CGS SOFTBALL 🥎 INFORMATION>>>
🔸 Softball tryouts for grades 6th-8th grade girls will be 7/25 and 7/26 from 6:00pm-8:00pm on Field 3.
CGS BASEBALL ⚾️ INFORMATION>>>
Upcoming dates for any 6th-8th grade boys:
🔸Open Fields 7/23 and 7/25 from 6:00pm-8:00pm on Field 1
🔸Tryouts will be held on 7/29, 7/30, and 7/31 from 6:00pm-8:00pm on Field 1
🔸Regular practice begins 8/1 from 4:00pm-6:00pm on Field 1
Vacancies for the new school year 👀
CGS: CROSS COUNTRY OPEN PRACTICE
Cross Country Open Practice 6th-8th
July 30-August 2
August 5-August 9
CGS 8:00am-9:15am
🏃🏼♀️🏃🏼♂️ Track Coach needed for the 2025 Spring Season
W.O. Smith Field comes alive as YellowJackets and Terriers scrimmage
Former Chester coach Bryan Lee returns to CHS with Terrier Football team for friendly evening of high school football vs CHS Coach Billy Belton and YellowJackets
BY JIM BEERS
Chester High School’s W.O. Smith football field came alive Monday July 15 for a two-hour friendly football scrimmage between the Chester YellowJackets and the Carbondale Terriers.
The event featured a 1-hour period of 7-on-7 football scrimmages from 7 p.m. until 8 p.m. followed by a second 1-hour period of 11-on-11 scrimmages between the YellowJackets and the Terriers from 8-9 p.m.
The Chester Football program is led by Head Coach Billy Belton, while the Carbondale Football Terriers are led by former Chester coach, Bran Lee.
It was a hot, steamy, humid night at W.O. Smith Field, but the action was friendly and limited to light contact between the two Southern Illinois teams that elected to get some mid-summer experience against teams that are not seen during the regular season.
The varsity teams scrimmaged on the north end of the field while the YellowJacket freshman team worked out on the south end of the field. Carbondale did not bring freshmen to the event. This year’s CHS freshman squad features 20-plus players which allows for inner-squad scrimmages.
Head Coach Billy Belton said, “Our freshman squad is one of the biggest in years. That allows them to scrimmage against each other. Overall as a whole, the 2024 YellowJacket program has roughly eight more players than last season. That is encouraging!”
The varsity teams from Chester and Carbondale had a friendly evening of running offensive and defensive plays. Throughout the two-hour event, players from both teams were very cordial and exchanged friendly comments and even joked and shared laughter from time-to-time.
When a tackle was made or a pass play was broken-up, players from each side of the ball slapped hands and even congratulated each other on a successful execution. Good sportsmanship and professionalism was demonstrated by both the YellowJackets and the Terriers.
At the end of the scrimmage, both teams were treated to a delicious and well-deserved dinner of grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, chips, and ice cold beverages. The CHS administration and football program co-sponsored the meal. CHS Principal, Jeremy Blechle and his wife Meagan served as both cooks and servers for the evening.
Overall the event was a huge success with both teams able to see where they stood at the mid-point of summer workouts. Both Chester and Carbondale had some really great plays on offense and both offenses were able to execute well at times to stop the offensive attacks.
Even though the freshmen did not fully scrimmage, they had an opportunity to get on the high school field and see what it was going to be like once the regular season begins in several weeks. It was an evening of fun and learning for the rookie YellowJacket players!
The YellowJackets open their 2024 season Friday August 30 at DuQuoin High School against the Indians. The home opener for CHS will be the following week, Friday September 6 at W.O. Smith Field when the Jackets host the Pinckneyville Panthers.
Both DuQuoin and Pinckneyville are former River-to-River Conference Mississippi Division foes when all three teams competed in the same conference. The Indians and Panthers are still members of the River-to-River Conference and the YellowJackets are in the Cahokia Conference in the Illinois Division.
Jim Beers Photos
CGS: 2024-2025 CLASSROOM SUPPLY LISTS for the upcoming school year have been added to the CGS portion of the district website. Additionally listed below is a direct link to the documents: English Version: https://5il.co/2rcs1 Spanish Version: https://5il.co/2rcs3
***Notice for 5th Grade Physical Education Students:
SHOES are the only requirement for 5th Grade PE class. We apologize for the confusion.
CGS: DUE TO THE WEATHER, BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL OPEN FIELDS ARE CANCELED FOR TODAY, 7/16/24 ⚾️🥎
CHS: FRESHMEN ACADEMY REMINDER
CHS Freshmen Academy is coming up August 12th from 10:00am-2:00pm
The event is a fantastic opportunity for our incoming class of 2028 to get acclimated to our facility, administration, staff and daily processes. Students who attended the event in the past report how much it helped answer questions, eased first day transition, and started their shared experience in a positive way. Students may be signed up during online registration. Don’t miss out!
Dear Chester CUSD 139 Parents and Students:
Welcome to the 2024 -25 school year. Online registration will begin Wednesday, July 24th. In-person registration will be held at both schools on Wednesday, August 7th, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Thursday, August 8th, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Please review the General Bulletin https://5il.co/1bzlg for detailed information.
Great opportunity for High School students 16 years and older. 😄
CGS: SOFTBALL 7/9/24
Softball open fields are canceled for today. 🥎
🍎✏ Employment Opportunities for the new school year 👀
CGS: BASEBALL 7/9/24
Baseball open fields are canceled for today.
7th/8th grade boys basketball open gym for Wednesday, July 10th is canceled. Coach Mike will see the boys next Monday!🏀🏀🏀
CGS & CHS: STUDENT SCHEDULES & ONLINE REGISTRATION (CORRECTION)
Student schedules will be released through TeacherEase, Wednesday, July 24th, the same day that Online Registrations opens. In-person registration will be held Wednesday, August 7th from 9am-3pm and Thursday, August 8th from 1pm-7pm.
CGS & CHS: 4th of JULY
Chester Community Unit School District 139 would like to wish everyone a HAPPY 4th of JULY!
CHS: CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS (3 of 3)
The following are photos of a variety of recent and current construction projects around CHS including:
Water Fountain replacement and upgrade to Bottle Filling Water Fountains, New Colbert Gymnasium ADA Seating Platforms, as well as custodial summer cleaning and waxing.
We are looking forward to the start of a great year for our students with the much needed renovations and upgrades to our facilities.
CHS: CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS (2 of 3)
The following are photos of a variety of recent and current construction projects around CHS including:
New Football Field Flagpoles, New Football Field and Front Lawn Flagpole lighting, Teachers’ Workroom upgrades, relocation and upgrade of Student Services and Principal’s Office, addition of Administrative Training Room, 3rd Floor Classroom resizing and renovations.
CHS: CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS (1 of 3)
The following are photos of a variety of recent and current construction projects around CHS including:
Professor Sharp Media Entrance upgrades and painting, Bus Porch renovations, Old Entrance Stairwell renovations, 1961 Edition Stairwell Handrail upgrades, New Secure Entrance Vestibule and Entrance Office with Vice Principal and District Special Education Coordinator’s Office.
