2024-25 High School Confidential: Week 28
May 1—Welcome to Year 9 of High School Confidential, powered by Danville Area Community College. It's an award-winning project made possible by aspiring student journalists from every corner of our circulation area. Each Thursday through April, they'll tell us what's happening in their hallways at .
At least once a week, we'll also hand over our Snapchat account (News-Gazette) to our correspondents for behind-the-scenes tours.
Feedback? Email N-G/VP Jim Rossow at .
On to this week's report, which closes out the school year:
Academy High hosted its annual athletic banquet at Papa Del's, where each athlete received their own specialized award. The group celebrated hard work and important moments from their seasons. Finally, prom was at the I Hotel and Illinois Conference Center. As voted on by students, the theme was "A Fairytale Prom."
Seniors will head to Washington, D.C., on the 70th annual trip, excluding the COVID-19 year. The students will depart from the high school at 5:30 a.m. Saturday and return late Thursday. On the trip, the class will visit the U.S. Capitol building, the White House and the Vietnam Memorial and go on a Segway tour throughout the city. The class is excited to attend and then come back for prom. Pictured: the 1991 seniors — including my dad — on their trip.
Students visited Danville Area Community College for a Chemistry 100 lab, where they tested the solubility of different chemicals.
On Saturday, Bement hosted prom at the Monarch Event Center in Monticello. The theme was "Red Carpet Masquerade," and seniors Ian Glennon and Lily Culp were voted prom king and queen.
BHRA hosted Terrence Talley, who moved all who listened and gave the students a simple but strong message: "Don't give up." Students and staff shared laughs and even tears throughout this event. At the beginning, the teachers were asked to dance, which provided immense entertainment for the students. He then told stories of experiences from students he has met throughout the years and ones he experienced himself. Near the end, students reminded each other and their teachers that they are loved and appreciated.
Art students participated in Eastern Illinois University's annual Love for the Arts workshop and competition. Blue Ridge earned first place overall in the art competition with nine ribbon winners.
On Friday, the high school will host it annual Aloha Day, a 20-plus-year tradition that pits classes against each other at the end of the school year. Aloha Day takes months of preparation, from T-shirt ordering to decorating. Students compete in games such as 4-square volleyball, towel race, hula hoop, tug-of-war, knockout and dodgeball. Before the games is a special lunch made by cafeteria staff with help from the student council. Each class is assigned a hallway to decorate, with points going to the winners. Another tradition: Students in art class design Aloha Day-themed T-shirts, which then get voted on by the student council. This year's designs were drawn by sophomore Jake Bolsen and freshman Autumn Gant.
Seniors took a celebratory trip to Tampa, Fla., where they lounged on the beach, enjoyed good food and visited Busch Gardens. Grace Bishop said her favorite part was seeing baby dolphins on a sunset cruise; for Valerie Duzan, it was the roller coasters and safari ride at Busch Gardens; and Sara Goss said, "at the Clearwater Aquarium, we got to see so many different animals: otters, nurse sharks, stingrays, dolphins, sea turtles and a bunch of fish!" For other students, a highlight was flying for the first time. The traditional trip allows seniors to celebrate their dedication to years of education and have one last bonding experience together.
Physics class went to Six Flags Great America for "Physics Day," where they explained the physics of all the roller coasters and students were able to ride at a discount. Students got out of their comfort zone, since not many of them had not been on a roller coaster before, but all enjoyed at least one ride.
Danville
"Hadestown" — an emotional, sad and heartbreaking play — saw the actors execute it wonderfully as many people in the crowd caught themselves crying. Main actors like Brooklyn Warfield (Hermes), Gavin Baugh (Orpheus) and Andrea Downing (Eurydice) filled the air with their sadness. When the play was over, everyone gave the actors a standing ovation, and it was well deserved. Photo courtesy Kady Richey and Brooklyn Warfield.
For its food truck unit, Tiffany Dirksmeyer's advanced foods class toured a food truck last Wednesday. Two Reds BBQ came to the school and showed the class the layout of the truck's interior, which corresponded with what they were learning in class.
The FFA chapter hosted a teaching experience for younger classes. The preschool and kindergarten classes took a field trip to the high school to learn about plants in the greenhouse and try food from the different plants. The high school horticulture class did a great job showing the kids everything about plants. It also was prom week, Addison Kerchenfaut and Carter Eichelberger announced as queen and king at promenade. The dance started off with an air-guitar battle, which the king won. The night ended with the annual after-prom activities hosted by junior parents.
Heritage held a powerful mock car accident the day before prom to promote safe driving among students. The event made a big impact, reminding everyone to make smart choices. The next day, senior Kashton White — one of the actors in the mock accident — was crowned prom king alongside queen Gracie Tate. The night was filled with celebration, and students enjoyed a wonderful, memorable prom.
Last Wednesday, anatomy and forensic students joined teacher Adam Elliott on a trip to Danville Area Community College to attend its Cadaver Lab led by Amanda Poffinbarger. They got to interact with an interactive anatomage table with help from Kelly Johnson. A successful learning day ended with a delicious lunch at Culver's. Pictured, left to right: Cole Miller, Athan Linares, Macy Warner, Olivia Swartz, Willamina Clayton, Ociel Hernandez, Jayden Bolton and Orion Gonzalez
FFA students traveled to Crescent City Grade School to talk about safety at their Camp 911. Members discussed important topics such as blind spots, awareness while driving next to tractors, and PTO safety.
The student council organized a 3-on-3 basketball tournament for junior high and high school students, creating an exciting evening full of spirited competition and fun.
A wonderful prom night rounded out April. Prom court is nominated by seniors, and upperclassmen vote on king and queen. Prom court girls were Nadia Bollhorst, Sophia Trenkle, Katelyn Edgington, Emily Mennenga and Finley Howard. The boys were Andrew Fleming, Tate Sigler, Braeden Fox, Bo Zeleznik and Ethan Bagnell. Bagnell and Bollhorst were honored as king and queen. Photos via Wendy Brent.
On Friday, National Honor Society and student council had their Senior Citizens Banquet. This year, the theme was "Hawaiian," so the tables and gym were decorated for a beach-type feeling, along with games like bowling, bags and ring toss. Students served salad, pulled pork prepared by the Milford FFA, potatoes, fruit and cupcakes made by the Milford FCS Club. The banquet had a huge turnout, and the community had a great night. Pictured: Caleb Clutteur, Gage Vogel and Brian Zecher preparing food; and Sesilia Salinas and Sophie Newman getting the salad trays ready to serve.
The Family, Career and Community Leaders of America club went to Illinois State on Friday for a tour of campus, getting a look at historic pieces of clothing and trying cafeteria food. Pictured, left to right, Lexi Muhl, Charley Ulrich, Jace Webb, Grace Hughes, Paityn Badgley and Bren Henry.
The "We the People" constitution team completed its year with a 22nd-place finish at the national finals in Washington, D.C. It's the best finish in school history in the 48-team event. Two SJ-O units earned special distinctions: Unit 4 (Lauren Harris, Sonia Patel and Luke Ditchfield) placed second in the country on Day 2 of the competition; and Unit 1 (Will Besson, Luke Ditchfield and Jackson Ennis) finished the two-day competition No. 5 in the nation.
STM celebrated prom week with all sorts of fun activities. It began on Tuesday with an all-school Mass coming back from Easter break. Next was a "Pajama Day" and "Anything But a Backpack Day." Then freshmen and sophomores dressed up as babies, while juniors and seniors dressed up as senior citizens. Friday was "Field Day" — a half day of classes followed by games between houses — groups students are assigned to as freshmen. The Family of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seaton won the coveted family trophy for the first time in school history, winning by 140 points. Finally, a "Kentucky Derby"-themed prom took place over the weekend, Joe Keck and Rebekah Taylor winning king and queen.
At Saturday's prom, a grand march was held for the first time since before the pandemic — and was a huge hit. The community showed out and packed the stands to see the students dressed up for coronation. Crowned as king and queen: Jeffrey Dines and Alexa Jamison. This year also marked the first year for post-prom — and it was a success. Thousands of dollars were raised for prizes and activities. Every student who attended left with a prize, gift card or money.
Track runners Charles Medlin and Mark Lehmann take part in the 400-meter relay. The Hilltoppers have enjoyed a strong start to the season.
Seniors Garrett Pollock and Shaylun Christenberry were the recipients of the Lincoln Prairie Conference Principal's Award on April 16. The award is for seniors who excelled in academics and athletics in their high school career. Principal Amy Jones attended the event with the recipients. After receiving the award, Christenberry said, "a small school should not define your ability." Pictured, left to right: Pollock, Jones and Christenberry.
Cami Badman's dual-credit English composition class completed their Senior Scrapbooks, which included things like a timeline of their life, a section on their family, a college essay/resume and a letter from a parent. In addition to the scrapbook, students also made a slideshow about their high school journey and a speech on three important memories in high school. They will present specific predetermined parts of their scrapbook, their "high school journey" slideshow and their speech.
FFA held its end-of-the-year banquet, where Trey Waldrop was elected president, Abbie Meyer vice president, Ava Whitson secretary and treasurer, Savanna Taylor reporter and Tristan Anderson sentinel. These newly elected offices and FFA member Keyton Lance got to judge livestock, including goats, sheep, cows, bulls and pigs.
Uni's Sprabitat (Spring Initiative + Habitat For Humanity) Club hosted a jewelry sale benefiting Spring Initiative, an after-school organization for kids in Clarksdale, Miss., and Uni's PTSA. With jewelry donated from supporters of Uni and Uni's National Art Honor Society, the sale was a huge success. Pictured: Bonnie Weaver running the table and Elanor Siechen holding up a purchase.
Unity celebrated both current students and alumni last week. On Thursday, 21 students were inducted into the National Honor Society, recognized for their excellence in leadership, scholarship, service and character. Unity also proudly welcomed Mala (Bedient) Thapar into the Alumni Hall of Fame. A 2004 graduate, she was a two-term student council president, a National Honor Society member and a four-year varsity athlete in cross-country and track. She earned a degree in biology with a minor in theology from St. Louis University in 2008, followed by a master's in public health with a focus in epidemiology and behavioral science/health education. Mala built her career at the American Academy of Pediatrics, dedicating 12 years to advancing programs in pediatric obesity prevention, child health policy and advocacy. In 2022, she launched her own health care consulting firm, Thapar Consulting, LLC. Today, she lives in Hinsdale with her husband, Nitin, and their children, Niam and Raina.
Tigers got in the prom spirit, but going all out for Spirit Week. The days were "Emo Day," "Meme Day," "Barbie and Ken Day" and "Surfers vs. Bikers."
After months of preparation, Villa Grove's Special Olympics athletes and coaches gathered to compete at the Spring Games at Eastern Illinois University. Due to inclement weather, however, the games were cancelled. Because of their hard work and dedication, coaches and helpers will be prepared to compete and host their own Special Olympics competition at Villa Grove (date TBA).
State Sen. Chris Balkema invited students from Watseka and other schools in the 53rd district to visit the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield on April 23. The students, handpicked by Watseka civics teacher Amy Bandur for leadership qualities, had the opportunity to explore the capitol, talk to representatives and lobbyists, and even have a mock debate over a fake bill.
On Friday, the Class of 2026 spent the day decorating for prom and promenade. The junior class worked very hard and had a great time preparing for prom. Thank you to all the teachers who helped make this possible.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Tarek El Moussa's Son Brayden, 9, Explains Unexpected Reason He Wants His Dad and Heather Rae El Moussa to Have Another Baby
Tarek El Moussa's son Brayden shared the sneaky reason he wants his dad and stepmom Heather Rae El Moussa to have another kid The 9-year-old shared his reasoning to his dad, insisting he just wants "one more" Tarek shares Brayden with ex-wife Christina Haack, along with his daughter Taylor; meanwhile he and wife Heather have a 2-year-old son named TristanTarek El Moussa's older son Brayden wants another baby sibling. The 9-year-old son of Tarek and his ex-wife Christina Haack spoke with E! News and shared that he is hoping his dad and stepmom Heather Rae El Moussa will have another little one. Tarek and Heather, who are already parents to 2-year-old son Tristan, smiled alongside Brayden as he explained the hilarious reason why he wants another sibling. 'Well I want another kid just because to get Tristan away from me,' Brayden said. 'A little bit farther so he can hang out with his other brother and I won't get blamed for everything.' Alongside his son, Tarek shares daughter Taylor with Haack, who is also mom to son Hudson with ex Ant Anstead. "We already got four kids. We just need one more,' Brayden explained in his interview. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The Selling Sunset alum has previously spoken about wanting another baby. On a March episode of the Scrubbing in with Becca Tilley & Tanya Rad podcast, Heather shared that she and Tarek aren't on the same page when it comes to having another baby. "That's a sensitive topic for me!" Heather said of having another baby. "Obviously I have my stepkids and I'm so in love with them, but having your own baby — oh my gosh. It's so hard to explain it until you go through it." "I never wanted to leave [my son]. I want to be with him all the time. I still do," she continued. "He is the light of my life. It makes me so happy. I'm like, 'How could I not want more?' But my husband is very much done." The proud mom went on to explain that she's started thinking about growing her family after age became something she had to consider. "I'm 37. I'm turning 38 this year. So for me, it's kind of like now or never in a way, not because you can't have babies older, but I don't want to be 40 having babies still 'cause it's a lot," she admitted. "It takes up a lot of your time, a lot of your life, and the kids are my priority over myself. So I want to do it, get my body back. And it took a long time. It's hard." Although she said she wished she had talked with Tarek about having another kid right after having Tristan, Heather shared that she struggled with postpartum. "I didn't have depression, but you go through crazy hormonal changes," she said. "You're taking care of this little human that needs you. It's not like you can just leave and go. They need you." Read the original article on People
Buzz Feed
2 days ago
- Buzz Feed
Miley Cyrus Accused "Hannah Montana" Costars Of Smoking Weed On Set
Miley Cyrus has been spilling some behind-the-scenes secrets from her Disney Channel days. Although, there seems to be a bit of contention as to what the truth really is. As you may have noticed, Miley is everywhere at the moment, promoting her new album and its accompanying film. And while touring all the big podcasts, she stopped by for an appearance on the Sorry We're Cyrus pod, which happens to be hosted by her mom, Tish Cyrus, and her older sister, Brandi Cyrus. During a round of quickfire questions, Tish asked Miley to reveal 'a core memory from the Hannah Montana days that still makes [her] laugh,' to which her daughter replied without hesitation: 'Dad smoking pot and everyone blaming me for it.' For context, Miley and her real-life dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, starred together as a father-daughter duo on the iconic Disney Channel series, which aired from 2006 to 2011. Miley was just 13 years old when she made her Hannah Montana debut. Tish and Brandi burst out laughing at the reply. 'I do remember that,' Brandi said, as Miley called the situation 'hilarious.' Notably, Tish — who divorced Billy Ray in 2022 — even remembered being contacted about the alleged issue at the time, admitting that she was reluctant to believe it. 'They were calling me, saying B. Ray was smoking pot, and I was saying, 'Absolutely not. He would never do that,'' Tish recalled, adding that she instead placed the blame on Mitchel Musso, one of the other young actors on the show who played Oliver Oken. Responding to her mom, Miley agreed that it probably 'was Mitchel Musso' who was smoking weed on set, as well as her dad. 'It was Mitchel,' she said through laughter. 'It was both!' Well, not even a day after the podcast episode dropped, Mitchel himself has entered the chat to dispute Miley and Tish's claims. In a statement to E! News, Mitchel said: 'Well, that's not how I remember it. However, I've got plenty of stories from those years that might be worth having a conversation about. If we're revisiting Hannah Montana history — just say the word.' 'All love to Miley and the fam,' he concluded, 'even when the rewrites get this creative.' I'll let you make of that what you will. For what it's worth, Billy Ray hasn't addressed the claim yet, although we've reached out to his rep for comment.
Time Magazine
2 days ago
- Time Magazine
Does And Just Like That Remember What Happened in Sex and the City?
Warning: This post contains spoilers for Episode 4 of And Just Like That Season 3. A few weeks ago there was a video going around of Sarah Jessica Parker appearing to acknowledge that she doesn't remember the episode of Sex and the City that produced the viral "Hungover Miranda" meme. The moment, clipped from a BuzzFeed roundtable interview with Parker and her And Just Like That costars Cynthia Nixon (Miranda), Kristin Davis (Charlotte), and Sarita Choudhury (Seema), resulted in a number of annoyed comments from fans on TikTok pointing out Parker's apparent lack of knowledge surrounding the events of the original series. The reveal also came in the wake of a May interview with E! News in which Parker said she's never seen "most of" Sex and the City and doesn't watch And Just Like That. Despite being an executive producer, Parker is obviously not the only person who has control over the creative direction of And Just Like That. Now in its third season, the sequel series has made some controversial leaps—remember Che Diaz?—while staying more or less true to spirit of the original. But after the events of episode 4, we're beginning to question whether anyone in charge of And Just Like That recalls the show's massively successful predecessor at all. Titled "Apples to Apples," the fourth episode of Season 3 largely takes place in Norfolk, Virginia, at the down-home country farmhouse of one Aidan Shaw (John Corbett). Aidan has moved up in the world since the time he coerced Carrie into spending a weekend at his, let's call it, rustic cabin in the vaguely upstate and aptly-named New York town of Suffern, a 40-minute drive from Manhattan. That little getaway took place in Season 4 of Sex and the City and featured a Carrie we recognized, one who shrieked at squirrels, drove over state lines to get cell service and fast food, and, for some unknowable reason, invited her ex-boyfriend Big (Chris Noth)—the very same one she had previously cheated on Aidan with—to come stay for a night. The country just wasn't for her. As she put it, "I'm what you call a bona fide city girl." This time around, Carrie spends the weekend acting pretty much completely un-Carrie-like. After smuggling in an illicitly-obtained supply of Adderall for Aidan's son Wyatt (Logan Souza)—a favor Aidan was unaware his ex-wife Kathy (Rosemarie DeWitt) had requested of her—Carrie participates in such activities as fishing, driving an ATV, family game night, and wearing outfits obtained from local boutique Daisy's Dress Shop (after her incomprehensible first suggestion of Target turns out to be an hour away). Throughout all this, she delivers barely a sarcastic quip about her distaste for the simple life. No mention of being a "hick town hostage" or how the "silence is deafening" or her desire to instead be out "cocktailing and sample sale-ing." Of course, you can make the argument that it's been 20 years since Sex and the City and Carrie, as people do, may have changed in that time. But who among us is watching And Just Like That to see Carrie mature? Especially if that means her becoming an entirely different person than the Carrie we alternately love, hate, and love to hate. At least part of the reason many Sex and the City fans are tuning in to And Just Like That is out of a inclination to see Carrie continue to live her messy and fabulous life as a pretty egregiously out-of-touch Manhattan socialite. There's a reason (or several) that Carrie and Aidan broke up not once, but twice, in Sex and the City. And despite the fact that Big is no longer around to drive a wedge between them, it still doesn't seem like they're truly a match. And Just Like That is certainly piling onto their problems by throwing over 300 miles of separation, a troubled teen, and incompatible texting styles into the mix. Yet, Episode 4 still ends with Carrie committing to staying in a long-distance relationship with Aidan for the next five years despite his inability to promise her basically anything in return. It's understandable that Aidan needs to prioritize his children's wellbeing, but it seems like the Carrie of old would have taken that as a sign that they maybe aren't meant to be. At least for the time being. As her dear friend Miranda suggested before Carrie's first trip to the country all those years ago, if "you need to pretend to be someone else in order to be in a relationship," perhaps it's not the right fit. We can't help but wonder if And Just Like That will ever take that advice to heart.
