What’s recently happened?
Staff members of Munster High School (MHS) “Crier” and “Paragon” attended the NSPA/JEA National High School Journalism Convention in Philadelphia from November 7-10. The trip consisted of informational sessions to learn for themselves and their publication, individual competitions and historical sightseeing.
“You get to meet a lot of people in the same situation as you are,” Zoe Clark, senior and head photographer, said. “You learn through them but you can also learn new things you wouldn’t be able to learn through your advisor from all the classes.”
Members of the “Crier” and “Paragon” won awards at their individual competitions, which were announced on Sunday morning:
- Evelyn Koncalovic, sophomore and photographer: Excellence in Press Law & Ethics
- Damien Salahieh, senior Editor-in-Chief of the “Paragon” and “Crier” Design Chief: Honorable Mention in Newspaper Layout
- Emily Dywan, senior and Editor-in-Chief of the “Crier:” Honorable mention in Sports Writing
- Kylee Barnes, senior and “Crier” page editor: Excellence in Review Writing
“I was really surprised because I didn’t think I was going to win,” Koncalovic said. “As a photographer, it felt like a new experience because I’m so used to taking photos. There were a lot of words to write.”
What’s coming up?
From November 23-25, MHS Speech will be competing in the Glenbrooks Speech and Debate Tournament.
“When you think about it, you’re going against people who are the best of the best,” Nicole Odegaard, junior, said. “I’ve seen National champions in my round and at first that’s terrifying. Then I think about the fact that they’re just normal high school students. They probably have an AP Government test the next day they have to worry about. That’s the only thing that gives me comfort.”
Fall sports teams will have their banquet on Tuesday, November 19.
Winter Sports have kicked off, with Girls Basketball and Swim already in season and with Boys Basketball, Swim and Boys and Girls Wrestling following closely behind. Girls Basketball had its first game against Merrillville High School on November 9, losing 68-42, and will have its next game on November 12 against Michigan City High School.
Girls and Boys Swim will have their first meet, intersquad, where the team is split randomly into red team and white team, on November 21. Boys Basketball will have its first game on November 27 against Hammond’s Bishop Noll Institute.
Munster Theater Company will be performing its contest show “#Censored” at Regionals on December 7.
Staff spotlight:
Christine Chidichimo, math teacher at MHS, has known she has wanted to be a math teacher since being in high school herself.
“I always helped my friends and other students sitting by me with their math,” Chidichimo said. “I would think of ways to explain the problem as my high school teacher was teaching the problem. I wanted to simplify math for others to understand and help them find joy in learning math.”
Chidichimo attended Purdue University Northwest (PNW), at the time Purdue University Calumet. During her freshman year she worked at a tutoring center in the math department, and during her sophomore year she taught an entry level class, MA 021, as an internship.
“The best feeling is helping a student who is working hard and they say they ‘get it’ or ‘it clicks,’” Chidichimo said. “I also love when students come back to share their successes after high school.”
It is now her third teaching year at MHS after a 17 year run at Griffith High School (GHS). Chidichimo said the transition and decision to leave was difficult at first after dedicating so much time to the GHS student body and staff, but she was ready for a change and does not regret her decision to move to MHS.
“I don’t have a favorite memory,” Chidichimo said. “However, when I reflect on teaching, the memories that mean the most are when students are excited about learning math. I also enjoy remembering when students are working in groups, communicating their mathematics, and really supporting each other.”
Student spotlight:
Having a dad who is an artist, Olivia Olivares, senior, has been interested in art throughout her entire life.
“He raised me surrounded by art and always encouraged me to do what I love,” Olivares said. “He would take me to a lot of art galleries and art shows with his artist friends who also encouraged and welcomed me into the community.”
After taking her first ceramics class in eighth grade, Olivares became interested and has taken a class in the subject every semester since.
“My favorite medium is ceramics because it allows me to build and shape my canvas with my own hands and experiment with a lot of different building techniques,” Olivares said.
After molding the piece to fit what she desires, Olivares uses underglaze or regular glazes to make her design.
“I love doing ceramics because I love watching myself grow and progress over the years, becoming a better artist and developing my own style,” Olivares said.
Currently, Olivares is working on five projects: two plates, an anatomical heart shelf, and a jellyfish keyring and necklace holder. She plans to continue taking ceramics classes at Indiana University Northwest (IUN) with a dream of becoming a ceramics teacher with her own studio.
“Art is important because it provides the opportunity for people to express themselves,” Olivares said. “Providing the opportunity to have art classes at school is essential because it allows a period of the day to be away from the stress of other classes and outside of school to express yourself through art.”