What’s recently happened?
The Whiting High School (WHS) Spanish Club held its annual Valentine's Day flower sale on February 13. Carnations were sold outside the main office for students to purchase, and the sale was a huge success. In addition to flowers, the Spanish Club also sold baked goods to students who pre-ordered through the homeroom’s Google Form.
This fundraiser, along with many others, is very important for the Spanish Club to host its annual soccer tournament at the end of the year. The club is still coming up with more ideas to continue hosting throughout the year.
“Our goal with these fundraisers is to raise as much money as possible, as this year we had to build the Spanish Club fund from the ground up. We have had some successful fundraising efforts so far this year, thanks to the amazing kids in the club and their parents,” said club sponsor Katie Sabol.
These fundraisers help the club to grow as big as it can. Not only are they loved by the students but also by the teachers. Because the club took on new sponsors this year, it had to be built from the ground up. The Spanish club will be coming out with a lot more fundraisers soon for the soccer tournament, along with dates.
What’s coming up?
Preseason tennis training has officially begun. For the past few weeks, girls interested in joining the tennis team have been going to conditioning three days a week, coached by Arthur Young. Conditioning includes weight training, cardio exercises, and practice with a racket.
Official tryouts for the tennis team will be on March 17 after school. The tennis team’s goal is to improve as a team but also as individual players. They also hope to continue their sectional winning streak, which they have held for the past 13 years, and make it as far as they can in the season.
Girls are looking forward to getting back onto the courts and making an impact. The official season will start at the beginning of April and last until late May. While it is a short sports season, the girls tennis team makes a huge impact on the school's record. With a high winning record every year and a sectional winning streak that has lasted for years, the girls are confident that they can have a good season and a tennis-filled summer.
At the end of the tennis season, the girl's team will host a tennis camp for children of younger ages to come and learn to play the sport. It is an amazing fundraiser for the team and a chance for others to learn. Make sure you come out and support the WHS tennis team and watch their winning streak continue.
Staff spotlight:
Travis Anderson is the principal at WHS and has been since 2022. He started out as an assistant principal in December 2021 and was moved up to principal the following year.
Anderson went to Chesterton High School, graduated from Valparaiso University for secondary education, and later went back to college to get his Master’s degree for educational leadership in 2019. He says his favorite thing about coming to Whiting is the kids.
“These kids are top-notch as far as their behavior, work ethic, grit, growth, mindset, responsibility, self-discipline, and self-efficacy. I think that encompasses what a Whiting student is,” Anderson said.
As he continues at Whiting, he hopes to help students improve academically. Since he has been at the school, the high school has implemented assignment recovery and plans to start study tables within the next year. On the other end, Whiting is offering more dual credit, AP, and computer classes.
For Anderson, the best parts of being a principal are the coaching aspect and working with teachers. He enjoys coming up with ways for both teachers and students to improve and seeing that translated into student achievement, leading to higher graduation rates and low failure rates.
“Keep your feet on the ground and stay in the moment. Don’t look too far ahead. Don’t worry about the past too much. Focus on the things you can do to be successful in the moment you are in right now,” Anderson said.
Student spotlight:
Junior Jaiden Berry is a top-10 student at Whiting High School. He plans to keep his spot by getting high A’s in all of his classes and improve where needed.
His goals for this year are to practice more on things that he needs help with to get ready for the SATs and other tests he will take in the future. He hopes to achieve his goals by tutoring himself and attending online sessions for his classes.
“Some motivations for this year come from me wanting more for myself in the future. Whether it be money or opportunities, I’m not letting anything stop me from achieving that,” said Berry.
Succeeding in high school can be a challenge, but Berry has discovered various ways to set himself up for success that he believes could also benefit others.
"Manage your time well by using a planner, seek help when needed from teachers and classmates, and take care of yourself by getting enough sleep and taking breaks. Balancing these aspects will help you succeed," said Berry.
After high school, Berry plans to become a commercial pilot and get his bachelor's in aviation or professional flight from Purdue West Lafayette.
