Thursday, March 23, 2017

NCAA Tournament

     In Chadron High School there are many teachers and students that fill out brackets for the NCAA Tournament. This is a single elimination men's basketball tournament featuring 68 different teams from Division I, to determine the national championship.
     Some of the different teachers that play are Mr. Bach, Mrs. Noble, Mr. Nelson, and Mr. McLain. A few students that play are Dom Nobiling, Brooks Roberts, Bryce Hudson, and Theo Marcy.
     One of the major reasons people participate in the NCAA bracket, is to win money. Mr. Nelson plays for "a little money, because it makes the tournament more fun to watch." Dom, Mr. McLain, Theo, Bryce, and Mr. Bach also fill out brackets for a little bit of money.
     Playing for fun is another reason to fill out a bracket. It is fun to see which of your teams do good, and it is fun to just watch all of the games. Mrs. Noble and Brooks both play for the fun of it, instead of for money.
     Many people find the NCAA tournament a fun time of the year, and many people love playing and filling them out. It is fun for all ages, and even if your bracket does not win, it is still fun to be a part of the tournament.

Mrs. Bird Retirement

     2017 is the last year for Chadron High art teacher, Patty Bird, before she retires. Mrs. Bird has been a teacher for CPS for fifteen years. 
     When she first started teaching for CPS, she began at the middle school full time, teaching art for fifth through eighth graders and industrial technology for seventh and eighth graders and then later began switching between the middle school and high school. Before she taught at CPS, Mrs. Bird taught for two years at Alliance High School, Emerson Elementry and Grandview Elementry, three years at Sandy Creek Jr./Sr., which is located near Kearney, NE., and two years at Central Community College in Kearney, NE. 
      After being part of the Chadron schools for so long, Mrs. Bird will miss the students and faculty a lot. Because Mrs. Bird was part of the Chadron Public Schools for so long, she had many opportunities to make memories that she will remember forever. Her favorite thing about Chadron Schools though, is that she had the privilege of "watching the 5th graders come into the Middle School so small and unsure of themselves. Then, having the privilege of watching them grow through 6th, 7th and 8th grades. And the best part is also having them as students again in High School where I can see them mature and become independent. I am able to see their accomplishments and share memories with them before they graduate and leave for work or college life."
      She states the students' "humor, fun ways of making art, and attacking life are always the highlight of my day." She'll miss working with "kind, interesting, unique people with great ideas and humor." 
     Although she's sad she's leaving, Mrs. Bird has a whole plan ready for after she retires. Her and her husband plan on moving to South Dakota in the Hills somewhere, because they both love it there. She will continue making art work, and in between all of this, she will be visiting her daughters in Chicago, Denver, and Montana while continuing to travel to places such as Scottland, Europe, Canada, Washington State, as well as many other places to continue expanding and learning more about her passion for art. 

Favorite foods of CHS

       There is a diversity of food around the world because of different people's ethnicity. All this diversity in ethnicity makes for a wide variety of choices for favorite foods. Chadron High students and faculty have all kinds of favorite foods, from seafood to steak to cheesecake.
        Pasta is a favorite within the Chadron High community. Jill Paopao, language arts teacher, said her favorite food is spaghetti because, "The flavor is so good. It touches every element of your pallet." The best spaghetti she ever had was at Pompeii in Italy.  Kathy Kaus, school librarian, said her favorite food is lasagna.  Lasagna is her favorite food because it is something her grandmother always made for her. She loves homemade lasagna and would prefer that then at a restaurant.
        Another food that people enjoy is seafood. Karen Larsen, guidance office assistant, says her favorite food is salmon because she just likes seafood. Larsen's favorite way to eat salmon is homemade smoked salmon. Katelyn Briggs loves shrimp scampi. She likes shrimp scampi because it's just something she likes. Briggs loves shrimp scampi when it is homemade.
        Another big food group people like is meat. Mrs Watson and Mrs. Noble both love prime rib. Mrs Watson said that prime rib is fulfilling, juicy, wonderful, and savory. The best prime rib she's had was in Spearfish, South Dakota. Mrs Noble loves tender cut prime rib. She says it is like a butter explosion in your mouth. She loves it rare with lots of seasonings. The best prime rib she ever had was at a Texas Roadhouse. Michael Collins's favorite food is homemade biscuits and gravy because it tastes good.
     Others say that different desserts are their favorites. Linda Drinkwalter said that her favorite food was homemade cheesecake because it makes life unique. Mrs. Summerville says that her favorite food is her homemade chocolate chip cookies because she always has some every time she goes to her mom's house.

Sophomore Servers for CHS Prom

        The sophomore servers were announced last week for the 2017 CHS Prom.
        Ms. Renae Noble is a prom sponsor of the junior class. She stated that the sophomore servers has been a tradition for more than 30 years. 
        Noble explained that the servers are chosen by evaluating which sophomores will be going to prom as dates, and the remaining pool is voted on by the entire junior level. Then a total of 12 students out of the average 60 students per grade (6 boys and 6 girls) are announced to the school and given special contracts which they must sign and turn in. The contracts entail time (arrivals and dismissals), dress wear, rules, and a warning of "occasional teasing" (Noble). Only 5 contracts have been turned in, and they are due next week. Despite the lack of contracts, Noble is excited about this new group and wished them good luck.

Hoffman Named New Head Volleyball Coach

          Blakelee Hoffman, a sixth grade language arts teacher and sports fanatic has been named the new head volleyball coach at Chadron High School. Hoffman was extremely "shocked and excited" upon receiving this position, and it is safe to say that Cardinal fans can expect big things in the upcoming season.
          There is no doubt that Hoffman is 100% qualified for her position as head coach. She brings numerous years of experience in both playing and coaching into this next chapter of her coaching career. Hoffman attended Torrington High School where she excelled tremendously in her athletic career, which included participating in volleyball, basketball, and track & field. She was a four-year varsity volleyball and basketball starter, and had a phenomenal track & field career which included setting six school records and one overall state and class 3a record for the 100m hurdles. Hoffman also won a slew of awards for the multiple sports she participated in including; Scottsbluff Star-Herald Wyoming Volleyball Player of the Year (1997), 4-time Basketball All-Absaraka Conference and All-Western Conference, and Star-Herald Co-Track Athlete of the Year (1998).
          For college at Black Hills State University, Hoffman reduced her athletic obligations, slightly, and decided to focus on just two sports, volleyball and track & field. Her collegiate athletic career was just as successful as the past four had been in high school. Hoffman started all four years in volleyball at Black Hills, in which she played primarily in the outside hitter position and showed great success there. She was selected four-time All-Conference, one-time All-Region (1999), and one-time NAIA All-American (1999). She also broke nine school records, which was nothing new for the incredibly talented athlete. Hoffman went on to break two school records and qualify for nationals twice during her time on the track.
          As for the upcoming season, Hoffman expects great things from the team that she will be working with stating, "I think the best way to approach the upcoming season is to set realistic goals and expectations. With only one returning starter, Carstyn Hageman, we'll be lacking the experience we would need in order to compete at the same level. However, I know the talent is there to be just as good and competitive." Hoffman plans to bring great change and positive adjustments to the volleyball program. She urges anyone who is "on the fence" to give volleyball a shot, but just "don't wait too long."

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

District Speech

     On Thursday March 16th, the speech team brought the season to a close at districts in Sidney, Nebraska.  
     According to head coach Rebecca Dubs, the speech bus left at 5:30 in the morning to make it to the meet before the first flight of competition began at 8:30 a.m.  After a long day of presenting speeches, awards were handed out in the early evening. From the Chadron team, Paige Carratini earned sixth place in informative speaking, JashwaAlan Cummings earned sixth place with his poetry, and Hunter Hawk took home fifth in persuasive speaking.  "Sadly, we did not have anyone qualify for state," said Dubs.
      With these results, the speech season has officially come to an end.  

New Art Teacher

     For the 2017-2018 school year, a new art teacher has been selected for Chadron High and Middle school due to the retirement of Mrs. Bird.  That teacher is Travis Hencey.
     In order to select a teacher, a committee, which includes two teachers from each school and both principals interviewed applicants and then came together in the end to make a decision. This position is opened up to everyone, according to principal, Jerry Mack. 
      After interviewing the applicants, the committee decided to chose Travis Hencey, a 2005 Chadron High School graduate. Because of his extensive background in computer graphics, computer coding, and talent in teaching art, he was selected for the job. 

Monday, March 13, 2017

Spring Break

           Following the completion of the third quarter, Spring Break is now upon us, and everyone at Chadron High School has plans for the four day weekend. Whether their break will be filled with fun events or filled with a lot of relaxation, everyone has got an idea of how they want to spend their long weekend.
            Those who have anticipated Spring Break for sometime now and scheduled out their days off have a great plan for the weekend. Haley Mahr, CHS sophomore plans to go to Rapid City, SD, and spend a few days shopping and eating with her family. Haley and her family also plan to stay at the Watiki Resort as well as go ice skating while they are in the city. As for the rest of her time off, she will relax and enjoy the days not having school.
           Another CHS sophomore, Moriah Hasting's plan for break is to do absolutely nothing. She will sleep in late every day just because she never gets the opportunity to do so. She also is looking forward to spending the time off with her family and enjoying the nice weather that the forecast has predicted for the upcoming days.
          Trysha Brierly, sophomore, will take advantage of the free days and work at Donald's Drive Inn to make some money. She will work every day of the break and is quite excited, for the income that is, not the work.
          Dominic Nobiling, sophomore, will also spend a little bit of his break making some money working at the local movie theater a few nights, but other than that he will also relax and enjoy the days he has away from school.

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

CHS love for music

Music. Most people around the world listen to music, whether they listen to the musical element or the lyrics. At CHS, many students listen to music and each have their own favorite genre.
Brystin Cummings, a 9th grader at CHS, loves country music because she feels it’s “fun to listen to and easy to relate to.” However, she listens to all types of music including country, rock, and today’s hits.
Alyeea Lopez, another 9th grader, listens to today’s hits. She also listens to hip hop, rap, and country. Both Brystin and Alyeea dislike the jazz genre.
Twilah Saksek, listens to all types of music ranging from rock, classic rock, rap, hip hop, German rock, heavy metal, and much more.
All four of these students listen to music to relieves stress and makes them happy. But it doesn’t stop at students. Teachers love to listen to music too. Mrs. Madsen, a CHS para-professional, only listens to country, nothing else. Mrs. Paopao loves not a genre but a band: The Beatles, because of her father. She believes music is, “The voice of generations.”

State Dance

     The state dance competition was held in Grand Island on the 17th and 18th of February. The CHS dance team attended this competition, however, not all went. Those who were chosen included Abby Orton, Kat Dodd, Ahlaura Pourier, Alyssa Noble, and Aubree Noble. Those five girls along with there coaches, Heather Barry and Nicole Pourier, were fortunate to go to state.
     Attending state dance for the first time, Heather Barry, said she had a fun experience where she enjoyed seeing other dance teams perform.  
     Competing in hip hop and poms, the girls placed 8th in both categories. According to Barry, the girls were disappointed in their placing, however, she thought they did well. Out of those two dances, her favorite dance was poms, because it was upbeat and fast.
     In the end, the judges comments included pointing toes more and having more energy.

Phobias Strike Fear!

       Many people are afraid of many different things. These phobias range from anything form heights and wasps.
       Most of Chadron High Students and faculty are afraid of something to do with animals. Cathy Kaus and Dylan Jamison are afraid of snakes. They both say that snakes are slimy, slithery, creatures that bite. Mrs. Kaus says that when she sees a snake her heart starts beating, and she immediately tries to figure a way to get out of there. Dylan says that when he sees a snake he will jump and yell, and he will run away as fast as he can.
          Brock Mittleider says that his biggest phobia is being impaled by a deer as he is driving down the highway. He says he drives down the highway all the time, and it's just something he thinks and worries about. He says if it ever does happen that he hopes to live to tell. Kylie Garrett says that her biggest fear is sharks. She said that she started to be afraid of sharks after all the movies she watched about sharks eating people. She said if she ever saw a shark she would probably die.
      Isabela Sanchez, Reid Hankin, and Mande Dotson all say that they are afraid of bugs. Isabela says that she hates spiders because they are discussing hairy and gross. If she sees a spider she makes her brother come kill it. Reid Hankin says that insecst are small, they have more than four legs. They can fly, crawl, or something freaky. Reid will "...kill it no matter what, unless it is a ladybug. Ladybugs are cool." Mandee Dotson says that her biggest fear is wasps. She says that wasps are big and scary, and they make a weird buzzing noise. "When I see a wasp I run inside the house," Mandee says.
       People can also have other phobias that don't have anything to do with animals. Nikki Scarrow and Tricia Berry are both afraid of heights. Nikki says that heights scare her, and Mrs. Berry says that when she is in a really high place "it makes my stomach turn and the ground feel like it's moving. Heghts hinder doing something fun and exciting like zip lining, roller coasters, and mountain climbing. It makes my heart feel like it's beating out of my chest, and if it's really high I start crying." Both say that they will freak out and scream. 
       Loni Watson says that one of her biggest phobias is small spaces. She says it not one of her favorite things to be in small spaces, and when she is in a small space she "has to pace my breathing, so I don't freak out, and I have to remind myself to breathe."
       Phobias come in many different way, but it can be agreed that no matter what they are they strike fear in those that suffer from them.

CHS Night of Forensics

     On Tuesday March 14, the Chadron High speech team will be hosting Night of Forensics in the High School.
     According to Head Speech Coach Rebecca Dubs, Night of Forensics is an evening for the "speech team to perform their events for members of the community."  The event will begin at 5:30 pm in the auditorium, with the speeches being presented in various room around the high school.  Afterwards, there will be a $2, or free will donation, dessert bar. "Awards, like JV/Varsity Letters and pins will also be awarded after the presentation of speeches," Dubs stated.
     So far, the speech team has had a fantastic season, with competitors placing at every meet and several first place awards. According to Dubs, the speech team has also won the Class A/B team Sweepstakes Runner-Up for the most points as a team at Western Conference and Class A/B Overall Team Sweepstakes at the Mitchell Speech Meet. "I hope we have a good turnout at Night of Forensics to support our wonderful, hard-working speechies before competing at Districts," Dubs stated.

Mitchell Speech Meet

        On March 4 the CHS speech team traveled to Mitchell for a speech tournament. More than half the Chadron team placed in finals, and they won first place in their division.
        Those who placed include: OID Sydney Brown, Katie Lewin, Claire Margetts, JoshwaAlan Cummings, and Kaylie Elliot (1st), Duet Abby Hyer and Claire Margetts (6th), Duet JashwaAlan Cummings and Gabe Ramos (4th), Duet Alyssa Noble and Emily Blaylock (2nd), Poetry Evelyn McEwen (1st), Poetry JashwaAlan Cummings (3rd), Informative Paige Carattini (2nd), Persuasive Paige Carattini (5th), and Persuasive Hunter Hawk (4th).
         The speech team will perform two more times in their speech season on Night of Forensics (March 14), and Districts (March 16). If any of the speech team makes 3rd place and up in their categories, they will go to state.

Boys' Golf Team

     The Chadron High School Boys' Golf Team has a new head coach this year, Jordan Nelson. Coach Nelson is very excited for his first year as head coach. Nelson said, "With a lot of experience coming back this season there is potential to make a push for state as a team." There are many talented seniors coming back this year such as Corbin Johnson, Sean O'Brien, Keegan Shuck, Michael Gieseler, and Tyler Westlake. 
     Practice for the golf team starts on March 13th, two weeks before their first competition. Coach Nelson said, "Golf is a game that is dependent on consistent repetition that will cone from a lot of practice." 
     The boy's team will practice hard to get ready for their 10 meets, and districts and state. They will be a very strong team with a lot of talent from past years. Coach Nelson can not wait for season, and the golf team is very excited for it to finally be golf season.