School year ends, and summer break approaches.
We’ll, it’s that time again.
Under 10 school days remain until Crown Point High School dismisses its students for summer break.
As the school year winds down, preparations are being made for final exams, graduation and summer school.
Finals week is the very last week of the school year, falling from Tuesday, May 31 to Thursday, June 2, which is a half-day and the last day of the 2015-16 school year.
Seniors will officially graduate just five days later at the Star Plaza Theatre at the Radisson Hotel in Merrillville.
The next day, on June 8, the high school will be open to collect any gowns students rented for the ceremony, and to present seniors with their diploma.
Summer school begins shortly afterward for students enrolled in summer courses. During summer school, the Guidance Office and some administration staff members will be present to help any concerns students may have.
Student Shoutout: Dominic Tomich
This month’s student shoutout goes to CPHS junior Dominic Tomich.
Tomich is an active member of the CPHS community as a member of Inklings newspaper and the varsity basketball team.
“At Crown Point High School, I’m involved in a couple of different activities,” Tomich said. “I’m involved in the school newspaper, and I also play on the varsity basketball team, and I’m a member of National Honor Society.”
The basketball team captured their second straight sectional championship this season, defeating Valparaiso to win the title.
Tomich said winning the sectional was one of the best experiences of his life.
“Winning a sectional title was by far the best moment of the year,” Tomich said. “It showed that all the work we put in throughout the season came to use, and just being able to do it with my friends is the best part about it.”
Going into next season, Tomich hopes to continue to succeed in school and on the court, as Crown Point has a chance to a win a third straight sectional championship for the first time in the school’s history.
“The goal for next year is to do the same thing, is to win a sectional championship,” Tomich said. “Just because it’s never been done three years in a row. And also, (we want to) get past the regional championship since we lost there two years in a row.”
Crown City Records holds SOS Fest
CPTV’s Crown City Records company held their first annual Sounds on the Square Fest, where high school students involved in music at region-area high schools fired up the crowd.
Crown City Records senior Devyn Duerig helped run the event and thought that everything ended up going smoothly.
“I think it went really well,” Duerig said. “We had a few minor technical issues during the beginning, but other than that I think it went actually pretty good.”
Out of the bands and performers from Crown Point were fan-favorites G-Paper and the B-Side Aces.
The last time a club at the high school held a similar event was Foodstock, which was held two years ago on the Crown Point Square.
“We did it before, but it was under the name Foodstock,” Duerig said. “As long as the class (Crown City Records) is here, I’m 99 percent sure we’ll be having more (shows), as long as we have the class.”
Entry into the event was $7 or $5 with two cans of non-perishable foods. The proceeds benefited local charities.
Teacher Shoutout: Julie Elston
English teacher and newspaper adviser Julie Elston is this year’s teacher shoutout of the month.
Elston is a graduate of Munster High School and Indiana University, and she began teaching at in CPHS in the early-to-mid 1990s.
Elston said she likes to teach at the Crown Point because of how seriously students take their classes, and hard they work toward success.
“Yes, I enjoy teaching at Crown Point because the students are very talented and very driven, and the newspaper students have achieved great things because of their dedication and teamwork, and they have been ranked among the best papers in the state and nationally,” Elston said. Elston also praised the Crown Point community for having faith in the school, and being supportive of what Crown Point does.
“Crown Point has supportive families and a supportive community, which makes it a nice place to teach,” Elston said.
Elston also enjoys advising the newspaper staff, because it means working with some of the best students Crown Point has to offer.
“The great thing about teaching journalism and newspaper is that it attracts students who truly want to make a difference in the world,” Elston said. “And they are very attuned to their community and to what’s going on around them in their school community, Crown Point, in their state, nation, and the world. They take their job in their school newspaper and as reporters very seriously and it’s wonderful to see that and see their activism and also to see their communication skills grow throughout their high school career. They’re a great group of kids and we also have a lot of fun doing what we do.”