What’s recently happened?
With the 2022-2023 school year coming to a close, classwork is starting to wind down, allowing students more flexibility during class periods. With this newfound flexibility, Chesterton High School’s (CHS) U.S. history classes have had the opportunity to each visit the media center during their respective blocks to get groovy with a 1960s escape room put together by Media Specialist Emily Wilt.
“There are so many important things that happened during this decade and it’s really crazy. Even I didn’t realize until I started putting the timeline together exactly how much happened and how much overlapped and intersected. It was a really fun decade. I grew up hearing stories about the 60s, which was extra motivation for me,” Wilt said.
In a smaller section of the media center, Wilt crafted an impressive timeline showcasing the progression of the 1960s. On the left side of the room starts 1960, stretching across each wall until the decade ends on the right side of the room in 1969. Each year within the timeline displayed a series of newspaper clippings, as well as various pop culture titles that were published or aired during that year, such as the book “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1962) and the tv series “Doctor Who” (1963).
Around the room sat a few computers that were covered in cardboard to create the appearance that the computers were retro televisions, as they played black-and-white videos. To really top off the 1960s vibe, Wilt also situated different magazine photos that show what life was like during this impactful decade. One particular aspect that stuck out to me in the timeline was that, in earlier years, the collages would feature boxy shapes, but as the decade progressed, the shapes would become more squiggly and triangular. Each year contributed its own sort of tone to the room, giving tribute to its given decade.
“I really wanted to use a lot of primary sources for this escape room. When it comes to history, I’ve always been fascinated by primary sources. I love to try and imagine what it was like to be there reading that newspaper at that time. As I was looking things up, I would pull a newspaper page because I needed something that had information and then I would start reading the side articles or start looking at the advertisements and I would keep going in the newspaper. It took me about two weeks to put this all together because I kept getting sidetracked looking at all the information,” Wilt said.
To see history laid out in an interactive way has been a special experience for students. Juniors enrolled in U.S. history classes were put into groups and given a box different from other groups. The groups had to rely on each other, making this activity one to bond over. Students had to wander about the room, searching for which piece of the timeline was relevant to the given clues unique to their box. Once the locks were solved, students found a paper inside with questions relating to the escape room, inquiring about the group’s thoughts, as well as a few remaining questions about pieces of history to be discovered in the timeline.
To make the activity all the more fun, students competed against each other across all U.S. history classes– the group who finished the quickest out of all the classes would earn a prize. As students raced to be the winning group, a collection of time-period-specific music played with such songs as “Downtown” by Petula Clark, and “California Dreamin’” by The Mamas & the Papas.
“I’ve been really excited about students’ responses to this, too. I feel I’ve done cool worldbuilding with other escape rooms, but this is the first one that I can see learning happening on students’ faces as they are working on it. I love making learning fun,” Wilt said.
What’s coming up?
The final month of school is always a bittersweet one, especially for seniors. As summer approaches, so does the end of this chapter of CHS seniors’ lives as they look forward to better and brighter futures. This year’s commencement ceremony will take place on May 31 at the school’s football stadium.
“I feel very excited about graduating! I am attending Villanova University in the fall, and I'm majoring in Marketing. I'm also thinking about minoring in Environmental Studies,” said senior Ella Girzadas. “Everything happens for a reason, even if it doesn't seem like it at the moment. I advise everyone to remember that the bad times pass and there is always light at the end of the tunnel.”
As for senior Samuel Conrad, he will be giving a speech at commencement and wishes to tell his peers to be different from the rest.
“Don’t be normal. Stand out in every way possible and watch what happens,” Conrad said. “I’ve learned nothing really matters as much as we think. Life goes on no matter what we do, and will continue to go on long after we’re gone. So why not do the things that you truly want to do deep down in your heart?”
Conrad urges students to gain as much experience as possible, whether students’ interests lie in sports or other clubs and activities.
“Exploring who you are outside of the classroom is something I personally find super valuable, both now and for your future self as well,” said Conrad.
The class of 2023’s motto is “Never lose sight of where you’re going, but don’t forget where you came from.” As CHS seniors prepare to go on separate paths in life, may they strive for their goals and succeed in their ambitions while always bearing home, and the people they have met along the way, in mind.
Staff spotlight:
Jennifer Jendrzejczyk is an English teacher at CHS.
With a passion for her profession and calling, she teaches English 10 honors, Advanced Composition, and Yearbook. Having wanted to teach since childhood, Jendrzejczyk had no backup plan for the future - teaching was what she knew she must do.
“I have wanted to teach ever since I was little - I used to make my Barbies be in my classroom. When my brother and sister got older, they were in my classroom and we would hand out papers and do all the things I thought teachers did - put stickers on papers, tell them about all the things I was learning about adding and how to read stories. I thought it was the coolest thing that I was learning all these things and I wanted to share that with them,” Jendrzejczyk said.
Those who love school, love learning. Jendrzejczyk certainly does, as she has worked her way to earning not one, not two, but three diplomas. She earned her undergraduate degree at Purdue University in English and postsecondary education. When she began teaching at Wirt High School in Gary, Indiana, she also worked towards her master’s degree in secondary education at Indiana University Northwest. After earning her two degrees, Jendrzejczyk decided to earn her master’s in English through online courses provided by the Kentucky college, Morehead State University.
She is greatly involved in CHS’s community and works tirelessly to create an environment that is welcoming for all students. Jendrzejczyk has worked at CHS for the past 14 years and during that time, she has worked with the school’s academic super bowl fine arts and English teams, spell bowl team, directing school theater productions, sponsors the class of 2026, and works with the advisory and MTSS committees. The MTSS committee refers to the “Multi-Tiered System of Supports” which is paired with student resource time to help all kids that are at varying levels with their schoolwork.
Another contribution that Jendrzejczyk makes is her role as a prom sponsor and coordinator, which she has held for about six years.
“Everyone is so dressed up and so beautiful and so gentle with everyone else and it’s so much fun to see everyone in such good moods. It’s a little bit fairy-tale-ish,” Jendrzejczyk said.
Jendrzejczyk wanted to have a group of sophomores experience putting the 2023 prom together. The group was tasked with deciding on what to purchase, what foods items to have catered, as well as the amounts. Additionally, the students also had to keep to their given budget with bearing in mind the costs of the hall and the photo booths.
“This is the first year we have done a sophomore team and had them run a lot of the show,” Jendrzejczyk said.
Outside of school, Jendrzejczyk loves spending time with her family. She coaches her children’s dodgeball and basketball activities at the Boys and Girls Club, and makes sure to curate memories with loved ones. Jendrzejczyk enjoys camping, bike riding, game nights, bonfires, boating, taking walks, and going to her daughter’s softball games all with her family.
“I live the most incredible life!” Jendrzejczyk said.
Student spotlight:
Senior Matticyn Gropper loves to lend a helping hand.
After graduation, Gropper will be attending Indiana University Bloomington to major in neuroscience and behavior with a minor in Spanish, as she has studied the language for five years, and wishes to help others in need.
“It’s been a goal of mine for all of my life to become a neurosurgeon like my late father. Sophomore year of high school I took AP Psych and fell in love with learning about the nervous system and how it works. Thus, I decided to major in neuroscience in college. This major will allow me to enjoy what I’m learning while also making progress on my future goals. All I ever want to do is help people. That’s the impact I want to make,” Gropper said.
During her time at CHS, Gropper has participated in Earth Club with friends, and has also been active in the Red Cross Club as the Vice President, National Honor Society (NHS) as the President, in addition to tutoring both in and outside of school. Within her roles for the Red Cross Club and NHS, Gropper has organized a plethora of volunteer opportunities, while also making these clubs fun for others.
“I remember last year, National Honor Society was super strict and we had to read from a script, so this year with the rest of the people in office, we try to make it more fun, so at the meetings I get to bang a gavel,” Gropper said.
She has made great memories during her years as a high school student, including spending time with friends, making sure of her involvement in the school’s community, and winning top Trojan and prom queen.
“Get involved. I was never involved with anything till junior year and that was a disservice to myself. Junior and Senior year has been the most fun years of high school and it’s because I put myself out there and got involved with a ton of things around school,” Gropper said.