The CHIEF December 2016

DECEMBER, 2016

The

PONTIAC TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL

PTHS holds annual banquet to celebrate the National Honor Society members. NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY

WINTER SEASON

FINAL EXAMS

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table of contents

03 National Honor Society

04 Winter Sports Preview 05 Getting to Know... 06 Club Spotlight

07 Upperclass Acts

10 Critic ' s Corner - Music 11 Student Poetry

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CHIEF www.pontiac90.org

IT'S AN HONOR! By A l l y s on Sho f f 2 0 1 6 N H S B A N Q U E T    On November 16th, friends, family, and teachers alike joined together at Pontiac Township High School to welcome twenty-four well-rounded and deserving students into the Torch Chapter of the National Honor Society.  The night began with a wonderfully prepared dinner from our cafeteria staff that was served by Key Club members. A school banquet, whether it be for athletics, music, scholarships, or academic achievements such as this one, is a time to relax and enjoy some good food while reconnecting with friends.     After dinner was over and everyone had enjoyed a slice of pie of some sort, we all entered the auditorium in an impressively smooth manner to hear our speaker of the night. Mike Wille is the director of the Illinois State University School of Art. He visited Pontiac Township High School last spring as a speaker for our art show and gave a similar speech then. Nevertheless, it seemed the entire audience was captivated by his abstract work and his passion for what he does.     The end of the night came quickly and it was time to welcome our new members. The ceremony started with a welcome address and five continuing members were called up to introduce the attributes needed to be inducted into National Honor Society. Shelby Jennings, Andrea Mehrkens, Margaret Melvin, Olivia Welshans, and myself each took turns speaking of Character, Leadership, Service, and Scholarship was well as introducing National Honor Society as a whole. This year also marked the second year in the row in which there was difficulties lighting the candles, something that I believe will soon become a yearly tradition.     With a little slip in the years (I know us seniors wish we were the class of 2016 because we’d already be out of here), the new members were recognized and awarded their certificate and medal by Mr. Sweetwood, a much beloved Social Studies teacher at Pontiac Township High School. Continuing members were also recognized after all new members had been inducted. Aubrey Gill, Allison Hodgson, Tatum Joerndt, and Kate Roberts were welcomed into National Honor Society from the Class of 2017. Sara Albrecht, Peter Babb, Sara Dunham, Jakob Grieff, India Guerrero, Trevor Heddins, Emma Jacobs, Kevin Kuska, Ryan Lauritsen, Ashton Melchers, Olivia Muir, Abigayle Orndorff, Liam Pickett, Payton Pulliam, Tyler Rich, Lucas Roe, Tyrah Sexton, Kalynn Wiles, and Henry Woodburn were the twenty students chosen to enter National Honor Society from the Class of 2016.     November 16th was a wonderful night for everyone involved. This night could not have been possible without our principal, Mr. Bohm, and the National Honor Society sponsor, Mrs.Baumgardner. Of all the nights of our high school career, this is easily the most special for the students being inducted and the parents that raised them.

W I N T E R S P O R T S P R E V I E W

The cheerleaders will open their competition season up in the first weekend of December and we look forward to seeing their routine. They had fun during the fall season with the Homecoming routine and dance, but according to senior Rachael Sypult, they will be much more serious and have put a lot of hard work into this season so far.   As for boys basketball, the 86th Annual Pontiac Holiday Tournament will take place during the last week of December. This is one of the biggest community events of the year and our biggest sporting event. The Indians look to reach regional play again. This is a young team as there are just a handful of seniors. Nonetheless, Pontiac will have a competitive squad this year. Look for Austin Long to have himself a season, as the 6’4” senior was injured the majority of last season. The girls basketball team, led by senior Grace Gschwendter, has looked good so far this season. They too are a young group that will be primed for the following years. However, this year’s squad may be the best we’ve seen in a while. Gschwendter says, “As long as we can calm and slow things down we should be pretty good.” As there is a lot of basketball left to play, we look forward to what this squad will bring us. Coming up for both programs is the first annual Hoops for Hope day in January.  All of the boys and girls basketball teams will play that day with part of the proceeds going to American Cancer Society and Livingston County Cancer Fund. This winter season looks be a very competitive one at PTHS, as we all enjoy watching and supporting our teams we hope to see some more hardware brought home for the tribe! N O M A D I C | 2 4

WINTER IS COMING

By Owen Pu t nam

As we head into the winter season at PTHS, we hope to continue our success from last year.

The wrestling team sent three men to state last year who are already working hard towards another strong season. Be on the lookout for recent University of Buffalo commit Jake Lanning this year as he looks to better his previous season which earned him 6th place in the state meet.  The swim team looks primed to make another run at the Cornbelt this year with 2016 state qualifier Brett Spires leading the pack. The swimmers have broken many records the past couple of years, so we will look forward to seeing them set new records.

Getting to Know:

What was your favorite moment from 1st semester?

Ms. Cook

    Anyone who is currently taking one of Mr. Christie’s social studies classes is sure to know his student teacher, Ms. Cook. In this article, Ms. Cook tells us a little about herself and shares her professional aspirations.   By Taylor Ritter

Camryn Feddern

TR: Give us some background on yourself.

"Playing in the Powder Puff game and coming so close to beating the seniors."

MC: Most of my students already know that I am from St. Louis, other than that, I moved to central IL about 3 and a half years ago when I transferred to ISU from St. Louis University. I used to be a debate coach at UHigh. I have 4 tattoos and I am a huge Denver Broncos fan.

TR: How has your experience been here at PTHS?

MC: Student teaching is a really tough experience no matter what school you’re at, but the students and the staff here at PTHS have really helped to make the experience easier. Mr. Christie has been great about letting me take over his classroom, the whole department has really supported me and the students here are fantastic (especially my students). I’ve told many of my students this but a few weeks ago, I worked with another student teacher who is at a different high school and there is no way you could ever compare the students there to the students here at PTHS. My students have made this experience so positive for me. MC: Most teachers will tell you that they always knew they wanted to be a teacher, but I actually started college as a political science major and I was a prelaw student, meaning I had the intent to go to law school and become a lawyer. After my first semester of college I realized that the career wasn’t for me, so I sat down and wrote two lists. I wrote one list of the things that I was good at and one list of the things I liked. I had determined that I wanted to teach and decided to give history a shot because it was always my favorite subject in school. Deciding to switch my major to history and education was the best decision I ever made and looking back there were a lot of indications growing up that this is what I should be doing (I wanted to be Sacagawea for Halloween three times). MC: One thing that I learned is that you shouldn’t have a lot of expectations going in to college. A lot of people tell you that college will be the best years of your life and you will love it, or that college is too expensive and too stressful. Everyone’s college experience is different so if you go in expecting it to be a certain way then you will end up being disappointed if it doesn’t work out the way you thought it would and that can be really discouraging. College can be really fun, but it is also a lot of work, and it can be scary at times too. So it is best to just go in with an open mind and make the most of whatever experience you are faced with. TR: What got you interested in a career in teaching? TR: What advice would you give to seniors looking to go to college?

Madison Mennenga

"The thrill of playing in the championship game in our freshman volleyball tournament and taking home 2nd place!"

Patrick Bromley

"Working with Mr. Brown and Mad Brass on the Madrigal tour, specifically the tour of schools."

PTHS Club Spotlight: Art Club     Are you involved in Art I, II, III, or AP Art here at PTHS? Do you have free time a few days a month after school? Do you enjoy going beyond the classroom expectations to work on art? If you answered yes to more than one of these questions, then Art Club is for you! At this time, Art Club consists of about half Seniors and half other students. Because of this, we need new By Allyson Schoff

to all students at PTHS who are in an art class. We tend to meet at least once a month, but we usually try to gather after school more often to work on projects such as the ornaments, murals, or other work we come up with.      To join Art Club, come in to Mr. Vogt’s room during any of the scheduled Art Club meeting days which are found on the PTHS website or on a paper outside the guidance office. Students looking to join can also talk to Mr. Vogt during their art class.

members in order to keep Art Club growing after the class of 2017 leaves. Art Club is open 

Final Exam Tips

By Shelby Jennings

As many of you know, the longdesired winter break also means another thing: finals. Some finals will take place during the week of December 1216 (or even earlier). Some finals will be included in this year’s “Semester WrapUp” days, which are Monday, December 19, and Tuesday, December 20. This is different from years past, so make sure to plan accordingly. For those exempting, you are still required to come to class, but you still exempt from the grade of the exam or the exam itself. Like most people, I find final exams to be stressful at times. Here are some reminders and tips you can follow to stay on track:

1. Don’t study everything the night before. Start studying a little bit at a time a week before, and the night before the test you should have a pretty strong basis on a given subject. Also, you will be depriving yourself rest, which is key to staying focused the next day.

2.   When studying, take breaks. Science has found that taking breaks from studying will improve      your focus and attention, thus helping you grasp a better understanding of the material. 3.  Stay organized when balancing exams in multiple classes. Being organized during finals week will     help your brain focus on actually studying, and not juggling around the many other things you have     to do. I recommend using a planner or sticky note to write your todo list in. Plus, it will feel great     when you can cross something off!

If this is your first time taking finals, don’t panic, because they are not as bad as they sound. If you need extra help, you can attend tutoring before school on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, or after school on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Good luck!

Upperclass Acts

Allyson Shoff

NAME:  Allyson Shoff

NICKNAMES:  Ally, Alley Kat, Shoff

ROLE MODEL(S):  Alice Cooper, Jackson Galaxy

MOST POSITIVE MOMENTS: Meeting Alice Cooper and being inducted into National Honor Society. PET PEEVES: Socks that don’t match, people that block hallways, and people who don’t use turn signals.

ACTIVITIES @ PTHS:  Art Club, National Honor Society, The Chief

FONDEST MEMORY OF HIGH SCHOOL SO FAR:  I’ve really enjoyed meeting new friends and pursuing Art to improve my abilities.  Art field trips are always a good time.

3 MAJOR AREAS OF INTEREST: Science, Art, Literature

WHAT MY FRIENDS WILL REMEMBER ABOUT ME: Knitting or Crocheting EVERYWHERE

PLANS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL:  I want to go to college to major in Biology or Animal Sciences so I can go on to become a veterinarian.

HOW WOULD YOU SPEND $1,000,000? I’d open up a cat sanctuary and pay for college.

FAVORITE MOVIE:   Rocky Horror Picture Show or A Nightmare on Elm Street

IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND, WHAT 3 ITEMS WOULD YOU WANT WITH YOU? Yarn, crochet hook, and a flare gun LAST WORDS OF ADVICE: “Don’t let other people drag you down. Be all that you can be by being yourself.”

MOST INSPIRATIONAL SONG: “Lost” By Death Angel or “Hey Stoopid” By Alice Cooper. Both songs are amazing songs about battling with selfdoubt and depression.

FAVORITE T CLASS:  Art

FAVORITE AUTHOR/BOOK:  Inkheart  by Cornelia Funke and the Warriors  series by Erin Hunter

Upperclass Acts

Hannah Verdun

NICKNAMES:  Han, Verdun

ROLE MODEL(S):  My grandma and cousin

FAVORITE AUTHOR/BOOK: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

ACTIVITIES @ PTHS:  Volleyball, Softball, HOSA, Student Council, and National Honor Society

MOST POSITIVE MOMENT: Getting 1st Attendant for Homecoming

FONDEST MEMORY OF HIGH SCHOOL SO FAR: All four Homecoming weeks and Prom

PET PEEVES: People chomping their food and being rude for no reason

3 MAJOR AREAS OF INTEREST:  Making memories, Sports, and Medical Field

WHAT MY FRIENDS WILL REMEMBER ABOUT ME: My willingness to help, being a listening ear, and my sense of humor.

PLANS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL:  Attend College and become a Nurse Anesthetist

FAVORITE MOVIE: The Blind Side

HOW WOULD YOU SPEND $1,000,000? I would build my dream house.

MOST INSPIRATIONAL SONG: “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus

IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND, WHAT 3 ITEMS WOULD YOU WANT WITH YOU?  A boat, sunscreen, and a friend

FAVORITE TEACHERS: Mr. Vogt, Mr. Soares, Mr. Nollen, Mr. Blair, Mr. Stein, Ms. Janz, and Mrs. Buchanan

LAST WORDS OF ADVICE:  “Every day may not be good, but there is something good in every day.”

Upperclass Acts

Owen Putnam

NAME: Owen Putnam

NICKNAMES: OP, O, OPut

MOST POSITIVE MOMENT: Placing second in the Livingston County Art Show for B/W drawing

ROLE MODEL(S): Michael Vick, Joe Kelly, Warren Buffett

ACTIVITIES @ PTHS: Tennis, The Chief, Broadcasting, National Technical Honor Society, Senior Vice President, CAPTAINS, Art club

PET PEEVES: Slow drivers and Cubs fans

WHAT MY FRIENDS WILL REMEMBER ABOUT ME: My ability to drink copious amounts of water and never losing an argument. HOW WOULD YOU SPEND $1,000,000? Pay for college, invest, and pay Mike Vick, Paul Pierce, and Jose Canseco to be on a rec league basketball team with me. IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND, WHAT 3 ITEMS WOULD YOU WANT WITH YOU?  Endless water supply, a TV with every MLB game, and my bed

FONDEST MEMORY OF HIGH SCHOOL SO FAR: Deciding to play tennis sophomore year

3 MAJOR AREAS OF INTEREST: Business Administration, Marketing, Baseball

PLANS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL: Study business at a 4year University

FAVORITE MOVIE: The Untouchables

MOST INSPIRATIONAL SONG: “Pour Some Sugar On Me” by Def Leppard

LAST WORDS OF ADVICE: “Make the most of your chances before it’s too late.”

FAVORITE TEACHER/CLASS: Art with Mr. Vogt/English with Mrs. Hatfield

FAVORITE AUTHOR/BOOK: Vindicated by Jose Canseco

h Critic's

Corner

Music

Review of The Weeknd's Starboy

By Shelby Jennings

This past month, fast growing star The Weeknd released his newest album, Starboy . Before releasing the album, the artist released a short film “ Mania, ” which gave a first look to the new music coming. The album landed a spot at number one on the iTunes charts for a couple weeks after it was released. This studio album is the third made from this artist, and brings in collaborations from other popular artists such as Daft Punk, Lana Del Rey, Future, and Kendrick Lamar. The Weeknd based his album around the single “ Starboy, ” which he also performed live this year at the American Music Awards. The song “ Starboy ” is at number two on the iTunes charts, as well as number three on Billboard ’ s “ Hot 100 ” charts. Definitely upbeat and catchy, the album brings an R&B vibe, giving great sound lyrics aside.

If you ’ re interested, you can listen to “ Starboy ” by streaming it online or purchasing it. For more about The Weeknd or to watch “ Mania, ” you can visit www.theweeknd.com.

Student Poetry

Allyson Shoff - Editor-in-Chief

Matthew Birkett Cheyenne Dillon Kaelee Germain Shelby Jennings Owen Putnam Eve Pouliot Taylor Ritter Carlie Weaver

"Autumn Poem" By Cheyenne Dillon

Fall The sun cools Clouds come out Know that summer's just a doubt Leaves changing And falling down Flipflops stored, sweaters abound Step outside and freeze at that biting breeze Jack o'lanterns light the streets Children's laughter from piles of leaves You already know that fall is here Could it be that winter is near?

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!