What recently happened
Recently, six students from Marquette attended La Porte County Leadership classes.
Michael Sakich, one of the students who attended, explained, “La Porte County Leadership is something that you are nominated for, and the goal is to turn you into a leader, but also to go deeper into what it really means to be one. Through the four meetings that we had, we got to hear from a multitude of speakers and different people. We did activities that improved our group skills and allowed us to realize what being a leader is all about.”
In addition to five juniors who attended, one senior also went as a leader. Buddy Jaffee, a senior, attended La Porte County Leadership last year. This year he went as the leader from MQT.
Jaffee said, “Being a leader this year was a much different experience than going through the program last year, because instead of experiencing it myself, I got to watch others experience the changes that I went through too, and I saw people create great friendships.”
Teacher Spotlight
Mrs. Susan Edmonds is one of the new faces around campus; this is her first year teaching at Marquette, and she teaches English Composition 111/112 and AP English Language and Composition. Her teaching philosophy is “Every student deserves to feel respected. Once common respect is established, I challenge and share my passion and knowledge of reading and writing to help achieve success.”
Edmonds decided to become a teacher because of her passion for learning and connecting students to language.
“Communication is Key in our world today, and each student deserves to be able to express themselves," Edmonds said. "I also enjoy the creativity and humor students bring to the classroom and...the search for books and articles that will inspire individual students.”
Why did she decide to teach English?
“I love words! Words can transport you to different places and positively impact our world. Words are a gift to those who know how to use them properly,” Edmonds said.
Her favorite book is We the Living by Ayn Rand because “Ayn’s ability to speak through the eyes of a creatively talented woman-living in a dysfunctional Russian setting is truly genius.”
Outside of school, Edmonds volunteers at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana and teaches a small class for struggling readers during the summer. She also helped out at MQT’s Kairos spiritual retreat.
Student Spotlight
Lauren McConnell has her head in the game. She is a softball player at Marquette and plays pitcher and 1st baseman. McConnell finds herself enjoying softball due to her natural talent for it and the stress relief it provides to her.
“Softball has been something that comes easy to me, so I can really have fun, especially in high school because my parents coach and sister plays with me on the team," McConnell said. "I also enjoy the excitement, life lessons, and stress relief it gives me as soon as I touch a softball.”
McConnell is also involved in National Honor Society, Prom Committee, and is a member of the IHSAA conference meetings. Recently she set up the Breast Cancer Awareness Day for the softball team. She also helped organize an Easter egg hunt for children near Marquette and volunteers at St. Anthony’s Franciscan Hospital.
As a senior at Marquette, McConnell said, “The best part of being a senior is the excitement about going to college, and finally being able to say ‘I did it’; also building the great friendships over the last four years.”
Her college plans include attending Purdue University Fort Wayne and playing softball while majoring in Biology. Her favorite part about Marquette “is the family-like atmosphere with not only the teachers but students too and the great traveling opportunities they give us.”
What’s coming up
The month of May is what most seniors at Marquette have been looking forward to. It’s their last month of high school filled with many fun activities like Honors Day on May 25. On Honors Day, the whole school comes to the auditorium to hear of all the senior’s accomplishments and future plans.
Tommy Gotsch, a senior, said, “I am looking forward to Honors Day because you get to hear all of the accomplishments of your classmates and finally see how much everyone’s hard work in the last four years has paid off.”
Another senior activity is Marian Tea and Father Marquette lunch on May 29. The seniors have lunch with one of their family members.
Destiny Miller said, “I look forward to the Marian Tea the most this year. My mother will be attending it with me, and she has been the most supportive person on my journey so far. It will be bittersweet to be able to spend one of my last days as a high school student with her by my side.”
The Baccalaureate Mass is on May 30 and graduation May 31.
Keegan Long said, “The senior activity I’m looking forward to is graduation! I have loved the past four years of my life, but I am so ready to be able to have it all validated… The day I am able to grab my diploma and shake (principal) Mr. White’s hand will be one of the happiest moments of my life thus far.”
Leslie Reyes sums up her high school experience at Marquette saying, “My favorite part of MQT has got to be the close relationships I formed not only within my class, but with students from any grade level. These friendships mean so much to me, and I will forever be grateful to Marquette for having created so many different opportunities to meet these people who I hold so dear to my heart.”