Putting her creativity and talent to work, Bishop Noll sophomore Catherine Menge recently won first place in a state-wide poster contest.
Her poster, which featured a globe as the pupil of an eye, won in the high school division of the Indiana Foreign Language Teacher’s Association’s annual competition. Winners received a cash prize and have the honor of having their work displayed on the association’s official website.
Menge, of Hammond, said she was inspired by the thought of connections.
“I thought about seeing the world through other people's eyes. Learning another language is about speaking, but it's also about getting to know other people's views and ideas.”
A gifted artist, Menge writes and illustrates a regular cartoon series for the JourNoll, Bishop Noll's student newspaper. While she was surprised to learn her artwork won on the state level, her teacher and classmates knew her poster was something special.
“Catherine is a model student who is doing very well in her second year of French,” said BNI French teacher Diane Wilson. “I regularly ask students to illustrate little stories they write for French class and Catherine's are always special." When the class saw Menge’s contest entry, they instantly knew it would be a serious contender. “It was such a polished and unique interpretation of the contest theme," Wilson said. "We were all rooting for her and we couldn't be more pleased with the results. Her honor is well deserved.”
Menge said she had fun making the poster and is glad others liked her work as well. She enjoys her French classes at Noll because, “we don't just learn the language, we also go on field trips and get a chance to interact with each other. One of the best parts is when the French exchange students come to Bishop Noll to learn about us.”
Menge is also involved in jazz band, pit band, drama club and art club at Noll.
Bishop Noll offers foreign language courses in Mandarin Chinese, French and Spanish. The Catholic high school in Hammond is currently enrolling new students for Fall 2018.
Call (219) 932-9058 or visit bishopnoll.org for more information.