What’s recently happened?
Over the past weeks, Griffith High School (GHS) celebrated Homecoming and all of the festivities that came with it. On Monday, students represented the seniors and juniors for the powderpuff football game by wearing corresponding colors. After school, the upperclassmen girls faced off in a flag football game. The junior team won by one score, but that didn’t stop the seniors from enjoying the rest of the week.
On Tuesday, the underclassmen dressed up for their designated holidays while the seniors dressed up as senior citizens. Wednesday for the underclassmen was “Western Day,” and the seniors dressed up as their favorite celebrities and characters. On Thursday, the seniors dressed as the opposite gender for gender swap day. After school, the seniors decorated the halls of the school for the senior prank.
Friday was the most eventful day, with everyone wearing black and gold. During the end of the school day, there was the annual pep rally in which both the dance team, the Pantherettes, and the Cheer team performed. Many different games were played to get the students engaged and excited for the upcoming 24 hours.
Later that night, the nominees for Homecoming Court walked out with their dates onto the football field awaiting to see who won King and Queen. The Court for King included Cameron Chandler, Korhan Leflore, Joseph LaPatra, Collin Young and Savon Miles. The Court for the Queen included Kayla Doctor, Rebecca Albarran, Brianna Lopez, Sarah Issa, and Paola Villarruel.
The crown of King was awarded to Korhan Leflore and the Queen was Kayla Doctor. To cap off the night, the Griffith Panthers football team came out on top with a 58-12 win against East Chicago Central High School. On Saturday, students celebrated the night and enjoyed Homecoming taking pictures and dancing.
What’s coming up?
With the regular season coming to a close for most fall sports programs at GHS, many of these teams are looking ahead towards the postseason. For some, the season as a whole is already over. Both Boys and Girls Soccer’s season have ended already, with the boys bowing out to the eventual champion Illiana Christian High School and the girls losing to Lowell High School.
The next upcoming Sectional game will be the Girls Volleyball team, who are hosting this Tuesday against Boone Grove High School. The winner will face the Highland High School Lady Trojans (5-25). Within this sectional are #19 in Class 3A Bishop Noll Institute, who are the clear favorites over this field.
Over the weekend, the sectional pairings show that the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) paired the Griffith Panthers football team against the Rensselaer Central High School Bombers. The Bombers come in ranked 41st in Class 3A against the 56th ranked Panthers. This sectional is loaded, with the number two team in Class 3A Hanover Central High School, #12 West Lafayette High School, and #34 Twin Lakes High School. The Panthers have high hopes despite the talent level of the sectional.
Both Girls and Boys Cross Country race on Saturday at the Highland Sectional. Grace Pinkleton and Joseph LaPatraI both hope to take home an individual Sectional Championship. The boys team also has hopes to advance as a team, and at the very least advance a few individuals onto the Regional at New Prairie High School. As this postseason comes upon the Griffith Panthers, hopes are high for these programs.
Staff spotlight:
Cynthia Leber is one of few people at GHS who sponsor multiple groups. Leber is the sponsor of both National Honor Society and National Junior Honor Society. Prior to this position, Leber taught both Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and Response to Intervention (RTI) math in GHS. Leber’s official title at GHS is digital curriculum and assessment facilitator, which means she helps maintain student data and coordinate the standardized tests taken at GHS.
Her pride at Griffith lies in the Honor Societies. Leber works alongside Marty Jarmula to facilitate community service projects and volunteerism by our members. She also promotes excellence in scholarship, service, character, and leadership.
One of the major events she organizes is the Top Ten dinner for the 10 highest achieving academic students. She also helps organize leadership training for 80+ high schoolers and middle schoolers each. Within the National Honor Society, she hosts a fall and spring trivia night to fundraise for the program. Alongside her group sponsorships, she also assists the Griffith Theatre Company by manning the box office at all major performances.
Outside of school, Leber has more experience with community services.
“I am involved in the Griffith chapter of Tri Kappa, which is an Indiana-based service sorority which promotes charity, culture, and education. We volunteer at and host community events and raise money for local and national charities,” she said.
Leber also enjoys cooking, baking, walking her dog, reading, watching movies, and traveling. She traveled to Greece over the summer and enjoyed the incredible sights, culture, and food.
Leber works day in and day out to mold the next generation of volunteers and students.
Student spotlight:
Courtney Adams, a junior at GHS, is a role model and a leader for her fellow classmates, being both a diligent student and athlete. In terms of extracurriculars, Adams is in Class Council, Student Council, Booster Club, National Honor Society, Paranormal Society, and the bowling team.
Her passion lies with the one sport listed on her activities: bowling.
“Bowling is my way to have fun, while also improving my game every time I practice and play,” she said.
Adams gravitates towards bowling because she enjoys the mental fortitude aspect of it.
“I love pushing myself to become better both physically and mentally,” Adams said.
Within the school, Adams is a great student, number two in her class. In the community, she teaches dance at her dance studio, volunteers at JV bowling matches, and other miscellaneous activities involving the groups she is involved in.
Courtney’s love for bowling stemmed from her two grandparents who passed away in 2013. She began bowling competitively about five years ago and never looked back. Adams says she grew up in a bowling alley and would find herself at the bowling alley after bad days to clear her mind.
This hard-working mentality is the reason Adams is the person she is today, and she plans to continue on this path throughout life.