May recap:
Varsity athletes team up with special needs students for track
Thanks to Champions Together’s Unified Track, special needs students are now able to take advantage of an opportunity that was not presented to them before, participating in various track and field events with Crown Point’s varsity athletes.
Special needs teacher Brandon Lorek sees the program as an opportunity to unify both varsity athletes and students with disabilities.
“We wanted varsity athletes, who have been given so much not only in funding but also in opportunity, to give back to the community and help special needs athletes get equal opportunity. That involves the athletes organizing camps and truly instructing the special needs athletes, which shows great leadership,” Lorek said.
Freshman Tyler Jones, who is on the track team and participates in Unified Track, believes Unified Track has given him an opportunity to meet students with different qualities than his own, giving him a chance to help the cause.
“Unified Track is awesome because I was able to meet kids with different strengths and weaknesses than me. It has taught me a lot about perseverance,” Jones said. “I think that the partnership and bond you develop allows you to rely on each other and really form a friendship. It’s extremely rewarding seeing your partner succeed knowing you helped them get there.”
CPHS partners with Community Foundation to hold annual Scholarship Awards Night
After four years of preparation for life after high school, Crown Point’s class of 2015 was rewarded for both academic and extracurricular success during the annual Scholarship Awards Night.
Recipients were specifically selected by meeting the requirements of the organization offering the scholarship. 81 Crown Point seniors were given scholarships, adding up to a total of $276,000.
Seniors Nick Isaacs and Danielle Klawitter were honored with the Dean White Scholarship, which is the highest scholarship offered. Both students are able to attend a full eight semesters at a public, in-state college for free.
Isaacs was honored to receive the stipend.
“I was at a loss for words,” Issacs said. “I look forward to taking full advantage of it.”
Klawitter, too, was thankful for the award, and she advises students to take advantage of their time in high school to work towards such an honor.
“I would really recommend to just work your hardest and make sure that you have something to show for your work,” Klawitter said.
Girls tennis wins 21st-straight sectional title
It wasn’t easy, but after sliding past Lake Central 3-2, the Crown Point girls tennis team was able to clinch their 21st-straight sectional crown with a 5-0 victory over Kankakee Valley in the final.
After losing to Lake Central’s No. 1 singles player Kristi Tinsle 6-4, 6-2, senior Jordan Embry was able to bounce back with a 6-0, 6-3 win over the Kougars’ Paige Sanders, helping keep the team’s title hopes alive.
“Being a senior, there is a huge amount of pressure to keep the streak going,” Embry said. “I am so glad that we were able to do that not only for ourselves but for the community as a whole as well.”
The team could not outplay Munster in regional play, ending their season short of a state title, but despite the early exit, Embry is proud of her career with the team.
“The thing I appreciate the most is the character building that took place in me during my time on the team,” Embry said. “(Head Coach Brian Elston) has instilled in us all the desire to work hard and have confidence in our abilities, and I think that played a huge role in us winning sectionals.
June preview
Graduation to be held at the Radisson Star Plaza Theatre on June 9th
The Class of 2015 will be honored at the annual graduation ceremony on June 9th. Seniors like Taylor Sabato have been waiting for commencement since freshman year.
“Graduation is so exciting for me because it is the beginning of my path to my dream career of being a medical research scientist. I cannot wait to go to college and start learning about the human body in depth, and one day change the knowledge of medicine,” Sabato said. “I have worked really hard in high school to prepare myself for college, so graduating in a couple days is a great feeling of relief. I made it.”
Seniors will arrive at the back door at 5:30 p.m. dressed in caps and gowns and the front door will open at 6:15 p.m. for guests and general admission. The procession will begin at 6:50 p.m.
Teacher Shout Out
Karen Cox named CPCSC’s Teacher of the Year
Art teacher Karen Cox thought she was just fixing a graduation banner. CPCSC Superintendent Teresa Eineman walked into her classroom with the simple request, asking Cox to take a look at the mistake.
On the banner was a message that was far from being a mistake. Cox had been named the Teacher of the Year by the Central Office committee of Crown Point schools, and this was her congratulatory message.
Cox has been teaching art for 38 years at various schools around the county. To be considered for the honor of Teacher of the Year, a staff member has to be nominated by other teachers, students or parents. After all of the nominations are in, the committee narrows the nominees down to five.
“A parent, teacher, student or administrator can go ahead and nominate someone online. I never found out who nominated me or how many people nominated me,” Cox said. “All of the nominations are then taken to a committee at central office. Central office goes ahead and narrows it down to five.”
Despite Cox’s experience and presence as a teacher, she was still in shock at the announcement of her award.
“I was very surprised, honored and humbled because there are so many wonderful teachers here. I didn’t think I would win,” said Cox. “For them to acknowledge and feel that I am one of the elite means so much. There are so many elite teachers here. I am so honored.”
Student Shout Out
The Class of 2015
This is it.
After four long years--four years of AP testing and finals, four years of afterschool practice and orchestra rehearsals--my high school career has finally come to an end. It’s beyond surreal, and even though I told myself I wouldn’t be one to cry at graduation, I look back at all that has happened during those four years and struggle not to get a little teary-eyed.
Because this is, in fact, it.
This is the last time I’ll see some of my classmates for who knows how long. This is the last time I’ll be able to play with a symphony orchestra, to sing along to everyone else’s part with my stand partner even though we know we aren’t in a choir. This is the last time I’ll be in my comfort zone, the last time I’ll know where I have to be when, because college is drastically different than anything I’m familiar with today.
I’m not alone. The Class of 2015 has finally made it. When we first walked into CPHS in 2011, it may have been far beyond our imagination to truly believe this day would come so quickly. But here it is, and after battling through so many changes to the school schedule and procedures, so many advancements that we didn’t understand, who else is deserving of a shout out for my last CPHS round up of the year?
As we leave our time at Crown Point behind, and as the underclassmen continue counting down the days till their senior year comes to an end, I ask students to do one thing:
Don’t.
I know. As a second semester senior, it’s a shocking request for me to make. But there are about 2,500 lives that you can still change, 2,500 people you can still touch, and just one, two or three years to do it at CPHS.
Life is about more than filling out a scantron. It’s about more than getting a three or a four or a five on an AP exam, earning a 36 or 2400 on the ACT and SAT, graduating with a perfect 4.0 GPA.
Life is about people. It’s about the people in your class who may never have had a true, caring friend. It’s about the people on your track team, your tennis team, your baseball and softball team who have become your second family. It’s about the people who you’ve spent the last 150 days supporting in their biggest moments and comforting when they’re at their lowest and about those who still need and deserve that comfort and support.
So as sick as you are of going through the same tedious routine day after day after day, I ask you to use the rest of your time here to invest in those you see in the hallways, friend and enemy alike. People’s lives can change drastically at the end of high school simply because you decided to offer them a smile or a word of encouragement, showing them that you care about them more than you do your own comfort.
Whether you’re a freshman, sophomore or junior, you’re taking one more step forward once your senior year has come to an end, and what lies ahead is still unknown. Those with us today may not be tomorrow.
You have the ability to leave a lasting impact on others’ lives while they’re still amongst us. You should make it your responsibility to be there for one another, to show each other just how valued and loved you are.
These years are your chance to do just that.