Here at GreatNews.Life, we are lucky to have the honor of highlighting the incredible individuals who make Northwest Indiana a great place to be, even during 2020. Whether it was young journalists writing about their school as a #1StudentNWI intern, inspiring community members sharing their cancer survival stories, or our weekly 10 Fun Things to Do, there is so much that we get to learn and publish every year.
In no particular order, here are the top 10 feature articles from NWI.Life in 2020:
#1StudentNWI: Wheeler High School teacher sews masks to support community
Wheeler High School recently hosted the Bearcat Theatre Company’s fall production of “The 39 Steps.” This romantic thriller was presented virtually through the online streaming platform, “Broadway on Demand,” and could be watched at any time.
Bishop Noll Institute hosted a variety of community and campus events this fall. On October 23, the National Honor Society (NHS) sponsored a blood drive with Versiti Blood Centers. Over 40 students and staff members signed up, and a total of 22 pints of blood were donated. The same day, the National Honor Society held a surprise celebration for National Principals Month. Principal Lorenza Pastrick and assistant principal Jaime Cavazos received NHS spirit wear, a gift card, and a boxed lunch from the NHS members.
#1StudentNWI: Westville’s shining stars
Trevor Henckel is a senior at Westville High School, and he has been a part of the school corporation since he was in kindergarten. He is active both academically and in many extracurricular activities and sports. Throughout his academic career, Henckel has been dedicated to his studies, achieving honor roll and ranking at the top of his class each year. Henckel has even gone above and beyond by taking dual credit and AP courses every year of high school.
The English Language Learners (ELL) program seeks to help Lake Central High School students who are not native English speakers learn the language in a classroom setting. Across the school corporation, there are ELL teachers who work with these students daily in order to provide them with a successful learning experience.
COVID-19 has affected everyone in one way or another; however, that has not stopped the students at Hobart High School. Hobart is a part of the few schools in the Region back to in-person learning. The first day of in-person classes was pushed back two weeks to ensure maximum safety for both staff and students. Students and parents had the option to either stay home or to come back to school. Every student is socially distanced wherever possible, and masks are used unless eating, or during a mask break.
A Spotlight on Northwest Indiana Businesswomen
Over the years, we have celebrated and featured many people through our Life in the Spotlight series. With over 1,000 spotlights shared, it can be easy to miss a few here or there. As such, we want to bring a few special ones back to the forefront, this time focusing on businesswomen. Read on for snapshots of these truly amazing and inspirational Northwest Indiana businesswomen.
GreatNews.Life launches new female-focused podcast based on successful All About the Girls event
Six years ago, one woman’s dream to inspire other women came to life in the form of a now highly anticipated annual event called All About the Girls (AATG). The brainchild of host Jenny Craig-Brown, Executive Team Leader for GreatNews.Life, AATG has united women of the Region in a quest for empowerment through real stories, from real women, heard in real-time.
Cancer Survivor Series: Toni Miller
Toni Miller is known among friends and family as the butterfly lady, a nickname bestowed when she first discovered she had cancer, and a welcome sign of hope at the time.
Survivor Series: Tonya Hill-Rios
“I never would have thought to help others in this way if I hadn’t gone through it myself,” said Tonya Hill-Rios, a Portage resident and cancer survivor. “It’s been more eye-opening to me than anything else in my life.”
GreatNews.Life catches up with 2020 #1StudentNWI interns
For several years, GreatNews.Life has welcomed student interns from high schools across the region who act as embedded reporters at the schools, connecting us with the positive news that permeates the halls and fields of our region's high schools. This year, as our graduating seniors departed from their internships, we Zoomed with them to gain their insights on what the internship meant for them, how it influenced their decisions about next steps in life, and where they're headed from here.