Issue 13

Springing into Action

Kaylynn Curley

Hitting, running and batting, sports are springing into action! Girls and boys track, girls tennis, boys golf, baseball, and softball are officially in season.

The boys track team has been practicing since February 12th. Although, due to Mother Nature and the not so lovely weather that she has brought our way, the boys track team has had several meets canceled and postponed to later dates.

Another season leads to another goal and the team's goal for this season is to get a better position in their conference and to win sectionals once again. Sophomore Cesar Lozano is on his second year of running track for PHS. He runs the 4x800 and the 800.

Lozano said, “I'm looking forward to being able to compete against the other schools in our conference and hopefully winning sectionals again this year once again.”

Senior Devin Rogers has participated in track for all four years of high school. Devin runs the mile and the 800.

Rogers said, “Track, to me, is the only sport that I feel it is solely your effort that gets you to your goals. We have teammates, but it isn't a team sport, so to speak. You work for what you get; the effort you put in correlates directly with the results we get.”

The girls track team had their first track meet, which they hosted on April 10th. Freshman Rachael Kaylor is on her third year of running in track. She started when she first came to Plymouth in seventh grade. Rachael runs the 100, 200, and the 4x100 and the 4x400.

Kaylor said, “One of my personal goals for this season is to push myself to my full potential as a runner.”

Junior Julia Marohn has participated in track for three years. The team's overall goal for this season is to get a 4x4 team to qualify for state, because this would make them more competitive against larger schools.

Marohn said, “My personal goals are breaking the long jump record and having faster times than last year.”

On April 11th, the tennis team had their first match at the “Smash Cancer” event, competing against Bremen. Senior Leah Smith is on her fourth year of playing tennis for the high school, although she has played tennis for as long as she can remember.

Smith said, “My greatest challenge this season will be filling in the spaces that last year's seniors left behind. The seniors last year were very talented and getting our game to that level will help us be successful.”

The team's overall goal for this season will be to win Sectionals and NLCs.

Junior Mary Beatty has participated in tennis for 11 years with three of those years being in high school.

Beatty said, “I chose to participate in tennis over all of the other spring sports because the team atmosphere is so much fun.”

On March 12, the baseball team brought out the gloves and started their first practice of the season. Sophomore Diego Garcia has participated in baseball for 10 years now, starting at the qualifying age.

Garcia said, “I am most looking forward to being able to play the sport that I love with a team that knows what they are doing.”

On March 5, the softball team brought out the bats and had their first practice. Freshman Sarah Collier is on her third year of participating in softball.

Collier said, “I am most looking forward to making new friends and pushing myself to work hard.”

This season, the softball team welcomes Varsity Head Coach Lauren Brown and Jv Head Coach Tom Anders. These two new head coaches along with the returning assistant coaches are striving to change the outlook on Plymouth softball. With changing the outlook on Plymouth softball the new head coaches have started a new motto, "Tradition starts with us." Their goal as a team is to start a new tradition and change softball.

Senior Shayla Noble has participated in softball ever since the age of five, when she first started out playing t-ball.

Noble said, “I feel really excited for this season and look forward to seeing what the team accomplishes, but also really sad. After this, my softball career will be over. This will be upsetting because I have put so much of my life into the sport and not playing anymore will be sad. I'll miss the team and coaches a lot, but I want myself and the rest of the team to work as hard as we can to have the best season we can.”

On March 12, the golf team had their first official practice. Mr. Ben Waymouth has been coaching golf for PHS since 2007. The golf team has one senior who has never played before, along with no returning varsity players.

Coach Waymouth said, “We are thrilled to know that we have many underclassmen who we will be able to invest our efforts while knowing they will be returning next year. It's not who you play, but the course that you play.”

Bringing back the Jazz

Alexa Orozco

Solo and ensemble performers often feel like they are going on to the next round of America's Got Talent. After, they may recall the moment of the performance, all the notes and the verses, making sure they were flawless. It is only when they get their scores that they breathe easy. It was in that moment of receiving results when Crimson, under the direction of Mr. VanAntwerp, and Jazz band members, under the direction of Mr. Ames, started to celebrate.

Musicians relived the jazz period by either singing their hearts out to some jazz tunes or by playing their instruments to legendary jazz songs. Last March, Crimson and the Jazz band played tribute to the jazz period by participating in the Jazz ISSMA.

At this event, Crimson member senior Mackenzie Read performed and shared her experiences.

Read said, “It was a long wait to get our scores. Once we saw that we got a gold, all of us started to jump up and down and scream. We had harder songs this year, and were struggling all the way up to a few days before our performance.”

Read has been in choir for 12 years and in Crimson for four. Crimson performed the soundtrack of “Nice work if you can get it” which is a musical by Joe DiPietro, “When I fall in love” by Nat King Cole, and “Rosanna” by Toto.

Along with Crimson, Jazz band members junior Kaiyan Naylor, junior Jeffrey Chamberlin, and senior Jillian Miller all won gold in their performances. Naylor played a trombone solo, Chamberlin played trumpet solos, and Miller played a tenor sax solo.

Chamberlin said, “When I was up on stage, I was partly nervous, partly confident, and mostly just ready to play my heart out. After I got my score, I was absolutely ecstatic. I honestly couldn't believe that it even happened. “

Chamberlin plans on doing music in college while going for a science major.

For those who are aspiring musicians, Read would like to share some advice.

Read said, “If music is your passion, work hard on it and continue to challenge yourself.”

Chamberlin, who has been playing trumpet for six years, also had some advice.

Chamberlin said, “To anyone looking getting into music, I would say that it is the best thing you could ever do. It teaches you so much more about life than you would ever think, and it has taken me to so many places and taught me so many things that have truly made me into the person that I am today.”

Fashion Club

Alissa Knapp

The pressure that comes from society is enough to shape any young person into the fixed mold they’re “supposed” to fit. In order to break free from the mold, Junior Emily Thompson has set out to become the founder of a new club that will redefine the social status quo. Thompson’s potential Fashion Club will potentially be joining the club list for the 2018-2019 school year.

Thompson is in the process of bringing to life a new club at PHS that revolves around fashion which also incorporates helping with self image issues.

Thompson envisions students who are joining will express their creativity and improve their networking skills. These students would be interested in the fashion industry. The club would also be helpful for anyone interested in exploring something new. The club meetings will be held once a month during school hours with occasional after school meetings.

Thompson added, “This is a commitment. I don't recommend joining if you're just trying to make your resume bigger.”

For the activities Thompson has planned, she would like to make T- shirts for football games and basketball games, and many other events throughout the school year. At the end of the year, she would like to have a fashion show of the outfits the members have been creating throughout the school year. Other projects will be announced at a later time.

Thompson said, “This is the first stage of the making of Fashion club. There’s many more stages to be processed, but things are looking good.”

Helping Hands in New Orleans

Meghan Caine

Over Spring break a group of students from Plymouth High School went on a mission trip to New Orleans through the Crossroads Church to help rebuild damage done to the area by Hurricane Katrina. Mr. Ryan Wolfe, social studies teacher, went on the trip along with junior Katie Buckland, junior Andrew Jacobs, and freshman Rachel Jacobs. Hurricane Katrina was a category 5 hurricane hit the Atlantic coast in 2005 that caused damage to affected areas along the coast.

Mr. Wolfe said, “The area that we were in, the Lower 9th Ward originally had 19,000 people before Hurricane Katrina hit. Now it has 6,000. There was still a lot of rebuilding and cleanup that needs done in that area.”

Even 12 years later people hit in the areas are still rebuilding their homes and businesses lost in the storm.

Katie said, “I was really young when Hurricane Katrina first hit, so I never fully grasped how truly devastating the aftermath was until I was down there to see and learn about it for myself. I didn't realize that there is still damage left from Hurricane Katrina still today. It really opened my eyes to see all the damage in person, and I can't imagine how bad it must have been when the hurricane first came.”

The main goal of the trip was to help work on an Internet Cafe that was being built. They also helped out along the way with others in the community.

Rachel said, “When I was there I had the privilege to work on Shirley Rose Leonard's house. She is the sweetest and nicest person I have probably ever meet. And I still talk to her till this day. We grew a really strong relationship down there and I plan on going back one day to see her again.”

The students did not just gain carpentry experience, but a deep personal experience as well.

Katie said, “I felt like I received as much as I gave. I grew so much in my relationship with Christ, and in my relationships with my team members. I learned a lot of various skills while working at our job site. I know I was just a small part in making a huge difference.

Mr. Wolfe said, “I had an amazing time. To see the joy and happiness on peoples faces as we helped and talked with them about their Katrina story was very humbling. It was one of the best weeks of my life!”

The Crossroads church has two service locations, one in Plymouth and one in Culver.

Jacobs said, “I was able to go on this experience with my church. I have attended Crossroads Church since a was born. We are one church in two locations. I probably would not have been able to do a trip like this without them so I am very grateful to be part of that church.”

Busy bees in the spring

Haley Odiorne

Plenty of students have said they are going somewhere for spring vacation. Florida, Tennessee, Colorado, we’ve heard it all. But what about the ones who work their fingers to the bone during break? Why are they doing so much work? Well, there are many reasons why.

Junior Kenna McDonald works at Rue21 and Applebee’s. Both weeks she worked a whopping 47 hours combined. McDonald says she is “paying bills right now, and saving the rest for when needed” with her extra hours.

Senior Josie Koontz works at both Fitness Forum and System 1. She said she worked 25 hours in all of the two weeks we had off. Koontz said, “I am saving money for life after high school. Whether is goes into a new car or college doesn’t matter to me, I just know I’ll need the money.”

Senior Bailey Bourdon works at Dairy Queen and worked 42 hours. She said that she is saving up for her fall semester for college. She said that 42 hours was the right amount for her spring break. It was not too much time at work and she was able to enjoy her spring break while making some money.

With a colossal 98 hours under his belt, Senior Calvin Petrucelli worked at ITAMCO and is saving up to move out after graduation. With 98 hours in two weeks, he could probably buy a house right now if he wanted to.

Phs Spring choir concert

Sydney Cochran

Plymouth High school held their last choir concert on April 15th in the auditorium. Boys and girls chorale, Counterpoint girls, men’s ensemble and Crimson Connection each sang three songs under the direction of Mr. Ryan VanAntwerp and accompanist Mrs. Amee Girten.

The concert started off with Chorale singing “Sing Out a Joyful Song!” by Mary Lynn Lightfoot, next they sang “Shenandoah” by Russell Robinson followed by the “James Bond theme” by Jay Althouse.

Sophomore Ayanna Soria said, “My favorite part about being in charole are the people.”

On March 3rd, the Crimson choir group went to perform in the Indiana State School Music Association Jazz contest. Crimson as a whole sang, but some students performed in groups. Mr. VanAntwerp had the groups perform their songs from contest.

After Chorale, the Crimson men sang “Vive L’Amour” arranged by Alice Parker and Robert shaw. The soloist included junior Levi Crawford and junior Kevin Hernandez.

The third group to perform was the Counterpoint girls singing “We Are the Music Makers” by Andy Beck, “In Time of Silver Rain” by Audrey Snyder, and “Shule Aroon” by Ruth Elaine Schram.

Freshmen Shelby Ankney said, “My favorite song to perform was Silver Rain.”

The following group was Crimson Madrigals singing “Sing We And Chant It” by Thomas Morley

After Madrigals the Men’s Ensemble also known as the Bow Tie Guys performed “Homeward Bound” by Marta Keen and arranged by Althouse, “O Magnum Mysterium” by Evan Ramos, and “Go Down, Moses” arranged by Judy Arthur.

Freshmen Nick Anders said, “I find the songs that we sing to be very interesting”.

The sixth group to perform was the Crimson Women’s Quartet singing “Dream A Little Dream Of Me” by Wilbur Schmidt and Fabian Andre and arranged by Gray.

The last group to perform was Crimson Connection singing “Nice Work If You Can Get It” by George and Ira Gershwin and arranged by Althouse with the soloist freshmen Austin Kizer and junior Maddi Joseph. The second song was “When I Fall In Love” by Victor Young and arranged by Kirby Shaw with Julia Hughes singing the solo. Crimson ended the concert with “Rosanna” by David Paich and arranged by Phillip Lawson.

Senior Renee Green said, “It’s amazing! We all have our differences, but when we perform together we are just Crimson and it’s amazing. We are a close knit group and we love to perform together”.