1. Passing another
stepping stone
For me, these past four years have held nothing monu-
mental. Though high school has had its moments, I will not be
crying at graduation. I’m excited for my future, and I can’t wait
to get there.
Some have asked me how I could have hated high school.
And after some thought, they’re right. I didn’t hate it. I am
walking away with experience that I could not have gotten
anywhere else. I am aware of the world around me and I now
understand how to relate to others. The thing is, high school
was just another steppingstone in the big picture of my life.
It was just something that I had to go through to achieve my
goals. It wasn’t a life experience that I will cherish forever or even look back on with fondness.
If I had to give advice for high school, it would be to understand everyone and their actions. Find people who make you the best
person, you can be. Come up with an alter ego like Lola Phalangee or Nicki. When you find something that makes you happy, do it,
no matter what anyone says. Build confidence. Try new things and learn from your mistakes. Lindsay Minder always says, “forgive
and forget, but never regret.” Don’t waste your energy on the little things that don’t matter. And most of all, discover you.
My prime is still ahead of me. These weren’t the best years of my life, and therefore, my best years are still to come. I plan on liv-
ing my life day by day and not investing too much into anything that is only temporary. That is my advice to all of you. High school
is only four years of your life. Don’t let it be the best thing you’ll ever experience. It’s only temporary. Sarah Sickles
James Kern

2. the senior manifesto
take initiative. respect is earned. impossible is nothing. move back. you only live once. all the rules change.
the torch has been passed to a new generation.
smile often.
take a words matter.
no one will believe in you, unless you believe in yourself.
if you’re not confused, you’re not paying attention.
stance
give credit where credit is due, be humble.
cherish your time. live like Line. spend time with the people you
lay your heart on the line. forgive and forget. love, doing the things you love.
optimism.
we’re just having fun, we don’t care who sees. express yourself. don’t hold back. test the waters.
I believe that we will win.
it’s a great day to be a cougar. never say never.
Cherishing the time
In less than two weeks I leave for Kenya. As simple as those words are, I cannot
convey to you how my high school career has gone by at an exponential rate. In my
final weeks not only as a Kennedy cougar senior, but living in Cedar Rapids, there is
so much I want to do and so many goodbyes I have to make. Needless to say, I finally
understand the value of my life here. At this point in my life, so much is changing
and so much is unknown. So, to every underclassmen, cherish your time at Ken-
nedy. I am sure you have probably heard seniors say this year after year, and, yet,
none of us ever seem to listen. However, it is true. Cherish those moments sitting in
a classroom full of people you actually connect to and know the names of. Cherish
getting help from teachers who care about your success more than you may realize at
the time. Cherish everyday you get to call yourself a Kennedy cougar. Because before
you know it, those days are gone. I know I will miss it. And to every senior graduat-
ing, cherish the memories. We have accomplished so much together – from academ-
ics, to athletics, to performing; we have done it all. There is not one thing I am more
confident of at this moment and that is that Kennedy has given us the skills to suc-
ceed. As I embark on a journey across the world and into the unknown in the coming
weeks, I have realized my childhood is over. We, the seniors, are now on our own. But
there is something that will always keep us together, the ability to call ourselves Ken-
nedy cougars – held together by memories and moments no one can every take away.
Stephanie Wenclawski
Pages By Rachel Gilman And Riley Galbraith 9