What's recently happened?
Sports and academics have excelled at Morgan Township High School (MTHS) throughout the 2023-2024 school year. Towards the end of the year, finals and awards were on every student’s minds.
On Thursday, May 23 students participated in Cheraoke, the yearly karaoke competition that takes place towards the end of the year. Cheraoke took place during lunch, where Birky Family Farms Country Gourmet was served, continuing an MTHS tradition.
At the end of the day, awards were given out to students, with categories ranging from math and science to the Morgan Award, which is voted on by all teachers. The next week was finals week which began on May 28 and went through to May 30, which was the last day of school for the 2023-2024 school year.
The Varsity Track and Field team had a wonderful 2024 season for both the boys and girls towards the end of the school year. Several school and meet records were broken, and the teams placed high in their meets and invites.
One such meet was the Porter County Conference (PCC). The Girls' Varsity Track and Field team took second place at PCC and seven members of the team accomplished all-conference. These members included Vanessa Parsons, Shae Bucher, Isabella Bryan, Dana Abbring, Emersyn Bland, Peyton Bucher, and Kaelin Kreischer.
"Since I won the 3200 meter run at the PCC invite, I am a member of the all-conference team… And honestly, I wasn't expecting it! Last year I did expect to win the event and did, but this year I ran against a teammate who is typically faster than me so I expected her to win, but in the 3200, there really wasn't much competition in the PCC and no one was near me. I was the comfortable champion, which was unexpected but awesome," said Abbring.
The Boys' Varsity Track and Field team also did well in the PCC invite, taking home second place. Five members of the team accomplished all-conference, including Lincoln Riley, Chance Butz, Chance Hunsley, Aiden Dippo, and Tyler Jones.
After the PCC invite, both the girls and boys Varsity Track and Field teams were successful in sectionals and regionals, with Bland, Kreischer, and Butz achieving the state meet. Both teams ended their 2024 season well.
What's coming up?
Despite the 2023-2024 school year’s end, practices for fall sports will continue at MTHS. These sports include basketball and volleyball. Students will continue to attend practices to prepare for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year.
Within the community, Camp Invention will start in June. The camp will run from June 10-14 and for Morgan Township, Camp Invention will take place at Morgan Township Elementary School.
Camp Invention will be a week-long camp at MTHS for students aged kindergarten through sixth grade. It was created by the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) and has different modules for campers to complete. High school students can intern at Camp Invention as Leadership Interns, helping campers with the modules.
“The NIHF creates a new curriculum every year. I have been the director for many years and have never seen a module repeated,” said Dana Krieger, Camp Invention director. “It is an awesome experience for all and I love getting to see many of the same campers year after year! I have had many campers become Leadership Interns too which is awesome that they get to continue to share in Camp Invention.”
Staff spotlight:
John Smith is a teacher, coach, and class sponsor at MTHS. Smith teaches six individual classes, including health and physical education.
"I have always wanted to share my knowledge and passion for physical education and exercise with youth. I think this is what drove me to pursue a career in teaching. I enjoy being active and learning more about exercise physiology which helps me stay on top of new advancements in health and wellness," Smith said.
Smith is a friendly and encouraging teacher who pushes students to be their best whether inside or outside the classroom. He takes this skillset and utilizes it when coaching Boys Varsity baseball, where he can be seen out on the field or cheering from the stands.
“My favorite concession stand item has to be nachos with cheese! If I attend a basketball game as a spectator I almost always have to get some concession stand nachos,” Smith said.
Smith can also be found talking with students about sports or school, and helping sponsor the class of 2026. He is also the assistant coach of the Boys’ basketball team.
"One of my favorite things about teaching here at MTHS is being able to see the growth in student learning and success from their middle school years through their senior year," Smith said. "Even if I do not have students in class I still am able to communicate with them and follow their journey throughout their high school careers which is something that I love about the small school atmosphere."
Student spotlight:
DJ Snow is a senior at MTHS, one known for his larger-than-life roles in the MTHS Drama Club and his participation in several spring sports. Snow plays on the Boys Varsity baseball team as well as being the Boys Varsity Volleyball team captain. He is also a part of the MTHS Student Council and coaches a little league softball team outside of school.
"My greatest achievements are winning a mental attitude award and winning sectionals three times, including this year, for baseball while also being a volleyball team captain and being a lead role in our school plays for the past three years. My favorite greatest achievement is winning Prom King this year," Snow said.
Snow is also an active member of the MTHS band and jazz band. He plays trombone, baritone saxophone, and marching baritone and states that band is his favorite class.
"The best thing about MTHS is its size. I like that I know pretty much everyone in the high school because it's not very big. I also like that because it's a lot smaller – you feel like you can have a more personalized learning experience," Snow said.
Snow plans to go to Ivy Tech Community College to take business and entrepreneurship courses to start his own holistic healing business. He will also be certified in holistic healing, as he wants to help people.
"High school is full of a bunch of people just trying to figure it out, so don't judge a person before you talk to them. Going off that, don't judge yourself if you ever feel lost," Snow said. "Find a couple of people who would have your back in any situation and who you can hang out with on a regular basis, but don't make that group a clique and allow people to come in and out as you go forward."