What's recently happened?
Many Morgan Township High School (MTHS) extracurricular clubs have been excelling this March. Among the list are outstanding performances on stage and impressive academic achievements in both local and State competitions.
Early this March the MTHS DECA chapter participated in the State Career Development Conference in Indianapolis. Competing against much larger schools, the MTHS students held their own. Jacob Kolan and Kameron Ritthaler both received awards for high scores in their events, while Garret Stavitske and Faith Zendzian qualified for the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) placing within the top four in their respective competition categories.
"Going to ICDC is something I didn't think I was going to be able to do this year, especially as a sophomore. It's for sure something that I'm going to take advantage of and I'm going to make the best out of the trip to California no matter what happens in the end," Stavitzke said.
The weekend after the DECA competition, the MTHS Drama Club was preparing for its performance of "Dorothy in Wonderland." The group did three shows over the weekend of March 8-9. The shows were a resounding success and set a new record for the most tickets sold for a MTHS Drama Club performance.
"I've been in Drama Club for seven years now, and in that time I have acted in nine plays and directed four more. I love working with all of my fellow actors and seeing everyone improve throughout the year. Drama Club has been a rock for me throughout middle and high school, and it gave me a chance to meet new people and make amazing friends that I wouldn't have bonded with otherwise," Heather Cox, MTHS senior who played Alice, said.
The MTHS Academic Super Bowl teams also succeeded in their most recent invitational at Washington Township High School on March 14. The MTHS Social Studies team placed first and the combined school score placed MTHS third overall.
What's coming up?
MTHS’s Academic Super Bowl teams have their final local competition on April 16 at Wheeler High School. This competition will decide if the MTHS Academic Super Bowl teams advance to the state competition.
"As we all prepare for the upcoming Academic Superbowl competition in April, I'm confident that my team, along with all the other MTHS students, will work hard and do a great job. Throughout the past competitions, scoring well against the other schools has definitely proved to be a challenge, but if we continue to keep pushing ourselves and giving it our all, I know we can work our way to the top and have a great time doing it," Flannery Linder, Academic Super Bowl fine arts team captain, said.
The MTHS Drama Cub will soon be wrapping up its year. Their red carpet awards on April 5 will be the last official Drama Club event of the year. Awards will be given out to Drama Club members based on the cast and crew’s votes.
The MTHS band and Morgan Township Middle School band are also nearing the end of their 2023-2024 school years with its annual Cafe Jazz. Cafe Jazz will be in the high school cafeteria on April 6 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The MTHSl jazz band will perform live, and Fazolis will be catered to the event. All the money from the tickets sold by high school band members will go to their 2025 summer band trip.
Staff spotlight:
Math Teacher Vanessa George has taught at MTHS for 12 years. During that time she has taught a variety of math classes and currently teaches trigonometry, probability and statistics, AP precalculus, and geometry.
George is active at MTHS both during and after school hours and is an important part of many extracurricular activities, bringing them to life with her enthusiasm and dedication to the students.
"I was the high school Student Council advisor for about 10 years and am proud of what we accomplished during that time period working with our staff, students, and our community," George said. "This year I am the Academic Team Coordinator for the middle school and high school, and I serve as the math and social studies academic team coach for the high school."
George is a bright presence wherever she goes, greeting students and staff alike during passing periods. George can also be seen cheering on the high school girls' basketball team during games, where she makes sure to grab her favorite concession snack: popcorn.
"Due to its small size, my favorite part of MTHS is being able to get to know my students well. There is a good chance that I've seen them in the hallways back from when they were in kindergarten, and getting to see them grow and having them later is a unique privilege. I also sometimes get to teach kids multiple times, so oftentimes by the time they leave Morgan, they are more than just students to me, they have become like my own children," George said.
George is an extraordinary teacher. She excels at teaching complicated subjects and helping her students understand them fully.
"I am a firm believer in using your common sense as much as possible, so when I teach, I bring up helpful tips and tricks to memorize topics but also how to use your understanding of the whys to work backward to recall facts," George said. "I think math is such a scary subject for so many people - adults and kids alike, that I wanted to be that person to show them that it is definitely not as scary as it seems and that anyone can learn."
Student spotlight:
Peyton Honchar is a senior at MTHS with an impressive list of accomplishments under her belt. Honchar is the current Student Council president, captain of the Math Academic Super Bowl team, and a junior coach for Girls on the Run. Not to mention her involvement in Key Club, Honor Society, Interact Club, Spanish Club, Camp Invention, the Fine Arts and Math Academic Super Bowl teams, and girls varsity basketball,
"My most memorable moment this year has been winning sectionals with my basketball team. It has always been a goal of mine to win, and to finally achieve that goal my senior year was amazing," Honchar said.
Earlier this year, Honchar was awarded the James W. Dold Mental Attitude Award, which is awarded to one female basketball player within the Porter County Conference.
Honchar is both an amazing athlete and an excellent student. She plans to attend the University of Notre Dame to study mechanical engineering
"My favorite class over the course of high school has been AP chemistry," Honchar said.
Honchar’s appreciation of MTHS’s tight-knit community has been an important part of her high school experience, however, she would love to be able to travel once she graduates.
Honchar is hardworking and knows how to put in the effort for the best results
"Push yourself to go outside of your comfort zone and understand the importance of delayed gratification," Honchar said.