GreatNews.Life Student Voices: At Morgan Township High School, April brings showers and success

Photo Credits: Lola Forney for what’s coming up, Darren Day for staff spotlight, and Julianna Zendzian for student spotlight.

What’s recently happened?

April and the start of spring has been busy for students at Morgan Township High School (MTHS). From prom to the annual Art Show, students have been working hard to achieve their goals.

On April 18, juniors and seniors at MTHS attended the Grand March. During the Grand March, Genevieve Turney was crowned Prom Queen and Matthew Symer was crowned Prom King. Later, prom was held at Duneland Falls from 7-10 p.m.

“I had lots of fun at prom. I loved dancing with my friends and spending time with them,” Turney said.

On April 21, the MTHS Academic Super Bowl teams had their regional competition at Wheeler High School. At the competition, the Social Studies team placed first, the Science team placed second, and the Fine Arts team placed third. The social studies team also qualified for the state competition on May 9 at Purdue University West Lafayette.

On April 24, the MTHS Drama Club had its Red Carpet Awards from 7-8 p.m. At the event, both middle and high school students received awards voted on by their peers such as the Best Monologue and Best One Liner awards.

“I would say that I have had an amazing time in Drama Club, given that this past year has been filled with memories, amazing roles, leadership experiences, and new friendships. This was one of my first times having a major part to play, and I had a fantastic time practicing it with other members. Everybody is extremely kind and welcoming, making it even better,” said Freshman Serenity Gearhart. “Drama Club is like home for me, and I have many positive memories of this year in particular. I love our after show hangouts at Culver’s, and our group of seniors are amazing people who will accomplish so much in life.”

On April 30, the MTHS Art Department hosted its annual Art Show. Everyone was invited, and students were able to show off the art work they had completed this year. All of Art Teacher Shelby Braun’s students were present – from sixth graders to seniors – and members of Art Club were also able to show off some of their work.

“I personally love the Art Show, I have worked it all four years, and I have also led the music section. I find the best part about it is getting to see what all of the classes got to work on throughout the year. I am very excited to see all of the artwork,” said Jolie Schultz, member of the Art Club.

What’s coming up?

The end of the school year is right around the corner for students and staff at MTHS. As the school year ends, so do spring sports and other extracurricular activities.

On May 9, the MTHS Boys and Girls Track and Field teams will have their Porter County Conference (PCC) Championship meet at Kouts High School. As for sectionals, the girls will have theirs on May 19 at Kankakee Valley High School, and the boys will have theirs on May 21 at Rensselaer High School.

“The resilient and hard working ladies of the MTHS girls track and field team have been nearly undefeated in competition this season. Their hard work, determination, talent, and positive mind set have led to two school records being broken and a total of 68 personal records set individually,” said Coach Laura Koeppen. “They are each others’ biggest fans and it’s been such a joy watching them cheer each other on all season long!”

On May 2, the Boys Volleyball team will have their PCC Finals at Boone Grove High School with the junior varsity team starting their game at 5:30 p.m. and the varsity team’s game starting at 7 p.m.

On May 15, the MTHS Softball team will have their PCC Semi-Finals, and on May 16, they will have their PCC Finals. The MTHS Baseball team will have their PCC Semi-Finals game on May 20, and their PCC FInals game will be on May 22.

“The team is a younger team that is still growing and learning but doing a great job with wins against schools like Wheeler High School, LaVille High School, East Chicago High School, and Victory Christian Academy,” said Team Manager Haley Casbon.

On May 21, MTHS will have its annual high school awards ceremony at 1 p.m. in the high school gym. At the awards ceremony, students at MTHS receive awards for their work in class and their GPAs.

“I love seeing everyone’s accomplishments and how far they’ve gotten from the beginning of the year to now,” said Junior Cathryn Gulley.

Staff spotlight:

Darren Day is the MTHS band teacher. He teaches band to all middle and high school students, and also teaches fourth and fifth grade elementary music classes. Day has taught for 19 years, eight of which have been at MTHS.

“I didn’t always plan on becoming a teacher. In college, I discovered how much I enjoyed teaching while helping with summer marching band programs across the state,” Day said. “I also led small ensembles and even formed a jazz/fusion band that performed at local establishments and became quite popular.”

After school, Day is the staff sponsor for the MTHS Jazz Band and Drumline, which perform at various school events. He enjoys being able to grow the musical talents of his students.

“I had what I can only describe as an epiphany. I felt called to fill rooms not just with performers, but with people who truly appreciate and understand music,” Day said. “I realized I could make a greater impact on the world, my community, and young people by teaching rather than performing. That’s when I knew I wanted to become a teacher.”

Day looks forward to the MTHS band field trip and enjoys being able to have his students perform outside of school. He is currently planning a trip to Ohio – more specifically, Cedar Point.

“I truly believe that performance-based music is one of the most important subjects in school. Students in band consistently develop stronger executive functioning skills over long periods of time, they’re literally increasing their attention span and discipline,” Day said. “I believe deeply in the value of all performance-based musical experiences, and I’m passionate about what they can do for students both in and out of the classroom.”

Student spotlight:

Julianna Zendzian is a senior at MTHS. She is the president of high school Art Club, and the vice president of National Honor Society and Tabletop Gaming Club. Zendzian is also involved in Drama Club, DECA, 4-H, Student Council, and the Academic Super Bowl science team.

“My greatest achievements in high school have been going to the DECA state competition, getting the Morgan Award, receiving the Mussallum scholarship and becoming a Noblitt Scholar for Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (RHIT),” Zendzian said.

Zendzian’s favorite classes are AP Psychology and AP Biology, and she has enjoyed any advanced science class she has taken in her high school career.

“I plan on attending RHIT and majoring in Biomedical Engineering with a pre-med focus,” Zendzian said.

In her free time, Zendzian enjoys creating art and playing the piano. Her favorite events to attend are Drama Club productions, when she’s not starring in them.

“Do everything you could ever want to do, because you have the opportunity to do so,” Zendzian said.