The Home of the Brave - Rantoul township high school dist. 193

The
Rowdie
Review
The Eagle has Landed
RANTOUL TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL
WINTER 2013 EDITION
The Home of the Brave
By: Natasha Trefren
ble most veterans are; veterans worked
“This nation will remain the land hard to protect our freedom and do not ask
of the free only so long as it is the home of for any recognition. Though the idea origithe brave.” Americans should constantly nated from Mr. Wilson, he said he could
be thankful for those brave men and wom- not successfully have the lunch without the
en who serve America because
support of others.
they are the people who allow us
There are the
to have the freedom we expericooking classes
ence here in America. In order
who prepare for
to show how thankful Rantoul
the event, the
High School is for those serving
dance team helps
America, R.T.H.S. hosted its secout, Interact, Naond Veterans Day Lunch in honor
tional Honors Soof Veterans Day. For this lunch
ciety, Advanced
students were able to invite vetPartaking in the Veterans Day festivities, Alex Public Speaking
erans and they served lunch pre- Stewart and his neighnor, Mr. Barrillo, en- gives toasts to the
pared by gourmet cooking class. joyed hearing toasts to the troops of past and veterans, and so
There goes a lot of preparation present.
many others conand planning in order to make
tibuted. Mr. Wilson stated that he started
this lunch a success!
out with the idea of a little lunch in the li
The idea for the Veterans Day brary, but he received so much support, the
lunch originally came from our principal lunch just kept growing and turned out bigMr. Wilson, who served eight years in the ger and better than expected!
army himself. Mr. Wilson said that one This year’s Veterans Day lunch
year for Veterans Day, Rantoul was in was extremely successful itself. It was inschool, so he realized that R.T.H.S. could credibly touching to see students interactdo something to honor our veterans. Mr. ing with the chipper veterans. When vetWilson thought it was amazing how hum- erans first walked into the lunch, they were
What’s Inside
*Student Life (page 2-4)
+Shopping and Fashion
+5-In-The-Hall
+Ask Lux - Advice Column
+Gaming and Movie Reviews
* Sports (page 5)
+Winter Sports
* Student Activities (pages 6-7)
+Senior Ambassadors
+Madrigals
+Speech Team
+Meet the Editors
* Features (page 8)
greeted by an NHS member who escorted were appreciated. Some also thought it
them to a table. After all the veterans were was neat to see all the different generations
seated Kalista Lutes sang the National An- of veterans from different wars come tothem while everyone looked up to the flag gether. While we only take one day a year
with complete honor. The mood of the that is dedicated to honoring veterans, stulunch made me want to express never enddents should remember
ing thanks to the veterans
to honor veterans every
who protect our country.
day; one simple way to
Throughout the lunch,
honor our veterans is
Advanced Public speakjust saying thank you.
ers gave toasts to veterans
Mr. Wilson feels as if
while they were served
putting one’s hand over
by the gourmet cooking
his/her heart during the
class. The veterans at the
National Anthem or the
lunch also included some
Pledge is a great way
of our very own teachers:
to show respect for our
Mr. Weldon, Mr. Carver, With a sense of pride in our country, the crowd veterans. If there are
and Mr. Root. The most at the luncheon raised together to hear the Na- people around during
tional Anthem and pay tribute to the veterans.
dignifying part of the certhose times who are beemony was the very end when the trumpet ing loud and disruptive, remind them that
players started to play and every person in we should take those moments just to honor
the room stood in complete silence in re- those who have sacrificed for our freedom.
spect for all of those serving America.
As students, we often take advantages of
The lunch at Rantoul High School our liberty. We should always remember
is a great way to make the veterans feel that our freedoms were not just handed
honored. Last year at the veterans lunch, to us without a cost; they are defended by
some said it was awesome just to get the many brave people and we should always
veterans together and let them know they show them the honor they deserve.
Students Continue to Change America
By: Gage Peters and Cree Noble
have influenced the vote in significant
“You may not be thinking about ways. Young people have made huge difpolitics, but politics is thinking about you,” ferences to the nation by changing it. But it
all starts with a vote. A
is a passionate quote expressed
vote made by the stuto young people by actress
dents.
Kerry Washington. Politics
In the recent
may seem like it is only for
elections,
Barack
older people, but it is not;
Obama and Mitt Rompolitics is for everyone. There
ney faced off to gain
is one thing all Americans do
the title of President of
have the right to do about the
government: change it. In or- After voting, Kailey Garren, Haley Jones, the United States. The
der to change it, we have to and Amanda Johnston proudly show-off results were Barack
their “I Voted” stickers.
Obama with 332 elecvote. So with this 2012 election, it all came down to the young voters. toral votes and Mitt Romney with 206.
Just like many elections, the young people President Obama kept his national title for
his second term in office.
This year, a small amount of students at Rantoul Township High School had
the opportunity to vote. Seniors Amanda
Johnston and Haley Jones had the chance
for the very first time this year. When asked
how they felt about their first time voting:
Amanda replied, “I was ecstatic - it was
6:30 am,” whereas Haley Jones felt more
confused than anything else. The young ladies also had memorable moments at the
Voting Poll. Haley Jones went to the wrong
place to vote, and Amanda Johnston took a
lot of photos.
The majority of the students who
Continued on Page 2
Student Life
continued from page 1
attend R.T.H.S. don’t meet the age requirement to vote. A few individuals who can’t
vote were interviewed to see what their
opinions on the issue were. When asked if
they had a passion to vote in the last elections, many of the students reply was no.
Taylor Knowles, a senior, said “I wouldn’t
have wanted to vote. I don’t pay a whole
lot of attention to the elections.”
Dalton Noles, also a senior, replied that he “…just got interested in the
elections this year,” but is unable to vote
because of his age.
“If I was older I would pay more
attention to the elections so I could vote,”
Taylor said.
“If I was old enough…I
would pay more attention,” Briana Young
explained.
Voting is an important part of our
country and a privilege. Educating yourself
on politics when election time comes is a
very important individual responsibility.
“So many struggled so that all of us could
have a voice in this great democracy,” said
Kerry Washington. Take the opportunity
that has been given to you and make a
change in our country.
By: Tyisha Goer and Tahalia Rusley
‘Tis the season to be shopping!
Imagine walking into your favorite store
and seeing it has been ripped to shreds Black Friday has finally hit. Black Friday
is the most popular shopping holiday in the
United States. Every year, large crowds of
families search the aisles of their favorite
stores trying to find the best deals on the
best items.
November 28, 1980 was the first
Black Friday sale ever! Seventeen states
participated in this new event. The term
“Black Friday” came from the theory that
wheels of vehicles left black marks on the
road surfaces the day after Thanksgiving.
Ever since then, Black Friday has been a
major contributor to the shopping world.
The purpose of Black Friday is
for customers to get a head start on their
Christmas shopping
and get great deals
on electronics. Some
think that Black Friday is a game, but
the real benefit is
that you tend to find
the best prices. You
can compare the
different prices and
then pick the best
one. Another reason people love this time
of year is that you get to spend money and
feel good about the sale price you scored.
Some of the best stores to shop
at during Black Friday season were WalMart, K-Mart, Best Buy, and Target. Shopping times began on
Thanksgiving day at 8
p.m. and ended on midnight the day of Black
Friday. Wal-Mart did
an amazing job splitting
up the times of different types of sales during both of these days.
A Walmart employee
Jaqie Goer said “this
year was a busy one - there were a lot of
sales and it was kind of crazy to see people
just fighting over things and actually camp-
ing out in the store just to get a sale.” The
sales ranged from DVD’s, video games,
electronics, home appliances, and toys.
If you missed the huge Black Friday Sale Thanksgiving night, Cyber Monday followed directly after, so hopefully
you caught that! Cyber Monday was your
chance to get the best deals online. If you
don’t want to fight off all the crowds, then
Cyber Monday was the perfect match for
you.
If you chose to participate in Cyber Monday, the best websites to go to included: Gordmons, Best-Buy, Kohls, JC
Pennys, lightinthebox.com, and any other
store that you go to (that has a website)
usually included Cyber Monday sales.
By: Cree Noble
After wearing extremely cute
clothing all this summer and fall. We tend
to let the winter be the season of sweaters;
but not this winter season! Let’s amp this
winter up and go Super Glam Glam! With
these hot trends for girls, boys, and both,
you will have everyone saying: “You look
Super Glam Glam!”
Theresa Guidici. Plum Purple jeans look
great with a solid black tank or blazer. And
oversized Burnt orange handbag will turn
heads anywhere.
3. High to Low Skirts - This bohemian fashion is now hitting the runways
of New York, Paris, and Mulan! These
skirts can be as formal as a prom dress or as
casual as a school outfit. This style of skirt
can be found in all types of colors, designs,
and costs. Stores like Charlotte Russe have
all different types of these stylish
skirts. Wear this skirt with some
funky tights and you will be flawless this winter season.
2. Skinny Jeans - Goodbye Baggy
Jeans, Hello Skinnys! These hot jeans can
transform from hanging out with friends,
to a first date. Skinny Jeans can make you
be classy or have a whole lot of swag. Top
these tight jeans with a t-shirt, sweater, or
jersey, and end with a nice pair of vans or
high tops.
3. Polo Brand- Even if you do not
attend prep school, you can now wear all
the POLO you want. POLO might have
started as a preppy brand, but now
it has beening worn by any fashion
style. You can wear the brand on
an evening out or day in.
Boys’ Fashion:
1. Vans- You do not have
to own a skateboard to rock these
shoes! You can found these shoes
in all different colors and styles to
match your outfit. Places like Journeys always are in stock with these hipster
shoes.
Androgynous Fashion:
1. Boots- Short. Long. Fury.
Leather. Casual. Dressy. Boots
are in! Boots can make any outfit
look like they came off the streets
of NYC. Boots are one accessory
that every girl and guy can agree on this
winter season! One of the greatest things
about boots - you can found them everywhere! Go to places like Target to get your
best deals on boots, or high end department
stores to buy boots with designer labels.
2. Scarves - Not only can scarves warm
you up from a treacherous winter, but they
can turn your outfit into a fashionista style.
At stores like Charlotte Russe or Express,
you can find great bargains on scarves.
3. Leather Jackets- You don’t have to
own a motorcycle to rock this hot trend. Instead of wearing a huge puffy winter coat,
trade it for these leathery jackets. Even if
you don’t believe in wearing animals, there
are many faux leather jackets available in
stores and online.
4. Toms- Cute, confortable, and casual
are just a few words to describe this adorable shoes. Not only are they in style, but
the company is also very charitable. Every
pair of shoes bought, another pair is donated to a child in need. So even though
these chic shoes cost over $50, they are
dedicated to a great cause.
‘Tis the Season to be Shopping
Super Glam Glam Has Arrived!
Girls’ Fashion:
1. Printed Jeans - Skip distress
jeans and go printed! Printed jeans may
seem like a risky trend, but pair the exotic
form of jeans with a plain color tee and you
got the perfect outfit for school. Casual and
cute, printed jeans look great on everyone.
2. Colors of the Season: Plum
Pruple, Burnt Orange, and Emerald Green
- These three colors are going to t u r n
the gloomy winter into a bright bold winter. These daring colors may make you
think twice, but give it a try! Emerald
Green dresses are a new trend, popularized by Real Housewife of New Jersey star
Student Life
5 - i n - t h e - H a l l : Advice: Ask Lux
If
you
had
a
theme
what would it be and
song,
why?
Terrence Ware - My theme
song would be “Mula” by French
Montana and Big Sean because
French Montana is my favorite
rapper. #huuuuua!
Taylor Knowles - “I Got the
Sun in the Morning” because
it reminds me just to enjoy life
without being concerned of
what others think about me.
Kimmy Shwartz - “Boots On”
by Randy Houser because I always have my boots on.
Kalah Fenderson - Michael
Jackson “Beat It” because it’s
a funny story - trust me.
Arin Bishop - “Blue Skies”
because it’s warm and heartfelt
and it fits my personality well.
Q: I’m having trouble studying for the
ACT please HELP!!
“The first thing you need to do is
clear your mind take a break away from
everything and do something you love to
calm yourself down. The easiest thing to
do is to take advantage of all the times you
prepare for it in study hall, but don’t forget
you can also study
for the ACT when
you get time at home.
If you’re stressing,
talk to your teachers
about it - they can
help. It’s all about
taking advantage of
your free time.”
Q: My boyfriend
and I argue all the
time. How do I stop
the arguing?
“The truth
about
completely
avoiding an argument
with your significant
other is that it is impossible. A better way to
go about trying to stop the argument from
getting too bad is that when you start fighting, go in a room with no distractions and
talk about why the topic made both of you
upset. It’s always good to try and compromise. Relationships last longer when both
people can communicate with each other
and know each other’s strengths as well as
their weaknesses. Relationships aren’t going to be perfect. Everyone has their flaws
and there will always be something that the
other is sensitive about, but that’s the reason why you love them. Relationships are
about communication, not just affection.”
Q: My friend and I are arguing - should
I talk to him first or wait for him to talk
to me?
“If you care about your friendship you, should put your pride aside and
talk to him about it. If you feel like the
reason why you’re arguing isn’t your fault
calmly explain to him why you don’t think
it’s your fault. You should both be able to
talk to each other without interrupting one
another and hear both sides. Most of the
time, friends argue because of a misunderstanding or it’s ‘he said she said.’ The best
and easiest way to fix an argument with
a friend is to go straight to them and ask
them about it. Remember, real friends are
one in a million, so hold on to them tight.”
Q: I’m a senior and
I was wondering if
you had any advice
on going to college or
going straight to the
workforce?
“You
should
get an education first.
You will have plenty
of time to work, but
your education will
benefit you for a lifetime. College classes
will better prepare you
for the job you will
be taking after you
graduate. Making an
investment in your education will pay off
in the end. Statistics say that people who
go to college first make more money than
people that go into the workforce first and
then go to college.”
Q: I’m a freshman and my parents are
getting a divorce. I was wondering if
you had any advice on how to support
both my parents without picking sides?
“My parents are also getting a
divorce, so I know what you’re going
through. It’s a tough process to go through,
but you’ll come out stronger in the end.
Just know that both of your parents love
you. As for your question, there are a lot of
ways you can support both parents without
picking sides. The easiest way to go about
it is to talk about the issue separately with
both parents and let them know how you
feel about the situation. Express your concerns and ask them both to not make you
choose a side. Remember, your parents
only want to see you happy.”
Student Life
A Quest for the Ultimate Gaming Experience By: Mitchell Williams
After being announced at E3 (The
Electronic Entertainment Expo) 2011,
Halo 4 is finally within the waiting world’s
‘Reach’ November 6th. The countless fans
that camped out in front of stores across
the country finally got their reward. Everyone’s vacation days are sure to be used
- we’ll all be at home. One major change
from the last installment was, shockingly, a
switch in developers. Instead of Bungie,
the developer responsible for all the previous installments in the Halo franchise, 343
Industries, a subsidiary of Microsoft Studios, took over.
The new game marks the return
of John-117, or as he is more commonly
known, Master Chief.
He retains the
usually silent and brooding presence he’s
known for. The iconic, yet faceless, hero
of the United Nations Space Command,
and savior of the world is back at it. The
Covenant also makes a return in 4, but this
time, the alliance bound aliens aren’t the
main antagonists, as a new foe threatens to
destroy them all: the Prometheans.
Featuring obvious changes in
overall gameplay, just as you’d expect
from one game to the next, the game still
hopes to capture the magic of its predecessors. Accompanied by revamped versions
of the past games’ weapons, entirely new
ones (such as the ones used by the Pro-
metheans), and a complete skin and graphical improvement, multiplayer will feature
equipment load-outs this time around. The
abilities added in Reach seem to be a permanent change, seeing as they’ve been
given an overhaul as well, their uses benefitting anyone from a stealthy attacker to a
By: Greg Morrow
The future is black. Treyarch’s
newest creation Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
was released November 13th. COD: BO2
is said to be the best COD released yet.
However, this game is different from the
other COD games.
Standing across from one another, two faceless heroes display some of what is to be expected in the games
“Halo 4” and “Call of Duty: Black Ops 2”.
turret operator. If anyone still needs some
validated opinion that tells you how good
the game is, look to the reviews. IGN gave
it a 9.8/10, a near perfect score; Gamespot
also gave it a 9/10, not following far behind. Halo 4 will likely be the new symbol
for a definitive FPS in the future, and perhaps more importantly, it’ll continue being
loads of fun to play.
Black Ops 2 is set in the years
1997 and 2025. In the campaign or story
mode, it will pick up from where the first
Black Ops left off. Futuristic weapons
and machines will be making an appearance in the campaign and all other modes.
In addition to the campaign, this year’s
multiplayer mode will be the most diverse
COD.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2’s multiplayer mode has some brand new features. Treyarch introduced a new pick 10”
system for Create-a-Class. This allows
you to choose any 10 perks, weapons, and
secondary weapons of your choice. If you
need to work on your game, BO2 brought
back Combat Training and also added
A.I. operated computer players that you
can play against. Treyarch also took out
the kill-streak system and instead added a
score streak which gives you kill-streaks
based on your score in the game. For example, if you use a UAV, you will receive
points for every kill that your teammates
get from using the UAV. A brand new feature called ‘COD casting’ was added to the
game. COD casting allows you to watch
and become the commentator for that game
and even games in the past.
The last addition for Black Ops 2
is the fan favorite Zombies. Zombies has
been a favorite since Call of Duty: World
at War. Brand new maps have been added
since then such as Call of the Dead and fan
favorite, Moon. Treyarch has made zombies easier to play and even better to play
by yourself, or with friends. A new 4vs4
mode has been added to zombies, however
not a lot of information has been confirmed
about this. This year, Black Ops 2 looks to
top 343 industries Halo 4, which was also
released in November 2012.
Every Love Story Comes to an End
has come out with a new exciting, actionBy: Tianna Mendoza and Greg Morrow
This cast has brought something packed movie to satisfy their fans.
“Childhood is not from birth to
all new to the modern world - a whole dif- a certain age. And at a
ferent perspective on
certain age the child is
love. Not only is the
grown and puts away
Twilight saga a book sechildish things. Childries, but they also have
hood is the kingdom
created several movwhere nobody dies”.
ies based on the books.
The new movie of the
This story has become
twilight series “Breakso popular to children,
ing Dawn part 2” was
teens, and adults, that
Putting
their
differnces
aside
to
protect
their
town,
released on Novemafter the first movie,
the vampires and wearwolves unite to fight the Vo- ber 16, 2012, which
fans started a new trend
lutri.
is a continuation from
called “Team Jacob vs.
the
previous
twilight
movies. The movie
Team Edward.” The Twilight franchise
starts off from the endbecause she was iming of part 1 with Bella
mortal, but Jacob and
seeminly dead. She
the wolves sided with
awakens and has to
Bella and Edward to
learn how to get used
save the child. The
to her newborn vamclimax of the movie is
pire body. Once she
an amazing battle befigures out her body
tween the wolves and
changes, she meets her
vampires. The movie
daughter Renesmee for
ended happily with
the first time. A probthe family of Edward,
lem came across where Finally displayed as husband and wife, Edward and Bella, and Renesmee
Bella and Edward had Bella fight to protect their daughter, Renesmee.
together.
Unfortuto figure out how their
nately, this movie was
immortal child could survive in the future. the ending of the incredible twilight series.
The vampires wanted to kill Renesmee This movie is definitely a must see!
Sports
Don’t Forget About Us
By: Tyisha Goer
He steps to the mat ready to win,
hearing cheers from the crowd gets him
pumped but when he glances over to the
stands he realizes it’s only family cheering.
He wonders why the team doesn’t have the
support from the student body like football
or basketball - why aren’t the rowdies hyping up the crowd? There’s no face paint,
no school spirit, and most importantly, no
support from the student body.
There are many new changes to
wrestling this year: new assistant coach,
new practice place, along with higher expectations. When asked about last year,
head coach, Craig Acree said that, “we
were a young and inexperienced team last
year. We had no choice but to just throw
kids on the mat, only because of low numbers.” This being a new year and a fresh
season, Acree told us exactly what he expected from his team in the 2012-2013; “I
want a conference title, more knowledge
of the sport for the kids, and to just plain to post-season wrestling, including regionwin.” The team has relocated its practices als, sectionals, and some are aiming for
this year. Coach Acree told us that the main the state tournament. “We know where we
want to go, it’s just
reason was
a matter of getting
for “more
there”, said senior
space,”
wrestler
Riley
and that
Stewart.
it was the
“If we aim for
Rantoul
greatness, we can
Yo u t h
achieve
greatWrestling
ness” is an inClub that
spirational quote
made the
said by the new
decision.
assistant coach,
Goals for
Ryan Prater, who
this year
high
are above After working hard during training, junior Javen Cobb shows his strength attended
school in Plainjust being by using a tight-waist grip to keep his opponent down.
field, Illinois, near
satisfied
and being better than last year. The team Chicago. Coach Prater wrestled in two state
wants to blow their records out of the water finals while in high school and later went
and show this school what they are actually on to wrestle at the University of Illinois.
capable of. Multiple wrestlers are looking When asked why he chose Rantoul High
School, he said; “I just enjoy the sport and
these kids were in need of direction in the
sport.”
It’s a new year, new team, with a
new swagger. Yes, the meets are long but
they’re basically two people fighting on a
mat - if that isn’t exciting, then what is?
The meets are never as repetitive as other
sports can seem. Some people say wrestling is the sport with the hardest conditioning and preparation. Do you want to
see why? Then come out and watch something you’ve never seen before. Wrestling
is an exciting sport and a good place to go
if you’ve had a long day and want to relieve stress. The wrestlers might get more
fired up for their matches if more of the
student body would come out and support
them. The wrestling meets are way too
quiet, so if you’re reading this, come and
support one of the toughest sports at RTHS
that sometimes seems invisible, and help
make it be seen!
Ta k e i t t o t h e H o o p
He is usually pretty together.
By: Tianna Mendoza
games. Also this sea
“Congratulations to the Girls’
confident coaching son, the Lady Eagles
Overall, the team has plenty of
basketball team on their win!” This is
the girls; he has been support from RTHS for their season. With
have four seniors playsomething everyone is looking forward
with them for many all the changes and increase in seniors,
ing: Diamond Walker,
to hearing this year. The 2012-2013 girls’
seasons, so he knows people are starting to see a turnaround for
Kalista Lutes, Kimmy
basketball team has good potential and has
them well. When the girls’ basketball team from last year.
Schwartz, and Hana great future ahead of them. The team
Coach Carter was The team has been working hard over the
nah
Wascher.
has had a couple
asked why he decid- summer with tournaments and open gyms.
There are a lot
changes this seaed to be a coach, he These girls are ready to put on a show!
of younger girls
son. Something
replied that
playing,
but
new the team
it was enjoycoaches
have
has is they all reable, and ingreat confidence
ceived new aweteresting to
in this year’s
some uniforms
watch. The
success.
The
and warm ups.
With percise aim, senior Kalista Lutes shoots to add most imporgirls put their two more points to the Eagle’s lead.
This is exciting
tant part of the
skills to use for
because teams
season
is
the
bond
the
girls make
the first time this season in the Blue
rarely have the
as
a
team.
The
head
coach,
Coach
Star tournament.
chance to get all
Mckaufsky
said
during
his
inter
While
interviewing
new gear for their Leaping into the air, senior Hannah
view
that
his
team’s
strongest
trait
Coach Carter, he stated that he has
season. Another Wascher scores big for the Lady Eagles.
is
their
strong
work
ethics.
Somehigh expectations for the girls, and
change to the
he believes that the season will be thing different Coach Mckaufsky’s
team’s season is they now have mandatory
successful. Coach Carter explained that goal for this season is for the girls Showing their support for fellow teammates, members of the girl’s
study halls. This is good for the team, so all
the bond between him and the girls is great. to work more as a team and play basketball team focus intently on the current play.
players are eligible to participate in season
Student Activities
Jumping
By: Tahaila Rusley
“The band wagon’s full, but
you can try and run behind it.” The Senior Ambassadors are a group of college
bound seniors that want to help their fellow classmates get their pre-college to-do
list completed. The group consists of Cord
Church, Greg Morrow, Tahalia Rusley,
Jeremy Paguio, Sabrina Franklin, Larry
Crayton, Matthew Perkins, Keegan Jones,
Wilnette Hurt, and the college advisor, Mr.
Thompson. The group has been active
since their junior year, and is continuing to
inform their classmates about the importance of college.
Mr. Thompson is the founder of
the Senior Ambassadors. He attended the
University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana and majored in Communication studies.
He chose to create the Senior Ambassadors
because when he was in high school, there
was a similar group that he was majorly involved in. They were also in charge of getting college information out to their peers
and he really wanted to pass that legacy
on to others at Rantoul Township High
School.
Mr. Thompson has tried his best
on
the
Bandwagon
to get students accustomed to the college by Senior Ambassadors was College Conlife. In order to do so, he took them on col- nection which was held every Tuesday and
lege field trips to Parkland, Eastern, Illinois Thursdays after school. At the after school
State, and U of I.
event, the stuThese trips helped
dents received
the students learn
help on their
about what they
personal statehad to do to get
ments, college
into the colleges
applications,
and also gave
and scholarthem a glimpse of
ships.
the many wonders
T h e
of campus.
most recent
The Amevent held by
bassadors are not
the group was
a big group, but
the
“RTHS
they all work toRising Stars
gether and take President Tahalia Rusley and Publisist of Senior Ambassadors, Lar- Talent Show.”
on big challenges ry Crayton pose with College Advisor Mr. Thompson.
There
were
to get college inmany
famiformation out to the rest of RTHS. Mr. lies, friends, faculty and staff that came
Thompson described this task, “The mem- out to support the Talent Show. Some acts
bers started their junior year helping me included singing and dancing. The winpass out information to the seniors last year ner of the Talent Show was senior Terry
and this year they continued doing that with Howland. The Senior Ambassadors were
their peers.” The group meets once a week very pleased with the outcome of the Talto discuss upcoming events, fundraisers, ent Show and would like to thank everyone
and future trips. One event that was held who came out to support!
The next event that is going to be held
on behalf of the Senior Ambassadors is
Decision Day. Decision Day is a day for
Seniors to celebrate their acceptance into
college and the future ahead of them. Mr.
Thompson stated, “Decision Day is a requirement for the Illinois College Advising Core. Here in Rantoul, we like to go
all out. Instead of us doing one day, we
celebrate for a whole week. This year,
we will have organizations from the University to come. We will have step teams
from the University, singers, dancers, and
possibly actors. We will have a barbeque
as well.” There however are requirements
for Seniors to participate in Decision Day.
Students have to have filled out you FAFSA
applications, apply to at least 3 colleges or
universities, attend at least one workshop
that is put on throughout the year, and turn
in your college acceptance letters.
This is Mr. Thompson’s last year
being the College Advisor here at RTHS.
He was asked what legacy he wanted to
leave behind for future ambassadors and
he responded, “Work hard at what you
do, always strive from your dreams, never
give up on your dreams. “
R an t o u l R o yalty Reigns Supreme
By: Amanda Johnston, Natasha Trefren, & Mitchell Willams
When most people think of Ran- formance included a hilarious medieval
toul Township High School, they don’t play, followed by a feast, and completed
usually think of
with the beauty of
walking into olden
our very own Rantoul
times, let alone seestudents’ singing. By
ing a royal party.
the performances in
Even though this
December, the actors
is not what generwere well rehearsed,
ally comes to mind
considering that the
when reflecting on
practices for MadriRTHS, if someone
gals started all the way
decided to come
back in October and
during the evenings
that they were three
of December 14th
times a week, for an
In the Cafetorium, the Madrigal cast enthusiastically
or 15th, they would perform a song and dance as the audience looks on.
hour and a half.
have witnessed the
This year Mr. ReynCafetorium transformed into a night of me- olds is directing the entire performance.
dieval madness! This year at the Madrigal While each madrigal performance vardinner, which is sponsored by the music ies, Mr. Reynolds says that most madrigal
department, the audience saw Who Killed songs are written in four parts; soprano,
the Kilt, and much more! This year’s per- alto, tenor, and bass. Madrigal songs are
non-religious songs, but the term has come and Mrs. Requa, as well as her husband.
to be used for a “blanket” term encompass- There were always endless compliments
ing the style of muregarding the prosic from the Renaisfessional
cooking
sance/ Baroque time
done by our teachperiod. Mr. Reyners! This play was
olds claimed that his
a suspense-filled and
favorite part of Madtension-driven murrigals is hearing all
der mystery, taking
of 4-part music come
place in the aforetogether as we get
mentioned medieval
closer to the perfortimes. Kailey Garmances.
ren explained it as
According
“a medieval version
to Kailey Garren,
of Law and Order”.
Marissa Withers, Jeremy Paguio, and Kailey Garren
who plays the sheriff, pose in their one-of-a-kind medieval attire made by Although the play is
anyone who came to RTHS Staff.
medieval, the cast aswaitness the magic of
sures that it was not
the Madrigal majesty could not only expect at all difficult to get involved in the play.
to be entertained, but the audience was also In fact, many of the actors think wearing
presented with awesome food prepared by the medieval costumes was a great experitwo of our very own teachers, Ms. Lindsay ence and one they will remember forever.
Student Activities
S p e e c h e s
their communication with each other and
By: Myranda Catizone
As the first semester ended, the those present in their daily lives. Improvseasons of many sports, clubs, and orga- ing their speaking, listening, and presentanizations came to a close. However, the tion skills together with Coach Wachala,
RTHS Speech Team is just getting warmed students manage to memorize, produce,
up! A club based on communication and and/or gain understanding of pages of literpublic speaking, members are given an al- ature within the space of just a few weeks.
most infinite number of topics to choose In order to fully comprehend the formation
of this year’s Speech
from within each
Club, the staff asked
category of hosted
the new head behind
speeches. Some of
the operation a few
these categories inquestions:
clude: impromptu
Why is it that
speaking, humorous
you
chose
to join the
interpretation, draSpeech
Team?
matic interpretation,
A:
Edward (Tiger)
humorous duet actFlores
Castro: Because
ing, dramatic duet
I
love
poetry, I love to
acting, prose, spemake
new
friends, and
cial occasion/afterDuring a break at a Speech competition, the bulk of the
I
love
to
have
fun.
dinner
speaking, team and their coach pose for a few photos.
A:
Montreyus
and poetry reading.
Speech practice takes place each Tuesday, Walker: I thought it would be fun.
Which category(y/ies) of speech
Wednesday, and Thursday after school in are
you
presenting?
room E308.
Speeches ‘N Cream is an intimate A: Edward (Tiger) Flores Castro: Poetry,
group of individuals that strive to better love, and dramatization.
‘ N
C r e a m
A: Montreyus Walker: Dramatic Interpre- anything you wanted, what would you
tation.
call it?
What do you like most about A: Edward (Tiger) Flores Casbeing a part of
tro: RTHS SPEECH
the RTHS Speech
ROCK TEAM!
Team?
A:
MontreyA: Edward (Tiger)
us Walker:
Team
Flores Castro: MakSpeech!
ing friends, having
A presenter’s
fun, and being a part
public
speaking
of something.
skills can always be
A: Montreyus Walkimproved. As beer: It’s fun to hang out
ing able to commuwith the other memnicate effectively is
bers.
an invaluable life
Do
you Caught in the moment of a passionate poetry reading, skill, any student that
think of yourself as Edward Flores-Castro shows off how he got the nick- does not feel entirely
a very outgoing and name “Tiger”.
comfortable speaking
confident person, or
in front of others-do you see yourself as more introvert- as well as those who already enjoy coned?
versing in the presence of large groups of
A: Edward (Tiger) Flores Castro: people--can greatly benefit from and take
I’m confident because I’m positive, I talk a pleasure in being a part of the creative, at
lot, and I like to have fun!
many times goofy, and certainly dedicated
A: Montreyus Walker: I’m some- RTHS Speech Team. New members are
what outgoing and I’m always confident.
welcome to partake in our new positive
If you could rename the club to thinking campaign for the new semester.
Meet the Editors
Gage Peters, Editor-in-Chief
My name is Gage Peters, a senior, and I am this year’s Editor and Chief
of the Modern Media Staff. The last two
years I have been interested in music performance, including singing and marching
band, but don’t plan on continuing any
performing arts throughout college. I have
been in the Rantoul marching band for two
years and was in advanced choir for one. I
am attending the University of Illinois in
Urbana-Champaign. My career goal is then
to attend Harvard law school and become
a lawyer. I have recently just chosen this
career for myself because I tend to find myself interested in law and I am good with
my words. I’m looking forward to great
second semester here at Rantoul and excited to continue to be a part of the Modern
Media Staff.
Amanda Johnston, Co-Vice-Editor-in-Chief
Cree Noble, Co-Vice-Editor-in-Chief
Myranda Catizone, Creative Editor
My name is Amanda Johnston
and I’m a senior this year. I’m planning on
going to college in the fall to study Education. This is my first
year on the Modern
Media staff, and it is
one of the best decisions I have ever made.
My favorite part of
Modern Media is that
every staff member
comes from a different background and
has different interests
but we have all come
together like a family.
This year I looking
forward the amazing things the staff can
accomplish and making the yearbook!
Hey everybody this is Cree Noble! I am a junior at RTHS. I am this year’s
Co-Vice Editor-in-Chief. I wanted to join
the Modern Media
staff because I have
a passion for journalism. I plan to become
a news reporter in the
fabulous city of New
York. I also have a
passion for theatre
and cheerleading. I
want to major in Journalism when I go to
college. I love to hang
out at the mall with
my friends and try on
the latest fashion trends.
I am Creative Editor Myranda
Catizone. I love writing and I am a firm believer in being myself. One of my favorite
things about high school is that as everyone
gets older they start accepting you for who
you are. Anyone who has a voice should
use it without fear. If you want to draw a
picture of a sasquatch delivering presents
to children on Christmas Eve, go ahead,
nothing should ever stop you from fulfilling
your weird, strange dreams!
I plan to attend the University of
Illinois in Champaign and major in English
education while minoring in Japanese language and religious studies. In my spare
time I like to read books such as the Lord of
the Rings, play videogames such as Dragon
Age II, and do life drawings of the faces of
my favorite musicians.
Features
Fresh Off the Press
By: Gage Peters, Amanda Johnston, & Natasha Trefren
each other’s articles. After the articles, pic- much as we do. We all met up during lunch
As we started the school year we professional photographer. Along with the tures, and captions are error free (or so we periods and proudly took our papers to all
would never have guessed what was in store dry facts that are in articles, we also have hope) it was time to lay all of them out on of the homerooms - it was a very dignified
for us as we walked into E210 for Modern to include intriguing details like interviews our layout program, InDesign. The layout moment for the Modern Media staff. Some
Media. In the beginning, most of us were that connect with each individual article. experience was completely new for most students were excited to get the paper while
strangers
The
first of us! We all took time to learn how to take other students put down all of our hard
work by
and we kept
time
Mod- the articles and
asking if
our
disern
Media put it on the softthey had
tance. The
staff member ware which was
to take a
first day we
Tyisha Goer not an easy task;
copy. We
wrote jourinterviewed we often have to
are glad
nal entries
someone but make titles lonwe
got
and found
was extreme- ger or shorter or
to share
our
crely
nervous change picture
the newsative sides
and she did sizes just to atp a p e r
to help prenot really like tempt to make
with our
pare for the
interviewing it fit perfectly
school,
school year.
in
general; on the layout.
even
if
Activities
however she To finish layout,
nobody
like a photo
thought it was we came in after
read
it,
scavenger
a good expe- school and spent
Traveling to the U of I for the Yearbook Workshop, the staff takes a moment
we would
hunt helped
rience.
By hours putting it to immortalize the moment in front of the Illini Union.
In order to finalize the fall Rowdie Review, some of the Modern Media staff
still
be
us
blend sort through pictures after school during the week the newspaper was due to the end of the all together on
t o g e t h e r print.
year all of us the software. We were so excited to see proud of the newspaper we produced!
One of the unique things about
and become
will be able to our articles and pictures coming together more of a unit. According to a Modern Me- conduct interviews with no problem!
into our first actual paper! Though layout Modern Media is that we consider our
dia staff member when the school year first Even though we encountered seemed to take forever, we had a good time class a family. Even though when the year
started, it was difficult to bond; however many struggles while trying to produce eating pizza and creating our paper together first started we did not seem to want much
to do with each other that quickly changed.
the photo scavenger hunt allowed all of us c r e a t i v e
as a team.
to be social and learn about each other.
articles,
All of Following Ms. Greenwald’s example, we
It was time to get ready for the the editour hard learned how to take a random group of
important deadline and that deadline that ing prowork had classmates and turn into a staff that cares
would catch us in a hurry. We had to choose cess was
f i n a l l y about each other. Even if some of us disarticles to print in the Rowdie Review’s to
soon
paid off. agree at times (which we do) we know that
2012 fall paper. We brainstormed for days begin. All
The layout as a staff we will work things out just as
and finally came up with the articles that photos, arwas com- people who care about each other would.
we would be writing. While a majority of ticles, and
plete and If one of us is having a bad day we all try
us had never wrote an article in our lives, c a p t i o n s
the 2012 to cheer that person up. We often use our
we used the help of Ms. Greenwald as well have
to
fall paper class to build each other up for accomplishas each other to complete an article each be edited
was off to ments we have achieved through the week,
of us could be proud of! For each article and modiprint! We even if it does not relate to Modern Media
we interest the reader by adding pictures fied so that
w a i t e d at all. We even take time to celebrate our
so that that paper isn’t full of just words. there are
anxiously birthdays together! The first day that we
By taking pictures we have built quite a m i n i m a l
for
the all walked into class a little bewildered and
photo library that we organize for both the errors in After the first edition of the Rowdie Review was printed, Mitch Williams and Cree newspaper worried about what this year would bring
newspaper and yearbook. A majority of us the paper. Noble eagerly distribute the newspaper to teachers’ mailboxes.
to
come us. We didn’t expect that we would feel so
adored using the fancy Modern Media cam- Editing is
back from comfortable with each other in such a short
era to take pictures for the newspaper. Cree the most tedious task of producing a pa- print, which felt like forever. We got the matter of time. Our year has already been
Noble, a Modern Media editor, said even per. We passed around our articles to each good news - the newspaper was in! The last successful and as we keep improving and
though most of her pictures did not turn out other in what we call a “circle edit” where thing left to do was to distribute throughout growing as a team there is no limit to what
too great, she really did feel like she was a we leave both good and bad comments on the whole school, so they could enjoy it as we can accomplish!