The CHIEF May 2018

MAY, 2018

The

PONTIAC TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL

CLAP OUTS Recap all of the clap-outs we've had this year to celebrate our Indian success!

UPPERCLASS ACTS

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

table of contents

02 Good bye, Mr Ramseyer!

03 Editory's Note 04 Clap-Outs 05 PTHS Fine Arts

06 UpperClass Acts

08 Book Review

09 Student Poetry

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subsequently enrolled at Illinois State University, where he earned his degree in English. Mr. Ramseyer’s decision to teach English was primarily influenced by his time in the Fiji Islands while serving in the U.S Peace Corps. While there, he began to read more often, and was inspired to teach English by the great works of literature which he devoured. After spending a few years teaching at Eureka High School and in the Pontiac Grade School District, Mr. Ramseyer began his teaching career at PTHS, where he has remained ever since. For the last twenty-one years, our school plays and musicals have come to life under his direction. In 1999, he founded our Scholastic Bowl Team and has been sponsoring it ever since. While we may rest assured that, somewhere out there, Mr. Bohm will find a replacement for our beloved English teacher, he had better have big feet, as Mr. Ramseyer’s shoes will be nearly impossible to fill. N O M A D I C | 2 4

"OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN" P T H S E N G L I S H T E A C H E R R E T I R E S

By Jo s eph G i l mo r

All of us at PTHS are familiar with Tom Ramseyer. Much has been said about Mr. Ramseyer in the past, but this article is being written to celebrate his lengthy career at PTHS, as it is now coming to an end. Mr. Ramseyer, along with his wife, Mrs. Laura Ramseyer, is now retiring after many years of dedication to teaching the students of this community. After graduating from PTHS in 1979, Mr. Ramseyer enrolled at the University of Illinois with the intentions of studying Law. Soon, he learned that he had no passion for law, so he

EDITOR'S NOTE: GOOD BYE!

Not only did The Chief teach me things, PTHS as a whole has taught me so much. I started high school as an awkward overachiever just trying to navigate this crazy jungle. Yes, I am still an awkward overachiever, but I ’ m so much more now and I have to give major credit to PTHS for helping me become the young woman I am today. To all the faculty/staff/administration; I cannot express my thanks enough. Each and every one of you that I came in contact with has helped me in a positive way. You all encouraged me to follow my dreams into the great unknown (literally), and that is something I can never repay any of you enough for. I have never felt discouraged or unloved at this school and that is because of all of you. I ’ m so thankful to have attended m thankful to have spent the past 12 years of school with you all. You ’ ve been amazing. I hope that no matter how hard life gets, you never forget to keep dreaming. a school where the teachers weren ’ t complete strangers. And to my classmates, I ’

By Kamr y n Moo r e

Normally, the articles I write for my Editor ’ s section are little updates on the month full of encouraging words to finish the semester, but this time it ’ s all about goodbyes. Not only am I saying goodbye to The Chief , but I am saying goodbye to PTHS. Fair warning, I ’ m about to get emotional. I remember my very first Chief meeting freshman year like it was yesterday. I was so excited because I knew going into high school I wanted to be a part of the paper, and my dreams were finally coming true. The very first article I wrote was an interview with Mr. Nollen ’ s student teacher, and now I ’ m writing my final Editor ’ s note (which is insane). I have to credit a lot of things to The Chief , being a part of this taught me many things. Not only did it help me become a better writer, it taught me how to be a creative thinker and a great leader, which are things I will carry with me forever.

So farewell PTHS. I am eternally grateful for everything.

Kamryn Moore

N O M A D I C | 2 4

Seniors - what are your plans after graduation?

Clap Outs

Tanner Walls

By The Chief Staff

This has been another great year of successes for our fellow Pontiac Indians, and we've been able to line our halls several times this year to show our support. As a year in review recap, here are the clap-outs we were able to have as our fellow classmates competed in state competition: Ali Schrock - Girls Golf (State Champion!) Unified Soccer Team All-State Musicians

"Attend Kankakee Community College to play baseball and study Ag or Law"

Emily Reiners

"Attend Heartland then transfer to ISU to major in Social Work."

Liam Melvin - Wrestling Brett Spires - Swimming Unified Basketball (State Champion!) State FFA Degrees State FFA Competitions Math Team

Lulu Gonzalez

Once again, congratulations to all of our fellow Indians who competed in state competition. We are always proud of the accomplishments of everyone in our school community, and we look forward to having more clap-outs next year as we continue to strive for success!

"To major in Early Childhood and work at my old pre-school after college."

On the night of April 16th, Pontiac Township High School hosted the Illini Prairie Conference Fine Arts Festival. This event included students from Central Catholic, Illinois Valley Central, Monticello, Olympia, Prairie Central, Rantoul, St. Joseph-Ogden, St. Thomas More, Unity, and of course Pontiac Township. PTHS Students that were chosen to participate in this event included Kiara Price, Adrianna Araujo-Torres, Caitlyn Ricketts, Samantha Mehrkens, Henry Woodburn, David Gualandi, Kevin Kuska, Ali Schrock, and Patrick Bromley. In total, the band played five songs that made the concert about an hour long. Some of the songs performed were “Fanfare For The Third Planet” by Richard L. Saucedo and “Gypsy Dance” by Joseph Compello. The conductor for this festival was Dr. David Vroman who has taught at Bradley University for 33 years. Before the start of the concert, both Dr. Vroman and Mr. Schickel told of the hard work the students put into the music. Students came

By Alyssa Rodriguez

PTHS  Fine Arts

This year’s spring Choir concert took place on April 29th starting around three in the afternoon. The theme for this performance was “Spring Awakening!” The concert started off with Treble I with songs such as “A Dream Within a Dream” and “Poor Man Lazarus.” Next, the audience heard a single song from the jazz ensemble and then was followed by the Men’s Choir. Men’s Choir performed three songs, one being titled “This Old Hammer.” Then, Jazz Choir took the stage once again and sang two more songs. One of the songs the choir enjoyed working on and the audience loved “This is Me” that included a trio consisting of India Guerrero, Kevin Kuska, and Olivia Muir. Next, Bel Canto performed four songs that were all lovely and smooth. The last song, titled “Iraqi Peace Song,” contained a solo performed by Clare Vogel. After Bel Canto, the seniors in choir were recognized for their hard work and participation in making music. Finally, Concert Choir did a wonderful job on all five songs they prepared. One crowd favorite was the final song “My Soul’s Been Anchored In The Lord.” Even though it was bittersweet for this to be the last proper concert for the seniors, it was an amazing concert with which to end. to the school starting around 8:30 and all were on stage and ready to go by 9 a.m. to start the day. Musicians spent the whole day preparing for that night at 7. The evening was filled with wonderful flowing music and was shown to the audience in confidence. It was a concert that took the audience to new places and let people escape reality for what seemed like only a few minutes.

Band and Chorus Spring Concerts by Alyssa Rodriguez

As the weather finally allows for it to feel like spring, the band performed their last concert for the year on May 6th. Like always, the concert started off with the performance from the concert band. The songs performed by this group of students were “Flourish for Wind Band,” “Air For Band,” and “The Great Locomotive Chase.” Between “Air” and “Locomotive Chase,” the Swinging Bridges Brass performed a piece titled “Curtain Call.” Following those two groups, the seniors were recognized and were thanked for their hard work while participating in the band. Then symphonic band took the stage and started their pieces. The starting piece being “Rise of the Firebird” was followed by five other songs. One song featured Caitlyn Ricketts on horn and the next song featured percussionist Henry Woodburn. The second to last song was “Illinois Loyalty” and was conducted by the guest conductor, Tom Ramseyer. The concert lasted about an hour or so and was filled with tons of emotion and a lot of wonderful music. For the senior band students, this was their last formal concert, and it was something that will be remembered and treasured for the rest of their lives.

Upperclass Acts

Sara Dunham

NAME: Sara Dunham

NICKNAMES: S.B.

FAVORITE AUTHOR/BOOK: Saint John Paul the Great: His Five Loves by Jason Evert

ROLE MODEL(S): Gordie Allen (great uncle), Kaye Allen (grandma), Amelia Misiak

MOST POSITIVE MOMENT: Helping provide Thanksgiving meals for students and their families

ACTIVITIES @ PTHS: Band, Color Guard, National Honor Society

PET PEEVES: Complaining, laziness, negativity

FONDEST MEMORY OF HIGH SCHOOL SO FAR: Marching in Disney World

WHAT MY FRIENDS WILL REMEMBER ABOUT ME: Bubbly personality and positivity

3 MAJOR AREAS OF INTEREST: Jesus, Coffee, Chocolate

HOW WOULD YOU SPEND $1,000,000? Donate to Community Cancer Center, pay off student loans, roadtrip across the country IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND, WHAT 3 ITEMS WOULD YOU WANT WITH YOU? Blanket, utility knife, water purifier

PLANS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL: Attend Franciscan University of Steubenville

FAVORITE MOVIE: War Room

MOST INSPIRATIONAL SONG: “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield

LAST WORDS OF ADVICE: “You were made for greatness. Do not settle.”

FAVORITE TEACHER/CLASS: Janz/Discrete

Upperclass Acts

Carter Graves

NAME: Carter Graves

PET PEEVES: People who play their phone’s audio out loud in a crowded hallway. WHAT MY FRIENDS WILL REMEMBER ABOUT ME: I don’t take myself too seriously and I’m pretty laid back most of the time anyways. HOW WOULD YOU SPEND $1,000,000? I would buy a nice house and lots of technology like a VR headset or computer parts. IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND, WHAT 3 ITEMS WOULD YOU WANT WITH YOU? A tent, a lighter, and flares

ROLE MODEL(S): Neil deGrasse Tyson, Richard Dawkins

FONDEST MEMORY OF HIGH SCHOOL SO FAR: Being able to go on internships for LACC classes.

3 MAJOR AREAS OF INTEREST: Astrophysics, Epidemiology, Evolutionary Biology

PLANS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL: Attend Illinois State University

FAVORITE MOVIE: Scarface

FAVORITE TEACHER: Mr. Christie

FAVORITE BOOK: The Martian

LAST WORDS OF ADVICE: “Don’t stress out over the little things in life.”

MOST POSITIVE MOMENT: Being able to come to the fact that I can’t always do things on my own.

Th Critic's

 Corner

Literature

Review of 100 Days by Nicole McInnes

By McKenzie Cool

When Agnes was just a baby, she was diagnosed with Progeria, a rare disease that causes her body to age at roughly ten times the normal rate. Now at 16 she has reached her life expectancy. Moira, Agnes ’ s friend from day one, has always been there to protect her. Now that Agnes is fighting for her life, how will Moira protect her from herself? Find out by picking up 100 Days .

The Chief Staff

Student Poetry: Haiku

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

Sparkle like the stars His smile runs far as mars Heart beats like thunder

By Ali Gonzalez

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

sitting on a bench feeding the birds that stop by enjoying my time

By Megan Whidden

Rabbit show today. They call my breed to table. I show and do good.

By Aaron Russell-Hoover

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