By Tori O’Dell

Jam the Gym is a boys and girls basketball game hosted by CHS. This year is the 22nd Annual Jam the Gym and will be held on Friday, February 3. The basic method of this basketball game is to buy a paper at the entrance, create your paper airplane, and when it is finally time, throw the paper airplane at your desired prize. The money from buying your paper for your airplane goes to a local school in Chillicothe, Verelle Peniston. Verelle Peniston State School is a school for children and young adults.

“Jam the Gym has always been one of the highlights of our season,” says coach Tim Cool. The players find it exciting to play in front of a large crowd. Coach Cool also says, “The energy is always amazing and our players use that energy to play even harder.” Jam the Gym is typically the largest game of the season, and it is a great environment for our student-athletes to play in.

The Leadership students are in the process of going to local businesses in Chillicothe and collecting donations of prizes or money. If money is donated, the Leadership class will go to Walmart and buy prizes. Prizes this year are ranging from an Olaf stuffed animal to a $100 dollar check and even some Beats ear pods. Last year one of the prizes the Leadership students were able to purchase was a bike with the donated money.

By Carson Steele

Recently I sat down with Boys Basketball Player Griff Bonderer and Girls Basketball Player Jessica Reeter. Both are decorated athletes here at CHS. I asked them both about their younger days in the sport as well as their respective journeys. Jessica and Griff both recently hit 1,000 points in their high school careers. This is a huge accomplishment for both of them, and a historic one as well. There have only been ten boys in the team's (not including Griff) history to reach 1,000 points; for the girls, Jessica marks the 11th girl to score 1,000 points for the Lady Hornets.

Jessica Reeter is a senior starting point guard for the Chillicothe High School Girls Basketball team. She played volleyball all four years as well as joining the girl's soccer team last year. I asked her a series of questions about her life in basketball. She has been playing basketball for a long time. “I played itty bitty ball, but competitively started in third grade.” She has loved the sport for almost as long; “I really fell in love with basketball when I started playing fifth grade travel ball.“ When I asked her if she had one moment that made her think she would be good, she said she could not recall a specific moment. She believes her hard work has played a huge part in her success, “Staying after practice to get extra shots up, pushing myself in practice, even when it gets hard.” Jessica believes she has other strong attributes than just scoring. “I would say creating for my teammates, and assisting them.” She feels excited and notes that joining the 1,000-point club is a big accomplishment. She gives the same advice that made her successful. “Push yourself, even when it gets hard.”

Griff Bonderer is a starting guard for the Chillicothe High School Boy's Basketball team. He has also played football for all four years of high school and has played baseball for three. Griff has played basketball for as long as he can remember; “I had a little tykes hoop when I was two, and I played itty bitty ball. But actually competitive started around five.” He cites his family and friends for his love of the game. “All my friends played it, and I grew up around it.” When I asked him if he had a moment where he knew he would be good, he notes everyone else's talent. “No, I’ve always played with or against someone super talented, and when we were younger we were all even.” He notes his teammates and family support his success. “Obviously I can’t score without my teammates passing me the ball and assisting me and playing defense, and my family has helped me a lot by supporting me and training with me as well.” Griff believes his other strongest asset is his playmaking. “Leadership, getting my teammates involved and keeping sharp and focused in practice and games.” While he realizes the significance of his accomplishment, he has other concerns. “It feels rewarding to make the 1,000-point club, but the job is not finished, I’m more concerned about winning and the playoffs.” Griff was also recently selected as a nominee for the McDonald’s All-American game, and he notes that people paying attention to his game is cool, but is also a little surprised. His advice to younger players is to keep working hard, and quality over quantity in terms of reps.

By Isabelle FitzPatrick

Returning to school after a long break brings many hardships. Although this feeling doesn’t affect everyone, many don’t feel ready to return after Christmas break. Even though you don’t have a choice whether or not to return to school, you’ll have to get back into the groove of things. With that, you need to get over what we’re going to call the “break effect.”

Don’t get it twisted, breaks are essential for our learning capabilities and mental health. Breaks have been set into place in order to give students time to relax and unhinge from school stressors. Even researchers from the University of South Florida and the University of California conducted a study based on breaks. With breaks they concluded that the students would retain information better than those who didn’t have a break. However, they also found that the use of your phone doing a break actually negatively affects you. So when you’re on your next short break, take some moments to yourself without your phone handy.

Coming back from break you’d think maybe you feel groggy because of the time you went to bed; this is accurate but there’s more to it. Researchers from Go Guardian have been studying these effects and why they are present. Almost all of their research points to what you did during the break– your habits. Perhaps you were constantly on your phone, wearing your pj’s, and/or not getting ready for the day. We all know once a habit starts it’s hard to break; this is a similar concept.

Now your habits during break aren’t the biggest component to your sleep; everyone knows it’s your sleep schedule. It can be a struggle to get readjusted to school again, according to 80% of those who took a recent survey who said that they feel sleepy in school. Other survey respondents said they feel unfocused and groggy. Almost 77% said that they even have to adjust their sleep schedule and work back their focus. It’s nice to know that we all struggle with similar situations, but there are ways we can fix this break effect. Hopefully, everyone can get back into the groove and be ready for class for the semester.

by Javon Kille

The age-old question between chip lovers and enthusiasts is….Crunchy Cheetos or Puffy Cheetos? I asked the student body in CHS this timeless question, as both of these quality snacks make this question a difficult one to answer.

The Cheetos brand started in 1948 when Charles Elmer Doolin made crunchy Cheetos. Mr. Doolin made the chip by placing moist corn in a grinder making the mixture puff up when the machine went through its various gyrations. He then took the puffed-up corn and seasoned it. Later, in 1971, the first variation of Cheetos was made–puffy.

The manufacturing process for both kinds of Cheetos is almost identical, they mix corn meal with water to make the batter. Then the Colette (a Cheeto that hasn’t been fully cooked) goes on a conveyor belt to either a fryer if the chip is Crunchy or an oven if the chip is Puffy; then they apply the cheese.

In my student survey, many felt that crunchy was better than puffy. With 172 responses 54.1% voted crunchy as their favorite and 45.9% puffy. Some of the reasons why puffy isn’t liked: not receiving enough Puffy Cheetos in the bag, getting stuck in braces, and puffy leaving worse residue on the fingers. As this is a long-going debate, puffy will always be my favorite. Which one would you choose?

By Serenity Simpson

By the time everyone reads this, we will have had Monday, January 16th, 2023, off from school because of the federal holiday Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Black History Month will also soon start in February. Because he is important to our civil rights history, it is good to get a refresher on one of the memorable people who helped end racial discrimination: Martin Luther King, Jr.

According to Britannica.com, Martin Luther King Jr, born Micheal King Jr, grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, in his grandparent's old Victorian house with his parents and two siblings. He was born into a financially secure middle-class family, thus receiving a better education than other African American kids during the 1930s. He slowly developed the reputation of a preacher where he would begin his Civil Rights activism.

During this time, segregation of African Americans was still deep-rooted in society of people in the 1930s. Almost every place in America at that time had segregation from vital places like hospitals and housing to little places like amusement parks and libraries. Because King had more opportunities than other kids his age, he saw how lucky he was during these times compared to others. This recognition undoubtedly was one of the influences on his career to be a social activist.

Though he said that his experiences with racial discrimination were mild yet formative, he knew that was not the case for other kids. Racial discrimination in his younger years of school led his mother to explain the history of slavery and discrimination. In 1955, he started the civil rights movement with a bus boycott.

From 1955 to his assassination in 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. led eight peaceful protests, gave countless speeches, protested issues against racial discrimination, and emotionally moved millions of people across the world. King dedicated his life to ending racial discrimination. His leadership played a crucial part in creating the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and ending segregation in America at the time.

Every third Monday of January is officially Martin Luther King, Jr. day, but we should remember and honor his contributions to ending discrimination every day. We should recall these actions and strive to be someone like him.

By Bianca Clark

I'm sure by now most of you have seen the guy that fills the vending machines. To most people, he is a mystery. From what I have seen, he likes to interact with the students. I always see students smiling and talking to him. This made me want to ask him a few questions and get a little insight into what he does. To keep the mysteries of the vending machine guy a secret, I will not be sharing his name. I will, however, give an insight into what filling up the vending machines entails.

The vending machine snacks are chosen by his route manager. He is given a grid of foods and follows that list. The snacks are normally picked based on popular demand and new snacks can be switched in if they start to become more popular. If he could pick a favorite snack from the vending machine he told me he would have to go with Reeses.

Every Tuesday and Thursday he makes a trip to CHS to refill our vending machine, but we aren’t the only school or town he visits. He told me that he visits up to 15 more places on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays he stays in town, but he visits anywhere from 20 to 30 places. When he goes to his stops he tries to just get in and out but if people do stop to talk he tries his best to be kind. He told me that when people do stop to talk to him they are normally asking about the snacks. He let me know that he does enjoy what he does, but he sees himself doing something else in the future.

Vending machines might seem like one of the newer inventions, but they have actually been popular since the 1920s. However, vending machines didn’t start being put into schools until the 1950s. Vending machines have gone through big changes throughout the years. In the article, “The History of Vending Machines”, Mary Bellis states that when vending machines were first created they only took coins. This was because it was easier to detect counterfeit money when it was coined. Because of technology, vending machines are now able to take paper money. Vending machines also used to be used to dispense things like envelopes, notepaper, and postcards. These vending machines were set up in post offices in England so they could be the most convenient. As we know vending machines are now used as a quick easy food source. Americans spend about $27 a year on vending machines.

We are very lucky to have a vending machine here at CHS, so the next time you see someone filling up the vending machines you may tell them Thank You!

By Cami Carpenter

In the last few days of every year, individuals begin to brainstorm their resolution for the upcoming year. Although you hear many common goals, such as “I want to get better grades,” “I want to save more money,” and the classic “I’m going to go to the gym more,” everyone has their own personal spin on their goals. Even though these individuals start the year with good intentions, most of their resolutions will fail; this fact brought forth the “one-word-per-year” strategy, and I surveyed Chillicothe High School students to get their thoughts on it.

Statistics show that 39% of adults make a New Year’s resolution every year; however, only 55.4% of surveyed CHS students made one for 2023. This could be due to the fact that an estimated 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail, and most fail by February.

After surveying 168 students at CHS, 93 said they made a New Year’s resolution and 75 said they did not. Of the 93 who claimed to have made a resolution, 38 said their resolution could be categorized in physical health, 11 in finances, and 44 in lifestyle changes. The same students were then asked if they had ever heard of the one-word-per-year strategy; 32.3% of students responded they had heard of the strategy before, and 67.7% claimed they had not.

The one-word-per-year strategy begins with selecting a word that will become one’s mantra for the year. One then makes decisions in their daily life they believe lead back to that word. Instead of obsessing over one specific goal every day, having one word to align with one’s decisions lets them be successful in multiple areas of their life. The one-word strategy is also beneficial because it is not something that dominates one’s life. If someone finds themself drifting off course, they can think back to their word and make changes to get back on track without the guilt of failing their goal.

Let’s say that a student chose their word for the year to be ORGANIZED. Instead of having one goal, for example keeping their math binder organized, the student now has multiple opportunities for success. The student could organize their math binder, but also their chemistry binder, their calendar, their closet, their backpack, and other areas of their life. If the student later feels off track, the student can focus back on their word and take a moment to evaluate where they could be more organized; the student can then make small changes and get back on track without feeling the frustration of failure and giving up because they did not keep their math binder organized.

After being given a short explanation of the strategy, CHS students were then asked if they thought they would be more successful if they chose one word to stick to for the year rather than a resolution. 31.5% said yes, 18.5% said no, and 50% said maybe. The 81.5% of students who responded yes or maybe show the one-word-per-year strategy could be a new option for both CHS students and the world to be more successful with their New Year’s intentions.

By Anna Wallace

As the weather gets chillier and as we lack Vitamin D, teenagers can slip into seasonal depression. Our actions, other people's actions, or even just the chemicals in our brain can be thrown off balance. Not all Seasonal Depression happens during the winter, but it is very common amongst teenagers. Some find it even harder to cope with their problems when the days are shorter, everything is cold, and the school year is at the peak of challenging.

SAD, (Seasonal Affective Disorder), commonly starts during the fall months and continues through the winter months. Most of the time SAD is cured as the days get warmer and longer. Summer ends and school starts, causing your brain and body not to be used to these changes. Since our brains have the summer mindset, grades may fall as we start to jump back into the books. Our freshman and sophomore counselor, Mrs. Amanda Marsh, agrees that there is an increase in students struggling with their mental health during the months of January, February, and March. It’s not so much of cold temperatures; it’s the fact that we lack Vitamin D from the sun during these months.

When the days are shorter, our sleep schedule is sporadic and our brains cannot properly respond to this. Serotonin and Melatonin are two chemicals in the brain that are affected by daylight. High levels of Melatonin are produced when it is dark out - this is a huge factor as to why we feel constantly sleepy throughout the shorter days. Sunlight boosts our Serotonin causing our SAD to be non-existent in the summer. An abundant amount of Serotonin allows us to seek happiness while low levels lead to depression. This is why most teens experience Seasonal Depression during the winter months.

Over time and as we get older, the cause of Seasonal Depression can differ. Growing as individuals and changing each year can be tough, but you are not alone in tough times like these. Talking to a counselor, trusted friend, a therapist, or family member will help you heal and grow from any stress you’re feeling at the time.

By Allison Higgins

Senior year is the time to create lasting memories with our classmates before we go our separate ways after graduation. Within this chaotic time comes many important deadlines that seniors need to meet to successfully end the year. Though it can be difficult at times to keep things straight, it is important that we take time to map our last semester at Chillicothe High School. Here are just a few dates to keep in mind:

February 14: Senior Portraits are due to Mrs. Rule by this date. You may have them taken by an independent photographer or by the photographer provided by the school. Every senior is required to have a portrait in the yearbook. Senior pictures for the video at the Senior Breakfast are due by March 1st. You may turn your photos in by sending them to your designated class officer (Griff Bonderer, Hope Helton, or Kinlei Boley), sending them to Mrs. Forbes or Mrs. Tipton, or by following the link on Mrs. Forbes’ website, www.mrsforbeschs.weebly.com.

February 16: This is the last day to turn in your Local Scholarship packet to Mrs. Baker. These scholarships could be very impactful and have options for a vast range of students. By filling out one packet, you can apply for many different local scholarships. For a few scholarships recommendation letters are required. It is important to give your recommender plenty of notice to complete your letter or form. A week should be the minimum amount of time.

March 8: This is the day we will have our last senior meeting. On this day we will be given the senior calendar which will outline the details for every event through the end of the semester. This day will provide a multitude of significant information for every senior. It is important that people are present on this day so they may plan for the end of the school year. All dress code regulations for upcoming events will be discussed.

April 21: The Senior Rotary Luncheon will be held on this day. Seniors will be recognized by the Chillicothe Chapter of Rotary International. More information will be provided to seniors closer to the date.

April 22: The Junior/Senior Prom will be held on this day at the Jenkins Center at the Jerry Litton Agriculture Complex. Prom is a dance that requires formal attire, and students must register for prom by the date that will be announced in the near future. All students are welcome to participate in the Grand March in the Gary Dickinson Performing Arts Center. Numbers for the order of couples will be drawn prior to the dance.

May 2: Decision Day! On this day, seniors are encouraged to wear clothing that represents their plans after high school. For many this means college or trade school t-shirts. Others may choose to wear clothing that represents their choice to go straight into the workforce. Students will gather in the gym where they will eat pizza and be included in a drawing for an assortment of prizes.

May 5: The Senior Breakfast will take place at 9 a.m. at the United Methodist Church. Here the Senior video will be played, and parents are invited to attend. The awards assembly will be held on the same day in the Gary Dickinson Performing Arts Center at 12 p.m. Here the awards and scholarships won by students will be presented in front of friends and family.

May 8 and 9: On these days, seniors will take finals according to the regular attendance policy. On May 9th, seniors will turn in their chromebooks.

May 10: The Senior class will participate in Professional Development Day where they learn important life skills to take with them after graduation. This is also the day the senior class watches a movie.

May 11: Baccalaureate practice will be held during the day. Attire for Baccalaureate will be discussed beforehand. The formal ceremony will be held that night. In the afternoon, the Senior barbeque will be held outside the school.

May 12: Graduation practice will be held in the morning. All seniors who are planning to walk at graduation MUST attend.

May 14: This is the day we have all been waiting for! Details about attire, times, dates, and location will be discussed at the Senior Class Meeting. Get ready to Graduate!

We all know the semester will go by quicker than we are ready for. Make sure you get your planner out to keep you on track for a successful last few months. We are almost to the end!