What’s Recently Happened:
New Prairie High School’s (NPHS) show choirs are in their competition season. Everett Forester, NPHS’s choir director, chose the themes Shine for Innovations, NPHS' mixed show choir, and Time for Sing Sensations, NPHS' all-girls show choir.
The Time for Sing Sensations dance captains are Julie and Casey Kibe and both girls have been hard at work making sure Time for Sing Sensations competition dances look great.
Shine for Innovations captains are Julie Okrzesik and Evan Skoglund. Skoglund has been working with the boys to make their dancing blend with the girls dancing, while Okrzesik helps with the dancing for everyone overall.
The senior officer, Emmy Huff, is in charge of both the show choir’s sets and costumes for all shows.
Both show choirs had their competitive and preview shows. Their preview show was held at NPHS and open to the entire community to watch.
Their first competitive show was at Beach Grove High School. Shine for Innovations got third runner up and Time for Sing Sensations got second runner up. In addition, NPHS’s backup band that travels with the show choirs to play their music won best band as well. Their next competitive show is on February 26 at Northridge High School.
Each show has many soloists, trios, and duets performed by members Evan Skoglund, Emmy Huff, Julie Okrzesik, Matthew Dettinger, Trinity Sabie, Reese Yettaw, Jersey Strieter, Emma Shultz, Maddie Humes, and Maddie Klute.
Along with show choir competition shows, there is another competition during the day: the solo competition. NPHS has four students doing solo competition, Julie Okrzesik, Evan Skoglund, Sarah Stackowski, and Brianne Simmon.
Indoor percussion band is also in their competition season. They just had their first performance on February 12 and placed third in their class. They have been working endlessly to perfect their competition show. Their show is named “Wild Things” based on the book and movie “Where the Wild Things Are."
Indoor percussion band also participated in Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA), and 13 students from NPHS will be going to state.
What’s Coming Up:
The National Honors Society (NHS) is beginning to work with students that qualify to join the organization. To qualify, all students need to do is participate in community service.
In addition, students are now starting to choose their classes for next year, which can be exciting and nerve-racking. During this time teachers are giving students help so they can find the classes that will best suit their needs to graduate as well.
When it comes to sports, track season is now officially starting. Students involved are practicing, and all hoping to make it to state. Seeing all students talk about any sport or extracurricular activity they love to do is an amazing thing.
Staff Spotlight:
Alexandria Homann is one of NPHS’s many math teachers. She is an excellent teacher and is very supportive of her students.
This is her second year teaching, and wants to have the same impact on her students that her own teachers had on her. Homann also loves math, and is excited to teach the subject matter every day.
Homann coaches boys golf in the spring, is in a choir outside of school, and she helps lead a youth group at her church.
Her favorite part of teaching is getting to know her students' unique personalities. Additionally, whenever a student invites her to one of their choir/band concerts or games, she always tries to be there to support them.
One of the many interesting things about Homann is that she loves the game Sudoku. She has a giant Sudoku board on her classroom wall so when students finish their work they can try to solve the puzzle.“The piece of advice I would give students is to be willing to hear different points of view. It is nearly impossible to learn and grow without being willing to listen to those around you, even if you don’t agree with what they have to say. It helps you understand your own beliefs better and you can never defend yourself and your beliefs without understanding other points of view,” Homann said.
Student Spotlight:
Senior Julie Okrzesik is very involved in show choir and is also a member of NHS.
Okrzesik has been in choir all four years of high school. Show choir is one of her favorite parts of school, along with seeing her friends. She loves spending time with her boyfriend and her friends when she has time.
She is the dance captain of both show choirs, she has the solo for the Time for Sing Sensations ballad and the Shine for Innovations transition. She also is going to be making her debut at her first solo competition on February 26.
“The best part of being a dance captain is seeing the improvements made in the group and knowing part of it is because of mine and the other dance captains’ help,” Okrzesik said.
Okrzesik will be attending IU South Bend and majoring in social work.
She advises students to do what makes them happy and reminds them that they aren’t obligated to please anyone other than themselves.