Seniors Earn and Give Big

Seniors Earn and Give Big

By: Riley Simpson

Every year right before the seniors officially graduate they come back to Central for one last hoorah. The Honors Day assembly includes presentations of many awards and honors, monetary and religious. This year’s graduating class earned 2.6 million dollars in scholarship money, that is equivalent to what Normal Community West received, and they are quadruple the size. The Honors Day assembly also gives the school and senior class an opportunity to officially donate to their class charity.

The Honors Day Assembly commemorates academic excellence, leadership, and faith. This year over one hundred students, almost one third of Central, won the President’s Award for Academic Excellence. We also recognize leadership through a variety of extracurriculars such as the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution Award, Boys and Girls State, HOBY, Illinois Leadership Seminar and the Principal’s Leadership Award. Lastly we acknowledge and applaud those who demonstrate exemplary faith and service. The students who signify these Christian works receive honors such as the St. Maximilian Kolbe Award, St. Philip Neri Award, Chaplin Award, Pope St. John Paul II Award, Cardinal Newman Award, Saint of the Year and the Sedes Sapientiae Award.

On another note, at the Honors day assembly we find out as a school how much money we have raised for the senior class charity. This year the seniors chose St. Jude Hospital as their charity. St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital provides medical care to children with cancer and other deadly diseases. This year Central Catholic raised over 10,000 dollars! This donation will be a huge help to the hospital.

For the underclassmen the Honors Day Assembly shows them how much their hard work will pay off in the future. Being a good student, being a leader, and demonstrating how to live as a good Catholic with be rewarding for you in the end. After the assembly I had a chance to ask Ben Hoscheidt what he thought of the assembly. He responded, “ It was encouraging to see how much money and scholarships were given to the seniors.”

Special Olympics

On May 8th this year during the seniors' final day at Central, they honor the Special Olympics. This year is the third year the seniors had held the Special Olympics at Central Catholic. The reason for holding the Special Olympics is just simply for a good cause.  The best moment for sure at the Special Olympics is when all the kids go around the school and are honored by the students, receiving high fives and applause. The seniors take the participants around to play certain games and most importantly have some fun. The seniors used to have the Special Olympics as their annual charity, but now it is just simply for a good cause. When asked about how the experience of Special Olympics Katie Clark said, “Special Olympics was such a great experience, and I am so glad that I got to spend my last day of senior year with all of those little kids.”

We always look forward to the end of year to see all these little kids get together and have fun. Special Olympics is a big part of the seniors' last day at Central; they get to contribute to the community one last time as CCHS Saints.

Vacation or Staycation? By Shannon Lewis

Spring break is the time where many people try to escape the cold, wintry days of Illinois. Whether you are traveling overseas or staying abroad, there are lots of great choices on where to visit. Nicole Taimoorazy said, “My family is traveling to Spain over break. I am so excited because it will be my first time ever going there!”

While many people travel to different places each year, there are many people who have their regular vacation spots that they go to every spring break. When asked where she will be going for spring break, Sydney Shanks said, “My family and I are going to Destin. This will be our 8th year going down there, and I look forward to going every year.”

While some people get away from the lousy weather, being stuck in Illinois over spring break seems terrible, but there are ways to make it a more enjoyable time. If you're looking to get out of BloNo, get a group of your friends or family to take a trip up to Chicago. If you enjoy hanging out at home, spring break gives you plenty of time to catch up on your Netflix shows or start a new series. You can also make the most of your staycation and get ahead on your service hours. If you are looking for upcoming service opportunities, ask your theology teachers or check the CCHS website.

Whether you're on vacation or staycation, there are always things to do to make your spring break a fun time!

Total Madness

By Nick Morris

One of the greatest months for all basketball fans is March, because that means March Madness! If you’re a basketball fan or not, the NCAA Men’s basketball tournament can be a fun experience.

Millions of Americans will be watching these games this month. Everyone who watches will most likely have one or two brackets filled out and will anxiously cheer for their favored teams. Sixty-eight teams will be determined to make the tournament on selection Sunday, March 15, and that is when the madness starts.

March Madness is truly madness especially when there are upsets that completely ruin your bracket. But don't get too mad, because the odds of having a perfect bracket are 1 in 9,223,372,036,854,775,808.

  When you have nothing to do during March, especially during spring break when the tournament gets serious, you should probably fill out a bracket, have some fun, and turn on the TV to watch some March Madness.

Spring Sports Sneak Peek

Spring: sure, it’s not summer, but it is the home stretch of the school year! Speaking of home stretch, it’s time for a preview of the spring sports to come, including baseball and softball, along with track and girls’ soccer.

For softball, this years seniors are Katie Clark, Kelli Highland, and Rook Paul. The team’s goal this year is to make history by advancing beyond the first round of regionals. The girls have tremendous faith in this year’s season and the success to come. When asked what their favorite part of the previous seasons has been, Katie Clark says, “Junior year was a blast. All of us are so close as a team and always have a great time.”  

As for baseball, the team is looking forward to returning to the regional championship and pulling out a win. The team has both the chemistry and determination to go far. They’re also looking forward to their annual spring break tournament at Vero Beach. Jon Walters, a four-year player on Central’s team, said, “We are so strong defensively and have such great pitching, I’m really confident in our ability to achieving our ultimate goal: a state title.”

Another highly anticipated spring sport is track and field team. This year’s roster of senior girls includes Katherine Brady, Faith Wieland, Annie Elias, Meghan Allen, Sarah Allen, and Addison Ely. As for the boys, the seniors are Eric Whalen, Derrion Hodges, Daniel Dionesotes, Andres Torres, Patrick Perring, and Joe Bevilacqua. This year the team hopes to advance multiple runners to state in May. They also are hoping to get into more indoor and outdoor meets they haven't done previously. It’s about to be a prosperous years for these overly enthusiastic runners!  

Girls’ soccer is also looking good this year. The seniors include Courtney Cox, Lauryn Oleson, Bailey Stevens, Riley Stevens, Amanda Einck, Lindsey Schopp, and Kyleigh Snavely. The team’s excited and looking toward to competing this season with confidence. They plan on going farther than the Lady Saints’ soccer team have gone in years: defending the regional title and beyond. Senior Courtney Cox, when asked what she’s looking forward to most this season, expresses, “I’m looking forward to being with all my teammates and seeing all of our hard work pay off.”

There’s a lot to look out for this year during the spring sport season! Don’t be afraid to come out and support our teams.