What’s recently happened?
In order to prepare incoming freshmen for their upcoming high school experience, Chesterton High School (CHS) hosted its annual freshmen orientation called Trojan Charge. This year, Trojan Charge took place on August 7, a week before the new school year began. The day was filled with activities to help get the students acclimated to their new environment.
At the beginning of the day, students were dropped off at the high school and were greeted by upperclassmen mentors. These mentors worked to help guide the students through all the activities during the day. Upon arriving, freshmen had to check in at the front tables where they received a folder with their schedules and various pamphlets with information about the school’s policies and how to become a successful high school student.
After checking in, the freshmen were led into the CHS auditorium where they were introduced to important staff members and received an overview of the day. Students were then divided into groups with upperclassmen mentors and spread out across the school for Expectation Stations.
Expectation Stations were 15-minute sessions at various locations throughout the school where groups met with counselors and various staff members to learn more about the school year. At one station, groups met in the CHS Fieldhouse for a club fair. This station allowed the new students to become familiar with the sports, clubs, and organizations they could be involved in throughout high school. Students had the opportunity to sign up for these organizations and meet some of the people in charge of running them.
After Expectation Stations, students were sent off in their groups to participate in the CHS Scavenger Hunt. Freshmen and their mentor groups were sent out to 10 different locations on the school campus and needed to take a selfie of their group at the specific site. The first group to finish was awarded a free ticket to a CHS football game. The scavenger hunt was a great way for students to learn their way around the school, as well as have some competitive fun.
Following the scavenger hunt, students had lunch and downtime with their mentor groups to spark conversation with the upperclassmen about their high school experience so far. This time was a great opportunity for freshmen to ask questions and voice their excitement or concerns for the new year.
“Trojan Charge is beneficial to incoming students because they get to know the students already attending the high school while also hearing their experiences. It is an informative experience filled with fun and amazing people,” said Kamille Spencer, a mentor at Trojan Charge and a current senior at CHS.
The last event of the day was a set time for the freshmen to walk their schedule and learn their way around the school. Freshmen were released from their mentor groups and were encouraged to walk around the building and familiarize themselves with the campus. This annual freshmen orientation was a great way for freshmen to come out of their shells and learn more about their new school.
What’s coming up?
In an effort to bring more crowds to local businesses, the Town of Chesterton has implemented a monthly event called Chesterton Third Fridays. This event takes place on the third Friday of each month and is an opportunity for the community to come together and explore the historic downtown and the restaurants and businesses it has to offer.
The Third Fridays initiative was put into action by the nonprofit organization Chesterton Branding and Leadership Corporation (CBLC). The CBLC is dedicated to promoting and preserving Chesterton, and Third Fridays does just that. Third Fridays initially began earlier this year on May 17 and will occur until October.
In previous months, 23 participating shops and restaurants have extended their hours during the evening to attract community members from all over town. These venues offer varying deals exclusive to Third Fridays.
“The great thing about Third Fridays is that it draws attention to the Town of Chesterton. Not only that, but it helps small businesses greatly,” said Nicole Ganger, owner of Nottingham Embroidery and participant in Third Fridays.
The next Third Fridays event will take place on Friday, September 20. If you haven’t made it to the event just yet, there are still two more opportunities to participate before the season is up!
Community member spotlight:
Dave Bartlett is a Chesterton resident of ten years. He is a community member and business owner right in downtown Chesterton. He is the owner and founder of Trusty Spot Records & Tees, a record store on Calumet Road.
Trusty Spot is the perfect place for all your music needs. The shop originally was an online store that opened in October 2020 during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. After building a customer base, Bartlett made the decision to turn Trusty Spot into a brick-and-mortar store.
Bartlett was always passionate about music, and that led to the inspiration and creation of the record store.
“I’ve always been into music and records and bands. I felt like Chesterton could use a cool record store where people could hang out and have fun,” Bartlett said.
Trusty Spot is one of many businesses that participate in the monthly Third Fridays event. On the day of the event, Trusty Spot hosts live music in its parking lot to get people to come downtown and have a great time within the community while also spotlighting local bands and musicians.
The record shop is a welcoming store in the community where customers come not just to purchase things but to have a good time. The store has a comfortable atmosphere with posters all over the walls and music playing throughout the building. Bartlett’s goal in opening the Trusty Spot was to create a space for people to enjoy music together. With this idea in mind, Bartlett has gained a lot of support from the members of the Chesterton community.
“Owning a business in Chesterton, there is a lot of support from the community. We have a lot of regulars who come in week in and week out and have also become our friends who really want to see this place do well. The business neighbors are awesome, and I can’t say enough about them. We’ve all become such good friends,” said Bartlett.
Trusty Spot is not limited to just selling records. Online and in-store, customers can find band T-shirts, candles, stickers, magnets, mugs, and even soap. The wide variety of products makes the Trusty Spot enticing to all customers. Stop in today or check out Trusty Spot online at trustyspot.com.
