The student news site of John F. Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Kennedy Torch
COVID-19 is threatening Kennedy pep assemblies for the 2021-2022 school year
COVID-19 Cancels Cougar Traditions
Mask mandates are once again allowed in Iowa schools.
Iowa School Mask Mandate Ban Struck Down
Homecoming Set to Happen September 24
Homecoming Set to Happen September 24
Many Iowan teens and parents are unaware of the curfew for all those 18 and under.
Iowa Has Curfew for Teens Under 18
COVID-19 is threatening Kennedy pep assemblies for the 2021-2022 school year
Fall Pep Assembly Canceled After COVID-19 Surge
Diver Lacey Neighbor (JR) competing in the butterfly portion of an all-diver 200 Yard Medley Relay.
Kennedy Cougars Battle Iowa City West Swimmers
Kennedy Girls' Basketball is Hosting an Open Gym
Kennedy Girls’ Basketball is Hosting an Open Gym
Kennedy Varsity Football Game Canceled
Kennedy Varsity Football Game Canceled
Colin Flannagan (#36) celebrates with wide receiver Jeron Senters (#5) after scoring a touchdown against Washington on September 10th, 2021
A Fading Football Tradition
Photos: Varsity Football Defeats Washington
Photos: Varsity Football Defeats Washington
Kennedy reinstated a mask mandate following Judge Pratt's restraining order on Iowa's ban on mask mandates in schools.
Federal Judge Overrules Mask Mandate Ban
Teens' Voices Get Heard
Teens’ Voices Get Heard
The Class of Compromise
The Class of Compromise
Students often feel overwhelmed by the amount of school work they receive.
Students’ Mental Health Matters
Photo Via Iowa Public Radio Images. Kim Reynolds speaking to her constituents in Iowa.
Leave School Decisions in the Hands of the Educators
Kennedy Varsity Football Game Canceled
Kennedy Varsity Football Game Canceled
Coping During COVID-19
Coping During COVID-19
The 2021 graduation ceremony was held Wednesday, May 26.
Senior Blues
Pepper spray can be hooked onto a keyring.
Sexual Assault: Precautions and Prevention
Passing the Torch
Passing the Torch
Lorena Harger administers a Spanish One written test.
Colombia to The United States
Mariah Griffin (left) and Jennifer McAtee (right) are ready to start the class.
Learning To Teach in an Upside-Down World
Peyton Kach posed for her senior photos with an instrument to represent one of her passions: music.
The Dream of a Musician
Noah Loehr, Sr. at Kennedy High School accepts who he is.
Taking Pride in Expression
Anna Charaeva presents the flag of Georgia. Photo provided by Charaeva.
Kennedy from a Foreign View
Headlights in Deer
Headlights in Deer
I'm Not Exactly Sad
I’m Not Exactly Sad
The Waves of Reminiscence
The Waves of Reminiscence
One for Sorrow
One for Sorrow
The Grand Plan
The Grand Plan
Kennedy High School facilities damaged by the Derecho Aug. 10. The gymnasium was hit especially hard.
What’s Going on with Homecoming?
Manwaring Center of BYU-Idaho. Practice and meeting rooms are available to students and employees at this location.
College Advice from College Students
The Power Movement
The Power Movement
Co-ed Dance team takes the floor
Co-ed Dance team takes the floor
The first stop my parents and I made in the Banff area was Lake Louise. This flag was on top of an ice castle built on the lake in front of the Fairmont Chateau.
Rolling Hills to The Rocky Mountains
Photos: Varsity Football Defeats Washington
Photos: Varsity Football Defeats Washington
Senior Kayleigh Duncan and sophomore Alyssa Brandt run together for the cross country team at Oakridge.
Photos: Cross Country Takes Third Place at Oakridge
Varsity Football in Iowa City
Varsity Football in Iowa City
Photos: Kennedy Softball Headed to State (Substate Semifinal and Final)
Photos: Kennedy Softball Headed to State (Substate Semifinal and Final)
Kennedy had the Symphonic Rock concert on May 23.
Photos: Symphonic Rock at Kennedy
Co-ed Dance team takes the floor
Co-ed Dance team takes the floor
TorchCenter Episode 7
TorchCenter Episode 7
TorchCenter Episode 6
TorchCenter Episode 6
TorchCenter Episode 5
TorchCenter Episode 5
Torch Out Loud Episode 1
Torch Out Loud Episode 1
Noah Hargrafen, Hannah Retz, Morgan Mahoney and Jasmine Hite sit about the recording table.
Torch Talks – Closing Out the Show Choir Season
@CRSCHOOLS on Twitter post the photo above each time there is a delay or no-school day.
What Causes a Cancellation?
Quick Quotes – Winter Break Plans
Torch Talks – The Folks From Frozen
Quick Quotes – Favorite Thanksgiving Foods
The student news site of John F. Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Kennedy Torch
The student news site of John F. Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Kennedy Torch
All content by Jamison Prull
Senior Goodbye: Jamison Prull

Senior Goodbye: Jamison Prull

May 28, 2018
Mallory Nesmith, sr., smiles, enjoying the company of others as they make their final touches before taking the stage for Kennedy's spring musical, The Wedding Singer.

[Photo] Seniors Reminisce About Their Most Memorable Moments at Kennedy

May 2, 2018
Junior Mallory McGuire.

The Wedding Singer Photo Gallery

April 20, 2018
Ferin Bergen, sr., leaping from a table in

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April 20, 2018
Cael Jones, jr., as Robbie Hart.

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April 20, 2018
Erin Grams, sr., helping Josh Young, so., get ready.

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April 20, 2018
Ferin Bergen, sr., Erin Grams, sr., and Braxten Jones, jr.

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April 20, 2018
Cael Jones, jr., climbing out of the dumpster in

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May 2, 2018
Senior James Tolly as Sammy.

[Photo] The Wedding Singer: Seniors' Last Musical

April 23, 2018
Sophomore sound board operator Maddi Strait.

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April 23, 2018
Seniors Kennedy Wilson and Ferin Bergen.

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April 23, 2018
Seniors James Tolly and Ferin Bergen.

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April 23, 2018
Noah Loehr, so., as Glen Gulia

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April 23, 2018
Noah Loehr as Glen Gulia.

[Photo] ‘The Wedding Singer’ Opens This Week

April 18, 2018
Reagan Linder, jr., busting a move during the whole school dance-off.

Spring Pep Assembly

April 8, 2018
The first stop my parents and I made in the Banff area was Lake Louise. This flag was on top of an ice castle built on the lake in front of the Fairmont Chateau.

Rolling Hills to The Rocky Mountains

March 28, 2018
On our first hike, we immediately showed our true Iowan colors. After we ate lunch at the Fairmont Chateau, we started a hike to the Fairview lookout. It was 2 km one way up the mountain, and we wore basic boots and my dad was in tennis shoes. We passed several groups, all wearing snow shoes or boots with ice cleats. I got to the top first and hung out, ready to snap this picture of my mom's expression after seeing a mountain range from a high elevation for the first time.

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March 28, 2018
My parents were thrilled to have a wood burning fire place in our little cabin on Emerald Lake. It only took us about an hour to find the matches to start it.

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March 28, 2018
I woke up super early for the sunrise on Emerald Lake because I didn't want to miss anything. Turns out, the sunrise happens a lot later than it does over a cornfield. The sun didn't come up until about 8:00-8:30 a.m. I did get a few pretty pictures of the stars and the amazing blue sky, though.

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March 28, 2018
We rented an SUV and explored everywhere we could. I was constantly scanning the tops and sides of the mountains looking for mountain goat, but the closest thing to we saw to a goat were these bighorn sheep. We were driving on a tight, mountain-side road, when we saw a bighorn sheep for the first time. It was barreling down the road, followed by a semi and a line of cars.

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March 28, 2018
The day I took this picture, we spent the entire afternoon looking for moose, and had even been in this same location hours before looking for moose. We were coming back from our

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March 28, 2018
We spent most of our last day in Canada snowmobiling west of Banff. Afterwards, we drove back to Calgary and explored the town. We tried to go to the Heritage Park, which is the original part of Calgary that was built in the 1800s. By time we arrived, the park was unfortunately closed. We drove around looking for a high up place to try and see the historical park. We ended up on top of a hospital staff parking ramp. That is where I took this picture of skyline of Calgary.

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March 28, 2018
This picture was taken on our way back down the Icefields Parkway the next day. By this time, we had invested in our own pairs of ice cleats. We hiked up to this lookout over Peyto Lake, which is supposedly an amazing green color in the summer. At this lookout, you gain about 800 feet in elevation after around a 15 minute hike.

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March 28, 2018
We planned an entire day to drive the Icefields Parkway up to Jasper, because it is a highway known to be extremely sketchy. It is not plowed down to the concrete and is only maintained from 8 to 3 every day. We left at about 10 a.m. to have a good start to our drive only to realize we were going the wrong direction 2 hours later. We ended up getting unto the Icefields Parkway around 3, the time people are supposed to get off of it. We got incredibly lucky that the weather was nice the week we were there as well as the week before we got there. Since they had not had snow in a few days, the roads were completely clear. We talked to some locals and they told us that the Icefields Parkway is never clear that time of the year. For this picture, my dad pulled over and let me walk down to the lake. With the camera in my hand, I stepped down with my right foot and I sunk mid-thigh deep into the snow. I had to crawl out, holding the camera in the air.

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March 28, 2018
Dusk and dawn are the best time to look at the mountains, in my opinion. You see the sun shining on the sides facing the sun, and the shadows on the opposite side. With the addition of the snow, it created some incredible views with lots of color.

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March 28, 2018
One of the things on my Banff bucket-list was to ride the gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain. This picture is part of the walkway that takes visitors from the main building to the small cabin on the summit. The small cabin (not pictured) used to be a weather station in the mid 1900s. It is called the Sulphur Mountain Cosmic Ray Station and is a

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March 28, 2018
This is the main lodge on Emerald Lake. The employees of Emerald Lake actually live in apartments about a 2 minute drive from the main lodge. When you come to stay here, you park in a lot next to the employees apartments, and the drive you in a shuttle to the main lodging on an island on the lake. The day we were leaving, they were setting up a wedding for that afternoon. We talked to other guests that had stayed there all week. They told us that Emerald Lake Lodge hosted three weddings during that week alone.

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March 28, 2018
After a 15 minute ride up the gondola to the top of Sulphur mountain, there is a building that includes two restaurants, a museum, and a gift shop. We ate in the Northern Lights Cafe and I had ham, roasted potatoes, and cooked vegetables. That was one of my favorite meals, besides my coconut tomato soup and five cheese bread at Lake Louise. I did not have a single bad meal in Canada.

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March 28, 2018
Jackson Foley, sr.

Sub-state Men’s Basketball Versus Iowa City West

March 5, 2018
Nancy Melsa, the grandmother of Davis and Foley enjoying a birthday lunch at Red Lobster in Nov. 2016.

Davis and Foley Honor Grandmother Through Senior Seasons

February 25, 2018
Trombone section.

[Photo] Band Carnival- Games, Music, Food!

March 1, 2018
Director Jared Wacker, conducting.

[Photo]

March 1, 2018
Sophomore Rose Svatek.

Performing Arts Showcase for the District Middle Schoolers

February 9, 2018
DSC_0022

[Photo] Hold On Pain Ends, have HOPE.

February 2, 2018
Derrick Diggins, sr., setting up himself up for a shot.

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February 2, 2018
Derrick Diggins, sr., breaking through his opponents to complete a layup.

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February 2, 2018
Jackson Foley, sr., taking on his opponent and protecting the ball.

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February 2, 2018
Grant Griffin, jr., fighting for the loose ball.

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February 2, 2018
The color guard performed for the halftime entertainment.

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February 2, 2018
Grant Griffin, jr., driving through the lane to make a shot.

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February 2, 2018
Sarah Nolting, sr., working on an assignment in AP Research.

[Photo] Standards-Based Grading 1 2 3s Better Than Traditional A B Cs?

January 12, 2018
Kennedy graduate Devin Larrimore broke the school record in the spring of 1999 with a throw of 137 feet and 10 inches.

’99 Alumna Still Claims Discus Record

January 10, 2018
Olivia Hellweg, sr., making a lay-up.

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January 10, 2018
Lauryn Vaske, jr., guarding the ball.

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January 10, 2018
Madison Friauf, jr., dribbling down the court.

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January 10, 2018
Aud Alepra, jr., going in for a lay-up.

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January 10, 2018
Derek Diggins, sr., and his team celebrating a close game win over the J-Hawks

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January 10, 2018
Ethan Sailor, sr., playing tough defense in the last few minutes of the game.

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January 10, 2018
Jacob Ciabatti, sr., and Graham Woods, sr., cheering on the Cougars.

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January 10, 2018
Jackson Foley, sr., considering his next move.

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January 10, 2018
Derek Diggins, sr., catching air for two points.

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January 10, 2018
DSC_0356

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January 10, 2018
The crazy clocks at Kennedy High School.

What Time is it, Kennedy High School?

November 9, 2017
The title of Scott Winter's speech was

IHSPA Fall Conference

November 1, 2017
Scott Winter, a professor from Bethel University, gave the keynote speech of the convention.

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November 1, 2017
A student listening to Scott Winter talking about important moments worthy of a picture and story.

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November 1, 2017
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