The CHIEF September 2021

CHIEF PONTIAC TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL The

SEPT, 2021

UPPERCLASS ACTS

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES UPDATE

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

Read about what's going on in some clubs and organizations around PTHS.

A NOTE FROM YOUR EDITOR By Av a No l l en

As we start a new year, the COVID-19 hybrid schedule seems like ages ago. Although, it was only last year that going to school was redefined for the students of PTHS. The resilience of PTHS staff and students has only been proven as we make our way through these years. This year, fall sports and activities are in full swing. Football games every Friday, cheerleading, girls swimming and tennis, and volleyball are the events you can attend! Scholastic Bowl starts in October, and the Student Council is currently planning Homecoming. Key Club is full of volunteering, and Yearbook and the Newspaper are already documenting this school year. Let’s make this year the best one yet!

Sincerely, Ava Nollen, Editor-in-Chief

N O M A D I C |

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Back to School! By: Jasmine White

Another school year is on its way! There are tons of activities and Sports that are going to be happening this month. Some of the clubs that are happening is the Key Club, Student Council, Pontio, and couple more. There is always something that has your interest or for you to try something new. Fall sports include Football, Cheerleading, Golf, Girls Tennis, Cross Country, and Girls Swim. These are all good to go support your fellow peers and feel the school spirit. What else brings more school spirit that we have not had in the past year is Homecoming! Homecoming brings all the fun and school spirit. It includes float building, hallway decorating, spirit week, the Homecoming parade, buff puff, powderpuff, and the dance. There will be points for which class does the best in the Homecoming activities and will be named the best class that got the most points. So it is best to get involve if you want your class to win! Also is a great way to have fun with your friends and feel the school spirit. To know more about your class details for the float decorating and hallway decorating, go and ask your class officers that have been elected this month.

Let's Meet

Senora Hall is the new Spanish teacher at our school! She attended Illinois State University, and even got to study abroad in Spain. Here are some of her responses to a brief interview! LG: What was your favorite high school class or activity? SH: My favorite activity from high school is softball. I played varsity all 4 years and did travel ball in the summers. I loved it! LG: If you could learn another language, what would you choose? SH: Well I love Spanish but if I could learn another one it would be French... luckily they are very close and I've already started learning!

S E NORA HA L L By: Lydia Grampp

LG: What do you like better, cake or pie? SH: Pie from Common Grounds in Gridley! Yum!

LG: What did you do this summer? SH: I worked at the Children's Discovery Museum, played golf and a lot of sand volleyball, and got a new puppy!

PTHS Key Club By: Emma O'Lone

Activities Update

The PTHS Key Club is off to an eager start to bring back some in-person service projects this year! In case you are unfamiliar with Key Club, it is a student-led, international service organization, and we have this club available to all students here at our school! Throughout the school year, we do many service activities including Trick or Treating for UNICEF, selling wreaths at Christmas time, working at the Holiday Tournament, occasional roadside clean-ups, and much more! Because of the pandemic, we were unable to do many service projects in person last year. This year, though, we are excited to get back out there again. Come join us in October when we go Trick or Treating for UNICEF! More details will be posted on our social media. We have a Facebook and Instagram page, and you can find us @pontiackeyclub on both of those accounts. Key Club is such a great way to gain service hours while also having fun and making memories. We also go to conventions, at both district and national levels. For national conventions, we go on exciting trips to places such as Orlando, San Francisco, Baltimore, Washington DC, and more! If you are not already in Key Club, I would highly recommend joining, or at least giving it a try, as it will hold some of your most memorable high school moments!

FFA

By: Paige Olson

The Pontiac FFA kicked off the new year with our first chapter meeting on September 8. Our forestry team has begun having after school practice. Forestry is a CDE (Career Development Event) in which students demonstrate their skills in diagnosing forest disorders, managing forests and forest inventory and applying approved silviculture practices. If you are interested in joining the team, please talk to Mr. Faber. Our officer team is hard at work planning a year full of different activities and events for you all to join together in. If you have any questions please contact myself, a fellow officer, or Mr. Faber. Here's to a great year, everyone!

Marching Band Update

Music Department

By: Sam Kelly

By: Conrad Skrzpiec Madrigals 2021 If you are sitting at home and suddenly hear loud noises and big booms, chances are that the PTHS band has just walked through your neighborhood (or you just lived through a terrible thunderstorm). After the events of last year *cough* The Pontiac Marching Indians have decided to kick COVID’s butt and march our way back onto the field with a field show titled “Within Our Orbit” that implements many different songs from movies or classical music that invoke the idea of space. You may have heard many of these songs! “Within Our Orbit” includes the number one space song “Also Sprach Zarathustra”which was featured in the movie 2001 A Space Odyssey, and the others from Star Trek and Gustav Holst’s The Planets. So far the band has already marched in the Thresherman's parade and has many more performances in the near future, including at every home football game. In addition, there will be several band competitions which are guaranteed to take up a whole Saturday. However, those are some of the most fun Saturdays you will have all year, so if you are looking for a new hobby and you are intrigued by the idea of playing an instrument, you should just join band, as it is never too late! Hey all! Welcome back! Class is back in session, and that means practices are back in full swing! The Music Department is certainly keeping busy, especially our very own PTHS Madrigals! These talented performers are practicing three days a week, every week, preparing for the upcoming performances. The fall concert will serve as a short preview for their main event: the Madrigal Dinners! Dinner and a show, live music, jokes, what more could you ask for? We’re excited to announce that the dinners will be returning, and we have some exciting news; the madrigals are changing venues! Rather than performing at the Elks Lodge as we have done for so many years, we are moving to the Eagle Theater in downtown Pontiac. The theater and other local businesses have been so kind as to provide us their spaces, and we’re so lucky to have such a thoughtful community! Come on down and support these fine folks at the fall concert here at PTHS on October 17th, and join us for the Madrigal Dinners at the Eagle Theater December 3rd and 4th, and with a matinee performance on the 5th!

Upperclass Acts

Ava Nollen

NAME: Ava Nollen

FAVORITE CLASS: Any of the English classes I’ve taken

NICKNAMES: Avalyn

ROLE MODEL(S): Klaus from Umbrella Academy

FAVORITE AUTHOR/BOOK: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë

ACTIVITIES @ PTHS: Key Club, Yearbook, Student Council, The Chief , Madrigals, Tri-M, NHS

PET PEEVES: When people walk really slowly for no reason

FONDEST MEMORY OF HIGH SCHOOL SO FAR: The Madrigal Dinners my freshman and sophomore year

WHAT MY FRIENDS WILL REMEMBER ABOUT ME: I refuse to say performance, instead I say “preformance” HOW WOULD YOU SPEND $1,000,000? I would invest some of it, donate some of it, and travel with the rest. IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND, WHAT 3 ITEMS WOULD YOU WANT WITH YOU? Lighter, water jug, axe.

3 MAJOR AREAS OF INTEREST: Music, History, English

PLANS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL: Go to college for an Ancient Civilization major, get a museum certificate, and work in D.C. or somewhere in Italy.

FAVORITE MOVIE: Clue

MOST INSPIRATIONAL SONG: “My Way” by Frank Sinatra

LAST WORDS OF ADVICE: “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not.” -John Lennon

Upperclass Acts

Dani Grace Schrock FAVORITE AUTHOR/BOOK: All of the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling

NAME: Dani Grace Schrock

NICKNAMES: Pucci and DG

MOST POSITIVE MOMENT: Being selected for the All-State Orchestra

ROLE MODEL(S): My sister

ACTIVITIES @ PTHS: Golf, Key Club, Band, Choir, Peers in Action, National Honor Society, Jazz Band, Madrigal Brass, Tri-M, and Student Council. FONDEST MEMORY OF HIGH SCHOOL SO FAR: Winning the 1A IHSA State Girls Individual Champion my freshman year

PET PEEVES: People chewing very loudly with their mouth open is a big pet peeve of mine.

WHAT MY FRIENDS WILL REMEMBER ABOUT ME: My friends will remember that I was kind, smart, responsible, and athletic.

3 MAJOR AREAS OF INTEREST: Golf, Music, Business

HOW WOULD YOU SPEND $1,000,000? I would invest it in order to increase the amount.

PLANS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL: I plan to attend ISU next fall where I will be on the women’s golf team and will major in finance.

IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND, WHAT 3 ITEMS WOULD YOU WANT WITH YOU? I would bring a sleeping bag, a water purifier, and a satellite phone. LAST WORDS OF ADVICE: “Work hard to be the best you can be at everything you do and love each and every day to the fullest as the time goes by so quickly.”

FAVORITE MOVIE: The Blind Side

MOST INSPIRATIONAL SONG: “This is Me” from The Greatest Showman

FAVORITE TEACHERS/CLASS: Band with Mr. Schickel and Mr. Roberts

Cheer Update By: Zoe Noles

Sports Update

Homecoming week is coming up soon here at PTHS. Our cheerleaders are busy preparing the homecoming pep rally routine, along with cheering on our football team each Friday. “Cheer has started off super strong! We’ve been working hard on the homecoming routine and can’t wait to perform it!” says senior cheerleader, Emily Albrecht. It sounds like the cheerleaders are having an amazing season, so everyone look forward to their new routine!

Football Season By: Jack Demopoulos

Another school year, another football season arrives. The Pontiac Indians started their season against the Central Catholic Saints this Friday where they would suffer a loss 48-20. I asked Cam Gillete his thoughts on the game and he stated, “We put in a good effort all around but we unfortunately came out with the loss. We’re gonna train as hard as possible for the next one.” The Pontiac Indians played Prairie Central September 3rd, where they lost 20 to 2. Several injuries occurred, including one where the ambulance on standby had to go onto the field. All in all, the players tried their hardest, and this is by no means an end to their hard work and passion this season.

Music Review

By Vanessa Kapper

Music Review: Oscar Lang

Oscar Lang is an alternative/indie artist. I discovered his music one weekend and instantly fell in love. As soon as I listened to his song, “you.,” I immediately looked up his discography and fell even more in love with his song, “fall into u.” As soon as I heard it I sent it to my friend, who doesn’t like my music very much, so I was surprised to hear that she has been playing it nonstop ever since. So, If you like calm, soft music like the songs that Bon Iver, Ry X, Tom Odell, or the 1975 write, you should most definitely like him. He is an underrated artist, with only an estimated 25K followers on Instagram. His most popular songs are “The Moon Song” and “She Likes Another Boy,” which you might’ve heard on some form of social media such as Tiktok. But first listen to “fall into u.” Honestly, just listen to his whole EP, To Whom it May Concern , because it is pure perfection. Having only listened to this one so I could fully appreciate it, I’m excited to take a look at his many other EP’s and albums.

Film Review

By Mason Christianson

Movie Review: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Marvel has finally figured out how to create fun movies again. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is not only one of the best Marvel projects this year, but it may be one of the best Marvel projects ever. THE GOOD: Shang-Chi, a brilliant addition to the MCU, can be funny, heartfelt, and wicked. His action scenes are high-octane, and they stand out vividly among the other action scenes from the marvel movies. The action is also able to effortlessly fuse Jackie-Chan style kung-fu with the power and force of Bruce Lee combat. The story and family elements also make the story interesting rather than some action-adventure story like every other Marvel movie. However, the best part of Shang-Chi was the building of the new world. The landscape of his homeworld is so refreshing and magical, and it makes the movie feel very different in that way. THE BAD: The humor in the film did not work for a majority of the first act. However, the jokes started to land consistently once the second act began. The last act of the movie also felt a little bland compared to the amazing first and second act. The last act turns into a marvel movie, but it takes place in a completely different landscape, so it is still stylish in the moment. Overall, Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings deserves very high praise, and the box office numbers clearly reflect the status of the movie. I hope the MCU will embrace Shang-Chi more than they do at the moment, and that they will mold him into one of their superstars.

Literature Review

By Olivia Schickel

Literature Review: The Pearl by John Steinbeck

Short and not exceptionally sweet, Steinbeck’s The Pearl is as compelling as the rest of his works taught in classrooms, but infinitely more enjoyable without the chore of inquiring worksheets. Based on a Mexican folktale, the story reimagines the narrative set in a 1940’s coastal community and follows a young indigenous father named Kino and his family after a tragic event is followed by a great miracle. He discovers a pearl that alters his place in society and status compared to the other natives in his community, and Kino’s life falls apart as quickly as it was enhanced. The story dives into Kino’s journey and explores the complexities of race, class, and poverty in less than a hundred pages. With themes of colonial oppression to an intimate view of familial love and greed that bears the weight of the human experience, there is not a single word wasted in Kino’s story. The novella has clear and gripping prose that breaks down the walls between the reader and the world that Steinbeck builds, and trying to set the book down feels nearly impossible. The motif of songs that run through the story sets the writing apart from other books that are deemed necessary academic reads and adds a touch of humanity that keeps the reader pushing through the heart-wrenching narrative. Fans of any genre can find something to take away after putting this book down, and its themes are still applicable to our human condition after almost eighty years of this story’s life.

By: Brieaunna Duck The Power of Creative Writing

Creative writing is one of the more free-spirited and imaginative aspects of writing as a whole. This is where it's time to let all of those little details fly and create almost a work of art. Diving into what that means, creative writing focuses on elements such as character development, narrative, plot and imagination. The fun comes in with just letting your ideas flow onto the paper, turning ideas into full concepts. You create a whole new reality that gives a sense of accomplishment, with a reward of a new story you have that you can call your own. What most creative writers enjoy about this type of writing is the ability to put their own flair on the passage and to express their creativity. Creative writing can serve many purposes such as entertainment, all the way to a sense of therapy. A fable, historical fiction, fiction, and many other genres are examples of creative writing. When you feel as though you succeed at your piece of writing, your brain gets dopamine (the happy chemical) that helps you feel motivated and overall accomplished. Anyone can create a piece of creative writing and help you find a way to release your creativity.

Traveling During COVID-craziness

The Chief Staff

Ava Nollen: Editor-in-Chief

By Aubreigh Carmack

Aubreigh Carmack Mason Christianson Jack Demopoulos Brieaunna Duck Lydia Grampp Vanessa Kapper Sam Kelly Zoe Noles Emma O'Lone Paige Olson Olivia Schickel Conrad Skryzpiec Jasmine White

Traveling is a fun experience for everyone. Whether it’s by plane, car, train, or other means, I have traveled to at least eleven different states, maybe more, and have lived in three (Georgia, Missouri, and Illinois). Due to COVID-19, flights, trains, and other public transportation have been affected. Before the major outbreak that locked us all down, masks were optional. Now they are mandatory. Covering the nose and it has to either thick cloth or a disposable mask. A dream that I have had and I’m sure others have too is to travel out of the country, somewhere like Greece, without all the COVID- craziness. Even with the new changes and not as flexible times, traveling is exciting for most of us! So take some time by yourself or with family and go travel somewhere you either haven't been to or somewhere you love. Try new things, eat new foods, and meet new people. The outcome of a trip will be worth it!

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

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