What’s Happened? Sadies/Food drive
Last weekend, the student council at MCHS hosted the annual Sadies Hawkins Dance. Traditionally speaking, Sadies means that the girls ask their dates to the dance rather than the social norm of vice versa. This tradition at MCHS always provides creative proposals and a fun night for all.
Another perk to the dance is the canned food drive. Students are given a five-dollar discount at the door if they bring a canned food with them. It is an easy way for students to get involved in giving back to the community by providing food for whoever is in need, especially as the Holidays are approaching.
On Saturday, the cafeteria was transformed into a dance floor. Many students had their respective dates and others came with groups of friends. Either way, it seemed like everyone was having fun.
One of the highlights of the night was when the DJ, on request, played a recent song that students had learned in their Spanish classes. The dance floor was filled with students doing the salsa, which showed yet another example of how students are affected by great teachers at MCHS.
The dance lasted from 8-11 P.M., and most students stayed until the very last minute. Student council never seems to disappoint when it comes to Sadies Hawkins.
The next dance that MCHS has to look forward to is the Winter Ball hosted by the Student Publications. This year it will be held at the Uptown Center on Saturday, February 10, from 7 to 11.
What’s Coming Up?
MCHS celebrates the fantastic seasons that its athletics have been having and look forward to what the winter sports will bring.
The year kicked off with Cross Country sending senior Loukas Karallas to compete at state. The entire girls’ golf team for the first time ever made it to Regionals and competed exceptionally well. Both soccer teams had successful seasons as well. The boys’ team beat their rivals of LaPorte and Marquette, and the girls worked hard to rebuild their team.
Volleyball started their season undefeated and won more than 10 games before breaking the win streak. They also won sectionals and competed extremely well in regionals. Losing by only one match to Crown Point.
Football had the best season ever in MCHS history. They won sectionals by beating their long-time rivals of LaPorte, and went on to win Regionals against Concord. The football team then went on to compete against Kokomo Friday night. They played hard but came up short in the fourth quarter by a loss of 21-14.
MCHS has a lot to be proud of when it comes to sports this year. Hard-working student athletes are creating a winning environment at MCHS by being dedicated in the classroom and then listening to their coaches on their respective fields and competing at the highest level possible.
Hopefully the winter sports can harness the momentum of the fall sports and bring more wins to MCHS. Things look promising as girls’ basketball has started their season 3-1. Boys’ basketball, wrestling, and girls’ and boys’ swimming are all getting under way and MCHS cannot wait to see what is in store.
Student Spotlight Daijon Reddix
Daijon Reddix, a sophomore at MCHS, works hard in the classroom, on the basketball court, and in the community to build successful connections and be a role model for others.
As he prepares for the upcoming boys’ basketball season he says, “Honestly, basketball is not all about winning, there is much more to it than that. The bonds that are built with my teammates and the fans in the community are priceless.” Reddix is currently maintaining a 3.2 GPA amongst a busy extracurricular activity schedule.
“Basketball is easily my favorite activity. After all, I have been playing since the fourth grade,” Reddix said. “Not only is it fun but it allows me to help others find the game as well through MCBL (Michigan City Basketball League). Being an athlete keeps me focused on my future, out of trouble, and provides life knowledge that I would not have without it.”
MCHS has provided the means for Reddix to stay on a successful track and gives him people to look up to.
He said, “My favorite part about MCHS is all the support they provide whether it is cheering on the sports team or making sure we are ‘college and career’ ready in the classroom.”
Reddix knows he wants to attend college, hopefully at the University of Kentucky, to major in a math or science field while participating in basketball at the collegiate level.
For now, Reddix is focusing on finishing this semester strong while playing basketball and being yet another great student at MCHS.
Teacher Spotlight
Benjamin Volheim, department chair of Social Studies and teacher at MCHS, has high expectations for his students and even higher hopes for the Social Studies department.
Volheim graduated from Elkhart Memorial High School and went on to attend Indiana University Bloomington to major in Secondary Education with a Social Studies endorsement in the fields of Historical Perspectives, Geography, Political Science, and Economics with some Religious Studies as well.
Volheim decided to become a teacher during his first year of college. He said, “I knew I could never hold a traditional office job and I chose between entrepreneurship or education. Education had the all important factors of summers off, better hours, and not having to take a Math or Foreign Language class at IU. Additionally, I love the social studies, every part of the field fascinates, but it wasn’t until my first day of student teaching when I realized I loved the profession and knew it was what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.”
While teaching several AP classes at MCHS, Volheim is striving to ensure that the test scores at the end of the year showcase the ability of the students that he teaches.
He said, “My goal this year is to beat the national average and ultimately I would like to have the highest AP passage rate in the state. As department chair of Social Studies I want MCHS to be known for AP Social Studies. We have currently increased the total number of AP classes and now, as a department, we are working on increasing these test scores.”
Volheim works hard to challenge his students and even says his main goal is “pushing students to their next level and preparing them for college or a career they choose after high school so that they are informed and rational citizens. Just because a class is difficult doesn’t mean it can’t be fun and rewarding.”
MCHS looks forward to the successes of the Social Studies Department.