Week in 3 Words 2.25.11

The latest Week in 3 Words... originally scheduled to air on 2.25.11, this episode will air on the daily announcements on Monday, 2.28.11.  

Celina Mock Trial

This is a guest post written by senior Evin Bachelor and the members of the Mock Trial Team.  

Whoever schedules Mock Trial competitions should become a weather man. Continuing with tradition, our Mock Trial teams have gone to both District and Regional competitions during strong winter storms this year.

Since September, the CHS Mock Trial teams have been preparing for court by studying case materials given by the Ohio Center for Law Related Education's High School Mock Trial organization. This year's case involved a family's right of property on body tissues removed by a coroner for an autopsy. Each team must argue each side of the case.

At Districts, our two teams went and competed against Sidney's two teams. Our Green Team won both trials and was then able to advance to Regional competitions. Jena Sweigart and Evin Bachelor were both recognized as Outstanding Attorneys in their trials. Emily Nighswander was recognized as Outstanding Witness in her trial.

Thursday, February 24, 2011: Yet another winter storm has come to our homeland. In order to be on the safe side, Mr. Sell organized the team to leave that very night so that we would not be hindered by the latest storm. The team pushed through the storm on the way to Troy and spent the evening working at the Troy Holiday Inn Express.

Friday, February 25, 2011: Our Plaintiff (Prosecuting) team went against Dayon's DECA team. An epic battle of law ensued. The Plaintiff team is comprised of attorneys Evin Bachelor & Ellie Elston as well as witnesses Kate Clausen, Camille Smith & Olivia Seals with Brody Sell as timekeeper. Later that morning, our Defense team combatted Yellow Spring's team. The Defense team is made up of attorneys Jena Sweigart and Justin Hoffman and witnesses Emily Nighswander and Leslie Gudorf. At the end of the Defense trial, attorney Jena Sweigart was awarded the distinction of Outstanding Attorney.

The Celina High School Mock Trial team did not get to return to state, BUT that does NOT mean it was not worthwhile. Mock Trial has helped each participant develop strong public speaking skills as well as a respect for the American Justice System. Mock Trial allows its participants to think on their feet and defend a position, as well as to listen to others. One of the most valuable assets gained through Mock Trial is the connection with other students. Mock Trial attracts a variety of students and bringing them together starts frinedships that last long past the end of Mock Trial.

God Bless America!

Sneddon Snippets: 1000 Awesome Things

This is the 4th post in a series on the Bulldog News Blog featuring other blogs in our school. Teaching 21st Century Skills has become a primary focus for CHS and communicating with students, parents, and the community is a vital component in that process.

Several staff members have started 'blogging' (see my blog roll in the left sidebar). Different teachers have different reasons for blogging... some use it to solicit feedback and writing samples from students, others use it to display student work, and still others post assignments and notes. Today's feature is the "Sneddon's Snippets" Blog, one of the official online homes for English teacher Ms. Alicia Sneddon.  She posts assignments, gives the daily list of what students miss if they were absent, and also writes about events in her classroom.  Visit Ms. Sneddon's blog at http://sneddonsnippets.blogspot.com.  

During the first trimester, my English 9A classes started each day by reading the “Awesome Thing” on the blog 1000awesomethings.com by Neil Pasricha. Then, we took turns naming a few awesome things that happened in our own lives. Our responses varied from “chewing gum in class” to “beating St. Marys after 11 years.” Towards the end of the trimester I realized that not only were we learning from Neil Pasricha that “awesome” was everywhere, but we were also picking up on some very key writing skills that Pasricha employed in his blog posts. We learned about figurative language, using fragments for creative purposes, and even how to use our five senses to improve our writing. Soon after, we set to writing our own “awesome things” book with an entry from each student, and we wanted to share these with Neil. Each student also wrote a letter to Mr. Pasricha, many of them asking for a copy of his book, The Book of Awesome. Last Friday, I received that book, via mail with a handwritten note from Neil:

“To Ms. Sneddon & her AWESOME students! Wow! I absolutely LOVED reading all of your awesome thoughts and letters! They made me laugh, they made me cry, and most of all they made me realize… we’re all the same. We’re all in this together! Do me a favor? As you go through life, always remember that we don’t have much time here, so it’s always important to stay YOU, stay TRUE, and stay AWESOME! With love, Neil”

            My classes were inspired by Neil Pasricha and his amazing attitude toward life. I encourage each of you to check out his blog (www.1000awesomethings.com) and see for yourself just how awesome the littlest things in life can be. In the words of Neil himself, “Go forth – and be AWESOME!”

JETS Teams Competition Results

In the annual JETS teams competition at Ohio Northern University on Wednesday (2/23/11), Celina High School students had a 'fun and challenging day' according to co-advisor Mrs. Erika Draiss.  Here are the results:

• Varsity A Team earned 7th place
• Junior Varsity B Team earned 4th place

Congratulations to the student participants and to the coaches, Mrs. Draiss and Mr. Dave Scott. 

Spirit March for Swimmers, Divers, & Wrestlers

This morning, CHS held an impromptu Spirit March to honor our State Swim & Dive qualifiers and District Wrestlers.  Students and faculty lined the hallways and cheered on the athletes as they followed the Marching Band who was playing the fight song.

Congratulations & Good Luck to the following athletes: 

Divers: 

• Collen Byer
• Tye Spengler

Swimmers: 

• Eric Muhlenkamp
• Brook Mertz
• Ashley Coon
• Paige Dorsten 
• Alex Parker
• Peyton Jones
• Kyle Menchhofer
• Tyus Temple
• Matt Feltz

Wrestlers: 

• Austin Harner
• Curtis Donor
• Zac Cozadd
• Zac Senger
• Tony Sutter
• Isaac Weitzel
• Kevin Lockwood
• Alex Minch
• Andy Garwood

Swimmers Headed to State

The CHS Swim & Dive team faired well at the District meet last week, advancing 11 individuals to compete in 8 different events.  Here is the breakdown on individuals & relays by event:

• Collen Byer - dive - 7th seed

• Tye Spengler - dive - 23rd seed

• Eric Muhlenkamp - 100 breast - 9th seed

• Brook Mertz - 50 free - 18th seed

• Girls 200 free relay - 13th seed - Ashley Coon, Paige Dorsten, Brooke Mertz, Alex Parker 

• Boys 200 medley relay - 15th seed - Peyton Jones, Kyle Menchhofer, Eric Muhlenkamp, Tyus Temple

• Boys 200 free relay - 15th seed - Matt Feltz, Peyton Jones, Kyle Menchhofer, Eric Muhlenkamp

• Boys 400 free relay - 23rd seed - Matt Feltz, Peyton Jones, Kyle Menchhofer, Eric Muhlenkamp

For more on the district swim meet and all things Swim & Dive, check out Mr. Otten's iHigh page. 

The State Dive meet begins on Wednesday, February 23rd @ 2 PM. 

The State Swim meet begins on Thursday, February 24th @ 5 PM. 

GOOD LUCK!

$5,000

In just three days, CHS raised over $5,000 last week to help a local family in need.  The Eichler's, a family of 7, lost their home and nearly everything in it to a fire recently.  Katey is a teacher in our district and the 5 children all attend Celina City Schools.



Principal Jason Luebke, Football Coach Jared Rolfes, and Dean of Students Bryant Miller challenged the students at CHS to raise $3,000 to help a family in need.  Our students, staff, and community stepped up to the plate BIG TIME in this time of need for a local family.  Thanks to all that donated.

Flash Mob @ CHS

Maybe you've hear of it before... the Flash Mob Dance has become a relatively popular phenomenon on You Tube (check out this version from OSU).  Recently, a group of CHS seniors and some teachers, in conjunction with the Spirit Squad, decided to organize their own version of the 'Flash Mob Dance' to the tune of 'Can't Touch This' by MC Hammer.  So, without further ado, its Hammer Time!!

Week in 3 Words 2.18.11

Here is this week's version of Week in 3 Words:

CHS is Making Bald BEA-U-TIFUL!

This post was written by guest blogger, Mrs. Kelly Black in regard to the recent tragedy that struck the home of the Eichler family in Celina last weekend.  Katey Eichler is a teacher at West Elementary.  Katey and her husband Steve have 5 children that attend Celina City Schools.  

Helping others is a social trait we try to instill everyday, right?  Well CHS wants to help the Eichler Family with their recent devastation.  We are trying to raise $3,000 to give to the Eichler's.  IF we raise the money, Mr. Jason Luebke WILL shave his head at Friday's pep assembly.  Since this is a competition and we do have some prominent coaches on staff, they wanted in on the "action"!  Mr. Bryant Miller will shave his head Friday IF we reach $3,250 and Mr. Jared Rolfes will  shave his head IF we reach $3,500.  Let's make BALD BEAUTIFUL by raising the $3500 to help a local family of seven!

Thanks to everyone for showing your support in this family's time of need. Stay tuned for more.

New Feature on the CHS Announcements -- WEEK IN 3 WORDS

We stole this idea from Good Morning America... maybe you have seen the segment on their show titled "Week in 3 Words."  We started this today with some members of the office staff and plan to continue next week and beyond.  We will post them as they are completed right here on the blog.

Goodwill Drive to Victory -- WINNERS!

Goodwill District Manager &
Representatives present a check
 and plaque to Principal Jason Luebke

The Goodwill Drive to Victory Week 4 winner was Celina High School.  As a result, Goodwill has donated $100 to CHS and awarded us with a plaque that will be placed in our academic trophy case.  Thanks to all who donated to the drive in the fall and to Goodwill for their kind donation.  

CHS Staff Models Collaborative Learning

As educators, the CHS staff knows the importance of working together to grow as professionals.  Recently, we started hosting Tech Tuesdays for the staff to learn and grow with and from each other.  Each Tuesday a staff member presents some technology tool they use in their own classroom, sharing its benefits and applications with colleagues.  This model of learning from each other is a useful and practical way to ensure we are using the best practices in the classroom.

Here is a list of some of the topics covered in recent sessions: Pixton: An Online Comic Strip Maker for Use in the Classroom, 10 Tech Tools for Teaching Teenagers, Moodle: An Online Course Management System, and Museum Boxes.

CHS Teachers learn from each other at a recent Tech Tuesday

In addition to Tech Tuesdays, several teachers have recently attended one of several Technology Conferences held in Toledo and Columbus.  All of this technology related professional development is geared toward making the leap toward 21st Century Learning. 

Senior Night

After four years of hard work and hours of practice, this year's CHS winter senior athletes and their parents were honored for their commitment and dedication to their sport.  The packed field house crowd cheered on as the senior athletes were escourted across half court.  Thanks to all of the parents for your hard work and commitment to your children.  Congratulations to this years senior winter athletes! 

Lost & Found

As I sit here in an empty office on February 3rd, I began pondering what I could possibly 'blog' about today.  We haven't had school since January 31st, and the roads are no less icy right now than they were 24 hours ago!

So what is LOST?  How about 3 days of school this week... which means our Easter Break is pretty much lost and so is the 1st day of summer!  Also, there are a lot of clothing and other items that have been lost and are now in our Lost & Found in the office.  I have included pictures in this post to help you possibly identify something that might belong to you (or your child)!

What is FOUND?  Hopefully, you will find something in the pictures below that is yours (or your child's)!

So that's it... just a blog post about our Lost & Found!  Hope to see some students in the building soon!!!