What’s recently happened?
On August 25, Marquette Catholic High School seniors decided to jump into their last year of high school at the beach. On the first Friday of the school year, students woke up at 5 a.m. and made their way down to Washington Park Beach to watch the sunrise on the new year.
Several students laid out blankets on the beach, and others watched the sunrise from the water. One student even brought donuts. After the sun rose, the class walked down the pier and took pictures by the lighthouse.
After the sun rose over the beach, the seniors packed up their blankets and met for breakfast at Sophia’s House of Pancakes.
What’s coming up?
On September 15, the Marquette chapter of the National Honor Society is hosting its annual blood drive. This blood drive is held in the business lab at Marquette High School. The NHS has organized this event for the Red Cross organization. Many Honor Society students volunteer to help work at this blood drive.
Most of these volunteers also choose to donate blood, along with a large portion of Marquette’s student population. It is one of Marquette’s biggest service events of the school year.
Staff spotlight:
Katie Collignon is the interim principal at Marquette.
Collignon has been a part of the Marquette staff for over seven years. During her time at Marquette, she held many different positions. She has led the Marquette Lady Blazers to back-to-back state championships as the girls’ basketball head coach. Collignon also trained star runners as the Varsity Cross Country Coach, stepped out of her comfort zone to coach the varsity Girls’ Softball coach, and oversaw all of the sports that she’s coached as the Marquette Athletic Director.
Most recently, Collignon has been understudying the previous principal, Casey Martin, current vice principal at New Prairie High School, as Marquette’s vice principal.
With the 2023-2024 school year beginning to kick into full swing, Collignon has been hard at work learning the ropes of her new position.
“My first few weeks have been a whirlwind. The start of school is always a mix of emotions, ranging from excitement, uncertainty, and promise. Working alongside our amazing staff for a few days before orientation translated into my utmost confidence for the new school year. There have been some learning curves for sure, but I have found joy in almost every moment of being the new principal,” said Collignon.
The road to principal was not a straight shot for Collignon. Collignon’s first job out of college was in an accounting department at a fuel distribution, followed by a job as the fitness director of a large health and wellness company, and she eventually became an assistant women’s basketball coach at Valparaiso University. After concluding her time at Valparaiso, she finally began her career at Marquette.
“My favorite part of Marquette is the people! I truly look forward to coming to work every day and being surrounded by such a wonderful community. From our teachers to our staff to our students, everyone is so unique, but connected by the shared vision of making Marquette a wonderful environment to come to every day. The energy of the students motivates me to be a better leader and every single day is different,” Collignon said.
Student spotlight:
Alyse Thomas is Marquette’s National Honor Society Treasurer.
Thomas’s main role in NHS is to work with the other officers to create new ideas to make Marquette a better place, as well as to make an impact on the community.
“NHS is an organization about working together to help our community, both inside the school and out. NHS is built up by the most well-rounded Marquette students who are seeking a team where they can share their ideas for our community,” said Thomas.
As treasurer of the NHS, Thomas is closely involved in the Red Cross blood drive. Even before becoming a part of NHS, however, Thomas was involved in the Marquette Red Cross blood drive. In previous years, she donated blood.
“By participating in the blood drive, either by giving blood or just helping to organize, you are saving a life somewhere else in the world.”
Thomas is also involved in planning other service events for the NHS, such as the Marquette Annual Cocoa and Canvas.
NHS is not the only event that Thomas participates in, however. She is also involved in Student Government and the performing arts department, but she is most proud of her position in the NHS.
“I think that my position in the NHS stands out among the rest because I can see and be a part of the impact the NHS is making on our community,” Thomas said.