Thanksgiving was just a few days ago, and Chesterton students are already abuzz with holiday spirit. After eating copious amounts of food, going wild at Black Friday sales, watching the Macy’s parade, and hanging out with family, students are ready to jump right into the Christmas season, blaring “Jingle Bells” in their car and wrapping up presents.
The holiday season is all about service and gratitude, and the school is channeling that this year. As a school-wide project, CHS is holding a food drive from November 28th to December 8th. Students are encouraged to participate, with some teachers offering extra credit for bringing in items. Posters around the school let students know that their help is highly valued and that the drive is accepting canned vegetables and fruits, soups, boxed non-perishables, toiletry products, and cash donations. They are also accepting canned meats, but do not want any form of canned green beans.
The extracurricular clubs are also feeling the holiday spirit. On Monday, November 21st, the German Club held a movie night, including snacks, drinks and “The Polar Express.” All German Club students were welcome to attend and enjoy the classic movie. Another foreign language group, French Club, is celebrating Christmas in a special way. Members will be visiting Chicago on Sunday, December 11th. While visiting, they will go see the Nutcracker Ballet and get the chance to shop at a Christmas Market. Although no announcements have been broadcasted through the school speakers, posters around the hallways encourage students to see their French teacher for a permission slip.
Helping Hands, a club dedicated to bettering the school and community, is meeting on November 30th to discuss their plans for Christmas. Their main goal is to host a Christmas party on Wednesday, December 14th for the special needs students and will be thinking up ideas for that during the meeting. Also during the meeting, members will get to pull a name off of a Christmas tree for a needy child or adult.
Finally, the well-known tradition of the Madrigal Feast continues this year. The 44th annual event is hosted by the CHS music department and dinners will occur five times between December 2nd and December 4th. The first feast is on Friday at 7 pm, followed by two on Saturday at 4 and 7 pm, and finishing off on Sunday with dinners at 2 and 5 pm. Tickets went on sale November 18th for a bit, then had several hours of sales on November 21st. Currently, tickets can be bought on school days until December 2nd from 7:30 am to 11:45 am, and then 12:45 pm to 4 pm. Come start off the Christmas season with CHS and let the music department entertain you while you enjoy the feast!
Student Spotlight: Brenna Farrell
Many students enjoy volunteering and giving back to their community during the holidays, but one person who loves doing that year-round is junior Brenna Farrell.
“I volunteer at a couple of different places,” Farrell said. “I am involved with Jacob’s Ladder, Reins of Life, iMatter Youth, and on days when I’m not busy, I help out at the local retirement home.”
At Jacob’s Ladder, Farrell is on the Junior Leader Board and helps kids with physical and/or mental disabilities.
“We plan activities and events for the kids to go to,” she said, “so they can be around other kids and just have a good time.”
One of the most frequent events she is involved with at Jacob’s Ladder is Lights Up, Sound Down, which is held once a month at the Portage IMAX theater.
“The theater puts on popular children’s movies with the lights on and the sound turned down low so the kids can enjoy their movie without any discomfort,” she said. “While they watch the movie, we set up games, other activities, and food for them to enjoy after their movie. It’s so great to get to see their excited faces while they play games and make new friends.”
Reins of Life has a similar concept, as Farrell helps out with mentally and physically disabled kids there.
“I help these children learn to ride horses at Reins of Life,” she said. “It gives them great opportunities to interact with people, plus they learn responsibility and respect for other and animals.”
iMatter Youth is very different from the other two, as it involves high school students campaigning for a better environment.
“At iMatter Youth, I work with other teens my age to help raise awareness about climate change in our community,” she said. “We are currently trying to set up ideas to get solar panels on top of our school’s stadium lights.”
Finally, at the retirement home, Farrell helps out around the building and keeps the residents company.
“I read the paper to the residents a lot and play games,” she said. “I help plan activities and really just assist whoever needs help at the current time. I love spending time there because I get to talk to all these cool people with great stories to tell.”
Farrell finds that the biggest perk of volunteering is the experiences she gets from working with everyone.
“I love seeing the kids laugh and smile, as well as talking with the people in the retirement home,” she said. “It really gives me a new look on life. My problems aren’t anything compared to some of theirs, but you never hear them complaining. In a way, they help me in becoming a better, more open-minded person.”
When she isn’t volunteering, Farrell likes to use her musical talents.
“I play violin in my high school orchestra,” she said, “and I play piano outside of school with my private teacher.”