#1StudentNWI: South Central Highlights Drama, Coaches, and Safety

#1StudentNWI: South Central Highlights Drama, Coaches, and Safety

Teacher Spotlight: Joe Wagner

Joe Wagner is a teacher in South Central's virtual lab. He is also the boys varsity basketball coach.

“Growing up and watching basketball was a huge thing for me. I watched Purdue play. I grew up as a Laporte Slicer, and the basketball teams there had a lot of success," explained Wagner. "Watching it when I grew up brought out my inner passion for basketball. I started coaching football first, but then I had gotten my first job as a basketball coach for Laporte’s B team. It kind of just went from there. When it comes to coaching, the more you do it the more you love it. It started as just something to do, now it’s something I love."

To Wagner, coaching is something spectacular.

When asked to give his definition of what the boys basketball team motto means he stated, ”Defeat the beast started last fall in the off season, we needed to have the mindset of being able to work harder than our opponents, even those we can't see. Basically the beast is nameless, faceless, and you are competing with yourself to improve. The beast is also you as a person, situations were you get fatigued, or where you are having a bad day. It’s when you’ve got to fight the urge to give into it and continue to give your best effort. The beast takes many different forms."

His favorite memory from this past basketball season was every little bit of it. He enjoyed the process of watching the team grow. He enjoys South Central due to the relationships he builds and the positive experiences he has with students.

“I definitely enjoy being able to see the same people every day and to be able to develop relationships with them. If I’m having an average day, being able to walk around the school and see the elementary kids smiling, it’s a pick me up," expressed Wagner. "It makes the day enjoyable. The people here seem to have eachothers backs, it’s amazing. The kids here are great too, they have positive attitudes. I see a lot of go-getters. They seem to have a pretty positive attitude towards school and life in general."

When it comes to hobbies, he enjoys very simple ones such as watching college football and basketball, and going out to eat with family and friends. Lastly his advice for anyone trying out for the basketball team is this, “Play harder than you think you’re capable and come in with a team first attitude.”

Student Spotlight: Victoria (Tori) Horne

1Student-SC-March-2018-02Tori Horne is a junior at South Central. She is an active member of the Drama Club and the Choir.

“I enjoy choir because I enjoy singing. I also love the girls in it,” said Horne.

When it comes to drama club she enjoys performing and having a cast that feels like family. Her favorite shows that she has been a part of are Little Shop of Horrors and Footloose. When it comes to Broadway she enjoys Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen.

“I don’t have a specific person that I look up too,” she said,” but I really look up to a lot of teachers I’ve had and performers that have achieved their dreams."

Her favorite things about South Central are the fine arts program, the teachers, and her friends.

“I want to attend college and major in music education and minor in theatre. My favorite class is choir because I love to sing,” said Horne.

Lastly, she lives by a certain Shakespeare quote which is, “The meaning of life is to find your gift, the purpose of life is to give it away."

What’s recently happened?

1Student-SC-March-2018-04

Recently South Central Drama Club put on Little Shop of Horrors, which was a huge hit!

“It was a great watch. It was funny and the cast blended well together. I enjoyed it a lot,” said student Ella Smith.

The show was entertaining with great jokes. There even was a promposal at the very end. The main characters Seymour and Audrey were played by juniors Gus Castle and Victoria Horne. It was a great watch and a great conclusion to drama club this school year.

What is happening?

1Student-SC-March-2018-03Recently at South Central, the student body participated in the country wide school walk out. This event was brought on by the unfortunate shooting at a Florida school. South Central students came to share 17 minutes together, which included a powerful speech given by Kylynn Smith, a moment of silence and at the end everyone was asked to take a moment and find someone in the room to share a few words with. This powerful action led to the creation of a students for safety group that will be beneficial to all the students of South Central's future. It has created something beautiful at South Central, something that creates hope.