What’s Happened:
New Prairie High School’s (NPHS) girls' basketball season is halfway over and off to a great start. The junior varsity (JV) team has won seven games and has only lost three. Varsity has won four games and has lost seven.
JV captain Maci Ernsperger is leading her team to the best season the team has seen in a very long time, and varsity captain Maddie McSurley is leading her team through some very close games.
Coaches Erica White, Aimee Litka, Clem Litka, and Kyleigh Kubic like seeing the girls play on the court along with all of the fans.
The next game is Thursday, December 16 at home against Jimtown. Tip-off for JV is at 5 p.m. and tip-off for varsity is at 6:30 p.m.
Also, Santa Claus recently came to town! With only a week left to prepare for Christmas, NPHS National Honor Society (NHS) has put on Santa's workshop as a community outreach event.
NHS officers began meeting together and brainstorming ideas in October. Members of NHS signed up for various opportunities to help out, including letters to Santa, crafts, games, and cookies with Santa. 120 members of the NHS signed up to volunteer.
They created fliers that were shared with the elementary schools and on Facebook, along with an online sign-up. All last week, students and staff worked to prepare the workshop and stayed after school to decorate the space.
Admission was $5 per child or a food pantry donation. At the end of the event, NHS collected $490 in donations and almost 100 items for donation to the Rolling Prairie United Methodist Food Pantry.
The leftover cookies and decorating supplies were donated to a local nursing home, and there was a stack of colored pictures donated as well.
“We plan to hold this event on the first Saturday in December for years to come,” career and technical education teacher Robyn Kubsch said.
What’s Coming Up:
Finals are a stressful time for all students, but luckily NPHS teachers have put some students at ease with study guides so students can review and be prepared for their exams. There are some fun things going on throughout the school, too.
On Thursday, December 16, NPHS will be having an ugly sweater contest. Winners will be announced Friday morning on the announcements.
Hot cocoa sales, put on by the student senate, are coming to an end. Hot cocoa is $2 a cup, and you have the choice of marshmallows, whipped cream, a candy cane, or all of the above.
Candy cane sales, put on by the student senate, are also coming to an end. $2 per candy cane or $6 for 10. For every candy cane purchased, you can enter your name to win a holiday basket. The winner will also be announced during the morning announcements on Friday.
Even though final exam week is stressful, NPHS always tries to make things easier and create fun for all.
Teacher spotlight:
Ryan Jones is one of the art teachers at NPHS. He always enjoyed art growing up, participated in fine arts in 4-H, and doodled constantly as a kid. His interest and skill level didn’t really take off until college.
Jones started out in visual communications at Purdue University. After he became section leader in the Purdue drumline, Jones realized he loved showing others how to do something he loves to do.
He loves giving his students more artistic choice and freedom. He also likes seeing them successfully use what he has taught them.
“It’s like training someone to ride a bike. You hold them up and at the end, you let go, watching them ride off happy and fulfilled," Jones said.
To many, Jones is a very helpful teacher and has made great connections with his students. He enjoys advising young artists and doesn’t like to give up on a student when they are struggling.
“Learn traditional basics and study art of the past because they will help you hone your skills and discover your own personal style," Jones said.
Sadly, this is the last Semester Jones will be at NPHS. He will be teaching graphic design and photography at Center Grove High School, south of Indianapolis.
“I have loved being a part of NPHS for the past 8.5 years. It’s an amazing community, and I have grown so much here," he said.
Jones will be missed by many, and NPHS will forever remember the impact he’s made through the art department.
Student spotlight:
Sophomore Olivia Ruiz is a bright and talented student at NPHS. Her favorite part about school, right now, is art class. She likes the freedom in expression she gets while creating her pieces and also enjoys the calming process as well.
Ruiz is currently the vice president of the sophomore class in the student senate. where they do a lot of planning and fundraising for dances and other school activities.
“Something I have already achieved this year would be that I have been way more interactive with others and I’ve grown more as a person by understanding how to bounce back from mistakes and ignore negativity," Ruiz said.
This year, Ruiz is hoping to academically achieve good grades and practice better study habits. She also wants to get to a place where she can work on herself and figure out a strong future path.