2024-25 High School Confidential: Week 21

Yahoo

13-03-2025

Mar. 13—Welcome to Year 9 of High School Confidential, powered by Danville Area Community College. It's an award-winning project made possible by aspiring student journalists from every corner of our circulation area. Each Thursday through April, they'll tell us what's happening in their hallways at .
At least once a week, we'll also hand over our Snapchat account (News-Gazette) to our correspondents for behind-the-scenes tours.
Feedback? Email N-G/VP Jim Rossow at .
On to this week's report ...
To celebrate director of operations Deborah Bodony's birthday, students and faculty surprised her with a party during lunch on Friday. The school decorated the cafeteria and enjoyed cake. Also, Academy's rock band is finalizing the set list for the upcoming show in May.
A total of 21 new members were inducted into National Honor Society.There are 47 members in this prestigious group who exemplify the four pillars of the National Honor Society: scholarship, leadership, service and character. During the ceremony, Danny Powell gave an inspirational speech on the importance of character, telling students and those in attendance that "you're never too big to do the small things, and never too small to do the big things." Junior Summer Melton, one of the inductees, expressed her excitement about being a part of the group and her commitment to leading by example and the significance of academic focus. Pictured: officers Emmalee Nall, Maggie Benedict, Sara Herschberger, Mackenzie Condill and Karaline Vanausdoll.
Last Tuesday, guest speaker Michael Deleon shared his story with middle and high school students. Deleon has spoken in all 50 states, and has made it his life's mission to change kids' lives by directing them away from substance abuse.
The Scholastic Bowl team won first place in the county tournament. This year's team included Lucy Jett, Lindze Parker, Alex Luttrell, Leo Vera, Riker Huffman, Kaemyn Brown and Michael Wease and was coached by James Hasty and Hilary Mathis. In addition, Wease answered the most toss-up questions during the tournament and received the All-County honors.
Andrew Pierce was congratulated by the school for going to state in the Special Olympics, playing Basketball for the TNT Firecrackers. Proud students and staff lined up at the entrance to cheer him on his way. Students sat in on Gov. J.B. Pritzker's press conference on phone bans in classrooms. Congratulations to Karelyn Parada Ortiz, a ninth-grader, for winning honorable mention this year in the ITBE essay contest. She wrote her comparison essay on Christmas in the U.S. versus El Salvador for Brandy Barter-Storm's ESL 3 class. She received an official certificate and a check for $25.
Last Thursday, students faced off against staff in the fifth annual Student vs. Staff basketball game. Every year the staff picks a theme for their team. This year's was a '90s Sitcoms theme. Each staff member had their favorite character from a '90s sitcom on their T-shirts. It was Staff vs. Junior High in one gym and Juniors and Seniors vs. Sophomores and Freshman in the other, with Juniors and Seniors winning a close game. In the game pitting high school students vs. staff, coach Eli Brunner's high school team fell short, 49-48. Proceeds will go to local food pantries.
The girls' basketball team made history, reaching the Final Four after defeating Decatur St. Teresa in the super-sectionals. The team left for Bloomington-Normal last Wednesday after a sendoff from the school, firetrucks leading them out of town. After losing to Carrollton on Thursday, the Timberwoives bounced back with a win against St. Edward for third place on Friday. The team was welcomed home by fans and a paraded around town with fire trucks leading the way. Then they headed back to school for food and fun conversations.
On Friday, National Honor Society hosted a student-run Trivia Night for family, friends and staff. They sold baked goods made by students and other snacks at their concession stands. As a mini prize, they did a 50/50 raffle ticket fundraiser. The winner of the raffle ticket, Richard Koss, decided to donate his winnings back to the NHS and received a shirt as a sign of gratitude. Congratulations to the Social Studies Department team for winning the event. Pictured (courtesy Katie Zionic): the Social Studies Department team, and event committee chairwoman Nadia Gamble and Rylee Jack.
On Friday, the Drama Department had play practice until 8 p.m. Since practice ended so late, students were provided Monical's pizza and snacks like Twinkies and Slim Jim's. They were able to run through the whole play — "The Little Mermaid" — and also started to incorporate props and set pieces into the scenes.
Eight students attended the annual Educators Rising Conference at Illinois State University, participating in breakout rooms and job-shadowing teachers: Addison Farmer, Jordan Kaeding, Sophia Ray, Maryn Berry, Lizzy Goodin, Caylen Embery, Allison Taylor and Matt Allen. Also, the boys' basketball team had a huge showout for its sectional title game against Leroy that ended with a tough loss.
The girls' basketball team traveled to Bloomington — Normal to attend the IHSA Class 1A semifinal games. The players had an unforgettable experience, enjoying the excitement of the games and bonding as a team throughout the trip.
On Friday, pep band took middle school members along with them to perform at a hockey game at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington. With around 35-40 performers, they put on a great performance as they played "The Star-Spangled Banner" before the game and pep tunes in between the first and second periods. Taylor Page, co-section leader of the low brass section, said her favorite part was "just spending time and having fun with my friends. it was a very exciting game and everyone was into it, so it was a fun experience."
FFA competed at District Proficiencies, sending seven students; Clare Wagner, Owen Pree, Drew Talbert, Beau Howe, Trenton Read, Ben Schleef and Chloe Wagner.Four students placed first: Chloe Wagner, Clare Wagner, Pree and Howe, who will now compete at state.
Last weekend, seniors held their annual senior sale, raising an impressive $7,000 to support their upcoming mission trip to Puerto Rico. Each year, these students dedicate countless hours to sort through donations and organizing a fantastic garage sale in the gym.
Four students who are Eagle Scouts earned prestigious ranking last week. Colin Dunafin (senior) built an informational board honoring the Gaultney brothers. The Gaultney brothers were three young men who died fighting in WWII. John O'Brien (senior) built six native bee houses at Weldon Springs to give a home for the native bees. Noah O'Brien (freshman) built a gaga ball pit at Gaultney Park. Brandon Webner (senior) built a shaded pavilion at Leroy's local dog park. This Eagle Scout project was named Project of the YUear for the Crossroads District.
It was a busy week in the kitchen, with Beth Totheroh's culinary and family and consumer science classes cooking. Students made pizza and pulled pork, and the FCS class made monkey bread. Pictured: Noah Brittenham, Brinlynn Gredy and Madyson Reeder adding the finishing touches to their monkey bread; Gage Mann after pulling his pizza out of the oven; and Mario Martinez preparing the dough to add his toppings to.
National Honor Society members attended induction night celebrating three new members. Current officers Alexis Burch (president) Carleigh Clifton (vice president), Sarah Thorman (secretary) and Caden Logan (treasurer) passed down their candles to honor the new members: Rachel Warman (next president), Sophie VonLanken (VP) and Jaycee Cleland (secretary). Pictured, left to right: (back row) Caden Logan, Carleigh Clifton, Alexis Burch, Eian Knoebel and Sarah Thorman; (front) Sophie VonLanken, Rachel Warman and Jaycee Cleland. Sponsor of NHS and photos taken by Sabrina Kile.
For Friday's annual Student vs. Staff basketball game, the school hired two IHSA referees and played four eight-minute quarters. The seniors beat the staff 65-53, which is the first time students have won since 2019. Everyone who participated had a fun time, along with the students and family members who came to watch.
Pep band performed at the girls' basketball state tournament semifinals at Illinois State. On Saturday, the boys' and girls' track teams competed at the Centennial Invite at the UI Armory.,
Health class had First Aid Week. Students learned from Jessica McMahon, an instructor for the American Heart Association and STM parent. Students learned various life-saving techniques such as the use of a EpiPen, how to use an AED, and CPR. All participating students also received their American Heart Association first aid certification.
Student council members were asked to help with the Salt Fork North Elementary's Spring Book Fair. Members walked to the elementary school Monday through Thursday to help kindergarten and first-grade students make wish lists and purchase books. After purchasing books the high schoolers were able to color and speak with the students. Pictured: Ella Cary and students pick out bookmarks to purchase. Left to right: Anna Mccollum, Taylor Remole, Kaitlyn Woodard, Belle Torbit and Hayden Enrich color with students.
The boys' basketball team broke several records on the way to its first regional title since 2003. It was a complete turnaround, their first winning season in over a decade. The win was especially meaningful to Peyton Kuemmerle, with this being a generational title to him.
"It is extremely special to me because my grandfather (Jerry) won a regional in 1958, my mom (Brooke) in 1998 and my uncle (Tyler) in 2003 — all for Schlarman — making us a third generational family winning a regional," he said Pictured: Tyler, Peyton and Jerry.
Sixth-grader Ralph Ritchey was chosen for special recognition for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency poster contest. This year's poster theme was "Stash Your Trash." The design for the poster promoted recycling, reusing and composting. A comparison example was given of what is positive and negative in our environment. Ritchey is a talented student who is actively involved in the science club (photo courtesy Pam Evans).
Scholastic Bowl practiced ahead of hosting a regional competition on Monday.
To celebrate Read Across America, Drama Club students Mya Picazo, Lanie Yantis, Katy Mills and 15 other members read to first-grade classes at North Ward Elementary last week. The first-graders enjoyed snacks while high schoolers gave lively readings of their favorite books.
The spring musical, "Jack and the Beanstalk," was enjoyed by the Uni community. Written by Tim Schirmer and Uni's own Chris Guyotte, the fun-filled musical retold the classic fairytale. Pictured: Grace Arend as the Hen, Justin Lewis as Big Guy and Maewyn Trujillo as Jack. Photos courtesy of Cecilia Calfas.
Agriculture students had a unique hands-on learning experience as they observed a sow giving birth and caring for her piglets. The sow farrowed 13 piglets on Feb. 27th. The following Monday, students in the veterinary science class participated in essential post-birth care, which included castration, ear notching, teeth-clipping and administering iron shots to ensure the piglets' health and growth. Currently, the piglets are nursing from their mother and staying warm under a heat lamp. They are growing quickly, and once they are weaned, students will take on the responsibility of raising them as part of an FFA project.
Students visited Southern Illinois University in Carbondale for college tours and lectures from current staff and students — an educational and eye-opening experience.
Brian Cordes celebrated the end of the school week by allowing students to make grilled cheese sandwiches during class. He brought all the materials, setting up his own restaurant right in his classroom. His fourth-hour yearbook students seemed to enjoy this opportunity the most, and used the whole class period to perfect their sandwiches. Pictured: Carly Eads and Lily Wyant.
The Watseka Park District's annual "Kiddie Carnival" was held at the high school once again and included face-painting, balloons, bounce houses and games. High school students from FFA, National Honor Society and Key Club came together to create a wonderful experience for the kids.
On March 3, student council held its annual blood drive with Impact Life. Special thanks to students and faculty members who donated. Photos courtesy Maggie Potter and Olivia Troglia.