The CHIEF November 2023

CHIEF NOV, 2023 PONTIAC TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL The

UPPERCLASS ACTS

VETERANS DAY ASSEMBLY

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

Read about our recent Veterans Day Assembly

PTHS Veterans Day Assembly By: Lauren Russow

The Veterans Day Assembly took place on Friday, November 10th at PTHS. The Marching Band opened the assembly by playing “America,” and “The Star Spangled Banner.” Mr. Schickel informed the crowd that anyone with a military family member or Veteran should stand during their military branch songs, as the band performed “Salute to the Armed Forces.” Concert Choir then took the stage to sing “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” a song to honor all veterans for keeping America the land of the free. After welcoming the crowd and veterans, Mr. Christie introduced guest speaker Mr. Dale Sizemore, Us Army 3rd Ranger Battalion who fought in the battle of Mogadishu, Somalia. In 1992, the US began operation Restore Hope to Somalia to provide help and an open trade route to the country during a famine. However, a militia led by Somali Warlord Muhammed Farah Aidid attacked and killed United Nations Peacekeepers. In return, on October 3rd and 4th the United States forces started a mission of US Army Rangers to arrest two of his lieutenants. However, this mission did not go as planned, there was heavy gunfire and barricades that surrounded the building, and insurgence shot down two American Blackhawk helicopters. The battle left 18 Americans dead and many more wounded. In high school, Mr. Sizemore visited an army recruiter and after watching films of Rangers in action, he knew he wanted to be one. He entered the Ranger program with 137 students and graduated as 1 of 17. His experience on the frontlines of Mogadishu started on October 3rd, when he was playing a volleyball game with his friends and Commanders and found out a few days later he had cellulitis and bursitis. He had to get IV antibiotics and a cast and was stuck in the hospital until he was being flown home on October 4th. However, on that Sunday morning he was able to convince an officer to let him return to the hanger once the next helicopter came in. Not to long after that he learned some Marines and their interpreter were blown up by an IED. As Mr. Sizemore was leaving the hospital, he saw the interpreter’s remains being transported to the hospital, and he was angry as he told his friends at the hanger what he had witnessed. A couple hours later they were called to do a mission, except for Mr. Sizemore who still wore his cast. However, the battle took a turn from a snatch and grab to a rescue as casualties grew as two Blackhawks sent to the frontlines were shot down. Mr. Sizemore tried to go with more troops that were heading to the frontlines, but was once again not allowed access due to his injury. Once the helicopter that Mr. Sizemore originally was on got shot down, he no longer took no for an answer as he suited up and got his cast removed. He went on two convoy missions to return wounded soldiers. His presentation was very insightful on what it means to be a Veteran.

Madrigals 2023 By: Lilian Rainbolt

Christmas season is approaching, which means in addition to the cold weather, another annual Madrigal Singer performance is coming up! We had a copious amount of interest from the community this year with tickets, with all three nights completely selling out in just a few hours. Due to this high demand, in addition to the previously scheduled 6:30 pm dinners on Friday, December 1st and Saturday, December 2nd, as well as the Sunday matinee on the 3rd, there will be another specialized performance on Sunday night. This night will include the entire roster of songs sung by the Madrigal Singers; as well as the Court Singers, singing renditions of familiar carols such as “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Greensleeves,” “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” “Noel,” “Carol of the Bells,” “Silent Night,” and many more. This new concert performance will not include the play portion that would typically be viewed at the dinners, but drinks will still be available as well as quiche and dessert. Special thanks to the PTHS cafeteria staff who has generously stepped up to take charge of the kitchen duties this year. Mr. Durbin speaks on the progress of the Madrigal and Court Singers saying, “The students are working incredibly hard on the 57th Annual Madrigal Dinners and I couldn’t be more proud of their efforts.” We are so excited to share this year’s production with the community!

Senior Advice By: Jack Demopoulos

From what I’ve found out and learned from my time going to Pontiac High School is to always strive for success in any way you find it. High school is all about developing as a person in society, making new friends, and becoming your authentic self. I have become a far different person from freshman to senior year and have learned a variety of different things from so many amazing people. There are so many things I wish I did differently in both classes and high school as a whole. For freshmen that may be reading this, make sure to strive for success and do new things. Trust me, your failures won’t matter as long as you pick yourself up and try again. No matter how hard it may seem, you will get through these four years and become amazing at whatever your high school career leads you to.

I believe the seasons fall and winter are exceedingly better than spring and summer. In fact, the colder seasons have better holidays including Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas! The holidays being all in the span of three months can positively affect a person’s wellbeing because they are some of the most giving and fun holidays. Another reason as to why the colder seasons are superior to the warmer ones is that the colder months also encourage our brains to actively focus and make quicker decisions. This could be more helpful for students to be in the right spot academically. The ultimate cause concerning cool seasons being better than warmer seasons is the sports being played during the chillier months. In the fall going into winter, we get sports like football, volleyball, basketball, and competitive cheerleading to watch while in the spring, you get sports consisting of baseball/softball, track, and water polo. In conclusion, I suppose the colder months are better than the warmer seasons because of the holidays, the better focus on academics, and the sport selection.

By: Taylor Henson

OB Joe’s By: Hannah Ricketts

This month, I was given the privilege of learning about the coffee program called OB Joe’s that is run by the Life Skills and Adaptive Living students in our school! The name OB Joe’s has two parts to it: OB stands for Orange and Blue, and Joe’s means a cup of coffee. In the past, Mrs. Ricketts started a coffee program at the previous school she taught at, and it was incredibly successful. Upon arriving here, she saw that we had the beginnings of a coffee program and was able to take over and turn it into what we have today! The students make and pass out coffee to teachers on Wednesday and Friday mornings; however, there is some preparation that must go into it beforehand in order to ensure that it runs smoothly each morning. In order to receive orders at all, an email is shared with teachers the day before. Overall, the staff members are very supportive and excited about OB Joe’s, and they get an average of about 20 orders per week. And, of course, this is a business, and the money they make goes back into the business to expand as well as pay the employees. The main goal of the program is to give the students in the Life Skills and Adaptive Living classrooms a hands-on, real-life learning experience. By running the program, they are not only having fun but also building valuable skills that they can use in the future, such as vocational skills, life skills, social skills, and communication skills. Within the PTHS community, OB Joe’s has provided a deeper level of understanding of individuals with disabilities. This is also another great way that our school has unified and shows the vast amount of support given to one another. Above all, this program gives the employees a sense of pride, especially as they see all the bright faces of teachers and students alike as they pass out delicious drinks.

Unified Peers By: Brieaunna Duck

Once known as Peers in Action, Unified Peers is a club at PTHS. To me, it is one of the most rewarding, and it genuinely makes a difference in people’s lives. What does Unified Peers entail? Peer Partners spend time with our fellow students with special needs. These friendships are such good ones for high school, and really brighten up your life. This month we had our first event, Friendsgiving! We played games like Uno, Go Fish, and Find Mr. Gobbles. We had snacks made by the teachers and made coffee filter turkeys. At the moment, events like these are planned for once a month. This supportive environment really has a positive effect on others and you walk out with a bunch of new friends. I strongly encourage you to join as you go forward in high school because this environment is such a friendly and pure one.

Teacher Appreciation Week By: Vanessa Kapper

Student Council has recently sponsored Teacher Appreciation week, where members came up with ideas to give back to the hard work that teachers regularly produce for their students. Members decided to focus on food this year, with plenty of food available in the teachers’ lounge. Monday consisted of Pfaff’s donuts and Dunkin’ Coffee, Tuesday had a breakfast buffet provided by the Kitchen Staff, Wednesday had a salad bar and Italian Beef, Thursday had massages by Sharon Dial, and Friday had a barbeque lunch catered by Tom Tuley. Also, students wrote positive sticky notes for their teachers during their lunch period on Wednesday. It was definitely an eventful and giving week for our teachers. Teachers, we hope that both our Student Council and student body made this week special for you!

Upperclass Acts

Summer Negray

NAME: Summer Leigh-Anne Negray

FAVORITE AUTHOR/BOOK: I am in love with the authors Neva Altaj, Rina Kent, Sarah J Maas. By far the best book I have ever read is Darling Venom by Parker S. Huntington. MOST POSITIVE MOMENT: My junior year I won a tennis tournament with my doubles partner Emma. That win was so very hard to achieve, and it’s a something that I will remember for the rest of my life. PET PEEVES: My two biggest are when people touch my hair (it gives me such an ick) and when people jump to conclusions/make assumptions. WHAT MY FRIENDS WILL REMEMBER ABOUT ME: That I was someone that they could turn to when they felt alone and I could make anyone smile. HOW WOULD YOU SPEND $1,000,000? The first thing would be paying off my car then I would take the rest and invest it like crazy. So that hopefully one day I would have so many 0’s in my bank account that I wouldn’t have to think about what I buy for me or my family. IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND, WHAT 3 ITEMS WOULD YOU WANT WITH YOU? I would say a water bottle, lighter, and a blanket. LAST WORDS OF ADVICE: “Please do not follow in my foot steps and procrastinate, learn how to do things in high school, not everything is about your grades! Have fun and enjoy it.”

NICKNAMES: Sum, Sumsum, Hum, Summie and Sunny

ACTIVITIES @ PTHS: The Chief , Key Club, National Honor Society, Color Guard, Concert Cand, Girls Tennis

FONDEST MEMORY OF HIGH SCHOOL SO FAR: Ever day I wake up excited to be around the people that I love. Some rare days I wake up and don’t want to come to school, but I remember that I have so many people that I’m genially excited to see/interact with everyday it helps keeps me motivated. 3 MAJOR AREAS OF INTEREST: I love reading books. It’s so hard to have any other things that I like because I have a book in my face 24/7. PLANS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL: I plan to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale for their Dental Hygiene Program the fall of 2024.

FAVORITE MOVIE: The greatest movie ever created is John Wick .

MOST INSPIRATIONAL SONG: “Bring Me to Life” by Evanescence

FAVORITE TEACHER/CLASS: My favorite teacher is Mrs. Ricketts; the best class I ever took was Medical Terminology.

Upperclass Acts

Nolan Fetgatter

NAME: Nolan Fetgatter

FAVORITE TEACHER/CLASS: Rhet III, Mr. McElwee

ROLE MODEL(S): My parents

FAVORITE AUTHOR/BOOK: Nyxia by Scott Reintgen

ACTIVITIES @ PTHS: and, Scholastic Bowl, Jazz Band, Madrigal Recorders, Musical Pit

MOST POSITIVE MOMENT: Building a lightsaber and a droid at Galaxy’s Edge

FONDEST MEMORY OF HIGH SCHOOL SO FAR: 2022-23 Disney Band and Choir trip

PET PEEVES: Loud Chewing, disrespect to other people, being late.

3 MAJOR AREAS OF INTEREST: Music, Astronomy, Science

WHAT MY FRIENDS WILL REMEMBER ABOUT ME: My care, compassion, empathy, loyalty, trust, energy, and effort. HOW WOULD YOU SPEND $1,000,000? I would give half to my family and I would use the other half for myself for investments and leisure.

PLANS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL: Music Instrumental Performance at UIUC

FAVORITE MOVIE: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

LAST WORDS OF ADVICE: “Always forgive, never forget.”

MOST INSPIRATIONAL SONG: “Nakamura” by Lil Uzi Vert

Movie Review

By Tyler Drechsel

A Christmas Story

With the holidays just around the corner, people are starting their Christmas movie marathons. There are a lot of classic Christmas comedies like Elf , National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation , and Home Alone . They’re all very good Christmas comedies. But in my opinion, none of them come close to the 1983 classic, A Christmas Story . Most films have trouble capturing the pure innocence of a child. While they manage to get by, many films have child characters act like adults would. A Christmas Story , however, manages to perfectly capture the world through the eyes of a child, and the child’s view on Christmas. This is one of the many factors that makes A Christmas Story such a special film. For those who don’t know, A Christmas Story is about a man named Ralphie, who looks back at his childhood, and tells the story of his favorite Christmas. It’s the late 1930s, and it’s Christmas. All Ralphie wants for Christmas is a Red Ryder two-hundred shot carbine action air rifle. There’s just one problem, all of the adults in his life tell him that BB guns are dangerous, and he therefore shouldn’t count on getting one. As the film goes on, Ralphie tries various methods to convince an adult that he should get a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. As he attempts this, he has to deal with the other factors of his life including school, bullies, family and friends. Now, what is it about A Christmas Story that makes it so special? First of all, the film perfectly captures the feeling that a child has on Christmas. Throughout the film, the narrator tells us exactly what’s going on in the head of his younger self. Through that, we understand Ralphie’s philosophies and ideas, and they’re the same as any other child. The audience can relate to the desire to get a certain gift for Christmas, and the pure euphoric feeling that comes and if you get it. We all know how Ralphie feels as he tries to convince his parents to get him a Red Ryder BB Gun, because we know how it feels to want only one thing, and nothing else for Christmas. The audience can also relate to the idea of thinking the world revolves around you. Throughout the film, Ralphie has daydream sequences in which he’s the hero, and everyone loves him. He daydreams about saving his parents from bank robbers. He daydreams about the class cheering for him after acing a school paper. He also daydreams about his parents getting down to their knees in sorrow after he becomes blind due to a punishment they inflicted upon him. Ralphie essentially sees himself as a hero that no one pays much attention to, which is exactly what’s to be expected from a young child. Some people may find Ralphie’s character annoying, but these character traits are one of the many factors that makes the movie so funny. All of Ralphie’s daydream sequences and views upon the world are so greatly exaggerated that they come off as hilarious rather than annoying. The comedy in this movie also comes from gags such as the leg lamp, the annoyed Santa at the mall, and so much more. The film also has some incredible and memorable lines such as, “You’ll shoot your eye out!” “Fra-gee-lay,” “You used up all the glue on purpose!” and countless more. From the hilarious lines, to the quirky characters, to the incredible gags, this movie will make you die laughing. Tying it all up with the great narration, acting, writing, and setting, makes this film a timeless classic.

If you have yet to see it, then I recommend you tune into TBS or TNT on Christmas since they air nothing else besides it on Christmas Eve, and Christmas day. 10/10. Directed by Bob Clark. 1 hour and 33 minutes.

Book Review

By Summer Negray

Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Preson

“Some said it began with the stars.” Dance of Thieves takes the reader on a captivating story of love, hate, betrayal, belonging, and fear. It is at the top of my reading recommendation list. The story tells of a man that is destined to lead and a legendary thief that will stop at nothing to steal back what is hers. What happens when the thief accidentally steals something she never expected? Or, when she steals something that she desperately wants to forget and can never give it back? Better yet, what if it gets worse and she steals a secret that can destroy the continent, and bring back the Remnant War? The fierce protectiveness of a woman who saved the thief threatens the new life that she wants to build. During all of this, the leader must protect his home from a dangerous threat. Finally, the leader or “he who was chosen for greatness” must pick between the love for his home and the complex feeling for his lover.

Editor-in-Chief: Vanessa Kapper The Chief Staff Jack Demopoulos Tyler Drechsel Brieaunna Duck Lily Fetgatter Megan Hensley Taylor Henson Kat Mercer Summer Negray Lily Raby Lilian Rainbolt Hannah Ricketts Lauren Russow Michelle Stevenson Jalene Woolford Julie Zavala

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Let’s talk about identical twins. As you may know, identical twins look the same and most sound the same, but what makes them different isn’t a birthmark or size. It’s their fingerprints. When most people think of IDENTICAL twins, they probably think that there aren't any differences. However, it’s not a shocker that their fingerprints are different because everyone has a unique set. Their prints are in a similar pattern but that is one of few things that ISN’T the same. Stay tuned for more fun facts of the month!

By: Lily Raby