The CHIEF December 2025

Upperclass Acts

Jacob Hammer

ROLE MODEL(S): My parents. They have always been a big part of my life. They are like my guiding light through difficult times. They also make good food. My grandpa! He’s awesome, a little cranky though. He likes to build stuff and built a tree house specifically for me and did a crap ton of renovations to his house. He also wanted to be a chef so he makes some of the most delicious food ever. ACTIVITIES @ PTHS: There are three major ones I’ve been involved with: Band, Esports, and Art Club. Band is probably my favorite thing to do, period. I love the music and that feeling of playing at your first concert is the absolute best. Same with marching band, it's one of the most influential and fun things I’ve ever been a part of. Moving on, there's Esports. When I joined, initially I was a bit apprehensive because playing video games for the school is often seen as weird but I had lots of fun! Granted, I haven’t been as big of a part of it as I have been in previous years (sorry, Coach). I recommend joining for anybody that is at all interested. If you are interested, please go and talk to Mr. Hackler about it! Finally, there is the Art Club. I’ve definitely been the least active in it but it's a very fun environment. You get to do things like carving pumpkins and ornament making, and there's even a trip to Chicago at the end of the year. FONDEST MEMORY OF HIGH SCHOOL SO FAR: Recently in senior year of high school I’ve gotten the honor of leading the low brass section of the band as their section leader. Being able to help them however I can and play music with them is one of my favorites throughout high school. 3 MAJOR AREAS OF INTEREST: Band, science, and art. Band is there because I love being a part of the ensemble and playing music as a whole. Science, because I find earth science uber-intriguing. I love all the rocks and how the ecosystems interact with each other. My last area of interest is art because I love to create things. I love to draw and paint as well as sculpt and glaze clay into new art pieces. PLANS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL: Right now, I’m planning on going to Heartland because it's cheap to study geology because of its involvement with the rocks and the earth. Though I’d also like to go into orchestral music and play in big bands like the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. These two plans are very conflicting. AVORITE MOVIE: Mr. Holland's Opus . In short, it's a movie about someone who becomes a teacher and goes into teaching and discovers why he chose to teach and how he is growing with his students. MOST INSPIRATIONAL SONG: “AYO” by Katajh Copley. I know what you're thinking, weird choice I know. For me though it was a turning point for me in high school and represents my growing love for music as a whole. This is because we played it my sophomore year and it was a great piece

FAVORITE TEACHER/CLASS: I have a tie for three favorite teachers and there's no way around it. Mr. Ritter, an Earth Science and Environmental Science teacher here at PTHS, Mr. Hackler, the Physics and General Science Teacher, and finally Mr. Valois, the newest Band director. Mr. Ritter because of his teaching style and his optimistic and motivating way of teaching taught me my love for Earth Science and my love for geology. Hackler taught me perseverance and is by far the most influential on me as a person. Finally, there's also Mr. Valois because he brought in new and refreshing air to the Band program revitalizing it and enchanting it with his new twist. My favorite class is Band.

FAVORITE AUTHOR/BOOK: I’m not much of a reader but I thought Fahrenheit 451 was really good! I read it in Ms. Hatfield's English 1 class.

MOST POSITIVE MOMENT: When we won 1st place at the Washington competition my junior year. It was so fun and it showed me the band program was about to change for the better.

PET PEEVES: Loud chewing. I hate it.

WHAT MY FRIENDS WILL REMEMBER ABOUT ME: I hope they remember me as someone who tried their hardest and did what they could with their time here. HOW WOULD YOU SPEND $1,000,000? My realistic answer would be to put half in savings and invest and donate the other 50 percent. My unrealistic answer would be to move to Vienna, Austria, with my family and friends and live happily ever after. IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND, WHAT 3 ITEMS WOULD YOU WANT WITH YOU? Easy, A knife, a 10 foot rope and a huge tarp. The knife is obvious for cutting things and defense. The rope is a multitool and can be used to hang things, for traps, and even to dry foods and stuff. The tarp is multi-purpose but it's mostly important because it is water proof making it a good roof and makes for a good boat bottom.

LAST WORDS OF ADVICE: “You don't know what's coming in high school and honestly, it's scary sometimes, but you can't just give up. Persevere.”