Table Of Contents
Upcoming Events
Student Life
Sports
Editorials/News
Reviews
Lifestyle
Humor
Activity Page
Contributing Editors/Writers
Upcoming Events
March 3-4
OMEA District Band and Choir Contest
March 8
Scholar Banquet
March 14
Act Test for all of 11th grade
March 22
Blood Donor Day
March 28
English 10 EOC Test #1 (2hr delay schedule for all students not testing)
Make-up ACT test for 11th grade students
March 29
Cap and Gown Distribution Meeting
March 30
English 10 EOC Test #2 (2hr delay schedule for all students not testing)
Upcoming Events Collected By Addi Kirchenbauer
Student Life
Jordan Banks
Shawnee High School senior, Jordan Banks, became a well known name this month. Jordan has been diagnosed with cancer and this really brought our community together. Throughout our school district, Elmwood and Maplewood had a Dollars for Donuts sale. The high school participated in a bake sale. Rivals week, February 13-17, also brought more opportunities for support. Dash & Joeys and Sarah Sweets donated to Jordan during their rivals week sales. The 50/50 raffle at the Shawnee vs. Elida game donated all $800 received. There were t-shirts made for him and 60% of each shirt went to his family and there is a Go Fund Me. The Go Fund Me and T-shirt sales are still open if you would like to help out Jordan and his family. We will continue to show our support for Jordan throughout this whole process.
Jordan Bodine
Big Brothers, Big Sisters
Over the past couple months Big Brothers, Big Sisters (BBBS) has been in full swing at Shawnee's Middle School and Elmwood. Students get the chance to connect with their Little (a younger student) and do fun activities and games. Every week the highschoolers get to go to visit their little. During the week leading up to Valentine's Day, the Bigs and Littles did a fun activity together, having to build a heart out of small cups. The students had so many smiles and laughs while trying to build these without the whole structure falling over. BBBS is such a wonderful program that the Shawnee School District has, and I am personally so glad that this year they decided to expand it to Elmwood.
Addi Kirchenbauer
Solo and Ensemble
On Saturday February 11th, students in both band and choir participated in the adjudicated solo and ensemble event that was held at St. Mary's High School. Students took solos and group pieces to get a rating. Many students got superior ratings. This event is always so fun for students, allowing them to make music with their peers in a different environment than they are used to.
Addi Kirchenbauer
Shawnee's First Ever Induction of Tri-M Members
The Tri-M Music Honor Society is a new honor society at Shawnee. Tri-M is a program of the National Association for Music Education, that focuses on creating future leaders in music education and music advocacy. Students in Tri-M are involved in music and do academically well. Mr. Bluhm and Mr. Taylor are the advisors for Shawnee's chapter of Tri-M. Many students in choir and band were inducted into this chapter, receiving a certificate and a pin. Congratulations to all students who were inducted!
Addi Kirchenbauer
Overtime Dance
Shawnee’s first-ever Overtime celebration happened on Friday, February 17th. It was a night of fun and a lot of dancing. Although not many students attended, the atmosphere was kept lighthearted and happy with music, snacks, games, and refreshments provided by Student Government. The celebration followed the boys’ basketball team’s victory against WBL rival, Elida. Sophomores, Damola Ojo and Rhett Fraser brought some games that could be played on a big screen.
Orinayo Akomolafe
Science Olympiad Invitational @ OSU
On Saturday January 21, Shawnee students participated in OSU's Science Olympiad Invitational. Many students placed very well in their events, and had an amazing time being able to walk around OSU's campus. Overall the team came in 4th behind Solon, Centerville, and New Albany (which are a few of the best teams in the state). There were a total of 35 teams. Shashank Chanamolu and Addi K.R placed 2nd in their "Flight" event. Adam Jmiai and Salah Mohammed placed 4th in their event called "Wifi Lab". Overall this event was very successful for Shawnee. On February 25th, students also participated in an online invitational that was set up through University of Cincinatti.
Addi Kirchenbauer
Shawnee High School Band of One Performs in Disney World
From February 16-21, Shawnee Band students got the opportunity to go on the Band Disney trip. This trip happens every four years, and is a once in a lifetime experience. Students got to go to every park, including Universal Studios and Disney Springs. The students had such an amazing time on this trip and gained so many memories. If you'd like to read more about the Marching Band Disney trip, click the link below to read the article about it in Shawnee's Avatar!
Addi Kirchenbauer
Sports
Boys Basketball
As the season comes to a close, our Varsity basketball team ended with a 12-13 record and a 4-5 record in the WBL. We won games against Botkins (57-52) , Kenton (77-43) , and our biggest game this season, our big rival game against Elida (77-60). We won our first tournament game against Wapak (47-40). We also won our second tournament game against Napoleon (82-74). Our season unfortunately came to a close on March 2nd, 2023 with a loss to Defiance (58-65). We are so proud of our basketball team, especially our seniors, and cannot wait for next season!
Jordan Bodine
Shawnee Swim Qualifies for State!
This year, Shawnee students on the swim team qualified for state. Addisyn Newman qualified for her 50 free and 100 breaststroke. Morgan Schimmoeller for her 100 backstroke. Kayla Frost, Addisyn Newman, Ansley Newman, and Morgan Schimmoeller qualified for both the Girls 200 medley relay and Girls 200 free relay. Carter Cleaves, Thomas Koh, Conner Latham, and Mason Latham qualified for the Boys 2oo medley. Erika Bell and Aidan Latham also went to state as alternates. Congratulations for such an accomplishment this year!
Addi Kirchenbauer
Editorials/News
Black History Month
In 1976, then President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month. Ford called upon the public in his speech recognizing Black History Month to, “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” The event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson. The United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, all recognize Black History Month. February was chosen as it is the month that coincides with both the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. While the word “History” invokes images of the far past, Black History Month aims to promote a teaching of African American history that shows both the past and how it has influenced the present. Many organizations, institutions, and schools produce and provide a multitude of fascinating resources and events. Each year Black History Month takes on a theme. These themes are developed to highlight specific parts of both past and modern African American history in the United States. This year’s theme is “Black Resistance.” Black Resistance aims to explore how African Americans have addressed historic and persistent inequality, disadvantage, and oppression. Resistance to the plague of racial terrorism, racial pogroms, and police killings in the United States has advocated for a dignified self-determined life in a democratic and just society both at home and abroad. Black History Month is not only an opportunity to look back, but take those lessons and apply them as we look forward.
Carter Kohli
The State of the Union 2023
Article II, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution reads, “He [the President] shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.” This clause led to the creation of the yearly State of the Union Address. It is an opportunity for the sitting president to give the federal government and its citizens a speech with reports on the economy, news, achievements and the president's priorities and legislative proposals. This year’s State of the Union address was given by President Joe Biden on February 7th, 2023.
President Biden’s speech was everything that was expected, as most State of the Unions are. He touched on overcoming COVID, the economy, welfare, taxes, foreign affairs, police violence, the opioid and fentanyl epidemic, and tackling the partisan divide. The President talked up recent projects that have started out of his infrastructure bill. One of the most unique events of the night was the insistent yelling by conservative congress members. When President Biden took a direct dig at Senator Rick Scott’s Social Security plan, he began to negotiate live with the small group of infuriated Republicans.
Overall, this State of the Union was a win for the Biden Presidency. Speeches like this make large and broad claims that will never come to fruition. What made this such a success was how President Biden reacted to the hecklings of opposition party members. He stayed on his toes, responded in a calm and eloquent manner, and was able to keep his agenda at the center of the conversation. This acts as an example to counteract the widespread sentiment that he is unfit to seek another term. His speech discussed having a lot of unfinished business, further hinting at his intention to run again for the presidency. Unlike many presidents, seeking a second term is rarely a question, but Biden’s advanced age has raised concerns from both Republicans and Democrats. Having such successful large national appearances like this, even in the face of curveball hecklers, shows that he still has it in him to be the President for another four years.
Carter Kohli
Reviews
New Generation, New TV
Netflix has always struggled with relatable teen shows. That 90’s Show recently came out on January 19, 2023, and watchers are shocked. With the same set and some of the original cast members, including Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith, it had some of the same feels but it seemed like the content and jokes were different. The new gang got up to most of the same activities as the original gang like, hanging in the basement, going up to the water tower, and spending time in the driveway. I felt like the content of most of the jokes belonged on Disney Channel and it didn’t have any substance just trying to be nostalgic towards the original show. It felt like the characters were forced together and no one had any real chemistry. It was definitely entertaining, but nowhere near as good as That 70’s Show.
Samantha Smith
Lifestyle
Stay Warm and Cute
Every season as we get out our seasonal clothes we can see that over time styles change. The worst part about seasonal clothes is they ruin your outfit. These are five of the trendiest winter accessories for the season. As we see cropped tops be a part of our timeless wardrobe, we also have cropped our coats. Cropped puffer coats are by far the most in-style thing to wear this winter. Something that I thought would never be called trendy is coming back, scarves. This started with the Acne Studios Mohair Checkered Scarf. Up in-coming influencers have been shown wearing this style of scarf around cities, like New York and Chicago. Now, this specific scarf is around $310 so many people have gone for dupes on Amazon. Next, vests are something only dads would wear and now we see teenage girls rocking them too. Similar to the cropped puffer coats, most vests have been cropped, puffed, and worn over a tight long-sleeve shirt and leggings. Leather jackets have never gone out of style but they are making an entrance as Generation Z grows up. Lastly, faux shearling jackets are one of the trendiest things to wear. They offer a nicer look that can complement your outfit instead of running it. They are classy and chic and make sure you stay warm and cute this winter.
Samantha Smith
Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients: Cake
- 3 cups cake flour (spoon & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 Tablespoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup canola or vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs, room temperature and separated
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
- liquid or gel red food coloring
- 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
Ingredients: frosting
- 16 ounces full-fat block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 5 and 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt, to taste
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease two 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper round for cakes video & post.)
- Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the oil, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and vinegar and beat on high for 2 minutes. (Set the egg whites aside.) Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in 2-3 additions alternating with the buttermilk. Beat in your desired amount of food coloring just until combined. I use 1-2 teaspoons of gel food coloring. Vigorously whisk or beat the 4 egg whites on high speed until fluffy peaks form as pictured above, about 3 minutes. Gently fold into cake batter. The batter will be silky and slightly thick.
- Divide batter between cake pans. Bake for 30-32 minutes or until the tops of the cakes spring back when gently touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the cakes need a little longer as determined by wet crumbs on the toothpick, bake for longer. However, be careful not to overbake as the cakes may dry out. Remove cakes from the oven and cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes until completely combined and creamy. Add more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin or an extra pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet. Frosting should be soft, but not runny.
- Assemble and frost: Using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard or crumble over the finished cake. Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with frosting. Top with the 2nd layer and spread remaining frosting all over the top and sides. I always use an icing spatula and bench scraper for the frosting. I used Wilton piping tip #12 for decoration around the top.
- Refrigerate cake for at least 30-60 minutes before slicing. This helps the cake hold its shape when cutting.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days. Frosted cake or unfrosted cake layers can be frozen for up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before decorating/serving.
Jordan Bodine
Hailey vs Selena
This is the ultimate story of the other woman. In case you are unsure what’s going on, this is a timeline of all the drama. Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber were on and off for years, two months after they broke up Justin and Hailey Baldwin started officially dating. This was the root of the controversy because Justin was rumored to be cheating and Hailey was the other woman. Most people took Selena’s side in the breakup, probably because she’s not the one that cheated. Hailey and Justin got engaged 6 months after dating. This of course made more people mad, feeling like Selena was mistreated and Justin moved on too quickly. More recently, Selena has been struggling with her health and it has affected her weight. She was getting a lot of hateful comments about it. Soon after Kendall Jenner and Hailey posted a TikTok with the sound, “I’m not saying she deserved it but God’s timing is always right”. This was obviously about Selena because the Jenners and Hailey have a history of making fun of Selena. This started digging up drama on Hailey Bieber where people discovered racist tweets, including a video of her gagging at the mention of Taylor Swift’s name. Selena commented on this video, “So sorry, my best friend is and continues to be one of the best in the game”. You would think Hailey would lay low for a while, but she didn’t. In late February Selena posted a TikTok story saying she over-laminated her eyebrows. The next day Kylie Jenner and Hailey posted pictures of their eyebrows with the caption, “this was an accident”, and pictures of the two on FaceTime. At this point, the drama was at its peak. Kylie commented on @devoteldy.yours, a TikTok account, saying, “ This is reaching.no shade toward Selena ever and I didn’t see her eyebrow posts! U guys are making something out of nothing. This is silly.” And in this post Selena commented a red heart emoji, but fans have not forgiven the two girls. Hailey has lost more than 800,000 followers since. I’m not saying she deserved it, but God's timing is always right.
Samantha Smith
Humor
Among Us Pick-Up Lines
I need to call an emergency meeting! Because you just stole my heart.
Hey are you a security camera? Because I want to watch you all day long.
Hey did you sabotage the O2? Because you just took my breath away.
Hey, did you do the wires task just now? Because I feel a definite connection.
Hey are you in Admin? Because admin love with you.
Hey, are you in Navigation? Because I’d love to navigate my way to your heart.
Someone may have just sabotaged the lights, but your smile still lights up the room.
Hey did you just sabotage the shields? Because I can’t help but let my guard down when I’m with you.
Yikes! It seems like Comms went down, maybe you should give me your number just in case it happens again.
Aaron Zheng
Valentines Day Jokes
"What did the ghost say to his valentine?"
"You look so BOOtiful."
"What did one volcano say to the other?"
"I lava you."
What do you call two birds in love?"
"Tweethearts!"
"What did the stamp say to the envelope on Valentine’s Day?"
"I’m stuck on you!"
Aaron Zheng
Activity Page
Valentines Word Scramble
___________________YNACD _______________________ YFREBARU
_____________________PUCDI _______________________ NEOYH
_______________________EVLO _______________________ WTESE
__________________SRSOE _______________________ HOCTELACO
________________ LEAIVTNENS ______________________ ADEMIRR
_____________________DRCAS _______________________ EB INEM
___________________ TRAHES _______________________ RIOPSEM
____________________ORRWA ________________________ WROLEF
____________________ LTRETE ________________________ RHSCU
____________________TEDA GINHT _______________________ KNIP
Alex Karapondo
Contributing Editors & Writers
Writers
Jordan Bodine
Orinayo Akomolafe
Aaron Zheng
Carter Kohli
Alex Karapondo
Antoine Shears
Editors
Addi Kirchenbauer-Roney
Samantha Smith
Advisor
Mrs. Kuhlman
Credits:
Created with images by nerudol - "Paper valentines day hearts on pink" • Polarpx - "Wooden cubes with the word march" • angelo.gi - "macro photo of a music sheet " • Halim Bin Hakim - "Celebrating Diversity and Empowerment: A Modern Times Black History Month Illustration with Paint Color and Black Women with Afro Hair"