What's recently happened?
Winter sports have officially ended at Washington High School (WHS) and made way for spring sports to blossom. The Winter Sports Awards presented WHS student-athletes with medals and badges to commemorate them for their hard work this season.
The awards were given on March 20, and the ceremony was held in the WHS auditorium. The awards were kicked off with students, staff, and family singing the school song.
The Kiwanis Athletic Award was the first given and went to two students: Elishjon Brown for swimming, and Aleijah Douglas for cheer. Both students have over a 3.0 GPA, leadership qualities, and outstanding athletic performance.
The following award presented was the All-American title. The all-American award is given annually to the most gifted athletes, this year It was given to Leanna Hudson and Elishjon Brown for swimming, Shawn Peck for wrestling, and Aleijah Douglas for cheer.
WHS boys and girls basketball, swim, cheer, and wrestling students were awarded medals for improvement and dedication. For cheerleading, Kennadi Ivory received a medal for Most Valuable Player (MVP), and Selena Ellis received a medal for sportsmanship.
Boys basketball Coach Ryan Varga presented Donovan Johnson with a medal for sportsmanship, Josh Johnson a medal for most improved, and Steven Reynolds a medal for MVP. Girls Basketball Coach Steven Reynolds gave the medal for most improved to Makyla McNeal, sportsmanship to Ayanna Nicholson, and MVP to Kira Reynolds.
Swim coach Rachel Parker gave MVP to Elishjon Brown, sportsmanship to Eric Bailey, and most improved to Termain Williams and Makayla Georgia. Four-year awards went to Micheal Woodard and Miguel Romo.
WHS wrestling coach Eric McDaniel awarded Jahlil Neely with a medal for sportsmanship, as well as giving sportsmanship, most improved, and MVP medals to Darrion Mitchell.
The wrestling team had multiple students who made it to sectionals, regionals, and semi-state this year. Jaylen Johnson and Darrion Mitchell both placed fourth in sectionals, and Shawn Peck placed second. Tavion Lee came in Fourth in regionals and made it to semi-state.
Coaches thanked their athletes for their hard work and dedication throughout the season. WHS is looking forward to seeing many more talented athletes on the field and court this spring.
What's coming up?
This summer, students will have the opportunity to attend Bethel University's (BU) “Give it a Shot” nursing camp June 18-20. The camp is offered to incoming sophomores, juniors, and seniors who are interested in becoming a nurse. It will include important information such as CPR training, and an immersive introduction to nursing school.
BU is partnering with Indiana Youth Programs on Campus (IYPC) to create unique opportunities for students to explore their interests with real-life experiences. IYPC is a Lilly Endowment initiative that allows Indiana universities like BU to create or improve on-campus programs for students. IYPC hopes to introduce students to new skills and help them pursue a college education.
The camp itself allows students to stay in BU dorms throughout their stay, as well as access to the university's dining commons. In addition to lodging, students will have the opportunity to shadow a nurse at local hospitals, receive CPR training, and experience BU's new nursing lab.
The lab is 5,585 square feet and includes a skills lab, simulation suite, and space for work. The skills lab is the largest portion with 16 hospital bed stations with accessories, space for instructional work, and areas for students to sit and take notes. The simulation suite features a realistic hospital room, an observation room, and a room for discussions and debriefing.
The lab also includes multiple types of manikins for informational simulations and will help students better understand the hospital setting. The camp will be a great opportunity for students at WHS to further their knowledge in nursing, as well as being a fun college experience.
Staff spotlight:
Tallon King is a chemistry teacher at WHS who is very passionate about all things science. He has been teaching at WHS for two years now and has big plans for the future of his classes and students.
King was born in Colorado but grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada where he spent most of his life. He attended the University of Nevada, Reno for secondary education, before getting his master's degree in physics from Western Governors University. He worked at a middle school in Las Vegas before he and his family decided to move to Indiana.
Other than chemistry, King teaches Integrated chemistry and physics which introduces students to the baby steps of both subjects. He is also making efforts to introduce a Physics class to WHS which he hopes to start next year for juniors and seniors. In the class, King wants to answer some interesting questions that fall under the physics umbrella like “How is wifi made?” “Can we travel back in time?” and “How hard do you have to slap a chicken to cook it?”
King is also a blacksmith in his free time and enjoys welding as a therapeutic experience. Some of the things he has created include jewelry, campfire pokers, knives, and even his wife's wedding ring. King is also in the process of forging his first sword.
He is involved in the Dungeons and Dragons Club at WHS and is one of three Dungeon Masters. His job as a Dungeon Master is to create the narrative students are interacting with. He decides the setting, the obstacles, and the story that students can navigate with their friends.
King is a teacher who enjoys interacting with students and listening to what they have to say. His favorite part about WHS is that the school days are always interesting.
“It’s never a dull day,” King said. “My students are an interesting group of kids who actually have thoughts and opinions on things. I really like it when they get curious and end up derailing my entire lesson, but I've found that those days are usually the best learning opportunities.”
Every day King encourages students to be the best version of themselves and has a mantra for them after every class period.
"Be good people and make good choices,” King said. “If I had to tell anybody anything it would be ‘be good people and make good choices’ because if you follow those two things, that'll guide you through 95% of life.”
Student spotlight:
Gabe Terrones is a freshman at WHS who is focused on his interests and passions. Terrones has been playing guitar for three years and has a strong talent for music and sports as well as helping in the community when he can. He went to Edison Middle School and Jefferson Traditional School in South Bend.
Terrones takes part in multiple clubs and sports at WHS. He is an integral member of the Guitar Club, he plays electric, acoustic, 12-string, and bass guitar; as well as saxophone for the WHS band. Terrones has two performances coming up in April and May that he is looking forward to.
“I very much enjoy the band,” Terrones said. “The band is very fun.”
In addition to the Guitar Club and band, he has recently joined the Social Media Club to pursue his interests in photography. He also helps out with the Latino Student Union, where he raises money with lunch sales. The money earned helps fund not only the Latino Student Union but the WHS special education program as well.
Terrones also plays WHS football in the fall and stays involved at Jefferson by helping to coach the wrestling team there. In his free time, he likes to play guitar, clean, study, and hang out with friends.
Terrones has gained a good deal of appreciation for the teachers and staff this school year.
“My favorite thing is probably the teachers. The teachers are very kind here. They’re interactive with the students,” Terrones said.
He has been interested in welding for a few years and plans to get his certification in welding to help pay for his college career. He plans to pursue a bachelor's degree in architecture at Purdue University once he graduates and is looking forward to a bright future at WHS.