Winter Sports
As many students scramble to get missing assignments in before grading deadlines the Eagles winter sports are off to a promising start. The Eagles season began with the Edison cheerleaders, who traveled out to Indianapolis for their first competition. This was a welcome change for the cheerleaders, who usually don’t see competition until the invites of late-February and March.
When asked about the early start to the season, varsity coach Jessica Modglin said, “In the spring we have a few competitions all in a row, then the season is over. We were hoping to use this competition as a learning experience so that we could really look at the judge’s scoring cards and improve our routine over a longer amount of time.”
Edison was in the last set of performers, so nerves were very high for this group, but they had to set that aside and perform! The ladies and men of the Edison cheer squad laid their hearts out on the mats, much to the liking of both coaches. Soon after the final team performed, it was time for the seriousness to drop off and to have fun. As a tradition at these type of events, the cheerleaders, all in unison, dance and sing songs, while waiting for the award ceremonies. This competition went according to plan, as Edison performed very well, but just missed out on winning state-qualifiers. To celebrate their coaches awarded the team two weeks practice free, coming back before their first performance for the basketball season.
Second up on the todo list for the Winter Sports was girls basketball, led by seniors Grace Dwyer, Ashley Dukich, Anna Armes and Kiersten Taylor, who are looking to come back even stronger after a successful season of growth and achievement. With a low numbers of seniors last season, the core stays intact, so the only way for the Lady Eagles is up from her, evidence by their win last week at the National Guard game against Clark.
Both varsity and JV had very convincing victories over the stout competition, and the special moment is forever captured by a picture with the team and their Guard rep. The ladies now reside at 3-3, and their captain Grace Dwyer has high hopes they can turn it around: “At this point last year, we were only 1-5. I feel like we still haven't found our rhythm yet. We have lost two very winnable games this season, but once we do, we will be a very different team than we were last year. Plus our JV has a much better start than they did last year. They are really competitive this year.”
The boys team is off to somewhat of a rocky start, but showed promise in their first matchup against Gavit. The two teams went into the locker room tied at the half, but the Eagles came out stale, falling down by 15 at one point. They did surge a comeback within the final 65 seconds to cut the lead to six, but the damage had already been done and the Eagles lost their first matchup 59-65. They are eagerly looking for their next matchup to erase this sore memory.
Led by seniors Michael Boyer and James O’Connor, the fighting Eagles have a very young core for the future in sophomores Dominique Smith and Jared Jones. Having such a young team means they have immense potential and will continue to grow with one another. Their main sidequest this season is to avenge a blowout from last season to their rivals across the town: River Forest.
“We have to show we can play this year,” said James O’Connor. “No more excuses.”
Last but definitely not least, comes the fighting Eagles wrestling team, who hosted the Danny Chavez Invitational at Edison High School on November 19th. The Eagles were displayed prominently in the tournament-style event with a few boys going 5-0. One of those undefeated wrestlers was senior Dylan Stiles, a member of the football and cheerleading team, who is looking to “win and improve. That’s it.”
I got around to talking with senior Jonathan Tiscareno and he told me, “This year will be good, like really good. All of our wrestlers work hard in the gym and on the mats no matter the time.”
Here’s to a successful season to the wrestlers and all the winter sports athletes. Wrestling continues as the Eagles travel to Lake Central for the Harvest Classic on December 3rd. Girls basketball resumes when the Lady Eagles face North Newton on November 29th, as the boys look to challenge Calumet Christian on December 1st.
Teacher Spotlight: Thomas Coleman
Speaking of challenges, it is the goal of Edison’s business and marketing teacher Thomas Coleman to challenge his students to prove all the misconceptions of the area are false. He wants his students to prove they are great. Having the opportunity to sit with the man allowed me to dive deeper into to what drives him.
Thomas Coleman is a retired businessman, who after a life-changing event, went into the world of secondary education around the age of 50. Coleman is a rare specimen who alters between the worlds of heel and face by certain students. When asked why this is the case, he said, “Many kids maybe are afraid of the future. They may have not had someone be a little hard on them before. What many of them do not realize is I want to aid the lives of these students.”
He later said, “My goal as an educator is to supply the tools needed for success. Many people tell you to become successful without financing or supplying kids with the opportunities to succeed.”
When asked why he moved from the profitable world of business to education he simply replied, “I had to.”
The event which steered Coleman down the course of teaching? Being robbed and carjacked at gunpoint by a group of young people.
“These are young people full of huge potential, just wasting it.” He paused to catch his bearings. “I want every child to realize they don’t have to go that route.”
It was from that day that our newest business teacher started his road to helping fulfill kids’ potential.
“I promised my wife that this is what I was meant to do.”
Nowadays, Coleman fundamentally enjoys every day he puts into Edison High School. He has assumed the job of historian, guidance counselor and newsbrodcaster for his business classes. Attempting to reinvent his curriculum to become pleasing to the hyper, ever-changing minds of high schoolers has, in his words, “meant the world.”
Mr. Coleman continues to challenge his students every day, working them towards graduation and a life of work.
“I hope that my students do not wake every morning, annoyed and saddened by their place of work.”