CHS Chilli-Chatter #7

by Kadence Shipers

You may think of March and February as ordinary months, but they hold history that gave rise to world change. These months educate and celebrate the history and achievements of two minority groups. February adopts the celebration of Black history, while March embraces women’s history.

Black History Month is an annual liturgy that honors the efforts and accomplishments of the Black community and allows time for people to reflect on their battle for racial justice. Carter G. Woodson created Black History Week to remember and recognize prominent Black figures and the overcoming of slavery; this eventually evolved into a whole month of commemeration. It is celebrated from February 1st to March 1st. Woodson picked February because it marked the finalization of the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery. February also hosts birthdays from eminent abolitionists such as Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Each year for Black History Month, a theme is picked by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. The theme for 2021 was “The Black Family: Representation, Diversity, and Identity,” which celebrates and educates people on the culture of Black families. Black History Month also has its own colors: black which symbolizes the people of Africa, red which symbolizes the bloodshed of African Americans during slavery and the European Occupation, yellow which represents the riches lost from the occupation, and green that represents the fertility of Africa. There are many ways to celebrate Black History Month: support a Black-owned business, watch an educational film on Black history, visit a Black historical museum, or donate to Black organizations. By participating in any of these activities, you are celebrating and/or educating yourself on the history of Black culture and heritage.

National Women’s History Month is celebrated immediately after. It occurs from March 1st to March 31st. Like Black History Month, Women’s History Month was also developed as a week long event, but evolved into a month-long event. It has a theme every year; this year’s theme is “Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to Be Silenced,” which represents and celebrates women overcoming the struggle to vote. Women’s History Month also has its own set of colors: purple which signifies justice and dignity, green which symbolizes hope, and white which represents purity (no longer used due to controversy). President Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan both contributed to the development of National Women’s History Month, as they issued many proclamations designating March as “Women’s History Month.” This month recognizes the contributions and achievements women have made throughout history. Women ultimately overcame their fixed gender role society had given them. You can celebrate National Women’s History Month by educating yourself on issues that women still struggle with, spreading recognition by posting on social media platforms, or even just by educating yourself on women’s history.

It is important to educate yourself on the history of important events, such as women’s suffrage or slavery in the 17th century because history allows us to have a better understanding of the world. February and March honor the history of different people and permit us to understand not only the world, but others as well. These two months teach us the importance of history and educate us on historical events that broke social and cultural norms of the past.

by Lexie Walker

February 9th marked the first and only Alternate Methods of Instruction (AMI) day for winter weather. With frigid temperatures ravaging the Midwest, the idea was that in the event that the Chillicothe School District would have to cancel school for a majority of the week, AMI days would keep students in the learning mindset and engaged in their lessons. However, since the weather started to look better than the district had anticipated, they declared that AMI days were no longer necessary as we were not going to be out for as long as expected. From this came a few misconceptions and a bit of confusion.

Previously, the thought was that the district allotted a certain number of snow days and AMI days to be used during the year. However, per a relatively new law, the state requires that every student is in school for 1,044 hours throughout the school year. With our current schedule, there is a built-in buffer at the end of the year, so in the event that an abundance of snow days are used, the minimum requirement will be met and breaks will be protected. An example that CHS Principal Dan Nagel gave to further explain the calendar was that in the case of a freak snow storm that “uses up” the end of year buffer, AMI days will be utilized in the spring to ensure students reach the 1,044 hours of attendance. He also went on to say that because we have this system set up for the end of the year, AMI days will no longer be used this winter in place of a regular snow day.

Having the school calendar set up this way is beneficial for students and educators alike. With proactive measures in place, teachers’ breaks are protected, and they will not be left teaching well into the summer. For students, this means not having to come back at the end of the year to make up attendance, except in the event that an overwhelming number of days are missed due to weather. However, Mr. Nagel was adamant about this being highly unlikely.

While the means to support AMI days are there, they are not yet necessary, and therefore should not be used in the foreseeable future. Overall, Mr. Nagel asserted that he and the district are committed to listening to feedback from students and making changes when necessary. In honor of keeping the tradition of snow days alive while also catering to student and teachers’ needs, Alternate Methods of Instruction days for winter weather are no more.

by Dimitri Dickerson

During the season of Lent, those of the Catholic religion may have some trouble searching for sandwich alternatives during their Friday Lenten penances. Many fast-food restaurants in town serve a fish sandwich during Lent, but with this easy-access alternative comes the question of which sandwich is the catch of the day. To research this article, I went far and wide (1.8 miles up and down Highway 65) in search of the best sandwich. While all of the available options have their merit, in my opinion one rises above all to be the go-to sandwich.

McDonalds offers their signature Filet-O-Fish. It comes with bun, tartar sauce, a slice of cheese and the filet of fish. When you take the first bite of this sandwich you will notice that it comes with a large amount of tartar sauce, a huge plus by my standards. The fish itself isn’t a stand-out, but it is hot and fills you up. The cheese need not be there; the flavor it provides isn’t noticeable. Overall, I give the sandwich a 5/10 as a good inexpensive option.

Hick’s, a local franchise, offers a fish sandwich served with bun, lettuce, tartar sauce, and the fish. This sandwich has the best texture of all of the sandwiches, really feeling like a home-fried filet. The tartar sauce is there, but doesn’t add very much flavor to the sandwich. The lettuce provides a nice break from the heavier flavors of the sandwich. This option gets a 6/10 and is a solid choice.

Next up on our fried fish tour of Chillicothe is Sonic; their sandwich, titled Fish Sandwich, comes with bun, tartar sauce, lettuce, pickles, and the fish. The breading on the fish is excellent, but my fish that day was slightly tough. The tartar sauce was in plentiful supply, but could be a little sweeter, and the addition of pickles to this sandwich is a great choice. I would recommend ordering it with easy pickles though if you aren’t already a stalwart fan of those briney cukes. In general, this sandwich ranks in at a 7/10 and is only bested by the final sandwich in this review.

Coming out at the top of my survey with the best fast-food fish sandwich in Chillicothe is Burger King with their Big Fish. It comes with bun, tartar sauce, lettuce, pickles, mayo, and the filet. The texture and flavor of this sandwich complement each other well. The mayo adds some richness to the sandwich, but the pickles keep the overall flavor light. The tartar sauce is the one thing that could be improved upon. I recommend that you order this with extra tartar to make sure you can taste it. Otherwise, this sandwich stands tall as the victor in the fish sandwich ranking with the highest score of 8/10.

So next time you get to Friday night, and realize you haven’t properly prepped your non-pasture raised protein, allow this review to guide you in your journey to the dinner alternative you need.

by Claire Ripley

After months and months of scientific research and many failed trials, the COVID-19 vaccine is finally out and available to certain people amongst the public. In the United States the COVID-19 vaccine is a limited resource, so government officials are taking recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control on who should be first to receive the vaccine. Currently, there are four categories of the COVID vaccine: whole virus, protein subunit, nucleic and viral vector. Currently there are three approved vaccines: the Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna which are both mRNA vaccines for COVID, and the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen. The first two vaccines require two shots for the most protection; depending which shot you receive will affect the time in between vaccinations. For the Pfizer-BioNTech the vaccines are given 21 days apart and for the Moderna, 28 days. For specific information about how vaccines work, see https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/viralvector.html

Once the vaccine is readily available for the public, would you get it? A survey was sent out to the student body at CHS asking the following, “If the vaccine were available to you, would you take it?” Students were given three options to choose from: yes, no, and maybe. The results were: 45% NO, 38% YES, 17% MAYBE.

One junior has already made his decision. Kyle Young, a junior, has actually received both rounds of the COVID-19 vaccine himself. Young is an employee at Young Veterinary Clinic in Chillicothe and was recommended as an employee to receive the vaccine. Young didn’t have strong feelings about the vaccine, but he was skeptical because the long-term effects are still unknown. Young felt that due to his age there was no reason to get the vaccine, but he proceeded because of company recommendations. He also hopes that he won’t have to worry about quarantining himself or his family.

As it has been almost a full year since the first positive case in the United States, many are looking to the vaccine as hope that many things will return to normal. Whether students are getting the vaccine or not, it may be a step in the right direction for a positive future.

by Draya Shady

We have all heard the expression that a dog is man’s best friend, but did you know that dogs can also be a student’s best friend? During high school we have friends come and go; however, a dog will always stay by your side. We asked Hornets to share a picture of their dogs: