#1StudentNWI: New Teachers Begin the Year at Whiting High School

New Additions to the Oiler Family

The 2015-16 is a school year full of change and new additions to the Oiler family. Whiting High School (WHS) is welcoming Miss Kalk, Mr. Harnew, Mr. Mysliwy, and Mr. Buck.

Mr. Harnew, a former Griffith Middle School Social Studies teacher, is currently teaching World History, Economics, and Government at WHS. A previous BNI Mathematics teacher, Mr. Mysliwy now instructs students in Geometry, Algebra II, and Business Math. Mr. Buck coaches the Speech and Debate team at Munster High School and teaches English 11, English 11 Honors, and English Composition. Miss Kalk who used to substitute teacher at Hanover Central and Kahler Middle School is in her first year in Special Education, and she is working diligently to receive her Master’s degree.

While working as the assistant Athletic Director, Mr. Mysliwy plans to help his math students get the most they can out of their class. In the eyes of Mr. Buck, he feels US History class lines up with English 11 so the theories learned in History class can be applied through the readings in English. Mr. Buck is hoping to encourage writing skills improvement in English Composition. Miss Kalk would like to get a grasp on what Special Education really is. Keeping an eye out for his seniors in Economics and Government classes, Mr. Harnew hopes they all graduate.

Preparation for Homecoming

Booster Club sponsors, Mrs. Lovasko and Mrs. Mindas, have begun putting their efforts into this year’s Homecoming dance which is themed “Hollywood” and will be held September 14-19. Congratulations to Booster Club officers Alex Danielides (12), Mireya Huizar (12), Rudy Becerra (12), and Diana Lopez (12); they are all putting forth their efforts ensure this year’s Homecoming is full of spirit.

Night of the Living Dead, Grease, Toy Story, and Space Jam were chosen by each class to represent themselves and do their best at their chance for claiming the spirit stick. The Class of 2016 has high hopes in reclaiming their prize. Attendance to home football games, hallway decorating, float, dress up days, and the pep rally competition each count towards the spirit stick.

The dress up days for the week in order are Decade Day, Twin Day, Nerd Day, Patriotic Day, and Green/White Day. Hallway Decorating will take place from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Seniors are assigned the 2nd floor, juniors have the 1st floor, sophomores will decorate the 3rd floor, and freshmen will have the hallway outside of the library to decorate. Wednesday is float decorating at the City Barn from 3:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. On Thursday, the parade will be held from 6:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. followed by the bonfire then the community pep assembly which ends at 9:00 p.m. Whiting Oilers will face off against Lake Station Eagles on Friday at 7:00 p.m. The dance will be held from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Teacher Shout out: Ms. Fentress

Ms. Fentress is not a new face to the Oilers, but she is a new to Whiting High School. She has taught Mathematics to 7th and 8th graders at Whiting Middle School for 20 years while sponsoring National Junior Honor Society and Academic Team. She also helped out with summer school in the middle school this past summer. Ms. Fentress is now teaching Algebra I, Algebra I Honors, Study Hall, and ECA Lab.

Her first week in the halls at WHS were much easier than teaching middle school students. She noticed the maturity in high school especially in many students who were in her class prior to high school. Now more teaching and less discipline can be accomplished throughout the year, and she feels the students are more independent so she does not have to hound students to get their work done. Not having to treat the students as small children is a bonus but not as much of an interaction occurs between her and her students.

In her ECA Lab class, she is preparing a small class of students to retake and pass the ECA this time. She instructs the class by using state practice books and tests along with diagnostic tests. She has high hopes for her ECA Lab students to pass this year. In order for the students to pass the sophomore test, Ms. Fentress would like to pass on enough knowledge to her Algebra I students.

Ms. Fentress feels she will have to continue to adjust to teaching and being in the high school environment to eventually feel comfortable. Ms. Fentress is not just all about Mathematics. She tends to her own garden at home and often uses fresh foods from her garden to make a salad for her lunch. Whiting High School welcomes Ms. Fentress on having another successful year in the School City of Whiting.

Student Shout out: Andrew Fruth

Andrew “AJ” Fruth (12) has been spending one class period a day Cadet Teaching in Nathan Hale Elementary. Upon receiving his senior class schedule, he was placed in Mrs. Lovasko’s Cadet Teaching class.

His cooperating teacher is Mrs. Danielides who teaches a computer class, and she always has him on his feet helping out. For his first 10 minutes in class, he works with 2nd graders then spends the rest of the time helping 4th graders. AJ assists in getting the students logged on to the computers and remembering their passwords. He also takes pictures of the students and performs multiple tasks for Mrs. Danielides.

Before Cadet Teaching, AJ was unsure of his career path; however, he has now decided teaching elementary students is an option for him. Although his mother is an aide and his older brother is a high school math teacher, they had no influence in his decision. AJ is glad to be a part of Cadet Teaching, and he’s planning to go with the flow to find out if teaching is something he really wants to do.