What’s recently happened?
Four Michigan City High School (MCHS) students received the prestigious Indiana Rising Stars award on March 8. This award is given to students by the Indiana Association of School Principals and is based on academic achievement. The recipients – Bailey Chavis, Nathan Groszek, Nolan Painter, and Madelyn Shinn – all had grade point averages between 4.47 and 4.54.
MCHS hosted six students from Japan this March. MCHS Students Alexis Gresham, Lorenzo Panozzo, Alejandro Aguirre, Makalya Sardon, Aaverie Wingard, and Thomas Chatfield played the part of hosts as students from Zama Sogo High School in Japan stayed with them over the period of about a week and a half. During the time period, the exchange students attended MCHS classes and explored the area as host families attempted to cram in as many opportunities as possible.
A team composed of Chavis and other MCHS Students Brooke Lakin, Tatiana Miller, Ashley Sparks, and Julia Zerbes competed in a regional Envirothon competition where they successfully placed to advance to the state competition in April. Envirothon, which focuses on environmental challenges in a variety of arenas, offers an opportunity for students to engage with ecological concerns. MCHS can not wait to cheer the team on in their upcoming challenge.
What's coming up?
On Sunday, April 14, MCHS's Drama Club will be holding a "Dollars for Dogs” event to help raise money for the program and its upcoming show. From 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., members of the club will be selling hot dogs, drinks, and several snacks outside of Kabelin Ace Hardware in Michigan City for a dollar a piece. Money will go towards funding future productions.
MCHS's Rho Kappa is holding a donation drive currently that will run until April 19. Students are collecting supplies for pets such as unopened food or treats, animal toys, sheets, blankets, towels, cleaning supplies, and much more. If you want to donate, items can be dropped off at MCHS.
MCHS's spring Drama Club production of “Clue” will take place on April 26, 27, and 28 in the MCHS auditorium. Performances will be at 7 p.m. on Friday, 2 and 7 p.m. on Saturday, and 2 p.m. on Sunday. The 2 p.m. Saturday show will be performed with the understudy cast. “Clue” is a hilarious, high-stakes murder mystery based on the classic movie of the same name, so make sure to catch the production during its limited run.
Staff spotlight:
Mandy Chastain has been a teacher at MCHS since 2004. She was an MCHS graduate in the class of 1998, and she teaches several classes in the English department.
"I really enjoy all of my classes. Each one is unique. I love the literature in English 12,” Chastain said. “I have always been passionate about literature, and I really love when my students make connections with the stories and characters we meet over the year.”
She also teaches several speech classes.
"Speech was my least favorite class in high school, so I'm enjoying teaching it in a way that I think I would have enjoyed more when I was a student. My speech-teaching partner and I really believe that communication skills are the foundation to success. We focus on making the curriculum relevant," Chastain said.
Chastain also holds another highly significant role at the high school: president of the Michigan City Education Association (MCEA), also known as the teachers' union.
"In this role, I've learned so much about teachers, public education, and the challenges educators face in Indiana and throughout the country,” Chastain said.
The combination of these jobs has taught her several things.
"As a classroom teacher, your focus is on the students in front of you, as it should be. As a union leader, your focus is on the rights of the individual, the needs of the corporation, the legislation in the works downstate, the goals for the future, and how all of this is going to impact student learning. I wear two hats all the time. It requires patience, which I can struggle with, and a great team to work with," Chastain said.
Chastain emphasizes the multitasking required to make this all possible as well.
"It also takes a great deal of understanding and support from my own family. My husband is my biggest supporter. My children are so patient and understanding. They know they are my number one, but they also understand the different roles I'm in. I have to divide my time a lot, as all educators do, but they get it and don't make me feel bad about it,” Chastain said.
On top of these positions, Chastain is helping to sponsor this year's graduating class.
“We have so much going on. This is a super busy time. We are currently putting plans together to go to Six Flags in May. We are also coordinating our senior picnic and getting ready for graduation,” Chastain said.
When she can find free time amongst all of these responsibilities, Chastain has a plethora of hobbies.
“I absolutely love to read. There is never a time when I don't have a book on my Kindle with me. My niece also turned me on to audiobooks. Game changer! I love working in the yard and gardening. I'm also working on passing this passion on to my kids. They each have plans for ‘projects’ of their own for this summer, and I'm looking forward to helping them with those,” Chastain said.
Chastain is a hard working, caring member of the MCHS community.
Student spotlight:
Ash Batchelor is a freshman at MCHS. They are a part of several extracurricular organizations, including American Sign Language Club, Helping Hands, Student Council, Marching Band, Chorus, Pep Band, Steering Committee, and Drama Club. Currently, they are preparing for the upcoming performances of "Clue" with the school's Drama Club. This in particular has been a highlight experience for them.
"My experiences with ‘Clue’ have been nothing but good. Everyone is very supportive of each other, and the show is coming along great. I wouldn’t trade the cast we have for anyone else in the world," Batchelor said.
Batchelor hasn't been participating in theatre for more than a few years, but it has become very important to them.
"The summer program, Centerstage Youth Theater, introduced me to theatre. The people there inspired me to keep going with it, and I’m glad they did. Being a part of this show is such an amazing experience," Batchelor said.
These experiences have taught Batchelor many things.
"I have learned in theatre to not be easily discouraged. Performing has helped me learn that it’s okay to make mistakes, which is a hard lesson to learn," Batchelor said.
Batchelor can also be seen performing with the Marching Band each fall as a member of the Color Guard.
"We spent long hours every week perfecting our routine, but in the end, the performance made up for it. Being at a competition or a football game or being under the lights on a field performing will always be the best part of the entirety of marching band," Batchelor said.
Batchelor offers a special perspective on MCHS, this only being their first year.
"Being a freshman is weird. Even now, almost at the end of the school year, I still feel like I’m learning more about my school and the opportunities around me. The year feels like it’s gone by so fast, and being a senior feels so far away, but it’s really only three more years," Batchelor said.
Their experiences thus far have been positive. They have been getting very involved with extracurriculars and enjoying their classes.
"Geography is my favorite. It gives you a better understanding of different cultures, which has opened my eyes to different perspectives," Batchelor said.
Make sure to keep watching, because these three upcoming years are bound to have plenty more coming for Batchelor.
