The Register

Article and photo by Abi G.

Richmond High School basketball coach Gabby Smith says that coaching is about “wanting to have relationships, loving what you do and knowing how to teach.” Her philosophy has impacted many people at RHS. Coach Smith comes from Kokomo, and this is her second year coaching and first year teaching. With that, she has built more than basketball skills.

Coach Smith says, “I love these girls like they’re my own, and them leaving or even getting injured hurts to see.” Senior Jayden Johnson says that Coach has impacted her life in more ways than just basketball. “She has taught me to be more patient, kind, and a leader even outside of basketball.” She says that if she had one chance to tell Coach something, it would be to thank her for everything that she has done: for all the hard work she’s put in and all the times she stayed over late nights to help train and work with the girls individually.

Coach Smith isn’t just a coach, she’s like a mother who loves all of her players, even her students. 10th grader Shanel Sexton says, “Coach has been the best coach I have had in all my years of playing."

Overall, the environment that she brings to Richmond High School is unlike others, not just impacting her players but also her coworkers.

From personal experience, coach Smith has been more than a coach. She has built a family around basketball and has taught me to learn how to keep moving forward and fight for what you love after a season-ending injury occurred. Coach Smith is still there for me throughout it all, willing to talk, willing to be there and still make me a part of the team. She has made this team a family. I’m so grateful to be a part of that. Thank you, Coach.

Article by Sydney V.

On Dec. 16, 2025, a group of students, staff, and family members gathered in the RHS library to award senior Priya Hodges with the 2025 Lilly Scholarship. The Lilly Scholarship allows the recipient to attend any private or public non-profit Indiana college with a full ride. Applicants must be an Indiana resident, have or be receiving a high school diploma, and pursue an undergraduate study in a bachelor’s program full-time. The award is presented by the Wayne County Foundation.

Priya was selected based on her community involvement, academic excellence, strong character, and leadership abilities. Priya plans on attending Purdue University and studying environmental engineering. Priya says that she wants to make the world a better place by finding environmental solutions in engineering.

Article by Jason N.

The Richmond High School athletics department recently announced the creation of a mens

volleyball team, something the student body has been wanting for quite some time. The

announcement was made between December 18th and19th. For now, more information on mens

volleyball is limited as it is going through the works with the school. Sophomore Zyterrious Foster’s thoughts on mens volleyball are that it would be an exciting chance for students, and he encourages people to join because it would be a great opportunity, and it would be a fun experience. Mens

volleyball is an extremely great opportunity our school is bringing, and it will open up many

chances for students who want to try something new.

There have been many students who would jump at the chance to join mens volleyball. Another

student who wishes to remain anonymous and plans to join the team said that our school

making a team would be a great way to branch out into introducing new sports and create

countless opportunities for Richmond High School athletes. The student body is extremely

happy and are thrilled at the chance to do something new for their athletic career. The way our

school is being more open to new sports is a sign that Richmond High School is ready for a new

change.

Article by Hanna V. C.

This week at Richmond High School, students got their new schedules for this new

upcoming semester. They get to see their actual schedules, and if something is wrong, they can

fix them. They got to change their electives before they went to winter break.

Before winter break, they saw a ‘draft’ of their schedules and got to email their

counselor for any changes.

Mrs. Stout says “This is a very busy week for all the counselors.” Which is true due to

all the students in RHS. Theres at least about 1,500 students approximately. An advantage

counselors have is that there is more than one counselor. Students actually have 4! Students are assigned which counselor they have by their last name.

Most students are happy with their new schedules. If they didn't like them, they most

likely requested and/or got a schedule change from their assigned counselor.

Article by Lauren H.

Students from RHS celebrated a strong showing at the Indiana Business Professionals of America (BPA) Region 9 competition, earning multiple top placements and qualifying for the state Leadership Conference. The regional event brought together students from across eastern Indiana to compete in business, technology, finance, and leadership-based events.

Region 9 participants from Richmond demonstrated exceptional professionalism, preparation,

and teamwork, standing out among tough competition. Their success reflects months of

dedication in the classroom and through BPA activities, as well as strong support from advisors

and school staff.

With their regional achievements, everyone from Richmond will now advance to the state level on March 8th - 10th, where they will represent Region 9 and their community. The accomplishments highlight Richmond’s continued commitment to career readiness and student leadership through BPA.

Article by Annabelle P

It's the second week in the school year, and a lot is happening within it. On January 10th, the Richmond bowling teams competed in their sectionals at Richmond 40 Bowl. On that morning, teams of high-school bowlers poured into the Richmond 40 Bowling Alley. How they do in sectionals decides if they go to regionals or not.

Here are the results. First starting with singles games, Richmond earned five out of the seven available seats on the boys’ side. On the girls’ side two other teams shared the spots, while the closest on Richmond’s team was fifth. In total, five people from Richmond get to move on to regionals in singles.

For the teams? Richmond boys placed in the top spots, securing a spot within regionals. Girls slip and didn't end up making the cut.

In between the two events was a senior night. Brycen Whited and Annabelle Phillips are the seniors on the Richmond Bowling Team celebrating our last sectionals of high school.

Sectionals proved to be an eventful day, lasting from early morning through afternoon. Richmond boys and girls did very well and tried their hardest. Let’s see what they can accomplish at regionals.

Article and Graphs by Evelyn C.

Teenagers' opinions on vaccines do not necessarily change their likelihood of getting vaccinated. This week, 75 students filled out a survey, answering questions about what social media platforms they use, their opinions on vaccinations, and whether or not they got vaccinated against COVID-19 and the flu. The survey was created by students for a Biomedical Innovations project. Questions about vaccine opinions included: should children be vaccinated before they are a year old, is there enough information to prove vaccines are effective, and should public schools require vaccinations. Each response was assigned a number, with higher numbers showing the responder has more trust in vaccines.

The data was organized by the most used social media platform, average opinion number, percentage of responders vaccinated against the flu, and responders who were vaccinated against COVID-19. Although TikTok had the lowest opinion on vaccination, it also had one of the highest vaccination rates. Similarly, YouTube had the highest vaccination opinions but the lowest vaccination rate. This shows that teenagers’ opinions on vaccines do not appear to have an effect on whether or not they get vaccinated. These differences could be explained by parents or guardians disagreeing with their teenagers as to whether or not they should be vaccinated.

Article by Sydney V.

Snowball is fast approaching, and with it, the hopeful candidates for Snowball Court have started their campaigns. Hopefuls for each grade pair up or run solo and hope for the most nominations and votes.

The tradition of school dance courts first started in the 1920s with the rise of homecoming. The practice spread to prom in the 1950s and now to most school dances. This tradition continues at RHS, with courts for homecoming, prom, and snowball.

Now, let’s take a look at why these candidates are running. Sophomore candidate hopeful Jason Ngo says, “The anticipation is what’s the most fun about running for court; the friendly rivalry between candidates is always a fun time.” Ngo ran for Snowball court last year and was a close contender for Snowball Prince.

Jason’s campaign partner, fellow sophomore Lucy Burkhart, says, “It makes the dance and the couple of weeks before so much more exciting. It's a great way to have fun with my friends, and it’s a reason to go… also I want a crown.”

As you can see, our 2026 Snowball candidate hopefuls are driven by friendship, fun, and, more importantly, the crown and sash bestowed upon the court.

Although the first few months of the new year and subsequent new semester can be draining and difficult, Snowball provides something to look forward to. Students are encouraged to keep running, keep campaigning, and keep voting! Snowball court will be announced during the dance on February 7th, 2026.

Article by Adrianna J.

Students around RHS were asked about their New Year's resolutions because it is a new year,

and everybody has new goals and different paths.

New Year's resolutions are about looking into the future and thinking of what accomplishments

you can achieve. Sophomore Mason Conner said he wants to “pass all my classes," by the end of the year. Getting a grade higher than a C can be hard for some students, some more than others, and that's okay.

“I want to get all A’s and keep a good GPA,” sophomore Cali Sparks said. Passing your classes and having a good GPA is very important, and you can get all A’s and have a good GPA if you work hard and ask for help when needed.You can do anything you put your mind to here at RHS.

It is always good to learn something new everyday. Conner said, “I want to learn to cook.” RHS

has a very enjoyable nutrition wellness class where you learn by steps how to cook different meals and how to get better at cooking. It can be good to have an extra hobby. Like Sparks says, “I want to

learn to play the steel drums.” Joining an extra curricular activity is good for college applications if you want to go to college.

The new year can be frightening or even exciting, but sometimes you don't feel any differently, and

that’s okay. It's good to have goals set for yourself and to overcome something once every

year. “I want to overcome public speaking,” Conner said. Public speaking is a part of high

school, especially if you are in an extra curricular activity that does public speaking.

You should have high hopes for the new year and the future. Think positive and set goals and

keep telling yourself that you want to achieve your goals and you will. Cali Sparks has high

hopes for “living another year,” and that is such a positive motive for the new year. So have high

hopes for you and your accomplishments for the future and the new year.

Article by Evelyn C.

Calling class of 2026! Do you want to show your personality in the yearbook? To replace your original school picture with your senior picture, simply upload your photo to our yearbook

website using this link: https://rb.gy/cj7yt1. Please choose a head and shoulders picture.

Does your family want to buy a personal ad to congratulate you on all of your hard

work? Senior ads are $25 and will be ¼ page each. Upload your completed personal ads to the

same website. The Entourage yearbook builder website will have you make an account to

upload an ad or picture. Please turn in both of these by April 24th. Thank you for helping personalize our yearbook!

Check out Register stand in the library for Stranger Things crossword and word search puzzles!