Looking and feeling your best can make a big difference in your performance at work, school or other activities. However, some students don’t have the privilege to wake up in the morning to everything they need.

Media teacher Heather Nichols, health teacher Summer Hudelson, PACT teacher Jodi Henry and resource aide Angela Frank, along with community members Anna Hudelson and Dessica Albertson, founded an organization to help PHS students obtain necessary items, called The Essentials Project.

The Essentials Project was started in March of 2018, and the group has spent the last four months securing grants, finding partners and collecting items.

“I want to emphasize that if you are requesting items, we absolutely protect your identity. The only people who will know what an individual is requesting is myself and the person requesting the items. If you need an item, we will help you, and you do not have to worry about being embarrassed,” said Nichols.

You can contribute to The Essentials Project by visiting the organization’s website, located on the PHS website under “For Students” or by contacting a staff member of the organization.

“I want to thank everyone who is making this program a reality. We feel like this is step one for us. More help is on the horizon,” said Nichols.

Story by Gracie Walls

Free physicals for the 2018-2019 school year at Comprehensive Health Care will be Wednesday, May 16, beginning at 3:15 p.m. Students entering grades 7-12 for the 2018-2019 school year are eligible to receive the free physicals.

The LRCC Construction Trades program will be having an open house for this year’s build on Thursday, May 10 at 4:30 p.m. The house is located less than 1 mile from school at 324 W. Thorton St. Hope to see you there!

The junior high band will be putting on a spring concert on May 4 at 7 p.m. This concert will take place in the Uyesugi Auditorium. Anyone is welcome to come, and the concert will last for about an hour.

The band will be performing music from their Gold Medal Performance at Floyd Central as well as some new music they have been working on. This music includes “Abracadabra,” “Warriors of Beijing” and “Guadalcanal March.”

The other part of the concert will be a movie theme. Some of these pieces include “Everything is Awesome” from The Lego Movie, “Who Let the Dogs Out”  from Men in Black 2 and “I’m a Believer” from Shrek. Music from The Incredibles, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Harry Potter will also be featured.

Awards will also be given out for Outstanding Performance Student, Most Improved, Distinguished Honor, etc.

“We hope to have a large and friendly audience for this fantastic event!  Everyone is welcome to attend,” said band director Bill Laughlin.

Story by Haley Owens

This past year, the Paoli Chapter of FFA has had many accomplishments. From raising pigs to gathering funds for the barn, they have done it all. On Sunday, April 29, these accomplishments will be recognized. FFA members and their families, donors to the building and legislators will all gather for this special recognition.

The banquet will begin at 1 p.m for a lunch in the high school cafeteria. Those who attend will then relocate to the auditorium at 2 p.m., where the awards ceremony will be held. Finally, at 3 p.m., everyone will move outside for a groundbreaking ceremony in honor of the barn that will be coming soon.

“We have had an amazing year and want to celebrate it with everyone that has made it possible,” said FFA sponsor Cory Scott.

Story by Maggie Vincent

Each year, Spanish teacher Rachel Wyatt takes her Spanish 3 students to the IU Bloomington Campus for a field trip.

This year, the students went on Thursday, April 12. While at IU, the students got the opportunity to meet the supervisor of 100 and 200 level Spanish classes. They also got the chance to hear about other foreign languages offered at IU, which includes the study-abroad program. Along with hearing about classes, PHS students got to meet the IU Assistant Director of Admissions and tour the campus.

“As always, I am very proud of my students for their excellent behavior and attitude,” said Wyatt.  

Story by Avery Owens

The winter sports season has concluded, and athletes are being honored with awards based on their performance. Athletes can receive the PLAC All Conference award if they performed well enough in conference games.

Winter athletes who received the PLAC All Conference award for boys basketball are freshman Brett Bosley and juniors Ashton Minton and Ty Lawson.

Athletes who received the PLAC All Conference award for girls basketball are juniors Bela Brewster, Keaton Chastain and Jacqlyn Rice.

Athletes who received the PLAC All Conference award for wrestling are freshman Brycen Long, sophomore Tanner Coe, juniors Zayne Bartholomew, Timothy Burton and Chad Warren, and senior Matt Webb.

Statewide awards are based on an athlete’s performance all season long. Senior Dietrich Sears was named to the IBCA Academic All-State Team for boys basketball. Senior Garrett Vincent was named to the IBCA Academic All-State Honorable Mention Team. Sears and senior Jacob Babcock were both named to the HBCA All-District Team for District 4.

Lastly, for boys basketball, Babcock was named HBCA East All-Star Team. For girls basketball, Rice was named to the IBCA Junior Small School All-State Team. Chastain was named to the IBCA Junior Small School All-State Honorable Mention Team. Rice was named IBCA/Subway Player of the Week District 3 for February 5-10.

Every award given to each athlete is well deserved and is obtained by a long season of hard work. We are proud of our Ram athletes and their impressive accomplishments from their winter season.

Story by Jace Ingle

After prom, juniors and seniors all have the opportunity to go to post prom, even if they do not go to prom. Post prom will be held at the Paoli Peaks this year and will feature DJ Sam Carmickle, games and cash prizes.

Post prom will start at 11:30 p.m. and end at 2 a.m. Students who attend will be taken to the Peaks on buses. Permission slips to go can be found in history teachers Scott Gudorf and Chris Lindley’s rooms.

Post prom itself is free, and post prom t-shirts for any PHS junior or senior are also free. Any guest who is not a PHS junior or senior had to pay five dollars for their shirt and are also invited.

Story by Rebekah Reeves

Any student in need of prom or morp attire can contact Jodi Henry with PACT. For inquiries or more information, email her at henryj@paoli.k12.in.us.

This year, the English department continues the tradition of putting on the Speech Contest. This year, the speech contest is Wednesday, April 11 from 8:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. This year, approximately 180 students will be participating. Judges come in and score all students on their speeches. These judges are chosen by one of the speech classes and are asked to give their time to help.

When it comes to placing participants, each student will be given a ribbon depending on their average score. Averages of 90 or better will receive a first place ribbon, 80-89 point average receives second, 70-79 points will get a third place and 60-69 will receive a fourth place ribbon. Anyone lower than any of these will receive a participation ribbon. The winner from each category receives a public speaking pennant and has the opportunity to perform at the awards ceremony. The Grand Champion will be given a trophy.

“Students often fuss about having to participate, but it is one of those activities we love to talk about. Public speaking is an essential skill in life which many students underestimate,” said speech teacher Carol Fullington.

Make sure to encourage PHS students participating in the speech contest this week.

Story by Avery Owens

This year, the Pride of Paoli decided it was again time for new uniforms. They are purchased roughly every ten to fifteen years, and the last purchase took place in 2005. These uniforms will be used for parades, marching competitions, concerts and community service programs. One hundred new uniforms were purchased, just enough for everyone in any given year.

This year’s uniform budget was $48,000, and the school board generously made a $10,000 contribution. The Band Booster program, which is a group of band parents and supporters, is paying the remaining $38,000. Patrick Butler, the Indiana Representative of Stanbury Uniforms, is the sales person for the Pride of Paoli.

“Something as important as a uniform that will represent the students, the school and the community for years to come cannot be left for students who will only be around for four years to decide. The band director usually chooses a uniform company to work with, then selects some people to be a part of the visual staff, which includes some of the ‘visually inclined’ parents and Band Booster members,” said band director Bill Laughlin.

The “visually inclined” parents come up with ideas of what the uniforms should look like. Afterwards, the uniform company has a professional designer who makes a computerized image. Corrections can be made at this point. Then, a sample uniform is made, and students can try it on and see how it fits. Final corrections are made, and the final product is presented to the parents at the Band Booster meeting.

The new uniform has a black and white striped optional undershirt with a purple sleeve covered with a black jacket. The jacket has wide shoulders and silver buttons down the front. Black gauntlets with silver buttons match the jacket and black pants. Overall, it is a very neat uniform that will be put to use for students in many years to come.

Story by Kaden Lewellyn

It is that time of year again when the drama department puts on their annual spring play, but the show will be a little bit different this year. Instead of a single play, two different short plays will be performed in the same night. This decision was made because the drama department wanted flexible casting.

“They also give multiple people moments to shine as you have different actors playing leads in different plays,” said Director Maria Wishart.

According to Wishart, having two separate short shows should make the production as a whole easier to put on because the scripts are simpler and easy to memorize. However, with every show, putting on two shorts will come with their challenges.

“One challenge with doing two different plays is everyone keeping straight who is doing what in which one, scene changes, etc.,” said Wishart.

The first short the drama department will be putting on is “Actor Games.” This production is a inspired by “The Hunger Games” and has characters representing different acting styles.

“We picked it because we all thought it was funny and that it will give the actors some room to really have fun with the characters,” said Wishart.

Because two shorts will be performed instead of one entire play, there are no legitimate starring or lead roles.

The second short is called “Door to Door,” and it is a series of short scenes about life decisions and moving on. Many scenes provoke self reflection in a light-hearted way.

The cast list for both “Actor Games” and “Door to Door” include seventh graders Gavin King, Caitlyn Taylor, Ellie Sims and A.J Lopez. Eighth graders include Michael Hannon, Adin Monroe, Angie Ceja, Kylee Charles, Nathaniel Gavid, Sam Chaplin and Haley Cox. Freshman are Libby Padgett, Christian Ruth and Aubri Cook. Sophomores include Elyssa Stroud, Jacelyn Kelly, Makayla Chism and Summer Ford. Juniors are Jillian Keen, Jacob Graves and Tyler Thornton.

Show dates are April 5, 6 and 7, all starting at 7 p.m. Tickets are priced at $3 for students and $4 for adults. Come out and support the drama department with their productions of “Door to Door“ and “Actor Games.”

Story by Sara Kesterson

A new school year is approaching quickly, and guidance counselor Brandi Kerley is preparing the upcoming seventh grade students for their fresh start in junior high. Sixth grade orientation will begin the week of April 2, right after spring break.

“I hope the sixth graders have a good time learning about junior high, and I hope their visit relieves any fears or concerns they might have about transitioning to seventh grade. I want them to feel more comfortable and confident after attending orientation. I also hope our seventh grade leaders enjoy being in a mentor role for the sixth grade students,” said Kerley.

Kerley plans on running orientation the same way she always has, having the current seventh grade students show the sixth graders around, eat lunch with them in the high school cafeteria, introduce them to their new teachers and continue to update any new rules, policies or classes.

“I always look forward to sixth grade orientation! It’s fun to work with students on the next step of their education,” said Kerley.

Story by Gracie Walls

On April 25, there will be a blood drive from 8:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the lower gym. Any student who is 16 and older may take part in the drive, but if you are 16 or 17, you must have a permission slip filled out by a parent or guardian. You must sign up by April 24 to donate. The Family Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) will be helping with the blood drive. During the course of the school year, there are two blood drives, one held in the fall and one in the spring. Students and staff have the option to donate if they would like to.

“Every two seconds, someone needs blood. The students [and staff] would be helping save lives,” said FACS teacher Danelle Manship. Some of the current staff members such as band director Bill Laughlin, biology teacher Laurie Jo Andry and athletic director Darek Newkirk donate blood during the blood drive.

“The blood drive is a really great way to give back to the community and people all around the world,” said sophomore Addison Wells.

Story by Kinley Block 

This post was updated 4/9/18

Junior Jacqlyn Rice is very excited to say she is a part of the basketball All State team. This is an award for basketball players based on their stats and performance. Rice averaged almost fifteen points per game for her team this year. She is one of fifteen girls in the state to be on the Indiana Small School All State team. She made it a goal at the beginning of the season to be on the All State team.

She was beyond excited to hear the news.  

“I was sitting with a group of friends when I got the news, through a text, that I made it, and I was so excited. Everyone else was confused, but it was a great feeling to know that all of my hard work throughout the season had paid off. My teammates were also excited for me,” said Rice. “At the beginning of the season, I told my family that it was one of my goals. They were all very supportive, and now I did it! I am very excited.”

It took lots of hard work and dedication for her to get this far, and she plans on continuing her hard work and playing in college.

“I have been playing basketball since I was old enough to hold a ball. The first time I played a game was in second grade, and after that, I knew that I was in love with the sport. I plan on playing in college, hopefully a small school, but I will clearly go wherever my best offer is,” said Rice.

Rice plays basketball year-round. After school season ends, she starts travel basketball. Rice believes that travel ball is where she benefits the most.

“I prefer travel ball because of the competition. It is a much faster pace and has a higher intensity. That is where I get most of my exposure. From playing travel ball, many college coaches have watched me. Thinking about my future is what keeps me going during both travel and school season. I like to set goals and work hard until I achieve them,” said Rice.

Basketball has had a huge impact on her life, and Rice has so much respect for the people who have helped make her better over the years.

“Basketball had influenced my life in every way possible. It motivates me, keeps me out of trouble, keeps me focused and helps me create goals. Being a part of the All State team has really made me feel accomplished, and it is such an exciting thing!” said Rice.

Story by Kaden Lewellyn

On March 9, seven PHS students participated in the All-State Band trip at Purdue University. Senior Dayton Satterfield and sophomore Koby Durbin played trumpets, junior Breanna Ward and sophomore Rheanna Jones played the clarinet, senior Livia Sullivan played the alto saxophone and sophomores Alicia Neale and Krista Tedrow played the the bass clarinets.
The seven students left Friday, March 9 and began their rehearsals when they arrived. This year, the conductor was Colonel Michael Colburn, who conducted at the Presidential Inauguration in Washington, D.C. Over 900 students in Indiana auditioned in November, so the students who came back were the students selected for the All-State Band.

“Congratulations to all seven of our students this year! This kind of honor does not happen by accident– people do the work and put in the commitment,” said band director Bill Laughlin.

Story by Kinley Block

On March 13, 15 senior boys joined together in the Ruth Usugi Auditorium for their chance to become the next Mr. PHS. Each candidate was sponsored by a school club, sport or organization.
The contenders included Keegan Anderson, Jacob Babcock, Chaz Becht, Steven Butler, Dawson Easterday, Parker Gehl, Hunter Hamilton, Jared Herd, Damon Ingle, Travis Mefford, Hunter Rohl, Dayton Satterfield, Dietrich Sears, Garrett Vincent and Noah Weiss.
Each competitor had a senior girl coordinator to help with the big night. These coordinators included Alyssa Wilson, Ali Kerby, Harli Wilder, Sierra Rodewig, Anna Hutcheson, Lindsay Morasch, Devan Smith, Jorja Davis, Rachel Lowe, Livia Sullivan, Bailey Bush, Marixa Oceguera, Callie Baker, Allie Lowe and Kennedy Embry.
The night featured categories including an onstage question, a fitness challenge, talent and formal wear. After all bills and cash prizes were paid, around $2,400 was made to help fund the PHS prom.
Jacob Babcock took home the win for People’s Choice Award.
“My favorite part was watching my buddies step out of their comfort zone and do some funny stuff,” said Babcock
Garrett Vincent walked away with the win, becoming the 2018 Mr. PHS.
“Mr. PHS was a very fun event that raised a lot of money for a good cause. I was really surprised I won because we had so many awesome guys taking part in it,” said Vincent.

Story by Maggie Vincent

On March 12 at the Paoli El Compadre, there will be a benefit held in honor of former school board member Bill McDonald.

“Misty Hardwick is organizing the event on behalf of El Compadre,” said McDonald’s sister, Susan Umpleby.

From 3 p.m to 9 p.m., the restaurant will be donating 20% of their profit to the PHS agriculture department to go toward building the barn in McDonald’s memory.

“We are very honored that El Compadre has chosen to donate their facility, time and resources to hosting this event in Bill’s memory. We’ve been overwhelmed by all of the support shown by the public to causes that Bill was involved in, and we hope to continue his legacy of serving and giving. We thank El Compadre for joining us in that effort,” said Umpleby.

Stop in at El Compadre on March 12 and send a part of your bill to a good cause in honor of someone who was very influential in our community and in our lives.

Story by Kennedy Embry

On Wednesday, March 7, the media department will be heading to the Indianapolis Statehouse for the First Amendment Symposium. The convention is held with the intention to teach about the First Amendment.

Marisa Kwiatowski, an investigative reporter at the Indianapolis Star who helped to uncover the US Gymnastics Larry Nassar scandal, will be a keynote speaker at the event. Members of the IHSPA, or Indiana High School Press Association, student board will be speaking on the five parts of the First Amendment.

Senior Noah Weiss, PHS’s yearbook editor, will be speaking as a member of the student board on truth and where his truth lies as a journalist.  

Story by Rebekah Reeves

Ag Olympics

(Click link above to see photo essay)

By Katie May

On Friday, February 23rd, Mrs. Tuell’s seventh grade classes participate in the Ag Olympics. Every year the FFA students put on a day for seventh graders to learn and become familiar with FFA. During this time students also play in competing games. This year’s games consisted of skiing, sack race, pie eating, pig notching, and roping.

Ag Olympics 2018

(Click link above to see photo essay)

By Jalyn Engleking

With spring right around the corner, the PHS baseball team is getting a head start on their season with some offseason workouts. Current workouts are on Mondays and Wednesdays right after school until 4:45 p.m. in the main gym for any high school student interested in playing this spring.

For the junior high ball players, offseason workouts have also begun with the high school students at the same time and place. These workouts are in no way mandatory, only optional. Official practice will begin on March 12 right after school for the high school baseball players.

The baseball team will kick off their season on April 2 at home against the Scottsburg Warriors.

Story by Garrett Vincent

The PHS choirs have begun another fundraiser. From now through March 15, reservations will be available for a spaghetti dinner and music showcase in the Ruth Uyesugi Auditorium. These reservations can be made through choir teacher Lora Anderson or any choir student.

Adult tickets are $7, and student tickets are $3. The money needs to be collected the same week the reservations are made.

Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. on March 15, and dinner will be served. At 6:30 p.m., everyone can transfer to the auditorium and get ready for the music showcase taking place at 7 p.m.  

Those who can’t make it to dinner are still welcome to come to the concert at 7 p.m, and anyone can make donations to the choir department in the buckets outside of the auditorium on March 15.

Story by Kennedy Embry

The Orange County Publishing Company’s fourth annual Spelling Bee will be held on Sunday, February 25 at 2 p.m. in the Ruth Farlow Uyesugi Auditorium. There will be 24 students from fourth grade through eighth grade representing Paoli against students from Orleans and Springs Valley. The junior high students representing our school are seventh graders Caitlyn Taylor and Cora Austin and eighth graders Arshdeep Singh and Karyas Slaten.

The face-off to see who the county’s top speller is will be an exciting event to watch.

“Several students have been studying very hard to earn a spot in this bee. They strive to move on to the national level at D.C.,” said Spell Bowl team supervisor Loretta Brown.

The top speller of the county will be moving on to compete nationally at Washington D.C. as one of 300 other spellers at the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Admission is free, so come out and cheer on our Paoli spellers as they compete to advance to our nation’s capital.

Story by Jace Ingle