What’s recently happened?
Whiting High School (WHS) had its annual spirit week for the winter formal hosted by the sophomore class in preparation for the sectional tournament for all basketball teams in late March.
Each day corresponded with the theme for the dance; Valentine’s Day and students were able to spread their love by matching with their peers, as well as participating in class events to win points for the spirit ball.
All week the students were trying their best to participate in daily activities such as counting how many conversation hearts were in a jar. If students guessed correctly, it was another point added to their total score for the week.
Many of the students were most excited about Twin Day on Wednesday where they could match with their friends. Also, many teachers matched with their co-workers, getting into the school spirit.
Math teachers Lizette Munoz and Tianna Douthitt matched with one another and even matched with the main theme by wearing pink.
What’s coming up?
The WHS boys’ basketball team is preparing for sectionals starting the last week of February. The boys end the regular season on February 17 with their senior night.
The players were able to have their future endeavors announced by their assistant coach Jason Jendreas, and walked with their family members while receiving baskets filled with candy, cups, and other favorites of each athlete.
The WHS boys basketball team also had a senior night team dinner the night before where the coaches spoke about their athletes and all the accomplishments they had throughout the season.
Head Coach TJ Toth is proud of the team. He has been fortunate enough to be a part of such an amazing team and to see them grow over the years.
Staff spotlight
Spanish teacher DeAnthony Fennie is in his first year of teaching at WHS, and in his fourth year of teaching overall.
Fennie has always loved the Spanish language and wanted to continue to educate students on the importance of learning a second language, as well as how learning can be fun.
“My favorite part of teaching is the kids, they are truly amazing. They work extremely hard inside the classroom and they teach me things every day about many Hispanic cultures,” Fennie said.
Before becoming a teacher Fennie worked in youth services and enjoyed being able to help students and young children learn and help them in any way possible.
“I always encourage my students to continue to try new things and keep their options open. I didn’t take my first Spanish class until my senior year of high school and it got me further than I ever imagined,” Fennie said.
Fennie incorporated many projects into his class and had his students work on a project as if they were going on vacation to Colombia.
“It almost brought a tear to my eye seeing how invested my students were in the culture and learning about the country. It truly made all the past year worth it,” Fennie said.
Many students used their knowledge from the Spanish class as well as personal finance skills and many others to truly immerse themselves in the project to be able to show all the vocabulary and grammar skills they had learned throughout the semester.
Fennie appreciates WHS so much and not only loves to teach but his co-workers as well.
“Having such amazing co-workers and administrators really helps me and other teachers continue to work hard and help educate so many students,” Fennie said.
Student Spotlight
Sophomore Vania Lema is a part of the WHS cheerleading squad, Spanish Club, Booster Club, and helps students whenever she can.
Lema helped organize the recent WHS Winter Formal for her sophomore class to help raise money for prom and other events.
“I love to participate in school activities whenever I can and help my peers whenever I can. It's really important to me to be involved in my school community,” Lema said.
Lema also enjoys being a part of the cheerleading team and seeing her friends work hard together to get their stunts down as well as any new routines they are working on.
“Seeing all my friends work hard is so motivating, it makes me want to continue to grow as an athlete and keep learning new skills,” Lema said.
The WHS cheerleading team worked on a routine to present at their senior night game and Lema was a big part of that routine.
“My stunt group and I just worked really hard to make sure we would be on the same counts and page with the other girls and it ended up looking so good in the actual game,” Lema said.
Lema is excited to finish her sophomore year at WHS and is currently thinking about planning to attend the Hammond Area Career Center next school year to extend her learning into other skills and trades.
“I hope to continue working hard for my education and just start preparing for the future as much as I can because I truly value that in myself,” Lema said.