What’s recently happened?
The month of February was full of events, both inside and outside of Morgan Township High School (MTHS).
The MTHS band and choir both had their district Indiana State School Musical Association (ISSMA) solo and ensemble competitions on February 1 and 8 respectively.
Out of 33 total band events, there were 31 gold ratings. Soloists Lucia Hensley, Chance Hunsley, Aiden Musgrove, and Emma Short all qualified for state. One ensemble, made of Dana Abbring, Haley Prince, and Hensley also qualified.
Out of all the vocal and piano contestants, eight solos received gold. Juliana Ferguson, Luke Snow, and Hensley were able to make it to the state competition held on February 22. Ferguson, Hensley, and Snow all received gold for their performances.
“ISSMA has been so much fun and has opened up so many opportunities to me,” Hensley said. “I had a great time competing in ISSMA for both band and choir and was able to get a gold medal for both. I'm very grateful that I was able to be given this opportunity, and I can't wait for the state competition.”
The MTHS Drama Club helped with the Morgan Minis production on February 8. The production was a success, and it was even performed in front of the elementary school on February 7. This production may have been the first of its kind, but it was a great performance from both the elementary actors and the high school helpers.
The MTHS National Honor Society (NHS) also hosted a Valentine’s Day service event so that students could buy their friends valentines for the special holiday. Valentines included cards, candy, and tiny watercolor kits.
What’s coming up?
February wasn’t the only month full of important events for students at MTHS. There will be an ISSMA state competition for the MTHS band qualifiers. Additionally, both the MTHS DECA team and the Academic Super Bowl teams have competitions in March.
The ISSMA state competition for the qualifying band soloists and ensemble will be on March 1.
The MTHS DECA team has its State Career Development Conference (SCDC) in Indianapolis from March 2-4. All of the SCDC qualifiers will have an opportunity to glimpse what life is like as a businessperson. This experience includes staying at a hotel, exploring Indianapolis, and competing in their DECA event.
Countless schools from across the state will also be at SCDC. The top four students in each DECA event will qualify for the DECA International Career Development Conference in Orlando, Florida.
The MTHS Academic Super Bowl teams also have their first two competitions in March. On March 5, the students will compete at Purdue University Northwest (PNW) in Westville. The PNW competition is the first one of the year, and with it comes a new order of events: Fine Arts, Social Studies, Math, English, and finally Science. The second competition will be on March 20 at Washington Township High School. Both competitions will include nearby school districts.
“I'm so excited to see our team improve this year,” Elysia Gast, senior and member of the English Academic Super Bowl team, said. “I believe that we have been given an amazing opportunity to compete. We have had weekly meetings to prepare and new team members that I am so excited to work with. I can't wait to see how we do this year.”
Staff spotlight:
Kimberly Wilkinson is the current school counselor at MTHS. She has worked at MTHS for a calendar year but has 15 years of prior experience in school counseling.
“I initially went into psychology as I was completely intrigued by learning more about the study of the mind. After my undergraduate studies, I wanted to connect that knowledge into a helping profession and realized how much I liked working with kids,” Wilkinson said. “I started my school counseling career at the elementary level but discovered I connected more with middle and high school-aged students.”
She views her place as a person who can support others, especially the students. Wilkinson is the co-sponsor for the MTHS Student Council (STUCO) and works closely with students when scheduling their classes for the next school year.
“My favorite part of working at MTHS is the team I work with. I have a huge amount of support from administration and teachers. I am also impressed with our student body. We have high achieving, well-rounded students who make the job such a pleasure,” Wilkinson said. “I am looking forward to continuing to grow with my team in the office who are all fairly new to MTHS. We all have fun, dynamic personalities, and I look forward to the times ahead.”
Wilkinson is a huge fan of basketball, with her favorite team being the Purdue University Boilermakers. When at a game, she always makes sure to grab nachos with plenty of jalepaños.
Student spotlight:
Jacob Kolan is a senior at MTHS. He is involved in Key Club, STUCO, German Club, DECA, NHS, Boys Basketball, and Track and Field.
“Some of my greatest achievements in high school have been taking on many leadership positions across various clubs and being able to balance all of the things with a personal life,” Kolan said.
Kolan is a fourth-generation MTHS student. His favorite classes have been AP Biology and AP Calculus. He plans on attending Valparaiso University for civil engineering and continuing to run his lawn and landscaping company.
“The most memorable moments of my senior year come from spending time with all of my friends and getting closer with the juniors because they are in more of my classes this year,” Kolan said. “My favorite part about MTHS is just the environment. Everyone knows each other and is close to each other.”
Even though Kolan may have a lot on his plate from being so involved at MTHS, he makes the time to watch his friends’ basketball games, cheering them on.
“My advice for underclassmen is this: challenge yourself the most you can because you'll never regret it,” Kolan said.