The Chief Online OCTOBER 2011

On Wednesday, October 28, the PTHS student body collected into the auditorium to meet and greet former NBA and Illini basketball player and current ESPN commentator Stephen Bardo. Our very own Coach Brunner, friends with Mr. Bardo since the late 1980’s when he managed the Illini team Bardo played for, was able to arrange this exceptional speaker for all the students. During his presentation, Bardo spoke of working hard to achieve one’s dream, citing the poster of basketball star “Dr. J” that hung on his childhood bedroom wall, his idol’s face covered with a picture of his own, helping him to visualize his dream of becoming a professional basketball player. Bardo also took questions from the audience and reminisced about his college and professional

basketball playing days. Afterwards, he met with students, signed autographs, and promoted his book, How to Make the League Without Picking Up the Rock: The Ultimate Teenage Success Guide.

Bardo Visits PTHS!

Inside this issue:

Peers in Action

Friendship Walk October 22

“Spread the Word to End the Word”

Peer Partners

See Ms. Baumgardner for details!

Peers in Action

By Chloe Boden Peers in Action is one of the most rewarding activities that PTHS has to offer. It is a club that plans outings with the special education

students in the Life Skills classes. Some typical outings are pizza parties, going to the movies, and attending sporting events. There are also events that members of Peers go to such as The Buddy Walk for Down Syndrome and The Friendship Walk which is in memory of Sam Sartoris. The Friendship

Walk will be held on the 22nd of October. In addition to the Friendship Walk, the hayrack ride will be held this month on October 9th. Peers-in-Action is not all about the events, however. Last year the club was also committed to spreading awareness about an important issue. "Spread the Word to End the Word" is the commitment not to use the word "retarded" which is derogatory, offensive, and degrading to people with mental challenges. Last year, in an attempt to bring light to this problem, members of

Peers in Action educated the student body about the issue and also gave students the option to pledge not to say the word. Peers in Action also includes "Peer Partners" which is a branch of the club where students take one study hall per week and spend time helping out in the Life Skills classes. In my opinion, that is one of the best parts about Peers in Action. It is such a special opportunity to see how much all the students improve and how they eventually open up. SEE PEERS / PAGE 9

Tey are some of

the sweetest and most

accepting people I

have ever met, and

1

Mr. Durbin 2

Officer Wittenberg

3

Movie Review 4

Upperclass Acts 5

Student

Teachers

6

PTHS

Cheerleaders

7

Ask Smitty! 9

PLUS - STUDENTS IN ACTION PHOTOS!

P O N T I A C T O W N S H I P H I G H S C H O O L

By Mark Panno Every new school year brings new faces to Pontiac. Most are students, but some are teachers. The 2011-2012 school year has a new face in the Chorus Department. Mr. Joseph Durbin is the new Director of Choirs and has the skills and experience needed to lead a successful choir. Mr. Durbin earned a bachelor’s degree from Indiana State University and a master’s degree

New Teacher Report: Mr. Durbin

from University of Iowa. Mr. Durbin was in Chorus all through high school and at Indiana State University; in addition, he has been in a barber shop quartet throughout his adult life.

“Students are talented and more importantly, hardworking”, says Mr. Durbin, giving positive feedback about PTHS so far. He describes his first couple of months here as, “Fantastic.” Mr. Durbin not only likes the

students, he has another favorite part about PTHS: “I really enjoy the salad bar at lunch.” Mr. Durbin looks forward to his future days at PTHS and in life. He is getting married October 29 and is anxiously awaiting the event. For the future of Chorus, Mr. Durbin wants to “continue to help students create quality music and continue to work to provide quality musical experiences and opportunities.”

By Jordan Johns The Pontiac FFA Chapter has been very busy so far this fall! Students who participated in the Thresherman’s activities worked in Rusty’s Drive-In or educated petting zoo visitors about the chicks, rabbits, calf, piglets, and goats that were exhibited. All of the 70 members who attended the September Chapter Meeting enjoyed planning for upcoming events, eating pork chops, and playing softball. Section 9’s Leadership Training Conference was held at Heartland Community College on September 27. Pontiac FFA is very proud to support two Section 9 Officers this year: Vice President Courtney Gallagher and Reporter Mitch Miller. The Section 9 Officer team taught Pontiac

FFA Update 2011

greenhands and seven officer team members leadership skills along with ideas about Chapter activities. The University of Illinois Greenhand Conference welcomed 43 Pontiac FFA members on September 28. The Land Use Team competed in their Section contest and placed 6

th on

September 29. On October 4, the Dairy Judging Team headed up to Wisconsin to attend the 2011 World Dairy Expo in Madison. Upcoming FFA activities include agronomy, food science, and public speaking. The October Chapter meeting will be held at Courtney Gallagher’s house on

October 12 for a cookout. The highly anticipated Paintball Trip is November 12. Mr. Bane, Mr. Faber, and a group of Pontiac FFA members are looking forward to attending the career fair with over 1,300 agricultural businesses and universities, hearing from motivational speakers, and attending the Blake Shelton, Little Big Town, and Steel Magnolia concert at National FFA Convention on October 18-21 in Indianapolis!

FFA WEBSITE CLICK HERE

By Taylor Aruajo Hola students! Want to learn more Spanish, make new friends, and go on trips? Spanish Club offers all of those things to you. You just have to take the first step of joining by

Spanish Club

seeing Senor Flowers. Spanish Club isn't just for people taking Spanish classes, so if you are interested I highly recommend going to a meeting and just checking it out! They take alot of

fun trips like going to Six Flags or going to Chicago to ice skate. Thinking of joining? See Mr. Flowers or a Spanish Club member today!

2

Officer Wittenberg Interview

By Cassidy Murphy

As you walk down the PTHS hallways, you may see a familiar face when going to class. Officer Wittenberg, the resource officer at PTHS, can be found in the hallways during passing time, at lunch, and in his office. This year is Officer Wittenberg’s 24

th year as a

police officer in Pontiac. Before coming to Pontiac he wasn’t sure what his future career would be. He tried working in an auto shop and a steel factory before joining the Army. During his years in the Army, he spent three years as a police officer and later in the National Guard. When asked what he likes best about his job, he said he enjoys working with and being around young people. He added, however, that you have to have the patience and understanding to be a resource officer. When Officer Wittenberg has free time, he enjoys riding his Harley, scuba diving, and woodworking in his shop. Another favorite is spending time with his two grandchildren. Welcome to another great year, Officer Wittenberg!

Meet Interim Superintendent Davis

When he moved to Pontiac he worked as a teacher and coach for the LACC area at PTHS. He went to work at Caterpillar for eight years and decided to go back to teaching. Mr. Davis landed jobs as a principal in Assumption, Illinois, first, and then in Rushville, Illinois. He then returned to LACC as the director before becoming the Superintendent of Cornell Grade School District. Retiring for a year, he came back into working as an interim Superintendent at Odell Grade School before starting here in Pontiac again this year. Superintendent Davis is very proud to have had all three of his children graduate from Pontiac Township High school. He has also enjoyed working both as a teacher and an administrator on the PTHS staff. He doesn’t feel there is anything to be improved upon at the moment but that we have no problem doing so with all the great new additions every year. Being new, it’s hard to have too many expectations of the students, but his main goal is for the student body to realize their potential and take advantage of

By Jessica Ping Pontiac Township High School is in a unique situation this year with having two superintendents: Mr. Leo Johnson and Mr. Jim Davis. Mr. Davis has only been with our district for a little while. He originated from Glen Ellyn and graduated from Glenbard High School, though now he and his wife consider Pontiac their home. He currently holds a Bachelors Degree in Industrial Technology Education from Western Illinois University, a Masters Degree in Industrial Technology from Illinois State University, and a Certificate of Adv. from the University of Illinois. Superintendent Davis chose the field of education for many reasons. One reason is throughout his elementary, middle school, high school, and college years, his teachers had a very positive impact on him. Also, he loves working with the teachers and students. Mr. Davis has had lots of prior experience in the education field. He started off as a teacher and coach at Heyworth High School.

what our school offers. His advice to the students is the same advice he gave his own children: “Get involved with the school and don’t be afraid to try new things. The more you try the easier it is to learn about yourself and the easier it is to make choices about life. “ Mr. Davis’s favorite thing about being a superintendent is seeing students make progress. He says, “It comes in many shapes and sizes, and many different ways, but it is very rewarding.” Throughout all of his years of teaching, his proudest moment was when the Cornell district was facing many issues that almost caused it to consolidate. It worked out for the best once everyone helped out to keep the respectable program up and running. Superintendent Davis is a very hardworking man who has a good background of educational experiences. We should consider ourselves fortunate to have Mr. Davis as one of our interim superintendent for our district.

TAKE THE NEW SUPERINTENDENT SURVEY HERE

3

By Dena Boatman Oluu, an alien, has to follow six simple rules when she stays on Earth:

1. Tell no one... Do not reveal your true identity..you do so only at the gravest risk.

2. Wait and watch.

3. The dangerous tools of each planet are catalogued. Be sure to learn them well.

4. Send a message every night, stating your condition and whereabouts.

5. Do not under any circumstances form an attachment to the subject matter.

6. Respect life on other planets, no

Book Review: The Rudest Alien on Earth by Jane Leslie Conly

matter how primitive. Never destroy it arbitrarily. But what will happen when she breaks every single one of these?

Oluu comes to earth in the form of a collie dog, in ten-year-old Molly Harkin’s yard. Molly is very excited to find the dog, and starts taking care of it. She’s in for a surprise though, when she says, “good dog,” and the dog says it back to her. Molly finds out Oluu is just learning English, and every day after school, she teaches her more and more. She soon finds out the dog isn’t just smart, she’s a genius!

This book is a really good one to read, especially if you don’t like books with a lot of pages that still has a lot of things happening in it. It starts of a little slow, so you shouldn’t just put it down after a few pages because it does get really interesting. It’s a really good book and one of my favorites!

Photo copyrighted by Sony

Movie Review: Moneyball

By Vince Murphy

Moneyball is one of those movies that get you questioning. It questions if a team can win against all odds. But it’s more than watching players on a team; it’s about how to put a winning team together. Winning is exactly what had been eluding Billy Bean (Brad Pitt) since his high school baseball career. It also

eluded him through his second-rate professional baseball career. During the movie, his current challenge is as the general manager of the Oakland Athletics. He needs to find a way to win with a team that has one of the lowest cap salaries in the game. Billy’s A’s begin the movie with a crushing playoff lost to the New York Yankees. Worse than that, their top three players are offered absurdly large contracts to play for another team. SEE MONEYBALL / PAGE 8

By Taylor Aruajo Band is gearing up by preparing to perform at their last two competitions held at U of I and ISU. Their goal for this year’s show, "Blessings Flow", is to place first in their class and

PTHS Music Department Update hopefully “overall” at U of I.

This is the first year Band will be performing at ISU in a long time, so they are a little skeptical on what to expect, but they carry the confidence that they will succeed! As for Chorus, Mr. Durbin is working hard to prepare them for their upcoming concert! If you

attended the last home football game you may have heard them sing the national anthem. Be sure to support these hard working musicians in their upcoming performances!

Click HERE for the Music Department’s website.

4

Upperclass Acts October 2011

Caila Smith

NICKNAMES: Cay, CayCay, Canitts, Coach Caymes 3 MAJOR AREAS OF INTEREST: Swimming, friends, & family PLANS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL: Go to college and pursue a journalism or sports medicine major. FAVORITE MOVIE: Harold & Kumar 2: Escape From Guantanamo Bay INSPIRATIONAL SONG: “God Gave Me You” by Blake Shelton FAVORITE TEACHER: Mr. Nollen FAVORITE AUTHOR/BOOK: The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch MOST POSITIVE MOMENT: Any memories I’ve had with the great friends I’ve made in high school. PET PEEVES: Liars and smart cars. WHAT MY FRIENDS WILL REMEMBER ABOUT ME: Probably how obnoxious I am, or my ability to turn anything into something funny. HOW WOULD YOU SPEND $1,000,000? Pay for my college and some to charity. Then the rest towards a husky to be named Balto. IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND, WHAT 3 ITEMS WOULD YOU WANT WITH YOU? Smoke signal supplies, my friends, and Arizona Iced Tea. CONTINUES TO PAGE 6

Isabelle Huxtable

NICKNAMES: Belle, Belley ROLE MODELS: My mom 3 MAJOR AREAS OF INTEREST: Large animal veterinary medicine, EMT/EMS, cardiology PLANS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL: Go to JJC for pre-vet training – then attend U of I for vet school while also getting my paramedic license. FAVORITE MOVIE: Sweeney Todd INSPIRATIONAL SONG: “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” FAVORITE TEACHER: Mrs. Rodino FAVORITE BOOKS: The Pretty Little Liar series MOST POSITIVE MOMENTS: Winning 1

st at Washington

Band Competition 3 years running! PET PEEVES: People walking slow in the halls. WHAT MY FRIENDS WILL REMEMBER ABOUT ME: How loud and outgoing I am. HOW WOULD YOU SPEND $1,000,000? I would use $60K towards finding he cure for cancer. And the rest on material things. IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND, WHAT 3 ITEMS WOULD YOU WANT WITH YOU? A boat, gas for the boat, and food. CONTINUES TO PAGE 6

CAILA’S LAST WORDS OF ADVICE: “In high school and in life you’re going to run into people who are going to hurt you. Don’t be bitter. Forgive. People can change, everyone deserves a second chance. You might be called a pushover, but who are you without the ones you love?”

BELLE’S LAST WORDS OF ADVICE: “When people say high school goes by fast, believe them. High school really does go by so fast you don’t even realize the time is one. Don’t take high school for granted, and do all you can in your 4 years!”

The Student Teachers of PTHS By Charles Spencer Here at Pontiac Township High school we are privileged to have several student teachers helping out with our veteran educators while they learn all about what it is to encourage learning for high school students. The student teacher internship lasts four months, with the majority of student teachers having their last day on December 1

st. Here is a list

of three student instructors currently serving their internships here at PTHS.

Mrs. Derossett

College education: Illinois State University

Majored in: Literature

Favorite sport: Volleyball and track

Favorite food: anything chocolate

Words of advice: "Follow your dreams"

*currently teaches Literature classes in Mr. Soares's room

Mr. Kurber

College education at: Illinois State University

Majored in: Literature and writing

Favorite sport: basketball

Favorite food: craisins

Words of advice: "Anything is possible"

*currently teaches Literature classes in Mrs. Jones’s class

Mr. Ackers

College education at: Illinois State University

Majored in: History/ social science

Favorite sport: Baseball/football

Favorite food: cheesecake

*currently teaches history classes in Mrs. Bozarth's classroom.

Want to win $10,000? Write an original and creative essay of less than 1,000 words that demonstrates an understanding of political courage as described by

John F. Kennedy in Profiles of Courage.

For complete guidelines, visit the Profiles in Courage Award at HERE

or see a PTHS English teacher near you.

Look for the print version

of The Chief in

The Pontiac Daily Leader

Support the First Amendment

and Win $1,000 Click HERE for Details!

Read Archived Issues of

The Chief Online

HERE

DO YOU LIKE WRITING? WANT TO BE A REPORTER? DO YOU LIKE SEEING YOUR

NAME IN PRINT IN THE CHIEF AND THE DAILY LEADER?

IF YOU SAID YES TO ANY OF THE ABOVE QUESTIONS, APPLY TO BE A REPORTER FOR

THE CHIEF! APPLY HERE

6

PTHS CHEERLEADERS

7

By Haleigh Gill “Taking the title, we aim to win.” For the 2011-2012 basketball cheerleaders, this phrase is already etched into their brains. They have already begun to prepare for ICCA and IHSA cheerleading competitions which start the first week of December. Cheerleaders spend their weekends in the winter cheering late at Friday night basketball games and oftentimes waking up before the sun rises to catch a bus to their competition on a Saturday morning. The ultimate goals at the competitions are not only to have fun and place well, but also to perform well enough to earn a state qualifying score, and later attend the ICCA and/or IHSA state cheerleading competition(s) in February 2012. In 2008, Pontiac Township High School hosted its first cheerleading competition. It has continuously proved to remain a big success every year. This year Pontiac Township High School welcomes Junior Varsity and Varsity squads of all sizes, as well as all fans to support the Pontiac Township High School competitive cheerleading squads on December 17

th. Remember to wear orange and

blue!

Besides competing, cheerleaders cheer on the basketball players in the winter and the football players in the fall. They have many camps in the summer and begin practicing in early August for the upcoming football season. During homecoming week, cheerleaders perform at the pep assembly and walk in the parade. Each year during the football and basketball seasons, the cheerleaders invite children ages four to eleven to attend the cheer clinic where they learn to cheer and participate in many fun activities.

HAPPY

HALLOWEEN From

The Chief Online!

This year, cheerleading has more exciting changes. Each cheerleader will be attending at least two games, meets, and/or matches in football and basketball season. The cheerleaders then will be picking a “Fan of the Week” to receive a yard sign and a shirt for their school spirit. Also this year the cheerleaders, like many other sports, will be raising awareness for breast cancer in the month of October. They will wear pink bows and cheer with pink poms at games. Also, they will be selling raffle tickets in order to raise money for breast cancer. Additionally, the squad is preparing for the April Fool’s 5K Run, which they have agreed as a team to participate in. Lastly, many girls are working hard to further develop their tumbling skills. Many cheerleaders take the sport a step further and choose to attend tumbling classes out of town in order to excel and benefit your team. For the girls who do not attend tumbling classes, Mrs. Linda Hoffman has begun attending practices to provide further tumbling instruction to the squad.

Red Ribbon Week October 22-30, 2011

Support Safe and Drug

Free Schools! imdrugfree.com

Win an iPad2 and

$1,000! redribbon.org

Voice of Democracy Speech Contest

Win a $30,000 scholarship!

Click HERE

for details or see an English teacher near

you!

Deadline is November 1, 2011

Moneyball Continued Students in Action

Last month, students in General Science, taught by Mr. Hitchins, Mrs. Lancaster, and Mr. Faber

traveled to Starved Rock State Park in Utica, IL, to survey land features and to experience firsthand what

they have learned in the classroom.

Students from Mrs. Bozarth's Sociology class created

original fairytales and read them to Mrs. Richardson's

preschool class.

Pictured are PTHS students

(from left to right) Josh Wilson, Daniela Araujo, and

Hannah Lee.

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It’s a cycle that he continues to see: talented young players developing at low salary clubs only to be snatched up by wealthy teams when their skills are honed. Though frustrated, Bean notices a young, awkward assistant giving advice to the general manager of the Cleveland Indians during a meeting. Bean takes an interest in the assistant and instead of returning to Oakland with players as planned, he comes home with Peter Brand (Jonah Hill). Brand becomes his new assistant general manager and the two set out to win with their low budget. They do this by throwing out the old formula of scouting reports and beginning to use equations and statistics to value players. This process went against everything that managers had done in the game of baseball up until this time. The movie is based on a true story, so the story line isn’t a secret. Using their new formula, Billy Bean and Peter Brand break the record for the most games won in a season (although the A’s fall short in the playoffs). The real ending, however, involves Bean being offered a high-paying contract by the Boston Red Sox. He declines, determined to win the last game of the year in Oakland. That’s why Moneyball is not just for baseball fans, but for anyone who has ever wanted makes an impact by finding a new solution to an old problem.

CELEBRATE OCTOBER!

Bat Appreciation Month

Bullying Prevention Month

Halloween Safety Month

National Go On A Field Trip Month

National Chili Month

Pizza Month

Vegetarian Month From http://www.brownielocks.com/october.html

Peers Continued

They are some of the sweetest and most accepting people I have ever met, and they deserve to have a great high school experience. I feel that Peer Partners and Peers in Action members help give them that opportunity by being their friends and role models. Sign up and make a positive impact on the lives of others! If you are interested in joining Peers in Action or Peer Partners, see Ms. Baumgardner in Room 105. Remember, spread the word to end the word!

Seniors! Download an Upperclass Acts Form

HERE

Return to Mr. Soares in

room 136 or email to HERE

Dear Smitty, Unfortunately, I’ve already discovered all of the petty things in high school this year. What do I do when there are rumors about my friends and me? I know I should just ignore it, but it’s hard. Any advice? Sincerely, Frustrated Dear Frustrated, I think everyone in high school has had something untrue or hurtful said about him or her, and no matter how many rumors you hear, it honestly never seems to get easier. So, what do you do? Honestly, the easiest thing to do is laugh about it, which is a lot easier than it seems. Sometimes the old “killing them with kindness” saying is what works best. Although high school is an important part of your life, it won’t be the most important part. If you’re going through a rough time, most likely there are 10 other people going through a similar situation, so you’re never alone. Keep your head up, and remember at the end of the day you’re the only person you have to please. Sincerely, Smitty

Ask Smitty Have a question for Smitty? Send it here:

Student Survey:

What are you going to be for Halloween?

Buzz Lightyear – Jared Johnson A bag of M&M’s – Madison Pfaff Pikachu – Jenn Castillo A light bulb – Nick Stephens Mario – Cory Plock A mercenary – Mike Potts Batman – Matt Richardson A grape – Julie Hogan Barney – Julian Jimenez A nurse – Ellie Snow Cleopatra – Felicity Mayfield A hobo – Trevor Foster Courtney Alverson – Caila Smith Caila Smith – Courtney Alverson Mr. Soares – Thomas Elliot

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Student Poetry

“Guidance”

By Haley Browning

I’m standing still, in Wait for someone or

something To guide me along

The Chief Staff is: Mark Panno, Co-Editor-in-Chief Caila Smith, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Taylor Araujo Dena Boatman Chloe Boden

Michaela Dohlman Haleigh Gill

Jordan Johns Cassidy Murphy Vincent Murphy

Jessica Ping Adam Shelton

Charles Spencer Mr. Soares, Faculty Sponsor