Voting has now opened for January CGS Faculty Member of the Month! Voting will be open NOW until January 24th at 3 pm. **Please note the extended deadline due to our Snow Days!**
Access the voting form below or on the Chester139 Website! https://forms.gle/4Gg7EEZRnHKT9BtJ9
Stay tuned for the announcement of our December CGS Faculty Member of the Month recipient!
Chester 139 Community:
CGS hopes that our students are enjoying their extended break while staying warm and safe! We eagerly anticipate their return! Last week would have marked the beginning of a new session of "Throwback Thursdays" and "Fun Fact Fridays" for CGS students and teachers. Although we couldn't kick off the festivities as usual, we wanted to give students and their families a chance to join in on the fun! We invited CGS staff members to share a "fun fact" about their younger selves from their grade school days. From these submissions, we randomly selected 5 entries and created a quiz featuring them. These 5 entries have automatically entered their class for a chance to win this month's Throwback Thursday pizza party! Below are the quiz link and the criteria for participating in "Throwback Friday!" Have fun, and we look forward to seeing everyone soon! ✌️😎
🔸Families must provide an email address and the name of a CGS student for their quiz response to be valid.
🔸To win, all five questions must be answered correctly.
🔸Correct answer participants will be placed into a drawing, and a winner will be chosen. The winning student's class/homeroom will receive cookies and a gift basket, which includes a $25 Target gift card for their teacher.
🔸The family member who entered the winning student will receive some Yellow Jacket Swag.
🔸The winner and their class/homeroom will be announced next week during morning announcements.
🔸"Throwback Friday" quizzes must be submitted by tomorrow evening (Sunday, January 12th)
QUIZ LINK >>> https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScLPcxHGKxidT7oKS-LiZt5TFpY0XCf6cBUP-iJpAbAbtEkkQ/viewform?usp=sharing
Open gym for 7th and 8th grade students is happening today from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM.
CHS SAFETY NOTIFICATION:
For safety reasons, we kindly ask that individuals refrain from sledding on the football field.
However, if you’re looking for a great spot, the hill by the track is available and safe for sledding.
CGS, CHS & the District Office would like to thank our hard working maintenance and custodian workers for working so hard this week cleaning the sidewalks and parking lots despite the continued battle with the elements.
There will be NO Professional Development Day. Stay safe.
There will be NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS tomorrow. Friday, January 10, will be a Professional Development Day for staff only.
CGS & CHS ATHLETICS CANCELATION, THURSDAY 1/9/25:
There will be no athletic practices or home/away games for Thursday Jan 9th.
The adjusted schedule bracket for the CHS Lady Jackets Midwinter Classic is attached.
Due to severe winter weather, Chester CUSD 139 will be closed on Thursday, January 9, 2025. This will be a traditional snow day, not an e-Learning Day. Please be safe.
CGS & CHS ATHLETICS CANCELATION, WEDNESDAY 1/8/25: There will be no athletic practices or home/away games for Wednesday Jan 8th. The adjusted schedule bracket for the CHS Lady Jackets Midwinter Classic is attached.
Due to severe winter weather, Chester CUSD 139 will be closed on Wednesday, January 8, 2025. This will be a traditional snow day, not an e-Learning Day. Please be safe.
CGS & CHS ATHLETICS CANCELATION, TUESDAY 1/7/25:
There will be no athletic practices or home/away games for Tuesday Jan 7th. Stay posted for the adjusted schedule bracket for the CHS Lady Jackets Midwinter Classic.
Due to severe winter weather, Chester CUSD 139 will be closed on Tuesday, January 7, 2025. This will be a traditional snow day, not an e-Learning Day. Please be safe.
CGS & CHS ATHLETICS CANCELATION, MONDAY 1/6/25:
There will be no athletic practices or home/away games for Monday Jan 6th.
The adjusted schedule bracket for the CHS Lady Jackets Midwinter Classic is attached. Our tournament games scheduled for today are moved to Wednesday 1/8/25.
Due to severe winter weather, Chester CUSD 139 will be closed on Monday, January 6, 2025. This day was scheduled as a professional development day for teachers, with no students in attendance. Students will resume classes on Tuesday, January 7, 2025. Please continue to monitor updates for any potential changes or cancellations as the weather progresses.
CHS: NEW PROFESSOR SHARP CAFETERIA EXTERIOR SIGNAGE
Chester High School just had exterior signage installed identifying our Professor Sharp Cafeteria. Professor Sharp, CHS 1954 alum, continues to support our students and staff. This project started more than two years ago, with a goal focused on finding a way to honor Professor Sharp in a big way. The naming of the cafeteria was never fully identified and did not have proper insignia. Our hope being that the Chester community and those that are visiting will connect not only that the space is identified as the Professor Sharp Cafeteria, but also why. Recently Professor Sharp donated a bronze plaque to help the community better understand the man that has accomplished so much and given back to the community he came from. We appreciate the role model he is for our students as well as his generosity to our facility and community.
The final picture is renderings of what the soon to be completely renovated Sharp Media Center will look like. We are in phase two of this 3 phase project. Starting early this year, construction crews will be taking over the area and completing phase two which will leave only the furniture and technology upgrades to go. Keep posted for future update so exciting changes at CHS!
CHS: NEW EXTERIOR SIGNAGE
Chester High School just had our new exterior signage installed, clearly identifying our school spirit and community identity. We are dedicated to fostering a culture that inspires all students, staff, and community members to engage fully and confidently support our mission. Our high school boasts one of the most stunning buildings, showcasing remarkable architecture. We aim to enhance this beautiful space further while celebrating its unique design and features.
The CGS lost and found has grown significantly since the start of the year. We have displayed the accumulated items in our main lobby, and we encourage you to check if your child is missing anything. These tables will remain set up until the end of next week. Students can investigate during school hours, while parents and guardians are invited to come after school to search through the items. Our office will be open today, January 3rd and on Monday, January 6th (weather permitting) until 4 PM. Our staff is dedicated to returning items to their rightful owners whenever they can identify them, but unfortunately, this is not possible for most items. We also urge students to check the lost and found weekly in case they are missing something. We aim to return all lost items, but please note that if items remain unclaimed by the end of the year, they will be repurposed due to limited storage space. Thank you for understanding.
YellowJackets finish 13th at 2024 Duster Thomas Hoops Classic in Pinckneyville (4 of 4)
Chester goes 2-2 with wins over Trico and Salem and losses to Roxana and Steeleville
BY JIM BEERS
Monday December 30: Round 3 (Final Day)
Chester 55 - Salem 43
Chester (1-2) faced off against Salem (1-2) in the battle for 13 th Place Monday December 30. This was the final day of the 2024 Duster Thomas Hoops Classic Basketball Tournament in Pinckneyville. The YellowJackets had another good day against Salem to complete a 3-game winning streak and claim the 13 th Place finish in the tournament. The YellowJackets jumped out to an 18-4 lead in the first quarter. Evan Dunning was hot to kick off the first period. He drained a pair of 3-pointers and made 1-of-2 free throws to lead the Jackets with seven points. Devante Palacio stayed confident from Saturday and added five points on a 3-pointer and a two-point field goal. Kolton Jany added four points on a pair of field goals and TaShawn scored two points with a basket. Salem scored just four points, two from Ettress who made a basket and Avery Gullion who made 2-of-4 free throws. CHS buzzed out with a comfortable 12-point lead. In the second period, Salem answered by outscoring CHS, 12-9. Four players stepped up in this frame including Gullion (4), Bevold (3), Mix (3), and Ettress (2). Chester added nine points on Devante Palacio’s two field goals, Brenden Malley’s field goal and free throw, and Kolton Jany’s bucket. The Jackets maintained their lead by 11 points, 27-16 at the halftime break. After halftime, Chester returned to outscore Salem, 15-7. Kolton Jany made a pair of field goals, Devante Palacio hit a basket and made 1-of-2 free throws, Cayden Brunkhorst and Evan Dunning each popped 3-pointers, and TaShawn Palacio made a bucket. Avery Gullion led Salem with a trey and Bevold and Maxey each scored two points apiece on field goals. After three quarters, the YellowJackets led by 19 points, 42-23. Down the stretch in the 4 th quarter Salem woke up and outscored the Jackets, 20-13. Bevold was unstoppable, making three 3-pointers and a 2-point field goal for 11 points. Ettress and Mix each drained 3-pointers. Maxey scored on a field goal and Warren added a point on a free throw. Chester got offensive production from four players in the 4 th period. Devante Palacio led the way with six points on a pair of field goals and 2-for-2 free throw shooting. Cayden Brunkhorst drained a 3-pointer, and Kolton Jany and TaShawn Palacio each made field goals. In spite of Salem’s strong finish, the YellowJackets had enough insurance points stored to finish the game with a 12 point, 55-43 advantage. The Jackets used a three player double-digit showing to fuel their victory including Devante Palacio (18), Kolton Jany (12), and Evan Dunning (10). Other key contributors included Cayden Brunkhorst (6) and TaShawn Palacio (6), as well as Brenden Malley (3). Salem had one player score in double figures. Bevold scored 16 points, followed by Avery Gullion (9), Ettress (7), Mix (6), Maxey (4), and Warren (1). With the win, Chester ended the 4-game tournament with a 2-2 record and a 13 th Place finish. Salem ended with a 1-3 record, good enough for 14 th Place.
Monday December 30: Final Day Scores and Finishes
Championship Game: (8:30 p.m.) Benton 51 - Pinckneyville 50
3rd Place Game: (7 p.m.) Murphysboro 53 - Mound Meridian 50
5th Place Game: (5:30 p.m.) Carlyle 65 - Jerseyville 40
7th Place Game: (4 p.m.) Olney 60 - Roxana 38
Consolation Championship (9 th Place) Game: (1:30 p.m.) Okawville 56 - Woodlawn 46
11th Place Game: (12 Noon) Steeleville 59 -Mt. Carmel 40
13th Place Game: (10:30 a.m.) Chester 55 - Salem 43
15th Place Game (9 a.m.) Christopher won - Trico lost (scores not available)
Duster Thomas Hoops Classic Basketball Tournament FINAL PLACES
1st Benton 9 th Okawville (Consolation Champion)
2nd Pinckneyville 10 th Woodlawn
3rd Murphysboro 11 th Steeleville
4th Mounds Meridian 12 th Mt. Carmel
5th Carlyle 13 th Chester
6th Jerseyville 14 th Salem
7th Olney 15 th Christopher
8th Roxana 16 th Trico
Photo 1
Devante Palacio (5) was Chester's top scorer in the 2024 Duster Thomas Hoops Classic Basketball Tournament in Pinckneyville. In the 4-game event, Palacio scored in double figures in 2-of-the-4 games, 5 against Roxana, 16 against Steeleville, 8 against Trico, and 18 in the win over Salem for a total of 47 points. Jim Beers Photo
Photo 2
Kolton Jany (13), a Chester High School senior basketball player. was the YellowJacket's second highest scorer in the four games at the Duster Thomas Tournament in Pinckneyville. Jany scored 7 against Roxana, 7 against Steeleville, 11 against Trico, and 12 against Salem for a total of 37 points. Jim Beers Photo
