What’s recently happened?
The Michigan City High School (MCHS) Drama Club put on a production of “Beetlejuice Jr.” this past month, and it was hugely successful.
“Being in ‘Beetlejuice’ was so fun! It went so well. Everyone in the cast and the crew put so much effort in, and it paid off,” said Junior Lexi Gresham, who starred as Beetlejuice.
The winter sports season is also in full swing, and there are many successes to report.
On the court, Boys Basketball recently won a close game against the Gary West Side Leadership Academy Cougars. With this win, the boys have an undefeated 2-0 record.
In the pool, MCHS Swimming brought a win against opponent East Chicago Central High School. MCHS Diving swept, with no divers on the opposing team to dive against. Competing anyhow, a win's a win!
What’s coming up?
No one is immune to the holiday rush, and there is a lot to look forward to at MCHS in the next couple weeks.
The annual MCHS Student Government Canned Food Drive is planned to take place December 21 at the Salvation Army.
Last year, Michigan City Area Schools (MCAS) were able to collect more than 17,000 pounds of food for the Salvation Army, and MCAS is looking to collect even more for those in need this year. To donate, you can drop off donations to any MCAS location.
The MCHS National Honor Society (NHS) is taking donations of new or nearly new books for children and teens. To donate, you can drop off donations to any MCAS location, and on December 21 at the Salvation Army.
One City One Sound will be hosted in the MCHS Gymnasium December 12. This annual event is a great way to bring the community together, and the band and choir students work very hard every year to make the show amazing.
Staff spotlight:
There is no one quite like Ashley Koza, or Señorita Koza, as she’s known by her students. Koza teaches the highest levels of Spanish at MCHS, Spanish III and IV.
Widely known as one of the best teachers at MCHS, Koza’s students love her classes, and her.
“Señorita is simply just good in all aspects. I had her for Spanish for two years and she became one of my favorite teachers. She really wanted to help her students learn. She has the kindest soul and didn’t seem annoyed at my insane amount of questions I asked her in class,” said Student Government Secretary Madelyn Shinn, one of Koza’s former Spanish students.
The winter is Koza’s busiest time. Juggling roles, Koza serves both as Student Government sponsor, and the gymnastics coach at MCHS.
As Student Government sponsor, Koza has fully come into her role.
“When she picked up running Student Council, I had no doubt she was not gonna put in her best effort. Not to my surprise, the Student Council is thriving! Ms. Koza is just the best,” said Shinn
MCHS Student Government recently successfully hosted their first ever Student Leadership Summit this past November.
“I loved seeing students all engage in such important conversations. I loved the show of vulnerability and the willingness to learn how to be a better leader, whether they see themselves as one or not,” said Koza.
Under her leadership, the MCHS Student Government is looking forward to its annual canned food drive December 21.
This year, Koza has designs to earn the trophy for MCHS. Starting December 9, MCHS will be hosting a friendly competition between the classes. Whichever class is responsible for bringing in the most cans, their steering committee will receive a pizza related reward! Koza and the Student Government team are hoping this helps bring the trophy in for MCHS.
“I really want to step up our game this year,” Koza said.
Student spotlight:
There are so many words to describe her, but so few do her justice. Makenna Nowatzke is a diver. A soccer player. A golfer. A leader.
Heavily involved in her community, Nowatzke is the secretary of Helping Hands, the treasurer of Student Government and the vice president of her class.
Nowatzke is the secretary of the MCHS philanthropy club, Helping Hands. Through its work to better the community, Helping Hands is a club run by students, something Nowatzke values.
“It’s almost completely student-led. For the people involved, it creates a lot of integrity and confidence that they’re doing the right things. Everyone is just there to help. They're not there for the credit or clout,” Nowatzke said.
Nowatzke plays soccer and golf in the fall, and tennis in the fall. In the winter, Nowatzke is the star of the MCHS girls dive team.
At this point in the season, Nowatzke has maintained a consistent first place position for scoring, and is optimistic for the future.