GreatNews.Life Student Voices: Whiting High School finishes its first semester!

What’s recently happened?

Whiting High School (WHS) finished its first semester of the school year. It was an amazing start to the year in sports and academics for the school. All these amazing accomplishments are being led by the new administration and teachers. 

Firstly, the school had a huge number of students reach the A-B honor roll in both the first and second quarters. This is a big deal for students and teachers and shows everyone’s hard work. 

“Overall, I think it went pretty okay. There could have been some things that I could have done better in my school work, but I pushed through and did a good job,’’ said freshman Mya Garcia. 

As far as big school events go, the school had no shortage of those. The Booster Club hosted homecoming with the theme “There’s no place like Homecoming,” which was a great success. Not only with a big student turnout, but also with public turnout at events like the parade, bonfire, and football game. Students showed off their pride throughout the entire week, and it was a homecoming many won’t forget. 

Sports teams in the fall saw tons of wins. Cross country ended the season with many new personal bests for runners. Volleyball had its best season in 13 years, and cheer went to several competitions this year. 

Not only did our fall sports see big wins, but so did the start to the winter sports. Girls’ and boys’ basketball teams are having a better season than last. Wrestling has had lots of individual success for athletes at tournaments and in season matches. 

Apart from sports, clubs have also hosted lots of school-wide events. The Student Council hosted a sock and toy drive, which did very well. The National Honor Society hosted a food drive and partnered with the Red Cross to hold a citywide blood drive. Science Olympiad hosted its last home invite and gained many medals. 

The school year started on a good note for everyone and is bound for great things in the second semester. 

What’s coming up? 

Tennis season training has started for the year. Coach Young has officially started hosting after-school workouts for girls interested in joining the tennis team in preparation for the season. Conditioning includes weight training, cardio exercises, and practicing with a racket. 

The team hopes to keep their sectional winning streak of 14 years, and after last season, it’s more anticipated than ever. The team’s season last year was 14-1, with their only loss being against North Newton. The official season will start at the beginning of April and last until late May. While it is a short sports season, the girls’ tennis team makes a huge impact on the school’s record. 

The school can’t wait to see how the girls do this season, and with them, the best of luck. 

Staff Spotlight:

Nicholas Belyayev is a history teacher at WHS. He teaches economics, AP government, and Indiana history. He is also the student council sponsor and has been teaching for four years. 

His favorite class to teach is Government, as he enjoys teaching students how to understand their future. He believes it is important for a student to use their voice and is happy to show students how much their voice matters in the world. 

Belyayev graduated from Carmel High School in 2017. He then attended Indiana University Bloomington and got his bachelor’s in education. He says teaching is something he has always wanted to do, and is happy he gets to pursue his dreams. 

As the student council sponsor, he continues to encourage his students to help others. This year, he has helped students run the sock and toy drives and is excited to see what they will do in the future. Belyayev believes that student council is another way he can teach his students about government in small ways. 

Belyayev always tries to be a positive light for his students. He tells them not to focus on the past and enjoy today because it is the only today they will ever have. 

Student Spotlight:

Aarom Jimenez is a junior at WHS and has been attending since fourth grade. He is a top ten student and plans to keep his spot by keeping up with his grades in all his classes. He is a member of the National Honor Society, the Spanish Club, the Student Council secretary, the Band, and the cross country team. 

His goals this year are to finish junior year with straight A’s and connect with people more through sports and clubs. He plans to concentrate on his classes and study hard for tests. He also hopes to be a proactive student in both the clubs and sports he is a part of. 

He is a member of the student council, where he serves as secretary. A role he takes seriously and enjoys the work he gets to do. 

“My favorite club that I am in is Student Council because I am the secretary, and it allows me to work with students and have a leadership position,” said Jimenez. 

Jimenez says his motivation for this year is his family. He hopes to make them proud while being a good student and trying his best. After high school, he plans to pursue broadcasting and journalism at Indiana University Bloomington.