#1StudentNWI: La Porte Advocates for Safety and More this Spring

#1StudentNWI: La Porte Advocates for Safety and More this Spring

What’s Happening - LPHS participates in National School Walkouts

Students at the La Porte High School participated in the nationwide walkout on March 14th. The walkout was mainly to remember the 17 victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas School Shooting in Parkland, Florida, but was also a protest against the lack of attention paid to school safety. The walkout lasted 17 minutes; one minute for each victim. Over 70 students stood in silence at the flagpole outside of the school while one student read out the names. One of the main students who led the protest was junior Delaney Bluhm.

“I’ve always considered myself an activist, and I’ve always been passionate about public safety. Thus, when the opportunity presented itself to protest something I am passionate about, I knew I had to jump on it,” Bluhm said.

Bluhm, Alexia Cook, Becca Eyrick, Jillian Ross, and Parker Bockhorst went to Mr. Tonagel to find a safe and appropriate way to participate in the Walkouts without getting in trouble.

“The meetings went really well. The first meeting was one where we explained what the walkouts were, when they were, and our plans for both walkouts. The second meeting was a follow up, and Mr. Tonagel had talked about other options than a walkout, as his main goal is our safety,” Bluhm said.

Shortly after, Tonagel posted an open letter to Skyward for all students and parents to see. As long as students followed the attendance policy and had their parents call in for the 17 minutes, they would not be punished. It was also announced half an hour before the actual protest.

“I think that how Mr. Tonagel arranged the walk-out was great. It was done in a very safe way, and I truly appreciate how Mr. Tonagel cared about our safety. I think that even though it wasn’t a true “walk-out” because we had to have our parents call us out of class, I think it was done in a very safe way,” Breanna Dove, junior, said.

The walkouts were a great example of young people taking charge and finally delving into politics. Most are tired of being scared of going to school worried they may not make it out.

“I hope that actual change comes from these protests because it is scary growing up in a world where I fear letting my sister go to school by herself without me. I fear not knowing what may happen at my own school, and I shouldn’t have to. I want to see a world where being safe and protecting our younger generations is a top priority. We all have a right to live our lives to their full potential,” Dove said.

The walkouts are just the beginning. On March 24th, students will ‘March for Their Lives’ in most large cities across the United States, and possibly in other countries as well. Young people are determined to make a change and will do so regardless of what it takes.

What’s Coming Up - March for Our Lives

Over 800 cities participated in the March for Our Lives event on March 24th. Students, teachers, and parents from all over the nation marched across their city to raise awareness against gun violence, advocate for some kind of gun regulation, and appeal for school safety.

The main event took place in Washington D.C. and was organized by victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting, particularly survivors Emma Gonzalez, David Hogg, Jaclyn Corin, Samantha Fuentes, Adam Buchwald, and Alex Wind. Martin Luther King’s granddaughter also made an appearance to show her support for the movement.

“I think it’s important to draw more attention to the problems we’re protesting,” Delaney Bluhm, a junior who marched in Chicago, said.

In Chicago alone, at least 70,000 people marched. They chanted, they held up their politically charged signs, and came together to show their support for the victims of gun violence. More local marches were held in South Bend and Valparaiso.

According to The Hill, the turnout for the march surpasses the Women’s March last year, and may have been the largest one since the Million Man March in 1995, which protested for civil rights.

“I felt very inspired by the rally, the people, and the signs. Seeing people from all ages coming together was phenomenal. It made me feel like I had a voice I didn’t have and was encouraging with words I can’t explain,” Makayla Blinco, senior, said.

March for Our Lives broke records while also showing what it is like when so many people across the country come together. Change might just be on the horizon, and it will all be because of movements like this and the people who made it happen.

Teacher Spotlight - Ms. Beatty

1Student-LaPorte-april-2018-02La Porte High School welcomed a handful of new teachers this school year, and one of them happens to be first-year Earth Science teacher, Ms. Beatty.

Beatty originally studied at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana to receive a Bachelor’s Degree in Earth Science while also minoring in Spanish and Physics. When she realized she also wanted to teach, she attended Valparaiso University to finally get her Master’s in Secondary Education. After graduating college, Beatty student taught at Merrillville for a year.

“My favorite part of teaching has been the students. I have enjoyed getting to know them and learning about their lives. I have also enjoyed making Earth Science fun and interesting for them to learn,” Beatty said.

Teaching has always been something that has come naturally to Beatty, as while she was studying education she was granted the Outstanding Future Educator Award through the Indiana Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.

“I am a recipient of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship. This fellowship is the reason why I was able to pursue my desire to become a teacher. It is a national fellowship given to aspiring Math and Science teachers,” Beatty said.

Beatty will not be going anywhere as her long term plans are to remain teaching for as long as she can. She also enjoys the subject she teaches and would not change it for the world.

“What sets my class apart from the rest is that we don’t just read about science, we actually do science! We do lots of labs and hands on activities. By doing science, we make connections between what we are learning in class and the world around us,” Beatty said.

La Porte High School is excited and lucky to have such a passionate and driven educator. Beatty will continue to teach what she loves and hopes to for a long time.

Student Spotlight - Keeley Higley

1Student-LaPorte-april-2018-04La Porte High School senior Keeley Higley was recently given the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. after winning the ‘Voice of Democracy’ essay contest.

The essay contest was given out through the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). Students were required to write and record a three to five minute declaration about a specific, annually chosen topic.

“This year, the topic was 'America: Our Hope for the Future,' and I wrote about how America’s hope for the future exists in our willingness to change it,” Higley said.

The prize was two thousand dollars and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington D.C. Higley flew out on March 3rd and traveled home on March 7th.

“While I was in DC, I met the other 49 state winners from across the country, and a few kids from other countries who had won, too. We toured the White House, which was amazing for a lot of historical reasons,” Higley said.

Along with touring the White House, Higley also spent a lot of time in the Natural History Museum. Other destinations she saw include Arlington Cemetery and the Holocaust Memorial Museum.

“Seeing the names and faces of Holocaust victims was incredibly disconcerting, and it brought a lot about life into perspective,” Higley said.

Higley is also heavily involved in school. She is the president of Speech and Debate and 4-H, vice president of Interact Club and National Honor Society, and a member of Student Council and the Principal’s Student Advisory Board.

As for after high school, Higley also has an abundance of work ahead of her.

“This fall, I’ll be going to Purdue University, where I’ll double major in communications and dietetics. Once I graduate, I’m going to become a diabetic educator,” Higley said.

Higley had the experience of a lifetime and surely will never forget it. Her past successes are no match for her future ones, as there is no doubt Higley will become something bigger than herself.