What’s recently happened?
Michigan City High School’s (MCHS) Student Council has been busy at work over the course of the past three months. Its biggest project of the year, the Canned Food Drive, took place in December, and its success was remarkable. Over the course of the event, Michigan City Area Schools collected 2.9 tons of food and $861 in donations. This event has made a massive difference in the community, and for this reason, this is likely where you have heard of MCHS’s Student Council. However, the group does much, much more.
When Spanish Teacher Ashley Koza unexpectedly stumbled into the position at the beginning of the year, she decided that the student council should focus on keeping morale high across the school, and should work hard to achieve that goal.
“I think there’s something so valuable in working so closely with students and giving them a voice and empowering them to take some control over their own school,” Koza said.
Most recently, the Student Council planned and executed a winter Spirit Week that celebrated the winter sports and events at MCHS. After preparing the much more complex Homecoming Spirit Week earlier this year, the group was able to take what it learned to prepare this one.
The spirit week consisted of five themed days, which included Throwback Monday, Greek Life Tuesday, Dress Like Your Type Wednesday, Dress to Impress Thursday, and Class Pride Friday. It all concluded with the culmination of every Spirit Week, the awarding of the Spirit Stick, which went to the senior class. This was the first time the senior class won the Spirit Stick this year, so it expressed clear excitement at the victory.
“The energy at the pep rally was electric; it’s amazing to see everyone’s class spirit,” Senior Sophia Barczak said.
What’s coming up?
Student Council’s biggest event remaining this year is the spring Spirit Week. It has been true in previous years that there were only two Spirit Weeks, but MCHS has decided to expand this year, thanks to the Student Council.
This new Spirit Week has everything to do with keeping the student body engaged and excited right up until the end of the year.
“We’re just trying to bring more school spirit and kind of keep everybody’s morale strong to finish up the school year on a positive note,” Koza said.
For this reason, the Student Council is looking forward to more opportunities to continue this trend. It considered bringing back events such as the Class Olympics, and of course, working hard to keep up the engagement with Spirit Weeks.
“I think, so far, Spirit Week days have ended up being a big hit. We had a lot of participation,” Koza said.
The key goal, then, for members and sponsors, is to keep the momentum going and finish out the year strong. The Student Council hopes to see more passionate members in the next school year who will care just as deeply about keeping the school spirit alive.
Staff spotlight:
The name “Ms. Koza” is not a familiar one in the MCHS hallways. You’re much more likely to hear “Señorita Koza” when passing the foreign language section of MCHS. For this reason, Spanish III and IV Teacher Ashley Koza is best known at MCHS for her work in the Spanish classes. However, it should be noted that she is involved in so much more.
“I stumbled into taking over student council this year. It has been the best challenge. I have adored every moment of it,” Koza said.
A lot of Koza’s uniquely powerful school spirit comes from the fact that she was once an MCHS student herself.
“I went here and I took Spanish here. I wasn’t super into it – I was actually going to switch to French. My counselor at the time told me there was going to be a new teacher and to give it a chance. Turns out, she was amazing; she still is amazing, and I talk to her regularly. She helped me to find a love for Spanish, the language, the culture, and the connections that you can make. This whole world opened up that I had no idea existed. One day I went home, and I remember I told my mom, ‘I want to be a Spanish teacher,’” Koza said.
Her love for her school and what it meant to her helped her to start building up spirit amongst the student body with the Student Council this year.
“I would say our biggest thing that we’ve done is our canned food drive. I think it was more than I thought it would be, but it was tremendously successful. The ability to give back to this community, to get to help so many of our own families and see the direct impact – that was probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever been a part of,” Koza said.
Koza also serves as the school’s gymnastics coach, which she has done since her very first year of teaching.
“It has been such an eye-opening and rewarding experience to be able to work with such young minds. When it comes to the kids who have never done gymnastics before, I try to not only get them to enjoy the sport and understand the idea of high school athletics, but also to build up the courage to go out in front of people and do something that they have never done as well. That part of it I would say is probably my favorite,” Koza said.
Koza loves her work and her job, but she admits that returning to her own school after college was a bit of a strange experience.
“It was like, I’ve been in this school as a student, and everybody still kind of views me that way – as the really young student athlete. When I came back, it was really weird to see things through a staff member lens. Teachers and staff members who I would have seen frequently were now coworkers, and that was a bit of an adjustment,” Koza said.
All the same, Koza has found a love for her work at MCHS.
“I love my job. It is the most fulfilling thing that I have done in my adult life, so much so that I drive here from Chicago everyday just because I think that this school and these students are worth it,” Koza said.
Student spotlight:
Madelyn Shinn is a junior at MCHS. She’s not only secretary of Student Council, but also a member of National Honor Society, Rho Kappa, the class of 2025’s steering committee, Spanish club, Mural club, and Helping Hands, all on top of volunteering at the hospital. She is a hardworking member of the community, and her work with these organizations proves it.
“I became a member of the Student Council my freshmen year, which is really when I became involved in all of my clubs. I thought it would be a good idea for junior and senior year and applications, on top of making a difference in the community and being a voice for our school,” Shinn said.
Shinn is particularly proud of the work the Student Council did at the canned food drive.
“I think it's such an important event for the community, and the Student Council really goes all out. The collection of food, in turn, reciprocates our hard work,” Shinn said.
She holds great pride in the work the organization has done.
“Student Council is so important in making decisions for the whole school among a set of good kids who want to make a difference,” Shinn said.
Shinn emphasizes the impact that student council has had on her life on top of others.
“Student Council has influenced me to have a bigger voice with class, school, and community decisions. Taking on a bigger part in this body is a crucial part for me to stay up to date with any reform that the students may need. Hopefully I can remedy that,” Shinn said.
Shinn is a brilliant mind and a compassionate individual who represents MCHS well with her hard work and service.