GreatNews.Life Student Voices: New Prairie High School’s stuffed animal drive brings joy to children in need

What’s recently happened?

New Prairie High School’s (NPHS) Key Club recently hosted its second annual stuffed animal drive. From February 24 to March 4, students were encouraged to bring in clothes and stuffed animals to be donated to children in need. Many classes took advantage of the fact that certain clothing items could be brought in as sabotage items to subtract points from their peers’ classes.

“There were a lot of students talking about the drive, especially with the sabotage items. I heard them talking about strategies and how they held their items until the end so other classes didn’t sabotage them,” Key Club Sponsor Julie Beakas said.

To encourage more donations, Key Club offered prizes for the three classes who collected the most points with their donations. First place will receive a Crumbl Cookie party, second place will receive a pancake breakfast, while third place will receive a donut party.

Though Key Club members gave up their time to help count stuffed animals and divvy out points, the points system isn’t the best way to account for how many stuffed animals were actually collected after everything is said and done.

“There were classes bringing in 70 or more points, but other classes sabotaged them and so they only counted 10 points, and the sabotage points are nowhere to be technically accounted for,” Beakas said.

With over 1,000 points recorded, it is safe to say that significantly more items were collected after sabotages.

“We did receive more stuffed animals and clothes than I anticipated. There weren’t a ton on the first couple of days, so I started losing hope at the beginning, but then a lot started coming in when the end of the competition got closer,” Beakas said.

These donations will be going to a variety of places. The stuffed animals will be going to Beacon Memorial Hospital, Ronald McDonald House, and Saint Joseph Department of Child Services. The clothes will be donated to NPHS’s nurse’s office, NPHS Cougar Closet, and to the local community.

“I absolutely think these donations will have a positive impact on the organizations they are being donated to. Kids in tough situations need a comfort item. They may not have been able to get their usual item and will be able to cope a lot better with something to snuggle,” Beakas said.

What’s coming up?

The New Prairie Theatre Company (NPTC) will be putting on its annual spring musical in April. This year’s show is “Little Shop of Horrors” and will feature 22 cast members.

While flower shop assistant Seymour pines for his co-worker Audrey, he discovers a mysterious plant and decides to name it Audrey II. The plant only feeds on human flesh and blood.

“The growing plant attracts a great deal of business for the previously struggling store. Seymour feeds Audrey’s boyfriend, Orin, to the plant and after Orin’s accidental death, he must come up with more bodies for the increasingly bloodthirsty plant,” Stage Manager Bailey Reynolds said.

Among the cast members, Seth Ingles will play Seymour, Cecelia Catanzarite will play Audrey, and Ryder Lake will play Mr. Mushnik. The cast members have been hard at work since late January to ensure that this musical is the best it can be.

In addition to the cast members who will be seen onstage, there are 13 team members working behind the scenes to ensure everything runs smoothly. Their jobs range from set creation to the actual set up and movement of the set come show time.

The show will be held on April 24 at 6 p.m., April 25 at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., and April 26 at 2 p.m. All times are in Central Standard Time and the cost will be $7 dollars for students, $10 for other people, and five dollars per person for parties of 10 or more.

“I’ve watched our cast and crew put their all into our rehearsals, and I couldn’t be more excited to unveil it to the community,” Reynolds said.

Staff spotlight:

Adrianne Hurt is an art teacher at NPHS. She graduated from Saint Mary’s College in 2005 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and a concentration in ceramics and painting.

“When I was younger, I wanted to be a nurse. As I got older, I knew that whatever I did, I wanted it to involve art. After working at a summer camp for at-risk students, I knew I wanted to work with the youth. Ultimately, I decided to become a teacher because I wanted to help young people and young adults find their way, be their encouragement, and make an impact on the next generation.  As a young person I was blessed to have many people in my life who helped guide and shape me, and I wanted to give back in that way,” Hurt said.

In addition to her teaching, Hurt is involved with the Art Club at NPHS.

“In my opinion, being involved is important for building community and making connections, serving others, and gaining new experiences. We get to relax in the Art Club and make a difference through art in our community,” Hurt said.

Hurt has been teaching for 13 years and has spent five of those years at New Prairie United School Corporation. Hurt has also taught at Granger Christian School, The Crossing in South Bend, and South Bend Community Schools.

“My favorite thing about being a teacher is the relationships that are built with my students. Life can be challenging, but we get to do it together in a safe environment everyday. Seeing students grow and develop not just in their knowledge and skills, but in their confidence, would have to be at the top of my list,” Hurt said.

In the past, Hurt has had the opportunity to teach middle school art and Principles of Teaching. She currently teaches Introduction to 2D and 3D Art, Intermediate 2D Art, Advanced 2D Art, and Photography.

“Every class is unique, but the studio art classes are my favorite. I especially love teaching ceramics. At the introductory level, my favorite thing is to introduce new ideas, mediums and processes. I love it when a student has an ‘a-ha’ moment or when their minds are expanded and open to new things. In the advanced classes, I love going deeper into personal expression, ideation, and developing personal voice,” Hurt said.

When Hurt isn’t at NPHS, she can be found outdoors hiking, gardening, or kayaking. She also enjoys watching shows and movies with loved ones.

Student spotlight:

Bailey Reynolds is a senior at NPHS. During her time at New Prairie, Reynolds has involved herself in a variety of extracurricular activities, including Theater Club, Art Club, Academic Super Bowl, and Spanish Club.

“Theatre and art are passions of mine. I was brought into the Academic Super Bowl and Spanish Club by friends and have loved both activities since,” Reynolds said.

Though she loves all of her extracurricular activities, the Academic Super Bowl is her favorite.

“I love the team, along with all of the competitions,” Reynolds said.

When Reynolds is in school, her favorite class she attends is Advanced Placement Biology.

“I have the class with some of my friends, and though the material is hard, it’s truly interesting. I also love the teacher,” Reynolds said.

As she looks toward graduation, she is filled with conflicting emotions.

“I’ve been through just about every feeling. The fact that it’s all going to be done in a few months is just very bittersweet,” Reynolds said.

Following her graduation, Reynolds will be attending Pennsylvania State University to study forensic psychology.