What’s recently happened?
Crown Point High School’s Spanish 2 courses have started their food unit, a favorite for a lot of students. To start off and introduce the unit, Spanish Teacher Brenda Vargas took her classes on a field trip to a local restaurant, Provecho Latin Provisions.
“It was amazing. I loved it, and it was a great experience. I decided to take this trip because learning about the foods is one of my favorite lessons. Also, a lot of times when you ask students where they go out to eat, they say Mexican restaurants, but it’s not just about Mexico. A lot of people, especially students, believe, ‘Oh yeah I’m learning Spanish because I want to go to Mexico,’ but it’s not just about Mexico,” Vargas said.
To start off the visit, the owner of Provecho, Chris Pappas, gave the students an intro to Latin cuisine and how the same dish can be diversified through different regions by different people. Afterwards, students made their own empanadas.
“I felt that the chef gave a really good explanation about how empanadas are popular all over Latin countries. I don’t go to Mexico often, but food is what keeps me connected to my culture and country,” Vargas said.
A lesson that can be learned from Latin America and its cuisine is the importance of family and how food can bring people together. The name of the restaurant, Provecho, stems from a phrase said to start a meal: buen provecho.
“I’m so proud of who I am and my heritage. A lot of the recipes that I cook at home are ones that I learned cooking with my grandma. It's a big part of our traditions with recipes being passed down through generations. Also, we all come together when we’re cooking and eating. When you eat, it's all about the family and sharing. It’s all about spending time with your family,” said Vargas.
What’s coming up?
This year, Crown Point High School is introducing a Girls Wrestling team. The school’s wrestling team is known for its skill and is excited to present this new opportunity for women interested in the sport.
“I think that having a Girls Wrestling team is important. Women deserve the same opportunities that men do because we’re just as capable,” Graduated Manager Shaunna Frey said.
Crown Point would be one of many schools to introduce the sport and help diversify the community that comes with it.
“Wrestling is a great sport that really instills discipline and strength unlike many other sports. I think having the Girls Wrestling team gives women the chance to be just as involved in the ‘sports world’ as men are. It gives women just as much a chance to be involved as the men do, just as they deserve to have,” Graduate McKenzie Lilley said.
Wrestling is one of the major “pillars” of Crown Point’s sports, and giving this opportunity to young women is an important step for the high school.
Staff spotlight:
Towards the end of the last school year, there was a lot of confusion surrounding the continuation of Crown Point High School’s Inklings newspaper staff. Luckily, Jennifer Bianchi stepped up and took on the role as the staff advisor.
“Rebranding is totally new to me, and it is exhilarating. Any new member on a team will have their struggles, and as a new member on the team, I have certainly dealt with some setbacks. It’s mostly the cohesiveness of the team that is new to me,” Bianchi said.
For past years, Bianchi has been working as an English teacher. In English, a lot of the time students read and dissect works from other authors with their teachers, but in Journalism, students create their own pieces to be shared with their peers.
“In an English class, I sit and work with students individually. This is the first time I’ve been in a classroom where the entire class puts one thing together so everybody has a place. The struggle is finding where people belong, not because of their strengths or weaknesses, but because I don’t know them as much. A personal struggle for me is being grounded because I am still so new that my feet are not dug in, but that’s just getting to know the culture,” Bianchi said.
Setbacks are learning experiences and a fundamental part of starting anything new. The few she has faced haven’t stopped Bianchi from creating relationships with her students.
“Mrs. Bianchi is super positive and encouraging. She makes me want to work harder and stick with what I’m doing. She always supports my ideas, and she also throws out different ideas for us to brainstorm together. She’s one of my favorite teachers I’ve ever had,” Sophomore Katie Mahle said.
This year, the high school is trying to create more overlap between its Journalism department and the classes in it, getting inspiration from one another and helping each other meet goals and find new creative outlets.
“I approach this with so much excitement, and I don’t say ‘approached’ in past tense because I am still in that excitement mode. I feel more alive as a teacher in this transition than I have in a long time. Whenever I get a new class, I get really excited because I like change in my life, so an opportunity for me to learn something new kind of revives me. I feel so very welcome by all of the students and staff members in addition to the Excalibur Yearbook staff members. This, as a hub of communication or publication, has been so very warm and welcoming to me,” Bianchi said.
New experiences can be challenging and difficult for people to get a hold of, but Crown Point High School thanks Jennifer Bianchi for stepping up and reviving the Inklings Newspaper staff.
Student spotlight:
Madison Doherty is a senior at Crown Point and plans to go into aviation after graduation.
“I credit my interest in aviation to my parents. My dad is a pilot and my mom is a flight attendant, so I’ve always been around airplanes and the aviation community,” Doherty said.
One of the things people interested in aviation can do is take a discovery flight, a short introduction to being up in the air.
“I actually never thought I would take interest in flying until I took a discovery flight at Eagle Aircraft, where I found my own source of passion for aviation. I am most excited at the fact I get to learn how to fly airplanes,” Doherty said.
Aside from her established connections in the field, flying is something Doherty dreams of. Having a career that both fulfills her and helps her connect more with her parents is an opportunity she is lucky to have.
“I know there are people out there who have the same dreams as I do yet may never get the chance to make them their reality, and I feel extremely fortunate to have been given the privilege to do what I’m doing. I would recommend a career in aviation to people because it’s not like any other job. It’s more than a job, it’s a lifestyle. Aviation changed my perspective on the world and how I view things. A common saying in aviation is, ‘A good pilot is always learning,’ and I think this applies not only in the cockpit but in daily life as well.”
Crown Point High School wishes Doherty luck following her career journey, as well as safe travels.