December Featured Seniors recognized
By Reagan Traucht
Joey Thomas Hazelbaker is the son of Matt and Amy Hazelbaker. Throughout Joey’s time at Marysville High School, he has been a part of the Marysville Swingers Unlimited Show Choir. Joey is currently a team captain for the Marysville Swim and Dive team and a section leader of The Marysville Marching Band drumline. He also enjoys lifeguarding for the Marysville pool in the summer. Joey’s favorite memory is sectionals for swimming in his Junior year. He said, “Everyone in our relay got the time they wanted, and we dropped a total of 2 seconds”. Joey’s goal this school year is to break the 50 free and 100 free school records. Joey will miss seeing his friends and incredible teachers every day. His plans include going to college for pre-med and eventually continuing to med school.
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Ava Krutowskis is the daughter of Christian and Anna Krutowskis. Ava has been on the Lady Monarch’s Basketball team all four years of her high school career. Within the four years, she has been on the varsity team and been a captain for 3 of the 4. Outside of school activities, Ava enjoys babysitting, competitive games, and hanging out with friends and family. Some of her best memories at Marysville High School were at football games, in classes with friends, and during basketball season. She will miss her friends and teachers the most after graduating. Avas plans to attend Columbus State Community College for two years and then transfer to a University to earn her master’s degree to become a school psychologist.
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Camri Marie Lee is the daughter of Greg and Christi Lee. Cam has been a member of the soccer and basketball teams for all four years of high school and has obtained the title of captain for the soccer team. Camri is also involved in various clubs in MHS, such as the National Honor Society, Rho Kappa, Student Council, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Outside of school, she enjoys being in 4-H, showing sheep during the summer at the fair, and spending time with her friends and family. Camri’s favorite memories are participating in soccer and basketball for the Lady Monarchs. Cam plans to attend a 4-year college to study radiation after graduation but will miss the friends and teachers she has made over her years at MHS.
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Gabri Marie Lee is the daughter of Greg and Christi Lee. Gab is an active member of the National Honor Society, Rho Kappa, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Student Council at MHS. She also played for the soccer and basketball team and was elected a basketball team captain. Hobbies and activities Gabri enjoys outside of school are 4-H, where she shows chickens, ping pong, euchre, and hanging out with friends. Gab could go to school with 3 of her four older sisters, which she says is her favorite memory at MHS. She plans to attend a 4-year university with an undecided major and will miss not being able to see her friends and teachers every day after she graduates.
Choirs finish winter repertoire
By Eliza Mosier
The high school choirs have finished performing their winter repertoire as the semester ends. High schoolers can take three levels of the chorus, depending on their knowledge and skill in music: Concert Choir, Advanced Treble, and Symphonic Choir. All three of these choirs and the Bunsold and Edgewood’s choirs came together on December 9th and 10th to perform a joint concert. It was called “Wintersongs.” Each choir performed 3-5 songs ranging from classical music to foreign languages, and in both major and minor. After the concert, the choral department began a new tradition: all 5th to 12th-grade members came together in the auditorium to create a fully immersive choral experience. Creekview’s choir started by singing “Stile Nacht,” or Silent Night in German; they were then joined by Bunsold Middle school to sing “Silent Night” in English, and finally, the High School Choirs closed it off by singing “Silent” Night” acapella. This arrangement of “Silent Night” was composed by the MHS Choir Director, Mrs. Brianna Bizzaro’s choir director, in high school and has only been performed at one other school in the world. To end the concert, all 300 voices combined with singing “Climb to the Top of the Highest Mountain.”
Now that the winter concerts are over, these students will begin learning their music for the next semester. The Symphonic Choir will perform the “Star Spangled Banner” at the Cleveland Cavaliers game on Friday, December 16th. They will also be traveling to the OMEA (Ohio Music Education Association) District Contest in February with hopes of making it to the states.
Finally, the Choral Department’s 9-12th grade Spring Concert will occur on May 11th, 2023, and anyone is free to attend.
Furthermore, auditions for the 2023/24 school year will occur in February and March of 2023. If you would like to become a member of the Choral Department, please reach out to Mrs. Bizzaro via email or in person.
Featured Arts Students Avink, Lanning honored
By Delaney Hill
This December’s Color Guard featured student is Vivian Avink. Vivian is a sophomore at Marysville High School. At Marysville, Vivian is a part of many community-driven organizations and clubs, such as Global Scholars. Another one is the Public Speaking and Improv Club, where she is a co-president and a fantastic contributor to her color guard family. Vivian is captain during both the fall and winter seasons. Vivian also does competition dance at Energy Arts Dance StuVdio, and she’s been dancing there since she was five years old. One fun fact about Vivian is that she marched in Cincinnati Tradition drum and bugle Corp this past summer. However, aside from all her astounding activities, Vivian enjoys her downtime. She usually does this by playing with her three dogs. She also relishes reading and watching rom-coms. “There is no substitute for hard work” – Thomas A. Edison.
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By Aubree Scior
For December, our featured student for the band is Cheyenne Lanning. Cheyenne is a freshman at MHS and plays trumpet in the band. Along with Band (Marching Band and Jazz Band), Cheyenne is in many different in and out-of-school sports and activities. She is in FFA, Track and Field, and Winter Guard. She also used to be in the show choir. When she has free time, she likes to watch “Orange is The New Black” and hangs out with her pets. “It’s never too late to be who you might have been” -George Elliot.
Marching Band 2022-23 season reviewed
By Aubree Scior
The Marysville Marching Band of 2022-2023, directed by the new band director, Stephen Fannin, has had a fantastic year performing their show “Back in Time.” From the Northwestern Band Contest to the OMEA state finals, the band has proved how exceptional our Marysville students can be. The band members earned their spot in the OMEA state finals very early in the competition by getting a superior rating (1) in their first competition at Northwestern on September 24th and earning the best overall in percussion and general music. The band’s second performance took place in Piqua on October 15th, where they also got a superior rating (1). Their third competition on October 22nd was an exciting doubleheader. That meant two competitions in one day! The first competition was in Springfield Shawnee, where their performance was a little rough, but they still managed to get a superior rating (1). They made up for their first performance at the second competition in Springfield Tecumseh, where the band earned yet another superior rating! The final place for them now was the OMEA state finals. The finals took place in Piqua on November 6th. The band played their best, marched like never before, and wowed the judges. They earned a superior rating (1) in all categories! Now that the competition season is over.
The band is currently transitioning into the concert band season. The band has completed concert band auditions and has been divided into three concert band groups, Concert band, Symphonic band, and Winds band. We are all proud of the Marching Band for their outstanding performances and for showing off school pride.
FCCLA stays active in community
By Clarissa Hamilton
Marysville High School’s volunteering-based club, FCCLA (Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America), has been very active in helping out their school and community. FCCLA is led by Mrs. Rebello as their teacher advisor. Within this club, there is a variety of opportunities with which you can become involved. There is a mixture of beneficent activities as well as fun activities available as said by the club president, Aleah Tornberg. Such fun activities include preparing and decorating cake pops during a club meeting. A past event planned by FCCLA was the baking of pumpkin loaves provided for purchase by the teachers at MHS in October. The money raised from this fundraiser went to support their club. Upcoming opportunities for the members of this club include volunteering at the Hope Center’s Christmas Store, as well as creating tie blankets for children which will be sent to a currently undecided organization. More events such as these will be expected in months to follow. FCCLA is a club equipped for those wanting to give back to their community in a more laid-back manner.
High 5 REACT aims to help students
By Jonathan M. Thomas
Are you a parent/guardian of an elementary school child in Marysville? Or, perhaps you ARE an elementary school child in Marysville! Or maybe you’re just an average community member. Regardless, you know that these past few years have been (for lack of better words) unusual. Recently, students and administration alike have noticed an influx of disciplinary encounters within the middle and high school levels due to the social isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
It all began with $50 and a bright idea. When we joined the Invent2Prevent program sponsored by the McCain Institute, Department of Homeland Security, and EdVentures, we noticed that when the five elementary schools join forces at Creekview, it creates room for some undesirable behavior. That’s why a group of high school students put their heads together and brainstormed what they could do to help nip these disciplinary issues in the bud. That is when the High 5 React club was born.
High 5 REACT is a student-run organization worked on by students from grades 9-12 from Marysville High School and Marysville Early College High School. High 5 REACT aims to prevent instances of bullying and targeted violence by instituting constructive protective factors. In June 2022, High 5 REACT was nationally recognized as the top program of 30 participating schools nationwide.
The club is like an extension of the Invent2Prevent program. They applied the I2P curriculum to a game they created called High 5. This game touches on hate and targeted violence but in terms that are comprehensible to the developing minds of Elementary schoolers. The focus is to encourage protective factors of empathy and to listen with understanding. They did this to teach the elementary schoolers that they might have more in common than they thought.
“They started a mentorship program. Last semester, we put together the framework for our project and did a test run at Raymond Elementary School. This year, we are just building on that”, remarks Jennifer Wanamaker, High 5 REACT Club advisor and math teacher at Marysville High School.
Right now, the game design committee is reworking the game board so it can be produced for schools around the country. The mentorship committee is working on lesson plans to go along with the game. The tech committee is working on a mobile app so that people around the country can play their games from the comfort of their own homes. Lastly, the social media committee is helping spread the word about the club so that people are aware of its message.
In mid-to-late-January, the club plans to expand to the other elementary schools in the district. They hope to influence the disciplinary issues at the middle and high school levels before they can even begin through lessons targeting Respect, Equality, Acceptance, Communication, and Trust (REACT).
Japan Club plans Christmas party
By Amelia Russell
Marysville High School’s Japan club gathers weekly to engage in Japanese-themed activities, including making food and crafts and watching movies. The club allows students to bond with others who share the same interests while learning about Japanese culture. The Japan club begins planning its annual Christmas party as the semester draws closer. The holiday celebration highlights popular Japanese holiday traditions. Members of the club will enjoy fried chicken and cake, a Christmas custom common in Japan. Japanese Christmas cakes often include whipped cream and strawberries. KFC is so prevalent in Japan that orders must be placed months in advance to enjoy it on Christmas day.
Global Scholars take action
By Linnea Olofsson
Global Scholars, a nationally recognized high school program for students looking to expand their horizons and improve their global understanding, is in full swing. Members in year three of the program are beginning their “Take Action” projects, an assignment that requires them to compile their knowledge with volunteer work and research to create something that betters their community. Members in years one and two travel across the state to learn about global issues and solutions, to increase their experience, and give them ideas for their future projects. Global Scholars will continue after the holiday break, but until then, members are encouraged to keep up with current events and work on projects!