GreatNews.Life Student Voices: Valpo hosts Homecoming, Soccerfest

What’s recently happened? 

The Valparaiso High School (VHS) Homecoming Football game took place on Friday, October 3, followed by the Homecoming Dance on Saturday, October 4. In preparation for the game and dance, a school-wide spirit week was organized. On Monday, students were instructed to “Dress Like Your Type.” Tuesday’s theme was to “Wear Your Class Color” (tie-dye for seniors, black for juniors, red for sophomores, and orange for freshmen). Wednesday’s theme was “On Wednesdays We Wear Pink,” from the popular movie “Mean Girls.” On Thursday, students dressed up like BBQ Dads and Soccer Moms. Spirit Week closed out on Friday, as the students wore green and white school colors.

The Homecoming Football game was a battle against Merrillville High School. After a tough game, the Vikings ended up losing 48-21 to Merrillville. During halftime, Homecoming Queen Madeleine Ehrhardt and Homecoming King Kellan Hosek were crowned.

The Homecoming Dance, which began at 7 p.m., and ran until 10 p.m., was organized by the VHS Cheer team. This year’s theme was “Mamma Mia.” The dance was held in the cafeteria and decorated with flowers and ocean scenery. At $20 a ticket, the dance was packed with students from all four grades, along with many others. This year, staple dance songs such as “HOT TO GO!” by Chappell Roan drew a large crowd to the dance floor.

What’s coming up? 

As students at VHS begin to find their rhythm for this year, many annual fall activities are starting up. On October 9, the VHS Foreign Languages Department will hold its annual Soccerfest. This year, seven teams will be participating in the tournament. Last year, Soccerfest wasn’t able to happen, so the most recent champions were crowned in 2023 when Spanish Teacher Salvatore Muffoletto’s team won.

“Winning Soccerfest two years ago felt amazing,” Muffoletto said. “It was simply the best.”

The Concert and Freshman Orchestras have a concert on October 9 at VHS. The Symphony Orchestra has a concert at Valparaiso University on October 28.

In addition to these events, many sports teams have upcoming games. Boys’ Varsity Football has a game at Portage on October 10, and Unified Flag Football has their IHSAA Regionals on October 11. Also having games on October 11 are Girls’ Flag Football, Boys’ Cross Country, Freshman and Junior Varsity (JV) Girls’ Volleyball, JV Boys’ Football, and Boys’ and Girls’ JV and Varsity Soccer.

Staff spotlight:

English Teacher Joseph Weil has been teaching at VHS for eight years. He teaches Advanced English 10 and IB World Literature, and just finished teaching “The Crucible” in Advanced English 10. Currently, he is teaching “Cyrano de Bergerac” in IB World Literature.

“I became interested in studying English and literature when my AP Language teacher at Penn High School, Mr. Coffee, taught me to question authority when we were studying 1984,” Weil said. “I’ve been doing that ever since, while teaching my students to challenge assumptions about the world. Literature, at its best, is a mirror for society. Whether we confront our hypocrisies is a whole other issue.”

Teaching at VHS was not a hard decision for Weil, as he grew up in the area and enjoys the close community.

“I wanted to teach my neighbor’s kids. I wanted to serve my community,” Weil said. “I enjoy how close-knit the community is at this school. Everyone knows each other.”

While he enjoys teaching and giving his students fun assignments such as practicing fake sword fighting while reading a play, Weil also recognizes the challenges of the job.

“Teaching, in general, is a constant challenge,” Weil said. “I relish the opportunity to fight the good fight. I hope my students learn to take their time, wonder about the world, and explore their questions about life. The world’s problems aren’t going anywhere. Don’t be in a rush to achieve everything.”

Student spotlight:

Between school, basketball practice, and working on a magazine, VHS Sophomore Grace Welter has a lot on her plate. She’s in the top 10 academically of her grade. While basketball season has not started yet, she’s looking forward to the season. When she has time outside of that, she’s usually working on the magazine she started, “School of Thought Magazine.”

“This all means I sleep like a rock each night,” Welter said. “That doesn’t even include maintaining relationships with family. I have a great relationship with my mom and sister, and we travel and laugh often. I wouldn’t trade my life for anything.”

Welter, who is an avid writer and reader, traveled to New York City this past summer for two weeks to participate in a “New York Times” summer camp.

“The progressiveness of the city, of places beyond these city lines is important,” Welter said. “Conversing with students who attended the schools that intellectually challenged them has made me long for more.”

After high school, Welter wants to attend her dream school, Columbia University, in New York City. She wants to study English literature, pursue her Master of Fine Arts degree, and one day write a novel.

“My favorite class is English,” Welter said. “I am a total writing and literature dork. I love to discuss the plots and the hidden meanings in a piece of writing. I love relating literature to the present world, to the context of the writing, and to the world the author lives in.”

Her love of literature and writing was inspired by some of Welter’s favorite authors, such as Joan Didion.

“I wish to meet more authors and be surrounded by the type of people who encourage the development of my mind,” Welter said. “Books like Isabel Wilkerson’s ‘Caste,’ Joan Didion’s books, and Toni Morrison’s ‘Beloved’ have allowed me to gain empathy for those unlike myself, to see the world with nuance and understand privilege.”

Through all of her various activities, Welter continues to engage in many forms of literature, to widen her worldview and expand opportunities. Her favorite quote comes from Didion, and is also the name of one of her books titled “We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live.”