Mrs. Runyon

By: Mackenzie Forth 

Kristin Runyon is retiring this year after 34 years of teaching. Over the years Mrs. Runyon has worked at “six jobs in five school districts in three states,” all being a teacher.  This shows the amount of dedication Mrs. Runyon puts into teaching young minds and being a positive influence on a variety of people.  

Mrs. Runyon went to college at Northeast Missouri State University, now Truman State University, in Kirksville, MO. She grew up in St. Louis and has known since she was a kid that she wanted to be a teacher: “The first memory I have of wanting to become a teacher was reading Annie Sullivan’s autobiography in second grade.” 

In high school, she was a part of a caving club and found it to be very interesting. This club almost persuaded her to become a cave biologist, but she later realized that there is not much work in the cave biology field.  

There was a time when Mrs. Runyon wanted to teach subjects other than English. She was never opposed to picking up a Junior/Senior Current World Issues class. Plus, she spent all her high school career in the science department due to the caving club. Mrs. Runyon came to Charleston because her husband had to move here for his job. When it came down to the test scores in this area, Charleston was the winner.  

Her favorite aspect of teaching is watching young minds grow and building last relationships with students. Though she is retiring this year she mentioned she could keep going for another few years, but she feels it is time to start a new chapter. Overall, Mrs. Runyon is a phenomenal teacher and librarian and all of CHS is very thankful for her!  

Mr. Todd Keating 

By: Ally Gonzalez

Mr. Todd Keating has been a chemistry teacher at CHS for over thirty years now, and he is retiring at the end of this school year. We want to recognize him for all he’s done for CHS.  

Mr. Keating has always wanted to teach chemistry. He says he has always enjoyed analyzing complex systems and knowing he will never understand it all. His favorite unit to teach is stoichiometry because the thought process and math in it can be applied to so many things in real life. 

Some of Mr. Keating’s best memories at CHS have been the “Believe in the Keating” t-shirts, playing bass with several student bands through the decades, and one in particular he wanted to share:  

“I performed a liquid nitrogen demonstration in my first year. The principal was in my room to watch, and I managed to accidentally shatter a window.” 

Since he will be leaving the high school, we wanted to ask him what his plans are after retirement: 

“I have set three goals for the rest of my life:  

1. Collect empty space 

 2. Listen to silence 

  3. Live in almost complete obscurity.” 

Good luck in achieving those goals, Mr. Keating!  

Since Mr. Keating is retiring very soon, we wanted to ask him if he had anything else to say, like a “sendoff”. 

“The only thing any of us truly own is this moment in time. Use it wisely.” 

Mr. Keating has been such a wonderful teacher and staff member all these years, thank you for all that you have done, and we hope you have a great retirement! 

Maximum Forte: With A Little Help from My Friends 

by Ally Gonzalez

Maximum Forte’s showcase “With A Little Help from My Friends” will be performed on Friday, May 3rd at 7pm in the Swickard Auditorium. Forte has put in so much work for this night, and this is a chance to showcase our talent. The preparation for showcase begins in August, since we perform every song we have learned this past school year. The rest of our preparation began in late March and includes creating skits, adding songs to our set list, publicizing the showcase, working on choreography for each song, and putting everything together in the order we want to perform things. 

In Maximum Forte, we are expected to learn an entire song with choreography in just a few class periods. We usually have 1-2 members on each part, with a possibility of an eleven-part harmony in a song. We first work individually with tracks, and then at the end of the class period we put it all together. In the next class period, we clean up any mistakes in the song; make it sound musical. Once we have the song learned and memorized, we add choreography. We usually finish a song with choreography in about two weeks. We try to be as efficient as we can with the time we are given, and we work very hard to get everything learned and sounding great.  

Forte also splits into different teams to prepare for showcase. We have a skit team creating skits and deciding who takes the lead and performs in each one. A publicity team that creates advertisements, flyers, posts on social media, etc. An alumni team this year that reached out to past members and invited them to participate in our showcase. And a music team that decides what songs we will be adding to our set list. Everyone in Maximum Forte plays a role in making sure this showcase will be amazing.  

One of our new members, Emma Karbassioon is excited for her first year doing showcase: “This is my first year performing at showcase and I couldn’t be more excited. The preparation has been so fun, and I can’t wait for people to see all the hard work we’ve been putting in!” 

Maximum Forte’s showcase is going to be a performance you don’t want to miss. Our hard work will finally be shown off, and we would love to have a packed auditorium for everyone to see what we have been preparing for all year! 

New Secretary: Mrs. Coartney Koebele 

By: Mackenzie Forth 

Coartney Koebele is a new secretary here at CHS. She wanted to become a secretary because she enjoys interacting with a variety of people, including teachers, students, parents, and administrators. She also wanted to contribute and support the school's operation and allow teachers to focus on teaching and students to focus on learning. Mrs. Koebele chose CHS because as a graduate from here, she knew that this building was the place for her as she was looking for a change. She said, “The supportive staff and admin was what drew my attention to CHS.” Before working here, she worked for EIASE in the Pre-K classroom. Mrs. Koebele also coaches' volleyball for 7th grade middle school.  

Mrs. Koebele went to both LakeLand and Springfield College and majored in Early Childhood Special Ed. She chose that major because she has a passion for working with children. She also said that she finds joy in witnessing their growth and development and playing a role in shaping their futures.  

When asked what her favorite part of the year was, she said “June 8th, 2024, will be my favorite part of my year because I will be getting married and will officially be Mrs. Koebele!” She also wanted to share that she has a blended family with Mr. Koebele: they have 5 kids. She says that they keep them both busy and entertained. Welcome Mrs. Koebele, and congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Koebele! 

Lady Trojan’s Strike Out Cancer! 

By Heighden fairley 

Last Saturday the Lady Trojans hosted our Strike Out Cancer softball games (SOC). This year’s recipient was Nicole Beals. She is the district’s Education Data Systems Specialist and the mother of sophomore softball player Avery Beals. Mrs. Beals is currently battling breast cancer. The Charleston community came together to raise over $8,000 to donate to Mrs. Beals.  

In the SOC round robin, the Lady Trojans defeated Lincoln HS, putting 17 runs on the board to take a 17-7 win. The bats were hot! The second game against Mt. Vernon was tough and resulted in a 7-2 loss. The Lady Trojans will bounce right back this Tuesday against Okaw Valley at Karch Field. Both games were well played and exciting! 

The Lady Trojan Softball Team made it their mission to raise as much money as possible to help a family close to them. In t-shirt sales alone the softball team raised over $4,000. They did not stop there. Girls of the softball team then went around town asking businesses to donate to the SOC game. Central Office employees sold snow cones and the CHS Cheerleaders and Student Council hosted a Color Run 5K to add to the donations. 

Senior softball player Morgan Dickey said, “The Beals family has always been there for us softball girls, and I have always been close with the Beals so this was an amazing opportunity to help out someone so close to me.” 

It was beautiful to see just how strong the Charleston Community is. Our mission was to let Mrs. Beals know she isn’t fighting alone and has an army of people that want to help as much as they can. This was a very special SOC game to CHS and the softball team particularly. Thank you to all who came out and supported the cause.  

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat 

By: Mackenzie Forth  

The Charleston High school musical “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” will be presented in the Swickard Auditorium starting this Thursday, April 18th, at 7 pm. Other showtimes to view it will be April 19th at 7 pm, and April 20th at 1 pm and 7 pm. You can buy tickets at charlestonhs.booktix.net.  

The cast and crew are all excited about this production and hope to see many people there viewing it. Aiden Caugheran, who plays Joseph, said that his favorite part about the musical is “that I get to constantly be around people that I get to have fun and share the experience with.” 

One of the two narrators Elaina Sutula said that her favorite part of the show is “basically all of it because I get to sing with my friends.” The second narrator Meredith McGrath said that her favorite part is “just being able to interact with the audience and being able to tell the story in a fun and interactive way.” 

The Stage manager Alyssa Johnson said that her favorite part is “continuing to help lead and doing what I can to help the musical be the best it can be.” Assistant stage manager Kenna Campbell also shared a similar view saying that “working with the cast and getting to know more people while helping the musical run.” 

Lucas Neal who plays Simeon, Autumn Carson who plays Naphtali, and Elliot Bennett who plays Jacob, all said that their favorite part about this musical was dancing! 

This is both Autumn’s and Elliot’s first time being a part of the cast in a musical, as they were a part of the crew before. They both said that the transition from crew to cast was a little scary but also very fun to experience. 

Everyone is really excited about this musical so make sure to get your tickets if you haven't yet because they are selling fast! To get tickets go to charlestonhs.booktix.net. Showtimes will be April 18th at 7 pm, April 19th at 7 pm, and April 20th at 1 pm and 7 pm.  

  Chess Club Shutting Down for the Rest of the Year 
 
By Alex Morgan 

 The CHS Chess Club is a great place to hang out or get some alone time with your homework, and a great opportunity to learn something new and pick up a new skill. Or at least, it was. When the Chess Club moved to the rebuilt part of the school with Mr. Manolo, who hosted the Chess Club, many of the participants lost interest in it.

What is believed to be the reason so much attention was drawn from the Chess Club is the new location and how far it is from the old location. The old location was much easier to find, as it was closer to most of the classrooms, making the commute much easier as well. With the new location, the participants didn’t feel like walking from 8th period to the Chess Club, as they believed it would be a small commitment, not something they would walk so far for.  
 
Another reason that is believed to be one of the causes of the Chess Club temporarily shutting down is other extracurriculars in CHS. Chess Club, like other extracurriculars, needs people to participate in it to be successful. But as not a lot of people here at CHS play chess, not a lot of people show up to play. Mind you that the Chess Club must compete with Esports, football, track, and other things. Since people will be more familiar with video games than chess, they will be drawn more to Esports.

As the participants of the Chess Club stopped appearing, Mr. Manolo talked with the small number of participants that did arrive that day. Eventually, he concluded that he would be deactivating the Chess Club for the rest of the semester. One could find it a bit sad that something that started so successfully ended in it being deserted. The ex-participants of the Chess Club agree with each other that they have other plans, making it difficult to show up. It isn’t their fault, as they have other passions besides chess, they just want to make time for something that they would more likely do in the future.  
 
The interest in chess is dropping dramatically, and the shutdown of the Chess Club is a good example of it. Next year, it could actually compete with the other extracurriculars if everything is done right, and people start showing interest again. If you’re bored and need something to do, maybe install a chess app on your phone, and maybe even get lessons if you have plans to become skilled at the game. 

Lady Trojans Sweep Mattoon 

By Heighden Fairley 

Last Saturday the Trojan’s visited the Roundhouse to faceoff against the Lady Waves in a doubleheader.  The victorious streak stays alive with the 9th consecutive win since 2021! An amazing way to enter the Apollo Conference play with a 2-0 record. 

This game was very important to the Mattoon and Charleston communities not only because of the historic rivalry or conference play, but because of a senior at MHS that tragically lost his battle to cancer. In between games an emotional speech was given as the Lady Trojans and Lady Waves stood together. A check was presented to the mourning family to help with expenses. An incredibly sad moment was shared before continuing the double header. 

The energy was soaring during the first game. Addison Shrader pitched a great game with sharp defense behind her. After Addison’s two run shot in the first inning the momentum was high. A wonderful day of hitting for the Trojans with a 15-4 score. 

The second game was full of offense! The trojans put up a hearty four-run lead in the first inning. Defense from both teams was sharp, so  it came down to a bat battle . Aubrey Cross pitched another successful game securing a 11-9 victory.  

After an exciting Saturday morning, the Lady Trojans will visit Urbana on Monday to continue their undefeated win streak. There is a home game this Wednesday at Karch Field at 4:30 against St. Anthony. Show up and be loud! 

March Commemorative Holidays! 

Heighden Fairley 

St Patrick’s Day is an Irish holiday celebrated in numerous countries on March 17th. The holiday originated in 1631 at a feast in Ireland, honoring St. Patrick for bringing Christianity to Ireland. He died around the fifth century and became the Saint of Ireland. The modern holiday came about twelve centuries later. This holiday began as a Catholic religion; however, it is now more of a secular holiday. 

In the US. there are many ways we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Parades, leprechauns, shamrocks, and green are commonly recognized traditions. Some families host a feast or a cookout to celebrate where everybody wears green. Two of the largest celebrations in the U.S. for St. Patrick’s Day is the parade in Philadelphia, which has been held since 1771, and the parade in New York that is over thirty blocks along Manhattans Fifth Avenue. 

CHS English Teacher Ms. Rice has a special connection to St. Patrick’s Day because her mother was born and raised in Ireland. This year Ms. Rice is celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland for the first time in twenty years. She says that the traditions do not differ they are just stronger and more potent. Every city has a parade, and everybody wears green. Ms. Rice’s family will celebrate by eating corn beef and cabbage. This is a large family event, thirty plus cousins, aunts, and uncles. This is an exciting time for Ms. Rice and her family. 

Earlier this month the state of Illinois celebrated Casmir Pulaski Day. Pulaski was a Polish nobleman, soldier, and military commander. Casmir Pulaski Day was celebrated on March 6th 2024. Illinois recognizes this as a holiday because of the large Polish population around Chicago. Pulaski died fighting for America’s freedom. He is known as “The Father of the American Cavalry”. There are a number of other ways Casmir Pulaski is celebrated around the US. Such as parades and dinner feasts. In Chicago, the Polish Museum of America will host a celebration with many government officials as well as Polonian organizations and institutions in attendance.  

For more information on lesser-known holidays checkout https://www.daysoftheyear.com/ ! 

CHS Athletes Sign to Play at EIU 

By Heighden Fairley 

Two CHS student athletes just signed D1 at EIU! Jessica Hoh and Aidan Archibald have achieved many goals throughout their four seasons and will continue to grow as they move onto the next level! Great things coming for both athletes. 

Jessica Hoh 

Jessica is signing D1 for swim at EIU. Among her other offers EIU was an easy choice for her because of how close it was to her home and family. She plans on majoring in elementary education. She says one word to sum up her senior season is extreme. Jessica is most inspired by her older brother Josh, she says she wouldn’t be who she is today without him. In ten years she sees herself teaching, helping kids grow up, and out of Illinois.  

Jessica’s coach, Coach Doughty says, "It has been so fun to watch Jessica grow as a swimmer from her time at CSC Penguins all the way to CHS Girls Swimming and to have a front seat to see how much she has accomplished. I know that she will continue to grow as an athlete and student during her time at EIU!" 

  Jessica says, “I want to be remembered for my hard work and consistency not only as an athlete, but also in my work and personal life.” 

Aidan Archibald 

Aidan is signing D1 for football at EIU. Aidan had other offers but chose to go to EIU so he could stay close to his family. He plans on majoring in business. He says one word to sum up his senior season would be business. His favorite highlights from his previous seasons were winning in overtime versus Freeburg, going to super sectionals for baseball his freshman year, and upsetting Mount Zion his junior year. Aidan says an athlete that inspires him is JJ Watt because aside from being one of the best of all time, he's an amazing person. In ten years Aidan sees himself graduating college and becoming a real estate agent.  

Aidan’s coach, Coach Halsey says, “Aidan was an excellent captain/team leader for us. He led by example on the field and in the classroom, a true student-athlete. He put up some great stats for us while playing the 2nd half of the season dinged up. EIU Football is getting a smart, tough, hard-working player. I think they will quickly see that he has an impressive work ethic and will push himself immediately to contribute for the Panthers. I hate that I only had the pleasure of coaching him, as well as our other seniors, for just 1 season. I look forward to watching him continue his playing career and grow as a college athlete.” Aidan wants the team to be remembered as one of the best teams ever. 

CUSD1 is incredibly proud of their athletes! Their work ethics and determination have made them the players they are today. Good luck to both athletes and wishing them a successful future. 

International Concert on February 29th 

By Ally Gonzalez

Every year, the CHS music department holds an International concert. This concert includes music from all different parts of the world, played and sung by the choirs and band, and speeches made by Rotary Exchange students. The concert is at 7pm on Thursday, February 29th in the CHS Swickard Auditorium. It is free and open to the public. 

A few of the songs that are being performed this year include a piece called “Tres Cantos Nativos dos Indios Krao” by Marcos Leite. This piece originates from Brazil and is a cluster of three songs, including choreography. Another song being performed is a Spanish march called “Amparito Roca”, which translated means, “The Sheltered Cliff.”  

One of our speakers, MJ Lehwald, is a Rotary Exchange student from Germany. She shared a part of how her life has been here: 

“During this year, I achieved self-confidence because of people who have become my friends, and I am really grateful to be in America just because I have the opportunity to try new things because in Germany, I would not have the chance to do it, because my school and my future is the center of my life there.”  

Our next concert is the Celebration of the Arts concert on March 12th, featuring the band, choirs, and Maximum Forte. Come out and see the International concert and the Celebration of the Arts concert to support the CHS music department! 

Newly Remodeled Library

By Jackson Simmons 

Having access to the newly remodeled Nell Wiseman Media Center was a great way to start off the second semester. This new space offers two remodeled classrooms, Trojan Brew, and an abundance of new furniture like bookshelves, chairs, tables, and comfortable seating. 

  The library is divided into five spaces such as: collaborate, create, research, read, and relax. These areas help make the media center a conveniently productive space. Renovations were paid for in part from the 1% sales tax money.  

Freshman Autumn Carson says, “Everyone can find a place and fit in at any table,” which goes to show how friendly the environment is. In the morning and during lunch you can always find many students lounging and reaping the benefits of the comfortable seating.  

Trojan Brew opened on February 6th. Trojan Brew is a student run coffee shop that is open 7:45-8:30 am, Tuesday through Friday. They have a large menu with many drink options, and the students enjoy the variety. There’s a special seating area with booths and tables for the drinks to be enjoyed before class begins. 

Room 292 hosts journalism, digital photography, and yearbook. This classroom contains all the desktop computers for editing photos and videos needed by those classes. It is a great place to be creative whether you're writing an article or designing a page in the 23-24 yearbook. 

Room 291 hosts various business classes, such as marketing, programming, and consumer education. Having a specific classroom for these subjects really helps keep focus and makes a great learning environment. 

Along with the Media Center being remodeled, there is also a soon-to-be-finished renovation of the 400 wing. This is most of the English and Social Studies classes. As for right now English and Social Studies classes that were in the cafeteria are now in the library or using an alternative classroom, until all renovations are finished. 

The librarian Mrs. Runyon says, “I’m proud about how it turned out and happy to made a number of the choices, and I’m excited to enjoy it for my last few months at Charleston High School.” 

CHS Musical: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat 

By: Mackenzie Forth 

The musical this year, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is based on the Bible’s Book of Genesis. It tells the story of Joseph, the son of Jacob and one of twelve brothers, and his coat of many colors. Written in 1968 by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, it is a great family friendly retelling of Joseph, familiar themes, and catchy music such as “Song of the King” as Elvis-themed rock and roll; “One More Angel in Heaven” as country/western music; and “Joseph’s Dreams” as jazz. This has caused the musical to be immensely popular with multiple stagings worldwide.  

The show dates and times to come see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat are April 18th (7pm), April 19th (7 pm), April 20th (1pm), and April 20th (7pm). Congratulations to the cast and good luck with the musical! 

Narrators- Meredith McGrath and Elaina Sutula 

Joseph- Aiden Caughran 

Pharoah- Seth Anderson (Brock Hanner as cover) 

Simeon- Lucas Neal 

Judah (Joseph Cover)- Dylan Hawk 

Reuben- Michael Morris 

Dan/Potiphar- Andrew Pearson 

Naphtali- Autumn Carson 

Gad- Brock Hanner 

Asher- Lois Baker 

Issachar- Jackson Simmons 

Zebulun- Noah Hardwick 

Levi- Abrielle Groff 

Benjamin- Jonathan Brown 

Jacob- Elliot Bennett 

Mrs. Potiphar- MJ Lehwald 

Baker- Danner Van Hise 

Butler- Abby Metzger 

The Wives- Mia Carcasi, Ally Gonzalez, Kaylin Hawk, Emma Karbassioon, Josie Wehrle, Taryn Cole, MJ Lehwald, Jacey Smith, and Abby Metzger 

The Teachers- Kei Webber and Sabrina White 

Ensemble- Abrielle Groff, Ella Kenner, Mya Madlem, Peyton Walker, Nathaniel Cutler, Elijah Jones, Danner Van Hise, Madi Entrican, and Zoey Smyser. 

Children’s Chorus- Paola Carrillo, Molly Neal-Hecksel, Miah Norman, Delilah Osborn, Alexander Sharp, Elena Ammon, Evie von Kamp, Rose von Kamp, Milo Hanner, Chloe Brown, Grace Beurskens, Anslee Stone, Maddie Wilson, Lorelei Williams, Edy Laingen, Benjamin Warren, Liam Karbassioon, Meara Hocutt, and Molly Pope 

Jacob’s Wife- Mya Madlem 

Ishmaelites- Nathaniel Cutler and Peyton Walker 

Camel- Ella Kenner and Zoey Smyser 

Snake and Snake Charmer- Josie Wehrle and Mya Madlem 

One More Angel Wife Soloist- Kaylin Hawk 

Potiphar Quartet- Taryn Cole, Mia Carcasi, Emma Karbassioon, and Ally Gonzalez 

Potiphar’s Servants- Jackson Simmons, Brock Hanner, Jonathan Brown, and Noah Hardwick 

Tango Wife- MJ Lehwald 

Close Every Door Octet- Josie Wehrle, Kaylin Hawk, Abrielle Groff, Lois Baker, Lucas Neal, Michael Morris, Dylan Hawk, and Autumn Carson 

Production Details: 

Music Director- Juliane Sharp 

Stage Director- Scott Brooks 

Pit Orchestra Conductor- John Wengerski 

Choreographers- Antione Thomas and Krishna Thomas 

Stage Managers- Alyssa Johnson 

Assistant Stage Manager- Kenna Cambell 

Build/Run Crew Chiefs- Ayden Gossett and Alaiyah Tyler-Nelson 

Costume Crew Chief- Honor Brown 

Hair and Makeup Crew Chief- Remi Davis 

Props Crew Chief- Kei Webber and Anaya Douglas 

Lighting Crew Chiefs- Autumn Carson and Andrew Pearson 

Sound Crew Chiefs- Elliot Bennett and Seth Helmuth 

Publicity Crew Chiefs- Abby Metzger and Trixie Brantley 

House Manager- Sydney Willenborg