The CHIEF April 2018

APRIL, 2018

The

PONTIAC TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF!

UPPERCLASS ACTS

You saw the musical, now read all about what it took to put on such a successful performance!

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

table of contents

03 Editor's Note

04 Student Teacher Interview 05 Fiddler 06 Art Update

07 Life Skills play

08 Upperclass Acts

10 Tennis

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The

CHIEF

www.pontiac90.org

I know it’s hard to have motivation when you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but keep working hard! These last two months are equally as important as the rest of the year! Also with April comes the dreaded SAT for the juniors, but don’t stress! Make sure you keep paying attention in class, get a good night’s sleep and eat a good breakfast the morning of the test and you’ll be set! Keep working hard PTHS and have a great April!

EDITOR'S NOTE W H A T ' S G O I N G O N ?

By Kamr y n Moo r e

Happy April and welcome back to The Chief! I hope everyone has a great spring break and a fun-filled Easter! With April comes a lot of exciting things, but mostly it brings the end of the year even closer.

Sincerely, Kamryn Moore N O M A D I C | 2 4

What would you like to accomplish before graduating?

Student Teacher

Zee Arduini

By Joseph Gilmor

Ms. Pantke, one of the newest student teachers here at PTHS, was born and raised in Joliet, IL. She graduated from Minooka High School, where she was a member of the school volleyball and dance teams. She also helped to publish the school yearbook. During her elementary and high school years, Ms. Pantke always looked up to her teachers, so much so that she decided to become one. While she has always enjoyed studying Biology and Chemistry because they are relatable to everything in life, Ms. Pantke is also extremely passionate about History. Currently, she is majoring in Biological Studies and Secondary Education at Illinois State University. She enjoys the “small school feel” of Pontiac where everybody knows everyone else; however, upon graduating, Ms. Pantke plans to teach Biology in a suburban setting. Between work and school, Ms. Pantke stays very busy, but in her spare time she enjoys eating at Chinese restaurants and watching movies, of which her favorite is Titanic.

"Get A's and B's"

Evan Nabors

"Prepare for basic training"

C.W. Willemarck

"Graduating is enough."

The two main roles were Tevye played by Kevin Kuska and Golde played by Mackenzie Mies. There was three opportunities to see the showing, beginning om Friday the 16th and ending on March 18th. For the showing on Sunday, about sixteen members from the last time Fiddler was performed at the high school was there as a part of the audience. The last time the high school performed Fiddler on the Roof was the year 1974. Along with that, the last showing also included a thank you for Mr. Ramseyer because this year was his last show as he is retiring. All of the members of the play signed a card, and after the curtain call, Mr. Ramseyer was presented with the card and flowers and a special thank you from the lead role. After months of preparation, everyone was pleased with the musical and the way it was brought to life. Even though the plays and musicals will never be the same without Mr. Ramseyer, it is a fond memory that everyone who participated will cherish. N O M A D I C | 2 4

P T H S D R A M A D E P T . P R E S E N T S

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF

By A l y s s a Rod r i gue z

After months of late rehearsals, the spring musical was finally able to be performed for an audience. For several months, the cast, crew, and pit have put hours upon hours into perfecting the enjoyable performance. The musical this year was Fiddler on the Roof. The story followed a man in a small village stuck with traditions from long ago until people start thinking on their own and things are forced to be changed. As the audience followed the tale, many songs such as “Matchmaker,” “To Life,” and “The Dream” were performed by the cast with the pit.

W H A T ' S H A P P E N I N G I N T H E W O R L D O F A R T ?

ADVANCED ART NEWS

By Be c c a T r ue

In late March, Mr. Vogt and his Advanced Art students took a trip after school to Kankakee Community College to exhibit their talents at the art competition. Many exemplary pieces were submitted, and they were categorized by black and white drawings, paintings, sculptures, and color drawings. The show was a first-time experience for many of the students, which was both exciting and nerve-wracking for them. Out of almost two-hundred submitted pieces, four Pontiac students won awards. Sam Sipe won a merit award for her incredibly detailed painting, and Emma Brummel also won a merit award for her extremely realistic frog. In addition to the paintings, Bethany Jewell received a merit award for her drawing, “The Flower Girl.” In addition, Ashlynn Becker earned an honorable mention for her intricately designed cubism project. All of the pieces were beautifully created, and the students are extremely grateful for the constant encouragement of their wonderful Art teacher, Mr. Vogt.

18th Annual Life Skills Play

This past month, weeks of hard work and preparation by our Life Skills classes and peers went into a successful performance of the 18th annual play, Jack and the Beanstalk . Many members of our school and community were able to watch the play during 1st hour on March 21, and this year, people had a second opportunity to see it. For the first time, the production was also put on that night at the Eagle Theater here in Pontiac. Congratulations to everyone involved in this show!

Woodburn Named to Scholastic Bowl All-Sectional Team

Henry Woodburn, a senior on the PTHS Scholastic Bowl Team, has been selected as a member of the All-Sectional team by the Illinois High School Scholastic Bowl Coaches Association. PTHS is in the Mahomet-Seymour sectional group, which consists of 32 schools and covers a huge area from Streator and Joliet in the north down to Mattoon and Danville in the south. Only twelve students from those thirty-two schools were selected to the All-Sectional team by the coaches within the Sectional. Woodburn’s selection, therefore, places him in the top 3 or 4% of all players in that group. Serving as captain of the Pontiac varsity squad, Woodburn led all PTHS players, scoring 129 tossup questions this year, 12 of which were given power points, for a total of 1350 individual points on the season. He also responded to hundreds of bonus questions, adding approximately 2000-3000 additional team points and leading the team to a very successful season record of 22-11. Woodburn has been a four-year member of the school’s scholastic bowl team, and he has been a leader at both the JV and varsity levels. He plans to attend the University of Minnesota in the fall, majoring in chemistry and taking a minor in pharmacology.

Upperclass Acts

Olivia Muir

NAME: Olivia Muir

NICKNAMES: Olive

FAVORITE AUTHOR/BOOK: The Giver by Lois Lowry

ROLE MODEL(S): My Mom, Zendaya

MOST POSITIVE MOMENT: Being Queen for our Madrigal Dinners this year.

ACTIVITIES @ PTHS: Madrigals, Key Club, Tri-M, Football Cheerleading, Thespians, National Honor Society, National Technical Honor Society

PET PEEVES: Slow walkers in the hallway, bad grammar, interrupting.

FONDEST MEMORY OF HIGH SCHOOL SO FAR: Band/Chorus trip to Disney World

WHAT MY FRIENDS WILL REMEMBER ABOUT ME: My long hair and my loud laugh.

3 MAJOR AREAS OF INTEREST: Music, family, travel

HOW WOULD YOU SPEND $1,000,000? Pay for college, buy a car, go on a vacation, and invest the rest. IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND, WHAT 3 ITEMS WOULD YOU WANT WITH YOU? My dog, a boat, and a solar- powered cell phone.

PLANS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL: I plan to attend a four- year university and get a degree while staying involved in music.

FAVORITE MOVIE: Beauty and the Beast or The Greatest Showman

MOST INSPIRATIONAL SONG: “This is Me” from The Greatest Showman

LAST WORDS OF ADVICE: “Don’t worry about what other people think, be yourself.”

FAVORITE TEACHER/CLASS: Mr. Durbin/Concert

Upperclass Acts

Ryan Lauritsen

NAME: Ryan Lauritsen

FAVORITE AUTHOR/BOOK: With the Old Breed by Eugene Sledge

NICKNAMES: Toast, Fish, Lauri

MOST POSITIVE MOMENT: Winning Sectional in Pole Vault

ROLE MODEL(S): My Dad, Chesty Puller, Carlos Hathcock

PET PEEVES: Slow drivers, freshmen

ACTIVITIES @ PTHS: Cross Country, Swim, Track, FFA, National Honor Society

WHAT MY FRIENDS WILL REMEMBER ABOUT ME: Sarcastic comments

FONDEST MEMORY OF HIGH SCHOOL SO FAR: Competing in the State Finals for Pole Vault

HOW WOULD YOU SPEND $1,000,000? Buy a house in the woods and invest in stocks

3 MAJOR AREAS OF INTEREST: Mechanics, workouts, animals

IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND, WHAT 3 ITEMS WOULD YOU WANT WITH YOU? A boat, a compass, extra tank of gas LAST WORDS OF ADVICE: “Don’t wait for tomorrow to start what should’ve been done yesterday.”

PLANS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL: Enlisted in Marine Corps

FAVORITE MOVIE: Blazing Saddles

MOST INSPIRATIONAL SONG: Marine Corps Hymn

FAVORITE TEACHER/CLASS: Mr. Soares / College Writing

S P R I N G S P O R T S S P O T L I G H T

INDIANS BOYS TENNIS

By C l a y M i l l e r

The boy’s tennis season here at PTHS has kicked off at long last thanks to many days of less than adequate weather. The boys have been hard at work outside on the courts for about a month now (when the weather cooperates) and their first match was finally held at ICC College against East Peoria on April 5th. East Peoria and many other programs have a couple of matches under their belts at this point, so the Indians went into this match eager to compete. Once again, the Indians were unsure if the weather would take away their playing time but despite common suppositions, the match was held even in frigid 30 degree weather of that day. The varsity played a 6 singles 3 doubles setup, which means 5 wins were required to win the meet. For singles, Griffin Brunner, Rocco Sartoris, Marcus Long and I won convincingly. Doubles went similarly for the Indians; Griffin Brunner and Rocco Sartoris won number one doubles, Garrett Brunner and I won two doubles, and our only doubles loss came happened in a close match featuring Marcus Long and Kyle Kuerth for Pontiac. Therefore, doubles was clinched as well and the Indians were able to drive home happy that night coming away with a first meet victory. The boys hope for both the winning trend to continue and for better weather to come along soon.

Th Critic's

 Corner

Literature

Review of Zach's Lie by Roland Smith

By McKenzie Cool

Jack Osborne ’ s life is changed forever the night men in masks break into his house and threaten his family. When Jack finds out his father has been arrested for drug trafficking, Jack ’ s family is forced into the Witness Protection Program. Jack then becomes “ Zach ” and now has to figure how to piece together his new life. Slipping up could mean putting everyone he loves in danger. Find out if “ Zach ” can keep up the lie by picking up this great read!

Th Critic's

 Corner

Music

Review of The Weeknd

By Becca True

The Weeknd has quickly become a household name in the past three years, dropping constant hit songs and unique albums. However, having not released an album in over a year, fans were exhilarated when he dropped a surprise album, My Dear Melancholy . After listening, some were surprised to hear that he had drifted back to his old style of music, which consisted of terribly sad lyrics and mostly slow rhythms. With his previous album, he was mainly focused on becoming mainstream, so his songs were much more upbeat. Despite the fact that the songs are much more depressing, nearly all of them are rising on the top charts, with “ Call Out My Name ” conquering the number one spot. Obviously, The Weeknd has made it clear that pouring his heart into his music will always lead to success, whether he touches over heartbreaking topics or sings something more lighthearted.

Student Poetry Rabbits By Aaron Russell-Hoover

The Chief Staff

Kamryn Moore: Editor-in-Chief

Leslie Babbs Kenzie Cool Kaelee Germain Joe Gilmor Sunshine Holt Clay Miller Luke Morrissette Alyssa Rodriguez Becca True Hannah Wallace

Ohhhhh... rabbits are my hobby. I like how some feel and some of their personalities. They are my life. I will never give up on them. When I walk out to my garage I can hear my rabbits. I get some out of their cage and poise them to see what they look like. I take them out when it’s summer so they can run outside. They eat the grass that I cut and sometimes they eat the grass that is not cut. They like it when I hold them. They like to hop around the yard. They run and play. I like to see them have so much fun. They like stretching outside when I do take them out like after school in the Spring and summer. They adjust very well when I take them out. I like my rabbit very much. If I got rid of them I don’t know what I would do. I would like to have them for years to come. They make me so happy every time I see them when I’m upset.

Mr. Blair, Faculty Sponsor Mr. Soares, Faculty Sponsor

Enjoy creative writing? If you ever would ever like to see your creative pieces in The Chief , contact Mr. Soares or Mr. Blair!