What’s recently happened?
Keeping the crowd hooked with a close, nail-biting score, Munster High School’s (MHS) Girls Basketball team lost their 20th game this season on January 10. The girls came short of the Crown Point Bulldogs with a score of 39 to 43. Throughout this season, the team has won 15 out of 20 of its games.
“I love being able to celebrate this amazing season with the team and to see how much the girls improved from last year to now,” Brooke Lesina, junior and team manager, said.
During this season, the team celebrated a record breaking accomplishment made by freshman Gracyn Gillard. Gillard set a new school record for the most points scored in a single game at the December 20 Washington Township game. Gillard scored 38 points. The previous record was set in 1989 by Ellen Blackmun who had 36 points.
“Witnessing Gracyn beat the record was super exciting,” Elisabeth Krieg, Muster varsity player and junior, said. “The energy from the team in the locker room after the game was incredible. We were all so happy for her.”
With an upgoing season so far, Krieg wants to continue the energy. She hopes to win the team’s first sectional tournament and achieve her ultimate goal of going to state.
“I am looking forward to having a good record this year,” Kreig said. “Beating teams we rarely beat has been really rewarding, and I think the close bond of our team helps us achieve our goals.”
What’s coming up?
The Munster Dance Team held its annual Kids Camp on December 28. The dancers taught a routine to kids from kindergarten to fifth grade that was altered and suitable for each age group.
“Teaching the dance was a bit of a hassle, but getting to watch them start to get comfortable, confident, and have fun with it was the best part,” Grace Peters, Munster varsity dancer and sophomore, said.
The kids performed the routine they learned at camp at the January 10 Girls Basketball game and will have another performance at the Munster Dance Competition Invite on January 14.
“The crowd at the game was huge, and I could tell the kids were ecstatic because they could not stop talking about how excited they were before going out for halftime,” Peters said. “They were constantly asking me how much longer it was until we got to go dance. It truly was adorable.”
Staff spotlight:
A MHS alumni himself, Dillon Thompson, science teacher, graduated from MHS in 2011. He did not go to college for teaching, but his appreciation for science and his own high school led to his teaching role at MHS. While working for his teaching license, a maternity leave position opened up at the high school that Thompson took. Since then, he has stayed teaching at MHS.
“As an alumnus, the reason I really wanted to come back and teach here was because I felt like this school and the school district really did a lot for me to prepare me well for college,” Thompson said. “I wanted to come back here, give back to the school, and help future generations of students.”
This will be Thompson’s third full year teaching. His favorite part of teaching is the fulfilling feeling of watching students grow throughout his classes.
“It is rewarding that I get to see growth,” Thompson said. “I get to see the growth overtime as students learn new things and as they have those ‘aha’ moments. Especially with my Advanced Placement (AP) Biology class, since it is a hard class, it is nice to see students’ hard work pay off.”
Student spotlight:
Dancing all through her house at a young age instead of walking, Alicia Jones, senior and Munster varsity dancer, began dancing at three-years-old.
“My parents put me in dance at a young age, and as I grew up, I started hearing only amazing things about the Munster Dance Team,” Jones said.
Jones joined the dance team her freshman year. She came from a middle school that did not have a dance team, so she was excited to try out.
“Since I only heard great things about the team, I was a little intimidated to try out,” Jones said. “I just knew that I had to work really hard.”
Since she has been on the team, Jones feels as if she has greatly improved and grown as a dancer and a person.
“By being with all types of dancers, it forces me to work up to their level and learn new skills to be a cohesive team,” Jones said. “I also have become a more well-rounded person. With all my practices, my time management skills have strengthened to balance my school and dance life together.”
Now that it is her final year on the team, Jones reflects back on the many opportunities the dance team has given her. She expresses the multitude of friends she has made because of the team.
“The team introduced me to so many new friends that I would have never met before,” Jones said. “It can sometimes be tough to work with many personalities, but we work together to achieve our shared goals. I love how close we all are to each other.”