Senior Spotlight: Riley Howard
Classes
Riley’s class schedule is very unique. She takes a lot of classes focused on creativity. Her schedule includes drawing and painting, digital photography, English 12, food, sculpture, and ceramics. Riley is lucky: she does not have to take a math class this year. Next semester she is taking jewelry making. She is most excited about it because “I have taken it before, so this time I will get to be more creative and work independently.”
Extracurriculars
She will be running track in the spring this year. She also has a part-time job and usually only works “10-15 hours a week so I still have time to be social and get school work done.”
Future
After high school, she plans to attend Rhodes State College and get a “degree to work as a Physical Therapy Assistant.”
Free Time
Riley is very art-inclined, as we can see from her craft schedule. She likes to do crafts, travel with her family, or “at the lake.” She loves to try new foods and go to new restaurants. She makes sure to go to Young Life every Monday evening with friends to connect and relax.
Favorites
Her favorite part about being a Shawnee student is participating in “things that bring us together like powder puff and May Daze activities.” She is grateful for all her teachers but her two most influential were Mrs. Skilitier, who retired in 2022. And Mrs. Bloomfield for English. Both “made me feel important and helped me whenever I was unsure of what to do or how to do something. This year, she mentioned Miss. Flick, and how she helped Riley become more independent. Her favorite high school memory is either painting her parking spot, listening to music in the parking lot, or when we got “drenched in rain during the daily mile at the end of junior year during our time with the elementary students.”
Family
Riley is the oldest of siblings, and has one younger brother, Chase. He is a freshman. Her parents are Kyle and Brooke Howard, and she has one dog named Mack. Mack is four years old and a brindle boxer.
Advice
Riley’s advice is to “always be yourself and find people who like you for you. Don’t worry about trying to be someone you aren’t just to fit in”
Overall
Riley is an amazing person, and super interesting. She has goals for the future but always remembers to live in the moment. Good luck for your future Riley.
-Alex Karapondo
Senior Spotlight: Caiden Garlock
School
Caiden is very academically inclined. His schedule is rigorous, including AP Calculus, AP English, Anatomy, Contemporary world, Psychology, Personal finance, and public speaking and baking. He is most excited for AP English and Contemporary World
Future
After high school, he plans on majoring in Political Science. He is hoping to attend the Ohio State University. Currently, he is “planning on going to law school and studying criminal or constitutional law”. He has wanted to be a lawyer since the fifth grade; he is very good at planning ahead.
Extracurriculars
Caiden is not involved in any sport but is in NHS, Quiz Bowl, and, in the past, Big Brothers Big Sisters. He also works in a drama club, where he does the lights and sounds. He helped found the debate club and led it as well.
Family
Caiden is the son of Heather and Jason. His stepmom is Amanda. He has one brother and four sisters. He is the middle child. His brother is Tyson, and his sisters are Madeline, Marah, Brooklyn, and Reece. He has three cats named Nova, Elliot, and Jack.
Free Time
In his free time, he enjoys reading and spending time with friends He also likes to build legos when he is “able to afford them.”
Favorites
His favorite thing about being a Shawnee student is the “amazing teachers we have at the school.” He says he succeeds in his challenging classes because of the “kind and informative teachers.”
Advice
He tells the underclassmen, “Plan, plan, and then plan some more. I know it can feel overwhelming to consider what you want to do after high school as a freshman or a sophomore or even a junior. But if you ask yourself what you are interested in and how you can go about pursuing that as early as possible, that; will help you out. It puts you in the best possible position after graduation.”
-Alex Karapondo
The Time Change -- What's the Point?
Daylight savings time is a system used to better utilize energy and make a more efficient system, which originated to give more farmers more time in the field with the changing of seasons. The second Sunday in March and the first Sunday of November are the yearly time changes -- what once was 9 o'clock has become 8, which means that the sun will set (seemingly) an hour sooner than before. In the past, there have been claims that the daylight savings system will be rescinded due to a changing economy, but it doesn't appear to be going away any time soon. If you get anything out of this, just remember that the only thing it greatly messes with anymore is our sleep schedule!
-Cade Hefner
Mr Howe Interview
Now that he has been here for a few months and we have gotten a chance to get to know him, we interviewed Mr. Howe to get to know him a little better.
Q: How long have you been in the education field?
A: This is Year 19. 12 at Lima Senior as a teacher. 6 at Wayne Trace and this is year 1 at Shawnee.
Q: Did you play sports in high school?
A: Yes. I played Golf and Basketball. Ran track my freshman year and tennis my senior year.
Q: Where did you go to college?
A: Harvard. Just Kidding. Bowling Green State University
Q: Where did you go to high school and when did you graduate?
A: Bath High School- 2002
Q: Interests/Hobbies
A: Spending time with my family, traveling, SPORTS- playing A LOT of golf and coaching aau basketball
Pauly Caris
ACT Test Preperation
The ACT is one of the most important (and intimidating) things a college-aspiring high school student has to go through to reach the future goal of their dream school. To be clear, allow me to state that the ACT is not completely necessary to reach your future aspirations. More than 80% of collegiate universities are test-optional for fall 2025 applications, and that number is most likely going to rise. That being said, an exceptional ACT score can certainly help with being admitted into a college, and create opportunities for merit scholarships. So, without further ado, let’s take a dive into the ACT’s format, and maybe help you learn a few things about how you can score higher.
Format of the ACT
The ACT consists of four different sections each out of 36 points, and in order of appearance they are: English, math, reading, and science, with an optional writing section. The test itself is out of 36 points, with a ten minute break halfway through, a total of 215 questions (75 English, 60 math, 40 reading, 40 science) with each one being multiple choice with four answer choices, and a total time of 2 hours and 55 minutes (45m English, 1hr math, 35m reading, 35m science) without accounting for the break.
English focuses heavily on grammar and rhetoric. Math has stand-alone questions, which means that a lot of the questions are not related to any other questions on the test; it uses math topics learned in high school, such as algebra, trigonometry, and geometry. The reading section has four passages with ten questions each. You’ll have to be able to read fast and understand what you are reading, with the questions asking you to either interpret the passage or spit out the information you took in. The science section requires you to derive data from graphs, charts, paragraphs, tables, or a combination of them. The test is all about interpreting data, and, similarly to math, has a lot of stand alone questions. There are three main formats that these passages are in: research summaries, conflicting viewpoints, and data representation. I find this section to be a lot like the reading section, but instead of only reading paragraphs you’re also reading graphs, tables, or charts.
Tips for Scoring Higher
In March, the Juniors are offered a chance to take the ACT for free, but there are many opportunities to retake the ACT throughout the summer or school year, or, even if you’re not a junior, you can still register for the test anytime. I should mention that there is a $60 registration fee, so taking it for free through the high school is highly recommended. You should consider taking the ACT more than once, because chances are that you’re not gonna get the exact score you want the first time you take it. Retaking it will more than likely increase your score since you will have a feel for the format of the test and questions.
I would also highly recommend that you start taking practice tests weeks or even a month before the day of the test, because it will give you a good feel for what questions will be asked and how to manage time properly. ACT.com offers free practice tests on all four sections of the test so long as you have an account, so I’d advise you to take advantage of those.
It is imperative that you have background knowledge of English and math skills to perform well on those sections of the ACT; however, for the reading and science sections you do not need background knowledge of the specific topics presented, just the skills to correctly interpret the information provided.
Come physically prepared to your testing site. Get plenty of sleep, wear comfortable clothes, eat a healthy breakfast, drink water, and bring a snack for the break (so long as you are permitted to).
Answer every single question. Like AP testing, there is no penalty for guessing. I’d also advise making small marks next to questions that you’re unsure about: that way, if you have extra time you can go back and look over those questions in more detail.
With all that being said, I hope you use this preparation guide to excel on your testing.
-Benny Rutter
NASCAR
The NASCAR season started on February 18th, but rain delayed the biggest race of the year, the Daytona 500 to the next day Monday, February 19th. The race was won by William Byron he would finish the season with 3 wins and 1 pole position. Later in the season, Kyle Larson tried to pull the “double duty”, which is when a driver tries to race in the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day which was during Memorial Day weekend. He wasn’t successful because the Indy 500 got delayed too long, and the NASCAR race got called for rain before he could turn a lap. The regular season ended with Harrison Burton, son of former NASCAR driver Jeff Burton, getting his first NASCAR win at Daytona in the Coke Zero 400. When the playoffs started there were 16 drivers by the final race there would be 4. In the final race of the year, Joey Lagona who fought hard all year won the race and the Championship making it his 3rd in the last 5 years. Also, it was the third straight for Penske racing. In the end, it was a great season of racing but many people were disappointed in the end result due to how the NASCAR playoffs work.
-Pauly Caris
Is Ice Cream Something to be Eaten in the Winter Months?
In the past, it was common practice for ice cream stands to close down as the temperatures started getting colder, seeing as cold food might not seem appealing when it's 30 degrees outside. More recently, however, ice cream joints started staying open during the winter -- Dairy Queen being one of the most notable -- and it brings up the question - is ice cream a worthwhile food even when it's cold out? It is feasible to assume that the restaurants still make money in the winter months because if they didn't, they wouldn't stay open. Particularly in Lima, Dairy King on Elm Street closes in September every year as fall approaches but opens back up in March, when it is still chilly outside -- with that being said, people flock to get their ice cream. It is safe to say that even though it's not as much of a commodity in the winter as in the summer, ice cream is still something that many people enjoy -- sometimes even with their favorite cold-weather treats!
-Cade Hefner
Shawnee Boys Basketball
The boy's team is coming off a 19-7 season last year where they finished 2nd in the WBL at 8-1 and won the sectional title for the 7th year straight and a district title with a Regional appearance. The boys won the first game of the Tip-Off 60-41 against the Bath Wildcats the Indians combined for 23 rebounds and 14 assists. In the second game this year the Indians started the game out slow and came back from being down 21 to tie the game and send it into OT. In OT the Indians fell short by a score of 66-63. The team had 30 rebounds and 12 assists. After a week of intense practice, the Indians played the Crestview Knights. The Indians once again had a rough start but after half-time, the Indians outscored the Knights 34-28 and won 57-56. The Indians finished with 20 rebounds and 12 assists. While shooting 73% at the free-throw line. The next night the Indians beat the St. Henery Redskins 64-55. The Indians had 22 rebounds and 19 assists. When Coach Triplett was asked about the team he said, “We have competitive kids and good length/size. We need our leaders to lead and push us to get better each day. If we value and share the basketball and finish possessions defensively, we have a shot to compete against anyone we play.” Some of the next games are listed below:
@ Bath 12/20
@ Bishop Hartley at Captial University 12/21
Home LCC 12/27
-Pauly Caris
A YEAR OF PICTURES
ETHAN MISSON
Photography is an incredible art form that has become a lot more popular over the years. Photography used to be an exclusive activity for the rich, but now almost everyone has a camera in their pocket! Professional cameras are now becoming cheaper and more accessible to everyone. While watching several videos on Christmas gifts to get my friend, cameras were always in the top 10 spots.
Photography is a way of capturing a split-second moment and allowing it to be immortalized. People take pictures of funny moments and their families as they age to make those moments last forever.
-Ethan Misson
The Junior Psalms
Juniors in Advanced English 11 all wrote poems inspired by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “Psalm of Life” published in 1838, these five poems that you have the privilege of reading and interpreting were chosen by Mr. Miller as his favourite poems from this year’s lesson. Enjoy!
A PSALM OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Tell me not in constant clicking,
Life’s shutter speed is high,
A camera keeps our hearts ticking,
By ensuring a moment will never die.
A picture is life! Life is a picture!
Life can be so dark,
Though flash is an illuminating fixture,
Therefore, creating a spark.
Not color, not black and white,
Just a feeling that’s frozen,
Photography isn’t just recorded sight,
But a perfect moment that’s chosen.
A lens is art’s key,
Photography is the art,
By not setting our memories free,
With pictures taken from the heart.
The world can be a battle,
Life can make you feel shame,
Although no matter the rattle,
You can always glance at the picture in the frame.
Trust no notion,
Without photo proof,
With any commotion,
A photo tells the truth.
The work of photographers is expressive,
Although some don’t have the eye,
The way a photo can tell a story is impressive,
A person’s expression can’t tell a lie.
Whether digital or disposed,
Life can be changed with a picture,
From panicked to composed,
Like a revelation from a scripture.
Let us point and observe,
Before recording their fate.
Give the lighting they deserve,
Now you can capture and create.
-Alyssa Washam
A PSALM OF COFFEE
Tell me not, in small sips,
Coffee is but a drink!
For all the early morning trips,
Our minds begin to think.
Coffee is real! Coffee is bold!
To warm the heart is its goal;
In each cup, a story told,
It warms the heart, and too, the soul.
Not mere comfort and not hollow,
Cream and sugar, new paths we find.
With each brew, let intention follow,
While we seek to expand the mind.
Coffee is brewing, steam is ascending,
Stirring the soul awake,
The morning hours quickly ending,
This joy for granted we take.
In the morning’s hazy chatter,
Coffee takes its flight,
Be not flat, lifeless matter!
Brewing strength with each bite!
Trust no cup, cold and bitter,
Lay dull brews to rest!
Sip the warmth, rich and glitter,
This brew your new best!
Cups of coffee all remind us
Our lives can be sublime,
Let us pour, inspire and guide us
Through life’s fleeting time.
Brews we pour, one after another,
Wandering the journey of life,
With each sip, a forlorn mother,
Finds comfort amidst her strife.
Let us, then, be alive and brewing,
Moments favored as we grow;
Still achieving while renewing,
Learn patience and you’ll glow.
-Emma Stolly
-Alyssa Washam
A Delicious Corn Casserole Recipe
What makes a good Thanksgiving recipe? Is it the taste of the food? Is it the legacy of its original maker? Or maybe it’s the way that it brings family together? I’d argue it’s a combination of the three, and for my family nothing better emulates this than my grandmother’s corn casserole recipe. A controversial pick, yes, but I assure you that if you make this, you’ll be making it for years to come.
Ingredients:
2 eggs, beaten
1 can creamed corn
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 box cornbread mix (ideally Jiffy)
8 oz. sour cream
1 stick of butter or margarine (4oz), melted
2-4 tbsp sugar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°, and grease a 9x13 pan
Mix all ingredients together well. Pour into the pan, then bake at 350° until the edges begin to brown.
And that’s it. A delicious two step recipe with seven ingredients that you can make for Thanksgiving. It’s timed and true for my family, and I hope it can be for you and yours as well. Enjoy!
-Benny Rutter
New Years Traditions
New Year's Eve is the perfect occasion to reflect on the previous year and look forward to the future! People celebrate in many ways all throughout the world. Here are ten unusual New Year’s Traditions that are very popular in other countries.
In Russia, it's tradition to drink your New Year's wish. People will write their New Year's wish on a piece of paper, burn it, put the ashes into a glass of champagne, and drink it.
In Japan, it's tradition to eat toshikoshi soba noodles on New Year's Eve. It's said that eating long soba noodles symbolizes a long life.
In Turkey, they smash a pomegranate outside your front door to bring good luck. Pomegranates are seen as a symbol of abundance, health, and prosperity.
In the Philippines, wearing polka dot-patterned dresses, shirts, or pants on New Year's Eve is believed to bring good fortune in the new year.
In Brazil, it's considered good luck to start the new year by jumping over seven waves. They believe that they get one wish for each wave.
In Ireland, they bang loaves of Christmas bread against the walls and doors to ward off evil spirits and pave the way for a healthy and prosperous new year.
In Colombia, people will walk around the block carrying empty suitcases on New Year's Eve to bring a year filled with travel.
In Latin America, one New Year's tradition involves throwing a bucket of water out of the window to signify cleansing and renewal.
In Denmark, right before the clock hits midnight you climb onto a chair. When it hits 12 am, you jump off the chair, literally leaping into the new year for good luck.
In Spain, eating 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight is customary. With each clock's chime at midnight, you have to pop another grape in your mouth. Each grape symbolizes a month, and successfully eating all 12 promises a lucky year ahead.
-Angie Karapondo
Winter Break
With winter break around the corner, we want to wish everyone Happy Holidays, and a relaxing break! The two weeks we have will be a nice refreshment before we return for midterm exams. Have a happy New Year and we'll see you in January!
Credits
Senior Editor
Cade Hefner
Writers
Ethan Misson
Pauly Caris
Benny Rutter
Alex Karapondo
Angie Karapondo
Alyssa Washam