GreatNews.Life Student Voices: Chesterton sprints toward the end of the year, showcasing its fanciest gowns and happiest goodbyes

What’s recently happened?

What better way to end the year than dressing up in your sharpest apparel and coming together with your closest peers to celebrate? Chesterton High School (CHS) held their 2026 Prom on May 2, and students continue to rave about the nostalgic night, filled with classic hits and iconic dance moves.

The evening’s “Lost Under the Lanterns” theme allowed students to teleport into a blissful wonderland of bright color and ambiance, followed by their favorite tunes. Maddox McKinney and Eva Montes took home the king and queen titles, voted by their peers who thought they deserved the top spot.

This night was not only about dressing up and dancing until your feet are sore, but also embracing your youth. This sacred dance is a milestone in every upperclassman’s story, the one night that truly brings everyone together at the end of the school year.

Prom has been a milestone millions of times across generations. Cinema, stories, and even artwork have worked to capture the divine euphoria that is prom night. Yet every student who attends prom gets to completely redefine the word. Prom isn’t just a school dance; it’s the place where the DJ plays your favorite song, and you and your friends shout along to the lyrics at the top of your lungs. It’s the place where you and your date share a slice of chocolate cake that gets stuck in your braces. The night is whatever you make it out to be.

The enchanted evening that is prom is made up of anticipated moments that shine brighter than any tuxedo or gown ever could. Chesterton was able to bring that fantasy to life. Another sensational prom night was added to the books, one that students will surely never forget.

What’s coming up?

Chesterton High School’s Boys Track and Field team swept every category of the 2026 sectionals meet, securing them the first-place title for the second year in a row. With regionals around the corner and state finals not far behind, CHS continues to put in the work to add two more trophies to the case.

With preseason track starting in early January, the boys’ team has worked restlessly this year to prepare for the upcoming final. Between constant conditioning and strength training throughout the last few months, their hard work has shone through in their victories. The team has an undefeated dual meet score of 8-0-0, along with coming in second place in the DAC Conference, just one point short behind Merrillville High School.

Head varsity coach Bryan Nallenweg shares that success within a team is built through trust. Each member of the team single-handedly makes up a core foundation of each winning, and their coach wants nothing more than to see all his runners thrive.

“I try to be a player’s coach,” Nallenweg said. “I really try to develop relationships with the athletes, and they know that their best interests are always in mind. As a coach, your athletes need to trust you in workouts and in meets. I think we have a pretty good culture in the program.”

It’s with this mindset that the team has been able to vigorously triumph every meet day, and the same one that will carry them through the upcoming IHSAA regionals and state finals championship.

Staff spotlight:

Danyelle Vivian is a math teacher at CHS. With a master’s degree in Educational Technology and the highest distinction of a bachelor’s degree in secondary Math Education, she excels in many different areas of the math curriculum. Vivian teaches algebra two, analytical and regular, along with finite. She also completed an additional 18 credit hours of graduate-level math in order to teach dual credit courses at CHS.

Vivian’s passion for teaching began at a young age, a formulated pathway that accompanied her early skillset in math.

“I just always wanted to be a teacher. And math was always my best subject. So I put the two together.” Vivian said.

Vivian has been a teacher for 12 years, with this being her seventh year at CHS. She previously sponsored Chesterton High School’s Key Club, which was inspired by her respect for students taking the initiative to serve their time towards a good cause.

Vivian announced that this will be her final year teaching at CHS. While she ventures out to new opportunities to expand her math knowledge, she reflected on the meaningful relationships she built in her time at Chesterton High School. Vivian said some of her favorite moments with students were the ones that had nothing to do with math.

“I do love building connections with students.” Vivian explains, “When we go off on tangents about random things, that’s my favorite part of the day.”

Vivian strives to be a relaxed teacher while also pushing her students to be the very best they can be. She prides herself on establishing a community within her classroom, allowing a safe haven to learn freely and be yourself in every format.

“I’m gonna miss how nice she is, and how she gets me to get my work done. She’s my favorite math teacher,” said one of Vivian’s students, Tyler Laird.

“She helped me to never give up, even though math is hard,” said Amelia Haughtington.

The legacy Vivian leaves will go beyond math, shining through the impact she made on every individual who walked into her room. While Vivian is sad to leave, she’s grateful for the memories she was able to make at Chesterton and the lessons of compassion she leaves behind.

“I hope that students leave thinking that I was kind to them, no matter what. That I cared about them, that they had a safe space in here. Those are things that I hope they remember me by.” said Vivian.

Vivian is not your everyday ordinary teacher. She embodies the title of balance between companion and educator, one who believes every student has what it takes to achieve their goals, even when they don’t believe in themselves. Chesterton is truly losing one of its finest.

Student spotlight:

Devin Throw, a senior at CHS, is the embodiment of the high school experience. With too many extra-curriculars and APs to count, Throw’s strived to indulge in every opportunity that high school threw at him – and he has succeeded tremendously.

Throw shares that the core of his fulfillment stems from being involved. This includes being president of both the Unified Buddies and the Red Cross club, along with vice president of the Student Government and the Gold Standard. He is also an established member of the debate team, along with a star varsity track runner, recently placing first in the 200-meter 2026 sectionals final. While Throw stresses the long, sleepless nights that follow his demanding schedule, he loves to experiment with different interests that keep him moving.

“It really came down to being well-rounded, so I could have a greater reach to more people,” said Throw.

This versatile mindset has allowed Throw to try many new things in high school. The variety of diverse clubs, along with unique classes, also played a tremendous part in leading him to his future career. He credits his Ethnic Studies course for being one of his most influential classes in high school.

“It gave me a unique perspective about how different groups and different cultures have experienced conflict throughout time here in the United States.” Throw said.

Throw has officially committed to Indiana University, where he will be studying counterterrorism, with hopes of later studying international humanitarian law. While his free time is limited, Throw enjoys his personal hobbies such as maintaining his antique book collection and going thrifting.

One final piece of advice that Throw would leave for his high school peers is to outsource and expose yourself to as many new things as possible. Throw admits that his love and foundation of distinctive interests wouldn’t have occurred if he hadn’t been as involved as he was.

“Be involved in as many things as you can, while also making sure you do well in school.” Throw said. “At the end of the day, high school is only four years, so it’s really the best time to see what you like and see what you hate.”