Free Finals Period: Sophomore Jacob Olekszyk plays Super Smash Bros on his Nintendo Switch during a free period on finals week. Some students who are required to attend school find themselves with free time during at least one of their testing periods. While some students utilize this time to study and get ready for the next final, some will use this time to sit back and relax from their finals to take the stress off their minds.

Utilizing Office Hours: Sophomore Lucas Lu utilizes office hours to study for an upcoming final on December 20th 2018. Office hours are free periods of time in the morning from 7:00 to 11:45 where students can study and socialize. This allows for people to either get in a last preparation for classes or retake previous tests to help raise their grades.

Building It Up: Sophomore Vansh Patel works on a build during a Science Olympiad club meeting after school on Oct. 9. The team began preparing for the Carmel Scrimmage, happening on Nov. 4.

Halloween Party: Orchestra Executive Board members pose for a photo at the orchestra Halloween party on Oct. 26. The members participated in the group costume contest, one of several contests available at the party.

The Wright Partner: Junior Yueze "Jimmy" Liu and sophomore Emily Hao work on a model airplane together. The partners are preparing for the Whiting Invitational happening on Dec. 1.

French Food Fun: Sophomore Elizabeth Hedrick and French 3 student pops open a bottle of sparkling apple cider to pour for her “French family” during her food day in her B2 French class on Dec. 18. The class was separated into four groups, each group being a “family", where each pair in a family was tasked with bringing a traditional holiday dish to share with the rest of their family.

AP Seminar Students Finish Last Task of 2018: Junior Jodh Pullela records his AP Seminar presentation, wrapping up the end of 2018 in this class. The students were required to make a three minute presentation, making the main points from the paper they wrote throughout this quarter. This presentation was the last task before winter break since there was not a final.

Creative Writer: Sophmore Reagan Fahey writes a narrative on December 17 during class. Students in Honors English 10 are required to read the book, "Into the Lake of The Woods" and write an alternate ending to the book.

Women's Basketball: Bridget Dunn, women's basketball player and sophomore, warms up prior to the team's game against Fort Wayne Carroll on Dec. 15. The final score was CHS 73, Fort Wayne Carroll 35.

Women's Basketball: Erin Trimpe, women's basketball acting head coach, reacts to a controversial call during the team's game against North Central on Dec. 14. The final score was North Central 67, CHS 52.

Foreign Foods Class Hosts Food Fair: Senior Max Salyers makes buffalo chicken wraps to represent his group’s country: Dave, the country on Dec. 13. The foreign foods classes hosted the food fair yet again this year as the final project of the semester. To get into the holiday spirit, Christmas music played in the background as the students cooked for the fair.

Analyzing and Annotating: Sophomore Mary Grace Jacko (left) and sophomore Ivy Nugent work together to analyze and annotate a short story about a recovering soldier in the Vietnam War in their English class on Dec. 10. The pair are practicing for a timed write they will have the next class over a different short story.

Beading Up Bracelets: Lexi Carter, sophomore and Art Club member, is beading bracelets in AP Art History. Carter said, "I love art and I wanted to know more about the origin of what I love to do so that's why I took AP Art History." Normally in class, according to Carter, "We work on image flash cards, but now we are reviewing for the final by fun games and art crafts." Carter says AP Art History has taught her that the influence of how a single painting can create entire cultures, inspiring her to continue her art journey at CHS.

Senior Sepehr Asgari produces an instrumental for his German project on December 4 during fourth period. Asgari experimented with the sounds of traditional German instruments to create a modern beat.

Late Start Lava: Sophomore and Science of Caring member, Zoe Edwards, makes a faux lava lamp on the late start morning of Dec 5. Science of Caring members had meetings every two weeks taking place on late start mornings. Their past experiments had included making slime, candy tie dyeing, and more.

Vapor Pressure: Junior Alana Tragesser uses a beaker and a graduated cylinder on Dec. 3 to test for vapor pressure. Tragesser tried multiple times to get the cylinder to stay in the water.

Positive Impact Club Plans Event: Lauren Jacobson and Neharika Palivela, club presidents and juniors, plans a community service event for Positive Impact Club on Oct. 22. The event Jacobson and Palivela had chose was to pick up litter people had thrown on the sides of the road and in parking lots to make the city a cleaner place.

JV Basketball: Junior varsity men's basketball Head Coach Josh Cole reacts to a controversial call during the team's game against Lawrence Central on Nov. 30. The final score was CHS 61, Lawrence Central 55.

Christmas Caroling: CHS Choir students run through their holiday spectacular show before their big performance. The show will be on Dec. 6 to 9 and feature Carmel's multiple choir classes.

Crossing off the Clubs: Colleen Harless, Pinnacle yearbook staff member and junior, crosses off a student on the DECA club roster in front of the entrance to the Varsity Gym on Nov. 27. CHS students must be on the club roster and are required to check in with their student ID in order to be admitted. Some clubs are scheduled to have their photos taken on Nov. 29 and Dec. 3 in the Varsity Gym.

Conference Prep: TEDxCHS leader and senior Shubhi Sinha displays her poster to other club members. The club was working toward their next conference on Dec. 1. Tickets can be found at TinyURL.com/InANewLight2018.

Curling Craze: CHS Curler and senior Ryan Foster gets ready to push a stone during a curling competition on Nov. 17 at the Fuel Tank in Fishers. Carmel Curling Club won their match and will compete again at the same location on Nov. 30.

Perfect POGIL: Sophomore Alden Mo watched as chemistry teacher Cynthia Henry checks his POGIL to make sure he has done it correctly in his G4 class on Nov. 16. Henry says that POGILS, or self guided learning tools, are a great way to teach students both problem solving skills and the materials all at one time.

Making a Splash: Junior Megan Prince swims using kickboards focusing on strengthening her kicks. On Nov. 14, Carmel High school's swim team had practice where all four swim groups practiced. The four swim groups listed in their respective order from highest to lowest are; High performance, Senior 1, Senior 2, and Greyhound. Depending on the group, practice can range from three times a week to twice daily practices. Megan Prince says this about the team, “We are a family and I love being with my friends there.”

Cutting for a Cause: Izza Khurram, senior and Key Club member, makes fleece, tie blankets for the homeless in downtown Indianapolis. Izza says she has been a Key Club member for three years now and has learned how a small group of individuals can make such a big difference in local communities. Key Club's next meeting will be on November 28th.

Say Cheese: Pinnacle Yearbook adviser Nicole Laughrey and Pinnacle Yearbook staff members organize Carmel Science Olympiad’s club photo on Monday, Nov. 12. Nov. 12 was the first day of scheduled yearbook club photos, including clubs such as Debate, Art Club, Best Buddies, and 26 others.

Senior Supplement Essays: Senior Eva Brungard works on her college supplement essays during G3. Brungard included the character traits she believes make her stand out.

Green With Envy: Drawing 3 student layers colored pencils on his "Seven Deadly Sins" project in Drawing 3 on Nov. 7. For the project, students are encouraged to choose one of the seven deadly sins and create a realistic caricature representing the emotion.

Molecular Building: Sophomore Kalika Raje builds a molecule for her AP Chemistry class. She was learning about bond energies and modeling reactions.

Morning Chat: CHS Principal Tom Harmas talks with Asst. Principal Joseph Schaller early Wednesday morning. Harmas and Schaller watch students as they get off of the bus and enter CHS by the natatorium.

Release Period Research: Senior Hannah Niyaz works on her seventh journal for AP Capstone Research at the Carmel Cafe as she eats her lunch. Niyaz said she has to turn in a journal once a week that tells her teacher where she is and what she has done so far.

TechHound Techniques: TechHOUNDS member and junior Karthik Arcot works alongside club sponsor Zachary Bonewit as they assemble their equipment on Nov. 1. The TechHOUNDS received second place in their last competition on Oct. 27 and are scheduled to compete next in March.

Do Something: Two students listen for service hour opportunities inside the "Do Something Club" on October 30, 2018. The "Do Something Club", was founded on the premise of alerting students of upcoming charities, fundraisers and incoming service hours opportunities hosted by James Zeigler in Room E212. The club has served it's part in the Make-a-Wish Foundation and many other associations with similar aspirations.

Forensic Findings: Sophomore Michelle Boulous adjusts a microscope during a Biomed project. The project requires students to use many technical skills such as adjusting the focus and lighting on microscopes. Boulous has a passion for science and aspires to be a doctor when she is older. Boulous says she is inspired by both her parents that are oncologists at Community Hospital. Biomed is one of the many science classes offered to sophomores at CHS.

Senior Struggles: Senior Gabe Santee revises his Common Application essays during G4 on his release period at the library. Santee corrected the grammatical errors on his Purdue supplemental essays.

Mimicking Mona: Rylee Satkoski, AP studio art student and senior, spends Tuesday, Oct. 23 working on an abstract rendition of Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. The AP studio art students, Satkoski included, have spent months working towards large projects to add to their personal portfolios.

Never-ending First Quarter: Junior Alison “Ali” Moss finishes homework from last quarter, hoping to get the late grade and raise the overall grade in the course. Although the first quarter already ended, the grades are not yet finalized. “I procrastinated on some of the assignments I had and now I’m rushing them after it already ended,” Moss said.

Polishing Up: Tubist and junior Edison Perry polishes his tuba on Oct. 19 outside the performing arts hall. Carmel bands had just performed at their first concert and were preparing for the upcoming events.

SAT Skills: Junior Harry Wang works on SAT practice test on Oct. 17 during third period. Wang practiced his critical reading skills on the English portion before the start of his AP Stats class.

Water Pressure?: Carmel Fire Fighters give the "all clear" after CHS was evacuated early morning of Oct 16. According to CHS Principal Dr. Harmas, "one of the sprinklers sensors indicated low water pressure."