January recaps:
VEX Robotics team set to finish as one of top 4 in state
The Crown Point High School VEX Robotics Team 1233 Underdogs competed on Jan. 17 at the Jay County dual division Super Tournament. All six teams advanced to the Quarterfinal Rounds while Division 1 1233E finished as Division Champions. Teams 1233A, 1233C and 1233F now join teams 1233B and 1233 E for the State Championship. The team is set to finish as one of the top 4 VEX Robotics High School Teams in Indiana with over 70 schools competing.
Junior Alex Kadah is proud of his team’s achievements, especially after the outlook did not appear as promising as they had hoped.
“Our bots at first were not the best that they could have been,” Kadah said. “Even though they were subpar by our standards, I’m proud that we were able to overcome the little failures and achieve something great.”
Although the outcome was success, Kadah hopes this isn’t the end of his group’s run. There is still room for improvement, and Kadah hopes he and his team get the chance to do so.
“Even though we placed, we still have a ways to go,” Kadah said. “I just hope to see our bots continue to get better and that we can make the fixes we want to make.”
Latin Club Caterman teams finish first at invitational
The Crown Point Latin Club Certamen teams competed at the Hoosier Certamen Invitational at Seymour High School in Seymour, IN on Jan.10. All five teams entered advanced to their final rounds while two teams took home first place trophies.
Latin Club meets every Friday to prepare for upcoming competition, and after months of preparation, senior Anna Werkowski is pleased with the outcome. "I am beyond proud of our accomplishments at Certamen because we work so hard to be the award-winning club that we are,” Werkowski said. “It is a great feeling when your preparation works off.”
The teams are currently preparing for the upcoming state convention competition in March. After the group’s recent success, Crown Point’s Latin Club has their eyes set on the ultimate prize.
“We are hoping to place first in every level at state this year,” Werkowski said. “I have faith in this group, and I hope our hard work pays off again.”
Seniors Julia Thorn, Becca Olesek two of Crown Point’s talent show award winners
After canceling last year's show due to a lack of auditions, student union sponsored a talent show for 13 of Crown Point's most talented students to compete in on Jan. 24. Senior Becca Olesek won the show's Most Original award with her performance of "Overrated,” a song Olesek herself wrote. Seniors Julia Thorn and Gianna Kujawski one the audience's favorite with a rendition of a scene from the movie “Napoleon Dynamite.”
Thorn was especially grateful for the opportunity to perform last Tuesday night, viewing the chance at making the audience laugh as a special one.
“It made me happy to put myself out there and make the audience react the way they did,” Thorn said. “I am most grateful for making them laugh. As weird as it sounds, I feel laughter is able to take people away from their problems. To give the audience even a second of that was well worth dressing up as Napoleon Dynamite.”
Upcoming events:
Muslim Student Association to hold hijab challenge
The Muslim Student Association will hold their second annual World Hijab Day event in Feb. in efforts to help depict a daily life as a Muslim girl. The group will bring headscarves for students to try on and wear for a day and encourage participants to reflect on what a day in the life of a Muslim girl was like.
While admitting that the challenge is daunting, sophomore Hannah Morgan is looking forward to the challenge, ready to approach the perception of beauty in a unique manner.
“I feel like non-Muslim women are so used to relying on their physical beauty. Wearing a hijab, even for one day, would make us rely on our inner beauty and intelligence,” Morgan said. “That is something that I will support as a young woman and would encourage others to try as well.”
Shout outs
Band director Johann Sletto oversees ISSMA music competition for fourth-straight year
It was no easy task. Johann Sletto knew that much. Despite the challenges associated with hosting the annual ISSMA solo and ensemble competitions, however, Sletto was up for the challenge, and, with the help of volunteers and other music directors, Sletto has been welcoming music groups from across the region to compete in ISSMA’s district competition for four straight years.
Sletto believes that the benefits of hosting the event have driven him to continue to give up his time and efforts to organizing the competition.
“I do it for the students, first and foremost,” Sletto said. “Making it easy for our kids to be involved in solo and ensemble contests is the main reason I continue to say, ‘Sure. I’ll host it at Crown Point again.’ Our judges’ assistants get a really good education from listening to performances as well, and I think that benefits them greatly.”
Despite being the head of the organizational process, Sletto acknowledges the help of volunteers and administration in making the event a success.
“None of this would be possible without our incredible volunteers who organize judge’s packets, serve food and the other ways they help,” Sletto said. “It’s really a group effort, and it wouldn’t happen without a lot of their help.”
Nadia Giedemann overcomes injury to compete in final national dance competition
It was a heartbreaking injury. This time last year, senior Nadia Giedemann was out with an ACL tear, unable to perform at the national dance competition in Florida with her teammates.
Just nine months later, Giedemann is back on her feet, traveling to Orlando to compete in her final national dance competition of her high school career and entering the meet with a new mindset after injury.
“Coming back from injury has taught me that, if something negative impacts your life, you have to remain positive and push yourself through it,” Giedemann said. “Without hard work, dedication and determination, coming back from an injury would be difficult for any athlete.”
Giedemann is looking forward to ending her high school dance career on a positive note. While she acknowledges placing in the finals would be a feat she and her team would be grateful for, Giedemann hopes to simply do her best, taking advantage of an opportunity that was taken away from her last season.
“I just love the feeling of hitting my final pose with my team during finals and knowing we left it all on the dance floor,” Giedemann said. “I hope to experience that this year, and no matter what the outcome is, I know I’ll be proud of my team because I know we did the best we could.”