Springtime is just around the corner, and everyone is anticipating sunnier days, warm weather, and Spring Break. For Westville Schools, the month of March is filled with an abundant amount of thrilling activities and entertainment.
What’s Coming Up?
Mark your calendars because the Westville Theater department will present Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” later this month. Each year, the theater club welcomes everyone to come out and see their performance. The musical will take place on March 27 and 28 at Westville High School. “Be Our Guest!” and get your tickets online now, as you do not want to miss out on this enchanting tale.
What's Happened?
What better way to celebrate animals than with a petting zoo? The Agriculture students, with the help of teacher Bill Smith, hosted a petting zoo in the Agriculture classroom. The class welcomed 105 elementary students and their teachers to the SAEP Animal Exhibition. Students and staff members got the chance to interact with playful bunnies, ducks, goats, ferrets, and even dogs. It was a perfect end to national FFA week.
With graduation coming up in only a few short months, it is a bittersweet moment for the Westville community. This year’s 2020 graduation will be held on June 6. The senior class is looking forward to their bright futures ahead and are finishing up the school year strong. Congratulations to the very studious senior class valedictorian Jaron Hannon, and salutatorians Sydney Patla and Mckenna O’Hara.
Student Spotlight
Olivia Fields is a senior at Westville High School and enjoys her time here, as she is an active participant in many clubs and organizations. Fields spends her free time engaging in the Westville Leos Club, College Club, POWW, and her all time favorite, cheer. Fields has successfully participated in competitive cheer for 13 years and was in Michigan City Pop Warner. She performed in the Christmas parade at Disney World this past winter for the UCA All American. Fields loves volunteering, dancing and cheering, shopping, listening to music and taking care of animals. She loves spending time with her beloved dog, Luka.
No matter the situation, Fields likes to keep a positive outlook on things. She can always be found lending a helping hand, spreading kindness, and having a good time with the people around her. Students and teachers at Westville say that Fields never fails to make them laugh and she makes the best out of every situation.
After high school, Fields is pursuing a career as a Surgical Technician. Her biggest inspiration and support system comes from her loving family.
“My mother motivates me to be a better person,” Fields said.
Whether cheering at basketball games or spending time with her family and friends, Fields has made an everlasting and great impact on people. The Westville community will gladly continue to cheer her on in the near future.
Teacher Spotlight
Teachers always want the best for their students. One teacher who always encourages their students to learn and grow is Ms. Rempala. Rempala inspires the students around her to work hard and dream big.
Rempala has taught at Westville schools for 14 years. She attended Ball State University and Indiana University.
“When I was a junior in High School, I made the decision to become a librarian,” Rempala said.
She majored in English education and minored in special education and psychology. She later earned her master degree in library science and human development.
“I have always loved reading, literature, and grammar. I wanted to share that with students,” Rempala said.
Rempala teaches K-12th graders and gets the chance to see all of the students grow over the years. She loves interacting with kids and watching them grasp a concept while gaining knowledge over something new.
Outside of teaching, Rempala hosts the Middle/High School Book Club and the Elementary Maker Club, which focuses on STEM projects and computer programming. In the past, Rempala hosted varsity track, Science Olympiad, and Battle of the Books. This year, she is looking forward to The Young Hoosier Book committee, an organization where people come to discuss the Young Hoosier list of novels.
During her free time, Rempala loves to read. Her favorite book is the 1813 romance “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen. She also enjoys running, hiking, traveling, and exploring new places.
Rempala is a joy to have at Westville Schools and does more than her fair share for the entire Blackhawk family. Westville is proud to have such wonderful leaders and role models such as Rempala.