug you after you order!

MH: Pancheros. More pricey than other fast food places, but its actually good good.

MS: Pancheros, without question. Quick, quality, and ridiculously delicious.

Best PizzaRG: Zoeys; although it takes

a bit of a drive to get there, the pizza is amazing. Especially the cheese on top!

EL: If youre willing to make the drive to Marion, Zoeys is a must. You get a lot of pizza for your money and the inside is cute.

MH: Tomasos. Family-friendly atmosphere with

A panel of sophisticated Torch palates surveyed the Cedar Rapids area for the best places to stuff their faces. Here are their picks for the most awesome eateries in the community

amazing deep-dish pizza.MS: Zoeys. Dude. Do I even

need to elaborate?

Best Coffee Shop/Caf RG: Java Creek; it has the

best coffee, and you cant go wrong with any of their wraps. Everything on the menu is just good.

EL: Brewed Awakenings is by far the best caf in the area. The tea (and I suppose, coffee) is good, as are their pastries.

MH: Brewed Awakenings has a comfy atmosphere, you can just chill on couches and drink coffee.

MS: The ubercozy Java Creek is the coffee-shop equivalent of a warm blanket. Mmm.

Judges votes were counted, tie-breakers were deliberated with coin tosses, and arguments got personal as judges fiercely defended their favorite digs...

The Best of the Rest

Japanese: Sushi House

Indian: Taj Mahal

Greek: Vernon Inn

French: Croissant du

Jour

Bakery: Sykora

Ice Cream: Parlor City

Biaggis

Zoeys

Starlite Room

Pancheros

Brewed Awakenings

El Super Burrito

All photos by Emma Lehmann

Peis

profile12 PAG E B Y J O N AT H A N C H A D I C KJ F K TO R C H , F E B RUA RY 2 6 , 2 0 1 0 profile13 PAG E B Y J O N AT H A N C H A D I C KJ F K TO R C H , F E B RUA RY 2 6 , 2 0 1 0

Giving back At the home of Corey Williams,

something is always happening. After school, Williams and his family take care of many foster kids at one time.

We mostly take care of babies. I have had some right out of the hospital. Others have been around one year [old]. They normally stay at my house for around six months at a time. I have a strong bond with many of them by the end of their time at my house. It is hard to say goodbye, Williams, jr., said.

Over 500,000 children in the U.S. currently reside in some form of foster care. Placements in foster care have dramatically increased over the past ten years. Despite the increasing numbers, children in foster care and foster parents are sometimes invisible in communities and often lack many needed supports and resources.

In situations of abuse and ne-glect, children may be removed from their parents home by a child welfare agency and placed in foster care. Other reasons for foster placement include severe behavioral problems with the child and/or a variety of parental problems, such as abandonment,

illness (physical or emotional), incarceration, AIDS, alcohol/sub-stance abuse, or death.

African-American children make up approximately two thirds of the foster care population and remain in care longer. Two out of three children who enter foster care are reunited with their birth parents within two years. A signif-icant number, however, can spend long periods of time in care await-ing adoption or other permanent arrangement, Williams said.

Making decisions about the future for a child in foster care is called permanency planning. Options include: returning the child to his/her birth parents; termination of parental rights (a formal legal procedure) to be fol-lowed, hopefully, by adoption; or long-term care with foster parents or relatives.

Most states encourage efforts to provide the birth parents with support and needed services (e.g. mental health or drug/alcohol treatment, parent skills, train-ing and assistance with child care and/or adequate housing) so their child can be returned to them. When parental rights have been terminated by the court,

most states will try to place chil-dren with relatives, which may lead to adoption by the relative, Williams said.

Being removed from their home and placed in foster care is a difficult and stressful experience for any child. Many of these chil-dren have suffered some form of serious abuse or neglect. About 30 percent of children in foster care have severe emotional, behav-ioral, or developmental problems. Physical health problems are also common. Most children, however, show remarkable resiliency and determination to go on with their lives.

Williams said, I really enjoy doing this. It is something my family can come together and do to help others. Our family hopes we can get others to help. These children need care, and their ex-isting situations are bad enough that they have to be taken out of them. That is where foster fami-lies come in. It is not really foster parents because these kids affect the whole family, that is why I am proud to call my family a foster family.

J o n at h a n C h a d i C k

Studying, experiencing foreign culturesthe program for the chance to ap-ply his Spanish skills and grow as a person. I wanted this to be one of the first rites of passages in my life, Satterfield said. I wanted to prove something to myself - put myself through some spit and fire and open up my own eyes.

Satterfield chose to go to study in South America because, he wanted to know the other half of America, our brothers and sis-ters to the south, and so far he hasnt been disappointed with the experience.

Im not the same person who I was when I got here, Satterfield said. ...I guess I just handle myself a lot better....A mountain of things have changed about me and how I see the world. I am proud to say I feel I have been enlightened.

Ever since first arriving in Chile, Satterfield writes and reads in Spanish only. He has also start-ed to dream and think in Spanish.

It actually is hard now to speak in english aloud, he said.

Helle lives in Bargteheide, Germany, which is about a 30 min-ute drive from Hamburg. After taking German for four years and hosting a German exchange stu-dent last year, Helle didnt have a lot of trouble adjusting to the German language and culture.

The main difference between the United States and Germany, I think, is the view on alcohol, Helle said. In Germany, the drink-ing age for beer is 16, and 18 for hard liquor. Parents are perfectly fine with their kids going to clubs

and getting drunk, just as long as they dont overdo it.

During his time in Germany, Helle has enjoyed going to soccer games, becoming more indepen-dent and learning about politics. I like the freedom that I have here the most, he said. In the US, parents are a lot more protec-tive of their kids. Here, you see 10 year olds with friends in Hamburg and all over. But my freedom has a lot to do with the fact that Im almost 19. Im treated more as an adult than in the US. I can make my own decisions, but Im also held accountable for them.

Next year, Helle plans to at-tend UNI or a German univer-sity to study international af-fairs, and Satterfield plans to attend Kirkwood while applying his Spanish skills to a job with GoDaddy.com.

a n d r e a n e m e C e k

Each year, students from around the world join Kennedys junior class for an exchange year. Sage Satterfield and Grant Helle, who graduated from Kennedy in 2008, are enjoying the same op-portunity this year in Chile and Germany, respectively, through Rotary Internationals Youth Exchange program.

Satterfield and Helle first heard about the Rotary Youth Exchange program during their respective world language classes. In order to receive the sponsorship of a local Rotary Club, they had to complete an extensive application and go through a series of inter-views. After spending six months abroad, Satterfield and Helle have each adjusted to a new culture, mastered a second language, be-come more independent, grown as individuals and made lifelong memories.

Satterfield decided to apply to

Caring. Corey Williams, jr., cares for one of the foster children that his family has taken into their home. The Williams family has adopted many children in from troubled families. They have had around 24 in the past.

a passion for art

Painting. Sam Yoergenson, Sr., paints in her A.P. Art class. Her parents support her art. She plans on going to the University of Northern Iowa to pursue photography and design. In the futue, she wants to have her own photography studio. She has taken almost all of the art s classes offered here.

With a paintbrush in one hand and a camera around her neck, Sam Yorgensen is not your aver-age high school student.

A self-described artist, Yorgensen, sr., has taken nearly all the art classes Kennedy has to offer and plans to continue her art career in college.

Yorgensen got an early start in art when she was just 12. I took some art classes at Barbs Fine Art in Marion and after that she just opened me up to exploring art, Yorgensen said. Seven years later, Yorgensen won Kennedys Showcase of the Stars with a painting that she entered.

As for types of art, Yorgensen likes almost all forms. Photography is my favorite form of art and Id have to say painting is a close second, Yorgensen said. Yorgensen has completed every single art class Kennedy has to of-fer, except for ceramics; currently she is taking AP Art.

In AP art we put together an art portfolio for the end of the year and we just work on that throughout the whole year. We maybe do some power points on artists too, Yorgensen said

Yorgensens favorite artist is a painter named Thomas Kinkade. Kinkade is perhaps one of the most famous American artists still

alive today. It is estimated that one of every 20 homes in America has some form of Kinkades art. Thomas Kinkade is one of my favorite artists. He had an art gal-lery in Lindale Mall I and I walked through there a lot, Yorgensen said.

With so much talent, it may be an easy to assume that Yorgensens par-ents are both art-ists, but thats not exactly true. My dad did art in high school and I think thats where I must have got my passion from, Yorgensen said.

Although her parents arent artists they both support her art. They [Yorgensens parents] always cheer me on and give me constructive criticism on my pieces, Yorgensen said.

Yorgensen plans to go to the University of Northern Iowa for photography and graphic design. Someday I hope to open my own photography studio, Yorgensen said.

m i C h a e l n o r d s t r o m

What do you think it would be like to be one of four identical quadruplets?

It is a hard question to answer because we dont know what its like not being quadruplets, Paul Bradford, so., said. Paul, James, John, and David Bradford are all sophomore students here, which can make encounters with one or all of them a little tricky.

When people see all four of us it goes something like this: there are four of you? Holy cow, thats a lot, David said.

Some dont believe us at first, they are like No? Really? Paul said.

Having four look-a-likes around causes some confusion when it comes to telling them apart. It happens all the time. It can get really annoying, especial-ly if you know the person well, James said.

All of the Bradfords agreed that being mistaken for their brothers can become annoying after a while, but they laughed it off. Hey it happens. We will cor-rect you, John said.

The Bradfords are involved in multiple extracurricular activities together, including sports, band, drum line, and their church youth group. This can make telling them apart a challenge to their coaches and conductors. They [coaches] have their ways of telling us apart, David said.

They presented perhaps the biggest challenge to one of their teachers Mari Waldschmidt. She recently had all four of the Bradfords in her LA-10 class dur-ing fall term and currently has three in one of her classes now. Waldschmidt has never had a case like this in her four years of teaching.

During fall term, having all four of them in her class seemed like an overwhelming job.

Distinguishing them from one another seemed like a daunting task, Waldschmidt said.

Although all of the Bradfords are identical quadruplets, Waldschmidt thinks that it isnt as hard as it seems. They arent identical, Waldschmidt said, they have their own interest-ingly different personalities and quirks.

Chris Cronbaugh, counselor, has the duty of helping stu-dents with last names A-E, tenth through 12th grade, which includes the Bradford boys. This presented a tough question for Cronbaugh. What do I treat them the same in, and what do I treat differently [in]? Cronbaugh asked. They are all polite, thoughtful, and quiet, which makes it even more difficult to tell who is who.

The Bradford boys had few complaints to make about be-ing one of four. As for the posi-tive side they all agree when they say, You always have someone to hang out with and talk to.

k at e ly n B e lt r a m e a

Brotherly love at school

Newest teacher here, Bullers, takes over and makes an impact

Starting out in the middle of the second trimester, teacher Regan Bullers faces challenges as the newest teacher at Kennedy High School.

As our newest faculty member, Bullers has taken over the posi-tion of Sarah Riley, a 9th and 10th grade Language Arts teacher who left Kennedy in January. This po-sition opened up on January 19th when Riley moved to Portland, Oregon with her husband. Rileys sudden departure came about as a result of a new career opportunity for her husband.

Regan Bullers comes to Kennedy from a suburb in the Twin Cities where she had been teaching Language Arts at Anoka

High School. With a month un-der her belt at Kennedy, Bullers has had time to form an opinion of her new high school. I really like the spirit of the school and the pride that the students take in being Kennedy Cougars, Bullers said. Bullers also said that she be-lieves Kennedy teaches you how to understand people better. She believes the transition in the middle of the year is hard not only for her, but for her students as well. Bullers said her new students are used to their former instructors teaching style. It just takes time for students to get accustomed to her as a teacher and to get used to her style of teaching.

Interacting. Regan Bullers, Language Arts Teacher, talks to Emily OBrien, so., in her LA 10 class. Bullers took over for Sarah Riley last month.

Prior to her teaching positions, Bullers career took her to Nambia for a two year commitment with the Peace Corps. Nambia is an African country, located west of South Africa. The Peace Corps, es-tablished by President Kennedy, is a government program made up of volunteers that live and work in developing countries. While

living in Nambia, she taught 8th grade math and 9th grade English. For most of her students, English was a 3rd or 4th language.

A typical school day involved getting up at 5:00 AM with school starting at 6:45 AM. Because of the heat, school was over by 12:45 PM. This was followed by a three hour resting time. As one can imagine, this was a very impactful experience for her.

The Peace Corps provided a firm foundation for teaching back home in the United States. With a solid first month under her belt, the future of Bullers and her class-es looks promising.

a l l i e s i n d l i n g e r

U.s. government teacher uses Canadian experiences in his teaching at kennedy

The United States governmentthe vessel at the center of the very country we live inis one of the single most highly debated topics in America. Adrian Evansa na-tive Canadianteaches this con-troversial subject to Kennedy students.

And because of his national-ity, one cant help but think of the situation as a little out of the ordi-nary. However, when asked about the situation he simply said, Its defiantly a talking point.

After completing courses for his history and English degrees in Scotland, he moved to the

U.S. in 02 and started teach-ing at Kennedy later that same year. Four years later Mr. Evans had to make a choice teach ge-ography to freshman or United States government to seniors. He chose U.S. Government and is still

teaching it today. Evans said, I think my teaching this class helps my students see a different angle of the governmentsince Im not a United States citizen, but a permanent resident. We talk a lot about the rights a citizen has that a non-citizen who lives here doesnt have.

The other main concept that he likes to focus on in class is taxation without representation, because it so highly debated and he is directly involved with it.

The population of the United States is so widely diverse now that Evans sees no problem in having a non-citizen teaching

a class about U.S. government. I feel that no matter where Im from the teens of this county need to know the facts and I want to be the one to teach them the facts, Evans said.

Evans then quoted a statistic taken many years ago that read as follows: Thirty-three percent of teens surveyed thought it was as important to vote for American Idol as it was to vote on govern-ment issues. Over the years Evans hopes that the number of voters will increase and that he had helped change them through his teaching.

s p e n C e r g r e ko f f

Playing. Sage Sattlerfield, a former Kennedy student, plays guitar. Grant Helle and Satterfield were selected to receive the Rotary Scholarship. Satterfield chose to study in Chile, while Helle chose to study in Germany.

In AP art we put together an art portfolio for the end of the year and we just work on that throughout the whole year. We maybe do some power points on art-ists too.-Sam Yorgensen, sr.

Teaching. Adrian Evans, United States Government teacher, stands in front of his class . Evans is from Canada and thinks that it is beneficial for a Canadian to teach U.S. government. He thinks it gives the stu-dents another viewpoint they would not nor-mally get from an American.

Identical quadruplets share insight into time together at school, home Student decribes what art means to her and what the future holds

Students family opens home to foster children

photo provided by Corey Williams

photo by Asmaa Elkheurti

Together. James, John, and Paul Bradford read a story in their LA 10 class. Three of the four Bradford boys are currently in Mari Waldschmidts Language Arts class. Earlier in the year, all four shared a common class.

photo by Elise Krivit

photo by Emma Lehmann

photo by Emma Lehmann

I feel that no matter where Im from, the teens

of this country need to know the facts and I want

to be the one to teach them the facts,

-Adrian Evans, U.S. Government Teacher

I really like the spirit of the school and the pride that the students take in being Kennedy Cougars,

-Regan Bullers, Lan-guage Arts Teacher

They arent identical, they have their own

interestingly different personalities and quirks.

- Mari Waldschmidt, Language Arts Teacher

Im not the same person I was when I got here. A mountain of things have

changed about me-Sage Satterfield, For-mer Kennedy Student

Torch Archive Photo

entertainment14 PAG E B Y A B B Y G I L M A NJ F K TO R C H , F E B RUA RY 2 6 , 2 0 1 0 entertainment PAG E B Y A B B Y G I L M A N entertainment5 PAG E B Y A B B Y G I L M A NJ F K TO R C H , F E B RUA RY 2 6 , 2 0 1 0

Many know of the game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and a majority here have played it like Litts. The game is a first-person and third-person shooter game developed by Infinity Ward where many play online against other people, trying to achieve a goal. Certain game types online can be as simple as team death match, where the team with the most kills wins, to as complex as demolition, when your team must successfully detonate two bombs within a certain time period. Most also know that it has become very popular among players of every age since it hit the shelves Nov. 10 of last year. Among setting records, this game generated over $550 million in just five days, and sold 4.4 million copies in 24 hours within North America. One Cougar seems to have fallen into the midst of the Call of Duty addiction.

Litts bought the game just like many others. What separates

him from everyone else, though, is that he spent hours waiting in line to purchase it. Litts was even the first person in Cedar Rapids to have the game in his hands. Soon after playing it, he quickly became addicted and found him-self crawling back to the game. Its the game play being differ-ent each game that really makes it addicting, Litts said.

Although he doesnt fully con-sider himself an addict, he does realize he plays it too much. Litts has even claimed to be made fun of by his friends for being on for such long periods of time. He has currently played for nearly the equivalent of 19 days out of the 96 that it has been out. If you add in school, sleep, and sports, those 19 days make up a majority of his free time.

In Call of Duty, you gain ex-perience from level one until you have reached level 70. Once youve obtained this, you have the opportunity to start back

over at level one, and go through the process again. This process is called entering prestige, and you are able to do this to a max of ten times. With tenth pres-tige in sight, Litts currently sits at low ninth prestige where he will quickly be moving up from. Within just two weeks, he was able to enter another prestige, which can take months for others to achieve. Although the game seems to have been hacked by a tenth prestige glitch, Litts will become one of the few legitimate tenth prestige players.

Although it may be more than a hobby, he thinks the greatest part is the kids he plays with. The best part of playing has to be talking [crap] to other players, especially ones that try to do it back. Its really what makes the game so fun, Litts said.

C a m e r o n m i l k sphoto by Laura Pochobradsky

Operation: addictionKennedy student becomes addicted with release of new game

And the Oscar goes to...Torch staffers choose their most likely picks to win all

Torch sat down to talk with four students about their unique style, favorite shops, and what they cannot leave home without. Here is what they had to say.

Shelby Bearrows, sr.

Torch: What inspires your style?EO: My brother, because he kind of dresses like I do. I like how presentable he seems.

T: Where is your favorite place to find a bargain?EO: Id say online shopping because there are always sales going on online and I never have to go anywhere.

T: What stores?EO: Probably Urban Outfitters.

T: What is your favorite item of clothing?EO: Cardigans.

T: How would you define your style?EO: Well, for me its about just looking nice and presentable without looking pretentious or preppy.

T: What is the most unique thing about your style?EO: I guess like that I dont just wake up and throw on clothes, I actually think about it before I go to school in the morning.

Torch: What cant you leave home without?KT: My purse.

T: What do you throw in there?KT: My cell phone, MP3, sunglasses, and money.

T: What is your favorite accessory or piece of clothing?KT: One of my dresses probably, but there are like five of them. I also like earrings a lot. I usually get them from Forever 21.

T: What do you splurge on the most?KT: Definitely clothes; probably mostly tops.

T: What is the most unique thing about your style?KT: I can mix and match a lot of different things.

Torch: Who do you look to for inspiration?JM: There are two. My favorite musical artist, Justin Timberlake. I like the way he dresses a lot. I like his music, there-fore I like the stuff he does and the way he dresses. I love David Beckham a lot. I dress more European, if you will.

T: How would you define your style?JM: I would define it as very different. I take pieces from a bunch of different styles and put them together for my own mystery style. So I would say a little bit of everything, from preppy, to rock star, to a little gangster in me; just a bunch of different styles mixed into one.

T: What is your favorite accessory or piece of clothing?JM: I love v-necks. They would be my fa-vorite piece of clothing. I also have a lot of shoes. I have 43 pairs. I used to work at Journeys, so I got good deals.

T: What is the most unique thing about your style?JM: I love the fact that no one can pre-dict what I am going to wear. It is a little different every day. That is one of the most unique things about [my style], that I can wear two completely different outfits in two days. I love how people cant put a finger on my style.

With video games drawing more fans with realistic graph-ics and smooth game play, Brody Litts, fr., finds himself wondering how he can cope without picking up that controller.

Video game addictions seem to be even more extreme enter-ing the 21st century. Now many people lose their social life, day by day, while gaining experience online, hour by hour. Symptoms of video game addiction can be noticed much like that of an excessive gambler. They will be-come stressed if not in front of their game of choice, and will go to extreme measures to play. Players may play many hours per day, causing massive weight gains or even weight losses, al-though no weight changes have occurred in Litts. Normally, an addict will let the game disrupt their sleep pattern. One of the greatest signs, though, can be someone who regularly lies about their playing time.

Double kill. A Kennedy student hones his skills on Call of Duty: modern Warfare 2 after school.

Torch: Where is your favorite place to find a good bargain?SB: Probably Revival in Iowa City. They bring in new clothes. They also, like, take in clothes from people and re-do them and make them look really cool. They have a little black cat running around the store, and I like cats, so I like it a lot. I guess you could describe it as a hip Goodwill. They will add stuff on to the clothes that wasnt there before.

T: What cant you leave home without?SB: My purse. I got a lot of stuff, and I dont like to shove it in my pockets. My wallet, my phone, my keys, maybe a water bottle. Sometimes make-up if I need to look cute. Maybe a book if I wanna read.

T: What is your favorite piece of clothing?SB: Skinny jeans. I havent worn flare jeans since, like, eighth grade.

T: What do you splurge on the most?SB: Shoes, defnintely shoes. Probably boots, Id have to say.

Jake Misener, jr.

Keara Turkington, jr. Evan OBrien, sr.

* Mackenzie Shark Attack Mack Sheehy, sr.

$ Alex Vanilla Temptation Busbee, jr.

Abby Gail Gilman, sr.

Elise Sunshine Krivit, sr.

Morgan Lady Guge, sr.

The Hurt Locker

Colin Firth (A Single Man)

Carey Mulligan(An Education)

Matt Damon(Invictus)

MoNique(Precious)

Up

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George Clooney (Up In The Air)

Morgan Freeman (Invictus)

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Jeff Bridges(Crazy Heart)

Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)

Sandra Bullock(The Blind Side)

Sandra Bullock(The Blind Side)

Carey Mulligan(An Education)

Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds)

Christoph Waltz(Inglorious Basterds)

Matt Damon (Invictus)

Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds)

Maggie Gyllenhaal (Crazy Heart)

Maggie Gyllenhaal (Crazy Heart)

MoNique(Precious)

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Symptoms-depressed mood or loss of interest and five of the following: excessive weight gain or loss, change in sleep, agitation, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness, indecisiveness, preoccupation with death, irritability -symptoms must last two weeks or longer to be considered a depressive episode

Causes-A combination of biological, psychological and environmental factors-Teenagers are vulnerable to depression because of the hormonal changes, increased independence, and increased social isolation that they must deal with.

Treatment-Cognitive behavioral therapy and anti-depressants-Talk to an adult you trust or your family doc-tor, and then you will be referred to a mental health professional-The longer depression goes undiagnosed and untreated, the harder it is to treat

Teenagers are affected by depres-sion more than any other age group. However, studies show that only 30 percent of teens that suffer from depression are treated. This is usually because of the embarrassment and uncertainty that comes with depres-sion. Many teens are uncomfortable asking for help, so they wait for some-one else to notice that they are going through a rough time.

If someone you know seems

unusually irritable, sad, hopeless, uninterested, fatigued, restless or agitated, or preoccupied with death, you could make all the difference by offering that person your support.

If you notice that someone is having these problems, sit down with them to see how theyre feeling and encourage them to get help, Dustin Reeves, a school psychologist for the Grant Wood AEA, said.

A n D R E A n E M E C E k

Information compiled by Allison Kindig

graphics by Craig Aucutt

When life started to become too much for Megan Oleson, jr., she turned to alcohol, mari-juana and prescription drugs for comfort. Oleson knew that she was depressed she felt ex-tremely irritable, sad and upset but didnt tell anyone because she thought the bad feelings would pass. Unfortunately, they never did. Oleson came very close to committing suicide last year; if one of her friends hadnt intervened, she wouldnt be here today.

Unknown but common

Depression affects millions of teenagers like Oleson. At any given time, approximately one in eight teenagers suffer from major depressive disorder, or clinical depression. However, we hardly ever talk about depres-sion and most people dont un-derstand it.

There is still a stigma at-tached to depression, Allyson Wheaton, a psychiatrist at the Cedar Centre, said, which is unfortunate because depression is a very treatable disease and sometimes the longer it goes on, the harder it is to tr