On January 26th, students had a half day, but teachers had to stay a full day for a work day. Dr. Wright, principal, as well as Mr. Sylvester, counselor, came together to make that day more enjoyable for the teachers. The 2017-2018 school year theme is “Unity” and they wanted to make our school more united as a whole, which included staff. To create this sense of unity, they hosted a Chili Cook Off. This was a new idea and will now happen annually during the winter season. Mrs. Wessel, an attendee said, “I really enjoyed how many teachers were involved and I look forward to more staff and teachers participating next year.” The cook off was a competition among a number of teachers. Prizes were given to the top three winners. Mr. Sylvester said, “The cook off was so fun and I am looking forward to it in the future as well.”
Each of the chilis had a cup in front of the crockpots for teachers to place their ballots. There were 12 different kinds of chilis, including the variety of homestyle chili, spicy chili, and white chicken chili. The first place winner was Ms. Rahm, counselor, who won a plaque created by Mr. Hofer. The plaque is going to have her name engraved into it and will be passed onto the future winner. Mr. Champney, English electives teacher, placed second, winning a Riverbend hat. Mrs. Wessel, who placed third, winning an item out of the school store.
Rahm said, “This is the second time I have won the chili cook off with the same recipe.” She had made a white chicken chili and the faculty really enjoyed it. Teachers and administration also brought toppings and desserts, such as cheesecake, veggie trays, cheese and crackers, and chips.