What’s Happening?
As 2015 came to an end for the Cougars at New Prairie, the activities didn't slow down. After all, finals were taken, on the last day before Winter Break, NPHS held a Career Fair to open their students’ eyes to career opportunities in the community. The fair was put together by Principal Dettinger and Beyond the Cougar Den coordinator, Miss Robbins.
Beyond the Cougar Den is a fairly new resource for students to get prepared for colleges and careers. Beyond the Cougar Den sponsored the Career Fair, and NPHS hosted 53 speakers to share about different career options. The careers were in a variety of job fields, including the medical field and education. Sample careers included Registered Nurse, EMT, and Environmental Engineer.
“A lot of kids have a general idea of what field they want a career in,” says Miss Robbins, “but with the Career Fair they can see different, individual careers that are within those fields and maybe find a career they would like to pursue in the future.”
Students, teachers, and community members alike had positive things to say following the fair. Miss Robbins and Mr. Dettinger hope to make the Career Fair a yearly resource for NP students and show kids the benefits of having a resource such as Beyond the Cougar Den.
Also taking place in December, New Prairie’s Music Department held their annual Christmas Concert. All choirs performed, including the all-girl Sing Sensation’s performance of “Zat You, Santa Claus?” Along with the choirs, the Jazz and Concert bands performed, with the Jazz band playing the very popular “All I Want for Christmas is You.”
The concert took place on December 11th and 12th, but was also performed for the student body on the last day before Winter Break, the same day as the Career Fair. Besides the group performances, solo feature acts were performed by many choir participants including junior Alex Reynolds and senior Madison Michael. Just like every year, students and community members turned out to see a never-disappointing night of holiday music and fun.
In December sports news, winter sports were in full swing. The Pom and Dance team had their first competition at Marian High School, placing third in their division.
“I’m excited to see us improve throughout the rest of competition season,” says four-year member and senior Caitlyn Young. Along with the dance team, Boys’ and Girls’ swimming and diving had a busy December and are entering the new year with pretty good records (Boys: 5-6, Girls: 8-5). Also, Boys’ and Girls’ basketball entered this season with a new conference and new coaches.
“We’re getting better every day and we’re learning to play for a new coach,” says senior Dylan Kegley. The Boys record is 3-6 and the Girls’ is 2-13.
What’s Coming Up?
In the upcoming weeks, winter sports will continue their seasons hoping for many more victories. Also, many senior nights for sports will be taking place in January, including the Girls’ basketball team’s on January 26th. Also, choirs will be working hard in preparation for their long competition season ahead.
Student Shout-Out
New Prairie’s Student Shout-Out for this month is Jacob Colglazier. Jacob is a senior at NPHS and is involved in Soccer Club, Innovation Show Choir, Spanish Honor Society, National Honor Society, and the New Prairie Theatre Company. Jacob loves being at New Prairie.
“It’s a great place to be and I’m going to really miss it here,” says Colglazier. Jacob will be attending Indiana University Bloomington in the fall of 2016 and New Prairie wishes him nothing but the best in his future.
Teacher Shout-Out
New Prairie would like to recognize their librarian, Mr. Groendyke this month. Mr. Groendyke received his undergraduate from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN and then went on to get his master’s from Indiana University. Mr. Groendyke started at NPHS in 1987 where he taught English for three years before transitioning to the role of librarian which he has been for 26 years.
“I love being able to promote books and get to know the students on a different level than a teacher does,” says Groendyke. Mr. Groendyke is involved in numerous organizations, including taking over as the Spell Bowl coach in 2005, helping the Cougars gain a State Champion title that very year.
In his years as coach, the team has never placed below 4th place. Along with Spell Bowl, Mr. Groendyke is the leader for Cougar Outreach, a club that has students helping out in their community and maintaining New Prairie’s status of a great school. Mr. Groendyke helps the club with Student Hunger Drive, Christmas baskets for families in need, and Christmas cards for the elderly. Mr. Groendyke also supervises the student-led Anime Club and created the Cocoa Cafe which is a teacher/student book discussion.
Also, New Prairie is so thankful for Mr. Groendyke leading the school in their Miracle Minutes, which is a short time where kids can donate money to help benefit the New Prairie family.
“I enjoy New Prairie because not only are the faculty and students great, but it really is like a family here,” says Groendyke. New Prairie would like to thank Mr. Groendyke for everything that he does to make New Prairie as great as it is.