The Chronicle
April 2016
TO SHARE AND PROMOTE STUDENT LIFE AT CRESTWOOD HIGH SCHOOL
April Showers, May Flowers, and end of year need-to-knows
The school year is coming to an end! As of today, seniors, who are sure to have a memorable prank up their sleeves, have 15 days left of school and the rest of the student body has less than a month! This issue features an end-of-the-year wrap-up as well as articles to help you prepare for what is to come. If you're looking for cool ways to spend your hot summer, we've got it. If you're looking for prom and graduation information, we got it. From the Chronicle to you, here's to a peaceful, exciting end of the year.
Forever and always,
The Chronicle Staff
What to do this summer
Fun in the Sun
Three months. Three months of no school, no teachers and no homework. There are so many countless exciting things to do over summer break. Even teachers have their own types of fun activities.
Academy and environmental science teacher, Mr. Brown, says his favorite thing to do over the summer is lay on a hammock with a book and a glass of lemonade. Senior Aubrey Ferguson says her favorite thing to do over the summer is go to the beach. Every 4th of July Ferguson goes to Niagara Falls to watch the fireworks. If she goes on a vacation, she normally goes to either Tennessee or Florida.
Here are some fun things to do over your summer break:
1. Get a job to have some of your own money or save up for college
Wildwater Kingdom in Aurora, OH
2. Volunteer at any local business
Portage Animal Protective League
Geauga Humane Society's Rescue Village
Volunteer of America Thrift Store-Aurora, OH
Mantua Fire Station
3. Take an adventure with your friends
- Take a road trip with your friends out of state for a few days. There is an app called ‘inRoute Route Planner, GPS, Navigation and Severe Weather Alerts to help make your road trip easier.
- Take a boat trip with your family or friends
*Sunny Lake Park
*Mosquito Reservoir
- Go on a day trip with your friends to a tourist hot-spot you’ve never visited
*Auburn State Wildlife Area in Auburn, OH (5 miles from Mantua)
*Blue Hen Falls in Peninsula, OH (18 miles from Mantua)
*Brandywine Falls in Northfield, OH (16 miles from Mantua)
*Cascade Falls in Garrettsville, OH (10 miles from Mantua)
*Chagrin Falls in Chagrin Falls, OH (11 miles from Mantua)
*Chaplin State Forest in Willoughby, OH (19 miles from Mantua)
*Wild Water Kingdom in Aurora, OH (8 miles from Mantua)
*Mosquito Creek State Park in North Bloomfield, OH (24 miles from Mantua)
4. Discover new bands, films, and artists that interest you
- Go to concerts at Blossom Music Center
*Journey and The Doobie Brothers - June 29, 2016
*Vans Warped Tour - July 20, 2016
*Luke Bryan - August 12, 2016
5. Be fit, outdoorsy and active
Go for a walk at Sunny Lake
Go to the beach and build a sand castle
Go swimming
- Go biking, hiking, kayaking, or fishing
- Have a bonfire and invite your friends over for some s'mores
- Go camping
*West Branch State Park
*Bear Town
- Get ice cream with your friends
- Go berry picking
*Pochedly Farm
*Goodell Family Farm
- Take a nature walk in at least ten different parks
Written by: Audrey Klatik and Nicole Hocevar
Seasonal Employment
Shawna Fumich, a 2 year target employee, had this to say about seasonal employees: “The busiest time of the year is when a new season begins. Each time that happens, all kinds of college kids come in to take on extra work. It's nice and bad at the same time. Because you can't get attached to 'em for them to leave soon after.”
The A&W in Rootstown, local flower/garden stores, and hardware stores like Home Depot and Lowe's offers the same opportunities. Whether you're a young adult trying to pay for college or a retiree looking to stay busy, the Portage county area has plenty of opportunities to make some money.
Written by: Alek Beaver
What's Happening at CHS
A New Crestwood
As Crestwood High School ages and deteriorates, there are two options presented for aiding this problem. Renovate the current school or build a new one. The Civil Engineering and Architecture class at Crestwood is working toward designing a new school from scratch. Paul Sharaba, teacher and supervisor of the project, said that the goal of the project is “to get students to use everything they have been taught this year to design a school that could possibly become reality.”
An idea used by students and said by Principal Dave McMahon is to create a 7th-12th grade school, combining the middle school with the high school. Other ideas being bounced around include a YMCA located on campus or connected to the school as well as multiple gymnasiums, an auditorium and a café for lunch. Sharaba says there are 9 groups of 2-3 students. This will produce many different ideas and very different layouts of the schools which could be potentially utilized. Principal Dave McMahon and the administration have “opened plenty of doors” according to Sharaba.
Contacting an architect, organizing field trips to schools already built by the architect and coming into the class and giving input are just some of the things McMahon has done for the class project. If all goes well, students will contribute to a future school and a future Crestwood.
Written by: Ryan Erway
Spring Play Hits the Mark
Senior Emily Baker, who played William Scarlet and is the president of the drama club, said that Robin Hood “was fun to perform and had tons of opportunities to pour energy into it and the crowd responded to that energy.” The show displayed the tale of Robin Hood with a lite, comedic twist, inviting the audience to engage joyfully with the cast and introducing a modern spin to a classic tale. Good job, CHDC!
Written by: Josh Stern
Crestwood's Band Magically Marching
This Spring Break, the Crestwood Scarlet Guard took a trip to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The band spent five days there, returning on Thursday. While there, the band visited all four major parks. Saturday night, the band spent a relaxing night at Disney Springs. The next day, CSG enjoyed an amazing day at Hollywood Studios, and the Fantasmic showing that night.
On Monday, Crestwood had an enchanting day in the Magic Kingdom, and had the privilege of opening the Electric Lights Parade in front of thousands, playing a Sousa march mashup. Tuesday, Crestwood spent the day in Epcot, learning about the cultures of the world and enjoying Disney’s Illuminations that night. Wednesday, CSG spent the day at the Animal Kingdom, watching spectacular shows, and meeting iconic Disney Characters. The band was thrilled to have such an exciting spring break, and are thankful to the Band Boosters and other donors that made this trip possible.
Written by: Wesley Baird
Le Petit Triangle
A selection of main courses were chosen such as a salmon sandwich or savory crèpes. Dessert was the final component of the meal and it was only appropriate to order a dessert crèpe. Madame said she chose to take the group to Le Petit Triangle because, “there aren’t that many French restaurants in Northeast Ohio and it’s delicious.”
Written by: Emma Dockery
Leaping into Frontier Days
This years Academy I class will be hosting Frontier Days, May 5-7, which will be open to the public on Friday and Saturday. May 9-11, the Academy will host different school groups, teaching lessons to third grade all the way up to high school students. Frontier Days is a live-action presentation of the 18th century, including period-style dress, conversation, activities, and reenactments.
One of the groups that will demonstrate life in the 18th century will be a games and activity group. The students who make up this group are senior Nate Dehoff, and juniors Jacob Whitman, and Kristin Onders. They are planning on showing how people on the frontier entertained themselves. Onders says, “I can’t wait to see the kids' reactions when they see what we have planned for them,” Whitman says, “I think things are going to go very well, we have a lot of fun activities planned for kids to do.” The games will consist of hunker house, tug of war, and leap frog.
Different from previous years, Frontier Days will feature tour guides which will service as period moderates, communicating differences between the 21st and 18th centuries. In hopes of good weather and a great turnout, the class is excited to present their year’s work to the public. If you’re available, feel free to stop by!
Written by: Mike Snodgrass
Lack of Enrollment
One teacher whose position has been cut next year is Ms. Kuchta, who teaches sophomore and Academy English. “The idea of not having a job next year is unnerving,” she stated in an interview. However, she realizes this turn of events is not the end. “I love this school and I’m definitely going to miss everyone and I understand why this is happening, it is just unfortunate that it does have to happen.”
Written by: Melody Bencie
AP test: How to Succeed
As the end of the year approaches, students who have been taking AP courses all year are preparing for the state test which, determined by score, could give a student college credit for that course. AP stands for ‘Advanced Placement’ and is controlled by a college board formed in 1900 in charge of the college standards for high school students. Through the AP college board students have a chance to earn college credit while still in high school. Crestwood offers a few of these classes including AP Calculus, AP U.S. History, AP Government, AP Art, and AP Physics. The test is scored 1-5; 5 being the highest.
One of the most important ideas of AP curriculum is personal accountability. AP Calculus teacher, Paul Sharaba, elaborates on this idea by saying, “Students for the first time aren't having their hands held anymore. For the first time, we are treating students like actual adults.” All year, students in these classes study for their test day. Each class looks at test material, finding ways to arm students for success.
Good ways to study include, practice tests, reading over materials, and finding a group of friends to make studying more enjoyable. Most importantly, to be prepared as one possibly can, students must get a proper amount of sleep the night before their test and eat a good breakfast. It is essential that students bring materials such as #2 pencils and erasers to get them through the exam.
Although students may be nervous for these important exams, they are a great way to earn credit for the hard work put in during the school year and show off all the knowledge that was acquired.
Written by: Alek Beaver
SPORTS
Spring Sports Pep Rally
The major changes included Mr. Dean’s announcement of the sports teams, class competitions, and the school favorite, student vs teacher dance off. The teachers won with a great dance routine and the seniors won with the most spirit points of the four classes. Mr. Dean said, “It was a great time and good to see the kids getting involved.”
With a freshly motivated school, it is important to keep support flowing with varsity baseball on April 22 at home, track on April 26 at home, and boys Tennis on April 22 at Norton High School.
Written by: Adam Fitzgerald
A Home Run of a Season
The Devil's initially started slow, making the score 1-8 in the fifth inning. The bottom of the fifth came along and Crestwood’s bats came alive. Balls flew all over the field, improving the score 11-8. After the tremendous comeback, the Crestwood Varsity ended up taking the game 12-8 against the Lions. Junior Brandon Douglas, varsity’s third baseman, had much to say about the Orange game. “Team 56 is different than every other team that ever took this field. We have this special chemistry that allows us to play in sync. That game was won by a loud bench and the team never giving up.”
Sophomore Gavin Hysing, starting right fielder stated, “It’s great getting varsity time this early in high school because I know some seniors that haven’t got their opportunity until this year.” The team plans to continue their hard work in efforts to keep their record and most importantly to have fun.
Written by: Nate Lind
Batting up a good season
The girls played Garfield on April 20 and won 5-2. The winning pitcher, junior Megan Cymanski, scored two singles, two RBI’s, and one double. The team's next game is April 29th at 4:30 PM at Crestwood High School against Gilmore Academy. Assistant coach, Cheryl Goggin, stated, “We are one of the teams picked to win the county division title this year.” The girls are looking forward to great wins and a greater season.
Track & Field
On April second, the high school Track and Field team hosted Don Faix, their first invitational. Both girls and boys teams competed well, placing 5th and 6th respectively. Coach Kerst was happy with the meet, stating “Don Faix went very well and we were very happy with how well the Crestwood kids competed!”
Kerst is hopeful for the season, stating, “I'm optimistic we can bring home a PTC County Championship this year if we remain healthy and competitive!” He also expects several athletes to qualify for the regional tournament, including seniors Sam Oliphant and Jake Ondash in the two mile, juniors Michael Picone in the 100 meter dash, and Aaron Cox in the discus, and the 4x100 and the 4x200 relay teams.
Several changes have occurred since last year, due to a new coach and past seniors graduating. Coach Ondash became the distance coach for both teams, focusing more on lifting than in the past. Jake Ondash stated, “It’s a different style of training which I feel will fit the team very well as long as everyone buys into it.” Jeremiah Fitzgerald, the 800 meter record holder graduated, as well as several other strong 800 runners. The distance team is recovering well, with Ondash and Oliphant leading them in the two mile, 800, and one mile. The track team has a lot to look forward to.
Written by: Ephraim Oliphant
Making a Racket
Coach Laura Pheneger has a small team to work with this year. With kids coming from Bio-Med and Maplewood, the team comes from different backgrounds and each hold different experience levels. “Without a full team, it is going to take a lot of work, but I think we can pull through the year,” stated senior captain, Adam Atkinson.
March 31st was the team’s first official match, it was also their first loss. The team struggled as the weather took a turn for the worse. Players were forced to play in snow and temperatures below 40 degrees. This potentially will be the precedent for the rest of the season. Junior Bill Harrison’s only goal for the season is “not to get destroyed.”
Team Captain and star player, Atkinson has been on the team for three years. He hopes to spend his senior year on the team having as much fun as possible and to simply enjoy himself. His favorite part about tennis are his fellow teammates and the pure pleasure of the sport.
It’s not too late to join the tennis team for the season. If you are interested in joining, please contact Adam Atkinson or visit the team's next home tennis match.
Written by: Kurt Bokesch
Upcoming Events
Earth Day
Earth Day was founded by United States Senator Mr. Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in first held on April 22, 1970. Nelson was later awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award in recognition of his work. Now, Earth Day is celebrated across the world by people cleaning up the earth, planting trees, and having parades. At the Crestwood Primary and Intermediate School, a festival is put on with many activities regarding our Earth and nature. The kids will create crafts and learn more about our environment.
Mrs. Picone, a first grade teacher at Crestwood Primary Schools, is one of the volunteers working the event going on at the Primary School. She proclaimed, “I am excited for the festival this year and am eager to see all of the students having fun learning about the environment!” The event will be going on today, April 22, at 4:30 and ends at 6:30. There will be activities for children to take place in and events going on that anyone is allowed to come and take part in.
Prom Preparations
With two months left of school, juniors and seniors shift their attention from their studies and begin to prepare for prom. Prom will take place at the Northeast Ohio Medical University in Rootstown. Doors open at 6:00 P.M. and dinner will be served shortly after. Tickets are being sold for $40 each. Back by popular demand, the theme will once again be, “Club Crestwood.”
Girls and boys all throughout the high school are getting ready for the big night. Senior Bella Wagner got her dress at Encore in Canton, Ohio. Encore is a small consignment and antique store where you can get fashionable dresses for an affordable price. Wagner is also getting her hair done before the dance at Hiram House and her nails done at Crystal Nails in Aurora. This exemplifies the typical girl prom prep.
Unlike Crestwood’s homecoming or winter ball, prom is taken much more seriously. The boys are expected to wear a tuxedo. Junior Melody Bencie says she “can't wait to see what everyone looks like Saturday April 30th!” There will be heartbreak for seniors as this is their last dance with their friends, but the sadness will be outweighed by the excitement of prom.
The junior class has been fundraising since the start of the new year with ideas such as chocolate sales, a car wash, and an Open Mic Night at Millers. These fundraisers have reeled in more than $3,000, more than enough money for Club Crestwood to take place.
One of the best things about prom is the massive smorgasbord of food before the dance begins. As the date comes closer, one can only hope for warmer weather and no rain. “It’s the best dance of the year, I can’t wait,” says senior Clay Jackson. The dance has brought a new found joy to Crestwood upperclassmen.
Written by: Morgan Chesla and Blaine Sorrick
Prom Court!
Congratulations to the 2016 Crestwood High School Prom Court! Prom Court presents five boys and five girls. A male and female will soon be crowned Prom King and Queen; the reveal will take place the night of the dance. Congratulations to the male nominees: AJ Almy, Nathan Pallotto, Brandon Caldwell, Aaron Czerny, and Anthony Bates, and congratulations to the female nominees: Ashley Agle, Lindsey Soltisz, Brittany Caldwell, Emma Canepa, and Bailee Kodash. Best of luck to all the nominees.
Prom
Saturday, Apr 30, 2016, 06:00 PM
Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH, United States
Senior prank?
Senior pranks have long been a tradition in high schools all over the country. They are meant to be just that, a prank, but can lead to serious punishment by both the school and the law. Crestwood seems to have a fair share of school spirit, however, thanks to the cooperation of principal, Mr. Dave McMahon.
The senior prank done by Crestwood’s class of 2015 was much different from previous years. A group of seniors set up a club-like experience in the boys locker room during 5th period, inviting all the seniors to skip class and join them. The locker room was decorated with streamers and colorful lighting as well as being set up with tables for water-pong. 2015 Crestwood graduate, Austin Usher, commented on the possible dangers, “We were a little worried about administrators finding out and stopping it until Mr. Matheos came in and asked if we needed any help.”
With the 2015-2016 school year coming to a close and no pranks have manifested thus far, the anticipation is growing. Senior Sydney Nemec mentioned, “We’ve got something planned.” The excited seniors with their secret scheme will surely come up with something that the high school will be sure to remember.
Get LOST
This year’s leadership retreat is May 6th and 7th at Camp Carl in Ravenna. The 2016 Leadership Retreat theme is LOST. The idea of the retreat is to bring students from Crestwood closer together. The leadership class’ students plan out every detail of the weekend. These are the kids who lead a group of eleven to twelve kids on the retreat. The groups are selected at random, so they aren’t made up of any close friends. At the retreat, the groups are led through icebreakers and teambuilders to help the students form a bond within the small groups, then they bring that bond to the whole group and the whole group brings their bond back to Crestwood.
A junior, Alex Geraci, a third year attendee, expressed one concern she faces this year, “I’m getting older now and my leader may be the same age as me or younger than me. That’s weird to think about. I remember as a freshman I looked up to my leader so much because they were older than me but I’m still very excited for this year!” She also said, “I always get so excited for all the different themes and activities we will be doing. I love the suspense that every year brings. It’s good to know people are taking initiative in being leaders at Crestwood!”
Written by: Autumn Henwood
Leadership Retreat
Friday, May 6, 2016, 08:00 AM
Camp Carl, Calvin Road, Ravenna, OH, United States
Graduation Ceremony
Written by: Noah Worron
Graduation
The ceremony will begin at 7:00 sharp.
Tickets for admission are required.
Friday, May 20, 2016, 07:00 PM
Parkside Church, Pettibone Road, Chagrin Falls, OH, United States
Senior Awards Night
Senior Awards Night will take place on May 4 at 7:00pm in the high school gym. Seniors will be recognized for their hard work over their academic careers. As their high school years come to a close, this night will showcase the strengths and attributes of the class of 2016. Family and friends are encouraged to come share this special night with these students. The administration of CHS is excited to recognize the students who make Crestwood an amazing place to be.
The seniors, as well as the staff, are thrilled to come together for one of the last times to recognize some of their most memorable moments and highest achievements. Senior Clay Jackson commented on the event by saying, “I think I speak for my whole class when I say that it’s a really busy time of year and although it’s really exciting, it’s a bittersweet time for all of us. We are closing the door on a big part of our lives, but also starting something way bigger. Everyone deserves a great night.”
Written by: Gabi Campana