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The Chief Online
PONTIAC TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL
December 2014
Music Department Celebrates the Holidays
By Jessica Ping
With all the hustle and bustle of the holiday spirit, the concert and symphonic bands took
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a break from the Christmas cheer to work on some different music. On November 15 ,
the band held their annual concert band camp and was lucky enough to work with some
amazing faculty from the wonderful Eastern Illinois University. It was a long day, but the
end result at the Showcase concert that evening was well worth the hard work.
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On November 22 , twenty one of our school‟s finest musicians participated in the Illinois
District Music Festival. Aubrey Gill, Grace Lyons, Madison Grundler, Hannah Tronc,
Baylee Ritter, Molly Kipfer, Katie Dixon, Allyson Heil, Jessica Ping, Brandi Mueller, Cody
Hatzer, Logan Mies, Alex Coan and Jeremiah Rowland were all a part of the District Choir
under the direction of Mr. Boyd. Eric Campbell, Tatum Joerndt, Chloe Mayback, and
Jeanette Wooldridge participated with the district band under the direction of Dr. Fansler.
Jeff Elem and Noah White were chosen for the district orchestra under the direction of Mr.
Pearson. Ethan Putnam was a part of the district jazz band, whose performance was
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earlier in the month on November 1 . All of the groups gave a wonderful performance –
thanks for a job well done!
Soon enough, the bands and choirs were busy preparing their music for our “Christmas
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Joy” concert which took place on Sunday, December 14 . The program opened with the
Symphonic Band performing “Christmas Joy” arranged by Sammy Nestico. Following was
“Highlights from the movie Frozen” arranged by Sean O‟Loughlin. The band finished with
the traditional favorite, "Sleigh Ride" by Leroy Anderson.
Next, the Concert Band performed “Christmas Troika” by James Curnow. The choral
portion of the program featured the Festival Chorus in “Festive Fa-La-La” by Mary Lynn
Lightfoot and “African Noel” by Andre Thomas. The chorus was accompanied by Mr.
Jerry Keck. The Concert Choir presented “Frozen” arranged by Roger Emerson, “The
Winter‟s Night” by Nicholas Myers, and “Angels in Seven” arranged by Philip Kern. The
performance included two Percussion ensemble performances, Swinging Bridge Brass,
Madrigal Recorders, Madrigal Singers and Court Singers. Concluding the program was
the combined chorus and band in “Hallelujah Chorus” by G. F. Handel and “Sing Joy” by
Mark Hayes.
Attendance was free and cheesecake was available after. Thanks to all who attended!
Click HERE for the Music Department’s website
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Inside this Issue:
Friends
2
FFA Update
3
Inside
this
issue: 4
Movie
Review
Upperclass Acts
5
Our Voice
6
Pop Culture
7
Christmas
Sweaters
7
Student Art
8
Ask Trippy
9
CATCH UP
WITH PTHS
EVENTS AT
HIGH SCHOOL
CUBE
Click HERE for
the War
Museum
Project
Template!
Remembering Our Friends
2
Scholastic Bowl
FFA Update
By Jordan Triplett
By Amy Wyant
The Pontiac FFA is ready for the holidays! With Christmas just
around the corner we are busy getting ready for our games at
Evenglow Christmas party. There will be cookie decorating, all
kinds of games, and much more. We also had our FFA Christmas
meeting which included decorating cookies, Christmas karaoke,
and lots and lots of food. Also, last Friday the FFA walked dogs
for the Livingston County Humane Society in the Pontiac Light
parade. The Humane Society was incredibly grateful for such a
great group of students helping out the shelter and the animals,
so an extra thank you goes out to all those that helped with the
parade! Last but not least, the profit made from the Pontiac FFA
annual 5K will be going towards a less fortunate family in the
community to help buy Christmas presents and dinner. Once
again, our members are extremely excited for doing another
community service project and are going all out to put a little more
“merry” in somebody‟s Christmas this year!
FFA information can be found HERE.
2014 Speech Team
By Kamryn Moore
The Speech Team just recently competed at their first competition
in Metamora. Team members Hannah McCoy, Kamryn Moore,
Merle Dissen, Bradshaw Huddleston, Morgan Cobb, and Rebecca
Lemke competed in many different categories, including Prose,
Poetry Reading, Dramatic Interpretation, Original Oratory and
Humorous Duet acting. While nobody placed at this event, all still
did very well. The team has been working very hard for the
competitions held in December, held at locations such as Normal
West High School in Normal. Good luck to all members at the
upcoming competitions!
The Scholastic Bowl season has started off with a
bang! With two meets and a tournament under our
belt, the Varsity team is primed and ready to go.
With each person having their own specialization
(music for Cassidy Murphy, science for Adam
Holzhauer, sports for Micheil Shelby), our Varsity
team members have a wide range of knowledge
covered. Despite only winning three matches so
far this year, we‟re all thinking positively about the
rest of the season and we are confident that we‟ll
all do our best to make PTHS proud. The Varsity
team is coached by Mr. Ramseyer.
The Junior Varsity team, made up of the freshman
and sophomore participants, is just as hopeful for
the rest of their season. Everyone has their own
specialty, and for what they don‟t know they band
together to figure out. While not as experienced,
this Junior Varsity team can even give the Varsity
team a run for their money. The JV team is
coached by Mr. Sweetwood.
“Though we may not have a lot of wins under our
belt, we all still have a really great time and in the
end, that‟s really all that matters,” says one
Scholastic Bowl player. What a great attitude to
have! As the season continues, we at The Chief
wish the Scholastic Bowl team the best of luck!
Attention Teachers!
Check out the revamaped Teacher Resource
Webpage @
http://libguides.pontiac.k12.il.us/content.p
hp?pid=495677
C.A.P.T.A.I.N.S
This week's @PTHSstaffdev tweets include:
By Alexis Hall
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
On December 22 , the C.A.P.T.A.I.N.S organization is
going to a trampoline center near Chicago. Mr.
Christenson, the C.A.P.T.A.I.N.S sponsor, and parent
volunteers are accompanying the group as they travel on
the bus. Many students will be in attendance to enjoy a
fun-filled day. C.A.P.T.A.I.N.S is also organizing a t-shirt
fundraiser to help cover medical expenses for Alexis
Flinn. If you are interested in purchasing a t-shirt, you can
contact C.A.P.T.A.I.N.S sponsors or members.
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
11 TED talks on Science and the Brain
Alternatives to College and Career Ready
Testing
 Webinars on the Common Core
 Video on making learning relevant to
students
 Article on Blended Learning
 Tech Tools for making Jeopardy style
review games
 and much more...
Movie Review: Christmas Edition!
What I want for
Christmas…
By Cassidy Murphy
„Tis the season for boughs of holly and Hallmark movies, for never ending toy
commercials and for ABC Family‟s 25 Days of Christmas. Personally, some of my
favorite movies reflect on the Christmas season. The cliché, often happy endings that
make you feel warm and fuzzy inside are the heart of all Christmas movies. Because of
this, I decided to take an informal PTHS survey of Christmas favorites and came up
with this list.
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Student Survey:
…to go parasailing
– Clair Bamman
…tube socks – Alex Brockett
…apartment stuff
– Jorden Grieff
A Christmas Story
Elf
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
White Christmas
The Grinch Who Stole Christmas
The Polar Express
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A Miracle on 34 Street
The Santa Clause
Home Alone
It’s A Wonderful Life
Frosty The Snowman
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
Scrooged
Jingle All the Way
A Christmas Carol
…cat sweaters
– Hannah Dunlap
…my car payment
– Xaviaer DuRousseau
…all I want for Christmas is my
two front teeth – Katie Kuska
…concert tickets – Jess Ping
…a green unicorn
- Jordyn Langer
Not surprisingly, I have found that most everyone named Elf to his or her list. If you
don‟t know the film, it is the story of Buddy (Will Ferrell), a human who was accidentally
brought to the North Pole as a baby. He grows up surrounded by elves, and only as
Will Ferrell can, believes he is an elf. When he accidently finds out he‟s adopted he
begins a journey to find his real father (James Caan). Given a snow globe of New York,
Buddy travels through the seven levels of the Candy Cane Forest, the Sea of Swirly
Twirly Gumdrops and the Lincoln Tunnel.
Once he arrives at the Empire
State Building, Buddy finds out
why his father is on the naughty
list. He does everything he can to
make his dad happy, from packing
him spaghetti lunches, to
decorating his house, to buying
him an outrageous gift. Through
this journey, Buddy works at
Gimbles and finds himself smitten
with Jovie (Zooey Deschanel), one
of Santa‟s “elves.” Throughout the
movie Buddy and his hilarious
cluelessness eventually finds a
way to cheer his father up and
save Christmas at the same time.
I hope everyone has a happy
holiday and a wonderful New
Year!
Courtesy of New Line Cinema
!
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…chicken – Noah Sandoval
…I want it ALL – Amy Wyant
Student Poetry
“A Christmas Wish”
By Kayla Friedman
I want a hippopotamus for
Christmas,
only a hippopotamus will do.
Don‟t want a doll.
No clinky tinker toy.
I want a hippopotamus to play
with
and enjoy.
Look for the print version of
The Chief in
The Pontiac Daily Leader
Upperclass Acts
PET PEEVES: People touching me
and someone asking me the same
question multiple times
with P2D2.
3 MAJOR AREAS OF INTEREST:
Dance, the environment, my family
PLANS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL:
Graduate a four year university with a
degree in environmental engineering
FAVORITE MOVIE: Divergent
MOST INSPIRATIONAL SONG: “How
Do You Want To Be Remembered” by
Magic
FAVORITE TEACHER/CLASS:
Mr. Krause/Precalc
Clair Bamman
ROLE MODEL(S): My mom
ACTIVITIES @ PTHS: Color Guard,
CAPTAINS, P2D2, OES, NHS, FFA
FAVORITE AUTHOR: James Dashner
FAVORITE BOOKS: The Maze Runner,
Divergent, and The Hunger Games
MOST POSITIVE MOMENT: Being
accepted into National Honor Society
FONDEST MEMORY OF HIGH SCHOOL my junior year.
SO FAR: Traveling to Istanbul, Turkey,
Ethan Putnam
ROLE MODEL(S): John Bonham
ACTIVITIES @ PTHS: Band, Bass
Fishing, Tri- M, Plays, Musicals,
P2D2, OES
FONDEST MEMORY OF HIGH
SCHOOL SO FAR: The band trip
to L.A.
3 MAJOR AREAS OF INTEREST:
Drumming, conservation, exploring
PLANS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL:
2 years at a community college
and then transferring to U of I for a
degree in environmental
engineering with a minor in music
composition.
FAVORITE MOVIE: Watchmen
MOST INSPIRATIONAL SONG:
“Moby Dick” by Led Zeppelin
WHAT MY FRIENDS WILL
REMEMBER ABOUT ME: The love
I have for my friends, my dance
skills, and my quiet jokes
HOW WOULD YOU SPEND
$1,000,000? Pay for college, give
my parents enough money so they
wouldn‟t have to work again, set
aside some for my children and
future family, and donate the rest to
environmental charities
IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A
DESERT ISLAND, WHAT 3 ITEMS
WOULD YOU WANT WITH YOU?
A music playing device, sunscreen,
and an endless amount of CocaCola
LAST WORDS OF ADVICE: "Shoot
for the moon. Even if you miss,
you‟ll land among the stars."
FAVORITE TEACHER/CLASS: Mr.
Schmink in AP Music Theory
these 3 things I could comfortably survive
for as long as needed.
FAVORITE AUTHOR/Book: Ernest
Hemingway‟s The Old Man and the
Sea
LAST WORDS OF ADVICE: “CARPE
DIEM! Have fun in high school, and be
yourself.”
MOST POSITIVE MOMENT:
Playing drums at the ILMEA Jazz
Festival
PET PEEVES: Bad grammar and
incompetent drivers
WHAT MY FRIENDS WILL
REMEMBER ABOUT ME: My
willingness to do anything for others.
HOW WOULD YOU SPEND
$1,000,000? I‟d buy a 1969 Dodge
Super Bee and pay for college. I‟d
donate whatever was left to a wildlife
conservatory.
IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A
DESERT ISLAND, WHAT 3 ITEMS
WOULD YOU WANT WITH YOU?
A knife, fire starter, and tarp. With
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Book Review: The Program by Suzanne Young
Review by Dena Boatman
Only the Program can help with the depression. But when you leave the Program, so
do your memories. People who come back from the program don‟t remember
anything or anyone from their past lives. Everything from their lives is taken away
and replaced with new, happier things. Everyone just accepts the Program, but is
what they do inside the walls really fair?
Sloane and her boyfriend James both have had a depressing life. One of their best
friends was literally dragged out of her house by the Program and now doesn‟t
even recognize them. Depression is hitting both of them very hard. During school
and whenever they are with other people, they try to act happy and normal so
that the Program won‟t take them away. But will they be able to keep up this act
forever?
The Program is a fantastic first book in a three book series. It is raw and very
emotional. When I read it, I felt very connected to Sloane and every time that she
felt something, I felt the exact same way. It‟s a great take on dystopian novels.
Also, it is the first modern day dystopian that I have read. I really loved this book
and I can‟t wait to get my hands on the next two books in the series!
http://suzanneoung.blogspot.com/
Our Voice
Music Review
By Baylee Ritter
By Grecia Araujo-Torres
For those of you who don‟t know, I work in a retail
store. I absolutely love my job and I learn
something new every day! One thing I did learn this
year is the craziness of Black Friday shopping.
There is something to be said for people and their
determination for deals. The tenacity to go and find
50% off all items is inspiring but sometimes it can
get a little much.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 – Original Motion
Picture Soundtrack
For this month‟s “Our Voice” I talked to some
people on their opinion on Black Friday. A group of
students in my College Writing class said that
Black Friday shopping truly takes away from the
experience of Thanksgiving and family. They also
said that those deals are still around and might be
even better on the following Cyber Monday.
However, that being said, another girl in my class
states that Black Friday is a tradition for her family
that she absolutely loves. They all go out and shop
together and enjoy their time out on the town.
Whether you are pro or anti Black Friday next year,
have a happy holiday season with the ones that
matter the most: your family.
The Hunger Games
movie/book series is one of
the most popular stories of
this generation. With all of
this grand popularity and
fan base comes high
demands and expectations.
The music selection is an
essential part of the movie
and really creates the mood
for the viewers. The
soundtrack for Mockingjay
really justifies the movie and exceeds all expectations. This
soundtrack contains songs from some of the most worldrenown artist like Lorde, Charlie XCX, and Ariana Grande.
The songs continue to make a breakthrough including top
hits like “Yellow Flicker Beat” by Lorde and “This is Not a
Game” by The Chemical Brothers.
Check out “Yellow Flicker Beat” By Lorde https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1S9HUNoI4k
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Dirty Christmas Sweaters 2014!
Pop Culture 2014
By Jessica Ping
Katniss has stolen our hearts again.
The Hunger Games trilogy has been
a mega hit since it first hit the
bookshelves over five years ago.
Three movies later and with a fourth
in the works, it‟s easy to say that
this franchise has become a very
wealthy one. Opening day for the
highly anticipated Mockingjay: Part
1 reached 55 million dollars. Yes
this is quite a lot of money; however,
it is significantly lower than the
series‟ prior films, Catching Fire and
The Hunger Games. All of this
aside, the movie was phenomenal in
showing that the girl on fire can rise
to flames in song! Jennifer
Lawrence, the actress behind the
beautiful Katniss Everdeen, has won
over the entire world with her
impressive singing skills. The
featured song, “The Hanging Tree,”
is now resting in the number 3 slot
on the iTunes charts. Is Jennifer
Lawrence going to be the next big
superstar in the music industry?
Evolution of a Mural
On more recent news, the British
Fashion Awards took place in
London early this month. Everyone
in attendance was dressed in only
the most lavish of outfits; however
that‟s not what everyone is talking
about. Rumors of Harry Styles
reconciling with his former girlfriend,
Kendall Jenner, are high on the rise.
The two were seen sharing a
moment at the awards show earlier
this week. Jenner isn‟t the only one
rumored to be dating the boy band
heart throb. Emma Watson, better
known as the actress behind
Hermione Granger in the Harry
Potter films and the big time
feminism activist, is also said to be
talking with Styles. Which Hollywood
hottie will Styles choose?
Mural painted by AP Art students
Chloe Mayback, Sydney Dunning
and Jenna Salvator
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Student Art
Painting By Lexi Feddern
Painting by Brie Stadler
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Ask Trippy
Dear Trippy,
I‟ve got this friend and we can never agree on what type
of music is best. Everything I like, my friend tells me is
terrible and he insults the artist. Everything he listens to
is horrid. It‟s all weird hippie music. What am I
supposed to do? I don‟t want to make him mad but if he
insults one more artist I like then I don‟t think I can hold
myself back anymore!
Project Unify Peers in Action
launches PTHS Read for
Respect Reading Marathon
Hosted by Project Unify Peers in Action and the PTHS
Library, participants have from now until April 24 to
read books for the race!
Yours, Irritated Beyond Belief
There are four ways to participate:
o Marathon: Read 26.2 books
o Half Marathon: Read 13.1 books
o 10K: Read 6.2 books
o Mighty Miler: Read 5,280 pages
Dear Irritated Beyond Belief,
I think the biggest thing you need to remember is that
everyone has his or her own opinion. You can‟t fault
someone for not liking the same things that you do
because everyone has the right to like what he or she
wants. However, he could probably find a more
diplomatic way to express his opinion, but that‟s him.
Just remember to respect his opinion and agree to
disagree. You won‟t always be able to convert others to
what you believe is right; sometimes you just have to
agree to be different.
·
·
Yours, Trippy
Race forms are in the library or can be printed
off from the Read for Respect LibGuide (linked
from the Library webpage). To sign up, please
visit the Read for Respect LibGuide and mark
which race you plan to participate in.
The goal is to get everyone reading
o Participants do not have to prove that they
have read the books
o Participants are encouraged to read with a
Peer Partner from Mrs. Baumgardner,
Mrs. Mack, or Mrs. Christenson‟s rooms,
then both students can count the books
for the race.
o Participants are encouraged to read to
younger children (so picture books
count)- this is great for the younger child
and begins to teach high school students
the importance of early literacy.
Have a question for Trippy? Send it HERE
The Chief Staff
Jessica Ping, Editor-in-Chief
Grecia Araujo-Torres
Dena Boatman
Kamryn More
Cassidy Murphy
Baylee Ritter
Adam Shelton
Jordan Triplett
Jeanette Wooldridge
Amy Wyant
·
Snack parties for participants will be held in the
library in December and February with an end of
race celebration in April.
o Drawings will be held
o Medals will be awarded to those who cross
the finish line.
Mr. Soares, Faculty Sponsor
For more information or to print off race forms, visit the
Read for Respect LibGuide , or speak with Ms.
Baumgardner or Mrs. Mueller.
Happy Holidays from
The Chief Online!
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