Above: Performers Sarah Bertram, Mary Kate Schopp, and
Bobby Browning
A Look into the World of Speech
By Nicole Graham
Although the season recently ended, the 2009 PTHS Speech Team won’t be forgotten any time soon, much because of the hard work and raw talent of their captain, Bobby Browning. Bobby’s humorous interpretation of Romeo and Juliet warmed the hearts of audiences and judges all over Illinois, where he reigned supreme many times and earned himself a spot at regionals and eventually a place at the sectional tournament. Browning also placed first in "Wretched Inter," a pilot event, and our two student judges, Alexa Tarvid and Rachel Thomas, both received awards for their work. Says Browning, “I have worked hard, and it has paid off with the success I have experienced this year. I think I have really paved the way for my other speech team members.” Bobby’s triumphant path has indeed inspired other members of the team, including freshmen Sarah Bertram and Mary Kate Schopp who accompanied Bobby to the Tournament of Champions at ISU. So what’s next for the speech champion? Bobby plans on attending Bradley University to major in Communications next Fall, where he plans on being a part of their number one college speech team in the nation.
Below:
Student judges and their awards (Alexa Tarvid and Rachel Thomas)
New Teacher Update: Mrs. Smithson
By Heather Richardson
An eager and relatively new Mrs. Smithson is waiting patiently of the arrival of her and her husband’s first child. While she waits she gets up and goes to work like any other person. Only her job is pretty darn fun! Who wouldn’t want to be a P.E teacher? Playing sports and being outside sounds like an excellent way to spend everyday to me. Besides teaching Physical Education, Mrs. Smithson teaches Drivers Education and Health class, coaches JV softball, and is also the returning volleyball coach. Talk about a handful! Graduating in 2002 and growing up in Chenoa, Mrs. Smithson says she always knew she wanted to become a P.E. teacher. Most of her time is spent with her husband riding their bikes and just generally having a good time. “If I could tell my students one thing, enjoy high school, make the best of it, it goes by fast” She’s right, the school year is coming to an end and yet another class of seniors will be saying goodbye and another set of freshmen will be coming in. So remember what Mrs. Smithson said and let’s make the best of what’s left of the year.
CAPITOL FORUM: WHAT IS IT?
By Abby Ferguson
Many people want to know what Capitol Forum is, and that is exactly what is going to be cleared up. Capitol Forum is made up of thirty-five schools which have groups of student representatives congregate at Springfield from all over Illinois. Here from Pontiac, they are taking two teams made up of five people on each. These people include: Nick Cosgrove, Brady Trainor, Tim Thomas, Nick Lane, Chris Fairall, David Kuta, Shianne Poshard, Brianna Gill, Sarah Davis, and Rachel Priest.
Once at Springfield, they all make their way into groups that talk about a topic on which the students have developed expertise. Some of these topics include: environment, economy, immigration, genocide, human right, and nuclear proliferation. Not only will they be talking about the topics that our country needs to enforce or change, they also get the opportunity to relate thoughts and beliefs to a political expert from Springfield.
On the second day at the Capitol Building, the students get to talk about the options of how they are going to change the world and what their future might hold for us in trying to make a better economy. Not only will these students learn more and expand their thinking, but they will also get to meet a lot of other people from Illinois who know and understand exactly what they’re talking about! Thanks to Mr. Bohm, Mr. Treadway, and the two teams representing PTHS and the people of Pontiac at Capitol Forum.
FFA Update
Above: Members Courtney Gallagher and Lauren Pagel during Casmir Pulaski Day FFA ski trip.
By Megan Frizzell
How do they do it? That is one of the most commonly asked questions to the Pontiac FFA chapter. From hosting contests like the Proficiency Awards to holding auctions that always turn out amazing crowds, the Pontiac FFA chapter is one of the busiest groups at our high school. In the last month, the Pontiac chapter held the annual auction and as expected the auction turned out great results with tasty food and a great deal of items. The Chapter also hosted the Section Proficiency Awards with a total of eleven members from Pontiac winning first places. These students are planning on advancing to the district level and will surely do great. If people really look hard at the Pontiac FFA chapter, they could see how the success is due to more than just a few people. Because of the very involved community, faithful teachers, and the students that have dedicated so much of their time, the Pontiac FFA chapter is, as always, very successful.
PTHS presents the “Pops” Concert
By Seth Brown
On Thursday, February 26th, 2009, The Pontiac Township High School’s band department presented the annual “Pops” concert. Within this concert, the Percussion Ensemble, Concert Band, Jazz Band, Symphonic Band, and combined bands all played selections to fit the concert’s name. The Jazz Band hit it off with the songs “In the Mood” and “Baby it’s Cold Outside.” The Concert Band then took over the concert with songs representing Illinois. Once the Concert Band was done, the Percussion Ensemble played their song, “Sketches of the Orient.” Next came the Symphonic Band, playing a song that within it contained various Mary Poppins songs; also, the band played “To Heal a Nation,” written for Lincoln’s birthday, and containing “The Gettysburg Address” which was read by Mr. Todd Cheek. Last, but definitely not least, all of the bands combined and played several pep band songs to end the concert with a bang. Thanks to all who came, and we hope to see you at the Western Illinois University Wind Ensemble Concert on Thursday, April 2nd.
5th Annual Corn Belt Conference
Art Show
The 5th Annual Corn Belt Conference Art Show was held March 5 at Central Catholic. About 40 Advanced Art students from Pontiac went to see the show and listen to the guest speaker, Herb Eaton. Mr. Eaton is a Bloomington artist with a gallery in downtown Bloomington. It was an excellent experience for the students to see what kind of artwork other students were doing and to share ideas about what they saw. There were awards in seven categories. Receiving awards from Pontiac were:Jessica Schoon, 2nd in PhotographyRhys Meiner, 2nd in Computer photo/graphics
Dionna Burgess, 3rd in Ceramics
Literary Society
By Karame Schoon
Are you a high school student? Do you like to write? Would you like to possibly win a prize for your writings? If you answered yes to all three of these questions, then do I have some news for you! Pontiac Township High School's own Literary Society will yet again be hosting their short story contest. Every year the Society holds this contest and awards prizes to the top stories. Members of the Literary Society will be reading the entries and judging them. Now, remember this is a short story contest. This means that you shouldn't have a 103-page story, and neither should you have a one paragraph story. The genres of the stories can range from adventure and sci-fi all the way to comedy. All Pontiac Township High School students are allowed to enter. If you have any more questions on the contest talk to Mrs. Pearl Witte, the teacher in charge of this whole event.
PTHS’s Got Talent!
By Lindsay Friedman
The annual PTHS Talent Show is showing some promising acts this year, having over twenty-eight participant groups signed up! The talent show is not just a showcase for the talent of Pontiac Township High School; it is also a local fundraiser for the community. Over the years that C.A.P.T.A.I.N.S. has hosted the show, the admission fee and the donated canned food have been distributed to charities such as the Salvation Army, SIDS, and our Pontiac Fire Department. This year, however, all proceeds will go to the United Way. The message that the C.A.P.T.A.I.N.S. program is trying to get across to the students of PTHS is that they can have fun and a good time without the use of drugs or alcohol. Mrs. Christie Lauritzen stated that the program likes to give back to the community by providing entertainment and service projects. This Talent Show does exactly that. As far as the judging goes, the C.A.P.T.A.I.N.S. board members are in charge of asking teachers to be the panel of judges. Each type of act is judged on different criteria, in order to even the playing field for different variations of talent. So far, there are multiple bands, skits, singers, dancers, and many more displays of talent signed up for the 2009 Talent Show. Be sure to be a witness to all that PTHS has to offer on Saturday, March 14th!
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UPPERCLASS ACTS
Abby Smith
NICKNAMES: Abs, Shabby, A Rae
ROLE MODELS: My mom
ACTIVITIES @ PTHS: Softball
FONDEST MEMORY OF HIGH SCHOOL SO FAR: When my friend Katelyn did a cartwheel in the hall and ripped her pants.
3 MAJOR AREAS OF INTEREST: Friends, family, sports
PLANS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL: Play softball at Heartland, go to a university, and become a CPA.
FAVORITE MOVIE: Ever After
MOST INSPIRATIONAL SONG: “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”
FAVORITE TEACHER/CLASS: Mr. Sweetwood
FAVORITE BOOK/AUTHOR: Multiple Blessings by Jon & Kate Gosselin
MOST POSITIVE MOMENT: When I was the first softball player at PTHS to make All-State.
PET PEEVES: Chewing with your mouth open, making distracting noises.
WHAT MY FRIENDS WILL REMEMBER ABOUT ME: I love to make people laugh.
HOW WOULD YOU SPEND $1,000,000? Pay off everything for my parents, invest it, and move to a beach house in Florida.
IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND, WHAT 3 ITEMS WOULD YOU WANT WITH YOU? A cell phone with service, my dog, a pillow.
LAST WORDS OF ADVICE: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
Tiffany Seal
NICKNAMES: Tiff, Scruff, Hollywood
ROLE MODELS: My mom and dad
ACTIVITIES @ PTHS: Z-Club, HOSA
FONDEST MEMORY OF HIGH SCHOOL SO FAR: HOSA trips to different places.
3 MAJOR AREAS OF INTEREST: Education, nursing, and business
PLANS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL: Attend Capital Area School of Practical Nursing
FAVORITE MOVIE: Where the Heart Is
MOST INSPIRATIONAL SONG: “I Hope You Dance” by Martina McBride
FAVORITE TEACHER/CLASS: Ms. Graves and Ms. Hatfield
FAVORITE AUTHOR: Mitch Albom
MOST POSITIVE MOMENT: The day my dad adopted me.
PET PEEVES: When people sleep with their socks on.
WHAT MY FRIENDS WILL REMEMBER ABOUT ME: My personality and laugh.
HOW WOULD YOU SPEND $1,000,000? Buy a house, pay for college, give some to my family, and save.
IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND, WHAT 3 ITEMS WOULD YOU WANT WITH YOU? Cell phone, chapstick, and Mountain Dew
LAST WORDS OF ADVICE: Be yourself and don’t ever forget where you came from or how you were raised. No one can change that.
Student Survey:
What would you like to find at the end of your rainbow?
A car – Rebecca Kolveit
My college tuition – Joe Kennedy
Channing Tatum – Stormy Almanza
Josh Harnett – Kaitlin Anderson
Skittles – Jake Heller
A new puppy – Alex DeMattia
A Gibson Flying V guitar – Brandon Parmely
Immortality- Josey Studley
100 billion dollars – Luke Telford
A sign that says “No Track Practice” – Marcus Fultz
Ben Affleck – Kailey Fritz
A Chinese buffet – Marissa Brown
Happiness – Mason Elias
A leprechaun – Abby Ferguson
A pot of gold – Megan Schmoeger
Love- Alex Preger
January and February Student of the Month winners.
CLICK HERE TO SEE TO SEE STUDENTS WHO HAVE GONE ABOVE AND BEYOND TO MAKE PTHS A BETTER PLACE!
Film Review
Appaloosa
By Ryan Olson
In the years to come, this movie will stand as a great Western classic. The plot is set in the small western town of Appaloosa, where rancher Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons) is terrorizing the local citizens. The town is forced to hire gunmen Virgil Cole (Ed Harris) and Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen) who are given the power to do what it takes to remove Bragg and his men. Things are complicated when Allison French (Renee Zellweger) drifts into town and gets emotions mixed up in the conflict. The acting is strong all around except for Zellweger who doesn’t belong in this movie. The strongest performance is from Mortensen who plays a difficult part. Ed Harris, who directed the film, cast himself very well and gives the movie a very somber feel. The script was witty and realistic. Instead of long shootouts behind rain barrels, they happen with a quick realism. After one shootout, Everett quoted, “That was quick.” Replies Virgil, “They all could shoot.” The movie had subtle details; one such was that after every firefight they immediately reloaded their guns. Things like this made the movie very down to earth and realistic with a blunt honesty which almost gave it a sense of humor. Although rated R for language and violence, it did not have much of either, so while the film may not be best suited for younger children, it can be enjoyed by the rest of the family. Out of 5 stars this gets four and a half.
Official Movie Site: http://www.welcometoappaloosa.com
A Colorless Love
By Marcus Fultz
What is love?
emotions? thoughts of others? A feeling through midnight to summer?
It must be all of the above, but let me consider it as a color.
But wait, this is only my theory, so feel free
to disagree with me if you choose.
Having love is being happy and content through your times of Blues.
Ups and downs, we will go through.
But don’t let my intentions hurt you.
I care for you so hard even when frustration makes me purple.
Baby you are Beautiful, even if all colors were neutral.
I love you with all colors.
And yet I love you with no colors.
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PONTIAC
PRISON!
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Seth Brown
Abbey Ferguson
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Megan Frizzell
Nicole Graham
Ryan Olsen
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Karame Schoon
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