The Big News

The theatre department’s upcoming show!

Destiny-Faith White, Staff Writer

Newsies the Musical is based on the 1992 film Newsies which was inspired by the Newsboy Strike of 1899. Jack Kelly, a rebellious newsboy who wants nothing more than to move to Santa Fe to pursue his dream as an artist, makes a living by selling newspapers out on the streets of New York with his fellow newsboys. But when Joeseph Pulitzer suddenly raises newspaper prices at the newsies expense, Jack decides to do something about it. With help from reporter Katherine Plumber, Jack and the rest of the newsies band together to form a union and organize a strike against Pulitzer.

The cast is HUGE with over 100 people participating to make this show happen.

Here’s a list of the lead Newsies:

Jack Kelly: Reid Bradberry

Katherine Plummer: Lily West

Joseph Pulitzer: Domenico Brunetti

Davey Jacobs: Graham Waldrop

Crutchie: Luke McGill

Les Jacobs: Aiden Wisener & Lawson

Schulte

Medda Larkin: Holli Rowan

Race: Slade Turbyfield

Finch: Kaden Glimpse

Albert: Alex Renteria

Romeo: Colter Drake

Henry: Jameson Inscho

Mush: Logan Kee

Buttons: Reggie Warren

Elmer: Ava Fales

Specs: London Philippo

Jo Jo: Bailee Henderson

Tommy Boy: Marcos Tejada Tizoc

Splasher: Leah Hunt

Mike: Caden Fales

Ike: Lily Abbott

Spot Conlon: Nolan Smith

Knuckles (Scab 1): Brandon Pipes

Pepper (Scab 2): Rees Sheffield

Gum Gum (Scab 3): Jay Lee

Criss-Cross: George Larker

Scrub: Abby Ashwander

Swish: Lauren Cherry

Ducky: Ariel Jacobs

Chicklet: Lincoln Crowe

Pickles: Thatcher Inscho

Racket: Graham Wright

Curly: Cameron Caffey

Wiesel/Theodore Rossevelt: Braxton White

Oscar Delancey: Preston Gray

Morris Delancey: Ben Washburn

Snyder: Braxton Floyd

Seitz: Carrie Betts

Bunsen: Audrey Nicholas

Hannah: Lauren Chapin

Mr. Jacobi: Jonah Browning

Nunzio/Mayor: Julian Skinner

Billie Hurst: Ashkin Schulte:

Darcy: Kaleigh Green

A Hallway of History

Honoring the past, present, and future

Ruby Hudson, Staff Writer

You probably see the photo boards lining the guidance hallway everyday as you walk to class. These boards were put up near the end of 2021 and they depict the different stages of student life at Cullman High School since its beginning in 1908. Mr. Sparks, a Cullman High School graduate and former history teacher, believes that we should honor the history of our school and learn from those who came before us. The students of Cullman High School when it was first established were completely different from the students at this school today. They had to not only put in hard work to earn their diploma, but many had to travel to school daily by train or horse and buggy, live in army tents around campus, or move in with strangers. These boards were made by Mr. Sparks out of respect for the students who made Cullman High School what it is today.

Almost all the photos seen can be found in a CHS yearbook, and some were shared by the Cullman County Museum. Nearly all of the yearbooks published since the school’s establishment are accounted for, including the first school yearbook published in 1913. If you look through the yearbooks of the past years, there are so many interesting pictures from which you can discover unique aspects about the school. No matter how different the students from past yearbooks may seem from current students, we all have one thing in common: we attended Cullman High School. Because of this connection to the students of the past, Mr. Sparks began researching the school’s history and trying to find how to share it with others.

Being 115 years old, the rich history of our school could not easily be contained in a summary. However, for nearly two years, Mr. Sparks researched and read everything he could about the school to learn how to best communicate the aspects of Cullman High School that make it special. His summary changed several times as new facts were discovered. His efforts led to the creation of a separate board with a summary and unique facts about Cullman High School, which he believes accurately portrays the history of our school from its beginning in 1908.

When they were first put up, all who saw them were fascinated by the never-before-seen pictures of the past and were overjoyed when they were able to find a photo of a parent or of themselves. Now that they have been up for about a year, students do not have as strong reactions to them, but according to Mr. Sparks, when former students, teachers, or other guests visit campus, the response is overwhelming. For those who no longer attend

Cullman High School, these boards are a way for them to remember their friends and their “glory days” and to begin reminiscing about their years at Cullman High School.

Most recently, a smaller plaque commemorating our newspaper, The Hilight was added to the collection of boards along the hall. It is found by the elevator facing the foyer in the main building. Since its first edition in 1936, The Hilight has been documenting student life, activities, changes, local, and national news. On the Cullman High School website if you click “Extracurriculars,” “Mass media,” then “Hilight,” you can find digital copies of The Hilight newspaper dating back to 2017, but newspapers dating back to as late as 1936 are stored in The Hilight room. These papers, while very fragile and yellowing, give a glimpse into what the life of a Cullman High School student would have been like during that time. Without the work of Miss Nora Sapp and Mr. W.T. Wilkis, the first two faculty sponsors, and Editor-in-Chief

Edsel Monroe, Associate Editor Carolyn Graham, Sports Editor

R.B. SIlvey, Business Editor

Marigene Wilhite, Advertising Manager Dwight Fuller, and Production Manager Jo Keyes, the first six staff writers, The Hilight could not have been what it is today. These people, who sometimes stayed up until 2am to make sure the newspaper would be available to students the next day painstakingly typed each page, drew each illustration by hand, and printed every copy on a mimeograph machine. A mimeograph machine makes copies of something by forcing ink through a stencil onto paper. Mr. Sparks felt that their hard work deserved to be paid homage as well, so he created a plaque to honor The Hilight and those who made it what it is today.

In the future, Mr. Sparks hopes that CHS tradition will continue to be documented and honored. Aside from the first board that spans the years 1908-1941, the boards are designed to represent student life in increments of 20 years, so the next board will be put up in 2040 and will cover the years from 2021 to 2040. At this point, many of us will be living separate lives, but we must remember that we all went to Cullman High School at one point and that we are a part of the rich history and tradition that makes this beautiful school what it is.

Kickin’ it

An update on girls’ soccer Elley Atchison, Junior Editor

The girls’ soccer season has been successful thus far on the field and off the field. Through challenging and fun games, the players have grown as a team. Cullman girls’ soccer looks forward to the rest of the season, hoping to further expand their friendships with each other and their work on the field.

Kicking Into High Gear

A closer look at the boys’ soccer season

Juan Fuentes, Staff Writer

Cullman boys’ soccer recently started their season under their new coach, Will Drake. The season has been off to a rocky start but as of late, they have been seeing some improvement.

The current record for the varsity stands as 1-3-1 (W-L-D) and 2-0 for area games. They won their first Area game against Hartselle 5-3 on penalties and went on to beat Decatur 2-0 in another area game. The scheduled home games for the Varsity team goes: Decatur on March 9, Athens on March 14, Chelsea on March 20, Mortimer Jordan on March 23, and Sparkman on April 6, and Oneonta on April 20. When asked about the boy’s season so far, Coach Drake said that his current focus on area games and in that regard, the boy’s have been successful. We wish them luck going into the rest of their season.