Flu Season

     Every year between the months of November and February people start to become ill with influenza, or the flu, and Chadron High School is no exception.
     There are four types of the influenza virus A,B,C, and D. Before Christmas break Chadron schools experienced a lot of type B. School is one of the most common places to catch the flu.
     According to Tricia Berry, the school's secretary/registrar, this year students have been out of school for almost a full week due to illness. One example is Mandee Dotson, who was gone for five days because of sickness. Additionally, Alyeea Lopez was gone for three days last week due to sickness. So, as the flu season comes upon us, we must be prepared. There are a few things you can do to prevent  contracting the flu.
      According to Jenni Pyle, a nurse at CHS, the best things you can do to prevent the flu are washing your hands, using hand sanitizer, covering your mouth when you cough, wiping down frequently used surfaced (phones, desks, computers, etc.) eating healthy, drinking water, taking vitamins, and getting a flu shot. "You should also never come to school sick. If you have a fever, you are contagious and you need to stay home," said Nurse Pyle.
     "If you have the flu, you'll be contagious one day before developing symptoms and up to five to seven days after after becoming ill. Younger children, or people with weak immune systems, may be contagious for longer," she said. She also said that the main cause of sickness in schools is kids who come to school even though they are sick.
      Because the flu is a virus, once you're diagnosed your best plan of action is to treat the symptoms. There is a medication called TamiFlu that may lessen your symptoms. This is a prescription medication so you must be prescribed by a doctor.
     Please help keep our school healthy by following Nurse Pyle's advice.

Dance Team Fundraiser for State Dance

     The Chadron High dance team is holding a fundraiser at Ta-Da Art Studio on January 31st at 6:30 p.m. This fundraiser will be a fundraiser for state dance, which occurs on February 21st.
     The fundraiser will be a "sip and paint," meaning non-alcoholic drinks and a painting lesson will be provided. The cost is $30 dollars per person, and $15 dollars goes straight to the team. Registration is due by January 24th.
      The Chadron Dance Team plans to compete in high kick and pom at state.
      To go to state dance, a team does not have to qualify; rather, they just have to register. A school is able to compete in two dance categories. The categories include: pom, high kick, jazz, or hip hop. Each category has its own guidelines and rules to abide by. The classes are A, B, C, and D. Classes compete against the same class. Chadron is class C and will compete against other class C schools.

The Dance Team poses after their halftime performance to "Credit"

How to Travel on a Budget

     Many students and young adults dream of traveling to their favorite places for some much needed time away or an adventurous family vacation. One problem that makes students hesitant to travel is the cost. Students often work in the summer and sometimes during the school year. Most of their money goes to food, clothes, and extra activities, not to travel.
     A few tips by professionals are: save little bits of money at a time, follow a budget and cut expenses, and find extra ways to make money.
     As you buy things with cash save your change in a little jar, wait till it is at the top, then cash it in at the bank. This will teach you saving techniques and when you cash in a feeling of accomplishment. Another way to save money is by having an automatic withdrawal come out of your checking and into a savings account designated for your next sunny vacation.
      Extra ways to make money could include mowing lawns, scooping snow, and walking dogs. Neighbors are always willing to give teens and young adults little jobs to earn extra money. A side job at a movie theater or a restaurant would also provide cash for extracurricular activities and savings for a fun and exciting trip.
     Following a budget on vacation can be very challenging and not as easy as it sounds. A few ways to save money on travel is by staying in hostels, renting bikes, and choosing an adventure that is free and does not cost extra money. Cutting expenses like fancy food and expensive souvenirs could also benefit your budget.
     Group travel is one way to follow a strict budget and feel safe with ones you know. Jill Paopao, a teacher at CHS, leads students on an EF tour every other summer and says group travel is great, but it does have its drawbacks. Airlines and museums are sometimes willing to give group rates, and traveling with friends and loved ones is an added bonus. One downfall is the itinerary, a schedule made everyday. If museums are not your favorite thing group travel may not be for you.
     Traveling young can be most beneficial when it comes to education and viewing the world around you in a better light. It broadens your view of other people, places, and cultures says, Paopao.
     Next time you think about a trip to the beach or a ride down the mountain take into consideration the steps it takes to make a little idea go a long way.
 

Seasonal drinks

     Many people enjoy seasonal drinks. In the spring, water. In the summer, lemonade. In the fall, a pumpkin drink of sorts. The winter though, has a larger variety of drinks for people to taste, try, and enjoy. Chadron High students enjoy a variety of winter drinks.
     Gracie Jones said that her favorite drink during the winter was the spiced chai latte from the Daily Grind. She also mentioned, "I enjoy old fashioned apple cider." She was introduced to these drinks when she was looking to "try something new."
     Aliyah Mills said that her favorite drink is hot chocolate because it reminds her of Christmastime. Another favorite winter drink of hers is frappes. She specifically enjoys pumpkin flavored ones. She was introduced to hot chocolate from a young age and grew up drinking it.
      Agreeing with Aliyah Mills, Gaurav Chima said that his favorite winter was hot chocolate as well. He also enjoys lemonade as a all seasonal drink. He was introduced to the drink by his friends and stuck with it because he "liked the taste." Gaurav now drinks hot chocolate at least once a week during the winter months.
     Michael Sorenson favorite seasonal drink is a Starbucks rainbow frappe, and his second favorite drink is Mexican hot chocolate. He was intro to both of these through friends. Michael has only had Starbuck's Rainbow frappe once, but he has Mexican hot chocolate occasionally.
                                                 

   

Chadron High speech team finishes 2nd at Gering Invite

     Saturday, January 18 2020, the Chadron High School speech team competed at the Gering Invite and finished 2nd place in Class B.

     Brenda Lanphear, Chadron High School head speech coach, said she did not have very many expectations going into this early meet. She said, ¨Speech is very subjective, so I tell students to interpret their work the best way they can, and it will be enough. I also tell them how they practice during the week is how they will perform at the meets.¨ 

     The Chadron speech team had many top individual placers from the Gering Invite. In the championship finals flight the following students placed: Brendilou Armstrong, 1st in Poetry, Naomi Elliott, 1st in Humor, Brothers Grimm, 1st in OID, Alexis Conboy, 2nd in Poetry, Elizabeth Harrison, 4th in Humor, and Hannah Walker, 4th in Informative. 

     In the honors finals flight the following students placed: Ayla Kephart, 6th in Poetry, Jayrah Ngoi, 1st in Informative, Lateisha Ngoi, 1st in Serious Prose, Pitch Perfect, 1st in OID, Blaine Tewehade and Jayrah Ngoi, 4th in Duet, Cassie Neisheim, 5th in Extemporaneous, Kayley Galbraith, 4th in Extemporaneous, Gracie Jones, 4th in Persuasive, and Kennady Stack, 2nd in Persuasive. 

     After seeing the results from Saturday´s meet, Mrs. Lanphear was really proud of her team. She said they have put so much effort in not just their practices, but their school work and outside lives as well. 

     Saturday, January 25, the Chadron speech team will head to the Bridgeport Invite. The team will only be taking the JV team and brand new events. Mrs. Lanphear is looking forward to seeing the critique sheets so new members can continue to grow and improve. 

Should Teens Drink Coffee

     Lots of teenagers nowadays drink a lot of coffee. Some people would even say that teens are now the biggest population that drink coffee on the daily, and there have been studies shown to prove that. Coffee in teens can be viewed many ways as well. Some people believe it is fine for teens to drink coffee and that it won't affect them, whereas others see it as an issue. As the years progress the starting age for coffee drinkers becomes lower and lower, before we know it five year olds can and will be relying on coffee everyday.

     Although, the world thinks all teens drink coffee, that is not true. There are still a select few that do not drink coffee. Chadron High student Brook Herman is one of those people. She says that she does not drink coffee. She also believes that teens should not drink coffee and for those who do, she believes that they could get anxiety and possibly be hospitalized, which studies have shown is possible; if a teenager were to drink too much coffee it could put them in a hospital. Brianna Larson is also one of those teenagers who does not drink coffee. She believes that it depends on how much teens drink if they should or not. "So if they only drink like a cup then it's fine, but if they drink like 5 cups then they probably should not be drinking that much," said Brianna. Also, she believes that if teenagers drink a lot of coffee they can become very hyper.

     Even though there are teens that drink coffee they don't always drink a lot of it. Garrett Reece says that he does drink coffee but not every time does he drink a lot of it. He says that it depends where he is if he drinks it everyday. "Like when I am here at home getting ready for school I just have an energy drink, but when I am in Hawaii (where his grandfather lives) I drink coffee every morning," said Garrett. In a week he says he probably drinks about 1 or 2 cups, but that also depends where he is. He believes that teens should drink coffee but that they need to be careful and not abuse the use of it, or they could get a caffeine addiction. For Katie O'Donnell, she says that she does not always drink coffee, but she does sometimes. Also it depends on the day and or the week for how much coffee she will drink. She believes that it should be the teen's choice if they drink coffee, and for those who have drank it for so long they could get addicted and rely on it every day for a kick start to their day.

    There has been a study that states if a teen drinks 500-600 mg (3 cups) a day they can end up getting really nervous very often, anxiety, jitters, have sleep problems, gastrointestinal disturbances, tremors, increased heart rate, and even death according to Medical News Today's article. So teens need to be very careful and make sure that they are extremely cautious when they want to have some coffee.