Chester Community School District 139

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

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