Cheryl Welch, lone female city council member

 “In the future there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders,” said Sheryl Sandberg. The month of March is the woman's month. March is celebrating women's accomplishments and proactive efforts toward equality. There are women all over the world that deserve to be recognized for their hard work. One of these women that deserves to be recognized is Cheryl M. Welch.  

   When Mrs. Welch was young she did not know she wanted a position in leadership.  She had a few positions in high school, but it didn't really strike her as something she wanted to do in life.  That changed in March 2016. Welch attended a woman's march in Denver, Colorado that had 90,000 people attend it. “I just found it really inspiring to be surrounded by that many women. It was very transformative,” said Welch. After that she started to push others around her to take a position on the city council, because she believed we did not have enough female leadership in this town. Eventually, she came to the conclusion: “There’s no reason for me not to do it.”  She ran for the position and began her time on Chadron City Council.

Mrs. Welch has been on city council for one year and so far she has found it to her liking.  The position she holds is a council member. As a council member she votes for the mayor and other important town decisions. There are five people all together on the city council, the members and the mayor. She is the only woman on the council, currently, which has its pros and cons. One of the pros she mentioned was that she brings “a female perspective, a new perspective.” The cons she referred to were, “there are just male red coats, and they do not fit, making it very uncomfortable.” City Council Members must wear a red coat for the duration of their meetings. She also mentioned that since the majority of the vote is male, the female vote is underrepresented. Although other than that she said that everything else is pretty much equal. 

Mrs. Welch does face opposition as it is expected, but she does try to stay open and non-confrontational. She mentioned “that you need to be willing to compromise.” Mrs. Welch  also said, “If you want to be on city council, you need to compromise and to do what's best for the community.” As well, it is important to be patient and open-minded with those around you, or else you're not going to go anywhere. Although she does say sometimes it's hard because many people are not open to change, they find “change scary and unnerving.” Mrs. Welch said to be on the City Council one must prepare for lots of time it takes, and going through lots of documents. It also takes being willing to compromise for the “greater good.”  You may ask how does she stay motivated. Cheryl mentioned that she attended a Greta Thunberg rally, and asked her how does she stay motivated. She responded with this, “I can't look at myself in the mirror with the thought of not doing something to change what I believe needs to be changed.”

Mrs. Cheryl Welch advocates for things such as social justice, health, and people from a different background to be welcome in our town. Another large goal of hers is to improve upon our sidewalk quality. She mentioned that she sees many people walking in the streets and sees it as possibly dangerous. Better sidewalks would make commuting easier to school and jobs for those who do not drive. The thing she is most proud of is getting new lighting for the police department. The lighting doesn't only make it brighter and makes work easier, it “reduces our carbon footprint.” She hopes to continue making positive changes like this one.

 Overall Cheryl M. Welch has done many positive things for the city of Chadron despite what challenges she might face. She continues to fight for what she believes in and doesn't let gender equality get in her way. All in all I believe everything stated above makes her a wonderful example for women in leadership and women's month.

TaDa! Art Studio a passion of Whitney Tewahade

Being a woman in business is hard work, but one woman in Chadron is handling it well and her name is Whitney Tewahade, the owner at TaD-Da! Art Studio, and a very skillful quilter. She mostly makes quilts and puts them up for display at the college for other students to look at. Her artwork is mostly centered around quilting. 

Mrs. Tewahade started quilting as her passion at a 4-H club in Wyoming. She then took her talent to Chadron and is now running her own art studio. Being an artist for her means being creative and inspiring other people around the world to become great artists. She enjoys being an artist because it is “fun to be able to have a job be a passion to you."

A typical day for Mrs. Tewahade would be going to work at 10 AM to make her quilts on her long arm sewing machine. Then, in the afternoons, she teaches young kids pottery and other art forms. Her (own) children come to work with her, and they usually help her with her sewing or teaching. Her family supports her business as well. Her husband, Mr. Tewahade, frames the quilts. Leila, her oldest daughter, works on the Ta-Da Quilt Shop website, which is linked here: http://www.tadaquiltshop.com/

What inspired Mrs. Tewahade to become an artist is that she always enjoyed art from other artists and decided to pursue that dream of becoming an artist. But, she also said that becoming an artist has some pros and cons. The pro at becoming a successful artist is that you get to do something that you love, and that you enjoy doing. The con is that you have to be self-motivated to do your tasks everyday. You also have to know your schedule and remember to bring any unfinished work home.

Mrs. Tewahade named her art studio Ta-Da! because “that’s what children say when they have created artwork.” Whenever a child creates artwork and shares it with others, it makes them feel good about themselves, said Tewahade. “It also makes liking and creating artwork a passion for the child. Sharing artwork to other people and children is important because that gives them inspiration if they want art to be a part of their career or for when they want to take an art class in college,” said Tewahade.

She runs the Ta-Da! Art Studio herself, along with her friends and her children. They work together to keep the business up and running. She has worked at her Art 

Studio for ten years. “This Art Studio,” as she says, “is attractive to everyone of all ages. There is no age limit for creativity. Anyone can create their own original artwork and sell them.” 

Her advice for someone who wants to become an artist is, “Don’t be shy about sharing your work. The more you create, the more you’ll be involved in making successful artwork.”

Running Chadron REC rewarding for McLain

Tina McLain not only gives her time to the community through youth recreational sports but influences those around through her positive attitude and go-getter personality. She not only gained her degree in elementary, K-12 education from Mayville State University, SD, but did so while playing 4 years of volleyball, track, basketball, and 1 year of softball. She is a force to be reckoned with, managing youth tackle football, flag football, fall soccer, basketball, volleyball, and spring soccer. She does all this while substituting at school from time to time and supporting her children. 

Her schedule is very flexible, something she says is a benefit of having the job. Although she has time to get things done, her day to day schedule is very demanding. McLain referees soccer and basketball, makes schedules, lines up gym time, and finds people to help coach for over 150 teams across 6 different sports. 

McLain finds great joy from her influences in the REC community as she gets to watch kids from the time they are 6-8 years old until they are ready to graduate high school. She also gets to stay active in the community, helping out whenever she can. She believes there is a great importance in REC sports throughout the community. ¨Children have a chance to stay active in a world where technology is ruling everything,¨ says McLain. They can grow and develop into the person they will become in the future. Although her job is very rewarding she does find some struggles with being an influential woman in today's society. 

Cons come with every job, McLain says, some of the boys look at her differently because she is older. ¨They look at me like I do not know what I am talking about," said McLain. 

She is proud of the REC program she has built in Chadron, explaining that when she moved here each parent was in charge of a different sport. Everyone involved was ready to pass the job to someone else and also make the job more unified. McLain first took over soccer, then asked if she could start other sports. 

McLain says, ¨Sometimes I find it hard to get volunteers to help with coaching and most of the time rely on parents to help coach." 

Although Tina McLain´s job is challenging and sometimes stressful she finds joy in knowing she is helping her community and especially the younger generation. She finds her job rewarding as she watches kids grow up into adults right before her eyes. 

Jennifer Fintel’s Experience as a Businesswoman

Throughout history, women have taken great strides in their positions in leadership and business. To celebrate these strides and many others March is Women's History Month. In order to see women that have followed in the footsteps of powerful women in the past, we need not look any further than our very own town of Chadron, Nebraska. In Chadron, we have many women who hold positions of leadership, along with many women who own their own businesses. One of these women is Jennifer Fintel, who owns her own hair salon located at 127 West Second Street, Chadron, NE. She offers such services as waxing (eyebrows, lip, bikini line), hair cuts (women, men, kids) and color. Throughout her life, Jennifer has always known she wanted to be a hairstylist, and after working hard to educate herself she has not only become a hairstylist, but she owns her own business. 

When Jennifer was a child her aunt was a hairstylist, and at the young age of 5, Jennifer already knew that she was interested in styling hair. As a child, Jennifer’s Aunt Becky taught her to do hair by letting her play with the mannequin heads at her salon. Through all of this, her Aunt Becky had always been a role model to Jennifer. Another group of people that inspired Jennifer in her work were her previous co-workers, who were mentors during the start of her career. Along with the role model of her Aunt Becky and the mentors that she found in her previous co-workers, Jennifer says that she has always seen herself as her own role model. Jennifer said, “I have always looked to myself to be the best I can be.” Now that Jennifer is an accomplished woman in her field she hopes to be a mentor to other women in her field.

 When it comes to starting a business Jennifer says that you should first have a plan and be sure to do your research. Along with this Jennifer says it is extremely important to have a unique business idea that is not common in your location. Jennifer achieves this in her business by creating an environment that is comfortable for clients and building personal relationships with each of them. Finally, in order to start and own your own business, you must be properly motivated and have strong willpower. Jennifer achieves this because she simply loves her job and many aspects of it. 

Jennifer enjoys the aspect of her job in which she is able to ¨make people beautiful when a client walks out of my salon with freshly done hair, and they feel more confident.” Some other things that Jennifer likes about owning her own business are the flexible hours and the ability to tailor services to specific clients. Despite all of the things Jennifer loves about her job there are still struggles to own her own business. 

Because Jennifer is her own boss she does not have an employer who sets a retirement fund. This causes her to have set aside her own money for retirement. Along with saving money herself for retirement, she must also set aside money for taxes. Additionally, Jennifer does not like not having paid time off. It is difficult when she gets sick because that means canceling clients, which means no money. Along with these cons, there are a few threats to her business, such as bad word of mouth and other salons. If someone was dissatisfied with her service they could influence the opinion of others and give her a bad reputation. This could result in the loss of customers, as well as, no new customers. In theory, other hair salons should be a threat. However, Jennifer is confident in her clients as many of them have been long time clients. Jennifer has been running her business for a long time, 23 years to be exact. 

Jennifer first started her current business in 2010, after having another business for nine years. Prior to this, she graduated from beauty school in 1997. During her time at Shawnee Beauty School in Oklahoma, she learned many things including anatomy such as bone structure and nerve structure along with the chemistry of formulating colored dye for hair.  Unfortunately, Jennifer feels that her beauty school experiences only taught her the basics and didn’t really prepare her for the real world. She believes that she learned most of what she knows now through real-life experiences. 

As you can see, there are many women in Chadron including Jennifer Fintel, who have followed in the footsteps of historic women with their commitment and drive in business and leadership. Jennifer has worked hard to achieve her childhood dream by attending beauty school and becoming a small business owner.

The Barn at Aspen Acres created by CHS alum

In the month of March the United States celebrates women in business and women in leadership. This is a time to celebrate the growth and accomplishments of female entrepreneurs. Women should be highly recognized during this time. My older sister, Tia Berens, is one woman I chose to honor.

In the month of March the United States celebrates women in business and women in leadership. This is a time to celebrate the growth and accomplishments of female entrepreneurs. Women should be highly recognized during this time. My older sister, Tia Berens, is one woman I chose to honor.Tia recently built a large venue to provide a beautiful area to host weddings and receptions, as well as any type of event someone might want to hold. The Barn at Aspen Acres is the official name of her business.

Tia graduated high school from Chadron High School in 2008 and later moved on to graduate college from Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota, where she still lives today. Her degree is in business administration with an emphasis in marketing and management. Before starting her own business, Tia worked as a director of business development of a home care company. 

The Barn is located on the outskirts of Spearfish. She and her husband, Dan Berens, saw a gap in the market and decided to go for it to make money in a unique, fun way. My dad, her husband, and a manager from a previous job were some mentors that encouraged her to pursue this business. She constantly thanks them for the help and support they have put in to make her business possible. 

With many obstacles along the way, the whole product took her about one year to finish. The Barn has officially been open for seven months now and has already seen extreme success. She has had 12 weddings/events hosted this far, including her own, and has 40 plus scheduled for the upcoming 2020 summer. To make this business possible, there is a lot of behind the scene work being done. Tia said, ¨The amount of work I do during each event is so broad. Overall, lots of planning, coordinating, managing, and executing all aspects of wedding and event planning are done.¨  She says her business has brought her many pros and cons as well. Some pros being the income that comes from it, the happiness from people who host or attend the events, and the uniqueness; there are not very many places like this around the area. Some cons include lots of labor intensive work and conflicts with alcohol. 

Although it may get tough at some points along the way, Tia still finds things to keep herself motivated in the business. The money that comes along with it, being task oriented, and thriving off the happiness that comes from her customers and clients are what motivates her. Tia says she looks forward with positivity everyday to keep her business successful and ongoing.

Chadron High School Student Wins Billy Michal Student Leadership Award

Chadron High School student, Thomas Kaus, was awarded the Billy Michal Student Leadership Award. This award is given to one student from each state. On June 11-13 Kaus will travel to New Orleans.

In order to be eligible to receive this award, Kaus did community service, such as food drives. He also participated in One Acts, while keeping high grades, and becoming a member of the Civil Air Patrol. Kaus was also nominated by Mrs. Waugh, Chadron Middle School 8th grade reading teacher.

While in New Orleans, Kaus will go to the World War II museum in New Orleans and meet several people such as World War II Veterans, an award winning author, and a Holocaust survivor from Poland.

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.