J��� June 2018
www.MoonValleyTattler.com
VOL 38 No. 6
Bringing Home the Championship
Chad HellaN
B Y L A R I S S A H . & TAY L O R J . | M O U N TA I N S K Y
BY DEBBIE ERBSTOESSER Chad started his schooling as a preschooler at Shadow Rock Church. He then went on to attend Lookout Mountain, Mountain Sky Jr High and then graduate from Thunderbird High School in the top 10%. Chad played competitive club soccer all through his grade school and high school years. He lettered in Cross Country, Soccer and Track all 4 years of high school. Chad went to Purdue University in West Lafayette Indiana. At Purdue he spent 4 years in the Navy ROTC program on the Marine option. Chad was also president of his fraternity for 2 semesters. The summer of 2017, Chad went to Officer Candidate School in Quantico VA, where he was the Honor Graduate of his class of 300 candidates. Last week, Chad graduated with an Industrial Engineering Degree and Commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. Chad will be cycling across the country this summer representing his fraternity, to raise funds, awareness and spend time with people with disabilities. Soon afterward, in September, he will report to Quantico VA, for his active duty service in the USMC.
The season’s tryouts started before spring break and games began after it. To join the team, you must have years of experience. According to Coach Shaw, “playing softball at this age level, our middle school years, can be difficult for beginners, so you can’t just expect to join immediately”. The team was a combination of both 7th and 8th grade girls. Softball is a sport that girls should join because “it’s a good activity to do, you get to be outdoors, and it can lead you into the high school sport. “You can also make the team most of the time if you’re experienced.” said Mr. Shaw. Over the past few weeks, Mr. Shaw and his softball team have been working hard nonstop. The team had practices Mondays, Tuesday, and Thursdays. They had about seven real practices as a team. “I’m lucky this year because we usually get two real practices throughout the softball season” stated Mr. Shaw. Practices were held at the softball field at our school. To prepare for games, the girls usually threw the ball around and did some hitting and fielding practice. The girls culminated a perfect season by winning the District Championships with a game winning run being driven in by Kacy Davis. The MSJH Softball Team hadn’t won a championship title since the 2008-2009 e plate. school year. rn, dominated play at hom
Mountain Sky’s, Jessica
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The Rookie Mom: Knowing that I've married the best father for my Daughter B Y B R I G H I D C O N S TA B L E One day, there was a package outside our front door. I hadn’t ordered anything, so I called my husband at work. “Oh yeah,” he responded. “I bought Brynn a special toothbrush.” Our 14-month-old daughter already had an Elmo-clad, Target-purchased toothbrush. Why would she need another one? “But this one is different,” my husband Adam explained. “It’s received amazing reviews on Amazon.” It did look unique: shaped like a banana in an approachable rubber handle with thick brushes. Brynn ended up loving it on her teething mouth. The next week, a similar occurrence happened: an unfamiliar package at the door. When I opened it with Adam, there were three separate toothbrushes in the bag. Another amazingly recommended baby toothbrush hailed on Amazon, purchased by
my husband Adam. “Babe,” I said, exasperated, “We already have two toothbrushes.” “Yeah, but these are supposed to be better than the one before,” Adam explained. After bathtime, my daughter had now become familiar with her bevy of toothbrushes to choose from. Adam had called brushing Brynn’s teeth “Toothbrush Time.” It even came with a song and dance. And we now have a total of 8 toddler toothbrushes. So, why am I telling you this story? It’s because I didn’t even know to care about my daughter’s teeth so early on, that even if I did, I wouldn’t have been as involved as my husband. This is just one instance of how lucky I am to have married a man so involved with his daughter, and her health and happiness. This Father’s Day is June 17 and I encourage you to thank and share the stories of the father figures in your life: a grandfather, a mentor, a brother, a friend, or whomever who has shaped your life in a positive way. Happy Father’s Day to all the wonderful men and father figures who make our community great.