Teacher of the Year!

been involved in teaching,

but several Civic and Edu-

cational Groups. She has

been a part of numerous

organizations such as a

board member for the Kids

with Cancer fund through

Studio One, student leader-

ship council leader at AJH,

link crew leader at AHS,

and vice-president of the

Jackson County OSU Alum-

ni Association.

Although Mrs. McLeod

started out teaching young

children, she has truly en-

joyed mentoring older

ones. Every age group has

its differences, but what she

has learned is kids are kids.

They need guidance and

mentors to confide in. They

need to know they are

By Kenzly Schmidt

Senior Managing Editor

Teacher of the Year!

Volume 16 Issue 10

Student Features 2

Miss Altus Teen

Staff Spotlight

Girls Wrestling

Bulldog Bites

Senior Spotlights

What’s Inside

Bulldog Nation

The Collar Sta

Advisor: Mrs. Rempel

Senior Managing Edi-

tors: Lilian Easter & Sa-

vannah Shipman

Senior Editors: Patrick

Broughton, Emma Sasse,

Kenzly Schmidt

Sta Writer: Angel-

Bence, Brooklynn Strick-

land, and Janise Rodri-

guez

loved. She has been there to

help her students learn new

skills or master an old one.

She has gotten to be there

for the exciting times in stu-

dent’s lives and there to help

them through the hard ones.

Mrs. McLeod states, “To

me being a teacher means

being there for the kids.”

While teaching she has been

able to guide students to

their full potential. One of

her favorite things is being

able to share her interests

with students and learn about

theirs. She states, “Teaching

is forming a relationship with

students while teaching them

along the way. Some days, it

is the hardest job in the

world, but most days it is the

greatest.”

• January 31-TAB parent

meting

• February 3-Bulldog Bo-

nanza cafeteria

• February 4-TAB all region

band concert.

• February 4- grade boys

basketball vs. Duncan.

• February 5– AHS swim

regionals

• February 5– all region

honor band at Weather-

ford.

• TAB all region band.

• February 7– computer

lab testing in library

• February—9 grade boys

basketball at Weather-

ford.

On January 10th, Jennie

McLeod was named the

2022 Altus Public School’s

Teacher of the Year.

Mrs. Mcleod started her

education at Oklahoma

State University where she

studied Early Childhood

Education. She then became

a teacher’s aide at Sunset

for two years and continued

teaching kindergarten there

for eighteen years. In 2015,

she started teaching at Altus

Junior High where she

taught seventh grade English

for five years. In 2020, Mrs.

McLeod transferred to Al-

tus High School where she

is currently teaching senior

English.

Throughout her career,

Mrs. Mcleod has not only

Gracen Hawthorne is a

sophomore here at Altus High

School. She was born in Shat-

tuck, Oklahoma but grew up

and attended school here in

Altus, Oklahoma.

Gracen lives with her par-

ents, Kyle and Mindy Haw-

thorne, and their two mini

schnauzers, Marie Laveu and

Handsom Jack. Her dad, Kyle,

owns a construction business

and her mom, Mindy, is the

Special Education Director for

Altus Public Schools. Gracen

has two siblings. An older

brother, Mason Hawthorne,

who is a sophomore at

SWOSU and a younger sister,

Kyler Hawthorne, who is a

sixth grader at the intermediate

school.

Gracen has attended the

high school since her freshman

year. She is involved in several

activities such as, AHS Pom

Team, FFA, student council, Kay

Club, and NHS. Gracen has

received multiple awards

throughout her life. Her favor-

ites being, an All-American

Dancer and honor roll.

Gracen’s favorite things

about Altus High are all the

different clubs and sports for

students to be involved in.

Something people may not

know about Gracen is she’s

danced for almost thirteen

years. She has also travelled as

far as Connecticut and New

York for dance competitions.

What motivates Gracen in

life are God, her friends, her

family, and Dolly Parton. Gra-

cen’s favorite quote is, “You’ll

never do a whole lot unless

you’re brave enough to try.” -

Dolly Parton

Kason Abernathy is a sopho-

more here at Altus High School.

Kason has grown up here in Al-

tus and has attended the high

school since his freshman year.

Kason lives at home with his

mom, Amy, and his dad, Justin

Abernathy. Amy is a stay at home

mom, while his dad, Justin, farms.

Kason also has two brothers,

Kreed, a third grader and Kolter,

a pre-kindergarten student. Ka-

son also has a sister, Kenzie, who

attends Altus Junior High.

Throughout his time at Altus,

Kason has earned and received

many awards. So far he has

earned a Star Discovery Award,

been listed on Principal’s Honor

Roll and achieved the Superinten-

dent’s Honor Roll.

Kason is a member of the

FFA program here at Altus.

Gracen Hawthorne

STUDENT FEATURES

Kason Abernathy

By Brooklynn Strickland

Staff Writer

By Kenzly Schmidt

Senior Managing Editor

While being apart of FFA, Kason

shows steers. He is also on the

Altus High School Baseball

Team.

Kason’s favorite thing about

the high school is the agriculture

program. Kason also states his

favorite subject at AHS is histo-

ry. In his free time, Kason enjoys

hunting animals such as deer and

dove. Kason also helps his dad

on his family’s farm.

After graduating high school,

Kason wants to attend Oklaho-

ma State University to achieve

an agriculture degree. He plans

to practice what he has learned

in agriculture by working on his

family's farm.

Kason states getting done

with school is his motivation in

life. His favorite quote is, “You

only fail when you stop trying.”

Page 2

January 31, 2022

Bulldog Beauties

BULLDOG NEWS

By Kenzly Schmidt

Senior Managing Editor

Page 3

January 31, 2021

Miss Altus Outstanding Teen Pageant

is an organization which many gener-

ations of girls have competed in. It is

a scholarship competition giving

young girls a chance for new oppor-

tunities by portraying a social impact

issue of their choice.

Four of the contestants compet-

ing in the pageant this year attend

Altus High School and are involved

in a number of activities. Chloe Ow-

enby and Hannah Gilstad are both

members of the Altus High School

Pom Squad. Abbey Marple is a part

of the Altus High School Junior Var-

sity Basketball Team. Abi Beane is

involved in the Altus High School

Cheer Squad, and the lead role in the

upcoming play, “Newsies.”

Last year, the pageant was not

able to be preformed due to covid

protocols. Therefore, the reining

Miss Altus Outstanding Teen, Paige

Condon, will be crowning a new

contestant. Abi Beane, Hannah

Gilstad, Abbey Marple, and Chloe

Owenby of Altus High School will be

competing for the title in this year’s

outstanding teen pageant.

To compete in the Miss Altus

Outstanding Teen Pageant, one must

be no younger than thirteen years

old, and no older than seventeen.

They have to complete a resume

with their social impact issue of

choice. There are many different cat-

egories they will have to compete in.

They will preform a talent, partici-

pate in active wear, answer an on-

stage question, and walk in their

evening wear. Each contestant also

has a social issue they must turn into

a platform and present. Chloe Ow-

enby’s platform is called “They’re Just

Genes.” Chloe is using her platform

to help build self-confidence in young

girls and women with genetic disabili-

ties. Chloe states, “I want to prove

to these special girls being different is

amazing and beautiful.” Abi Beane’s

platform is called, “A.B.L.E.” She will

be using this platform to encourage

volunteerism. The A stands for ac-

tion, the B stands for find something

you believe in, the L stands for

spreading love, and the E stands for

educate yourself in something you

are passionate about. Hannah

Gilstad’s platform is called “Don’t

Run On Empty.” She chose this plat-

form to spread awareness on ath-

letes with eating disorders. Abbey

Marple’s platform is called “Bridging

The Gap,” and it focuses on spend-

ing time and valuing more time with

our elders. Abbey states, “My goal

is to make a difference, and make

things happen.”

Each contestant has two “little

darlings” between the ages of three

and nine. The “little darlings” is a

mentoring program to inspire young

girls to participate in pageants when

they get old enough. These little

darlings will help to escort the con-

testant during their evening wear

walk. Escorting Hannah Gilstad are

her little darlings are RaeLynn

Hutchinson and Charlie Allen. Es-

corting Abi Beane are her little dar-

lings, Kaisley and Karoline Barclay.

Escorting Chloe Owenby is her

own little sister Carly Owenby and

Piper Overman.

There are many reasons girls

choose to compete in this pageant.

Many compete for the experience

and chance to become a Miss, but

some just compete for the scholar-

ships. There are various awards,

such as Miss Congeniality, The Tal-

ent Award, Miss Photogenic, and

more! Each category is worth schol-

arships to aid in college.

Throughout the pageant pro-

cess, they have met many people

and have participated in many

events! They have been able to

stand by a platform they are pas-

sionate about. Abi Beane is a very

passionate contest who always

makes sure an individual feels in-

cluded and loved. Abi says a quote

that inspires her is something Maya

Angelou states, “At the end of the

day, people will not remember what

you said or did, but how you made

them feel.” Another contest, Han-

nah Gilstad, stated, “If you are in-

terested in making new friends and

discussing a platform you are truly

passionate about, I would highly

encourage you to participate next

year!”

Rena McGuire

Altus Girls Wrestling

By Emma Sasse

Senior Editor

pal’s secretary at AJH for three

years. This is her first year at the

high school.

Mrs. McGuire loves that she gets

to experience public school from a

different perspective. She finally gets

to see the “behind the scenes” of

what it take to give every child an

opportunity for a proper education.

Mrs. McGuire loves to play Pi-

nochle online, water color, sing with

her family, and go to church to learn

more about Jesus.

Some things the student may not

know about Mrs. McGuire is that she

can play the Irish flute. She also went

to beauty school and got her license

but never worked at a salon. Lastly,

She won an award of the most hos-

pitable almost every year working at

McDonald's for 14 years.

Mrs. McGuire’s favorite Bible

chapter is Hebrews 11.

Rena McGuire is the principal’s

secretary here at Altus High

School.

Mrs. McGuire is from Ennis,

Texas. She was 15 years old when

she moved to Altus and has been

here ever since.

Mrs. McGuire has been married

for 25 years to her husband, Da-

mon McGuire. He is an Aerospace

Mechanic at Altus Air Force Base.

They have three grown daughters,

a son-in-law, a granddaughter, and

a grandson. She has three dogs. Pip

Ray Cabler, and two jack russell

chiweenie mixes named Cow Patty

Patterson and Cody Cody Cocoa.

This is Mrs. McGuire’s eighth

year working for Altus Public

Schools. She started at Altus Junior

High as a Special Education

Paraprofessional for four years.

Then she was the assistant princi-

Longhorn Classic in Amarillo, Texas.

Coach Camarillo was asked if

COVID has affected her team with re-

strictions and quarantines. She states,

“COVID last season caused us to not

have has many tournaments. The num-

bers were down, but this season hasn't

been affected at all. Wrestling is more

of a contact sport than other sports.

Just recently the team was hit with a

The Altus Girls Wrestling

Team is coached by Krista Cam-

arillo. She has coached for 15

years in Martial Arts, Karate,

Tae Kwando, Jiu Jitsu, and now

wrestling for two years.

Coach Camarillo states, “I

really enjoy my time coaching

these young athletes and being

able to share the love of the

sport and help them achieve

their goals in life.”

They have 11 girls this year

which makes a team compared

to last year. About half of the

team this year is their 1st year

of wrestling. The other half of

the team has been wrestling for

2 or more years. They have a

pretty solid team. The girls have

really been holding each other

accountable for their actions.

They have really become a fami-

ly.

In 2021, Beyonce Coronado

placed 1st at State. Siara Arring-

ton placed 3rd in the Silver

Brackett at 185lb at the Lady

Page 4 January 31, 2022

By Savannah Shipman

Senior Managing Editor

bug, so they had to cancel their week

of tournaments.”

Something Coach Camarillo

wants her athletes to take with them

throughout life is knowing that if they

put in the work, it could lead them

to success.

Her favorite quote applying to

the team is, “Talk the talk, walk the

walk.”

Bulldog Bites

What is something your

generation does that

you actually hate?

Freshman Savannah Clothier

states, “The lack of work

ethic.”

Junior Alyssa Pang states, “I

hate that our generation

does not take serious mat-

ters seriously.”

Sophomore Kaleb Bom-

boy states, “The disre-

spect some of us give our

parents.”

Senior Spotlight: Addison and Dewayne

Addison is a senior at Altus High

School. Addison has attended Altus

High School ever since she was a

freshman.

At the high school, Addison is

involved in the link crew. She also

plays multiple sports such as softball,

girls basketball where she plays post,

and girls track where she throws

shotput and discus. She has also

received the Principal’s Honor Roll

while attending Altus High School.

Outside of school, Addison en-

joys cooking and hanging out with

her friends.

Addison lives in Altus Oklahoma

with her mom and dad. Addison's

dad is Jeff Stults, and he works as an

electrician at Kay Electric. Addison

January 31, 2022

Page 5

Senior Aiden Kille

states, “Narrow

search parameters.”

states, “He is my biggest support-

er.” Addison’s mom is Cindi Stults.

She works as a hair style list at

Shear Excellence. Addison states,

“She is my best friend.”

After high school, Addison

plans on getting her bachelor’s

degree and then becoming a para-

medic.

Some of Addison's favorite

things at the high school are the

teachers and Sadie Hawkins.

Addison is motivated by her

family and friends.

One of Addison’s favorite

quotes is, “Good actions give

strength to ourselves and inspire

good actions in others.”

Dewayne Pollard is seventeen

years old and grew up in Altus. He

is a senior here and has attended

Altus High School since his fresh-

man year.

Clubs that Dewayne is involved

with include, Leo Club, student

council, That Altus Band, and link

crew. He has received Principal’s

Honor Roll.

He is also the Senior Class

President and was previously in-

volved in the ROTC program.

In his free time, he enjoys to

read, watch Netflix, and especially

play video games.

His parents names are De-

wayne Pollard and Tremaine Miller. He

is the youngest of seven sisters and

three brothers.

After high school, Dewayne plans

to attend the University of Oklahoma

to obtain a bachelor’s degree in com-

puter science.

His favorite thing about AHS is the

people and the environment.

What motivates Dewayne is life is

his family, the people who look up to

him, and his future hopes that he will

become very successful.

His favorite quote is, “It’s on you,

always has been, always will be.” -Jean

Roqua

By Janise Rodriguez

Staff writer

By Savannah Shipman and Patrick Broughton

Senior Managing Editor and Senior Editor