History was made by the Crown Point High School 2016 volleyball team with their first ever state appearance. The fight for the state title was a difficult one with CP losing the first two sets, winning the third and ultimately losing in the fourth to Cathedral High School.
Even though the loss wasn’t the desired outcome, the state game is an experience the team will never forget.
“Being at state was different than being at any other tournament. Everything was so energetic. Playing in the arena was amazing. There were so many people watching, whether it was in person, on TV or online. It’s hard to put it into words,” senior Hannah Bauner said.
Junior Morgan Chacon believes that the difficulty of the game was one of the things that makes volleyball so special.
“The atmosphere [at state] was amazing. All of the noise in that arena was so intense, but that’s what makes postseason matches so incredible,” Chacon said. “All of us love this sport because of games like these where you are battling for every single point. I’d give anything to go play in that arena again.”
But the road to state wasn’t an easy one. Senior Jessica Yukich worked hard to lead the team and fulfill the “mom” role she achieved by playing every game with a positive mindset.
“The team worked one day and one game at a time towards state. It was always something at the backs of our minds, especially as we won some really tough and high-profile matches this year, but we were determined to stay humble and not look ahead,” Yukich said. “We just tried to work on our skills, intensity level, and consistency. We have this saying, ‘erase the hype’, that we have followed during the postseason to stay committed to staying humble.”
The success of the season not only brought pride to the players, but it also provided them with an opportunity to make lasting friendships and bring a happy ending to long careers for the seniors.
“I will always remember these big moments and all of the accomplishments of the teams I have been a part of. Most of all, there is no better feeling than playing with your best friends. Although I will see them all the time, [being on the court] is something that’s irreplaceable to me,” Yukich said.
Graduating five seniors can seem daunting for next season, but Chacon is confident in the remaining team members’ abilities to maintain the team’s success.
“We have five seniors. All of our seniors have been a huge part of this program, and their shoes will be hard to fill, but we have so many younger players with tons of potential I think they will step up to the plate,” Chacon said. “I wouldn’t have wanted any other seniors to spend this season with. Although this season didn’t end the way we wanted, this is the most special team I’ve ever been a part of.”
Teacher Spotlight: Jason McGee
Crown Point High School math teacher Jason McGee discovered his love for teaching during his senior year of high school when he would help his friends with their math homework. Though he loved helping others, he was unsure of his decision to become a teacher during his first years of college.
“Going through college though, I didn't really know it was for me for sure until I performed my student teaching and got to have my own class and get to know the students really well, learned a lot, not only about teaching, but about how much I enjoyed working with students and getting to know them and their interests,” McGee said.
Ever since then, McGee has been teaching for 12 years and loves the challenge that accompanies his current course, advanced placement calculus.
“I always enjoyed the toughest math classes in college, so I guess that translated in the desire to teach the toughest math class in high school. It's a challenge and takes a lot of dedication and time commitment, and I like challenges,” McGee said.
It’s difficult for McGee to pick one thing that makes teaching special, but it all comes down to one thing: the students.
“It's the million little things like that and all of the conversations, both fun and serious, that I have with students on a daily basis that make the job fulfilling. Providing high expectations for students is a huge part of it too because when you truly challenge students, there is a sense of purpose and accomplishment when we are successful, that we really pushed ourselves and were successful even though it was difficult and stressful. The biggest thing is getting to know the students and their interests and being able to help them as much as I possibly can because they are my number one priority,” McGee said.
McGee’s success as a teacher is highlighted through various awards he has earned through student-nominated awards. One recent award he received was an Outstanding Educator award from the University of Chicago that a former student nominated him for. He was also nominated by Renee Brigham and Paul Dawley, two other former students, as their most influential educator when they received the Indiana Academic All-Star award.
“I don't really care about achieving awards myself. The biggest thing for me that makes me happy is when my students achieve and try their best to maximize their potential,” McGee said. “All that matters is having the respect and appreciation from my students through high expectations and high support and communicating with them everyday.”