Chester Community School District 139

Check out these employment opportunities for the next school year. 👀

https://www.chester139.com/o/ccsd/page/employment-opportunities

Dear Students, Staff and the community of Chester,
It saddens me to share that, due to a few unforeseen circumstances, we will need to cancel this year’s Freshman Preview event. I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and truly wish I had better news to share.
Please know that this decision was not made lightly. We remain committed to providing meaningful opportunities for our incoming students and families to connect with Chester High School.
The CHS faculty and staff are incredibly excited to welcome the Class of 2030 and look forward to meeting each of you soon. We can’t wait for you to begin your journey with us.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support.
Sincerely,
Jeremy Blechle
Principal, Chester High School

Estimados estudiantes, personal y comunidad de Chester:
Me entristece comunicar que, debido a algunas circunstancias imprevistas, necesitaremos cancelar el evento Freshman Preview de este año. Sinceramente, pido disculpas por cualquier inconveniente que esto pueda causar y realmente desearía tener mejores noticias para compartir.
Por favor, sepan que esta decisión no se tomó a la ligera. Seguimos comprometidos a brindar oportunidades significativas para que nuestros estudiantes y familias entrantes se conecten con Chester High School.
El personal docente y administrativo de CHS está increíblemente emocionado por dar la bienvenida a la Clase de 2030 y esperamos conocerlos a cada uno de ustedes muy pronto. Estamos ansiosos de que comiencen su trayectoria con nosotros.
Gracias por su comprensión y continuo apoyo.
Atentamente,
Jeremy Blechle
Director, Chester High School

CHS: Distinguished Yellow Jackets Announcement
It’s that time of year again! On Friday, March 6th, CHS staff will select this year’s Distinguished Yellow Jackets. Selections will remain confidential until the Ceremony on Monday, April 13th, 2026.
This honor recognizes students who make positive contributions to the lives of staff and fellow students and who have a meaningful impact on the overall climate of our school.
As selections approach, take these final days to put your best foot forward. Demonstrate to CHS staff and students why you would be a valued member of this elite group of Distinguished Yellow Jackets!

CHS: Anuncio de los Yellow Jackets Distinguidos
¡Ha llegado esa época del año nuevamente! El viernes 6 de marzo, el personal de CHS seleccionará a los Yellow Jackets Distinguidos de este año. Las selecciones permanecerán confidenciales hasta la ceremonia del lunes 13 de abril de 2026.
Este honor reconoce a los estudiantes que realizan contribuciones positivas a la vida del personal y de sus compañeros, y que tienen un impacto significativo en el clima general de nuestra escuela.
A medida que se acerquen las selecciones, aprovecha estos últimos días para dar lo mejor de ti. ¡Demuestra al personal y a los estudiantes de CHS por qué serías un miembro valioso de este grupo élite de Yellow Jackets Distinguidos!

CHESTER CUSD 139 – PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
Chester CUSD 139 would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the emergency personnel who responded swiftly and professionally to today’s serious situation. Their rapid communication with CHS and district administration allowed for the immediate and effective execution of our emergency plan, including the safe evacuation of our facility.
We also want to thank our students, staff, families, and the greater community for your patience, cooperation, and adherence to established guidelines. Your calm and responsible actions greatly facilitated a smooth and orderly response.
At this time, our facilities have been thoroughly cleared. All after-school activities will proceed as scheduled. Additionally, school will be in session tomorrow, Wednesday, March 4th.
We are proud of the way our community came together to ensure a strong and unified response. The safety of our students and staff remains our highest priority.

Thank you for your continued support.

— Chester CUSD 139

CHESTER CUSD 139 – ANUNCIO DE SERVICIO PÚBLICO
Chester CUSD 139 desea expresar su más sincero agradecimiento al personal de emergencias que respondió con rapidez y profesionalismo ante la situación grave de hoy. Su comunicación inmediata con CHS y la administración del distrito permitió la ejecución rápida y efectiva de nuestro plan de emergencia, incluyendo la evacuación segura de nuestras instalaciones.
También queremos agradecer a nuestros estudiantes, personal, familias y a la comunidad en general por su paciencia, cooperación y por seguir las pautas establecidas. Sus acciones tranquilas y responsables facilitaron en gran medida una respuesta ordenada y sin contratiempos.
En este momento, nuestras instalaciones han sido completamente revisadas y despejadas. Todas las actividades extracurriculares se llevarán a cabo según lo programado. Además, habrá clases mañana, miércoles 4 de marzo.
Estamos orgullosos de la manera en que nuestra comunidad se unió para garantizar una respuesta sólida y coordinada. La seguridad de nuestros estudiantes y personal sigue siendo nuestra máxima prioridad.
Gracias por su continuo apoyo.
— Chester CUSD 139

Due to a gas leak, the High School has been evacuated, and we are not permitted to re-enter the building at this time. We will be dismissing HIGH SCHOOL ONLY at 1:15 PM today. Please follow normal dismissal/transportation procedures unless you are contacted directly with different instructions. We will provide updates as they become available.

Evacuating the high school at this time per the Fire Department due to a possible hazardous leak. Students and staff are moving to football. Families: please do not come to the building at this time; we will share updates as soon as we are cleared.

CHS PRESENTS THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG
The Play That Goes Wrong is a farcical, murder mystery, play-within-a-play.
Evening performances will be held March 12, 13, and 14, 2026, starting at 7:30 PM each night on the stage in Juergens' Gym.

CHS PRESENTA LA OBRA LA OBRA QUE SALE MAL
La Obra que Sale Mal es una comedia farsa, un misterio de asesinato, y una obra dentro de otra obra.
Las funciones nocturnas se llevarán a cabo el 12, 13 y 14 de marzo de 2026, comenzando a las 7:30 p. m. cada noche en el escenario del gimnasio Juergens.

CGS presents 26 HIVE awards
Students are rewarded for demonstrating Respect, Responsibility, and Empathy
BY JIM BEERS
Friday February 27 Chester Grade School recognized 26 students, Kindergarten through 8th Grades for demonstrating the “HIVE” good character traits of either Respect, Responsibility, or Empathy.
There are four “HIVE” characteristics that teachers and staff at CGS look for and encourage every day. Students are praised for 1) Having Respect, 2) Initiating Responsibility, Valuing Safety, and Encouraging Empathy.
Teachers and staff can nominate students for demonstrating one or more of these traits. Nominations are made twice a month. Students caught using at least one of these traits are eligible for nomination.
For the February 27 award program there were 26 students who received awards, 9 for Respect, 14 for Responsibility, and 3 for Empathy. Those students are listed below.
RESPECT: Maria Ramos Sebastian and Judah Fehsenfeld, Kindergarten; Suceli Gomez Sales, 1st Grade; Brycen Fogle, 2nd Grade; Eddie Benton, 3rd Grade; Bryson Grau, Killian Keeler, and Aidan Bowling, 4th Grade; and Lowell Braddy, 6th Grade.
RESPONSIBILITY: Amari McClean, Kindergarten; Harper Gibbs, 1st Grade; Aiden Birkner, 2nd Grade; Emily Velasquez Carillo, 3rd Grade; Atleigh Sullivan and Emma Oettle, 4th Grade; Donald O’Bryan, Kynleigh Lynn, Sophia Sumpter, and Liam Curtis, 5th Grade; Neymar Sica Ixcoy, 6th Grade; Madeline Fuentes, 7th Grade; and Kayden Britton and Hunter Brunkhorst, 8th Grade.
EMPATHY: Connor Yankey, 1st Grade; and Rosie Bowling and Cash Hargis, 6th Grade.
Each student was recognized at the Friday morning all-school assembly. Each also received a certificate and all recipients were included in a group photo. The next bi-monthly presentation is scheduled to take place Thursday March 12.

CGS presenta 26 premios HIVE
Los estudiantes son reconocidos por demostrar Respeto, Responsabilidad y Empatía
POR JIM BEERS
El viernes 27 de febrero, Chester Grade School reconoció a 26 estudiantes, desde Kindergarten hasta 8.º grado, por demostrar los buenos rasgos de carácter “HIVE” de Respeto, Responsabilidad o Empatía.
Hay cuatro características “HIVE” que los maestros y el personal de CGS buscan y fomentan todos los días. Los estudiantes son elogiados por: 1) Tener Respeto, 2) Iniciar la Responsabilidad, 3) Valorar la Seguridad y 4) Fomentar la Empatía.
Los maestros y el personal pueden nominar a los estudiantes que demuestren uno o más de estos rasgos. Las nominaciones se hacen dos veces al mes. Los estudiantes que sean observados usando al menos uno de estos rasgos son elegibles para la nominación.
Para el programa de premios del 27 de febrero, 26 estudiantes recibieron premios: 9 por Respeto, 14 por Responsabilidad y 3 por Empatía. Los estudiantes son los siguientes:
RESPETO: Maria Ramos Sebastian y Judah Fehsenfeld, Kindergarten; Suceli Gomez Sales, 1.º grado; Brycen Fogle, 2.º grado; Eddie Benton, 3.º grado; Bryson Grau, Killian Keeler y Aidan Bowling, 4.º grado; y Lowell Braddy, 6.º grado.
RESPONSABILIDAD: Amari McClean, Kindergarten; Harper Gibbs, 1.º grado; Aiden Birkner, 2.º grado; Emily Velasquez Carillo, 3.º grado; Atleigh Sullivan y Emma Oettle, 4.º grado; Donald O’Bryan, Kynleigh Lynn, Sophia Sumpter y Liam Curtis, 5.º grado; Neymar Sica Ixcoy, 6.º grado; Madeline Fuentes, 7.º grado; y Kayden Britton y Hunter Brunkhorst, 8.º grado.
EMPATÍA: Connor Yankey, 1.º grado; y Rosie Bowling y Cash Hargis, 6.º grado.
Cada estudiante fue reconocido en la asamblea general de la escuela el viernes por la mañana. Además, cada uno recibió un certificado y todos los galardonados participaron en una foto grupal. La próxima presentación bimensual está programada para el jueves 12 de marzo.

Parent Teacher Conferences for March 9th and 12th can now be scheduled by contacting your child's school during office hours. Conferences will take place:
Monday, March 9th, 3:00-7:00pm, with dinner break 5:00-5:30pm Thursday, March 12th, 3:00-6:30pm, with dinner break 5:00-5:30pm
Call Chester High School at (618) 826-2302 or email crystaltindall@chester139.com
Call Chester Grade School at (618) 826-2354 or email danielleconway@chester139.com
Call Chester Early Childhood Center at (618) 822-0829 or email rebeccahanna@chester139.com

Las Conferencias de Padres y Maestros para el 9 y 12 de marzo ya pueden programarse comunicándose con la escuela de su hijo(a) durante el horario de oficina. Las conferencias se llevarán a cabo:
Lunes, 9 de marzo, de 3:00 a 7:00 p.m., con un receso para la cena de 5:00 a 5:30 p.m.
Jueves, 12 de marzo, de 3:00 a 6:30 p.m., con un receso para la cena de 5:00 a 5:30 p.m.

Llame a Chester High School al (618) 826-2302 o envíe un correo electrónico a crystaltindall@chester139.com
Llame a Chester Grade School al (618) 826-2354 o envíe un correo electrónico a danielleconway@chester139.com
Llame al Chester Early Childhood Center al (618) 822-0829 o envíe un correo electrónico a rebeccahanna@chester139.com

Chester Grade School students score well at IGSMA State Solo & Ensemble Contest (2 of 2)
CGS Contestants bring home 2 Superior ratings, 30 Excellent ratings and 1 Good rating
BY JIM BEERS
Results from the 33 performances are as follow. The 27 Solo performances will be detailed first, followed by the six Ensemble performances.
Solo Performances (27)
Superior Ratings
Carter Davitz Snare Drum “Parade of the Clicking Sticks”
Arie Lee Flute “Rosamunde”
Excellent Ratings
Alexander Jarrett Trombone “Fandango”
Alexus Shrout Clarinet “Contradanse”
Ally Asbury Flute “Cavatina”
Camron McClaine Trombone “Hippety Hop”
Chris Eggemeyer Tenor Saxophone “The Entertainer”
Ealijah McGuire Clarinet “Dance Song”
Edwin Marquez Clarinet “Pepperino”
Jackson Conway Trumpet “Marine’s Hymn”
Jackson Powell Alto Saxophone “Little March”
Josiah Bert Snare Drum “Parade of the Clicking Sticks”
Jude Medrano Alto Saxophone “Fandango”
Kaylee Hernandez-Huerta Clarinet “Cavatina”
Lorenzo Brooks Snare Drum “Echoing Sticks”
Maggie Stueve Flute “The Entertainer”
Myah Ordonez Clarinet “Star of the East”
Parker Thompson Trombone “Marine’s Hymn”
Presley Howell Clarinet “Cavatina”
Ryder LeGrand Snare Drum “American Patrol”
Silas Kinkade Trumpet “Marine’s Hymn”
Sophia Bogard Flute “Melody in F”
Suhaily Torres Flute “Kulau Menuett”
Tatum Henderson Baritone “Cactus Jack”
Violet Carter Trumpet “Wooden Shoe Dance”
Xander Greene Flute “Scherzino”
Zury Gomez Clarinet “Dance Song”
Ensemble Performances (6)
Excellent Ratings
Trumpet Trio Jackson Conway, Silas Kinkade, & Nicandro Cortes
“Calypso Morning”
Flute Duet Xander Greene & Arie Lee “
“Ah so far! from Martha”
Clarinet Trio Kaylee Hernandez Huerta, Presley Howell & Myah Ordonez
“Calypso Morning”
Trombone Duet Alex Jarrett & Parker Thompson
“Calypso Morning”
Saxophone Duet Jude Medrano & Ryker Ridings
“Amigos”
Good Rating
Mixed Wind Duet Ally Asbury & Madi Fuentes
“Ode to Joy”
Following the contest and receiving the results, Mrs. Colonel had the following comments. “Congratulations to our CGS Musicians who performed at the IGSMA State Solo and Ensemble Contest today in Carterville! Our kids earned 2 Superior ratings, 30 Excellent ratings and 1 Good rating!”
“I really cannot believe that this as my LAST solo and ensemble contest. It doesn’t seem possible. Thank you so much to Tammy Terry Liefer for waking up early to chaperone my kids while I helped with contest.”
“Thanks to our absolutely amazing accompanists, Carl Handel (Trish Handel) and Vicky Beers (Jim Beers). They are always so wonderful with our kids! We are lucky to have them! Finally thanks to Dannyel Norrington for always hosting such an organized contest!”

PHOTO 1
Chester Grade School Band student, Arie Lee was one of only two CGS students to earn the top rating on her Flute Solo at the 2026 IGSMA State Solo and Ensemble Contest Saturday February 28. Arie performed a Flute Solo titled, "Rosamunde" and earned a rating of "Superior". Her judge was Luke Fleisher. Her CGS Band Director is Sue Colonel. Jim Beers Photo

PHOTO 2
Edwin Marquez, a Chester Grade School Music Student, earned an "Excellent" rating for his Flute Solo titled, "Pepperino". He performed his solo at the State IGSMA Solo and Ensemble Contest Saturday February 28 at Carterville, Illinois Middle School.

PHOTO 3
Chester Grade School Music Student Camron McClaine performed a trombone solo titled, "Hippety Hop" Saturday February 28 at the 2026 IGSMA State Solo and Ensemble Contest. The event was hosted at Carterville Middle School. He performed for Judge Luke Fleisher and earned an "Excellent" rating. Sue Colonel is his CGS Band Director. Jim Beers Photo

Chester Grade School students score well at IGSMA State Solo & Ensemble Contest (1 of 2)
CGS Contestants bring home 2 Superior ratings, 30 Excellent ratings and 1 Good rating
BY JIM BEERS
Saturday February 28 was the 2026 IGSMA (Illinois Grade School Music Association) Solo and Ensemble Contest. This year’s contest was hosted at Carterville Middle School. Chester Grade School had 33 entries. Of those entries, there were 27 solo performances and six ensemble performances.
The Chester Grade School Band Director is Sue Colonel. She worked with each of the 33 performances and guided the student’s efforts. Accompanists for the students included Vicky Beers and Carl Handel.
Besides supervising and coordinating the 33 Chester contest entries, Mrs. Colonel was also very busy throughout the day with management duties at the contest. She has served for several years as an officer in the IGSMA organization and has to “double-up” with management aspects of the event on contest day.
This contest was very special for Mrs. Colonel for it was her final IGSMA State Solo and Ensemble Contest, both as an officer of the IGSMA and as a Chester Grade School Band Director. Mrs. Colonel will retire at the end of the 2025-2026 school year.
The 2026 Solo and Ensemble Contest was Mrs. Colonel’s last. This year’s event was bitter-sweet for her as well as for fellow IGSMA Officers, fellow band directors, and for her students and their parents.
Solo and Ensemble contests have two types of contest entries, Solo Entries in which individual students perform a musical number on their own, and Ensemble Entries, in which two or more students perform a musical selection together. CGS had a total of 33 entries, 27 solos and six ensembles.
Performances are evaluated by a judge, usually a band director or other musical professional, that is qualified to evaluate various aspects of a performance. After each performance, the judge provides suggestions and guidance to each performer and completes an evaluation form. The individual teachers at participating schools receive the judging forms from which to provide feedback to each performer.
Overall ratings for each performance are provided in one of five (5) categories. These are defined here.
U = Unsatisfactory (Please practice more!)
F = Fair (an OK performance showing basic weaknesses)
G = Good (Good work, but lacking in some important musical details)
E = Excellent (Excellent performance with some minor defects)
S = Superior (Outstanding in nearly every detail)
Chester Grade School musicians earned a total of 2 Superior ratings, 30 Excellent ratings, and 1 Good rating. Chester performers did not receive any Fair or Unsatisfactory ratings! These ratings speak very well for both Mrs. Colonel and her students!

CGS has “gender reveal” assembly for Principal Blair (2 of 2)
Ezra Blair is due July 4th 2026!
BY JIM BEERS
Kindergarten classes and second grade classes created graphs to demonstrate their predictions. Kindergarten graphs indicated that Baby Blair was going to be a girl, while 2nd Grade graphs indicated the Baby Blair would be a boy.
Danielle Conway, Administrating Assistant, then took the floor to “pump up” the audience prior to the BIG REVEAL! Conway had the entire audience do a “baby wave” from one end of the bleachers to the other. As students did the wave, they were told to make the “sound of a baby crying” as the wave approached each section of the bleachers.
Principal Blair was then asked to come onto the gym floor and join Dr. Petrowske and Mrs. Conway on center court. Mr. Blair was very surprised and proud to be able to reveal the gender of his first-born child. Blair announced that his baby was due to be born during the upcoming summer on Saturday July 4th.
Conway then called for a drum roll by everyone in the bleachers, and Dr. Petrowske shot the confetti cannon as Principal Blair watched in anticipation. The cannon exploded with a large shower of “BLUE” confetti as the crowd cheered with a loud scream…”IT’s A BOY!!!!!”
Mr. Blair then announced that he and his wife Ariel were naming their son, “Ezra”, and that they were very excited and anxious for his arrival on July the 4th, 2026. The assembly ended at approximately 8:10 a.m. with lots of excitement and good greetings for Mr. Blair, his wife Ariel, and their first born child, a son, “Ezra!”

Photo 1
CGS Assistant Principal, Dr. Kristin Petrowske (left) and Administrative Assistant, Danille Conway (right) get the students and staff "fired up" at the Baby Gender Reveal assembly Friday February 20. Jim Beers Photo

PHOTO 2
CGS Principal, Tim Blair (left) watches intently as CGS Assistant Principal, Dr. Kristin Petrowske (right), fires the confetti cannon to reveal the gender of Mr. Blair's expectant baby. The confetti were BLUE, so Baby Blair, first child of Tim and Ariel Blair, will be a BOY. Principal Blair stated that his son will be named, "Ezra". Jim Beers Photo

PHOTO 3
Chester Grade School Assistant Principal Dr. Kristin Petrowske welcomes students and staff to the Gender Reveal Assembly at CGS Friday February 20. The event was to reveal the gender of CGS Principal Tim Blair's first-born child. The event was very exciting and both staff and students were on hand to congratulate Mr. Blair when Mrs. Petrowske revealed that Mr. Blair and his wife, Ariel would be welcoming a son, Ezra, on Saturday July the 4th. Jim Beers Photo

CGS has “gender reveal” assembly for Principal Blair (1 of 2)
Ezra Blair is due July 4th 2026!
BY JIM BEERS
Approximately three months ago Chester Grade School Principal Tim Blair and his wife Ariel Blair announced that they were expecting their first child. That created much excitement and anticipation at the school among teachers, staff and students.
For the past three months, everyone at CGS wanted to know if the couple wanted to know what the gender would be and if they would share that information with the CGS Family and the Chester community once the gender was known.
There was much speculation throughout the school and some classes even held contests guessing the gender and using the topic in the classroom to do research and chart popular opining regarding the gender. This teaching tool quickly became the popular center of discussion and interest.
All classes at CGS were involved in an exciting project to guess the gender of “Baby Blair”. The entire CGS Family soon began counting, graph-making, guessing, charting, and general prognosticating, regarding the gender of the baby soon to arrive. The project brought the entire CGS family together for a common cause or prediction.
CGS Assistant Principal, Dr. Kristin Petrowske, and Administrative Assistant Danielle Conway were the overall coordinators of the project and teachers and staff jumped on board to implement the activities. The final culmination of events was a “Gender Reveal” assembly the morning of Friday February 20 in the CGS gymnasium.
All classes were instructed to vote the week prior to the assembly. The choices were 1) the baby will be a boy; 2), the baby will be a girl; or 3) the baby(s) will be twins. Assistant Principal, Petrowske was the official “keeper of the Gender”. She was the only one who knew the gender going into the assembly.
On Friday February 20 students were directed into the gymnasium as soon as the bell rang at 8 a.m. Everyone was asked to wear either blue or pink clothing to indicate their gender request. Once everyone was seated, Dr. Petrowske announced to the assembly that Principal Blair and his wife Ariel were going to have a baby. She added that the “Special Edition Assembly” would be brief and that the purpose of the gathering was the reveal the gender of Mr. and Mrs. Blair’s baby.
Throughout the entire project, Dr. Petrowske was the “keeper of real gender answer”, and the “Keeper of the confetti cannon” which would be used to reveal the gender of the baby. At the time of the actual reveal, the confetti cannon would be discharged with either blue (boy) or pink (girl) confetti to indicate either a boy or girl to come in July.
Ms. Petrowske discussed with the students the previous week’s prediction activities which achieved the “prediction outcomes” to be released that morning. Results of these prediction activities are as follow: The majority of votes predicted that Baby Blair was going to be a girl (54%). A prediction of a baby boy to arrive was indicated by 42% of the population. Just 4% predicted that Mr. and Mrs. Blair would have twins.

It's time to nominate CGS Faculty Member of the Month for March! Use the link provided below or visit the CUSD139 website to cast your vote for the faculty member you think deserves to be recognized! Nominations will close on March 20 at 3:00 pm. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdQLPJLI5_7IJC40jpmjUnv9ntrKIjICEjwppDEXIoOSVt1sA/viewform?usp=dialog

Built with love 🧡, stocked with stories. 📖 The Spring Book Fair is set up and ready for CGS students next week!

Get Excited!!! 🤩 The Spring Scholastic Book Fair is right around the corner! 📚 The Book Fair will be open for CGS students from Monday, March 2nd through Friday, March 6th and will be open for Family Reading Night on Monday! Please visit the Scholastic E-Wallet homepage link to create or access an account!! https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/content/fairs/ewallet.html

Congratulations to the CGS February Faculty Members of the Month: Robin Renfroe and Stephanie Jany!

CHS MULTIMEDIA STORY PACKAGE CONTEST
Congratulations to Kenna Thompson for placing 2nd in the Multimedia Story Package Contest.

CONCURSO DE PAQUETE DE HISTORIA MULTIMEDIA DE CHS
¡Felicitaciones a Kenna Thompson por obtener el 2.º lugar en el Concurso de Paquete de Historia Multimedia!