Teacher Shoutout
The end of the school year has arrived, and along with that, the Hobart Chamber of Commerce has accepted nominations for one outstanding teacher in each of the following: Elementary Schools, the Middle School, and the High School. For the High School, Mrs. Heidi Krouse was selected. Many things are taken into consideration when determining which teacher will be awarded.
Mrs. Krouse is completely dedicated to teaching her students. She is involved in teaching Project Lead the Way classes (a college credit course) and biology classes. She spends her time after school hours coaching the Hobart Academic Super Bowl Science team and coordinating special events like the Suicide walk that recently just took place. Not only does she teach the material from a course with clarity and patience, but she helps each and every individual learn about life- how it works, what to expect from it, and how we can all live up to our greatest potential. Being an educator is not just about teaching a certain subject; it is also about connecting with students on a personal level. Asking any one of her students, she has done just that.
Academic Awards and National Honor Society Inductions
On the night of the inductions and awards, many students who have achieved great things academically, all met in Hobart’s auditorium with friends, teachers, and family members. Awards included special students who are above average in specific subjects like English and Science. Every student who had been invited received an award whether it was perfect attendance or the student representative of the sophomore and junior classes, each having a boy and girl representative. It was also quite ironic how most of the individuals who were receiving an award for perfect attendance did not show up. The National Honor Society chooses special individuals of the junior class each year who express leadership, responsibility, academic excellence, as well as just being a good person. The number of students being inducted has gone up from past years, so the school hopes to continue increasing the number of these inductees.
Suicide Awareness Walk
Young individuals are beginning to really make a difference at Hobart High School. One group of seniors have just ended their fourth year in the Project Lead the Way classes: Biomedical Innovations. This group includes seven young ladies: Lauren Young, Jessenia Jeronimo, Desiree Burke, Iona Estacio, Danielle Jones, Nadeen Aridah, and Jessica Bernardo. The group began researching health issues that are a serious problem in Indiana. They ended up finding shocking suicide rates in the state, so they decided to think of an idea that would educate the public and raise money for organizations that help raise awareness for suicide prevention. The group then applied for a grant through the Hobart Community Foundation. They ended up choosing the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The representatives for their organization were really great and extremely cooperative. After the walk, the girls learned a lot of ways that they could improve if they were to do it again. They realized how many people this problem affects, especially hearing stories from the families who attended the walk.
Lauren Young stated, “ I really hope that getting the community together and talking about the problem will impact the lives of individuals struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts.” These ladies are setting an example for the rest of the High School’s students as well as everybody who attended the walk.
Spring Sports Awards
On the second to last day of school, the spring athletes all got together to look at the achievements of each sport. Overall, girl’s tennis, girls and boys track, softball, and baseball had excellent seasons. Many individuals stood out. For Boys’ Track, Nick Ray has done pretty great things. Only a sophomore, he won the MVP Field Events Award, following after his older brother, Ernie Ray, who graduated last year. He qualified for the state meet in discus and is moving up in the region’s rankings. Mostly seniors accomplish this. Nick could potentially be the number one sophomore all time in the state if he hits the throws he has been hitting recently in practice. Also, in Girls’ Tennis, Hobart’s number one doubles team includes, senior, Ally Bachman and, junior, Tatiana Spak. The girls were 12-2 for the season, and they are undefeated for the state final quest. They are the Hobart Invite Champs, defeating a pretty big powerhouse - Lake Central. They also beat them in regionals. Ally is busy preparing for semi-state with a positive attitude.
Her coach, Coach Carl Davis, told the audience she said, “We will deliver if we stay together!”
This goes to show how much of a leader she is, especially to her younger teammate.
Clubs/Theatre
The Hobart Community Theatre just recently had auditions. The show they will soon be performing is called Picnic, which is about a Kansas family. The setting is two porches on Labor Day weekend. The plot is about a young, beautiful girl, Mag, who is engaged to a rich boy, but ends up falling in love with a poor boy. It is a four males and seven females show. 24 people auditioned which is larger than normal. Theatre at Hobart is becoming very popular and is filled with numerous talented individuals. Also, there were more guys who auditioned than girls. The individuals auditioning had to read multiple scenes picked out by the directors to give them an idea of who should be who. The following night, the cast list is posted. Showtimes for the play will be July 16-18 at 7:30.
Class of 2015 Graduation
Everybody says to enjoy high school while it lasts because before you know it, you will be walking across the stage asking yourself what’s next. Those people were right. The 2015 class speakers made that very clear throughout their speeches. Among those speakers were the treasurer: Makayla Morales, secretary: James Bowers, VP: Jazlyn Shinkle, and the class president: Alixandrya Moon. The speeches were filled with happy memories as well as the sadness that always comes along with farewells. These students are now moving on to a different part of their lives.
The Commencement Address was given by Miss Audrey Weaver, who was many of this class’ English teacher for multiple years. In her speech, she gave advice to the students that really anybody can take. She said that people often say that high school was one of the best times of their lives, but she doesn’t want this to be the best time of their lives. She wants them to keep going forward- to keep going up. She wants them to try and make each day better than the last because in the end what matters is the good you have done and the people you have loved. The graduation concluded with the memorable line, “Once a Brickie, always a Brickie”.
Recap: Last Months 2 Academic Super Bowl Wins
The Academic Super Bowl teams should definitely not be overlooked. There are a variety of teams: Science, Fine Arts, Mathematics, English, History, etc. There are three competitions throughout the school year. The first is held at Hobart High School. The second is held at Valparaiso High School. The third is held at Chesterton and is also the state qualifier. For each subject in the competitions, there are 25 timed questions. Hobart’s teams were facing huge competition such as big schools like Crown Point, Chesterton, and Valpo. Despite going up against talented teams, two of Hobart’s teams qualified for state: the English team and the Fine Arts team. All of the hard work and studying of material got them that far, and they deserve recognition for that work.
Recap: Student Shoutout- Rhylee Beshears
This past month seniors have been making all kinds of decisions that will determine what the next step in their lives will be like. The student-athletes have to choose whether they want to make the commitment to play their sport in college or not. Miss Rhylee Beshears decided to continue on in the sport she loves. She recently signed to play at Trine University in Angola, IN to be a defensive specialist in the game of volleyball. They are a Division three school and are looking forward to all of the upcoming talented freshman class.
Beshears states, “I’m looking forward to the challenges that await me in the fall, and I’m definitely excited to meet my new teammates and make friendships that will last me a lifetime.” Hobart High School wishes her good luck in her near future.