Halloween Safety

      

     Many of us know that today is the 31st of October and one of the most popular holidays for children, Halloween. Halloween is a huge event that is very fun, but it can also be very dangerous for people in the community. Safety is going to be very important in this year's Halloween.     
     During Halloween parents and their children need to be more cautious than they usually are. Each year the number of risks increase, and this means everyone needs to prevent bad things from happening. Some risks that are involved with Halloween and trick or treating are getting candy that is healthy without any drugs or anything in it, as well as being safe in the dark. Younger children are more at risk to be hit by a car or something along those lines, while teens and older children are more likely to do something destructive with the wrong crowd. 
     School resource Officer from the Chadron City Police Department, Aron Chrisman said that he feels that older children are at greater risks because they make bad choices and end up doing something destructive. "Good kids get in the wrong crowd, and become guilty by association." The City of Chadron's police department does its best to aware people of these risks. Officer Chrisman says that there are more cops than usual on duty, so there are "more eyes out."
     The Police Department also sends out press releases to make parents aware about the dangers. They encourage you to wear reflective tape at night, and be aware of everything going on. Hopefully, this Halloween can be a fun yet safe one.          

Interact Reaching Out

     

Emmy Mills and Mikaru Hirose show students at Pine Ridge the dictionaries the Interact Club donated to them.

     On Monday, October 20, 2014, the Interact Club from Chadron High School took a trip to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota to deliver dictionaries to third graders in four different schools. 
     Dictionaries were provided by the Rotary chapter in Chadron, Nebraska. The students were accompanied to Red Cloud, Batesland, Porcupine, and The Lady of our Lourde, by Dr. Schafer, Dr. Ron Miller, George Ledbetter, and Interact sponsors Mrs. Williamson and Miss Mack. At Red Cloud, Interact members got to sit in the chapel and hear about the history of the reservations, boarding schools, and the Red Cloud School. 
     Junior Interact member, Emmy Mills, explained, "It was very eye-opening to see the advancements that are taking place in reservation schools, and the poor housing situations that many kids go home to at night. You can tell that in each classroom, the students are there and excited to learn."
     Along the way, the club stopped at Wounded Knee and received a detailed explanation about the background and history of the massacres, that occurred in that location, from Dr. Miller. 
     On the way home, the group had the opportunity to drive through White Clay to experience the poverty that residents of the Pine Ride Indian Reservation experience in their every day lives. 
     This is the second year the High School Interact Club has traveled with Rotary up to the reservation schools.

District Softball

               The Chadron Lady Cardinal Softball team has had a great season. The softball team took home 4th at districts, which is the best since 2005, when the team went to state. The playing streak was 16-12.
               In the first day they played Chase County and won with a 10-0 ball game. The second game against Cozad was an emotional loss of 13-11. Resulting from that loss, they had to play another game that day, this time against Blue Hill, to stay in the competition. They won with a 12-4 score. The girls made it to the second day, Friday, and ended up getting cut from the competition that day by losing to Southern Valley.
               Head Coach Jodi Hendrickson said, "We could not be more proud of how hard these girls worked. Unbelievably amazing teamwork and nothing but positive attitude showed on the field. We are thankful as coaches on how they never gave up and fought to the end of each game. Even though the we are not winners, we ARE winners in my mind. Thank you for a great season ladies."

Cardinals gouge the Longhorns

   

During the Chase County game Jackson Dickerson breaks to find an open gap, while Vonsinh Sayalounes reaches for a block.

     Last Friday, the football team shined underneath the lights, by beating Chase County 26-6; one of the closer games played this season. With the win, the Cardinals advance to 6-1 this season, 3-0 in district play, and 4-0 at home.
     The Cardinals scored 26 points in the first half, and allowed zero points on defense. In the second half, the Cardinals didn't score, but allowed a late fourth quarter touchdown. After beating the Longhorns, Coach Mike Lecher said, "We played just above average and had too many penalties."
     This week, the Chadron High football team travels to play Gordon-Rushville. The Mustangs are 2-4 on the season, and 1-1 in district play. Asked if strategy/game plan was any different this week, Coach Lecher said, "No. Improvements need to be made on the offensive line and tackling needs to get better."
     The Cardinals will likely make the playoffs. If Chadron beats Gordon-Rushville, Coach Lecher said, "We will likely host the first round of the playoffs." If the Cardinals lose, the chances are that they will travel first round.
    

Seniors' Fears

          One upcoming event that scares many seniors is going to college. Seniors tremble at the thought of leaving their home and parents that they have lived with their whole lives. 
          Sydney Blome a senior from Chadron High school is graduating at semester and said, "I am most scared about college that I will be the farthest away from my parents than I have ever been. Also I have never had to take care of myself without anybody's help. College is going to be extremely difficult to adjust to."

          A lot of seniors are puzzled on how other students in their class are feeling about college. Keenan Johnson said that "I am not too nervous about college because I am really good at just going with the flow and riding life's wave. Also I feel confident in my skills to meet new people." Keenan also said, "I hope I do well in college and get straight A's and get along with others." 
        However, Taylor Wild said, "I am really scared about college because I am scared about hard classes and having enough money for books, etc."
          Every senior does their own thing to prepare for this milestone in their life. Keenan said, "I am going to be filling out applications while taking AP and college classes. I also will be saving as much money as possible, but, hopefully, I'll be getting some scholarships to help me out." 
         Even after all of these obstacles and hardships seniors have to go through to get into college, many adults that have been through college said "college was one of the best times of my life, being free and on my own doing whatever I want with all of my life long friends." That is why Keenan said, "I think I will truly enjoy college because I am a fun person, and I feel that I will fall into a group of friends with the same interests as me." Lane Jersild said, "I am really going to enjoy college because my father said that he had an amazing time in college, so I feel like I will share common feelings as his."
          As you know now college is a extremely scary thing for many seniors. There are many new things that you will have to endure on your own. However, this is a good thing because you will learn a lot about yourself and figure out who you are. College should be an amazing experience for every individual.

Guest Chef

     The Chadron High School had a special guest chef come to cook for the students on Tuesday, October 7.  Special Chef Guest Joe cooked Chicken Chow Mein for students. The meal cost $2, plus any extras entrees from the regular lunch room.
     "Inviting him to cook was a great way of spice up the menu and have the kids try something new," said Brenda Fritzler, the Food Service Director.
      Almost all students that tried the dish said that they liked it. "I got it and thought it was really good. I really enjoy that kind of food. It reminded me of HuHot in Rapid City," student Mia Adams said.
     Student Harlee Bird said it wasn't her favorite. "I don't really like that kind of food. It doesn't mean it wasn't good, I just don't really care for that kind of food."
     About a week before the chef came in, Pizza Hut came into the school and catered to the students at lunch time. The lunch room is open to new options to serve for the students.

Volleyball sees lots of playing time

   The Chadron High volleyball team is 16 and 3. Last weekend they played in the Western Conference, and the week before they played 18 matches. Coach Matt said, "We were very sporadic. We played good in some games and in other games not so good. We did not handle ourselves in our big games." He expected the girls to go into Western Conference with the enthusiasm and the drive to win, but not go in thinking they are unbeatable.
    In Western Conference the team took 1st place. This is the team's second year winning it in a row. Coach Matt said, "The girls played well the first two games. In the championship Scottsbluff played hard and the girls had to work to win the championship. The girls held themselves very well." He also said," Regardless of the amount of playing time people get, the win was a team effort from our freshmen to our seniors.
   The girls that led in kills were Chandler Hageman and Jayden McCartney, assists were led by Kianna Wright. Digs were spread out over the whole team. Serve receive Coach Matt thinks in "some games it was good and in others it was not."
   Over the next week the volleyball team plays Sidney at home, today, and goes to a tournament in Valentine.

The scene of the crime

On September 29, following the UNK invitational meet, the cross country team began their voyage back home to Chadron. As the cardinals passed through Thedford, Nebraska, in two school vehicles, they rolled into the darkness beyond the comfort of city lights beaming, and the road inclined before them revealing a field of clay.

           According to Coach McCarty, “It looked like the road just ended.” As they inched closer, they realized that what lay in front of them was not clay, but blood! Dexter Applegarth said, "We were listening to 80s rock when we were interrupted by a loud thump and some sliding." The road, into the ditch, was covered in the corpses of cattle!

          According to Coach Uhing, “My brain, because of that much blood, did not register at first ‘Hey, this is blood'." Because the coaches were each driving separate vehicles, Coach Uhing called McCarty, who was following behind him, laughing profusely. McCarty then informed Uhing that he was still dragging pieces of carcass behind him.

          “The worst part was the smell, the absolute putrid smell,” said Uhing. The smell was so dreadful that Alison Gardner said, "We were gagging the whole way home." It seems a semi must have passed through, destroying dozens of cattle, but not stopping for a moment to see what had occurred. Although this theory seems the most probable, Coach Uhing believes a UFO is responsible for the massacre. In any case, someone was probably very upset at the loss of so many cattle.

Scholarships

       Scholarships are a main form of financial aid for up and coming college students. Scholarships are often offered at the junior and senior level, and there are many opportunities for the students of Chadron High School to receive financial support.

       Although the seniors are the main students colleges aim scholarships at, Mrs. Loni Watson, the guidance counselor of Chadron High School said, "There are some scholarships you can apply for at junior year, for example: boys' and girls' state, writing scholarships..." Veronica Parish, a senior at Chadron High, said, "I never applied at the junior level, but you could if you wanted too." All in all it seems standard for seniors to apply as many seniors said that they didn't apply at the junior level but were aware that they could.

       Scholarships offer a myriad of opportunities. Willy Cogdill, a senior student at Chadron High School said, "The ones I applied for will, hopefully let me receive the money they are worth." As for Parish, the benefits she hopes to receive are "a lot for partial tuition, but some to cover my expenses like books"
   
       Various teachers agree that scholarships are important to keep your debt down, seeing that they are easy money. Ms. Mack, the teacher for the scholarship writing class at Chadron High School notes that, "Scholarships help you get your name out there, and allows you to dig deep and get to know yourself better."

       Applying for scholarships is very simple, considering the value and availability of the financial aid. Mr. Uhing, a teacher here at Chadron High school, said, "There are tons of local scholarships to apply for obviously...but the best place is the guidance office, seeing that a lot of scholarships are sent directly to the counselor." Ms. Mack suggests educationquest.org and appex.com, stating that "...they are national based school websites..." and scholarships are as easy to find if you search the word on Google.

Yearbooks for 2015 on sale now!

   

     Ordering yearbooks can be very costly, but they contain the memories of the school year and are a part of students' high school career. You can save twenty dollars and order your yearbook now. The yearbook is currently $60 plus tax. "By Christmas the price should raise to $70," said Mrs. Paopao, who is in charge of the yearbook. 

     All you have to do is go to jostensyearbook.com, select Chadron High and it will prompt you to what you need to do to take care of payment. "The money all goes directly to Jostens, no money is paid to the school," Mrs. Paopao mentioned. 

     You can also have the benefit of adding additional things to the yearbook if you would like, such as clear protective cover, photo pockets and more. You can also personalize it the way you would like if you feel like changing things with the yearbook. By the end of the year the yearbooks will raise up to $80 plus tax, so order your yearbook now and with a cheaper cost for memories.

Chadron High Students 'Act Out' on Theater Day

CHS students take part in improvisational activities in the Black Box Theater at CSC during the annual Theater Day workshop.

A few students tackled some choreography from the CSC musical Big River during theater day at the college.

 
    On Thursday, October 2nd, 2014, students involved in One Acts or enrolled in Mrs. Jill Paopao's performing arts class had the opportunity to visit Memorial Hall and work with college students majoring in theater. Different types of 'workshops' were offered to the students, and each one focused on a different element of theater. Hand-to-hand combat, audition tips, choreography, and tech information were some of the activities available to participate in.

     Theater Day ran from 8:00 in the morning to around 2:45 in the afternoon. Two workshops were offered during the morning, since not all students could stay for the entire day. After the workshops, students were dismissed for lunch, then met back at Memorial Hall afterwards to see the college students perform Big River.

      "Theater Day is a wonderful opportunity for students to practice the craft of acting and work with college students who are going to make acting their profession," said Mrs. Paopao.

     Nearby schools are also invited to participate in Theater Day, like Alliance and Hemingford. Some South Dakota schools attended the event, as well.

     "Theater Day was a really interesting experience; it's cool to be able to work with and learn from people who are serious about acting," said sophomore Cassie Sloan. "I'm really glad that I went to Theater Day, because it's not something that everyone can be a part of."

National Honor Society

   
     National Honor Society is an organization that is the largest student recognizing group, giving students a brighter future, and preparing them for service, learning, and success. NHS has awarded more than $10 million dollars in scholarships to outstanding students, since 1946.
     To be inducted into National Honor Society you must have a GPA of at least 3.65, and must be voted in by the faculty of your school. Freshmen are not able to apply, and you must be in the second semester of your sophomore year to apply.  Juniors can apply all year round, but seniors are only eligible their first semester.
     Chadron High School teacher Mr. Willie Uhing is a sponsor, along with Mrs. Lorrie Bauer. Mr. Uhing says, "NHS honors holistically 'good kids.' They do not just look at grades but rather service, character, and leadership skills. One of the best things about National Honor Society is that it looks extremely good on resumes, and accentuates other activities in and out of school."
     Every year Chadron High has students apply and be accepted. There are currently 15 Chadron High students enrolled in NHS. Chadron High School's new induction ceremony will be held on November 10th at 7 PM in the auditorium.

Trig a challenge for CHS students

     Trigonometry is known as the hardest class in Chadron High School, and many people agree that it lives up to this expectation. Junior year is also know to be the hardest year of high school, and many students take trig during their junior year.  Trig first semester this school year is a class combined with few seniors, a freshman, and mostly juniors. The juniors taking challenging courses are usually extremely stressed and most are also involved in extra curricular activities. How do students taking such a challenging course survive? Although many consider the class challenging, some slide through the course with no problem.

      One thing strongly suggested by past and present trig students is always stay on top of you work. This also proves to be very challenging by students who are extremely involved. Many students also enjoy doing their homework in a study group, this way they can help each other with weaknesses. Although, some students prefer to work alone and get it done fast.
   
      Alex Eisenbarth a current trig student says the hardest part of the class is, "the amount of homework issued to you." Although this is not a required class in the high school, many teachers suggest that you take it if you are planning on pursuing a career in the medical field, mathematic field and much more. Alex does his homework both alone and with fellow students. He says, "It depends on how long/hard the assignment is. If I do my work in a group it's at Hannah Jamison's house with a variety of people."

      Everything challenging also comes with pleasure and Alex says he enjoys, "...talking to Bradley about subjects off the topic of trig; he knows everything. Hannah Jamison says, "I enjoy the challenge. It pushes me to do better." Out of all the stress and homework that comes with it Hannah Jamison says, "I know it'll all be worth it in the end."

Cardinal singers off to a great start

     This year, the Chadron High School cardinal singers have a new director, Wendy Mahr. She has been teaching the cardinal singers a variety of songs for their show, Sweet Singsation, which will be held on Tuesday October 21 at Chadron High School. The show will begin at 7pm and cost $5 for admittance. The songs include medleys from Journey and the Beatles.
   According to director Wendy Mahr, the cardinal singers goals for this year are to improve performance technique and style while having fun. So far this year, Wendy Mahr believes that the cardinal singers have been doing "great and awesome." Under choreographer Lauren Morris, the cardinal singers have been learning a variety of new dances for their show. Hours of practice and hard work have gone into perfecting these dance moves.
   Ms. Mahr's plan for cardinal singers this year is to do the normal winter outreach in which the cardinal singers visit senior citizen centers to sing. During this time, the cardinal singers also go caroling. Also this year, the cardinal singers are going to the jazz competition at the college in the spring. The carinal singer's group hasn't been to the jazz competition in many years so this will be a big step for the singing group. Ms. Mahr also plans to do something different and special in the spring.
   "I feel really lucky to be working with such talented group of students," said Ms. Mahr.

Think Pink

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This is an annual campaign to increase awareness for this disease. Every year hundreds to thousands of women die from breast cancer. Although many people wear the pink ribbon for support, they do not quite understand or are aware of what happens to the women who fight this disease. Even though its hard, many women end up surviving. Within Chadron High School there are a few students that have survivors as mothers.

As a child it is hard to see your mother go through the pain and suffering of chemo and the other difficulties and hardships of dealing with breast cancer. You watch them undergo surgery, losing their hair, regular check ups, and also trying to keep up with their motherly duties. “It’s not only heart breaking, but it makes you realize how tough your mom really is,” said Kaitlyn Haug, whose mother went through breast cancer 4 years ago.  

Tyler Westlake, whose mom just fought the disease a year ago, said, “It was both emotionally and physically tough for me when my mom had breast cancer.” 

This disease is not only difficult on the women that undergo this disease but also their friends and loved ones.  When Kaitlyn found out her mother had breast cancer she was not only shocked , but also scared, worried, and didn’t quite understand. When Tyler was told the news he said, “It was hard to believe at first, but it got better, and I understood more later on.” He also said, ” I am not worried about the cancer coming back because they caught my mom's early.” 

Kaitlyn said, “I realized that life is much shorter than it seems, and this experience has made me realize I need to have a better relationship with my mom.” Although Tyler said that this has not changed his relationship with his mom.  

October is the month to think pink and realize that when life kicks you, let it kick you forward. This is the month to not only support, but raise awareness for the survivors, non-survivors, and the diagnosed.