The CHIEF October 2018

OCT, 2018

The

PONTIAC TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL

FALL SPORTS UPDATE

UPPERCLASS ACTS

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

Read all about what's been happening in our Fall Sports programs!

table of contents

03 Letter from the Editors

04 Fall Sports Update

05 PTHS Fine Arts

06 UpperClass Acts

07 UpperClass Acts

08 Movie Review

09 Music Review

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The

CHIEF

www.pontiac90.org

tired of hearing from me each month which, I know, seems impossible, you can always look forward to a note from Sunny. This is our second publication this year, and we ’ re off to a great start! We ’ ve been blessed with an extraordinary group of writers this year, and I ’ m looking forward to working with each and every one of them. We hope to make this year our best one yet. Questions? Comments? Looking to join? Contact me, Sunny, Mr. Blair, or Mr. Soares. We ’ re always on the lookout for new members. Come join us today!

A NOTE FROM YOUR EDITOR

By Joe G i l mo r

Hello, everyone, and thanks for checking out this month ’ s edition of The Chief! You may have noticed that this month ’ s note is from the Editor, and not the Editors. Don ’ t worry, Sunny hasn ’ t mysteriously disappeared from the Chief staff. It ’ s just that, with such a small group of writers, it helps to spread the work around as much as possible. To this end, Sunny and I have decided to trade off the “ Editor ’ s Note ” each month. It helps us make sure that things get done around here; plus, if you ever get

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FALL SPORTS UPDATE By C l a y M i l l e r

Similar positive results are found sprinkled throughout the volleyball season this year. With Coach Audia at the helm and many returning varsity players on the roster, an impressive reason was anticipated. Even though the Indians were bested on 11 occasions thus far this season, it can be understood once you review the competition at stake. Impressive competition like Tolono Unity, Central Catholic with a D1 athlete on the roster, and our rivals Prairie Central faced the Indians this year. Even though all have resulted in losses, the Indians have put up a fight in each and every match for each and every point. Despite the young Varsity roster, the girls have shown heart, tenacity and skill on the courts this entire season. A 9-11 record is certainly nothing to scoff at. Highlights include a 4-1 record at the Pontiac invitational, almost taking it to three sets against Central in Bloomington, a destructive victory against Olympia, and a recent win against Reed Custer in 3 sets. The Lady Indians will have chance to hunt the Hawks tomorrow night (10/2/18) in Fairbury, hoping to bring home the conference win. The biggest surprise this year for Indians athletics has to be the historic football season at stake. Prior to the season things looked rough, with a mostly young, inexperienced varsity line up under instruction of a new coach. Things cannot have defied expectations any more than they have. Starting off the season with a decisive victory against the Saints in Bloomington lit a fire in the hearts of the Indians. Since then they have taken down Prairie Central in a barn burner at their place, Olympia in a 42-7 crushing and Tolono Unity at home, the team who ruined our playoff dreams last year.

With the end of the fall season looking closer than ever, coaches and players alike feel proud of the success each program has had thus far. This year seems to be different for some reason. From the track, the court, the field and the course, surprises have occurred across the board. From the outstanding performance from golfers like Griffin Nyi, the Brunner twins and the Schrock sisters on the course to the historic football season at stake, the Indians have left fans star struck. t read The Pantagraph and manage to miss the scores put up by the Lady Indians on the tennis courts. Going into the season, #1 Singles player Brooke Whittle was wary of how the season would unfold, saying that she “ wasn ’ t expecting a whole lot ” because of how many girls missed summer workouts. Things have gone a little different than expectations however! With almost “ all our returning players from last year ” on the lineup, experience became a key factor to the success the Indians have had on the courts. Whittle has a 13-3 record so far this season and an impressive placing at the daunting Washington invitational under her belt. According to Coach Vogt, a recording breaking season is on the horizon. As a crew, the overall 10-2 record is impressive in and of itself. It however becomes even more impressive when you are informed the fact that if the Indians win all three of the remaining matches, they will hold the new best record for women ’ s tennis in PTHS You can ’

In conclusion, athletics this fall are at an all-time high here at PTHS. Make sure to go out and support the Indians to push them through the end of their seasons with more success.

By Alyssa Rodriguez

Fine  Arts

Marching Indians

Since the first Choir showcase is coming up, each level of Pontiac’s Choir is working to correct and to improve their songs. The performance of the Choir will be on October 21st at the high school. This fall concert is not only centered on the autumn time, but the holiday of All Hallows’ Eve as well. Songs will vary from freighting to that of calm and peaceful. The songs that will be showcases by the choirs have been worked on since the beginning of the school year. Along with the regular Choir activity, the Madrigals and the Courts Singers have also really started working on piece that will be performed in December. The two groups have at least two practices a week and will continue to work on their performances until the days of the annual Madrigal Dinners. As of now the Pontiac Township High School Marching Indians are putting together the final touches to their performance of the 2018 marching season. The show, titled “X Machina,” is comprised of three movements that carries the theme of a machine throughout the whole performance. The Marching Indians have performances at both the Morton competition as an exhibition performance and at Illinois Wesleyan University actually competing. At the Illinois Wesleyan University, the Pontiac Marching Indians won second place in class AA, only points away from taking first. The Band now works on little details, such as body movements, and cleaning up the third movement drill. On October 20th, the band will be performing at the U of I competition. This will be the final performance of the 2018 show during this marching season. The Start for PTHS Choirs

Upperclass Acts

Elle Giovanini

NAME: Elle Giovanini

NICKNAMES: El, Hellen

PET PEEVES: When people sneeze without covering their mouths and when people ask the same question multiple times because they think I didn’t hear them even though I really did and I just hadn’t had the chance to respond yet. WHAT MY FRIENDS WILL REMEMBER ABOUT ME: I was the girl who somehow managed to staple her finger in 5th grade and had to go to the Emergency Room. HOW WOULD YOU SPEND $1,000,000? If I had $1,000,000 I would pay for college, buy a brand new car, donate some, buy a new chocolate lab puppy, and put the rest in my savings to live off of for the rest of my life. IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND, WHAT 3 ITEMS WOULD YOU WANT WITH YOU? I would want to have a bat to fight off animals, sunblock so I wouldn’t burn to death, and a friend to be there to suffer through it with me to keep me company. LAST WORDS OF ADVICE: “Fitting in is unnecessary. Embrace who you are and be motivated to be you. High school will have its highs and its lows but stay strong, stay positive, and most importantly, stay true to who you are. Because guess what, who you are is pretty cool!”

ROLE MODEL(S): Lucy Wisdom, my mom, and Linda Lambert

ACTIVITIES @ PTHS: Volleyball, Key Club, HOSA, and Peers

FONDEST MEMORY OF HIGH SCHOOL SO FAR: Getting to play four seasons of the sport I love, volleyball, with my friends and making more memories in the process.

3 MAJOR AREAS OF INTEREST: Dermatology, Pediatrics, and Oncology.

PLANS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL: I plan to attend college where I will major in nursing. I will then work as an RN while attending medical school to where I will hopefully receive my license to practice dermatology.

FAVORITE MOVIE: Aladdin

MOST INSPIRATIONAL SONG: “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten

FAVORITE TEACHER/CLASS: CNA with Mrs. Rodino

FAVORITE AUTHOR/BOOK: Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper

MOST POSITIVE MOMENT: When I was in 8th grade and we got 3rd in the state volleyball tournament. We went 25-1 that season and I was so proud to be a part of that team and I made my love for the game grow so much. It was the best way for me to be ready for high school volleyball.

Upperclass Acts

Griffin Bailey

NAME: Griffin Bailey

ROLE MODEL(S): DedSec (group), Lindsey Sterling, Edward Snowdin, Lauren and J.D. Canada.

PET PEEVES: People messing around with my things without my permission, people who think they are the best around but truthfully, they are nowhere near. WHAT MY FRIENDS WILL REMEMBER ABOUT ME: A few Personas, that I loved the whole aspect of hacking, Stranded in Wonderland HOW WOULD YOU SPEND $1,000,000? Purchase some gear to enhance my hacking strength (connection through Wi-Fi or Bluetooth), give some of it to my mother, donate to animal shelters and wildlife protection, get a raccoon, make him fat, and name him Burger King if I have enough left. IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND, WHAT 3 ITEMS WOULD YOU WANT WITH YOU? My sketchbook, a bag of mechanical pencils and a survival hatchet. LAST WORDS OF ADVICE: “I once wanted to be an animator and be this huge art geek like Andy Warhol, but that faded when I realized what it would take to get to that level and I knew I didn’t have it. But I stumbled upon a certain class called Cisco Networking, and I found what I wanted to be, and I’m strongly forcing my way to it no matter what sets me back. I’m taking multiple classes to achieve this dream and I’m doing pretty darn good at it. I guess what I’m trying to say is, try, no matter what happens, just try. You may succeed, you may not, but you’ll never know unless you try your hardest.”

ACTIVITIES @ PTHS: Tech Club, Junior Class Officer, Senior class Officer.

FONDEST MEMORY OF HIGH SCHOOL SO FAR: Building and configuring my rack in Cisco Networking and connecting it to our own network.

3 MAJOR AREAS OF INTEREST: Cyber Security, Art, Video Games

PLANS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL: To start my career focused around Cyber Security probably in Chicago, with a few other people and have a nice cup of coffee at a hacker café chatting about new possible threats in major security network structures. I would like to eventually be good enough at it to be a speaker at Defcon in Las Vegas.

FAVORITE MOVIE: Ready Player One

MOST INSPIRATIONAL SONGS: “Live Before I Die” by Crazy Lixx or “Try” by Pink

FAVORITE TEACHER/CLASS: Cisco Networking 2 with Mr. Masching

FAVORITE AUTHOR/BOOK: Stephen King, The Outsider .

MOST POSITIVE MOMENT: Placing 9th in Skills USA intranetworking entrance exam and then being able to hang out with my networking friends in Springfield for three days.

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Fiilm

Movie Review: The Miracle Season

By Jasmine White

The Miracle Season is a tearjerking, inspiring, and just plain good movie. The movie is based on a true story about Iowa City West High School Volleyball team of 2011 that faced a huge tragedy concerning their setter, Caroline Found. The Miracle Season is a great movie about how volleyball can help bring people together after a tragedy. The movie shows life before the tragedy that happened to a girl everyone knew whose name was Caroline “ Line ” Found, when the tragedy happened, and how they rebuilt themselves after the tragedy. It also tells the true story of the relationship between the characters as it was in real life and the closeness of the community. An example of this is at the state championship game where there were many people wearing the “ LIVE LIKE LINE ” shirts and in the huddle when the coach says something inspirational to the team. I would recommend to watch especially for people who like volleyball and true stories. I rate this movie a 5 out of 5.

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Music

Music Review: "Falling Down"

By Becca True

When looking at the top charts on Spotify, it is clear to see who is dominating the list. Rap is the most prevalent genre seen on the global charts, which is usual, but the unique aspect is seen in which rappers have the most popular hits. Both “ Lil Peep ” and “ XXXTENTACION ” are rappers who died previously this year. Lil Peep died from an overdose, and XXXTENTACION, also known as X, was murdered in the middle of a street while driving. Although both rappers were a bit more obscure and never truly hit the charts during their lives, after their unfortunate ends they are more successful than they ever were alive. Their collaboration “ Falling Down ” was just released this week, and it has landed a #4 spot on the charts. An interesting conclusion can be made that although their lives are over, it is only the beginning for their music.

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

this is where love gets you Sunny Holt

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

on the last day we loved each other i felt it in the Earth it’s your time to separate my tears became tsunamis my footsteps split the planet in half

my breath caused a storm that reached 100 mph winds

or was that just my car speeding to your house down the freeway exit 27 right left

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

5th avenue blue house you. where? he’s gone.

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