The CHIEF September 2018

SEPT, 2018

The

PONTIAC TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL

FRESHMAN PERSPECTIVE Hear from some members of the freshman class on the start of their PTHS life!

UPPERCLASS ACTS

Check out which PTHS seniors are this month's Upperclass Acts!

table of contents

02 Letter from the Editors

04 Freshman Point of View

05 PTHS Fine Arts

06 Special Olympics

07 UpperClass Acts

09 Movie Review

109 Music Review

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04

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The

CHIEF

www.pontiac90.org

Sophomores, congratulations -- you made it through your first year of high school. By now, you should be getting a good handle on things at PTHS, and this year (hopefully) will not be as nerve-wracking as the last. Juniors, you ’ re half way there. Keep up the hard work, and before you know it you ’ ll be in a cap and gown, diploma in hand. Seniors, what a ride it ’ s been; as your time in high school comes to an end, we hope that you remain focused in your studies and activities; make this year the best one yet! Everyone, we can ’ t wait to share this terrific school year with you all. Here ’ s to another great year!

A NOTE FROM YOUR EDITORS

By Sunn y Ho l t and Joe G i l mo r

Hello, everyone, and welcome to a brand new school year! We ’ re excited to usher in the new year with our first edition of The Chief. We ’ re ecstatic to see faces new and old amongst our staff this semester, and can ’ t wait to see what each and every one of them has to offer. We would now like to take this opportunity to welcome both new and returning students to another exciting year here at PTHS. Freshmen, your first year in high school may seem a little daunting, but it ’ s also an opportunity to experience new events and meet new people.

Your editors, Sunny and Joe

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POINT OF VIEW By J a cob O r ndo r f

Many new freshmen have joined into our community this year and I thought it would be a good idea to get the opinion of a few of them to see how they like the school and all it has to offer. Ava Nollen: “ At first, I was super nervous to be in high school. The morning of Freshman Orientation, I woke up with a pit in my stomach. But as the days went on, my fear went away. Because I realized how different high school is than how it ’ s portrayed. The teachers truly want to help and teach you, some upperclassmen will be really nice to you, even if you ’ re a freshman, and the clubs and extracurricular give you a chance to express yourself and bond with other students. ” Dewayne Johnson: “ I like track and because it ’ s a way to get rid of my energy, and by the end of the day I have a lot of it. I like Science Club because to me it ’ s fun learning about the universe and how living organisms form and more. School has been a blast so far. I am the freshman president and I ’ ve met new people. ” Jeffrey Hamilton: “ I think that the school all together is pretty nice and the teachers are willing to help you if you need help. The classes are actually pretty fun if you pick the ones you like. Extracurricular activities are really fun and they get you involved and you sometimes meet new people ”

Justin Bennett: “ I like that the learning applies to life skills ”

Zander Ehreshman: “ I like how the school has a lot of extracurricular and a variety of classes. ”

Abigayle Schott: “ It was cool, but I was nervous about everything. The teachers and staff were really nice. It wasn ’ t how I expected it, it was much better. As you can see so far most are comfortable and already fitting in with their own groups. They already enjoy what they do, and have met new people in the process. With the years ahead of them I think this freshman class will do fine.

By Alyssa Rodriguez

Fine  Arts

Marching Indians

During the first home football game, the Marching Indians had the opportunity to show their progress on this year's show this far. The show this year is titled “Machine.” The music and movements during the performance go right along with the title. Within the music, many clicking and repeating rhythms are used to sound like a running machine. While the band is making sounds, the guard mimics machine motions as they make their way onto the field. The first competition will be on September 8th and the Marching Indians are looking forward to it. On the 8th, the band will travel to Washington, Illinois, to compete against several other bands. Even though it is only the beginning of the competition, this year’s Marching Indians demonstrate great promise and confidence with their show this far.

The Start for PTHS Choirs

As the school year starts, so does practice for the choirs. Each of the four main choirs (Treble 1, Treble 2, Men's Choir, and Concert Choir) begin working on music for their upcoming showcase in October. Since the concert will be held in the month of October, some songs will have aspects of autumn and or Halloween within the lyrics. All choirs are working hard to put together several songs for the audience to enjoy and will continue to work on them. Along wit the in class work, the Madrigals and Court Singers have also been working for on their songs for their event in December. Even though the performance is a few months away, the performers start early to make sure everything is right. While looking at any part of the choir program as it is now, people can expect great performances this year.

PTHS Receives National Special Olympics Recognition

Special Olympics Illinois has announced that Pontiac High School a Special Olympics Unified Champion School, is receiving national banner recognition for its efforts to provide inclusive sports and activities for students with and without disabilities. Pontiac High School is receiving this honor as a result of meeting national standards of excellence in the areas of inclusion, advocacy and respect. An award presentation will take place at the school this fall. Pontiac High School will be among a select number of schools to receive this distinction and will be presented with a banner to hang in the school. PTHS will also be included on a list of other schools around the country who have achieved this distinguished status.

In addition to this award, PTHS has been named the top program in Illinois by ESPN. Please click this video:

FFA Summer Golf Outing

By Lily Lydigsen

During the summer on June 14th 2018, Pontiac’s FFA held the Alumni Golf Outing. All the High school students that signed up to come and help had to be at the golf courses (Wolf Creek, Elks) by ten in the morning. The students that signed up to help out were put on golf bag duty. They would put the name of the person on the bag by zip tying it and then put it on the golf cart that had his or her number on it. Once the alumni checked in, they were provided with snacks, drinks and a gift. The event lasted for a couple of hours and there were many people of various ages participating. Once every one of the alumni had arrived, the students were allowed to leave. Alumni and friends would head off to play nine holes and have a good time!

Upperclass Acts

NAME: Savannah Limberg

Savannah Limberg

NICKNAMES: Sav, Savvy

MOST POSITIVE MOMENT: Making it into both Madrigals and Concert Choir my sophomore year

ROLE MODEL(S): My parents and my grandma

ACTIVITIES @ PTHS: Madrigals, Color Guard, Key Club, Student Council, Pontio, The Chief, National Honors Society, Tri-M, Class Officer, Scholastic Bowl, Concert Choir

PET PEEVES: When people walk super slowly in front of you in the hallways and when people say “no offense” to act like it downplays anything insulting they are saying WHAT MY FRIENDS WILL REMEMBER ABOUT ME: My positive and caring attitude and willingness to always lend a helping hand to someone who needs it HOW WOULD YOU SPEND $1,000,000? I would first use it to pay for ALL of my schooling and then use anything that is left over to pay back my parents for all the years they paid for everything. IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND, WHAT 3 ITEMS WOULD YOU WANT WITH YOU? A satellite phone, a water purifier, and a knife LAST WORDS OF ADVICE: “Keep working hard and always remember to stay true to yourself in order to achieve your goals and follow your dreams. The future is out there… you just have to work for it.”

FONDEST MEMORY OF HIGH SCHOOL SO FAR: Band and Choir trip to New York during Spring break 2017

3 MAJOR AREAS OF INTEREST: Veterinary Medicine, Music, and Travel

PLANS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL: Attend a 4 year university and get my Bachelor’s in biology, then go to Vet school to earn a doctor of veterinary medicine

FAVORITE MOVIE: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

MOST INSPIRATIONAL SONG: “Imagine” by John Lennon

FAVORITE TEACHER/CLASS: Mr. Nollen’s Anatomy and Physiology Class

FAVORITE AUTHOR/BOOK: J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series (specifically Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban )

Upperclass Acts

Jack Fogarty

NAME: Jack Fogarty

NICKNAMES: Jack/John Fogarty

FAVORITE AUTHOR/BOOK: The Hunger Games

ROLE MODEL(S): My mom and dad

MOST POSITIVE MOMENT: Chili day in the cafeteria

ACTIVITIES @ PTHS: Cross Country and Key Club

FONDEST MEMORY OF HIGH SCHOOL SO FAR: Finishing finals and then going on summer break.

PET PEEVES: When I can’t focus and concentrate on what I’m doing

3 MAJOR AREAS OF INTEREST: Medical field, engineering, or some sort of business career

WHAT MY FRIENDS WILL REMEMBER ABOUT ME: My curly hair

PLANS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL: Figure out what career I want to pursue and then go to college to study for the job.

HOW WOULD YOU SPEND $1,000,000? I would spend the money on sending me and my brother to college. The rest would go into savings, so that my mom and dad could retire. IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND, WHAT 3 ITEMS WOULD YOU WANT WITH YOU? A pickaxe, a sword, and some diamond armor

FAVORITE MOVIE: The Dark Knight

MOST INSPIRATIONAL SONG: “Hall of Fame” by The Script

FAVORITE TEACHER/CLASS: Mr. Christie’s history class

LAST WORDS OF ADVICE: “Don’t be too lazy, and try to make good decisions.”

h Critic's

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Fiilm

Movie Review: Love, Simon

By Jasmine White

Love, Simon is a really good movie with heartwarming, funny, and relatable moments. The movie brings a feeling of realness of a town and the relationship between the characters, which adds a sense of relatedness to the people who are watching the movie. Love, Simon was directed perfectly and scripted very well, showing what it is like to be gay or transsexual in high school in this generation. An example is the scene where a character named Martin goes up to Simon to apologize about writing the email that exposes Simon as gay; when Simon replies, the shots of the angles of the cameras capture Simon ’ s emotional words as he retorts back to Martin. Another great example of directing is a cute scene on a Ferris wheel that stops at the top and the camera angles out to make the whole scene look a lot better. This movie is a must see movie which I rate the movie as a 5 out of 5 stars.

h Critic's

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Music

Music Review: Sweetener

By Becca True It has been years since Ariana Grande became a household name with her first hit, “ The Way. ” Since then, she has continuously dropped chart-topping albums and even catchier singles. Recently, she has gone against her typical image with a new and different album titled Sweetener . The album has gained an immense amount of attention, with fans enjoying the catchy, positive songs such as “ God is a Woman ” and “ No Tears Left to Cry. ” The album follows her tragic Manchester concert, where a bombing killed and injured many. Grande ’ s album is a form of recovering from the trauma and spreading more positivity into the world.

The Chief Staff Sunny Holt: Co Editor-in-Chief Joe Gilmor: Co Editor-in-Chief

Around PTHS

Lily Lydigsen Clay Miller Luke Morrissette Jacob Orndorf Alyssa Rodriguez Becca True Hannah Wallace Jasmine White

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