Chester Community School District 139

Chester High School Branding & Signage project is outstanding (2 of 5) New signs provide direction, increased safety, beauty, and enhances the unique architecture of CHS BY JIM BEERS A new safety-related signage project has now labeled each and every classroom at CHS from both the outside (on the classroom windows) and inside (at the entrance to the classroom) so that emergency personnel and first responders can quickly and easily locate areas that are experiencing any type of emergency or issue. All other areas in the building, in addition to classrooms, are also installed with the same signage to insure the same level of safety as student classrooms. This signage further helps visitors to the school to easily and properly locate and contact student classrooms or the location of school personnel or administration offices. Another very distinctive, “knock-your-socks-off” addition to the Chester High School branding initiative is the addition of “Wind-Break Barriers” around the entire outdoor courts at CHS. The courts used to belong to the City of Chester, but now are under the ownership and care of District 139. The courts can now be used for tennis, basketball and even more recently pickle ball. Principal Blechle said, “We have implemented many improvements to the courts such filling in places were the surfaces were split and deteriorating, upgrading lights, painting equipment, putting up new hoops, and installing nets for pickle ball. We use the courts for classes and they are also available for public use. The wind-breaks allow for a bit of privacy for our students and also keep the strong winds from interfering with the activities taking place on the courts.” The wind-breaks cover the fences surrounding the entire court system and boast the Chester YellowJacket logos in huge letters in orange, black and white lettering. It is virtually impossible to miss the Chester High School brand when approaching the school complex from any direction. Photo 1 A nighttime view of the front logo of the new school entrance. Jim Beers Photo Photo 2 A nighttime view of the new signage located on the front of Chester High School at the former entrance. Jim Beers Photo Photo 3 A nighttime view of west side Chester High School facing W.O. Smith Football Field. Jim Beers Photo Photo 4 A daytime view of new Chester High School signage on west side of school facing the football field. Jim Beers Photo Photo 5 New signage for the Professor Sharp Cafeteria entrance at Chester High School. Plans are to install back-lighting soon. Jim Beers Photo Photo 6 This is a plaque installed at the entrance to the Professor James F. Sharp Cafeteria at Chester High School. Sharp, a former CHS graduate has been a faithful contributor to scholarships, building improvements, and technology upgrades at the school for decades and continues to be a loyal supporter of the school. Jim Beers Photo

Chester High School Branding & Signage project is outstanding (1 of 5) New signs provide direction, increased safety, beauty, and enhances the unique architecture of CHS BY JIM BEERS Chester High School has neared completion of a new signage and branding project which has increased safety, beauty, and enhanced the uniqueness of the stately architecture of the school. When driving by the school located at 1901 State Street in Chester, several of the recent improvements can easily be seen from an automobile without even really looking for the additions to the CHS scenery. The most striking and easily recognizable might be the huge lighted YellowJacket Mascot that is located on the outside of the brickwork of the elevator shaft that is located on the west, football field side of the school next to the new entrance of the school. The mascot is quite visible from blocks away and is brightly lit at night. Equally visible are the letters “C” “H” “S” in bright Chester Orange. These letters are positioned just below the huge Chester YellowJacket Mascot. On the south side of the elevator shaft is the wording “YELLOW” “JACKETS” vertically positioned, running from top-to-bottom of the shaft. These words are black, outlined in orange. On the front of the school, facing Swanwick Street, just to the left of the former main entrance, is a new branding logo which is well visible from the street and really lets visitors know that Chester High School is extremely proud of the building. The brilliant logo has a Chester “J” logo at the top in orange, black, and white colors. Immediately below the “J” logo are the words “CHESTER” (underlined with a distinctive orange line) and “High School” under the orange line. Below that configuration are the initials, CUSD 139 (which stand for Chester Unit School District. When asked about the recent signage, Chester High School Principal, Jeremy Blechle said, “Chester High School just had its new exterior signage installed. This signage clearly identifies our school spirit and our community identity.” “We are dedicated to fostering a culture that inspires all students, staff, and community members to fully engage and confidently support our mission here at CHS. Our high school boasts one of the most stunning buildings which showcases remarkable architecture. We aim to enhance this beautiful space further while celebrating its unique design and features.” Another recently installed feature of the new branding and signage project was the installation of nine, professionally created “Direction and Location Signs” that are strategically placed at various locations on school property. Blechle said, “These signs have revolutionized the ability for all types of people coming to our school to find their way around and go to specific locations. The most striking one is the one that directs visitors to the new, recently created main entrance to the school.” The former main entrance was located in the front of the school at the left doorway. The new main entrance is now located on the football field, west side of the school (this doorway was formerly used to enter the corridor leading to Juergens Gymnasium. It is handicapped accessible and was only used on a regular basis for events in Juergens Gym). The new entrance was introduced just this year and is just one part of several new and improved construction projects which were designed, constructed and implemented this year. (Those construction developments will be discussed in another article to be released soon). As one drives around the school, it will be noticed that some of the doors and entryways to the school have been wrapped and/or painted and labeled with the Chester High School “J” Logo Mascot. Some doors are labeled with specific indicators regarding what areas or classrooms are available via entry through that specific doorway. Exterior buildings at CHS now also proudly display the Chester High School “J” Mascot logo which further brands all CHS property.

CHS: COLLEGE SIGNING WEDNESDAY 2/12/25 Zain Al-Jassim SIGNING FOR FOOTBALL Missouri Baptist University PLEASE JOIN US IN THE PROFESSOR SHARP CAFETERIA 3:15 PM

Now hiring - Head Custodian at Chester Elementary School 🧹

CHS: SPANISH CLUB FIELD TRIP 1000 students from 15 high schools attended. Students began the day trying to guess the language that was spoken as they were greeted by various faculty members. Students were then able to chose 5 different sessions to attend. Session favorites were Japanese dancing, Zumba, Cold Cases in Spanish Literature, lotería and a Q and A with SIU-C students from around the world. 43 Spanish Club students attended as well as 10 ELL students.

CGS & CHS: NATIONAL SCHOOL COUNSELOR WEEK Chester Grade School and Chester High School would like to thank our hard working School Counselor and Social Workers for all they do for our students. Thank you!

It's that time again! Time to submit your nominations for CGS Faculty Member of the Month for the Month of February! Complete the Google Form linked below by 3 pm on Thursday, February 20 to vote for who you feel best represents our CGS HIVE! https://forms.gle/xy66kavUk72vKBLGA

This Wednesday.....CGS gets Wacky and Tacky for Love Abby!! 🤪💕

It's that time again! Time to submit your nominations for CGS Faculty Member of the Month for the Month of February! Complete the Google Form linked below by 3 pm on Thursday, February 20 to vote for who you feel best represents our CGS HIVE! https://forms.gle/xy66kavUk72vKBLGA

CGS & CHS: WEAR RED Friday 1/31/25 "Remember Everyone Deployed" WEAR RED in order to show support for local families with a service person deployed overseas.

🧡🖤⚾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

CGS Families! Please take a moment to read this letter regarding important information about our morning today. Thank you!

CHS: DISTINGUISHED YELLOWJACKET BOOKS AVAILABLE CHS Distinguished Yellowjacket Books will be distributed to current students. Graduates will have their books mailed or may be picked up at the CHS main office.

CHS: PBIS STAFF OF THE MONTH December: We show CARING Caring: showing understanding of others by treating them with kindness, compassion, generosity, and forgiveness. Krista Krieg Paula Ray Gregory Wiegand

CHS: POETRY OUT LOUD WINNERS On Friday, January 24, Chester High School students competed in the local Poetry Out Loud event. Poetry Out Loud is a spoken word performance competition. Students compete on stages nationwide, where they recite famous poems from both canon and modern poets. Scores are based on physical presence, articulation, and interpretation, as well as accuracy. This year, Jason Sibley won first place at CHS with his rendition of "After the War" by Claude McKay. Chace Murphy took second place for reciting "Across the Bay" by Donald Davie. Elijah McBurney performed "1st Vote" by Aisha Kamila Moon to secure third place, and Brodie Mattingly took fourth with "Advice to a Prophet" by Richard Wilbur. Chace Murphy and Brodie Mattingly will go on to compete in the regional competition in Carbondale this February at The 204 ArtSpace. Two winners from Carbondale will go on to compete in Springfield for the state championship title.

CHS: PBIS STUDENTS OF THE MONTH December: We show CARING Caring: showing understanding of others by treating them with kindness, compassion, generosity, and forgiveness. Hayden Haslett ”I have nominated him because he is always is hard working, respectful to his peers, always does work when asked to, and tries to a good friend to everyone he meets. ” - Amber Fraembs Haydn Hurst-Roy ”Haydn is always kind and compassionate to any individual I see him interact with. He wants the best for everyone in his life and I don't think he has it in him to be mean to anyone. He also takes great care and pride in all he does.” - Dawnye Appel Kolton Jany ”Kolton demonstrated not only good sportsmanship but caring for an athlete of the opposing team by lending a hand to the player to get off the floor when he was knocked down. ” - Jennifer Cartwright Sunny Jausel ”Possesses the traits of caring someone else from his mother,siblings and classmates as well.” - Arnel Ebio Mirra Krieg ”Mirra is an exceptionally caring student who consistently goes above and beyond to help her classmates at Chester. Her cheerful disposition brightens the classroom.” - Vickie Hoskin Elaina Lutman ”Eliana is a caring individual who helps students stay on track and get assignments completed. During a difficult time for me personally, Elaina checked on me and followed my journey. She is an exceptional person.” - Cheri Diercks Amari Perez ”Amari is always caring for her friends and classmates. She often offers and is willing to help other out when needed. ” - Adrianne Kern Raven Rinderer ”Raven is always trying to help others including myself. She helps clean up and is always in a great mood.” - Greg Wiegand Amelia Shipley ”Amelia Shipley cares about her grade and her classmates. ” - Sophia Durbin

Chester High School celebrates 2024 Football Season (3 of 3) Awards Night honors YellowJacket players at Annual Awards Night and Reception BY JIM BEERS Chester High School Record Awards The YellowJackets broke a total of 10 school records this 2024 football season. Devante Palacio set three of those records and Zain Al-Jassim set the other seven. Devante Palacio Career Receptions 118 Career Reception Yards 2,110 Career Receiving Touchdowns 21 Zain Al-Jassim Single Season Awards Passing Yards 2,151 Passing Touchdowns 25 Career Awards Passing Attempts 554 Completions 315 Completion Percentage 57% Passing Yards 5,033 Passing Touchdowns 49 Academic All-State Awards Chester proudly had four team members earn “Academic All-State” Awards in the 2024 Football Season. To qualify Academic All-State honors a player has to be an All-Conference Selection and had at least a 3.5 GPA. Chester’s 2024 Academic All-State Athletes were: Cayden Brunkhorst Alex Williamson Tray Peters Brenden Malley All-State Football Team Selection The Jackets had one All-State Football Team honoree. Kolton Jany All-State Football Team Honorable Mention The Jackets had one All-State Football Honorable Mention honoree. Zain Al-Jassim In addition to awards and coaches’ comments, there was a delicious reception and parents, players, staff and coaches had a great time visiting and celebrating one of the best football seasons in CHS history. The 2025 Football YellowJackets are already hitting the weight room three days a week in preparation for next year’s season. PHOTO 9 Six Chester YellowJacket players were selected to the 2024 ALL SOUTH Football Team including (left to right) Alex Williamson, Kolton Jany, Nate Maes, Ethan Colvis, Zain Al-Jassim, and Devante Palacio. Billy Belton Photo PHOTO 10 Zain Al-Jassim (left) and Devante Palacio (right) set numerous SCHOOL RECORDS this 2024 Football season. Al-Jassim set a total of seven records. Two were Single Season Records and five were Career Records. Single Season Records included Passing Yards 2,151 and Passing Touchdowns 25. Carer Records included Passing Attempts 554; Passes Completed 315; Completion Percentage 57%; Passing Yards 5,033; and Passing Touchdowns 49. Palacio had three Career Records including Receptions 118: Reception Yards 2,110; and Receiving Touchdowns 21. Billy Belton Photo PHOTO 11 The YellowJackets had four ACADEMIC ALL-STATE Players in 2024 including (left to right) Brenden Malley, Tray Peters, Alex Williamson, and Cayden Brunkhorst. To qualify for this honor, all four players had to be an All-Conference Selection and carry at least an overall 3.5 GPA. Billy Belton Photo PHOTO 12 Two Chester High School Football Players had the exceptional honor of being selected to ALL STATE status. Zain Al-Jassim (left) was selected to the ALL-STATE Team while Kolton Jany (right) received ALL-STATE Honorable Mention. Billy Belton Photo

Chester High School celebrates 2024 Football Season (2 of 3) Awards Night honors YellowJacket players at Annual Awards Night and Reception BY JIM BEERS Team Awards Young Gun Awards The first awards were the Young Gun Awards, presented to a sophomore or sophomores that contributed significantly on the Varsity Level. Such honorees often don’t get enough accolades, and are often members of special teams. These young guns usually play a lot of snaps for the Varsity. There were three such players honored for 2024. They Include: Karim Landeros Zain Eggemeyer Alex Blechle Weight Room Warrior This player puts in the work in the weight room and doesn’t miss a day during summer workouts. Because of his work ethic in the off-season, his play on the field improved significantly. This year’s winner was: Brayden Jeunger Eric Skorcz Award This award is presented in memory of Eric Skorcz who was one of Coach Belton’s favorite people. He helped out in coaching the team for 10 years prior to his death nine years ago. Skorcz assisted Coach Belton with Stinger’s Football, and he was a good teammate to Belton in high school. He was also a good player himself. Skorcz always put his team first and was a great all-around person. The 2024 Eric Skorcz Award winner was: Jack Heffernan Offensive Weapon Award The winner of this award is the Offensive MVP for 2024. Other teams must prepare to defend him. If not, they will not be able to stop the YellowJacket squad. The 2024 winner is: Devante Palacio Defensive Weapon Award There were two honorees this season. These two players were Defensive MVP’s. They are defensive playmakers. This year’s Defensive Weapons were: Ethan Colvis Cayden Brunkhorst Elite Warrior Awards These players are a combination of Team MVP’s as well as being the best teammates and hardest workers. There were four Elite Warriors this season including: Alex Williamson Nate Maes Kolton Jany Zain Al-Jassim Cahokia Conference Awards Cahokia Conference, Illinois Division “All-Conference” Awards The YellowJackets were quite honored this year with six Offensive All-Conference Award winners, seven Defensive All- Conference Award winners, a Cahokia Conference Offensive Player of the Year, and a Cahokia Conference Defensive Player of the Year. “Offensive” All-Conference Players Kolton Jany Alex Williamson Devante Palacio Treyton Peters Brenden Malley Zain Al-Jassim “Defensive” All Conference Players Ethan Colvis Nate Maes Tino Rafael Alex Williamson Kolton Jany Cayden Brunkhorst Devante Palacio Offensive All-Conference “Player of the Year” Zain Al-Jassim Defensive All-Conference “Player of the Year” Kolton Jany “All-South” Awards Chester had six players earn All-South Awards including: Zain Al-Jassim Devante Palacio Ethen Colvis Nate Maes Kolton Jany Alex Williamson PHOTO 5 The Defensive Weapon Award this year was earned by two players, Cayden Brunkhorst and Ethan Colvis. These young men were the team's defensive playmakers for the YellowJackets in 2024. Billy Belton Photo PHOTO 6 The Chester High School YellowJacket Football Elite Warriors included (left to right) Kolton Jany, Zain Al-Jassim, Nate Maes, and Alex Williamson. These senior players are a combination of "Team MVP's" and the "Best Teammates" that are the hardest workers! Billy Belton Photo PHOTO 7 The Chester YellowJackets had 10 players make the 2024 Cahokia Conference, Illinois Division "ALL-CONFERENCE" Team. There were six players on the Offensive Team and seven players on the defensive team. Six of the ten made BOTH the offensive and defensive teams. Pictured (left to right) are: Tino Rafael (defensive); Nate Maes (defensive); Ethan Colvis (defensive); Zain Al-Jassim (Offensive); Brenden Malley (offensive); Tray Peters (offensive); Devante Palacio (offensive & defensive); Alex Williamson (offensive & defensive); Kolton Jany (offensive & defensive); and Cayden Brunkhorst (defensive). Billy Belton Photo PHOTO 8 The Cahokia Conference, Illinois Division "PLAYERS of the YEAR" are Chester's Zain Al-Jassim and Kolton Jany. Al-Jassim (left) is Offensive Player of the Year and Jany (right) is the Defensive Player of the Year. Billy Belton Photo

Chester High School celebrates 2024 Football Season (1 of 3) Awards Night honors YellowJacket players at Annual Awards Night and Reception BY JIM BEERS Thursday January 2, 2025 Chester High School hosted a reception at CHS to recognize and honor the 2024 Football YellowJackets for their outstanding season. The evening was held at the Professor James F. Sharp Cafeteria at CHS and included a packed house of players, coaches, parents, friends, family, and staff members. Billy Belton, Head CHS Football Coach said, “First off I want to thank you guys for a great season. Thank you for the great memories. I love you guys! I don’t care about how many games we won or what happened this year. You guys were just great teammates! This is the best group of leaders I have ever coached!” In referring to the Class of 2024-25 seniors, Belton said, “In the early season I talked to you guys about helping to build a good foundation for this football program. Well, this group of seniors built about nine floors, not just a great foundation. Your commitment and sacrifice for one another is unmatched!” “You seniors cooked breakfast for everyone after our last two-a-day practice. Zain, Alex, and Nate were taking guys to the football field after weight room workouts. Nate and Alex took people to St. Louis with them to help their teammates get better. It was no accident that the 2024 CHS YellowJacket season will go down as one of the best teams in Chester High School’s history.” In summary, Belton said, “We finished 9-2 overall. We won our 3 rd conference championship in four years. We outscored our Cahokia Conference, Illinois Division opponents on average, 40-8. The seniors finished the 2024 season 19-1.” “We made the playoffs seven years in-a-row. We broke all kinds of records. I love this team! I loved coaching you guys! This team played for one another! I tell everyone I see that I am so lucky to get to coach at CHS! We have great support and great kids! Awards were then presented for the 2024 season. There were 14 different categories of awards to a wide number of players. PHOTO 1 YOUNG GUNS 2024 YOUNG GUNS are (left to right) Zane Eggemeyer, Alex Blechle, and Karim Landeros. Young Guns are sophomores who contribute at the Varsity level and rarely get any major accolades. They played really well on Special Teams and played a lot of snaps. Billy Belton Photo PHOTO 2 Brayden Juenger was the 2024 Weight Room Warrior. The winner of this award puts in a lot of work in the weight room and doesn't miss a day in summer workouts. Because of his off-season workouts, he played better on the field during the season. Billy Belton Photo PHOTO 3 The Eric Skorcz Award winner for the 2024 season as won by senior, Jack Heffernan. Skorcz was a former teammate of Head Coach Billy Belton and was a great teammate and an amazing person. Skorcz helped Belton coach Stinger Football and was a great teammate when he played with Belton on the YellowJackets when in high school. Heffernan is the same type of great guy and teammate to his fellow Yellowjacket players. Billy Belton Photo PHOTO 4 Devante Palacio earned the OFFENSIVE WEAPON Award for the 2024 season at Chester High School. This award is for the players that other teams have to stop to be successful. It is the Team's Offensive MVP. Billy Belton Photo

CONGRATULATIONS to our CGS Faculty Members of the Month for January: Katie Kelley, Kasi Jany, & Shelly Farris!