What’s Recently Happened?
For students, Fridays are something to look forward to. Friday signifies the end of the school week and the start of the weekend. But for senior Dawn Pawlak, Friday, November 16th signified something much bigger than the weekend. That day, Pawlak, surrounded by friends and family, celebrated her signing day. Pawlak signed with the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay to play Division I softball. Teachers and students at Gavit High School were looking forward to celebrating Pawlak’s signing day, especially since Pawlak is Gavit’s first NCAA Division-I athlete in many years!
Pawlak started her softball career at the age of five and went on to play travel ball. She has also played varsity softball for three years at Gavit. Shannon Hassel, Gavit’s softball coach, said, “Dawn is the athlete we should aspire to be.”
Pawlak always ensures that her and her team succeed and is always supportive of her teammates. Pawlak works hard on and off the field, excelling in both academics and athletics. She will graduate at the top of her class and will major in Biology. Good luck to Dawn Pawlak as she begins this new, exciting chapter!
What’s Coming Up?
Winter is a festive time of year. Holiday music warms the air as families get together to celebrate the holidays. As December is approaching quickly, Gavit’s band and choir are preparing for their winter concerts. Students that participate in these programs look forward to the winter concerts. The band will play festive music that represents the different holidays that are celebrated in December. In addition to singing holiday music, the choir will sing some songs from the movie The Greatest Showman. The band will hold their concert on December 6th and the choir will hold their concert on December 13th in Gavit’s auditorium.
In addition to preparing for their concerts, the band and choir are also getting ready for the Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) Solo and Ensemble competition. Every year, members of the band and choir go to ISSMA to compete as soloists or as part of an ensemble. The musicians choose a song they want to perform and are graded for their performance. Judges at ISSMA do not compare musicians to each other; they judge musicians solely on their performance, which allows students to better themselves as musicians. Good luck to the band and choir!
Student Spotlight
Larry Andres is a senior at Gavit High School who is known for his passion for science. This passion began when Andres became curious on how scientific principles occur and why they are true. Andres’s love for science led him to start his CL-Saviour Project, and join Science Olympiad and the Academic Super Bowl.
“Joining these teams was my chance to find out why science happens. It also brings together one thing that I have an issue with (people) and one thing that I love (science),” Andres said. “It lets me bond with people over my passion.”
During the summer, Andres had the opportunity to to travel to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Andres loved the campus, saying that it is “lively” and he wanted to continue learning more about the people there. Andres also had the opportunity to be a teaching assistant at the Computer Science Institute of Hammond summer program.
“At a certain point, I stopped feeling like a teacher and started feeling happy and overjoyed that I’m taking what I can do and pass it to others around me.”
The Helpline is a computer repair business that Andres owns. Through his business, Andres wishes to help others, even if they can’t afford it. Andres’s desire to help others extends outside of his business. Andres wishes to make the world a better place “for those who can’t make it better for themselves.” Whether it be through working with a particle accelerator or majoring in theoretical physics or biochemistry, Andres wants to change the world. His advice to others like him?
“Never stop going deeper down the rabbit hole. Everything you find out will lead to more things to learn about. Don’t stop because you don’t know. Be excited that there is something else to learn about.”
Teacher Spotlight
Mrs. Fehr has been working with the School City of Hammond for 30 years and has been at Gavit for 24 years. Before becoming the Instructional Coach and AP Coordinator at Gavit, Fehr taught high school math for 17 years.
“My favorite part of teaching math was teaching something very abstract and showing people how math is used in the real world,” she said. “Much of math is a step by step process and I like to see students see that.”
Fehr became Gavit’s AP Coordinator three years ago when Principal Mrs. Ondas asked her to take on the task. At the time, Fehr was the Instructional Coach and was no longer teaching. Fehr enjoys being the AP Coordinator saying, “The organization of it is a challenge and it’s fun to do.” In addition to liking the organizational aspect of being the AP Coordinator, Fehr also enjoys “working with a great group of teachers, with Mrs. Ondas’s support, who pour a lot into the program.”
Fehr wants to continue giving students the opportunity to attend AP Student Conferences and reinforce what is learned in class. To encourage students to take more AP classes, Fehr wishes to continue with the incentives that the AP program at Gavit grants to its students, like the End of the Year Picnic and Student of the Month.
Fehr’s advice to students: perseverance.
“Its okay to seek out help and advice when you need it because you’re teachers are truly there to help and support you. Know that learning takes time and effort, and even if you don’t get it the first time, persevere. We have to keep practicing and keep trying.”