GreatNews.Life Student Voices: Homecoming at Marian High School

What’s recently happened?

On Friday, September 25, Marian High School hosted its annual homecoming celebration, bringing students together for a tailgate, football game, and after-party. The school week also included fun, themed dress days such as Pajama Day and Marvel versus DC Day.

Before the football game, students gathered for the homecoming tailgate to spend time with friends and get ready for the game. The football team then took the field as students and families watched from the stands.

During halftime, Marian recognized the members of this year’s homecoming court. The court included freshmen Madeline Hickle and Wyatt Dainty, sophomores Ilah Kirzeder and Matthew Antongiovanni, juniors Kariya Byer and Simon Kirsch, and seniors Delaney Nitz, Tommy Borjos, Sophia Dibley, Isaac Dubash, Isabella Giglio, Jacob Molnar, Mariale Cline, and Ethan Abbott.

After the members of the court were introduced, Isaac Dubash and Mariale Cline were crowned Homecoming King and Queen.

The celebration continued after the football game with a homecoming after-party in the gym. Students gathered together to finish the night with food, music, and time with their friends. Food trucks were available for students, while a DJ provided music throughout the evening.

For many Marian students, homecoming gave the school community an opportunity to come together outside of the regular school day and celebrate with classmates. Between the tailgate, football game, homecoming court, and after-party, students had several ways to take part in the festive event.

The annual celebration brought another school year tradition back to Marian, giving students a chance to celebrate their school and community together.

What’s coming up?

October is bringing several events and activities to Marian, including Knights Service Day, the fall play, and sectional games for fall sports.

On October 20, Marian will have its annual Knights Service Day. Students will spend the day serving at different locations throughout the community, putting the school’s motto into practice.

From October 23-25, Marian’s fall play “12 Angry Jurors”  will be performed at Stanley Clark School Theater. The production will give members of the theater program an opportunity to show off their hard work while also providing the Marian community the chance to come out and watch.

With the fall sports seasons coming to an end, teams will also begin competing in their sectional games. Athletes will be heading into the postseason and representing Marian as they compete against other schools.

Staff spotlight:

Alisha Fransted is not only the head volleyball coach at Marian, but also an assistant track coach, an English teacher, and the newly appointed student activities coordinator.

“I’m looking forward to my new role and seeing how I can help change the culture at Marian to get kids more involved in activities in a positive way,” Fransted said.

Fransted’s journey to teaching was far from typical. She is a coach who participated in volleyball, basketball, and track and field in high school, and was even a college athlete. She had coaches who made a great impact on her life, which sparked her passion for coaching. Fransted has coached volleyball for over 22 years at the high school and college levels.

After becoming a mom, she got a job at Riley High School and began to teach. She realized teaching and coaching were really not that different at all. She has now been teaching for 12 years, and this year marks her fourth at Marian.

“What keeps me going and coming back to coaching is that you do make an impact on somebody’s life. You might not reach every single student or every single athlete but if you can reach one then you’re answering God’s call,” Fransted said.

Fransted’s goal this year for her students is to get them to read more. She believes reading is knowledge, and with knowledge you can achieve anything. For her athletes, her goal is for them to become great, kind people.

“I just want them to be good teammates on and off the field,” Fransted said.

In her free time, Fransted likes to spend time with family, train for Ironmans or races with her husband, or paint and draw.

Student spotlight:

For senior Delaney Nitz, art comes in many different forms. Between theater, photography, sewing, crafting, and singing, Nitz loves finding different ways to express herself.

Nitz first got involved in theater through a Marian musical called “Back to the ’80s” and has continued to love both performing and the community that comes with it.

“The ability to be able to tell a story through a character that can be so completely different from yourself, while also putting in a part of you, is such an art,” Nitz said.

Nitz is currently part of “12 Angry Jurors,” which she describes as a suspenseful show with plenty of plot twists. Her character is very set in her ways until a shift occurs near the end of the play.

Along with preparing for the fall play, Nitz was also selected for this year’s homecoming court. She was surprised and honored to be chosen.

As Nitz looks toward the rest of her senior year, she is excited to enjoy her final year at Marian and see what comes next. After graduation, she hopes to attend Ball State University to study nursing and the creative arts.

Looking back on her time at Marian, Nitz is grateful for the many opportunities she has had to grow and explore her interests.

“Marian opens so many doors for everybody that goes there,” Nitz said.