#1StudentNWI: Jumping into January 2023 with Kouts High School

What’s recently happened?

Wednesday, January 4 was the first day back for the students at Kouts High School (KHS). They were on Winter Break which started on Wednesday, December 21. 

Now that the break is over, it is time to focus on the second semester. Study Tables, an after-school program where students can work on their class assignments and receive help, starts up again next Tuesday, January 10. 

Basketball season is in full swing as both the Boys and Girls Basketball teams have games throughout this week. 

High school track practice also began on January 4 with practice running from 2:50 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Meets will begin in early April. 

While softball and baseball practice began at the end of November and the beginning of December respectively, games will start at the end of March. The first games are on Tuesday, March 28 and Wednesday, March 29. 

Along with sports, practice for the Academic Super Bowl teams will also kick off. Students compete in teams of different academic areas answering questions based on a main topic or theme. This year’s topic is “The Age of Exploration.”

With so many ways to participate this semester, it will fly by. Before the students at KHS know it, it will be spring and the end of the school year will have arrived. 

What’s coming up?

The sophomore class is hosting a clothing drive. The drive will run for a week, starting next Monday, January 9. Items that can be accepted are new or gently-used clothes. All the donations will be given to Faith’s Closet.

Celeste Robinson is the guidance director at KHS though she works with students from sixth through 12th grade. 

As a guidance director, Robinson has a wide variety of responsibilities. She schedules students’ classes, monitors students’ grades, monitors diploma completion, serves as the school’s standardized test coordinator, and counsels students in matters both inside and outside of school

Even though she is very busy and has a lot to do over the course of a school day, working with students is the central part of her job. 

Lily Keown is a sophomore at KHS and a flute player in the KHS Band. After five years of playing their instrument in the band, there is no doubt that they have passion in their heart for music.

They love the flute for the beautiful sounds the instrument can make.

With three concerts every year and the Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) contest, Keown plays a lot of music pieces in the course of the year, but there are some that stand out above the others as their favorite. 

“I absolutely love it when we played ‘How to Train Your Dragon.’ When I played it, I felt powerful and magical. It really did feel like I was in the movie almost, especially since we played it at graduation. I think it was a good way for the seniors to go out with a bang,” they said. 

Being in the band means learning in a relaxed environment. Regardless of if they are learning a serious piece or running through a well-known song, the room is filled with laughter. This is Keown’s favorite part of participating in the band. 

“Whether it’s the trumpets purposely playing a wrong note or something crazy in the percussion section, we have fun and play together,” they said. 

KHS Band recently performed at its annual Winter Concert on Wednesday, December 14 with the KHS Choir and the show choir, Kouts Singers. Keown believes the band did very well. 

“Our runs and rhythms were very precise. Everyone got into the zone, and we were able to play some festive music,” they said. 

Keown plans on continuing to be a member of the band for the rest of their high school career and wants to learn a few new instruments.