Power of the Pen

By Heaven James

At Chillicothe Middle, there are many talented, young students that have a knack for writing. When I first joined the school-system and wrote for my Language Arts teacher, Mrs. Frances, she urged me to go to an informational meeting for something called “Power of the Pen”. I believe her exact wording was, “If you don’t go, I’ll forcefully drag you there.” I went, of course, and was introduced to an amazing coach, Ms. Arredondo,  with an amazing group of people. I was very excited to get started, but what exactly is Power of the Pen?

Well, Power of the Pen is an extracurricular activity where students write to a prompt with a limited amount of time. The starting time limit is 45 minutes, and you have to write a short story following a prompt. A prompt is a rule for what your story has to be about or contain. The time limit shortens every time you qualify for a higher league. I started out as a nervous and quiet person, but now, I am a state-qualifier! I never thought that I would get there from my humble beginnings. To get to state you have to be in the top 50% of Districts and then move onto Regional. It is a significantly lower percentage who actually gets to move onto State from there.

A Power of the Pen tournament is a very fun place to be. You would arrive at around 7:00 am to 8:00 am, and talk with your team after the coach would sign you in. After introduction, which includes a game of bingo to get to know people around you, everyone will head their writing room. You will never be in the same room as a writer from your school. After the three writing rounds, you will go back to the cafeteria and eat lunch. It’s nice to ask about what your teammates wrote about. Your story would be scored upon if it was the best or worst out of a group. To break ties, the judges determine quality points. I usually always get a 1 or 2 out of a group of people. I placed 6th at Chillicothe Middle School, where the regionals tournament was held.

The best advice I have for anyone who wants to try Power of the Pen is, don’t be intimidated and always finish a story. There’s always going to be that one prompt that you don’t feel, but go through with it. I have no idea how some of the things I’ve written scored pretty well, it was actually quite surprising. Also, do it for fun. Trust me, if I know one thing about Power of the Pen, it is most fun to write and share short stories with your friends. Ms. Arredondo would be happy to have you. Trust me, she’s put up with me, she can handle anything.If you follow my advice, you’ll either place, or have extreme fun trying. However, it wasn’t just my knack for writing that got me there. I believe it also had to do with luck, and the support from all of my teachers.

I would like to take a moment to thank a few of the people who inspired me. I would like to thank Mr. Kaltenbach for mentioning Power of the Pen and intriguing me. Thank you, Mrs. Francis, for pushing me to be a better writer and believing in me. You helped me be confident in my ability to write and I am very grateful. You will be in the acknowledgements of a book one day, I’m sure of that. Thank you, the Language Department and everyone else who thought me worthy of going to State, so much so that they would sacrifice their own earnings just to see me go. Finally, last but not least, I would like to thank my coach Ms. Terri Arredondo.

Thank you for not only being my coach, but also for being someone I can talk to when I feel conflicted about things I can’t mention to anyone else. You’re the reason I get to go to State in the first place and I could’ve never made it without you or anyone else I’m thanking.

As a state-qualifier, I’m nervous, but excited. I am proud that I have gotten this far. I will write the best I can, not only for myself, but for everyone who got me there. I would highly recommend joining Power of the Pen next year, especially for the experiences. I have many fond memories from it, and room 123 will always have a special place in my heart. I wish that others could feel the overwhelming happiness that I do, so please, consider joining next year. Ms. Arredondo will get bored if she doesn’t have someone to yell at to get off of the floor.


State competition for Power of the Pen will be held at Rooster College on May 25 and May 26, 2017. Three students from Chillicothe Middle School will be traveling for competition: Abby Sims Clark, Ella Cushman, and Heaven James.

New to Chillicothe Middle School is the option for students to participate in the Drama Club during leadership period. Participants of the Drama Club have been  working on their acting skills and are looking forward to performing for their peers and any parents that are interested. The play will be ready for an audience sometime during the month of May.  The name of the  play that members have been working on is called, 15 Reasons Not To Be In A Play. This play is a comical and will make viewers laugh. The Drama Club is for students that are interested in being on stage and being in front of people. If you don’t like being on stage then Mr. Kennard will give you the option to  work backstage.  Some of the other important jobs that help with the production of a play are as follows: changing the setting between acts, working lights and curtains. One of the funny things about the play is the the title because the persuasion is acted out.

Written by Journalist: Josh

Every Friday, at Chillicothe Middle School (CMS), students participate in a leadership group. There are many different groups, for example, mine is recycling. The teacher for this group is Mr.Baker. We walk down the hallways to classrooms where there each room has a blue bin for waste paper and used bottles.  We put the papers in one bin and the bottles in another outside in a large recycling container.  The girls are responsible for the classrooms upstairs and the boys are responsible for emptying all the bins downstairs.  Mr. Baker has a large wagon for the students to put the collected waste in and then wheel everything out to the recycling container. The wagon makes the job easier and faster. When we are done and have emptied all the blue bins,  we remove the plastic bottles for the Physical Education teacher.  We have fun in this group! This group is all eighth graders with just one seventh grader.  After we are done, we sit in the cafeteria and socialize with each other until our next period class.  Overall this group is fun and I do recommend it.

Written by Journalist: Cyleigh

Nature Walkers

7th Grade Science teacher, Ms. Elliott, facilitates one of Chillicothe Middle School’s leadership group- Nature Walkers.  Currently, there are around 25 walkers.  During the leadership period, members walk through Yoctangee Park, on the flood wall, and around the community.  Nature Walkers enjoy being outdoors, getting exercise, and socializing with other members.  One of the benefits for students to participate in physical activity is the student’s increase energy level which helps students focus and engage in the classroom.

Teen Institute

Our Guidance Counselor,  Mr. Stoneking, facilitates Teen Institute;  he keeps the group organized and focused.   Teen Institute focuses on drug and alcohol prevention and also making our school and community better. Some Fridays when the leadership group gathers, we watch Sport Center Features over individuals who have had to overcome challenges in their lives and who now live successful lives. We discuss how to avoid taking the wrong path.  Several of the activities we designed and encouraged students participation at Chillicothe Middle School were settings up spirit weeks, anti bullying week, and we also work on making our school a better environment. Obadiah Harris visits our leadership often to discuss the activities of the Chillicothe High School’s Teen Institute program. The 25 middle school members have a understanding of the importance of the program and are the future leaders of Teen Institute at the high school level.
/Written by Journalist: Michael and Isaac

Veteran Military Connection

Students at Chillicothe Middle School have the opportunity to participate in leadership groups every Friday.  One of the groups offered to students is the Veteran Military Connection facilitated by Mr. Kreis. The activities in this group revolve around helping veterans and soldiers. The most recent activity was collecting miscellaneous items to send in care packages to active military who are overseas.  Recently, members of the group designed military themed t-shirts.  Shirts cost $15 for sizes YS-AXL.  There is an additional cost for larger sizes. Anyone interested in ordering a t-shirt can contact: Chillicothe Middle School 740-773-2241.

Article Written by Journalist Jason

   

Book Club

Every week on Friday, our school holds leadership groups. Leadership groups are a way to participate in an area of interest, help people out, or just to meet new people.  My leadership group is called Book Club. We read our books that we have for that semester and take tests on them when we are done. I like it because there’s a certain number of books I have to read each quarter so it helps me to stay on top of my assigned work. I enjoy this club because it is quiet.  Reading is something I successful at by myself.  Mr. Hatem, an eighth grade teacher,  sponsors this group. He likes to read also and one of the novels he read during the leadership group period was, Above the Line by Urban Meyer.  It's a small group so it makes it easier to get settled in and get started right away. Mr. Hatem usually brings in pop and chips to eat while we read. It’s more of a quiet group so we all can focus.

Written by Journalist: Taylor Haubeil.