CHS Chilli-Chatter 2021 #1
September 27, 2021
A Muddy Tradition
By Javon Kille
One of the first fall activities is FFA’s annual Mud Volleyball tournament, which was started in 2013. In its eighth year, the tourney takes place at the Chillicothe Litton Agriculture Center, just a few minutes from the high school,and is organized by all Ag advisors: Mrs. Kreatz, Mr. Wolf, Mr. Martin, and Mr. Plattner. This year mud volleyball reached a new attendance record with 27 teams and 162 people.
Mud Volleyball isn't just a muddy mess of fun; it is also a fundraiser. Local businesses chose a mud pit to sponsor. There were six mud pits sponsored at $100 dollars each. The FFA matched that amount for a total of $1200 to be donated to the winner’s choice. The Mud Volleyball winners this year, the “Back to Back” team, chose the LIVCO Veterans Association.
The “Back-to-Back” team lived up to their name by becoming two-year champs. In an interview with the mud volleyball team, they said they chose the LIVCO Veterans because they wanted to support the veterans. Kinlei Boley, of the“Back-to-Back” team, said their strategy was: “Guys hit the ball hard and the ladies serve.” The team enjoyed winning and giving back to the community.
A Page to Success!
By Isabelle Fitzpatrick
Planners have helped guide many people to be successful in their lives. If you are feeling frenetic and disconnected from your work, then try a planner. Planners will help you stay organized, set personal goals, and become a better communicator. Planners help many students, especially those who struggle with these challenges, to stay more focused and engaged in class.
Organization is one of the most important functions of a planner. Organizing might not come easily to students at first, but once you get the hang of it, it can do great things to your work. Organizing can keep you focused on the work you need to finish, and allows you to know what to expect, letting you manage your time the best you can.
Similarly, Zameena Mejia’s article "Highly Successful People use Calendar Hacks to be Happier," tells us statistics about successful planners. Randall Bell says in Meijia’s piece, “People who are consistent with using a calendar and to-do list are about three times more likely to be millionaires than those who don't keep a set schedule.” By the same token, planners positively affect your lifestyle more than you could ever know. The most successful people in our world are always using a planner to benefit themselves. George Washington even used a planner, or what was considered a personal diary, from 1748-1799. He had multiple planners, but one was specifically dedicated to his work, weather, and events at Mount Vernon.
Like Washington, many CHS students use planners. A recent survey of CHS students garnered the following information: From the survey taken, 60% of Hornets say they use a planner, and of those 65% say that planners helped them to be more successful. Furthermore, the majority of the respondents say they organize their planners either by days of the week or by the subjects they take. This is a common and smart way for countless people to use their planners. Although experts agree that a paper planner that you manually write information in is superior to a digital planner, all say that having any kind of planner is better than no planner at all.
Changes at CHS
By Leah Lourenco
As we move into the 2021-2022 school year, Chillicothe High School is facing several new changes in the student body, staff, and clubs. The CHS Student Council is one club that has not only had a new staff sponsor, but also a new administration take office. Mrs. Lisa Rule is the new staff sponsor. The officers are Emmett Young (President), Emmalee O’Dell (Vice President), Libby Washburn (Secretary), and Amanda Brade (Treasurer). The administration itself has already proven to be promising in terms of new opportunities and events. I conducted an interview with Mr. Emmett Young to get the scoop regarding the future outlook for CHS Student Council.
Mr. Young saw being Student Council President as an opportunity to engage with and help the community. He saw what past administrations had made possible and decided that he wanted to contribute to that legacy. That was his motivation to become the next Student Council President. He made his premiere at Freshman Orientation with a speech (and several dances). In his speech, he made it clear that his goals surround the idea of highlighting existing and bringing more fun to CHS.
The StuCo administration intends to introduce some new opportunities for student involvement in the coming year. They already have several projects lined up. One of the projects that they are currently working on is a Halloween dance. Costumes required! The dance is projected to happen sometime during late October. This is only one of many events that the student body can look forward to.
As vaccine rates increase and the pandemic becomes less of a concern, the general hope is that student involvement will once again increase. Mr. Young is also hopeful. He noted that the football games and pep rallies have already been incredibly successful, and it seems that CHS is destined to return to a year full of participation. The administration is also making an effort to reward the students for getting involved. The Spirit Squad committee is a brand new committee dedicated to these efforts. They aim to make all events, sporting and otherwise, full of Hornet Pride. A new way for students to rack up class points has already been implemented. At many school-sponsored events, there will be a QR code that students can scan in order to gain points for their class. This promises to make events and class competitions more exciting than ever.
It seems that this year is going to be full of exciting, Student-Council-sponsored, events, new and returning, which all of the student body should be looking forward to. Remember that there is no better way to make friends (and see your face in the yearbook) than to go out, participate, and earn your class some points!
New Year New Room
By Kadence Shipers
As we have begun a new school year at CHS, you may have noticed many changes within the school. The most significant change would be the addition of a room in between Mrs. Rule’s and Mrs. Forbes’s classroom. This room happens to be the new student conference room.
Although the student conference room sounds like it is just for meetings, it can also be used as a place to film videos, work on projects, read, or just as a quiet study place. The room is open to all students as long as a teacher knows your whereabouts. Students may use the student conference room from 7:30 AM until 4:00 PM, allowing you a quiet work environment before, during, and after school.
This new addition was sponsored by the Virgina Wall Foundation, an organization that honors that long-time English teacher. Every year the Virgina Wall Foundation provides funds to the English department and library in order to improve them for the next school year. This year, the library used the funds to refurbish the environment by adding a quote to the wall and using pillar wraps to disguise them as books. The remaining funds were used to create a study room for the students. It was decided that the school needed a student conference room because the teacher conference room is neither student friendly nor supervised. With that being said, some teachers at CHS came together to hatch their plans.
This summer, the English department met for lunch and discussed the plans for the student conference room. They picked out paint colors for the walls and ordered furniture to ensure a comfortable learning/study environment for the students. The teachers made sure to include resources that many students may need such as pencils, pens, whiteboards, and paper. Not only did they pick out the colors or order the furniture, but they also painted the room themselves.
The new student conference room allows students an open door to success, and we could not have done it without the contributions of the Virginal Wall Foundation.
Who's New at School?
By Juliann Gabrielson
Starting the school year, you might have noticed new faces in the halls. Six new teachers have been added to the CHS staff this year. In hopes of helping the students get to know the new teachers a bit better, Chilli Chatter interviewed each teacher to give students an inside look at what they love about CHS and a helpful tip from the teachers themselves.
Bekah Anderson, a Chillicothe native, began her first full year of teaching, formerly teaching part-time at Bishop Hogan. After graduating from Trenton, North Central Western, and Missouri State Western University, Ms. Anderson is CHS' newest art teacher. Teaching art to all grades she is very excited for the opportunities that CHS offers and the ability to help her students, of all personalities, succeed. Ms. Anderson offers her motto “Treat others the way you want to be treated” as a helpful tip for students in her class.
A second Chillicothe native is third-year teacher Carly Carey. Previously teaching at the elementary school, Mrs. Carey is now teaching English to freshmen and is excited for opportunities to teach higher-level English. Along with a baby on the way, Mrs. Carey and her husband have a two-year-old son named brooks. So far Mrs. Carey’s favorite thing about CHS is all the kids and people she gets the honor of working with each day. Mrs. Carey hopes that students know the expectations for her class are very high.
A new addition to the CHS science department is Zebadiah Yoko. Mr. Yoko teaches freshman and sophomores and enjoys having his personal stock room this year. Originally from Dubuque, Iowa, Mr. Yoko came to Missouri to attend Truman state and then received his Master's degree in North Dakota. Mr. Yoko tells Chilli Chatter that the community and staff of CHS are his favorite part of the school so far. Wanting his students to succeed, Mr. Yoko gives this piece of advice “If you do your work, you will do well”.
Joining Mr. Yoko in the science department is Kerrigan Calvert, who was also a graduate of CHS. Following high school, Mrs. Calvert went to Missouri Western. She then received her Master’s degree from WGU and has now returned to Chillicothe to begin her third year of teaching. Mrs. Calvert has two siblings at the high school and is very excited to watch them grow throughout the year. Her favorite thing about CHS so far is the teamwork between teachers and the open space in her classroom. Something students should know about Mrs. Calvert is she is very laid back as long as students follow the rules.
In D-wing, Traci Norris joined the math department to begin her thirteenth year of teaching. As a graduate from North Central Missouri College (Associate's), Northwest Missouri State University (Bachelor's), and both William Woods University and Emporia State University (Master's) Mrs. Norris is the instructor for college algebra, calculus, and algebra 1. Along with several other new teachers, Mrs. Norris was raised in Chillicothe and had some of the teachers we had. A priority to Mrs. Norris is her family: a 12-year-old son named Brody, a 9-year-old daughter named Blair, and 14 years of marriage to her husband Josh. Some advice from Mrs. Norris “I'm "tough" with high expectations, BUT all students will be treated the same and I will do everything to help you. Put in the work and you will be completely fine and well prepared for where life takes you next.”
The final, most experienced, addition to the CHS staff is Connie Nieman, teacher of 40 years. Mrs. Nieman is now teaching foods to upperclassmen and is very excited to give the same excitement to students about food and cooking. Along with the space of her new classroom, Mrs. Nieman compliments the kindness and generosity of the students and faculty as well as their eagerness to help others. Although originally from Gilman City, Mo, Mrs. Nieman now lives with her husband on a farm and has a daughter and a granddaughter. One thing students should know when taking Mrs. Nieman’s class is that she genuinely cares about her students.
Next time you see a new teacher in the halls be sure to welcome them to CHS.