What’s recently happened?
Fall sports have begun at Morgan Township High School (MTHS), including Girls Volleyball and Boys and Girls Soccer. These MTHS teams have won countless games and are starting the fall season strong.
With all this excitement, MTHS had a pep rally on September 18 to celebrate its fall sports teams. All of Morgan Township’s students, from kindergarteners to seniors, attended the pep rally and cheered the Cherokee athletes on, accompanied by music from the MTHS Pep Band.
Girls Volleyball at MTHS has had an exceptional school year so far. The varsity team has beaten Whiting High School, Kouts High School, and Westville High School so far in the month of September. The junior varsity team has also been successful, and the 2024-2025 season is shaping up to be a good one, especially with MTHS Girls Volleyball’s victory at the Porter County Conference (PCC) Round Robin on September 27.
Volleyball isn’t the only sport that MTHS’s athletes excel in. Girls Soccer has also kickstarted their season with victories against both Boone Grove High School and Kouts High School.
“Due to some unfortunate cancellations in our game schedule, our 2024-2025 soccer season has had a slower start than others, but I am thrilled for us to grow as a team, have some fun, and compete on the field in the PCC,” Laila Barker, a sophomore playing on the varsity team, said.
While Girls Soccer is having a good start to its season, Boys Soccer is also playing well. The team have had quite an energetic season, with wins against Hebron High School and Washington Township High School.
Not only has Boys Soccer had several great games, two players have also broken school records. Freshman Maddox Cuson broke the records for Most Freshman Assists, Highest Amount of Freshman Points, and Most Freshman Goals. Senior Cooper Spagna, earlier this season, broke the record for Career Goals Scored, and has still continued to score since.
What’s coming up?
MTHS’s fantastic fall sports teams have not ended their seasons just yet. Both Girls Soccer and Boys Soccer, along with Girls Volleyball, continue into October.
The MTHS fall sports teams will still have to play with their all as the PCC begins for both Girls Soccer and Boys Soccer the week of October 6 through 12.
However, sports are not all that happens at MTHS.
At MTHS, October is known for the Interact Club’s Polio Awareness campaign. Since October is Polio Awareness Month, the Interact Club holds its annual Purple Pinky Fundraiser. This fundraiser raises both money and awareness for the fight against polio.
“The Interact Club is teaming up with Rotary International, which has championed the fight against polio since 1973. Through its effort, almost the whole world has been freed from this debilitating disease. However, the fight must continue as the countries of Pakistan and Afghanistan remain plagued by the disease,” Agnieszka Fezatt, the club’s staff sponsor, said.
Through $1 donations, students are able to support this worthy cause. In return, they will get their pinky painted purple by members of the MTHS Interact Club. This purple pinky symbolizes one child vaccinated against polio.
Staff spotlight:
Sherry Thompson is an English teacher at MTHS. She teaches English 9, English 11, and Yearbook class. She has taught at MTHS for three years. Many students proudly believe she is an excellent English teacher and can relate even Shakespearean texts to modern readers.
“In English 11, we just started ‘The Crucible.’ I’m interested in seeing the student’s reactions to the ending. I hope they can appreciate and learn from the play. For English 9, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is always fun; the students make playlists for character,” Thompson said.
Though Thompson has only been teaching at MTHS for three years, she is an important part of every student’s journey through high school. She became a teacher after being a librarian and cherishes the bonds she makes with her students.
“For 10 years I was a librarian at different local public libraries. I started out as a children’s librarian. I still love reading picture books! Then I worked as a reference librarian and a branch librarian in charge of programming for the teen population,” Thompson said. “I really found working with teens the most rewarding and wanted to try something different. I ended up going back to school through Ball State University’s transition to teaching program and finished my educator license this past summer.”
Thompson supports her students inside and outside of the classroom. She goes to games, where she enjoys hearing the MTHS band play, and fully participates in MTHS events. Thompson admires the school-wide culture of respect at MTHS and finds herself observing it every day.
“I love the little traditions such as Senior Tractor Day, but my favorite part about MTHS is how kind the people are here, especially the students,” Thompson said. “They really treat each other with kindness and inclusivity. I am often impressed by their behavior.”
Student spotlight:
Dana Abbring is a highly involved senior at MTHS. She is part of Student Council, National Honor Society, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Speech and Debate Club, Key Club, and high school band. She is also the editor-in-chief of the MTHS yearbook and a member of the Cross Country and Track and Field teams.
“I’m very proud to run on our Cross Country team, which has been exceptional every year I have been in high school. During my freshman year, our team qualified for Semi-State for the first time ever. Then my sophomore year, our team qualified for State for the first time ever, and we repeated that accomplishment my junior year,” Abbring said. “MTHS was the only 1A school to qualify for the race in an unclassed sport. I am so proud to have contributed to that success.”
Abbring works hard in every activity she is involved in, whether that be school or sports. Recently, she placed first in the high school PCC Round Robin Cross Country meet, an event with countless other schools. She is also a finalist for the National Merits Scholarship.
“I plan to study at Purdue University. During that time, I hope to participate in a co-op program that would give me experience working with a specific company so that I can find employment soon after getting my degree,” Abbring said.
Abbring also makes an effort to help others, always offering a helping hand or a shoulder to lean on. She loves to answer questions and is more than willing to offer her thoughts on a situation, though she is also open to constructive criticism.
“I am ambitious, dreaming big and working bigger,” Abbring said. “I strive for excellence and growth. I want to be spoken to. I want to listen. I value communication, unity, love, productivity efficiency, and service. I don’t sit idle, instead constantly working to improve the lives of myself and others. I want to make a positive difference.”