“I was extremely surprised,” Settlage said. “When my name was called I couldn’t believe it. To win something like Churchill’s Got Talent is one of the biggest honors I have ever experienced.” 

Settlage began singing as a kid and participates in Showstoppers and Blast.

Ong spent this past summer at NIH as an intern where she worked on the development of blue cone bipolar cells and the retina.

“[The purpose] is so later [in time], we can develop stem cell treatments for individuals with macular degeneration,” Ong said. “Macular degeneration is currently the leading cause of blindness in adults over the age of 55.”

Many teams experienced much success in their seasons and tournaments last year, and triumph in upcoming seasons is anticipated. The tennis team went undefeated last fall, and other teams, such as Cheerleading, placed spectacularly well in their tournaments.

“The biggest accomplishment of our 2009-2010 cheerleading season was that we did really well in our competition,” sophomore Leslie Blalock said. “We came in second and after working super hard for months, it was a relief to know that it paid off.”

The most important part of all sports team is leadership, and at CHS, the seniors are role models and leaders for their teammates. Both on and off the field, senior athletes support their peers and help them progress. This year though, last years’ seniors are gone, leaving a big gap in the teams they were on.

“[The seniors] were the glue that held the team together,” sophomore field hockey player Jennifer Shim said.

Athletes are looking forward to the upcoming season, hopeful that new players will add to the talent that already exists on every CHS team. They are also excited to meet the players coming from middle school.

“This year we are starting workouts prior to summer training, so we’ll have a big advantage going into the season,” sophomore soccer player Crispin Muessle said. “We [also] have a good class coming up.”

Most CHS athletes would agree that one of the best parts of being on a team is meeting new people and spending time with teammates. For many people, playing a sport is not just about winning; it’s also about making friends and having fun.

“I like [being on the team] because golf is considered such an individual sport and having a team to share it with makes it even more fun,” senior Sonia Gaur said.

Six CHS bands got to showcase their talent in front of the surrounding community. The Diesels Pigeons, a pop-punk group consisting of sophomore Zac Vogel and Class of 2009 alumni Evan Vogel, Jonah Weinreich and Eric Taft, left with the victory.

Ever Since Beginnings, Noise, Sheeza Commando, Hot Broccoli and Churchill’s Got Talent winner J.A.W.A.N.J.A all had their turn on the stage. Their genres ranged from pop-punk to jazz and every type of rock in between.

“Our class officers had shown some interest in doing a school event so Scott Selman, our SGA advisor, figured out that we could be in charge of Battle of the Bands this year,” freshman vice president Hana Quirós said.

Battle of the Bands was a solution to help funding for the class of 2013.

“My idea was to create an event that could kick-start the fundraising for the [freshmen] class early,” Selman said.

Auditions were held by the freshmen SGA officers and Executive Board members April 20 and 21. Bands were primarily judged on preparedness, talent and stage presence.

The Diesel Pigeons performed at After-Prom and received a recording studio microphone package donated from Guitar Center as their prize.

After the past two years’ turnout, Battle of the Bands will probably become a CHS tradition once again. While it is a way to help support the freshmen class, Vogel also cites Battle of the Bands as a valuable opportunity for local bands.

“I really hope that events like this will encourage CHS students to respect and support local music,” Vogel said. “I’ve seen kids who appreciate it in other areas, but the support is nowhere to be found here.”

Junior Nikki Fraser is a talented vocalist and musician who posts videos of herself performing in order to further her chances of being discovered musically. Her covers of “Breathe” by Taylor Swift and Colbie Caillat and “Lucky” by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat are her most popular videos.

According to Fraser, one of the best aspects of maintaining a YouTube account is the constructive criticism she receives from her viewers.

“Although most of the comments I get are just compliments, I’ve gotten plenty from people who suggest I change certain things about what or how I sing or play the songs, which have been really helpful,” Fraser said. “Many people leave comments about a certain genre being good or bad for my voice, the instrument overpowering my singing and other helpful ideas.”

Junior Leo Wang, lead singer of the band Ever Since Beginnings, posts videos of their songs to increase the band’s popularity. He also posts amusing blog videos also known as “vlogs,” to keep fans up to date on the band’s inner workings.
“I have a YouTube account so I can promote my band,” Wang said. “When we post funny YouTube videos and videos of us playing, people watch them and enjoy them and follow up by checking out our MySpace and start liking our music.”

According to Wang, YouTube gives everyone a chance to shine.

“It is very useful for someone like me who is in a band and trying to make it because there are all these different kinds of ways to get our music out there and just promote our band,” Wang said. “All these frequently viewed websites and their features help aspiring musicians a lot so it is much appreciated.”

Sophomore Zac Vogel is part of the widely-known CHS band Diesel Pigeons.

According to Vogel, YouTube is a fun and creative way for him to communicate with his fans.

“We gain that access to fans to say what we’ve been working on in the studio, or what we’ve been digging recently, just basically anything we want to say, we have that window,” Vogel said.

YouTube is more than a website with the explicit songs your mom will not let you buy; it has become a place of opportunity for CHS students.