PHS MEDIA NEWS

During this time of year, the drama club traditionally performs their fall musical with a play in the spring. This year, there have been changes to the timing of the play and the musical.

The musical will be in the spring while the play will be in the fall. This change was mainly caused by the drama club participants’ schedules. Typically in the fall, the drama schedule and marching band season barely interfere, so the fall musical is not interrupted. This year, the marching band schedule has changed, and since half of the drama club participants are in band, this has affected the timing of the musical and the play.

“We have talked about trying again to do a musical in the spring, and this year, we decided it was necessary because of changes in the band rehearsal schedule. Musicals are very involved, and we need more practices with everyone than we can squeeze in with the band schedule,” said drama director Maria Wishart.

With the musical moved to the spring, play rehearsals in the fall will not take up a lot of the participants’ time and should work well with the band schedule. It will also allow the drama club to focus on certain skills. They will have workshops to help participants improve on certain skills through tech training as well as acting, auditioning, vocal and dance workshops.

“It has given us some room in the fall schedule to focus on building on fundamental skills needed for musicals. Hopefully it will be an advantage when we start with the musical,” said Wishart.

The drama club may also performances of short scenes, monologues and short, ten-minute plays. With lots of changes in the drama department, Wishart hopes to let everyone who wants to participate in the play or the musical be able to do so.

Story by Angie Ceja

Postseason play in high school sports, known as Sectional play, is one of the most anticipated times of the year for every athlete. The IHSAA held their 2018 Sectional Pairings Draw for Indiana high school football on Sunday, October 7. As the favorite of Sectional 39, the PHS football team has its eyes set on winning it all and advancing to a Regional matchup.

The draw results were as follows: Perry Central at Eastern (Pekin), Switzerland County at Providence, Mitchell at Clarksville and Paoli at Crawford County. The team on the bottom of each bracket is the home team. Once the round one games have been played, winners will advance to the second round, playing other round one winners. The winner of the Perry Central and Eastern (Pekin) matchup will play the winner of the Switzerland County and Providence matchup. The same goes for the latter half of the bracket, as the winner of the Mitchell and Clarksville game will play the winner of the Paoli and Crawford County game. Following the second round, the final two winners will play each other in the Sectional 39 championship. According to head coach Jeremy Lowery, the draw could not have gone any better for the Rams.

“We got exactly what we wanted. It’s not a cakewalk, so it doesn’t tempt us into relaxing and not playing our best,” said Lowery.

Postseason play begins October 19, as the Rams travel to Crawford County to take on the Wolfpack in the first round of Sectional.

Story by Jace Ingle

The annual IHSAA Sectional draw for volleyball took place on Sunday, September 30. All games in the 2A class will be played at Henryville on both tournament days.

Sectional begins with the first match on Thursday, October 11 at 6 p.m.  This game will be Crawford County versus Paoli. The second match will be played at 7:30 p.m. Clarksville and Christian Academy of Indiana will be competing in this game.

The rest of the matches take place on Saturday, October 13 starting at 11 a.m. The third game will be Eastern (Pekin) versus the winner of the first game. The fourth match will be played by Henryville and the winner of the second game. Lastly, the championship match will be the winner of games three and four.

The ticket options include a ten dollar ticket which includes every day or a six dollar ticket for a single day.

Story by Sara Kesterson

On Friday, October 12, all seniors involved in fall athletics will be introduced before the football game against Indiana George Washington.

Football seniors include Carter Elliott, Charlie Meredith, Timmy Burton, Ty Lawson, Tristian Mudd, Tyson Line, Ian Strange, Austin Carmickle, Cavan Tharp, Nick Douthitt, Dawson Long, Michael Campbell, Jarrett Coleman, Jace Ingle, Mason Mink, Tanner Manship, Nick Pagett, JD Beavers and Kayle Kibler. Senior football manager Lexi Smith and cheerleaders Mahalia Taylor and Lindsay Morasch will also be recognized.  

Volleyball seniors are Makayla Benham, Sara Kesterson, Keaton Chastain, Jacqlyn Rice and Madison Street.

Cross country seniors include Rachel Umpleby, Josiah McCoy and Tyler Griffith.

The tennis seniors are as follows: Ashton Minton, Dawson Long, Noah Magner, Wyatt Ashley, Shawn Buchanan and Jordan Clark.

Come support the Paoli Football team on Friday night while also recognizing all senior fall athletes for their hard work throughout the years.

Story by Madison Street

The Jennifer Lundergan Memorial 5K is returning again this year. Lundergan was a PHS student who lost her life in a car accident in 2014. Since then, two of her friends, Mackenzie King and Allison Nail, have held a 5K in her honor. All of the proceeds and donations will go to the Jennifer Lundergan Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship has been given to a PHS senior each year for the past four years.

The memorial run will take place on October 6, 2018 at 11 a.m. at the Paoli High School football field. Registration and check-in will be from 9 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. The registration fee is $35 per adult and $25 per student. All pre-registered participants will receive a shirt and a gift bag at the check-in table.

An awards ceremony will be held after the race. Awards will be given to the top three runners in each category. Following awards will be a balloon release and a time of prayer in honor of Lundergan. All participants will be given the chance to write their favorite memory or a note to Lundergan to be released with a balloon.

Come out to the Paoli High School football field on October 6 to walk, run and support everyone involved in the Lundergan Memorial 5K.

Story by Kaden Lewellyn

Fire science teacher Dutch Parks, English teacher Carol Fullington and guidance counselor Brandi Kerley are introducing a new service project for Service Day this year. They will be taking students to Little Africa cemetery.

Little Africa is a cemetery in Chambersburg, Indiana. The tasks they are going to complete on Service Day will include cleaning the paths in the cemetery and picking up trash in Little Africa as well as in Cox’s Woods in Paoli.

“I’m excited because I’ve never been there, and I’ve heard lots about it. Historically, I think it’s important to preserve it,” said Fullington.

In past years, they have just gone to Cox’s woods, but they want to restore and clean up the cemetery to preserve its history.

Story by Faith Wilder

Service Day is a day in which students and staff get to play a role in helping their community, and it’s just around the corner. One service day project that students will be able to participate in is history teacher Chris Lindley’s cemetery mapping project. Lindley and his group will investigate tombstones and, to the best of their ability, accurately mark where the ancestors of the community are buried.

“The students and I will be engaged in getting as much information from a stone as we can and putting this onto a map so we can determine where people are buried to the best of our ability,” said Lindley.

Lindley has always been curious about where local historical figures and ancestors have been buried. However, he has always been unsure of their resting place due to the fact that the previous cemetery map was ruined in a house fire in the 1950s. It has always been a goal of his to restore the plat map for the sake of the community. The cemetery plating service day project will not only help present day community members in discovering the burial site of their ancestors, but also bring respect to the ancestors whose burial sites were never taken care of.

“I feel this is valuable as helping to preserve and interpret an aspect of our local heritage, as a partnership between students and a local civic organization and as an experience for our students to realize their own value and place in the community,” said Lindley.

Story by Jace Ingle

On Tuesday, October 2, students and community members gathered at IU Health Paoli Hospital to take part in the Teddy Bear Project, a project in its second year.

The goal of the project is to provide law enforcement and hospital workers with a care package including a teddy bear to give to children who are in traumatic situations.

“The teddy bears give [the children] something to hold on to, and the other items provide some distractions for them,” said Susan Umpleby, one of the project coordinators.

Pam Kile of IU Health Paoli Hospital worked with Umpleby on the project.

“Pam had indicated a need for teddy bears to give children who entered the hospital.  I had previously worked with the Department of Child Services and knew they benefited as well from having some items to give children, so I contacted Pam,” said Umpleby.

In addition to teddy bears, the group collected coloring books, crayons, stickers, toothbrushes, toothpaste, books for all reading levels, small blankets, stuffed animals and other similar items.

“We agreed to work together and expand this project to gather items for not only the hospital, but also for all county law enforcement and the Department of Child Services,” said Umpley.

The items collected give the hospital staff and law enforcement an opportunity to connect with the children they encounter.  These children may be dealing with a traumatic situation such as a car accident, house fire, or they or a parent may be injured and in the hospital.  

“Both years, we have been able to assemble approximately 300 bags,” said Umpleby. “Any opportunity we can provide for positive interactions with the children in our community through our local law enforcement and hospital staff is a good thing,” said Umpleby.

Story by Angie Ceja

On Tuesday, October 9 at 2 p.m., PHS will be hosting its second School Board Forum. This forum, started by U.S. history teacher Chris Lindley during the last election, will include candidates Lila Tucker, Kathy Padgett, Wenona Fosselman, Bill Hoke, Doug Pittman, Brenda Whitefield and Peggy Manship.

The past forum was held in the PHS Media News studio, but this year, it will be held in the auditorium. Questions for this election’s candidates have been created by speech teacher Carol Fullington’s advanced speech class and reviewed over by media teacher Heather Nichols and Lindley. The forum will be open to the public and published online at a later time.

Story by Rebekah Reeves

Service Day is a day for the students and teachers to make a difference in the community. On October 11, media teacher Heather Nichols will take a group of students to the Orange County Humane Society. Nichols has led this project for four years now.

Cleaning, washing the animals, walking the dogs and promoting the animals on social media to find potential homes are a few things the group plans to do to make a difference.

Chemistry teacher Melissa Higgins and social studies teacher Amy Tuell have a project that involves the Humane Society as well. Tuell, Higgins and the students in their group will be making dog biscuits and treats for the animals in the shelter. They have been doing this project since the commencement of service day.

“We make dog biscuits for the Humane Society because the dogs deserve special treats.  It also gives the students a sense of service,” said Tuell.

Helping at the Humane Society was the main inspiration to have a service day in the first place. The students and the staff are pleased to be able to help out and try to spread goodness for pets.

“I am so happy so many people want to help out and give back to the animals in our community,” said Nichols.

Story by Corinne Magner

To promote school spirit and get students excited about homecoming, the high school student body has launched a contest.

The object is to decorate the hallways based on horror movies. Each grade was tasked with filling their designated sections with staples from their designated films.

Freshmen have Jaws, so they hung a shark from the ceiling and lined the walls with blood red paper.

The Shining is the sophomores’ film, and a paper elevator, caution tape and quotes from the movie have been put up.

Juniors were assigned Children of the Corn and have placed corn husks and storm clouds on the walls.

The senior hallway is based off of IT. Red balloons, missing person posters and a clown are featured in their area.

Student Council sponsor Neil Dittmer is proud of the way the students managed to make the halls look.

“I think they turned out great, the students worked hard to bring the movies to life,” said Dittmer.

Story by Masden Embry

Homecoming week is upon us, and that calls for dress-up days, pep sessions and royalty. Fall homecoming will take place on Friday, September 28.

The homecoming court includes freshmen Bladen Patton and Lillie Warren, sophomores Caleb VanMeter and Madison Shinkle and juniors Aron Busick and Avrey Richards. The senior queen candidates include Rachel Umpleby, Joni Blackburn, Addie Wolf, Gracie Wolf and Madison Street. The senior king candidates are Charlie Meredith, Ty Lawson, Jace Ingle, Nick Douthitt and Tyler Griffith.  

Before school is dismissed on Friday, a pep session will be held to honor the candidates. They will be recognized in front of students and staff as well as participate in a game.

“The senior candidates will be playing a game involving food. I can’t say more because I don’t want to spoil it. After that, the cheerleaders will do a few cheers and there will be a game with different participants from all grades,” said senior Student Council President Emma Osborn.

The candidates will then arrive at the football field at 6:45 p.m. to prepare for the homecoming ceremony. The ceremony will be held before the varsity football game against Crawford County, which will kick off at 7 p.m. Osborn will crown the senior king and queen.

Following the football game, students will take the festivities to the parking lot below the football field for the homecoming celebration.

“There will be a bonfire following the football game. It will more than likely be in the gravel parking lot by the football field, but we’re not sure yet. The fire department will supervise. There will be games, a cookout and music, pretty much like a tailgate party,” said senior Student Council member Emily Leone.

Story by Maggie Vincent 

Being a new student can be a nerve-wracking experience, but Junior High Student Council is making that process a little bit easier for newcomers. Continuing last year’s project, Junior High Student Council will be making welcome bags for new students filled with items a typical teenager would enjoy. A notebook, folders, pens, pencils, candy, snacks, a water bottle, a PHS bumper sticker, a PHS key chain, a Rams football flag, a printed daily class schedule and a Paoli t-shirt are all items that will be included.

The organization has given out a total of 11 bags since beginning the project last year.

Along with a goodie bag, a new student gets a tour of the school, a rundown on the lunch lines and someone to sit with at lunch on their first day.

“I just thought it would be a nice thing to do for new students. It isn’t easy being ‘the new kid,’” said Junior High Student Council sponsor Tammy Noble.  

Story by Sara Kesterson

The ASVAB, or the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, is an exam all juniors and seniors who intend to have military occupations are able to take. The three-hour long exam covers multiple categories that determine students’ capabilities.

“It’s a military entrance exam, so it scores in a couple critical areas, including arithmetic reasoning, word knowledge, paragraph comprehension and mathematical knowledge,” said guidance counselor Brandi Kerley.

On September 27, the ASVAB will be administered by military representatives. It comes at no cost and will be taken in the lower gym during school, so all eligible students can participate easily.

Each military branch has a different standard, or number, they expect students to reach. Therefore, the skill sets they possess will decide which of the five branches they are eligible to enter.

The ASVAB results will be sent to participants in a booklet that contains information on where they ranked among their peers. It will allow them to see what things they need to work on and give them ways to explore future career paths.

Utilizing the benefits of the ASVAB is simple; students only have to put in the effort to take the first step.  

Story by Masden Embry

Varsity cheer season is in session under the direction of head coach Heather Nichols. Five girls are currently on the fall squad, and they have been leading students during pep sessions and football games.  

Tryouts for the winter squad will be Wednesday, September 26 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., and practice will start at the end of September. Students in grades 9-12 are eligible to try out.

“There will be a one day practice for tryouts on September 19 from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. I will make sure it is mandatory for everyone wanting to participate,” said Nichols.

Nichols is looking forward to the future of Paoli High School cheer.

Story by Ashlyn Bonta

A lot of teachers at PHS are planning new Service Day activities, including geometry teacher Cindy Stout. This year, Stout will take a group of students to the public library for rearranging.

For this Service Day project, Stout and her group of students will organize the library space and bookshelves, learn about cataloging, clean and dust. They will also be completing outdoor work such as weed eating.

“The library is always happy to have young people in the building. It would be great to have students help do some cleaning and organizing that does not occur on a daily basis and can help make the building a better place overall for our customers,” said Paoli Public Library Board President Heather Nichols.  

Story by Gracie Walls

College GO! Week is an annual event recognized at PHS every year. This year, it will be the week of September 24-28. Guidance counselor Brandi Kerley is organizing and preparing for College GO! Week for PHS students.

“College GO! Week is an annual, statewide event to promote enrollment in two and four-year colleges across Indiana,” said Kerley.

Students at PHS will have the opportunity to gain more knowledge about college and be introduced to different colleges that are scheduled to visit. Information on why students should go to college, choosing the right college, preparing for college and the process of applying will be provided to the students.

“I have the college fair scheduled for October 26, and so far I have 35 college and career representatives confirmed, and I am waiting on answers from many more,” said Kerley.

In order to accommodate some of the college and career representatives unable to come during the college fair, other days have been set aside for them to visit PHS students.

“Indiana State University is coming during homeroom on September 19, and University of Southern Indiana and Indiana are coming on October 3. I am working on a few more,” said Kerley.

There is a College GO! Week contest that any person in grades 6-12 can enter. Each applicant will be entered in a CollegeChoice 529 direct savings plan, and one student from each grade level will be chosen for this cash prize. To enter the contest, you must fill out the form and create a picture or write a three paragraph essay about a career you are interested in. The grade level with the highest participation in the contest will receive a pizza party, and students who participate will be entered into a drawing for prizes.  

Story by Lili Seals

On Wednesday, September 19, there will be a meeting with the Herff Jones representative to discuss information for all seniors and freshmen.

The meeting for all seniors will begin at 8:15 on September 19 morning in the auditorium. All students will receive an envelope that contains the order form for their cap and gown, graduation announcements and senior memorabilia. The envelope will also include a catalog with information about ordering sweatshirts, t shirts, jewelry and other accessories.

“It is extremely important for all seniors to attend the meeting because they need to be informed on what is due, how much is due and when it will be due so they can walk at graduation,” said senior class sponsor Carol Fullington.

The Herff Jones representative will be back on Tuesday, September 25 to gather all order forms from the senior class. Along with that, they will share any important announcements.

The freshman class will be meeting in the auditorium at 9:15 on Wednesday morning. The meeting will cover all information needed to order class rings. Each class officer will model the rings to the rest of the class and encourage those who want to order a ring to attend the parent night on September 25.

Important information will be given to the students at both meetings. The staff and administration encourages all students in grades 9 and 12 to attend.

Story by Madison Street

On September 28, College Application Day will be open to all seniors. This is a national initiative put into place by the American College Application Campaign with the intent to increase the number of first generation and lower-income students going to college. During this time, application fees are free or a reduced cost. However, if seniors apply sooner, they could be open to better opportunities for scholarships.

For Indiana, this day coincides with Learn More Indiana’s annual “College GO!” campaign. There are 48 colleges participating in this initiative. Many colleges have free applications year round, but others have an application fee. However, help is available if a student qualifies for financial aid.

“It’s never too early to start thinking about what to do after high school graduation. Four year colleges, two year colleges and trade schools are all great options,” said guidance counselor Brandi Kerley.

On Learn More Indiana’s website, the following steps are listed for applying to college: choose at least six schools you would like to attend, get organized by having a folder for each school, keep a calendar with deadlines, make a checklist of tasks to complete, find out the application requirements for the schools you are looking at, talk to your guidance counselor about fee waivers and proofread for any mistakes in your application or essays.

Contact the admissions office at 1-888-528-4719 with any questions.

Story by Michael Hannon

On September 10, PCSC’s Board of Trustees hired Michael Landers (7-0) as Paoli High School’s new social studies teacher for the 2018-2019 school year. The position was previously held by Scott Gudorf. Landers is on a 156 day contract starting September 12.

Story by Sara Kesteron

On Thursday, September 13, English teacher Carol Fullington and her AP Language and Composition class will be taking a field trip to Indiana University in Bloomington. The students will visit the Wells Library, where the students will learn how to use the online catalog system and how to utilize their available resources at college libraries.

The students have been assigned an author study and can check out works by their author or critical reviews of their work from the library. The group will leave PHS at 8:20 a.m. and will arrive back to the school by 2:30 p.m.

Fullington hopes to rid the idea that a college library is scary and reiterate that students can use their resources as often as they need.

“Libraries often appear to be imposing buildings, and students are afraid to check them out,” said Fullington.   

Story by Kinley Block

On Monday, September 10, the School Board will have a meeting at 6 p.m. The Board plans to discuss potentially hiring new staff, evaluate employee job execution and look into finances. Field trips will be approved during this meeting, along with possibly moving around different funds for the school corporation. It is assumed that the Board will hire a new economics teacher for PHS at this time.

Story by Rebekah Reeves

The advanced speech class will be participating in mock interviews to prepare the students for scholarship, college admission or job interviews. To prepare for the occasion, the students have read about interviewing in their textbook, and speech teacher Carol Fullington has shared personal experiences to help them understand the importance of interviews. Director of the Orange County Community Foundation Imojean Dedrick also spoke to the class about her own experiences and shared the “dos” and “don’ts” of interviewing.

“This particular class is a college credit class full of seniors who really are preparing college and scholarship applications, and many will be invited back for interviews between now and November,” said Fullington.

Most of the interviews will take place September 12-14 in the Champions Conference Room or in the boardroom at the superintendent’s office. There will be a variety of people from the community on the judging panel to give the students verbal and written feedback for their grade. Some of the judges are Janet Perry, Jan VanEmon, Martha Nice and Brandon Crowder.

The interview rubric assesses impression and preparedness, appearance and poise, skills presentation and delivery and language. Students will be graded on book work as well as their résumé and the live interview with the panel.

“Interviews are one of the formal public speaking exercises that almost everyone participates in at some point in their life,” said Fullington.

Story by Angie Ceja

The Pride of Paoli will compete in the Salem Invitational on Saturday, September 8.

The Pride is directed this year by Ben Werne and the show is led by senior Drum Major Maggie McGowen. The band will be performing “The Garden of Good and Evil.”

The Salem Invitational is the beginning of competitions for the Pride, and they will be judged by three judges.

If anyone that would like to attend, the competition begins for all groups at 8:45 a.m. at Salem High School.

Story by Corinne Magner

The 2018 Paoli Fall Festival, hosted by Paoli Chamber of Commerce and radio stations Super Oldies, WBIW and Z102, starts September 7 at 9 a.m. and will end September 9 at 4 p.m.

On Friday, the PHS Student Art Show will begin at 9 a.m. The town-wide yard sale will be taking place, and the opening ceremonies and vendors will open at 6 p.m. A chili cook-off and a three-day long laser tag game will begin.

On Saturday, the town-wide yard sale will continue. The car show, Monster Mash, the baby contest and “Cookies and Canvas,” led by Psi Iota Xi Sorority, will also occur. ¨”Cookies and Canvas” is an event in which participants can eat cookies while painting, and it will be located at New Hope Christian Church in Paoli, Indiana. All vendors will open at 10 a.m. Cornhole and bingo will also be available.

On Sunday, the Super Oldies live remote will be going on, and the 2018 Paoli Fall Festival Parade will start at 2 p.m. The parade awards will immediately follow the parade. The festival will be closing Sunday at 4 p.m.

For more information on the 2018 Paoli Fall Festival, visit the “2018 Paoli Fall Festival” Facebook page.

Story by Gracie Walls

This year, Student Council is trying something new. Along with the new sponsors, the members were elected differently, and they will have special committees for certain events and activities.

“One of the biggest changes to Student Council is the combination of both Booster Club and Student Council. The joined clubs will have more responsibilities,” said Student Council sponsor Carol Fullington.

Any student who was interested in running for Student Council was asked to run as a homeroom representative. Out of those students, one was chosen through a vote by the rest of the homeroom. The other remaining candidates could apply for the at-large positions.

The Student Council President is senior Emma Osborn. Osborn will oversee all Student Council decisions and events the committees come up with.

“Student Council was divided into smaller committees, and in addition to spirit days, hall decorating and pep sessions, Student Council will also have a special events committee to organize whole school events. A policy committee will also be formed to give students a voice in changing our handbook,” said Fullington.

This change to Student Council and Booster Club is intended to better connect students and teachers. It gives students a chance to be heard and make decisions for PHS.

“I am very excited that students will have a bigger and better voice in our school. Students have the opportunity to make this a more positive place, and other students are more likely to buy into that positivity if it is lead by people their age,” said Fullington.

With more students involved, new ideas and perspectives will be added. Many people are excited for the change and new policies here at PHS.

Story by Kaden Lewellyn

The rivalry between the Springs Valley Blackhawks and Paoli Rams dates back almost 60 years. Both football teams bring their best, aiming to take home the Orange Bowl trophy each year.

The overall record of the Orange Bowl is 25-32, with Springs Valley taking 32 wins and Paoli receiving 25. Most would be shocked to see the Blackhawks as the most frequent Orange Bowl winners. However, Springs Valley won many games consecutively in the 1970s and 1980s, boosting their overall record. However, the Paoli Rams have an astounding 9-1 record in the Orange Bowl since 2008.

“It’s a classic county rivalry. Everyone always shows up to play. It’s always fun to watch,” said Athletic Director Darek Newkirk.

Come out and support the boys as they compete in the fifty-eighth annual Orange Bowl at Springs Valley this Friday at 7 p.m.

Story by Jace Ingle

Each year, seniors have headshots taken to replace the traditional school photo in the yearbook. This year, senior headshots will need to be taken in the media department studio by Chris Lindley’s room between September 1 and the end of first semester.

All seniors are expected to get their headshot taken. Several photo options will be emailed to each student, allowing the opportunity to choose which one will be used in the yearbook. Senior headshots can also be used for college applications, scholarship applications, or any other time when you must provide a headshot.

Email Mahalia Taylor at taylorm@paoli.k12.in.us to schedule a time to get your photo taken.

Story by Michael Hannon

When you walk through the halls this week, you may notice more people in uniform than usual. Members involved in the Indiana State Police training are borrowing part of our school. They decided to come to Paoli for training because of our friendly staff and large wrestling room.

“The training is a defensive tactics training. I was approached about using the school by a trooper who said the training facility they were using was not suitable anymore. I checked with Mr. Jackson and Mr. Newkirk, and they agreed that it was a good idea to have them here at school,” said Principal Chad Johnson.

The training will take place in the wrestling room and the conference room over the next two weeks. It will include learning control tactics and how to protect themselves as well as the subjects they arrest.

Johnson will take each group of policemen through a tour of the school so they understand the layout. The training will not disrupt the school day, and classes will go on as normal.  

Story by Maggie Vincent

On August 20, the PCSC Board of Trustees hired a new superintendent. With the vote being 7-0, Greg Walker from Brownstown Central Community Schools was hired.

Walker is a 1988 graduate from Green County High School in Greensburg, Kentucky. Walker went on to Western Kentucky University to receive a bachelor’s degree. Additionally, Walker received his principal’s license from Indiana University in 2004 and his educational specialist degree in 2014 from Indiana State University.

Over the past twenty years, Walker has been both a teacher and an administrator at various schools. Walker taught agriculture at Bedford North Lawrence for eleven years. He was also Brownstown’s assistant high school principal for seven years, middle school principal for three and a half years and superintendent for three and a half years.

Although Walker will miss the relationships he has made, he thinks it will be a “smooth transition.”

“I have always admired Paoli schools and decided it was an opportunity I wanted to pursue,” said Walker.

When it comes to improving and representing Paoli schools, Walker hopes to analyze testing data and improve testing scores, help Paoli schools become more “financially sound” and help to develop a positive school climate.

Walker signed a three year contract, an Indiana standard, and his first day on the job is October 1.

Story by Sara Kesterson

National Honor Society is an academic organization that holds its members to high standards in the areas of character, scholarship, leadership and service.  NHS members must complete 20 service hours, while NJHS members must complete 3 service opportunities to fulfill the area of service. These hours can be earned through activities such as helping out the school or volunteering at community events.

Chemistry teacher Melissa Higgins is the new advisor for NHS and NJHS. The induction, which will be held in the PHS auditorium on September 16, is an formal, annual ceremony to introduce new members. Students are eligible to apply for NHS if they have a 3.3 GPA or higher. If a student does decide to apply, they will then undergo further consideration by the faculty council.

“Faculty gives input on the character, leadership, service and scholarship of each applicant. All applications are then put in front of a faculty council, who votes which students have met the requirements,” said Higgins.

Higgins is making a change to the one of the policies. Previously in NHS, members had to complete 20 service hours, all of which could be from serving the same organization. This year, Higgins plans to encourage members to work with a variety of organizations.

“NHS is very beneficial and important for high schoolers,” said Higgins. “Being in this organization looks good on college applications, gives kids the chance to give back and gives recognition for working hard academically through service.”

Story by Faith Wilder

With their eyes on a State Championship win, the Pride of Paoli band is working hard to achieve their goals this year. Former assistant band director Ben Werne stepped up to take on the role of head band director when Bill Laughlin retired from the position.

Along with a new band director, comes a new way to arrange their show. In the past, the music from the band’s shows came from Sunset Scores, a site that marching bands can buy their music from. Instead of buying their show music this season, Werne and a group of people customly arranged a show for the band.

“The custom arrangement by Luke Aylsworth, Stan Phillips and myself is going to impact the band in a very positive way. It allows us to showcase our strengths in the best light and hide areas of weakness. Think of it like clothing: buying a specific size for you always fits better than a ‘one size fits all.’ It’s the same thing with the marching band show,” said Werne.

The Pride’s show this year is called The Garden. There are three movements that make up the production. In the first movement, the garden is lifeless, and the fountain is broken. To begin, the gates of the garden open and the band members enter the garden. In the second movement, the garden starts to bloom into life, and the music is majestic and beautiful. In the final movement, it turns into a utopian garden, and the fountain begins to flow again. Movement three’s music captures the feeling of excitement and is very upbeat.

The Pride’s first performance will be at the high school football game on August 24. The band will be debuting movement one. They will also be playing the “Star Spangled Banner,” “Some Nights” and more pep tunes. The band’s first competition is September 8 at Salem.

Story by Angie Ceja

Assistant Principal Fred Unsicker has proposed the idea in order to help students and staff build a better character. Habitudes is a character education and leadership program designed around various images. Paoli High School is the first school in the state of Indiana to ever receive the grant to place this program in the school.

“We as teachers saw a need to help equip our students to be better leaders, even self leaders, as they head off into adulthood,” said Unsicker.

Unsicker has had experience with this curriculum before. The junior high softball team used Habitudes last spring as part of their regular practice schedule. Habitudes will be held during homeroom every Wednesday. There will be some type of introductory activity, a short video and a discussion for each Habitude lesson.

The program has been shown to benefit several aspects of schools, including a reduction in disciplinary referrals, an increase in attendance rates, an increase in academic performance and the creation of a culture of leadership in the school.

Story by Ashlyn Bonta

A new school year brings new faces to the leadership roles at PHS.  New class officers are elected every year. This year, the freshmen class officers are President Michael Hannon, Vice President Gracie Walls, Secretary Kylee Charles, Treasurer Caleb Jones and Historian Corrine Magner.

“I am excited to take on the role as president. I believe the freshmen officers will do a great job with whatever we are faced with,” said Hannon.

The sophomore class officers are the following: President Maggie Vincent, Vice President Haley Owens, Secretary Lili Seals, Treasurer Victoria Tuell and Historian Lauren Umpleby.

Junior class representatives are President Maddy McDonald, Vice President EB Kerby, Secretary Kinley Block, Treasurer Lauren Rutherford and Historian Aron Busick.

Finally, the senior class officers are President Rachel Umpleby, Vice President Ming Wang, Secretary Nick Douthitt, Treasurer Emma Osborn and Historian Tyson Lawson.

The senior class officers will leave the school with responsibilities such as planning class reunions. The juniors also have a big role; they will be planning the 2019 Prom and will begin the process very soon.

“I am very excited to be a part of prom preparation, and I am ready to hear all of the other officers’ ideas,” said Maddy McDonald.

This year’s officers are ready to take on the responsibilities and new leadership roles at PHS.

Story by Kaden Lewellyn

Along with taking the responsibilities of being senior class sponsors, English teacher Carol Fullington and history teacher Neil Dittmer have decided to partner up and be co-sponsors for Student Council and Booster Club.

“I was in charge of student council for nine years before this year, so I was experienced, and I knew I could do the job well. Mr. Dittmer had the idea to combine the two clubs and make them into one, and I was happy to do it,” said Fullington.

Fullington and Dittmer plan to make a few changes to the two clubs this year. This year, instead of anyone applying to Student Council, there will be one representative from each homeroom. In addition to this, there will be ten at large positions for those who did not get elected through their homeroom. For Booster Club, there will be a committee within Student Council to take care of these responsibilities, including homecoming and entertainment.

Fullington and Dittmer will be splitting the responsibilities of being sponsors between the two of them. Fullington will take care of the crowning during homecoming. Dittmer will be in charge of running all of the pep sessions throughout the year and take on more activities regarding to school spirit. For any other activity, the leadership will be shared.  

“I wanted to be more involved with in school activities, and I felt as though I had a lot of offer because I was in both clubs during high school,” said Dittmer.

Both Fullington and Dittmer are excited to see what this year has in store for them and to begin taking on their new responsibilities.   

Story by Madison Street

The first day of the 2018-19 school year was started by students and teachers filing into the auditorium. Assistant Principal Fred Unsicker took some time to address students and staff of a new change that has made its way to the handbook. This change, which involves the attendance of the students, was formed in hopes of improving our school attendance rate.  

Last year, English teacher Carol Fullington’s speech class was assigned to rewrite the school’s prior attendance policy. Unsicker and Principal Chad Johnson liked their new policy idea and decided to put it into effect.

“Her speech class did a significant amount of research into other schools’ attendance policies, and they also looked at Indiana Code related to attendance. Once they had their proposal written, I spent some time talking to them and doing some of my own research on attendance policy, and Mr. Johnson and I really liked the suggested changes,” said Unsicker.

The new policy features many changes that will now affect what does and does not count as excused absences. The absences are now classified into three categories, professionally excused absence, parent or guardian excused absence and unexcused absence. The professionally excused absence is the only absence that does not count towards the student’s total absence number.

In years past, a call was automatically made to a student’s home after five to seven absences, and on the eighth absence, a meeting was set up with the principal and parent.

“This year, we changed it to placing phone calls at absence 4 and 6.  This allows more time to work with students and parents on absences. Also new this year, on absence 6, students will be placed on an Attendance Contract,” said Unsicker.

The Attendance Contract states that absences seven, eight and nine will all result in a Friday school. If a student reaches nine absences, the school will then notify Orange County Probation for being habitually truant (absent). Once a student reaches the tenth absence, they will lose credit in the course.  

“I really do believe this change will make an improvement in our attendance rate.  We were just under 95% last year, and I believe we can close in on 98%. So far this year, we are right at 96% for the entire school.  In the research I did, schools who had more strict attendance codes had better attendance percentages at the end of the year,” said Unsicker.

Unsicker would like to thank Fullington’s class for all the help in rewriting this policy and encourages students to notify the office if you know you will be missing school.

Story by Maggie Vincent

PHS has come up with a solution to make the students at Paoli feel more respected, acknowledged and meaningful. Each week, one student from each grade will get nominated by teachers for student of the week and student of the month.

The students who got nominated this past week were seventh grader Braxton Clarkson, eighth grader Aliza Allen, freshman Zoe Farris, sophomore Garrick Stidams, junior Kainan Yother and senior Madison Street.

“The students who attend our school should be acknowledged for their success,” said Unsicker.

Not only do the students get recognized, they could have a chance to win a five dollar gift card out of a random draw.

“For some students, getting the gift card would make them motivated to do better in school,” said Unsicker.

There are four categories of consideration to become student of the week or month, responsibility and work ethic, citizenship and character, academic performance and leadership.

PHS has also made other incentives for students to try harder in school.

This year, the school made another rule that if you have not missed a class more than twice and have at least an 85 percent in that class, you do not have to take a final. AP classes are the only exception.

Not only do we have gift cards, but we also have the option to bypass finals if you work hard and accomplish your goals you set for yourself.

“I think we could really make a change in our school with these new rules,” said Unsicker.

Story by Corinne Magner