#1StudentNWI: Wolves Showcase Spirit and Identity in October

#1StudentNWI: Wolves Showcase Spirit and Identity in October

The Wolfpack Claws its Way to the Spirit Stick
Spirit Week means a time for MCHS students to take a break from their polos, paint sheets donning their class colors, and compete in several events to prove to the student body which class has what it takes to win the ever-coveted Spirit Stick at homecoming.

This year, Spirit Week started by adding a whole new level of character to MCHS, literally. Student Council decided to put individual Disney Days, Superhero Days, and Televison Days to rest this year and created Character Day instead. Character Day allowed students to dress as any character that they want to, be it a superhero, Mickey Mouse, or even a nurse from Grey’s Anatomy. By doing this, Student Council hoped to open up other days in the week for different themes.

On Tuesday, students replaced their character costumes with Hawaiian shirts and sunglasses for Hawaiian/Tourist Day. Although students still had to wear their Dress-for-Success bottoms, the halls were filled with tourists from the waist-up. The outfits were not just limited to Hawaiian-based costumes, though. Students were also allowed to wear t-shirts from the different places that they have vacationed to.

MCHS athletes came out to shine on Sports Day. Professional, college, and local sports teams were represented throughout the school. Traditionally, students used this day to wear their sports sweatpants, but, this year, MCHS kept it classy once again with Dress-for-Success bottoms.

MCHS-1Student-October-2016_02 Athletes also came in handy for Class Olympics, which took place that Wednesday. Each class sent their best athletes to the games, which included powderpuff football, ultimate frisbee, tug-of-war, and a triathlon. The triathlon itself was made up of an egg-and-spoon race, a three-legged race, and a wheel barrow race. The seniors swept all four events, something that has not happened in several years.

The usual navy blue, black, and grey uniform colors were ditched for red, white, and blue on Patriotic Day, which was the next day in the line-up. While some students simply dressed in patriotic colors, others took the day a step further and dressed as the 2016 Presidential candidates.

On the Friday of Homecoming, students were implored to wear their class colors. Each year, each class’ steering committee decides on a color scheme and t-shirt that students are allowed to wear to represent their class. The class of 2020 chose blue tie-dye as their color, and they used their graduation year to their advantage with their shirt slogan, which was “2020 vision: we see a perfect future.”

The sophomores kept pink as their signature color, which was also the color that they wore when they were awarded the Spirit Stick at last year’s homecoming. Juniors switched it up and went with purple and gold as their class colors, which tied in perfectly with their “royalty” theme. Last, but certainly not least, the seniors chose the traditional black senior shirts, and, since the class of 2017 is the last class to be completely born in the nineties, their shirts read “The Fresh Seniors of 2017” in the same font as the Fresh Prince of Bel Air logo, with the back displaying the title of MC Hammer’s Too Legit to Quit. Each class painted banners with corresponding colors and themes as well.

After all of the festivities, the Spirit Stick was passed on to the class of 2017 for the first time in the history of the class. Despite the fact that the seniors were the only ones to get the Spirit Stick, all of MCHS got something even more meaningful: the ability to represent their school spirit in a positive way.

MCHS-1Student-October-2016_03Benjamin Gillman: a Man of Many “Firsts”
Between teaching one of the newest social studies classes and founding a club dedicated to supporting the rights of others, there is not much at MCHS that the ever-passionate Benjamin Gillman has not benefited in a positive way.

In fact, it was Michigan City Area Schools itself that convinced Gillman to live a life dedicated to teaching students. “It was 2009,” said Gillman, “and I was trying to figure out what to do with my life; I spent a spring and summer at MCAS as a para-professional. I liked the kids, and the school, so I decided to get my license.”

Although he was a Chesterton Trojan in high school, Gillman attended graduate school at Indiana University Northwest to get his education license that would allow him to become an MCHS Wolf. He also attended Valparaiso University for his undergraduate schooling and majored in history/political science and economics.

After teaching several social studies classes such as geography and government, Gillman has taken the opportunity to specifically share his knowledge in one of his favorite historical subjects: European History. AP European history has never been taught at MCHS before this year, and Gillman could not be happier to teach it.

“Europe and her history touch literally everything on the planet. African, U.S., and Asian history all have impacts on each other, but only European history impacts each and every one. The story of what makes Europe and then ultimately ends European hegemony is breathtaking and vast. MCHS gets better and better each year. I want to be part of that growth, and our high school is an elite high school; it needs to have elite coursework,” explained Gillman.

MCHS-1Student-October-2016_04 His class lives up to this elite coursework, of course. This year, his students have been asked to completely recreate Renaissance paintings (including props and costumes), write rigorous essays on key events in European history, and hand-draw detailed maps of some of the key European players. To draw these maps, Gillman first freehands an incredibly accurate map of the country on the whiteboard, and students are asked to use that as an example. This expounds on the students’ kinesthetic learning skills, and he can validate that claim from firsthand experience.

Gillman said, “I remember drawing a map of the Kuril Islands and attaching it to an essay I wrote about Russian/Japanese relations, and my professor said it was ‘cool’ and that kind of set the tone.”

Teaching the first AP European History class at MCHS is not the only “first” Gillman has under his belt; he is also the founder of the LGBTA+ Club at MCHS. This is the first club at MCHS that creates a safe haven for students who are still “coming to terms” with their gender identities and sexual orientations.

“The world is a dark, scary, and broken place. Everyone of us has to fight for all of us, and it seemed like a no-brainer to start a club for LGBT youth. LGB youth are 5x more likely to attempt suicide. 50% of transgender youth attempt suicide before their 20th birthday, LGBT youth are more likely to be kicked out of their homes, and transwomen of color are the most likely to be targeted for hate crimes,” stated Gillman.

These solemn statistics are some of the issues that motivated Gillman to found the club. Aside from simply creating a safe haven, Gillman also hopes to schedule an LGBT-A prom for the region.