Teutopolis Junior High School was selected as the first ever winner of the IESA "Show Us Your Spirit" Award!
"Launched in Fall 2024, the "Show Us Your Spirit" campaign was created to celebrate the vibrant and passionate communities that make school sports so special. Schools from across the state were invited to submit photos and videos showcasing their spirit featuring the enthusiasm of fans, coaches, students, and players alike. This award was given to the school that truly embodies the values of sportsmanship, pride, and unity. It's more than just cheering. It's showing up, supporting one another, and creating a culture where everyone feels like part of the team. The winning school stands out for its energy, heart, and the powerful sense of community that shines both in the stands and on the playing field. Throughout the year, Teutopolis showcased what true school spirit is all about. With a standout year of athletic achievements, their fans, coaches, students, and entire community were there every step of the way, cheering, supporting, and standing proudly behind their teams."
Eighth grade students Lily Tegeler and Rose Brummer, along with Mr. Niemerg and Mr. Drees, attended the IESA Celebration of Excellence Ceremony in Bloomington yesterday to receive this award. Congratulations TJHS and the Teutopolis community!
Members of the TJHS Scholar Bowl team won their division of the Ben Theilen Memorial Tournament in Pleasant Plains on Saturday, April 26th. They went 7-0 in their pool. Congratulations TJHS Scholar Bowl!
Thank you THS Softball for coming to the junior high this morning for "High Five Friday!"
Best of luck to the softball team the rest of the season!
Each year Teutopolis Junior High 7th graders participate in the Americanism Essay Contest. This year the topic was "What is My Favorite National Monument or Memorial?" Josh Pruemer won 1st place with his essay about Devils Tower. Colt Belford was awarded 2nd place with his essay about Muir Woods, and Abby Quandt wrote about Jewel Cave for 3rd place.
Christina Ordner and other members of the Teutopolis American Legion Post 924 were in attendance for the awards ceremony. We appreciate their service and them taking the time to come to TJHS for this event.
TJHS would like to thank the guest speakers that came to the junior high last Friday to talk with 7th grade students about future career choices. Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to spend time with us!
Congratulations to Jase Ruholl, Coda Orndorff, Ryder Wesselman, Eloise Feldhake, Audrey Runde, and Lillian Miller for all receiving a number one rating for their musical pieces in the IESA Solo and Ensemble performances. Eloise Feldhake was also named the "Best of Day" winner in her contest room. Great job everyone!
Over the past several weeks, Teutopolis Junior High has had the privilege of having the high school girls basketball team and the high school boys basketball team come over for "High Five Friday." TJHS wishes both teams the best of luck in their post seasons! Let's Go Shoes!
Great job TJHS Boys Basketball in the first game today! The fans bus kids are refueling at Culver's to get ready for round 2!! Let's go Shoes!
For Valentine's Day, Teutopolis Junior High students were surprised at lunch with Joe's spaghetti and breadsticks. Yummy! We wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day!
This week the 7th and 8th graders engaged in an exciting activity called "Book Speed Dating." In this activity, students had the opportunity to explore a variety of books for a short amount of time, much like a traditional speed dating event. The goal was to help them quickly get a feel for each title and determine which ones they might want to read further. Essentially, they "dated" the books to find their perfect match by exploring different genres and authors within a limited timeframe. This activity not only encouraged reading but also helped students develop their book selection skills. What a great engaging experience!
"Thank you" to the THS Pomerettes for coming to the junior high this morning for "High Five Friday!" It was great to have all of you in the building, and congratulations on making it to State Competition!
TJHS is very proud of the generosity of our students, parents, and families! Seventh and eighth grade students collected 1,024 cans and $1,870 to donate to Catholic Charities. These donations give Catholic Charities the resources they need to help people enjoy their holiday seasons.
8th grade art students recently celebrated The Day of the Dead by creating sugar skulls, a traditional Mexican folk art. Students packed a sugar mixture into the molds and then decorated them with icing after the skulls had hardened. A big thanks to Ms. Jill Spour and her THS students for creating 4 skull molds with their 3D printers!
Students in Mrs. Yagow's class made cards or wrote letters to 8th grade parents who have served in the military. The goal was to show these veterans our appreciation in a personal way for their service and sacrifice. Thank you veterans!
TJHS PE classes walked to the American Legion Memorial today in remembrance of all of our local veterans. Mike Funneman and Roy Weber graciously donated their time to explain how the memorial came about. Thank you Mike, Roy, and thanks to all of our veterans!
What a great (and spooky) Halloween surprise the students on Roch Westendorf's bus got last Friday! Thanks for being a part of the Teutopolis Unit 50 bus driving crew!
Yesterday afternoon, TJHS had a guest speaker in the building. His name is Brad Hurtig.
Brad grew up as a typical student-athlete in a small town in Ohio. Only days after finishing his sophomore year of high school, a devastating accident resulted in the amputation of BOTH of Brad’s hands. Through hard work and determination Brad soon rejoined his high school football team.
Brad's inspirational story has been featured in the national news media including ESPN and The New York Times. Brad was also featured as a TEDx speaker and is now taking his life-changing message to schools across the nation.
Thanks Brad for coming to TJHS to talk to our students about overcoming the many obstacles that we will encounter in our lives and how to overcome them and persevere.
On Thursday, October 10, Karolyn Orr from the Illinois Attorney General's Office talked to all TJHS students about the importance of digital safety. This is such an important topic these days! Thank you Karolyn!
A few weeks ago, two high school teachers and two junior high teachers attended a workshop about using AI in education. Not only did the workshop show how this tool can help educators enhance lesson plans, it also taught the importance of embracing this change and teaching our students how to use AI the right way. Mrs. Gaddis introduced the 7th graders to Magic School, an AI tool with students and teachers in mind. Throughout the year, a variety of AI tools will be used in the classrooms, starting with writing feedback for a descriptive essay.
Bikes, bikes and more bikes! Today was the annual "Bike to School" event at Teutopolis Junior High School. Staff and students enjoyed a great ride this morning by starting out on the east side of town and riding to school. Students also had the opportunity to ride their bike up to Wessels or Caseys to get a drink and snack during their PE class.
