What's recently happened?
Upon returning to school on April 10 from a relaxing and much-needed break, the Michigan City High School (MCHS) students got straight back to work.
Spring sports are truly in motion now, as Girls Tennis has been off to a great start in its season. Track and field have also had a solid season thus far, and a high bar has been set for the future of this season.
The new addition of Boys Volleyball has gone strong. Seeing as it’s a brand new sport that’s been introduced to MCHS, some of the kinks are still being worked out. Despite this, there is utter confidence in the building and strengthening of the team.
After Spring Break, being a part of the Michigan City Yearbook staff can get pretty hectic with waiting for events to happen to fill up the pages as well as finalizing and editing the rest of the book.
One of the most exciting parts of the book can be the Senior Superlatives included. The votes are in and the winners have been announced for each superlative. Some of the best questions are included, ranging from Best Smile to Most Likely to be on a Reality TV Show.
What's coming up?
Most recognition for sports and other activities happens in the fall and winter, but this year, the Student Council has planned a spirit week along with a pep rally in the spring. Starting on April 24 and ending on April 28, the school spirit will skyrocket at MCHS. Many new, fun, and wacky spirit days have been introduced for this week. This includes a Celebrity Look-Alike day as well as Anything but a Backpack day.
“The final project is happening soon, and I'm proud to say we will be holding our first ever Spring Spirit Week with a pep assembly. I am happy that our student council will be able to pull this off and be able to recognize groups that participate in spring activities,” said Candy Feare, the Student Council sponsor.
The theater department will be putting on the production “You Can’t Take It With You” from April 28-30. After the previous success in “The Addams Family Musical,” much can be expected from this upcoming production.
Also new to MCHS, the seniors have coordinated a fun game to play during their senior year, senior assassin. Despite how alarming it may appear, it is completely harmless. Teams of three will get their targets and make it their goal to shoot the targets with water whilst trying to get it on camera and stay dry themselves.
Prom is around the corner; on May 12, the MCHS students will gather at the Blue Chip Casino for an extravagant night of fun. It’s called “The Grand Affair” and is inspired by a 1920s masquerade theme.
Staff spotlight:
School is all about learning, but it can't all be about books and math problems. Candy Feare, a physical education and health teacher at MCHS knows exactly how to create the perfect fun and productive atmosphere.
Feare has been teaching in the Michigan City Area Schools system (MCAS) for 21 years. This includes Coolspring Elementary School, Lake Hills Elementary School, Pine Elementary School, and MCHS. Aside from her positions as a teacher, she has coached softball, volleyball, basketball, and track.
Normalcy doesn’t truly happen at MCHS; everything is always changing, keeping students on their toes and excitement all around.
“I think the best way to explain what I do on a normal day is just being an advocate for anyone who needs me to. I take pride in being able to not only teach but help students with lifelong lessons as well as being an ear for my colleagues. I just try to make an impact on someone every day. That has become my norm. I want to help students learn the material and apply it to their own lives. There are so many life lessons that can be applied to what you learn in the classroom. I try to listen to my colleagues, offer advice, and find ways to problem solve on a daily basis,” said Feare.
This past year, Feare stepped up when the Michigan City Student Council needed a class sponsor, where she filled this role and did so much more for it. Feare and the students in the Student Council work hard throughout the year to coordinate events and to keep school interesting.
Starting at the very beginning of the year, the Student Council coordinated all the Homecoming festivities. This included spirit week, pep rallies, as well as coordinating the Homecoming parade and the Homecoming Queen crowning. Aside from Homecoming, Feare made sure that spirit weeks and pep rallies would continue throughout the year, with the most recent one coming up on April 28.
Feare also made sure to establish a student body government within the Student Council this year.
“There is a screening process, a voting process, and an opportunity for students to be a part of something bigger than themselves. I would say it is very successful to hold elections and continue to build a student government,” said Feare.
Aside from being a sponsor for Student Council, Feare is also a class sponsor for the Class of 2023. Now that her class is seniors, a lot of the ideas and planning come from them, but Feare and Teacher Kristen “Krissy” Freitag ensure that whatever they wish can come true to their best abilities.
With Feare’s hands-on approach, her position in Student Council, and as a class sponsor, her school spirit is the most visible around the school. She does attempt to outdo her spirit week outfits and overall uplifting presence each year.
“I don’t know how it started, but it was probably seven or eight years ago that I just thought to myself, ‘I need to dress up and be crazy!’ I think it sends a couple of messages to the students. One: teachers are human also, and most of us want to have fun too. Two: it is 100% okay to be different,” said Feare.
In all of Feare’s years of teaching, she has learned the importance of not stressing over the little things. Life is too short to get mad over the things that you can not control.
“I have also learned that change is imminent. Students change, teachers change, administrators change, and how you respond to those changes will help you set a positive outlook on the next change that will happen. Control and worry about the things you can control,” said Feare.
Feare’s presence around the school is less a normalcy than it is a blessing. Often seen as a close friend to teachers and staff and a comforting soul for students in need, MCHS simply would not be the same without her.
Student spotlight:
The school year has nearly come to an end, which means a lot. With graduation coming up for this year's seniors, the juniors can look forward to their senior year. Emily Buskirk, a junior at MCHS, has long awaited reaching her senior year, and the time has finally come.
“Honestly, being a part of MCHS was the best decision I've made. I’ve met all these amazing people, joined clubs, learned from the teachers, and joined the cheerleading team,” said Buskirk.
In the following school year, Buskirk will have the amazing opportunity to be cheer captain. This is a widely coveted role to step into, but she has all the experience to be able to fill it.
Buskirk has been doing cheerleading long before she’d ever been on the high school team. She started cheerleading around the third grade on a Pop Warner Cheer & Dance team and has been hooked ever since. With her Pop Warner team, she earned the chance to compete on ESPN three times. Now having cheered for nine years, to stop would be insanity and like taking a piece of herself away.
“Cheer has always played a big role in my life. I've made many friends and learned from every one of them,” said Buskirk.
Outside of Buskirk's passion for cheerleading, she is currently enrolled in the AK Smith Career Center Nursing Program. She was extremely motivated by her mother to do something within the health field. The program is very interesting and rigorous.
“The program is amazing. It helps me learn the basics of anatomy and medical terminology. Typically we take notes and test, but we also do labs such as dissecting animal organs and other labs relating to the chapter we are in,” said Buskirk.
This school year has been a complete and wonderful mixture of excitement and stress. That is what makes finally nearing your senior year so rewarding.
“I am excited to finally be a senior this year because I get to experience all the fun that comes along with that, such as going out with my friends and just having as much fun as I can before I go to college,” said Buskirk.