Daisy Zinz, Dylan Evans, Jenna Canale, Hunter Roosa, Claire Dillner, Kendrick Campbell
Jeremy Brown / The Portager

FAIR WEEK HIGHLIGHT

By: Abi Lenze

This year, the Randolph Fair ran from August 25th to the 30th. Many people recognize the fair for its food, rides, entertainment, and late nights with your friends as the summer comes to a close. However, the fair has other aspects that are often overlooked.
From early spring to late August, teens and their families work tirelessly to train and care for animals to be shown and sold at the fair. Senior Dylan Evans worked as Junior Fairboard President this season, assisting with setup for anything transported onto the fairgrounds. Evans won first-in-class for his turkey, and Jenna Canale won two third-in-class awards for hers.

This was not Canales’ only win this year. She also participates in the ‘life skills’ part of 4-H. This includes projects like sewing, baking, art, and archery. She showed a blue, halter-neck prom dress and a set of cheetah-print pajamas for the sewing skill, winning awards at both the county and state levels. Among these awards are the “Most Outstanding Sewing Project” in Portage County, two clock trophies at the Ohio State fair, and an invitation to the National 4-H Congress in Georgia this November. “I will have to fly in a plane and stay in a hotel for a week all by myself for this, so I am very excited,” Canale shared when asked about the experience.
Another significant win for the Southeast 4-H community is that four of our students were selected for the fair court. “The interview process starts in July,” Fair Queen Daisy Zinz said during her interview. “We are asked about our personal values before moving on to a speed round of questions about the fair.” Zinz shared that the top three girls and the top three boys are put on the court. Zinz, Canale, and alumni Claire Dillner took all three spots for the girls’ court. Evans and Kendrick Campbell took two of the spots on the boys’ court, with Campbell winning Fair King. When asked about winning the fair queen, Zinz said she wasn’t really sure how she won- but it is clear from her honesty and openness that she deserved that spot.
The fair is more than awards and trophies. “I had no big wins besides fair queen, but I participate because of my love for 4H,” Zinz said, and she’s not alone in that. When asked about his favorite memory, Evans explained that ushering for and watching the rough truck was more exciting than he expected. Canale spoke of a 4H-sponsored trip to Washington, D.C., where she met other 4H kids and made new friends.
Each student interviewed had one thing in common: a love for the fair, regardless of whether they won or not. Despite all the amazing achievements, each of them shared a memory with friends and helped their community, which truly shows where their hearts are. What an amazing season! Congratulations to all our winners!

GETTING INVOLVED

By: Cali McPeak

Getting involved with sports and clubs at school, you can unlock a world of opportunities to develop new skills, build lasting friendships, and create unforgettable experiences that will shape your life inside and outside of the classroom.
Personal Growth:
Getting involved teaches you teamwork, communication, and discipline. Working together toward a common goal fosters collaboration and mutual respect. Participating in sports and clubs can help kids develop a sense of accomplishment and pride in their abilities. Many sports and clubs require strategic thinking, analysis, and creative problem solving.
Social Benefits:
Joining sports and clubs provides opportunities to meet open minded people and form lasting friendships. Interacting with diverse personalities, backgrounds, and perspectives promotes empathy and broadens kids’ understanding of the world around them. Many sports and clubs participate in community service, teaching kids the value of giving back and making a positive impact.
Academic Benefits:
Balancing sports, clubs, and academics help kids develop essential time management and organizational skills. Participating in sport and clubs requires dedication, discipline, and focus which can translate to improve academic performance. Sports and clubs can increase chances of college admission and scholarship awards.
At Southeast we have over 40 extracurricular activities! It’s never too late to get involved. Join a sport or a club!

FRESHMAN POINTERS

By: Ava Lenze

Heading into your freshman year of high school can be new and exciting, but it can also bring new fears. One might wonder how to fit in, where to sit at lunch, and ways to make the most of your high school years. You are going to make mistakes and try things you don’t like, and in doing so, you will learn and find things you do enjoy. School is what you make it: the things you choose to be involved in and people you surround yourself with. As someone who has been where you are, these are some things to remember:
You aren’t too cool for anything; try new things and see what you enjoy, even if it’s something you would’ve never tried before.
Be aware that the people around you define who you are. Pick people who have your best interest at heart and want you to do well in life.
There is more to life than gossip; focus less on what other people are doing and more on yourself. Remember that everything you say will get back to that person, if you wouldn’t say it to their face don’t say it at all.
Branch out, talk to new people, and make new friends. You don’t know what someone is like if you’ve never said a word to them.
Participate in activities, go to the football games, and be a part of the student sections. Go to the volleyball games and support your friends. Participate in Pep Rallies, yell the chants and clap along. Remember that you are only in high school once so enjoy it while you can.
Finding a balance between school, sports, friends, and your personal life will help you in so many ways.
There is always someone to help you if you need it. Don’t be afraid to ask.
Staying caught up will make your days less stressful. Turn your assignments in on time so that you don’t fall behind.
Take the extra 30 minutes to study for that quiz. Knowing something will be better than staring at a test that appears to be in a different language.
Don’t skip school, you miss out and fall behind. Trust me, the worry of doing double the work in one day isn’t fun.

GIRLS GOLF

 By Kristen Dillon

The Southeast Girls Golf Team has had an extremely strong start to their season! The team is led by Cindy Fesemeyer. There are 10 girls on the team, led by 3 seniors. The team plays their home matches at the Olde Dutch Mill Golf Course in Lake Milton. Their regular season record is undefeated, as they have played in 15 matches this season. They have also participated in 3 invitationals, which they have seen a lot of success in! They play with a strong gap between the other teams in the MVAC. The team is playing well. Wednesday September 10th, the girls had their senior night, and it went successfully. The Varsity golf team consists of:  Aubree Varga (Senior), Jessica Mix (Senior), Layna Tittle (Senior), Jennifer Mix (Sophomore), Samantha Morgan (Sophomore, pictured right), Kristen Dillon (Sophomore), & Emily Morrison (Freshman). Other strong assets for the team’s coming years are Makenna Keefe, Bailey Adamski, & Paytan Pritchett. 

BOYS GOLF

By Bradley Dillon

The Southeast Pirates’ Boys’ Golf team started off with a bang as they broke records and won matches. Coach Mike Jenior has a good group of kids, and in his words, “…the most kids he has ever seen come to golf”. The golf team started off with a line up of James Morgan, Cole Bruno, Alex Peelish, Owen Dombroski, Ethan Shodd and Shade Stevens. They’ve made some recent changes by putting Logan Blankenship at the fourth and Owen Dombrowski at the sixth.

Mike has been coaching the golf team for seven years and has shown the kids various things to improve their scores. The team has three seniors, five juniors, one sophomore and three freshmen. The star on the team is James Morgan and he has shot his and our schools best score of 29. The boys also got our schools new record with a combined score of 141. Their current record is seven wins and two  loses and they have to win out and compete for the conference championship. In our interview with James Morgan he said that, “…the funniest on the team was Garret”. He also said that they have to play better if they want to keep competing for the league championship.”  The boys JV golf team had their first match in fifteen years and they are currently undefeated.

VOLLEYBALL

By Jocelyn Nowak

Although the season started off with a rocky start, the Lady Pirates Volleyball team has been working hard to improve. So far, they have won three games, against Champion, Brookfield, and Liberty. They are led by captains Savannah Bailey (Senior), Leila Evans (Junior), and Neena Truex (Junior). Evans leads in kills, overall hitting percentage, blocks, and digs. Truex leads in assists. Bailey leads in serves and receives. Bailey is their only senior this season; however, there are plenty of underclassmen who have hope for the following years. Coach Tarka admires their collaboration, the hard work they put in at practice, and is proud of how they play in a high-level league. JV coach Sharil Shamblin and freshman coach Erin Jackson agree with her. Bailey says she is most proud of “the leadership on the team this year”. Elizabeth Dills (Freshman)  is looking forward to “new teammates to help out with”  next season. Come out and support the volleyball team at their next home game Tuesday, September 16th at 5:30.

TENNIS

By Emma Wood

Tennis, generally speaking, does not get a good reputation. “Tennis is just hitting the ball with a racket; it is much easier than most other high school sports and thus shouldn’t be taken as seriously”. This is something that is in most people’s minds, thinking that tennis is an easy, noble sport. This, however, is a very big misconception. Tennis requires fitness, precision, endurance, agility, and flexibility. Instead of having a team to back you up, when you are on the court you battle with your opponent for points (there are no referees), and you have to defend yourself and play your best. You don’t have others to pick up your slack. You run from one side of the court to the other for hours, play over 12 games one day, and repeat it all again the next. Tennis is by no means an easy sport. 

At Southeast, for years, it was well known that Tennis was not at all the best sport at the school due to this difficulty. However, last year was a historical high for the team, and this year… these girls just might beat that. 

The girls leading this year’s team are Makayla Flores and Holley Reynolds. Both are seniors, and are doing exceptionally well as Captains.                                                               

When asked what their favorite moments during their season were, Holley responded saying that, “Earning the title as captain, teaming up [and screaming at the top of their lungs], and goofy practices,” were their favorite.

Captain Makayla Flores urges, “…anyone interested in Tennis, 100% do it. I was never the athletic type, nor was I interested in any sports, but when I tried out tennis, I was blessed to have such a nice, welcoming, and caring team, who weren’t judgemental at all. Joining tennis helped me out of my comfort zone, and helped me realize that there was always a sport meant for me. I hope that our tennis team grows, and achieves many, great, wonderful awards in the future.”

ENTERTAINMENT

By Alexis Crum

Entertainment here at Southeast High School is quite popular among our students. One of our largest entertainment sectors is our chorale department. We’ve recently reached an outstanding number of 50 students within both our concert choir and swing choir! Many high school students believe that choir is a female-dominated experience when, in fact, males are just as necessary. The male voice is the foundation of any choir. Choir can also look good on your college resume! Their first concert is scheduled for Veterans Day, the 11th, where both the choir and band will be performing.

What many people don’t realize is that we have three varieties of band at different times of the year: jazz, concert, and marching band. Our marching band is by far the most popular, and is most commonly seen performing at football games.. This includes our majorettes and danceline. To be in the band, you have to be ready to get out of your comfort zone! Band has a place for everyone, whether that be percussion or wind, they’re all important.

And lastly, the most expressive of them all, our drama club. Whether that be the cast itself or becoming part of our crew, the drama club could always use extra hands for lights, sound, backstage, or even props. However, if you are perhaps interested in becoming a part of our cast, we would gladly invite you with open arms! 

STUDENT & TEACHER SPOTLIGHT

By Caden Dillon & Tyler Shaw

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Senior Maverick Wood is a two sport athlete playing football and lacrosse. He’s a captain of the football team, and shows great leadership skills on and off the field. In school he tries to work hard, pay attention, be respectful and punctual. He aims to set a good example for all of his peers. His goal this year is to lead by example. For Wood, being a senior feels very different from all of the other years in his life but he is quoted saying, “ It’s a good relief knowing it’s my last year.” Wood’s favorite class this year is Mrs. Kiskadden’s history class. One thing he wants to accomplish is getting good grades all year. Maverick is excited for his senior year and hopes everyone has a great  year at Southeast. 

TEACHER SPOTLIGHT

Kirk Marsh is an alumni of Southeast. He is a beloved history teacher and is trying to help the future leaders of America learn. He has been teaching for ten years, and he hopes to have a positive influence on the students. Some tricks he uses to help the kids learn are by using humor and making jokes in his material so class is more enjoyable and you remember what he’s teaching easier. The thing Marsh loves the most about teaching is dealing with the students and preparing them for the future. He knows that one day they’ll be in the real world having to deal with bigger problems, and he wants them to be prepared. If Marsh was to teach any other subject, it would be Phys Ed so he could play basketball all day. Marsh hopes everyone has an exciting and fun school year. 

RECOGNIZING SHS SUCCESS

 By Izzy Goodnite

In the halls of Southeast Highschool, the sounds echo of quick feet dribbling in the gym and cheers of Friday Night Football games. It’s not only at Southeast Highschool that Football and Basketball are so popular, but in high schools across America. It most likely derives from the sizable audience of the two sports not only in Highschool, but in the NFL and NBA. What people don’t seem to think about or even realize is that the exaggeration of these two sports takes away from all the other sports that are excelling as well.

At Southeast Highschool there are quite a few sports that we are excelling in for boys. Our Boys Golf team, led by James Morgan, has been remarkable and truly exceeded all expectations. Senior, James Morgan, has even broken his own record that he had set earlier this year by two-strokes. We had many successful victories scored by the Southeast Wrestling team as well. Now Senior on the wrestling team, Dominic Kemble, has an outstanding record of 47-16. Kemble, in his junior year, achieved his 100th wrestling career win at the District tournament and paved his way to states for the 2nd time. Our Pirate family could help benefit the boys golf and wrestling team by showing up and bringing more support for these successes in our community.  

For the female athletics at Southeast; Golf, Track, and Cross Country have been achieving amazing results one after the other. Samantha Morgan, sophomore, has shown incredible dedication, skill, and consistent performance this season that has been a huge part of the Lady Pirates success. The Southeast girls golf team in the 2024-2025 season all qualified and got 5th in the state. These girls have shown a steady improvement over the past two seasons. The girls track team has showcased consistent athleticism and competitive spirit throughout the 2024-2025 season. In this past track season, in both sprint and distance events, several of our girls qualified for regional competitions. Julia Wheeler is not only an excellent addition to the girls track team, but also girls cross country. Julia placed 28th at the state cross country meet her sophomore year just to come back her junior year and take 8th place. What an incredible display of athleticism and dedication she has shown throughout the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 seasons. Our female athletes at Southeast High School need to be championed as well. 

It’s not that boys basketball and football aren’t worth the attention and enthusiasm they receive. Both sports display hard work, dedication, teamwork, and athleticism. However, putting our main focus on these two sports can lead to a lack of funding, resources, and even fan support for other sports’ programs that are just as deserving of it. Our male athletics has gained new athletes that excel in their sports every year. Our girls’ sports often display incredible talent and dedication, yet they struggle to attract the same attention as their male counterparts. It’s important to look and support the bigger picture; we can all help level the playing field to ensure that all of our athletes here at Southeast High School have a chance to shine in their own way. 

MEET OUR CREW

Writers:

Abi Lenze, Ava Lenze, Cali McPeak, Alexis Crum, Emma Wood, Jocelyn Nowak, Izzy Goodnite, Kristen Dillon, Bradley Dillon, Caden Dillon, Tyler Shaw, Garret Davis

Photographers:

Kristen Dillon, Alaunté Massrock

Editors:

Leila Evans, Mrs. Dillon