Jazz Dinner Tonight!

The Show Choir tonight @ the Jazz Dinner Show.
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Go Green!

You can't see them, but Julianna, Morgan, Kelsey and Elly have allied themselves with the fans from River-Ridge Scales Mounds for this game. They fit right in with the Sea of Green.
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Bloomington Bound

We are taking the girls basketball team to Redbird Arena for the Class A and AA State Semi-Finals.
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B-Ball Ends.

Well, last night didn't go as I had hoped. The boys did have a very good season. They won 17 games and lost a few close-close ones. The program is moving in the right direction. Coach Gordon and his staff have made great strides over the past 3 years. David, Andrew, Brad, Nate and Cole should be proud of their contributions over the past 4 years. I am already looking for November 2011: Football Play-off and Basketball firing back-up.
Have a great day!
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Big Game Tonight!

While I am sitting @ Walgreen's waiting for a prescription for the cough I have had for 3 weeks(that has been driving all of my office workers crazy), I thought this would be a great time to remind readers of the Regional game tonight. Our Warriors have a rematch with Midwest Central slated for 8pm tonight @ PORTA. The Warriors lost @ MWC earlier in the year in game where MWC couldn't miss. Let's hope that the Raiders come back to earth and the Warriors play up to their potential tonight. I have all the confidence in the world that we have the team to make a run @ the title. A great crowd would be a big boost for the team. I hope to see all of you and your friends @ PORTA tonight.
Have A Great Day!
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Senior Night

I wanted to list all the seniors who will be honored tonight for their efforts and contributions to a successful basketball experience for all of our fans.

Pep Band: Lindi Andreasen, Amy Allen, Ian Turner, and Brooke Harden.

Cheerleaders: Emily Knoles, Hillary Duncheon, Chloe Dixon, and Veda Dixon.

Poms: Liz Brown and Erin Deason
Basketball: Andrew Hall, Cole Weatherby, Brad Bayles, David Hankins, and Nathan Pierce.

I want to thank all of them for their efforts the past 4 years. This is the first class that I will have seen through from start to finish and I have truly enjoyed their 4 years @ AHS.
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Busy Friday!

Friday is a busy day @ AHS. It starts with a School Improvement Day. While the kids are away, the teachers will attend 2 or 3 workshop sessions. They will be able to choose from a webpage design workshop and a curriculum mapping session. Spring coaches will also be re-certified in CPR and AED use. The teachers will also attend a workshop on Building Connections with Students. @ 5pm the Post Prom Committee will begin its pulled-pork dinner. It lasts from 5-7 and all proceeds will fund post prom 2011. Then Senior Night will get underway. The Warriors will host a tough Sangamon Valley team. The Seniors will be recognized prior to the varsity game. These seniors have been figures in the rebuilding of the program over the past 4 years. Hope to see you there! Have a great day.
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Lucky Shot

I just wanted to thank Mrs. Impson and Ms. Bock for calling me out in front of the crowd tonight. Their call for me to take a half-court shot turned out better than I expected. I just hoped to hit something - not swish it as the 1st shooter of the contest. What fun! And what Luck! The cheerleaders raised about $200 for cancer awareness tonight. The boys played well and defeated Tri-City for their 17th win this season. The fish from the Bass Team was fantastic as well. Don't forget senior night on Friday! There is also a pulled-pork dinner prior to the game. Have a great day.
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FISH FRY & BASKETBALL

The Warriors host the Tornadoes of Tri-City tonight @ 6:15pm. Prior to the game, the AHS Bass Fishing Team will hold a fish fry in the cafeteria. $5 for an Adult and $3 for children.
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Oops!

For those followers of this blog who are baseball fans.....I left out the words..."of the College World Series" after 130 days 'til 1st pitch. I was politely (not) reminded that MLB starts in 45 or so days!! If you have never been to the College World Series and you love baseball - you HAVE got to put that in your bucket. Have a great night.
PS - don't forget the fish fry Tuesday before the game.
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Wonderful Weather

I hope everyone enjoyed this Sunday's weather as much as we did. We unwrapped Emma's new skateboard and got out on the driveway. She padded-up and practiced for an hour, until the big fall! The kids rode their bikes around the neighborhood and I got my bike ready for the daily commute to work each day -starting Tuesday, I hope. To top the day-off, we grilled dinner on the old Weber. Old Man Winter will probably return sooner than later, but this week will be a nice shot-in-the-arm for everyone who loves Spring. Ps. I heard on TV - only 130 something days 'til FIRST PITCH.
Remember the Bass Team fish fry is Tuesday night before the AHS v. Tri-City Game.
Have a great week.
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Exciting but Frustrating.

The Warriors couldn't hold on to the momentum they captured @ the end of regulation as they lost by 3 to the Blue Jays. Sean Phifer's long rebound and desperation three pt. try rattled around but wouldn't go down as the clock hit :00.
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Overtime

On a big shot by Sean Phifer with .14 left, the Warriors force overtime. AHS v. PORTA and 4 minutes. Here we go!
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Cheer ICCA State

I Just watched our competitive cheer squad perform @ the PCCC in the small varsity division @ the ICCA State Finals. They did an awesome job. The routine looked flawless to the untrained eye of this baseball coach/biased principal. I have seen several other schools this AM, and I think we stack-up real well against them all! We will find out around 4pm today. We also have a stunt group still to perform @ 12:30. Good luck to Hillary, Holly, Lexie, Chloe and Kenzie. See you all at the game tonight! AHS vs. PORTA. Pasta dinner before the game.
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Heading home after a lot of hiking.
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Mark, the bus driver, watching from way above.
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Trueblood and The Crew

On a frozen waterfall!
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A Walk in the Canyon.

Long way down.
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Update

We are on the move to another Park. It is just a mile from Starved Rock. We have hiked and hour+ and eaten lunch. This new trail was a lot of fun last year. Let's hope this year is just as fun. Scroll down for a few pictures of the morning.
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The Biology Club @ Starved Rock.
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Another great morning @ Starved Rock State Park with the AHS Biology Club.
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Appreciation

This week is National School Counselor Week. A week designed to spotlight the work of school counselors everywhere. School counselors are responsible for many duties each day. These duties change from day to day and hour to hour. They deal with the social aspect of high school. They often oversee testing and schedule changes. They provide information to students and parents concerning post-secondary education, training, and careers. There are days where they may tackle 15 to-dos and then there are days where one or two student issues may take all day. Being a school counselor is a very time intensive profession. 7a-4p is not enough time to do what is required. All high school counselors I have ever known take work home. Carl Ryan was a counselor @ JHS when I was in school. He was a great guy who always made himself visible and available during the school day. He would answer questions, offer advice, and share stories. Judy and Margo @ Taylorville HS are two more outstanding counselors I have worked with. Each specialized in different areas and each did what was best for kids and the school. Our own Mrs. Benz is dedicated to our school and our students and their needs. Joann has a lot on her plate: 340 kids, their issues, their future plans, testing, tech issues, data gathering, college planning, assisting me and the list goes on. She handles each responsibility like a caring and knowledgeable professional. So, I say "Thank you" to Mrs. Benz and all the other school counselors out there for all of their efforts with our kids!
Have a great day.
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A Friday Night W

Sitting @ Lutheran HS enjoying a soon to be AHS win. Great crowd followed the Warriors. Goat, Liz, the Brazilian, Becca, Kelsey and Sarah are all here cheering on the Warriors. Mitch is playing great on his birthday. Remember our Lady Warriors have SENIOR NIGHT tomorrow @ 7pm.
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We're Back!

Well, school is open and running as normal as can be expected after a 3 day lay-off in the middle of the week. Many students commented on "finally" being back. There is a bit of socialization-withdraw that takes place when routines with specific people (friends and classmates) are interrupted without warning. I am sure that a 1 day fix prior to the weekend will cure any ill effects they were feeling. My offer to use Saturday to get caught up wasn't well received :) Have a great weekend. PS: Latest forecasts have anywhere from 2-5 inches of snow headed our way Sun-Tues. Central Illinois weather - give 5 minutes and it will change!
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Mr. Jamerson Continues to Enhance the Athletic Department

Mr. Jamerson made use of a little down time to create an AHS Athletics Blog. Check out the link on the Principal's Page or the HS homepage. You will find up to the minute schedule changes and other useful posts. You can also follow game updates on Twitter and Facebook. Mr. Jamerson has added technology to his many roles at AHS. I hope you all take advantage of this new outlet for AHS sports information. Thanks Mr. J.
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Wednesday 2/2 No School

Due to the worsening weather conditions, there will be no school on Wednesday 2/2 in the Athens 213 district. Having just come in from outside, I hope you all stay safe and as comfortable as possible over the next several hours.
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SNOW DAY

This morning it didn't look like the blizzard was coming. As of now, it is about noon and the snow has been falling about 3 hours and the wind has picked-up. I hope that all of you are making the most of your snow day (provided you didn't have to work). We are trying to make the most of it. We made a real breakfast for once @ our house. Now, we are finally taking time to help Emma with a few of those "crafty" time-consuming Christmas gifts that she received pleny of. Painting pottery bowls is the current activity. We will probably move on to finishing the latch-hook pot-holder later :) The rest of the day will be spent on family movies, PlayStation 3 throw-downs and college basketball on TV. Stay tuned for any info about school tomorrow. Have a great day!
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