Ye Pilgrim
A PHS publication that strives to inspire, inform, and unite our school and our community one word at a time.
Year_Recap.mov
Dr.Smith's class cleaning up the weeds in Mrs.Read's backyard.
Photo taken by Ivy Marin
Dr.Smith and Mrs. Portteus
Photo taken by Ivy Marin
HUman of pHS
Mrs.Suzette Read
Mrs.Read has been teaching for 14 years at PCSC schools. She was recently diagnosed with cancer. She is currently receiving treatments.
Mrs. Read loves flowers, so teachers and students from school decided to plant flowers around her house. Dr.Smith's classes have been going to her house to clean up and plant flowers.
Mr.Kindelan, a fellow science teacher, said, "From Mrs. Read, I learned how important it is to have a personal connection to my students and still hold them to high academic standards."
Science teacher Mrs. Lori McClellan said, "There are so many memories Mrs. Read and I share. Our evening chats after everyone else is gone involve some of the most precious memories. We would talk about nothing and everything. All the little things over the years are each very special!"
PHS weekly recap #7
Created by Josie Edwards
With original music by Josie Edwards and Jonas Standley
PHS Recap 7 .movNational donate life month
Nicole Keller
April is celebrated annually as National Donate Life Month, Indiana and the regions close to home have been actively working to make the most out of the month. The Indiana Donor Network is currently signed up to talk at over 40 schools within Indiana to educate students on registering to becoming organ donors. One of these areas the Indiana Donor Network presented was at the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Jr. Staffer Conference.
Indiana Donor Network Employee, Alexis William said, “We are here to educate young people on what the benefits of being an organ donor are and allowing them to make the decision for themselves when that time comes”
Even before the age of 18, students within Plymouth High School has already been making decisions regarding Organ Donation.
One of the students who believe in the act of Organ Donation, is junior Gabriella Ruiz. Ruiz said, “So many people are in need of organs but end up dying while waiting for one.”
The Indiana Donor Network reports that within the United States there is 150,000 individuals on the transplant list awaiting a life changing call.
Other students voice their views on organ donation, such as junior Bridget Shaffer. Shaffer said, “I wholeheartedly support organ donation! I love the idea that even in death we can support another’s life.
When it comes to informing the public on the facts of Organ Donation, the Indiana Donor Network makes all efforts possible. In fact one individual has the ability to save up to 9 lives through organ donation, and heal another 72 lives through tissue donation.
That opportunity to support life continues when sophomore Kelsey Kruyer said, “I do support organ donation mainly because it can improve and save many lives. By donating organs, people are able to pass on the opportunity of life.”
Students were given the opportunity at Plymouth High School to assist in giving others the opportunity of life through blood donation. The Red Cross came into Plymouth High School on Thursday, April 12th to give students the opportunity to donate blood.
April is a time to educate and learn more about the ability to help others through registering to be an organ donor, donating blood, or even expressing your opinions. Students should take the advice of Indiana Donor Network and “take five minutes” to discuss the topic with friends or family.
Voices that want to be heard
Sydney Cochran
The American Bar Association endorsed the Indiana House Bill 1016 New Voices legislative movement because some students felt they could not be heard by others due to censorship in schools.
Sophomore Cassidy Hylton said, “I feel like adults pretend that they hear what us, as teenagers, say. But, they won't make any changes or have a deep thought of what we are saying. Adults think that since they are more mature that they know more. I feel as though the HB 1016 New Voices legislation would really impact school in a positive way.”
The HB 1016 New Voices allows students to use the First Amendment in an educational way. The First Amendment includes the freedom of speech, religion, and the right to protest. This is why many people, including members of groups such as the Indiana Collegiate Press Association, Hoosier State Press Association, Indiana High School Press Association, and members of the Indiana House of Representatives Ed Clere of New Albany, and Ed Delaney of Indianapolis all supported this movement. They believe students in high school and college should educate their peers as well as their teachers about topics that are usually censored.
Senior Victoria Guard said, “I think that this new legislation would have positively impacted schools because it would be a safer place for teens to be able to get help if they need it.”
The responsibility for censorship in schools falls under the Hazelwood ruling which started in 1988 when two high school students in journalism class had stories the principal deemed to be inappropriate. Prior to the Hazelwood ruling, court cases on student press law included Tinker v. Des Moines in 1969 where three teenagers were suspended for wearing black armbands in disapproval of the conflict in Vietnam and in support of a truce.
Indiana’s New Voices bill to protect student journalists' rights failed in the House on Feb. 5 after it fell short of the 51 votes needed for passage to the Senate. The House voted 47 to 44 in favor.
7th annual dance marathon
By Autumn Allmon - January 25, 2018
At Riverside Intermediate School, the 5th and 6th graders had their annual Riley Dance Marathon and more than 300 5th and 6th graders danced to raise $7,690 to give to the children at Riley Children’s Hospital. Riley has been in the top 30 in every category for more than five years and they have been helping to treat more than 300,000 children each year for more than 85 years. Each year Plymouth community hosts a dance at Plymouth High School, Riverside, and Lincoln Junior High. The student do a dance that each and every kid can be a part of to help raise money for the children at Riley to get money for their treatments.
Senior Jake Brown said, “Personally, I participate in Riley Dance Marathon because I believe that raising money and donating your own money/time to a charitable cause is something that all people should do. Not only do I have so much fun raising money with my friends, but knowing that thousands of dollars is going to a hospital for children makes me smile.”
Josiah Allmon, a 6th grader at Riverside said, “The teachers make us stand for the whole time, so we would show support to the children that are having trouble using their legs.”
The dance teachers split the dance up so the Riverside kids could learn it step by step and then at the end, they put it all together and dance for the kids. They give the kids some free time to play whatever they wanted like corn hole, basketball, and more and after a while they went back to learning the dance. Some kids from Riley came and spoke to the Riverside students and each of them listened and learned so much about the Riley kids. Every year the Riley kids inspire students to live each day the best they can.
Senior Makenzie Quissell, President of PHSDM, said that her cousin Hannah Jacobs started the Riley Dance Marathon at Plymouth because she was also a patient there and she wanted to raise money to support the other kids and parents at Riley who have trouble getting the treatments they need. Makenzie and her older sister Cassi Quissell have been doing this ever since their freshman year and both have been president of the PHSDM. Cassi is still doing the Riley Dance Marathon today at Ball State and is on the executive board. Makenzie and her team of hardworking students have reached their goal of making the kids at Riley happy by breaking last year's record with a total of $39,081.74.
Makenzie said, “Hearing the stories of what some families deal with everyday was sad, yet so encouraging to make a difference for the impact of these families. This was super encouraging and just seeing the hospital makes me so happy. Knowing I spend my time making a difference for others is truly amazing.”
HOBY Nominee - Kelsey Kruyer
Nicole Keller
Schools across the state of Indiana have been nominating sophomore students for the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Summit since 1958. This summit is an interactive day full of speakers, cheers, and team-building activities. This year, sophomore Kelsey Kruyer was nominated to attend this July. summit.
Kruyer said, “The Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Summit is a series of seminars for nominated sophomores that focus on their talents regarding leadership in all different environments.”
Many students have never heard about HOBY, and when Kruyer found out what it would take she became excited for the chance to attend.
She said, “The Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Summit is a series of seminars for nominated sophomores that focus on their talents regarding leadership in all different environments.”
Kruyer is exactly right, the HOBY summit is created to help develop future leaders.
When asked what leadership when to her, Kruyer said, “I believe that leadership is the ability to take action while having those who follow always a priority.”
Freshmen that are interested in attending the conference next year have the opportunity by showing leadership skills throughout this year and the next year. Teachers nominate a sophomore student each fall. If sophomores would like this chance to meet new people, develop new skills, and exemplify their talents they should talk to their teacher about possibly being nominated for the next year.
turkeys & Teachers
Hope Carter
With Thanksgiving approaching quickly, Alpha Delta Rho is hosting their annual “Feather Your Turkey!” event. Each PHS staff member has a turkey outside of their door, and they need feathers! On the feather, you can write a note to the teacher thanking them, or expressing gratitude. Feathers are 25¢ each or 5 for $1. They will be sold during lunch November 8th-17th. The staff member with the most feathers gets to donate half of the money earned to a charity of their choice.
- Alpha Delta Rho / ADR (a literacy club, i.e. writing stories, poetry, reading, Book Club, art, playwriting, etc.)
- Feathers are 25¢ each or 5 for $1.00
- Write notes on the feathers thanking the teacher, or expressing your gratitude.
- Sold during lunch, 11/8 - 11/17
- Who has a turkey?
- All PHS Staff :)
- 11/21 Winner is announced, last day before break.
PHS falls into break
Alissa Knapp
The first break of the year, fall break is a time to just relax. The students at PHS decided that the first break, while not their favorite, falling short of votes for the favorite break to the other breaks, Winter and Spring break are ones they enjoy.
Tanner Zehner, a junior said, “Winter [break] will always be number one. My plan for fall break was to move on in sectionals for football.”
Gabby Ruiz, a junior, said “I slept and had a Birthday party. “
Students Julia Marohn, a junior, and Claudia Marohn, a freshman, traveled out of state and to Texas!
Marohn said, “I went to Borger, Texas to see some family and it was amazing! I love getting together with them because we always have an incredible time doing many fun things.”
Assistant Superintendent
By: Meghan Caine
Mrs. Jill VanDriessche is the new Assistant Superintendent at Plymouth Community School Corporation. She was appointed to Mr. Andrew Hartley’s position in August after he was promoted to Superintendent. She previously worked at South Bend Community Schools and decided it was time for a change.
Mrs. VanDriessche said, “The opportunity to join a community that is focused on the schools, where there isn’t a separation of here we are at Plymouth and here is where we live and reside, but here we are at Plymouth and that everything we do encompasses this school system that it is united. Being part of that opportunity was something that was enticing.”
So far the transition has not been that easy, but she said that is to be expected.
She said, “Transitions are hard in general, whether you transition from one grade to the next, moving, or making decisions in life. They are all essential to be able to continue to grow, to cultivate your thinking, and to be able to become the best version of yourself.”
She believes that her past working experiences as a teacher will help her with her new position at PCSC.
Mrs. VanDriessche said, “I think everything you do is applied to what you do next. I think that schooling, life experiences, and being able to be a part of a variety of things have cultivated me as a professional. These experiences have enabled me to make decisions as an educator and will come into play in this position in many different facets.”
Before she got into teaching, she worked as a domestic violence advocate and that was the true reason she decided to become a teacher.
Mrs. VanDriessche said, “During my life growing up, I wasn’t exposed to the harsh reality of what life looks like to a lot of people and through my experience it truly was life changing. I went into that position with totally different professional goals. I perceived myself going onto the law side of life in the criminal justice aspect and thinking this was a path to get me to my ultimate goal in what I saw was reality. What I really saw was the lives of children being changed by adults instantly.”
She wanted to become a teacher because, “teaching and being in education started the belief that if I work with kids, and I was with them for six to seven hours a day at least, then I could ensure that they had a chance that would be different than the life that they had at home and from what they saw and what they experienced and how they were treated. So that's how my path changed by being that advocate and knowing that no matter what, they would feel loved and given the opportunity to change their path by having an education.”
Mrs. VanDriessche has two children, a fourth grade daughter at Webster and a 7th grade son at Lincoln. Her husband is a teacher and coach at South Bend Riley. She graduated from Notre Dame and is a diehard Irish football fan.
She said, “I loved my time in college, I love my university, I loved my foundation of friends for it is the best four years of your life, and I think that every student should have the opportunity to do what they want after they leave our school district, and have that next four years of their life figuring out what they are going to do to put them in a place that will do just that.”
As for future plans for the school district, Mrs. VanDriessche said, “My overall goal is how do we maximize what we've been doing to get the greatest potential out of our greatest resource which is our students.”
Mr. Hartley
Meghan Caine
Mr. Andy Hartley is our new Superintendent at Plymouth Community School Corporation. His name might sound familiar because he was the assistant superintendent under Mr. Daniel Tyree and was promoted this year when Mr. Tyree retired.
Mr. Hartley said, “I feel honored about being promoted and I’m humbled and excited, excited for the direction we’ve been moving and excited to keep moving in a positive direction when it comes to what we offer kids and this community.”
So far his duties have been slightly different since being promoted.
Photo by Alicia Davis
Mr. Andrew Hartley, his children Mia and Jack and his wife Erin
Mr. Hartley said, “I attend more meetings here internally within the district and externally in the community. Right now, we are in the phase of just listening and regrouping and finding some areas that people are worried about. We are focusing on and improving and also capitalize on those areas that are strong and people are proud of, and we’re spending time on that with the buildings and getting input on how we want to move forward.”
He attended Crawfordsville High School, but spent most of his high school time at Huntington North High School and graduated from there. He went on to go to Manchester College (now Manchester University) and majored in elementary education, and minored in math and social studies. He started his teaching experience in Northern Indiana.
“I taught at North White School Corporation for two years, which is a tiny little school corporation in the Indiana Beach area. I then moved to Crawfordsville and continued teaching; then I became an assistant principal.” said Mr. Hartley.
He met his wife, who is from Plymouth, while working in Crawfordsville and she said she would always like to move back to Plymouth to be with family.
Mr. Hartley said, “We’d been coming up to basketball games and we’d visit her family, so I got to know people. I applied for an assistant principal position on a whim, and I didn’t think I'd have much of a chance of getting it, but here we are. It's been a good move for us, we really like it here and have two kids within the school system. We love the community, love the schools, and the teachers and staff that work with the kids. It's been a good place for us, and I love working on making it better.”
Dodging prom expenses
Ivy Marin
Senior Gavin Banks’ team won the dodgeball tournament for the second year in a row. A total of five teams played and the winning team got T-shirts and various gifts from local restaurants. The cost for each team to enter the tournament was $50. One of the requirements was to have two girls playing on the team at a time. Each team needed a minimum of eight players.
Banks said he really did not do anything to prepare for this tournament. He also said, “We weren’t nervous going into it, but when we took our first loss we were.”
Sophomore Alaina Clady, a teammate of Banks, said, “The tournament didn’t take much preparation, I was just prepared to have some fun with my friends.”
Junior Bryce Carmichael, was not nervous because “in the end it didn’t matter and it was just a fundraiser.”
Sophomore Olive Stanton said “I felt quite accomplished when our team won the dodgeball tournament, we had so much fun.”
Sophomore Claire Tanner said, “I was super nervous going into the tournament. The Rockies were the hardest team to beat and so were the teachers.“