Cordle, Channell, Willis named Featured Seniors
By Clarissa Hamilton
Shannon Cordle is the daughter of Jeremiah Cordle and Heidi Burrey. Shannon is a 4-year letterman in soccer and track and the soccer team captain. She is a member of the National Honor Society and the National Spanish Honor Society, where she is the co-president. Shannon co-founded High Five React and is also an elementary student mentor. She is a stage crew volunteer for the Summer Theater Workshop during the Summer. Shannon’s favorite memory was when the 1982 4×100 relay team came to meet her 4×100, which broke their record 40 years later. Each member of the 1982 relay team gave each of Shannon’s team members a baton and “handed off” their record to them. This was a very surreal experience for Shannon. She will miss seeing her friends and incredibly supportive teachers in class daily. After high school, Shannon plans to major in biomedical engineering at MIT and continue her soccer and track career at the collegiate level.
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By Wesley Paul
Elley Channell is the daughter of Bill and Sarah Channell. She has had a very impressive high school career at MHS. Elley will graduate as a valedictorian and co-president of Marysville’s National Honor Society. In addition, she is the vice president of FCCLA and an active member of Rho Kappa, HIGH 5 REACT, and the National Spanish Honor Society. She is gifted in the classroom, a two-year varsity letter recipient in volleyball, a four-time scholar-athlete, and an OCC scholar-athlete of MHS. Elley serves her community outside of school – she has nearly 200 hours of service at Memorial Hospital as a student volunteer. She is also the current president of her 4H club, the Taylor Country Bumpkins. She has been a 4H camp counselor for four years. The 2023 Homecoming spirit week is her favorite memory of MHS, where she was named Homecoming Queen, participated in the parade, and dressed up during spirit week. Elley will miss her friends and teachers with whom she has made long-lasting bonds. In the fall, Elley plans to attend Miami University (OH) to major in biochemistry on a pre-med track.
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By Wesley Paul
Richard Willis is the son of Shawn and Brandi Bare. At MHS, he has been academically and athletically involved in many ways. He is a two-year football and track & field letterman and is part of the National Society of High School Scholars. Outside of school, Richard enjoys hunting whitetail deer, playing Xbox, and spending time with friends. His favorite high school memory is receiving the Larry Fox Leadership Award at the football banquet. Most of all, Richard will miss his coaches and friends moving away. He would also like to thank his teachers and coaches for helping him get to where he is today. After graduation, Richard plans to pursue a career in real estate by completing his realtor pre-licensing courses at Hondros College.
MHS hosts exchange students
By Amelia Russell
Marysville High School welcomed three exchange students through a program with EF High School Exchange Year this year. The students arrived in August and have been living with local host families to immerse themselves in American culture. One student, Stefano Pozzato, from Italy, says of why he decided to study abroad, “I wanted to become more independent and learn how to live alone … to learn English as good as I know Italian … to get out from my comfort zone, meeting new people and learning another culture”. Aside from experiencing personal growth and a new culture, the exchange students said the best part of their experience was joining school sports and activities. The exchange year experience is not without its challenges. Elena Presciani, another student from Italy, says of the difficulty of the experience, “At the end of the day, we are still seventeen and teenagers with a whole different life on the other side of the world that we decided to leave in pause to live our dream.” As the experiences of these students draw to a close, EF High School Exchange Year works to identify host families and match them with exchange students for next school year.
Symphonic Choir bound for state contest
By Linnea Olofsson
For the last two months, the Symphonic Choir at Marysville High School has diligently memorized a repertoire and practiced sight-reading in preparation for OMEA. On March 8th, the Symphonic Choir attended the Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA) District Contest at Big Walnut High School. At OMEA, they sang a prepared repertoire of three songs: Tuttarana by Renee Esmail, Abendlied by Josef Rheinberger, and I’m Gonna Sing by Moses Hogan, as well as sight-reading a new piece. The choir received a superior rating of 1 and will advance to the State Contest later in April. For the State Contest, the Symphonic Choir will memorize two new songs to perform with Abendlied. The Symphonic Choir has participated in other events, such as performing The Star-Spangled Banner at a Cleveland Cavaliers game the previous two years. Still, it has been several years since they have competed at the District Contest.
Marysville DECA takes on State Conference
Group brings 63 members
By Aleah Tornberg
The Ohio DECA State Conference held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center on the weekend of March 8th and 9th was a huge success. Over 3,000 DECA members from across the state attended the conference. Marysville DECA made history with 63 members qualifying for the state competition, and out of those, 26 students became state finalists by placing among the top 12 in the state. It’s an incredible achievement! Let me share the names of the talented students who made it to the finals: Maddie Burgdorf, Lilliana Wolford, Andre Graham, Seth Chapman, Kenleigh Russell, Katelynn Jackson, Emma Eades, Avery Seely, Lauren Eizensmits, Sophia Cline, Keilana Ferguson, Aleah Tornberg, Paige Mobley, Aaron Rios, Kendall Shavers Davis, Abby Luellman, Brycen Luelleman, Brody McSwords, Ava Zweizinski, Jamey Best, Elise Gilsinger, Paityn Hoskins, Tamara Saliba, Elle Martter, Avery Henry, and Auri Guenther. Chapter president Abby Luelleman said, “I am so extremely proud of our chapter and how much, not just our chapter, but each individual has accomplished and grown.” Of the 26 finalists, 15 students placed in the top 4, qualifying them to compete at the DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Anaheim, California, this April. They will be going up against the top students from around the world! Congratulations to Kendall Shavers Davis (2nd), Lilliana Wolford (1st), Auri Guenther (3rd), and Abby Luelleman (4th), who achieved individual wins and placings.
Additionally, congratulations to the teams that qualified the team of Kenleigh Russell, Katelynn Jackson, and Emma Eades (1st), the team of Keilana Ferguson, Aleah Tornberg, Paige Mobley (1st), the team of Elle Martter, and Avery Henry (4th), and The team of Elise Gilsinger, Paityn Hoskins and Tamara Saliba (3rd). It’s impressive to see such dedication and success. Best of luck to the Marysville DECA team at the upcoming ICDC in Anaheim! Along with these competitors, they have two students presenting the chapter Student Based Enterprise, The Lion Label: Lauren Eizensmits and Camden Russell. In addition, three students are going for leadership opportunities: Skyla Hickok, Brody McSwords, and Rafael Mijares. They also have six students who qualified through the Virtual Business competition before the state competition. The Cole Clarridge, Sean McGee, and Brycen Luellman team will compete in the sports category against the top 15 in the world.
In contrast, the Hayden Beery, Andre Graham, and Seth Chapman teams will compete in the Retail category. The chapter had a record-breaking competition season and is excited to continue its momentum at ICDC. The chapter advisor, Bailey Hemmelgarn, said, “I have never had a group of such dedicated, driven Young students in my six years of teaching. The results blow me away, and I can’t wait to see what they accomplish at ICDC.” Best of luck to all 26 Marysville DECA students attending ICDC! The Monarch community will be cheering you on from home!
Marysville DECA members are pictured at the Ohio DECA State Conference held the weekend of March 8 and 9. Members from the local school joined over 3,000 DECA members from across the state. (Photos submitted)
FCCLA hosts Annual FACTS project at Marysville High School
By Clarissa Hamilton
On February 27th-28th, FCCLA educates MHS students on the effects of drunk driving through the FACTS project. The FACTS project is a national education program the FCCLA runs to help spread awareness about traffic safety and hazards. Every year, the national FCCLA organization provides a cash award to the top FACTS projects in each state, which will then be considered for a national award. To show the effects of drunk driving, FCCLA had students wear goggles that showed the effects of being intoxicated and had the students drive a scooter around the Field House, which had a course developed. This course had numerous road signs and stop signs to imitate roadways. During these two days, Mrs. Rebello, the FCCLA teacher-advisor, had the school resource officer stop by and pretend to arrest the students. This project aimed to demonstrate how dangerous intoxicated driving can be and its effects on students from all grades.
Marysville Swingers Unlimited holds Showcase Competition
By Linnea Olofsson
On March 15th and 16th, the Marysville Swingers Unlimited hosted the Marysville Showcase competition, inviting 24 show choirs from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and West Virginia – and one group, Petal High School, all the way from Mississippi! On Friday, the Marysville Mini Swingers, the middle school show choir, hosted six groups, ending the night with a spectacular performance. The next day, the high school show choirs took the stage. Out of the 18 choirs, the five finalists were the Petal Soundsations, North Central Counterpoints, Carroll Magic, Beavercreek Friends, and the Olentangy Keynotes. Before awards, the Marysville Swingers, five-time grand champions, performed for the competing groups. Ultimately, the Petal Soundsations received first runner-up, and the North Central Counterpoints won the competition and the caption awards of Best Choreo and Best Vocals. Congratulations to all participating show choirs and the Marysville Swingers Unlimited for putting together such a successful competition!