Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Veterans Day Program

There was a Veteran's Day program in the Chadron High School auditorium, on November 11, put on my Mrs. Mary Traphagan, a middle school social studies teacher, and her students.

During this program, First Sergeant Brandon Yetter was the speaker. He spoke about Veterans such as Elizabeth Bernice Barker Johnson and Alexander Jefferson.

Elizabeth Bernice Barker Johnson is an African America female force from World War II. She worked in the Central Postal Battalion of the Women´s Army Corps, and was a member of an all African female unit. It was their responsibility to sort mail to make sure it got to where the package was supposed to go. If a dead soldier received mail, it would be sent to the family. They even made sure mail got to the soldiers on the front lines.

Alexander Jefferson was a proud, African American Veteran, who received a purple heart. He was part of the air force, and was a pilot of the Tuskegee Airmen. The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American soldiers who had completed training for the Army Air force, and joined.

After the speech, the audience was guided outside to watch Mr. Rishling, Chadron High and Middle School band director, play "Taps," with middle schooler, Lucy Rishling, before a 21 gun salute.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Jackson Smith Travels to Italy

     Recently, sophomore Jackson Smith traveled to Italy with her family for a vacation. Smith and her family left on October 19th and they were back in school on November 1st.
     She traveled to Italy because her grandfather works there and he decided to take her family with him for two weeks, according to Smith. Her grandfather is a political science professor who teaches a class in Rome, Italy. Smith says that it was her, her mom and dad, her brother, her aunt, her uncle, and her cousin that went together.
     They visited Rome, Naples, and the Amalfi coast, says Smith. According to Smith, first, they stayed in an Airbnb in Rome and then they stayed at Hotel Bellini in Naples.
     Smith really enjoyed visiting the Amalfi coast in Naples. She said her favorite place they visited was probably Positano, which is a town on the Amalfi coast. Jackson said, "There are lots of lemons there, and we also got some yummy pastries." She said Positano was her favorite because it had the best view, they spent the most time there, and she got to do some exploring.
      Smith said her favorite meal was probably the seafood that they had along the Amalfi coast.                Although Jackson Smith really enjoyed her time there, she said by the end she was ready to come home because she missed her home and friends.
     Smith said she has been to Rome before and that she went because of the same reason. Smith has also traveled to Paris, France because her grandfather took her.
     Jackson Smith said that when she travels to other countries she only feels out of place sometimes, but mostly she feels normal. Smith noticed that in Italy everyone smokes and drinks and parties a lot more than in the United States.
     According to Smith, she flew from Denver to Germany and that flight was about 9 hours, then the flight to Rome from Germany was about 2 hours. On the way back, the flights were the same but in the reverse order, said Smith.
     Jackson Smith said that traveling changes her perspective on life only a little bit. She says it affects her perspective but not in a life-changing way.
     Smith would like to continue traveling and currently, the top country on her bucket list is Germany.

Chadron High School applies to college week

     On Wednesday October 30, Chadron High School seniors visited Chadron State College. According to Loni Watson, the high school guidance counselor, this visit to the college is an official visit of Chadron State College and its campus. It helps the incoming college freshmen have a better understanding of the campus.
     The seniors sat down in the Lakota room on the Student Center and were showed a presentation, while some of the other seniors went on a tour of the whole campus. The presentation gave them information about the finical criteria, about how to apply to CSC, and the variety of majors students are able to get into. 
     One way Mrs. Watson prepares seniors for this day is a doing senior transition talk on a 1:30 out, so that they know what is going on.
     Mrs. Watson said, "Seniors' favorite part about the tour is the CSC lunch on campus because of the buffet and the different options of ice cream flavors you are able to pick from." The most important part about the visit is all students are able to attend. This is important because some seniors are not able to go on college tours at other colleges because parents are not able to take them to the college, so this gives them a feel of what it is like to go on a college tour.
   
   

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Chris Singleton Assemably

     On Thursday, November 7, Chris Singleton a retired baseball player came to speak with the Chadron High students.
     In the beginning he asked everyone to stand and hug someone that looks different than them. He did this because his mother, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton was shot and killed, along with nine other church goers by a 19 year old white male. The shooting took place in Charleston's Emanuel AME church in a racially motivated attack on June 17, 2015. He wanted to start a race war, but he started the opposite of that. According to Singleton all races came together to promote love over hate.
     Many students had different opinions on if they liked or didn't like the assembly. Annamae Gardner explained how she learned if a student seems fine and they are smiling doesn't mean they are. According to Annamae, "If you make a joke it will actually hurt them, and they most likely will go home and cry." She explains how if something were to happen to you it doesn't mean you should turn that into a bad experience. Annamae Gardner said overall that Chris Singleton was a good speaker.
     Jacie Coupons thought the speaker was very good and inspiring. She explained how the speaker encouraged her to power through hard times in her life.  Jacie said the speaker "had a big impact on me."
   
   
   

What do you like about CHS

     There are a lot of things students like about Chadron High School.
     Cathy Galley said she likes the teacher Mr. Sanders because he doesn't give the students crap, and he does his job. Her favorite class in school is Immediate PE because it never gets boring in that class. In school she studies while she's doing her homework. Also the one thing she likes about school is looking at scholarships for colleges.
      Neffie Brooks's favorite teacher is Mrs. Paopao because she looks out for the kids, and she's also hard working. The class she likes to be in is English Exploration because she sees what the students can communicate. She does her mock trial practice, studies, and does her homework while she's in school. She also likes it when school gets you ready for college after graduation.
     Madison Waugh said she likes Mr. Hency because he's very sweet, nice, and he's not so hard on rules. She loves being in art class because she gets to listen to music, draw in her sketchbook, and be free. The one thing she likes about school is listening to lectures, working on assessments, drawing, animating, and she only studies if she has too.
     Mandee Dotson's favorite teacher is Mr. Hency because she likes how he has so much knowledge about art. Her favorite class is painting and drawing because she likes to let her creative juices flow and make amazing artwork for her family. When she's in school she usually plays on her phone and watches the "Little Fox." The one thing she likes about school is being in art classes.
     Alexis Keith said her favorite teacher is Mrs. Budler because she's nice and makes her class cook for food labs. Her favorite class is Foods and Nutrition because she gets to eat food. In school she learns in class, studies for tests or quizzes, and does her homework.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Chadron mock trial competes at Districts

  On Tuesday, November 11th, the Chadron mock trial team competed at districts at Scottsbluff County Court House. The team won one round but lost the second round.
    Chadron's mock trial varsity team competed against Kimball in the first round. According to Grace Sorenson, a varsity team lawyer, the first round went very well and the team was able to demonstrate their skills effectively. In the second round, the team competed against Gering and lost the round. Gering went on to win the championship and is now heading to state. The Gering team nominated Cassie Nesheim for being the best lawyer, and Lauren Collins was nominated for being the best witness in the Gering round.
    A mock trial meet starts with a coin flip. The team who wins the coin flip can choose to be the plaintiff or defense team. The plaintiff team brings up to case to the other team, while the defense team is the one being accused. One team wins based on how well they present the case, and that teams moves on in the bracket. The teams continue competing until a team wins the championship.

Self Ear Piercings

     A new trend among teenagers is self-piercing, or home piercing, their ears. Despite the dangers that it poses, its popularity continues to rise.
     There are many dangers of not getting your ear piercings done by a professional and many people don't know the dangers. These include "severe infection, nerve damage, and tissue damage," said the Chadron Public Schools nurse, Jennifer Pyle.
     Another concern about piercing your ears at home or, by yourself, is how to clean them properly. Mrs. Pyle said, "If you pierce your ear yourself you would not have antiseptic that professionals give you after piercing your ears. I would guess that antibacterial soap and water would be the best. You could use peroxide for the first day, but it has been proven to cause tissue damage if used too much."
    Despite the dangers, people continue to self pierce their ears. The question is why. Naleya Goings said, "It was free, and I had always wanted my second piercings."
     Another girl, who wished to remain anonymous, said that it was something she did on a whim one night. She also said that it only stung a little bit when she pierced her cartilage on her ear.
     Another student at Chadron High, Abigail Gardner, also pierced her ears with the help of a friend. She and her friend also pierced other people's ears, but of course, she only agreed to pierce if she had the student's consent written down and their parent's permission if they were below the age of consent. When getting her own ears pierced with the help of a friend she used a smaller needle and said, "It didn't hurt much, but getting the earing in was painful, and the healing part was worse."
      Overall since you now know the risks and the stories of others who decided to self pierce their ears you can decide on what you think.
   

   
   

Chadron High School Dream Jobs

     Everyone has a dream job, and something that they really want to do. Some Chradron High School students already know what their dreams are.
     There's a huge variety of jobs that people can chose from, and some people get to be what they wanted to be when they were in 6th grade. However, others aren't so lucky in getting the job they once dreamed of, and end up getting a different job.
     The first category of jobs people can get is education based. The jobs that students picked in this category were a tutor and a business owner.  Brook Herman said she plans on getting the job by "Going to college, and working hard." Brook, would like to be a tutor, which means she will go to people's houses to help kids get ready for Head Start (a program that supports education readiness). This is her dream job because she loves kids, and she believes that she might need to go to college to become a tutor.
     The next job that was picked was a business owner by Asher Wright because his family members own businesses. He plans on getting the job by saving up a lot of money and buying an already existing small business. Asher believes that he doesn't need to go to college. He thinks he just needs a lot of money. Asher, would have several jobs in one as a business owner. He would need to order supplies and keep his workers in check.
     Another category of jobs people can get is in the arts. The jobs the students picked in this category are film director and artist. Hollie Morsett, would like to be a film director because she can be creative, and she would get to turn her stories into movies. She plans on getting the job by going to art school in California, and she believes that she would have to go to college to get it.  she would be in charge of directing the movies, which means she would get to boss people around and express her ideas in person.
     The next art related job that was picked was being an artist. Diamond Little Thunder, picked it because she loves art, and she gets to be really creative. She believes that she doesn't need to go to college to get the job, but she will anyway. She is worried about the fact that her job won't be secure (knowing when she'll get paid).
     The next category of jobs people can get is science related. The jobs students picked were phlebotomy and park ranger. Alexis Keith picked phlebotomy because she said, "It pays a lot, it's easy, and I know a little about the job already." Being a phlebotomist she would be drawing and testing people's blood.She plans on getting the job by going to college and getting her grades up in high school. She believes that she only needs to go to a 9 month college to be qualified for the job.
     The other job that was science related was park ranger picked by Cathy Galey. She picked this job because the park rangers in a cave she went to inspired her to become one. She believes that she must go to college to get her masters degree or a P.H.D in order to get the job. While working, she would like to be studying plants and animals in their environment, so she wants to focus on the biology aspect of the job.
     Whatever job a person picks is not necessarily the job they get for life. There are infinite jobs in the world, and it pays well to search the options.

State Volleyball

     On Thursday November 7th the Chadron volleyball team competed in the state tournament. They played Lincoln Lutheran and lost in three sets. The first set was 25-20, the second set 25-15, and the third set 25-19.
 Although the Lady Cards lost, they still played very well against a team that ended up winning state. Lauren Collins says the teams strong suit was having really strong attackers and defense. The season overall also went very well for the team, with many players breaking previous records. The team ended the season 31-8.
   Lauren says that going to state is a super fun experience and there's nothing truly like it. They worked all season to get there and working so hard to get there made the experience even better.
     This was the first trip to state that the team had been on in three years. They traveled eight hours to get there and stayed the night on the 6th, as the tournament started on the 7th and went until the ninth. During this tournament the best team plays the worst team, and the second best team plays the second worst team. Teams may also compete for fourth, third, and second place in a ''losers bracket''. If you lose your first game, you're out.
   

Interact Dictionary Drive

     On October 30, the Chadron High Interact club, sponsored by the Chadron Rotary Club, traveled to the Pine Ridge Reservation to deliver dictionaries to third-grade students. Twenty students went on this trip, accompanied by sponsor Roger Wess.
     The students visited 7 different schools throughout the Pine Ridge area. They went into the classrooms and spoke with the third-graders about the features of the dictionaries and how they work.
     The purpose of this trip is to provide students on the reservation with dictionaries, which according to sponsor Roger Wess, will help the children grow as students and learn new skills. He says, "Third grade is traditionally the level in which students receive very specific instruction in using traditional dictionary skills."
     The Chadron Rotary Club has been providing dictionaries to third-grade students for over 10 years, and the Interact Club has been helping with the project for about 6 years. "Each year we try to improve the experience," says Mr. Wess.
     This year, a few changes were made to their procedure for the trip. The Interact students had multiple interactions with the third-graders with more of an emphasis on working with challenged students. Roger Wess also provided more handouts for the students regarding the history and current conditions of Pine Ridge.
     Mr. Wess says his favorite part of the trip was watching the Interact students refine their introduction and presentation skills a little more at each school. "This is how leadership skills are developed," he says.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

FBLA canned food drive

     On November 3, 2019, members from the Chadron High School FBLA club put on a canned food drive. 
     Lauren Collins, a senior at Chadron High School and the president of the CHadron FBLA, the canned food drive is something the Chadron FBLA club does every year. Once cans are collected from members in the community, they are taken to the Immanuel Lutheran Church, right across the street from the Primary building. Collecting these cans supports the Feed Nebraska Foundation. Lauren said, "This activity in conjunction with other FBLA activities will help us win a ribbon that we can show off at the State Leadership Conference." Overall, they group collected 143 cans.
     The original canned food drive was supposed to take place on October 27 for a Halloween activity, however, weather was an issue that day, causing it to be rescheduled. Each group of students involved in gathering cans had to dress up in costume as a certain theme. Lauren said Jameson Margetts dressed up as an FBI agent. 
     

ASVAB Test Results

     The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test better known as the ASVAB was taken by the junior class of Chadron High School on September 18th at the National Guard military base in Chadron. 
     Loni Watson the counselor at Chadron High said, the ASVAB scores were very good and the junior class is a special group. She also said the benefits of the test are preparation for the American College Test (ACT), which the juniors will take as a class this spring. 
     The ASVAB is a good option for some students and the test brings light to a major option for some kids, the military, with a bonus if you get a good score on the test. 
      Although the test is a good eye opener it should be taken with a grain of salt, says Watson. The ASVAB is a little easier than the ACT but good practice for students preparing for other major tests and college classes. 
     The students were happy with the test and enjoyed looking back through the results, Watson said. They would also recommend it for future students. 


Sunday, November 10, 2019

Favorite Colors

     Everyone has a favorite color. But did you know that your favorite color symbolizes your personality? Even the clothes that we wear, and the items that we own almost always have our favorite colors in them. Shirts, pants, phone cases, and Hydroflasks sometimes come in our own favorite color.
     According to Jenni Pyle, Chadron Public School's nurse, who's favorite color is blue, she likes the color blue because it is a happy color and it is "cool and calming."   
    Colors can also symbolize our personality. For example, if one person's favorite color is black, that symbolize that they are shy. Amber Yellowhorse, a Chadron High student, who's favorite color is indigo, said that her color represents her mixed emotions. Blue is a popular color because it usually symbolizes happy, sad, or calm. Diamond Little Thunder's favorite color is blue because, "It symbolizes my personality very well.
     Most items have a color option, and they sometimes have our favorite colors on them. A student in Chadron High, who's name is Cloey Murdock, mentioned that her items have a little bit of her favorite color, which is yellow.
     Our favorite colors can also be very special. One student in Chadron High, Diamond Little Thunder, said she liked the color blue because, "It is everywhere."
 

Friday, November 8, 2019

Chadron High's Piñatas

     The students in Mrs. Noble's Spanish class created their own piñatas and hung them in the high school's halls.
    According to Mrs. Noble, piñatas represent an old Mexican tradition held primarily in Mexico. They are usually created around Christmas time or anytime there is a special event in the family. 
     Noble said, "The first step to creating a piñata is to use paper mache to form a figure or an animal, person or object. Then gather colorful tissue and glue it to the piñata. Lastly, let the piñata dry for a for a few hours. To be able to hang it on a wall or off of a ceiling, put a hook on the top and a string through it which is optional. These are the steps that students took in order to make their own piñata in Mrs. Noble's Spanish class."
     According to Mrs. Noble, The process to form, glue, and dry can take from one to one and a half weeks to finish.
     After the students are finished with their piñata, they hang them in the halls of Chadron High and later choose whether they want to keep them or not.
     Aliyah Mills and Kaylee Hughs made a piñata in Mrs. Noble's class. The piñata they created was of Patrick from the popular kid's tv show, "Spongebob Squarepants." Aliyah stated that it was a difficult project to complete. After they can take it down from the halls, they plan to keep it and take it home.

FBLA helps Community Hospital Dinner

     Some members of the Future Business Leaders of America, or FBLA club, at Chadron High School helped at the annual Community Hospital Dinner at the Assumption Arena at 5:30 p.m. on November 1. 
      Renae Noble, the FBLA advisor, said it was put on to show the "appreciation of employees" and show that the hospital employees "recognize service." It was also put on to fundraise for Circle of Light, which is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help cancer patients and their families. Employees and their families attended the dinner.
     The FBLA members that helped at the dinner were Nephertitid Brookes and Jacie Coupens, who are both sophomores, and Kennedy Stack, Alexis Convoy, Kelton Burbach, and Alex Elliott, who are all juniors. Their jobs were to switch out empty plates on the buffet table with new plates of food, pick up dirty dishes, and wash and put away the dishes
     The FBLA members got paid a total of $200. Noble says that the money is split between the students that helped at the dinner and put into their FBLA accounts so they could "use the money accordingly."