William Hatczel is NWIndianaLife.com's #1StudentNWI representative at Munster High School. Each month, William will write a column, feature story or informational bit on a topic related to his school. This month, he gives up a closer look at the Mustangs' boys' golf team, the speech team, a special tutor, Science Olympiad and more!
Inexperienced Boys’ Golf Team Looks to Prove Themselves
Boys’ Golf prepares for a season full of challenges due to the lack of experience on the varsity roster, according to Coach Bill Smitka, social studies teacher.
“I have been coaching for seven or eight years now and this is the most unique season,” Coach Smitka said. “We have only one returning varsity player. The other eight or nine guys were on the junior varsity team.”
Transitioning from playing golf to playing competitive golf can prove challenging for the newcomers, according to Coach Smitka.
“They have to learn how to play competitive golf,” Coach Smitka said. “Some will have to know how to deal with pressure.”
Freshman Tony Daniels spent most of his golf career just playing for fun with family and friends. Daniels believes he will face a few challenges, but he won't have a hard time transitioning into competitive golf.
“(The biggest challenge is) probably just hitting some pressure shots with the coach watching,” Daniels said. “I don’t think it should be too tough. Maybe when the tougher shots come in there will be more room for error.”
While only spending a short amount of time with his new varsity players so far, Coach Smitka has already learned a lot about them.
“They are a real coachable bunch,” Coach Smitka said. “They are really excited and listen well. They seem to enjoy playing competitive golf.”
Senior Drew Hackett is the only returning member of the varsity team. He looks forward to assuming the leadership role he had when playing on the basketball team.
“I am going to have to (be a leader),” Hackett said. “I am the only one that has played and stepped on a course to play varsity golf. (Leading) is going to have to be the whole year. I will have to help them and show them what to do.”
Although the new players come in lacking experience, Daniels believes he and his other new teammates can persevere and improve their game as the season progresses.
“I do not think it will be too tough,” Daniels said. “Of course kids will get better as the year goes on.”
Coach Smitka knows that the team will have to fix weaknesses throughout the season, however, the weaknesses will vary depending on the individual.
“Coaches like Coach (Leroy) Marsh can usually follow a script on how he wants to run practice,” Coach Smitka said. “(For golf) there are 12 or 13 individuals with 12 or 13 different strengths and 12 or 13 different weaknesses. If everyone is playing to work on the same thing then they won’t fix their weaknesses. Each individual kid needs to work on their other skills.”
While postseason success stands as one of the typical goals for Coach Smitka, he hopes to see his team plays hard and not give up no matter what happens throughout the season.
“My goal is to compete as much as we can,” Coach Smitka said. “It is easy to get disheartened. I would rather see a kid play nine holes than give up and slump his shoulders.”
Keeping a positive mindset and moving on after making a mistake are the two pays Daniels keeps a positive mindset while playing in a match.
“I stay calm,” Daniels said. “It is not the end of the world if you miss a shot. Bounce back and have short term memory.”
The team will play competitive golf for the first time against Lake Central next Tuesday. The team will have to deal with a mixture of good and bad performances due to their lack of experience, according to Mr. Smitka.
“There is definitely going to be a learning curve at the beginning of the season,” Coach Smitka said. “If you never played high school golf or haven't golfed on a certain course, then you are going to feel the butterflies. The biggest challenge is how we are going to handle success and failure early.”
Tutor Dedicates All Hours of Day to Help Students Succeed
When the final bell rings at 2:45, Alec Thompson, senior, immediately pulls out his phone and texts his Academic Pointe tutor Mr. Mike Graczyk, ’06, asking when he can come to study for his upcoming Pre-Calculus test.
Alec receives a text back saying Mr. Graczyk’s only opening is 1:00 a.m. and accepts the time. Later that night at 1:00 a.m., Alec and Mr. Graczyk sit together working on a review packet while cracking jokes to keep themselves awake.
“Whenever I have a test the next day, I will ask him when I can come in,” Alec said. “He will say he has a 1:00 a.m. (opening), and I will go there and be there until 2:30 a.m. It is actually a lot of fun. It is almost like being in a normal math class except he makes jokes and has a lot of fun.”
After graduating from Munster, Mr. Graczyk went on to attend Ball State University in order to become a Financial Actuary. It wasn’t until his many group study sessions that he realized he was meant to be a teacher.
“All my friends were going for (Financial Actuary), so I went along with them,” Mr. Graczyk said. “When we formed study groups, I was able to teach everyone.”
Mr. Graczyk has been working at Academic Pointe since 2011. His goal is to help students improve their math skills and prepare them for the SAT and ACT.
“The joy of the job is to work with the kids and help them understand,” Mr. Graczyk said. “Their look when they get something is nice to see. I always wanted to encourage them to learn and tell them that they can do it. It is really to empower the kids, not just in math.”
Mr. Graczyk believes tutors help solidify the knowledge teachers give to their students by eliminating any confusion.
“(Tutoring) is not meant to take the place of teaching,” Mr. Graczyk said. “The role of a tutor is to qualify the teaching of teachers.”
When a student walks into Mr. Graczyk’s classroom, they will find snacks and candy. They will also notice the portion of his whiteboard dedicated to the midnight club, a list of students who have stayed past midnight.
“(Entering the room) makes me feel happy,” Alec said. “It is a very energetic room. He has motivational pictures hanging and poster boards signed by students.”
Mr. Graczyk believes that having fun while learning helps students perform at their highest level and helps them enjoy school again. “Somewhere along the way, people learn to hate school,” Mr. Graczyk said. “(Learning) does have to be fun. Your environment has to be conducive to the foundation of learning.”
Alec enjoys the many ways Mr. Graczyk helps him solve a problem or prepare for a test and how he breaks up the stress of studying by throwing in a joke once in a while.
“He is a very smart guy and very easy to understand,” Alec said. “He gives you a lot of different ways to approach a problem. He also has a good sense of humor.”
Alec holds Mr. Graczyk in high regards due to the fact that he works endless hours for his students, but most importantly, for how thoughtful he is.
“For one, he cares about the kids he teaches,” Alec said. “He is not just out there for money; he wants to help people succeed.”
Patrick Toth, senior, only goes to Mr. Graczyk to make sure he is on the right page when it comes to his math homework. Despite Patrick’s seriousness when it comes to going there, he does enjoy Mr. Graczyk’s personality and his flexible hours.
“He is very friendly,” Patrick said. “He gives you whatever you need. He can adjust his schedule to help you. He is very open and kind.”
Patrick believes Tutoring is the perfect job for Mr. Graczyk due to the dedication and passion he demonstrates.
“He obviously likes it,” Patrick said. “If he did not, he would be an actuary or work somewhere else. I would recommend Academic Pointe if you have enough reasons to go there.”
Mr. Graczyk considers teaching his way of helping others. He enjoys all things math and helping kids understand it. His parents instilled this belief in him when he was growing up.
“My faith is one of my biggest reasons for why I do what I do,” Mr. Graczyk said. “My parents always said to help others. I am on this earth to help others. I love math and I love the kids.”
Veteran Speech Team Member Ends Career on High Note
Last Saturday, Hannah Witting, senior, competed in Indy for the state’s speech competition. Hannah placed first in Oratorical Declamation, which concluded her high school speech career.
“I feel like the hard work has paid off,” Hannah said. “It is satisfying to know that it was worth it.”
Hannah credits her coach, Mrs. Helen Engstrom, who she believes has helped her earn the results she was hoping for.
“It feels like a privilege to have her be my coach,” Hannah said. “I feel honored to have had someone as well-known as her.”
Hannah and the rest of the team have spent most of the school year working and reworking the pieces they presented at State. She also presented her piece with much more meaning than just in an attempt to win a trophy.
“It is totally worth it,” Hannah said. “It’s also about sending a message. Mine was about Lou Gehrig’s disease and ALS. I wanted everyone to know about them.”
Although her career is over, Hannah will always remember and cherish all the fun moments she had with friends and coaches.
“(I am going to miss) the people,” Hannah said. “I was hanging out with my friends every day. Now we have to work hard to get together. I love my coaches and all of the people.”
Science Olympiad Comes Out on Top Again
The Science Olympiad team won the state competition for the second year in a row on March 21. The team was able to accomplish some of their biggest goals which included breaking a state record.
“We really wanted to do well,” Haley Kwasniewski, senior, said. “We also wanted to break the state scoring record. The highest record was 68 and we got 51. We really wanted to go big. We want a top 10 national trophy.”
Longs hours of practice and helpful coaches have led to the team’s success, according to Haley.
“We practice two and a half hours every day and six on Saturdays,” Haley said. “Honestly, it is the coaches. They are there all 17 hours a week. They take the time to help us. We would not be anywhere without them.”
Haley believes the team’s mindset helps them get through the practices each day and they have way special way to help them get through Saturday practices.
“We are serious with what we do,” Haley said. “The coaches try to make it as enjoyable as possible. We get food and eat lunch together on Saturdays. We do not look at it (practices) as a chore.”
The team now prepares for May 16, which is the day of Nationals. Haley feels good about where the team is out right now, but knows they still have to put in some preparation in order to achieve a top 10 trophy.
“I am very confident in the team, but we do not want to be overconfident,” Haley said. “We do not think we are better than the other teams because we are not. There is still a lot of work to do.”