Cutting Some Weight - News Story

Cutting Some Weight  

By: Caleb Syke

It’s wrestling season once again at Kennedy High School, which means there are

many student athletes who have started on a wrestling diet in order to cut weight. In

wrestling, there are 14 specific weight classes that a wrestler could be in. When a wrestler

weighs more than their designated weight class, that wrestler has to cut or lose weight

until they weigh less than that class. This ensures that the wrestlers weight is equal to that

of his opponent, making it a fair match.  For example, if one wrestler had a given weight class

of 145 pounds, but that wrestler weighed 149 pounds, they would have to lose over 5 pounds

within a short period of time in order to get under that 145 limit.

Now, as most could expect, the act of cutting weight can definitely be taken out

of hand if wrestlers aren’t careful. That’s why Iowa high schools make an effort to

give their wrestlers sound advice when it comes to cutting weight. According to the IHSAA

(Iowa High School Athletic Association), “The best weight for wrestlers, or anyone for that

matter, is one that is safe and can be comfortably maintained by eating a healthy, balanced

diet. Wrestlers should be able to concentrate more on developing wrestling skills, than

on maintaining, or losing, weight. Those who spend more time thinking about food,

than wrestling, are probably trying to lose too much weight and/or eating the

wrong foods.” In addition to this, IHSAA applies studies done by many leading medical

professionals in order to ensure that student athletes are maintaining healthy diets and habits.

Yet somehow, despite the thorough and detailed instruction given by the

wrestling coaches regarding this advice, many Kennedy student wrestlers choose

alternative methods of losing weight that are not recommended. As senior JV wrestler,

Spencer Bevins puts it, “Some of us are on a normal, good diet where you just avoid

processed or greasy stuff. Most of the other guys just starve themselves though.” Bevins

went on to describe some of the other weight cutting methods the wrestlers use, such

as taking laxatives, bathing in epsom salts to reduce water weight, avoiding drinking

any fluids or sometimes utilizing tobacco products for appetite suppression. When

asked why some are willing to go to such extremes just to lose a little weight, Bevins said,

“There’s a lot of pressure to lose that extra weight. Being even ounces off can screw

you over sometimes. Some of us approach that pressure differently I guess.”

This weight cutting problem isn’t just limited to Kennedy though. Many other

high school and even college wrestlers use some of these methods to get rid of

those extra pounds fast. According to nutritionist and director of BTD Nutrition

Consultants, Bonnie Taub-Dix, anywhere from one quarter to two thirds of

high school wrestlers use fasting, excessive exercise, voluntary dehydration

and unbalanced diets to achieve a lower weight. With this information, it could

be concluded that a new approach should be taken. While weight plays a key role

in wrestling as a whole, perhaps there is a better way to address these risky methods.

For, at the end of the day, a wrestler belongs out on the mat, not on the scale.  

One pager 2

“Helium supplies are tightening up again”

Article By: Marc S. Reisch

Link: https://cen.acs.org/articles/96/i12/Helium-supplies-tightening-again.html

            Helium. It’s probably what you think of as that stuff we put in balloons to make them float. But what you might not know is that this noble gas is also an important ingredient in both nuclear testing and many medical practices. So once many people realized that the international helium supply was running short, they started to panic. The shortage is due to a couple key contributing factors. First off, back in June of 2017, Saudi Arabia blocked a major helium shipment from leaving the country. This shipment block is just one of many disruptions in supply flow in the middle East, due to upsets between Qatar, Saudi Arabia and many of the international gas producers based in those countries. The second factor is a shortage at one of the world’s leading helium facilities in Texas. This Texas facility produces 30% of the world’s helium supply. While there is a shortage of helium being produced at this production zone, there are new helium facilities opening up in multiple different countries across the world. The shortage is supposed to end by 2019, as many of these facilities will be fully operational by that year.

News Article

Caleb Syke 

Period 6

Note: I haven’t been able to set up time to interview Mr. Hayes yet, so I don’t have all the info I need. I will update this as soon as I get an interview with him.

What the heck happened to stagecraft?

          At the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year, many upperclassmen were shocked and upset to find out that Stagecraft and Design was no longer a course that students can take. “I was disappointed when my councilor wrote me a note saying that the course was no longer an option.” says Kennedy senior, Collin Wheat. The only similar option left for students as of now is joining tech crew, but tech crew doesn’t offer nearly as much time as Stagecraft did for building the sets, working on the lighting and creating props.  

Draft 2 of Johnson profile

Mr. Johnson’s Profile

1. Caylei Pirtle, Caleb Syke, Claire Wicke, Kayla Coghlan
2. Due to how busy he usually is, we could only schedule a small window of time for a follow-up session with Mr. Johnson.
3. Our word choice seems to be working.
4. Give us feedback on anything you feel needs to be fixed. We don’t have any specific requests in terms of feedback.

“Coming here was like moving into a country club,” -Mr. Johnson

Robert Johnson grew up in inner city Detroit, Michigan, and originally wanted to move to
Georgia where majority of his extended family was. He didn't have any relatives in Detroit
besides his parents, so really, he wanted to be closer to his extended family. During
events he eventually decided to give another place a try.   

“In high school, when there was an after school activity or game, it would have to be
immediately after school so rival gangs from across town couldn’t come and
create fights.” He said in an interview. Passing his peers in the hallways at school he
would hear racial slurs, police officers were everywhere, and there were
even metal detectors at every entrance and exit, “They made us go through metal
detectors before entering school most days, which meant multiple people would end up
throwing things out of their pockets and even running the opposite way. Some people
even kept blades in their mouths.” He explained later on. Johnson ultimately went to
a “99% african american school,” so seeing this violent place for most of his life, then
suddenly coming to a more public community everyday, was a drastic change of
environment. Here in Cedar Rapids, kids could walk in and out whenever, keep anything
in your bags, coat pockets, and other clothing without being questioned or searched,
and being trusted to do really whatever he or she wanted. “Coming here was like moving
into a country club.” Johnson added.  

He enjoys his job here because he likes the safe community it brings. The culture change
was something he had difficulty adapting to, but eventually got used to the atmosphere
of Kennedy. “I was always seen as the big, scary, tough looking guy..,” for enforcing the
rules to the students. Everybody needs a little discipline and enforcing that shouldn't
make someone the ‘bad guy’. At first he really didn't feel accepted but eventually learned
that it was easier than he thought. Over time he started to fit in more to the flow of
kennedy as a school, it's who he was as a person. He was patient with the students and
gave himself a fair shot. He believes kids need to grow up in a safe environment and
in his eyes that's what Kennedy is. It might have been challenging on some occasions,
but he wouldn’t change it for anything.

One-pager 1

Suspect in Mollie Tibbetts’ killing enters not guilty plea

By: Ray Sanchez & Marlena Baldacci

Link: https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/19/us/mollie-tibbetts-iowa-suspect-arraigned/index.html

“He later led authorities to a corn field, where they found a body covered in corn leaves. Tibbetts’

clothing was also found at the scene.”

When the news came out that the authorities had found Mollie Tibbetts’ body, people all

across the nation were shocked. The 20-year-old University of Iowa student had disappeared one

July evening after leaving her home to go on a jog. It would not be until months later in which authorities

would be led to a cornfield, where the body of a young woman laid, covered in corn leaves. The man

who lead them to the body was 24 year old Cristhian Bahena Rivera, the man suspected and later charged

for the kidnapping and murder Tibbets.

Bahena Rivera came to the U.S. illegally from Mexico when he was still a minor. When he turned 20,

he eventually found himself in Iowa, where he’d get a job as a worker at Yarrabee Farms, a dairy farm

not too far away from where Tibbetts lived. Bahena Rivera had admitted, when being questioned by authorities,

that he had followed her along a country road, and claimed to remember getting “mad” at her before

somehow, everything else that transpired was blocked from memory. The only thing Rivera

remembers after getting upset with Tibbetts is standing in front of her corn leaf covered body,

with no recollection of what happened in between those two moments. Rivera would later go on

to plead ‘not guilty’ at a court in Poweshiek County, Iowa.

While authorities have stated that Rivera has no previous criminal history, and while he claims to not

recall the events after getting angry with Tibbetts, it’s still very hard to believe Rivera didn’t abduct

and murder her. Regardless of whether it was his full intent to kill Tibbets, or if it was mental illness

that caused him to have diminished responsibility for the murder, there's a good chance that

Cristhian Bahena Rivera will be going to prison for a long time.

Profile 1

Caleb Syke  

Period 6

Profile 1

Have you ever had a pet that to you, felt more like your own child rather than simply an animal you care
for? High school junior, Mackenzie Joseph, more commonly referred to as Mack Jo, seems to have that
relationship with her pet labradoodle, Gracie Rose. When she’s not busy biking or traveling, Mack Jo is
spending quality time with the dog she loves. “I’m the main person in my house who takes care of her.”
Says Mack Jo, “I feed her, clean up after her, cuddle with her and take her on walks. I give her a lot of
attention.”

If Mack ever finds herself going on a vacation, she’s reluctant to leave her favorite pup behind. “I always
take a few pictures with her before I leave. If I’m ever missing her while I’m on the trip, I just pull up the
pictures on my phone and look at them. Also, my neighbor sends me photos of her since she’s the one
who dog-sits while we’re away.” When Mack gets home from a trip, greeting Gracie after not seeing her
for so long is her first priority.

The bond that dogs and their owners share is unique. It’s a relationship built on love and loyalty. Mack
and Gracie’s relationship is no exception.