Ingot Spirit Not Contained to Spirit Week
September 14th marked the beginning of homecoming week at River Forest High School. Students young and old were filled with excitement over that Friday’s fateful game. A longstanding tradition in the high school is for each class to decorate their hallway with a particular theme for “Spirit Week,” as it is called at River Forest. In addition, each day of Spirit Week has its own theme, and students dress up outrageously trying to showcase the theme. It is a week filled with excitement, laughter, and festivities that establishes and rekindles Ingot Spirit.
However, it’s not just this colorful week that Ingots showcase their spirit at River Forest. On August 26th, a sudden car accident took the life of former Ingot, Johnny Guzman. Johnny was a member of the River Forest Class of 2000, and a noteworthy member of the football and baseball teams. Johnny is also the brother of current varsity volleyball player Brittany Evanovich. On the night after his death, the volleyball team played a game against Edison High School. Understandably, Brittany was absent from the game for bereavement.
As the volleyball team is very close knit and, to some, a second family, the entire team felt the loss of Johnny. To honor and show their support for Brittany, every team member wore blue, Brittany’s favorite color. The team played with an intens ity built by love and teamwork, and both junior varsity and varsity teams won against the opposing team.
The kind actions of the volleyball team are a beautiful reminder of what Ingot Spirit is all about: teamwork, pride, accomplishment, and love for your fellow Ingots.
Athletics in Action
Football: It’s September, and football season is in full swing across the country. The Ingots are no exception. On September 4th, the Ingots played North Newton in the first home game of the season. Each Ingot utilized the skills they had been improving through practice, and scored a great win, with the final score of 36 to 13. On September 11th, the Ingots played Hanover Central at Hanover Central High School. Though they did not win, this did not deter any player. The Ingots take on South Central on September 18th for their long-anticipated homecoming game. “We’re gonna smash them,” says varsity player Anthony Horn. “That’s just that.”
Volleyball: The volleyball teams have been playing hard exceeding expectations wherever they go. For example, none could expect the recent nine game winning streak maintained by the junior varsity team. This was the culmination of months of teamwork, and the efforts of their new coach, Petra Faught. Sadly, the winning streak was ended during the junior varsity Invitational Tournament on September 12th, but that didn’t deter the Ingots in the least. The volleyball team plays Hammond High School on September 21st, Hammond Bishop Knoll on September 24th, competes in a tournament at Whiting High School on September 26th, and finishes the month of September with a game against Whiting on the 29th. The school anticipates the return of another winning streak as the Ingots move forward in the season.
Cross Country: This season has been a great one for the River Forest Cross Country team. Though they have only had two meets so far in the month of September, the team has came out of both of those meets successful. Their first meet of the month was at Kouts, with the boys team winning third place and the girls winning fifth place. Then, with their most recent match at Westville, both the boys and girls team ran phenomenally, with the girls winning first place, and the boys team winning second place. On September 19th, the teams face their most difficult obstacle yet at the New Prairie Invitational at New Prairie High School. This is considered by many to be the hardest and most rugged course in the area. Regardless of the obstacles in their place, the River Forest Cross Country teams will rise above and go the distance to be successful this season.
Teacher Shout Out: Mr. Weitzel
If you ask any River Forest graduate from the 2000s to the present about Mr. Weitzel you may get many responses. Some may reminisce about seventh grade geography, and how the sentence, “Most Africans are farmers,” has stayed with them since. Some may remember Mr. Weitzel as a beloved academic coach. Some may simply remember the Otis Spunkmeyer cookies he sold after school almost every day. Regardless of how he is remembered, Mr. Weitzel is considered by some to be among the greatest teachers River Forest has had the privilege of having. However, at one point, being a high school history teacher was the farthest thing from Mr. Weitzel’s mind.
One of the most interesting and comical things about Mr. Weitzel is the fact that he “absolutely hated” history in high school, and even failed his first semester of history his junior year. Weitzel claims that this was due to poor teaching by his teachers. “They weren’t excited about history,” says Weitzel, and this made it difficult for him to have the desire to learn.
When Mr. Weitzel began college at Olivet Nazarene University, he was dismayed to discover he had to take a history class. Soon after classes began, Mr. Weitzel realized this class was vastly different from the ones he had taken in high school.“You could tell the professor was excited about history,” says Weitzel about why college was different.” It made me realize that I didn’t hate history; I hated the way it was taught.”
This realization led Weitzel to becoming a history teacher, in hopes of preventing other students from learning the dull way he did in high school.
When first asked about what the greatest part of teaching was, Mr. Weitzel joked that it was, “June, July, and August.” After a quick laugh, Mr. Weitzel edited his statement and said the greatest thing about teaching was the interaction with students. Many current students of U.S History had Mr. Weitzel as a World Geography teacher in seventh grade. “I enjoy seeing you guys mature and grow,” Weitzel said.
In his free time, Mr. Weitzel has a multitude of hobbies. One of his most noteworthy is the marathon training he does. Mr. Weitzel trains with World Vision, a Christian Humanitarian organization dedicated to helping families worldwide suffering in poverty. For the past three years, Mr. Weitzel has ran in the Chicago Marathon.
Before his most recent run, Mr. Weitzel collected money from students, declaring if his goal was met he would shave his hair into a mohawk for the run. His goal was met, and the halls of River Forest saw an orange mohawk during the time of the race. Mr. Weitzel also enjoys camping, and has camped in odd places such as New York City and Washington D.C.
Student Shout Out: Cy Muraida
Something that is often remarked on at River Forest is its diversity. With many different races, ages, and interests, River Forest offers a unique blend of students that is hard to find at other schools. Cy Muraida is aware of this diversity, and adds to it with his own one-of-a-kind life. Not many students can say they are a paid, semi-professional clown. Not many can also say they have been on mission trips to Honduras and India while still a teenager. Without a doubt, Cy is someone you can’t - and wouldn’t want to miss - at River Forest.
Cy Muraida is a senior at River Forest. As he is involved in many school activities, Cy is a widely known figure. Not only is he Drum Major for the Golden Ingot Pride Marching Band, he is also President of the River Forest Honor Society. Anyone who knows Cy knows that faith is a large part of Cy’s life. Outside of school, Cy is involved in Revive Indiana, a street ministry focused on bringing people from all walks of life to God. Cy is also the Youth Ministry Intern at Living Springs Community Church in Glenwood, Illinois. His responsibilities there include helping the pastor plan ministry events. His devotion to God and helping others is a fantastic example for anyone.
Outside of school and ministry, Cy loves to camp. His favorite spots include Turkey Run and Potato Creek State Park. Cy also loves to read, and write about his life experiences. “I love to write about them because I can reread them and experience them later,” says Muraida.
After graduation, Cy will be attending Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee to study ministry. “I’m looking forward to it,” says Cy. “I got lucky finding this university. It’s basically my perfect college. It’s a new start, and I’m excited about being away from home.”
Upcoming Events
- September 24th- Volleyball game at Hammond Bishop Knoll
- September 25th- Football game at Hammond Bishop Knoll
- September 26th- Volleyball tournament at Whiting High School