signal
The Smoke January 2024 Newton Local Schools
Vol. 5 Issue 5

Resolutions By: Smoke Signal’s Editorial Staff

Erika- This year I did not make any resolutions, it is not that I am against them I just did not make any this year. In the past I have made some, but it seems like they only last till May then they are gone. I feel as if once we are on summer break I do not have as much of a set schedule and routine, so they just fall through. I feel like resolutions can be very good and help a lot of people when they are followed through with. Yet, that is the thing, is following through with them. I also believe that it does not have to be a new year for you to make a change, you can make a change on a random Tuesday night. So if you did not make any changes for the new year, you can do it now!

Thomas- A New Year’s Resolution can mean many different things for a lot of people. However, for me, a New Year’s Resolution is a good idea in concept, but when actually played out, it doesn’t have a very good effect. For example, there will be so many new people at the gym during early January, and that is a good thing, but then they give up on correcting themselves and throw out their Resolution. This lessens the effect of the resolution’s intended impact.

Carson- I think a New Year’s Resolution is a very good idea for anyone who is motivated to better themselves. Now, with that being said, you are only going to better yourself if you put the work in. A Resolution is the whole year, and it is completed when the next year comes around. So I think Resolutions are very important and valuable, but it’s your decision to stick to that, and to really challenge yourself.

Quentin-As we leave 2023 behind us and walk into 2024 many people promise to do something good or stop a bad habit, this is called a New Year’s resolution. For my New Year's resolutions I want to eat better, get rid of all the negative things in my life, and be more productive. I will accomplish these goals by staying true to myself and believing I can do it. Those are my new resolutions for 2024.
1

Swim team breaks school record! Our entire swim team (all four of them) broke school records at their meet on January 13, 2024!

Quinten Reimer set three school records: 50 free 23.68,
200 Breast 2:25.91 100 free 54.47
100 back 1:02.43

Princeton Bess set one school record: 50 butterfly 28.75

Rysen Evans set three school records: 200 back 2:14.27
500 free 5:35.12

100 butterfly 1:03.61 5o back 29.20

The relay team (Quinten, Princeton, Rysen and Liam Woods) set the school records for the 200 Free Relay 1:48.08 and 200 medley relay 1:58.59

UPCOMING 2024 FlICKS

January: The Beekeeper, Night Swim, Mean Girls February: Argylle, Lisa Frankenstein
March: Dune: Part Two, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Imaginary, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
April: The First Omen, Challengers

May: The Fall Guy, The Garfield Movie, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, IF - Imaginary Friends, The Strangers: Chapter One, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
June: Inside Out 2, A Quiet Place: Day One, The Watchers, Bad Boys 4, It Ends With Us
July: Deadpool 3, Despicable Me 4, Twisters

August: Kraven the Hunter, Borderlands, Speak No Evil, Alien: Romulus
September: Beetlejuice 2, Transformers One, Saw XI, The Wild Robot
October: Joker: Folie à Deux, Smile 2, White Bird, Wolf Man, Terrifier 3
November: Venom 3, Gladiator 2, The Amatuer, The Incredibles 3, Wicked: Part One
December: Mufasa: The Lion King, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Karate Kid, Nosferatu

2

Sports monthly

Upcoming

Varsity Swim: Meet @ Troy YMCA on 1/26

round up	Boys Varsity Basketball @ TCN on 1/26

Boys Varsity Basketball: 8-4	Girls Varsity Basketball @ Lehman on 1/30 Girls Varsity Basketball: 8-7

athletes of the month

By: Carson Tucker Male: Liam Woods

Liam Woods is your January Male athlete of the month. Liam participates in Cross Country, Track, Swimming and Bowling here at our school. Liam takes pride in being a multi-sport athlete, and is excelling greatly in both of his sports! Be sure to go cheer on Liam	and	his	team	this	winter!
Congratulations Liam!

By: Carson Tucker Female: Brooke Hines

Brooke Hines is your January Female athlete of the month. Brooke's athletic ability shines as she is hooping it up on the court with the Girls Varsity Squad, as well as cheering during our boys varsity games. Brooke has great court vision as she plays point guard, and she has many tricks     to     show     off     during     cheer!
Congratulations Brooke!

3

teacher of the month

By Erika Shellabarger

What was your dream job as a child? Being a teacher, believe it or not. Why did you pick Newton? It’s the best. I got offered the job at Newton the day after I graduated college, so I was looking for any job but this turned out to be the best job and the best place.
What is it like to have two boys, a husband, and still be working? Challenging but fulfilling. It’s been pretty cool to have the first year for both of my kids to attend here. It has been chaotic but fun.
What is your biggest accomplishment? My family, as well as teaching teenagers for over a decade and still loving everyday.
What motivates you to do this job everyday? The students.

Why did you choose English? Initially I thought I would be an elementary teacher however I changed my mind because I grew a lot as a writer and a person from my high school English class so I was hoping to do the same for others.

ffa

By: Erika Shellabarger

January seems to be a quiet month around school. Mostly, because we are all awaiting the snow days. But our FFA chapter is beginning the busiest season of the year. From practices, to competitions, and even a strawberry sale in between. The ag students are getting into their busiest season of the year yet, besides Fall Fair. The General Livestock Judging Team started practices on the 9th at seven in the morning Tuesday through Thursdays till March, in hopes of being one of the top teams in the state. The ag sales team took their online exam. County evolutions were held on the 16th at Covington, Erika Shellabarger worked on an officer’s book in hopes of a gold rating. Shelby Van Den Bosch and Erika Shellabarger both submitted applications for their State Degree. Their applications and the officer book will now move on for further evaluation. The strawberry and cheese sale has begun, be sure to find an FFA member for more information!

Clunker of the month
By: Carson Tucker

Congratulations to our very own News Writing Teacher Miss Rhea on being named this month's Clunker of the Month! Miss Rhea drives a 2007 Saturn Ion that some of you may see parked by the fieldhouse. In 2024, she plans to upgrade to a newer car that is more reliable, and that will not have issues starting
up! Congratulations Miss Rhea!
4

ARTIST OF THE MONTH By: Quentin Webb

The Artist of the January is Dylan Bauer

1.	When did you get into Art? - I have been drawing a lot since I was a kid but I first joined art class sophomore year.
2.	What is your favorite medium? - Pencil sketches 100%.

3.	What does your Art consist of? - Whatever Mrs. Cosby tells me to do.

4.	What motivates you to paint so well? - I just try to be better than I was before, I always like to try and improve.
5.	Do you plan on pursuing a career in art after graduation? - Maybe, I might try to get a job as an art teacher, but nothing is set in stone.
Art Gallery

Work by: Dylan Dauer

Musician OF THE MONTH Name: Walker Sullivan

What instruments do you play? Most brass instruments, but mainly euphonium/baritone. I also play an assortment of string instruments like guitar, bass guitar, mandolin, and some others.
How long have you been doing music? I have been playing instruments for about 8 years.
What got you interested in music? I was convinced by my older brother to try out on the trumpet for 5th grade band. He was a euphonium player at the time, so it was not long before I switched over.
Who are your musical inspirations? I listen to a lot of blues guitarists like B.B King, Lee Hooker, Robert Johnson, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and Hendrix of course. Also musicians who fall under the rock/metal genres, Marty Friedman, Chris Poland, Mark Morton, and Dimebag Darrell
Do you plan on making a career out of music or is it more of a hobby? I’m looking into making a career out of repairing stringed instruments, but playing in a band would most definitely be the dream. I want to have the best of both worlds and be a tech for a band, that way I can focus on fixing stuff
while still getting the tour experience.	5

QUESTIONS OF THE MONTH — JANUARY

By: Thomas Speer

In the beginning of January of the new year, I sent out the annual Questions of the Month and gathered your guys’ responses. The questions this time were about the start of New Year and goals the students of Newton want to achieve.
The first question asked what each student does during canceled school days or snow days, and the majority of people said sleeping, playing games, and overall relaxing.
The second question dealt on what goals students want to accomplish before the end of 2024, and here are two I thought were unique: “Don't break my controller (the right stick stopped working correctly)” from Walker Sullivan and “Going to Double As in swim, getting good grades for the whole year, and to be more relaxed” by Jackson Blair.
The third question asked what the most anticipated media was for the year, and the answers were very diverse. Some said upcoming Disney and Marvel movies, some said sports video games. However one of the most anticipated movies for the year was Mean Girls, which released on January 12.
The fourth question asked students what football team they thought would make it to the Superbowl. It was close between the 49ers and Chiefs.
The fifth question asked people if they thought that the second semester of school was better than the first semester, and the majority of people said yes, it was better.
The sixth and final question asked what quarter of school was the students’ favorite, and almost everyone voted for quarter four.

Snow Day!

By: Thomas Speer

A snowday is a perfect day to relax and kick up your legs to catch up on that show you’re binging. My version of a fantastic snowday is this: Sleep in till I can’t sleep anymore, then bake some cinnamon rolls for breakfast. I then work out, play some video games, watch a movie, do something entertaining to pass the time. Sometimes, if there’s a lot of snow, I will go sledding with friends and family on a steep hill and try to catch some air-time. If you want these snowdays to keep coming, do your part! There are some fun and goofy superstitions people do to wish for snow days, such as flushing ice down the toilet, putting a spoon under your pillow, turning your pajamas inside out, eating ice cream, and running around a table five times. There are a lot more ways to wish for a canceled school day, so make sure to use some of these superstitions to your heart’s content.

6

New Year Health Plan By: Quentin Webb

As many of you know with the new year of 2024, many people want a healthier lifestyle and want to start to get in shape. I am here to help you get your 2024 started right. Below is a beginner guide to a healthier lifestyle and a better physique.
First you have to understand what you are doing and why you are doing it. To get in shape you need three things: a good diet, a work out plan, and a good recovery plan.
Diet: A good diet is the most important thing when it comes to weight loss or gaining muscle. To acquire a good diet you need to stop going out to eat and switch to at home cooking so you know what you are consuming. Second, pop is bad for your body, cut it out. Obviously you cannot just cut it out, but lowering your intake slowly and taking it day by day will help you in the long run. Another food that kills your body is sweets. There is just too much sugar and unnecessary calories in sweets, one of the biggest kills in people's diets is candy/chocolate.
Now that you know some of the things to stay away from we need to discuss what you should consume. A good diet consists of a good source of protein to stabilize your muscle. This would include chicken, fish, lean beef, egg whites, venison, and beans. This helps build your muscle, because when you lift you are tearing micro fibers in your muscle and the protein helps build it back making it bigger and stronger. Second, you need healthy fats, these are unsaturated fats, good fats include seeds, fish, nuts, and olive oil. Your body needs fats to absorb vitamins and is an energy source. Finally, you need carbohydrates, carbs are the main fuel source your body needs to create energy. Good carbs include oats, some fruit, rice, and sweet potatoes. Now, you know what to eat, but you might be thinking, "How do you know how much of it to eat?" When you go to the grocery store, on every thing you buy there has a nutrition label. A nutrition label shows you what all you are getting in the product that you are buying. It shows you the calories, fats, carbs, sugars, and proteins. The main thing you want to look at is the calories. Calories are energy, but too many calories are a bad thing. Also, too little calories is bad as well, so to find out exactly how many calories you need to consume, you need to look up a calorie calculator online. Fill out the information on the website and it should give you a list of how many calories you need to gain weight, stay the same weight, and lose weight. Based on your goals for 2024 you decide what amount best fits you and your goals.
Workout; Now that I have shown you how to acquire a good diet, next comes the workout aspect. There are many different forms of working out, but I am going to show you how to lift weights and do cardio. Lifting weights is something that I fell in love with at a young age. It is not only good for the physical aspect, but also the mental aspect. It can lower stress, help with depression, and lower anxiety. Lifting weights is the best way to build muscle and get you the physique that you want, it just takes time and discipline. Below is a workout split you can use to help you in the gym.
Next on the list is cardio. Cardio is the act of burning calories. Typical examples of cardio include running, swimming, rowing, biking, pretty much anything you do that increases your heart rate and makes you sweat. The reason you want to burn calories is to get your calorie count down. If you eat below the amount of calories your body needs to maintain weight then the body starts to use the excess fat that your body has stored. Thus after a period of time you will start to see fat loss.
Recovery: Lastly, you need to let your body recover. Train hard, but make sure your body has time to recover. Some examples of recovery include ice baths, to bring down the inflammation in your body and help circulate your blood better. Another example is foam rolling. Foam rolling helps promote blood flow and can make you more flexible. Finally, stretching, this helps make you more mobile, feel better, and helps with aches and pains.

7

Photo Journal	Spanish Class Caroling

Principal's List and Honor Roll Donuts

8

saying good-bye to 2023

Ins and Outs (according to the Smoke Signal Staff who are by no means qualified in any category to tell you what is trendy or not)

Ins:

Turning in work on time Reading the Smoke Signal Going to the Movie Theatre Saying Yes to Fun Things New Balances
Hydration February 29th

Outs:

Panda Dunks Obsessive Social Media Zach Bryan
Malls Kendra Scott Air Force 1 Snapchat Bows

Highest Grossing Movies of 2023

1- Barbie

2- The Super Mario Bros. Movie 3- Oppenheimer
4- Guardians of the Galaxy Volume Three
5- Fast X

6- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
7- The Little Mermaid (2023) 8- Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One
9- Elemental

10- Ant-Man and the Wasp:

Quantumania

Top 10 Songs of 2023 According to Billboard Music

1- “Last Night” by Morgan Wallen 2- “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus
3- “Kill Bill” by SZA

4- “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift

5- “Creepin’” by Metro Boomin, The Weeknd, and 21 Savage
6- “Calm Down” by Rema and Selena Gomez 7- “Die For You” by The Weeknd and Ariana Grande
8- “Fast Car” by Luke Combs 9- “Snooze” by SZA
10- “I’m Good (Blue)” by David Guetta and Bebe Rexa

2023 Pop Culture Moments

1- “Eras Tour”

2- “One Night at a Time Tour” 3- Writers Guild Strike
4- SAG-AFTRA Strike

5- Netflix’s Household Plan 6- Twitter changes to X
7- “Kelce Bowl”

8- King Charles III Coronated

9- Damar Hamlin Cardiac Arrest on the Field
10- Barbenheimer

11- Gypsy Rose Blanchard is Released

12- “Renaissance Tour”

9

interactive page

Word Bank

●	Basketball ●	Cold
●	Dance

●	Ice Skating ●	January
●	New Year ●	Resolution ●	Snow
●	Snow Day ●	Winter

Tyler Miller
Happy Birthday! Kate Stull

Holly Morse
Justin Hale
Dawson Trost
Nolan Meurer	Regan Miller Isabella Hall	Adisynne Weigel Nicholas Staub
Dylan Trost
Max Silk
Jackson Blair Zayden Sanders
Alexis West
Dakota Craig	Carson Tucker

Noah Resides Adia Leal Hannah Williams Tanner Long Breanna Ingle Isaac Beidelman Charli Smith Daniel Lucente Brenna Locker Peyton Schutz Travis Stanhope
Gwendolyn Holbrook	10

Kaelyn Petry
Will Bowser
Dylan Bauer
Hayden Wilhelmy
Kate Stull
Bryce Toney
Missy Nance
Quinten Reimer
Oliver Crow
Ava Hughes
8 Grade:
Jackson Blair

Honor Roll: UVCC 11th Grade: Noah Bayer
Jaden Deaton Jennica Holly Makenna Kesling Max Newhouse Koreu Nolan Bekah Shough Callie Smith Lillian Szakal Bronson Van Culin Layla Van Culin Alexis West

UVCC 12th Grade: Brandon Laughman Daniel Lucente Jadaan Miller Payton Nicholas Daphka Peters Ryan Woods

7th Grade: Coltyn Adams Mollie Adams Izabel Ballard Vivien Bowser Trenton Butts Havyn Coning Porsha Craig Brayden Doty
Caroline Forsythe Tylea Jackson Gracie Jones Louelle Leitte Gabriel Miller Karlee Schwartz Shayleigh Shoup Max Silk
Dahlia Stone

8th Grade: Meghan Addison Adrian Benedict Isabella Bunting Khloe Carver Tucker Fisher Garrison Hughes Allison Kramer Elijah Leingang Ava Meyer Robert Peele Jersey Robinson Micah Sagers

second quarter academic honors

Elise Stucki	12th Grade:

Anna Wall                             Dustin Butts Anthony Weber                     Grace Davis

9 Grade:
th                                                              Daniel FIsher Parker Coning                       Thomas Speer

Cody Craig

Andrew Long
Regan Mille
Emily Laughman	Carson Tucker Kellany Merritt	Sarah Willoughby Tyler Miller r	Principal’s List:

Cori Haines
Trenton Robinson	UVCC 11th Grade: Peyton Schutz
Travis Stanhope

Meg Yoder
James Stucki	UVCC 12th Grade: Brady Downing
10 Grade:
th	Luke Gilbert Zoe Kesling

Terri Oeele
Emily Flora	Breanna McClish Evanston Hemphill
Gwendolyn Holbrook

Isaih Nance
Mayson Cosby
Owen Miller	7th Grade: Kinzie Peters	Austin Barhorst Estie Rapp
Nicholas Staub
Bentley Hess
Candace Shellenberger	Brooks Flory Annelise Taylor	Isabella Fullenkamp Ava Velkoff
Matthew Waller	Nolan Knupp

11 Grade:
th	Zoey Robinson Mckenzie Sheridan

Seth Coker	Chase Wackler Felicity Harbour                     th
Ella Bayer
Sienna Montgomery Caitlyn Pleiman
Erika Shellabarger	Eleanor Bradshaw

Brynnasen Fiely
Hannah Williams	Parker Christman

Michaela Flora Ayden Kane Madilynn Karns Stephaine Knepper Brenna Locker Tanner Long Nolan Meurer Emmaline Rapp
Jack Van Den Bosch Lindsey Willoughby

9th Grade: Chloe Adams Cole Alexander Wren Bauer Mya Denlinger Ally Moore Alec Schauer Claire Stull Amelia Szakal

10th Grade: Ellie Bauer Zurich Bess Arianna Church Rachel Fisher Rylee Hess Audrey Miller Austin Tippie

11th Grade: Isaac Beidelman
Emerson Leingang Ava Rapp
Grace Stanhope Shelby Van Den Bosch

12th Grade: Noah Brush Nolyn Denlinger Nathan Harju Reese Hess Brooklyne Hines Quinn Peters Olivia Rapp
Ty Schauer

Chloe Shellenberger Kylie Velkoff Madlyn Walters

11