What’s recently happened?
Michigan City High School (MCHS) recently welcomed a new class of students into its chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS) this past month. The club welcomed in over 30 new inductees. All were invited to attend a welcome breakfast the morning before the induction ceremony on October 23. The ceremony was presided over by NHS President Madelyn Shinn.
MCHS’ NHS also recently hosted one of its most successful blood drives in years. With too many donors to take blood from, the Halloween blood drive was a spooky success.
MCHS Athletics recently hosted its Fall Awards Banquet, honoring the athletes and their successes this past season.
Some honorees were recognized for being named to the All Duneland Athletic Conference Team. These athletes include Junior Viktor Ducey from Boys Tennis, Senior Madelyn Shinn and Sophomore Kiara Williams from Girls Soccer, and Demond Cash from Boys Soccer.
What’s coming up?
The MCHS Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) is excited to be hosting its annual Veteran’s Day ceremony in the MCHS Gymnasium on Monday, November 11, 2024 at 1:30 p.m.
The MCHS Band looks forward to hosting its much anticipated end of year concert, “One City One Sound,” on December 12. This event brings in elementary, middle, and high school band and choir students to perform holiday tunes, and welcome in the holiday season.
The MCHS Language Department looks forward to hosting its annual International Holiday Potluck Dinner on Friday, December 13, from 5 to 8 p.m. This event brings the language students and their families together to celebrate both learned and inherited culture via food.
Staff spotlight:
Laure Poulin loves her job as a teacher at MCHS.
“I just love what I do. It’s not even a job to come to school. I am so lucky that I get to spend my days with high school kids. They make me laugh every single day. Every day is different, I never know what to expect. That’s why I love it: It’s my passion,” said Laure Poulin.
A Michigan City native, Laure Poulin graduated from Elston High School and earned a degree in English from Indiana University Bloomington (IU), and a masters degree in counseling and human services.
Laure Poulin teaches 10th grade English, Yearbook, and teaches the newly minted Advanced Placement (AP) Seminar. As the first teacher to ever teach AP Seminar at MCHS, Laure Poulin can’t recommend the course enough.
“It’s a completely different kind of course that the students have never been exposed to before. It’s an entirely new way of thinking, taking in information and analyzing. They really have to retrain their brains, but it’s a solid preparation for other advanced courses, and of course when they go on to college,” Laure Poulin said.
Laure Poulin is very proud of her two children, both former Wolves themselves, Luke and Sarah Poulin.
Sarah Poulin has followed in her mother’s footsteps and has earned a degree in elementary education and is now teaching English in Athens, Greece.
Luke Poulin was a baseball and tennis player at MCHS not too long ago, but can now be found at the Kelly School of Business at IU.
In addition to her English classes, Laure Poulin is also the longtime MCHS “Alpha” Yearbook sponsor.
“I just love watching the excitement in students' faces. Looking at a completely blank book, and watching the creativity come out of everybody. Watching them work on the pages, do their assignments, and feel really good about something they’re working on. The end product and the sense of accomplishment,” Laure Poulin said.
Student spotlight:
Senior Emilio Muñoz has played soccer since he was a kid, and after four years of playing on the MCHS Varsity Boys Soccer team, his soccer career has come to an end.
“We always played as a team. We had one of the closest bonds you can have with a team. Everybody is friends. Without soccer, I wouldn’t have met all the great people I know now. Throughout my life, playing with my friends – some since elementary school – was also really cool,” Muñoz said.
Muñoz has a love of the game that extends beyond the average player’s because it’s home grown.
“My dad was a really big inspiration for me to play soccer. My dad grew up playing soccer in Mexico. He was the first person to introduce the sport to me, and it was the first sport that I started playing. We’ve always had a close bond with soccer that I don’t really have with anybody else,” Muñoz said.
Muñoz is saying goodbye to high school soccer, but is looking forward to the upcoming track season where he will finish out his career as a discus thrower.
In October, Muñoz represented the MCHS “Alpha” yearbook as the Homecoming candidate, but most other days he can be found crunching numbers as the “Alpha” yearbook’s business editor.
“Emilio is phenomenal. He’s so organized. I don’t have to worry about anything on the business side of the yearbook. He takes care of it, I don’t even have to do anything. He’s very responsible, gets people to get to task and follow deadlines. He does exactly what I expect of a business editor and usually above and beyond,” said Laure Poulin.
Muñoz is involved in a number of extracurricular clubs as well. He is a member of his class steering committee, Helping Hands, National Honor Society, Rho Kappa Honor Society, and Spanish Honor Society.
A hard worker on and off the field, Muñoz is set to graduate with honors and distinction, and is hoping to continue his education as a student at Purdue University.
“After high school, I’m going to study commercial aviation, hopefully at Purdue University, and be a pilot,” Muñoz said.