April recap:
Student Council hosts fourth annual Dance Marathon:
For the fourth consecutive year at Crown Point High School, students were invited to stand for those who can’t and participate in Student Council’s annual Dance Marathon on April 10.
The event went from 4 to 9 p.m. and included activities such as basketball, dodgeball and dancing. Participants were urged to not sit down during Dance Marathon, and Student Council’s overall efforts raised $6,734.45 for Riley’s Children’s Hospital.
“Dance Marathon this year was a huge success,” student body president Nick Isaacs said. “It was beyond fulfilling for the council and me to raise as much money as we did and to have supported such a great cause.”
Dance Marathon was an opportunity for students to have fun while donating to a good cause, an aspect sophomore Jackie Ham wishes she had realized sooner. After attending her first Dance Marathon this year, Ham regrets not participating sooner.
“My feet hurt from standing and dancing for so long, but I knew it wasn’t nearly as bad as what the kids at Riley’s go through,” Ham said. “I didn’t go last year, but I really wish I did. I had a lot of fun.”
Student-Teacher Olympics end with teams tied.
The game was on, the challenge accepted. Interact Club’s annual Student-Teacher Olympics made its way back to Crown Point on April 16, and students and teachers alike were ready to battle while raising funds for the Northwest Indiana Cancer Kids Foundation.
Students like junior Susie Szymanski were able to go head-to-head with faculty in basketball games, a hula hooping and pie eating contest and several minute-to-win-it activities.
“The hula hoop contest is my jam,” Szymanski said. “You just hula hoop it out until, one by one, everybody starts dropping out, and when they get down to the final couple, they made us start doing crazy tricks like kneeling down and standing back up, walking, doing it on one leg, tapping our heads and dancing.”
Szymanski believes one of the best aspects of the event was her ability to have fun while still contributing to a greater cause.
“When you’re present and you’re participating, your adrenaline is flowing. You’re running, you’re cheering, you’re having fun, but then you sit back and realize that the proceeds are all going to the NICK foundation. That organization means so much to so many families with children who have cancer, so it really is special to all the participants and all the teachers and it made me feel like this competition is the best way to help out the people that are struggling,” Szymanski said.
Students participate in prom festivities
After months of preparation for the big event, students were able to participate in Crown Point High School’s annual prom, a night senior Maddie Adducci believes she will never forget.
Adducci, who was crowned Prom Queen at the grand march, attended this year’s dance for the first prom experience of her high school career. From the moment she was nominated for the crown, Adducci knew her senior year was up for a memorable finish.
“I was in disbelief when I heard I was nominated,” Adducci said. “Everyone was just so nice to me and so congratulatory, and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to close out my senior year.”
Despite a night full of dancing, Adducci believes the best part of the event was spending time with her classmates, old and new alike.
“The entire process was just incredible from beginning to end,” Adducci said. “The best part was just getting to see people I haven’t seen since freshman year and seeing everyone dressed up and taking a bunch of pictures together. I will never forget this experience.”
May Preview
Best Buddies to participate in fundraising walk to raise awareness for disabilities
In an effort to preach unity within the community, Crown Point High School’s Best Buddies chapter will be holding their annual walk at Munster High School’s track on May 9, with registration at 9:30 a.m. and the walk at 10:30 a.m.
Junior Abby Van Prooyen serves as the chapter’s vice president and believes the event is an opportunity to learn to love those with disabilities and accept them as they would anyone else.
“Everyone in Best Buddies has a positive outcome; everybody that has joined never regretted it and I think a lot of people are intimidated because they are handicapped kids and they worry that they won’t be able to be comfortable around them or connect with them, but anyone who has ever talked to them knows that they are just like anyone of us,” Van Prooyen said.
All proceeds are sent to Best Buddies Indiana.
Music Department to close out year with spring concerts
Crown Point High School’s auditorium will see its fair share of audiences next month with choir, band and orchestra concerts scheduled throughout May.
The All-City band concert will take place May 18 to kick off the series of spring performances. Two choir concerts will immediately follow on May 19 and 21. The concert will feature choreographed parts to a variety of vocal performances, a feature senior Mallorie Krucina is excited to be a part of.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone sing and dance because that’s the only concert that classes learn choreography for,” Krucina said. “It’s awesome to see people come out of their comfort zones, and, as a senior, I know it’s going to be an emotional event.”
Senior Julie Stuckert and the Advanced Symphony Orchestra are also rehearsing for two All-City concerts on May 28. As she prepares for her final concert, Stuckert cannot help but reflect on what her time in the group has meant to her.
“I’ve met some of my best friends through orchestra and I wouldn’t trade my time with them for the world,” Stuckert said.
Student of the Month
Alyssa Harvey named a 2015 Indiana Academic All-Star
The selection process is not a simple one. Candidates are determined based on a mathematical formula that combines SAT and ACT composite scores and a student’s grade-point average over seven semesters. The selection committee also considers the student's extracurricular activities related to academics, nonacademic and student leadership and community service involvement.
Yet, despite the competitive qualifications, senior Alyssa Harvey was recognized on Wed. April 15 at the IASP Indiana Academic All-Star Awards Ceremony at the Indiana Roof Ballroom in Indianapolis, an honor Harvey believes she has worked hard to achieve.
“I’ve worked really hard throughout high school,” Harvey said. “I’ve spent a lot of time studying and bringing my GPA up.”
After receiving the honor, Harvey advises students to take as much time to prepare for exams as she was taught to do.
“Take a lot of practice tests beforehand,” Harvey said. “I bought two books of practice tests and would do one every weekend. It takes a lot of work, but if you put in the time, it definitely pays off.”
Teacher of the Month
Tom Reed dedicates time to preparing Advanced Symphony Orchestra for ISSMA State Qualifier
The process was nothing new to him. Tom Reed had been an assistant to James Deal, the long-time Advanced Symphony Orchestra conductor, for several years. Yet, that’s all he was: an assistant.
Today, he’s more.
After taking over as the orchestra director after Deal retired last spring, Reed has found himself responsible for more.
“I’ve been involved in this program for several years as the assistant, but this year, I’m in charge,” Reed said. “I have to pick out the music. I have to do the rehearsing. It’s been a big change, but I’ve enjoyed it very much.”
Despite the added tasks, however, Reed doesn’t regret for a second his decision to move on from the middle school orchestras.
“Musically, the bar is so much higher at the high school,” Reed said. “When we play, we truly create music. The middle schools are not at that level yet, and its rewarding for me to be able to work with a group that’s so accomplished.”
Reed and the Advanced Symphony Orchestra have spent months preparing for the ISSMA State Qualifier that was held in Chesterton on May 1. Regardless of the outcome, Reed values the time he and his orchestra have dedicated to improving, an aspect of the contest he finds to be the most important.
“Regardless of the outcome of contest, I’ve watched a group grow a tremendous amount,” Reed said.
“Students are learning, and I am able to teach them and grow together, and I love that. That’s the ultimate reward. There’s no doubt that we’ve come a long, long way.”