Note This!

The Madison concert band and jazz band have been working hard. From their everyday lives to practicing daily to perform their best. They have a lot coming up. From concerts to contests to Disney, they are working their hardest so that they can get better. In March they have both a contest and a concert. They also go to 3 basketball games a month. With their diligent efforts they are getting better and better each day. Competition is a very important time for band students. It is their time to show what they can do and how they have come from the beginning. Everyone is incredibly determined to get better than what they did last year. It can also be a rough time. You get one chance. You don’t get to go over the same thing over and over again till you get it right like in a sport. You perform and that is the only chance that you are given. If someone messes up, plays a wrong note, squeaks, or does something in general that does not go with what you are playing you can not fix it. With that the people in the band get a little stressed and hope they do not mess up and ruin an amazing piece. This makes it so that they are pushed to grow and become better, getting them a better score than if they did not care. They get one chance to shine. To show what they can do. With that, they hope for all the support they can get. We hope to see you in March.

By: Megan Porter

Ending The Jv Season

   The Madison JV girl’s basketball team is sad to see their season quickly coming to an end. The girls have two games left of their season. One game is on February 8th, away at Mayfield, and the other game is home on February 12th. This team has formed such a pure, strong bond with each other and with their coach. It will be sad for the girls to end, but they are proud of their season and their accomplishments. They’ve had such a tremendous season. So far they are 16-3. When I’ve talked to a few players on the team they all agreed how it’ll be sad for this season to end, but they hope for another great season next year. When I asked Kailey Williams how she would want to end the season, she answered, “I hope to  finish this season off strong with my team.” While talking to Riley Elliot about the season, and the upcoming season, she said “ I hope to end this season 18-3. Next season I hope we can come back strong, and continue to improve, and eventually once everyone moves up we can have a solid varsity team.” Another player on the team who always shows a positive attitude towards the game. Autumn Molnar said, “I hope to end this season with our winning streak, and that the upcoming freshman will show true dedication, and teamwork.” The girls have worked so hard this season, to make sure that this one will be the best one yet. The girls’ hard work, and dedication to this sport they love has paid off by having a good season.

By: Lexi Aiello

A Day in the Life of a Basketball Player

Madison high school’s JV basketball has many different bright personalities on the team, however, I began to ask about the daily routine of Landon Albert. On game days Landon starts out his day by waking up at 7:00 A.M. After waking up, he takes a shower in order to wake up and get focused for the day. Before he leaves for school he makes himself eggs and toast so that he has a healthy start to the day. Once he gets to school he is trying to get the mood all day long by blocking out any unnecessary distractions throughout the day. As the game comes closer he begins to really get ready for the game, making sure to stretch and get mentally ready. While warming up he makes sure he is glancing at the other team to get a feel of how they play. However no matter what the other team looks like warming up Landon treats it like any other game not allowing for intimidation to overcome him. During the game the only thing in his head is how he can help the team and get the win over the opposing team. After the game is finished, win or lose, Landon always will reflect on the mistakes that he made while on the court. Landon Albert is a great example of an athlete that just doesn't care about himself but how his team is doing and what he can do for his team.

By: Isaac Moyer

The Past Signs for the Future

For most, the dream of a National Signing Day ceremony does not start to materialize until an athlete's freshman year.  The idea of being the reason everyone came to be witness instead of another witness is appealing to all levels of athletes.  On February 5th, however, the message resounded for three MHS athletes that their goals took a lot more than just four years' hard work.

The coaches of Jacob Glass, CJ Kessler and Alyssa Molnar each head up very different programs, but said the same thing about their high achieving athletes: their character was built on an erring foundation of hard work.

Superintendent Angela Smith echoed this sentiment as she stated that you simply "do not get these scholarships without also performing in the classroom."  She referenced the idea that the individuals who draw the crowds on signing day do so because they are so much more than just talented athletes.

It is no wonder, then, that Principal Fisher beamed with pride as he handed each signee their own commemorative Madison High School pen and watched as they committed to their futures.  While each represents some of the best qualities MHS has to offer, they have showcased them in very different ways.

Jacob Glass - Football - Walsh University (Division II)

Under Head Coach Tim Willis, Jacob earned three Varsity letters.  Willis went above and beyond to praise Jacob's work ethic revealing he had only missed a couple of workouts out of the near 2,000 that have been scheduled while he attended high school.  

When Asstant Coach Tim Mainello spoke, he seconded Willis's opinion of Jacob and praised the player's absolute unwillingness to ever let his teammates down.  This quality, he said, is what makes Jacob a stellar athlete and friend.  

For his part, Jacob stated that playing in college was not where his athletic dream began.  "The dream is all the moments you encounter along the way," he said.  Jacob will join former teammate Mark Primer at Walsh, but holds the unique distinction of being Coach Willis's last signing for MHS as he enters football retirement next season.

CJ Kessler - Soccer - Baldwin Wallace University (Division III)

CJ earned three Varsity letters while playing for Head Coach Julio Gutierrez.  Before he gave praise to CJ, Gutierrez applauded BW for having chosen "a great player."  

CJ's father agreed that his athletic future was bright, but so was his academic career.  His parents wanted to emphasize that they were just as proud of what CJ had accomplished in the classroom as they were of soccer.

"Playing soccer has always been a dream," CJ told the gathered crowd.  Playing soccer with all of his friends has been a "great honor," a phrase CJ was quick to repeatedly emphasize.  As an explanation for all of his success, CJ singled out close friend and teammate Fabian Ruiz-Diaz.  "I wouldn't be where I am without him," he said.

Alyssa Molnar - Golf - Mount Union University (Division III)

Alyssa might have been the only female to sign on Wednesday, but the distinction carrying the most significance was being the only four-year Varsity letter winner on the stage.  Coach Brian Titman explained that Alyssa was another great chapter in a program that has a history of sending girls onto the next level.  Girls' golf has had five signees in the past eight seasons.

He went on to explain that this accomplishment was something to be very proud of, however, it was not only hers.  Just as she could not have done it without her teammates, her teammates would not have found their own success without Alyssa's leadership.  This revolving door of support continues to spin out more and more impressive accomplishments.  Alyssa continued this theme as she extensively thanked all of the people who helped her to make this a reality.

She leaves behind a legacy as a leader of the first girls' golf team to capture a Western Reserve Conference Title.

Swish

Over the past week the Lady Blue streaks have been back in action. On Wednesday, the Kenston Bombers traveled to Madison to challenge the streaks. It was an intense game from the beginning with lots of back and forth action. Riley Montagner (sophomore) had a great game against the bombers. With a couple three’s and driving to the basket drawing fouls, helped her team stay in the game and keep working hard. Post player, Payton Lewanski, also had a great game with good defense and rebounding under the basket. The girls had good ball movement throughout the game. The game was a back and forth battle up until the fourth quarter. The Bombers started to get hot on offense causing our girls to get flustered and start fouling. Unfortunately for our lady blue streaks we weren’t able to pull off a win against the Kenston Bombers. On Saturday the girls were back in action in another home WRC match against the Chardon Hilltoppers. Chloe Bancroft (sophomore) did a good job attacking the basket gaining multiple points for the team. Chloe Wakim (junior) had tremendous defense during the game getting back fast and trapping during the press. Unfortunately for the lady blue streaks basketball girls the game did not end in their favor. During the fourth quarter the Chardon Hilltoppers were able to break the bluestreaks press getting a couple easy layups. The blue streaks couldn’t pull through with the win. The bluestreaks travel to Brush were they take on the Arcs in a WRC matchup on Wednesday.

By: Alyssa Molnar

Wrestling 2020

On Friday January 17th and Saturday January 18th, the boys wrestling team traveled to Licking Height Highschool in the Columbus area in Ohio. Not the whole team ,but the boys that made weight left school early on that Friday school day to make they way down to the tournament. They faced the teams Central Crossing, Mansfield, Westernville, and Fairview Union in the tournament. The team as a whole has been struggling for wins even though they have a couple really strong players down here on the Madison team. Such as Brad Mckeon (junior), Chris Plummer (senior), Logan Blough (senior) and more. Those members are stellar athletes on the boys wrestling team this season with great outcomes on the mats almost every time. However, as the season progresses the boys are showing more effort and greater wins. At the competition in Columbus, they placed 5th as a team. Chris Plummer placed 2nd place in his division. The coaches were very proud of him for his performance because the season is almost over and it is his senior season. Also along with Chris, Brad Mckeon, and Dom Zirkle also placed 2nd in their division.  Plus Jason Davidson showed out with a 3rd place win at the tournament during his last year at Madison HIghschool wrestling. The boys season is a little bit more than half way over now and they still need the support from the Madison Blue streaks fans. Make sure to come out and support. 

By: Cailin Keller

What Eclectica Means To Ana Ramirez

  Ana Ramirez is a sophomore member of the Madison High School Eclectica. Ana has been a member of Eclectica since her freshman year and in middle school, she was a member of show choir for all three years. Her favorite thing about being a member of Eclectica is the music. She sings as a second soprano. The music is something she always looks forward to learning and singing. When she gets to class, she likes learning something new everyday that will help her mind grow.
Everyday the Eclectica class meets last period to practice their routines. The students bonds with each other grow stronger each day as they see one another. They all share common interests with each other which makes the class even more enjoyable for them. Ana says Eclectica is her favorite class of the day and she wouldn’t change anything about it. She is mostly excited for cabaret in April. Cabaret is an event that shows off all the students musical talents. Ana states how the performances always look so good and how everyone is able to tell how much work the students put in to each of the different songs.
 She is also excited for all the new songs they are going to be learning and performing at upcoming events. Her favorite thing to do in her free time is listen to music and spend time with friends and family. Her favorite food is pasta and her favorite movie is called “My Girl,” written by Laurice Elehwany.

By: Kylee Mramor