Doodlebugs: They're Probably Paying More Attention than You

   Everybody has seen it, some people hate it: people who doodle during meetings, lectures, or presentations. These people are often accused of not paying attention during said event, and are asked questions like "are you bored or something?" However, a recent study performed by psychologist Jackie Andrade at the University of Plymouth proves the opposite.

   In her study, forty participants were divided into two even groups and asked to listen to a dull recording that explained the details of a twenty-first birthday party. Half of the participants were asked to shade in small circles and squares on a sheet of paper; all forty of the participants were required to record the names of the party attendees.

   Afterwards, all forty of the participants were required to orally recall the names of the party attendees. The results showed that those who doodled remembered 29% more information than those who didn't. As for the reasoning, Andrade theorizes that doodling requires less cognitive focus than daydreaming.

   Two CHS teachers illustrate and advocate the positive effects of doodling: English teacher Brenda Lanphear and industrial tech instructor Clete Budler. Both teachers often doodle on spare pieces of paper or on the sides and backs of handouts given to them in meetings, presentations, and lectures.

   "[Doodling] helps me focus on listening," said Budler. "By having my mind occupied with listening, I'm less apt to say something that is out of context."

   On a similar note, Lanphear expressed that doodling helps her "tune into what [the presenter] is saying instead of how [she feels] about it."

   Budler often finds himself sketching mountain scenes when the presenter is dull. They are usually heavy in detail; if they aren't flowing, though, he will doodle geometric perspective drawings instead. Lanphear, on the other hand, fills her papers with smaller, simpler doodles of pond scenes, flowers (usually tulips), or broken infinity symbols with shells stemming off of them. 

   Both teachers commented that doodling does not distract them from the task at hand - it's just a way to keep their hands moving and their minds from idling. 

Stresses of the Senior Year

     Senior year is full of many memories and many lasts like school dances, sporting events, and club activities. But senior year is also full of many stresses. 
     At Chadron High, the stresses are real for seniors Kaci Waugh and April Hardy. Kaci states that her three top stresses this year are college visits during the busy school year, deadlines, and finding scholarships or other "free money." While April states that her top three stresses are applying to colleges with expensive application fees, finding motivation for anything, and wanting to be involved but being overwhelmed by a busy schedule. 
     As senior year approaches, many seniors find themselves thinking "I wish I would've....". Kaci wishes she would've taken college visits at the end of her junior year and the summer going into senior year. April wishes she would've saved more money, kept a better schedule, had better self-discipline, and planned ahead. Both seniors agree that the best advice for underclassmen is to get involved. It makes the "high school experience" so much more worthwhile. 
     Both seniors agree that a good way to cope with this stress is by talking to trustworthy adults like CHS guidance counselor, Mrs. Watson or parents. April goes into further detail and explains that ways she also copes with stress is napping, going outside, listening to music, watching her fish or petting her animals and lighting candles/incense. Mrs. Watson recommends that students talk to past CHS graduates who have "been there, done that." She believes that some good coping skills are to spend some time each day to reflect on both the positives and negatives, be able to accept support when you need it, and to spend quality time with the people you love. Stress is normal and natural, but too much stress can prevent you from reaching goals and being productive. Watson states, "If anyone at CHS feels that they need help and support coping with stress I want them to know they can always come to the guidance office. High school is just a pathway; the best experiences are yet to come."

Perspectives on the 2016 Presidential Candidates

   
     With the pressure from the media around this upcoming election there are many opinions and thoughts towards the two candidates, however, Chadron High School's U.S. Government teacher Craig Nobiling hopes to share his unbiased thoughts to help others develop opinions on the candidates.
      This year's election is a pairing between the Rebuplican candidate Donald Trump and the Democrat candidate Hilary Clinton. This year many people, including Nobiling, say that it is a year of "choosing the lesser of two evils where you can't find which is better in that regard."
     Nobiling said, "This is definitely a unique election. I think something that started out as a joke on the Republican side of trying to find someone who is so outspoken or so outlandish that it would shock the Democrats, became a reality"
     Nobiling said, "Hilary Clinton, former Secretary of State, former Senator, certainly presents herself as more presidential in front of the camera. It's unfortunate about her past, but the public can get over her past by her being delightful and some of the decisions she has made."
     This election is believed to be so much different than other elections and by many, including Nobiling, to hopefully just be "a memory for future generations and just be a blip on the radar if we can get through the next four years with little to no issues." But this election will also be so much different because of the massive amount of publicity. According to CNN this election is the most televised of any campaigning up to date.
     Nobiling hopes that this election will provide insight to the younger generations who are getting to voting age to care more about politics and start to pay attention to who is being chosen to run our country, and the actual policies that are being campaigned by either side of the campaign.
     "I believe it is the middle ground. The non-Democrats and non-Republicans are the ones these two candidates are going to have to entertain, per say, to win this election, and whoever can do this will inevitably take the lead and win the election," says Nobiling.

Marshallese Students

     Diversity is a unique way of learning. At Chadron High School we have diversity in our student body in our Marshallese students. A majority of the Marshallese at Chadron High School moved to Chadron for the opportunity of a better education and their church. The Marshallese here are Christian and go to church on Wednesdays at 6 and Sundays at 4.
    Some of their challenges at Chadron High are making new friends that have a different culture than them and when teachers use big academic words, but other than that they can speak and understand English well. 
    Some of their favorite parts about Chadron are the parks, basketball courts, and that it is safe enough to walk around. Many of the Marshallese at Chadron High stick within their small group of Marshallese and family, but some venture out and hangout with other students too.
    Music is big in their culture. They love to sing and dance and play the ukulele. A child's first birthday is huge also in their culture. For a child's first birthday they throw a huge party with lots of singing and dancing.
      There are about 15 Marshallese students that go to Chadron High. The Andres, Lakabung, and Eleuterios are all related and then the Wataks are just family friends.

Fall Fashion Frolics at CHS

         

 
           When the autumn season rolls around, the tank tops and swimsuits are quickly traded in for sweaters and warm colors. Many of the students at CHS are big fans of cool weather coming in and fall fashion being in full effect, a few of them being Jadyn McCartney, Kaci Waugh, and Anabel Gardner. 
            The three are all big fans of the clothing options that come “into style” around this time of the year. These young women rattled off a list of clothing that they love to wear during the fall months, but the common interest between them all happened to be sweaters. Kaci said, “Sweaters are great for the fall because they are warm and comfortable.” 
           But sweaters were not the only clothing item mentioned as a favorite for autumn. Among them were scarves, jeans, boots, The North Face jackets, and sweatshirts. Not only do these items come into style in the fall, the preference for colors of clothes also becomes a key factor in what students wear everyday. Jadyn McCartney said that “warm colors” such as brown, orange, and maroon were some of her favorites colors to wear in autumn. 
              There definitely some huge fans of the fall season, as well as the options of clothing available at this time, but there are some people who prefer other seasons more. Jadyn said that she prefers summer to fall because of the weather, but fall fashion is definitely her favorite. 
             Others like Anabel and Kaci can strongly say that fall is their favorite season of them all. 

Clowns terrorizing towns

     For the past couple of months clowns with weapons have been terrorizing towns.

     According to Lieutenant Hickstein, of the Chadron Police Department, on Friday October 7th, there was a clown siting at the Chadron High School football game. This raises suspicion and fear to the public. He said, "There will be additional law enforcement this Halloween." In addition, there will also be press releases to educate people on how to be safe.

Success at Girls' State Golf

     Monday and Tuesday, October 10th and 11th, the Chadron High girls' golf team earned an 8th place finish in North Platte at the state golf tournament, with junior, Alpine Hickstein tying for the 2nd place title in class C-1.
    According to head coach, Loni Watson, "The first day was amazing, it was the best out of the two days."  Making state fun was having a huge crowd from Chadron come down and cheer the girls on, Watson said.
     According Watson, "It was cold to start, and by cold I mean frigid, but it got warmer as the day progressed."  The weather was definitely a disadvantage to tee off in the morning because of the fog and how many layers the players had on, she said.
     Day two the team finished right above their average, stated Watson.  The second day wasn't the best for some of the girls, but the team was still right by their average scores, said Watson.  The weather in the beginning of the day was freezing with the girls layering sweatshirts, socks, and gloves.
     First day results:
     Ahlaura Pourier, Senior, 102.
     Alyssa Noble, Senior, 117.
     Danielle Johnson, Senior, 103.
     Taurie Pourier, Sophomore, 112.
     Alpine Hickstein, Junior, 77.
     Second day results:
     Ahlaura Pourier, 112, which ended her with a 214 for both days.
     Alyssa Noble, 115, which ended her with a 232 for both days.
     Danielle Johnson, 101, which ended her with a 204 for both days.
     Taurie Pourier, 121, which ended her with a 233 for both days.
     Alpine Hickstein, 77, which ended her with a 144 for both days.

CHS Volleyball Wins against Sidney

As Teagan Westemeier passes the ball, Sylissa Jennings, Jadyn McCartney, Alex Nobiling, and Carstyn Hageman prepare for the next move.

On Tuesday October 11, there was a volleyball game between the CHS Cardinals and the Sidney Raiders. The set scores were 18-25, 25-22, 25-20, and 25-18.
Team coach Don Matt said, "I was overall happy with the game. There were some things I would have changed, but I thought the team did pretty good."
They player's defense was great, and they made Sidney play extra balls they normally don't usually play.
He stated some parts of the game went very well and others the team needs to work on. Matt says the team needs to learn to play within themselves. They are a great team and can beat many teams but can also be beaten, Matt said. "There are always new things you can learn and make better," Matt said.
Matt stated the team has come a long way since the beginning of the season, but there is also a long way to go. He says he would change how prepared they were in the beginning of the game and not to be pressured.

CHS Takes Part In Theater Day at CSC

     On Thursday October 6th a group of Chadron High students went to Chadron State College for Theater Day.
    Theater Day is where students from different high schools go to Chadron State College and learn how to show their talents in different ways. There are two sessions and each year there are different classes you can take. Some of those classes are "No Fear Shakespeare," which was taught by Kyle Baumann, "All That Jazz" taught by Taylor Thies, "Theater Games" taught by Nathan Wojciechowski, "Take a Knap (hand-to-hand combat)" taught by Wacey Gallegos, and many more. These sessions last for an hour each and there are two rounds of sessions. At eleven students had a break for lunch and then they had to be back at noon to watch the play. This year the play was "Peter and The Starcatcher," directed by Roger Mays.
     Brenda Lanphear, English Teacher and One Acts Coach, stated, "I am very proud to have had the chance to watch not only my students and actors but my seniors as they displayed their talent and senior leadership."
     Mrs. Lanphear said that the first session she went to was the Theater Games. There she had the chance to watch and participate. "Theater Games was definitely my favorite session to be a part of," stated by Mrs. Lanphear.
     Grace Sorenson, student and actress, stated, "I am content with the sessions I went to and would not change any of the sessions she attended for anything."
    Claire Margetts, student and actress, states that "Theater Day helps kids feel comfy with who they are, and it teaches them to not care about what others' think about them."
     Margetts has a passion for acting. She said that if she could have gone to any session in the day she would have gone to makeup.
     Sorenson, on the other hand, made it to makeup for the first session and she said it was a blast. "By far my favorite class," is what Sorenson said.
     As a whole they all had the same feeling about how Theater Day affects students.

CHS Volleyball Team Wins Western Conference Tournament

    On Saturday, October 8, the Chadron High School volleyball team won the Western Conference title by defeating Scottsbluff, Alliance, and Sidney, for the fourth consecutive year in a row.
     In the first game against Scottsbluff, "The girls came out strong, and Scottsbluff was struggling," said head coach Don Matt. Chadron defeated Scottsbluff in the first set 25-10, and finished the second set 25-17.
     Chadron also swept Alliance in the second game, 25-22 and 25-17. "The girls played good, and their serve receive helped them a lot," says Coach Matt. The win over Alliance helped them to advance into the championship game against Sidney.
     Chadron and Sidney went back and forth in sets, as Chadron took the first set 25-16, Sidney took the second set 11-25, and the Chadron girls battled back in the third set to defeat Sidney with a score of 25-21. "The third set was good, and the girls moved and played as a team, and their defense was good," according to Coach Matt.
     "Overall, the whole tournament was good, and the girls played very well," said Coach Matt.

Road Construction Continues in Chadron

   

     The Department of Roads in Nebraska has been running the construction site in the streets of small town, Chadron, hoping to be done by the end of mid November. However, if plans do not go according to plan because of weather, they will just extend the date, coming back next spring to polish it up.
     According to Lieutenant Hickstein, of the Chadron Police Department, construction includes a base for roads, water drainage, material for streets, the renewal of the sidewalk, curve, gutter, and street lights. Because of this, accidents have tripled in the construction areas, according to Hickstein.
     Roads are the main thing that are being renewed. The roads that are being renewed, or are already renewed, include 2nd St., Main St., and a portion of 7th St. According to Hickstein, they are being renewed to make sure they can handle motor vehicle traffic safely, weight from semi trucks driving through, and just to renew them.

Football: Chadron vs. Gordon

     

The Cardinals celebrate their win over Gordon-Rushville.

       On Friday, October 7, the Chadron football team beat Gordon with a score of 22-14.
       The football team has a win loss score of 3-4. CJ Bach, assistant football coach, said, "[The] kids were focused... They worked hard."
       While practices leading up to the game had been mostly normal, Bach said they had tried different defensive and offensive plays. Bach also said that, "Gordon was a big game," and would be crucial in their trek to the play offs.
      The first half ended with the Cardinals barely in the lead. During the second half, the team was carried by the offense, and it ended in another win for Chadron Cardinals
      The football playoffs are a goal for the football team and their coaches. But the question is, will they make it? Bach said, "I don't know. It'll be close. If we win the next two games, we might make it."

FBLA Holds Chili Feed

  

On October 7th, last Friday, FBLA members and advisers held the annual Chili Feed during the football game between Chadron and Gordon Rushville.

    The Chili Feed went from five o’clock to halftime during the football game, in which they served chili and a variety of desserts.
This year was the most profitable year for FBLA members, as they sold 520 tickets. Unlike previous years, they had just enough chili and desserts for everyone who attended. Even though football watchers from both teams were the target, some people came just to eat, which, Mrs. Budler, an FBLA adviser, said brings the community closer. The Chili Feed will be annual for many years to come, according to Mrs. Budler.

   Each ticket sold by a FBLA member goes towards their fees for state competition that is held later this year. In the future, FBLA members will be selling tickets for cake raffles, and there is a possibility of FBLA members selling pecans.

Homecoming Week at CHS

     
     Next week, Chadron High School will participate in Homecoming festivities put on by student council to celebrate school spirit.

     According to Rachel Girard, Student Council sponsor, Homecoming week will consist of the following dress-up days.  Monday will be Awkward Family Photo Day.  "You can either dress in an ugly sweater or as the one who stands out in a family picture," says Girard.  Tuesday is Duo Day, where you dress up as a famous pair with a partner.  On Wednesday, students will dress as their favorite superhero or villain, such as Iron man or Cruella De Vil.  According to Girard, Thursday is throwback day, where you dress as someone from your favorite decade.  Friday will be spirit day, where you sport the school's colors in preparation for the Homecoming game that evening.

     On Monday night, after the junior varsity football game, there is going to be a bonfire in the back parking lot.  Girard stated, the band has been invited to play and the dance team will give a short performance.  Following the burning of the "C," the football players' jersey auction will take place in the gym.

     "The pep rally is going to be a great time!" says Student Council representative Claire Margetts.  On Friday afternoon there will be a pep rally in the gym to get the student body excited for the Homecoming game that evening.  According to Margetts, there is going to be a competition between the sports teams with multiple rounds.  The activities will consist of things like a lip synch battle and minute-to-win-it games. Following the pep rally, Girard stated that the Chadron High football team will play against Chase County at 6 p.m.

     To bring the Homecoming festivities to an end, there will be a Homecoming dance in the high school commons Saturday evening from nine to midnight.  The theme this year is black, gold, and white. "The decorations should be some of our best yet," says Margetts.  
     The dress is semi-casual and admission will be $5 per person at the door.