GreatNews.Life Student Voices: Munster takes the lead

What’s recently happened?

After being approved as an “emerging sport” by the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA), Munster High School (MHS) joined 65 other schools in Indiana to form an official flag football team. The first points in the team’s history were scored last Saturday against Michigan City High School. The team travels to Crown Point High School on Tuesday for the first away game of the season.

“I have always wanted to play, but our school never had a team. Once I heard of a team, I was super excited to try it out,” Sophomore Miranda Younger said.

The MHS Flag Football team was formed this school year due to interest expressed by the student body. The team had its first game at the MHS practice field and defeated Michigan City 24-0, followed by a 19-0 win against Harrison High School.

The girls expressed the close bonds they have formed through flag football, as they have learned the sport and improved together. Through practice, the newfound team has rallied together and achieved victories early in the season.

“I really enjoy learning something new and the team chemistry. I really like my team, and I feel like we work together pretty well. It’s like a family,” Junior Quarterback Amelia Ramirez said.

The girls have made history with their first few successes on the field and demonstrated that football is for everyone. The next home game will be played on Tuesday, September 9. 

What’s coming up?

On September 25-28, Munster Theater Company (MTC) will be performing its fall show called “The Brother’s Grimm Spectaculathon.” The show is a fast-paced retelling of the original fairy tales told by two narrators.

The narrators are played by Junior and Vice President of MTC Elle Dahn, as well as MTC Senior and President Wesley Harle. Students such as Juniors Emma Potchen and Lexington Zwica are working on technical elements of the show such as sound and props.

This year’s fall play is particularly special because this is the first theater performance in the recently renovated auditorium. The renovations began in the second semester of the 2024-2025 school year and finished over the summer.

The renovation includes a new sound and light board, refurbished seats, and a fully redone stage. The refurbished auditorium has allowed for more space, better tech, and improved comfort for audiences and performers alike.

To support MTC, follow its Instagram account run by Senior and Public Relations (PR) Manager Rhiannon Shelton @munsterdrama or find updates on upcoming shows on its website munaud.org. You can also buy tickets ahead of time using the website munaud.org/tickets.

Staff spotlight:

A student shuffles into their English classroom. After a rough week, they think nothing could improve their mood. Then the teacher comes up to them and asks them how they are. The English teacher cracks jokes with the student and before they even know it, the hard times they went through that week become a little brighter. This is the role that English Teacher Thomas Barnes plays at MHS.

Barnes has been teaching students for 19 years. He does not just teach, but he makes an effort to better every student’s life. The students, unknowingly, often do the same for him without even knowing it.

“Having done this job for a long time, I’ve had a lot of students who I’ve really enjoyed. I care about them. Any letter or card that a student has ever written to me, I have them all,” Barnes said, “I’ve saved all those things. I realize how much of an impact that I can have, not just on learning how to read or write better but real life importance.”

When Barnes is not teaching students, he is leading teachers as the head of the English department. He guides English teachers and helps improve their classrooms for the benefit of them and the students. In turn, Barnes claims that this improves his teaching as well.

Barnes originally taught Pre-AP English 9. The next year, he taught Pre-AP English 10. This led to him having many of his students for two years in a row, allowing him to form closer bonds with his students.

“You get a more complete picture of the students. You form a special bond over those years. I think that whole group will end up being special to me. When those students graduate, it will be both special and sad, because I worked with them for so long and I still have a good relationship with them,” Barnes said.

Through his time as the head of the English department and his 19 years of teaching, Barnes has focused on improving the lives of students on a larger scale than just literature. Barnes wants to improve students’ days, even if it is simply by asking how they are doing and making them laugh.

Student spotlight:

The MHS Spanish Club allows for students to be absorbed in Spanish culture and be educated about Spanish history. This is because of Spanish Club Co-President Amalia Alvarez. She has been in the Spanish Club for three years and is focused on improving the club and leading club meetings.

“I really love the events that take place in Spanish Club,” Alvarez said. “We are not just focusing on a single Spanish-speaking country. We’re focusing on all the cultures and history of all the Spanish-speaking countries, which not a lot of students know about.”

Alvarez initially was unable to lead the Spanish Club. This is because there was no leadership team for the club until Alvarez advocated for student leadership to be added.

“With all these new people on our board, we went from having a smaller club to this year, where we had so many people come to our call-out meeting. We had to make sure that we’re keeping our organization and we’re communicating with each other,” Alvarez said.

Alvarez has many plans for this year, some to upkeep traditions from past years, and some new traditions she wants to add. For example, Spanish Club has had a long tradition of having an annual soccer match with French Club. This year, Alvarez does not just want to play soccer. She also wants to have a Crepes and Quesadilla Night with the French Club.

“Doing club collaborations is one thing that I really want to do more with this year. I feel like we could find a lot more opportunities to do collaborations, and I think our students would really like that,” Alvarez said.