What’s recently happened?
The Whiting High School (WHS) Academic Team had its first invite on March 11 at Purdue University Northwest (PNW). The team competed in five subjects based on the topic “Ireland in the Twentieth Century.”
The team finished strong and everyone went home with a ribbon. The Fine Arts teams placed second and third, the Social Studies teams placed first and third, the Science team finished second and third, the Math team finished second, and the English team finished third. This marks the start of a strong season for the team.
The teams work hard, meeting with captains and going over the material they need to know, which can be difficult when there is so much to cover in a short time. However, many people join with their friends, which can make the experience that much more fun.
“My favorite part of the Academic team is spending time with my team members preparing for the competition,” Senior Liz Strezo said.
The team will compete at Regionals on April 22 at River Forest High School. This gives the team a chance to move up and compete at the State competition.
What’s coming up?
The WHS juniors have been planning Prom since the beginning of the school year. The class officers are currently in their last steps of preparing for the event and putting everything together before the big day on May 3. This year's theme is “Enchanted Forest” and will take place at Cloister in the Woods in Munster.
While planning the event, officers have taken the advice of students attending Prom to make sure they have the best Prom they can have. Many fundraisers have taken place, such as bake sales, pretzel sales, and more, which have been very helpful to the process.
“Planning Prom has been very exciting and interesting. This year, we have had multiple fundraisers to help our class fund for this event. We’ve hosted bake sales, as well as pretzel fundraisers, which were very successful. The students from our school have given many recommendations to improve our Prom, and we have gotten many good ideas which we’ve taken into consideration. The main goal this year is for everyone to enjoy this year's Prom and have an overall good experience,” Class President Alex Alvarez said.
Many people are looking forward to going to Prom, whether it is their first or last. It is one of the last major events the school holds alongside the senior trip and the soccer tournament before graduation. Tickets will be available to purchase at the office in the coming week. Make sure you come buy your ticket and enjoy your Prom.
Staff spotlight:
WHS English Teacher Claire Bailey hails from Chesterton and has been at WHS for 11 years. Currently, she teaches English 11, AP literature, and Writing lab.
After high school, Bailey went to Ball State University for her bachelor’s degree and Purdue University West Lafayette for her master’s degree. She knew that she wanted to be an English teacher after guest teaching at an after-school enrichment program. She enjoyed herself and knew it would be a meaningful career.
Bailey says her favorite thing about WHS is the supportive community and sense of pride. She tries to continue that support in her classroom for students by modeling new skills and making collaborative opportunities for them.
“I try to model new skills for students, provide peer support and collaborative opportunities in class, gradually building them up towards independent mastery,” Bailey said.
Her favorite thing about teaching is watching her students develop their voice to become more articulate and expressive in their understanding and communication. She enjoys getting to watch her juniors identify logical fallacies in current media and her AP students improve their ability to analyze and come to unique insights.
“The ability to read a book requires the same skills to read your own life. Use your time in class to develop empathy and discernment for the world as it is right now,” Bailey said.
Student spotlight:
Diego Torres is a junior at WHS and has been a student in the school corporation since elementary school. He is currently second in his class and hopes to keep his top spot by putting his best foot forward.
His goals for this year are to keep working on his GPA and keep his grades up. Outside of the classroom, he hopes to become a better musician and improve himself all around. He motivates himself through hard work and dedication to see his work go far.
“My ambition and desire for more has been my biggest motivation this year. I always try to strive for my best and give my all,” Torres said.
Torres is a member of the band, baseball team, student council, academic team, and the National Honor Society. He says his favorite group to be a part of is the band, and it’s something he will always care about.
“My favorite club has to be band because I love music with all my heart and it will always be something that I deeply care about. No matter what I’m feeling or what is going on in my life, I always look to music,” Torres said.
After high school, Torres hopes to continue his musical passion and follow the performance or production path. He is not sure where he wants to go to college yet, but hopes to have many options before him.
