Chester Community School District 139

Due to severe winter weather, Chester CUSD 139 will be closed on Wednesday, February 19, 2025. We will have an E-Learning Day. Please be safe

Chester CUSD 139: All Chester athletics, extracurricular activities, and Jacket Care are canceled for Tuesday, February 18, 2025, due to inclement weather.

Vacancies for the upcoming school year. 👀

Lady Jackets win two out of three games in Week 11 (1 of 3) Chester falls to Wesclin, 70-44, in Game 25, but gets back-to-back wins against Red Bud, 44-31, in Game 26 on Senior Night, and DuQuoin, 51-42, in Game 27, to finish the trifecta BY JIM BEERS The Chester girls had a rare three-game home stand in Week 11 of the 2024-25 season. The Chester Lady Jackets hosted Cahokia Conference rival, Wesclin, Monday February 3, but fell to the Lady Indians, 70-44. On Thursday February 6, the Chester girls got their second Cahokia Conference win of the season when they the hosted the Red Bud Lady Musketeers at Colbert Gymnasium at Chester High School. CHS defeated Red Bud 44-31. It was Senior Night for Rylie Conley and “Jeff Mott Support Night”. To close out Week 11 the Jackets hosted non-conference DuQuoin Saturday February 8 and won, 51-42. It was the third time this season that the Lady Jackets achieved back-to-back wins. Monday February 3: Wesclin 70-Chester 44 Wesclin was in 2 nd Place in the Cahokia Conference, Illinois Division with an overall record of 17-9 and a Cahokia Conference record of 6-2 when they came to town to challenge the Jackets. When the Jackets traveled to Wesclin December 2 the Lady Indians beat Chester, 66-31. With the loss, Chester fell to an overall record of 9-16 and a conference record of 1-7. Thursday February 6: “Senior Night 2025 for Rylie Conley”: Chester 44- Red Bud 31 Thursday February 6 was “Senior Night 2025” and Lady Jacket fans said goodbye to Rylie Conley (4), a 5’6” guard. Conley is the Jackets’ only senior. Prior to the National Anthem and announcement of the starting lineups, Jennifer Cartwright, CHS Athletic Director, and Stadium Announcer Mike Lochhead, recognized Conley and her parents, Erin Conley (father) and Erica Eggemeyer (mother) center court. Lochhead read the following announcement, “We would like to take this opportunity to recognize our lone Lady Jacket Basketball senior athlete. The Rylie Conley has dedicated herself to academics and athletics throughout her high school career.” “The Chester School District would like to honor and thank her for her loyalty and dedication to our athletic programs over the past four years.” At that point, Conley and her parents were presented with flowers and orange and black balloons as a token of appreciation as Jackets fans cheered and applauded her accomplishments on the Lady Jacket Basketball Team. The Jackets buzzed out to a 13-8 lead after one quarter of play. As was appropriate for Senior Night, Rylie Conley scored Chester’s first points of the game with back-to-back free throws and give Chester a 2-1 lead at the 5:28 mark. Lillian Diskey and Aubrey Coleman each popped a three pointer and Lexi Mott banged one in from inside as CHS led, 10-6 with 1:08 remaining in the first quarter. To close out the period, Diskey connected for her second trey and the Jackets led, 13-8 at the end of the opening 8:00. Red Bud was paced by Lilly Minemann (3), Ava Wagner (2), Norah Wagner (2), and Jeda Friess (1) for their eight points. Chester managed to outscore the Lady Musketeers in the second quarter by just two points, 7-5. In that frame Talia Carter opened action draining a 3-pointer to get the Musketeers within two points, 11-13, in the opening seconds. Jessica Stumpe answered for CHS with a bucket at 4:25 to get the Jackets ahead, 15-11. A minute later Stumpe was fouled and sent to the free throw line and made a pair of free throws to extend the Chester lead to 17-11. Nora Rothlisberger then made a pair of free throws at 2:32 to get Red Bud back within four points, 17-13. At the buzzer, Chester’s Jessica Stumpe knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Lady Jackets a seven point lead, 20-13, going into the locker room at the break. In the third quarter Lexi Mott was fouled at the 6:44 mark and made both of her free throws to extend Chester’s lead to 22-13. Stumpe scored again 44-seconds later and further extended the Chester lead to 24-13 with 6:06 to play in the 3 rd quarter. Red Bud’s Ava Wagner answered with a trey at 5:23 and Chester led, 24-16. Lexi Mott was sent to the line again at 5:05 and made both of her free throws to extend the Lady Jacket’s lead to 28-16. Red Bud’s Talia Carter hit a bucket at the 4:45 mark to make things interesting and get Red Bud back within eight points, 26-18. Kendra Ehret added two points on a field goal to get the Musketeers even closer, 26-20, with 2:59 remaining in the period. To close out the third quarter, Chester went on a 5-2 run to end the period ahead by nine points, 31-22. In that run, Chester’s Lexi Mott hit a bucket and later a free throw and Lillian Diskey knocked down a basket. Kendra Ehret hit Red Bud’s basket.

Lady Jackets win two out of three games in Week 11 (3 of 3) Chester falls to Wesclin, 70-44, in Game 25, but gets back-to-back wins against Red Bud, 44-31, in Game 26 on Senior Night, and DuQuoin, 51-42, in Game 27, to finish the trifecta BY JIM BEERS Chester led by nine points, 51-42 at the buzzer to win the game! In the loss, DuQuoin was led in scoring by three players in double figures including Haynes (12), Denault (11), and Hill (10). Other contributors were Eaton (5), Phillips (3), and Suhr (1). The Lady Indians shot 78% from the free throw line (7-of-9). They made 10 two-pointers and five 3-pointers. Chester was led by Jessica Stumpe who scored 18 points. Lexi Mott scored 13 points. Other offensive contributors included Rylie Conley (8), Lillian Diskey (5), Aubrey Coleman (5), and Riley Lochhead (2). The Lady Jackets made 11-of-17 free throws (65%). The Jackets made 17 two-pointers and two 3-pointers. With the win, Chester improved to 11-16 overall and 2-7 in the Cahokia Conference, Illinois Division. The Lady Jackets will complete their 2024-25 regular season in Week 12 with road trips to Trico Tuesday February 11 and Sparta Thursday February 13. The Lady Jackets will play the Benton Lady Rangers Saturday February 15 at Benton at 2:00 P.M. in the 2025 IHSA Class 2A Regional Basketball Tournament. Photo 1 Chester's Jessica Stumpe (24) warms up prior to the DuQuoin game Saturday February 8 at CHS Colbert Gm. Stumpe has stepped up her play as of late and paced the Lady Jackets in the 51-42-win vs the Lady Indians with 18 points. She also added nine points Thursday February 6 when the Jackets beat Red Bud, 44-31. Jim Beers Photo Photo 2 It was "Senior Night" Thursday February 6 when the Jackets hosted Red Bud. Chester's lone senior is Rylie Conley (4). She is a 5'6" guard who has been a consistent leader for the Lady Jackets over the past four years. Shown here (left to right) with her Head Coach Jeff Mott and parents Erica Eggemeyer and Erin Conley, Rylie is recognized at the Pre-Game ceremony in her honor on Rocky Bridges Court. Jim Beers Photo Photo 3 Lexi Mott (33) a Chester High School junior, shoots free throws late in the game Thursday February 6 when the Lady Jackets hosted Red Bud in a Cahokia Conference match-up. Mott made 3-of-5 free throws in the game and scored in double figures with 13 points. CHS won, 44-31, over the Red Bud Lady Musketeers. Jim Beers Photo Photo 4 Lady Jacket players Jessica Stumpe (24) and Aubrey Coleman (31) contain Red Bud's Ava Wagner (2) in the matchup Thursday February 6 at Colbert Memorial Gymnasium. The defense paid off as the Lady Jackets defeated the Lady Musketeers, 44-31 to sweep the Musketeers for the 2024-25 regular season. Jim Beers Photo PHOTO 5 Chester High School Lady Jackets give "HIGH FIVES" to members of the CHS "HIVE" Pep Club Thursday February 6 after Chester won over the Lady Musketeers. The win improved the Lady Jackets to 2-7 in the Cahokia Conference, Illinois Division and swept Red Bud for the 2024-25 regular season. Jim Beers Photo Photo 6 CHS Head Lady Jacket Coach, Jeff Mott, calls a time out late in the game Thursday February 6 to make his point what was expected after the break. His team apparently listened and executed his play as they won, 44-31, over the Red Bud Lady Musketeers. Jim Beers Photo

Lady Jackets win two out of three games in Week 11 (2 of 3) Chester falls to Wesclin, 70-44, in Game 25, but gets back-to-back wins against Red Bud, 44-31, in Game 26 on Senior Night, and DuQuoin, 51-42, in Game 27, to finish the trifecta BY JIM BEERS In the final quarter the Lady Jackets outscored the Lady Musketeers, 13-9. In that frame Rylie Conley, Lillian Diskey, and Aubrey Coleman combined for six of Chester’s 13 points with a field goal apiece. Lexi Mott took care of six points on a basket and 4-of-5 free throws. With 25.5 seconds on the clock, Lillian Diskey drained a free throw for Chester’s 44 th point. Red Bud was sent to the free throw line 12 times in the fourth quarter. They made seven of those 12, including Lilly Minemann (2), Ava Wagner (1), Talia Carter (2), and Emma Carter (2). Kendra Ehret rounded out the Musketeers’ scoring with a 2-pointer. Chester won by 13 points, 44-31. The Musketeers had eight players score in the loss, but none with double figures. Scorers included Ava Wagner (7), Talia Carter (7), Lilly Minemann (6), Kendra Ehret (4), Norah Wagner (2), Emma Carter (2), Nora Rothlisberger (2), and Jeda Friess (1). The Musketeers shot 67% from the free throw line (12-of-18). Chester had five players provide offensive points including two with double figures. Lexi Mott led all scorers with 15 points. Lillian Diskey scored 11 points. The other three scorers were Jessie Stumpe (9), Aubrey Coleman (5), and Rylie Conley (4). The Jackets made 14-of-22 free throws (64%). CHS made nine 2-pointers and four 3-pointers. With the win, Chester improved to an overall record of 10-16. It was Chester’s second Cahokia Conference, Illinois Division win to improve to 2-7. Thursday February 6 was also Jeff Mott Night! In addition to being “Senior Night 2025” in which Rylie Conley was honored, and a Cahokia Conference, Illinois Division game with Red Bud, it was also a night in which YellowJacket fans came to support “Jeff Mott”, CHS Lady Jacket Head Coach. Mott is currently fighting Chronic Leukemia. There were numerous activities held at the game to show support for Coach Mott. Saturday February 8: Chester 51-DuQuoin 42. To close out the three-game Week 11 the Lady Jackets hosted DuQuoin in a late afternoon match-up. The JV gamed started at 4:00 p.m. and the varsity followed shortly thereafter. The Chester Lady Jackets and DuQuoin Lady Indians were conference mates when both competed in the River-to-River, Mississippi Division years ago. Since that time, Chester has moved to the Black Diamond Conference and now to the Cahokia Conference and the two teams seldom play each other. It was nice to face the girls from DuQuoin again in non-conference action. The Lady Indians edged the Lady Jackets by one point, 16-15 after one quarter of play. Rylie Conley paced the Jackets with five points on a 3-pointer and a 2-pointer. Lexi Mott also scored five points on a field goal and 2-of-3 baskets at the free throw line. Riley Lochhead, Lillian Diskey, and Jessie Stumpe all hit field goals for the final six points. The Lady Indians “lived by three” in the opening period as Denault sank a pair of threes, Phillips hit a three, and Eaton drained a three for 12 of DuQuoin’s 16 points. Haynes made a 2-pointer and Hill was 2-for-2 at the free throw line to round out the 16-point effort. Chester dominated the second quarter outscoring DuQuoin by eight points, 12-5. Aubrey Coleman got back on track with five points on a trey and a deuce to pace CHS. Lexi Mott made a field goal and the Jackets finished the 12-point drive with 5-of-8 at the free throw line. In that free throw shooting exhibition Jessica Stumpe made 3-of-4 free shots and Conley and Diskey were 1-of-2 apiece. The Indians scored their five points on a pair of field goals by Haynes, and 1-of-2 free throws by Hill. The Lady Jackets led by six points, 27-21, at halftime. After the halftime break DuQuoin executed another 1-point advantage effort outscoring Chester, 11-10, in the third frame. Hill led the charge with five points, followed by Haynes (4), and Eaton (2). The Jackets had four-point efforts from two players. Stumpe and Mott each scored four points apiece with two field goals each. Rylie Conley completed the 10-point frame with a field goal. The Lady Jackets still led by five points, 37-32, after three quarters. Down the stretch Chester held on tight to outscore DuQuoin, 14-10. Jessica Stumpe led the charge with nine of Chester’s 14 points. She made three baskets and sank 3-of-4 free throws. Lexi Mott scored three points on a field goal and a free throw, and Lillian Diskey drained a basket. DuQuoin was paced by Denault who hit a 2-pointer and a trey for five points. Hill and Haynes each popped 2-pointers and Suhr made 1-of-2 free throws.

2025 CHS Baseball: Due to the weather, the basketball games have been moved to tomorrow. We will NOT have a parent meeting or open gym tomorrow.

Senior Night has moved to THIS MONDAY, February 17. (moved from Tuesday due to incoming weather). Please support these hardworking seniors at their LAST HOME BASKETBALL GAME!

CHS: PBIS CELEBRATION & EARLY RELEASE Reminder that today is our PBIS (Positive Behavioral Intervention System) Celebration, students will participate in a variety of activities acknowledging, rewarding, and reinforcing the positive growth our building has experienced through PBIS. School releases at 11:30am.

CHS: SUCCESSFUL LOCKDOWN DRILL Chester High School would like to thank the Chester Police department and Randolph County law enforcement for being present during today’s successful lockdown drill.  We appreciate the cooperation and knowledge they bring to this important effort.  Thank you!

CHS: HARD LOCKDOWN DRILL (CORRECTION) Chester High School will conduct a "Hard Lockdown" drill on Thursday, February 13th, 2025, beginning at 1:20 PM. Our faculty and staff have been diligently preparing students throughout the week for this important exercise. There will likely be a police presence on the grounds at the time, but this is only a drill. Thank you for your patience as we conduct these important security measures.

CHS: CCSI CLOSURE CCSI is closed today due to weather. CHS CCSI students are to report to Chester High School at their regular scheduled time, before 5th hour, entering through the main office.

CHS: FFA WEEK Chester Agriculture Celebrating National FFA Week We hope that all of you will join in! Monday, February 17th No School Presidents Day - George Washington was a Farmer Tuesday, February 18th Dress like a farmer, remember farmers wear many hats Wednesday, February 19th FFA colors, wear your National Blue and Corn Gold Thursday, February 20th Wear a hat or pajamas, farmers need rest too! Friday, February 21th Show your school pride and spirit, wear Orange and Black

CGS & CHS:  POTENTIAL OF WINTER WEATHER AND ELEARNING As the threat of winter weather for this week is a possibility, we would like to remind parents and guardians of the potential of E-Learning day as opposed to traditional snow days.  Teachers have worked to inform students of their E-Learning day responsibilities as well asf teacher availability to facilitate these efforts.  Teachers will be available from 9am-2pm via email for questions, concerns and assistance.  This will only occur if school is canceled due to weather and the day is declared an E-Learning day.  If winter weather does impact our week, keeping everyone safe while supporting the educational process is our goal.  Thank you

CHS: PBIS CELEBRATION EARLY RELEASE This coming Friday, February 14th will be our PBIS Celebration of positive student behavioral growth.  The day will conclude with an 11:30am early release.  CCSI students will attend CCSI on Friday as normal unless they would prefer to stay at  CHS to participate in the PBIS celebration,  in which case they need to notify CHS main office as soon as possible.

CHS: POETRY OUT LOUD COMPETITION SIUC Brodie Mattingly and Chace Murphy participated in the Regional competition of Poetry Out Loud in Carbondale on Saturday 2/8/25. Sponsor Rana Hodge received an award for facilitating the Poetry Out Loud Competition. Congratulations!

CORRECTION (NOT LAST DAY, LAST DAY IS MARCH 7) 🧡🖤⚾CHS Baseball Spirit Wear ⚾🖤🧡 A QR code and link to the Spirit Wear website are listed below. Orders are due March 7th, and will take approximately 3-4 weeks to arrive. Orders will be dispersed to students at CHS, or we will contact you for pick up arrangements. Thank you for your support of the 2025 CHS Yellowjacket Baseball Team! chesterhsbaseball2025.itemorder.com ORDER BEFORE TIME RUNS OUT!

Chester High School Branding & Signage project is outstanding (5 of 5) New signs provide direction, increased safety, beauty, and enhances the unique architecture of CHS BY JIM BEERS One final addition to the signage at CHS is at the entrance to the CHS Colbert Memorial Gymnasium lobby and Dr. James F. Sharp Cafeteria. The name, “PROFESSOR SHARP CAFETERIA” now adorns the entryway doors to that lobby area from outside. Lighting will soon be added to illuminate the sign. Most people in Chester now know the history of 1954 Chester High School graduate, James F. Sharp, who for decades has provided much financial and moral support to his Alma Mater in the form of scholarships, and renovation of what is now known as the Professor Sharp Media Center. To the right of the entrance of the Professor Sharp Cafeteria from Swanwick Street, a very nice bronze plaque has been installed to honor Dr. Sharp and educate visitors to CHS about the great contributions he has already made the CHS and those that he intends to continue to make via numerous donations and interests. His generosity to both Chester High School and the Community of Chester have not gone unnoticed and continue to be greatly appreciated. Jeremy Blechle, CHS Principal, stated, “We are very fortunate that our District Superintendent, Kimberly Briggs, has been so very supportive of all of our new signage and branding initiatives. Mrs. Briggs is generous and extremely creative in helping to improve our environment here at CHS and without her cooperation and generosity none of this would have been possible.” Two more articles will soon be published to highlight recent happenings at Chester High School. One will feature recent physical upgrades to the CHS Campus and Educational Buildings. The other will highlight the donations, contributions, and improvements recently made possible by the generosity of Dr. James F. Sharp. Photo 17 This is the new Video Board that has been installed at W.O. Smith Football Field at Chester High School. It is fully automated and is programmed daily with the newest information pertaining to everything at CHS. The message board runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365r days a year to bring the community up to date with happenings at CHS. Jim Beers Photo Photo 18 New carpets positioned at several of the entrances to the Chester High School not only provide excellent protection from slipping on wet surfaces, but also provide great branding using the CHS "J" Logo with Chester YellowJacket branding. Jim Beers Photo Photo 19 These new message boards are located inside Colbert Memorial Gymnasium on the southeast concourse. They contain numerous sports record-holders from Chester Athletes that have competed over the years. The boards honor those athletes and praise their winning efforts. Jim Beers Photo Photo 20 This year CHS installed wind break material surrounding the athletic courts at Chester High School. The material is brightly branded with the CHESTER YELLOW JACKET logos. The wind break serves at least two purposes. First to break the wind which was interfering with athletic pursuits on the courts such as pickle ball and tennis. It also provides a bit of privacy during classes or leisure activities. The highly visible branding provides great advertisement and signage for the facility and the Chester High School organization. Jim Beers Photo Photo 21 Shown here is another of the nine (9) directional signs that have been installed on the campus of Chester High School. This particular signage is located east side of campus at the intersection of Swanwick Street and the street that runs from behind the school, parallel to the CHS courts. The new signage assists visitors to campus to various locations at the school. Jim Beers Photo

Chester High School Branding & Signage project is outstanding (4 of 5) New signs provide direction, increased safety, beauty, and enhances the unique architecture of CHS BY JIM BEERS The citizens of Chester are updated regularly with all sorts of student, teacher, and staff events, upcoming schedules, notices of other happenings and the like. This mechanism is updated regularly and is a fantastic source of CHS and District 139 information. A similar perpetually-running message board is located at the north end of the CHS W.O. Smith Football Field. This gigantic message board runs continuously and likewise offers onlookers the opportunity to see the results of sporting events, upcoming school events, schedules, announcements, and positive accounts of student accomplishments. This board runs 7/24/365 to inform the community of Chester High School activities. Dwight Lochhead, Technical Advisor at Chester High School, said, “At the junction of most major hallways at CHS we now have Directional Signs indicating what rooms are located down the respective hallways. Students, parents, and visitors to CHS now have the ability to find their way to whatever classrooms or offices they are looking for. These directional signs are very helpful and have eliminated confusion when trying to get to a particular destination.” Lochhead also noted that soon, CHS hopes to install various new “bracket” signs which will feature information regarding how to locate special rooms or destinations. He noted that most signs are mounted “flush” to the wall and can sometimes be difficult to see. Bracket signs are “V” shaped and are mounted to stand out from the wall and draw attention to the information on the signs. Special rooms or offices such as restrooms, Principal’s Office, Nurses Office, Assistant Principal’s Office, Student Services Office, Gymnasium, etc. are examples that may require a bracket sign. These signs are two-fold and mount at a 90-degree angle from the wall and stand out from the wall to better inform viewers. Lochhead further notes that these signs are adaptable to replacement cardboard informational signs that staff can slide into the bracket for special informational needs. Photo 12 New and updated "Directional Signs" are now located at numerous locations at Chester High School. These signs assist students, parents, visitors and first responders in locating specific destinations on campus. Jim Beers Photo Photo 13 Visitors to Chester High School sports events are greeted with new A-Frame and Ticket Table signage upon entering the James F. Sharp Cafeteria. Jim Beers Photo Photo 14 Upon entering most Chester High School entrance locations students and visitors are greeted with new "J" Logo carpets branded with the latest CHS Mascot logo. These carpets also add to footing safety on wet days. Jim Beers Photo Photo 15 Installed at nine different locations on the Chester High School campus are directional signs which direct visitors to specific areas. These signs not only assist with finding classrooms, sports venues, and buildings, they further assist first responders to emergency locations, adding to the safety of anyone on campus. Jim Beers Photo Photo 16 This is a nighttime view of the new branding sign located on the outside of the south side of the elevator shaft located at the new main entrance of the school. Notice the words, "Yellow Jackets" which are not lit, but add greatly to the beauty and proud tradition of the school mascot. Jim Beers Photo

Chester High School Branding & Signage project is outstanding (3 of 5) New signs provide direction, increased safety, beauty, and enhances the unique architecture of CHS BY JIM BEERS Walking down almost any hallway at Cheer High School students, teachers, staff, and visitors will see any number of “A-Frame” display boards announcing upcoming events, reminders, directions, praise reports for “jobs-well-done”, and any other number of items. These “A-Frame” display boards appeared last school year and have proved to be a valuable tool in spreading information in a direct, easy manner to everyone who comes into contact with the boards. This type of advertising has been of great use for many decades on city streets, in public buildings and in other types of environment where people pass, meet, and observe the information displayed. Electric display boards or video screens have also appeared in many areas of the school and on school property. For example, in Colbert Memorial Gymnasium there are such video screens located in all four corners of the gym. They run constantly with information of interest to parents, students, staff, visitors, sports fans, and others who may be in the area. The Dr. James F. Sharp Cafeteria has also been equipped with two large video boards which help to keep everyone informed of almost every type of announcement and bit of information regarding happenings at Chester High School. These boards can be loaded with all forms of data and instructions for special presentations that may be scheduled in that location. The informational video display board located in front of Chester High School has further been replaced with a state-of-the-art electronic message board that runs continuously with information about all types of CHS happenings and events. Photo 7 All rooms at Chester are now labeled with the room number of the classroom or office within. This new signage practice is a safety feature to alert first responders to the proper location in emergency situations. Jim Beers Photo Photo 8 All rooms at Chester High School received new state-of-the -art signage as part of Branding and Signage Project recently implemented throughout the campus. Improved signage increases the ability for students and visitors to the school, as well as first responders, to locate specific students or rooms within the school. This greatly increases the safety students, staff, and teachers. Jim Beers Photo Photo 9 Many outside doors and entryways to Chester High School have now been provided with new and improved signage to help direct visitors to specific areas within the CHS campus. The doors seen here are to the new "Main Entrance" at Chester High School located at the west side of CHS near the W.O. Smith Football Field. Jim Beers Photo Photo 10 CHS has a new electronic sigh that rests on the front lawn of the campus. This sign runs 24-hours a day and informs the community about all of the latest Chester High School happenings. Jim Beers Photo Photo 11 At various locations throughout Chester High School new A-Frame signs are distributed to inform students regarding upcoming events, deadlines, and honorary recognitions. Visitors to the school also benefit from the signs to direct them to specific locations, events, and to inform them about details of functions. Shown here Jeremy Blechle, CHS Principal proudly shoes off one of the new A-Frame sings at CHS. Jim Beers Photo