What’s happened:
New Prairie High School's (NPHS) Marching Cougars have been making this year great. It has marched in the halls, performed during halftime, played in the stands during the game, and made it all the way to semi-state.
The Marching Cougars have only made it to semi-state once before this. They started practicing during the summer and spent hours upon hours rehearsing.
The bus rides to the competitions can get chaotic, but after spending so much time together, it is like a family.
The students involved say music is in their everyday lives and watching music while it’s performed at its best. To them, band is a family and an art.
“I just like performing music for people. It’s especially cool for marching bands because it’s more of a show and not just a concert,” said Junior Spencer Phillips.
With its competition season over, marching band season is over, but basketball games will start soon with bands in tow. Jazz band, indoor percussion, and concert band are back. School spirit wouldn't be the same without the band. Backup band will begin in January. It will be preparing to perform for Innovation and Sing Sensation’s competitions, which are NPHS’s show choirs.
NPHS is grateful all these talented students take time out of their day to perform and spread school spirit.
What’s happening:
NPHS Football team is on its way to semi-state. As the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) tournament continues, New Prairie continues to push its way to the top.
After winning regionals with a score of 28-21, NPHS has only lost three games its whole season. NPHS is supporting its football team by having a fan bus that takes the fans to and from games.
Both the players and coaches work hard to achieve all their accomplishments. There have been some bad games, but the Cougars grew from it and will keep working towards their goals.
The Cougars will be going up against Northridge on Friday, November 19.
Teacher spotlight:
Kortney Brennan (KB) is New Prairie High School’s English, speech, and theater teacher. She has been teaching for over 21 years.
She started her teaching career at Michigan City Area Schools, where she worked for 14 years. She came to NPHS at the start of the 2013 school year.
“My favorite part about teaching is the relationships I build with my students,” Brennan said.
When she was little, she always had an admiration for her teachers. She wanted to be an actress, but when she went to college, she studied education as her fallback since she didn’t have to have a degree to be an actress.
“After graduation, I found a teaching job right away and realized I loved it," Brennan said. "I didn't even try to pursue acting. Instead, I worked to create opportunities for students to foster their own love of theater.”
Brennan cares about her students and wants them to be successful in life. She doesn’t want them to stress about school and extracurricular activities and wants them to take care of themselves.
“Don’t stress out too much or over-commit to too many activities," Brennan said. "Enjoy your time in high school because before you know it, it will be over. Be young and have fun while you can."
Student spotlight:
Maddie Humes is a freshman at NPHS. She contributes a lot to the performing arts. She is a part of marching band, theater, and Sing Sensation.
She started off her year with the marching band season, which she loved. She is in concert band, pep band, and jazz band.
“I’ve always enjoyed learning about music," she said.
Making it into Sing Sensation is a big achievement in choir, especially as a freshman. Sing Sensation is the advanced women's choir at NPHS, which practices music and dances for concerts and soon for competitions. Humes enjoys singing and dancing with her friends.
“I love singing in general and when show choir started, it really made me love dancing as well,” Humes said.
Humes talent shines, especially so on stage. This year's musical was "SpongeBob the Musical," and Humes got the lead role.
She was super excited and couldn’t wait to perform. Sadly, the musical was canceled for the well-being of the actors and the director.
Humes said one of her favorite parts of theater is when she’s on stage and all eyes are on her, as she is acting out her scene.
She is involved in many performing arts and still juggles school and her personal life. With her talent and sweet personality, it is easy to see many opportunities lie ahead.