A couple weeks ago the juniors participated in their MOJO day. This session was focused mainly on teamwork, and getting the students to work together. The day featured the usual dancing, and also a new game where the students must guess the song being played. Overall, the students gained valuable knowledge about how to communicate, and work as a team to accomplish a goal. The next MOJO day will be for the seniors, and will take place on March 24th, the day before spring break. The MOJO students are already planning the day, and it’s sure to be a great one.
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Some people share a love for reading much more profoundly than the rest of us. They escape the present with alternate realities that they can dive into head first. It’s a safe net for some people, and they use it religiously to fill up the free time that we high schoolers are gifted with so much of. Ranging from Fiction to Biographies, all books have a story that wants to be heard, and every person is searching for the right one. Mrs. Poole not only set up a gateway for the children of the library to explore their novelty options, but also brought all of the kids with similar interested into one group, Library Club. Library Club has hosted Hunger Games parties, taste test meetings, and even just simple informational meetings delegated to discussing books. She has broadened our range so widely, and it goes unnoticed. So, the journalism class thanks you Mrs. Poole, for all that you have done for our student body.
Senior Rachel Seitz was voted student of the month for January. Rachel is the daughter of Mark and Christine Seitz. She has one sister, Jasmine, a PHHS alum.
An active student, Rachel started Scholastic Bowl in 7th and 8th grade. She was Spelling Bee Champ in 7th and runner up in 8th. Here at PHHS Rachel has continued with Scholastic Bowl, and added the WYSE team to her activities. She is a member of Student Council as well. An honor student, Rachel was inducted into National Honor Society as a junior, and continues to be in the Top Ten of her class. Her favorite classes include Forensics, First Aid, and Studio Art. In her spare time, Rachel likes to read, watch TV, and write. Rachel’s future plans include a four year university, Illinois State is her choice. She plans to get a degree in English and become a high school teacher. We at PHHS know that she will do well in the future. PHHS faculty members has some things to say as well. “I would like to nominate Rachel Seitz. I think she is more than deserving! I have her for studio this year. She works very hard every day and always turns everything in on time. She is very talented and isn't afraid to ask questions or receive advice. Her overall attitude, work ethic, and respect for me and for those around her are outstanding! I think she represents our school and staff very well!” “I nominate Rachel Seitz. She is an outstanding student. She works hard in every class and asks great questions. She readily welcomes new students and is always willing to help catch them up on the material. She helped to recruit other top students for WYSE.” “I agree completely with the nomination for Rachel Seitz. She is a good student who is willing to help other students and teachers at the drop of a hat. Even though it's been a few years since I had her in class, she continues to be friendly and personable in the halls. Rachel is a great student who always is willing to go above and beyond!” “Rachel really deserves to be named Student of the Month! She was a joy to have in class (English and Humanities) and has been fun to work with on Student Council. She takes her role as senior class president very seriously. She gives her all to whatever she is involved in, be it WYSE, Scholastic Bowl, or Student Council. And, she is always friendly to both students and teachers. I've truly enjoyed having Rachel at PHHS these last four years and wish her the best in her future endeavors.” Congratulations to Rachel!! Great Work!! and the very best for the future – we know you’ll make us proud. The Key Club held a blood drive on February 26th. This was the second and final blood drive of the school year. This blood drive was a success with receiving about 26 pints of blood which will save about 78 people’s lives. Thank you to everyone who donated blood this time. The Key Club is already looking forward to next year’s blood drives!
School can be considered one of the safest places for children, but there is much behind-the-scenes work to make that so. Teachers, Principals, Police, and even secretaries all go into creating schools as safe as they are. I had an interview with Officer Vaughn on this very subject, and he shed much light on school safety and how to prevent trouble in schools. One of the ways this is accomplished is through our drills. Fire, tornado, and lock down drills all have a very important role in keeping everyone safe.
Drills may seem unnecessary at times, yet they serve a big purpose. Drills not only give everyone practice on what to do in case of a real emergency, but they also give the administration tips on how to plan the drills to make them more efficient. Drills also serve as information for students on what to do for each drill depending on where they are at the time of the drill. One of the scariest drills can be the lock down drill. A lock down would only be issued if a threat was inside the school or was in the community around the school. Because of this, lock down should be taken the most seriously out of all the drills. Simple parts of lock downs such as keeping quiet and staying concealed can make a huge difference if something really was to happen. Another part for parents is to not rush to the school. Parents’ instinct will be to rush to the school if there is an emergency, yet in doing so they are creating much more danger. By coming to the school, parents are putting themselves, their children, and the police in danger because now the police will have to protect the parents as well. So how do we prevent such events from arising? It all starts with the parents. Everyone knows that parents need to be involved in their kids’ lives and have good parenting skills because sometimes just being a friend is not be enough. Besides parents, students and teachers can also help. At school, if you notice someone who is failing in class, has no motivation in or out of school, or is always down or angry, these traits could lead to all sorts of problems including school violence. If you see someone who has some of these traits or the situation seems threatening, don’t just let it happen. Sometimes, all they want is someone to talk to as a friend, so try to be one and see what the problem is. If talking to them doesn’t work, bring the student to a teacher’s or police’s attention to see if they can help. These are skills that we have all been taught before, yet sometimes we lose sight of our teachings and all we need is a refresher. School safety and lock down can be a scary topic, but there is no need to worry. Through all of our drills we do and the teachers’ observations, we are a safe school. We do many parts of the drill right and we have nothing much to fear. Thanks again to Officer Vaughn for the Interview and remember, if you have any questions or need any help, reach out to other people, or if you see someone that needs help, reach out to them because we are all here to help one another. This year has been one for the books. The introduction of the lip sync battle, a second spirit week (a possible third), the upset of teachers in the annual volleyball game, and loads of other things. But, one thing always remains constant at PHHS, there’s a senior class that will be walking out of those doors for the last time as students this coming spring. We’ve had “senoritis” since our first week of high school back in 2012, but I would be lying if I said we aren’t going to miss this circular labyrinth a little bit. We have grown some colorful personalities in the class of 2016, and I am sure that whatever they plan to do in life they will succeed. From getting out of here and going to University of North Dakota, to keeping it close and attending ICC, we’ve got it all. We even have a few athletes and our own Bob the Builder that I’m sure will construct the next world’s tallest building or something of that sort. We will be launching ourselves into new lives whatever path we take, and I can confidently say that our class has been special. I’m ready to leave, but if I had the choice I’d bring them all with me. Never in my wildest dreams have I wanted to be a part of any other class that I have seen walk through these halls, because why would I when I’m graduating with the best one this school has seen in years.
The honor roll breakfast was held this past Friday, January 5th, during first hour. All students that made the honor roll for both grading periods in the first semester, were qualified to go. The cafeteria staff made an entire assortment of breakfast foods for the students, such as cinnamon rolls, breakfast pizza, and pancakes with sausage. If you didn’t make it for the breakfast this year, you can work hard and qualify during the first semester next year!
Valentine’s Day is near. Valentine’s Day is February 14th, if you did not know, but if you have a special someone this year; what do you plan on getting them? Well if you have not thought about, it is crunch time. Ladies like chocolate and flowers. Valentine’s Day is when many people exchange cards, chocolate, flower, candy, etc. with a special someone. Also, in many countries, couples go out to dinner to fancy restaurants and are just eager to celebrate their relationship and the love they have for one another. If you do not have money to buy your special someone something; make them a gift. Most people appreciate handmade gifts instead of a bought gift and if you are not very crafty just take them to a dinner and a movie. Just spend time with one another, stay home and watch movies. For Valentine’s Day I would just want to be with my special someone and no gifts being exchanged. Just being with them and spending time with them is all I could ask for.
Who’s who is out, which means it’s time for who’s who pictures! Make sure you look at the sheet on the walls so you know when your picture date is. Meet in Mrs. Gibbon’s room during advisor on the day of your picture. Have something in mind on where you want to take it or what pose you want to do, and please try to plan it with your partner because it will make taking pictures a lot easier. Try to have an outfit picked out, but don’t forget your picture day so there will not need to be a reschedule!
Spirit weeks are always the most exciting parts of the school year for myself, and I know that many other students feel the same way. Usually we are limited to one, but a few students and faculty members got together this year and decided that we were going to attempt to organize a second and a third. In the midst of the second, I can say that it has been a success. Students and teachers alike are buying all the way in, and I have seen some of the most creative and well put together costumes during this winter spirit week than ever at our school before. The days came in this order, with each getting better, Wacky Tacky Day, Duo Day, Sports Day, Movie Character Day, and finally Patriot Day on Friday. The volleyball tournament is also a huge factor in the hype swirling around the spirit week and Friday night game. This year was full of close battles, with no team beating another by over 10 points. The seniors and juniors played each other in the class championship game (a rivalry that had been brewing since last year), but ultimately the seniors came out on top as two point victors. The faculty has never lost in an assembly game, but the students are confident that this is their year. The spirit week is leading up to a game against Abingdon-Avon which coincidentally is the game that our football spirit week fell upon as well. Come out and support the team tonight at 6, and make sure you are ready to cause some chaos!
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March 2016
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