What’s recently happened?
The beginning of March brought the beginning of softball and baseball seasons. At the beginning of the month, games were repeatedly canceled due to the weather, but once things started warming up and becoming better, the teams were excited to finally start playing games regularly.
The softball team has started their season off strong, with a 4-6 record. The Lady Senators’ next game is on Monday, May 2 against Westville.
The high school academic teams competed in the district competition on April 19 at Wheeler High School. Washington Township’s teams performed very well, earning multiple teams the ability to compete in the state competition. The fine arts, science, and social studies teams were named state finalists in Class IV and will have the opportunity to compete at state on May 7.
The boys and girls track teams have been competing in multiple tracks meets throughout March. On April 26, Claire Horvath tied the school record for the high jump, jumping a height of five feet and four inches! When asked about the accomplishment, Horvath showed her great feeling of accomplishment and her desire to keep improving.
“It was so rewarding, it was a moment that I had dreamt about and been chasing since my freshman year. It was special because it was the first home meet of my senior year and I drew a big crowd once everyone realized how close I was," said Horvath. "Although tying the record is great, I hope to keep improving these last couple of meets and end up holding it on my own.”
What’s coming up?
The women at Washington are very excitedly anticipating Judge Mary DeBoer’s presentation on May 11. DeBoer is a Porter Circuit Court Judge and a member of the noon Kiwanis group. She is generously coming to Washington Township to give a presentation to the girls of Key Club and Builders Clubs about leadership and women pursuing careers in law.
The students of Washington are also looking forward to prom, which will occur on May 7. Students decided on “enchanted forest” as the theme for prom. Students were able to purchase tickets from April 19 to 22. Students can participate in the grand march before going to Sand Creek County Club for dinner and dancing.
Students are beginning to take their advanced placement (AP) exams. The AP exams allow students to take a test in an attempt to earn college credit if they receive a passing score. Students have been taking classes and studying all year long in preparation for these tests. Students will take most of their AP exams in the first week of May.
The band and choir classes are preparing for their upcoming concerts. The choir will perform at their concert on May 5. The band will perform at their concert on May 17.
Seniors are also preparing for graduation! In May, a portion of the seniors will be invited to the awards and scholarship program. They will also be able to have the traditional cap and gown parade through the elementary school to wave goodbye to their previous elementary school teachers. Towards the end of the month, some of the seniors will travel to Washington D.C. for their senior trip! To finish out the year, seniors will also have their senior breakfast on May 17.
Staff spotlight
Michele Jablonski displays her genuine care for students through the education she provides and the personal connections she has with students. Jablonski teaches English to juniors and seniors.
Before Jablonski worked as a high school English teacher, she worked as one of Washington’s middle school English teachers. Jablonski has worked with many of the students since middle school, so she has been able to observe and help as students developed and advanced from middle schoolers into becoming juniors and seniors.
Jablonski is currently helping the senior class to connect previously learned English techniques, such as rhetoric, with real-world applications. The students of Washington are currently working on Project-Based Learning (PBLs). Jablonski has utilized connections with the community to bring in guest presenters to provide students with more information. By inviting people to talk with students about their projects and guide them to better their projects, students are gaining knowledge and experience from professionals in Valparaiso.
Outside of the academic education she provides, she has put in even more time and effort for the seniors this year to have a “college hack” of the day. Additionally, she implements fun team-building activities for her classes to encourage students to improve their skills in communication, compromising, and making strategies.
Student spotlight
Paige Cavanaugh, a senior, has utilized her time in high school to try many extracurriculars and prepare herself for the future. Cavanaugh has been a member of the Key Club for four years. During the four years, you could find Paige at early morning volunteering opportunities with a positive attitude.
Cavanaugh is also a student at the Porter County Career & Technical Center. She is currently in the Health Science 2 program, working to obtain her CNA license. When talking to her, you can see her passion and interest in medicine, but through the different clinical experiences she has encountered with that class this year, the passion has grown even more!
For all four years of high school, Cavanaugh also was on the volleyball and softball teams. During her junior year, she was also part of the dance team.
Cavanaugh is very excited to start college and start working towards her future career.
“I plan to attend Indiana University Fort Wayne this fall and study nursing," said Cavanaugh.
In the future, she hopes to become a trauma nurse.